Li Xu was amused by this apt metaphor, and a few shallow wrinkles immediately appeared on his cheeks. The bumps along the way made his body a lot thinner, and his skin became darker and rougher, and appeared near the ears.
There are a few rows of faint black hair. This makes him look much more mature, not like a boy under fifteen years old at all.
"Why do you seem to have grown up so much overnight!" Xu turned his eyes to Li Xu and looked at him with a frown. He stretched out his fist and hit his strong shoulder, jokingly asking.
"Really? It's because I didn't wash my face in the morning!" Li Xu smiled stupidly, but there were a lot of complicated things in his eyes. He admired Xu Dayan's sharp eyes very much. But last night he thought of something specific
What, he didn't want to say it.
Xu Dayan didn't have much interest in studying Li Xu's changes. His eyes were quickly attracted by the noise coming from the distance. The traders who were hunting were lucky. In less than half a stick of incense, there were already people.
They hit a lamb that was as big as a domestic dog. It was placed on the back of a horse and it was running back happily. However, the others clearly set their sights on the mature ram that was startled and started to run at high speed, shouting and urging them desperately.
The mounts galloped to outflank him.
The sheep obviously had no experience in fighting humans and fled away in panic. Soon, a few adult sheep with weaker physical strength broke away from the group and fled to both sides screaming. This further matched the hunter's expectations.
In my mind, on horseback, traders bent their bows and nocked arrows, shooting arrow after arrow at their prey.
"You don't want to go hunting? That yellow sheepskin is an excellent material for making boots. It's light and warm when worn on your feet!" At some point, Uncle Jiu came over and stood beside the two teenagers and asked in a low voice.
"I don't want to run out of strength, but lose a horse!" Xu Dayan said with disdain. His mount was a four-year-old maroon colt, which was much better than anyone else's mount in the caravan. However,
Counting the walking time for everyone along the way, Xu Dayan ranked first except for a few swordsmen. His short-sighted behavior of ignoring the tiredness of his mount for a small profit is absolutely impossible for someone like him who loves horses.
Happens to people.
"I, I'm not very good at archery!" Li Xu replied in a low voice. Huangyang, he remembered the name. The next time he meets him, he must hit the big one, have the skin tanned, and ask someone to send it to his hometown.
Make a pair of boots for my father. In order to study with peace of mind over the years, my father never mentioned how tiring the journey north was. Many times, in the conversations between father and son, the long and lonely business road seemed to have a lot of poetry.
"Isn't there a bow hanging next to your saddle?" This time it was Sun Jiu's turn to be surprised. He had noticed that among the entire team, only the bows used by Xu Dayan and Li Xu could be reached on the table. The other people's hands
The bows inside are made of wood or bamboo, but none of them can really be used for fighting.
Hearing someone mention his treasure, Li Xu felt even more embarrassed. In the past, when he couldn't shoot accurately, he could say that the bow in his hand was too bad. But after Xu Dayan's analysis, he already knew the hair tie that his uncle gave him.
Li is a good riding bow. However, when I hold this treasure, my shots are all in vain on the ground. When I shoot the bow on a bumpy horse, it is even more impossible to hit the target accurately. With such a good bow, I can't shoot it accurately.
The act of not allowing arrows and wasting natural resources is really shameful.
"You're a big man, don't blush all the time, bring me the bow!" Seeing Li Xu's twitchy expression, Sun Jiu thought he had something fake hidden in his bow bag, so he scolded with a smile.
Li Xu agreed and hurried over to get the bow bag and quiver. Sun Jiu took out the bow arm from the bag, weighed it with his hand, then separated his thumb and index finger, measured the length of the bow arm, and looked at it carefully.
After looking at the texture of the bow's ears, he couldn't help but nod. After hanging the bow string, he pulled out Li Xu's homemade feather arrow from the pot. His nodding movement immediately turned into shaking his head. He took one and shook it once, until he shook his head.
Wave drum, then threw the arrow pot back to Li Xu, and said to Xu Dayan: "Borrow a few of your feather arrows to use, Xu Zi's arrows in the pot are all wrong. Cavalry bows, but infantry arrows, can
It’s weird to shoot accurately!”
Hearing this, Xu Dayan quickly offered up the feather arrows he had brought with both hands. Based on his ability to observe people, Sun Jiu was obviously experienced, otherwise he would not have hung the sword in such a regular position. Human nature
He wouldn't be so generous. It's just what kind of errands Sun Jiu has done in the army and what level of martial arts skills he has reached. Based on Xu Dayan's current ability, it is still impossible to guess. Now Sun Jiu asked to test arrows, and it was exactly what he came to.
Good opportunity. After one shot, Xu Dayan ensured that he could guess the length of time Sun Jiu had been in the army with certainty.
Sun Jiu took the arrow kettle from Xu Dayan's hand, pulled out one in his hand, and flew onto the horse. He knocked his legs lightly under the horse's belly, and rode out immediately. Xu and Li, two young men, saw this and hurriedly
After galloping to catch up, they ran for more than a mile. Just in time, several large yellow sheep that had lost their flock were being chased by the traders and rushed over.
