Chen Qing quickly stepped aside, and a group of people came from behind. The person who asked him to make way was a servant who looked like a servant. He pushed the side door open and stood respectfully aside. Later, four young men got off their horses and threw the reins to
their respective followers.
The four young men all looked to be in their twenties, all tall and handsome. Although they all wore samurai uniforms and samurai hats, the materials used were exquisite. They were all Suhu fine silk and satin, embroidered with unicorns.
Colorful phoenixes, flowers and birds and other patterns are of exquisite workmanship.
The bow on the back and the long sword in the waist are also inlaid with gold and jade, which are very gorgeous. It is obvious that this is the yamen of four wealthy and powerful families.
But Chen Qing thought about it. Even he entered martial arts to obtain the qualifications to be awarded an official. Why didn't others do the same?
The four yamen looked arrogant and did not even look at Chen Qing. They walked into the side door talking and laughing, followed by a group of servants.
"A bunch of dandy boys, do you still think this is Bianliang?"
Someone behind him muttered something dissatisfied. Chen Qing turned around and found that there was a man standing behind him. He was about the same age as himself. He was also wearing a fine linen warrior uniform and was leading a horse. The horse had a bow and arrow and a long sword.
"Brother, are you here to register at the martial arts school too?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.
"Exactly!"
The man looked at Chen Qing and asked, "Is this the case for you too?"
Chen Qing smiled and nodded.
The man's spirits perked up, and he quickly clasped his fists and said, "I am Hu Yantong, a general under the command of Han Dutong of the Shenwu Army. What is your surname?"
It turned out to be Han Shizhong's general. Chen Qing also clasped his fists: "I am the general of Wang Yan, the commander of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Army. I am Chen Qing!"
"It turns out that Brother Chen is a member of the Eight-Character Army!"
Hu Yantong quickly looked at Chen Qing's forehead, and Chen Qing smiled faintly, "Some words don't need to be engraved on the face, but they are also engraved on the heart."
Hu Yantong laughed and said, "You're right, I'm short-sighted."
The two walked into the side door. Chen Qing hesitated and asked: "What does the notice posted at the door mean? Why are there still exams?"
Hu Yantong sneered and said: "It's funny to say that. As soon as the news that the Ministry of War re-established martial arts school came out, it immediately caused an uproar. All kinds of people gave gifts, asked for favors, and found all kinds of connections to find a crack. The threshold of the home of the King of the Ministry of War
They are all being trampled on. There are only a hundred places in total, but there are at least one or two thousand people who want to come in."
"This is martial arts, not Taixue. Is it so popular?"
Chen Qing knew that the Song Dynasty always valued culture over martial arts, but he couldn't understand why martial arts was so popular.
"Then you don't understand. After graduating from Taixue, you can only work as a professor in official schools in various places. The official position is low, the salary is meager, and there is no hope of promotion. But martial arts is different, especially the first batch of martial arts students who have clearly been sent to various states to take charge of chambers.
The army starts from the eighth rank, which is a huge disadvantage. You can imagine the powerful people competing for places. I wonder how many places your Sichuan-Shaanxi Army got?"
"Three!"
"That's right! The majestic Sichuan-Shaanxi Army only has three quotas. Don't even think about other places. We all have only two quotas. The other quotas... Hey! You saw it just now."
"Hurry up, you two, check in over here!" An official waved to them.
The two of them walked quickly towards the Qingyang Building in front...
Now you just need to register in advance, verify your identity, and then take the exam. Only after you pass the exam can you officially register.
The exam was held at Taixue's martial arts field. This is a martial arts field shared by Taixue and Wushu. It occupies a small area, only about ten acres.
An official in charge said loudly: "Everyone, please listen carefully. The content of the test is bows and arrows and weightlifting. There are no requirements for bows and arrows. You can use our bows and arrows or your own bows and arrows. It is required to hit a wooden target from 80 paces.
At least two of the three arrows hit.
