Chapter 275: Equestrian Tournament, Black Knight Riding
The last event of the competition, the equestrian competition, was held in a village on the outskirts of London.
The entire village was temporarily requisitioned to become part of the stadium, and it was as lively as a major festival.
In the camp, blacksmiths, cooks, and leatherworkers set up colorful tents to provide services for the knights participating in the tournament. Yeats rode his horse into the camp and saw a knight holding a lance, wearing mail and a helmet, climbing onto his horse with the help of his servants.
His mount is a black heavy draft horse of the Shire Dragonblood breed.
It is huge and majestic, about two meters tall, with a tuft of flowing mane on its forehead.
This draft horse is famous for its great strength and can weigh more than 1,000 kilograms. It can carry a total of more than 300 kilograms of armor and heavily armed knights, making it a veritable battlefield weapon during a charge.
In comparison, the "Roland Thoroughbred Horse" has snow-white fur, a more elegant and agile appearance, and is known for its speed.
It is said that the reason why Knight Roland was more likely to be courted by noble ladies was closely related to their elegant white horses.
Gawain, the famous Knight of the Round Table, was given the title of "Prince Charming" by later generations. Some scholars pointed out that his mount was the Roland purebred horse.
Yeats stared at the black "Charlotte's Blood Horse" for a while.
The heavily-armored knight who had struggled to mount his horse noticed Yezhi and immediately asked his attendant to help him dismount. He then took off his helmet, placed his right fist on his chest in the plate armor, and saluted respectfully:
"Dear Earl, Mr. Yeats Browndi, I am Randall from the Hain family in the southern province. It is an honor to meet you here!"
With his photographic memory, Yeats has memorized almost all the nobles in the Kingdom of the Golden Lion. The head of the Hein family is a small baron, and Randall is the son of the baron. He was defeated by June Lannister in a duel, and like Yeats, he continued to participate in the equestrian competition.
Ye Zhi held the reins, nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "Knight Randall, your dragon blood horse has been bred very well."
"Your Excellency the Earl is too kind." Randall said humbly, "Dragon Blood Horse is a specialty of South County. If you like, I will send someone to escort two Dragon Blood Horses to your territory as a token of my respect for you!"
Any dragon-blood horse is worth a fortune. Randall spent so much money just to curry favor with Earl Yeats, the favorite of His Majesty.
But the reason why Yeats was valued and promoted by the king was largely because Yeats did not belong to any faction. In this case, how could Yeats accept the other party's generous gift and then be suspected of forming a clique for personal gain? "I appreciate the kindness of Knight Randall."
Ye Zhi said calmly: "If there is a need, I will send someone to buy the dragon blood horse from you. As for giving it as a gift, there is no need."
Randall was startled for a moment, then realized what Yeats meant by that, and quickly lowered his head and said:
"You are right, Count. I am sorry for my intrusion. Please forgive me!"
Ye Zhi smiled again and said, "I've heard that Knight Randall is an excellent horseman. I'm looking forward to your performance in the upcoming competition."
Randall was surprised and delighted. He had not expected that the Earl would take the initiative to encourage him. He was even a little terrified and said respectfully, "I will definitely live up to the Earl's expectations!"
This was just a polite remark. Yeats had already secured the title of equestrian champion.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to report to the king.
"drive!"
Yeats went deeper into the camp and found that the atmosphere of celebration was even more intense.
Family flags of various colors were erected in front of the tents, fluttering in the wind. Knights were either sharpening their weapons or chatting with each other, and noble daughters gathered together to flirt with the knights they liked. A wooden fence surrounded the camp, and outside the camp there was a competition field that was more than three times larger.
If you want to enter the camp, you must first pay a gold coin, which discourages many civilians. Most of those who can come to watch the game are of noble birth, and of course there are also demon hunters and adventurers who come to try their luck in the competition.
The knight literature novels of the Kingdom of Roland mentioned that knight tournaments were quite romantic. The knights were like peacocks competing for beauty, and the ladies watching the tournament would cheer for their favorite knights without any reservation, throwing flowers, gloves, ribbons to them, and even spending a lot of money to support them.
When Yeats arrived riding Roland's warhorse, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.
He won the championship in poetry and the duel. He was a man of both letters and martial arts and had become a prominent figure in London.
Not to mention, he was made earl at a young age, and seemed to be more popular than Lanstro, the "Knight of the Round Table" who was said to be favored by the queen!
Wherever Yeats went, his eyes followed him, which was also a kind of invisible pressure.
However, Yeats was accustomed to being in the spotlight.
It is worth mentioning that according to tradition, commanders need to pray to the God of War before fighting on the battlefield, and in competitive tournaments, the deity worshipped is the God of War's subordinate god, the Black Knight.
