Even people like Tong Guan who knew Sun Tu's martial arts were shocked by his performance, not to mention others. Even the competitors subconsciously cheered loudly, while Emperor Zhao Ji nodded frequently: "This Sun Tu is really a great general, and he is truly a blessing to our Great Song Dynasty!"
But after all, he was just a literary emperor. He didn't have much interest in martial arts, and he couldn't distinguish between superior and inferior, so his reaction was much duller than Tong Guan's. He even looked at Tong Guan for a moment, and then Suddenly he asked: "Privy Tong, is this the purpose of why you invited me to come to the Third Class Courtyard today?"
Tong Guan, who was feeling somewhat proud of himself, was shocked when he heard this. However, he did not deny it, but leaned back and said, "Sage, sage, sage, I can't hide this little thought from you. This Sun Tu is exactly what I want." Recommended, but he is indeed outstanding in martial arts and should be used by a saint."
Zhao Ji just smiled and had no intention of pursuing anything further. He has always tolerated the petty thoughts of his subordinates, because he believes that only in this way can they live happily and work for him. Who has no selfish desires
When the monarch and his ministers were talking, Sun Tu had dismounted and returned to Wang Fangnian, waiting for his next instructions. At the same time, he felt agitated in his heart. Not only others, but also himself, did not expect that he would perform so well just now. Originally, he thought that with his archery skills during this period, he could hit the target with all the arrows, but at that moment, his body did not obey the command and took the risk of turning around and shooting continuously. Now he is a little scared just thinking about it. It would be embarrassing if these arrows missed.
But judging from the results, my body's reaction was absolutely correct, and it also proved that Sun Tu is a powerful character who can perform for a long time in big scenes.
It wasn't until Wang Fangnian spoke that Sun Tu calmed down completely. He only heard him say: "Sun Tu, your shooting skills are indeed outstanding, but you don't know how powerful you are? Can a bow be fired with one stone?" According to the comparison between ancient and modern times, one stone in the Song Dynasty is equivalent to that of later generations. A hundred pounds.
Sun Tu nodded and said, "I can."
While he was talking, someone brought over a long bow that was much larger than the Badou Bow just now. Sun Tu took it immediately. After just a few breaths, he already stringed the arrow and pulled it open easily. An arrow flew out and hit the bullseye in front again. When no one told him to stop, he shot five more arrows, all of which were bull's-eyes.
Only then did Wang Fangnian shout with satisfaction to stop, and then asked someone to bring a hard crossbow to Sun Tu for him to try to pull it open. This time Sun Tu could no longer fully draw the two-stone hard crossbow with just the strength of his hands, so he stepped on the crossbow, held the bow string with both hands, and relied on the strength of his back to fully draw the bow string.
This performance naturally attracted applause from everyone again. Anyone who knows a little bit about military affairs knows that those who can fire two stone crossbows are considered elites in the army. Even Zhou Jin's face became more solemn than before: "He is actually very powerful in terms of strength." Aren’t you weaker than me?”
Wang Fangnian glanced at Tong Guan where the emperor was, and when he saw that he didn't express anything, he asked again: "Can you fire the three-stone crossbow?"
Nowadays, the two-stone crossbows used in the Song Dynasty are actually at the limit of single combat. As for the three-stone crossbows, they generally require the cooperation of someone to use them. They cannot be pulled by a single person at all, and they can only be used in city defense battles. Use it from time to time. After all, it takes 300 kilograms of strength, and instead of lifting a 300 kilograms weight, pulling a bow is much more strenuous than this.
Sun Tu only hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'm willing to give it a try!" He also wanted to see where his limits were, and he just wanted to do a test today.
Zhou Jin had tried to pull this three-stone crossbow just now, but even he failed. Now that Sun Tu challenged him again, naturally everyone was sweating for him. Soon this heavy crossbow, which was more than half the height of a man and weighed over a hundred kilograms, was carried in front of Sun Tu to see how he would use it.
Sun Tu looked at this cumbersome guy and murmured in his heart, but he still raised his hand and tried to step on the foot. He held the bowstring tightly with both hands. After adjusting his breathing, he started to pull upward with force. .
