Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 29

Chapter 29 Dragon Flag Dispute
At dawn, the sky was still pitch black. Qin Mubai opened his eyes and woke up. Just as he was about to get out of bed, the door was knocked on. It was Qin Shubao who opened the door to welcome them.

“Today’s exam is very important. You should rest for the morning. There’s no need to go to morning exercises.” Qin Shubao walked into the room and naturally sat down on Qin Mubai’s bed. However, he found his son looking at him with surprise and surprise. He couldn’t help but frown, “Liang’er, why are you looking at him like this?”

“Nothing.” Qin Mubai heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. “This child is happy to see that his father’s complexion is getting better and better every day.”

Looks like Yuan Tiangang’s plan for Qin Shubao’s death was completely gone-great!

“Oh.” Qin Shubao nodded and stroked his long beard thoughtfully. “Today is the selection exam for the Hundred Cavalry. There are some things I want to explain to you.”

“Father, please show me.”

Qin Shubao frowned and said, “Yesterday, your Uncle Cheng went to the Black Tortoise Sect to take a look and told me that there were a lot of people participating in the Baiji campaign.” Among the disciples of the officers participating in the election, there were many noble nephews of the current dynasty. “For example, Eldest Sun Wuji’s Third Young Master, Eldest Sun Huan, Yuchi Jingde’s Third Young Master, Yuchi Baoyun, and your Uncle Cheng’s Third Young Master, Cheng Huaibi, are among them.”

“They are all Third Young Master.” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but laugh, “Eldest son, Second son, Lord. The eldest son and second son of these noble ministers are either the future heirs to the Duke’s throne or have already married the princess as their son-in-law. Only the third son and child are left. They want to compete for this Baiji and work next to the emperor.”

“That’s right.” Qin Shubao frowned slightly, “But do you know why your second brother didn’t marry a princess?”

“Didn’t second brother get married too early?”

“Of course not!”

Qin Mubai was slightly surprised, “Why is that?”

“Among the old officials of the Qin Palace and the founding heroes of the Zhenguan Dynasty, only father and your Uncle Cheng’s son did not marry a princess.” Qin Shubao paused for a moment, stroked his long beard and said, “Moreover, over the years, the two of us have gradually been estranged by the Emperor. Our father has almost retired, and Cheng Zhijie’s appointment as a prefecture official in the court is basically a refreshing experience. All of this is because of a brown matter from a few years ago …”

“What is it?” Qin Mubai asked.

“A few years ago, Li Xiaochang and Liu Deyu, the general of the right Martial Guard, conspired to rebel and let off steam.” Qin Shubao said, “At that time, they did not make much noise, nor did they achieve any success.” However, this Liu Deyu was a battle general promoted by his father and recommended to Cheng Zhijie’s Right Martial Guard. Because of this, your Uncle Cheng and I have been tainted. Although the Emperor Shengming did not implicate the two of us in the end, some people in the court did not think so. So the two of us had no choice but to keep a low profile. Therefore, for the past few years, my father had only been eating corpse vegetarian meals in seclusion, and did not ask anything about the military. The reason why Cheng Zhijie did not return to Chang’an once every few years was because of the aftermath of this matter. ”

“This child understands. Not being jealous is mediocre. Because father and Uncle Cheng have such an unnecessary stain, some people in the court have used it to write articles to exclude you, right?” Qin Mubai said.

“That’s right.”

“Then who is it?”

Qin Shubao frowned slightly and paused for a moment before saying, “That’s why I came to talk to you today. As expected, with your current martial skills, even if you can’t get Baiji, you can at least get the position of deputy envoy. As a result, you will have to work with some people in the dynasty. There are some things you need to know in your heart.”

“Actually, regardless of which generation or dynasty, it is common for officials to compete with each other and for generals to run against each other.” Qin Shubao said, “As for us generals, we divide them between the front and back of the Black Tortoise Sect.” Before the Black Warrior Sect’s change, Uncle Cheng and I were some of the fierce generals and trusted aides under King Qin’s command. Although Cheng Zhijie and I stood firmly in King Qin’s camp during the Black Warrior Sect’s mutiny, we were sent by King Qi Yuanji to prepare for the Northern Expedition. Although they had rushed back during the deeds, they had already made up their minds. We weren’t in any important positions. Instead, we were sent to lead the Imperial Imperial Imperial City’s Imperial Guards. Therefore, we weren’t directly involved in the mutation. But Yuchi Jingde and the other generals contributed greatly to that major political incident. ”

