Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 41: Puppet Showdown!

Jiang Xingzhou spent seven days and nights preparing and patiently gathering materials for the [Bamboo Armor Spearman].

These materials,
Morning dew is easiest to obtain during the Yin hour (3-5 AM); simply collect it at a set time each day.

Every day at dawn, as the clapper sounds and the morning mist begins to dampen our clothes, we use bamboo tubes to collect the dewdrops from the tips of wild rice leaves and seal them in celadon bottles.

It takes at least half an hour to fill a three-inch bamboo tube.

Pine resin and pine gum are also commonly found.

Dozens of miles outside Jiangyin County, wild pine forests are everywhere. People carry bamboo combs to scrape pine resin in the suburbs. Once the blade cuts through the resin, it can be harvested and sealed in earthenware jars.

However, if you find it troublesome, you can spend twenty copper coins to go directly to the hunchbacked old craftsman who makes glue in the East Market of the city. He has properly refined resin and glue, and the price is affordable.

Ice silkworm silk was slightly more expensive, costing three taels of silver, and could be purchased from weaving workshops in the market.

These silkworm threads gleam with a cold, eerie blue light. When carefully wrapped around the asparagus fern, they greatly enhance its resilience.

This is the most luxurious material for crafting bamboo armor spearmen.

The most difficult part was storing the phoenix-tail bamboo in the snow cellar for seven days, after it had been tempered by ice and snow. Fortunately, in the snow cellar of the Duke of Xue's mansion, there was a ten-zhang-thick ice wall, which was enough to dispel the heat of the long midsummer in Jiangnan.

After being stored in the Xue family's snow cellar for seven days, a section of phoenix tail bamboo, when taken out, was like a piece of hard ice, emitting a trace of mysterious icy coldness.

For Jiang Xingzhou, the bamboo that had been stored in the snow cellar for seven days was actually the easiest material to obtain.

This made Jiang Xingzhou sigh, "Even the simplest [All Grass and Trees Are Soldiers] technique requires top-quality refining materials, and regardless of the cost of the materials, ordinary people would never be able to obtain them!"

The spring equinox exams are approaching.
In the days that followed, all the students in the outer and upper dormitories of the county school were preparing the necessary materials, while also continuing their practice of other four-character literary arts at the county school.

Besides seeing enemies everywhere, there are also phrases like "scattering beans to create soldiers," "sharpening weapons and feeding horses," "wild geese carrying letters," and "seeing snakes in a cup," all of which are common literary techniques for students.

The seemingly complex four-character mantra is actually a synthesis of the true meaning of each character, and it is not difficult to practice.

The students' literary cultivation gradually entered a subtle and profound stage.

More than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Spring Equinox is here.

spring equinox.

morning.

The white mist in the suburbs outside Jiangyin City exuded a metallic aura, and the arena was filled with wisps of heat.

Thirty newly enrolled students from the outer dormitory and thirty veteran students from the upper dormitory faced off against each other in a rice paddy that had not yet been plowed in spring, using the literary technique of "every bush and tree is an enemy soldier" to release various kinds of puppet soldiers.

"The thirty experienced scholars in the upper dormitory, led by the veteran scholar Zhou Guangjin, are undoubtedly going to win this time!"

"That's hard to say!"

Jiang Xingzhou, Han Yugui, Cao An, and others all have the ability to pass the prefectural examination and become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination). They are not to be trifled with!
The old students all failed the prefectural examinations and were repeatedly unable to pass!
It's hard to say who will emerge victorious!

The hundreds of students in the inner dormitory watched the spectacle with great excitement on their faces.

Being a newly promoted student does not mean being weak.

It should be noted that the top five students in the first-class category of the Jiangyin County examinations in previous years almost always had a good chance of passing the county-level examinations and becoming a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level examinations).

The school administrator Cai Chao, the county school instructor Zheng Shuqian, and more than ten instructors watched the battle from the side of the rice paddies.

Even Shen Yanqing, the county magistrate's chief clerk, and Cui Mingyuan, the county official, came to watch the battle after hearing about it.

"let's start!"

Cai Xuezheng coughed lightly.

Instructor Zheng Shuqian immediately took the evaluation book and addressed the students in the outer and upper dormitories: "The Spring Equinox Mini Exam is a battle between two sides."

