As soon as Zhao Xingde lowered his head, he saw a pair of big brown eyes looking up, and he couldn't help but lose his mind for a moment.

"Are you looking for this book?" There was a hint of curiosity in those eyes. Zhao Xingde saw that the cover read "Imperial Administration", which was written by Constantine VII, nodded and smiled: "Thank you." He was about to reach for it, but the book was taken back. Zhao Xingde was caught off guard and almost fell off the ladder.

"Strangers come to our country for gold, silver, silk, and furs, why are you studying our court?" With her big eyes revealing an aggressive gaze, she stared at Zhao Xingde tightly, as if she was interrogating a spy.

Zhao Xingde spread his hands and prevaricated: "I'm looking for an answer? ”

"What answer?" The thick eyebrows are curved into two arcs, which makes them even more aggressive. Zhao Xingde was helpless, and said slowly: "The answer to how to let the ancient civilization continue its traditions and not be trampled on by the barbarians." I don't know if there was a slight sigh in his tone, which caused the resonance of his big eyes, and his gaze also revealed a hint of gloom, and he said in a low voice: "Stranger, maybe the answer you want is not here." The slender hand that had been holding the book hung down weakly.

"We have a saying there that it is the stone of the mountain, which can be used to attack jade. Ancient civilizations may be flawed, but they should not necessarily disappear completely and be replaced by barbarian civilizations. Zhao Xingde said lightly, "It shouldn't be broken into the house by a gang of robbers, killing people and setting fires." He held out his hand and said, "Excuse me, can you borrow this book?" ”

The girl seemed to be awakened by Zhao Xingde in contemplation, handed the book to him, didn't say anything more, turned around and slowly left, her dark brown hair was coiled behind her head, and the soft sunlight sprinkled on her slender back from the skylight.

Zhao Xingde watched the white dress disappear outside the gate, sighed, and looked down to read the "Imperial Administration" written by Constantine VII, the emperor of the Lumei Kingdom reigned for forty-six years, and was particularly enthusiastic about the study of the imperial system and ceremonies, and when he reigned, the Lumei State was about to reach its peak, and it gradually showed the precursors of collapse.

The treasures of the library are not allowed to be taken out, so Zhao Xingde brought his own paper and borrowed the library's quill pen to copy it. For convenience, he jotted down only important passages. Reading and translating, the left hand is the original volume of the Lumei script, and the right hand is the Chinese character line. Unconsciously, I was hungry and thirsty, and when I looked up, the red sun was setting in the west, and the thirteen golden domes of Hagia Sophia reflected the brilliant brilliance, and then I got up and returned to the barracks.

Stepping into the Praetorian Guard barracks, I immediately saw three or five Rus' people standing in the courtyard, shouting and shouting, with a very arrogant attitude, and a group of Xia soldiers surrounded them in the middle, and the crowd was excited. "What's going on?" Zhao Xingde asked Jian Cheng with an angry face.

Jian Cheng said in a deep voice: "These people have nothing to do, they come to the door to compete in archery, and compare with us to shoot apples." "That's it!" Zhao Xingde blurted out, "It's all bullying." "Since he came to the army, his temper has also grown, and he is not as humble as he used to be when he was in Taixue. Next to Du Blowhorn, he replied in a low voice: "These barbarians are playing with their lives, and they agree that each side will have one person on each side, put the apple on their heads, and let the other party shoot, and the two sides will take turns to get an arrow and an arrow, and gradually retreat, whether it is the target who is afraid of death and moves first, or the first to shoot can't hit, even if they lose, in the future in Lumei City, when they meet each other, they have to crawl and walk." ”

"His grandmother's, if he loses his life, he can't be ashamed." Jian Cheng raised the bow bag in his hand, and did not discuss with Zhao Xingde, and said in a loud voice: "I'll compare, which of you will fight?" After speaking, he strode up, and Zhao Xingde didn't stop him, and asked, "Where is Captain Duan?" Chen Yongqi replied: "Captain Duan went to meet the emperor with the ministers of Lumei Kingdom, and he has not returned yet. Zhao Xingde nodded, it seems that this group of Rus people saw the opportunity to provoke.

The sergeant standing in the center of the field got out of the way, and one of the three or four Rus seemed to be the leader, and when he saw that the sergeant of Xia Guo was in response, he grinned, took out an apple from his pocket, motioned for Jian Cheng to put it on top of his head, and stood in front to make an arrow target. Jian Cheng was about to take it, but Zhao Xingde said loudly: "Slow! Tearing away the crowd and walking to the front, he shouted in a deep voice: "Who will be the target first, do you have the final say?" Why don't you guess the coin, who loses, who will go to the target first? He spread out his palm, and a gold coin with reed eyebrows appeared in the palm of his hand, with a bust of the emperor on the front and a holy virgin crowning the emperor on the back.

This Rus' people are rough and arrogant on the surface, but they are cunning on the inside, if Jian Cheng goes straight to the top apple, he will earn a hand from the Xia people, and the first arrow will go to Jian Cheng's face door, see if he moves or not. Seeing Zhao Xingde's proposal to guess the front and back of the gold coin, he knew that he was on guard, and was groaning, Zhao Xingde ordered Du Fujiao again, Du Fujiao went to find Wang Tongdeng, Wang Tongdeng with thirty or forty sword and shield hands around the door, this scene is no longer a battle of will, if the Varyag people really dare to poison the hand, Zhao Xingde will come out of this head, chopping these three or four people into meat sauce.

