There are fewer ways for warriors from poor families to enter the officialdom than for scribes from poor families. Some warriors choose to become servants of aristocratic families, guards, and servants of generals. Some warriors are invited by big merchants to work as bodyguards for caravans; but because the Sui Dynasty was a martial artist, dynasty, and wars have never stopped since the founding of the country, so more warriors joined the army nearby, hoping to use military merit to change the fate of themselves and their families.
Rather than risking your life to win military exploits, you can become a member of the Forbidden Army by simply competing. Not only is it safe, but you are serving as an errand beside the emperor, and you will be in contact with dignitaries all over the world. If you become a member of the Forbidden Army, you will have the opportunity to be promoted. Far more than an ordinary army. So when the imperial court recruited eight hundred Forbidden Army soldiers from all over the world in the name of Left and Right Guards and Left and Right Xiao Guards, warriors from all over the world gathered in great numbers.
There are tens of thousands of warriors participating in the martial arts competition. Among them, the first rank is for the children of nobles. If someone in the family is a fifth-rank official or above, no matter it is one person or ten people, the entire family can only send three A number of disciples participate, and those with excellent grades can be officers, while those with poor grades can also join the "Five Houses and Three Guards" as soldiers, and will be promoted based on their qualifications in the future. This is also a shortcut for the sons of aristocratic families to enter the officialdom and be promoted safely.
In terms of registration for the B-list, which is for private warriors, there are no other restrictions except that children from well-known families are prohibited from participating. Therefore, more than 90% of the samurai are taking the B-list examination. Just the two events of riding and rifle shooting cost a lot of money. for five and a half days.
Since the next riding skill required obstacles, the warriors were given a day off and asked to return to camp the next day and take the test on the third day.
With the return of many samurai, the major wine shops in the city began to become lively, and samurai carrying weapons could be seen everywhere. After taking the exam today, which was the most important for strength, many warriors with good grades relaxed. Thinking that they still had two days to rest, they started drinking and having fun in groups.
Pingkangfang's "Never Get Drunk" was favored by samurai because of its exclusive shabu-shabu, bamboo wine, as well as various palace delicacies and folk delicacies. In the afternoon, the three restaurants with four floors each were occupied by samurai. It was full, and in a half-open elegant room by the window on the second floor of the south building, Qin Qiong, Shan Xiongxin and others gathered together to drink and talk.
Yang Ji also took Liu Rumei, Zhang Chuchen, Yuchi Gong, Li Daliang, and Dugu Pingyun to sit at the table. He had resigned from the post of examiner, but due to heavy snow, the roads were blocked, and there were three million stones of food to be collected one by one. After the delivery, he couldn't go to Liangzhou for the time being, so Yang Guang simply let him continue to serve as the chief inspector.
He didn't care about the A list, because the three children sent by each family were admitted in the end, so there was nothing to pay attention to, and the candidates were a group of people with good backgrounds and similar family backgrounds, so the Ministry of War officials did not dare to falsify in the A list. In addition, now that Chang Sun Sheng and Tu Wanxu are in charge, there will be no trouble at all. What he cares about is Bibang, who has been infiltrated by family members and officials. However, there has been trouble once before, and Shi Wansui and Shi Xiang are in charge, so he can just go through the motions every day.
Yu Chigong, Li Daliang, and Dugu Pingyun did well in the exam, but the reason why the three of them signed up was to gain practical experience through martial arts. Unfortunately, there was no sparring session, so whether they did well or not was not a matter for them. unimportant. The key is that they don't need this quota, so they decide not to participate in the next round of competition. If they occupy the quota, but refuse to be conferred by the imperial court, it would be a bad behavior that provokes the majesty of the imperial court.
As for the results of Qin Qiong and others, Yang Ji did not pay attention to their results because of the failure of the last recruitment. Sitting down and drinking with them today is not only a kind of personal communication, but also a way to say goodbye. Seeing that some of Qin Qiong and others were happy and some were sad, he asked, "How did everyone do in the exam?"
Shan Xiongxin pointed at the unhappy Zhai Rang and said, "Brother Zhai is not good at archery, and coupled with his poor performance on the spot, the final results were not ideal."
Zhai Rang sighed: "Don't mention it, it's embarrassing to mention it."
Shan Xiongxin patted him on the shoulder and said, "King Wei is not an outsider, so what's the harm in talking?"
