You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 3 A Pitiful Mother's Heart
"Master, Instructor Hong is here!"

In the wilderness, Chen Shao, along with seven or eight farmhands, was bending over and wielding large scythes to harvest hay.

Chen Shao straightened up and wiped his sweat.

The instructor's surname was Hong, which made Chen Shao a little uneasy, reminding him of the spear and staff instructor in the Water Margin who was brutally beaten by Lin Chong in his previous life.

However, this man must be truly capable, because he is a legitimate retainer of the Liu family, and Chen Shao specifically asked Liu Guanglie for him.

This Instructor Hong looked very honest and kind; he wasn't very tall, but he was quite strong.

He wore a wide-slit shirt with straight seams, a silk sash around his waist, and leather boots, and held a whistle stick in his hand.

These military officers who could become the generals' retainers were generally very perceptive. They could spot Chen Shao as their master at a glance and greet him with clasped hands and a fist salute.

Chen Shao hurriedly welcomed the people in and instructed the servants to prepare some wine and dishes, specifically instructing them to slaughter a sheep.

The fact that this man arrived on horseback indicates that he held a relatively high position under Liu Yanqing.

The villagers scattered in a hurry, happily going to slaughter chickens and sheep, and prepare wine, dishes, and fruits.

Chen Shao grabbed the slowest one and couldn't help but curse, "Grade 11, why the hell aren't you stacking up the hay? What am I supposed to do?"

The second-year high school student cursed his bad luck, not because he was slow, but because the others were too fast.

He turned around with a fawning smile, then immediately went to pile up the hay with a bitter expression.

After observing for some time, Chen Shao has come to a conclusion.

The idea that time travelers, especially those from well-off families, would be eternally grateful to the lower classes for a few small favors or even just a few words of respect is utter nonsense.

These people are all shrewd and cunning, especially those at the bottom of the social ladder. After all, surviving in this era is not an easy thing.

If you're too nice to him for no reason, he'll start to wonder if you're trying to harm him.

If you are unusually generous, he will think that you are a fool and how to trick you into getting more benefits from you.

It's not that there aren't any straightforward and righteous people, it's just that they're very hard to find.

"Judging from the coach's accent, he's not from Shaanxi?"

Instructor Hong laughed and said, "Master has good hearing. I was originally a barbarian from the Hehuang region. I was recruited by Lord Liu and fought in the Daredevil Army for several years, where I made some minor contributions. Lord Liu then became the General Manager of Fuyan Road, and that's when he transferred me here."

Chen Shaoxi said, "Good, good, good. I'm just about to learn the real skills of array formation from the instructor."

The Western Army had many barbarian soldiers who were familiar with the terrain, skilled in horsemanship and archery, and showed no mercy when fighting their own kind.

Instructor Hong was a man of few words, only responding when Chen Shao asked him questions.

It was common in the Northwest for a relative of General Liu to learn martial arts, since they would eventually have to go to the battlefield.

Although the Song Dynasty's soldiers often suffered defeats, the common people still valued martial arts and had a strong martial spirit.

After the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, numerous rebel armies emerged in the north, and their victories were quite remarkable.

The officials sent by Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong to negotiate peace were stopped by the people on the way. They were asked whether they were going to fight against the Jin or to negotiate peace. When they learned that they were negotiating peace, they were beaten to death.

Even when the Liao Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, it still managed to take the opportunity to beat up the Song Dynasty.

The people were still the same people from Hebei. After being gathered and reorganized by Yue Fei, they were able to fight the arrogant Jin army in open battle on the vast plains and even win!
After the banquet, Chen Shao stayed at the estate and trained with him.

Chen Shao already had some basic skills, and with Coach Hong's guidance, he learned real battlefield killing techniques.

These skills are the culmination of his many battles; they might just save your life on the battlefield someday!

The skills required for combat are like this: finding a famous teacher doesn't guarantee success. The teacher can guide you through the door, but what you really need is continuous, diligent practice.

Of course, the most important thing is always talent.

