In the fifth year of Xianqing (660 AD), the 24th day of the 11th month of winter, two o'clock in the afternoon.

Outside the east gate of Xuzhou City, all kinds of flags are fluttering, and swords and spears are lined up. The black pressed human heads, the cavalry guards lined up, and the aura of slaughter was permeated. Along the city wall of Xuzhou, three rows of war drum military vehicles, varnished solid wood drum frames, and 12-inch war drums are placed.

The drummer stood on the chariot, holding the drumstick with both hands, waiting for the military order of the Dragon Flying Pavilion. The so-called Longfei Pavilion is a temporary high platform, or a martial arts platform. Li Jiu was dressed in military uniform, leading hundreds of civil and military officials to participate in the grand event of martial arts.

Every autumn and winter in the imperial court, at a specific time, there are large-scale martial arts. When the army marches out on the march, or the troops triumph, the emperor must speak of martial arts. The purpose was to test the troops, improve the morale of the troops, and show off their strength to the vassals, which was actually a big military parade.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, no matter which dynasty, military parades have been a tradition. The time is mostly in autumn and winter, and it is necessary to bypass the ploughing and autumn harvest. The earliest military parade in history was before King Wu conquered the war, convened the princes of Zhou State, and held a meeting in Mengjin to watch the troops.

The Tang Dynasty regarded military parades as military training, which was extremely demanding. Tang Law stipulates that if the guards participating in the parade fail without reason, they will be flogged with 50 whips. The generals were even worse, they had to take sixty sticks and have to be lowered in rank.

What impressed Wu Kang the most was that this year's merger of states was a martial arts, and the scale was not inferior to that of later generations. The pacification of Helu Duman, Li Jiulong, and Yan Dayue, and the choice of merging the state for military parade have a strong political connotation. Bingzhou is Longxingdi, and Li Yuan raised troops in Taiyuan; It was also Li Jiu's fief, and he was once named King of Jin.

The corona pointed to noon, Li Jiu passed the military order, and soon the war drums sounded in unison. A drum swore an oath to everyone, and everyone was in good spirits when the military parade was to begin. Wu Kang guarded Li Jiu, his eyes did not squint, but his heart was not here, and he flew to Shuyu's house in the city.

The tragic death of her beloved eldest grandson Lin completely crushed her, and she was in a state of confusion all day long. All the efforts made in the past to enlighten her have come to naught. Every time she came to visit, including sneaking in at night, she avoided it. What's even more helpless is that her daughter didn't see each other, and said that she would discuss Daddy.

Just five days ago, Li Jiu was hunting Ziyun Mountain, and Wu Kang was full of interest, and finally had the opportunity to meet. It's a pity that Ziyun hunting has subverted the three views, and it feels very barbaric. Set fire to the mountain on three sides, force the prey out of the mountain, and shoot it by the hunters guarding the mountain.

The impression of Li Jiu was also completely refreshed. Wearing a battle armor uniform, he shoots with a bow across a war horse, and his archery is also very accurate, shooting a lot of prey, just like a strong general in the army. Wu Kang originally thought that his writing was very good, and he was a sick scholar, but he didn't expect to be both civil and military.

During the hunting, there was an unexpected surprise, and three wild boars ran out, all of which were above 400 catties. Li Jiu was not afraid, calmly set up a bow and shot an arrow, but did not hit the vital point, completely angering the wild boar. The second brother of the pig was enraged, and his power was comparable to that of a tiger, and he could crash into a war horse.

Wu Kang performed his duties, holding a thousand cattle knives in both hands, and driving the charge of the fighting horse. Between the lightning and flint, the boar's head was cut open, and the war knife was forced to let go. The crazy second brother pig ran wildly with a war knife, ran more than forty steps, and finally planted himself on the ground.

The three armies cheered, Li Jiu applauded, and Aiqing was really brave. Wu Kang was lacking in interest, collected thousands of cattle knives and returned them to the sheath, and joined the hunting army. Find your target quickly, the cute little white rabbit, the favorite of the princess of Xincheng.

There are two kinds of hares, grass hare and snow hare, the grass road is the most common, and the fur is grass gray. Snow rabbits are white rabbits, mainly distributed in the northeast, near the Great Khing'an Mountains, and also in the Sanjiang Plain. The Central Plains is extremely rare, regarded as auspicious by the imperial court, and the horse of Qin Shi Huang is named after the white rabbit.

