Chapter Fifty

Zhou Yu stood up, paying no attention to the dagger on the ground, and looked down at Wang Kui from above.

Wang Kui stared blankly at the dagger near his left ear. He still couldn’t understand; no matter how lacking his skills, he shouldn’t have fallen so quickly.

Slowly getting to his feet, Wang Kui casually picked up the dagger Zhou Yu had thrust into the ground.

Zhou Yu said, “Do you still think the dagger is useless now?”

Wang Kui replied, “No, but why is it that when you use the dagger, it becomes so formidable?”

Zhou Yu explained, “Actually, I’m not particularly skilled with daggers, but you know I’m adept with a bayonet. The two are quite similar—only the techniques differ somewhat. What matters most is close combat. When you’re not in close, you must be aggressive; once you’re up close, you have to be steady, precise, and ruthless. One strike, one kill.”

Wang Kui said, “The instructors have taught us all this, but none of them could do what you just did.”

Zhou Yu answered, “That’s because the world before was ruled by firearms. Few people ever learned how to use cold weapons. After all, you’re soldiers, not street thugs.”

Wang Kui nodded thoughtfully. “So, are you going to teach me the real way to use a dagger?”

Zhou Yu shook his head. “No. Someone else will show you how to use a dagger properly.”

Before Wang Kui could ask, Zhou Yu continued, “I’ll demonstrate once and explain the core techniques, but I won’t teach you dagger fighting myself—I’m not as good as she is. If it were bayonet work, then perhaps I could.”

Wang Kui responded, “Oh, all right.”

Zhou Yu said, “I see you use two daggers. Coincidentally, she does as well. I’ll have her teach you. For now, I’ll show you the routines she practiced before—hand me the dagger.”

Wang Kui handed the dagger over and asked, “Are you planning to have the Enchantress teach me?”

Taking the dagger, Zhou Yu replied, “That’s right. Watch closely now.”

He turned to Nian Yu and Xiao Jie as well. “You two can pay attention too. When I meet up with them, if there’s anything you want to learn, I’ll have them teach you—anyone except that bastard Skull.”

After smoothing out his thoughts, Zhou Yu began to demonstrate.

As he performed the basic moves, he explained, “The fundamental dagger techniques are thrusting, stabbing, flicking, slashing, gouging, blocking, digging, cutting, and drawing.”

“There are only three I can execute right now.”

“First is the thrust. Second is the slash. Third is the draw cut.”

“Now, I’ll demonstrate the ‘thrust.’”

“Straight thrust: grip the dagger normally, lunge forward, and drive the blade straight ahead from the chest. This is used to strike short-range enemies in the chest or throat.”

“Upward thrust: grip the dagger normally, step forward and left or right, and thrust fiercely from above your right shoulder downward. This targets the enemy’s head, neck, shoulders, or chest at close range.”

“Diagonal thrusts can be left or right.”

“Left diagonal thrust: grip the dagger normally, step forward and left or right, and thrust downward from above the right shoulder to the left. This is used against the head, shoulder, or neck of a close enemy.”

“Right diagonal thrust is similar—it’s simply a downward thrust from above the left shoulder to the right.”

“Horizontal slashes are also divided into left and right.”

“Left horizontal slash: grip the dagger in reverse, step forward and left or right, extend your right arm, and slash horizontally from left to right. This is used to cut an enemy’s neck or throat, or to slash the chest or face at close range.”

“Right horizontal slash is the same, except it goes from right to left.”