Chapter 89

The subsequent matches flowed by like a stream, with new contestants galloping past one by one. Most of their scores were in the twenties and thirties, with no one exceeding forty points. Even Cao De, a renowned general, only scored thirty-five points. Yang Xizhong also scored thirty-five points, Liu Qiong thirty-eight points, and Hu Yan Tong thirty-three points.

Liu Qiong was particularly unfortunate. His second arrow hit the left chest, failing to score ten points. Although his third arrow hit the moving target, he still fell two points short of Zhang Xian.

The eighth group was up next. Chen Qing spurred his horse and entered the training ground with a group of generals, arriving at the waiting area.

An official loudly announced, "The rules have been explained to everyone. Let me remind you again: the wooden targets are made of jujube wood, which is very solid. If your bow is a five-dou bow, aim for the neck and head, as the wood there is softer."

Only then did Chen Qing understand that a five-dou bow could target the neck and head, but the generals just missed.

"Begin!"

The official waved a red flag, "First one up!"

The first general galloped forward, but unfortunately, his riding and archery skills were lacking. His first arrow missed, and the second and third arrows also missed, leaving him with a zero score. Amidst the laughter, the general left in shame.

The generals followed one after another. The fifth one was up, and the next was Chen Qing, who spurred his horse to the starting point.

He was quite nervous. In the new recruit competition yesterday, he had already been promoted one rank. If he performed well today and made it into the top three, he would have another chance to be promoted. Such an opportunity to be promoted twice in a row would be hard to come by in the future.

There was also a reward of five hundred taels of silver and special gifts from the emperor.

Chen Qing had never valued the reward money as much as he did today.

...

The person in front of Chen Qing had just finished, scoring eight points with two out of three arrows.

"Number six, get ready!" the official shouted.

Number six was Chen Qing. He held the Dinging bow, his gaze sharp, and was ready.

The official waved the red flag, and Chen Qing spurred his horse, which galloped out. The surroundings gradually quieted down, and countless eyes watched him.

"Who is this general?"

The emperor, Zhao Gou, could not see the face clearly from a distance, but the general's momentum was clearly different from the others, like a thunderbolt, exuding a powerful tension.

"Your Majesty, it's Chen Qing!" Li Hui whispered beside him.

Zhao Gou's spirits lifted, leaning forward and focusing on Chen Qing.

Beside him, Lu Yihao stroked his beard and smiled without a word. The Song emperors generally favored young scholars and paid little attention to generals.

But in recent years, the emperor had been through many hardships and faced constant threats from the Jurchen army in the north, putting the Song dynasty at risk of extinction. The emperor relied heavily on generals.

However, the Liu Miao mutiny had shattered his trust in generals. In this situation, the emperor established a military academy and held a new recruit and new general training competition, showing a clear emphasis on young generals.

The two biggest winners of this competition were already clear: one was Chen Qing, and the other was Yang Xizhong.

By now, Chen Qing had gradually approached the riding and archery area, and Lu Yihao also put aside his distractions and focused on him.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

As the horse crossed the riding and archery white line, the drumbeats began.

At this moment, the horse's speed was crucial. If the horse was too fast, the rider would be flustered and affect the shooting. If the horse was too slow, the rider would still be in the riding and archery area when the drumbeats stopped, leading to disqualification.

In this situation, the later the generals were scheduled to shoot, the more advantageous it was, as they would know the duration of the drumbeats and could better control the horse's speed.

Chen Qing was familiar with all the target positions from the start. The first arrow must hit the northern target because the moving target was in the south, so the second and third arrows would not require changing hands.

He quickly reached the first target and drew his bow, shooting an arrow from eighty paces away, hitting the target's brow.

This arrow was both accurate and fierce, clean and decisive, without any hesitation. The crowd erupted in cheers, and the ministers praised him. Emperor Zhao Gou stroked his beard and nodded, "Excellent archery!"

Chen Qing swung his shoulder, moving the quiver to the other side of his back. He switched to his left hand to hold the bow, drew an arrow with his right hand, and shot at the wooden target in the south.

This arrow was also clean and decisive, hitting the target's brow, earning another round of enthusiastic applause.

At this point, Emperor Zhao Gou began to pay attention to Chen Qing's third arrow, which was the key to a high or low score.

The third arrow was a choice. The third wooden target and the moving target appeared almost simultaneously, but only one could be chosen. More importantly, each quiver contained only three arrows, so there was no chance for a second shot.

The moving target was one hundred and twenty paces away, only one foot high. Hitting it would earn ten base points and an additional five points, which is how Zhang Xian scored forty points.

However, hitting the moving target was extremely difficult. It only appeared for three seconds, giving only a split-second opportunity. Cao De and Yang Xizhong both gave up on the moving target, and the famous general Xin Yongzong, although he chose the moving target, failed at the last moment. The target disappeared as the arrow was released, and his third arrow missed, scoring only twenty-five points.

So far, only Zhang Xian and Liu Qiong had hit the moving target.