Wu Kang went crazy in an instant, he didn't bother to protect Li Jiu, and rode his horse to chase after him. After chasing out about four miles, Dou Cheng suddenly became powerful and opened his mouth to bite the white rabbit. Carrying the auspicious handover, Li Jiulong Yan Dayue, holding reluctant to let go. The ministers are like a tide, and the guards are mighty.

Li Jiu hugged him for a long time, and suddenly rewarded Wu Kang, which made him ecstatic. When the hunt was over, he offered treasure in front of the jade tent, but was stopped by the guards. The palace people went in to report, but they were disappointed, and they said they didn't want to, and asked him to get out immediately.

This basin of cold water was splashed, Wu Kang's heart ached, and he was in a daze. I don't know how long it took, Er Ya ran to the front, didn't give a good face, and hugged the white rabbit into the account. Mei Niang was angry in her heart, and sent someone to invite him into the account, splitting her head and covering her face to reprimand, as if she hated iron but not steel.

Depressed to this day, I feel that I have nothing to love, and suddenly my back is stabbed, and my soul returns to my shell in an instant. If the memory is not bad, there is Li Yifu behind him, which is interesting enough, brother. At this moment, the drums sounded again, and the guards quickly lined up, ready for the review.

Half an hour later, three war drums sounded, and the parade officially began. With the regiment as a unit, each regiment has 300 people, led by the captain of the regiment, and the school is in the center of the martial arts. First of all, the cavalry phalanx, the knights held horse lances, drilled thorns, picking, etc.

The so-called horse lance is an ordinary spear, with a length of about more than zhang, and the Tang army is generally equipped. Unlike what later generations said, it is soaked in oil with Zhemu strips and wrapped in oil with hemp rope. It is also called its elastic rod, blown into a noble weapon, blown into a priceless market, not so mysterious.

At the end of the cavalry drill, the infantry phalanx went on the field, holding various weapons and practicing various formations. The most commonly used weapons are spears and horizontal knives, and the most terrifying weapons are the legendary Mo knives. In Wu Kang's opinion, that's just the case, a giant long knife.

The Mo knife is about two meters long, with blades at both ends and an unusually sharp tip. Slightly longer than the Thousand Ox Knife and weighing less than ten catties, it was used to restrain cavalry. If one person has one sword, it can't be broken, and the Modao army relies on formation. The knife hand advanced like a wall, and the means of attack was stabbing, and a large number of Mo knives stabbed together, and the enemy riders were shattered.

Of course, the Modao team is the most elite, and not every guard uses ten-pound weapons. The most common horizontal knife weighs no more than one and a half catties, and long weapons such as guns and lances weigh no more than three catties. The horizontal knife used by Wu Kang weighs about five catties, and the Qianniu knife used weighs more than three catties.

The double hammers of all Dian Wei, Guan Yu's glaive knife, Yue Yun's double hammers, etc., weigh one hundred and ten catties at every turn. Literature is exaggerated, and it will only appear in the inside, not on the battlefield. No matter how fierce a strong man is, he can't dance a hundred catties of war knives for a long time.

The cavalry drill ended, and the left and right armies began to face each other. Su Dingfang marshal the left army, swinging straight and round sharp formation; Zhang Yanshi commanded the right army and placed a sharp and straight round formation. The infantry faced each other three times, simulating battlefield fighting, and the program worked very well. Then the formation changed five times, and the two armies crisscrossed each other, and the scene was spectacular.

Wu Kang locked on Zhang Yanshi, this old guy is not simple, the official worships the general of the Zuo Guard, and inspects the military affairs of the Zuotun camp. His eldest brother Zhang Jian and his brother Zhang Daliang were both famous generals in the early Tang Dynasty, and they were also brilliant. The Zhang family has a nickname, known as the three halberds of the Zhang family, and the three of them are all halberds.

The halberd is a long wooden halberd, wrapped in a red and black thread, which is a symbol of status. For officials above the third grade, the imperial court rewards halberds, similar to glorious military families. Usually stand outside the gate of the house, and use it as a ceremonial staff when traveling. Wu Kang was the first Qianniu general, from the military attache of the third grade, the imperial court rewarded one, and stood in the Xiuzhenfang martial arts house.

When people pass by, they will show awe on their faces and consciously keep quiet. However, when traveling in Wukang, he has always ridden lightly and never used it to open the way. The wind and sun outside the pestle door have always been too lazy to take care of it, and it is estimated that it is rotten. When I return to Cheng'an, I will find a change in the imperial court, after all, it is a matter of face.

At the end of the infantry battle, the cavalry began to fight, advancing and retreating for five rounds, each returning to their positions, and the drill officially ended. The program worked very well, the military formation was unusually neat, and the guards were in good spirits. Li Jiu was complacent, the ministers applauded, and Wu Kang also applauded.

