It rains heavily during the Qingming Festival, and it rains continuously for many days. Unknowingly, people on rainy days become irritable.
The rain during the Qingming Festival slowly stopped until Fan Dazhi's clothes gave off a strong rancid smell and the calf pants he pulled out from the bottom of the box became moldy...
Fan Dazhi hung the washed trousers on a bamboo pole to dry, and looked at the long-lost sun, and his mood became clearer.
Zhuque Street, which has been washed by rain, looks extremely clean. The willow trees on the street are already sprouting green buds. Luoyang, the imperial capital, is still as lively and prosperous as ever.
A piece of news, like the spring breeze, quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of Luoyang City.
Zhixingyuan will compete with Longmen Academy in the field.
This news quickly caused a huge sensation among the people. The people of the Dachen Empire were martial arts, and the world-famous Zhixing Academy actually competed with the popular Longmen Academy, which immediately attracted the attention of the people of the Dachen Empire.
The imperial court soon announced the location of the competition, which would be held at the Ministry of War campus near Yingtianmen. It was said that the emperor might also come to Yingtianmen to watch in person on the day of the competition.
The citizens of the Dachen Empire, who like to be lively by nature, began to look forward to it. People in teahouses and restaurants asked each other for news. The business of gambling houses and money houses became surprisingly good. Some gambling houses even set bets and compensation for this competition. Rate.
For this Qingming competition between the two academies, the Yulin Guards of the Capital Forbidden Army took the lead in taking action. The head-catchers of the six gates actively cooperated. First, they severely raided the city foxes and rats in Luoyang, the imperial capital, and then Some suspicious persons were interrogated and detained.
The public security in Luoyang, the imperial capital, has become unprecedentedly good. People do not pick up lost items on the road and do not close their doors at night.
The inspection officers of the Wucheng Military and Horse Division led the sergeants to knock down all the unsightly buildings near Yingtianmen. They even tore down the walls of the military school grounds, leveled the ground in a very short time, and restored An arena was built.
The Chen Empire, the seventh year of Taiping, spring.
On a day with apricot blossoms and drizzle, the much-anticipated competition between Zhixing Academy and Longmen Academy finally began.
On Yingtian Gate, many sergeants swept it clean early in the morning, and even the heavy city bricks were wiped spotless.
When it was daybreak, the Yingtianmen gate near the Ministry of War campus was already crowded with people watching the excitement. The Forbidden Army specially allocated a thousand Yulin guards to guard and maintain order at the scene.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
As the government officials at the six gates of the capital sounded gongs to clear the way, the inspectors from the Five Cities Military and Horse Division and the Imperial City Division led the sergeants to escort a group of civil and military ministers to the Yingtian Gate.
There are dozens of seats on the Yingtian Gate. Looking down from a high position, you can have an unobstructed view of the scenery below. Not far away is the arena of the Military Academy.
All the ministers took their seats one after another. Cui Taichu, the president of Longmen Academy, Xin Wuming, the president of Longmen Academy, Wei Zhilin, the president of Zhixing Academy, and Cheng Ziya sat at the two ends.
The frontmost seat in the middle is empty, which is the seat of His Majesty, the most powerful emperor of the Chen Empire.
Finally, when the bright yellow umbrella flashed across the city, all the ministers stood up in a hurry and fell to their knees one after another...
"Long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!
Wearing a purple gold crown and a rolling dragon yellow robe, Emperor Chen walked up to Yingtian Gate and slowly walked to his seat amidst the respectful greetings of the ministers.
"My dear friends, stay safe!"
Emperor Chen raised his head slightly and smoothed the silk ribbon under his chin with his hands.
The palace maid behind him immediately moved the bright yellow umbrella closer to cover Emperor Chen from the drizzle.
From the moment the Ming Huang Luo Umbrella appeared, the people below the city were excited. The crowd surged like waves. Everyone fell to their knees, and the sound of the mountains shouting "Long Live the Mountain" was deafening...
The noise gradually subsided. Emperor Chen looked at the dark crowd of people under the city and said calmly: "We can begin."
A small yellow doorman held the list and shouted at the top of his voice: "Today there is a competition between Longmen Academy and Zhixing Academy. The winner will be determined by two wins out of three. The emperor will give the imperial book to the winning side with a plaque saying "The No. 1 Academy in the World" and Reward one hundred thousand taels of silver."
As soon as he finished speaking, the people below started talking in low voices.
"Isn't it supposed to be a best-of-five series? It is said that Longmen Academy and Zhixing Academy each selected five disciples..."
"Five competitions, fighting back and forth, how long will it last? Your Majesty is busy with state affairs..."
"Yes, I also heard that the first two games were drawn by lots, and in the last game, each team will send out powerful experts to compete!"
…
Wei Zhilin and Cheng Ziya had expressionless faces, as if they didn't care about all this.
Cui Taichu, the dean of Longmen Academy, is in his fifties or sixties. His gray-to-white hair is neatly combed, with a bun on top of his head. He is wearing a white embroidered robe, and he looks somewhat immortal.
He had a rosy complexion and listened to the discussion, stroking his beard and smiling slightly, as if he already knew all this.
Xin Wuming was sitting next to him, his bright red robe particularly eye-catching in the crowd. His face was as pale as paper, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes when he looked at Wei Zhilin.
"Dong dong dong!"
A naked and muscular soldier beat the big drum with all his strength. The dull sound of the drum spread far into the distance. The ministers who were talking in low voices suddenly became solemn, and even the people watching below became quiet.
