Chapter 102: Dragon and Tiger Fight (2)

As soon as the next day, Chang'an City became turbulent. Countless men threw away their bowls and ran towards Chongyefang. The polo competition between Anxi and Fanyang teams was held near noon. Although there was still half a day, Chongyefang was already crowded early in the morning, with more than 100,000 people gathering. This was a grand occasion that had never been seen since Tianbao. Teams of cavalry were coming back to patrol to stop the crowd.

Chongyefang Polo Stadium is one of the two largest polo stadiums in Chang'an City, and the other is Dongneiyuan Polo Stadium. It has an open structure, that is, there is no wall or stand. If all around are full, you can squeeze more than 10,000 people. However, today the east side of the stadium has been requisitioned and four-story stands are set up, which is a seat for the powerful and powerful. There is even news that His Majesty the Emperor will come to watch the polo game today.

It is impossible for more than 100,000 people to see the game. All the walls near the polo courts were filled with people. The most spectacular one was Xuandu Temple next to it. Not only were the walls filled with fans, but some people even climbed up on the roof of the highest hall.

Polo is the national football team of the martial arts Tang Dynasty. Whether it is common people or powerful people, men or women, old people or children, the fanaticism about polo has reached an unparalleled level. Even when the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Ye, was forced to move the capital to Luoyang and the six armies had fled, he still brought more than a dozen polo players with him and could not bear to give up.

In the Tang Dynasty, not only did the warriors who rode horses and fought like polo, but even scholars also loved polo. After the imperial examination every year, one of the activities held to congratulate the new Jinshi who passed the imperial examination was to hold a polo meeting in Yuedeng Pavilion.

Women cannot use the fierce confrontation of horse riding. With the prevalence of women's polo, a small and slow-running form of donkey playing ball, Donkey Ju, also emerged among women and became a unique women's sports in the Tang Dynasty.

In the Song Dynasty, due to the loss of the horse-raising base, the monk's spirit of martial arts faded, polo began to become entertaining. Cuju replaced polo and became the love of the people of the Song Dynasty. However, in the Tang Dynasty, polo was still a military drama, with fierce confrontation and fighting, murderous fighting, just like the real battle between the two armies. It was the favorite of the martial arts Tang people.

At this time, there was a commotion at the northwest and southeast corners at the same time. The two teams entered the court. The fans dodged to both sides and gave up two channels. Today's polo team was particularly wary of entering the court. The Jinwu Guard and Wanqi Battalion each held huge shields to protect the two teams strictly. In a game three years ago, a player of the Hedong Polo team was stabbed to death by a fanatical fan with a sword. Therefore, protecting the safety of the polo players became a top priority for the Jinwu Guard and Wanqi Battalion.

The Anxi team and Fan Yang team rushed into the field almost at the same time. Suddenly, there was a lot of joy on the side of the polo court, shouting and applause one after another. Twenty polo players rode their horses on the court. They were wearing military uniforms and military helmets, all tall and majestic.

They waved to the fans on the sidelines from time to time, and the fans screamed and rushed forward with great affection. The soldiers who maintained order on the side tried desperately to stop them. The atmosphere on the polo court was extremely frenzy.

At this time, three officials from Taipu Temple walked forward and began to inspect the horse tools and equipment of both sides. From this session, the rules of the polo competition became very strict, especially one added, "Understanding weapons are not allowed to hurt people and horses." This is because Cai Xide injured Anxijun's horse with a boot blade in the last game. Therefore, this game specifically stipulates that if a sharp weapon other than a ball stick is used to bruise the opponent, the person involved will be kicked out of the court immediately, and the team is also sentenced to losses at the same time.

Despite the strict rules, today's game is really unusual. The officials of Taipu Temple still have to check one by one, mainly checking the boots and ball sticks of both sides.

In the stands of the arena, An Lushan frowned and asked his aide Yan Zhuang in a low voice, "What strategy did sir use? I see that they are all full of energy."

Yan Zhuang gently stroked a few rat whispers and laughed in a low voice: "Master, don't be anxious, I have made arrangements. They may have seen through my first plan, but my second plan and third plan make them unable to defend themselves."

