All the civil servants and generals moved outside the palace together to watch the archery competition.
The contestants are on the hall platform, and there are six archery targets below. A step in ancient times is measured by the length of the front and back feet, which is about one meter. An arrow target eighty steps away is more than eighty meters away. It would be impossible for anyone not to be a practitioner to hit the target.
"Mr. Song, this hard crossbow of yours is equivalent to a five hundred kilogram bow. You can't say that I bullied you now, can you?" Bach pointed at the crossbow in Song Che's hand.
"I don't bully, I don't bully, but..." Song Che pointed to the archery target in the square and said: "I think this archery target is too close. In our Daliang army, only those who can 'pierce a poplar with a hundred steps' can be called gods. Shoot, His Highness the Prince is so brave, no matter what, he has to be a hundred, twenty or thirty steps away, right?"
"This Liang man is really good at joking. One hundred twenty or thirty steps, you're afraid you can't even see the bull's-eye, right?"
"That's right, even shooting arrows requires a hard crossbow. How dare you challenge such a long distance? You really overestimate your capabilities!"
"Mr. Song, I am fearless. I can still hit the target even if it is a hundred and fifty steps away, not to mention a hundred and twenty or thirty steps away. But for you, if you miss the target one after another, it will not be your shame. , but the face of the big beam man." Bach said with disdain.
Song Che smiled slightly, "To be honest with you, Your Highness, Song is born with excellent eyesight. He can see everything within a three-mile radius, one hundred twenty or thirty steps, it's no problem."
If he shoots at eighty steps, Song Che really has no advantage at all, but if he can push the distance further back, the telescope will be more useful, and Bach's disadvantage will become more obvious.
Using one's own strengths to attack others' weaknesses is the way to victory.
"If Mr. Song is so confident, then order someone to move the target fifty steps back."
The target was moved 130 meters away, with only a small red bullseye left. Coupled with the gray snowy sky and cold wind blowing from time to time, under many conditions, not to mention hitting the red heart, it was impossible to hit the target. Quite difficult.
"Mr. Song, who comes first, or me?" Bach asked.
Song Che made a gesture of invitation, indicating that he should come first.
Bach grabbed an arrow, put it on the bowstring, and pulled hard, making the bow rattle. He aimed at the target for a moment, and the arrow came out with a "whoosh" sound.
In the blink of an eye, the arrow hits the bullseye!
"OK!"
"The third prince is indeed a hero on the grassland! He can hit the target from such a long distance!"
"Yes, it's even better than the Great Khan back then!"
All the ministers applauded.
Looking at Timur's sweating face, he was full of pride and admiration. As for the eldest prince and second prince beside him, one was jealous and the other was disdainful.
Song Che saw the expressions of these King Hu's ministers one by one.
"Second arrow! Hit the bullseye again!"
"The third one! Hit the outer ring!"
"Harm! There must have been a gust of wind just now, otherwise it would have hit the target!"
This result is quite excellent, but Bach is still a little annoyed, which shows that he is very competitive.
"Mr. Song, I think you are a guest for this last target, so you must seize the opportunity given to you." Bach patted Song Che on the shoulder.
Song Che didn't say anything, took out the telescope, put it on the crossbow, and looked for the bull's eye through the lens just like he did when hunting before.
Take a deep breath...
Wait for the wind to stop...
Find the right moment and pull the trigger!
"Whoosh!"
Between the lightning and flint.
"Hit...hit! It's also a bull's-eye!"
"This guy must be just unlucky!"
"Whoosh!"
"Hit...again!"
"How is this possible, he-"
"Whoosh!"
"Three consecutive arrows, all in the center!"
All the officials were shocked by this operation and could not recover for a long time.
laugh! While I was playing with guns, you were still playing with birds! Song Che put away the telescope, threw the crossbow to Bach, and gave a brief salute: "Then, I would like to thank His Highness the Prince for his generosity on behalf of the slaves."
"snort!"
Bach threw away the bow and arrow and grabbed Song Che's wrist: "I was the prince who made a mistake earlier. Of course I cannot be convinced. Let's compete again!"
"Great Khan! The general also wants to compete with Mr. Song in his riding skills!"
"Great Khan! Please let me wrestle with him!"
"Sweat-"
"enough!"
Timur's face was dull, and he was slightly angry: "We have lost three games in a row, don't you think it's embarrassing enough? All the ministers are staying outside the palace, and I want to discuss some serious matters with Mr. Song!"
After finishing speaking, he walked into the main hall with his three sons.
The ministers stopped talking. Song Che followed happily, but just as he was about to step across the threshold, Arhan grabbed his hand and warned him: "Mr. Song, please be careful in your words and actions."
Song Che snorted, shook off Arhan's hand, and strode into the palace.
Timur sat back on the throne, and first asked with a smile: "Are you still used to living in the house, Mr. Song? Are the servants and concubines comfortable?"
Song Che said solemnly: "I am a foreign envoy, and the Great Khan can treat me with the courtesy of a prince and noble. I am really grateful."
"How about staying with me?" Timur asked again.
Song Che was silent for a moment, shook his head and sighed: "Song is from Liang, I'm afraid he will be disliked if he stays. Furthermore, as the envoy of Liang, I should go back to the emperor with the results of diplomacy, so the Khan's I appreciate Song’s good intentions——”
"Mr. Song, don't be ignorant. The princess has been given to you as your wife and concubine. You can also be regarded as the son-in-law of our clan. Why don't you stay?" shouted the Sultan.
Song Che only used silence to replace his position and answer.
"Hey, Mr. Song doesn't need to be too anxious to answer this matter. You can go back and think about it slowly - but," Timur said, changing the subject:
"Mr. Song also saw when he entered the palace just now that our Hu State has elite soldiers and brave generals. Our headquarters plus various large and small tribes have a million soldiers. I would like to ask, sir, if our army marches south, will your country be able to withstand it?"
Song Che smiled lightly and said: "Daliang has just regained the north, and the war with Dijon has not yet subsided. If the Hu State launches another invasion, it may not be able to withstand it."
"Oh? Mr. Song, as an envoy of the Liang Dynasty, how can he let other people's ambitions destroy his own prestige?" Timur asked with a smile.
"Song was just discussing the matter. In recent years, Daliang has been affected by Japanese pirates, Miao bandits, Dijon and other internal and external factors. It has indeed been very difficult, but it still stands. This is enough to show the determination of Daliang's army and people to unite to resist the enemy. Song Che said to Timur:
"Facing a united nation like ours, if the Great Khan sends his troops southward, no matter whether he succeeds or fails, he will definitely gain nothing."
"Mr. Song, do you think too highly of your own country? If you can't get any benefits, how did Beiliang come here?" asked the second prince Kuimu.
Song Che said calmly: "As early as when we entered the hall, I argued with the civil servants of your country that Beiliang is just a barren land. We, the Liang Dynasty, did not take it seriously at all, but your country regarded it as a show off. baby;
Eight years ago, the Hu State fought with Daliang in the northwest. The war lasted four full years before our court was forced to cede territory and seek peace because of Dijon's move south.
In this fierce battle between Hu and Liang, both sides buried more than 100,000 bones, which was really a considerable loss;
So, let me ask Song: It cost more than 100,000 soldiers to exchange for a piece of barren and worthless Beiliang land. Khan, do you think this deal is worth it? "