Chen Shao glanced around and saw that some villagers had come to learn on their own, but Dong Dahu, who could plow faster than an ox with a plow, did not come.

Chen Shao was somewhat surprised, as he had specifically told his mother and son about it.

After seeing Instructor Hong off, Chen Shao carried a jar of mutton to the Dong family's thatched hut.

They lived in Chen Shao's estate, and this thatched house was actually Chen Shao's property.

He knocked and came in. Dong Dahu was brushing Chen Shao's horse in the yard. It was clear he really liked the horse. "Dahu, come here."

"Boss." He smelled the aroma of mutton, his eyes lit up, and he swallowed.

"Eat up!" Chen Shao smiled and handed him the jar.

Dong Dahu immediately opened the jar and started eating with his hands.

Chen Shao walked to the side, picked up a loofah sponge and continued brushing the horse, asking casually, "Da Hu, I told you to learn some martial arts, why didn't you go?"

"My mother won't let me go."

Chen Shao's eyes darted around as he was making plans in his mind when Madam Dong returned carrying a basket.

She spotted Chen Shao immediately, quickly ran over, and slapped Dong Dahu on the back of the head.

The slap was loud enough to startle Chen Shao, and even the horse turned its head to look.

While drinking soup, Dong Dahu turned his head and said with dissatisfaction, "Mom, why are you hitting me now? The soup is all spilled!"

"I'm beating you up, you lazy bum! How could you let the master brush the horse while you're eating like this? Don't you have any manners? Master, please don't mind him. This man is a bit simple-minded, as you know."

Chen Shao laughed and said, "It's alright, I'm the one who made him eat it."

"Our employer has been incredibly kind to my daughter and me. We will definitely work hard to repay him."

Chen Shao put down the loofah and shook the water off his hands. "Madam Dong, I asked Da Hu to learn some martial arts, why didn't you let him go?"

“Oh dear, this child is both stupid and clumsy. I was just afraid that if he went, he would delay the master’s affairs.” Madam Dong lowered her head, her expression somewhat unnatural.

Chen Shao smiled and didn't ask any further questions. He simply said, "It's alright, just let him go. I used my connections to invite this martial arts master from Lord Liu's residence. It's a rare opportunity."

After he left, Madam Dong plopped down on the ground, staring blankly at the mutton soup pot, her expression inexplicably flustered.

"Mom, this mutton is so delicious. I saved some for you. Try it."

Mrs. Dong touched his face, looking at her chubby son, "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt, Mother, why are you crying?"

Mrs. Dong wiped away her tears, "My son, this pot of mutton isn't that delicious."

"Delicious! Mom, the mutton is delicious!"

Mrs. Dong sighed.

These past few days, everyone in the village has been saying that the landlord is going to the battlefield in the west.

He selected some young farmhands to go with him.

Dong's wife's husband died in battle three years ago, her father-in-law died in battle seven years ago, and her father died in battle ten years ago.

Last year, more bad news came: her brother from her maternal family was captured by the Xia bandits on the front lines of Hengshan, and he probably wouldn't see him again.

She didn't understand anything about national righteousness; all she knew was that the imperial court and those officials took her relatives away from her one by one, but none of them came back.

Their livelihoods did not improve as a result; instead, they became increasingly difficult.

Chen Shao returned to his room, looked at the bow hanging on the wall, took a rag and wiped it clean.

He could roughly guess what Dong was thinking.

But what good would it do to keep Dong Dahu by my side?
To put it bluntly, if the Jin army really attacked, even if someone like Dong managed to save her life, she would be captured and enslaved.

Dong Dahu's fate is unlikely to be good.

Of course, the Song Dynasty's enemy at present is still the Western Xia, and these people have no idea what kind of hellish disaster they are about to face.

Chen Shao still decided to take Dong Dahu with him and try to fool him, because he was really a good prospect.

Born with superhuman strength, you're destined to be a fierce warrior. Once you don heavy armor, as long as you still have the strength to wield a sword, you'll be invincible on the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)