The guards are full of spirit and can order and prohibit, and can be called a strong soldier in a hundred battles. If you think about it carefully, it is the early Tang Dynasty that the national conditions have long been and the folk customs are extremely strong. The common people advocate force, and the country advocates expansion, which can be called reckless force.

The government soldier system is adopted, that is, all the people are soldiers, and each ding is divided into 100 acres of land, and they are soldiers in peacetime and war. If the defender has made meritorious service, he will enjoy special treatment, and his family will have no worries about life. Therefore, the ordinary people do not reject war, and even yearn for it.

The military regulations are also extremely harsh, with 17 prohibitions and a total of 54 beheadings. Failure to answer the roll call, being late for assembly, stealing other people's property, and forcing women to commit adultery. Not only will I lose my head, but I will also affect my family. Wu Kang secretly thought that the current Tang Dynasty was militarism.

At the end of the exercise between the two armies, Li Jiu issued a royal order to review the archery of the three armies. Archery is not a show, and the horse has three arrows and six arrows, and it cannot be dealt with at will. The left and right armies, the ammunition is the unit, and the cavalry shoots first, and each cavalry shoots three arrows.

The requirements are very simple, in high-speed movement, shoot a fixed target. Regardless of the number of rings, two arrows hit the target, even if it is qualified. There is a special person to supervise, shoot the target, and beat the drum to signal. Shooting targets on horseback, to be honest, is difficult, it is necessary to be a professional cavalryman.

The shooting was orderly, Wu Kang was engrossed, and he quickly pulled out a smile. The cavalry of the fifth regiment fired, and the unqualified knights turned out to be less than half of them. The Flying Dragon Pavilion erupted in applause, the bigwigs were in a happy mood, and Li Jiu smiled.

When it was the turn of the infantry to shoot at the target, the rules were similar to those of the cavalry, each person shot six arrows, and four arrows were qualified on the target. In the army of the Tang Dynasty, the war bow is standard, with one bow and fifteen arrows. The guards of the Zhichong Mansion can shoot arrows with bows and shoot enemy soldiers.

Of course, compared to the archery team, it is still slightly inferior, after all, it is not professional. The results were shocking, and there were very few unqualified ones. The atmosphere was pushed to a climax, the three armies shouted mightily, Li Jiu laughed loudly, and the ministers praised it.

The strength of the soldiers, the leopard in the tube, can be seen. Wu Kang's mind was racing, and he quickly understood that the guards could pull their bows, and Tang Lu was a great contributor. Tang Law stipulates that gambling is a crime, but there are exceptions. The use of bows and arrows to gamble, the imperial court not only did not punish them, but encouraged them.

Tang Lu specifically stated that archery belongs to martial arts, and even if it is a game of money, it does not violate the law. Therefore, the common people, the guards in the army, in order to gamble to their heart's content, will practice archery hard. To a certain extent, Tang Lu is the driving force behind the toughness of the Tang Army.

After the cavalry and archery drill, the guards competed in the school. Representatives of the arms were sent to fight in order, and the firefighters waved their flags and shouted. All weapons, wrapped in oilcloth, do not injure anyone. Dip it in quicklime and hit the opponent to leave a white mark to judge the winner.

The drums of war were beating, the cheers were thunderous, and the competition was fierce. Wu Kang was very interested, admired the school fight, and soon fell into it. I don't know how long it took, when I heard a familiar voice, I immediately turned around and saluted: What did Your Majesty command?

Li Jiu looked at him, swept the tooth marks on his throat, and his old face was a little embarrassed. Covering his mouth and coughing a few times, he lowered his voice and said: "Xincheng has a bad temper, so you will be more responsible." Yesterday, your sister came to me to cry again, and I was caught in the middle, in a dilemma. ”

Wu Kang didn't dare to say again, you Li family, I can't afford to offend. After pondering for a moment, he whispered: "Actually, I don't blame her, she is angry with me for the death of the eldest grandson Lin." If you can be forgiven, let alone a few bites, you can cut off your hands and feet. ”

Li Jiu is very satisfied, even if you are a kid, I love Shuyu the most. Wu Kang saluted again, and his words were full of apologies: "Your Majesty has a lot of opportunities, and the trivial matters of the ministers are really unforgivable to worry about Your Majesty. In addition, I beg your Majesty to forgive the minister's sister, she is very affectionate. ”

Open her eyes and talk nonsense, if she values family affection, she will not belittle the martial arts brothers. Li Jiu was noncommittal, and said with a pretentious matter: "Mei Niang has always been steady, but when it comes to you, she will lose her mind." But change, don't be sad, when I have time, I will enlighten the new city. ”

Wu Kang sincerely thanked him, but he was complaining in his heart, I guess your enlightenment is useless. What Shuyu hates the most is you and me, she doesn't dare to clean you up, she can only clean me up. Cold violence is even more of a headache, I'll take the blame for you, you kill a thousand knives.

