Lao Zhou deeply loved the land under his feet, although he had seen the most mutilated, painful and even ugliest appearance of this land, but he never disliked this "ugly girl" who had raised him for 96 years.

He had lived for ninety-six years, and in that long life he had witnessed the birth and death of countless people in this imperfect and slightly pale land. He had also witnessed the blood and tears shed by countless unnamed people who wanted to fill, comfort and even add colour to the pale land.

These blood and tears, although they sound equally pale and weak, but these seemingly monotonous blood and tears just fill the ravines and ravines of this ruined land, and also make this war-torn land full of colorful flowers.

Perhaps, those who can't name in Lao Zhou's memory, they probably forgot their original names, because they only remember that above their names, there is a common name called "Huaxia people".

In this era, there should be no need for tears and blood anymore.

Because this group of ancestors has already cried tears for the younger generations, and also shed blood for the land under their feet, it is precisely because of these selfless dedication of the ancestors that this era can be truly called "peaceful and prosperous"!

It is precisely because of the efforts of these ancestors that the contest between the great powers will temporarily shift from military and political contests to sports for a certain period of time.

Chess is a sport.

But few people are willing to admit that it is sports.

Even though Go, which is the quintessence of the country like chess, has been recognized as a mental chess sport by the whole world, Xiangqi is still a "plaything" in the eyes of many Chinese people.

Lao Zhou knew that chess was likely to become history one day, but he also fantasized that before that day came, chess could become a "sport" recognized by everyone to represent the country and demonstrate the strength of the motherland.

But he also knows that this fantasy is difficult to realize, because in this day and age, everything is about business value and personal gain.

Xiangqi has neither high commercial value, nor personal interests that can make people rich overnight, it is like a stone, buried in all kinds of national quintessences, even if the national quintessences around them are excavated into pieces of jade because of their commercial value and personal interests, but Xiangqi is still a stone. It seems that its only value is to be the stepping stone of those who place jade, the broken table.

But even if chess is just a mediocre stepping stone, it is still a stone that records the memories of Old Zhou's life, and it will never be kicked away.

Because the tables above it are full of countless jade!

……

"Chess pieces don't lie?" Lao Sun looked at this dead game, he was stunned for a moment, and then laughed again: "Since you said that chess pieces can't lie?" Then you go and ask these chess pieces, how have they fared in this country called their birthplace all these years? ”

"Do you remember how much the top chess grandmaster earned in our day?"

"Don't talk about our era, let's talk about modern times, known as the top Elephant League in China, do you remember how much the championship income is?"

"It's 450,000, and the 450,000 gets six points, and everyone gets more than 70,000. And there are not many top-level competitions like Xiangjia in China, you say, is Huaxia chess doing well in its birthplace? ”

"Is income everything?" Lao Zhou raised his head and looked at Lao Sun, who was extremely angry after talking about the prize money of the champion of the domestic chess competition, and asked: "Could it be that we played chess back then, just for the prize money and for the income?" ”

"What chess do we play instead of prize money, but for income?" Lao Sun seemed to recall the days when his family was so poor that he couldn't open the pot, he subconsciously clenched his fist and let go, and he seemed to use all his strength to say: "Do you remember Xiao Chu?" What a man! Although his chess skills are not as good as ours, he is enthusiastic and kind, and often helps those novices who have just entered the chess world and have no income, but he is such a kind and good person, and in the end he is sick and has no money to treat the disease, so he can only hold the chess that has accompanied him all his life and end up with hatred, you say, is he worth it? ”

Maybe it was because Lao Sun mentioned the few acquaintances in Lao Zhou's memory, and Lao Zhou suddenly became silent.

Looking at Lao Zhou's silent appearance, Lao Sun leaned back in his chair and raised his head to stare at the cold sun in the sky.

"After I immigrated, I went and played chess for two years. Although the number of championships won is not much, the income of one runner-up and third place is worth the total prize money of five to ten years of chess competitions in China. ”

"But I never let go of Chinese chess, so I tried to open a Chinese chess training class abroad, I didn't expect that in my later years, I would meet so many foreigners who yearn for Chinese chess."

"I didn't expect that the developed countries occupied by Go and chess would actually support me to establish a Chinese chess class, and also set up a national chess sports team for me to be the head coach."

"You know what? The moment I learned the news, I had mixed feelings and emotions, because for the first time, I felt that Huaxia chess did not actually belong to China, but to that developed country that was extremely inclusive. ”

"Therefore, in two months' time, I will lead my country to challenge the two chess powerhouses of China and South Vietnam. To prove that we are rising and you are withering. ”

As one of the old friends who knew Lao Zhou best, he understood that even if Lao Zhou heard the news, he would never return to the chess world to help those young professional chess players win the challenge, even if he did return to the chess world to guide the juniors, Lao Sun still had the confidence to represent his country to win the Asian Youth Chess Challenge.

Because, the players from other countries train in a more scientific way, and there are two players among them, whose talent and potential can only be described as "once in a century".

"After you immigrated, I went to Xiao Chu's house. also knew the truth about Xiao Chu's death back then. In fact, it was not that Xiao Chu had no money to see a doctor that year, but that he felt that his life should be ended in that year. ”

Because, he challenged the artificial intelligence that came out of nowhere twice that year, and the results of these two challenges were one win and one loss, and as for the third time, he chose to draw. This harmony is his obsession, because he wants to use this harmony character to change the lifeless Chinese chess scene in those years, and he also wants to use this harmony character to maintain his dignity as a chess player and as a human being. ”

"Of course, his harmony has also changed a lot of people."

"It changed the cynical Wang Buregret back then, and it also changed me."

Lao Zhou raised his head sharply after saying the truth of the year.

"Chess is actually a spirit, and it is also the last dignity and the most sincere love in the hearts of those of us who play chess. You are right, I am withering, but I believe that the leaves of my withering will eventually nourish the land under my feet, so that you can see that this land that you look down on now will have flowers and beautiful scenery that you will never forget! ”