Chapter 124: The Longest Day (2)

Zhao Zhen sat down on a chair brought by the guards and talked endlessly to Wang Jian about the eight-tone classification of music, remaining completely unconcerned about the upcoming martial arts examination just a stone's throw away.

"If this young man can truly redefine the eight musical scales, making a name for himself in history solely based on this feat will not be difficult at all."

Wang Jian looked back at the two contestants about to enter the arena, and seeing the Emperor speaking with great enthusiasm, he continued to bow his head and listen as the Emperor enthusiastically described the various transformations music had undergone since the "Rites of Zhou: Spring Official: Master of Music" first recorded the eight tones.

Tie Xinyuan had no idea that presenting a music box would spark the Emperor's deepest interest in musical pitch.

Seeing knights riding gallantly on warhorses for the very first time indeed sent his thoughts soaring. His legs instinctively wanted to tap against Baozi as if the boy were a warhorse, forcing Baozi to reach out one hand to tightly grip Tie Xinyuan's legs while continuing to gnaw on a piece of sugarcane with the other.

Carved-feather arrows flew out one by one from the knights' recurve bows. Whenever an arrow struck the bullseye, it drew countless cheers; whenever an arrow missed the target, countless sighs echoed from all directions into the ears of the already intensely nervous knights.

Watching one knight who had been shooting remarkably well miss his last three arrows in succession, Tie Xinyuan let out a soft sigh. Mounted archery was a crucial assessment item, and it was extremely difficult for youths from humble backgrounds to keep their minds from being overwhelmed by the terrifying pressure from the outside world.

In this regard, the performance of descendants from prominent military families was vastly superior. Even a scoundrel like Cao Fang could raise his arms and cheer wildly when he missed six arrows and had only three loosely hanging shafts left on the target. At least he had passed; even if he was despised by the whole world, he had still passed.

Huyan Shou performed slightly better than Cao Fang, with five arrows planted on the target—evidently his best result. His servants and retainers raised their arms together to cheer for the young master, even compelling strangers nearby to shout along with them. Those who refused to shout had better do so anyway, lest they get their noses broken.

Thus, Huyan Shou's cheers were interspersed with a large swath of miserable screams.

When Yang Huaiyu entered the arena, he drew a long stream of cheers even before he began shooting. Among these descendants of military families, he was an absolute superstar.

He was the only one who had truly defeated his opponents on pure merit to reach this palace examination.

There were many legends regarding legendary military archers. Leaving aside figures like Houyi shooting down suns—a feat billions of times more powerful than an intercontinental nuclear missile—just General Li Guang of the Han Dynasty hiding in the dark woods and startling the grass was enough for later generations to worship for a long time.

Whether Xue Rengui actually settled the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows remained open to debate, but Great General Di Qing truly used three arrows to kill the three strongest Khitans, thereby winning a war. That was a matter of historical record.

The warhorses galloped in circles across the parade ground, and the headwind whipped Yang Huaiyu's scarlet cloak into a snapping frenzy. Just as his steed galloped near the white distance-marker line, Yang Huaiyu twisted his body and unleashed a backward-turning shot. In an instant, three arrows streaked toward the target like shooting stars. With three crisp thuds, the feathered shafts embedded themselves into the target almost simultaneously, sinking in more than half a foot.

"Well shot!" Tie Xinyuan was the first to cheer, and immediately afterward, a roaring, tsunami-like wave of cheers spread across the drill ground.

Yang Huaiyu did not halt his horse amidst the cheers. The steed continued to gallop forward with him, and at that moment, three more arrows materialized in Yang Huaiyu's bow. Within a single breath, the heavy bow was drawn to its limit once again.

Amidst the cheers of the common people, the three arrows flew toward the target once more, forming the character for "quality" in their flight.

When those three arrows planted themselves firmly into the target, Zhao Zhen—who had been explaining the pitch requirements of the eight tones (metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, earth, leather, and wood) to Wang Jian—was drawn away by the cheers of the crowds.

He just happened to catch the heroic sight of Yang Huaiyu firing three arrows from the furthest distance away from the target.

With a smile, Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Yang Wenguang has taught his son well. Only now do we see a true tiger son of a military family with genuine skills. That little monkey said Yang Huaiyu could win first place, and it seems he wasn't talking nonsense after all."

Wang Jian smiled and chimed in, "Those last three arrows were probably beyond the capability of anyone in the Divine Archery Guard."

Zhao Zhen smiled. "He is already a Vice Envoy of the Imperial City; it is no surprise his martial arts surpass those of the Divine Archery Guard. Since he is so eager to go to the borderlands and achieve military exploits, I have no reason to hold back such a youth. I will grant his wish and give him five hundred combat-hardened soldiers. Let us see what kind of military merits he can establish!"

"Your Majesty, Cao..."

"Shut up, I saw it: nine shots, only three hits. Can those few stray arrows of his kill the enemy? Giving a fierce warrior like Yang Huaiyu five hundred elite soldiers is a bestowal of grace, but giving a good-for-nothing like Cao Fang five hundred elite troops would be slaughtering my brave soldiers. If not for the sake of their loyal hearts toward me, do you think I wouldn't know who killed those other martial candidates? Since they wish to share the nation's worries, they must first defeat the Imperial Carriage Bodyguard Unit."

