Zhang Yulin had previously claimed he couldn’t adapt to life in the military camp, and now he was being proposed to become a commanding officer.

Who could believe that?

Compared to the few kings, the military officers weren’t as opposed to the idea.

The Grand General of the Kingdom said, “If we’re talking about martial skills, with Young Master Zhang’s ability, he could easily serve as a commanding officer.”

As for the promotion of the Kingdom’s military officials, Yu Shun didn’t speak, his gaze resting solely on Wen Yuesheng.

His eyes were deep, and his lips curled slightly.

Although the position of commanding officer wasn’t too high, if Zhang Yulin were to take the position, the real person in control wouldn’t be him, but Wen Yuesheng.

It was clear, however, that most people present hadn’t considered Wen Yuesheng in their deliberations; they were only debating whether Zhang Yulin could handle the position.

The Great Kingdom not only favored civil over military matters, but in certain situations, it also subconsciously disregarded women, assuming they should focus on homemaking and child-rearing.

On the battlefield, women were at a natural disadvantage, and though Wen Yue Sheng was favored in civil matters, she had little opportunity to prove herself in the military.

Amid the commotion, Wen Yue Sheng spoke again in a calm, almost emotionless voice.

“Whether it works or not, we’ll find out when we try.”

The palace grew silent immediately.

The emperor, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, “What do you mean by trying?”

Zhang Yulin was indeed a born warrior, and it was unfortunate that he could only serve as a bodyguard by Wen Yue Sheng’s side.

Especially after seeing the many generals of Hao Zhou, the emperor wanted to make full use of his potential.

But as they had mentioned, whether Zhang Yulin could truly handle it was still the biggest question.

“Military drills at the training grounds.”

No one expected that the final event of the palace banquet would be held at the North City training grounds.

As evening approached and the heat began to subside, the sky remained bright, with the orange-red sunset casting light across the entire training field.

The North City training grounds, including the new recruits’ camp, had 4,500 soldiers, and three to five commanding officers were usually appointed.

However, with the position vacant, only two officers remained.

After their previous poor performance when the emperor had visited, the soldiers were now feeling anxious.

Wen Yue Sheng stood on the high platform, looking down at the crowd below.

She said lightly, “This drill will determine whether Zhang Yulin is fit to take the position of commanding officer at the North City training grounds.”

“Those participating will be divided into two teams, each camped with a flag as the central target. The goal is to break into the opposing camp, take down their flag, or capture their general.”

“The winning side will receive five hundred taels of silver, and those who capture Zhang Yulin alive will be promoted to general.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd below became excited.

It was rare for ordinary soldiers to see so many high-ranking officials, and with the substantial rewards for this drill, many were eager to participate.

Hearing Zhang Yulin’s name, many of them had complicated feelings.

Zhang Yulin had been a new recruit at the same training grounds not long ago.

Now, he was poised to become the commanding officer. Such glory only fueled their competitive spirits.

In this group drill, unlike a one-on-one duel, individual strength mattered, but in a situation where numbers were at a disadvantage, that advantage wasn’t as pronounced.

Wen Yue Sheng didn’t specify how they should divide the teams, simply letting them choose for themselves.

Due to the limited view from the high platform and space constraints, only one thousand soldiers remained for the drill.

After dividing into teams, Zhang Yulin had fewer than three hundred soldiers.

Not only was the number disparity massive, but most of his soldiers were new recruits, far less experienced and capable than the veterans.

Despite this, Wen Yuesheng didn’t join the battle herself.

She merely whispered something to Zhang Yulin after he finished organizing the troops, then returned to the high platform.

“Si Ning, aren’t you going down to help?” Prince Heng Guang asked coldly. “If you don’t go, this drill will surely have no suspense.”

Prince Wei Yangwang, smiling, responded, “How would you know it’s without suspense, big brother? Could it be that you already knew most of the soldiers wouldn’t choose Young Master Zhang?”

Prince Heng Guang’s face darkened.

Prince Wei Yang simply smiled and remained silent.

Of the three original commanding officers at the North City training grounds, two had been aligned with King Heng Guang.

However, the emperor had replaced one of them, and it wasn’t as if there were no usable replacements.

These days, Prince Heng Guang had repeatedly angered the emperor.

If he couldn’t even keep control of the North City training grounds, his position at court would become increasingly precarious.

Moreover, now that Zhang Yulin only listened to Wen Yue Sheng, it appeared to King Heng Guang that the loyal and brave Marquis’ faction had already sided with Xiao Jin.

Some things, even if he couldn’t obtain them, he didn’t want them to fall into the hands of his younger brother.

The drill had already begun, and Wen Yue Sheng, holding her Buddhist beads, showed no intention of speaking with the two kings.

Most of the attention from the people on the high platform was now on the drill.

At some point, Xiao Jin had appeared beside Wen Yuesheng, and despite the grand spectacle of the drill, his eyes couldn’t leave her.

As she stood on the high platform, speaking to the soldiers below, for a brief moment, he almost thought she was a completely unfamiliar person.

