Chapter 4: The Crown Prince Steals a Cow (First Watch, Vote Requested)
Fine, Du He finally corrected Li Shimin's attitude. All the nonsense about benevolence, righteousness and morality can be set aside; those are things that only a fool like Song Xianggong would do.
Du He also despised those who spoke of benevolence and morality to their enemies, so when he heard Li Shimin mention the four words "benevolence, righteousness, morality", he couldn't help but launch into a long-winded sermon.
In fact, as emperor, Li Shimin was also aware of this principle, but had never treated captives in such a way before.
After being lectured by Du He for a while, although he felt a bit stifled, he also listened and no longer hesitated.
His ability to accept remonstrance is precisely what is most admirable about him as an emperor.
Next, Du He and Li Shimin made a detailed consultation on the specific matter of "Brave Hero Competition". They set the competition to three major events: archery, horse riding, martial arts, plus polo as a large-scale team sport!
Among them, archery is divided into three types: shooting on foot, shooting on horseback, and hunting. Shooting on foot and shooting on horseback do not need to be introduced, while hunting is as its name suggests, but what is shot is no longer a dead object, but living prey moving on the mountain.
Equestrian events are divided into three categories: speed, skill and horse-rider coordination. Speed is about who is faster, while skill is about who can perform beautiful and thrilling postures on the horseback. Horse-rider coordination is similar to modern-day cross-country obstacle racing, testing the tacit understanding between the rider and the horse. One prerequisite is that all competition horses are randomly selected from the Tang Dynasty military horses, with only half a stick of incense time given for riders to practice their coordination. The competition is about true skills, not the quality of the horses.
Martial arts competitions are a bit more complicated, with four events: horseback riding, arena fighting, wrestling and weightlifting. These are all familiar competitions, so I won't introduce them one by one.
Ten individual events and one team event in total.
"Each project, each country can send a maximum of three candidates, and each person can participate in a maximum of three projects. This competition was held in a hurry, so talents could only be selected from the military. Our army has produced many talented people, except for wrestling, all other events are almost full. You little guy wants to get three championships, it seems impossible?" Li Shimin handed over the list with a strange smile, as if retaliating against Du He's previous lecture.
Duhe took over the list, seeing that it recorded: Qiuzhan Wei Jiede, Hou Junji, Cheng Yaojin; Dou Tai War Hou Junji, Su Dingfang, Liu Hongji; Qi She Wei Jiede, Su Dingfang, Li Xiaogong!
Looking at these famous generals, Du He understood the reason and slapped his thigh, saying: "Mistake, serious mistake! We overlooked the most important thing. Uncle Li, this won't do. We should divide them into two groups. The competition remains the same, but we need to separate them into two groups: one for people over 25 years old and another for young people under 25 years old. Only in this way can we inspire the younger generation. Otherwise, our young people will be at a disadvantage."
"That makes sense!" Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he picked up his pen to record it.
They deliberated for a long time, and Li Shimin again summoned Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng and other ministers to discuss the details.
They repeatedly studied and discussed it, and on the basis of Du He's draft outline, they supplemented some crucial details.
Many ministers deliberated for three whole days before deciding everything and making it known to the world.
The news spread quickly and immediately caused a sensation throughout the land, becoming the talk of the town in no time.
Especially those who get along well with Du He.
Birds of a feather flock together, and people are classified according to their kinds.
Du He's friends were all extraordinary people: Luo Tong was highly skilled in martial arts, excelling in archery and horseback riding; Li Jingye had inherited his father's skills, with a hundred steps of arrow shooting technique; Li Yexuan was good at riding, and Li Yixi was good at martial arts. Not one of them was an ordinary person.
Upon receiving this news, they were overjoyed and each of them secretly began to train, hoping to show off their skills in the upcoming competition and prove their abilities in front of the Hundred Tribes' warriors.
Du He is no exception, for his own happiness and in order not to disappoint the two women's feelings, he must win three gold medals.
There are so many heroes in the world that even Du He cannot be certain of being the first among his peers, and therefore he can only rely on diligent practice to increase his chances of winning.
As time ticks away bit by bit, the New Year is approaching.
That day, Du He was practicing his qinggong when a servant suddenly came to report that a villager from Wannian County had come to see him on an urgent matter.
Wannian County
Isn't it Li Shu's own fief?
What's going on with the lockdown?
Du He's thoughts had reached this point, and he also felt somewhat guilty towards the people of his fiefdom. Ever since returning to Chang'an, his heart was focused on the Brave Warrior Competition, first planning then practicing by himself, without even realizing that he had gained a piece of land out of thin air, not even mentioning it once.
Took a deep breath, and walked out with big strides.
Although I am very busy now, I also cannot ignore the people's affairs.
Arriving at the gate of Cai Guo Gong's mansion, an elderly man with a walking stick and a handsome young man were waiting outside, both with anxious faces.
"You two are from Wannian County, right? I don't know what's going on, but I'm Du He!" Du He stood on the steps outside the mansion, smiling slightly at the two people below him.
As soon as Du He reported his name, the old man immediately knelt down and cried out: "This old man has seen the master, please save my family's life!"
Du He hastily stepped forward to support the old man, who was over seventy years old. Seeing such an elderly person kneeling in front of him, his heart trembled with emotion. He hurriedly called out: "Sir, please don't do this! I'm not worthy of your respect. Please get up and tell me what's going on!" His gaze fell upon the handsome young man, who looked to be around twenty years old. The young man had a dignified appearance and seemed quite mature. To understand the situation, he should start by asking him.
The handsome young man understood Du He's intention and said in a low voice: "Things are too serious, may I ask for permission to speak inside?"
Du He nodded and led them to a quiet corner of the front yard. "Now you can speak!"
A handsome young man nodded and said in a low voice: "I, Ling Chenbing, am a scholar under your jurisdiction. In recent days, many strangers have appeared near the jurisdiction. They wandered around the village one by one, but their eyes never left the village's oxen. I suspected that they might be related to the frequent loss of oxen in the nearby area. So, I mobilized the villagers to set up an ambush and capture the cattle thieves! However, we didn't expect that the cattle thieves were all skilled fighters, and we were no match for them. Many people were injured, and they escaped, leaving behind only one thief who fell into our trap. We found a waist token on him!" He took out a waist token from his pocket and handed it to Du He.
Du He took over the token and sucked in a breath of cold air at the same time. This was the token of the East Palace Guard.
Li Chengqian that guy stole a cow and brought it into his own home.
The second generation created a QQ group, the group number is in the book review section, like-minded friends who like this book or have opinions and suggestions can join, it's okay to chat casually too.
