Zhang Yangquan nodded secretly. Although Boar usually has a straight face and looks bitter and resentful, he is actually cold on the outside and hot on the inside. He cherishes the soldiers more than anyone else.
Shen Qianqian has already talked about the grudge between Shanzhu and Fang Guozhen. If others had his experience, they would have gone to Fang Guozhen at all costs to find him.
However, the wild boar can always restrain the hatred in his heart, which is extremely difficult.
At this time, Yu Yanyu suddenly said: "Your Majesty, some Nanyang countries may come to pay tribute to us this year."
All the generals were stunned, and then they were all overjoyed.
Wang Da laughed and said: "These small southern barbarian countries have some discernment and know that our Jiangdu Army will take over the world sooner or later!"
Zhang Yangquan frowned.
"How could they suddenly ask us to pay tribute? In terms of the size of the territory, we are not as good as Chen Youliang! In terms of momentum, we are not as good as Liu Futong!"
Yu Yanyu smiled and said: "The countries in Nanyang don't know much about the situation in our Central Plains. They often judge the rulers of the Central Plains by the number of merchants!"
"Currently, only our merchants from Jiangdu Army go to Nanman in large numbers, and those merchants speak for us, so the rulers of Nanyang think that we are the new rulers of the Central Plains!"
Qin Lingjun suddenly said: "There should be conditions for their tribute, right?"
Shanzhu said: "Many of our products are very popular with Southeast Asian countries, but many of them have been lost to pirates. They hope that we can crack down on pirates!"
Zhang Yangquan waved his hand and said: "Then don't worry about them. Our most important opponent right now is Chen Youliang. It won't be too late to destroy the pirates after we unify Jiangnan!"
Qin Lingsi suddenly said: "By the way, what did they offer as offerings? Is there anything like a good horse?"
Yu Yanyu laughed and said: "There are no horses, but there are elephants, lions, peacocks and other wild beasts!"
Qin Lingsi was stunned: "Elephant? Why haven't you heard of it?"
Yu Yanyu gestured and described the strange shapes and living habits of those beasts to everyone. After listening to them, everyone was not only amazed.
The night was getting late and the temperature was getting colder. Everyone's conversation gradually turned to gossip, and the more they talked, the more enjoyable they became.
Zhang Yangquan ordered people to fetch a whole sheep and roast it on the fire. He also fetched several large jars of wine. Everyone ate the meat and cooked wine, and they were extremely happy.
While he was drinking heavily, Fu Youde suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I think Cuju can be promoted in the army. It can not only improve the physical fitness of the sergeants, but also relieve the stress of the soldiers!"
Zhang Yangquan's heart moved and he asked: "The Cuju you are talking about is the kind where the ball cannot hit the ground?"
Fu Youde said blankly: "Yes."
Zhang Yangquan asked again: "Is there any Cuju that allows the ball to fall to the ground?"
Fu Youde smiled slightly and said: "That's how ancient Cuju was played. At that time, the ball couldn't bounce. There were six people on each side and one goal on each side. The one who scored more goals won."
Zhang Yangquan asked: "What now?"
Fu Youde mused: "What is used now are elastic balls. The goal is in the middle. There is a romantic eye. There are twelve people on each side, called ball heads, Xiaoqiu, Sanli, etc. The players pass the ball to each other, and the ball cannot fall to the ground.
!"
This was the first time for everyone to learn about Cuju in detail, and they couldn't help but listen carefully.
Zhang Yangquan frowned and said: "There is only one goal, how to determine the outcome?"
Fu Youde said: "Generally, the ball is kicked off from the ball head, passed to the flip ball, and then passed between the front ball, the head ball, and the pole and net. Finally, it is passed back to the ball head. The ball head shoots through the "fengliu eye", which counts.
One point. Whoever scores more points wins!"
Zhang Yangquan shook his head after hearing this.
"This is too difficult and should not be promoted. In my opinion, ancient Cuju is more suitable, with one goal on each side and the ball can land on the ground, which increases physical confrontation!"
Fu Youde thought for a while and said: "That's right. When promoting it in the military, the lower the difficulty, the better!"
Qin Lingjun suddenly said: "Such a simple rule can also be promoted among the people. Husband, why not come to a Cuju competition at the end of the year? This will definitely make Cuju popular!"
Zhang Yangquan's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands and said: "It's a good idea, but where did the team come from?"
Qin Lingjun looked at the generals.
"Let the generals form two teams, and the winner will be rewarded. What do you think?"
Zhang Yangquan looked at the generals and saw that everyone was in high spirits and said with a smile: "Well, at the end of this year, we will have a Cuju competition!"
Early the next morning, Zhang Yangquan set aside a football field at the military camp in the north of the city.
The goals are made of wood and fishing nets, and the penalty area, midfield and sidelines are painted with paint, and the stadium is ready.
Fu Youde had never seen this kind of court, and at first he wanted to explain to Zhang Yangquan that this was not how Cuju was played in ancient times.
