Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 163 Your Highness is the number one archer of the Han Dynasty!
"Your Highness, the hunting grounds have been arranged."

As Liu Bian was deep in thought, Chen Gong stepped into the pavilion and bowed to the Crown Prince.

Liu Bian slowly raised his head, turned his gaze away from the distance, nodded slightly, and replied, "In that case, let's set off."

"In that case, let's set off."

After saying this, Liu Bian put the matter of the Yuan family of Runan out of his mind. As long as he was on guard against Yuan Kui, he would have a way to deal with him, whether Yuan Kui was genuinely surrendering or just pretending to surrender.

For him, there was no essential difference between completely submitting to the enemy and exiling the three tribes.

Moreover, the thought of the upcoming hunt made Liu Bian's eyes gleam with anticipation, as he was already quite interested in hunting.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Liu Bian's lips. In truth, apart from his good younger brother, Liu Bian was still a great philanthropist who had never stained his hands with blood.

He usually practiced archery by shooting arrows at straw men and targets, but now that he had the opportunity to hunt live animals, a sense of excitement rose in his heart.

He had also fantasized countless times that he could be like those skilled archers of ancient and modern times, shooting down a tiger or bear with a single arrow.

Of course, if he were to be like a certain war god of Hefei, locking himself in a prison cart to shoot tigers and calling it a "tiger-shooting cart," he would rather let the precious carved bow at his waist be a bow of kindness!
Upon arriving outside the hunting grounds, Zhang Xiu, Qu Yi, Gao Lan, Wang Yue, and Duan Wei, all dressed in military uniforms, were already waiting. After paying their respects to the Crown Prince, each of them led ten guards to surround the Crown Prince and accompany him into the hunting grounds.

Behind the Crown Prince, besides Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and two hundred guards from the Crown Prince's residence, were a group of civil and military officials and sons of nobles who were also participating in the hunt. Their faces were full of eagerness, especially the young people, who were extremely eager to show off their skills in front of the Crown Prince.

Although hunting is not a real battlefield, if one can demonstrate extraordinary bravery in front of the Crown Prince, one will be promoted and ennobled in the future. Who would not be tempted by such an opportunity?
"Please, Your Highness, fire the first arrow!"

The hunt naturally begins with His Highness the Crown Prince shooting the first arrow, thus setting the stage for the hunt.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the Crown Prince.

Liu Bian took a golden arrow from Gao Wang, took a deep breath, aimed at a sika deer not far away, closed his left eye, drew the bow and nocked the arrow, his fingertips brushing against the dragon pattern engraved on the bow.

With a "whoosh," the arrow streaked through the air like a meteor and shot out.

However, the sika deer seemed to sense danger, its ears perked up, and it suddenly and nimbly dodged to the side.

The arrow missed its target and embedded itself deeply in the grass.

Lu Cui, a retainer of the Crown Prince, saw everything clearly from behind. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately bowed on his horse. Then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Your Highness is benevolent and virtuous, and cannot bear to kill. You are truly a wise and sage ruler!"

Ruan Yu was standing right next to Lu Cui when he heard this. He turned his head in surprise and stared at his senior brother with wide eyes, as if it was the first time he had ever seen his senior brother have such a fawning side.

Lu Cui noticed Ruan Yu's gaze, glared back at her, her eyes full of provocation, as if to say, "Go ahead and argue with me if you dare!"

Ruan Yu pursed his lips helplessly, turned his head away, and joined the civil and military officials in shouting in unison to praise the Crown Prince's benevolence and virtue.

Liu Bian blushed slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

However, he felt that he couldn't blame himself for missing the target.

He could handle a simple moving target with his archery skills, but when it came to prey that was startled and suddenly fled from a stationary position, whether he hit it or not was entirely a matter of luck.

Of course, if his bow were stronger and his rate of fire faster, even if the deer reacted, it wouldn't be able to dodge the arrow.

Gao Wang handed over the second golden arrow at the right moment. Liu Bian took the arrow and searched the hunting grounds with his eyes, finally locking onto a wild rabbit that was hopping around.

Rabbits are so cute, they must taste delicious stewed!

Immediately, he drew his bow again and nocked an arrow, which once again pierced the air.

Unfortunately, this time the arrow grazed the grass next to the rabbit and stuck straight into the ground.

Liu Bian was a little flustered. He had indeed misjudged the situation and missed the target with the arrow. There was no excuse for it, and he was extremely embarrassed.

Lu Cui pondered, his brows furrowed. This time, he racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good excuse to smooth things over for the Crown Prince.

So Lu Cui simply stopped explaining and suddenly raised his voice, shouting, "Archery is nothing but a trivial skill! The martial prowess of my Great Han Crown Prince can be proven by the heads of the Zhang brothers, the bandits!"

Liu Bian was somewhat surprised. He had never expected that Cai Yong's personal disciple would be so adept at interpersonal relationships, and that his excuse was so ingenious that no one could refute it.

The things the Crown Prince isn't good at are naturally trivial matters!
Even if it is actually extremely important, it must be described as an insignificant trivia!
Furthermore, the Han Dynasty valued martial prowess. Could it be that the illustrious "martial arts" of personally leading troops to conquer rebels were inferior to the mere "martial arts" of hunting?

