Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 227: Rising to fame, "Talking about Yue"!
[Shortly after your gambling match with that unknown senior officer ended, a promotion order flew down from the Song army's headquarters: Commander-in-Chief "Zhou Chi" was ordered to concurrently serve as the army's spear and club instructor!]

Upon receiving this transfer order, you were immediately overjoyed: Although the process was somewhat tortuous, the outcome was ultimately positive. With this position as the army's spear and stick instructor, your future opportunities for promotion would be much greater!

[At the same time, you were also excited and carefully learned about the so-called "Spear and Stick Instructor" position...]

[Lance and stick instructors, as the name suggests, are instructors responsible for training soldiers in the use of spears and sticks. The most famous of these instructors is probably Lin Chong from Water Margin!]

Lin Chong was known as the "Instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards," and his fame was so resounding that even after joining Liangshan, this title was still a source of pride, and anyone who heard it would give him a second look.

However, the title of "Instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards" is a bit of a stretch. If someone who doesn't know the details hears this title, their first reaction would be that Lin Chong is in charge of 800,000 Imperial Guards...

[But in reality, the "800,000" refers to the total number of the Northern Song Dynasty Imperial Guards, not the number of people under Lin Chong's command... and the Northern Song Dynasty Imperial Guards couldn't have had only Lin Chong as their instructor; they actually had many instructors.]

Therefore, the title "Spear and Stick Instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards" should not be understood as "the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards," but rather as "one of the many instructors responsible for spear and stick training for the 800,000 Imperial Guards."

[A "coach" is actually an instructor. Strictly speaking, it is not a formal military position, nor does it lead troops, nor does it have any real power. Therefore, even when Lin Chong in Water Margin molested his wife, Gao Yanei, he still did not summon his "800,000 imperial guards" in anger to kill Gao Yanei...]

[It's not that he doesn't want to summon them, but he has no one to summon! He's not even an officer, at best a "commoner". Gao Yanei molesting his wife is almost like molesting a commoner girl...]

The only benefit of this position is that you have a few say within the military and can develop good personal relationships with officers and enlisted personnel. So, if it's convenient, you might be able to bring in some friends from the military and have them help you out on a friendly note.

[So, if you were stripped of your position as "Dutou" and assigned to "Jiangbang Instructor," you'd obviously be at a disadvantage: no matter how low-ranking a Dutou is, he's still a real military officer who actually manages a hundred or so people, and he's not comparable to an instructor!]

[But thankfully, you weren't dismissed from your position as captain. Instead, you were given the concurrent position of spear and stick instructor. This is a pure enhancement: you retain your original military position and team, while also serving as an instructor for other troops!]

If you're a good instructor, you'll have considerable prestige within the military. From low-ranking soldiers to mid- and high-ranking officers, everyone will have the opportunity to hear about you. This builds experience and reputation, naturally significantly increasing your chances of future promotions.

[As for whether you can be a good spear and stick instructor...]

【Of course there is no problem at all! 】

Holding this letter of appointment personally issued by the Commanding General, you can't help but feel overwhelmed: Progress! Progress! I want to improve so badly!

【…】

"A young man has arrived from the spear and stick instructors!"

Soon, rumors about you spread throughout the army. Everyone was curious: Could a young man in his early twenties really teach a bunch of veteran soldiers how to use a spear and a stick?

Some questioned: "It feels like someone got in through the backdoor... Could he have gotten in by selling hooks?"

Some were neutral: "The other coaches aren't that great anyway, so a newbie would be a change of pace. As long as he's not a noob who's even worse than me, I'll accept him as the coach."

【Of course, there are also your loyal fans! 】

The over one hundred men you personally taught formed the vanguard of your fan base, while the thousand or so who had heard your stories and witnessed your spear battle with that young man formed the core of your fan base. They were spreading the word about your achievements: "A coach with such unique qualities is truly hard to find, even with a lantern!"

[Coach Zhou, please give the order!]

