Chapter 263 Martial Arts Champion
Xiao Wu learned martial arts from Zhao Yun Jing when he was young, and later from Jiang Wu Yu. His basic skills are quite solid. However, after entering the academy, he only has half an hour to practice martial arts in the morning and evening. If he wants to win steadily in the selection competition three months later, he will have to work hard again.
Xiao Wu was about the same height as Jiang Wuyu. Apart from his still youthful appearance and lack of strength, he was quite tall on his own. However, when the two stood together, Jiang Wuyu was much more robust, making Xiao Wu appear particularly thin. As soon as they clashed, Xiao Wu was thrown to the ground.
“The chassis is unstable and the foundation is too poor. Xiao Wu, you’ll have to work hard for the next three months,” Jiang Wuyu said.
Xiao Wu didn't look defeated. He nodded earnestly and said, "Uncle Jiang, I will definitely study hard. Please take good care of me."
“You are a smart and hardworking child. Even without the title of martial arts champion, you will not be mediocre once you enter the army.”
The implication was that he didn't need to force himself to participate in the martial arts examination.
Xiao Wu smiled and said, "I don't think this is unnecessary. Only by experiencing enough setbacks can I more clearly know my own worth. At the same time, I can't let my older sister and brother-in-law suffer any criticism."
As soon as Zhou Mujiao entered the courtyard, she heard such heartwarming words. Her heart warmed, and she replied, "Just be yourself. As long as you live in this world, you will inevitably be criticized and slandered. As long as you are upright and honest, you have nothing to fear."
"I understand, elder sister. I will make sure the whole world knows that I became the top scholar through my own abilities."
He said he wanted to be a great general, he said he wanted to protect his elder sister, and he meant what he said; he could never just say something and then forget about it.
When Chu Liu and Yu Huaizhi took office, the martial arts examination also began in a grand manner, in the form of a martial arts tournament.
To prevent anyone from resorting to underhanded tactics or even maliciously harming others in their pursuit of victory, local governments dispatched numerous officials to oversee the situation, and the imperial court also sent people to supervise, striving to ensure fairness and impartiality at every stage.
There were three arenas set up in the capital, one of which was not far from the Li family mansion. Xiao Wu passed the selection competition there.
The selection competition is divided into three rounds. The first round is the open selection, which is held nationwide to determine the top fifty to advance to the next round. The second round is the preliminary selection, which is divided into groups by prefecture, with each group competing against the other two groups in a total of ten rounds. All the winners after the ten rounds will advance to the next round.
The third round of the finals also consisted of three matches.
At this point, the teams are no longer divided into groups. Instead, opponents are determined by drawing lots five times. This means each player has five chances to compete. As long as they win three of the five matches, they can advance to the second round.
The second round was also decided by drawing lots to select ten outstanding individuals. These ten individuals would then compete for the title of Martial Arts Champion. All finalists would have the privilege of choosing whether to go directly to the military camp or stay at the Imperial Capital Camp.
The Six Doors are full of talented people. Jiang Wuyu, Zhu Yan and others personally supervised and guided Xiao Wu for three months. Every time he came on stage, he was the focus of the whole audience. Who would not want to take a second look at a handsome and capable man?
After three months of competition, Xiao Wu overcame all obstacles and successfully won the title of Martial Arts Champion!
Zhou Mujiao and Zhao Yunjing were surprised by the result. They were happy, but more than that, they were relieved. Xiao Wu had worked so hard these past few months and had lost a lot of weight. Of course, he was also more upright, stronger, and more manly.
The happiest person was Ning Xian. Ning Xian held another celebration and invited Chen Jijiu over again. This time, Chen Jijiu didn't curse and swear. Instead, he took advantage of his drunkenness to publicly recount a love-hate relationship with Ning Xian from their youth. Ning Xian was so angry that he turned on him.
Fortunately, those present at the time knew the truth and it wasn't spread, otherwise everyone in Daliang would have known that Ning Xian and Chen Jijiu had once shared a deeply moving love story.
Xiao Wu had no idea about the rivalry between the two officials from Canglan Academy and the Imperial Academy. Ever since he won first place and became the martial arts champion, the emperor had summoned him to the palace every day. There was indeed something to discuss. The emperor had given him five years and asked if he was confident that he could take the position of General of the Northern Desert within three years.
Xiao Wu, like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, naturally had confidence. However, his confidence was not blind; rather, he was very clear about his strengths and weaknesses.
I am currently only good at theoretical discussions and have a healthy body, but when I actually get to the battlefield, I'm afraid I'll be completely clueless and know nothing.
Before he could go to the battlefield, he had to go through several tests. One of them was how to win over the hearts of the soldiers in the northern desert in the shortest time and most efficiently. If he couldn't even win over the soldiers, he wouldn't even have a chance to go to the battlefield. Instead, he would be left to his own devices in the camp as a mascot.
Therefore, before the emperor, Xiao Wu did not make any overly confident statements, only saying, "Your Majesty, I will certainly devote myself to the cause until my dying breath!"
The emperor is not yet thirty years old this year, and is very young. He grew up in the presence of the retired emperor and began participating in councils at the age of eight. Even things he has never seen before, he has heard of. There is a saying in modern times that your vision determines how much money you can earn. This saying is also true in ancient times. Your knowledge and your breadth of mind determine how far you can lead a country.
The retired emperor was a magnanimous man, and the current emperor is not much less so. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to let the retired emperor lead a group of old ministers to Lingnan. If he were even slightly narrow-minded, he would have thought that the retired emperor was going to support Li Changyi and that Li Changyi would come back to seize the throne in the future.
"My dear Anping, you have a very precious quality: you are honest and straightforward. I particularly admire this quality in you. Our Great Liang is lacking honest people like you. Just go ahead and do your job with confidence. I will support you in everything. I will be waiting for your good news in three years!"
Zhou Anping is Xiao Wu's formal name. Perhaps it was from the moment his father named him that it was destined that he would follow the path of the military, bringing peace and stability to the world and the country. Everything was predestined.
Zhou Mujiao had a deep bond with Xiao Wu. It wasn't until Xiao Wu was about to leave Beijing that she accepted the fact that the little boy who used to almost suffocate had grown up, and she was immediately filled with reluctance.
She saw Xiao Wu off, but didn't let him know. Of course, the siblings were of one mind, and even though Xiao Wu didn't see her, he could sense that she was nearby.
Xiao Wu waved towards the city gate: "Big sister, wait for my triumphant return! When I come back, I want to be your uncle!"
The first sentence made Zhou Mujiao cry, and the second sentence made her furious.
What kind of uncle are you? Now is not the time to have children!
However, when Zhao Yunjing brought up the topic of having children that evening, Zhou Mujiao was not angered. She calmly said:
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