The Black Knight's authority includes riding and martial arts performances. The famous [Black Knight Riding] is arguably the most extraordinary riding technique in the entire continent.
A knight who has mastered this riding technique will never fall off his horse, and he can combine elegance and practicality, making the combat skills on horseback more powerful.
The Roland people extracted the performance part of the Black Knight's riding, which later evolved into the "dressage" in equestrian performances, from which we can get a glimpse of the charm of the original riding.
In the center of the camp, there is an altar of the Black Knight, on which is a marble statue of a war horse and chess piece. There is also a king chess table nearby for people to entertain themselves in their spare time.
With the equestrian competition approaching, Yeats was about to go to the Black Knight altar to pray when an acquaintance stopped him.
"Why, are you in such a hurry to leave when you see me?"
June was riding a chestnut mare, wearing a simple military uniform, with short, neat hair, and a stern tone.
"Do you also participate in equestrian competitions?" Yeats asked casually.
"Are you afraid that I'll ruin your chances of winning three championships in a row?" June retorted.
Facing the angry June, Yeats smiled faintly and said, "No matter how sarcastic you are, I will just ignore you."
Seeing this, June became even more annoyed.
On the day of Colin's wedding, June was surprised to find that she had not received an invitation, so she sent a letter to Yeats to inquire, but she didn't expect that Yeats would ignore her at all, which really made June feel upset.
Red Rose of Lannister loves nothing more than holding grudges.
At the end of the wedding banquet, many guests were very secretive about what happened that day, which made June more suspicious.
The Duke of Lannister had a keen political sense and sensed that a storm was coming, so he returned to his territory first. This way, even if unrest came, he would be able to command his troops in the first place.
The only intelligence channel June could trust was Yeats, but she was really upset that her brother had kept the secret from her.
"Hey, dear Lord Yeats, didn't you hear me?" June said unhappily.
Yeats sent a message: "You should be thankful that you didn't receive an invitation to Colin's wedding banquet, otherwise it would mean that you have been regarded as a thorn in His Majesty's side..."
June was stunned, her eyes filled with surprise.
Yeats briefly summarized the King's intentions and the urgency of the matter, so he had no time to reveal it to June.
And now, the Duke of Suffolk has been killed, and a phased success has been achieved. The only thing left is to defeat the Blood Spider Lord.
"So that's how it is..."
June looked thoughtful and murmured, "No wonder only a few nobles were invited to this wedding banquet... This is His Majesty borrowing the Blood Spider Lord's knife to kill those who don't obey."
"Let's talk about this equestrian competition." Ye Zhi calmly changed the subject. "Is this competition a lance duel or something else?"
Lance duel is a classic form of knightly jousting.
On two narrow tracks, two heavily armored knights, holding lances, faced each other and charged on horseback at the same time.
The lance carried the powerful momentum of the cavalry's charge, and it was extremely fierce. The two horses collided until one fell off the horse, and the one still on horseback won.
The probability of casualties in this type of competition is extremely high. Even if one has fighting spirit to protect one's body, it is common for a lance to pierce one's body and draw blood.
However, lance charge is a basic skill for knights on horseback, so even though it is bloody, this form of competition is very popular in the Midgard continent.
June sighed, her anger had dissipated, and she even felt that she had wronged Ye Zhi. She whispered:
"This event consists of three major events: running through the spur ring, shooting at targets on horseback, and charging on horseback. The knight with the shortest total time wins, and the champion will receive the legacy of the Black Knight."
Ye Zhi was slightly startled and asked in surprise: "What inheritance?"
Please...collect 6...9...books...!
"Of course it's [Black Knight Riding]!"
June glanced at the war horse statue on the altar in the distance with a hint of longing in her eyes.
"This inheritance belongs to the category of talent. It is the divinity of the Black Knight. It appears in the form of a king chess piece. By digesting the power of this chess piece, you will be able to master the god-given talent of riding."
"I am a knight who follows the path of the Black Knight. My father specifically told me to do my best to win the championship, but..." June looked at Ye Zhi, sighed helplessly, and shook her head without saying anything.
Yeats's riding skills were just average, even worse than many knights in this competition, and this riding talent just made up for his shortcomings.
When Ye Zhi heard about these three major events, he smiled and thought, no wonder the Lionheart King not only gave me the Crazy Lion Halberd, but also let me train archery and even helped Luobo break through to the King level... This is the inside story! Ye Zhi said with emotion: "In my opinion, this [Black Knight Riding] is destined for me, and I should win the championship!"
