Diqin Designer

Chapter 445 Volunteer and Sports Meet Selection
Upon hearing from the Qin official surnamed Zheng that the imperial court was recruiting people to help with some tasks, the crowd below did not hesitate at all; on the contrary, they were very enthusiastic.

It is an honor for them to serve His Majesty and the court.

One of them eagerly said, "Brother Zheng, what's the imperial court doing? How are they recruiting? Do you think we could go? We can do anything!"

After this person, others also spoke up actively, fearing that if they were too slow to speak, others would snatch up all the opportunities and they would not get a chance.

Seeing the crowd below eagerly volunteering, the Qin official surnamed Zheng once again signaled for everyone to be quiet.

"Fellow countrymen, please don't worry. The imperial court is recruiting people to help with the Games and the Exposition."

"For events like the World Games and World Expositions, everyone's help is needed to set up the venues, move some of the equipment, and maintain order during the Games and Expositions to prevent malicious people from entering..."

I thought it was about helping with something, but it turns out it's just this. It doesn't sound difficult at all, much easier than going to war.

The Qin official surnamed Zheng continued, "We will assign specific tasks to everyone after you have successfully registered."

"This time we are acting on behalf of the Great Qin and His Majesty. The court will not let us work for nothing. We will not only provide meals, but also wages."

Hearing this, the crowd below the stage perked up even more. They had originally thought that they would participate even if they had to bring their own food, for the sake of His Majesty and the court. Now that they heard that the Qin official surnamed Zheng would provide meals and wages, they were even more excited.

Since everyone was poor, bringing their own food to help the imperial court not only meant they couldn't work or farm for themselves during that time, but also that they had to consume their own food.

But if they are provided with meals and wages, it's a different story; it's like being hired by the imperial court!
Zheng, a Qin official, made some people understand why he said, "His Majesty and all the officials hope that after the arrival of the delegations from various countries, you elders and fellow villagers can witness the civilization and advancement of our Great Qin." As Qin people from Xianyang, their actions during the Games and Expositions of the Nations would represent the face of Great Qin and His Majesty.

We absolutely cannot embarrass His Majesty!
The Qin official surnamed Zheng then said, "The selection of athletes will take place in three days. The athletes will represent Great Qin in the Games of the States, competing with those foreigners to see who can run the farthest and jump the highest."

"If any of you are confident that you can run fast enough and are strong enough, you may participate in the selection. The selection will last for five days and will be held at the Northern Army Camp. Those who wish to participate must be between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight."

Upon hearing the latter, a chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd below the stage, clearly from Qin people whose age range did not fall within that range.

One of them said, "Brother Zheng, why do you want to set it between eighteen and twenty-eight? Although we're over thirty, we can run really fast. Those younger than us can't outrun us!"

The Qin official surnamed Zheng laughed and said, "This is a rule set by the imperial court. I don't know why it was set this way, but the imperial court certainly won't harm you fellow villagers."

This rule was set by Li Nian. First, the age range of eighteen to twenty-eight is the prime of life, when one is young and strong, and the damage to the body is neither too young nor too old, as physical functions are not at their peak. Second, if there were no age limit, many people would sign up.

As for why the age wasn't set younger like in later generations...

Many outstanding athletes in later generations achieved extraordinary results when they were teenagers or even minors.

That's because the conditions in later generations were better than those in the Qin Dynasty at that time.

Later generations have professional coaching teams and better medical teams, which can help athletes unleash their potential in their teens and treat and recover from injuries sustained during training.

However, the Qin Dynasty did not have such conditions, so it was impossible for them to conduct selection and training in the same way as in later generations.

At this moment, a woman from Qin in the audience asked a question: "Brother Zheng, if we women are of marriageable age, can we participate?"

Upon hearing this question, the entire Xuanzheng Platform fell silent instantly, and many people looked at the woman who had asked the question.

The women of Qin in this era were quite capable; they could go to the battlefield and work in the fields.

The Qin official surnamed Zheng was taken aback. He took out a few pages of paper from his pocket, read them carefully one by one, and then replied, "The court has not stipulated that women can participate."

In fact, Li Nian had considered whether women could participate in the International Games, but ultimately decided not to allow it.

Not to mention the inconveniences for women to participate, even if the Qin Dynasty allowed women to participate, how many other states would allow women to participate?

If this event is successful, we can try it next time. It will also be recorded in history that Qin was the first to propose women to participate in the Games of the States.

