Chapter 73: Winning the First Prize in Martial Arts (2)
The viewing platform is neither high nor big.
With a row of chairs arranged, there can only be about ten people sitting down. In the city of Chang'an, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, His Majesty the Emperor and the Queen were not present, so naturally the one sitting in the middle was Prince Yi Yang Yin. And that old man dressed in civilian clothes, sitting in the middle next to Prince Yi, who else could he be besides Zhou Banchuan, the director of the Yanwu Academy.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? It was just such an important occasion, related to the ranking of the top three students of the Yanwu Academy. Before the final competition that was about to begin, Dean Zhou actually leaned on his chair and fell asleep.
Not only did I sleep soundly, but there was also saliva hanging from the corners of my mouth.
Prince Yi asked if he could start, but after receiving no answer, he discovered that Dean Zhou, who had unrivaled prestige in the Sui army, was actually meeting his own Duke Zhou. He smiled helplessly, and Prince Yi Yang Yin ordered someone to fetch his cloak. , and personally sealed it for Dean Zhou. In fact, this seemingly simple move often contains two meanings.
First, it is to express one¡¯s respect for Dean Zhou.
Second, it¡¯s time for you to wake up.
It's a pity that Dean Zhou, who has forgotten whether he is sixty, seventy or eighty years old, doesn't seem to have this awareness and has no intention of waking up. The saliva on the corners of his mouth, which was shining brightly under the sun, has become a thread. , there is no trace of the majestic posture that a dean of a martial arts academy should have.
"If Dean Zhou doesn't wake up, this last assessment cannot begin.
Therefore, there was a prince, a second-grade, and six or seven third- and fourth-grade officials on the viewing platform. They could only watch eagerly and wait quietly. Everyone had to show respect for their elders and could not even speak. Loud.
Sitting under the viewing platform were professors from the Martial Arts Academy and generals from the Sixth Army of the Emperor stationed in Chang'an City. They were not surprised at all when they saw this scene, especially the professors at the Martial Arts Academy, who were already accustomed to this scene. In fact, during every regular meeting of the Martial Arts Academy, Dean Zhou spent most of the time sleeping and the other half distracted.
After waiting for a while, Dean Zhou didn't wake up. The somewhat bored Prince Yi Yang Yin stood up, stretched his body, looked at the four beauties behind him, and suddenly said something beyond everyone's expectations: "I want to Why don't you guys dance first to relieve everyone's boredom?"
The others¡¯ expressions immediately changed. They were really afraid that this distinguished prince would turn such a solemn occasion into a song and dance performance. Fortunately, His Royal Highness Prince Yi himself also has this realization. Before anyone could persuade him, he smiled and said, "It's just boring to sit around and just joking randomly."
Everyone here breathed a sigh of relief.
¡°One unreliable dean is enough, if another unreliable prince comes
Xu Xiaogong, the general of Youzhenwei who also came to watch the competition on the emperor's order, was the most calm and indifferent among all the people. He was sitting on the chair with his upper body straight. He lowered his head slightly, looked at his nose with his eyes, and his heart with his nose, as if the old monk was in concentration. This veteran in his fifties was once Dean Zhou's old subordinate. Naturally, he would not blame or dare to disturb Dean Zhou for taking a nap at this time.
Among the Sixth Army of the Emperor, General Xu Xiaogong of Youzhenwei is the second oldest. He just celebrated his fifty-third birthday a few days ago and received a folding fan with an imperial handwriting as a reward from His Majesty. Speaking of which, Xu Xiaogong was a very special one among the soldiers of the Sixteenth Guards of the Sui Dynasty. Because he has never fought an earth-shattering battle in his life, nor has he had any military exploits worthy of being written down in the history books.
Someone once said disdainfully that Xu Xiaogong was the most incompetent among the sixteen generals. There are three reasons why he can take the position of general. The first is seniority, the second is human nature, and the third is good family background. He first joined the army and served as a scout captain under Zhou Banchuan. For thirty years, his official career has been smooth and steady, with no major ups and downs. It took him thirty years to become a general. It cannot be said to be a smooth career in any case.
