According to the rules, the first game will test chess skills, the second game will test classics and meanings, the third game will test poetry, and the fourth game will test calculation methods.
Qin Xiang's chess skills are almost unmatched by anyone in Chu State. He is a national player of Chu State. There is no problem in thinking about it. He is the best if he can win. If he cannot win, he will try to end in a draw. He must never lose!
If we lose in the first race, it will have a huge impact on our morale in the next three races.
Prime Minister Qin has a heavy burden on him.
The chess table has already been prepared in the main hall.
The person who played against Qin was an old man. He looked to be about the same age as Prime Minister Qin, and he was old enough for his grandson to marry. However, although he was old, he was in good health and in good spirits.
It seems that eating two bowls of rice for lunch is not a problem.
But think about it, the capital of the State of Chu is far away from the capital of the State of Zhao. It takes more than two months to drive there. An old man who is not in good health can get lost in the carriage while walking. How can he get to the State of Chu?
Play a game of chess in the capital and then go back?
Prime Minister Qin and the old man sat on both sides of the chess table, each holding a piece.
"In line with the principle of "if a friend comes from afar, don't say anything".
The Prime Minister of Qin holds the white piece, and the old man holds the black piece.
Guests are invited first.
This is also a rule that has been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years.
The old man was not polite, smiled kindly, and then settled down to Tianyuan.
Tianyuan is the center of the chessboard.
There is a proverb in Go: The golden horn is silver-edged and the grass is wrapped around the belly.
It means: the chess pieces placed in the corners are as valuable as gold, because the corners not only have a lot of space, but are also easy to defend and difficult to attack. The side that occupies it first can wait for work;
It's as worthless as thatch.
There is no other way. The position of Tianyuan is empty in all directions, so naturally there is no danger to defend, so the start is at a disadvantage.
The person who plays Tianyuan at the beginning is either an extremely expert or an absolute novice.
However, can the flag bearer representing Zhao State be a rookie?
Just by looking at the nearly peaked scalp on the top of his head, you should know that this old man is a great master!
When Qin Xiang saw this scene, he was obviously thinking deeply. He could not guess the old man's thoughts even though the Go chess in his hand was spinning around. Then he put stability first and fell into a corner.
This game affects the minds of both countries.
The face of Emperor Chu, who was in a high position, was full of uncertainty.
Since many officials gathered around to watch the chess game, the seats around Xu Qing were empty.
At this time, Xiao Ruxue moved from the female family members to Xu Qing and sat down next to her: "Xu Qing, Xu Qing, do you think Prime Minister Qin will win?"
Xu Qing shook his head: "I can't see it, how do I know whether I will win?"
Xiao Ruxue asked curiously: "Why don't you go watch Qin Xiang play chess?"
Xu Qing said honestly: "Because I can't understand."
Xiao Ruxue frowned: "Aren't you very good at chess?"
Xu Qing thought for a while and said, "Why don't you tell your uncle that we can play backgammon in the next game?"
If it were backgammon, Xu Qing was sure that no one in the world could match it.
But when it comes to Go, he is a great rookie who has never played Go before, has no chess soul, and doesn’t know how to make a move. How can he win?
This chess game lasted from morning to afternoon. At noon, the game was closed and envoys from the three countries guarded it. After dinner, the game continued.
This is not a rare thing. If the chess players are of equal strength, some chess games can even be played for more than two months without a winner. In comparison, one game cannot be played in one day?
It's just a small scene, no fuss.
Su Qian, like Xu Qing, was good at backgammon, but couldn't understand Go. Xiao Ruxue had an even bigger headache.
Xiao Ruxue simply took Su Qian to play backgammon in the afternoon. Go and other games were complicated and boring, so she didn't want to watch them.
This varies from person to person. To an expert, Go looks like thousands of troops fighting on the battlefield. You come and I go, and the competition is fierce.
Your blood will boil with excitement because you have captured the opponent's word, and you will sigh with regret because you lost a piece of land.
And laymen?
Just like Xu Qing, Su Qian and Xiao Ruxue, they were so bored that they could only stare at them.
Let them watch chess, which is probably the same as reading a book from heaven.
Su Qian and Xiao Ruxue can leave at any time, but Xu Qing and Xiao Ye are different. They have to stay as long as the competition between the two countries ends, and they can't leave early even if they want to.
In the two rows of seats, except for Xu Qing and Xiao Ye, who knew nothing and could only sit here, everyone else gathered around to watch chess.
This made it seem that the area around Xiao Ye and Xu Qing was quite empty.
The female relatives were very disciplined and almost all sat on their seats.
Xu Qing looked at Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye looked at Xu Qing, Xiao Ye took out a familiar booklet and tilted his head at Xu Qing and winked, Xu Qing nodded.
So Xu Qing and Xiao Ye walked to the last row and sat down next to each other in a tacit understanding and started studying.
…
This competition lasted for five days, and Xu Qing and Xiao Ye also studied for five days.
Although I gained a lot of knowledge, the only drawback is that the learning process is very uncomfortable.
Learning has always been a painful and happy process, which is normal.
Finally on the fifth day, Prime Minister Qin and the old man finally decided the winner. There were sighs all around, and the Chu officials walked away dejectedly.
It seems that Chu State lost this competition.
Xu Qing stood up and walked forward.
At this time, Prime Minister Qin's face looked a little haggard. Obviously, these five days of chess had consumed a lot of energy on his part, and the old man opposite did not have the same energetic state of mind as at the beginning. It seemed that he could win this chess game.
It didn't go well.
Qin Xiang walked up to Jiang Xiang and patted Jiang Xiang's shoulder. He sighed and said nothing. Jiang Xiang also patted Qin Xiang's shoulder, as if he wanted to comfort this old friend who had been with him for many years.
Then Prime Minister Qin walked up to Xu Qing, patted Xu Qing's shoulder, and sighed without saying anything.
Finally, Prime Minister Qin walked up to Emperor Chu, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I lost."
The old man on the side cupped his hands to Prime Minister Qin and said: "I am just an idler in the mountains and fields. I will spend the rest of my life studying chess. Prime Minister Qin is the prime minister of a country. He usually deals with political affairs. He should have very little time to study chess."
, to be able to play like this with me, Qin’s talent for playing chess is already above me.”
Prime Minister Qin also handed over to the old man and said: "If you lose, you lose. I am not the one who can't afford to lose. After I take office, I will put down my burden and go back to my husband to have a good game."
The old man also smiled and said: "Okay, when that day comes, I will sweep the bed to welcome you."
Although the Emperor of Chu was in a bad mood because of his rudeness in the first battle, he still said: "Prime Minister Qin is the Prime Minister of Chu. He has worked hard for the country for many years. It is normal for him to be powerless. Don't be discouraged. From now on, our country of Chu will still need Prime Minister Qin's assistance.
Don't let a game of chess break your heart."
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister of Qin bowed his hands to the Emperor of Chu and said, "I obey the decree."