Chapter III: Selection of Guards (1)
When Xuan Qi got out, he randomly found an alley opposite the restaurant and walked in, paying close attention to the movement of the noodle restaurant opposite. Not long after, the group of four people left the restaurant, turned on their horses, and headed south.
Xuan Qi followed from a distance, and on this prairie, he didn't have to be afraid of losing people. After that, Zhu Huolong and his party of four people actually went all the way south, looking in this direction, but they were heading towards Juyanhai. When they arrived at the small town of Gurbantes, two of them left for the east, while Zhu Huolong and another man with a high nose and deep eyes continued south. Xuan Qi saw that the four of them were separated, and he didn't know which direction to follow for a while, so he had to let the horse choose, but the horse followed closely behind Zhu Huolong and went south.
Hurry up and go south, and soon you will arrive at Juyanhai. On the prairie of Juyanhai, there are herds of cattle and sheep, and herdsmen can be seen everywhere, which is peaceful and tranquil, but it is very different from other places of the Xiongnu.
Zhu Huolong and the two went straight to the king's tent, said a few words to the Hun soldiers guarding the door, and were invited into the king's tent. Xuan Qi couldn't find a way to get close to the king's tent for a while, but he saw that something seemed to be posted on the notice board on the wall outside the gate of the king's tent, and many people were pointing and talking about something under the notice board.
Xuan Qi immediately led the horse to the notice board, on which was a notice of the king of Zuo Xian, written in Xiongnu characters and Chinese characters at the same time, but it was a notice to recruit guards. The notice stated that regardless of the appearance of the person, the country and the nation, anyone who has a skill, or whose martial arts meet the requirements, can be hired as a guard by the king's account, and will be paid three taels per month, and at the same time, according to the performance of the guard, there will be some rewards and bonuses. The monthly salary of three taels is not high, you must know that in the Celestial Empire, an ordinary family of five will only spend two or three taels a year.
Living in Haiti near the Heavenly Empire, but the Huns and Han people live together, Xuan Qi is in the onlookers of the discussion, knowing that this king tent recruits guards to sign up is very simple, as long as you explain to the Hun soldiers in front of the king's tent. It's just that the selection after signing up is relatively harsh after all, and you must fight at least thirty moves with one of the four guards of the king's tent without being defeated before you can be selected. And in the midst of everyone's discussion, two or three men with swords walked out of the king's tent with their heads downcast, and at first glance they were not qualified for selection.
Xuan Qi thought about it for a long time, and secretly thought that since Zhu Huolong and the two had entered the king's tent, if he wanted to find out useful news, the best way was to infiltrate the king's tent and find an opportunity to get close to the two, so that it was possible to find an opportunity to find out the whereabouts of Hua Yingchun and Li Mengyao. And now that the king's tent is recruiting guards, it just provides Xuan Qi with an opportunity to be above board and blend into the king's tent.
Xuan Qi immediately led the horse and walked to the gate of the king's tent, and explained to the Hun soldiers guarding the door that he wanted to participate in the selection of the king's tent guards. The Hun soldiers guarding the door saw that Xuan Qi was thin and weak, and he didn't look like a martial artist, but he had a long sword stuck in his back, and he also had a bit of a ranger flavor, and someone immediately brought Xuan Qi into the king's tent.
Xuan Qi walked forward with the Hun soldiers, and walked outside a huge courtyard in three turns. Before he reached the courtyard, he heard the sound of fighting inside, and thought that it should be the place where the king's tent guards were selected. When I walked into the courtyard, I saw dozens of people in a circle, and two people were fighting with their bare hands in the open space in the middle.
And in the pavilion above the courtyard, there was a woman familiar to Xuan Qi, who was Helian Yu'er. Helian Yu'er, who has not been seen for more than ten years, is sitting on the stone bench, dressed as a gorgeous Hun woman, with a dignified face with a trace of sorrow. And next to Helian Yu'er, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old Hun boy was sitting precariously, watching the fight in the field intently.
And Zhu Huolong and the two were also among the dozen or so strong men standing on the side, watching the fight in the field, it seemed that they were also here to participate in the selection of the king's tent guards.
Xuan Qi was taken by the Hun soldiers to a table next to the courtyard, behind the table sat a middle-aged scribe, after introduction, but it was a gentleman who specially taught the little prince Helian to read the Four Books and Five Classics, and the etiquette of the Han people. This gentleman's surname is Kong Mingli, but he is a disciple of the Confucian family in Qufu, but he doesn't know why he came to this Xiongnu king's tent.
Kong Mingli was very happy to see that the Hun soldiers had brought a Han man, and immediately stood up and greeted Xuan Qidao: "This gentleman is polite!
"It turned out to be Mr. Kong, Bai is polite! Bai knows how to punch and kick, and has read a few books, and he is quite coarse and fluent. Xuan Qi hurriedly clenched his fists in reply.
"Oh! He is actually a good man who is both civil and military! But Kong Mou has lost his eyes! Please forgive me! Mr. Bai, please fill out the registration form first!" Kong Mingli pointed to a booklet on the table and said to Xuan Qi.
The selection person thanked him, sat down opposite Kong Mingli, carefully filled it out according to the format that had been listed in the booklet a long time ago, and chose to participate in the selection of the guards on it. After the writing, Kong Mingli saw that Xuanqi's pen was powerful, the handwriting was clear and neat, and he had the demeanor of everyone, so he couldn't stop praising it, and bluntly said that Xuanqi could participate in the selection of the king's account documents, which was both easy and a lot of money.
Xuan Qi naturally knew that only by participating in the selection of the guards would there be more opportunities to get close to Zhu Huolong, so he casually found a reason to prevaricate. Kong Mingli saw that Xuan Qi had made up his mind, so he just shook his head and sighed, so he asked Xuan Qi to wait next to him, and when he called his name, he would compete again, and wished Xuan Qi a smooth selection. Xuan Qi thanked Kong Mingli for his kindness, and fought quietly on the side, waiting for the arrival of the competition.
At this time, the competition in the field was already a substitution, replaced by a rough man and a relatively thin Hun young man. From the discussion next to him, Xuan Qi knew that the rough Hun man was the third ranked Eligo among the four major guards of the palace. Xuan Qi watched a few moves, and already knew that this Eligo was really brave, but he lacked some flexibility, but the thin young man was still a little far from Eligo, and within three moves, he would inevitably lose.
Sure enough, Eligo's shots were straight and straightforward, quite atmospheric, and the sound of the wind brought by his hands whistled by, forcing the thin man to almost withdraw from the circle in the field. You must know that as long as you are forced to withdraw from the circle, it means that you have lost the competition. Although the thin young man is much more flexible than Illigo, he is limited by the constraints of the field and cannot really show his ability. With a loud shout from Eligo, a punch swept out, and the thin young man hurriedly retreated, already stepping out of the circle with one foot and losing the competition.
The referee on one side immediately spoke out and decided the winner, and the thin young man could only walk out dejectedly.