Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 581: Martial Arts Competition
However, the couple and their five friends talked until midnight, but they finally gave up the idea of ​​getting information from Gao Hu.

After all, once Gao Hu put forward the conditions for Zhao Zhen's dependence, Zhao Zhen would have no way to avoid it, so it would be better to maintain the status quo.

After living in the main world for five days, the couple and their four companions did not go out and just played around in the house every day.

That day, Zhao Zhen returned to the fantasy world. Before he sat down, he saw Pei Xuan coming from the side hall. After greeting him, Pei Xuan said, "Sir, Dai Zong came back from Hebei two days ago. Seeing that you were not here, he hurriedly left a letter and returned to Hebei."

Zhao Zhen heard this and took the letter and asked, "Did he say anything?"

Pei Xuan said: "President Dai just said that Secretary Tong's expedition to suppress Tian Hu in Hebei is about to succeed, so Brother Dai Zong asked us to prepare for it as soon as possible."

Zhao Zhen listened, nodded, and quickly read the letter in his hand. Then he handed it to Pei Xuan and said, "Take a look too."

After Pei Xuan finished reading it, Zhao Zhen asked, "What do you think, brother?"

Pei Xuan said: "I never thought that the troops have surrounded Weisheng now. I am afraid that the city will not be far away."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Yes, now Zhang Qing has married Qiongying, and has the help of Shan Shiqi, Dai Zong, and Ye Qing. He has also recruited Zhu Jing and Sheng Ben, and has gathered 5,000 soldiers under his command. Under the city of Fenyang, Dai Zong used the Shaoyang Gong to help Tong Guan break Ma Ling's gold brick magic, and also subdued Ma Ling, Wu Neng, and Xu Jin."

"Now in Weisheng City, there are only the three brothers Tian Hu, Tian Bao, and Tian Biao, the fake crown prince Tian Ding, the fake ministers Li Tianxi and Zheng Zhirui, the fake secretaries Xue Shi and Lin Xin, the fake governors Hu Ying, Tang Chang, Fan Quan and a few other confidants, as well as the imperial guards, the training envoys, the commanders, the generals, the lieutenants, and so on. Although there are still 50,000 to 70,000 soldiers, there is no general to lead the troops."

Pei Xuan said: "Sir, now that the army has surrounded us, Tian Hu will definitely surrender within a month. Should I also make preparations early? After all, Brother Zhang Qing has also recruited so many people, and it would be best if we can bring them back."

Zhao Zhen also nodded and said, "I have the same idea. But his wife Qiongying wants to avenge her father's death and will not stop until Tian Hu is killed. Otherwise, now is a good time to come back."

Zhao Zhen asked Buddha's Hand to take out the map presented by Xu Guanzhong. After the two discussed it, they called the [advance officer] Li San and gave him some instructions. Then he asked Li San to go to Weisheng and inform Zhang Qing, Dai Zong and others that they should not stay any longer after the city was broken and should bid farewell to Tong Shumi as soon as possible. Instead of going through Xingzhou, Mingzhou and Damingfu, they should go north through Qizhou, Shenzhou, Hejianfu, Cangzhou and Binzhou, and then enter Qingzhou.

After all, there is a military commander named Dongfang Hui in Daming Prefecture, who also has a grudge against Liangshan. Although he is not afraid of him, Zhao Zhen does not want to cause any more trouble. Now the most important thing is to stabilize the prefectures and counties in the inner area.

After seeing Li San off, Zhao Zhen asked, "Brother Pei Xuan, the rankings for the civil and military examinations should be decided tomorrow, right?"

Pei Xuan nodded and said, "Today, the chief and deputy examiners Xiao Rang and Kong Hou should deliver the examination papers to you for your review. For the martial arts examination, there are only three competitions left for Lin Chong, Guang Hui, Deng Yuanjue, and Pang Wanchun to decide the top three."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Has anyone ever stood out?"

Pei Xuan said, "I don't know who stood out in the literary examination, but I have heard about the martial arts examination. The most outstanding one in infantry combat is called Hu Qiong, who uses a thirty-six-jin-weight machete. He is from Guanxi and is a good friend of [Heavenly King] Li Cheng. He once served in the Western Army. This person came to Daming Mansion to visit Li Cheng these days. He heard that Li Cheng came to Liangshan, so he came here. He saw the Liangshan martial arts examinee and came to challenge him."

