On February 20th, Guo Shao was on holiday. When he learned that Madam Gao had returned from Hebei, he went to Dong's house to talk to her about the betrothal gifts and thanked her for her hard work in arranging the marriage.
When they arrived at Dong's house, Madam Gao asked someone to open the gate and come out to greet them. When Guo Shao saw her, he couldn't help but think of the absurd incident last time. He felt a little embarrassed and his face turned slightly red. Unexpectedly, Madam Gao smiled and said: The weather has become warmer. Is there no air in the carriage? My brother's face has turned red. She spoke naturally and kindly, and it sounded like a joke.
Seeing how calm and graceful Madam Gao was, Guo Shao even wondered if she had really forgotten what happened that day.
He stepped forward to greet him, and the two exchanged a few pleasantries. Mrs. Gao then said, "Dong Zunxun is practicing horsemanship on the Cuju field in the back garden. I didn't know his uncle was here. I am also a military commander, why don't you go to the field and practice with Zunxun?"
When Guo Shao heard his uncle's words, he felt ashamed and had to say: "Then let's do as my sister says and go to the Cuju field."
The group then walked through three courtyards and finally entered the back garden. The house was very spacious and there was even a Cuju field inside the house, which was rare in the inner city of the capital. If Guo Shao remembered correctly, Dong Zunxun was the military commander of the left wing of the Longjie Army, and his rank was not as high as Li Chuyun; but he could afford to live in such a large courtyard and have many servants at home. It was indeed true that people from aristocratic families were different. Guo Shao thought to himself that as a high-ranking military general, he might not be as rich as Dong Zunxun, a military commander.
Together with Mrs. Gao, we walked to a spacious place. The Cuju field was covered with soft sand and had lawns planted on the edge. It was very spacious. There was no ball on the Cuju field, but some straw men and targets. The sound of horse hooves came from a distance, and a young man was seen riding a horse. It was Dong Zunxun.
It was a sunny day. Mrs. Gao spread out an exquisite silk fan and held it in front of her forehead. When she saw Guo Shao looking at her, she smiled and said, "I'm afraid of getting tanned."
When she walked with the fan in her hand, she revealed a hint of worldliness, but still retained the reserve that a lady from a noble family should have. The two temperaments blended seamlessly into one, making her look quite charming.
There was a stable where the group came in, and there was a pavilion not far from the stable. Mrs. Gao said again: Let's go to the pavilion and sit in the shade. When Dong Zunxun sees us later, he will definitely come to pay us a visit.
Okay. Guo Shao nodded.
Sure enough, not long after, Dong Zunxun rode over. He recognized Guo Shao, so he got off his horse, knelt on one knee, and simply called out: "Uncle, you are so welcome. I am honored to meet you."
Guo Shao was embarrassed when he heard his address. He stepped forward to help the young man up and said kindly: "No need to be polite, please stand up quickly." He looked back at Mrs. Gao and said, "My sister has just returned to Tokyo, but she has been running back and forth for my affairs. I have also come to her house in many ways to disturb her family and make her feel guilty."
Unexpectedly, Dong Zunxun disagreed and said: Although I am willing to be filial, my mother advises me to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country first and focus on military affairs. My mother is usually alone and lonely, and she often mentions Uncle Guo and cares about you very much. Uncle is my mother's lifesaver. If the two families visit each other frequently, my mother will be happy and I will feel less guilty. There is no suspicion of disturbing you.
Mrs. Gao also said: We just need to move around more, otherwise we will become unfamiliar with each other.
Guo Shaodao: We should visit each other more often. But I've been in trouble recently and can't leave for the time being.
Mrs. Gao had already sat down in the pavilion. She put away her fan and folded it gently, saying disapprovingly: I heard about the incident with the Zhao family. Don't worry too much. Zhao Hongyin is old and it is obvious that he was mad at his unfilial son. Zhao Sanlang was also being sought after by others to avenge his father's death. What does this have to do with my brother? The Zhao family is not that domineering. They are taking their anger out on you because of the evil deeds of their own family.
Guo Shao nodded and said: "Thank you, sister, for speaking for me. I won't ask them for now. It will only cause trouble. Dong Zunxun was riding a horse and shooting arrows just now."
Dong Zunxun said with a smile: "Uncle knows that martial arts will become rusty if you don't practice for a long time. I am just practicing casually. Hey, uncle is a famous general who killed a fierce general of the Northern Han Dynasty with one arrow formation. Why don't you teach me a few moves?"
Guo Shaodao: I know how to shoot arrows, but I am not very good at it.
Guo Shao was a general of the imperial army, and was famous for his personal battles with the fierce generals of the Northern Han Dynasty. Dong Zunxun naturally thought that he was a martial arts expert, and that he was just being modest. Guo Shao couldn't explain at the moment: Do you think everyone comes from a military family and has learned everything from archery and horse riding since childhood? Even if the family is a little well-off, it is not easy to practice horse riding, and raising horses and venues is a huge expense.
Dong Zunxun invited Guo Shao to the stable and said: Uncle, pick a horse at random, and let's go out and compete.
Guo Shao could not postpone it too much, and he wanted to practice more riding and archery, and he was free today. He looked around the stable and saw seven or eight good horses, with only one exception. Compared with the other good horses, it was shorter and had rough brown hair, chewing grass slowly.
Mongolian Ma Guoshao blurted out.
