At this time, the roads were still blocked by heavy snow, and outsiders could not enter Shuixian Village, nor could the villagers leave. However, Shuixian Village had everything to eat, drink, and have fun, so there was no need to go out. The village was like a paradise.
After several days of bright sunshine, the ice and snow melted slowly due to the low temperature. It took half a month for the ice and snow to completely melt and the roads to reopen.
The heavy snowfall has affected Zhao Xian's warehouse construction. It was originally expected to be completed in a little over a month, but it is still not finished.
With the weather clear and fine, Zhao Xian immediately ordered the warehouse construction to be accelerated.
Once the roads were reopened, Zhao Xian's businesses immediately boomed. After all, it was still the first month of the lunar calendar, and the New Year celebrations weren't over yet. The villagers started getting busy, eager to capitalize on the opportunity and earn more money.
The first month of the lunar calendar is over quickly. To be honest, after the New Year's Eve dinner, looking at the fields, the weather is gradually getting warmer, and it's time to get back to what we're supposed to be doing.
The capital city was bustling with activity at this time. The Great Northern Dynasty was going to hold a military examination this year, which was the first time in more than a hundred years since the founding of the Great Northern Dynasty.
The purpose of holding the military examination in the capital this time is to select talents for the imperial court, which means that it is to supplement the military officers stationed in the capital.
Once selected, one would become a court official; the allure of that was simply too great.
In comparison, this martial arts examination was much simpler than the imperial examination. As long as you were a martial artist and had some skill, you could give it a try.
In the Great Northern Dynasty, there were still many people practicing martial arts among the common people. This martial arts examination held by the court provided them with an opportunity, and many people were eager to try.
According to the requirements, the contestants who came to the capital to participate in the martial arts examination were all recommended by local governments. They had undergone multiple rounds of screening before coming to the capital and all had a certain level of skill. Those who were able to enter the city to participate in the selection were by no means ordinary people.
To ensure the smooth conduct of this military examination, the Ministry of War formulated some rules.
Since the military examination was for selecting military officers, rather than simply recruiting soldiers, the selection requirements were very strict.
The first test is a basic skills test, in which the test takers must use a weapon weighing 60 kilograms to complete more than ten prescribed movements.
The next test is a strength test, which requires lifting a 300-pound stone lock overhead.
Completing the above tests eliminates the vast majority of people. Those who pass the skills and strength tests must also be tested on horseback riding and archery skills, which eliminates even more people.
After two rounds of elimination, the remaining contestants have already demonstrated the qualities of an ordinary military general. But that's not all; these contestants will also have to engage in combat matches, which are divided into on-horse and mounted duels.
On foot, the contest is a martial arts contest, while on horseback, the contest involves the use of weapons to fight on horseback, and the final ranking is determined by the number of wins and losses.
The chief examiners for this military examination were Minister Cheng of the Ministry of War and Xiahou Fang. This was an event supervised by the Emperor, so the two dared not neglect it and were determined to do their best in every aspect of the examination.
However, cheating was not allowed in the martial arts examination. Candidates had to rely on their own strength to advance, and there were no shortcuts.
This was the first time people in the capital had heard of the martial arts examination, and they were very interested in it, making it a hot topic of conversation.
The martial arts examination was scheduled for the second day of the second lunar month, also known as the day the dragon raises its head. Before that, candidates from all over the country would gather in the capital to take the exam. Most people participated in this exam in order to gain fame and fortune.
The second day of the second lunar month finally arrived. Thousands of contestants arrived at the training ground in the capital early in the morning. Due to the large number of contestants, the chief examiner divided the venue into several areas to test the candidates.
Initially, the tests were fixed events and not very entertaining, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the people of Beijing. Almost everyone with no mobility issues came over, eager to find a good spot to catch a glimpse.
The basic skills test mainly assesses the contestant's strength. For someone with sufficient strength, it is not difficult to complete the prescribed movements with a 60-pound weapon.
But lifting a 300-pound stone lock overhead is no easy feat; this alone eliminates more than 80% of the contestants.
Of course, these eliminated contestants were still superior to ordinary people in terms of strength and physique, and the imperial court would welcome them if they were to join the army.
Having participated in the military examinations, they have more opportunities than ordinary soldiers. If they study and train diligently, it is possible that they will become generals in the future.
As a result, most of the contestants stayed and became soldiers in the Beijing garrison.
Three days later, the martial arts examination entered the stage of horseback riding and archery testing. Generally, martial arts practitioners focus on training strength and leg skills. Perhaps due to limitations, there are not many people who actually train in both horseback riding and archery.
Only those from well-off families or those who study at martial arts schools have the opportunity to master horseback riding and archery skills.
Of course, some people had undergone intensive training beforehand in order to participate in this martial arts examination. For those with high talent, this training actually helped them pass this stage of the test smoothly.
This round of exams eliminated most of the contestants. These eliminated contestants are not necessarily bad; perhaps with training, they will soon become outstanding. However, it is hard to say whether they will have such opportunities to take the martial arts exam again in the future.
At this point, there were fewer than 100 contestants left. They would be competing in two-person boxing and foot fighting and horseback combat, which were very exciting events.
At this point, there weren't many people left to compete, and there was no need to divide the competition into multiple venues. The examiner then had them compete directly in the middle of the school training field.
After a day of competition, ten contestants were finally selected. These ten contestants will compete in the final round the following day to determine their rankings. They all have the potential to become generals of the garrison in the capital.
The top ten were selected from thousands of martial arts practitioners. They must all be very outstanding. Although these contestants have never been on the battlefield or experienced actual combat, if they were on the battlefield, they would definitely be fierce warriors.
The next morning, onlookers arrived early at the training ground, knowing that there would be an exciting competition today, with all the participants being the elites of the Great Northern Dynasty.
The imperial court attaches great importance to today's competition. Regardless of their ranking, these ten contestants will become military officers and be appointed by the imperial court.
The emperor originally wanted to attend in person, but he had been unwell recently and was recuperating in the palace. Instead, he sent his eldest son, Li Hui, along with his officials.
Although Li Hui has been unpopular recently, his status as the eldest prince is undeniable, and his presence at the training ground is no less significant than the emperor's personal visit.
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