Chapter 240 Haha, what's so interesting about this kind of competition?
(Thanks to Hongtangbao for casting a monthly vote.)
In the end, Li Shiyue and Li Xiatian stayed behind, while Li Qiutian and Shi Tou rode their horses back to Liujiatun.
This was because Yan Jiuniang begged them to stay and keep her company, otherwise she would be very bored staying here alone.
"Actually, I didn't really want to come. But since I'm back in the Prince's mansion, the Princess said I should stay here and wait to be married, and that I should act like a bride-to-be."
I was feeling very upset, so I begged the prince to let my elder brother take me out to see the bustling market.
Who knew that once we got here, it was only as fun as when we were in your village. After we set up camp here yesterday, my older brother wouldn't let me run around.
He said that if I left the camp, I might encounter unreasonable Turks and they might not let me go out, fearing I would suffer.
Moreover, Yan Jiuniang was very good at seizing on Li Shiyue and the others' curiosity: "Why don't you stay and keep me company for a few days?"
The competition is tomorrow, and you can watch it with me from the front.
If you were on the outskirts, you might not be able to see anything.
With Yan Jiuniang's words, Li Shiyue and Li Xiatian were really tempted!
Therefore, the responsible Li Qiutian took Shitou and rode back to Liujiatun to inform his mother and Zheng Meiniang.
However, Yan Jiuniang still told the guards that when Li Qiutian came again tomorrow, he could bring his credentials and enter the inner area directly.
As for how Li Shiyue and Li Xiatian managed to enter the camp of the Prince of Zhenbei and even Yan Jiuniang's tent?
That's because they went to General Liu Tan. With Liu Tan's permission, they could go anywhere.
Inside Yan Jiuniang's tent, the three of them huddled together on a wide couch and slept for the night.
The next day, the first person to wake up was Li Shiyue. She had fallen asleep the night before to the sound of Yan Jiuniang and Li Xiatian talking.
She never knew that Yan Jiuniang and Li Xiatian could have so much to talk about, from the milk curds they ate outside to the pros and cons of staying in a tent. The two of them kept talking non-stop in bed.
By the time the three of them had finished getting ready, the troops outside were already being assembled.
The female guards who were waiting outside brought over a horse and led the group outside.
After galloping for about fifteen minutes, the horse arrived at a large open space.
Standing on the outskirts, Li Shiyue could see that the Turkic and Han armies were clearly separated, like two parallel lines that would never intersect.
After all, the Xuanjia Army and the Turkic army with their long braids were quite easy to distinguish.
Li Shiyue and Li Xiatian rode their horses behind Yan Jiuniang, and were led by female guards to their designated positions, which were in front of General Liu Tan.
The two people in front of Liu Tan were the Prince of Zhenbei and Liu Shu.
When Liu Tan saw the three of them arrive, he nodded to them, and his eyes conveyed the same message to Yan Jiuniang: "Behave yourself!"
Li Shiyue craned her neck to look ahead. Just looking at Liu Shu's back view, she looked quite good. It seemed that the abdominal wound stabbed by the girl had indeed healed considerably.
At this moment, Liu Shu, dressed in martial attire, was riding ahead of the Prince of Zhenbei. Just looking at his back, he looked quite dashing, like a prince.
Before Li Shiyue could finish complaining in his mind, a loud bugle call rang out in his ears.
"Woo—," the sound immediately made everyone's faces solemn, and they straightened their backs and looked at the two opposing military formations in the field.
Li Shiyue frowned as he looked at the two opposing sides in front of him. After the bugle call, the Turkic soldiers on horseback began to brandish their scimitars and shout wildly.
Li Shiyue naturally didn't understand the Turkic language, but judging from her eyesight and just by looking at the Turkic cavalry, she knew that the words they were shouting were not pleasant words.
Meanwhile, the Xuanjia Army on their side stood in neat formation, with no one shouting or yelling. Instead, they maintained a strict military discipline, as if they had gags in their mouths.
"Your Highness! Please give the order!"
Liu Tan looked at the Prince of Zhenbei, who nodded. Then Liu Tan looked at the person sitting on horseback at the front of the opposing army. Li Shiyue guessed from behind that the person the Prince of Zhenbei was looking at must be the Great Khan of the Turks.
The Prince of Zhenbei raised his right arm and gave the order: "Change formation!"
As soon as the Prince of Zhenbei finished speaking, Liu Tan rode his horse forward. He made a gesture to the soldiers beside him, and Li Shiyue heard the sound of drums.
The sound of the drums seemed to be right next to my ears, or as if it were coming from all directions.
As the drumbeats continued, the Xuanjia Army also changed formation. Only then did Li Shiyue realize that this formation was an encirclement of the Turkic army on the other side!
At this moment, the Prince of Zhenbei raised his hand again, and the deafening slogan "Victory! Victory!" was shouted from the mouths of these Xuanjia soldiers dressed in black armor!
Li Shiyue, who was in the midst of it all, was deeply shocked!
How could someone who has lived through peacetime remain unmoved by such a scene?
Amidst the clash of swords and the thunder of horses, with weapons at the ready and swords drawn, how could one not be moved by such an atmosphere?
The people on the other side seemed to be afraid of the Xuanjia Army's change of formation, and the few in front rode their horses towards them.
"Ashina Tuji greets the King of Zhenbei!"
The Great Khan of the Turks took the lead by striking his left chest with his right fist and performing the Turkic greeting to the Prince of Zhenbei.
The Prince of Zhenbei simply nodded in response to the greeting, but did not bow to the Great Khan of the Turks.
However, the Great Khan of the Turks then rode forward to the Prince of Zhenbei. Liu Tan was about to go forward when the Prince of Zhenbei stopped him with a gesture.
The Great Khan of the Turks leaned to one side and said something to the Prince of Zhenbei. Li Shiyue was quite far away from them, and even though she had exceptional senses, she still couldn't hear anything.
To Li Shiyue's surprise, the Turkic Khan spoke Chinese quite well, at least better than Has, that foreigner from the mountains.
In just a few breaths, Liu Tan received a signal from the Prince of Zhenbei, and the first round of the competition began.
The first round was simple: archery, but on horseback, shooting arrows at the moving prey that had been released into the arena.
The small animals include rabbits, and the larger ones include sheep and cows.
Li Xiatian became very interested in archery. She spurred her horse forward a little, wanting to get a closer look.
Li Shiyue did not move forward; her eyesight was good enough to see clearly.
As expected, the Turks won the first round.
Li Shiyue was not surprised at all, after all, for the Turks who grew up on the grasslands, riding and shooting were as commonplace as drinking water and eating.
Even if the Xuanjia Army were to select the most talented archers, it would still be difficult to outnumber the Turks.
Therefore, the Xuanjia Army must win this second round!
Otherwise, as Yan Jiuniang said, if you lose the competition, you will suffer losses in the trade, and who would want that?
While Li Shiyue was waiting to watch the second game, she suddenly heard the Turkic Khan with the small braid in front of her laugh.
"Haha, haha, haha, what's the point of this kind of competition?"
Your Highness, why don't we do what you Han people do and offer some prizes to boost the morale of our soldiers?
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