Chapter 128: Unity Is Strength

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Seeing the right moment, Xu Mo shouted an order at the top of his voice:

“First!”

The instant the word left his mouth, the men beside Xu Mo thrust their bamboo spears forward in unison.

A wave of agonized cries immediately rang out around the circular formation. Five or six of Ox One’s men, who had charged forward, collapsed on the spot.

Some clutched their chests, while others held their lower abdomens. Their faces were twisted with pain, and the bamboo poles slipped from their hands as they fell.

Of course, those five or six were not the only ones struck by Xu Mo’s men. Several others had been hit as well, though they had managed to remain standing.

“Second!”

Seeing that the first attack had succeeded brilliantly, Xu Mo immediately issued a second command.

At once, his men smoothly withdrew their spears and swiftly returned to a stance from which they could attack at any moment.

The sight left the three Ox brothers stunned. They had never imagined that, after only a single day of training and learning just two movements, their opponents could possess such formidable combat strength.

While Ox One’s men were still dazed, Xu Mo shouted, “Anyone who has fallen must leave the field immediately. If these had been bamboo-tipped spears, you would already be dead!”

There was no exaggeration in his words. With the force and speed of that attack, real spears would have already pierced bloody holes through them.

Ox One understood this perfectly well, and immediately shouted, “Anyone who has fallen, leave the field at once! You’re dead!”

The injured men then endured the pain and withdrew to the edge of the field.

Ox One was deeply unwilling to accept defeat. Tightening his grip on his bamboo pole, he shouted, “Charge with me!”

The next moment, Ox One led the way toward Xu Mo’s circular formation. He intended to use his own strength to break through a gap; once that happened, Xu Mo’s formation would collapse in an instant.

When Ox Two and Ox Three saw their elder brother charge, they immediately shouted and rushed after him.

The other men also came to their senses and joined the assault.

Xu Mo, however, remained calm and composed. Seeing Ox One lead his men forward once more, he waited for the right moment and shouted again:

“First!”

At his command, Xu Mo’s men thrust their bamboo poles forward in perfect unison.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

“Ow!”

In an instant, another six or seven of Ox One’s men were knocked to the ground.

Ox One’s own attack, along with those of Ox Two and Ox Three, also ended in failure. They were mercilessly stopped outside the circular formation.

“Second!”

Xu Mo immediately ordered his men to withdraw their spears.

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The circular formation instantly returned to a state in which it could attack at any moment. Its imposing aura struck fear into Ox One and the others.

After this round of attacks, fewer than half of Ox One’s men were still standing on the field.

By now, many of the villagers watching beside the open ground wore looks of astonishment.

They had all assumed that men trained by Ox One, a former soldier who had practiced with weapons, would naturally be stronger than Xu Mo, who knew nothing of martial arts. No one had expected reality to be the exact opposite.

Ox One secretly clenched his teeth, frustration churning in his heart.

How could this be? I taught them the complete spear routine, and I trained them with utmost dedication. How could they possibly lose to a move this simple?

Why?

Ox One could not understand it. His brows were tightly furrowed.

Nearby, Xu Hui kept shaking her head in amazement.

“Sister-in-law, did Cousin use some kind of magic? It’s only a simple thrust, yet it has such incredible power. Isn’t that amazing?”

Chen Miaoyi smiled happily.

“Huihui, I told you long ago that your cousin would definitely win.”

Wood Qin was nodding as well, his face full of admiration.

“Madam, our master is truly remarkable!”

Although they were now at a numerical disadvantage, Ox One was unwilling to give up so easily. He soon gathered Ox Two, Ox Three, and the remaining men, intending to launch another attack against Xu Mo.

But aside from the three Ox brothers, the other men had already lost their confidence.

In their eyes, they had been unable to break through the formation even when their numbers were equal. Now that they had lost more than half their men, how could they possibly still have a chance?

As a result, only the three Ox brothers truly attacked the circular formation.

The remaining men stopped in front of the formation and merely pretended to clash bamboo poles with Xu Mo’s men. As long as they made some noise, they could pretend that they had done their part.

Before long, the three Ox brothers were also knocked to the ground.

“Stop!”

Seeing Ox One fall, Xu Mo immediately called for everyone to cease fighting and stepped out of the circular formation.

He walked over to Ox One and extended a hand.

“It’s over. Get up.”

Ox One looked utterly dejected, but he still reached out and grasped Xu Mo’s hand. With Xu Mo’s help, he rose to his feet.

Xu Mo then pulled Ox Two and Ox Three up as well.

Looking at the three men, Xu Mo asked, “Do you still think I was speaking like an amateur?”

The three brothers hurriedly shook their heads.

Ox One asked in confusion, “Master, how did you make them so powerful after teaching them only one move?”

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Xu Mo said, “Have you ever heard the saying that unity creates strength? Put simply, as long as everyone trusts one another, acts in unison, advances and retreats in good order, and gives their all against the enemy, our fighting strength can increase exponentially.”

“Increase exponentially?” Ox One did not understand.

Xu Mo explained, “It means that it rises at an astonishing speed.”

“Oh!” Ox One nodded vigorously, thinking that his master truly was worthy of being a learned man.

By now, Ox One was thoroughly convinced. He immediately clasped his fists and said, “Master, from now on, we’ll do exactly as you say. However you want us to train, that’s how we’ll train. We won’t object in the slightest!”

Ox Two and Ox Three nodded along and echoed the same sentiment.

Xu Mo quickly waved his hands, speaking with great humility.

“You can’t put it that way. I’m good for offering suggestions, but your future training will still depend on you.”

With that, Xu Mo turned to his own men and announced, “One live chicken and two pounds of mutton—they’re yours!”

The victorious men immediately erupted in excited cheers. The families of the other men watching from the sidelines were delighted as well.

The defeated men, however, were utterly crestfallen. Some lowered their heads in silence, some cursed and grumbled, while others could do nothing but shake their heads and sigh.

It was hardly surprising. They had worked hard all day practicing spear techniques under Ox One, only to suffer a crushing defeat in the end without even touching the hem of their opponents’ clothes.

The three Ox brothers were also ashamed and frustrated, but with the outcome already decided, there was nothing they could say.

To prevent the defeat from damaging everyone’s morale and fighting spirit, Xu Mo immediately announced that each member of the losing side would also receive a live chicken. He would pay for the chickens himself.

The two pounds of mutton, however, were out of the question. Victory and defeat had to mean something; if both sides received exactly the same reward, what would be the point of winning?

Afterward, Xu Mo sought out Elder Song and asked him to apply medicinal wine to all the injured men. He also paid the medical and medicinal-wine expenses in advance.

As everyone gradually began to disperse, Xu Mo walked over to Chen Miaoyi.

He took her hand and asked, “My dear wife, wasn’t I impressive?”

There were too many people around, so Chen Miaoyi immediately pushed his hand away, blushing shyly.

Even so, she nodded happily.

“Husband, you were amazing!”

Xu Mo beamed with delight. Then he leaned close to her ear and said with a wicked grin, “My dear wife, later tonight, the two of us should have a little sparring match as well. I absolutely must let you experience the full power of my spear technique.”

The instant he finished speaking, Chen Miaoyi’s entire face and the back of her neck turned scarlet. She lowered her head, not daring to look at Xu Mo, and could only shake it vigorously.