Isolated town in northern border region

The second test is a martial arts test.

The location was moved to the horse farm in the East Garden, where three targets were set up a hundred paces away, with the bullseye only the size of a palm.

The rule is that each person shoots three arrows, and the landing point of the arrows is used as the reference.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Xiao Lie, wanting to see if this highly decorated Northern Frontier King was really as valiant as the rumors suggested.

The written test begins.

Xiao Lie and Sima Chunfeng were not in a hurry, but waited for the other four to go up first and set an example.

After the other four contestants finished shooting, the best result was that all three arrows hit the bullseye, but none hit the bullseye.

Sima Chunfeng glanced at Xiao Lie and stood up first.

Archery is one of the six arts of a gentleman. He practiced diligently for many years, but he dared not say that he could hit the bullseye every time.

After much deliberation, I decided to seize the initiative before Xiao Lie made a move.

If Xiao Lie were to possess unparalleled archery skills, it might cause her to lose her composure.

As he took the bow, someone in the audience whispered.

"This top scholar comes from a military family; he should be skilled in both literature and martial arts."

His bow-drawing motion was indeed very precise, and the sound of the arrow leaving the bowstring was short and clean when he released the string.

The first arrow hit the bullseye, the second arrow was right next to the first, and the third arrow was right next to the second.

The three arrows are in a straight line, squeezed in the very center of the red heart, with almost no gaps.

A round of applause erupted in the arena. Even in Xiao Lie's eyes, this archery skill was above average.

Sima Yuanchen nodded slightly while sitting in the main seat, and several military officers also showed expressions of approval.

Sima Chunfeng let out a long sigh of relief and raised an eyebrow at Xiao Lie in a somewhat provocative manner.

"Hmph! Even if you hit the bullseye, we'll only have a draw at best!"

"By the time of the final strategy discussion, will you, a crude and uncouth warrior, still be able to send another 30,000 warhorses?"

Sima Chunfeng muttered to himself, while Xiao Lie looked at the soft bow in his hand and pursed his lips.

Xiao Lie stepped out, holding the iron-rimmed bow. The bow arms were thicker than those of ordinary bows and were reinforced with wrought iron.

The bowstring is made of a mixture of ox tendon and silk, and when taut, it produces a deep and resonant sound.

He stood still, nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and released the string—the first arrow flew with a sharp whistle, traversing a hundred paces and hitting the bullseye, simultaneously splitting Sima Chunfeng's three arrows that were clustered together in the middle, the broken arrows flying to both sides.

The second arrow followed immediately, hitting the same spot again, splitting the shaft of the first arrow in two and embedding the arrowhead deep into the bullseye.

The third arrow, without any pause, followed up again, smashing the debris of the first two arrows off the target and leaving a fan-shaped trail of flying sawdust.

But Xiao Lie's bowstring did not stop. The fourth arrow, the fifth arrow, the sixth arrow... until the ninth arrow left the bowstring, the three bullseyes had cracked, wood chips were scattered on the grass in front of the targets, and the fragments of the arrows were scattered all over the ground.

A hundred paces away, only one arrow remains stuck in the bullseye!

It was Xiao Lie's last arrow, the fletching still trembling slightly.

The entire room fell silent.

One of the military officers couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

"Nine beads...this is a nine-bead sequence..."

The person next to him lowered their voice and continued.

"In the Jing Kingdom army, there are very few who can shoot three consecutive shots."

"This... the King of the Northern Frontier... is truly valiant!"

Jiang Min watched through the beaded curtain, her chest slowly relaxing.

"He really has brute strength!"

"If you're going to lose the archery contest, you might as well go back to the northern frontier and become a turtle!"

Sima Yuanchen stood up from his seat, walked to the target, squatted down, and looked at the broken arrow shafts. His face was extremely grim.

"What a fine Xiao Lie!"

"That force...it's probably enough to pierce through armor!"

Sima Yuanchen took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and stood up.

"The Northern Frontier King's archery skills are superb; even Chunfeng hit the target with three arrows."

"In my opinion, this game should be declared a draw."

Another commotion erupted from the audience.

Everyone saw it clearly: Sima Chunfeng's arrow was shattered, leaving only Xiao Lie's arrow on the target.

How can this result in a draw?

The Sima family truly has absolute power!

Sima Yuanchen said it was a draw, and no one dared to contradict him to his face.

Even Emperor Jing, seated at the head of the table, pretended not to see it, and simply drank his wine with a smile on his face.

Several military officers had ashen faces. One of the young captains moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but his colleague next to him tugged at his sleeve and made him swallow his words back.

Xiao Lie turned his head and grinned at Jiang Min, pointing at Sima Yuanchen and deliberately muttering loudly.

"That old man has bad eyesight... Oh! No, wait!"

"He must be mentally challenged!"

Jiang Min chuckled through the beaded curtain, making the whole scene awkward.

Sima Yuanchen, being a seasoned veteran of the court, easily kept his composure, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Everyone present instinctively looked down to examine their shoes, afraid of stepping on something dirty and being impolite.

In the end, Emperor Jing, Jiang Jun, tapped his wine cup on the table.

"My esteemed ministers, Minister Sima is of high moral character and prestige; how could we possibly show favoritism?"

"If Minister Sima says it's a draw, then it's a draw!"

"Hurry up and move on to the next round! I can't wait to see how the King of the Northern Frontier governs his country!"

Xiao Lie and Jiang Jun exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.

"What a remarkable Jiang Jun!"

"This skill of using flattery to kill is masterful!"

"This guy's pretty shrewd!"

Jiang Jun seemed to have seen through Xiao Lie's thoughts, raised his glass in a toast, and his smile was exceptionally cold.

The third stage is a strategy discussion.

The topic was personally drafted by Jiang Jun.

What is the fundamental principle of governing a country?

Limited time offer: three incense sticks. No restrictions on format, word count, or genre.

This level truly tests your skills, because there's absolutely no room for shortcuts.

The strategies of the other four contestants were read aloud in turn. Some quoted classical texts, while others discussed ancient and modern times, but none of them stood out.

When it was Sima Chunfeng's turn, his pen hardly stopped.

The ink flowed like clouds and water on the snow-white Xuan paper, the brushstrokes were unhurried, as if it had been written a thousand times.

When he finished writing the last character, the three incense sticks had just burned down to the second stick.

Jiang Jun ordered his strategy to be read aloud in public.

"The foundation of governing a country lies in propriety. When propriety is established, the people are at peace; when the people are at peace, the social order is upright; when the social order is upright, the country is strong. The State of Jing has been established for a hundred years through its culture and scholarship. Noble families pass down their knowledge of poetry and books, the court emphasizes education, and the people know honor and shame. This is why the State of Jing is stronger than other countries..."

It is a lengthy work of several thousand words, rich in allusions, beautifully written, and logically rigorous.

Many civil officials in the hall nodded frequently, and some whispered.

"The top scholar's policy essay is worthy of being passed down through the ages."

Another person chimed in.

Indeed, every word he said was grounded in reality and not empty talk.

Now, all eyes were on Xiao Lie again.

Especially Jiang Min behind the beaded curtain!

After listening to Sima Chunfeng's strategy, she tensed up, her anxious gaze almost setting Xiao Lie's python robe ablaze.

Xiao Lie seemed to sense something as well, and looked up at Jiang Min with a comforting look.

"Don't rush, the bigger one is yet to come!"