"Thank you for your kindness! Thank you for your kindness..."

Amidst the cheers of your fans, you smiled as you walked onto the high platform. Then, you faced the dense crowd below. Their faces displayed a mixture of excitement, doubt, and disdain... Each expression expressed a different attitude towards you. This was perfectly normal, considering you were still a complete rookie with no achievements.

So, what you need to do is to demonstrate your outstanding abilities as quickly as possible and prove yourself to everyone with actual achievements. As long as you can overwhelm the doubters with facts, then you will be able to achieve the success you want!

Let’s begin then…

Your expression grew serious, and you began earnestly explaining your rules to the thousands of soldiers in training below: The rules are simple, just listen and be trained! Everyone will learn as you teach. Those who don't understand can raise their hands and ask questions in batches!

[After that, you began to organize their warm-up exercises. Afterwards, you explained the key points of your usual spear and stick training to everyone, demonstrating them yourself as you went along...]

[Under your guidance and example, the veterans quickly realized that this was the real thing, and their previous doubts faded away... And although the new recruits were slow to react, they began to feel that it made sense as they practiced, and so their doubts faded.]

[In this way, you gradually established a preliminary prestige: Coach Zhou is not a patron saint who has connections, but has come in based on real ability!]

[Of course, due to human species diversity, some unknown creatures will deliberately contradict you... When faced with such unknown creatures, you will first calmly explain to them. If they are truly unreasonable, then you will not hesitate to use your fists.]

You grabbed the unknown creature and pulled it onto the parade grounds. Then you threw a spear at it and challenged it directly in front of thousands of bloodthirsty spectators: Fight me if you don't agree. Win and we'll talk later!

[With such a free and easy training method, everyone who already recognized your status as a coach will naturally admire you even more, and your prestige will become even stronger...]

As the sun began to set, everyone, exhausted from completing their training mission, lay down on the ground with a loud cry of relief. The entire training ground was filled with a strong masculine aura.

You couldn't help but smile, then picked up your spear and leisurely headed back to the barracks...

Unexpectedly, at this moment, someone suddenly started to make a noise: "Captain Zhou! After you've trained us in the past, don't you always teach us some writing, arithmetic, and so on? Why aren't you teaching us today?"

"Right, right! Coach Zhou, I've been waiting for you to talk about the Three Kingdoms! Last time you told us about Zhao Zilong's seven ins and outs at Changban Slope, and we were so excited! Why aren't you telling us about it today?"

【"Yeah yeah……"】

Listening to the crowd's clamor, you can't help but feel a bit embarrassed: "This... Let me make it clear to you brothers, my real job now is just a captain in charge of a hundred people. Although I have the honor of teaching over a thousand of you as the spear and stick instructor, after all, a spear and stick instructor can only teach spear and stick. If I say anything else, wouldn't that be exceeding my authority?"

The crowd protested: "After practicing spears and sticks, I just gave a storytelling performance. How can that be considered an overstepping of authority?"

"Don't panic, Coach Zhou. We'll handle any problems! Just tell us. The brothers are waiting!"

Listening to the soldiers' unanimous cheering, you look worried, but inwardly you smile: Here they come!

"If you're really just here to teach me spear and stick, then your position as a headmaster is clearly a waste... You've built up a reputation for being both civil and military, all for this moment!"

What are the hidden benefits of being a coach?

[Of course, it's about building personal relationships with the soldiers through training, and thus accumulating reputation! When your reputation reaches a certain level, it will naturally achieve the effects you seek...]

[However, if you're just an ordinary coach, then neither personal relationships nor reputation will be very profound. After all, there are so many good coaches in the military... If you don't do something special, then what core competitiveness do you have compared to other coaches?]

[A pure martial arts instructor, until his death, would at best be Lin Chong's second best. And when Lin Chong was in trouble, how many of his friends in the army would come to his aid and stand up for him against Gao Yanei?]

[So, rather than being a pure martial arts instructor, you should be a more ideological instructor!]

