After a continuous autumn rain, the tips of the emerald green leaves were dyed with golden yellow, and the cool autumn breeze brought moisture and dispelled the last trace of heat.
Daqin ushered in the second stage of the imperial examination - the county examination.
Now all the counties were crowded together, and scholars rushed to the county where their household registration was located to take the exam. Chen Ping also rushed back to Sanchuan County exhausted.
The next morning, when it was still light, neat rows of people had already formed outside the examination hall, waiting for the officials to examine them.
In a small, closed dark room, two clerks checked a scholar's body several times, inside and out, and only spoke after finding nothing unusual.
"Wang An, passed."
"Next."
The scholar named Wang An quickly straightened his clothes with a red face, picked up his book basket and hurried into the examination room.
The imperial examination involved many interests. To prevent favoritism and fraud, not only were candidates required to be body searched before the exam, but examiners also patrolled during the exam and the examination halls were heavily guarded.
The line was getting shorter and shorter, and the atmosphere around them was becoming tense.
Chen Ping in the crowd was also infected with a sense of uneasiness.
He looked at the dawn breaking in the sky, closed his eyes, then opened his bright and handsome eyes, and his gaze became firm again.
For three months, he worked day and night in the academy, studied diligently, learned a lot, and also realized the shortcomings of his knowledge.
But no matter what, he has tried his best. Whether he succeeds or not, he will have no regrets after giving it a try today.
At the same time, in Sishui County, at the martial arts training ground.
After the first round of assessment, several examiners sitting on the platform made marks on the list, and after completion, they handed it to the clerk to read out.
"Ma Shu, bow shooting, the best!"
"Zhou Bo, bow and shoot, palace!"
“…”
"Han Xin, bow and shoot, palace!"
After hearing their results, the martial arts scholars showed different expressions, some were beaming with joy, while others were dejected...
Han Xin, who passed the exam, was naturally in high spirits. The corners of his mouth were almost stretched to the back of his ears, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth, and his handsome face had a bit more innocence.
The military examination was divided into four subjects: archery on foot, archery on horseback, swinging weapons, and arena competition. The examination on military books and strategies was cancelled.
The main reason is that the Qin Dynasty was a martial nation, and warriors focused on strengthening their bodies and practicing martial arts.
Apart from the children of aristocratic families, few people specialized in studying military books, so the requirements were lowered in the first imperial examination.
There are no doubts about the categories of subjects for the county examination, prefecture examination and palace examination, but the requirements are progressive and an elimination system is adopted.
"Round two, archery and horse shooting."
Upon hearing this, Han Xin put away his silly smile, his expression became serious, he straightened his clothes, and under the guidance of the clerk, turned over and rode a majestic black horse.
The young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes was dressed in a white robe and galloped on his horse. His face was cold and fierce, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, tightly locked on the target.
The next moment, he bent the bow and drew the arrow. With a few "whoosh" sounds, the sharp arrow blade shone with a cold light, piercing through the autumn wind and accurately shooting into the center of the target, with every arrow hitting the target.
Seeing this, Han Xin curled the corners of his lips, and his cold brows became bright. The dazzling golden light shone on him, and he was full of the youthful vigor.
"Han Xin, archery and horse shooting, palace!"
In the huge training ground, strong and muscular men rode horses and shot arrows.
The sound of horse hooves and arrows breaking through the air made the atmosphere even more heated.
The examiners observed and took notes, and several clerks read out the test results without stopping.
However, it is obvious that archery on horseback is much more difficult than archery on foot. The number of martial arts scholars eliminated in the second round is twice that of the first round.
The space in the crowded place suddenly became half as small as before. The remaining candidates who had successfully passed the first two rounds could not help but feel a little uneasy, worrying whether they could pass the next round as well.
"The third round is about wielding weapons. Candidates may choose the weapons they are most comfortable with."
The soldiers carried several rows of weapon racks to the front, on which were displayed a variety of melee weapons.
Scimitars, swords, spears, halberds, long spears, darts, axes... and even hammers.
Han Xin was good at using the sword. In addition to practicing on his own before, he also received systematic training from his teacher after entering the academy.
With his extraordinary talent and hard work, his swordsmanship is naturally not bad.
When it was his turn, he took out a standard long sword and made a beautiful sword flower.
Then he danced with the sword smoothly and gracefully, and each of his seemingly fancy moves was filled with murderous intent.
Looking down at the heroic young man holding the sword, the examiners looked at each other with admiration in their eyes, and all put pen to paper, while a clerk beside them read aloud.
"Han Xin, wield your weapons, palace!"
After passing the test, Han Xin did not go to rest, but watched the test site with Zhou Bo, a fellow student from the same hometown whom he had just met.
The weapons used by the candidates were mostly swords, but there were also some strange and unpopular weapons. The one who came on stage to demonstrate was a strong man holding a big hammer.
The sturdy man's upper body was naked, his muscles bulging, his bronze skin glowing with strength, his arms were extremely strong, and he was wielding an iron hammer weighing over a hundred pounds with great power.
Everyone couldn't help but cheer, but Han Xin stared at the heavy hammer with a dark look in his eyes and an ominous premonition in his heart.
The next round is the ring competition. Two people will form a group and fight on the ring. The winner will be in the hall and the loser will be the last one. The assessment method is simple and rough.
But... the arena is small and inconvenient to move around, and the long sword is good at flexible attacks, so it will undoubtedly be at a disadvantage when facing heavy weapons like hammers.
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