Dong Zunxun said: "This Mongolian horse is a Tatar horse, which is the same breed as the Khitan horse and is a horse breed native to the Shiwei area. Compared with various horses in the Western Regions, Tatar horses are a little short and don't run that fast. But you can't judge a horse by its appearance, and this kind of horse should not be underestimated. It has special advantages. It has thick skin and meat, eats poorly, and is resistant to cold and heat, and has good endurance. It is said that on the Tatar grassland, this horse eats some grass seeds in autumn to fatten up, and can be ridden into battle without eating grain."
After hearing this, Guo Shao said casually: "It's good to be tough, you have to be tough in war." Suddenly, he saw Mrs. Gao shyly turning away, and he immediately felt that it was not good for a woman to swear. He changed his words and said: "Cavalry is too expensive, and easy-to-raise horses can reduce the burden of logistics."
That's right, Dong Zunxun said.
Guo Shao paid the most attention to the Tatar horse, and felt that it was different from the Mongolian horses seen in later generations. It is said that the later Mongolian horse breed has degenerated and is not as strong as the original horse breed. In short, it was this kind of Mongolian horse that carried the cavalry of the Yuan Dynasty from Asia to Europe, and plundered the world for tens of thousands of miles. No matter how strong the Mongols were, if they did not have such horses to support their long-distance combat, they would not have been able to accomplish such a great cause that shocked the world in the era without transportation and delivery means.
He did not choose any of the tall, beautiful and famous horses, but wanted to ride this shabby, gray horse that chewed grass.
The two men rode their horses onto the Cuju field. Guo Shao took a bow and arrow, aimed at a target, and ran sideways while drawing the bow and putting an arrow on it. With a snap, the string made a sound, and as expected, the arrow missed the target.
Dong Zunxun was stunned and said: Uncle Guo is really not modest, your riding and shooting posture is wrong.
Guo Shao did not try to show off, so he said: "I used to be in the infantry camp of the Xiaodi Army. I was very good at archery, but I had no idea how to shoot arrows on horseback. Why don't you teach me?"
After hearing this, Dong Zunxun pondered and said: Since my uncle is proficient in archery, horseback shooting is not difficult. As long as you find the right posture and practice it more, it will be no different from peaceful archery. But you have to get the posture right first, watch out, kid.
The driver followed the instruction and kicked his horse to run, rushing past a target. When he was twenty or thirty steps away, he immediately stretched his upper body and sat up straight. He pulled the bow calmly and rhythmically with his arm. The arrow flew out diagonally with a whoosh, as if it was floating, but it seemed to have eyes and hit the center of the bull's eye immediately.
Seeing this, Guo Shao praised: Good shot.
He immediately had a yearning heart, not only was he eager to learn the martial arts, but now Guo Shao rarely went into battle himself, and his martial arts skills were just so-so. In the battle, he could just ask his subordinates to go. But as a military general who took leading troops into battle as his career, he instinctively wanted to learn more advanced techniques. Most importantly, Dong Zunxun's elegant and powerful posture of riding and shooting arrows attracted Guo Shao.
When the warhorse is sprinting, the stretched body lines and the leisurely movements are full of a powerful beauty that is different from the feminine beauty, and are more beautiful than dancing.
Guo Shao was hesitant to try, so Dong Zunxun rode back and asked him to learn the movements. Guo Shao suddenly changed from an elder to a humble student, concentrating on learning. When Dong Zunxun did a move, he followed and then linked the moves together.
The two of them fiddled in the sand for a long time, and Guo Shao was so engrossed that he even forgot what he came to Dong's house for today.
Moreover, Guo Shao felt that he already had a good foundation in archery, and firmly believed that it was not too late to learn horse riding and archery, so he became even more enthusiastic.
Dong Zunxun taught him the movements and some techniques, and then said: "It's too difficult to shoot from the side at first, and you can't catch the opportunity. Try it from the front first." Then he rode his horse and rushed straight to a target. When he was thirty or forty steps away, he shot an arrow and hit the target with one shot. Guo Shao followed him and shot an arrow, but it drifted and didn't hit anything.
Damn it! Guo Shao cursed.
The ugly-looking mount under him sneezed twice, as if laughing. Guo Shao couldn't help but pat the horse on the face: Even you are laughing at me.
Dong Zunxun burst into laughter after hearing this. When Guo Shao turned around to look at him, he saw Madam Gao in the pavilion not far away also laughing seductively with her hands covering her mouth.
Dong Zunxun stopped laughing and suddenly asked: "Uncle, can you stab with a lance?"
Guo Shao shook his head and said: I am not proficient in any of the eighteen weapons for horse fighting. I have tried using a saber, but not a lance.
I see. Dong Zunxun said, "First try to use the cherry spear to stab the straw man, then treat the arrow as the cherry spear, and shoot from near to far, farther and farther, and then you will be able to hit it."
Guo Shao said: I'll try.
Dong Zunxun demonstrated in person in front, Guo Shao followed behind, and the two of them rushed to the other side of the row of straw men. Dong Zunxun rode closer, raised his spear, shouted, and stabbed the straw man down with one spear. Guo Shao followed suit, aiming at close combat, and he didn't miss the target, and stabbed another straw man down with one spear.
The two of them practiced on the sand and discussed techniques. Before they knew it, the sky gradually darkened, and Guo Shao realized that he had spent half a day in Dong's house.