Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Master Shan, why did you take me to watch a boxing match?"

"I want to be the best warrior in the world, the best in horse fighting!"

Cao Bianjiao said as he reluctantly followed Shan Sinan to the boxing competition ring.

At first, Cao Bianjiao didn't care much about the coach introduced by his uncle. It was only when Shan Sinan showed his true skills that the young man was convinced.

But for Cao Bianjiao, who was determined to become the world's number one warrior, he only cared about horse battles and didn't care about other projects at all.

Shan Sinan's expression became serious, and he reprimanded Cao Bianjiao:

"What do you know at such a young age!"

"Who among the folks who are good at martial arts is not good at boxing?"

"When we watch a boxing match, we want to see the masters among them."

"They may be your enemies in future horse battles!"

Different from the military where weapons are mainly used for training, civilians do not use weapons very often, and more people practice boxing and kicking.

Those who are good at weapons are usually good at boxing and kicking.

Those who are good at horse fighting are also good at boxing and using weapons.

Unlike Cao Bianjiao, who mainly learned horse warfare in the army.

The emperor set up a boxing event in the martial arts competition, and those who were good at boxing and kicking would naturally participate in the competition.

After all, they are not Cao Bianjiao, who doesn't care about anything except the best warrior in the world. These people have to consider their future livelihoods, and if they participate in more events, they will have a better chance of winning the first place in a single event.

For example, Ji Jike, Chen Wangting and others all participated in other events. Ji Jike participated in spear fighting, and Chen Wangting participated in boxing.

Liu Zongmin, who was very strong, signed up for sumo wrestling, while Zhang Xianzhong, who relied on his fierceness to kill, participated in the unlimited full-armor fighting.

Only Gao Yingxiang got Sun Chuanting's promise. Like Cao Bianjiao, he focused on horse battles and competed for the best in the world.

Shan Sinan knew the habits of these folk martial artists, so he took Cao Bianjiao to watch the game and see his opponents in advance.

Looking at it this way, he actually found quite a few strong men. Especially those from Shaanxi, each of them had high martial arts skills and fierce moves, far superior to those from other places. Whenever there were casualties on the ring, most of them were from Shaanxi.

"These people have a lot of experience in the ring!"

"Shaanxi is really ruthless!"

Having heard about the cruelty of the Shaanxi Martial Arts Competition, Shan Sinan was amazed at their attack style.

Thinking about his own lineage of boxing, which was once popular in Shaanxi, he did not dare to underestimate these ruthless people who had emerged from the fighting.

Let Cao Bianjiao watch carefully, Shan Sinan explained in detail, and instructed Cao Bianjiao how to deal with the Shaanxi warriors. Suddenly he shouted "good" and said solemnly:
"Remember this man in the ring, he is your strong rival!"

However, he saw Chen Wangting easily defeat a Shaanxi warrior, realized the trick, and hurriedly reminded Cao Bianjiao.

Cao Bianjiao didn't pay much attention just now, and didn't understand how Chen Wangting beat the man down. He frowned and said:

"What's the harm in this person?"

"Why don't I understand?"

Shan Sinan pondered Chen Wangting's fighting style and explained it carefully to Cao Bianjiao:

"This person's mastery of the technique has reached perfection."

"His opponent just now looked fierce, but he didn't hit him at all."

"This young man surnamed Chen has already understood the essence of the inner martial arts. If you fight him with fists and feet, you will definitely lose."

Cao Bianjiao was dissatisfied when he heard this, but when he thought about the fight between him and Shan Sinan, he could only hold back his dissatisfaction.

Before, he was dissatisfied with the old man Shan Sinan, but when they started fighting, he was easily defeated.

This made him never dare to underestimate Shan Sinan again.

Shan Sinan's boxing is internal martial arts. He said that Chen Wangting understood the essentials of internal martial arts, which must be true.

Cao Bianjiao, who didn't understand these, could only listen to his explanation.

However, the beauty of internal martial arts will never be understood by those who have not practiced it thoroughly.

Cao Bianjiao listened to Shan Sinan's talk, but still didn't understand. He was so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks and shouted:
"Master Shan, stop talking about this and just tell me how to deal with him!"

"What kind of twisting force did you say he used? I really don't understand."

Shan Sinan shook his head repeatedly after hearing this, and realized even more that Cao Bianjiao was not suitable for learning internal martial arts. He sighed and said:

"You don't understand anything, so just follow the old tactics."

"Remember, don't fall into his rhythm, otherwise you might not even be able to hold your weapon!"

Let Cao Bianjiao deal with this clever move in the way he is best at.

Cao Bianjiao felt that he was being instructed, but also that he was not. This made him shake his head and he didn't want to continue.

