Of course, Ma Yun showed up in the examination room not to be the examiner. She didn't know much about military affairs, so naturally she wouldn't behave like a layman commanding an expert. She was just here to listen. The real examiner was attending the first session of the Han Martial Arts Lecture Hall. The eight generals in the advanced training class have all gone through hundreds of battles, and after several months of study in the advanced training class, they have further improved both their personal martial arts skills and their commanding abilities. There is no one more suitable than them. The examiner.
This year's martial arts exam did not test the art of war like last year's. Last year's exam made everyone understand that these candidates have not experienced a real battlefield. Even if they read a few military books and strategies, they can only be regarded as talking about war on paper. It’s better to get real. Therefore, this year’s exam only has three contents, riding, archery and martial arts. It is held in two days, because many martial artists do not have much education, and this year there is no need to test the knowledge of military art. For most people For me, this is definitely a rare opportunity. There are many more people who signed up than last year, and there are Han people, barbarians, Qiang people and Huns.
The Jingzhou area is already located in the south. Horses are rare items and ordinary people's riding skills are not much better. But the situation is different now. Liu Xin has occupied Sili and Liangzhou, and even the entire Xiongnu grassland is under his control. Under his control, there is no shortage of war horses, let alone good riders.
The first thing to be done in the morning was the riding test. Not many foreigners took part in the test, but the Xiongnu were a people who lived on horseback, and riding was their strong point. Among them were the Huchuquan people. Son Sektai.
Sektai was born with a big body, a round waist, and a lot of strength. He was also a famous young hero on the grassland and the idol of the girls on the grassland. The snow green horse under his crotch was also one of the best horses on the grassland. For this riding test, He is determined to win and must win the championship.[
But here in Xiangyang, Sektai's appearance did not receive cheers and applause, but instead attracted boos. Sektai lifted the reins, and the snow green horse performed several jumping movements and postures on the school field. It is beautiful and has many kinds of tricks. He always sat on it while talking about how the horse jumped. As expected, the horse and man became one, and the audience outside the school suddenly fell silent.
Just when Sektai was feeling proud, a young man stepped into the field holding a spear and riding a black horse. The young man was heroic and the black horse was majestic. It was Ma Chao and his Taxue Wulongzhai.
Ever since he promised Liu Xin that he would win the top prize in martial arts, Ma Chao had practiced martial arts and the art of war diligently every day. For more than half a year, his whole person seemed to have been transformed. As soon as he appeared on the stage, he brought a fierce momentum and suppressed The other candidates were breathless, and even the arrogant Sektai felt suffocated.
There are often all kinds of real battles between grassland tribes. Sektai has been on the battlefield, and he also has a hint of murderous intent, but Ma Chao gives him a completely different feeling. The strong murderous intent is only It can only be exuded from a true warrior who has gone through hundreds of battles and killed many people. Before the exam began, Sektai already regarded Ma Chao as his strongest opponent.
The riding test is divided into two stages: walking horse and horse racing. The horse walking test tests the candidate's familiarity with handling and cooperating with the horse, while the horse racing test is purely a competition of horse power and the candidate's endurance. This test is also what Sektai is determined to win. However, after the exam started, he discovered that he had miscalculated. The Han boy's riding skills were even better than his, and the black horse was far superior to his mount. The final result was that the two of them were in the walking stage of the exam. There was no winner or loser, but in the horse racing test, Ma Chao deservedly won the first place with an advantage of a whole horse head.
Although Sektai was somewhat unacceptable to such a result, his defeat was actually doomed from the beginning. Ma Chao was born in Xiliang, and it can be said that he grew up on horseback. His Taxuewu Long Zuo is the perfect horse to pick out in case of an emergency, and more importantly, Tuxue Wulong Zuo is equipped with stirrups and horseshoes.
The archery test held in the afternoon only tested mounted archery, and mounted archery was originally the strength of the grassland people. Sektai was determined to win the game here, but it backfired. Taxue Wulongzhai equipped with stirrups was easier to control, and Ma Chao's archery skills had been taught by Huang Zhong, and he had perfected his five-arrow volley, and he also won the first place without any suspense.
After losing to the Han boy in two consecutive exams, and in the event that he was best at, Sektai was already depressed to the extreme. When he returned to the post house, he couldn't help but drink to drown his sorrows. His entourage quickly advised him : "Young patriarch, don't worry. Tomorrow will be the final battle. Judging from the thin body of the young man, he will definitely not be the young patriarch's opponent tomorrow. As long as he wins tomorrow's game, he will be the final winner!"
