The Daxing River is an important river flowing through the center of Daxing City, which not only serves sightseeing and transportation, but also relies on the water storage dam and its auxiliary facilities in the city, and is a natural place for activities. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, a large-scale dragon boat race is held on the river.

When Hanxing began to hold this event in the second year, most of the Daxing Mansion was excited. In many years that followed, the royal family would send important members to participate in the grand event as a sign of really, and sometimes even the emperor and empress would be present to present trophies to the winning dragon boat team.

During the dragon boat race, the banks of the Daxing River are crowded with people of all kinds, as well as spectators on horseback and car. On several bridges on the river, there will also be people standing to cheer for their dragon boat team.

The dragon boat race is a more popular mass activity, which is a popular horse race and football in various parts of the country. Qushui Bay, located northwest of Daxing, was once a major horse market in the eastern region and has since evolved into a popular racecourse. Intense horse racing takes place almost every week, and many newspapers and publications report on the races in pictures and texts.

On the meadows and woodlands near the racecourse, people from all walks of life gather to create a lively and noisy festival atmosphere. Most of the spectators near the racetrack would carry snacks such as sweets, jerky, pancakes, bread, etc., while the wealthy would instruct the servants to remove pomp, lobster, and various liquors from the food baskets of the wagons. In the grandstand, there were countless fans waving, and there was a fragrance of fragrance, and the swaying lady shouted excitedly and cheered. Celebratory bottles are constantly being opened, and countless horse racing bets are recorded in a book.

Football, the first sport to come out of the military, was welcomed by people from all walks of life as soon as it was launched. Full of brutal and raw strength, the game shows combat and organization, which greatly satisfies the wild needs of the men's physical confrontation.

Over the decades, the sport has come to have many complex and strict rules that every team, or every player, must follow.

Many people in Qi have been very enthusiastic about fitness and various intense sports activities since they were teenagers. Rich diet, abundant physical strength, abundant material life, and open and relaxed social environment all enable more young people in Qi to wantonly consume excess energy in their bodies, and then exercise their steely perseverance in sports.

Staying at home is not the character of Qi people, especially middle- and upper-class men, who must maintain a healthy body and abundant energy for a long time in order to realize their ambitions (or ambitions). In the vocabulary of Qi State, there are no words such as "fashionable" and "cowardly", only "self-improvement" and "enterprising", just like this young and strong country.

Students at all levels of schools in Qi spend more than a quarter of their day on the playground playing sports and games. In the eyes of many foreign visitors, the youth of Qi appear healthier, both physically and physically. Their expressions flashed with manhood and perseverance early on.

During their happy teenage years, they will develop an honest, decisive, courageous and independent character, as well as a frankness with their classmates and teachers, as well as an infinite recognition of the superiority of Qi Guo. This may be one of the concepts of Qi education.

In the country of Qi, in addition to the traditional Zhengdan (i.e., the Spring Festival), Lantern Festival, cold food, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Chongyang Festival, Laba and other festivals, there are also three official festivals: the founding day (June 20), the longevity festival (the birthday of the reigning emperor) and the Shengyuan Festival (August 5, the time when Emperor Taizu died).

In order to preserve as much of the traditions of Chinese civilization as possible, the people of Qi take festivals very seriously, and each festival has its own unique customs.

The banquet activities that were widely popular in the pre-Song Dynasty were also popular in all parts of the Qi country. Moreover, unlike in the pre-Song Dynasty, where such activities were only reserved for nobles, princes, and doctors, many ordinary people in the Qi State also often organized and participated in banquets. Temples, Taoist temples, bazaars, as well as scenic spots, beautiful islands, and even wilderness woodlands are all places where banquets are held. Sometimes the banquet activities will be held with large-scale trade exchange activities, and the development of business while playing will not only enrich the spiritual life but also promote commercial development and economic prosperity.

The most special thing is that the confinement and restriction of women by traditional etiquette and religion do not exist in Qi State. In addition to the reasons why a large number of women entered various industries due to the lack of population during the period when the Qi State was established, the economic prosperity and the stability of life also made many women in the Qi State unwilling to be lonely and walk out of the boudoir, feel the hustle and bustle of the market, and embrace nature.

In a lively teahouse in the back alley of Mingli Street, among the spectators who were eating snacks and drinking tea, while listening to the storytelling in the stands, there were many young women and middle-aged women sitting in it, listening to books generously. When it comes to highlights, I will also give a crisp cheer and toss a few coins with the crowd of listeners.

