One inch long and one inch strong is common sense.

The sword is four feet long and the spear is one or two feet long. Even in the past, the hand theory is more than six feet, and the length advantage is very obvious. If the opponent is an ordinary soldier, Ma Chao would have the confidence to win even if he holds a sword, but he is now facing an assassin who is good at using swords. He knows very well about the advantages and disadvantages of swordsmanship, and he has no certainty to win. More importantly, as soon as Xu Shu took action, he saw the clues. This was the spear method created by Sun Ce, which contained Tai Chi meaning, not a simple spear of battle formations. His chances of winning with swords are very slim.

It was obvious that Xu Shu dug a hole, and he jumped in happily.

"Okay, you're cruel." Ma Chao let go of the hilt of the knife and spread his hands. Instead of fighting and then losing, it's better to admit defeat. "That horse will give you a fight, why bother, right?"

Xu Shu put away his spear and bowed to show his respect. "Come on, Cheng Gang. The person who came, took General Ma's mount to the stable and fed him well."

A guard responded, ran down the city, took the reins from Ma Chao's guard, and left without looking back. Ma Chao lay on the city wall, staring at the horse being led away, and laughing on his face. He turned around and looked at Xu Shu with a smile, waiting for Xu Shu to repay his favor. Unexpectedly, Xu Shu seemed to have forgotten this and greeted enthusiastically: "General Ma, I will invite you to drink later."

Ma Chao rushed up and stopped Xu Shu. "Xu Yuanzhi, is this wrong, right?"

Xu Shu looked confused. "What's wrong with me?"

"I'll give you the horse, are you..." Ma Chao a little anxious. "Don't your Confucian school often say that you give him papaya and give him Qiong Yao? You have to give him some gifts, right?"

"But that was won by me, not you." Xu Shu stretched out his hand and pushed Ma Chao away. "If you give me the gift as soon as you meet, of course I have to repay the gift. But now you only gave it to me after the competition. I won, why should I repay the gift? If you don't agree, then we will compete again."

Ma Chao was speechless, shook his hands again and again, and laughed in anger. "Okay, okay, Xu Yuanzhi, I understand now. No wonder General Sun trusts you so much and lets you stay in Wuguan for four years. You are just an iron gate, no one can take advantage of you."

Xu Shu bowed down modestly. "Foreign awards, overeign awards, this is my goal, otherwise I would be sorry for General Sun's trust."

"Puff!" Ma Chao was completely speechless. When he encountered such an opponent who could not penetrate the needle and could not pour water into it, there was no other way except to admit defeat. He could not afford to turn against Xu Shu, and he could not afford to lose face or have the courage. This mute person had to admit his loss and just treat it as a lesson.

The two walked along the city wall while chatting. There were fully armed and energetic soldiers on the city wall, and there were soldiers training under the city. Today is free practice. Most people are practicing offense and defense, and some people are running around the school field. In the northwest corner of the school field, more than a hundred young people practice crossbow shooting under the guidance of a veteran. They are strict in teaching and learning seriously. No one is playing and joking, and they are nervous in the face of battle.

Ma Chao was cheated by Xu Shu in white and felt unhappy. He couldn't help but tease, "Yuan Zhi, are you planning to rob me if you can't beat me, or are you deliberately demonstrating?"

Xu Shu smiled slightly. "First of all, I won't lose. Secondly, you, General Ma, are friends but not enemies, and you are not people who can be scared by scaring. There is no need to demonstrate. These are daily training. They will do this if you come or not."

Ma Chao was not surprised. He had been under Sun Ce's command for so long that he knew that Sun Ce's subordinates were extremely strict in training. In addition to having tasks or taking turns, they had to practice martial arts and military training every day, either practicing skills or practicing formations. Only in this way can they win more with less when they go to the battlefield and reduce casualties. A saying that Sun Ce often said is to sweat more in daily life and to bleed less in wartime.

Thinking of the situation in Guanzhong, Ma Chao understood a little. Although Xu Shu was not demonstrating to him, he was guarding against the attack from Guanzhong. It was entirely possible for the emperor to send troops to attack Wuguan. Xu Shu stepped up to train troops. Ma Chao looked up at the beacon tower on the mountains in the distance, and saw the erect figures on it, and secretly smacked his tongue. Sun Ce arranged for Xu Shu to guard Wuguan to be the right person. Although Xu Shu was unknown, he was a cautious person. It was indeed not easy to take advantage of him.

After understanding this, Ma Chao put away his joking and observed carefully. He found that the city wall was not only repaired, but also reinforced in many places. Most of the items practiced by the soldiers were related to the attack and defense of the city. Crossbow shooting, spear, and fighting in units of Shiwu were all targeted exercises that adapted to the limited space on the city wall.

If a war occurs, I won’t come, and I will never go into battle even if I come. Ma Chao muttered to himself.

——

Wancheng, Zongshi seal bookstore.

Zong Cheng walked out the door quickly and bowed to Zhang Hong, but his smile was not very natural. "The visit of the Changshi is so bright."

Zhang Hong bowed back and introduced Zhao Wen to him. When he heard that this was Situ of the current dynasty, Zong Cheng was overjoyed and quickly invited Zhao Wen to enter. At the same time, he did not forget to thank Zhang Hong. Zong's seal shop opened and could actually invite Lord Situ of the current dynasty to congratulate him. This is a good omen. It seems that Zong's family is going to revive.

Zong Cheng led Zhang Hong and Zhao Wen to the atrium. There were already many guests standing in the yard, standing upright with a solemn expression. When Zhang Hong came, he bowed and greeted each other, as if he was facing the big guest, but he could not hide the anxiety and embarrassment between his eyebrows. They were all here to celebrate, but they didn't expect that Zhang Hong would come. The moment they heard the news, no one could laugh.

Zong Cheng once led his troops to fight with Sun Ce and had a close relationship with Cao Cao. Later, the Nanyang family betrayed Yuan Shao, and Zong Cheng was suspected of being unable to escape. After Sun Ce controlled Nanyang, Zong Zi was arrested and imprisoned for more than half a year. Later, he was rescued by relatives and friends before he was regained his freedom, but his family property was gone, and even the yard was redeemed by relatives and friends.

In just three or four years, the once prominent Zong family in Nanyang became a dilapidated family. However, Zongzi was a famous scholar in Nanyang after all, and had no industry and had relatives and friends. Before the New Year, Sun Ce made public his calligraphy printing process. Zongzi quickly seized the opportunity, borrowed money, and planned to build a printing workshop. With his connections in Nanyang, this matter was handled very smoothly. Before it was opened, someone sent a deposit, and the order was enough for him to be busy for a year.

At this moment, the guests in the yard are all famous people in Nanyang, either from the generations, or from the famous scholars in Nanyang, and the county school priest, Handan Chun and others. Lou Gui and Huang Zhong did not come, but sent someone to send gifts, and were placed in a prominent position by Zongzi. However, the guests did not care much about it, and they all knew that this was an official matter, so they had no choice but to take Lou Gui and Huang Zhong seriously in private. If Zhang Hong didn't come, even if he knew they were here, he would have to turn a blind eye, but now he had to meet him, it would be hard to say in the future.

Zhang Hong's eyes swept across everyone's faces one by one, and his face was full of smiles. "Zong Jun is worthy of being a famous scholar in Nanyang. All the wise men have arrived, and it is very lively."
Chapter completed!