The country still has talented people.

  At that time, Zhao Xi did not elaborate on the rules of the exercise... such as how large the area was, setting up warning signs to inform the people, how to distinguish between the two sides, and what items to prepare, etc.

  It's not that he wanted to leave a loophole for the guards, but rather it was the drill rules he had come up with after burning the midnight oil, and Wen Yanbo didn't even want them, they just directly notified the drill time.

  When he arrived at Wan Yin Mountain, he realized that the country was indeed not lacking in talent, especially for this kind of exercise related to playfulness, and the rules were really quite strict.

  "Your Highness, this is a rehearsal document, originally prepared by the judging team. Since the rehearsal will start on the afternoon of the next day, neither side's rehearsal documents nor food and grass have been transported..."

  How ruthless! Hearing the officials of the Yu Shi Tai say this, Zhao Xi understood that it was all done by that petty man Wen Kuanfu.

  He thought that tomorrow both sides would be fully assembled, and then he would watch the Imperial Guards enter the mountains, and then...and then it would be a battle of 25,000 Imperial Guards against 2,000 Imperial Guards.

  He's really gone all out! Wen Yiduo has truly utilized every advantageous factor to the extreme.

  Fortunately, fortunately, the imperial court did not prepare a camp for the guards in Xingyang, and fortunately, they rushed to Wanyin Mountain overnight.

  It's just an exercise manuscript...

  Twenty miles around, military equipment is arrow shafts, and dyes are surprisingly talcum powder.

  As for the others, it is similar to what Zhao Xi said in the imperial court. Those who are stained with color will be injured and cannot participate in the exercise again; the Imperial Guard's loss of three-tenths is considered a failure... not polite at all; the Forbidden Army's loss of five-tenths is considered defeated.

  Three days later, if neither side has won or lost, the actual losses will be calculated.

  It was this twenty-mile radius... that made Zhao Xi truly realize the extent of Wen Yanbo's calculations. Within a twenty-mile radius, after deploying 25,000 imperial guards, it would be equivalent to having one guard per every two hundred square meters.

  This has almost made it impossible for the guards to escape anywhere.

  "Trouble you for a moment. The guard battalion did not receive the imperial edict, so we came early, and tonight we still need to borrow the judgment group's campsite to stay overnight."

  In any case, at least don't give the judges a slap in the face. Besides, Zhao Xi felt that the current scholars' interest in numerology might not be able to accurately calculate the relationship between twenty miles and 25,000 people.

  So he politely chatted with Imperial Historian Lü Jingchu.

  It's probably another unlucky guy. Most of the judging teams are still in Xingyang, but he arrived at the camp early... Of course not alone, these few people happened to have empty tents.

  ……

  "Did His Highness the Crown Prince arrive with his guards last night? Is what you said true?"

  Wen Yanbo had just arrived at the camp of the decision-making group when he heard Lv Jingchu's report.

  For a moment, he really didn't believe it! How could this be? Just the other day before leaving for vacation, he had sent someone to inform the guards about the specific drill time, and the messenger said that at the time, Lu Gongzhu's face was very ugly.

  It's been a day... How did the guards arrive at Wan Yin Mountain?

  "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is indeed so. At the fourth watch today, Jingchu had someone prepare food, but the Crown Prince has already entered the mountain. Moreover, the Crown Prince took away..."

  "What about the horses of Your Highness's guard? Or who transported the guard here?"

  Lü Jingchu hadn't even finished speaking when he was abruptly interrupted by Wen Yanbo's rough tone.

  No wonder, the vast Wan Yin Mountain, with its towering height and dense forest, is in deep autumn, with lush branches and leaves, not to mention the fallen leaves on the ground are several feet thick.

  The guard battalion hid like this, where can you find it? After three days, neither side suffered any losses... That basically proved the extraordinary nature of the guard battalion.

  "Reporting to Your Excellency, the Imperial Guard has no one to transport and no horses have been seen."

  Lü Jingchu was interrupted once and didn't say much anymore, simply asking what he wanted to know.

  "Are you saying that the Imperial Guard arrived here in one day from Bianliang on foot?"