"The other one was recommended by Liang Heng, the military commander of Guangji Army. His surname is Jin, his name is Chengying, and he is from Xingren Prefecture. He can wield a spear on horseback and defeat anyone who comes his way."

"The last person is from Dengzhou. His surname is Mao and his given name is Zhongyong. He was born into a hunter family and uses a steel fork. His martial arts skills are also quite good."

"Among these three, one is good at fighting on horseback, and two are good at fighting on foot. Their martial arts have won praise from Master Lin and Master Guanghui."

Zhao Zhen heard this and laughed, "Sure enough, there is no shortage of heroes in the martial arts world."

"How about we go to the South Camp to meet him tomorrow?"

Pei Xuan heard this and said, "Sir, I'm afraid we have to decide the rankings of the imperial examinations tomorrow before we can go to the military training ground to watch the martial arts."

Zhao Zhen listened and nodded: "In that case, we will wait for Xiao Rang and Kong Hou today to see if there are any learned people."

The two of them were in the living room, drinking tea and talking.

It was not until the time for applying for the exam that Xiao Rang and Kong Hou appeared in the hall of Bai Shi Manor with more than 20 test papers, looking tired.

When Zhao Zhen saw this, he asked Guihua to bring a plate of preserved apricots. After the two of them had eaten, Zhao Zhen asked, "Do you have anyone to help this time?"

After hearing this, Xiao Rang and Kong Hou looked at each other. Kong Hou waved his hand, signaling Xiao Rang to speak.

Xiao Rang saw it and did not refuse. He said immediately: "Sir, the policy papers of these twenty people are quite meaningful. The rest are still too early. If the court recruits scholars, I am afraid they will not even pass the examination. Kong Zhizhou and I think that even if there is a vacancy, these people should not be appointed. At most, they can only be clerks."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen patted his forehead and asked, "Is there anything that can be used?"

Xiao Rang and Kong Hou heard this and said with a smile, "Of course there is."

After saying this, the two men stepped forward and each took out a test paper. Xiao Rang said, "We both think this person will be the first. Sir, you can make the decision."

Zhao Zhen heard this and laughed, "It seems that these two are quite capable. They are the ones who can't make a decision for you two."

Xiao Rang said: "As for writing, I am not as good as these two."

After listening to this, Zhao Zhen looked through both test papers.

Just as Xiao Rang said, both of them have literary talent.

After Zhao Zhen had read it, he asked Guihua and the other two to come forward and remove the names covered. He then saw that one of them was named Ji Yu'an, from Yanzhou, and the other was named Fan Gong, from Qizhou.

Zhao Zhen said to Pei Xuan and Liu Hui Niang, "You guys can also take a look."

After the two of them finished reading, Zhao Zhen asked, "What do you two think?"

Liu Hui Niang was the first to speak: "Good for Ji and An."

Pei Xuan said, "I think Fan Gong is the best."

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Zhao Zhen said, "Let's choose Ji and An. This name sounds auspicious, and it's the first time for this place to hold a formal imperial examination."

"These twenty people will be invited to the South Camp to watch the martial arts tomorrow, and the rankings will be announced afterwards."

As he spoke, Zhao Zhen asked to remove the blank name and pick the youngest one from the last eighteen people as the third. He slightly adjusted the order of the remaining seventeen people and asked Xiao Rang to draft it and use the seal, waiting for Empress Wu to post it tomorrow.

Because the imperial examination rankings were decided early yesterday, the martial arts examination was moved forward to the early morning of the next day.

Early in the morning, Zhao Zhen instructed Li Xiaoer in the kitchen to prepare the dishes carefully for the newly-appointed civil and military candidates to be hosted at a banquet.

After breakfast, Zhao Zhen led his wives and concubines, with 500 brocade-clad followers leading the way, 500 golden spear followers, 500 long spear followers guarding on both sides, 500 armor-breaking axe followers following behind, and the Sandu Qingyuan Guards following closely in the middle, supporting six large carriages pulled by Xiaerma, and Chu Yan and Chu Yuan riding war elephants in the middle. They came to the southern camp with a front cover and a back support.

The common people along the way, especially those who had recently arrived at Liangshan, cheered when they saw such a grand spectacle.