Good Sun Jiu, nock the arrow and open the bow. Hearing the clear sound of the bowstring "Stretch!", the largest male yellow sheep running in the front fell down at the sound. Sun Jiuyi held the bow and rushed forward on horseback.
The horse leaned forward slightly on the horse and shouted "Get up!". He snatched the prey from the ground with one hand, laid it across in front of him, and rode back.
"Okay!" Not only the vendors, but also the swordsmen who came to watch the excitement cheered. It is not easy to hit the target with an arrow while running fast. What is even more rare is that Sun Jiu shot through the yellow sheep with one arrow.
The neck of the beast was not only immediately killed, but the integrity of the skin was also preserved.
"That's natural. Brother Ninth served under Marshal Gao back then, and he once shot down the flag of Marshal Xiao Maha in the midst of thousands of troops. If some bastard hadn't been greedy for military merit, Brother Ninth could at least be a captain!
"Uncle Zhang curled his lips and proudly boasted to the swordsmen. (Note 9)
The swordsmen were very surprised and gathered around to inquire about the old story of General Gao Ying's military expedition to Nanchen, and to find out who was so capable that he could allow General Gao Ying, who was known to be fair and strict, to favor his own interests and allow him to rob Sun Yat-sen.
Sun Jiu refused to say anything about Jiu's achievement in capturing the flag. He just pulled out the arrow from the sheep's neck and returned it to Xu Dayan. Then he threw the whole sheep to Zhang San and ordered him to arrange for someone to roast the mutton for everyone to try.
Seeing Sun Jiu's calmness, everyone admired him even more. Especially the few swordsmen, who had been so frivolous when they saw their destination was about to arrive. Now that they saw Sun Jiu's shooting skills, they also restrained their behavior and stopped talking nonsense.
Blowing randomly.
Sun Jiu turned the empty bow back to Li Xu without letting go of the bowstring. Pointing to the mark on the bow arm, he explained to Li Xu, "This is a specially made riding bow during the Kaihuang period for the purpose of conquering Nanchen. Focus on it."
The famous bow makers across the country have spent several years working hard, but only a few thousand can reach this level. If you use such a hard riding bow as a walking bow, of course you can't shoot accurately!"
"Please give me some advice from Uncle Jiu!" Li Xu and Xu Da prayed as if they saw a treasure.
"You need to kowtow to become a disciple!" Du Scar said angrily as he walked by carrying a yellow sheep that was not much bigger than a rabbit.
Sun Jiu ignored him and handed the bow back to Li Xu. He pointed his fingers at the position where he was holding the bow and the basic movements of his arms and body. Then he said: "What's so difficult about this? It's just a matter of one sentence. Military
There are special chants in it, and every cavalryman can memorize them." After that, he held the bow in his hand again, not shying away from others eavesdropping, and sang in a low voice: "The force is like the wind, the eyes are like lightning; the bow is fully opened.
, release the arrow tightly..." (Note 10)
"That's it?" Several swordsmen who came over to "steal their skills" shouted in disbelief. Swordsmen pay attention to hiding their skills. The less one person learns their own skills, the safer they will be on the road.
They had never heard of Sun Jiu singing a song casually in front of everyone.
"It's easier said than done. Anyone can memorize the verses, and you can't find one person in a hundred who can shoot accurately!" Sun Jiu said without looking back. He handed the bow back to Li Xu again and warned with a smile:
"Actually, there are two words of secret that everyone understands. It's just 'familiarity'. If you practice it a few times, you will naturally understand the truth!"
After that, he jumped off his mount, staggered towards Uncle Zhang, and helped him skin the meat and roast it.
Li Xu held the bow and was so happy that he had forgotten to dismount. He accidentally found out the reason for his inaccuracy in shooting and heard the song of cavalry archery in the army. These gains certainly made him overjoyed. But deep down, he was even more happy.
I "stole" the art of observing people I learned from Xu Dayan, and I was fooled by it the first time I used it. Uncle Jiu did abandon business and join the army, but he was robbed of his credit in the army.
So I turned back angrily.
If you learn martial arts well and settle down with your parents in the future, can you be like Xu Dayan and find a sure-win war to make a career for yourself? Uncle Jiu's credit was taken by others, so he quit the army.
If I had better luck than him, I might be able to reach the position of brigade leader (100-man leader).
Although these dreams are far away, they can still be dreamed after all. It is better than running around on the grassland all year round and being so tired that you don’t even have the chance to dream.
As a sensible child, Li Xu did not dare to underestimate his father's livelihood. But he was very afraid that one day he would become a person like Wang Mazi and Du Scaru, who was insensitive and shameless.
"What are you doing so stupidly? You haven't put away your bow yet!" Seeing Li Xu start to be in a daze again, Xu Da tapped his head lightly with the arrow pot. Then he separated half of the arrows from the pot and stuffed it into
Li Xu.
"Brother Xu, what, how can this be so embarrassing!" Li Xu hurriedly shied away. The things Xu Dayan uses are quite sophisticated. How much is such an exquisite half-pot arrow worth? Although the two have become friends, they just take things from their friends.
