"It is much more difficult to build this venue than a modern stadium!"
Looking at the grand polo ground from a distance, Li Yan was a little shocked.
This was already the second day. He said hello to his dumb uncle and came to watch the polo match.
The polo ground was built in the palace city of Liangzhou.
Yes, there is a palace here too.
As the throat of the Silk Road, Liangzhou is also the capital of the northwest and the ancient capital of the Five Dynasties. Qianliang, Houliang, Southern Liang, Northern Liang and Daliang established their capitals here.
Liang is indeed quite cool, but it has complete palaces and cities, among which the one built by Li Gui, King of Daliang in the late Sui Dynasty is the most complete.
The fate of the Great Liang King was also the most bizarre. He was defeated by one person without starting a large-scale war, and the palace was not seriously damaged.
After the unification of the Tang Dynasty, a lot of Liangzhou Palace City was demolished, and a noble polo field was built in the northwest corner.
The competition with the Tibetan envoys was held here.
The first two games were secret, but this one was held in public.
As the news spread, clouds moved in all directions, and an endless stream of people rushed here. Even the vendors gave up their business and merged into the crowd.
In the Battle of Dafeichuan, all 100,000 Tang troops died. For other places, this may be just a sad figure, but for Longyou, it was a nightmare.
Because most of the government soldiers who go to war are drawn from here.
Those who stay forever on that plateau are most likely Aye, the child of the Liangzhou family, his wife's husband, the younger brother's brother, and the son who supports his parents.
However, the defeat in the war did not erase the bloody spirit of the Liangzhou people. They firmly believed that the Tang Dynasty would achieve another glorious victory in the future.
Just like in the past, the Turks were destroyed and Goguryeo was pacified.
But this will undoubtedly take time, and the diplomatic relations in the process will never bring any good fruits to Tibet.
Seeing people's unexpected and reasonable enthusiasm, the county magistrate was very nervous, and all the Yamen officials were dispatched to maintain order.
The streets were crowded, but fortunately Liangzhou was an important border defense area, so there was no chaos. People soon flocked to the polo ground in groups.
If it was a week ago, Li Yan would have been one of this crowded crowd.
Maybe I can only stand on tiptoes, poke my head, and look in from a distance.
But now, he walked into the noble passage and was temporarily separated from the masses.
The passage is so long.
Later Song Dynasty people described the polo field as a square with a thousand steps in front and back, and a thousand steps on the court were used to entertain guests.
Li Yan originally thought that a thousand steps was an imaginary number, but judging from this stadium, it is really possible that there is such a vast space. The football stadiums of later generations are completely smaller than it.
You must know that this is not as simple as enclosing a piece of land. The polo field was specially opened up. Loess must be compacted and flattened inch by inch to ensure that the ground is smooth. Oil must be repeatedly poured on the field until it is as bright as a mirror.
This is not just for the sake of beauty. Only in such a venue, when the horses are running at high speed, they will not raise large amounts of dust and affect the sight of each other and the audience.
One can imagine how much it cost to build such a project in ancient times when there were no mechanical tools.
Of course, an important reason why Li Yan felt that the road was long was that he did not ride a horse.
Longyou's war horses are the best in the world and their brand is famous. During the Li Zhi Dynasty, the dynasty had the largest number of horses in Chinese history.
The most valuable Gaozong Dynasty had 700,000 horses. Compared with the 400,000 horses during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the number was almost double. It was a huge lead.
Therefore, common people can ride on horses, and noble children must ride good horses in order to show their status when entering and leaving.
At this time, there were several gentlemen wearing narrow robes with Shu brocade lapels and riding on green horses, arriving first and last.
As he passed by, he looked at Li Yan, who was walking on foot, with strange eyes.
Li Yan didn't care. When his eyes met, he nodded in greeting and at the same time looked at the little leopard on the opponent's horse.
Gorgeous gold and black markings, powerful and muscular legs, round and short ears, green eyes, and a beard on both sides of the mouth.
This is the cheetah that high-ranking officials and nobles of the Tang Dynasty liked to tame the most. The real species should be the lynx, commonly known as the lynx.
It is smaller than a leopard and larger than a cat. It has short front legs and long hind legs. It is good at hunting, can climb trees and swim.
It is light and nimble in movement, has strong endurance, and its size is suitable for being placed on a horse. No wonder it is loved by the upper class.
"I'll raise a few for fun tomorrow~"
In later generations, the lynx was a national second-level protected animal, and it was more exciting to play with than a cat. This was a enjoyment that would not be available in later generations.
It happened that there were many leopard training slaves in Liangzhou, so Li Yan had the idea of raising small animals.
"L!"
At this moment, a familiar call came from behind.
Li Yan looked back and saw Kangda sitting on the horse, waving to him.