An Lushan looked around the stadium in confusion. He really couldn't see where Yan Zhuang's arrangement would be? Yan Zhuang said a few words to him. Only then did An Lushan realize it and nodded secretly.

On the court, two polo teams had already turned over the horses, and there were exchanges of ball sticks below. This was just a kind of etiquette. The ball sticks were provided by Taipu Temple, and players were not allowed to be taken privately.

In the early spring, the two teams stood facing each other in the biting cold wind. Coincidentally, Shi Siming happened to be opposite Li Qing'an. Li Qing'an stared at him deeply and smiled at him. Shi Siming's gaze avoided, and the muscles on his face unconsciously pulled.

"The two teams exchange ball sticks!" Zhu Hongyuan, the young minister of Taipu Temple, shouted.

The war horses activated, and the two teams slowly came up. The ball sticks touched in the air and then handed them over to the other party. At the moment when the two horses were intertwined, Li Qingan turned sideways and laughed in a low voice: "General Shi, you will lose this battle, exactly the same as you lost last time."

Shi Siming's whole body trembled, his eyes stared straight ahead, his lips almost bleeding, "Never!" He was about to bite the roots of his teeth.

"Don't General Shi believe it? Then wait and see!" Li Qingan smiled slightly and urged the horse to walk away.

Shi Siming stood there blankly and forgot to return to the team.

"Siming, stop being dazed, it's about to start." Cai Xide urged loudly.

Shi Siming sighed, he slowly lowered his head and followed the team to his side.

The competition is about to begin, and the VIP seats are full, all of them are powerful families in Chang'an, but the Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty did not come.

Both sides went back to their own goal and waited. Duan Xiushi shouted in a low voice, saying, "We have been waiting for three years. Today is the day for us to avenge our revenge. Let the Fan Yang dog thieves taste the power of our Anxi Army!"

Ten ball sticks were waving, and the players lined up in a row. Li Qing'an and Bai Yuanguang were attacking as attackers, posing for the front line as vanguards. The majestic Helou Yurun and two other burly players were the rear team, while the main team of the central army was Duan Xiushi, Li Fei Shouyu and five others were in charge.

Fan Yang's army was the same as last time. Cai Xide and Yin Ziqi were the vanguards, and Shi Siming was in charge of the central army. The formation was slightly different from that of the Anxi Army. They were three vanguards and four vanguards, and they focused on attacking. At this time, Cai Xide whispered to everyone: "I will tell you first, Mr. Yan Zhuang has made arrangements, and there will be strange situations in Anxi at that time. We can just know what to do, don't make a fuss."

When everyone heard this, they looked at Anxi Army excitedly.

The two armies looked at each other from afar, all staring at each other with hostility. The atmosphere outside the field became more and more fanatical, shouting like thunder, beating drums and drums, and many people's voices were hoarse.

At this time, the chronograph incense had been lit. With a bell, a Ju ball flew into the middle of the field. Both sides activated almost at the same time. The horse galloped, the ball rod waving, and rushed straight towards the Ju ball in the middle.

Bai Yuanguang arrived first, waved the ball and Ju ball flew to Li Qing'an on the left. Cai Xide roared and waved a staff and took the ball with the ball. Li Qing'an sideways avoided his fierce staff. The ball gently and transferred it to Duan Xiushi of the central army. Without waiting for Duan Xiushi to pass the ball, Shi Siming and two players attacked each other on both sides and snatched Ju ball. Shi Siming swung a long swing and hit Ju ball far ahead.

The players on both sides fought like lightning, running on the court, Ju balls were flying in the air, Anxi Army was dominant, and Fan Yang team was ahead. Seeing that the first timer incense was about to burn out, both sides still did not score.

At this time, Anxi Army made a wonderful cooperation. Bai Yuanguang and Duan Xiushi broke through Fan Yang Army's interception one after another, and had reached the left side of the hole. Li Fei Shouyu on the right also rushed over. Fan Yang Army was shocked. Seven people rushed to the left and right. Shi Siming in front suddenly found that no one was blocking Li Qing'an in the middle, and a gap appeared. He shouted anxiously: "This is a plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and quickly return to the middle!"