“Since then, Yuchi Jingde has soared into the sky and become the emperor’s most respected general. I, Cheng Zhijie, and other old generals have been outnumbered by him. When the emperor ascended to the throne, Yuchi Jingde, Changsun Wuji, and the others had almost twice as many fiefs as me and your Uncle Cheng.” Qin Shubao said, “Your Uncle Cheng and I have followed the Qin King for more than ten years, and we have made countless outstanding contributions to the war. In the end, we are inferior to Yuchi Jingde, who appeared in a political incident … Therefore, we, the old generals of the Qin Clan, and Yuchi Jingde and the others, have begun to compete and oppose each other.” And the result is that Yuchi Jingde is increasingly important, and we have to retreat because of that conspiracy. ”

“This child understands. As the saying goes, a Daoist strives for one breath and a Buddha strives for one stick of incense. It is only natural for father and Uncle Cheng to be unconvinced.” Qin Mubai nodded and said, “Looks like this court is not as calm as it seems. There are competitions and runs between civil servants and generals. Father told me this because he wants me to meet the descendants of Eldest Sun Wuji, Yuchi Jingde and the others in the future and get along well with them.”

“That’s right.” Qin Shubao nodded and smiled. “My son has excellent talent and perception. I’m not worried that you will lose to them. You just need to know that everything in the court is under the control of the emperor. It doesn’t matter if you ignore anyone, but you must always think of the emperor.”

“My child, listen carefully to my teachings!”

In the Imperial City’s Black Warrior Sect’s main school grounds, there was a scene of Kong Wu in full armor. The dragon flag flew under Huang Luo’s umbrella. Normally, Li Shimin, who wore the dragon-robed Gun Crown, wore a golden-white beard uniform and a traveling sage crown. He smiled brightly in the spring as he watched the forty candidates riding high horses into the school grounds and arranged themselves in a square formation.

“Long live my Emperor! Long live my Emperor! Long live my Emperor!”

On the left and right, Jiashi Jianer shouted and saluted together.

“Flat up!” Li Shimin walked out of the lid and rode on a majestic purple-green horse. He brought two rows of iron-armored guards to Qin Mubai and the others. His gaze swept across the bodies of the athletes, revealing a smile on his face.

“I joined the army at the age of sixteen and have fought under the heavens for more than ten years. From then on, I have never forgotten about martial matters. I am happy to see you all today. You are the elite talents of our Great Tang Empire and the pillars of our future army.” Li Shimin said loudly. All the athletes who participated in the election were excited when they heard this.

“Today, I will personally preside over the selection of the Hundred Cavalry Officers.” Li Shimin said, “The Hundred Cavalry are my personal guards. They are not subject to the control of any provincial government. They only obey my orders. Therefore, my first request to the Hundred Cavalry officers is to be absolutely loyal to me! I have absolute trust in you on this point.”

“My Emperor is holy!” All the athletes clasped their fists and paid their respects.

Qin Mubai clicked his tongue in his heart and said, “Li Shimin is indeed skilled. He treats people well. He first demonstrates his openness and trust … Everyone in the Great Tang Empire attaches the utmost importance to honesty.” It was true that the charm of a king’s personality determined the atmosphere of a dynasty.

“As for the way to compete, I have been thinking about it for several days and have come up with many ideas. In the end, they were all overturned one by one-because I thought that’returning to nature ‘was the best way.” Li Shimin laughed heartily and said, “Today, you forty athletes are going to be the real ones on the battlefield-you are all juniors who grew up in the era of peace. You probably don’t know what a real battlefield is, do you? Then, I will tell you today!”

Everyone’s hearts stirred at the same time, “What does the Emperor want?”

“For generals, fighting on the battlefield is his destiny. A general who cannot enter the battlefield and participate in actual combat is a general who fails!” Li Shimin said, “The method I have come up with for selecting officers is to let you rush into the battle formation-take the head of the enemy in the army! The winner will be selected, and the inferior will be eliminated!”

“Ah? Really?!” Everyone cried out in alarm, and Qin Mubai couldn’t help but frown. What exactly did the Emperor want to do?

“Of course, it’s impossible for you to kill someone in the dignified area of the Imperial City. However, there will definitely be risks.” After saying that, Li Shimin waved his hand and a group of iron-armored soldiers that had been prepared behind him ran out neatly. They formed a circular formation similar to the Taiji Eight Trigrams Formation on the field of the Great Colonel. In the middle of the army formation, a red flag was raised high, flying high against the cold east wind of early spring.