Amid a heart-wrenching crunching sound, the motionless bowstring, which was three fingers thick, was pulled and slowly lifted upwards. Everyone's eyes were focused on Sun Tu and the strong crossbow. Even Zhao Ji had a serious look on his face. Even though he was not good at martial arts, he was still completely attracted by this scene.
After feeling a force constantly pulling the bow string in the opposite direction to hinder him, Sun Tu suddenly had the idea of not admitting defeat. He immediately shouted, kicked down with all his strength with his feet, and suddenly pulled up with both hands, and suddenly burst into flames. With unprecedented strength.
I saw that the bow string was pulled full by him in one fell swoop. Finally, as he exhaled and made a sound, he pulled the string completely and hung it up. This powerful crossbow, which required the cooperation of two people to pull it open, was actually pulled away by Sun Tu alone!
"Okay! What a magical power!" Everyone couldn't bear it anymore and shouted loudly. Even Zhao Ji clapped his hands and applauded: "What a strong man!"
At this time, Sun Tu was there panting heavily, and it took him a long time to recover. He saluted the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, a common man has shown his ugliness." Then he saluted Wang Fangnian and said, "I am fortunate to have fulfilled my destiny."
Wang Fangnian stroked his beard and nodded: "Sun Tu, you are indeed proficient in martial arts, and you deserve a high-level evaluation." Once these words came out, it meant that he would definitely be able to pass the shooting test this time. After all, it is reasonable to get the official position.
Just when Sun Tu thanked him and wanted to retreat into the crowd, a message came from the general stage: "Sun Tu, come up and speak." This made everyone present stunned, and then many people showed their faces. He looked envious, and it was obvious that the emperor was interested in him. This was great luck.
Sun Tu immediately accepted the order and stepped forward, standing in the audience to pay homage to the emperor again: "Sun Tu, a common man, comes to pay homage to Your Majesty."
"Sun Tu, what you said is wrong." Zhao Ji looked at the young man for a few times and then suddenly said. However, the people on the side were surprised for a while. Sun Tu's movements also froze, not knowing where he went wrong. But soon, the emperor revealed the answer: "It's time for you to call yourself a minister."
These words made Sun Tu feel relieved and thanked him again. At this time, Zhao Ji once again set his sights on Tong Guan: "Privacy Tong, you have indeed made a great contribution to recommending talents to the country this time, but if Sun Tu really wants to make a contribution to our Song Dynasty, only strong martial arts will not do it." . Can you read and understand military matters?" The latter question was directed to Sun Tu.
Sun Tu immediately knew that this was the emperor's test for him, but this was an extremely rare opportunity. You must know that the emperor has many things to do every day. Except for court meetings, it is almost impossible to see a few ministers on weekdays. Being able to answer questions to the emperor in a commoner's body is an honor that many officials only dream of having.
However, he did not lose his sense of proportion because of this, and just replied in a low-key tone: "Your Majesty, I only have a brief understanding of both."
"Oh? It's quite rare." Zhao Ji nodded lightly in approval, and then said: "Then I will ask you a question." As soon as these words came out, Tong Guan became a little nervous. If Sun Tuwei If you can answer to the satisfaction of the emperor, you may even be implicated.
Originally, Tong Guan made this arrangement this time so that Zhao Ji could see Sun Tu's ability, so that he could know how loyal he was to the king and how he served the country. All of Sun Tu's previous performances were perfect, and he was very satisfied with them, but now that such irregularities appeared, he was not happy to see them. After all, in his eyes, Sun Tu was far from enough in terms of literary talent and knowledge. How could he possibly satisfy the emperor again
But Zhao Ji had already spoken, so he couldn't stop him. Even though Sun Tu was a little nervous at this time, he could only bite the bullet and said: "I invite your Majesty to propose a question."
"As a student of martial arts, you must be very unfamiliar with poetry, classical meanings, etc., so I will not embarrass you. I will test your understanding of military affairs. How do you think the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom should get along with each other now? If we want to do the Northern Expedition , How can we compete for the unfinished business of our ancestors? And what percentage of it is calculated?" Zhao Ji considered his words and asked this series of questions.
After hearing these questions, Tong Guan's expression suddenly changed, and his heart tightened!