Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 227: A Hongmen Banquet! [Thanks to Li Bai for the 10000 RMB reward]

Perhaps because Li Shimin was very fond of military affairs, the parade ground of the former Prince of Qin's Palace was unusually large.

Later, after Li Chengqian's renovation, the training ground was not only spacious but also had excellent visibility.

Especially the positions of Li Yuan and Li Shimin, from which they can see the entire scene at a glance.

As for other temporary stands, they can also clearly see the situation inside the training ground.

At this time, there was a light drizzle in the sky, but the competition was still held as scheduled.

"Wuji, have you ever seen this kind of competition?" Li Shimin looked at the two teams on the field and their armor in confusion and asked Changsun Wuji.

"This"

Changsun Wuji hesitated for a moment, then also set his eyes on the field.

Although he had temporarily kept his distance from Li Chengqian, he had stayed with Li Chengqian in Shuofang for more than two months, and Li Shimin naturally regarded him as one of the people who knew Li Chengqian best.

In fact, Li Chengqian didn't tell him everything.

So when Li Shimin asked him, he was also confused. He couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Your Majesty, although I have never seen it, the style of this armor does not look like military armor. It looks more like it was tailor-made for some game."

"game?"

Li Shimin frowned: "How do you play it?"

"I don't know about this, maybe it's similar to polo."

"polo?"

Li Shimin was suddenly shocked.

If the game Li Chengqian came up with was similar to polo, then he would have a good idea.

Because he is a master at playing polo.

In his opinion, the game that Li Chengqian had spent so much effort to create was just a show of skill before an expert.

When Li Yuan heard the conversation between him and Zhangsun Wuji, he rolled his eyes inwardly, but said calmly, "Now that everyone is here, let's get started!"

Upon hearing this, Du Caigan, who had been accompanying Li Yuan, immediately walked down from the viewing platform.

Without saying a word, he took out a whistle from his collar, raised the green flag handed to him by the soldier, and blew the whistle.

The whole place fell silent for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, players from both sides arrived at their respective positions.

Based on the different colors of armor, they quickly distinguished the enemy and friendly camps.

The team wearing red armor is led by Su Dingfang, and the team wearing black armor is led by Xue Rengui.

Two teams of twelve players each line up in a formation.

There is a white line in the middle, separating the two sides.

In addition, three players from both teams came to their respective defense zones to prepare for support.

At this moment, Cheng Yaojin, who was standing in the viewing platform, nudged Yuchi Gong with his elbow and said in a low voice, "Big Blackie, have you figured out what's going on?"

"I didn't notice it, but I quite like those armors!" Yuchi Gong stared at the teams on the field without blinking, his face full of excitement: "What domineering armor!"

"I also think that armor is quite impressive. How about we find a way to get one too?" Cheng Yaojin said with a wink.

Yuchi Gong was a little moved, but subconsciously glanced at Li Yuan not far away, touched his arm, and shook his head: "Forget it, I'm afraid of pain."

"hey-hey."

Cheng Yaojin smiled mysteriously and was about to continue to instigate Yuchi Gong.

At this moment, Du Caigan outside the field suddenly shouted: "Get ready!"

"call!"

"call!"

Both sides in the field took a deep breath, half-crouched, and sunk their hind feet into the ground.

This posture, coupled with the armor they were wearing, was like a drawn bow, and the close confrontation made them stare into each other's eyes, which instantly became murderous.

This was as powerful as a battle between two armies, causing Li Shimin's eyes to widen. He couldn't help but ask Zhangsun Wuji again, "Wuji, is this really like polo?"

"Uh, this."

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Changsun Wuji's forehead, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

At this time, Li Yuan said calmly, "It is a game, yes, but it is different from polo. My grandson calls it the Full Armor Game!"

"preparation!"

As soon as Li Yuan finished speaking, Du Caigan's voice was heard from outside the venue.

