HLnovel Chapter 188: Victory or Defeat
Chapter 188: Victory or Defeat
Most of the male guests were young men and scholars from high-ranking families in the capital; the situation was exactly the opposite for the female guests, with most of those sitting in the camp being widows, prostitutes, actors, and the like.
Although the ladies of noble families in the capital also wanted to see this extraordinary martial arts competition, they were afraid of tarnishing their reputations and affecting their marriages, so they did not dare to come. Instead, they asked their maids and servants to hide in the crowd outside the camp and gather information.
Except for the area due south of the arena, soldiers from all other camps sat on the ground.
Lu Mingyang surveyed the crowd, secretly admiring her husband. Hidden among them were many opera troupes and storytellers; within half a day, the results of the duel would spread far and wide.
At that time, Chu Mingzheng's advice would be a lifeline for the emperor, who valued his reputation the most. It was unknown how he could convince the emperor that all this had nothing to do with him.
If you are not careful, the emperor will be furious and millions of people will die.
The drums sounded and the competition began.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Chu Mingzheng held high the imperial edict, stepped onto the stage, and spoke in a loud voice: "Your Majesty's decree: I remember the former Marquis of Chengyang and his family sacrificed their lives for their country, and as a token of Heaven's grace, I have granted his eldest daughter the title of Marquis of Chengyang. However, matters of war concern the well-being of all people, and I dare not preemptively intervene. Therefore, I have granted you this martial arts competition as a token of my grace to the world."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone cheered.
Nine soldiers and Lu Mingyuan walked onto the stage.
Chu Mingzheng leaned over and introduced: "Yulin Guard Tong Yu, Changshui Camp..."
Lu Mingyang remembered Tong Yu as the young general who had happily called her "Fourth Miss" outside Chengtian Gate. She didn't recognize the others, but judging by the soldiers' surprised expressions, she could tell they were all experts from their respective camps.
After the introductions, Chu Mingzheng said to Lu Mingyuan, "These are nine soldiers of average skill selected from each camp. Marquis Chengyang only needs to defeat half of them to win."
Lu Mingyuan bowed and said, "Let's get started!"
The first one to step forward was Yulin Guard Tong Yu, her face filled with worry as she whispered, "Miss, swords have no eyes. You'd better admit defeat."
"Go ahead!" Lu Mingyuan attacked first, and after three moves, he swerved sideways to counterattack. Tong Yu felt a pain in his knees and knelt on one knee. He turned sideways and looked back. His neck was clamped. He had lost.
Everyone sighed. One soldier shouted, "Captain Tong, you can't bear to attack your former master's sister, but you can't lose face for us men either."
"That's right!" someone immediately echoed, "The Changshui Camp will give up a round for the sake of Marquis Zhongxin; the Huben Camp will give up a round for the sake of the third son of the Lu family; and the Yueqi Camp..."
Everyone knew that the captain of the Yueqi Battalion was a close confidant of Prince Ningyuan, but since Prince Ningyuan was present, no one dared to say it out loud and they just shouted in dissatisfaction.
"We've given up every single one of these games. Five games are enough. What else is there to compete for?"
"No wonder a woman dares to accept the challenge."
The people watching the excitement also shouted, their voices getting louder and louder.
Lu Mingyuan stood high on the stage and said loudly, "Since you all think Captain Tong should give me a chance, then fine, in today's nine matches, if I lose any one, it will be considered my loss. Captain Tong, you can fight again."
"Good!" Chu Yueling stood up and cheered, "Sister Lu is so powerful. Please teach these arrogant men a lesson for us."
Lu Mingyang was a little worried that her behavior would make the emperor suspicious of Chu Mingzheng, so he hurriedly pulled her sleeve and said, "Princess, your brother is still upstairs!"
"What's wrong with her? He's also a stinky man."
