Xuanwu plastered a fawning smile on his face, chuckling, "You've seen so many grand spectacles, Elder. Surely this little show wouldn't startle you? You're a veteran general who fought his way out of the dark ages. What kind of grand spectacle haven't you witnessed?"
Zhang Ling rolled his eyes, exasperated. "You better speak respectfully, young man. You, along with Ye Longlin and the others, are nothing but trouble. Look at Ye Longlin; he's caused so much commotion since arriving in the capital, and he even looks down on the military academy in private."
"What? Am I an embarrassment to him? He hasn't even come to see me. It seems he truly despises me."
Xuanwu quickly chimed in, "Teacher, you mustn't misunderstand him. The boss looks down on those old fogeys in the military academy, all those old geezers who've never even seen a battlefield, only spouting theories from books. They're just a bunch of good-for-nothings. You've heard what people say in the civilian sector, right? 'Experts' are just 'brick-experts.' We can't ignore the voice of the people, can we?"
This remark immediately infuriated the group accompanying Zhang Ling. Many among them were indeed old scholars. Upon hearing this, they erupted,
"A young brat is just a young brat. After fighting for a few days, he doesn't even know his own name. Arrogant, simply too arrogant!"
"Well said. Though we old guys may not have much else, if you say our expertise is lacking, then you're mistaken. You might be fighting battles, but without our strategic advice behind the scenes, what are you all?"
"Ignorant child, barely out of your infancy and you dare to speak of us? Dean, is this your student? He has no respect for his elders!"
The group was immediately provoked, and for the first time in their lives, they were being openly insulted.
Xuanwu raised an eyebrow and sneered, "What use are you all? We are soldiers, and you should also have military ranks. If so, why don't we have a competition according to the regulations of the military?"
"The battlefield is a constantly changing landscape. I'm truly curious, to you, are an elite force and an ordinary squad on the same level?"
An old man with entirely white hair standing behind Zhang Ling interjected, "Of course! Individual combat strength is limited on the battlefield. In an army of hundreds of thousands, what good is it if you're in the Saint realm? Like Ye Longlin, you can die just like that. What's the point?"
"Warfare is about coordination, about the tacit understanding between different armies! This so-called Dragon Pavilion merely has an advantage in numbers."
Xuanwu nodded, hands in his pockets, his tone proud. "My Dragon Pavilion has won at least ninety out of a hundred battles against superior numbers. An advantage in numbers? In that case, my Dragon Pavilion's Divine Dragon Brigade, with 312 members, and your military academy also have a team. Why not have a competition!"
"Unarmed, gunfight, or cold weapons, choose as you please. If my Dragon Pavilion loses, my head, Xuanwu's head, will remain at the military academy today!"
"But if you lose, I'll take your head! How about it!"
Xuanwu glared at him, his eyes filled with disdain. To him, this was an unfair fight, a complete act of bullying.
But since these old scholars declared it fair, then it was fair.
Since it was fair, why not have a match? The grounds here were spacious enough!
"You..."
Hearing Xuanwu's words, the old scholar hesitated. After all, the bet was for their lives!
"Old Wang, bet with him. I don't believe he'd dare to kill you. So many of us are watching. If he kills you over a bet, we'll definitely seek justice for you!"
"That's right, he definitely wouldn't dare. Bet, bet with him! These Dragon Pavilion people are too arrogant. If we give them more time, they'll be lording over us. They have no respect for their elders!"
With the encouragement of those around him, the old scholar, perhaps believing Xuanwu wouldn't dare to kill him, gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll bet with you!"
Zhang Ling sighed helplessly from the side.
The academy was divided into two factions: one was the armchair strategists, led by these old scholars, who believed they were in the right. The other was the practical combat faction, represented by Zhang Ling and his peers.
Their ignorance would ultimately lead to their demise. Zhang Ling did not intervene, as in the end, this was their own agreement, and it had little to do with him.
However, he could easily predict the outcome of this matter with his toes.
"Good! Not bad, you have some courage." Xuanwu nodded, a grim smile appearing on his face, and said no more.
He checked the time; twenty minutes had passed. The Divine Dragon Brigade should be returning soon.
Just as he was thinking this, the members of the Divine Dragon Brigade returned, escorting a person. Upon reaching the training ground, they reformed their square formation in just ten seconds.
"You wanted to see me?"
Tang Long, standing at one meter ninety-one, was a towering figure. His face was painted with camouflage, and he wore a jungle combat uniform, his expression haughty.
"That's right. Let me introduce myself. My name is Xuanwu, from the Dragon Pavilion."
"This morning, I heard you spewing arrogant words. Since I have nothing to do today, I've come to see what qualifications you, this 'dragon among men,' have to be the successor to the Commander of the Three Armed Forces."
Xuanwu looked at him, a playful smile playing on his lips.
"I'm not talking about qualifications. I simply believe that a position like the Commander of the Three Armed Forces can only be held by me. No one else in the entire military can do it. They are all a bunch of useless fools!"
"Ye Longlin, I admit he's a very capable general, but in fact, he's achieved victory through many opportunistic means. I've studied all his campaigns and discovered one thing: Ye Longlin's battles always have too many casualties. If it were me, I could have reduced casualties by fifty percent and still won the battles."
"Therefore, calling him a straw man is not an exaggeration. After all, to me, he is just a straw man. Since he is a straw man, I am merely stating a fact. Does it really warrant someone of your rank as a Three-Star General to personally step in?"
Xuanwu clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the sky, his expression cold. "Fact? What is fact? Have you ever fought a battle? Have you ever truly been on the battlefield? Do you know what a battlefield is like? You are the same as these old scholars; you only know how to talk theories from books, nothing more."
"The battlefield is a grinder of life and death. No one can claim to win every battle, and you, you are merely standing on the shoulders of your predecessors to gaze afar. So what right do you have to comment on my boss?"
"Can you break any of my boss's records in the military academy? Even in theoretical studies, you can't break through. What right do you have to comment?"
With that, Xuanwu slapped him across the face and then shook his hand.
"Indeed different from ordinary people. Your face is thicker than others."