A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Wang Shao glanced at the vice minister who had raised this point; it was none other than Yang Xuangan, the son of Yang Su, a high-ranking official in the court.

"That makes sense. I'll go and ask His Majesty right away."

"My lord, wait a moment."

"Different countries require different treatment. This matter still needs His Majesty's approval. Why don't we discuss it and then submit it to His Majesty together, so as to save His Majesty from having to trouble him again?"

Yang Xuangan stopped Wang Shao, who was about to enter the capital, and offered his advice.

"What Xuangan said is very appropriate, let's do it this way."

Wang Shao had already made up his mind to promote Yang Xuangan. He felt that his current position was too dangerous, but if he left now, he would be in even greater danger without his official position.

He urgently needs a few capable people to help him, and Yang Xuangan's appearance is just in time.

Ministry of War.

After discussion, the officials of the Ministry of War decided to hold the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament to select the most skilled fighters to represent the Sui Dynasty in the competition.

At the same time, a martial arts competition was held within the army to select 100 of the best to fight against 100 winners chosen from the civilian population.

The news caused a sensation among the public.

Although the imperial examination system still exists today, the prerequisite for taking it is that you must also study.

Although there are schools in various places, it is almost impossible to rank among the top in terms of education based solely on those schools.

Only those with extraordinary talent and true genius can stand out.

The majority of people in the world are ordinary folks, and for them, hunting and martial arts are another way out.

Therefore, there are far more generals who come from the common people than those who become officials.

At the founding of each dynasty, there were countless fierce generals who rose from humble backgrounds.

However, the civil officials who truly assisted those great rulers in creating new empires were all already famous before they even met those rulers.

I have never heard of any founding emperor whose followers, who used to throw tantrums and wrestle with him, became a top-notch civil official after constant battles.

Xiao He of the Han Dynasty, an official of the Qin Dynasty;

Zhang Liang of the Han Dynasty served as prime minister of Han for generations;

Deng Yu of the Han Dynasty was a graduate of the Imperial Academy;

Cao Zhi and Xun Yu belonged to a top-tier aristocratic family;

Yuan Zhiju was a renowned scholar from Hebei.

Liu Zhi, the strategist, came from a prominent family in Langya.

Sun Zhi and Zhou Yu were governors for generations.

Let's compare that to the founding generals:

Fan Kuai was a butcher, Guan Ying was a peddler, Zhou Bo made a living by playing the flute and attending funerals, Xu Chu came from a farm, Dian Wei was oppressed by clerks, Zhang Fei made a living by selling meat, and Guan Yu drifted from place to place selling beans...

There were also Guan Zhong, who was promoted from among the commoners; Sun Shu'ao, who was promoted from the sea; and Baili Xi, who was promoted from the marketplace.

Listening to their stories, one might think they came from humble backgrounds, but in reality, they were all from noble or scholarly families. Although they had fallen on hard times, they were still far superior to ordinary people, or they had received an education that ordinary people could not match.

For ordinary people, winning the top prize in this world's number one martial arts tournament would surely bring them into the sights of the imperial court and the emperor. They might even be able to represent the Sui Dynasty in the Hundred Kingdoms Martial Arts Tournament, bringing glory to the country. Their family genealogy would be opened on a separate page, and they might even be granted official titles by Emperor Yang of Sui, bringing honor to their ancestors and changing their social class.

The Ministry of War directly dispatched personnel to various prefectures and counties to supervise the competitions and ensure that the entire process was fair and just.

This matter concerns the lives of several high-ranking officials in the Ministry of War, and no one dares to turn a blind eye to it.

Moreover, the finalists need to go to the capital to compete, and it would be shameful if they couldn't go.

Moreover, this is a martial arts competition, not a literary one. Those who truly have the ability to interfere with the competition are disciples of powerful families. Naturally, they don't care about the rankings in the martial arts competition. What they want to do is directly recruit those who perform well to their side as their retainers.

The Prince of Yan was reluctant to come to court, and the current emperor, Yang Guang, was not a stable ruler. Many people sensed that chaos was brewing in the land.

At this time, these highly skilled and fierce generals were exactly the kind of talent that powerful families needed.

Yang Guang has only just ascended the throne. The foundation laid by Yang Jian is still in place. The corvée labor has not yet begun, the country is not in chaos, and the court still enjoys great credibility among the people. Therefore, many future heroes have set off to participate in this grand event.

Yang Guang's most trusted general, Lai Huer, Yuwen Chengdu of the Yuwen clan, military general Shi Wansui, mid-to-lower-level generals Luo Yi and Zhang Xutuo, as well as future stars such as Wang Shichong, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, Shan Xiongxin, Pei Yuanqing, and Li Mi, all took advantage of this opportunity to step onto the stage of history.

However, some of the better generals were recruited by powerful families at great expense as soon as they showed some promise, and then they were used to represent their families in the martial arts competition.

The Ministry of War would turn a blind eye to such matters. As long as the person could ultimately participate in the competition, they didn't care whether the person represented themselves or any other faction, as long as they represented the Sui Dynasty.

But if the goal is to recruit someone and then simply put them on hold, then one will have to see how ruthless the Ministry of War can be.

Having passed through the selection process of the world's number one martial arts tournament, these generals who would go down in history all shone brightly ahead of time.

Yuwen Chengdu, in particular, wielded a 4-pound gilded phoenix-winged halberd and defeated all the fierce generals in Luoyang. Even Lai Huer, who was by Yang Guang's side, was no match for him and was defeated after only a few dozen rounds.

The top ten from each region were selected to go to Luoyang to participate in the competition. Among them were many generals who were unknown in history. They may have died early in the chaotic world, but in this life they have the opportunity to shine.

Looking at the report brought to him by his subordinates, Yang Guang thought, "I never imagined there were so many fierce generals in the world. Interesting, very interesting indeed."

Looking at Yuwen Chengdu's portrait and battle record, Yang Guang was extremely satisfied. Yuwen Chengdu had now replaced Lai Huer as his favorite general.

Of course, the level of trust is definitely not as high as that of Lai Huer.

"By imperial decree, the winner of the Great Sui Dynasty's Number One Martial Arts Tournament shall be granted the title of Grand General of the Heavenly Treasure Army and awarded ten thousand taels of gold."

"Your Majesty, what about the others?"

The eunuch beside him asked.

"Others?"

"I only need the strongest!"

"Everyone except the first place is a loser!"

Yang Guang said domineeringly, "That's just the kind of person I am. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability."

After the news spread, everyone who was qualified to go to Luoyang to participate in the finals was eager to compete. The temptation of being directly appointed as a general was too great!

Moreover, they had just defeated other local heroes and were full of confidence, each believing they would be the victor.

Among all the heroes under heaven, who else but me?!

Apart from me, they are all worthless and easily defeated!

With these thoughts in mind, they arrived in Luoyang City, each one eyeing the top-ranked player in Luoyang City—Yuwen Chengdu:

Wearing a golden helmet with two phoenixes on his head and a golden chainmail suit, with a face like purple jade, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a wide mouth and square jaw, and a waist ten spans wide, he was majestic and awe-inspiring.