Shan Sinan felt looked down upon when he saw him like this, which made him feel a little embarrassed, so he said:
"Most folk martial artists don't have proper war horses to ride, so their horse fighting is wild."

"To deal with these people, we can start with riding skills and horses."

"It's just that this method is a bit despicable and not very upright."

"Don't use this method against someone you can beat."

This is the shortcoming of folk martial artists that he realized based on his own experience. After all, the price of horses is too expensive, and ordinary people can't afford to keep them. War horses have higher requirements, and folk martial artists can't get them.

In addition, many of the weapons and armor used in horse battles were controlled by the government. Compared with the generals in the army, their conditions were not even a little bit worse.

So although Shan Sinan felt that Cao Bianjiao's skills were not very good, when it came to horse fighting, there were not many people who could compare to him. After all, Cao Bianjiao had joined the army with Cao Wenzhao and had a lot of experience in horse fighting.

Because of this, Shan Sinan is willing to guide Cao Bianjiao and let him win the title of the world's number one warrior -

If you can't go into battle yourself, just instruct others to go!
After being looked down upon by Cao Bianjiao, he exposed all the shortcomings of the folk martial artists, so that Cao Bianjiao would know how to deal with them during the competition.

After hearing this instruction, Cao Bianjiao grinned and nodded, laughing:
"I understand what Master Shan said!"

"But Master Shan is wrong to say mean."

"When two armies are at war, why should we care about these things?"

"When we meet on the battlefield, it's a fight to the death, it's that simple!"

When Shan Sinan heard this, he frowned at first, then thought about his experience of aiding Korea in the fight against the Japanese invaders, nodded slowly, and said:

"General Cao is right!"

"On the battlefield, it is indeed that simple!"

"You should use the tactics you are good at to deal with all enemies."

He no longer thought about teaching Cao Bianjiao to crack the martial arts of hundreds of schools, but instead taught him to defeat other enemies with the tactics he was best at. Cao Bianjiao then felt that Shan Sinan not only had real stuff, but was also helpful to him. He listened to his advice with an open mind and used what he was good at to deal with various enemies.

Although it was hard to say how much his battlefield strength had improved, his skills in fighting the enemy had indeed improved a lot. No matter what kind of enemy he faced, Cao Bianjiao felt that he could handle it.

After practicing for a few days, Cao Bianjiao felt that he had gained a lot. On this day, he was about to go to watch the game with Shan Sinan, when his uncle Cao Wenzhao suddenly sent someone to call him over and said:
"Don't go to watch the game today. Put on your armor quickly and come with me to be a guard."

"Remember to dress smartly and don't lose face!"

Cao Bianjiao hurriedly put on his armor and asked his uncle as he put on his armor:
"What's up today?"

"Why do you want uncle to be the guard?"

"Aren't there enough big men and generals in the palace?"

There were only his uncle and nephew in the account, so Cao Wenzhao didn't care and whispered:

"The Han generals are just for show, what good can they do?"

"Your Majesty wants people who can fight and fight in battle."

"This is a test for your uncle, me!"

As he spoke, he told the story. It turned out that the emperor was taking a concubine and asked them to serve as guards.

This incident may sound small, but it is a preview.

In the future, when the emperor leaves the palace, he will also be asked to serve as guards.

Cao Bianjiao was overjoyed when he heard this and said:

"I thought His Majesty had forgotten that he had transferred my uncle to the Beijing Camp!"

"I didn't expect that he thought so highly of my uncle and asked him to be his personal bodyguard!"

He put on his armor quickly and tidied his appearance, preparing to show himself in front of the emperor.

Neither he nor Cao Wenzhao thought there was anything wrong with being the emperor's bodyguard.

No matter how great the merits on the battlefield are, they are not as great as the merits of saving the emperor.

Haven’t you seen the loyal Earl Lu Bing? Didn’t he become a hero of the Purple Pavilion because of this?
Today, the descendants of the Lu family are preparing to establish a fiefdom and become hereditary nobles.

So after receiving this order, Cao Wenzhao not only accepted it with joy, but also brought his nephew with him when selecting personnel and let him show up together.

Yang Guozhu, who was transferred to the Beijing Camp at the same time, had the same idea as him. Zhou Yuji and Huang Degong, who were transferred to the Imperial Horse Guard Warriors Fourth Guard Camp, also had the same idea.

These generals in the army were all selected elite soldiers to be on duty as guards for the emperor's marriage ceremony.

The ceremony of enthroning the imperial consort was not as grand as that of the empress, but it was equally solemn. The nobles of the capital held the imperial seal, and the Grand Secretaries Huang Liji and Li Guopu performed the ceremony. In the Jianji Hall, the imperial consort was granted the seal of enthronement.