Gu Yong, standing in the crowd, looked at his teacher Cai Yong with a puzzled expression. He tilted his head slightly and parted his lips as if he wanted to ask his senior brother Lu Cui if what he said was correct.

Cai Yong, however, seemed to sense something, turning his head away to deliberately avoid Gu Yong's gaze, pretending not to see the doubt in his eyes, while inwardly cursing "wicked disciple" with a mixture of love and hate. Just then, amidst the cheers of the crowd, a white fox, perhaps startled by the cheers, darted out of its nest, its snow-white fur shimmering in the sunlight, and in its panic, it charged straight at the Crown Prince's horse.

Liu Bian took a golden arrow from the quiver held by Gao Wang, drew his bow like a full moon, and the string vibrated like tearing silk!

The white fox let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground, the arrow having pierced its right eye with pinpoint accuracy.

"Your Highness's archery skills are unparalleled, even if Li Guang or Yang Youji were resurrected, they could not match him!"

The one shouting was still Lu Cui, completely disregarding the fact that he had just said that archery was a minor skill.

What contradiction? The prince hit the target! That's true archery skill!
What, you have a problem with that?

Why don't we have His Highness the Crown Prince escort you down there and personally ask Li Guang and Yang Youji if they have any objections?

"Your Highness is the greatest archer of the Han Dynasty!"

Xu Jing, who was equally eager to advance in the ranks, would naturally not miss such opportunities to flatter. No matter how much you praised him, could the title of "the greatest archer of the Han Dynasty" be as resounding?

A well-chosen compliment is worth three of yours!
Xu Jing's lips curled up slightly as he glanced at Lu Cui behind him, shook his head slightly, and revealed a slightly smug smile.

Young man, you still need to practice!

"Your Highness is the greatest archer of the Han Dynasty!"

Although the reactions of the civil and military officials were not as strong as those of these two shameless sycophants, one big and one small, no one's voice was left out of the chorus.

As Liu Bian listened to the shouts of the crowd, a faint smile appeared on his face. Although he felt that the title was too much of an honor, he did not refuse it.

The Southern Xiongnu nobles standing nearby looked on with disdain at the sight.

Is this the "Great Han Dynasty's Number One Archer"?

Is this all the Han Chinese are capable of?
Liu Bian's eyes flickered slightly, and he raised his hands out to press down, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Although he knew in his heart that Lu Cui and Xu Jing were flattering him, he was still quite pleased to hear these words of praise.

"Your praise is excessive. I am only mediocre at archery and hunting, and today I wish to see your civil and military talents in person!"

Liu Bian, a gentle smile playing on his lips, clapped his hands and turned to order several eunuchs to bring over a fine horse, carrying a precious bow, iron armor, a brocade robe, and a complete set of paper, ink, brush, inkstone, and jade paperweight. The dazzling array of literary and military items came into everyone's view.

A dazzling array of stationery and weaponry was displayed before everyone's eyes, shimmering alluringly in the sunlight.

"I am very pleased to have enjoyed myself with you all today, and I would like to add this auspicious occasion!"

"Those who excel in either hunting or writing poetry will be rewarded!"

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials were immediately abuzz with excitement, their eyes filled with joy and delight.

These items may not be particularly valuable in themselves, but since they were bestowed by the Crown Prince, their significance is completely different, and they are enough to become family heirlooms!
Even that fine horse, if it were to breed offspring in the future, the foals could grow up to be called the imperial horses, what an honor that would be!

The most crucial thing is still the opportunity to impress the Crown Prince!
This is no reward, it's a chance to stand out from the crowd!
In an instant, at the Crown Prince's command, the military officers and the sons of nobles who boasted of their archery skills spurred their horses and galloped away.

Only Wang Yue, who was not skilled in archery, stayed by the Crown Prince's side to protect him, thus missing the opportunity to be rewarded.

As Qu Yi rode past Wang Yue on his horse, he jokingly said, "Wang Zhonglang, don't be discouraged. I'll share two prey animals with you later!"

Old man, your swordsmanship is better than mine, but your archery is no good anymore!

Wang Yue simply shook his head slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He knew in his heart that being able to stand guard alone by the Crown Prince's side was a far more valuable opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty than the rewards of these inanimate objects.

"Junming, Zhongkang, you two go too. With the royal army protecting me here, I have nothing to worry about." Liu Bian looked at the backs of the group of Southern Xiongnu nobles dressed in Hu clothing, with their hair loose and their robes fastened on the left, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. He curled his lips into a cold smile and said, "I see that Yufuluo and the Xiongnu barbarians seem to look down on the archery skills of my Han people. Let's not let them underestimate the great Han."

In truth, Liu Bian knew that the brothers Yufuluo and Huchuquan harbored resentment towards him.

Yufuluo was the son of Qiangqu Chanyu, who was killed in the Southern Xiongnu rebellion. He was also an outstanding successor groomed by Qiangqu Chanyu and the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu. However, the succession to the Chanyu's position is not something that you Xiongnu people can decide on your own.

Those who uphold it to the utmost are supreme!
Shizhu was the name of the tribe led by Yufuluo!
Without my approval, you, Luan Tiyu Fuluoan, dare to call yourself "Chizhishizhuhou Chanyu" and even ask the Han army to help you quell the rebellion?
(3049 words)
(End of this chapter)