Ethan Shen stayed in Zanmo Temple for nearly seven more days. Those guards were not joking. They really treated Liam as an orphan of the Anxi Army and trained him vigorously.
Although he was exhausted every day, Liam was never afraid. Instead, he became more energetic as he practiced. The guards even found a spare sword for him, which made Liam very happy.
"Your family-inherited swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary, and every move is a practical move on the battlefield."
While the guards were busy with Liam, Ethan Shen was not idle either. According to the guards, although there had been no major wars in the four towns of Anxi in recent years, the Tibetans with evil intentions would sneak down from the plateau every now and then and try to invade Anxi's trade routes and farmlands. Small-scale battles occurred from time to time. As for Longyou, it was said that the Longyou army had been fighting a bloody battle with the Tibetans for two years since the second year of Tianbao.
After passing Hexi and Longyou, the Tang Dynasty within the Great Wall was a peaceful and happy land, but the border towns were in constant war. Without the bloody battles of these border soldiers, how could the Tang Dynasty have the Kaiyuan Prosperity and Tianbao Glory.
Ethan Shen did not yearn for Chang'an as much as others did. No matter how magnificent the capital of the Tang Dynasty was, without the four towns of Anxi and the elite troops in Longyou and Hexi, the prosperous times would be nothing but a dream.
There is no such thing as a peaceful life in this world. It's just that someone is carrying the burden for you!
Ryan Wang's team of guards originally had forty-five people, but after several years of war, only twenty-three were left. Among the troops of the four towns of Anxi, there were many whose fathers and brothers died in battle on this vast land, and the Longyou and Hexi regions were stained red with the blood of the Tang Dynasty soldiers. Over the past hundred years, they had fought back and forth with the Tubo people, and fought more than a hundred bloody battles, which led to the prosperity of today.
Ethan Shen didn't want to just be a playboy from aristocratic family in Alexander Gao's eyes, treating people well and putting on a show for him.
Conquering all corners of the world on the battlefield is Ethan Shen's long-cherished wish, so no matter how hard he was trained by the guards, he would train twice as hard.
The Xinyou sword techniques were considered by the guards to be exquisite and practical, and most suitable for use with a two-handed long sword. After learning it, the guards also taught Ethan Shen their best skills. Although there were martial arts professors in the Tang army, the techniques were extremely simple, because on the battlefield, the power of the military formation was far greater than that of a single combatant. The real martial arts were passed down from generation to generation in the families of generals and were kept secret.
The Xinyou sword technique demonstrated by Ethan Shen was irresistible to the guards, because the more skill one had on the battlefield, the more chances of survival. When fighting in formation, only 30% of the Xinyou sword technique could be used at most. But if the formation collapsed and fell into chaos, the remaining 70% of the sword technique might give them a better chance of survival.
"My dear lord, we will repay you with our lives."
In the courtyard, Ethan Shen was a little surprised when he saw the neatly-lined guards. He had only practiced all the sword moves of the Xinyou sword technique to these guards, but he did not expect that they would treat him so seriously.
After learning the Xinyou sword technique, the guards thought they were indebted to Ethan Shen. Ryan Wang even asked the guards to swear to heaven in front of Ethan Shen that they would never pass on the sword technique to anyone else.
"Captain Wang, although this sword technique is inherited from my family, General Qi, who created this sword technique, once said that he hopes everyone in the world can learn this sword technique to resist the barbarians and bandits. You don't have to do this."
Ethan Shen underestimated the monopoly of knowledge held by the aristocratic military families of this era. Even though he said so, the guards still vowed not to pass on their sword skills to outsiders, and would not even teach them to their closest relatives without his permission.
Alexander Gao was gone for more than half a month. When he returned, there was a convoy of dozens of carts and nearly three hundred guards at the foot of the mountain.
By this time Ethan Shen had already figured out that these Ya soldiers were private soldiers adopted by the general and received two salaries, so the Ya soldiers were the most elite soldiers in the army. Alexander Gao now only had more than 200 Ya soldiers. If Ryan Wang and the others wanted to join him, even if Alexander Gao agreed, he would not be able to afford them with his current wealth.
In Zanmo Temple, Alexander Gao looked at Ethan Shen who had convinced Ryan Wang and others, and he was not unhappy at all. Instead, he became more and more happy. The more powerful Ethan Shen was, it showed that he had not misjudged him. Moreover, he was now the deputy governor of Anxi and the armies of the four towns were under his command. He did not mind having one more talented general.
