MLMD -Chapter 75 Finding a Talented Man

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice. A military officer about twenty years old came into view. What surprised Yue Yang most was that, while all the other officers were wearing official martial robes that signified their rank, this officer alone was dressed in a shabby, worn-out mandarin-duck battle jacket. His sallow complexion made it obvious at a glance that he was suffering from malnutrition.

Seeing this, Yue Yang couldn’t help asking curiously, “Eh… and who might this be?”

The moment the young officer opened his mouth, all the officers in the garrison knew things were about to go wrong. This kid never had anything good to say once he started talking. If only they’d made him stay at home—now trouble had come, hadn’t it?

Deputy Thousand-Household Feng Xiaoyun was inwardly crying out in misery as well. He quickly stepped forward, plastering a smile on his face. “Reporting to my lord, this lad’s just a fool—two hundred and fifty through and through. He’s always half-mad and never speaks properly. Please don’t lower yourself to his level.”
After that, Feng Xiaoyun hardened his expression and barked at the officer, “You Wu family brat, what nonsense are you spouting here? Get back home at once!”

Under normal circumstances, anyone with a functioning brain could see that Feng Xiaoyun was trying to protect him. A sensible person would have taken the hint and slipped away. But this fellow did the opposite. He stiffened his neck and argued, “I’m not leaving! And I’m not wrong! These cavalrymen are nothing but showpieces—nice to look at, useless in practice!”

“Heh…”

Yue Yang’s face immediately darkened. He lowered his voice slightly and snapped at Feng Xiaoyun, “Deputy Thousand-Household Wu, who exactly is this man, and what is his official post? You still haven’t answered my question!”

“Speak!” Shunbao roared from the side.

Already seething with anger, Shunbao glared fiercely at the sallow-faced officer, gripping the hilt of his saber tightly. All it would take was one word from his young master and he’d lead men to seize this audacious brat. The kid could barely feed himself, yet he dared criticize the cavalry his master had painstakingly trained—if they didn’t teach him a lesson, he’d really never know who he was dealing with.

“Y-yes… I’ll explain!” Faced with Yue Yang’s hostile gaze and the soldiers eyeing him like tigers, Feng Xiaoyun forced a bitter smile and stepped forward to bow. “Please forgive him, my lord. This man is a hundred-household officer of our garrison, surnamed Wu, given name Chengfeng. His father died in battle more than ten years ago at the Battle of Sarhu. He grew up without a father’s guidance, which is why he’s pitiful and somewhat stubborn—he’s not good with words. I beg my lord to spare him this time, for the sake of his father’s loyal sacrifice to the state.”

“Oh? There’s such a story?”

Yue Yang looked at the malnourished young officer in surprise, only now noticing how out of place he seemed compared to the others. Life for military households was indeed harsh—but that depended on who you were. Ordinary military households might be so poor they couldn’t even afford pants, but officers were another matter. Having seized large amounts of land, they might not be rich beyond measure, but at least they never lacked food. In modern terms, it was “anyone can go hungry except the leaders.”
Take Feng Xiaoyun, for instance—his complexion was ruddy, clearly well-fed. The hundred-household officers behind him were no different. Only Wu Chengfeng stood there with a face like wilted vegetables. Thinking this over, Yue Yang’s expression softened considerably.

He nodded slowly. “Very well. Since your father died in loyal service to the country, you may be considered the descendant of a martyr. I won’t pursue your offense of speaking out of turn. However, you claimed just now that my cavalry are nothing but empty showpieces. What reasoning do you have for that?”

Hearing this, the surrounding officers all turned their eyes toward Wu Chengfeng. Having lived together in the same place for so many years, they were all neighbors and fellow villagers; naturally, none of them wanted to see this tough kid come to grief. Their gazes held sympathy, or encouragement, or both.

“I’ll say it, then!” Wu Chengfeng truly was stubborn. He raised his head and stepped forward, speaking loudly. “In this subordinate’s view, my lord’s cavalry have excellent warhorses, fine armor, and weapons clearly forged from good steel. Most importantly, although I’ve never seen this kind of armor before, judging by its appearance, both its protection and weight are superb. This full set would be unique even in Great Ming, and by my estimate, you couldn’t get it for less than a hundred taels of silver.”

At this point, Shunbao and the others began to feel proud. Even Yue Yang felt a bit pleased with himself—after all, weapons and armor made on the foundation of modern steel industry were indeed worlds apart from those produced by primitive methods of this era.
But Wu Chengfeng’s next words made Shunbao and the rest flare up with anger again.