Zhai Rang smiled bitterly and said: "Mounted shooting is better. All the arrows hit the target, and I got 63 points. This result is not enough, but more than enough. Affected by this result, when shooting on foot, I was inevitably a little nervous. I missed four out of ten arrows, and ended up with only forty-two points. In other words, of the two hundred points in archery, I scored 105 points, which was in the middle and lower reaches. That's all. What's embarrassing is that when I shot the last arrow, I actually slipped and fell to the ground. Oh! It's so embarrassing."
As a former examiner, Yang Ji knew that the assessment method of archery was actually relatively simple. Mounted archery was to run two miles on horseback, and then shoot an arrow at a target a hundred steps away on horseback; foot archery was to run one mile on foot. , there is no difference in the rest. Archery is a real achievement, which can best shorten the distance between front and rear. However, there are at least 8,000 people who have better results than Zhai Rang, so Zhai Rang has absolutely no hope this time.
Although there are still a few events, they are all performance subjects and cannot reflect a person's true combat effectiveness. Even if Zhai Rang is the best in the world, he can't even think of using his performance to gain points.
He said to Zhai Rang: "The martial arts competition is an unprecedented event, and it was held in a hurry. There are indeed many things that the court did not consider thoroughly!"
Zhai Rang also knew that he had no hope, but he was open-minded and said with a hearty smile: "The martial arts examination has been improved by the king, and it is actually very fair. It is my own skill that is inferior to others. I can't blame the court and others."
Yang Ji raised his glass and gestured to him: "If you think so, it's not in vain for me to offend a lot of corrupt officials by running around. Next time, I suggest that the saint join the sparring course. This will be more fair to those with strong martial arts skills." Some."
Zhai Rang picked up the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp, and said with a smile: "If we add a duel subject next time, I will definitely get high scores from here to make up for my shortcomings in archery."
"It was cold yesterday and today. There was ice on the ground at the beginning. Many people fell down, and Brother Zhai was the one in front. In addition, the wind was strong these two days, so many people with good archery skills took the exam. I didn't get good results. Although I hit all the targets, in the subject of rifle shooting, only one arrow hit the bull's-eye." When Shan Xiongxin said this, he added very reasonably: "But the conditions we face are not very different. Great, nothing to complain about.”
In fact, this is also the benefit brought by the performances of Yang Ji and Shi Wansui. The amazing archery skills they displayed completely broke the "weak opinion" that they can't shoot well in strong wind and snow. It is precisely because of their example. , so even if the candidates do not do well in the exam, they think it is due to their poor academic skills.
Shan Xiongxin drank a glass of wine and said: "But there are also people who perform very well, such as Shu Bao. Whether he shoots on horseback or on foot, he always hits the target with his arrows. Even General Shi applauded him. .”
Qin Qiong said with some embarrassment: "Actually, I didn't perform very well. When I was riding and shooting, my horse slipped, which made me reach the finish line a little late. I should have been deducted points."
"No!" Yang Ji shook his head: "The archery test is about real scores. As long as you hit the bull's-eye on horseback, it will be 100 points. As for whether your riding posture is good or not, it has nothing to do with it. It's important." After a pause, he asked again: "Shu Bao, besides you, Jingde, and Daliang, is there anyone else who got full marks in the exam?"
Qin Qiong nodded and said, "There are quite a few."
Yang Ji became interested: "Who?"
"Wang Yong, Wang Bodang, and Xie Ke Xie Yingdeng are the most powerful people in archery. Not only did they get full marks, they also took the shortest time and made no mistakes." Qin Qiong said, "In addition, there are Yang Yuanhong, Zong Luohu, and Qiu Xinggong. , Song Laosheng, Wei Wentong, Gao Shida."
Yang Ji nodded when he heard this. The people Qin Qiong mentioned seemed to be all influential figures. And Wang Bodang also came to take the martial arts examination. Is it possible that he doesn't know Li Mi? Otherwise, why has there been no news from Yang Zhao so far?
At this time, Liu Rumei touched Yang Ji with her arm and winked downward. Yang Ji couldn't help but laugh.
He had long noticed that the talkative Cheng Yaojin was silent today, just sitting there drinking one cup after another. It seems that this guy didn't do well in the exam, otherwise, he would have jumped out and said something.
"Lao Cheng, how did you do in the exam?" Yang Jixiao asked.
After a long while, Cheng Yao Jincai said angrily: "It's so embarrassing! Just don't mention it."
"Your Majesty, Yaojin and I are in the same boat." Zhai Rang said to Yang Ji first, then patted Cheng Yaojin on the shoulder, and said half teasingly, half comfortingly: "Actually, you have already performed beyond normal. At least you have done your best. Three arrows hit the target. Although the score is not high, it is much better than before."