Li Jiu pondered for a moment, untied the jade pendant on his waist, and stuffed it into Wu Kang's hand: "Aiqing is depressed in my heart, it is best to vent it, and it is the best time to talk about martial arts today." You set up the ring, and the jade pendant is the color head, challenging the warriors. ”

Precious mutton fat jade, the emperor's personal belongings, the color head is big enough. Wu Kang couldn't help but itch his hands, seven or eight days of depression, he should vent it, otherwise he would have to suffocate his illness. Gripping the jade pendant tightly, he nodded heavily: "Your Majesty's command, the minister does not dare to disobey." ”

Li Jiu decisively gave the order, the war drums beat again, and all the guards lined up. Wu Kang was dressed in battle armor and came to the middle of the school field, and the jade pendant was handed over to Qian Shun. Untie the Qianniu knife, tie the scabbard with silk cloth, and put the long knife and pestle on the ground, in a standard guard posture.

Qian Shun held up the jade pendant and shouted in his voice: "This is Your Majesty's jade pendant, it is the color head of the competition, the general of Zuo Qianniu Mansion, and he is in the ring here." All the robes present, anyone can play, defeat my general, and you can win the jade pendant. ”

caused an uproar, and the Wu camp took the lead in shouting, detonating the three armies in an instant. In less than two minutes, the challenger came, a big man, dressed as a forbidden army. The two sides saluted each other, and the big man reported to himself: "Captain of the Right Tun Battalion, Li Dazuo challenges." ”

The right camp is forbidden to the army, and the cheerleaders become cheerleaders in seconds, all shouting and cheering. Li Dazuo was encouraged, Zama raised his horizontal sword, grinned, and his face was full of provocation: "General Su Wenwu, every battle is the first soldier, comparable to the evil of the ancients." Dazuo is beyond his means, please ask the general for advice. ”

Chu Shenke held the basin, Pinglang held the silk cloth, and the scabbard was smeared with lime. When the field was opened, Wu Kang held the knife in both hands, and the blade of the knife was raised above his head. One meter and seven thousand cattle knives, pestle like a lightning rod. Li Dazuo's face sank, and he asked with a strange temperament: "The general's sword goes out to battle, and he doesn't take the scabbard, do you underestimate the right camp?" ”

They are all bloody men, and the right camp exploded and shouted loudly. In fact, it is understandable that the weight of the scabbard is much heavier than that of the tarpaulin. The Qianniu knife weighs three catties, the scabbard weighs more than two catties, and weighs nearly six catties, which is not used on the battlefield.

The general of the left guard, Zhang Yanshi, arrived, and the scene was quickly quiet. The current Beiya Forbidden Army is still relatively chaotic, and Li Jiu did not establish the Yulin Army. There are no generals in the forbidden army, and the captain has the highest official position, and all the military affairs of the camp are inspected by General Zhuwei.

Zhang Yanshi looked at Wu Kang, his eyes flashed with approval, and he cleared his throat and shouted: "Your Majesty has an edict, Zhang is not talented, and he is presiding over the ring competition." The weapons of both sides are optional, and there is no limit to horse battles, and the one who is hit first is defeated. His Majesty specially explained that he should not hurt the harmony until the point was reached. ”

The guards applauded one after another, Zhang Yanshi was old and had great prestige in the army. Wu Kang accepted it calmly, looked at Li Dazuo and said: "Brother Li doesn't know, this sword is given by His Majesty, and he will fight on the battlefield with me, and there are countless souls under the knife." This thousand-cow knife will see blood when it comes out of the sheath, so it will not be wrapped in cloth. ”

This forced pretense is very big, quite martial arts, and after a short silence, it bursts into a full house. The sixteen generals of the guards, some of them showed disdain, and some of them were solemn. Especially Su Dingfang, as well as the generals who had fought side by side with Wu Kang, nodded and praised.

Li Dazuo didn't say anything more, Yao Yao rushed over, and raised his knife to split Huashan. Wu Kang frowned slightly, the so-called Beiya Forbidden Army, sure enough, embroidered pillows. Without the baptism of actual combat, and there is no bloodthirsty atmosphere, if it is put on the battlefield, it will be given away.

