New rules for archery and horsemanship

On the morning of the third day after returning from the autumn hunt, Wu Zetian summoned Li Anqi, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, to the East Warm Pavilion of Penglai Palace.

On the rosewood table lay the newly drafted "Regulations for the Prince's Craft Training," with vermilion annotations covering the pages like red plum blossoms falling on snow.

"I've heard that the Crown Prince has been reading 'The Art of War' - Chapter Nine Variations" recently?" Wu Meiniang pushed the warmed almond milk towards the old scholar. "Reading only 'No shelter on ruined ground' is not enough. Starting tomorrow, every day at 3:45 AM, take Hong'er to the North Garden Archery Range to practice terrain identification."

Li Anqi's hand, holding the white jade cup, trembled slightly: "Your Majesty, you are wise. The Crown Prince studies the Classic of Filial Piety in the morning and the Zuo Zhuan in the afternoon. It is truly..."

"The Classic of Filial Piety begins, 'Our bodies, hair, and skin are received from our parents; we dare not damage them.'" Wu Zetian lightly touched the words "riding and archery" on the regulations. "If we have to rely on guards even for a sudden attack by deer, how will we deal with hidden arrows in the court in the future?"

The old scholar's white eyebrows furrowed: "But Confucius said, 'Archery should not be aimed at the target, for strength differs from that of other disciplines'..."

"Therefore, I have divided the archery range into three levels." Wu Meiniang unfolded a map, "The Crown Prince will use a two-stone bow at a distance of fifty paces, Xian'er will use a one-and-a-half-stone bow at a distance of thirty paces, and Xian'er will use a bamboo bow at a distance of twenty paces—this is truly teaching according to aptitude."

(OS: To debate with Confucius, you have to cite classical texts. Luckily, I memorized the Analects when I was preparing for the civil service exam.)

Seeing that Li Anqi still looked troubled, she suddenly asked, "Does Lord Li know that the Ministry of War reported today that the Tibetan envoys fought against our side in a martial arts contest at the Honglu Temple yesterday and defeated three imperial guard instructors in succession?"

Without waiting for an answer, she opened a book titled "Records of Customs and Traditions of the Western Regions": "Lu Dongzan's grandson, at only twelve years old, could turn around on horseback and shoot down a flying eagle. And our crown prince..."

Her voice turned somber, "When the wild boar attacked from ten zhang away, I even forgot to draw my sword."

A bead of sweat appeared on Li Anqi's forehead: "This old minister is foolish..."

"It's not that Lord Li is dull-witted," Wu Meiniang said, her tone softening slightly. "When Emperor Taizong established the Hongwen Academy, he said, 'Though we govern with literature, we must not forget military preparedness.' Now that the four borders are not at peace, if the Crown Prince spends his days buried in old books, how will he be able to command the three armies in the future?"

She suddenly stood up, pulled a volume of "Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era" from the bookshelf, flipped to a certain page, and pushed it forward: "Look, when Wei Zheng advised Crown Prince Chengqian, he specifically emphasized 'being mindful of danger in times of peace.' Does this mean that in a time of peace and prosperity, princes should become hothouse flowers?"

(OS: Wei Zheng's name is the most useful; let's see how you refute it now.)

The old scholar stared at the annotation on the page that read, "Even a ruler who maintains the status quo must be well-versed in military affairs," and finally bowed deeply to the ground: "This old minister... will take the Crown Prince to the archery range tomorrow."

When the news reached the Hongwen Academy, Crown Prince Hongzheng was frowning as he looked at "The Art of War".

Upon hearing the new regulations, he showed a relieved expression: "Finally, I don't have to talk about terrain in front of a sand table anymore."

At dawn the next day, torches flickered in the North Garden Martial Arts Field.

Wu Zetian tightened the belts around her three sons' waists and placed Taiping on a couch covered with a white tiger skin in the corridor.

"Drawing a bow is like governing a country; the key is to maintain balance." She held the prince's hand and drew the string, "Your arm should be level like the law, your eyes should be accurate like selecting officials, and your mind should be calm like the imperial court."

Ten feet away, at the bullseye of the target, the three-edged arrowhead that she had pierced through during her test shot yesterday still remained.

Li Xian learned the fastest, hitting the bullseye with his fifth arrow.

Li Xian was weak, so Wu Meiniang had red silk ribbons wrapped around the bamboo bow to mark the positions.

