The Queen Mother and the King of France are preparing for a knightly tournament.
There are not many high-end entertainment activities these days, they are just banquets, dances, concerts, hunting in the countryside, knight competitions and the like.
Horse racing and the like are not very popular yet.
The prosperity of horse racing has to wait for the restoration of Prince Charles. This British "Happy King" laid the foundation for modern horse racing, and many horse racing rules were formulated by him himself.
Two grand banquets had been held and a concert had been organized. However, the Chinese guests seemed not to be very interested, so Prime Minister Mazarin proposed a knightly contest.
"Empress, Ambassador, please read this." Cai Yuncheng took out a pamphlet.
Lu Tianxiang glanced at it and said he couldn't understand French.
Zhang Ruifeng asked: "What book is this?"
Cai Yuncheng said: ""Datong Collection"."
Zhang Ruifeng looked strange: "The Collection of Datong written in French? Where did you get it?"
Cai Yuncheng said: "I went to the streets of Paris today to appreciate the local customs and customs. When I walked into a small alley, I saw someone gathering a crowd to give a lecture. I was about to ask the general officer (translator) to listen. The French scholar who was giving lectures on the street,
He actually took the initiative to talk to me. He asked a lot of strange questions, which were generally related to His Majesty's administration. After chatting for a while, the French scholar was extremely excited and forced me to go to the tavern for a drink."
Lu Tianxiang asked: "French scholars preaching "Datong Collection" on the streets of Paris?"
Cai Yuncheng said: "This is the deleted version of "Datong Collection". The natural imperial power was changed to the divine right of kings, and the way of heaven was changed to the will of Jesus. All Tianzheng was deleted, and a lot of messy content was added. This French scholar should be a top-notch rebel.
. They also formed the Datong Party, claiming to launch a riot, expel the Prime Minister by force, and force the Queen Mother to return the throne to the King. If the King does not implement benevolent governance, they will expel the King and replace the throne with another royal family."
"These are rebels!" Zhang Ruifeng exclaimed in surprise, "Paris is the capital of France. How dare they promote rebellion on the streets of Paris? Will the French government just ignore it?"
Cai Yuncheng also felt that it was outrageous and said with a smile: "No one cares. When the French scholar was giving lectures, there were many people watching, probably one or two hundred people. I took a closer look and found that among the people watching, there were also merchants and others. I
While we were having a drink with the scholar, a merchant came to see him and asked a lot of questions about rebellion on the spot."
France's wealthy businessmen could of course buy official positions, and they could also lend money to the royal family to cover taxes.
But ordinary businessmen were among the targets of oppression. Not only did they have the desire to rebel, they were even the main force in the Paris uprising.
During the Fronde movement a few years ago, in order to resist the officers and soldiers, 1,200 barricades were built in Paris overnight. If businessmen were not involved, I would not even believe in ghosts, and the real bottom would not be so active.
Cai Yuncheng added: "These French rebellious parties request to see Ambassador Zhang."
Zhang Ruifeng waved his hands repeatedly: "This is France's internal affairs, and we should not get involved in it. Of course, there is no need to report the rebels. Just pretend that you don't know anything. Let's talk about the knights tournament. The French royal family has sincerely invited you many times. If you refuse, it will inevitably be
It ruins the master’s interest and also shows that we, Datong China, do not have a martial spirit.”
"Then let's send a team to participate. Four people are enough." Before Lu Tianxiang went to sea, he would definitely be active in the competition. But after the actual battle, he became calm and no longer wanted to fight bravely.
Zhang Ruifeng said: "I will arrange for four guards with superb riding skills to have a duel with the French guard captain."
In a one-on-one battle between knights, four people are really needed, because European knights have to bring three retinues with them to assist.
Medieval knights' jousting was brutal and bloody. There were almost no rules, and the real battlefield was fully restored. One group of people fought with another group of people in the field with real swords and real guns. Every joust would result in a large number of casualties.
The most outrageous time was when the two sides got angry, and the relatives and friends who were spectators also drew their swords and joined the battle. As the fight continued, each of them threw their fully armed infantry into the battle. It is known in history as the Battle of Chalong.
Due to the heavy casualties, after this competition, spectators were prohibited from carrying weapons, and knights' retinues were prohibited from carrying weapons.
Gradually, real swords and guns were banned, and only wooden guns could be used. Group battles evolved into one-on-one battles, and referees and scoring systems even appeared.
No matter how complicated the rules are, casualties will inevitably occur. King Henry II of France was shot to death by his own captain during a knightly contest.
Three days later, Paris Square was filled with people.
The competition ground was surrounded by wooden fences and was filled with nobles, wealthy businessmen and scholars. The common people could only stand far away and could not see clearly what was going on inside. They could only feel the atmosphere through cheers and shouts.
The Chinese guests were so proud that the great French writer Chapland was invited to be the master of ceremonies for the competition.
The founder of the French Academy was Richelieu, but the real organizer of the organization was none other than Shaplan. This man was also the founder of classical literary theory and stimulated the prosperity of European aristocratic salon literature.
Corneille, the founder of French classical drama, was also invited to watch the competition today.