“…… But it was said that when the Xiyi army was at a loss under Jianye City, Emperor Taizu stood at the head of the city, holding a long-range musket made of stainless steel, holding his mind, holding his breath, his hands were as steady as Mount Tai, his eyes were like torches, looking at the Xiyi general hundreds of meters away, and pulling the trigger lightly. Only at that moment, a bullet left the chamber of the gun like lightning and flew towards the general! …… You have to know how his life is, as well as the progress of the Qixi War, and listen to the next breakdown! ”

"...... Uproar"

As the storyteller's astonishing wood fell, the teahouse suddenly burst into a bang.

"Hey, every critical moment, you cut it just right! …… Hmph, if you don't say it, I know it. With Emperor Taizu's divine might, that shot must have killed the general of Xiyi's leading troops. ”

"Then there is no need to say, the Xiyi leading soldiers will be killed by Taizu, and there is no need to fight the battle behind, General Niu only needs to wave the flagpole, and my great Qi soldiers will naturally annihilate all of that Xiyi like chopping melons and vegetables."

"Gotta get it, you know it! In the next scene, you don't have to listen to it one by one. ”

"Don't! In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", I also know that the world is finally divided into three points, so I still want to hear how General Zhao Yun and Zhao Zilong killed seven in and seven out in Cao's camp! …… Isn't that a pleasure to listen to? ”

“……”

"Brother Yanliang, did you say that Emperor Taizu's shot could hit the general led by Xiyi?" Chen Genmin smashed his mouth, listened to it a little unsatisfied, picked up a cup of coarse tea from the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Can't hit." Li Yanliang took out a five-cent coin from his pocket and handed it to the storyteller apprentice who came to collect the money with a plate.

"Why can't you hit it? …… That's Emperor Taizu! ”

"This book is about Xiyi's invasion of our Qi country, right?"

"Hmm."

"Let's not talk about whether our Qi country has a sniper rifle with a range of more than a few hundred meters, and even if there is, it can't accurately hit the general of the Xiyi army with one shot at a distance of more than that far."

"Oh......" Chen Genmin nodded.

Well, Brother Yanliang is a soldier and should be well versed in military skills, he said that if he misses, it will most likely be a miss.

Hey, that's not right, that's Emperor Taizu himself shooting with a gun, can't he hit it?

"You talk nonsense!" Suddenly, a girl at the next table stood up, stretched out her hand to point at Li Yanliang, and said loudly: "I have listened to this book twice, and that Xiyi general was killed by Emperor Taizu from a long distance!" It was because General Xiyi was killed by Taizu that our Qi State won the first battle to defend the country. ”

"Uh......" Li Yanliang looked at the seven or eight-year-old girl in amazement, her face flushed, her eyes widened, and she looked anxious and angry. However, with her crystal complexion, slightly baby fat face, and delicate face, she looks so cute.

"Hmph, you Hugh is here to slander Emperor Taizu's reputation!"

"Little sister, I didn't slander Emperor Taizu." Li Yanliang smiled and said in a harmonious voice: "I just pointed out the inappropriateness of this story from a military level. Emperor Taizu is wise and martial, and he is the founder and founder of our Great Qi, and has always admired and remembered tens of millions of my people. But from the point of view of actual combat, it is unlikely that General Xiyi will be hit with a musket from a few hundred meters away. ”

"But ......, but ......, but didn't our Qi country defeat Xiyi in the end? It must have been Emperor Taizu who killed the general of Xiyi with one shot, so that there would be such a result. The girl said unconvinced.

“…… Well, okay. Li Yanliang felt that arguing with this girl seemed to be a bit of a bully, so he nodded with a smile and said, "Emperor Taizu must have hit that Xiyi leading general with a shot. ”

"Huh? ......" The girl looked at Li Yanliang with wide eyes, obviously at a loss for what to do about his sudden change of position, paused, and turned her head to look at a young man next to her, "Big brother, is he perfunctory to me." ”

"That's right, he's just trying to fool you." The young man said with a smile: "People think that even if they win you verbally, they will not win and bully the children." ”

"Then ......, if Emperor Taizu shoots a shot, can he hit General Xiyi?"

The young man rubbed the girl's head dotingly, and then raised his eyes to look at Li Yanliang.

"As far as I know, there is a branch of our Qi army that is a sniper, and in the battle, it will frequently kill important targets of the enemy army, so as to break up the enemy's offensive. Why is this brother so sure, Emperor Taizu is holding that gun, well, let's just say it's a sniper rifle, it can't accurately hit the general of the Xiyi army? ”

"There are indeed snipers in our Qi army who specialize in killing important enemy targets, and the muskets they hold have a range of up to seven or eight hundred meters, and they can effectively kill and injure enemy troops within five hundred meters. However, the ability to accurately hit targets at a distance of two hundred meters cannot be fully achieved even by a well-trained sniper. Therefore, in actual combat, when our army snipers kill important enemy figures, they often form a team of three or five people and fire a salvo in the direction of the target to snipe and kill enemy officers in the form of fire coverage. Li Yanliang saw that although the other party was dressed ordinary, they had an extraordinary bearing, and there were two or three powerful guards, thinking that they were the children of a wealthy nobleman.