(OS: Luckily, I was scolded by the coach at the archery range for three months in my previous life, and my muscle memory somehow carried over with me.)

Ten days later, at the regular court session, when the Ministry of War presented the "Regulations for the Examination and Assessment of Horsemanship and Archery Skills for the Sons of Generals of the Various Guards," Cheng Wuting's voice shook the rooftops: "The Empress has said that military families should emulate the ambition of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to gallop across the vast deserts!"

Di Renjie stepped forward with a smile: "Even the sons of civil officials must be knowledgeable in military affairs, so that they may understand that 'the way of civil and military affairs is like the alternation of the sun and moon.'"

Just as several censors were about to object, Wu Meiniang ordered people to bring out the wild boar specimen from the autumn hunt.

When the officials saw the arrow piercing the eye and throat and the deep impact marks on the fangs, the Zichen Palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

As dusk settled over the training ground, Wu Zetian carried Princess Taiping on her inspection tour.

But then they saw Crown Prince Hong instructing his second brother to adjust his finger technique, while Li Xian was leading the eunuchs in practicing the "Wild Goose Formation".

As the evening breeze caressed Taiping's soft, sweet cheeks, the little princess suddenly reached out her little hand toward the weapons rack.

"You want this?" Wu Meiniang took out a small mulberry wood bow adorned with silver bells and placed it in her daughter's palm.

(OS: My Taiping, in the future you will surely become a dragon and phoenix capable of wielding a bow and sword and ruling the country.)

In the glow of the sunset, Li Zhi gazed at his wife's silhouette, gilded by the setting sun, and suddenly recalled the talented woman who had presented the "Decentralized Solution" at Ganye Temple many years ago.

The fire that flickered in her eyes at that time never went out, but instead spread like wildfire, illuminating the rivers and mountains of the Tang Dynasty.

——

[His Highness the Crown Prince's Horsemanship and Archery Notes]

September 10th, the 23rd year of Zhenguan

The way my mother argued with Li Shaoshi today reminded me of Feng Xuan in the "Strategies of the Warring States".

Every time she quoted a classic line, Li Shaoshi's white beard would tremble.

The old man's face turned pale when the Tibetan prince was mentioned as being skilled in riding and archery.

(Actually, I've wanted to try a real bow for a long time. Last time I secretly played with General Cheng's bow, the Grand Tutor said I was "wasting my time on trivial things.")

September 12th

The morning breeze in Beiyuan carries the scent of grass and leaves.

When my mother held my hand to draw the bow, there was a thin layer of calluses on her palm.

It turns out she really can shoot arrows, and it's not just something she uses in emergencies during autumn hunts.

My second brother learns really fast; it's clear he's been practicing secretly.

The third brother's bamboo bow was wrapped with red silk, like a candied hawthorn during the New Year.

September 15th

Today I finally hit the bullseye!

My mother said, "Governing a country is like drawing a bow," but I always felt that she taught me more than just archery.

When the bowstring twanged, I suddenly understood why the Book of Rites said, "Archery is the way of benevolence."

It turns out that reading books about inanimate objects for ten years is not as effective as learning by firing an arrow yourself.

September 20th

General Cheng came to see us practice archery today, and his eyes were actually red.

He said, "His Highness the Crown Prince's current demeanor is quite reminiscent of His Majesty's when he was young."

It turns out that my father was also a master archer when he was young.

But I've only ever seen him holding a bow in portraits.

October 1st

Di Gong brought his civil officials and their sons to watch the archery competition.

Those young masters who used to spend their days reciting poetry and composing essays now have to practice archery every day.

Wang Yushi's son, Sanlang, couldn't draw the bow and cried so hard that snot was coming out of his nose.

Thinking back to myself at the beginning of the month, I suddenly understood why my mother insisted on reforms.

(After all, if you can't even draw the bow, how will you draw the bow of a prosperous era?)

October 15

Today, Taiping is babbling and learning to speak while holding a small bow. Her mother hugs her and says, "Your older brother will teach you in the future."

Looking into my sister's crystal-clear eyes, I suddenly looked forward to seeing what she would look like when she grew up.

Perhaps by then, women practicing martial arts will no longer be considered shocking.

The moonlight shone on the bow frame, and the taut bowstrings resembled the grand vision of a prosperous era depicted by the Empress Dowager.