In the embassy, Sun Tu, who was kept by Yelu Arrow without even stepping out of the gate, had not heard anyone mention the rumors about him in the city. Of course, he had already guessed that the other party would spread rumors behind his back to cut off his own escape route, but at this time, he was obviously unable to resist and could only endure for the time being.
Fortunately, the Liao people took Ya'er into the embassy early in the morning, which saved him from worries. Now the little girl is still a little anxious and follows Sun Tu step by step in the rather empty embassy courtyard. After several hesitations, Finally, he asked: "Third brother, are you really planning to go to the Liao Kingdom? I heard that it is very far away and the Liao people are very fierce." Ya'er, who has not been through the war, has no hatred towards the Liao people. The Liao Kingdom had a natural panic.
Sun Tu rubbed her hair and said with a smile: "Don't worry Ya'er, even if you really have to leave here, my third brother will definitely protect you and won't let you suffer any injustice."
"Yeah!" Ya'er nodded vigorously a few times. Of course she had no doubt about this, and living here with her third brother was much more comfortable than at home. At least the third brother had been with her in the past two days. Unlike before, the two of them could only talk together in the morning and evening.
Sun Tu took Ya'er and walked along the path for a while, and finally stopped in front of an open space. At this time, this open space, which was the size of a basketball court in later generations, was being chased and shouted by ten Liao people. The leather ball flew back and forth under the feet of the crowd, and the game was lively.
"Third brother, they are playing Cuju again." Ya'er stood there and said curiously. Sun Tu also stared at the ten figures running in the field thoughtfully and nodded: "Yes, I didn't expect that the Liao people could also play Cuju, and they even came to our Song Dynasty to play Cuju."
Since arriving in Tokyo, Sun Tu has actually seen many Cuju activities held spontaneously by local people. This so-called Cuju is actually football in general. Although what they played was not the football of later generations, it was a round ball that was smaller than a football and filled with feathers, rags and other materials to make the ball slightly elastic. .
Compared with later generations, it was actually rare to see folk football matches. At this time, the sport was extremely popular in Tokyo during the Song Dynasty. Whether ordinary people or dignitaries, there were many fans of Cuju. It is said that Even the current official Zhao Ji was very fond of this when he was still King Duan. It was also said that Gao Qiu, the Taiwei, was valued by Zhao Ji because of his good kicks, and eventually became the current Taiwei of the palace.
Of course, these are just some rumors, and they are just an embellishment to highlight how popular Cuju is now in the Song Dynasty. Moreover, today's Cuju is much simpler than that of later generations. There are no high requirements for the venue, and there are no hard and fast rules for the number of players on both sides. As long as there is an open space and a Cuju ball, both teams can have fun. Play a game quickly and attract a lot of people to watch.
Even if the number of people is really too small, only three or two people are not afraid, because there is a more skill-based game in Song Cuju, which is to use various parts of the body to control the Cuju to fly in the air without falling to the ground. Kicking out flowers is called "beating in vain". Sometimes a master of Baidu is even more praised and popular than an ordinary Cuju player, because it seems that Baidu is more enjoyable to watch.
Of course, these Liao people chasing the ball in front of them were performing formal Cuju. Due to the conditions of the field, they could not set up gantry (that is, goal) at both ends, so they only erected a goal as high as a person on the north side. Gantry.
At this time, after a scramble, someone finally snatched the ball out of the crowd, and then ran towards the goal with long strides, causing his opponent to follow closely, shouting and trying to outflank him. Prevent. However, the place was too small now. After running for a while, the man had arrived a few feet away in front of the dragon gate. Then he stopped, raised his toes, and the ball flew into the air. He followed up with another hard kick, and before the defender could pounce, he kicked the ball toward the top of the goal.
The goal at this time was not a huge net like in later generations, and there was no goalkeeper. As long as a player can break through the encirclement and reach the goal, he has a high probability of facing an empty goal. However, this empty door is not easy to enter, because the gantry is a whole piece of wood, with only a small hole slightly larger than the ball body at the top, and a net bag installed at the back. There is also a saying called "Fengliuyan" ". Points can only be scored when the attacking team kicks the ball high into the little eye.
And this Liao man's footwork is indeed exquisite. Even if he suddenly stopped shooting while running, the ball still drew a beautiful arc and hit Fengliu's eye, and shot it in with a swish. Sun Tu and Ya'er, who were watching, were stunned for a moment, and then they couldn't help but clapped their hands and shouted "Hello".
During the three days he stayed in the embassy, Sun Tu had nothing to do. Apart from practicing martial arts, he just walked around with Ya'er. As a result, we saw so many Liao people gathering here the day before yesterday to practice Cuju. Seeing that the other party had no intention of driving them away, Sun Tu and Ya'er came to watch football for several days to relax.
