Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 632 - 631

"I never said that," Tian Peng retorted with a smile, "However, Deputy General Chen, if you are willing, I am also happy to accompany you a bit longer."

After all is said and done, it still comes down to coercing him into surrender. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Deputy General Chen pursed his lips, reluctant to utter such a blunt surrender, as he was a deputy general. With so many soldiers present and having to command them in battle in the future, how could he possibly utter such words?

Of course, Tian Peng hadn’t thought that much. They had just challenged his authority, and naturally, he had to return the favor.

It wasn’t just about proving his ability, but also declaring what kind of person he was: one who would settle scores, not to be trifled with lightly.

"It seems Deputy General Chen still wants to resist a bit longer, then I shall oblige," Tian Peng said with a smile.

Deputy General Chen was unwilling to surrender so easily; his pride was at stake. Had it been just the higher-ups present, he might have actually chosen to surrender.

But now, faced with so many soldiers, he had to set an example; words of surrender couldn’t easily escape his lips.

Deputy General Chen did not speak, and Tian Peng did not rush him, simply waiting quietly for Deputy General Chen to make his decision.

After waiting for a while, Tian Peng ultimately did not hear the words of surrender from Deputy General Chen.

Tian Peng smiled. Having just taken office, a slight lesson would suffice; there was no need to be so aggressive. After all, they had to live together in the military camp for several years, and going too far might backfire.

Just as Tian Peng was about to retract his foot, Deputy General Chen exerted a force from below, forcefully withdrawing his foot with brute strength.

Similarly, he had learned his lesson as the ankle of his right foot, which Tian Peng had stepped on, became dislocated.

Dragging his dislocated foot, Deputy General Chen addressed those outside the field, "I surrender."

Shock was evident in Tian Peng’s eyes; he truly hadn’t expected Deputy General Chen to surrender in such a manner, "Since you were going to surrender anyway, why didn’t you say it directly instead of dislocating your foot first?"

"General Zhu, you can tell you’ve never been on a battlefield," Deputy General Chen said.

"If I had given up under the current circumstances on the battlefield, that would have been to save my life and willingly become a prisoner of the enemy, but by pulling out my foot, even though I got injured, on the battlefield that would be seen as preferring death over submission."

He was a deputy general and a soldier of the Great Tang, and Deputy General Chen took every contest as seriously as a battlefield.

Deputy General Chen didn’t speak loudly; he wasn’t showing off, but genuinely explaining to Tian Peng.

Tian Peng stood up straight, looking at Deputy General Chen with less mockery and more respect in his eyes.

He truly hadn’t expected this deputy general to have such a comprehensive strategic view, a real soldier. It appeared that his initial disdain, thinking him to be just for show, was misplaced, and he actually wanted to test his strength.

Deputy General Chen realigned his dislocated ankle himself and looked down at the watching soldiers, "I have lost. It seems that what General Zhu said earlier wasn’t just talk; indeed, everyone earns their place on their own merit."

"I underestimated you too, Deputy General Chen," Tian Peng said somewhat sheepishly, "I really thought that you were all insistent on challenging me just to cow me, having Deputy General Chen bare his chest for so long was really not right of us."

Deputy General Chen chuckled, "What are you thinking, General Zhu? In truth, at the beginning, we did indeed want to cow you, but I didn’t expect that I had both overestimated myself and underestimated you, and instead, you ended up cowing us."

As he said these words, everyone present laughed, and this little episode came to an end.

Deputy General Chen, having put his clothes back on, stepped down from the competition stage with Tian Peng. One of the men below said, "I told them that someone who could hold the position of martial arts champion couldn’t be an ordinary person, yet they didn’t believe me. They even tried to show you who’s boss while I was away, and now look what happened; they ended up showing themselves instead, didn’t they?"

Tian Peng looked at the man who spoke. He was tall, though not as tall as himself, but his own height was due to the enhancement from his soul.

His height was exceptional, but the man before him was different; his height stood out among ordinary humans.

And it wasn’t just his height that was imposing—even with a thick sheepskin jacket, his sturdy figure couldn’t be concealed.

The man wore a sheepskin hat and a thick beard, appearances common in the northwest, where hair can keep one warm. As a result, generals from the northwest usually kept their hair relatively long.

This man’s appearance and stature reminded Tian Peng of his own past image in the Heavenly Court—strong and burly, with a rough face and a voice that was slightly hoarse and grainy, eyes emitting a sharpness, clearly someone with great authority.

Tian Peng did not know who he was or how to address him, but he saw Deputy General Chen salute the man with a fist and bow, "Great General, my apologies for causing you amusement."

So, this man was the Flag Bearer Great General. Indeed, with his appearance and demeanor, he seemed to be the only one present who could truly carry the title of Great General.

"I pay my respects to the Great General," Tian Peng said, greeting the Great General with a fist and bow.

"Ah, young brother, you have no idea. This Chen Gong is incredibly formidable. Even I might not be able to beat him, yet you threw him down in just two moves. Truly impressive," the Great General commented.

"But it’s also because I came at just the right time. I just happened to arrive as you were competing. If I had run into you at the same time as the others, I might have also tried to put you in your place," he added.

This statement was not only an affirmation of Tian Peng’s skill but also a way to excuse Deputy General Chen and the others.

Tian Peng had already forgiven them the moment Deputy General Chen surrendered; if he had been in their place, he might not have been convinced either.

After all, they only wanted to test his strength, not truly dominate him.

"Great General, you flatter me by calling me formidable. I’ve never been a match for you in our spars. Are you making fun of me by saying such things?" Deputy General Chen replied.

The Great General smacked Deputy General Chen on the head, "Kid, don’t think I don’t know that you’ve been pulling your punches every time. Are you afraid that if you beat me, I’ll make your life difficult? Look at how timid you are!"

Hearing this, Deputy General Chen started to play dumb, "What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about that. I always give it my all in every fight."

"As if I’d believe that!" the Great General retorted with a laugh.

In reality, at the frontier, the most common form of combat was mounted archery, and this hand-to-hand combat wasn’t of much use; it mainly served as a warm-up activity for the soldiers.

To talk about watered-down competition, the diluted content was quite significant in these exchanges. When it was a contest between equals, it was a true competition, but as soon as there was a rank disparity, it turned into more of a performance.

"If we’re talking about mounted archery, Great General, even if I had another me to help, we couldn’t beat you," Deputy General Chen admitted.

"So, you’re admitting that you’ve been going easy on me in our hand-to-hand sparring, are you?" the Great General accused jokingly.