But it happened that he was such a person, and His Majesty the Emperor seemed to appreciate him very much.
The Sixteen Guards of the Great Sui Dynasty, sixteen generals, sixteen generals, dozens of generals, plus twenty-four governors, so many military giants and frontier officials, no one has a birthday and gets a reward from His Majesty. .
Prince Yi glanced at Xu Xiaogong, who was concentrating with his eyes closed, and cursed an old fox in his heart. He smiled and walked to Xu Xiaogong, and said something into Xu Xiaogong's ear. The voice was too low and Xu Xiaogong didn't hear it clearly. He had no choice but to open his eyes and ask: "Your Highness, what did you just say?"
Yang Yin whispered: "Don't pretend, you are the only one who knows how to wake up Dean Zhou."
Xu Xiaogong smiled bitterly and had no choice but to lower his voice and say something. Yang Yin couldn't believe it and couldn't help but ask again. Xu Xiaogong nodded firmly, Yang Yin stood up straight, hesitated for a while and said tentatively:"Bring up the leaf cards, I want to play a few rounds with you adults."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dean Zhou immediately opened his eyes and asked, "Three are missing? Count me in!"
He glanced around and saw that several adults were looking at their eyes, nose and nose, and then understood. However, the professors sitting below couldn't help but laugh. Everyone in the Yanwu Academy knew that Dean Zhou liked playing cards the most, and his card luck was extremely bad. Play once and lose once, and if you lose, you'll default.
So much so that when the professors at the Yanwu Academy have nothing to do and want to play leaf cards, they act like spies. But as long as someone says the three words "Yippai", Dean Zhou will definitely get wind of it.
Seeing that Dean Zhou was awake, Yang Yin secretly gave Xu Xiaogong a thumbs up.
Xu Xiaogong secretly glanced at Dean Zhou, who was glaring at him fiercely, with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Start, start"
Dean Zhou wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, looked at the three young generals standing side by side below, waved his hands casually, and said: "Fight how you want, there are two thousand defenders in Tucheng, but I only give you five dollars each." Among the hundreds of soldiers, whoever defeats them will be ranked first. There is no need to divide the second and third places, it is of no use anyway.¡±
"Five hundred?"
Yu Xiao, Luo Wen, and Li Fubo repeated it in unison, with surprised expressions on their faces.
The three people looked at each other, but no one dared to ask.
Didn¡¯t we agree on a thousand soldiers each? Why did Dean Zhou reduce the number to 500 people after just one sleep? Of course they didn't know that the reason why they were reduced in number was because Mr. Zhou, the old man, was disturbed in his spring dreams and felt very unhappy.
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Because the imperial capital is so big, it was almost noon when Fang Jie's carriage left the city gate and went straight to the martial arts field along the official road. The official was very attentive and even prepared food on the carriage. Although it's just some snacks, it's good news for Fang Jie who hasn't had breakfast yet.
Although the official didn¡¯t take Fang Jie¡¯s banknote, he didn¡¯t seem displeased. After inviting Fang Jie to eat, he thought for a while and then explained: "When you get to the place later, don't ask too many questions. Just go wherever the person waiting for you leads you. If you are criticized for talking too much, scold you, but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t remind you.¡±
Fang Jie responded and took the banknote out of his sleeve again and stuffed it into the hand of the official: "This snack is really delicious, but it's a pity that I don't know where to buy it when I first arrived in the emperor. If you don't have time to do it, big brother, I¡¯ll buy some when I have time, and remember to bring some to my brother, thank you.¡±
The officer hesitated for a moment, but finally took the banknote and said, "I bought it, and I'll deliver it to your house."
When he said this, there was a fleeting look of pity and regret in his eyes.
After putting the banknote away, the officer murmured in his heart: Don¡¯t blame me, I can¡¯t help myself. I'll buy some snacks later and put the paper money and candle paper in front of your grave.
Although it was the first time they met, he had no ill feelings towards this clean and handsome young man.
But there was nothing else he could do except secretly say it was a pity.