, is not Li Xu’s habit.
"Hold it and defend yourself!" Xu Dayan whispered. He looked around and found that no one was paying attention to him. He lowered his voice and said, "Uncle Jiu was deliberately trying to show off his power. Something was not right!"
"Deliberately...!" Li Xu let out a low scream, and the second half was immediately suppressed by himself. After all, why did Uncle Ninth assert his power? No wonder he, who has always been a peaceful person, suddenly suddenly
Show off his shooting skills! It turned out that he was deliberately showing off to everyone. To whom? In this caravan, except for Hebei and Henan, the merchants gathered in one place were a few swordsmen who worked part-time as guides.
Could it be that they...?
"We were led by a few strangers and traveled thousands of miles to get here. We are trapped and horses are exhausted. If the other party is a horse thieves roaming the grassland, we are like a group of big fat sheep who have been sent to the door by ourselves!" Xu Dayan turned his back to everyone.
, and made a gesture of wiping a knife on Li Xu's neck. "Even if we can't find Minbu tonight, we can't let the caravan get into trouble. Therefore, Uncle Jiu must show his hands to guard against others and guard against his own people's despair.
, Deliberately causing trouble!”
"Oh!" Li Xu nodded lightly and slowly climbed off the horse. If it hadn't been for Xu Dayan's reminder, he wouldn't have seen the mystery behind these clues. Thinking about the possible battle, he felt a wave of pain all over his body.
My legs became tight and my legs began to tremble involuntarily.
If they encounter horse thieves, the traders will be disheartened and unable to organize an effective resistance. With Zhang Sanshu's character, he will definitely leave everyone behind and escape first. But people like Wang Mazi, Du Scaran and others, can not fight for their lives.
Helping the horse thief carry the rope is already a act of righteousness. Uncle Jiu can't find any helpers. Even if he is very skilled in martial arts, how many opponents can he be able to stop?
"Don't be afraid, as long as I'm here, no one can hurt you! As long as I have a wooden stick in my hand, three or two Du Scarans can't get close at all!" Xu Dayan assured, seeing that Li Xu still looked calm
Bai Bai touched him gently with his arm and comforted him in a low voice: "The reason I met the Turks that day was because they didn't take advantage of me and gave him a riding whip..."
"Thank you, Brother Xu. When the time comes, I won't cause trouble to anyone!" Li Xu inserted the arrows given by Xu Dayan into his own arrow pot one by one, and replied slowly. The arrows used by Xu Dayan were indeed very good.
Exquisite, although it is a bit shorter than the arrows used for walking bows, the arrow shaft is smoother, the arrow edge is sharper, and the tail feathers are neatly trimmed, like several knives inserted diagonally.
"This kid has changed so fast!" Xu Dayan looked at Li Xu and thought in surprise. At the moment when he inserted the arrow, his good friend suddenly seemed to have changed into a different person. Cowardly, timid, and stupid, these were the things he had always been associated with.
The problems that followed him disappeared one after another, and were replaced by a mountain-like calmness and heaviness.
"Uncle Jiu said it well the day before yesterday, I can't rely on others to help me with everything!" Li Xu tried hard to remind himself while sheathing the arrow.
Note 1,
Jixian, here Jixian is an important town in the Sui Dynasty, not the current Jixian. The specific location is in the south of today's Beijing, near Daxing.
Note 2,
Yelegai, in local dialect, refers specifically to the forehead.
Note 3,
Pu Liuru, Yang Jian's Xianbei surname. His father made great contributions to the Xianbei people's wars and was given the surname Pu Liuru.
Note 4,
Note 4: "Sima Fa" has an extremely wide scope of discussion, basically involving all aspects of military affairs; it also expounds the principles of using and managing troops in ancient times. It is related to "Sun Tzu", "Wu Zi", "Sima Fa", "Wei"
"Liaozi", "Three Strategies", "Six Tao" and later "Li Weigong Questions and Answers" are collectively known as the Seven Books of Martial Arts.
Note 5,
Note 5: The Pei people once lived in the Ulanhot area of Inner Mongolia as a minority. They have fair skin, so they are also called Bai Pei. See "New Book of Tang".
Note 6,
The weak Luoshui River, that is, the Saramulun River, is between the Wengniute Banner and the Balin Right Banner in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. The Taimi River's original course is near today's Baicheng.
Note 7,
Mohe. In today's Jilin, Heilongjiang and the Sakhalin Island occupied by Russia, it was once a great power in the late Sui Dynasty.
Note 8,
Yellow sheep. The scientific name is Mongolian gazelle. It was once widely distributed in the Inner Mongolia region of my country. Its body length is 100 to 150 centimeters and its weight is generally 20 to 35 kilograms, but the largest one can reach 60 to 90 kilograms. It was once the main food of grassland herdsmen in winter. , now on the verge of extinction.
Note 9,
In the Sui Dynasty's Battle of Nanchen, the commander of this battle was Yang Guang, and the actual commander was the veteran Gao Ying.
Note 10,
Seen in "She Jing·Ma She Zongfa" written by Wang Ju of the Tang Dynasty (to be continued)