However, the performance and quality of each of your puppet soldiers will still be judged individually.

Submitting a subpar performance or doing a perfunctory job will both result in point deductions.

If the performance evaluation is excellent, the quota of ten people will be increased by three dou of millet per month. If the performance evaluation is poor, the quota of ten people will be reduced by three dou of millet per month.

Those who receive the lowest possible score in three consecutive examinations will be ineligible to participate in the Jiangzhou Prefecture Examination in midsummer!

The battlefield was confined to ten acres of rice paddies, and the battle continued until the last soldier was killed.

"Yes!"

The students were alarmed and quickly agreed.

In the rice paddies of the countryside, a battle between the two sides is about to break out.

"Every bush and tree is an enemy! Imperial decree—!" Jiang Xingzhou shot out a beam of green light from two fingers, which landed on the prepared phoenix tail bamboo material on the ground with an imperial decree.

In an instant, a majestic spearman, clad in bamboo armor and wielding a ten-foot-long, sharp bamboo spear with a cold glint at its tip, stood motionless before them.

It's more than that,

He then unleashed another green light onto the second bamboo stalk.

In an instant, a horse neighed, and a tall, bamboo-clad warhorse, wearing bamboo armor, trotted out, its hooves emitting a chilling aura.

The Wenzhu spearmen immediately mounted their horses and became lancers.

"Rice stalks become bows and arrows, and awns become arrowheads!"

On its back, there was an extra bow and arrow.

Such a cavalryman, whose talent is solidified into plant armor, can last for twelve hours before disintegrating into materials.

If the materials are not severely damaged, they can still be used the next time a spell is cast.

"These tempered plant materials?"

Gu Zhimian looked shocked.

The bamboo armor soldiers were covered in bamboo armor that gleamed with a ghostly light, making it clear at a glance that their defenses were extremely formidable.

Just looking at this bamboo armor, one can only imagine how the bamboo material was pre-tempered, greatly enhancing its toughness. It is comparable to black iron armor and is exceptionally fine.

He looked at the materials he had prepared—a withered vine and an old tree branch—and felt ashamed.

The difference in materials alone is significant, so the gap in combat power is self-evident.

"Get up~!"

With a single command from Han Yugui, a peach branch full of buds on a peach tree beside the rice paddy instantly transformed into a Peach Blossom Guard wielding a halberd.

He was too lazy to prepare materials, so he just used what was available.

The students in the outer dormitory all displayed their [seeing enemies in every bush and tree] skills.

Soon, thirty puppet soldiers made of various plants and trees, each carrying a sword, bow, and knife, appeared in the ten acres of rice paddies in front of the outer dormitory student.

Bamboo armor lancers!
Rattan armor and sword-and-shield soldiers!

Zhama wood archer!
Peach Blossom Halberd Guards!

After just over ten days of arduous training, most of the puppet soldiers released by the newly promoted students in the outer quarters have greatly improved and now resemble puppet soldiers.

"The other day, Brother Jiang mentioned the Cang Er Fa Tan wine, so I specially prepared a jar in advance for everyone to share."

Cao An distributed the cocklebur wine he brought from the Cao residence to the students in the outer dormitory, and applied it to the heart cavity of the plant puppet soldiers.

"Thank you!"

"Brother Cao, you're very kind!"

The students were overjoyed.

really,

After these plant puppet soldiers were coated with the "Cutting Sandalwood" wine, their pupils gained a touch of liveliness, and they no longer appeared dull and wooden.

The students were much more agile and nimble when they manipulated them.

opposite.

The thirty old students in the upper dormitory had already released their respective plant and wood puppet soldiers—heavy armored wooden shield soldiers, sword soldiers, grass leaf spear soldiers, and light cavalry.

"kill!"

Zhou Guangjin shouted sharply, full of vigor, and began his attack.

The horde of plant puppet soldiers began their swarm attack.

"Form ranks and prepare for battle!"

Jiang Xingzhou gave a soft shout,
In the rice paddies, the thirty puppet soldiers of the outer students, wielding swords and spears, pierced through the morning mist, exploding into thirty streaks of cold light.

The cavalryman in the very center, armed with a bow and arrow, rode a tall horse and had the longest range.

It drew its bow, the bowstring vibrated, and an arrow "whooshed" towards the opposing camp.

(End of this chapter)