After Shi Siming finished calling, he urged the horse to rush. At the same time, Bai Yuanguang knocked with an extremely beautiful back, and the polo flew out of the crack and landed in front of Li Qing'an. The ball was still one zhang away from Li Qing'an. Shi Siming also arrived, and he was only half a zhang away from the ball.

"General Shi, can you stop me?"

Li Qing'an chuckled, Shi Siming hesitated for a moment, and involuntarily pulled the reins. In the moment of lightning, Li Qing'an waved his stick and made a final blow. The ball whistled past Shi Siming. Fifty steps away, Juqi entered the net, and Anxi scored the first record.

The thunderous cheers suddenly appeared on the court, and countless people jumped up with excitement. Yang Huahua on the VIP stage screamed with excitement: "Li Qilang, good fight!"

Gao Lishi also came to watch the game today. When he saw Li Qingan score a goal, he couldn't help laughing and said to Pei Kuan, who was also a polo fan beside him: "What do you think Pei Shangshu thinks this son?"

Pei Kuan also smiled and said, "He has settled down on Shi Siming."

He sighed again, "What a pity!"

Gao Lishi was stunned, "What does Shangshu Pei mean?"

Pei Kuan smiled faintly and said, "The eagle is going to the mountain canyon to see its true nature. If it is kept in a cage, how is it different from a pig or dog?"

Gao Lishi nodded slightly and suddenly whispered a few words to him. Pei Kuan was stunned and asked in disbelief: "Mr. Gao, is this really possible?"

"Shangshu Pei, just pay attention carefully."

Pei Kuan stared at Fan Yangjun's polo player in confusion. At this time, a bell rang, and the first game was over. Both sides had to take a break before fighting.

A high-intensity confrontation made the players on both sides sweat and went to the sidelines to get water to quench their thirst. The water was provided by Taipu Temple and was cooked hot tea. The teas of the Tang Dynasty were boiled in water, with various seasonings and filled with large bowls. The chores had already prepared, and the things were filled with two tables, dozens of bowls of tea. In addition, various details were also available in the porcelain plate.

Everyone stepped forward to get tea. At this time, An Lushan looked at the Anxi Army with nervous eyes. Unexpectedly, the Anxi Army did not drink the tea prepared by Taipu Temple. Instead, Li Siye and others on the sidelines threw dozens of clean water in the skin. The Anxi Army soldiers took the skin and drank heavily, and gave the war horses water.

"Dear generals, why don't you drink the tea we prepared?" An official from Taipu Temple ran up and asked.

Duan Xiushi smiled and said, "Thank you, Liu Shuling, but we never drink tea in the competition, we only drink water, so we prepared ourselves."

The commander was stunned for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, then we can prepare clear water."

"No, we have prepared ourselves."

Duan Xiushi glanced at Fan Yangjun again and said with a smile: "Please give Fan Yangjun these teas! I think they don't seem to be enough."

In the stands, An Lushan snorted heavily and said to Yan Zhuang dissatisfiedly: "Mr.'s plan seems to have been seen through by others. They are already prepared, what can I do?"

Yan Zhuang smiled and said, "Mr. General. These two strategies are just my voice to attack the West, guiding the Anxi Army to pay attention to the direction of my real killer. I will never dream of it."

"Do!" Another bell rang from afar, and the game began again.

The second game is the midfield, which is the most critical game to decide the outcome. At present, Anxijun leads with one goal. In the second game, the bloody side of polo gradually began to appear.

In the fierce confrontation, both sides scored two goals each, and the score became three to two. As the intensity of the game intensified, the fire of hatred between the two sides three years ago began to be ignited, and the movements of the two armies became rough. The yellow dust rolled under the horse's hooves, and the war horses collided fiercely. When the stalemate was stalemate, the ball stick became a weapon. Duan Xiushi's war horse was hit in the eyes with a stick and neighed to the ground. Yin Ziqi was also beaten to the head and bleeding by Helou Yurun, and the game had to be interrupted.