  Wen Yanbo was almost certain that Lü Jingchu was hiding something. It's not easy to travel a hundred miles in a day, let alone with the crown prince attending in person.

  "It is indeed so. Not just Jingchu's words alone, but also seen by the vanguard of the decision-making group."

  You can't compare with the Crown Prince's plan, and you're venting your anger on the judging panel? Who owes you anything?

  When he said this, Lü Jingchu's neck was stiffened immediately.

  "Don't think it's strange, sir. The Crown Prince has been running around the palace walls every day since he was a child, regardless of wind or rain."

  Fu Bi saw the scene was not harmonious, and hurriedly added a sentence. He became even more interested in the East Palace Guard Camp, at least in terms of pre-drill planning, the Crown Prince did not lose to Wen Kuanfu.

  To talk about Zhao Xi, it's all about leg power. All the way from Bianliang to Xingyang... This is a journey of over 200 miles. This isn't a drill, this is a rehearsal before the performance. The soldiers need to conserve their energy.

  So on the eve of the battle, Zhao Xi contacted six merchant teams to transport troops day and night, and gathered at Shilihe ten miles away from Huanyang...

  The whole process was unknown to Wen Yanbo who had already arrived in Xiangyang, let alone Pang Ji who was paying attention to the Imperial Guard in the imperial court.

  As for Zhao Xie's father, he knew about it, but what could he say? Throughout the whole process, he was aware of this competition between his son and the in-laws, but he could only be a spectator.

  At most, it's worrying about Xi'er winning and going south to conquer.

  "Rush over, you were about to say something just now, what did His Highness the Crown Prince take away?"

  As for Wen Yanbo, although he interrupted Lv Jingchu's words, he surprisingly heard the last half sentence clearly.

  Because he also felt that there would be an accident during the exercise, especially since the Crown Prince could rush overnight for a hundred miles, it means that the East Palace Guard is really extraordinary.

  He had to attract enough attention, otherwise, this time the commander-in-chief Wen Kuo's exercise would be his Waterloo in military affairs.

  "Reporting to Your Excellency, the Imperial Guard has taken away nearly 70% of the cinnabar powder and seasonings for cooking."

  "70%?"

  Feng Yanbo seemed to have come to his senses. The cinnabar powder, used as a dye in this exercise, was not very effective due to its viscosity, even with 30,000 arrows being used.

  Just to make up for the amount of these medicinal powders, Wen Yanbo almost bought out all the medicine shops in Bianliang.

  Now, Your Highness has taken away 70%... It's not that Bianliang only has pharmacies. If the Crown Prince wants to reduce the number of Imperial Guards by reducing the number of guards, in order to reduce the losses of the Imperial Guard... then he is thinking wrongly.

  "Order all cavalry troops to hurry to Gongying and purchase Fan stone, and grind it into powder..."

  This isn't really a problem. But Wen Yanbo still felt somewhat uneasy in his heart, the Crown Prince had marched two hundred li in one day and night... This point made Wen Yanbo worried.

  "Your Highness is going into the mountains to eat game."

  Very easily laughing and chatting with Fu Xi, it seems like he wasn't the one who was in a hurry just now.

  ……

  "Your Highness, why have you returned to the foot of the mountain again?"

  Lü Gongzhu was very puzzled. The Imperial Guard had left the camp of the Adjudication Team early in the morning and had been strolling leisurely towards the mountain top, even occasionally hunting some wild game, lighting a fire to cook food, and the prince didn't even allow them to conceal their tracks.

  I thought the Crown Prince intended to have a final showdown with the Imperial Guards on the narrow mountain peak... Even if there were more soldiers, in reality, only about twice as many could fight compared to the Imperial Guards. On this point, Lv Gongzhu felt that they still had a chance of winning.

  It was already late in the afternoon, but His Highness ordered the guards to return to the foot of the mountain again...

  "Brother, if you were Wen Kuanfu, facing 25,000 versus 2,000, what would you do?"

  "Deploy comprehensively, advance with search, gradually compress hiding space, force the guard camp to fight."

  It is clear that Lü Gong considered the tactics of the Forbidden Army.