"For the first competition between Longmen Academy and Zhixing Academy, both parties are invited to draw lots——"
The drum beat paused, and Xiao Huangmen shouted again at the top of his voice.
The two eunuchs each held a blue and white porcelain vase and walked quickly to Wei Zhilin and Cui Taichu.
The blue and white porcelain vase had a large belly and wide mouth, and a lustrous color. It looked like a fine product made by the royal kiln. The little eunuch shook the bottle, and there was a "clang, clink" sound inside.
Wei Zhilin glanced at the inside of the bottle and saw several walnut-sized red balls inside, each with small black letters written on it.
Wei Zhilin's eyesight was extraordinary. In just one glance, he could clearly see the five surnames "Fan", "Feng", "He", "Gu" and "Qiu". He immediately understood that this method of drawing lots was simply useless. , I wonder what the imperial court and Longmen Academy have in mind.
He was thinking to himself, as Cui Taichu on the other side reached into the bottle, took out a ball, and handed it to the young eunuch.
Wei Zhilin's mind was racing, and he stretched out his arm to reach into the bottle. His fingers slid over the small ball with the character "Feng", paused for a moment on the small ball with the character "He", and decisively grabbed the small ball with the character "Qiu". Take it out.
The general overseer of this competition was Zuo Jinwu Guard Liu Daxia. The old general stood up and stepped forward with his big horse and golden sword.
He took the small ball handed over by the two eunuchs and crushed it, opened the note with his name on it, read it for a long time, and announced in a loud voice: "The first competition, Qiu Fengqi... against San Gongshan!"
The ministers looked at each other in silence, Cui Taichu and Xin Wuming of Longmen Academy looked confused.
"Old General, it's Hongshan... not Sanggongshan!"
A little eunuch reminded kindly in a low voice.
"hold head high……?"
Liu Daxia blinked his eyes, looked at the note in his hand carefully, and frowned: "Shit! It's obviously San Gong Mountain, what is Hongshan Mountain?"
Some of the ministers couldn't help laughing. Cui Taichu of Longmen Academy looked ugly, and Xin Wuming glared at Liu Daxia fiercely.
The old general with white beard and hair tightened his belt as if no one else was watching, and said proudly: "I have been in the army all my life. Although I haven't read much, I still know these words!"
Qin Lie, the imperial censor, couldn't help but jump out and stretched his neck to look at the note in Liu Daxia's hand. He saw that the word "Hongshan" was written in official script, with large intervals and creases on the paper. It really looked like San Gong Mountain, and he couldn't help laughing.
The ministers could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
Liu Daxia was puzzled by the laughter of Monk Zhang Er. Seeing Qin Lie's overjoyed expression, he got a little angry and said angrily: "Are you laughing so hard?"
Qin Lie and Liu Daxia fought each other in court twice, and their hatred has long been estranged. It was rare to see this old man make a fool of himself today, and he felt very happy. He twitched his nose and said in a strange way: "Yes, I am laughing at a bird. !”
"Are you f*cking looking for a slap in the face?"
Although Liu Daxia had great military exploits and a strong body, he was already old. Emperor Chen's special decree did not require him to go to court every day. Today, he finally got a chance to show his face. When Qin Lie messed with him, he was immediately furious. His white eyebrows stood up and he roared. , raised a big slap and was about to slap it away.
Seeing that the two enemies were about to fight again, a clear cough suddenly came out. The sound was not loud, but it was full of endless majesty.
Liu Daxia paused and put down his slap. Qin Lie also returned to his seat obediently.
"Don't affect the competition, continue!"
Emperor Chen turned his head without hesitation and said in a deep voice.
The Yingtian Gate was crowded with people, and many onlookers flocked towards the ring. Residents nearby set up ladders and simply climbed up to the roof and sat on the wall. Some even climbed up a big tree and stretched their necks to watch.
The Ministry of War campus is usually used for soldiers to practice, perform martial arts, and train horses. The venue is spacious enough, but at this time it was surrounded by people from three floors inside and three outside.
"Quiet! Quiet! The competition will begin immediately!"
The commander of the Imperial City Division, Zhen Taiming, was the ring governor for this competition. After receiving the message from Yingtianmen, he stood up from his chair and shouted loudly.
He was full of energy and his voice was so loud that the noisy sounds around him were suppressed.
Next to Deli Taiming sat Pang Longcheng, the commander of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, Feng Shaotang and Chen Sangyu from Zhixing Academy, Cui Linjiao, Deng Yuanjue and others from Longmen Academy.
"Longmen Academy and Zhixing Academy, the first drawing competition, Hongshan versus Qiu Fengqi!"
As Deli Taiming announced loudly, the originally noisy voice gradually became quiet, and the onlookers waited quietly.
The arena for the competition was made of solid earth, several feet higher than the ground, with several steps on both sides. There was a stone pillar around the arena, with intricate patterns carved on it, which seemed to be able to activate powerful magic circles.
Students from Zhixingyuan and Longmen Academy gathered around the ring, clearly occupying the east and west sides.
He An, Gu Qingzhou, Fan Dazhi, Qiu Fengqi, and Feng Chun were sitting in front of the students of Zhixing Academy. He pursed his lips and looked at the ring with a solemn expression. Fan Dazhi was sitting on a low stool. He seemed uncomfortable and his body was shaking from time to time. Twist a few times honestly.
Qiu Fengqi stood up, dusted off his clothes, and strolled onto the ring.