After hearing the Qin official surnamed Zheng's reply, the woman who had asked the question did not say anything more, but her expression showed some disappointment.

The Qin official surnamed Zheng continued, "Recruitment of volunteers will begin in ten days. Volunteers are those who help out during the Games and the Expo. If any of you elders and fellow villagers wish to participate, you can register at the Xuanzheng Terrace in the city."

After saying this, the Qin official surnamed Zheng loudly proclaimed, "Fellow countrymen, our Great Qin is not only stronger than other states on the battlefield, but we will also be stronger in this sports meet!"

"Other nations will surely send their fastest and strongest men. For the sake of Great Qin and His Majesty, we must not lose to them!"

The Qin people below the stage also shouted along with the Qin official surnamed Zheng: "For the Great Qin, for His Majesty, we must not lose!"

The same shouts could be heard from other parts of Xianyang, which puzzled those who had not gone to Xuanzhengtai: What's going on? Is our Great Qin fighting with someone again?

No, we have to go and ask. More people headed toward the propaganda platforms in various parts of the city.

Organizing international sporting events and international expositions in this era may sound impractical, but it is actually feasible.

The first ancient Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. If ancient Greece could host them, then the Qin Dynasty could certainly do the same.

However, the Qin Dynasty was going to host an international sporting event with the participation of many countries, which was much larger in scale than the ancient Greek Olympic Games, making it much more difficult!

To host such an international sporting event, one must possess a prestige that commands respect from all nations in order to gain their willingness to cooperate.

In this era, transportation is inconvenient and travel takes time, so a time needs to be set so that all countries can prepare in advance.

If one has no prestige among the nations, how can they listen to one's orders?

As for whether or not we will lose money?
Li Nian believed that it would not happen. The Qin Dynasty would not build as many venues as it did for the Olympics in later generations, nor would it completely transform the city, nor would it provide many free services to the teams from other countries.

In this way, a lot of expenses can be saved.

Furthermore, there is income generated, such as allowing merchants to bid for advertising space at the sports meet and selling tickets and merchandise.

The desire to watch a spectacle is human nature, regardless of the era, and the Interstate Games should attract a large crowd. Furthermore, the purpose of establishing the Interstate Games is not only for profit, but more importantly, to enhance the influence of the Qin Dynasty, strengthen the self-confidence of its own people, and promote Qin culture to other states.

Li Nian also wanted to establish a tradition among the nations, so that they would all remember the Games of Nations, and when they mentioned the Games of Nations in the future, they would think of Qin, and when the time came, they would want to participate on their own.

The International Exposition was modeled after the World Expo. Its main purpose was to expand the influence of the Qin Dynasty and showcase its products to other countries to attract their purchases.

If we don't showcase them, how will the other states know how good Qin's products are and be willing to buy them?

They could also see what treasures other states had, which would help Qin plan for the future.

Five days later, several long lines formed in front of the Northern Army's camp.

The long queue was filled with young men, and there were many onlookers watching the spectacle.

Following the long line, you can see that the front of the line is the entrance to the Northern Army camp.

At this moment, the camp gate was wide open, and many tables and chairs were set up, with the long queue extending backward from these tables and chairs.

These are registration points, each with a large wooden sign that reads "Long-distance running registration," "High jump registration," "Weightlifting registration," and so on.

A Qin official sat in a chair at the "Weightlifting Registration Office," sizing up the person who said he wanted to register: "Are you sure you want to register for the weightlifting competition?"

This man was much shorter than the others, and the Qin official worried that he might smash himself when he lifted the stone weight.

The man, however, said confidently, "Don't underestimate me just because I'm short. I'm incredibly strong. The other day, Wang San's ox went mad. If I hadn't managed to hold it back, Wang San would definitely have several more holes in his body. Because of that, Wang San even treated me to a drink!"

Upon hearing this, the official from Qin laughed and said, "Then it seems you really do have some strength. Your name is 'Zhang Shiyi,' right?"

The man nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes! We didn't have this name before, nor did we have a surname. Later, His Majesty asked us to choose a surname, and that's how we got this one. His Majesty is truly a good person; now our descendants will all have a surname!"

The vast majority of people in the Qin Dynasty were very grateful to the First Emperor for bestowing upon them the surname.

Before the First Emperor bestowed surnames, most common people only had given names and no surnames. But His Majesty granted them surnames from then on, no longer just for nobles.