A martial arts coach doesn't have many life-or-death comrades, but an ideological coach has a real chance of instigating an internal movement, even a revolutionary feat like the Wuchang Uprising...

[Of course, you wouldn't dare dream of instigating a mutiny under the extraordinary version of Yue Fei, but being able to gain the fame that will allow you to advance unimpeded is enough!]

You then feigned a sigh, bowed to the group, and said loudly, "Since you brothers all want me to tell a story, I'll accept! As for asking you brothers to do the work, how can I possibly do that?"

"Don't mention it, I can handle it all on my own!" After these bold words, in front of everyone's surprised and admiring expressions, you coughed lightly and then slowly began to speak...

“Today, we won’t be talking about the Three Kingdoms, but the heroes of our own dynasty!”

"This hero turned the tide and supported the collapsing edifice. He is truly the pillar of our Song Dynasty, like a white jade pillar supporting the sky and a purple gold beam spanning the sea!"

"Legend has it that he is the reincarnation of the golden-winged Roc from heaven, born with the destiny to support the Song Dynasty and protect the Holy Lord. Because he is the reincarnation of the golden-winged Roc, his courtesy name is... Pengju!"

[Weekly version of "The Legend of Yue Fei" is launched!]

【…】

"Honestly, we all really didn't expect you to make up a story based on Marshal Yue himself. After all, he's still alive, and you're making up stories about him. If anyone gets to know about this, won't you be charged with spreading rumors?"

[Besides, even if Marshal Yue is kind and doesn't punish you for fabricating things, wouldn't it be embarrassing if someone exposed your story to your face...]

[So, everyone wanted to complain at first.]

[But as your storyline gradually unfolds, a wonderful historical epic cloaked in a bit of mythology begins to take shape in everyone's mind...]

Yes, although "The Legend of Yue Fei" is wrapped in mythology, its core and essence is still the historical story of the Jin-Song War. While the core of this story remains unchanged, some appropriate mythological elements will not only not reduce the viewing experience, but will even add a lot of color to the story!

[Furthermore, the ancient world was already heavily steeped in mythology. Before the people were enlightened, the emperor and his ministers were essentially no different from gods, and the common people lacked any scientific materialism... Furthermore, these folk tales of deified heroes had long been widespread throughout the Song Dynasty, not to mention your remixed version of "The Story of Yue Fei"...]

As long as you tell the story well, without deliberately vilifying Yue Fei and others, and always stick to the core idea of ​​"loyalty to the emperor and patriotism," then this story will be accepted by the public!

[Of course, in order to uphold the feudal core value of "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism," you definitely can't bring out the original version of "The Story of Yue Fei." Otherwise, how could this end in tragedy?]

Therefore, you not only significantly altered the details of the story, but also drastically deleted the second half of "The Story of Yue Fei," completely changing the ending where Yue Fei was persecuted to death by Zhao Gou and Qin Hui...

[For this reason, you had already inquired about Qin Hui's situation: Qin Hui did not hold a high position in the Song Dynasty, and he did not even survive. Even after the Song-Jin peace agreement, he advocated submission to the Jin Dynasty and was denounced by Yue Fei and others who had returned from the Northern Expedition. He was ultimately executed by "God Zhao Gou," thus establishing the Song Dynasty's national policy of never surrendering to the Jin Dynasty!]

[Therefore, Qin Hui here is a pure villain, and he is officially recognized as a true villain. It doesn't matter if he is blackened to death...]

So you made up this ending: After the great victory at Zhuxian Town, Jin spy Qin Hui attempted to stir up unrest in the Song court to stop the Northern Expedition. If he succeeded, the entire Northern Expedition army would collapse, and even the invincible Marshal Yue would be powerless to reverse the situation...

At this critical turning point in history, our infinitely great Emperor Zhao saw through the Jin spies' conspiracy at a glance, and decisively extended his tangible hand, crushing the evil "Qin Hui's anti-Song group" in one fell swoop, effectively safeguarding the overall situation of the Northern Expedition!