“However, no matter how good the weapons and armor are, the people using them aren’t very good. Look at those cavalrymen—though they’ve already halted, many of them are still clamping their legs tightly against the horses’ bellies. That’s the signal to make a horse move forward, yet at the same time they’re pulling hard on the reins, which tells the horse to stop. This leaves the horse confused. Over time, such a horse will be ruined.
“And then there’s how stiff they look in the saddle. Some of them can’t even sit steady on a horse. Such basic matters are known even to eight-year-old children on the grasslands, yet under my lord’s command, so many are still making mistakes of a childish level.”

“I… *%￥#￥…”

Wu Chengfeng’s words left Yue Yang and the others speechless. It was humiliating—so many people being looked down on by a single young man. Still, Yue Yang wasn’t too upset. After all, just a few months ago these cavalrymen had all been farmers. Being able to sit on a horse without falling off was already an achievement.

Shifting his gaze, he said to Wu Chengfeng, “Hundred-Household Wu, since you speak so confidently, why don’t you show us a bit—let us see how your own horsemanship measures up?”

“That’s right, show us!” The cavalry behind Yue Yang also refused to accept it. Soldiers were hot-tempered by nature and only respected real skill. Wu Chengfeng had just criticized them as worthless; many were already seething. Hearing Yue Yang say this, they immediately started shouting.
“Let’s see whether you’re really a horse or just a mule—don’t tell me you’re only good at running your mouth!”

“Fine! Who’s afraid of who?” Wu Chengfeng was young and naturally couldn’t stand such provocation. He put his little finger in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Soon, a rapid clip-clop of hooves sounded from the distance, and a tall red horse appeared before everyone.

“Fine horse!” Yue Yang couldn’t help exclaiming softly, having handled warhorses frequently these past days.

Without another word, Wu Chengfeng sprinted forward, stepped on the stirrup, and lightly vaulted onto the horse’s back. With a flick of the reins, the red warhorse carried him galloping down the street. Wu Chengfeng drew the saber from the saddle and continuously performed chopping and slashing motions from horseback, his body swaying left and right. His movements were powerful yet agile—both awe-inspiring and pleasing to the eye. Even those who knew nothing about horsemanship could tell that his skill was genuinely superb.

After a while, Wu Chengfeng slowed his horse and returned to the front of the formation. He leapt lightly from the saddle, walked up to Yue Yang, and asked, “My lord, does this bit of horsemanship meet your approval?”

“Yes—very good, extremely good!” Yue Yang praised him sincerely. Then he asked again, “Hundred-Household Wu, your horsemanship is beyond question. But what intrigues me is where you learned it. As far as I know, this garrison shouldn’t be able to teach skills like yours.”

“Uh…”

Wu Chengfeng hesitated. Feng Xiaoming hurried over to explain, “In reply to Lord Caoshou, Wu Chengfeng went to the frontier four years ago. Under Lord Cheng Minghui, he dealt with Mongol barbarians day in and day out. Over several years he fought many battles and earned considerable merit. But as you know the times we live in—this child isn’t good with words. So despite his merits, he was never promoted or put to proper use. Recently his old mother’s health has also been poor, so he resigned his post and returned home. His family isn’t well-off either—he has to buy medicine for his mother and also keep this big eater of a horse. That’s why… alas…”

With this explanation, Yue Yang finally understood. So this fellow had actually crossed blades with the Mongols in real combat—and for four full years at that. No wonder his horsemanship and mounted combat were so refined. He was a seasoned veteran. Recently, he’d been giving his rations to the horse and spending money on his mother’s treatment, ending up starving himself instead.

Yue Yang continued, “What position did you hold in the cavalry at the frontier?”

Wu Chengfeng replied softly, “My lord, this subordinate served as a Ye Bu Shou.”

“Ye Bu Shou?”

Yue Yang was slightly startled. Ye Bu Shou was no ordinary post. In modern terms, it was a reconnaissance soldier—the role with the highest mortality rate. They often infiltrated deep behind enemy lines to scout and capture prisoners for intelligence. It was extremely dangerous. Anyone who could survive four years as a Ye Bu Shou was an elite among elites. At this thought, a surge of inexplicable joy rose in Yue Yang’s heart.

“So this trip really was worth it! Isn’t this young man exactly what my cavalry needs?”

Delighted, Yue Yang’s smile grew even broader…