Yang Ji also didn't expect that Cheng Yaojin's archery skills were so poor. The word "poor" is not enough to describe his performance, it was simply miserable. Any of the palace guards could be better than him. Not to mention how high the score was, at least the hit rate was higher than him.
Cheng Yaojin was very embarrassed and depressed, and said listlessly: "Forget it, I have no hope. I am too lazy to take the exams for the following subjects. I will go back and practice hard for a few years and try my luck again. If there is a one-on-one challenge, I’ll definitely earn a good spot.”
Yang Ji nodded secretly. Talent is very important in archery, and young Cheng Yaojin is obviously good at it. If he practices more diligently after returning home, he may not be able to catch up from behind.
At this moment, there was a sound of thumping footsteps in the stairwell, and several followers left by Shan Xiongxin and others at the inn rushed over. One of them saluted Shan Xiongxin nervously: "Alang, someone is looking for you."
Shan Xiongxin was stunned, stopped his chopsticks and asked, "Who is looking for us?"
"I'm looking for you!" Another young man about thirty years old walked up. This man was handsome, wearing a golden crown, a white brocade robe, a jade belt around his waist, and a gorgeously decorated sword. It was Yuwen Zhiji, the third son of Yuwen Shu. Although Yuwen Zhiji is good-looking, his pale face is full of fatigue, and his steps are a little wandering, giving people the feeling of being drunk and debauched.
Among Yuwenshu's three sons, if Yuwen Wenji is romantic and greedy and does not have many other evil deeds, then the third son, Yuwen Zhiji, is a notorious bully who commits all kinds of evil. Regarding his numerous evil deeds, Cheng can be said to be "as many bamboos as there are in the Southern Mountains; his crimes are endless; he can break the waves of the East China Sea; his evil deeds are endless."
Yuwen Zhiji walked in front with a sword in his hand, followed by more than a dozen strong men with swords hanging on their waists. He stepped forward and looked at everyone arrogantly, only looking at Liu Rumei. His eyes were like being attracted by a magnet, and he could no longer move away.
He and Yang Ji were different in age, played different styles, and had not yet joined the official ranks, so he did not know Yang Ji. At this time, all his attention seemed to be sucked away by Liu Rumei. Although he is used to seeing beautiful people, he rarely has the opportunity to see such a strong and beautiful woman who combines the heroic demeanor of a warrior with the charm of a young woman. His eyes were suddenly full of surprise, and gradually revealed a bit of greed.
"I'm Shan Xiongxin from Jiyin, Caozhou. May I ask who the young master is...?" At this moment, Shan Xiongxin stood up and came forward, blocking both Yuwen Zhiji's and Yang Ji's sight.
Yuwen Zhiji glared at Shan Xiongxin with dissatisfaction. Just when he was about to get angry, he thought of his father's explanation and said very unhappily: "Are you Shan Xiongxin?"
"That's right!" Shan Xiongxin bowed his hand. They suffered a loss from Yang Ji in Fengming Tower last time, and they had to be warned by Yang Ji afterwards. They knew that Daxing was a city full of powerful people, and outsiders like them couldn't take it easy in the capital. Provoke local snakes, let alone high-ranking officials, to avoid unnecessary trouble. So when he saw Yuwen Zhiji and his entourage dressed in gorgeous clothes, he knew that the people coming were not ordinary people.
"Are Qin Qiong from Licheng in Qizhou and Huang Junhan from Xucheng in Huazhou here?" Yuwen Zhiji asked again.
"This is Qin Qiong from Licheng, Qizhou!"
"I am none other than Huang Junhan of Xucheng, Huazhou!"
Qin Qiong and Huang Junhan were confused, but they still stood up and saluted.
"You guys come with me!" Yuwen Zhiji waved his hand and said domineeringly: "Take them all away! Take those two little ladies to my villa."
Before Shan Xiongxin and others could ask questions, Cheng Yaojin got angry. He said angrily: "Even if the government arrests people, they still have to give an explanation. What do you mean?"
Yuwen Zhiji was furious: "Hit me!"
All the followers rushed up to fight Cheng Yaojin, but Shan Xiongxin quickly stopped him: "Everyone, although my brother's words may not be pleasant to listen to, this is the truth. You are talking nonsense, how can we leave with you?" ? Besides, during the martial arts competition, fighting is prohibited in the city. If something happens, it must be bad for the young master, right?"