In addition to nobles, writers and ladies are also very important in the knight's competition. After the competition, writers can use this as inspiration to create beautiful literary works. As for the ladies, of course they are here to have fun, and the winning knight will
I received tons of love letters.
Lu Tianxiang was sitting next to the Queen Mother Anne, surrounded by ladies, and the smell of perfume was torturous.
Large-scale knightly tournaments may last for several days.
There will be competitions during the day and banquets in the evening, and the winner will be captured by the ladies for fun.
The first competition was between two young French nobles, each with their knights' retinue.
In order to avoid tragic casualties, there were many obstacles on the playing field. Horses made of wood were placed in a haphazard manner, making it impossible for knights to charge at high speed.
The competition began, and eight people fought against each other on the field.
Noble knights versus noble knights, knights' retinues versus knights' retinues.
The noble knights use wooden spears, while the retinues can only use wooden sticks. There are even two retinues fighting on foot to increase the enjoyment of the game.
Lu Tianxiang picked up the telescope and observed the European knights' tactics in detail.
Unfortunately, there were too many obstacles and neither side could charge forward. They would ride horses and run around the obstacles, and when they got close, they would fight with guns. It was not like the fight in the movies and TV shows. In the first round, they were blocking, and they were just running towards the opponent's wooden gun.
smash.
You can get points by shooting down or breaking the enemy's wooden gun.
"Ah! Kill him, my dear, kill him!"
A scream came from behind. Lu Tianxiang turned around and saw a fat woman with her white breasts exposed.
The first round ended quickly, and there was no lime on the armor of either party. Let's continue. Only if the fatal part is hit, or falls from the horse, will it be directly judged as a defeat.
The fight between the retinues on both sides became more lively, and the two guys who were fighting on foot were already wrestling.
It wasn't until the third round that a knight was stabbed in the chest by a wooden spear. The force was too strong and he flew out instantly, finally ending the first match.
"boom!"
The audience stood up and applauded, and the ladies even screamed.
The winner took off his helmet, bent down and saluted in all directions, enjoying the highlight of his life.
Louis XIV personally presented him with the award, which was a box of silver coins worth 2,000 livres, which is roughly equivalent to more than 200 taels of silver. This was just an appetizer, and the prizes became heavier as they went. There were kings who gave castles and fiefs as prizes.
.
It's lively enough during the day, and it's a dance party at night.
Zhang Ruifeng couldn't help but sigh: "On the first day alone, the king rewarded more than 3,000 taels of silver. It seems that the rewards will become heavier and heavier. By the time this competition is over, the total reward will probably exceed 100,000 taels. It is also held every night
If the banquet continues like this, two to three hundred thousand taels of silver will be gone. You are a fool, you are a real fool!"
Pan Wei smiled and said: "I'm afraid it's difficult to hold such a grand martial arts competition frequently. If it is held once a year, it will cause a lot of trouble for the royal family."
Starting from the next day, the prizes are no longer pure gold and silver, but also come with war horses, armor, swords, official positions, etc.
It was not until the last scene on the sixth day that the highlight finally took place.
Zheng Dayong led three of the emperor's personal guards, led their horses to the field, and looked up at his opponent.
The great writer Shaplan asked: "Dear Mr. Zheng Dayong, Captain of the Chinese Emperor's Guards, do you accept the challenge of Navarra, Captain of the French Guards Company?"
"Accept." Zheng Dayong said.
This is a standard procedure. If it is a private duel, the challenge will be issued in advance, and a reputable person will be asked to convey it, and the specific content of the competition will be agreed upon in advance.
The six retinues on both sides are actually guest guards from China and France. None of them are on horseback, and they are fighting on foot. Anyway, they are just an addition to increase the fun.
Zheng Dayong wore full-body plate armor brought from China, and the riding shield in his hand was provided by the French royal family.
The shield is quite large, with a vertical length of about 40 centimeters. There is not only a handle on the back of the shield, but also a belt, which can be hung around the neck.
"drive!"
Zheng Dayong pulled down his helmet and neck helmet, reined in his horse and accelerated slowly, moving around the obstacles in the field.
When the distance between the two sides was about ten meters, there were very few obstacles, and the charge could finally be accelerated.
This kind of European-style competition-specific lance was very difficult for Zheng Da to use. He raised the shield in his left hand and the gun in his right hand, and started to charge with his body bent. The opponent's posture was similar, but he sat slightly straighter.
"Snapped!"
With two crisp sounds, all the lances from both sides broke and pierced each other's shields.
Under normal circumstances, everyone goes to the sidelines to change guns. If there is no KO in the end, it depends on the number of broken lances and the number of hits to non-fatal parts.
However, Zheng Dayong did not follow common sense.
When the two sides passed by each other, Zheng Da clamped the horse's belly with his legs and reached out to grab the opponent's shield belt.
The belt of the shield was hung around the opponent's neck. The captain of the French Guards Company suddenly felt a huge pulling force. He subconsciously let go of the shield, but the belt around his neck was not removed, so he was dragged on his back and turned over.
Fall off the horse.
"good!"
The Chinese envoys clapped their hands and cheered.
The French audience was completely silent, and then there was a lot of discussion.
Is this a foul?
There seems to be no rule against pulling the shield.