On the field, with the Emperor watching from the sidelines and the rewards promised by him, the players of both the red and black teams fought fiercely with red eyes and gritted teeth, giving it their all.
Many players gritted their teeth and persevered, refusing to back down, even with scraped knees and bruised scalps.
"Uh... is it that powerful?"
Watching the players from both sides fight tooth and nail for the ball, even Liu Hong, who was prepared, couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Good, good! Strive, persevere, never give up—this is the spirit of Cuju of our great Han Dynasty, the character of the men of our great Han Dynasty!"
Liu Hong, who had initially been watching with a detached, spectator's mindset, now sat up straight, looking at the players with satisfaction as they chased each other on the field.
Not long after, just as the game was nearing its end, the black team's players gave it their all and finally scored, leveling the score!
After training, the players from both teams gathered again in front of Liu Hong.
Looking at the players in front of him, almost all of them were injured and covered in dirt, Liu Hong couldn't help but nod.
Then Liu Hong looked at Jian Shuo and said in a deep voice:
"Give the order to each of these players a jar of imperial wine and five boxes of refined salt. From now on, apart from Cuju training, no one may order them to do any other errands!"
Their meals should be more refined from now on, with at least two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes per meal!
Each person receives a monthly salary of five thousand coins, with additional bonuses for scoring goals in matches!
"promise!!"
Jian Shuo hurriedly bowed and accepted the order, while also feeling quite surprised.
"We thank Your Majesty for your divine grace!!"
Hearing that the emperor had offered them such generous terms, the players around them could be said to have risen to the top in one step. Therefore, they all knelt on the ground and kowtowed to express their gratitude.
Seeing the excited expressions on everyone's faces, Liu Hong looked at them sternly and said in a deep voice:
"Don't rush to express your gratitude. Now that you've enjoyed those benefits, you should naturally put your heart and soul into playing football."
If anyone is lazy, negligent, or lacks effort, I will not be lenient with them.
Winning or losing doesn't matter. Once you're on the field, you have to show your spirit and play with your heart. If you play well, you'll be rewarded; if you play poorly, you might even be sent to the frontier. Do you all understand?
"We humbly obey His Majesty's decree!!"
Hearing the emperor's somewhat cold words, the players couldn't help but feel a chill. They could tell that the emperor was not joking.
Liu Hong smiled and nodded, "Alright, get up! Go back and get some rest. Focus on training these next few days, and then come out with me to show people what real Cuju is all about!"
"promise!!"
Upon hearing the emperor's words, everyone responded in unison, but their minds were also stirred, and they quickly connected the words to the sports meet five days later.
........
In the following days, the popularity of the sports meet remained high, and more and more people from other counties also rushed to Luoyang to visit the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Academy, and the selection training of the three academies.
After witnessing the intense competition and rivalry among the trainees on the training field, the enthusiasm of these outsiders was completely ignited, and everyone couldn't help but look forward to the upcoming Luoyang Games.
With the influx of a large number of outsiders, Luoyang became extremely lively. Not only were all the inns and guesthouses in the city full, but even some private houses were filled with people, allowing the people of Luoyang to earn an extra income.
In addition, commodities such as ink, paper, imperial wine, refined salt, and glass, which were originally only popular among the elite in Luoyang, also came into the sight of people from these outlying counties.
Those who travel such a long distance to Luoyang are generally well-off. For them, these novel products, though quite expensive, are still very reasonable.
Therefore, in the past few days, those from other counties who came to Luoyang either went to watch the selection or lingered in various royal shops to buy things.
Fortunately, the Royal Trading Company had made preparations in advance, and its factories and workshops were operating at full capacity, producing day and night, which prevented a shortage of stock.
In the Royal Inn south of Luoyang, the place was bustling with activity, filled with elegantly dressed young men from wealthy families.
A young man dressed in a blue brocade robe, with a stack of ink and paper tucked under his left arm and ten boxes of refined salt in his right hand, walked towards the inn, humming a little tune with a happy expression on his face.
Two servants, each carrying several bottles of imperial wine, followed closely behind the young man.
Before long, the three entered the inn and went to their room.
"Tsk tsk tsk, with all this stuff, when I get back to Hongnong in a few days, I can finally give those country bumpkins who can't bear to leave a good scolding, hahaha~!"
Looking at the various goods in the room, and imagining how he would show them off after returning home, the young man in the blue robe couldn't help but burst into laughter, completely forgetting how stunned he had been when he first saw these things.
A servant also said with a fawning expression:
"Yes, young master, these papers, wines, salts, and glass are all rare and precious items. Taking them back will elevate your status to a higher level!"
"Haha~ Well said! I'll show them what real enjoyment is all about!"
Hearing the servants' praise, the young man in blue robes couldn't help but burst into laughter again, then turned his eyes to look at the two subordinates beside him.
"Let's put these things away and then go buy more! We'll sell them to them at a high price! We can make a fortune from this."
Putting down the ink, paper, and salt he was carrying, the young man in the blue robe, still in high spirits, prepared to go out to shop again.
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