The lieutenant is majestic, his followers are brave and well-organized.

When they arrived at the South Camp, soldiers of all ranks were already lined up on all sides, and outside, many civilians were allowed to come near to watch.

The successful scholar chosen by Zhao Zhen yesterday was also among the invited guests and had already taken his seat on one side of the reviewing platform.

Zhao Zhen got off the carriage in front of the stage and was surrounded by people. In front of him was a silver chair under a red silk and gilded umbrella, and behind him was a row of rose chairs. Everyone sat down.

On the right were the four examiners for today, Lin Chong, Guang Hui, Deng Yuanjue, and Pang Wanchun. On the left were Xiao Rang, Zhu Wu, Pei Xuan, Kong Hou, Jiang Jing, and Wang Gongren, who came to watch the competition. On both sides of the stage, there were thirty pairs of golden drummers, each starting to beat the drums.

After three drum beats, the parade ground suddenly became quiet.

Seeing Zhao Zhen sitting down, Lin Chong and the others stood up and stepped forward. Lin Chong said, "Sir, today we have three warriors, Jin Chengying, Hu Qiong, and Mao Zhongyong, who are very skilled in martial arts. Today we will decide the ranking. Please give the order, Sir."

Zhao Zhen listened and nodded, saying, "To stabilize a place, it has always been necessary to combine civil and military forces. Today we are selecting brave warriors to serve in the army, and you should be diligent in your duties. Today, the army will compete among itself, and there may be injuries, which may be disabling or even fatal, which is not good for the army. Tell all three of you to put on rattan armor and be careful. It depends on the victory or defeat, not life or death."

After hearing this, Lin Chong hurriedly sent people down to prepare.

The generals passed down the orders from the platform, and the red flags were waved early. The gongs and drums on both sides sounded, and a round of beating was launched.

When the drum sounded, Jin Chengying, Hu Qiong and Mao Zhongyong all stood under the gate flag.

Zhao Zhen leaned forward to take a look and saw that among the three people, only one was leading a red horse, so he must be Jin Chengying. The other two, one was over eight feet tall and held a machete in his hand, which must be Hu Qiong. The last one was short and strong, holding a steel fork in his hand, which must be Mao Zhongyong.

After watching, Zhao Zhen said to Lin Chong and others, "Let's ask two people who are good at foot combat to compete first."

Upon hearing the order, Lin Chong took out two command flags, one yellow and one red, and waved them at the three men.

At the flag gate, Hu Qiong and Mao Zhongyong looked at it and laughed, "It's us two who will compete first. Brother Chengying has to wait a while."

Without waiting for Jin Chengying to speak, the two men stepped forward with weapons in hand.

They first bowed to the stage, then the two men got ready and started fighting back and forth on the training ground.

The two generals met and bet on their life skills. After more than thirty rounds of fighting, Hu Qiong was finally more skilled. He saw a flaw in Mao Zhongyong, took a step forward, squeezed in front of Mao Zhongyong, and pushed out his left arm to knock the steel fork out of Mao Zhongyong's hand. He held the knife in his right hand and pressed it against Mao Zhongyong's chest.

When Lin Chong saw them on the stage, he hurriedly ordered the gong to be struck to separate the two men.

The two were invited to the stage. After the greetings, Zhao Zhen asked, "Two brave men, our lord Jin Chengying is an expert in horse fighting. Do you dare to accept the challenge?"

Hu Qiong and Mao Zhongyong both said, "Although we are at a disadvantage, we still fight."

Zhao Zhen nodded and asked someone to invite Jin Chengying up as well.

Zhao Zhen said, "Mr. Jin, Hu and Mao had a fight. You should fight Mao Zhongyong first. If you win, you can fight Hu Qiong later. How about that?"

Jin Chengying bowed and said, "My husband, Hu Qiong and Mao Zhongyong came out before me and fought for a while, but I got the upper hand."

Zhao Zhen said: "On the battlefield, no one can take advantage of anyone. You just need to fight. If you defeat Mao Zhongyong, you will fight Hu Qiong right after that, but it doesn't necessarily mean you are taking advantage."

Jin Chengying said: "Sir, in today's competition, I will use the horse's power. If I win, it will not show my ability. I would rather fight on foot."

Zhao Zhen nodded in agreement.