Yet, as he snapped back to reality, it was still her familiar face, but something about her seemed entirely out of his control.

Just as he was thinking this, a loud commotion suddenly erupted from the drill below.

Everyone looked toward the sound in surprise.

The number of soldiers on Zhang Yulin’s side was far fewer, and most of them were inexperienced recruits.

But no one had expected that, as soon as the drill started, Zhang Yulin’s side scattered in all directions.

Given their smaller numbers, they should have kept formation and stayed together to avoid being easily defeated.

By scattering, they had given the other side a chance to pick them off one by one.

Especially with the reward for capturing Zhang Yulin alive.

Without Wen Yue Sheng, it was uncertain whether he could fully unleash his strength.

Furthermore, if one person couldn’t capture him, a group could work together.

Zhang Yulin, tall and strong, was more difficult to deal with using ordinary weapons, and the soldiers quickly surrounded him, drawing out hook locks.

The hook locks linked together to form a net that could trap him.

These soldiers, agile and quick, made Zhang Yulin appear clumsy by comparison.

Even when the large net descended, he still couldn’t avoid it.

The battle began as an overwhelming victory, which took everyone by surprise.

Wu Yong, the loyal general beside Lord Zhongyong, suddenly stood up, his expression tense.

To be honest, even they didn’t know the true strength of Zhang Yulin after leaving Wen Yuesheng.

So, in the face of so many people, they naturally felt that he wouldn’t have the upper hand.

But what they didn’t expect was that Zhang Yulin didn’t even take out the Purple Gold Heavy Hammer tied to his waist.

Instead, he raised his hand and grabbed the large net made of hooks and chains.

His thick, muscular arm bulged as he exerted force and pulled…

With a loud crash.

He managed to tear apart several of the chains and pull the soldiers holding them down to the ground.

Such strength not only stunned the surrounding soldiers but also caused the people on the high platform to gasp in shock.

“Why does it look like Young Master Zhang has grown even stronger?”

“…Eleven or twelve,” someone counted the soldiers he pulled to the ground, changing their expression. “At least twelve.”

As soon as this was said, even the generals from the Haozhou army watching the scene stiffened.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen people with natural strength; Nulie himself was known for his tremendous power.

But this kind of strength that rapidly increased with advancement was almost unheard of.

Yu Shun paused for a moment, his eyes distant.

The martial arts competition had just ended a few days ago, and most of the soldiers beside him hadn’t even recovered from their injuries.

Yet Zhang Yulin not only recovered fully but seemed even stronger than on the day of the competition.

It was as if he had divine assistance.

His gaze shifted to Wen Yuesheng.

Was there another expert healer around her?

He paused again, signaling his attendant with a slight hand gesture and said in a low voice, “Have someone check if Lu Qinghuai is in the capital of Dawei.”

In the middle of last month, Lu Qinghuai led a team of a thousand men and clashed with Haozhou on the border.

He was heavily injured by Haozhou soldiers, and the one who wounded him was a newly recruited soldier under Yu Shun.

This soldier wasn’t particularly skilled in martial arts but was very proficient in poison, especially in using witchcraft poison.

Since then, Lu Qinghuai had not been seen in the border region.

Because of this, even though Lu Tingyu had arrived in the capital before the martial arts competition, Yu Shun hadn’t paid much attention to it.

The Lu brothers were skilled, but Lu Qinghuai was more reckless, unlike Lu Tingyu who was more meticulous.

Though Lu Tingyu was cautious, his martial arts were lacking compared to Yu Shun, and alone, he was no match for him.

What they didn’t expect was the sudden appearance of Wen Yuesheng.

Now, looking at Zhang Yulin’s current state, Yu Shun’s pale eyes flickered slightly.

He wondered if the healer beside Wen Yuesheng could cure witchcraft poison.

On the training field, Zhang Yulin had already injured more than ten soldiers with his first move, boosting the morale of his side.

The enemy became more cautious, not daring to act rashly.

But just then, a small team of about twenty new recruits sneaked behind the main army.

The soldiers at the rear noticed them, and the captain of the opposing side, Zeng Yuan, mobilized a hundred men to surround and eliminate this small team.

“Are they trying to launch a surprise attack?”

“They’re still far from the main flag, and there are only about twenty people. What can they do with a surprise attack?”

“Zeng Yuan has already sent people to deal with them. This small team will be wiped out.”

The people on the high platform discussed among themselves, all thinking that Zhang Yulin had made a tactical mistake.

But they didn’t expect that just when Zeng Yuan was dispatching troops to encircle the small team, another team of twenty men appeared from the side, circling towards the main flag.

“Again?” Prince Wei Yangwang frowned. “Why is it always twenty-man teams? And they’re all so weak. Can they really steal the main flag?”

Beside him, Xiao Jin coldly said, “What they’re doing isn’t to steal the flag.”

Prince Wei Yangwang paused, looking at him.

But Xiao Jin said no more.

Prince Wei Yangwang was about to speak when he saw the situation change.