As the Qin official wrote Zhang Shiyi's name on a wooden plaque, he asked curiously, "Then why don't you share the same surname as the Qin Dynasty? Why do you choose the surname 'Zhang'?"

Zhang Shi scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "We thought there were too many people with the same surname as Da Qin, and therefore many people with the same given name, so we chose 'Zhang' to be different from them. Actually, I really wanted to choose the same surname as Da Qin!"

The Qin official had already written the message on the wooden sign and handed it to Zhang Shiyi, saying, "Take good care of this wooden sign and don't lose it. Get to the 'D' sign area as soon as possible."

Zhang Shi took the wooden plaque, thanked them a few times, and walked through the gate. Guided by the Qin soldier in charge of giving directions, he successfully found the Ding-shaped area.

Today, the Northern Army camp has become a large selection venue, where selections are held for various events such as weightlifting, long jump, long-distance running, and sprinting.

On his way to the T-shaped field, Zhang Shiyi saw other people participating in the selection process. Some were doing long jumps in front of what appeared to be a sandpit, while others were running quickly on a straight path marked out on the ground...

Upon arriving at the designated area, a Qin official asked, "Are you participating in the weightlifting selection? Bring me your wooden tag, the one you were given when you registered. It has your name and number on it."

Zhang Shi nodded as he handed over his wooden plaque. After the Qin official checked it and confirmed that it was not fake, he handed it to another Qin official.

Zhang Shi noticed that the Qin official was holding his wooden plaque and writing something on a stack of papers, seemingly recording his name and number.

After the registration was completed, the Qin official returned the wooden plaque to him: "Keep this plaque safe. When the results are announced, if you are selected, you will need to use this plaque to confirm your identity. The results will be released in ten days and posted throughout the city."

Upon hearing the words "posting the results," Zhang Shi's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Like those great scholars who took the imperial examination in Xianyang?"

If I could also make the list, wouldn't that be the same achievement as the great scholars who took the imperial examination in Xianyang?

Father, Mother, I made the list!
The Qin official who handed the wooden plaque back to Zhang Shi said, "Although both are announcements and postings, they are different. If you really want to be like the talented people in the Xianyang Grand Examination, you must at least be selected to represent Qin and defeat other states in the Games."

Zhang Shi was taken aback for a moment and asked, "This time you were selected, but were you really chosen?"

The Qin official said, "Of course not. This is the preliminary selection. There will be a second selection and a final selection. This preliminary selection will only select sixty-four people, the second selection will only select four people, and the final selection will also only select four people."

Zhang Shiyi and the others were astonished to hear that only 64 people were selected in the preliminary round.

With so many people signing up, only sixty-four were selected. The chances of being chosen are extremely low. In the final selection of representatives for Great Qin, there are only four spots available.

However, once they get to the second round, and then four out of four make it to the final round, then it's practically guaranteed.

The Qin official saw through Zhang Shiyi and the others' thoughts and said, "Do you think that as long as you get to the second round, you're guaranteed a spot?"

Zhang Shiyi and the others looked puzzled. Could it be?

The Qin official said, "The final selection will be made from four people selected from all those who have passed the second round of selection in the entire Qin Dynasty. These four people will not only be selected from Xianyang, but also from other counties and prefectures."

There are also people from other counties, so when the selection process goes from the second round to the final round, it will definitely not be a four-in-four competition, but rather hundreds of people advancing to the final four.

The Qin officials did not tell them that even without people from other counties, these people were unlikely to pass the final selection.

Because the Qin Dynasty was also conducting selections within its military, these individuals would ultimately compete with the best soldiers in the army for the opportunity to represent the Qin Dynasty.

After explaining this to Zhang Shiyi and the others, the Qin official pointed to the stone locks of different sizes on the field and said, "These stone locks each have their own weight. Choose the stone lock that you think you can lift. After lifting the stone lock above your head with both hands, you must hold it for at least one breath."

"The heavier the weight you lift, the better your score, but please do what you can. I don't want to see anyone unable to lift the weight and get injured instead. Now, choose the weights you want to lift!"

Zhang Shi initially surveyed the area. Among the candidates, everyone else was tall and strong, while he was the shortest. However, despite his short stature, he was very strong and muscular.

He eventually chose a heavy stone lock from among the many. Based on his experience in lifting heavy objects, he first bent over and stood in a horse stance, then grabbed the lock spring with both hands, and then used his arms to lift the stone lock upwards.

(End of this chapter)