Chu Yueling's shouting grew louder and louder. Seeing her second sister couldn't stop her, Yang Nian'er also stood up to cheer. With someone taking the lead, many women followed suit, waving flags and shouting, their voices rising higher and higher.
Tong Yu saluted Lu Mingyuan and asked in confusion, "When did you acquire such martial arts skills, young lady?"
He originally planned to give in, but before he could do so, he was defeated.
Lu Mingyuan nodded slightly, but didn't say anything more. Tong Yu said, "Be careful, young lady," and left the stage.
"Is what the Marquis of Chengyang said true?"
Chu Mingzheng confirmed it and announced that the competition would continue.
In just a moment, the Tunqi Battalion, the Infantry Battalion, and the Changshui Battalion were defeated, and their men fell to the ground, while Lu Mingyuan stood steadily on the stage.
The Yueqi Camp was completely silent, except for Chu Yueling. A clear female voice resounded between heaven and earth, making the men's faces look extremely unpleasant.
Chu Mingzheng covered his nose and coughed lightly. He looked at the remaining five people awkwardly, pretending to be deaf: "Who among you said you had a stomachache?"
It was a blatant hint that the guards in the camp who were not capable of doing this should quickly replace the others.
But these people are already top-notch masters in their respective camps, and only one of the five can be replaced.
On the north side of the arena sat a row of ministers, watching the battle. The main seat was occupied by Prince Ningyuan, with Song Wei flanking him. He watched this scene with a sense of unease. He knew that the most formidable member of the Shesheng Battalion was the Shesheng Captain, whose arrows could carry a thousand arrows.
Seeing Shesheng Captain standing in the Shesheng camp, not daring to step forward, Song Wei said loudly, "Marquis Chengyang must be tired after competing for so long. Why don't you go up and have a competition with him?"
It's not that Captain Shesheng didn't want to, but even if other guard camps lost, it would be their subordinates who lost. If he, a captain, lost to a woman, he would never be able to raise his head again.
But since the emperor's brother-in-law personally called him, it was difficult for him to refuse, not to mention so many people were watching.
Thinking of his own superb archery skills, Shesheng Captain walked up to the arena and saluted: "Shesheng Battalion wishes to experience the archery skills of Marquis Chengyang!"
"This isn't good! His Majesty has clearly stated that we're competing in martial arts, and this archery..."
Chu Mingzheng's heart was also a little hesitant, and Lu Mingyuan took over his words, "Your Highness, the art of riding and archery is also an essential skill for soldiers. I would like to spar with Captain Shesheng."
"Well!"
Chu Mingzheng ordered his soldiers to bring a basket of apples and said, "There are thirty apples in the basket. Each of you takes an arrow. The one who shoots the most apples wins."
This was a common practice for the soldiers in the camp, so there was no need to elaborate further. The archery captain held a white-feathered arrow, while Lu Mingyuan held a red-feathered arrow. Seeing the two ready, Chu Mingzheng signaled the soldiers to begin.
A basket of apples was thrown into the air, and two arrows flew past one after the other, as fast as lightning.
The length of the arrow is no more than the height of twelve or thirteen apples, and excluding the length of the feathers, it is no more than the height of ten apples. An archer who hits five apples is considered an expert, and hitting ten is the limit.
The white feather arrow hit the apple and stuck it firmly on the left doorpost, followed by the red feather arrow on the right doorpost.
"Eleven white feathers, ten red feathers." Someone with sharp eyes immediately counted them out and shouted, "Captain Shesheng has won."
Before she finished speaking, a red apple landed steadily on the red feather arrow, but the men were cheering and didn't notice. Chu Yueling shouted loudly: "Sister Lu also got eleven apples!"
The Archer Captain looked over and felt a sense of panic. He had never seen a flying arrow so steady as to hold up an apple falling from a high altitude.
But he quickly calmed down and bowed, saying, "The eldest lady of the Lu family is a good archer. You can shoot as many arrows as you want. I will accept your reward."