Bowls of steaming mutton soup were served, along with pieces of pot cakes.
An alluring aroma filled the air.
Zhao Ji and his ministers got up early in the morning. By this time, their stomachs were empty, but the smell of the fragrance whetted their appetite.
Zhao Ji took a bite of the pot cake and drank a mouthful of the soup. His stomach immediately felt warm and he was very happy. He couldn't help but praise it: "This soup is really delicious. The soup is fresh but not smelly, and the meat is tender but not mushy. It seems that the legend is true."
Cai Jing, who was sitting next to him, said nothing and just lowered his head to drink the soup. He was old and had been busy since morning, so he was a little tired. In addition, the weather was cold and his whole body was cold. After a few mouthfuls of the fresh soup, he felt extremely comfortable.
Not only Cai Jing, but everyone else lowered their heads to drink the soup. After a while, steam came out of their heads.
"Another bowl, please." Tong Guan finished his soup first and said to Zhang Shixun with a smile, "I've been in the army for a long time and I love mutton soup, but I've never tasted anything as delicious as this."
Zhang Shixun said, "If General Tong likes it, you may drink more."
Cai Jing was also sweating from drinking so much that he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Mutton tastes sweet but not greasy, and is warm but not dry. It has the effects of warming the body and dispelling cold, warming the qi and blood, and stimulating the appetite and strengthening the spleen. Eating it in winter can not only resist the wind and cold, but also nourish the body."
Wang Fu added, "Mr. Cai, there's another benefit you didn't mention."
"Oh, that effect?"
Wang Fu said with a forced smile: "It also has the effect of nourishing the kidneys and strengthening yang. Mr. Cai might as well drink more."
Saying this in front of an old man who is almost eighty years old is absolutely full of malice.
He and Cai Jing had a good relationship at the beginning, but later when he got involved with Liang Shicheng, they became enemies and kept trying to sabotage each other.
As soon as Wang Fu said this, not only did Cai Jing's face turn dark, but Tong Guan and Liang Shicheng who were present also felt embarrassed.
Liang Shicheng glared at him fiercely, cursing in his heart: "You thief! I'm a eunuch, do you think it's fun to say this in front of so many people?"
To nourish the kidney and strengthen the yang, what the hell is that?
The scene suddenly became awkward.
Zhao Ji looked at this and that, and suddenly laughed: "Jiang Ming, you have many wives and concubines, so you must eat mutton often."
Wang Fu laughed dryly, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. In my humble household, mutton is a constant. We eat it almost every day."
"But why do you only have one son? Your fertility is very limited." Cai Jing took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his mouth. "From this point of view, the so-called kidney-tonifying and yang-strengthening methods are useless to you."
This soft knife stabbed hard and hit Wang Fu's soft spot.
Wang Fu's face flushed red, he felt embarrassed and annoyed.
The lack of offspring was indeed his biggest concern.
What made him even more ashamed and angry was that the flea on the drum had its testicles cut off, and now it was no different from a eunuch.
I really regret saying that extra word just now.
Tong Guan brought his second bowl of fresh soup and sprinkled a handful of coriander in it, blowing on the hot air while mockingly saying, "Prince Wang has many beautiful concubines, but they only bloom and never bear fruit. It seems he didn't water them with enough manure, so the fertilizer isn't strong enough... Hahaha!"
Everyone present burst into laughter, even Zhao Ji laughed so hard that he fell over.
Wang Fu was both ashamed and annoyed, but Tong Guan held military power, held a high position and had great influence, and was a big shot in the eyes of the emperor, so he could not afford to offend him.
These people can be said to be the most noble people in the Song Dynasty. It is really inappropriate for them to say such half-dirty and half-simplistic words in public.
Zhang Shixun turned a deaf ear and just soaked the big piece of flatbread into the soup bowl. He had a lot of things to do today and had to eat well.
"Alright! Just kidding, don't take it too seriously," Zhao Ji said, smoothing things over. He looked up and asked Zhang Shixun, "I heard your army has developed a new way of playing football. Is it true?"
Zhang Shixun said, "Reporting to the Emperor, this is indeed the case."
"I wonder what's so special about your new way of playing football?"
"I call this new style of kicking the ball football." Zhang Shixun wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and explained, "Compared to Cuju, football is more suitable for promotion in the military."
"Football? The name is quite straightforward. The ball is, of course, kicked with the feet." Zhao Ji had loved Cuju since he was a teenager, and the discussion of football became quite enthusiastic. "Since you claim it's suitable for promotion within the military, then this so-called football should be quite rough."
"The government is wise. Using the word 'rough' to describe football is the most appropriate. The key to football is to be daring and to fight hard, to be both offensive and defensive, and to work as a team."
"Oh! Daring to fight and fighting, both offensively and defensively, is it possible to play football at this level?"
"If the emperor is really interested, he might as well go and see it in person." Zhang Shixun seized the opportunity to promote this form of exercise to him.
Zhao Ji was very excited: "Very good! Go and make arrangements quickly. I want to see what tricks you can come up with with this new style of football."
Zhang Shixun stood up with a smile and went outside to make arrangements.
Zhao Ji turned to Gao Qiu and asked, "How long has it been since we, the emperor and his subjects, played football?"
"It's been almost half a year."
Li Bangyan interrupted, "Sir, my feet have been itching for a long time."
Li Bangyan's ball skills are also good, not much worse than Gao Qiu's.
"Don't worry, after watching the football, we, the king and his subjects, will go back to the palace and play to our heart's content."
As he was speaking, Zhang Shixun had already made arrangements.
Led by Zhao Ji, everyone walked out of the meeting room.
On the field, the red and blue teams have already lined up, and the rest of the officers and soldiers are sitting neatly on one side of the field, quietly waiting for the game to begin.
Zhao Ji looked at the goals on both sides of the field and asked, "Shixun, your goals are a bit strange. There are actually two of them, and there's no romantic eye?"
"Step aside, there's no such thing as a playboy in football."
In the Song Dynasty, the goal of Cuju was a large net with a hole in the middle, which was called the Fengliuyan.
During the game, the two teams occupy each side of the net. The team that kicks off first passes the ball between their teammates, and then shoots the ball through the "wind eye". After the other team receives the ball, they start passing the ball between their teammates, and finally shoot the ball through the wind eye.
This process is repeated, and the ball cannot fall to the ground. The side whose ball falls to the ground loses.
This game is a test of skills. There is no physical contact between the two sides, and it is much less confrontational than football.
The key is the lack of stimulation.
On the edge of the court, a tiger-skin chair was placed in the middle, and the chairs on both sides were prepared for the ministers.
Zhao Ji took the lead and sat down on the tiger-skin chair. He didn't care whether the other ministers were fully seated or not, and urged enthusiastically: "Let's get started."
The captain of the red team is Gao Yanei, the captain of the blue team is Han Shizhong, and the referee is He Ji.
Zhao Ji asked Zhang Shixun, who was standing beside him, "Is that the eldest son of the He Guan family? He looks familiar to me."
"It is He Ji, the eldest son of the He family. He is fair and just, and is the most suitable person to act as a referee."
"What does he throw the penny for?"
"Before kick-off, the referee will toss a coin for the captains of both teams to choose the attacking direction. The team that guesses correctly gets to choose the attacking direction, and then the other team kicks off."
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