At dawn, the sky was still dark. Qin Mubai opened his eyes and woke up. When he was about to turn over and get out of bed, there was a knock on the door. It was Qin Shubao who opened the door to welcome people.
"Today's exam is very important for physical strength. You just need to rest all morning. There is no need to go to morning exercises." Qin Shubao walked into the room and sat down naturally on Qin Mubai's bed, only to find that his son looked at him with surprise and surprise. , couldn't help but frowned: "Liang'er, why do you look at your father like this?"
"No... nothing." Qin Mubai breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "The child is happy to see that his father's complexion is getting better day by day."
It seems that Yuan Tiangang's plan for Qin Shubao's death has gone completely wrong - great!
"Well." Qin Shubao nodded, stroking his long beard and said thoughtfully, "Today is the big test for selecting officers for the Hundred Cavalry. There are some things I want to explain to you."
"Please tell me, father."
Qin Shubao frowned slightly and said: "Yesterday, your uncle Cheng went to Xuanwu Gate for a visit and came back and told me that there were a lot of people participating in the Hundred Cavalry election this time. Among the children of the officers who participated in the election, there were many nephews of the dignitaries of the day. . For example, Changsun Wuji’s third son, Changsun Huan, Yuchi Jingde’s third son, Yuchi Baoyun, and your uncle Cheng’s third son, Cheng Huaibi, are among them.”
"They are still the third sons." Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile, "The eldest son Xijue, and the second son Shangzhu. The eldest and second sons of these distinguished ministers are either the future heirs to the Duke's throne, or they have already married the princess as their consort. "There are only three sons left who want to compete for the Hundred Horsemen and serve as servants for the emperor."
"That's right." Qin Shubao frowned slightly, "But do you know why your second brother didn't marry the princess?"
"Isn't it because the second brother got married too early?"
"of course not!"
Qin Mubai was slightly surprised: "Why is that?"
"Among the veterans of the Qin Palace and the founding heroes of the Zhenguan Dynasty, only my father and the son of your Uncle Cheng have not married a princess." Qin Shubao paused, stroked his long beard, and said, "And over the years, we The two of them were gradually alienated by the emperor, and their father almost retired. Cheng Zhijie was basically a state official in the court, and all this was because of an old incident a few years ago... "
"What's going on?" Qin Mubai asked.
"A few years ago, Li Xiaochang, the governor of Lizhou and the general of Youwuwei, Li Xiaochang, rebelled and were exposed and executed." Qin Shubao said, "At that time, the commotion they made was not big and it was not significant. However, this Liu Deyu was The general who was single-handedly promoted by his father and recommended to serve under Cheng Zhijie's Youwuwei was because of this incident. Although Emperor Shengming did not involve the two of us in the end. However, some people in the court did not think so. Therefore, the two of us had to take the initiative to keep a low profile. Therefore, our father had just stayed behind closed doors to thank guests for these years, and did not care about whether Cheng Zhijie was a state official or not. I don’t go back to Chang’an even once every year, all because of the aftermath of this incident.”
"My child understands. Not being jealous is mediocre. Because my father and Uncle Cheng have such an unwarranted stain, some people in the court have made a fuss about it and want to exclude you, right?" Qin Mubai said.
"good."
"Who is that?"
Qin Shubao frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and said: "This is why I want to talk to you today. As expected, with your current martial arts skills, even if you can't get the Hundred Knights, you can at least get one. As a deputy envoy, you will have to work with some people, and you must be sure of some things."
"Actually, no matter which dynasty or generation, it is common for courtiers to quarrel and military generals to run against each other." Qin Shubao said, "And we generals are divided into front and back Xuanwumen. Before the Xuanwumen incident, I You, Uncle Cheng, and others were the loyal generals and confidants of King Qin. During the Xuanwumen Incident, although Cheng Zhijie and I also stood firmly in King Qin’s camp, we were transferred by King Yuanji of Qi to prepare for the Northern Expedition. Although we rushed back at the time of the incident, their plans had been decided. We did not hold important positions, but were sent to command the Imperial Guard Army to suppress the imperial city. Therefore, we did not directly participate in the incident, while Generals such as Yuchi Jingde were there. He made great contributions to this major political event."
