Zhang Shixun was shocked by the dilapidated state of the military training hall of the Ministry of War. The earthen wall had not been repaired for many years, and withered grass grew on the top of the wall. What's worse, many places could no longer be called walls, and it would be more appropriate to call them gaps.
Many people who love to watch the fun are already lying on the half-broken earthen wall, and some have simply entered the wall through the gap, leaning against the wall and stretching their necks to watch the fun.
Several soldiers who were maintaining order were sweating as they rushed out. Just as they were driving one out, another came in...
"Brother Zhang!" Zhang Shixun heard someone calling him, and when he looked closely, he found that it was Lao Zhao and Lao Huang.
Coach Lin also stood aside and waved at him.
Zhang Shixun also waved and greeted them. He was very happy that these people came to support him.
There was a wooden platform in the middle of the martial arts hall, with three people sitting on it. Judging from their official uniforms, one was a civil official and two were military officers.
The civil servant sitting in the middle was a middle-aged man with a fair complexion, a short beard under his chin, and a straight-angled hat on his head. He sat upright and seemed to be the chief examiner.
The two deputy examiners were military officers and sat on both sides.
The registration area is in front of the stage, where there are two tables.
The table was already crowded with registered candidates, and several clerks were sweating profusely as they checked the names one by one.
The military officer who brought them in was very attentive. He ignored the other candidates' cold stares, pushed through the crowd and squeezed to the front, then led Zhang Shixun to register.
All the candidates who registered rolled their eyes, but dared not speak out.
He Ji had already arrived, leading the chestnut horse.
Zhang Shixun walked over and clasped his fists, saying, "Thank you, Brother He."
"Brother Zhang, you're welcome. We're old friends, so this little favor is nothing." He Ji handed the reins of the red chestnut horse to Zhang Shixun and said, "Brother Zhang, you can ride it when we go on stage."
Zhang Shixun bowed, took the reins, and said gratefully, "I thought the Ministry of War would prepare horses for the candidates during the exam."
He Ji smiled and said, "Yes, the Ministry of War does have horses prepared, but they are for poor candidates. We should just ride our own. You are already familiar with the chestnut horse, so you will have a better chance of success if you ride it."
Gao Yanei also walked over, put his hand on He Ji's shoulder, and said with a playful smile: "Brother He, you are really worried about me. Although we knew each other before, we had never dealt with each other. After this incident, I realized that He Dalang is a loyal man... No problem, after Brother Zhang finishes his exam, I will invite you to Fanlou for a drink. Brother will be the host."
"Okay, Yanei, you must keep your word."
Gao Yanei patted his chest and said, "Of course I keep my word. Although I, Gao Chengzong, may be cynical, when it comes to friends, I will stick by my side and never hesitate."
Zhang Shixun smiled without saying a word, stretching his neck to look at the shooting range. The soldiers had already set up the arrow nests.
At the sound of a drum, several soldiers ran to the chaotic crowd of examinees, cracking their whips and shouting "Silence! Silence!"
The training ground gradually quieted down.
The civil servant on the stage stood up, glanced at the audience with a serious expression, coughed lightly, and began to read out the examination rules, speaking in a very strange way.
Zhang Shixun was confused and could hardly understand what this guy was saying.
It doesn’t matter whether you listen or not, just follow them and do whatever you are told.
After he finally finished speaking, the two military officers next to him stood up and continued to speak. Although they were not as flowery as the civil servants just now, they also spoke for a long time. They were nothing more than nonsense about thanking the emperor for the grace and repaying the Song Dynasty. Their loud voices were straightforward and easy to understand.
From ancient times to the present, speeches and addresses in official circles are all similar. They don't feel ashamed to tell lies, bragging is natural, and empty talk has become a habit.
In short, it is long-winded, repetitive, endless and full of nonsense.
After waiting for a long time for the three examiners to finish speaking, the exam officially began.
A drum sounded and a lieutenant announced the official start of the examination.
First test standing shooting.
A loud-mouthed clerk, holding a roster, began to call out names: "Lin Shiying, Gao Hanqing, come on stage."
The two men responded and walked out of the crowd and came to the edge of the shooting range.
Zhang Shixun whispered to He Ji, "What are the criteria for this exam? I didn't hear clearly what was said on the stage just now."
He Ji said, "The exams have been similar in previous years, and this exam is no different. As long as you can shoot a slingshot and hit three out of ten, and can shoot a seven-bu bow on horseback, you'll be ranked first."
Hearing this, Zhang Shixun smiled.
It’s a sure thing, you can get first prize without any effort.
"Anyone who can pull a crossbow is considered the best. Someone like you with incredible arm strength and accurate shooting skills is rare. It can be said that the Juelunke is prepared for people like you."
He Ji pointed to the weapons rack next to the shooting range and said, "As usual, the examination hall has prepared bows of various weights: seven-dou bows, nine-dou bows, one-shi bows, one-shi and five-shi bows, all the way up to two-shi bows...Those taking the Juelun exam are allowed to bring their own bows. Of course, this is only for the sons of military families. As for ordinary people, they simply can't afford them. Moreover, even if they could, they wouldn't be able to buy them because the Song Dynasty forbids ordinary people from owning powerful bows. So for ordinary people, bringing their own bows is out of the question."
Zhang Shixun clenched the bow in his hand. This was the bow given to him by Wang Dong.
He had already adjusted it to two stone and five dou, the same bow he used in the training ground yesterday.
He Ji then noticed the bow he was holding and asked hurriedly, "Is this your bow?"
"Yeah! My cousin gave it to me."
"How much bow power?"
"Two stone and five dou."
He Ji took the bow and looked at it. It was pitch black and he couldn't see anything special about it.
The first two people to go on stage chose the seven-dou bow and the nine-dou bow respectively. The one who chose the seven-dou bow shot ten arrows, but only hit two. Without a doubt, he failed.
The person who chose the Jiudou bow shot three arrows and barely passed.
Whenever the two missed the target, the people watching outside the wall would boo and whistle, shout, and jeer.
The soldiers whipped them on the head with whips, but these people were not afraid at all and continued to shout as usual.
After a few rounds, there was no outstanding performance. The best shooter only hit five arrows.
Zhang Shixun was a little disappointed. When he first came in, he had some expectations, hoping to compete with people with superb archery skills. Now, half of the people have come on the field one after another, but he has not seen anyone with superb archery skills. As for the strength of the bow, the best is only one stone and five dou.
Gao Yanei was watching with great interest. He got a bag of fried soybeans from somewhere and started chewing them while watching.
An officer ran over and said to Gao Yanei, "Yanei, it's time for your relative to go on stage. Tell him to get ready. It will be his turn soon."
Gao Yanei pointed at Zhang Shixun and said, "He is my relative, from my maternal uncle's family."
When did you become his relative?
Seeing Zhang Shixun's unhappy expression, Gao Yanei said with a playful smile: "My mother is Zhang, hehe! The word Zhang is inseparable. We were one family five hundred years ago."
Zhang Shixun was about to say something when the officer said to him, "Young man, please follow me."
"Wait! I'll use my own bow." Zhang Shixun raised his bow.
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