Chapter 64

After winning two consecutive matches, Hong Tao was even more delighted. He started to dance the robot on the wooden platform. This bizarre dance was something the people of the Song Dynasty had never seen before. Watching Hong Tao move as if all his joints were disconnected, the crowd's excitement grew even more. This time, not only flowers and sachets were thrown at him, but also copper coins, all aimed at his head. How despicable!

The third match required a bit more effort. This opponent was smarter. He learned from the previous two and didn't make any moves easily. The two of them wrestled on the stage for about five or six minutes, neither managing to catch the other. They only fought with their hands. The audience below was not pleased. They didn't understand the technical moves; they just came to watch the show. What was the point of the two of them moving like they were practicing Tai Chi on the stage?

"Hey... Ah... Clang!" To make the audience happier, Hong Tao decided to take a risk. He used a sacrifice technique, deliberately leaving an opening for his opponent. As soon as his opponent grabbed his upper body and started to exert force, Hong Tao suddenly used his leg to hook the opponent's supporting leg, then wrapped his body around the opponent and fell down, using the opponent's force. The result was that both of them fell, but Hong Tao ended up on top.

A draw! In the Song Dynasty's wrestling, ground techniques were not allowed. Once someone fell, they were considered the loser. Since both of them fell, it was a draw. A draw was fine; Hong Tao was just there for fun. Winning or losing wasn't important. There was no need for a fourth match. It wasn't easy for these wrestlers to make a living, and it was best not to ruin their business. However, Hong Tao had a clever idea. He chatted with the leader of the wrestling troupe, using gestures and words, and finally understood something. His skills were already good enough to be a second-tier wrestler in Guangzhou. These people were not from Zhenzhou but had formed a troupe in Guangzhou and came to perform during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The third opponent was a well-known wrestler in Guangzhou, a top-tier second-tier wrestler, and the main attraction of the show.

"If I can't make it here, I'll go to Guangzhou to wrestle for a living. When the Mongols come, I'll sail away and go to Europe to be an interpreter. Shouldn't be a problem, right? Karl, does your country need interpreters?"

"If you can sail back to the Holy Roman Empire, the Emperor will certainly meet you personally. Saving an imperial knight is already very commendable, and if you can also break through the Arab blockade, I think being granted a barony and a fief would be well-deserved," Karl highly praised Hong Tao's hypothetical scenario.

"Perfect! It's settled. I'll definitely send you home within five years! But before that, no matter how dangerous it gets, you have to stand by me. I might be your only chance to return to your homeland." Hong Tao had two flowers in his hair and five or six sachets on his shoulder, sniffing each one to see which smelled better.

"Please rest assured, my lord. I have no other choice. Although the Seres are a hundred times richer than my hometown, as a loyal knight to the royal family, I must return to serve my family. I want to record everything I see here, as many things can be helpful to my country." Karl was a very patriotic person. Was being a knight so fulfilling? Hong Tao found it hard to understand.

"Great Song Empire! You need to learn the language here better. I need a complete team, and I can't always be your interpreter. You have three months to learn the language here, at least as well as I can. Let's go back to the shipyard; there's still a lot to do!" After having fun and sightseeing, Hong Tao's mind returned to his grand plan. It wasn't time to celebrate yet; the goal was still far away.

The new ship was still under repair. Old Wen and his two sons were constantly working on the ship's bow, trying to find a way to make it withstand the impact of the waves. Another son had already set sail to Wanning to bring Old Wen's eldest son's family over to join Hong Tao's cooperative, to gain more shares. The Tanka people weren't stupid. Seeing the Bo, Huang, Chen, and Wu families' children regularly transporting large amounts of seafood, even a fool would know they had found a quick way to fish. After seeing Hong Tao's flying sailboat, why wouldn't they join in?

Hong Tao admired Old Wen's dedication to research. In this world, as long as you were willing to think and had the opportunity to practice, you could always find a better way. However, he didn't join Old Wen's research team. Instead, he and Wen Qi started working on something new. They carved a piece of camphor wood into a 3-meter-long board with pointed ends and slightly upturned tips. Then they cut two long slots in the middle and at the end of the board, inserting two fish-fin-like pieces, with the sharp ends pointing down.

"This is called a sailboard. It can go very fast on the sea, even faster than that flying sailboat." Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, Bozhu had become Hong Tao's fiancée and could stay with him all day, as long as they didn't sleep together, no one would gossip.

"What is it for?" As a girl who grew up by the sea, Bozhu was very sensitive to boats and asked a key question right away.

"Uh... It's for training sailors. You can't sail the new sailboat without mastering this. Don't underestimate this board; it's the foundation of sailing. It also helps build a strong body, which is essential at sea. In the future, I'll build even larger and faster sailboats, and every Tanka person can go on them, but before that, you have to learn this first." Hong Tao originally wanted to say it was a big toy for himself, but considering everyone's reaction, he came up with a more grandiose reason.

"Can I learn?" Bozhu's greatest wish was to sail out to sea and fish like the Tanka men. No one else could fulfill this wish, only Hong Tao supported her.

"It's not a matter of whether you can learn, but that you must learn. Not only that, you have to help me make it. My wife will be the captain of the large sailboat in the future. Don't listen to your grandfather; they are outdated!" Hong Tao liked Bozhu's character. He didn't need a delicate and docile partner who stayed at home. That was meaningless; he had already experienced all the tenderness and sweetness in his previous lives.

"You teach me..." Bozhu smiled widely, showing her white teeth.

PS: Clicks, favorites, and recommendations! Throw them all at Hong Tao...

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