The carriage swayed for another half an hour, and finally arrived outside the martial arts arena. When they stopped outside the camp gate, a man in black robe was already standing there waiting. After Fang Jie got out of the car, the man in black robe glanced at him and asked coldly, "Are you Fang Jie?"
Fang Jie nodded in agreement, and the man turned around and walked inside. Fang Jie hurriedly followed, subconsciously holding the rusty broken knife stuck at his waist.
The man in black robe whispered something to the soldier guarding the door, and the soldier glanced at Fang Jie and let him go. Following the man in black robe, Fang Jie kept looking at the terrain of the martial arts field along the way.
The Great Sui Dynasty dominated the Central Plains, and its military power was unparalleled in the world. No matter what kind of pride it was, the Sui emperor and the court showed a characteristic in many aspects. That is the atmosphere, from buildings to clothing, everything should be atmospheric.
The imperial capital Chang'an is the most powerful proof.
And the martial arts arena also shows this atmosphere to the extreme. There is not only a flat and vast school ground, but also a four-mile earth city. It accommodates almost all kinds of terrain, and even builds a mountain of earth by manpower. Rivers, lakes, dense forests, pastures, everything is available.
Fang Jie could not help but sigh with emotion when he saw this scene.
"You go directly along this road and go in when you see a small door. Just south of the wall is the Tucheng. You can see the viewing platform within a short distance. All the adults who want to see you are there. Bian. I am not allowed to enter without military orders, so you have to go by yourself."
After the man in black robe stopped, the other party explained: "When the adults have finished asking questions,?Go back the way you came. Don't disturb the competition between the top three in the Yanwu Academy. "
"Here"
Fang Jie responded, straightened his clothes and walked out.
"Wait"
The man suddenly stopped Fang Jie again, pointed at the broken knife on Fang Jie's belt and said, "You are not allowed to bring weapons in."
Fang Jie was silent for a while and said seriously: "The soldiers on the border of the Sui Dynasty never took off their swords. Even when they went to court, they would not remove their swords unless ordered by the emperor."
The man was slightly startled and muttered in a low voice that it would be better if he had a knife with him. He would die faster if he had a knife in his hand. He waved his hand, as if he was too lazy to pay attention anymore. But precisely because he didn't persist, Fang Jie's eyes became increasingly wary. He walked slowly to the small door, took a deep breath, then opened the door and walked in.
Then he opened the door and squeezed in.
A knife suddenly appeared in front of Fang Jie's neck.
Fang Jie did not dare to move, but said: "I was ordered to come here to ask when lunch will be delivered to you?"
This sentence is very idiotic, but it is absolutely useful.
Just when the man was stunned, Fang Jie looked at the scene in front of him.
Where is the viewing platform? In front of it is a military camp!
The person who had delivered the knife to Fang Jieshen was a soldier wearing Sui black leather armor and a dark blue uniform. This small door does not lead to the viewing platform at all, but to the barracks of one of the three upstarts from the Martial Arts Academy who participated in the competition! Fang Jie suddenly understood in his mind that the man in black robe who had brought him here had deliberately told the wrong direction. The man said that the viewing platform was in the north and the Tucheng was in the south. The facts were contrary to what he said.
The viewing platform is simply on the other side of Tucheng.
????????????????? In other words, he could not see the viewing platform across an earthen city that was four miles long and wide, and it was absolutely impossible for the people on the viewing platform to see him. So if he died here, it would never arouse the ideas of those big shots.
It was at this moment that Fang Jie finally understood how he was being plotted against.
Just when he wanted to take advantage of the soldier's stunned moment to exit the door, there was a creaking sound from behind, and the door was closed from behind, followed by a sound of chains, which was obviously locked from the outside.
Just when Fang Jie had just understood what was going on, the knife in the soldier's hand suddenly moved. The sharp blade had reached Fang Jie's throat. He could even feel the coldness on the blade. The knife was the standard horizontal sword of the Sui Dynasty. Fang Jie had no doubt that the soldier's wrist would just move forward, and the blood in his arteries would spurt out like a waterfall.