“Did you see everything?” Li Shimin pointed at the flag and said, “That is the military flag I chose for the Hundred Cavalry-it has a five-clawed golden dragon for me! Whoever can rush into the three thousand iron armored formations and snatch this dragon flag is the messenger of the Hundred Cavalry I want!”

‘”Ah–” The entire arena cried out in alarm, and the crowd began to discuss. Even the civil and military officials who had come to observe the battle couldn’t help but exclaim in alarm.

“The rules are very simple.” Li Shimin spoke again, and the entire arena automatically fell silent. “I don’t care if you are alone or in groups. In the end, only one Hundred Cavalry Envoy will be identified. As for the three Hundred Cavalry Deputy Envoys and other officers, I will personally choose them after observing the competition. Now, you can start planning and collecting your weapons!”

“Follow the decree!”

Li Shimin rode his horse and laughed as he returned to the umbrella cover. He picked up a bowl of tea and began to observe with interest.

Qin Mubai, like the other athletes, got off his horse and went to the Ordnance Department to collect the equipment. A tense and murderous atmosphere began to spread amongst the crowd.

Just as the Emperor had said, even if these “rich second generation” disciples came from the general sect to practice martial arts since they were young, few of them had actually gone to the battlefield. But now, he had to face a real battle, and his heart was somewhat nervous and nervous. Furthermore, it was extremely difficult for forty people to fight for a dragon flag against three thousand iron armor.

All the ordnance that could be collected had been processed. Spear without spear head, arrow without arrow cluster, saber without blade, obviously in order to avoid causing death. However, even if it was a bare-handed battle, casualties were inevitable, not to mention the chaotic battle of riding on horses and controlling fellows. For every athlete, as long as they rushed into the armored formation, every single one of them could be their opponent!

This was the most fatal!

“You need help!” Almost at the same time, Qin Mubai and the other athletes had the same idea. Unfortunately, he didn’t recognize any of these people. Many people gathered together in twos and threes to discuss, just like playing online games, they were busy forming teams.

At this moment, a young man walked to Qin Mubai’s side and patted him heavily on the shoulder, “Third Brother Qin!”

Qin Mubai suddenly turned around and his eyes lit up. This fellow must be Cheng Zhijie’s third son, Cheng Huaibi. How similar he looked to him!

“Cheng Huaibi, is that you?” Qin Mubai guessed boldly, and the other party immediately grinned, “Haha, it’s been so many years since I’ve seen you. You actually remember me?” I think we played together when we were kids, didn’t we? “Yesterday, I heard from my father that you came to participate in the election, so I found you in the crowd today–hehe, it’s really easy to find. You look like Second Uncle Qin. Every family can see Second Uncle Qin’s portrait!”

“Haha, I was also looking for you!” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “How about we form a team?”

“Needless to say!” Cheng Huaibi laughed heartily. Then, he winked at Qin Mubai and whispered, “Actually, I paid attention to you in the primary yesterday. I know in my heart that I am definitely inferior to you in terms of martial arts.” Father also said to me, with you here, I will not think about the Hundred Cavalry Messenger. The two of us agreed first. I will help you seize the Dragon Flag. The Hundred Cavalry Envoys are yours. I only need a deputy envoy at most. “Third Brother, what do you think?”

“Hehe! You haven’t succeeded yet, yet you want to split the spoils?” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but laugh. He looked around and said, “It’s really difficult for one person to succeed. You see, these people have formed a team in twos and threes. Some of them are even seven or eight. They must be very powerful. We must be careful.”

“Third Brother, don’t worry, I’ll listen to you!”

The two of them picked up their seven-foot spears-the spear tip was covered with lime. He rode back on his horse and stood together.

Half an hour later, the golden horns rang out on the field. The forty athletes formed their own teams and were eager to try. They waited for a cannon to sound in the field before a fierce battle for the Dragon Flag began.

Cheng Huaibi glanced at the side and whispered, “Third Brother, look over there-there are really many people in the team of Changsun Huan and Yuchi Baoyun. We have to be careful!”

Qin Mubai looked back and saw seven or eight young masters in bright armor and bright robes gathered on the right. The two people in the lead, one was a handsome white-faced young master, the other was a big man