Then the weight lifting requirement is to lift sixty kilograms above your head, so you are considered qualified. If you fail the exam, I'm sorry! You can only go back and forth from where you are."
A total of twenty-one warriors took part in the exam today, and Chen Qing was chosen as the ninth one by lot.
"The first one to appear is Wang Bo!"
A man walked out from the team, who should be the leader of the four powerful officials. Hu Yantong lowered his voice and said to Chen Qing: "This man was originally a palace guard, and the son of Wang Jue, the deputy commander in front of the palace."
"Looking at how well-dressed he is, the Jingkang crisis has not been affected?"
Hu Yantong sneered and said: "After the Jin soldiers first besieged Tokyo, do you know how many powerful and wealthy families fled Tokyo? Many families had already transferred their money to Yangzhou, Suzhou and other places, and their families were the same."
Chen Qing was somewhat interested. Although this Wang Bo was well-dressed, he had strong arms and a vigorous posture. The bow he used was at least a stone bow. He was from a family of generals, so he should have some real talent.
Wang Bo walked quickly to the shooting line. He put his quiver on his back, pulled out an arrow, opened his bow and shot it. The arrow hit the wooden target's throat, and he immediately received a round of applause.
Chen Qing nodded secretly. His archery skills were pretty good and his hands were relatively steady. He was not the kind of yamen who could only play with birds and tease women.
Wang Bo shot two more arrows, both of which hit the throat of the wooden target. As for lifting sixty kilograms, ordinary people can lift it, let alone these warriors.
Wang Bo passed the exam first and came back proudly.
Immediately afterwards, all the warriors passed by one by one. Hu Yantong was the eighth to appear. All three arrows hit the wooden target door, winning a round of applause.
Hu Yantong bowed to a general in the distance and walked back to the team.
Chen Qing looked curiously at the general in the distance. He was about forty years old, with a Chinese character face, sword-shaped eyebrows and tiger eyes, and a green beard under his chin. He was majestic. Although he was sitting with a group of officials,
But it can be seen that he has nothing to do with this exam and is just here to watch.
This person should be an elder from Huyantong!
Chen Qing originally wanted to ask, but the referee was already calling him, "Ninth appearance, Chen Qing!"
When the middle-aged general heard Chen Qing's name, his eyes lit up and he stared closely at Chen Qing's every move.
Chen Qing stepped forward with his bow. He had no arrows, so he borrowed a pot of arrows from the table. The judge took a look at his bow and asked, "Why not use a walking bow?"
Of course Chen Qing used the Dingyuan bow for his riding shooting. It was only used for foot shooting, so he would suffer a slight loss.
When Chen Qing saw that he had no intention of stopping him, he smiled and walked to the firing line. There was a low discussion among the warriors.
"This guy actually uses a riding bow. What do you mean? Does he seem superior to others?"
"He thought that no one else knew how to ride and shoot, so he was deliberately showing off!"
"Old Wang, what do you think?"
Several yamen looked at Wang Bo, and Wang Bo curled his lips, "I guess I just came from a small place and haven't seen much of the world. If I want to show off, let's just treat it like a monkey show."
Everyone laughed together, "You're right, this monkey show is quite interesting."
Having said that, Wang Bo stared at Chen Qing. It said that today's exam was just a formality, but he got the news that this exam was actually very important. The results were placed directly on the official desk. The first place
The importance is self-evident.
They are the last batch of exams. The results of the previous batches of exams were all mediocre. He hit the throat with three arrows, which is the best result so far. Although Hu Yantong hit the face with three arrows, one arrow is not critical, so he must be strict.
, he is not as good as himself.
Wang Bo is determined to get the first place in this entrance examination.
He knew all the warriors who took the exam today, but he knew nothing about this person. Wang Bo felt a sense of vigilance in his heart.
Chen Qing pulled out a white-feathered arrow. He glanced at the wooden target and almost didn't aim. He opened his bow and shot the arrow. Like lightning, the arrow hit the left shoulder of the wooden target with a 'click!', causing a knowing laugh.
