"Oh?"
Qiu Shenji was moved and said, "Princess Taiping's eyes are very good. It seems that this boy has some ability to make the Princess think so highly of him. However, cuju and bow-striking are different after all. Your disciple is good at cuju, but he may not be a bow-striking master. "
Unconvinced, Xue Huaiyi said, "I have requested an edict from the Empress to invite you, the archery masters of the Imperial Army, here. I want to let you experience it."
Qiu Shenji smiled and said, "Okay, then let's have a match."
Qiu Shenji waved his hand, and the high-spirited warriors behind him strode forward. Li Dayin and Wei Yong, who were still reluctant to part with Chu Kuangge, also said their goodbyes and ran into the formation.
Qiu Shenji said proudly, "These ten people are the bow-striking masters that I have carefully selected from the sixteen guards of the North and South Offices. This year, they will go to the palace to participate in the competition. Master Xue, I will not be lenient when we fight."
Xue Huaiyi was a naturally optimistic person. He did not care about his strength and always felt that he had the ability to compete with such a strong team, so he said, "That's what I want you to do! Seventeen, Nineteen, you guys get ready too! "
Yang Fan, Chu Kuangge, Hong One, Hong Six, and other White Horse Temple monks who were good at bow-striking also stood up and faced the ten people. The officers on the other side looked at the group of bald monks with disdain on their faces. However, they couldn't show it because of Xue Huaiyi.
Qiu Shenji said, "You guys get ready and fight first. Let me see how good Master Xue is at bow-striking."
His eyes fell on Chu Kuangge, and he said hesitantly, "You … I seem to have seen you before?"
Chu Kuangge stepped forward. He was wearing a monk's robe, but he gave a military salute and said respectfully, "Great General, I am Chu Kuangge. I used to be the Right Guard Cavalry Officer!"
"Ah!"
Qiu Shenji's eyes brightened, and he said, "Chu Kuangge, not bad! I remember you. You were the best bow-striking master in our army. Then how did you … "
Chu Kuangge said sadly, "I offended my superior and was kicked out of the Imperial Army."
Qiu Shenji shook his head, "I see! What a pity! "
His eyes suddenly brightened as he said, "At that time, I was the provincial governor of Dii Province and was beyond my reach. Now that I have returned to the capital, are you willing to return to the Imperial Army? This general can still make this decision! "
Before Chu Kuangge could say anything, Xue Huaiyi had already laughed out loud and said, "Old Qiu, I didn't expect you to learn from Taiping and come to steal my family's corner. Haha, I was just about to ask you to recall Nineteen back to the Imperial Army. However, I can't do it now. He is still a member of the White Horse Temple. No matter what, we can talk about it after the Shang Yuan Ju Competition. "
Qiu Shenji smiled and said, "It's best if Teacher Xue is willing to let him go. Alright, leave this matter to me. "
Xue Huaiyi chuckled and said, "I originally wanted to entrust this matter to you, so you won't be able to shirk it even if you want to. It's not just him, I have a few other disciples who can't focus on worshipping Buddha and want to join the army to be warriors. When the time comes, I'll also entrust this matter to you. We'll discuss this matter in detail later. Quickly let them compete. I want to see how their skills are after these days of hard training! "
The members of the two teams immediately made their preparations. They tightened their leggings, tied their headscarves, fastened their belts, and arranged their saddles.
As Chu Kuangge tied his leggings, he said to Yang Fan in a low voice, "I have left the army for a few years, so I don't know how strong the Ju Masters in the army are now. However, Li Da and Wei San are among them, so they shouldn't be weak. Among us, the only ones who can really fight with them are you and me. When we fight later, we can't be greedy and seek victory. We have to let the others fight with them. It doesn't matter if we lose this time. We can find their weaknesses and continue training. "
Yang Fan nodded and said, "I also think so. Don't worry, if we really want to win, I'm afraid we will lose miserably. Keep your cool and see how capable they are before making any further plans. "
"Okay!"
Yang Fan tidied up his clothes and was about to turn around to tie his ponytail when he saw someone walk over and swiftly tie up his ponytail. Seeing that Yang Fan was looking at him, he opened his mouth and smiled at Yang Fan.
The person who had come was Ma Qiao. Compared to his usual self, he didn't seem to have changed at all, but Yang Fan could see something in his eyes that hadn't been there before. There was a bit of seriousness, a bit of perseverance, and a bit of clarity. Perhaps, after yesterday's words, he had really thought through something.
Yang Fan said, "Your riding skills are not good, so you can't compete today."
"I know!"
Maqiao smiled and said, "I'm not made for this, so it's useless to train. I've thought about it. After the Shangyuan Ju Competition, I will join the army with you. From tomorrow onwards, you will teach me martial arts, okay?"
Yang Fan stared at his eyes for a long time, and the corner of his mouth slowly revealed a smile. "Okay! Tomorrow morning, wait for me at the Pagoda Forest. "
Maqiao winked and smiled. "Are you ready to teach me the Eighteen Falls Stained Clothes?"
Yang Fan glared at him and said unhappily, "When you are eighty years old, I will definitely teach you!"
Maqiao rolled his eyes and said, "When I am eighty years old, what's the point?"
Yang Fan gave a flying kick, and Maqiao let out a "heh" and jumped away.