After being canonized, Concubine Li Tian and Concubine Shu Yuan, led by the eunuchs, paid homage to the Emperor and the Empress.

Zhu Youjian looked at the appearance of Concubine Tian and Concubine Yuan and nodded secretly in his heart. Especially the slender and beautiful Concubine Tian, ​​who was quite in line with his aesthetic taste.

However, after being canonized as the imperial concubine, Queen Zhou suddenly felt unwell and seemed to be feeling nauseous.

Zhu Youjian was so shocked that he hurriedly summoned the imperial physician and asked her quietly:
"Do you feel uncomfortable?"

"If you see that they are uncomfortable, I will accompany you more!"

In the past, the queen didn't say anything on the surface, but she was jealous in her heart.

He knew the importance of the relationship between the emperor and the empress, so naturally he had to comfort the empress and calm her emotions.

When Queen Zhou heard this, she felt better. She forced a smile and said:
"I am fine, I just feel uncomfortable these few days and often feel nauseous."

"Your Majesty does not need to be here. You should go see the newcomers."

Zhu Youjian heard that she seemed to be ill, so he certainly couldn't leave at this time. He sent someone to urge the imperial physician to come, and said to the queen with a stern face:
"Zi Tong, what are you talking about? You are my legal wife!"

"Even if they are new to the palace, they have to accommodate us."

He told the Queen not to think too much about it, and sent someone to inform Concubine Tian and Concubine Yuan that he would go there in a few days.

Empress Zhou felt more comfortable after hearing this, and even smiled a little. However, the feeling of nausea still lingered, which made her suspect that she was sick.

Fortunately, the imperial physician arrived soon, and after examining the queen's pulse, he told her good news:

"Your Majesty, I am so happy!"

"The Queen is pregnant, and it's been a month!"

Zhu Youjian was startled at first, then laughed and said:
"Good! Good!"

"You all have rewards!"

He immediately ordered Wang Chengen to come and reward the imperial doctors. He then rewarded the palace maids in Kunning Palace and told them to take good care of the queen and the child.

As a young emperor who had just ascended the throne, Zhu Youjian was not yet at the stage where he was forced by his ministers to appoint an heir. However, having an heir earlier would make his throne more stable and make his ministers feel more at ease.

Not to mention anything else, after Prince Fu came to Beijing, some rumors in the capital would quickly disappear after Zhu Youjian had a child.

After all, if the emperor has an heir, the heir will be the emperor's descendants. No matter how high Prince Fu is in the order of succession, it would not be his turn under normal circumstances.

The ministers who had previously opposed Prince Fu in the dispute over the national foundation can now feel more at ease.

It can be said that the news of the Queen's pregnancy was a timely relief for Zhu Youjian, which made his position more stable and reduced many of his concerns.

This made him very happy, and he kept reminding the palace servants to take good care of the queen.

At the same time, given that the ability of the doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau was very questionable, Zhu Youjian ordered the recruitment of skilled physicians from the folk medicine community, and selected a location in the capital to open a maternal and child health care hospital, setting up specialized gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics departments to provide health services specifically for pregnant women, postpartum women, and infants.

He hopes to select capable doctors through actual treatment. Whether or not a doctor can cure a disease must be tested in practice.

Zhu Youjian was extremely concerned about this child, and his joy was also conveyed to many people. Many well-informed people in Beijing knew about this matter.

Although it was inconvenient for them to celebrate with great fanfare before the child was born, they still tried to express their congratulations to the emperor in various memorials.

It can be said that the news of the queen's pregnancy has settled the minds of many people. They know that the current emperor's policies will be continued by his descendants.

To put it bluntly, even if the current queen lost her child, her pregnancy meant that the emperor's fertility was fine.

At the age of the current emperor, he will have many children sooner or later. He will not be like Emperor Zhengde, who had no offspring, and almost all his policies were overturned after his death, and few people recognized his achievements.

Because of the Queen's pregnancy, the palace was filled with joy during this period. Many people noticed that the Emperor was much more amiable than before, and the atmosphere in the palace was no longer as serious as before, completely sweeping away the depression brought about by the investigation of the treason case.

This was especially true for the officials in the court. They all put aside their worries about the drought and believed that the queen's pregnancy was not only a happy event for the emperor, but also a happy event for the Ming Dynasty.

No matter what the future holds, there will always be someone to continue the Ming Dynasty!

Most of the people in the capital did not know about this matter. After talking about the enthronement of the imperial concubine for a while, they soon turned their attention to the martial arts conference.

As the competition progressed, strong men from all walks of life emerged. More and more people paid attention to this event. (End of this chapter)