*(Imperial Carriage Bodyguard Unit: Established during the Zhenzong era, out of the 40 million imperial troops in the Northern Song Dynasty, there were only 3,000 guards, and merely 6 "Imperial Carriage Bodyguards." By the standards of the imperial army, one was selected out of every 40,000 strong adult males nationwide, nearly one in every 70,000. They were truly masters "selected out of tens of thousands." It was said that during the era of the founding Emperor, a foreign state tribute-offered a tiger. The Emperor ordered it fed a lamb leg, but the tiger swallowed too quickly and got a lamb bone stuck in its throat. A guard reached into the tiger's mouth and removed the bone without suffering a single injury. On another occasion, a pretty little bird perched atop the roof of the highest hall in the imperial palace. The Emperor intended to test the martial arts of these guards, asking who could capture it without injuring the bird. Consequently, a guard stepped forward, scaled the walls, and captured the bird, leaving all who watched with pounding hearts. — Sourced from the Iron-Blood Forum)*

Wang Jian dropped to his knees with a thud and pleaded repeatedly, "Your Majesty, please show mercy! There are only eight Imperial Carriage Bodyguards in the entire Great Song, and their strikes are never merciful. Although these scions of military families are somewhat mischievous, they are utterly loyal to Your Majesty. Should any of them perish at the hands of the Imperial Carriage Bodyguard Unit, it would damage Your Majesty's benevolence."

Zhao Zhen let out a long breath and said, "Very well, let it be the Golden Spear Unit then. Using the Imperial Carriage Bodyguards truly borders on bullying them. Don't you agree, Meng Yuanzhi?"

A lean and hardened man stepped out from behind the Emperor, bowed, and said, "Your Chief Attendant speaks correctly. Yang Huaiyu's martial arts have already achieved initial mastery; within ten moves, this humble minister can disarm him, and within fifteen moves, this humble minister can take his life. As for the others, they are not worth mentioning. Only the 'Iron Lion' Lu Zhan—this humble minister dares not claim certain victory!"

Zhao Zhen chuckled softly. "Lu Zhan is a fierce warrior capable of facing a thousand men, so naturally he is out of the ordinary. It is precisely because he comes from a tribal background that he cannot be ranked among the Imperial Carriage Bodyguards. I have been observing this man all along; being an Imperial Carriage Bodyguard requires not only bravery, but even more so, unblemished loyalty. He has faced repeated ostracization in the Western Army and was forced to come to the capital to carve out a new path for himself. What virtue or capability does Gao Yanzan possess to command such a fierce warrior?"

Hearing the Emperor speak thus, Wang Jian was startled for a moment and failed to catch the implication immediately. Meng Yuanzhi, however, smiled and said, "Therefore, when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it always first tests their resolve, exhausts their muscles and bones, starves their body, deprives them of resources, and frustrates all their undertakings. This is to stimulate their mind, harden their nature, and build up their inadequacies. Lu Zhan has already fallen into the mud pit; with a single imperial decree, Your Majesty can lift him up to the ninth heaven. A Lu Zhan whose wild tribal nature has been ground away will be just right for Your Majesty to employ."

Only then did Wang Jian recover his wits, saying in a low voice, "Is Your Majesty planning to induct the Iron Lion into the Imperial Carriage Bodyguards?"

Zhao Zhen smiled. "Promoting a sixth-rank official to a fifth-rank official—his military achievements are already sufficient. For martial men, what I want are ministers loyal only to the throne, not factional retainers with deep-rooted connections. Only thus can he be truly used by me."

Meng Yuanzhi and Wang Jian bowed together and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhao Zhen continued with a smile, "Wang Jian, stop fretting over such idle worries. Come, let us continue discussing the eight tones..."

Compared to the Emperor's calm and breezy demeanor, Tie Xinyuan shouted himself hoarse that morning.

Not only did Yang Huaiyu put on a magnificent display, but the Iron Lion also provided him with an intensely shocking visual experience. Tie Xinyuan could never have imagined that such a burly, rough man could be so agile on a warhorse. Although his dusty, battered armor made him look somewhat disheveled, the massive arrows fired from his giant bow actually tore right through the target. How could Tie Xinyuan not cheer for the Iron Lion?

A down-and-out warrior radiated the most dazzling brilliance in this arena. Even though the Iron Lion was covered in wounds by then, in the eyes of the Song people who had been driven wild by the atmosphere of the scene, he appeared utterly majestic.

"Baozi, give me a piece of your sugarcane." Feeling his throat parched, Tie Xinyuan finally felt thirsty.

"Don't you have a piece in your hand? Why do you want mine?" Having already eaten two stalks of sugarcane, Baozi naturally treasured the remaining one immensely.

"I just want the one you have. I bought these sugarcane stalks."

"Nonsense, Qiao'er gave this one to me. The one for you is in your hand. Fine, I'll give you a small piece."

Perhaps thinking of the relationship between Qiao'er and Tie Xinyuan, Baozi reluctantly snapped off a short piece of sugarcane and handed it to Tie Xinyuan.

Tie Xinyuan took a fierce bite into the sugarcane, squeezed out the juice, spat out the fibers, and scolded angrily, "If anyone ever dares to call you an idiot again, I'll beat them up. Not even a monkey is as crafty as you."

Baozi grinned and said, "My mom said the same thing. Brother Yuan, do you think I can find a pretty wife?"

"Definitely, needless to say," Tie Xinyuan chewed on the sugarcane and perfunctorily brushed him off.

Another piece of sugarcane was handed over. The moment he took it, just as he was about to ask why this fellow had suddenly become so generous, he heard Baozi chuckle, "I also think I can marry a pretty wife..."

Tie Xinyuan suddenly felt that Baozi actually lived a very happy life. Not only did he have an aging mother to filialize, but he also had a legendary pretty wife to fantasize about, coupled with a fool like himself always supplying him with delicious food...

*(To be continued.)*

*PS: A dozen minutes late, but at least your brother made up for it...*