Chen Qing drew his third arrow, and his horse did not slow down. He did not focus on the wooden target but kept his eyes on the trench one hundred and twenty paces away.

Just twenty paces from the finish line, the moving target suddenly appeared, running westward at high speed for about six to seven steps, lasting only three seconds.

The moment the moving target appeared, Chen Qing released his third arrow. When the target reached the fourth step, the arrow hit it, *snap!* right in the brow, and the target disappeared.

Chen Qing also galloped out of the riding and archery area, and the drumbeats stopped.

The last arrow was so fast that most people did not see it clearly. They knew it hit, but where exactly?

Han Shizhong stroked his beard and said to Yue Fei beside him, "Commander Yue, you have a rival now."

Chen Qing's last arrow also shocked Yue Fei. He saw clearly that the third arrow hit the brow again. This was not a coincidence; Chen Qing's riding and archery skills had reached the level of shooting from the heart. Only he and Liu Ziyu had reached this level, and even Han Shizhong was slightly behind.

At this moment, an official rushed to the north stand and shouted, "Your Majesty, the third arrow hit the brow again!"

The stand erupted in a commotion, and Emperor Zhao Gou chuckled, "Minister Li, this is a perfect score, isn't it?"

Li Hui's expression was somewhat dazed, muttering to himself, "How is this possible?"

Amidst the deafening cheers, a perfect score appeared in the eighth round. Three base perfect scores, plus five points for shooting with both hands, five points for hitting the moving target, and five points for a perfect score, totaling forty-five points. In the following twenty years, the new recruit and new general competition was held thirteen times, but a perfect score of forty-five points only happened once.

...

The new recruit and new general competition ended, with Chen Qing, the commander of the Western Army, winning both titles. According to the rules, he should be promoted two ranks, and Liu Qiong should also be promoted two ranks. However, during the discussion in the Political Affairs Hall, Fan Zongyin raised objections.

"Chen Qing was only a 29th-rank Zhongwei Lang when he first arrived in the capital. In just over two months, he is to be promoted to a 20th-rank Wujing Dafu, a nine-rank promotion, which is too fast. The court has no such precedent."

The Chief of the Military Council, Li Hui, immediately expressed dissatisfaction, "These are the rules, personally set by the emperor. All of us here have signed our agreement. The first-place winner in the new recruit competition is promoted one rank, and the top three in the new general competition are promoted one rank. If the rules are not followed for Chen Qing, who won both first places, it will make the emperor look inconsistent and be laughed at by the world."

Lu Yihao also said slowly, "A multi-rank promotion is entirely possible. Commander Yue Fei was a 15th-rank Wugong Dafu at the beginning of the year, but after suppressing Li Cheng, the emperor promoted him to an 11th-rank Qinwei Dafu, a four-rank promotion. Chen Qing was a Zhongwei Lang before coming to the capital, but this was his position before his merits were recognized. He made great contributions in the Dasha Pass campaign and suppressed Zhang Kui after arriving in the capital. If we say it is unreasonable, it is because his previous rank was too low."

At this moment, Qin Hui chuckled, "Actually, Minister Fan's thoughts are not without reason. I suggest submitting his opinion to the emperor for further consideration."

Fan Zongyin looked at Qin Hui warily and said coldly, "I am just complaining. I have not proposed any objections. I, Fan Zongyin, will not overturn the rules I have signed. Unlike some people who use despicable tactics like giving others croton seeds, which shows how their elders teach them."

Qin Hui was furious, staring at Fan Zongyin and saying fiercely, "Do you have any evidence that my nephew gave someone croton seeds?"

"Hmph! Everyone knows what Sima Zhao's heart is like. Do we need evidence?"

Qin Hui looked at Fan Zongyin for a while and said to Lu Yihao, "I have no objections to Minister Lu's proposal. I have some matters to attend to, so I will leave first."

He stood up and left in anger. Fan Zongyin looked at Qin Hui's back and sneered, "Dare to do it but not to take responsibility, thinking everyone is a fool!"

"Minister Fan!"

Lu Yihao knocked on the table in dissatisfaction, "What is your opinion?"

Despite his unwillingness to promote Chen Qing two ranks, Fan Zongyin did not dare to embarrass the emperor. He had to nod, "Let's follow the rules."

Subsequently, Deputy Chancellor Zhao Ding and the Chief of the Military Council, Li Hui, also agreed. The final reward plan was thus unanimously approved.

...

On the third day of the new recruit competition, the Military Council and the Ministry of War jointly announced the final rankings and rewards.

The Western Army was undoubtedly the biggest winner, receiving ten thousand strings of cash, ten thousand bolts of silk, and a one-rank promotion for all participating generals. Additionally, the main commander, Chen Qing, won the riding and archery first place, earning another one-rank promotion.

Chen Qing's rank was promoted from a 22nd-rank Wuyi Dafu to a 20th-rank Wujing Dafu.

Additionally, Emperor Zhao Gou gave the first-place winner of the new general competition a personal reward: a three-acre estate in Lin'an.