Yang Fan laughed and put his hand on the saddle. He jumped up and landed firmly on the back of the horse. In high spirits, he shouted, "Go!" and galloped towards the field.
Unexpectedly, the match ended in a draw.
For the Ju Masters of the Imperial Army, this competition was not exciting at all. They had always been the strongest team in the Tang dynasty. Their strongest opponents were the Turks and the Tibetans. Within the Tang dynasty, they had always been invincible. As for the motley crew from the White Horse Temple, they did not pay attention at all.
Therefore, they were lazy on the field and simply treated this as a friendly competition to deal with their errands. In contrast, the people from the White Horse Temple went all out, especially Chu Kuangge and Yang Fan. Chu Kuangge was the number one Ju Master in the Imperial Army, and Yang Fan could even control the light rattan ball with ease. He was even more skilled at playing polo. When the two of them worked together, it could be said that they were a perfect pair. Coupled with the Imperial Army's laziness, they actually managed to tie the game.
Later, the people from the Imperial Army found that there were masters among the monks from the White Horse Temple who could compete with them. When they pulled themselves together and wanted to compete with them, the hourglass ran out and the game was over.
Xue Huaiyi, who was a super fan and a super bad ball player, could not understand the clues. Seeing that his team, which had been trained for less than half a year, had actually tied with the strongest team in the Tang dynasty, Xue Huaiyi was so happy that he could not close his mouth. Xue Huaiyi could not help but say to Qiu Shenji, "How is it, Old Qiu? My team is very good, right? Hahaha! "
Qiu Shenji said with a faint smile, "Oh, not bad. It's really not bad to be able to train to this level in such a short period of time. Are you, the Chief Monk, willing to join the army? If he is willing, I can also find him a position in the army. "
Qiu Shenji's eyes were very sharp. He could see that Yang Fan was indeed very talented in Ju. It was a waste of talent to keep this kind of talent in the White Horse Temple. If he was brought into the army and trained well, he would definitely become one of the best Ju Masters in the Imperial Army. In a team that was already very strong, if there was a super master, the overall strength of the team would increase unimaginably. Maybe the Tang dynasty could change the embarrassing situation of always being the second best.
Xue Huaiyi laughed and said, "What? You even like my Seventeen? You guessed it right. He's one of the few people that I want to ask you to arrange! "
Speaking of this, Xue Huaiyi scratched his bald head and said, "Damn it, I suddenly feel a little reluctant to part with him."
Xue Huaiyi waved his hand and stopped thinking about this problem. He stretched his neck and shouted, "Reception, reception!"
The poor reception monk could not receive the pilgrims in the front hall, so he became the abbot's errand boy. As soon as he heard the shout, he hurriedly ran in front of the abbot and said, "Abbot, what are your orders?"
Xue Huaiyi said, "Go and quickly prepare some good wine and meat. I am very happy today and want to drink to my heart's content with General Qiu!"
This White Horse Temple was a peaceful place for Buddhism. Ever since Master Huaiyi became the abbot, he had already broken all the precepts except for sex. The reception monk was already used to this. After hearing Xue Huaiyi's order, he quickly ran out.
Xue Huaiyi's abbot's meditation hall was very large. The banquet was held in the meditation room. Qiu Shenji and Xue Huaiyi sat on the meditation bed while the others sat on cattail hassocks. There were two rows of tables on the green brick floor. The ten monks of the White Horse Temple sat on the left side while the ten generals of the Imperial Army sat on the right.
Yang Fan was the chief monk of the White Horse Temple. He sat on the chief seat on the left side and was only one step away from Qiu Shenji. Yang Fan's heart couldn't help but pound. He had to pretend to be calm even though his enemy was right next to him.
As soon as the banquet started, Li Dayin and Wei Yong ran to Chu Kuangge's side and respectfully toasted him. Then Li Dayin simply sat next to Chu Kuangge and squeezed in with him. The other generals and officers were very curious about this monk that even General Qiu recognized. After Wei Yong returned to his seat, he told them about Chu Kuangge's background.
Among these people, some of the older ones had never seen Chu Kuangge before, but they had heard of his reputation. When they heard that he was the number one expert in the Imperial Army, several officers stood up and toasted him. Chu Kuangge didn't dare to be careless and quickly stood up to return the salute. Immediately after, these people toasted Yang Fan.
Yang Fan's polo skills were truly superb. Although these officers were proud of their archery skills, they had to admit that Yang Fan's horsemanship wasn't as good as theirs. His ability to seize opportunities was even slightly inferior to theirs. However, as long as his cane touched the polo ball, his ability to use it freely was much better than theirs.
Seeing them toasting back and forth, it was quite lively. Qiu Shenji laughed loudly and said, "Just now, Teacher Xue mentioned to me that after the Upper Yuan Ju Competition, Chu Kuangge will be allowed to return to the Imperial Army. This little brother that you all admire will also return to secular life and join my army. In the future, you will all be fellow brothers. Who knows, you might even become partners in the archery field. Everyone will soon be a family. Why don't you exchange your names and get to know each other?"
When the ten archery masters heard Qiu Shenji's words, they immediately became lively and raised their cups to announce their names. When Yang Fan heard this, he was really shocked. It turned out that more than half of these ten people were the children of prominent officials.
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