In Sun Tu's opinion, the Cuju skills of these Liao people are now better than the ordinary people he saw on the street before. Of course, they are still far from the level of professional players in later generations. This is not only reflected in Various ball control and passing skills are also reflected in their tactics. The only thing that made him feel bright was this guy who could stand out from the crowd. Obviously, this guy was the most skilled Cuju player among the Liao people.
As the Cuju hit the ground, they pressed forward again, trying to steal the ball from the opponent's feet. Even when playing football with their teammates, these people went all out, with fierce movements and no mercy at their feet. De Ya'er was a little frightened when she looked at them, and she let out a few whispers.
At this time, Yelu Jian's voice came from behind: "Brother Sun is really interested. He actually came here to watch Cuju. It's really easy for me to find."
Sun Tu turned around in response and saw the Liao man walking over with a red face. He smiled and clasped his fists and said, "I wonder what brother Yelu can teach you?"
After getting along for a few days, Sun Tu and Yelu Jian developed some friendship, and even their titles became much closer, and they were no longer called "general" or "dutou". However, Sun Tu was still wary, after all, the other party was plotting against him.
Yelu Jian chuckled and said: "It's the same thing again. I wonder how you have thought about it in the next few days, Brother Sun? I, Daliao, are really thirsty for talents, and I'm just waiting for you to order it, Brother Sun."
Head. "
"What, is Brother Yelu about to leave Tokyo?"
"That's not the time yet. Although the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is finally willing to summon Privy Council Chen today, we still have something to do here, and we have to stay for another ten and a half days. But you and I are both happy. People, why do we always put things off?"
"After all, it's about my life for the next few decades, so I can't be cautious." Sun Tu didn't mean to give an answer. Instead, he looked back curiously at the Liao people behind him who were still playing football, and changed the topic. : "I'm really curious about what else you want to do in Tokyo. Also, as far as I know, Cuju is not that popular in the Liao Kingdom. Why are they practicing so hard these days?"
"I know I can't hide it from you. In fact, it doesn't hurt to tell you. The delay I mentioned is related to Cuju. This time, our Liao envoy came to Song Dynasty not only to make some negotiations, but also to communicate with the Song Dynasty court. The Cuju team can play a good match, so that the world can know who is stronger between the Liao and Song Dynasties. As you said, the Song people are popular in Cuju, but we in the Liao country don't care too much about it."
Sun Tu raised his eyebrows when he heard this. The other party's words meant that he was going to use Cuju to overwhelm Da Song. The statement passed down from later generations that sports are wars in peacetime obviously also applies to today's Song and Liao Dynasties. Since the Chanyuan Alliance, although there have been frictions and secret fights between the two countries, after all, there has not been a real war for more than a hundred years. At this time, using Cuju competition to demonstrate one's own strength can be regarded as a way.
"Song Ting has not cherished the rare peace between the two countries over the years, and actually tried to collude with my subordinates of Daliao to stab me in the back. Daliao must show something. Brother Sun, do you think this is reasonable?" Yelv Jian looked at Sun Tu with a half-smile and asked.
In fact, Sun Tu had already guessed the reason why the Liao Kingdom specially sent an envoy this time, but after hearing him say it so directly, he was still a little surprised. Then he understood again: "So, Privy Chen will also mention these two things when she comes to the emperor today?"
"Yes. But I think everyone in the Song court will try their best to deny any connection with the Jurchens. But it doesn't matter. As long as we can beat the Song people in Cuju and suppress the Song people's arrogance, I think there will be peace between the two countries. We can live together in peace for a few years." Yelu Jian said with a relaxed expression, as if in his opinion, they were sure to win this Cuju match.
Sun Tu looked at the players who were still running and fighting on the field, and took a deep breath: "It seems that you are well prepared this time. These people must have been practicing Cuju for a long time, right?"
"Not bad." Yelu Jian nodded honestly and admitted.
At this time, Chen Xiangnan also hurried over accompanied by several guards, with a clear blush on his face. As soon as he saw Yelu Jian, he cupped his hands and said: "Fortunately, I have not disgraced my order. Song Ting has already responded." After accepting my challenge from Daliao, we will have a Cuju competition with us on the seventh day of the first lunar month of winter."
"Okay!" Yelv Jian said and glanced at Sun Tu: "Brother Sun, do you want to come in and take a look? I really hope you can make the right decision because of this."
Sun Tu's expression changed several times, and finally he nodded with a smile and said: "It's so lively that I naturally hope to experience it myself. When I think about it, I can tell Brother Yelu my answer."