The atmosphere inside and outside the venue suddenly became tense as this voice sounded.

"start!"

Du Caigan put down the green flag in his hand and blew the whistle.

The players from both sides, who had already been in a standoff, immediately exerted force with their hind legs and rushed towards the other side like bulls.

"Bang bang bang-"

In just a moment, the armored players from both teams collided with each other. The players with the physical advantage knocked the players in front of them to the ground. There were also players of equal strength who confronted each other in front of and behind the white line, refusing to give up an inch of ground.

Seeing this, everyone in the viewing stand couldn't help but gasp.

Even a warrior who has never worn heavy armor would be seriously injured by the powerful impact in such hand-to-hand combat.

"This"

Li Shimin stood up from his seat instantly and looked at the scene in front of him with disbelief.

The surrounding military generals were almost simultaneously aroused by the impact in the arena, and even the civil officials became wild.

Those team members who were thought to be seriously injured turned over and climbed up from the third one as if nothing had happened.

This not only surprised Li Shimin, but also made the civil and military officials' eyes light up.

"What a strong armor! I didn't expect it to be so protective!"

"I see! No wonder the shoulders are so wide, it turns out they're using their shoulders as weapons!"

"Hahaha! This armor is truly worthy of being made by my Ministry of War! It's truly amazing!"

"What do you mean the armor was made by your Ministry of War? It was clearly made by my Ministry of Industry!"

"Look at those shoes! They were made by my craftsman Hu from the Shaofu."

"His Majesty."

Just as everyone was vying to admire the equipment and taking credit for it, the competition officially began.

The collision of more than 20 players caused chaos in the center line.

This was due to both collision and tactics. The two sides were caught in a fierce collision, like two crazy fighting bulls.

Suddenly, a player in black armor stepped back from the chaotic scene. He was holding an oval brown leather ball in one hand, and seemed to be observing the direction to throw the ball.

Soon, he threw the ball to another black-armored player.

But at this moment, two red-armored players appeared from different positions in the chaotic midfield and rushed towards the black-armored player who was about to receive the ball almost at the moment the ball slipped out of his hands.

Because when the black-armored player threw the ball, the black-armored player who received the ball jumped up, so when the red-armored player rushed over, the two sides collided with each other in mid-air, making a loud "boom" sound and rolling twice.

However, this collision still did not cause any injuries to the players on either side. Yun Duan, who was watching the game beside Li Chengqian, subconsciously grinned and said in amazement, "Is this okay?"

"hehe."

Li Chengqian smiled and said nothing.

Li Daozon and Li Xiaogong had also stood up and were discussing the game on the field with great enthusiasm.

"I never thought there was such an interesting game in the world. It makes me want to quit!"

"Yeah! It looks like a lot of fun! Much more fun than polo!"

"It's only just begun, and it's already so fierce! Even if it weren't for the bloody, close combat on the battlefield, it would still be incredibly exciting!"

"Hahaha! I love excitement!"

Just as he finished speaking, Su Dingfang's voice suddenly came from outside the arena: "Stop the hug! Stop the hug quickly!"

After hearing this, the people in the stands finally reacted. Although the player of the Black Armor team who was knocked away did not catch the ball steadily, his palm pushed the ball away.

Just as the ball was about to go out of bounds, another player in black armor jumped up and caught it.

At this time, the receiver was only a few steps away from the Red Armor team's defense zone.

Seeing that the opponent had already pushed into their defense zone, the red-armored player immediately launched an attack on the black-armored player who received the ball.

Not only were there those who rushed forward, but there were also those who pounced from behind, making the black-armored player who received the ball suddenly surrounded on all sides.

But the black-armored player was not fighting alone. When the red-armored players began to block him one after another, his teammates also rushed up to cover him.

He was very agile. When he faced his opponent head-on, he suddenly changed his stance and easily avoided the opponent's block, but unfortunately, two fists could not beat four hands.