The emotions of the audience outside the stadium were gradually infected. Some people began to curse, some people threw stones into the stadium, and in the northwest corner, there were even hot fights between fans on both sides. The cavalry rushed up and dragged the fighters away.

The game continued after a brief stop. At this time, Pei Kuan's eyes in the stands remained the same as Li Qing'an. He gradually realized that what Gao Lishi told him was about to happen.

With a crisp sound from the ground, Ju ball flew across, about one foot away from Li Qing'an. Li Qing'an rode his horse and waved his staff to hit Ju ball. At this moment, Cai Xide urged the horse to rush forward and pressed against Li Qing'an. When Li Qing'an approached, he waved his staff to hit the ball out with both hands.

Suddenly, Cai Xide screamed and fell from his horse. The audience was sensational and stood up together. Cai Xide's right shoulder was inserted with a dagger. He rolled on the ground in pain, blood flowing.

The sudden situation shocked the officials of Taipu Temple. Shi Siming rushed over and shouted: "Don't you care? Anxi Army actually used hidden weapons to injure people."

The game was over, and Fan Yangjun roared and rushed towards Li Qing'an. Anxijun did not show any weakness and protected Li Qing'an. Both sides were tense. Seeing that the scene three years ago was about to happen again, at this moment, An Lushan yelled, "Stop it all!"

He rushed off the platform, reached out and slapped Shi Siming in the face, cursing: "It's all Tang army, who dares Neijiang?"

Fan Yangjun retreated silently. An Lushan stepped forward to look at Cai Xide's injury. He sighed and said to Li Qing'an: "General Li, it's just a polo game, why do you have to do such a ruthless move?"

The polo court was quiet. Zhu Hongyuan, the young master of Taipu Temple who hosted today's game, was sweating profusely. He never expected that a scene happened again three years ago. This time he changed his role and Fan Yangjun became a victim. The problem is that there are new rules this year. Those who use weapons to injure people must immediately drive out of the arena. The first team he is in announced that they have lost. Will Anxi Army become the first punishment person for this new rule?

Zhu Hongyuan was in a very difficult situation. He knew that if he enforced the law impartially, he would definitely offend the Anxi Army, but the Jiedushi Fan Yang was present! What should I do if I asked him to do?

"General Li, how should you explain this?" Zhu Hongyuan had to bite the bullet and question Li QingAndao.

Li Qing'an smiled and said, "Zhu Shaoqing, I believe everyone saw it at that time. I held a ball stick with both hands and never let it go. How could I use a knife?"

Zhu Hongyuan was stunned. He understood something in his heart and glanced at An Lushan with his eyes squinted. At this time, An Lushan said furiously: "Li Qing'an, even if you really do something, I can tolerate it. Everyone thinks peace is the most important thing, but you dare to bite it back and say that General Cai was self-harm. You are too bullying. I want to go to the emperor to sue you."

Li Qingan bowed his hands and smiled and said, "Ship An, when did I say that General Cai was self-injuring? You are thinking too much."

"Hmph! Although you didn't say it clearly, that's what you mean."

"General Li is right!"

Pei Kuan walked up slowly, and he sneered, "Shuai An may have a bad look, but I can see clearly that General Li did not draw any daggers at all. As for how there is a dagger on Cai Xide's shoulder, you and I know it very well."

Although Pei Kuan was once the governor of Fan Yang, he and An Lushan were mortal enemies. The generals he valued and promoted were all demoted after An Lushan came to power. Even one of his confidant generals was killed by An Lushan by the Khitans, which made Pei Kuan extremely sad. At this time, An Lushan wanted to frame the Anxi Army with despicable means, and Pei Kuan would never allow the Fan Yang army he had led to become a rogue.

An Lushan snorted heavily with his hands behind his back and said, "This matter is decided by Taipu Temple. What does it have to do with Shangshu Pei?"