I seriously took a riding bow to take the test, but it only hit the left shoulder, not even the vital part.
"Hu Yan, where is he from?" asked a yamen named Qi Yun.
These yamen all know Hu Yantong and have grown up together, but they are not the same kind of people and cannot hang out together.
Hu Yantong originally didn't want to pay attention to this person, but thinking that their fathers and ancestors were family friends, he responded vaguely: "I don't know the details, it should be sent by the Western Army!"
Everyone suddenly realized that it was the Western Army, indeed they came from the countryside.
The low status of the Western Army has always been the tradition of the Song Dynasty. This can be seen by looking at the experiences of Di Qing and Zhong Shidao.
This is also due to the remote location and inconvenient communication. For example, any great victory achieved by the Western Army is just a number. Except for the emperor, others do not care much about it. After all, they live too far away from them.
The most typical ones are the four famous generals of the Southern Song Dynasty who fought against the Jin Dynasty, Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Zhang Jun, and Liu Guangshi. There was not a single Western Army general among them.
Obviously, the people of the Jin Kingdom changed their minds when they heard about Jie. Wu Jie's reputation was no less than that of Yue Fei, but he was ignored by the court. Wu Gao, Wang Yan, Liu Ziyu, Liu Qi, Li Yanxian and other famous generals of the Western Army were eventually lost in history.
In the dust.
Even Wang Yan and Liu Ziyu are unknown, let alone a small commander of the Western Army like Chen Qing.
Wang Bo also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This person was only shot in the shoulder, which was far inferior to himself. He must be the first in this exam.
At this time, Chen Qing pulled out a second arrow and shot it again. The second arrow still hit the left shoulder, and then the third arrow still hit the left shoulder. There was a roar of laughter all around. This person likes the left shoulder so much. Could it be the left shoulder?
king?
The general outside the city saw a clue, and his expression became solemn...
The exam is over, all twenty-one people have passed, and it is time to go through the formal registration procedures.
More than a dozen examiners in the martial arts field are still arguing about who can win the first place in today's results.
"Although Wang Bo's three arrows all hit the throat, the throat is not as good as the face. This is generally recognized. The first place today should be No. 8 Hu Yantong."
"Nonsense! An arrow in the face doesn't necessarily kill you. Hu Yantong's second arrow missed slightly, but an arrow in the throat, you try? All three of his arrows hit the vital part of the throat. Wang Bo must be ranked first, and Hu Yantong can be ranked first.
second."
At this time, Wang Hao, the Minister of War, came over and said to the general next to him with a smile: "Han Dutong, your general performed well today! He actually hit his face with three arrows."
The middle-aged man was the famous general Han Shizhong. He happened to be reporting on his duties in Lin'an. Today, his favorite general Hu Yantong was taking the exam. He was very interested and came here to take a look.
Han Shizhong shook his head, "Hu Yantong's archery skills are just average! Even Wang Bo can't be ranked first. No. 9 Chen Qing is much better than them."
All the officials looked at each other, and one official asked in surprise: "But Chen Qing's three arrows only hit his left shoulder. Why is he the strongest?"
"You will know just by looking at the wooden target."
After a while, a soldier brought the wooden target and placed it on the table.
Han Shizhong pointed to his left shoulder and said: "He was the only one who shot in the left shoulder today. He hit three arrows in a row. There should be three arrow holes, but in fact? How many do you think there are?"
Everyone gathered around and took a closer look, and found that there was only an arrow hole in the left shoulder.
"It's strange. Three arrows clearly hit the left shoulder, but there is only one arrow hole. What's going on?"
Han Shizhong said lightly: "Haven't you thought? All three of his arrows were shot into one arrow hole."
The surrounding soldiers and officials were in an uproar, and they were all shocked.
Wang Hao took a breath of air, who is this Chen Qing, who is so powerful in archery?
Han Shizhong became even more interested. If he guessed correctly, this Chen Qing was the one who beheaded Wanyan Lou.
Yes, he is very low-key in life, but unambiguous in his work.