The competition was scheduled for the next morning. Takeshita Junichiro and the other two returned to the courtyard of the inn with a special mood.
Xiao Bei happily joined up with the others and began to whisper to each other. Even Li Longji couldn't find a chance to praise him. Xiao Bei was probably immune to praise that didn't have any substantial benefits, even if the person praising him was the current emperor.
"Xiao Bao, what do you think your sister is going to do?" Li Longji could not praise Xiao Bei, so he could only turn to ask Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao did not care about his younger brother and sister's schemes at all. He was waiting for the important figures of the various families and the imperial family in Japan to come over, especially the hardliners. He wanted to send the main leaders to Tang and stay there for three to five years. Japan would completely fall.
When he heard Li Longji's question, he casually replied, "I think Xiao Bei wants to get some benefits."
"That's what I'm asking." Li Longji emphasized his purpose.
"Ask Xiao Bei. Or keep watching. You'll be able to see something." Zhang Xiaobao still did not give the answer Li Longji wanted. In fact, he did not know what his sister was going to do, and he was not in the mood to think about it.
Li Longji was depressed. After saying that he had to go back to deal with the country's affairs, he got up and left.
*****
Early the next morning, the people near Lu Zhou's provincial capital headed to Lu Zhou's stadium in groups.
Lu Zhou's stadium was well built. It covered an area of one million square meters. It sounded big, but in fact, it was just a square that was 1,000 meters long.
There was a reinforced concrete building in the middle. There were several track and field events in it. The football field for the competition was also there. However, due to the lack of technology, there was no ceiling above, and there was no automatic opening and closing glass ceiling.
In fact, it was not entirely because the technology could not keep up. If they did not care about the cost and invested manpower and material resources like the research on cannons and steam engines, it could still be achieved. However, the cost was too high, and it was not cost-effective. If they had the energy, they might as well use it on loading and unloading goods at the docks.
In the middle of the stadium was the football field, and naturally, there was a circle of grandstands around it. Because there was no projection technology, and it was impossible for people to use binoculars, the furthest place from the grandstand was only 150 meters away from the center, and more than 50 meters away from the track outside.
Moreover, the grandstand at the back was not particularly high. It was only four meters high. Just like Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's gymnasium, it was empty below. It could be used as a shop and a changing room.
The reason why it covered an area of one million square meters was mainly because it was located outside the gymnasium. The other areas were all small fields. There were football, basketball, badminton, and even billiard tables for people to play.
Two copper coins could be used to play for two hours. He didn't expect to make much profit, as long as it was enough to cover the maintenance costs of the venue.
Apart from the largest sports stadium, there were also many other places in Lu Zhou that were specially provided for children to play.
Zhang Xiaobao had always felt that countries that were good at sports might not necessarily be good at national strength. However, countries that were at war or had weak national strength would definitely not be good at sports.
Children who were supposed to receive all kinds of training during their normal development period would have a great impact on their health if they could only stay in the school to study every day.
Therefore, they had to invest when it was necessary. Moreover, they did not need much money. More importantly, the money used did not need to be paid by the imperial court. The merchants who could provide all kinds of things for the school would take care of it.
Therefore, the venue was easy to set up. The merchants only needed to find carpenters and craftsmen to help make some sports equipment and put it there for the children to use. As for the physical training of the adults, it seemed that they did not need it. The adults all had jobs. Most of them were involved in agriculture and handicrafts. They did not need any equipment to train their bodies.
What made Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan feel gratified was that the things made for the children were placed there openly. There had never been a case of vandalism. This was an era where morality still existed. From the officials to the common people, no one dared to break the law righteously.
Junichiro Takeshita and the other Japanese were also very envious when they came over. They watched as the children who came over today took a card and went to a house next to them to get a football. Then, they formed a group and ran to the field next to them. Their eyes showed sadness.
The better the children of Great Tang lived, the worse it seemed to the children of their own country. It was about the same in the past, but now, the children of their own country seemed to be living even worse.
Many children had to help the adults do things. They did not have the time to play in peace, let alone have a special venue and equipment.
"Two copper coins for two hours. Do the children of your country have to pay to play?" Takeshita Junichiro asked Xiao Bei who was beside him when he kicked a soccer ball that was accidentally kicked by a child back to the other party. However, he realized that the ball was kicked even further away.
Xiao Bei nodded. "Of course. The maintenance of the venue costs money."
Takeshita Junichiro observed carefully and asked, "Why don't I see any children paying?"
"Because the children don't have money," Xiao Bei answered.
"Then … how do they pay?" Takeshita Junichiro asked gloomily.