The three men stepped down from the command platform, and Mao Zhongxiong and Jin Chengying walked to the center of the training ground. After saluting, the two fought back and forth in front of the formation, tumbling and twisting. The two fought for more than twenty rounds, and Jin Chengying knocked the steel fork out of Mao Zhongxiong's hand with a long spear.

On the stands, Lin Chong waved a red flag in his hand, and the war drums on both sides beat together, and another round of beating was launched.

Upon hearing this, Hu Qiong, a subordinate of the flag, drew his sword and strode towards Jin Chengying to kill him.

Seeing this, Jin Chengying used his spear to meet Hu Qiong's broadsword. Both of them were strong men, and they fought back and forth for more than fifty rounds, with no clear winner.

When Zhao Zhen saw this in the stands, he cheered loudly.

Zhao Zhen asked: "Who do you think is better between these two?"

Lin Chong was the first to speak: "Sir, I think Jin Chengying seems to be more skilled in martial arts. Hu Qiong is too strong, so he can't succeed for the time being."

Guanghui and Deng Yuanjue also said: "This Jin Chengying's martial arts is indeed slightly better."

Before he could finish his words, Jin Chengying shouted loudly, and a long spear came out of the cave like a poisonous dragon, and the tip of the spear came towards Hu Qiong's face.

Hu Qiong also raised the big knife in his hand and used all his strength to slash it upwards.

The blade separated the spear shaft, and the knife continued to move to the side. Jin Chengying had already retracted his spear, and took advantage of the momentum to sweep it across the back of Hu Qiong's knife, knocking the knife out of Hu Qiong's hand.

When Hu Qiong saw this, he jumped back and jumped out of the circle.

Seeing that Jin Chengying did not come forward, Hu Qiong bowed and said, "It is indeed I who lost."

All around the parade ground, soldiers and civilians alike cheered when they saw the fight.

Zhao Zhen called three more people up and said, "In this competition, the top three are you three. The first is Jin Chengying, the second is Hu Qiong, and the third is Mao Zhongyong. Jin Chengying will be appointed as the Mizhou Tuanlianshi, and Hu Qiong and Mao Zhongyong will be appointed as the military commanders and will enter the imperial army camp."

After hearing this, the three of them hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Zhao Zhen then called the top fifty contestants of the martial arts examination to come on stage, and after some encouragement, he announced the rankings on the spot.

The fourth to tenth were all granted the position of captain, the eleventh to thirtieth were granted the position of deputy captain, and those above the thirtieth were all granted the positions of chief and deputy captain. Ten days later, they would take the official edict and go to the designated army to take up their posts.

After everyone expressed their gratitude, Zhao Zhen clapped his hands. Tang Long, who had been waiting on the side, led his men forward and presented the vermilion lacquered armor with mountain patterns, the vermilion-topped phoenix-wing helmet, and the red embroidered shirt that had been prepared long ago. He covered them with a curtain and asked everyone to put them on on the spot.

Everyone changed into their military uniforms and came forward to express their gratitude.

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said, "Since you have been granted official positions today, you will be government soldiers in the future. You should do your best to protect this place."

Everyone responded quickly.

Zhao Zhen waved his hand again and called twenty people dressed as scholars to come forward.

"You twenty people are the ones who have passed the imperial examination this time." As he said this, he asked Xiao Rang and Kong Hou to read out the rankings.

Zhao Zhen said, "Xie Yuanji and An are appointed as magistrates of Qiancheng County in Qingzhou. Yayuan Fan Gong is appointed as magistrates of Sishui County in Yanzhou. Jingkui Luo Yonghuai, Ji Xing, and Yu Hao are appointed as county magistrates of Lei Ze in Puzhou, Kouzhou County, and Changle County in Weizhou respectively. Yakui Zeng Bo is the chief clerk of Shouguang in Qingzhou. The six of you will observe the government in Liangshan County for one month before taking up your posts. The rest of you will also observe the government for one month, and then decide to transfer you to other posts based on your performance."

After hearing this, everyone came to thank him.

Zhao Zhen clapped his hands, and Guihua brought twenty maids, each holding a set of red cloud satin official uniform with a curved collar and wide sleeves, two pieces of blue silk with large flowers, and a set of writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone.

Zhao Zhen said: "As officials, you should be honest and upright and serve the people."

Everyone responded in unison.

(End of this chapter)