[It was precisely because of Emperor Zhao's piercing vision and swift tactics that the Northern Expedition was saved from danger. Without it, even Marshal Yue would have struggled to succeed... Therefore, the primary credit for the Northern Expedition actually belongs to Emperor Zhao! And it was thanks to Emperor Zhao's foresight that Marshal Yue was able to defeat Jin Wushu!]

[Without Emperor Zhao, there would be no victory in the Northern Expedition of the Song Dynasty. Emperor Zhao’s kindness is not over yet!]

【loyalty!】

[Of course, simply praising Zhao Gou like this isn't enough. To achieve a perfect ending, you also set the Northern Expedition to a resounding victory: Under the wise command of Emperor Zhao, Marshal Yue finally defeated the main force of the Jin army, beheaded General Jin Wushu in battle, and marched north to recover the Central Plains and even the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, expanding the territory of the Song Dynasty to Lake Baikal, where Su Wu grazed his sheep. Then, he marched east to Korea and Japan, and west to the Western Regions and India, surpassing the Han and Tang dynasties, until he restored the Song Dynasty and returned to the old capital...]

【First look confirms its authenticity and identifies it as "the most Song fantasy"! 】

[As a result, "The Story of Yue Fei" becomes a purely euphoric story, lacking some of the plot twists and turns... But that's okay. The Song Dynasty was not short of humiliation and loss of sovereignty, and after being humiliated so often, people naturally want to feel good. Therefore, euphoric stories are more suitable for Song Dynasty children...]

【…】

[Of course, you can’t finish such a long story in one day.]

So, every day after your daily training, you'll take time out to tell everyone about "Zhou's magical remake of 'The Legend of Yue Fei'"... And where else have you heard such a refreshing and exciting story? Naturally, you can't stop!

Soon, your story of Yue Fei spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, until it became a hit throughout the entire Xiangyang garrison. Soldiers everywhere in the barracks were enthusiastically discussing Yue Fei's story...

"Is General Yue actually the reincarnation of the Golden-Winged Dapeng?!"

"Great is Emperor Zhao! He crushed the conspiracy of Qin Hui and his Jin spies in one fell swoop! He stood at the turning point of history, his two invisible hands tightly grasping the sun and moon, causing them to spin! The sun and moon once again open the sky of the Great Song Dynasty!"

"Hiss... Do you think Marshal Yue really has the words 'Serve the Country with Loyalty' tattooed on his back?"

"How should I know? If you have the guts, go ask Marshal Yue..."

【“…”】

[The old soldier stood outside the barracks, listening to the soldiers' heated discussions. He couldn't help but twitch his eyes...]

At this moment, the young man beside him couldn't help but whisper, "Dad... do you really have the words 'Serve the Country with Loyalty' on your back?"

[Old soldier: ...]

[“It existed before, but it’s gone now… and it’s about utmost loyalty, not ultimate loyalty…”]

[The old soldier said unhappily.]

"Are you truly the reincarnation of the Golden-Winged Dapeng?"

【"……no."】

The old soldier sighed helplessly, "This brat... is spreading rumors about me again. I thought he'd calm down for a while after I gave him a beating, but he's become even more aggressive."

"His passion for progress is so intense..."

The young man curled his lips, "Who doesn't want to be a high-ranking official? I don't think it's a big deal, and his story isn't too outrageous. I've even listened to the story of Yue Fei, and it's all about loyalty to the emperor and serving the country, which shows how sincere he is."

"All positions in the world belong to those with talent. As long as he truly possesses talent, what's wrong with giving him power?"

[The old soldier couldn't help but be silent for a moment...]

After a long while, he murmured, "Yes, it is for the talented to take over... The old is replaced by the new..."

“Whatever.”

The old soldier seemed to have made up his mind and said solemnly, "Tide washes away the sand, fire refines the gold!"

[“The Northern Expedition can be resumed…”]

……

(End of this chapter)