"Cards. The cards they hold have money on them. There are patterns printed on them. How much money do they need? When the time comes, they'll pay the merchants who gave them the money. It's a rule that the stadium collects money. It's a benefit that the children don't have to fork out their own money. There's no conflict."
As Xiao Bei spoke, he waved at a child. When the child ran over, he took the card from the child and showed it to Takeshita Junichiro and the others.
As expected, there were patterns that represented one copper coin to three copper coins on the card. The patterns were very detailed. At the very least, the children would not be able to draw it themselves. There was a small line of words at the bottom that said 'Children of Great Tang Lu Zhou'. It meant that the adults had no use for this card. Even if they took the card away from the children, they would not be able to find a place to spend it.
Takeshita Junichiro handed the card back to the child who was waiting there. He asked Xiao Bei, "Can we buy anything with this card? If so, what if a skilled craftsman draws this card for the child? "
"Yes, we can buy anything as long as we have enough money. The child doesn't have to spend it himself. He can buy rice and noodles for his family. However, a child only has that much money a month. The amount of money they get depends on their academic performance and other skills. The best child in Lu Zhou can get 300 copper coins a month at most. Not only are they good at their studies, but they're also good at other things.
If you spend 300 copper coins a month, you might be able to avoid detection once or twice. However, if you spend too many times, you'll be discovered. Once you're discovered, the consequences will be severe. "
Xiao Bei explained confidently.
"What if I make it and sell it?" Takeshita Junichiro was unconvinced.
"How can the child buy it if he doesn't have money?"
"Sell it to the adults and let the child spend it."
"You can try to make it and sell it. You have to ensure that the people you choose to sell it to won't catch you on the spot. More importantly, you have to ensure that their child won't tell the other children. If you're caught, you'll be killed for illegally minting money," Xiao Bei said disdainfully.
Takeshita Junichiro did not continue to discuss this matter. He believed that Xiao Bei had already considered everything that he could think of. He changed the topic and chatted as they entered the stadium.
As soon as they entered the stadium, Takeshita Junichiro and the others heard cheers that sounded like a tsunami. A banner that welcomed the Japanese football team was hung on the stands facing the entrance. They could feel the intense enthusiasm.
This made the Japanese people feel that Lu Zhou's attitude toward them was not affected by the incident that happened some time ago.
Takeshita Junichiro said to Xiao Bei with an embarrassed expression on his face, "Inspector Zhang, I didn't expect the people of Lu Zhou to understand the harm that our people have caused to your country a few days ago."
"Understand? Understand what? Today is a football match. It's a competitive event, and it has to be sportsmanlike. It doesn't involve military affairs or politics. Don't be fooled by the fact that they're welcoming you now. They're welcoming the football match. If Japan doesn't do a good job, they might be welcoming you here while the army is mobilizing outside.
Sportsmanlike spirit knows no boundaries. As long as it's related to sports, there's peace between our countries. If something bad happens in diplomacy, we can use sports to communicate and improve our understanding of each other, especially the perception of the people. "
Xiaobei solemnly told Takeshita Junichiro and the others. Of course, there was something in her heart that she did not say out loud, and that was that the spirit of sports did not discriminate between countries, but the people involved in sports had nationalities and ethnic affiliations.
However, she would not say this out loud. How could she lie if she said it out loud?
Takeshita Junichiro and the others did not know this. When they heard Xiao Bei's words, they could not help but feel inspired. They looked like they were in a daze. Then, the few people led by Takeshita Junichiro became vigilant again. It was not that they found something wrong with Xiao Bei's words, but they had been deceived to the point that they had some conditioned reflexes. Believing what the Zhang Family and the Wang Family said was a very scary thing.
Not believing it was actually very scary. In any case, as long as they had any relationship with the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, they had to be extremely vigilant. Even so, it was very easy to fall into a trap. It was impossible to guard against it.
"Let your people enter the locker room. We've provided you with jerseys and shoes. The numbers are arranged according to your body size. When you go in, you'll see the place where your name is written. There are things that belong to that person inside. If you can't read, you can ask.
Next, let's focus on enjoying the exciting match. Don't think too much. Sports is pure and should not involve other aspects. "
Xiao Bei did not care about what the other party thought. She continued with the introductions and led Takeshita Junichiro and the others who were not participating in the match to the spectator seats.
On the other hand, Takeshita Junichiro was taken aback. When he went back yesterday, he had arranged for thirty people who knew how to play football. Today, he had yet to decide which eleven to send on the field first, and was even more worried about what kind of clothes to wear. In the end, the other party had already prepared clothes according to their figures.
It looked like all 30 people were prepared. Such a perfect and accurate intelligence system was very scary. Sports was very simple, but things outside the field were not simple at all.
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