At this time, Zhu Hongyuan, the young minister of Taipu Temple, was already wet. There was no evidence of this kind of thing. It happened in an instant and no one could see it clearly. Unlike later generations, it could still be recorded and replayed. It was entirely up to human judgment. It was said that Li Qing'an could use the evildoer, and Cai Xide could also harm himself. The key is to see who has a strong background.

This is the cleverness of Yan Zhuang's design. He first applied medicine in the water to confuse the Anxi army and let them focus on diet. However, he took advantage of the loopholes in the new rules and designed to make Cai Xide self-harm. In this case, Fan Yang's army had a military governor, while Anxi army was alone and Gao Xianzhi was far away in Anxi. In this way, the final judgment must be beneficial to Fan Yang's army. Li Qing'an was expelled and was ruined. The Fan Yang army won the final victory. This is called returning the person to the person's way. When the fire was burned into the Zuyuan, wasn't Li Qing'an doing this?

Unexpectedly, Pei Kuan suddenly appeared and publicly supported the Anxi army, causing Yan Zhuang's originally impeccable strategy to be torn apart.

Zhu Hongyuan was extremely embarrassed. On one side was the governor of Fan Yang and the chief magistrate of the border, while on the other side was the Minister of Rites, the new prime minister. He could not afford to offend anyone. At this time, Liu Shuling next to him quietly stabbed Zhu Hongyuan in the back and whispered: "Seep to the left."

Zhu Hongyuan turned his head and looked to the left. He was shocked. He saw Gao Lishi standing not far away with his hands behind his back. He suddenly realized that Gao Lishi was Li Qing'an's backstage and he could never afford to offend him.

He immediately made up his mind and smiled and said, "Master An is right. Everyone is Tang Jun, why bother fighting with each other? I think this is actually a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Haha, it will not affect the game, the game can continue."

He waved his hand and asked someone to lift Cai Xide down, and ignored the dagger on Cai Xide's shoulder.

An Lushan also saw Gao Lishi. He nodded to Gao Lishi flatteringly, but he felt extremely depressed. With Gao Lishi coming forward, this matter could only be left unresolved, but the problem is that his best scorer, Cai Xide, cannot participate in the competition.

The game continued. Without Cai Xide, the strong general, Fan Yang's attack immediately became weak. Gradually, the initiative of the game was controlled by the Anxi Army, and the rhythm of the game was controlled by the Anxi Army. The Anxi Army became more and more brave and fully demonstrated its tactical cooperation and personal abilities. On the contrary, Fan Yang's morale was greatly affected by backfire and did not dare to be arrogant anymore, and he was so frustrated that he was frustrated.

Li Qingan rode his horse and flew towards him with a diagonal line. His front was wide and no one intercepted him. However, Shi Siming and other central players retreated to the edge of their door opening. Li Qingan waved his staff without hesitation, and Ju Qiu flew towards the hole, and Shi Siming stood by the door opening.

"General Shi, can you stop this 20th arrow?" Li Qing'an laughed loudly.

The sweat beads on Shi Siming's forehead rolled down. He took a deep breath and stared at the flying Juqiu. However, in his eyes, the Juqiu changed, turning into an arrow, shooting in a wonderful posture.

His heart beat wildly, as if it was the sound of drums. The eighteenth and nineteenth sounds, it was time to take action! It was time to take action! But his rod was as heavy as a thousand pounds, so why couldn't he lift it up?

Shi Siming roared, but he stopped halfway through the roar. The atmosphere around him was extremely strange. Everyone stared at him blankly. A player whispered: "General Shi, the ball has already entered."

"Ah!" Shi Siming's ball stick fell to the ground.

With Shi Siming's abnormality, Fan Yangjun's morale completely collapsed. In the third game of the decisive victory, Anxi team scored six goals in a row. Li Qing'an alone scored four yuan, leading by a huge gap of 9-2. The game became a one-sided slaughter. At the last moment, Fan Yangjun had completely lost his fighting spirit and had no confidence in chasing and interception. He watched Anxi army attack like wind and lightning, scoring goals.
Chapter completed!