This follower said it right. The most important part of the martial arts exam is the third one, and the third exam is also the bloodiest. The candidates draw lots and fight against each other. Life and death are determined by destiny. No matter how many times you have won before, if you If you can't even save your life if you fail in the third game, naturally you don't have to think about being the top pick.
Sektai gritted his teeth and said: "The Huns were defeated by the Han many times. This time I came to the Central Plains to win the first prize in martial arts and frustrate the spirit of the Han people. I can't say that I will have to kill someone tomorrow and take the victory. That baby’s life is at stake!”
The next day, the atmosphere on the campus became obviously solemn. All candidates must sign a certificate of life and death before entering the venue. Of course, you can choose not to sign, but if you do so, it will mean that you have given up on the exam. Although Yun felt that such an examination method was too cruel, it was the result of a joint negotiation between Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and other examiners, so she did not say much. In the eyes of Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and the others, it was a dead end. It's really nothing, not to mention that such an exam is to select generals for the country. Without this courage, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, it will be useless.
Nowadays, the imperial examination has not yet taken root in the hearts of the people, and most officials at all levels are selected from the children of the gentry. Those who really want to change their lives through the imperial examination are mostly children of the Han clan. In order to find a good background, many of these Han clan children The man gritted his teeth and signed the life and death certificate in front of him.
The next step is to draw lots. This is also the most critical step. There is a lot of luck in it. If the opponent you draw is relatively weak, you can go further. After yesterday's test, everyone has already seen it. Ma Chao and Sektai are the two most powerful opponents. Compared with Sektai who is as strong as an ox, I am afraid that candidates are more willing to meet Ma Chao.
There was no suspense in the first round. The candidate who was drawn to face Sektai directly chose to abstain. This result made the examiners shake their heads. The clerk on the side quickly wrote down the name of the candidate and entered it. In another volume, for this candidate, it will be impossible for him not to take the martial arts examination in the future, even to join the army. For those who dare not even fight, let alone become a general, even if he is just an ordinary soldier, he will definitely not be able to do so. Qualified.
Ma Chao's opponent did not give up. He raised a machete and lunged at Ma Chao with a roar. Ma Chao waited calmly until the candidate rushed to the front. With a tap of his spear, the candidate fell off his horse. The sharp gun The point was pointed at his throat. The whole process was too fast. Except for a few examiners in the stands who nodded secretly, most of the surrounding audience did not see clearly how Ma Chao took action.
In the second round, Sektai finally got the chance to play. As soon as he entered the field, there was an uproar around him because Sektai's weapons were so eye-catching. Sektai was not used to using weapons like other Huns. A scimitar, but his weapon is a thick and large mace. This mace is obviously thicker than an ordinary mace, and the sharp spikes are shining in the sun. From the dazzling cold light, it can be seen from this mace alone that its owner must be a strong man.
Sektai roared, waving his mace and rushed towards his opponent. He was facing a Han candidate with a long spear in his hand. In the first round just now, this candidate only had three rounds. Then he knocked his opponent off his horse and faced the menacing Sektai. However, the candidate did not panic at all. He shook his gun and stabbed Sektai directly in the face. Sektai let out a strange scream and raised his mace. Then it smashed down hard, and the examinee felt his arms go numb, and the spear in his hand flew out with a "whoosh" sound. However, Sektai refused to let go, and swung the mace back to hit the opponent. He swept over from the waist. Fortunately, the examinee reacted in time, rolled over and fell off his horse, and escaped the blow. However, his horse was not so lucky. Sektai struck the horse on the head with a stick, and the horse "chirped" With a mournful cry, it fell into the dust.
Ma Chao's side still decides the outcome in one round. After this year, the anger in Ma Chao's chest has been reduced a lot, and his whole person has matured. If it were in the past, he would definitely draw blood with one shot, but now, two rounds in a row. , Ma Chao always clicks until the end.
After a morning of fighting, after several rounds, there were only eight people left in the school field, and two people lost the lottery. Ma Chao and Sektai were naturally among them, and the outcome was determined in one round. In addition to the two exams yesterday, these two people regarded each other as their biggest rival to win the top prize in martial arts. Just when Zhang Fei stood up and announced that the morning exam was over, Ma Chao and Sektai stared at each other for a moment. , both pairs of eyes are full of fighting spirit.[
After a short break, the eight candidates ate, fed their horses, and returned to the school grounds. Another draw result came out. Ma Chao shook his head in disappointment. He really wanted to see who his opponent would be in this round. It's Sektai, so he can be eliminated early. Unfortunately, God doesn't like it. Sektai's opponent this time is a teenage boy. I'm afraid he will have to pass easily again.