"That is to say, when the enemy is still at a long distance, the snipers in our Qi army can only snipe by feeling, so as to hit the morale of the enemy. Only when the enemy forces are within 200 meters can they accurately shoot and kill important targets. Is that so? ”

"That's true."

"This brother has served in the army?" The young man looked Li Yanliang up and down.

"I'm still serving in the Army."

"Experienced actual combat?"

"I've been through battles."

"Oh, what battles have you been through. Tell me about it? The young man immediately showed great interest in Li Yanliang.

"......" Li Yanliang glanced at the other party and did not speak.

By the way, am I familiar with you?

"Ahem......" The young man didn't get angry when he saw that Li Yanliang didn't respond to him, he touched his nose awkwardly, and said with a smile: "I am not satisfied with my brother, I have also served in the army for three years, and I have also shot muskets and let go of artillery, but I have never experienced a real battle formation." Speaking of which, I deeply regret it! ”

"In the midst of the battle, there are people who will die." Li Yanliang replied lightly.

He looked down on this kind of aristocratic son in order to gild his military experience, but he only served in the army in a hurry for a few years, and he looked down on it from the bottom of his heart.

"That's what Brother Tai said." The young man nodded and said, "So, you soldiers who have experienced the battle formation are all heroes of my Great Qi and the solid and powerful foundation of the empire. ”

Then, after taking a deep look at Li Yanliang, he got up and left the teahouse with the girl and several entourage guards.

"Big brother, people seem to look down on you!"

"Hehe, he is a real soldier, but he is much better than the nominal military experience of the eldest brother. So, it's normal for him to have a sense of arrogance and look down on me. ”

"Then ......, then do you dare to go to war?"

"Why don't you dare?"

"Really?"

"When the country is in danger, everyone has the heart to protect their family and defend the country, how can I be an exception?"

"But in addition to the founding of the country, there will be a risk of danger in our Qi country, and for more than 80 years, we have been actively exploring outward, I'm afraid it won't be the turn of a person with the status of the eldest brother to go to the battlefield, right?"

“……”

Li Yanliang and Chen Genmin were snorting melon seeds while watching the group leave.

"Tut-......, Brother Yanliang, look at the carriage they are riding, it's so beautiful!" Chen Genmin poked his head out of the window and looked at the street below, "I guess they must be the young master and young lady of some high-ranking family." Alas, these people are born with a golden spoon, do not worry about eating and drinking, and will be prosperous and rich all their lives. Oh, if they go to the battlefield, they will be scared to pee their pants! ”

"Not necessarily. Many members of the royal family of our Qi country have experienced military battles. Decades ago, our army also had a prince who was in a high position as a general, but he was a serious military merit all the way up, and after several overseas wars, he died nine times in his life. ”

"Otherwise, I'll go to the army too. After being discharged, there is more or less a decent future. Chen Genmin said, "Brother Yanliang, what do you think?"

"Then you have to wait two more years, and you will be eighteen years old before you can sign up for the army." Li Yanliang stood up with a smile and prepared to leave.

"Why do you say that our Qi State has to set the service age at eighteen years old, several vassal states in Nanyang, as well as the Qin State, it seems that the service age is sixteen years old." Chen Genmin poured all the melon seeds and peanuts on the table into his pocket, and did not forget to drink all the tea left on the table in one gulp, and then followed Li Yanliang out of the teahouse.

"Sixteen years old, mentally incomplete, don't understand anything, go to the battlefield, purely send to death."

"Oh. …… Brother Yanliang, where are you going? ”

"Take the bus home."

"It's not very far, you can walk back."

"I drank a stomach full of tea and didn't want to leave."

"Oh." Chen Genmin reached out and touched a few coins in his pocket, pondering, after this day, after eating a lot of snacks from Brother Yanliang, as well as the pastries and tea in the teahouse, and listening to the book, he can no longer let the family pay for his car.

"Brother Yanliang, I see that Aunt Song takes a beautiful carriage to and from school every day, is that provided by your family's rich relatives?"

"Huh?" Li Yanliang was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

Yesterday, I went to school to pick up my mother home, it seemed to be a luxury carriage, but I was so excited that I forgot to ask my mother for a while.

Who provided this luxury carriage?

Could it be that some wealthy family covets his mother?

As soon as he thought of this, Li Yanliang's face couldn't help but sink.

(End of chapter)