When the young eunuch saw Xia He looking at him, he did not avoid him but blinked with a bit of mischief in his expression.
What surprised Xia He even more was that Crown Prince Qin Zhao didn't care at all about the young eunuch's rude behavior.
He just glanced at him lightly, then turned to Xia He and said in a gentle tone:
"General Xia is indeed a wonderful man. I have long heard that a powerful general emerged in Liangzhou, and I have always wanted to see him in person. But I didn't expect that General Xia is so young. I can hardly believe it."
Xia He was about to say something humble when the civil servant who brought him here suddenly interrupted:
"Your Highness, you may not know that General Xia is not only a fierce general in Liangzhou, but has also been accepted as a personal disciple by Li Dushi. He is young and promising, and is truly a rare pillar of our dynasty."
As soon as these words were spoken, several generals behind the prince immediately looked at him with suspicion.
One of them was of burly build and had sharp eyes. He was the commander of the imperial guards who was in charge of guarding the imperial palace. He was obviously very curious about whether Xia He's deeds in Liangzhou were true.
At this moment, the eunuch beside the prince suddenly spoke in a crisp voice:
"Your Highness, since General Xia is so powerful, why not let him compete with Commander Jing so that everyone can see who is better?"
Xia He was shocked when he heard this and couldn't help but look at the young eunuch.
He looked calm, with a hint of cunning in his eyes, and he didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what he said.
Xia He muttered to himself: "This little eunuch is so bold, how dare he be so presumptuous in front of the prince?"
Prince Qin Zhao frowned and scolded in a low voice: "Xiao Qi, don't be rude!"
However, there was not much anger in his tone, but rather a hint of helplessness.
The young eunuch stuck out his tongue and said no more, but still stood aside with a smile on his face.
Seeing this, Xia He couldn't help but have a strange thought in his mind:
"This prince is so kind to a little eunuch, could it be...he likes this kind of thing?"
He quickly suppressed the random thoughts in his mind and looked at the prince seriously.
Qin Zhao smiled immediately.
"However, General Xia is young and promising, and I really want to see your abilities with my own eyes. I wonder if General Xia is willing to spar with the commander of the imperial guards and let me broaden my horizons?"
Xia He thought for a moment, then clasped his hands and replied:
"I dare not refuse. I am willing to learn from you, Your Highness. Please give me some advice."
Qin Zhao heard this, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, and then he turned to look at the guard leader:
"Commander Jing, are you willing?"
The guard leader snorted coldly and clasped his fists, saying:
"Your Highness has given an order, and I shall obey it!"
After saying that, he strode out, staring at Xia He with eyes as sharp as knives, obviously regarding him as his opponent.
Xia He looked calm and was not angry at Commander Jing's provocation.
He turned to look at Crown Prince Qin Zhao and asked, "Your Highness, how would you like us to compete?"
Qin Zhao smiled slightly, obviously he had already made plans.
He waved his hand and said gently:
"We are all family. If we fight each other, it will inevitably hurt the harmony. Besides, the two of you are at different realms. Commander Jing is already at the Tongmai realm, and although General Xia is young, he is also a disciple of Li Dushi. How about this——"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the sky, and saw several golden eagles circling in the sky with agile postures.
"How about you two compete in arm strength? Get some bows and arrows, and see who can be the first to shoot down the golden eagle in the sky."
Qin Zhao suggested, and then added, "I wonder how many stones of bows do you two usually use?"
Upon hearing this, Commander Jing's face immediately showed a hint of pride.
He straightened his chest and said loudly: "Your Highness, without using any energy or blood, I can draw a fifty-stone bow!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone around them took a deep breath. One stone is 120 catties, and fifty stones is 6,000 catties!
Such arm strength can be called natural strength! The officials on the side exclaimed:
"Commander Jing is indeed extremely brave!"
"Such arm strength is rare in the army!"
Qin Zhao also nodded with satisfaction, and then looked at Xia He:
"General Xia, what about you?"
Xia He looked calm, and answered with a folded hand:
"Your Highness, I am not good at using a bow, but I am better at using a javelin."
"javelin?"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Javelin was not a common weapon in the army, and it required extremely high arm strength, even more demanding than bows and arrows.
For a moment, everyone looked at Xia He with a bit more curiosity and confusion.
Qin Zhao was also a little surprised, but he didn't say much, just smiled and said:
"In that case, let's use javelins. But we don't have such weapons in the army. I wonder if General Xia has any prepared them?"
Xia He calmly replied: "Don't worry, Your Highness. I have sent someone back to get the javelin, which will be delivered later."
Qin Zhao nodded in agreement, and then said to Commander Jing: "In that case, Commander Jing, please come first."
Commander Jing smiled proudly and took the longbow handed to him by the guard.
He took a deep breath, bulged the muscles in his arms, and suddenly pulled the bowstring. With a "buzz" sound, the bow was like a full moon.
His eyes were as fast as lightning, locking onto a golden eagle in the sky, and then he let go and shot the arrow.
"Swoosh--" the arrow flew through the air, so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible.
With a sharp cry, the golden eagle fell to the ground.
Immediately afterwards, Commander Jing shot two arrows in succession, and both arrows hit their targets. Two more golden eagles fell from the sky.
Everyone was stunned and exclaimed:
"Commander Jing is indeed brave!"
"This kind of archery can hit the target from a hundred paces away!"
Qin Zhao also nodded with satisfaction and praised:
"Commander Jing is really amazing."
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