After the exchange, Fu Youde discovered that Zhang Yangquan actually knew a complete set of rules. Although it was different from all the rules he was familiar with, it sounded more complete.
So there is no longer any objection.
Originally, we only planned to form two teams, but there were too many generals, so four teams were formed.
The first team is composed of Wang Da, Hou Hou, Geng San, Geng Si, Sun Hu and many old soldiers of Longtan Village.
The first team was composed of generals such as Xu Baisheng, Bian Yuanheng, and Fu Youde.
The third team is composed of Shanzhu, Yu Yanyu, Yu Tonghai and other navy generals.
The last team consists of Chang Yuchun, Zhao Desheng, Zhang Biao and other generals. There are still a few people missing and are being formed.
After the rules were explained, the first team and the second team started the warm-up match directly in the military camp.
Zhang Yangquan only watched for less than a minute before he quickly stopped and severely reprimanded several generals who were fighting in a ball on the court.
"Whoever dares to fight again will be sent off with a red card and disqualified from the competition!"
After the warning, the game finally got better, but the physical confrontation between everyone was still extremely fierce, just like playing rugby.
The sergeants also suspended their training and watched the battle from the sidelines.
They heard that there would be a ball game in the military camp in the future, and they all cheered excitedly. They obviously liked this kind of game.
But there seems to be something special about the place they like.
When someone scores a goal, the soldiers have no reaction. However, when someone tackles or collides with others, they all shout excitedly.
Zhang Yangquan put his hand on his forehead and was speechless.
Qin Lingjun glanced at him and said with a smile: "Husband, I think this is good. If it doesn't work even if you bump it as you said, it won't have the effect of strengthening your body!"
Zhang Yangquan touched his nose and had to accept it.
At this moment, a personal guard came over to report that Chen Ji asked to see him and was waiting in the study.
Zhang Yangquan left the military camp and returned to the palace.
As soon as he returned to the study, Chen Ji came up to him and said, "Your Majesty, the envoy from Nanyang Kingdom has arrived."
……
In the early morning, with mist lingering on the canal, a warship broke through the water and docked at Heyuan Pier.
A wooden plank was erected on the shore, and a burly general came out of the boat. It was Li Er.
Behind him, Zhu Yuanzhang walked down with his wife and children.
Li Er crossed his arms and said with a smile: "General Zhu, do you want to live with Mr. Guo, or do you want to find another place to live? Let me tell you first, you have been canonized as General Zhongwu, and you can enter the courtyard in a separate room. If necessary
, I can help you arrange it!"
Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying looked at each other and said, "My husband and I live together with our adoptive father."
Li Er nodded and said: "Well, you go home and wait. The king should arrange a real job for you as soon as possible!"
Zhu Yuanzhang cupped his hands and said: "Thank you Marshal Li for taking care of me all the way."
Li Er smiled and said: "We are all colleagues now, so there is no need to be polite. I will leave first. If you encounter any trouble, you can come to me at any time."
Get on your horse and ride away.
It's December 27th, and there are only three days left before the end of the year.
Minghu Street is full of joy and bustle, and you can see vendors setting up stalls everywhere. A group of children are running around noisily, surrounding the vendors selling snacks.
Zhu Yuanzhang and his family slowly walked on the street, feeling unexpectedly peaceful.
Ma Xiuying had a deep talk with him and explained the measures taken by Jiangdu's military to treat the people well.
Zhu Yuanzhang hated officials the most in his life and hated businessmen secondly. One of the purposes of starting the rebellion was to let the poor people stand up and take charge.
Now that I know that Jiang Dujun treats the people well, the last trace of resistance in my heart gradually dissipates.
Mu Ying, Li Wenzhong and Zhu Wenzheng were all young at heart. Seeing how prosperous Jiangdu Prefecture was, they couldn't help but look around.
The group of people turned into a narrow street along the bustling street, and after walking for a while, Guo Zixing's quiet courtyard appeared in sight.
Li Wenzhong stepped forward and knocked on the door, and it was an old servant who opened the door.
Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying were both surprised.
"Uncle Huang, why are you here?"
It turned out that this old servant was Guo Zixing’s former housekeeper. After the failure of the Sizhou mutiny, Guo Zixing got separated from him and was never heard from again.
Uncle Huang said with a smile: "The old man heard that the master was in Jiangdu Mansion, so he went through many difficulties and found him."
Several people entered the courtyard. Guo Zixing had already heard the noise and came out.
"Okay, our family is finally reunited." When he persuaded Zhu Yuanzhang to surrender, the knot between father and son was gone. At this moment, they were reunited, and they were only happy.
Guo Zixing immediately ordered Uncle Huang to prepare a rich lunch for Zhu Yuanzhang's family.
After dinner, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying arranged rooms for the children, when they suddenly heard someone knocking on the courtyard door.
After Uncle Huang opened the door, he said loudly: "Master Zhu, Mr. Li is here!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, patted Ma Xiuying on the shoulder and said, "I'll go out for a while."