Interestingly, he rode with his brother Kang Meng.
Li Yan stopped and waited for them.
The strong and well-proportioned horse with a shiny mane came in front of him. Kunda turned over and smiled brightly: "Yuanfang, I just went to your home, and you were not there, so I guessed that you were here too."
Kang Meng also dismounted and extended an invitation: "Li Xiaolang, how about we go together?"
Li Yan nodded: "Okay!"
Kang Meng smiled, but deliberately slowed down his pace, letting Kang Da and Li Yan walk side by side in front.
Kunda turned slightly sideways and whispered: "Yuanfang, elder brother has been much better to me, thanks to you..."
"If the suppression fails, he will change immediately. He will not go all the way to the dark side. He is a smart man."
Li Yan smiled: "Sanlang, do you also like polo?"
"I'm weak and can't play polo..."
Kangda felt a little regretful, but when he thought of Tubo, he immediately became angry and clenched his fists: "Tubo is rampant, and I, the man of the Tang Dynasty, will definitely win!"
The whole people resisted Tibet and shared the same hatred.
While chatting, we arrived at the entrance to the polo field.
After passing through the gorgeous gate, the first thing you see is the high platforms on both sides.
The space above is not only spacious, but also has a roof to protect it from wind and rain. It is obviously an audience seat for the children of prominent families.
But this time, one side was almost full of people, while the other side was much less crowded.
The atmosphere is confrontational.
On the high platform on the left, there are Liangzhou nobles sitting, wearing all kinds of costumes, with hundreds of flowers blooming, and there are also young ladies showing off their flowers, chatting and laughing in low voices.
On the high platform on the right is the Tibetan envoys, all dressed in Tibetan uniforms, with a chilling air about them.
Li Yan's eyes were sharp and he noticed that both parties were very young.
The senior management did not attend, allowing the juniors to show up, and there would be room for buffering in case of defeat.
This rather shows that neither side is sure of victory.
It's okay for Tubo to come all the way, but Liangzhou doesn't have enough confidence to play at home, which shows how difficult the opponent is.
Li Yan climbed up the steps.
His appearance instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Sitting in the center of the first row is a handsome gentleman, wearing a jade-colored cross-collar robe and a seven-star belt around his waist. He has an extraordinary bearing.
Seeing Li Yan looking over, Kang Meng behind him whispered: "That's Jia Sibo, whose courtesy name is Shilin, from the Jia family in Wuwei."
Li Yan nodded far away, and Jia Sibo also nodded.
Jia Sibo's ancestor was Jia Xu during the Three Kingdoms period.
Jia Xu was not only a highly respected minister throughout his life, but also lived a long and prosperous life. His descendants returned to the world as prominent officials, and he was very active in the political arena of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, although the Jia family declined, its heritage was still profound, and no one in Liangzhou dared to despise it.
The young man next to Jia Sibo was tall and strong, about the same age as Li Yan. His chest and arms had stretched out his robe into obvious curves. His eyes were slightly light green, and he looked back.
Kang Meng whispered from behind: "Wuwei An family, An Zhongjing."
The Wuwei An family and the Wuwei Kang family both belong to the nine surnames of Zhaowu and are Sogdian descendants of the Tang Dynasty.
However, the Kang family was about to become a poor family, and the An family was extremely powerful and reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty.
It was An Xinggui, An Zhongjing's grandfather, who entered Liangzhou alone, united all parties, destroyed the palace city of Daliang with a surprise force, and captured Li Gui alive.
Li Gui was indeed weak among the heroes in the late Sui Dynasty, but after all, he was still a prince who ruled the world together with Li Mi, Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong and others.
One of the princes was actually solved by one person with the help of his family's influence. This profoundly reflects how terrifying the deep-rooted local clans are in this era.
By the way, the later An Lushan had nothing to do with the An family name. An Lushan changed his surname after his mother remarried.
After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, the An family of Wuwei was ashamed to have the same surname as the rebels. Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty also gave the family the national surname Li, and from then on changed it to the Li family of Wuwei.
Knowing that Jia Sibo and An Zhongjing were the leaders among the younger generation, Li Yan had a vague feeling that they were not welcoming to him. Li Yan glanced at the stands again and understood clearly.
The closer you sit to the front, the better your family background. For example, brothers Kangmeng and Kangda, even if they can get into the high platform, they can only sit in the last row.
Li Yan thought for a while and sat down with the two of them.
When Kangda saw it, he couldn't help but said: "Yuanfang, you should go to the first row."
The son of the Duke of Longxi, the Li family, is not the central figure as he should be?
Li Yan shook his head and smiled casually: "No need to worry."
It's not my place and I can't sit still.
This is my place, and I can't escape even if I run.
***The author has something to say***
Thanks to book friend "Feng Yu Wu Fei" for the reward.