When the Rus' saw this, they repented and said, "I don't know how good your archery skills are?" Let me go to the top of the apple, what if I miss? ”

When Jian Cheng heard this, he realized that he had been earned by this barbarian, and scolded angrily: "Uncle's archery skills are ten times better than yours, simply, you and I are a hundred steps apart, face to face with arrows, never die, grandpa blinks his eyes, this abbreviated word will be given to your surname!" He felt that he had lost face, and he almost threw his fist at these Rus' barbarians.

The soldiers of the Xia Kingdom all around him surrounded him, and the face of the Ross changed slightly, and he shouted with courage: "We just want a fair competition, do you want to win with more?" ”

At this time, the situation has changed from being aggressive to passive, Zhao Xingde smiled slightly: "Don't be afraid, my etiquette in Daxia, entertaining guests, has always been a little warm." He put the gold coin in his mouth and bit it, as if he had just pulled it out of the dead man's pocket, and said in a deep voice, "Guess the coin, who will go to top the apple first?" Or, what better way do you have it? ”

The Rus' looked at each other, and they discussed with each other for a while, and finally decided that their trusted companions would carry the apples. Jian Cheng asked Chen Yongqi to help him, and arched his hand to Zhao Xingde: "Zhao Dutou, I don't need you to end up, I can teach them a lesson." Zhao Xingde smiled and nodded, the archery skills of the soldiers of the Xia Kingdom, he was extremely confident, these Rus people actually came to compete with the Xia people in archery, it was a humiliation.

However, as the competition of arrows and arrows grew, Zhao Xingde's eyes gradually became solemn, and the archers brought by the Ross people were extremely accurate, and each arrow was as light as a weight, and it looked like it had spare strength, and it shot through the apple cleanly. His companion also had great faith in him, and the long arrow came to his face with a strong wind, and he didn't blink his eyes, and the apple above his head did not move.

On the contrary, it was Jian Cheng, although the archery was accurate, but after all, the apple was on the head of his comrade, and if there was a slight mistake, he would regret it, and as he retreated step by step, his breathing became deeper and deeper, although each arrow pierced the apple, but the arrow path was not as stable as the archers found by the Rus. Chen Yongqi was still very calm at the beginning, but after more than a dozen arrows, the corners of his forehead were slightly sweaty, and the apples on his head shook slightly. The person who shoots the arrow and the apple, the psychology of the two sides affects each other, Zhao Xingde saw that these two people were like this, and secretly pinched a sweat, and secretly said that he still underestimated the enemy, and this Rus must rely on this archery master and his partner to have the courage to challenge.

When the seventeenth arrow was shot, although Jian Cheng shot through the apple, his head was slightly off, and the arrow cut through the top of Chen Yongqi's head, and blood flowed down his forehead, blurring his eyes, Chen Yongqi still gritted his teeth and remained motionless. The archer's archery is most peaceful, and Jian Cheng's mood has already appeared a little chaotic. A sneer flashed at the corner of the mouth of the archer of the Rus man next to him, and he raised his hand and bent his bow and arrow, and shot an arrow like a cloud, and the long arrow snapped, and it was inserted into the apple, and flew away with the whole apple.

Looking at Chen Yongqi, whose face was covered with blood, a trace of gloom flashed in Jian Cheng's eyes, and he was about to forcibly open the bow, but Zhao Xingde saw that something was wrong, and said in a deep voice: "Wait." He stepped forward and said to Jian Cheng, "Calm down, your archery skills are far better than those barbarians." He looked up and said to Naros, "The companion of this apple has been slightly wounded, let him bandage it, and I will take his place." After speaking, he didn't wait for the Ross people to object, so he walked to the shooting range, patted Chen Yongqi on the shoulder, ordered him to go down to deal with the wound, put the apple on top of his head, and adjusted his breathing with his eyes and nose and nose. He has been cultivating himself and cultivating his mind all year round, and he is standing there calmly at the moment, with a calm momentum of his own, which unconsciously infects others.

Zhao Xingde himself is also the leading archer in the Chengying Battalion, and he dares to personally use the apple as a target, so he naturally has great confidence in Jian Cheng's archery. Not only Jian Cheng, but even the sergeants who were watching from the sidelines secretly put down their hanging hearts. Jian Cheng took a deep breath, his right hand was full of tiger bows, his thumb was released, and with a "snap", the arrow penetrated the apple with a strong wind, Zhao Xingde only felt a shock on the top of his head, felt a slight coolness, and licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue, yes, the apple juice is still quite sweet, and a smile appeared on Jian Cheng's face.

After that, the situation of arrow after arrow was different, as the distance was extended, the advantage of Jian Cheng's tiger eagle bow was revealed, his arrow path was straight, and the arrow path shot by the Rus archers became more and more curved, and in the end, it was almost oblique down to insert the apple, and when it was also inserted into the companion's heavenly spirit cover, the Ross archer took the initiative to admit defeat. In the coaxing of the soldiers of the Xia Kingdom, he left in disgrace.

"Zhao Dutou, thank you." After the sergeants cheered, Jian Cheng stepped forward and thanked Zhao De, who was biting on the apple. After shooting so many arrows, he still felt a little scared at this time. Now that I think about it, the archer and his companion who came to compete must have been the masters of this art that the Rus were deliberately looking for. Zhao Xingde smiled slightly, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a low voice: "It's nothing, I can trust you." Before the two men could say a few more words, they were surrounded by the sergeants who had come over them.