Alexander Gao is now about to form his own team to control the four towns. Ethan Shen has a good background and ability, and he is not a native of Anxi, so he is naturally worthy of being reused.
"Shen Lang, it turns out that you are best at playing the huqin and pipa. Someone, go and bring in all the instruments in the car."
In the evening, Alexander Gao set up a banquet in the temple and introduced Ethan Shen to his staff and confidants. He originally wanted to let Ethan Shen play the zither, but he never expected that Ethan Shen claimed that his real expertise was in the erhu and pipa, which aroused his interest.
Soon, several guards came in carrying two large boxes. All the countries in the Western Regions were good at dance and music. Khotan was also a big country under the rule of Anxi. There were skilled craftsmen in the country who were good at making musical instruments. Alexander Gao was a child of aristocratic family. He also liked fine wine, beautiful women, music, singing and dancing. During his tenure as the garrison commander of Khotan, he had a deep friendship with the King of Khotan.
This time, Alexander Gao was promoted to the deputy Grand Protector of Anxi and returned to Qiuci to garrison. The King of Khotan naturally sent a large number of gifts, including many well-made musical instruments, as well as ten dancers and ten musicians. If Maxwell Fa had not been a high monk from Chang'an, and if this local Hu monk had been the abbot, Alexander Gao would probably have brought even the dancers into the monastery and ordered them to dance to liven up the atmosphere.
The two large boxes were opened, and Ethan Shen stepped forward to look at the huqin and pipa inside. His eyes lit up. He pulled out a pipa and looked at it carefully, just like a music fanatic.
"Shen Lang, are these huqin and pipa all in good condition?"
Alexander Gao was still dressed like a scholar. As the saying goes, a general may become a prime minister, and a frontier general like him had the dream of becoming a prime minister in Chang'an. Therefore, he was not willing to be a crude warrior in the eyes of the officials and ministers in Chang'an City.
Ethan Shen plucked the strings of the pipa in his hand, listened carefully to the sound and said, "This instrument is very good, thank you, Governor."
"Since you are satisfied, Mr. Shen, why don't you play a piece for us? I have been away for half a month. Whenever I think of Mr. Shen's skills, I can't sleep at night and I have no appetite!"
Alexander Gao raised his glass and laughed. His staff and confidants looked at Ethan Shen, who was only in his early twenties, and all echoed him. They all saw that the Protector General wanted to promote Mr. Shen, and heard that he had promised him the position of judge. Even if they were resentful in their hearts, they had to appear harmonious on the surface.
As the wine flowed and the crowd chatted, Ethan Shen had already held the pipa and said to Alexander Gao, "Since the governor has ordered me to do so, I dare not disobey. Governor, please wait a moment while I play the pipa until I am familiar with it."
The current sage loves dance and music. He teaches 300 disciples in the Pear Garden and often plays music in the palace. If the emperor likes something, his subordinates will like it even more. Not to mention in Chang'an City, even in this town, when Alexander Gao is in a good mood, he will sometimes play the piano in front of his subordinates to show his closeness.
For a moment, everyone was looking at Ethan Shen, some of them were secretly waiting to see Ethan Shen's joke. In their eyes, Ethan Shen was just a pretty boy who got promoted by relying on his looks. However, they dared not reveal such thoughts. You know, Protector Gao was also famous for his looks in those days, which won the appreciation of the Grand Jiedushi of Hexi.
After plucking the strings and stretching his fingers, the cheerful and lively pipa music in Ethan Shen's memory poured out from his fingers like mercury pouring out of the ground. Even Alexander Gao couldn't help but look sideways. He never thought that Ethan Shen could play such a cheerful, even playful, song.
Outside the temple, the ten musicians from the Khotanese court who were waiting there all looked very different after hearing the first few notes of the song. Some of them couldn't help but say, "This is a new song. It's really joyful!"
"Stop talking and write down the tune!"
When the musicians heard their leader's low shout, they all hurriedly memorized the tune. The music they usually played in the palace was handed down from generation to generation, and few people could compose new music. When they heard the cheerful music like the sound of springs and the fluttering of deer, they were all excited. You know, for musicians like them, who entertain people with music, the most important thing is to be innovative. Otherwise, no matter how beautiful the music is, the nobles will get bored after hearing it too much.
Inside the temple, not only Alexander Gao, but everyone else could not help but follow the cheerful sound of the pipa, either by tapping their fingers on the table or by shaking their legs. In short, they were a little addicted to the pipa music and could not stop listening to it.
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