"From then on, Yuchi Jingde soared to the sky and became His Majesty the Emperor's most trusted general. Instead, I, Cheng Zhijie and other old generals were outclassed by him. When the Emperor ascended the throne and enfeoffed the throne, Yuchi Jingde, Changsun Wuji and others The number of people’s fiefdoms is almost twice that of me and your Uncle Cheng,” Qin Shubao said, “I and your Uncle Cheng have been fighting with the King of Qin for more than ten years and have made countless great achievements, but in the end we are not as good as standing out in a political incident. Yuchi Jingde... Therefore, competition and confrontation began between us old generals of the Qin Dynasty and Yuchi Jingde and others, and the outcome was that Yuchi Jingde became more and more important, and we were implicated in that rebellion. , had to retreat on his own.”
"My child understands. As the saying goes, Taoists compete for a breath and a Buddha competes for a stick of incense. It is human nature for my father and Uncle Cheng to feel dissatisfied." Qin Mubai nodded and said, "It seems that this court is not what it seems. Peace, there are competitions and conflicts among civil servants and generals. My father told me this because he wanted me to get along well with the descendants of Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Jingde and others in the future."
"That's right." Qin Shubao nodded, with a smile on his face, "My son is extremely talented and has a very good understanding. I'm not worried about you losing to them. You just need to know these things in your heart and don't make it public. You just need to remember one thing: in court. No matter what happens in the world, it is under the control of the emperor. It doesn’t matter who you ignore, but you must always think of the emperor.”
"Children, please listen carefully!"
In the Xuanwu Gate Campus of the Imperial City, there are many soldiers and armors, creating a Kongwu scene. Under the canopy of the yellow umbrella with flying dragon flags, Li Shimin, who usually wears a dragon robe and crowns his head, today wears a golden and white beard suit and a crown for traveling to the sage. With a smile on his face in the spring breeze, he looks at the forty athletes who are running for the army riding high horses. Entering the school grounds, they lined up neatly in a square formation.
"Long live, long live, long live my emperor!"
The civil and military officials on the left and right, soldiers and athletes all call together to participate in the ceremony.
"Get back together!" Li Shimin walked out of his tent, mounted a majestic purple-green horse, and walked up to Qin Mubai and others with two rows of armored guards. His eyes swept over the athletes, and a smile appeared on his face. .
"I joined the army at the age of sixteen and fought in the world for more than ten years. From that time on, I have never forgotten martial arts. I am happy to see you today. You are the rising stars of our Tang Dynasty and the pillars of the future army. Talent." Li Shimin spoke loudly, and all the athletes who participated in the election were excited.
"Today, I personally preside over the selection of the Hundred Cavalry Officers." Li Shimin said, "The Hundred Cavalry Officers are my personal guard. They are not subject to the control of any provincial and Taiwanese military government and only take orders from me. Therefore, I am responsible for the Hundred Cavalry Officers." The first requirement is your absolute loyalty to me! In this regard, I have absolute trust in you.”
"My Holy Emperor!" All the athletes clasped their fists and paid homage together.
Qin Mubai clicked his tongue in his heart and said: Li Shimin is indeed good at dealing with others. He should first show openness and trust... What he does is followed by actions. The people of Zhenguan Tang Dynasty value integrity above all else. It is true that the personality charm of a king determines the atmosphere of a dynasty.
"As for the method of competition, I have been thinking about it for the past few days and came up with many ideas. In the end, I overturned them one by one - because I think that 'returning to nature' is the real best way." Li Shimin laughed. He said, "Today, you forty athletes are about to go on the battlefield for the first time - you are all young people who grew up in a peaceful era. You probably don't know what a real battlefield is, right? So, I will tell you today! "
Everyone's hearts stirred in unison: What does the emperor want to do
"For a general, fighting on the battlefield is his fate. A general who cannot go to the battlefield or participate in actual combat is a failed general!" Li Shimin said, "The officer selection method I came up with is to let you rush into the battle formation - ten thousand Take the enemy general's head from the army! The winner will be selected and the loser will be eliminated!"
"Ah? Seriously killing people?!" Everyone exclaimed, and Qin Mubai couldn't help but frown: What on earth did the emperor want to do
"Of course it is impossible for you to actually kill people in the majestic place of the imperial city. However, there is definitely a risk." After that, Li Shimin waved his hand, and a group of armored soldiers who had been prepared behind him ran out neatly. A circular military formation similar to the Tai Chi Bagua formation was formed on the campus grounds. In the center of the military formation, a large red flag was erected high, flying high in the biting east wind of early spring.