Although Yuwen Zhiji was anxious to take Shan Xiongxin, Qin Qiong, and Huang Junhan back to reply to his father, his father also warned him not to cause trouble recently, so he got off the donkey along the slope. He looked at Cheng Yaojin coldly and said to Shan Xiongxin: " It seems that because you are still good at talking, you will spare this black guy, and you all come with me, my father wants to see you."
Shan Xiongxin and Qin Qiong looked at each other, saluted Yuwen Zhiji and said, "May I ask your Majesty..."
Yuwen Zhiji said proudly: "My father is Xu Guogong and General Yuwen."
Shan Xiongxin, Qin Qiong and Huang Junhan were stunned. Xu Guogong was Yu Wenshu. What did such a big shot do with little guys like them?
Seeing their hesitation, Yuwen Zhiji shouted impatiently: "It's a good thing that I, Aye, are looking for you. Why are you hesitating? Come with me!"
"When you go, you will probably change your names to Yuwentong, Yuwenqiong, and Yuwenjunhan." Yang Ji heard this and already figured out what was going on. Yu Wenshu obviously had an undying ambition for the martial arts competition. After his plot to control the military competition failed, he tried to take advantage of the imperial court's selection of generals to kill all the outstanding warriors from poor families and turn these outstanding talents into his domestic slaves and loyal servants. Strengthen Yuwen's peripheral forces. But Yuwen Zhiji acted according to orders.
When Shan Xiongxin, Qin Qiong, and Huang Junhan heard this, their expressions suddenly changed. They had been staying in the capital for several months, and they had some understanding of the preferences of some powerful people. They knew that Yu Wenshu, the holy family member Zhenglong, besides being greedy, also liked to collect fake money. Legend has it that he had three thousand fake sons, all of whom came from local powerful men, and were all highly skilled in martial arts and literary talents. Once they were prompted by Yang Ji, they knew that their performance in the martial arts examination had attracted Yu Wenshu's attention.
Shan Xiongxin stared at Yuwen Zhiji and asked, "Does Duke Xu want to think that we are fake?"
"Not bad!" Yu Wenzhi smiled proudly, and said in a condescending tone: "Being a fake son of my Yuwen family can not only pass the martial arts examination, but also be promoted and make a fortune. The three of you just need to be a fake son of my Yuwen family. , in less than three years, you can become the Sima of Qizhou, Sima of Caozhou, and Sima of Huazhou. You three are also capable. If others want to do it, they haven’t had the chance yet! Don’t be nagging, just follow me."
Shan Xiongxin shook his head and said resolutely: "Shan is an upright man. He will not change his surname in work or in office. He will not change his ancestral surname until his death. I am sorry that I cannot obey my order!"
"The same goes for Qin!"
"Same goes for Huang!"
"Don't make a toast and eat the fine wine. My father favors you. It is the honor of your ancestors for eighteen generations." Yuwen Zhiji became angry and cursed: "If you don't obey, not only will your lives be in danger, but your family will also be in danger." Don't even think about living another day."
"Wait a minute!" Yang Ji stood up, walked towards Yuwen Zhiji, raised his hands and asked, "May I ask Mr. Yuwen, are there any conditions for being a fake son of the Yuwen family?"
"Of course!" Yuwen Zhiji said arrogantly.
"But I don't know what the conditions are?" Yang Ji smiled and said, "If the conditions are acceptable, I will persuade these three brothers on my behalf."
Shan Xiongxin and others fell silent when they saw Yang Ji coming forward.
Yuwen Zhiji said: "First hand over 30% of your family property, then you can go to the hall to worship the Lord, and then pay tribute to the Lord a thousand taels of gold every year. Isn't this too much?"
"It's not too much!" Yang Ji smiled and nodded, and said very understandingly: "If there were no such conditions, wouldn't everyone be vying to be the pretender of the Yuwen family? How can Duke Xu be so busy when his family is prosperous and full of opportunities? Woolen cloth?"
Yuwen Zhiji praised: "You are still knowledgeable."
"What other conditions are there? Tell them all together." Yang Ji continued: "Our business is all over the world, and we are not short of money."
"It's quite a lot, how can I remember it?" Yuwen Zhiji pondered for a long time, then took out an envelope from his arms, took out the letter from it, and said: "This is my father's condition, let me read it to you. .”
His father said that these things would most likely become a source of leverage for other people, and asked him not to reveal these things to others. However, he could not remember them, and was moved by Xin Yangji's words "not short of money", so he took them. out.
"Let me see it myself!" Yang Ji snatched it away.