The moment the horizontal knife was raised, his feet acted decisively, and his steely body was more flexible than a cunning rabbit. The blade was at a gallop, passing by him, flashing out two positions.

The two sides were back to back, Wu Kang's wrists were turned down, a thousand cattle knives were pestle, and his body was as tall as a green pine. Looking at the sky at 400,000 degrees, the corners of his mouth pulled out mockery, as expected. The so-called forbidden army is to embroider pillows, saying that they are weak chickens, that is an insult to weak chickens.

Li Dazuo lowered his head and looked at the white marks on his chest, his face full of incredulity. Losing in one round, if it is a battlefield match, it is already disemboweled. After being stunned for a long time, he turned around dejectedly, came to Wu Kang, and saluted: "The general charged into battle, killing the enemy and cutting melons and vegetables, Li was not convinced in the past." Today's competition, convincing. ”

Wu Kang smiled lightly, nodded slightly, and returned the salute with both hands. Dazuo turned around and left, the Wu camp cheered loudly, and the forbidden army was all wilted. They knew that Li Dazuo was in the forbidden army, and his bravery was among the best. But in front of the other party, it is just an enemy.

Li Jiu frowned, with a slight anger on his face, the forbidden army guarding the palace was unexpectedly vulnerable. Is Wu Kang too strong, or is the forbidden army too weak?

Li Yifu leaned over and said cautiously: "Your Majesty Mingjian, after a long battle, when Pingmuzhou rebelled, he was only eighteen years old. After that, he followed General Su and fought for several years, and had rich combat experience. Captain Li was defeated, which is reasonable. ”

Xu Jingzong also patted the horse, and Li Jiu waved his hand to stop it, watching with all his attention. There is a strange thought, which gradually comes to mind: the forbidden army must be strengthened, and the previous selection method is obviously out of date. Why don't you select the elite of a hundred battles from the guards and integrate them into the forbidden army?

The competition continued, and Wu Kang lost nine brave in a row and won bursts of applause. Twelve warriors were defeated in a row, and they were all enemies, and they were suddenly boring. His eyes swept around, fixed the general's phalanx, and said: "Generals, in addition to my teacher, the juniors respectfully ask for advice. ”

The naked provocation, the generals had different expressions, and Su Dingfang smiled and said nothing. Soon someone responded, the old general Liu Boying, Tima came to the formation: "The virtuous nephew of the change, you are very arrogant, the old man is not talented, I came to understand." ”

Qian Shun brought Dou Cong, Wu Kang turned over on the horse, stroked Dou Cong's mane, and said: "You are fifty years old, and the younger generation is in the prime of life, and you have the upper hand." In the past, in Baekje, the old general Yoo In-won, once made bold words and defeated me in thirty rounds. I don't know how old you are, how many rounds do you want? ”

Liu Boying: "On the battlefield of Baekje, the performance of the changes impressed me. But what has changed, the old man's first expedition was thirty years ago, and you were not born yet. As for how many rounds, I don't know until I fight, so I will eat two lances first. ”

The white horse's four hooves are like flying, and the fighting skull is facing each other, and the two are fighting in one place. Liu Boying makes the horse lance, the tricks are quite old and spicy, and the tricks are not far from the point. Wu Kang held the knife in both hands, and he was able to deal with it with ease, and the ten of them looked at each other, and the fighting was equal.

The horse lance is four meters long, equipped with a spear head, and has a wide range of attacks, which is the standard configuration of fierce generals. Wu Kang didn't like it, Jue's wound was too small, and the killing was not bloody enough. He loved the knife of a thousand cows, causing the wound to be bigger and bleeding more, and the person who was stabbed would surely die.

A few rounds passed, and Wu Kang lay back, dodging the horse lance sideways. At the same time, finding the right time, the long knife slashed out diagonally, and the two horses passed by. They each held their horses, slowly turned their horses' heads, and did not charge again, and the victory and defeat had been decided.

Liu Boying held a lance in his right hand and drove a war horse with his left hand to the center of the school field. With a distance of less than two meters, he said heroically: "If I am twenty years younger, then the one who wins today must be the old man, do you think it is true?" ”

Wu Kang didn't answer, simply complimented a few words, and watched Lao Liu leave. Suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves, and roared like thunder: "Change to be arrogant, Zuo Xiaowei General Pang Xiaotai, I have come to learn the tricks." Let's stop talking nonsense, let's eat me first..."