"Have you seen it?" Li Shimin pointed to the flag, "That's the military flag I selected for Baiqi - it has my special five-clawed golden dragon printed on it! Who can rush into these three thousand armored formations and grab it? Come to this dragon flag, who is the one I want?"
"Ah -" the whole place exclaimed, and all the athletes began to talk about it. Even the civil and military officials who came to watch the game couldn't help but exclaimed.
"The rules are very simple." Li Shimin spoke again, and the audience automatically fell silent, "I don't care whether you are alone or in groups, I will only recognize one Hundred Cavalry Envoy. As for the three Hundred Cavalry Deputy Envoys and other officers, I will choose it myself after watching the competition. Now you can start planning and receiving the weapons!"
"According to the order!"
Li Shimin rode his horse back under the umbrella with a long smile, picked up a bowl of tea and began to watch with great interest.
Qin Mubai, like other athletes, dismounted and went to the ordnance office to receive equipment. An atmosphere of tension and chill began to spread among all the athletes.
As the emperor said, even if these "second-generation rich" children were born as generals and practiced martial arts since childhood, few of them had ever actually been on the battlefield. Now I have to face a real fight, and I feel a little uneasy and nervous. Furthermore, it is indeed difficult for forty people to fight for a dragon flag against three thousand armored men.
All the ordnance that can be collected has been processed. The gun has no tip, the arrow has no arrow cluster, and the knife has no blade, obviously to avoid killing people. But despite this, even a bare-handed fight will inevitably cause casualties, let alone a big melee on a horse and with a guy. For every athlete, as long as they rush into the armored formation, everyone inside may be their opponent!
This is the most deadly!
"You must have helpers!" Almost at the same time, Qin Mubai and other athletes had this idea. Unfortunately, he hardly knew any of these people. Many people gathered together in twos and threes to discuss, just like playing online games, and they were all busy forming teams.
At this moment, a young man walked up to Qin Mubai and patted him hard on the shoulder: "Brother Qin!"
Qin Mubai suddenly looked back, and his eyes suddenly lit up: This guy must be Cheng Zhijie's third son, Cheng Huaibi, he looks so much like him!
"Cheng Huaibi, is it you?" Qin Mubai made a bold guess, and the other party immediately grinned, "Haha, we haven't seen each other for many years, and you still remember me? We seem to have played together in childhood, right? Yesterday I heard from my father He said that you are also here to run for election, so I am looking for you in the crowd today - hehe, it is really easy to find you. You and Uncle Qin look quite similar. Uncle Qin's portrait can be seen in every household. of!"
"Haha, I'm looking for you too!" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "How about we form a team?"
"Needless to say!" Cheng Huaibi laughed heartily, then winked at Qin Mubai and whispered, "Actually, I paid attention to you during the primary election yesterday. I know in my heart that I am definitely not as good as you in terms of martial arts. My father also told me I said, as long as you are here, I won't think about Baiqi Shi. We brothers have agreed that I will help you capture the dragon flag. Bai Qi Shi is yours. At most, I only need the third brother. what do you think?"
"Hehe! You haven't succeeded yet, so you want to share the spoils?" Qin Mubai couldn't help being amused. He looked around and said, "It's really difficult for one person to succeed. You see, these people are all in groups of twos and threes. We have formed a team, and some of them are even grouped together, so we must be very strong. "
"Third brother, don't worry, I will listen to you!"
The two of them picked their weapons, a seven-foot long spear - the head of the spear was covered with cloth and wrapped in lime. Go back and get on your horse and ride together.
Half an hour later, the golden horn sounded on the campus field. The forty athletes formed their own teams and were eager to try. Just waiting for the sound of a cannon in the field, a fierce battle for the dragon flag was about to begin.
Cheng Huaibi glanced to the side and whispered: "Third brother, look over there - there are so many people in Chang Sun Huan and Yu Chi Baoyun's team, we have to be careful!"
Qin Mubai looked back in response and saw seven or eight riders gathered on the right, all of them young men in bright armor and bright robes. The two leaders, one is a handsome young man with a white face, and the other is a tall and powerful man with a black face, they must be Changsun Huan and Yuchi Baoyun!
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