With the three red-armored players forming a double-team, the receiver could no longer dodge. However, he chose not to stop. Instead, he held the ball to his chest and charged forward, facing the three red-armored players with a desperate spirit.

"Hit! Go!"

"For victory! Charge!"

"Damn it! Don't be a coward! Stop him!"

The Tang Dynasty was a martial nation, so the rough and violent rugby games were very much to their liking.

Even if they don't even know the rules of the game, they are all excited when they see the players on the field colliding with each other and fighting for each other, and they all shout loudly for their favorite team.

Except for some older ministers, almost all ministers, including their children, were deeply attracted by the rugby game.

Even Li Shimin was eager to try it out. If Li Yuan hadn't been sitting next to him, he would have planned to play this "full armor game" himself.

Although he knew that this might be a trap set by Li Chengqian, he really couldn't suppress his love for this game.

After all, in his opinion, this game is not only very entertaining, but also has great military value.

This was extremely tempting for him who loved military affairs.

In the end, the receiver of the Black Armor team was forced to slow down as if he was entering a quagmire amid the cheers of the entire audience.

But even so, he firmly protected the ball in front of his chest, and at the moment of falling to the ground, he pressed the ball into the defense area of ​​the Red Armor team.

Suddenly, Xue Rengui and other players of the Black Armor Team outside the field cheered loudly.

Because although their offensive players were restricted by four or five players of the Red Armor team, they had already attacked the Red Armor team's defense zone and won points before that.

Du Caigan, who was outside the field, raised the flag in his hand again and shouted loudly: "Second attack!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the viewing area began to whisper to each other.

"This game is so fun. Does anyone know the rules? What happened just now?"

"I know the rules of the game. That was the first attack. The game is divided into two rounds. The first half is the Black Armor team's offensive time, which is divided into three attacks in total. Each attack requires advancing the ball into the Red Armor team's defense zone. There are six defense zones in total, and each defense zone has different points. The more points you get, the greater your chances of victory."

"Strictly speaking, advancing to the first defense zone does not count as points, while advancing to the second defense zone counts as five points, the third defense zone counts as ten points, and so on."

"When we reach the fifth defense zone, it's 20 points."

"As for the sixth defense zone, it's the 'end zone,' similar to a successful field goal in polo. Advancing to the sixth defense zone counts as 30 points. However, advancing to the sixth defense zone is extremely difficult and generally unattainable."

"So, once a team scores a touchdown, it's a huge boost to the players' morale, and with 30 points, the chances of victory are also very high."

"So, the defense zone the Black Armor Team just advanced into is the third defense zone. Is that correct?"

"Right! Next, let's see how many points we accumulate in the next two attacks. We'll then compare our total points with the Red Armor team in the second half!"

"Oh, I see. I understand!"

After hearing a kind-hearted person on the viewing platform explain the rules of the game, the ministers and their children around them instantly understood what had happened.

Everyone is looking forward to the next attack with even greater excitement.

At this moment, someone suddenly said, "It would be great if we could watch a game like this during the Double Ninth Festival!"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

Someone's eyes widened instantly, and they couldn't help but exclaimed, "That's right! Why didn't I think of that? If we held a competition like this in front of those foreign envoys, it would definitely shock them for the whole year!"

"Very good! Let those country bumpkins see the might of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Yes, yes, yes! It should be so!"

Hearing the ministers' agreement, Li Shimin realized that something was wrong, so he quickly turned his head to look at Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

They were all pressing against the court, as if it was them, not the players, who were playing.

It was obvious that not only did he like the full armor game, but even his subjects liked the rugby game.

But when he thought of Li Chengqian's plan, his face darkened again. He turned to look at Li Yuan and said in a deep voice, "Father, what exactly is your purpose?"

"Didn't my grandson tell you?" Li Yuan asked with a smile.

Li Shimin frowned, and said solemnly, "He said he wanted to recommend Ma Zhou as the Minister of Revenue, and he also wanted to host the Chongyang Banquet!"