June glanced at Ye Zhi and chuckled, "Your riding skills are not necessarily better than mine. Let's see who's better in the competition... Go!"
She whipped the whip and walked a few steps, then pulled the reins and turned back to say, "By the way, I just saw some of your demon hunter followers. The one called Jello has an excellent mount. Remember to ask him if he is willing to sell it. Sorry for the trouble."
soon.
Yeats saw the warhorse that June described as "excellent".
An old horse, almost dying of skin and flesh, was nibbling the alfalfa in the trough listlessly. Jello waved his hand to drive away the flies flying around the old horse, and when he saw Yeats, he said cheerfully:
"Hey, Lord Earl, what a coincidence, you are here to compete as well?"
Ye Zhi couldn't see the specialness of this old horse anyway. It might be because his riding skills were poor and his horse-judging skills were not up to par. Clearing his throat, Ye Zhi said, "I have nothing to do at the manor, so I might as well come and get another bonus."
Jello smiled and said, "I won't let you, but..."
He looked around and grinned, revealing his silver-studded teeth: "The price is negotiable!"
The implication is that Jello is willing to fix the match as long as Yeats offers a good price.
Yeats was helpless, but he also understood Jello's temper, and also knew that Jello was a strong opponent. In the original work, as the chosen one of the Wild Hunt, Jello was an expert in both riding and swordsmanship, and he was a man of destiny.
But unfortunately, Yeats was the designated champion!
"Someone asked me to ask you..." Ye Zhi glanced at the skinny packhorse, "Are you selling this horse?"
Jello's smile suddenly faded. After weighing his words, he said in a deep voice, "This is not for sale."
Yeats raised his eyebrows.
Jello's hand rested on the skinny horse, with a rare hint of tenderness in his eyes: "He helped me escape from many dangerous situations. Although he is not a famous horse, he is a very powerful guy... Wait, you will see it."
Jello raised his eyes, his gaze sparkling, and said with certainty: "In this competition, no rider and his mount can beat us!"
Ye Zhi was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "I'll wait and see."
*The autumn wind blew up the sand and stones on the playing field.
The sky was high and the clouds were vast, colorful flags were fluttering, and the audience seats were bustling with activity.
A well-dressed official, holding an imperial edict, began to read the king's words of encouragement to the knights and explained the rules.
There are ten tracks in total on the racecourse, with three major stages. After the knights leave the starting gate on their horses, they must first pass through the [Horse Hitting Ring] area and use their lances to continuously hit three circular targets hanging high up.
This requires the knight's precise spearmanship and coordination with the horse, so that the horse can seize the opportunity to jump up and thrust the spear. If the knight fails, he will lose a lot of points, miss the championship, and be booed by the audience.
After passing the [Horse Racing and Hitting Rings] area, you will come to the [Horseback Shooting Target], where you need to gallop while drawing the bow and arrow and shoot at the target in the distance. The score is determined by the number of rings.
Finally, they came to a long straight runway, where the knights were required to [charge on horseback], and their scores were determined based on their ranking.
In the Kingdom of Roland, a "dressage dance" segment is added when the knights appear. The knights are dressed in gorgeous clothes and ride their horses to perform to the music. The more popular the knight is, the greater the cheers he will cause, which is quite like the appearance of stars in later generations.
Yeats was a famous person, and when he appeared on stage with Radish, the cheers from the audience were like waves.
When faced with this situation, Luobo was not panicked but happy. He stood up and walked a few steps on his hind legs, which drew rounds of applause.
Afterwards, Yeats came to his own horse racing gate and found that Knight Randall was on the track next to him.
"Greetings, Lord Earl." Knight Randall, wearing a bucket helmet, nodded.
Yeats, wearing a helmet with a visor, raised the visor and nodded in greeting.
Bang! Perhaps it was because the Charles dragon blood horse was too close to Luobo, Luobo kicked it backwards, causing the dragon blood horse to stagger a few steps.
Randall was a little confused. The Earl's warhorse had such a bad temper! Ye Zhi coughed dryly, indicating that it was an accident, and then patted Luobo on the head repeatedly, indicating that he should not be so arrogant. If he lost to Jello's old horse, he would suffer a great loss.
The carrot neighed proudly, saying that he was just an old soldier and there was nothing to be afraid of! The referee had already stepped onto the starting platform.
The knights in the gate held their breath.
Whoosh! The flaming arrow rose into the sky, exploding into brilliant sparks, and the gate opened at the same time.
Clang! Yeats closed the iron mask and rushed out of the gate on horseback.
Ten horses came out of the gate at the same time, stirring up a cloud of dust, their hooves thundering, their galloping like the wind, the momentum was spectacular! (End of this chapter)