"Then did you promise him?"

"I can agree to let Ma Zhou be the Minister of Revenue, but I can't agree to let him host the Chongyang Banquet!"

"why?"

Li Shimin thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Because I am the emperor!"

“How strange!”

Li Yuan rolled his eyes: "As if no one had ever been like that before!"

"Father!"

Li Shimin's expression suddenly turned cold: "I'm not kidding you!"

"Of course I know you're not joking, but I want to tell you that you have to agree to let Cheng Qian host the Chongyang Banquet even if you don't want to!"

"why?"

"Because the audience is full of fire bombs!"

"What!?"

Li Shimin widened his eyes in shock and looked at Li Yuan in disbelief, thinking, no way, are you going to use this trick again?
I'm so unlucky!

Why do I get caught every time?!

Caocaocao!
Li Shimin felt as if thousands of horses were galloping in his heart, and he couldn't help but feel angry and furious.

Fortunately, their viewing platform was specially arranged, and there was no one else around except Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Du Ruhui and other trusted ministers. Otherwise, Li Yuan's words would have caused panic in an instant.

But then Li Yuan said with a bit of amusement: "Look at how nervous you are. You don't look like an emperor at all. I said I was lying to you. Do you believe me?"

"Father!"

Li Shimin's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth and said, "What on earth do you want to do?"

"What?"

Li Yuan smiled and picked up a glass of wine, took a sip, then looked at Li Shimin with a satisfied expression and said lightly: "How about you agree to let Cheng Qian host the Chongyang Banquet?"

"Is father threatening me?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly, and even the way he referred to himself changed.

It was obvious that he was very angry now.

But Li Yuan remained calm and said, "If you don't agree, forget it. The worst that can happen is that we die together!"

"you!"

Li Shimin was so angry at Li Yuan's words that he was speechless, but he did not dare to act rashly.

Meanwhile, Zhangsun Wuji, standing aside, said to Li Yuan in confusion, "Grand Emperor! Let's discuss this properly. There's no need to do this."

"Yes, Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty has finally come to this day with great difficulty. Please do not be impulsive."

"Alright, I'm tired of hearing your big talk. Either agree to my request and watch the game together in peace. Or come with me to meet Li Tang's ancestors. I've already paid my respects to them on your behalf, so it's a good opportunity for us to meet again!"

Before Fang Xuanling could finish his words, Li Yuan interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said without any doubt.

When Li Shimin and others heard Li Yuan's words, their faces instantly darkened.

They never imagined that such a wonderful game would turn out to be a Hongmen Banquet.

Just when they were in a dilemma, the Black Armor Team's second attack was in full swing.

After learning the rules of the game of rugby, those ministers and their children who were unaware of the situation began to cheer from time to time, just like the fake fans in later generations.

With their crazy support, the Black Armor Team's second attack successfully advanced to the second defense zone and scored fifteen points.

The third attack followed.

Compared with the first two smooth attacks, the third attack was particularly bumpy.

The main reason was that Su Dingfang was very shrewd and changed his defensive strategy midway.

Xue Rengui's team tried their best but failed to advance the ball into the fifth defense zone.

In the end, with three offensive opportunities, the Black Armor team scored a total of 25 points.

The first half ended with laughter and cheers.

But the end of the competition does not mean the end of the 'Hongmen Banquet'.

Li Yuan and his son once again stood on opposite sides.

Li Chengqian, on the other hand, discussed the matter of starting a rugby league with Li Daozon, Li Xiaogong, Yunduan, and Li Xueyan as if nothing had happened.

It is obvious that after this game, a rugby craze will sweep through the aristocratic circles of the Tang Dynasty.

And the fun has already begun.

　Please vote for the monthly ticket. Please vote for the monthly ticket. Thank you again for the 10000 reward from Li Bai. This is the first time I have received such a large reward for this book. I am happy.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)