Cheng Chumo leaped up onto the rope, holding a small flag in his hand. He looked down at the red silk ribbon beneath his feet, watching which way it moved. As soon as it deviated, he would wave the flag in that direction. The atmosphere in the training ground was immediately ignited. Many noble ladies and daughters left their seats and ran to the front, jumping on their feet to cheer for the side they favored.

Warriors moving mountains was inherently full of masculine vigor, let alone with two hundred strongmen here competing through strength. Gnarled muscles, bulging veins, four hundred thick and sturdy thighs—the masculine beauty of men was displayed without reserve.

The flying dust couldn’t stop the noble ladies from cheering. Watching the red silk slowly move left and right, the strongmen suddenly let out an angry roar, and the opposing side roared back. Cheng Chumo shouted himself hoarse on the rope. Yun Ye completely abandoned his usual refined image—veins bulged high in his neck, and his two hands kept waving backward. Even if he couldn’t personally enter the field, fanning some wind was still good.

Next to the training ground was the polo field. Between the two was only a high wall dividing them. The imperial polo game was at its most lively when the strongmen’s roars startled the polo horses in the field, which neighed incessantly.

Li Er held his polo mallet and looked up to ask Princess Dou, who was standing on a ladder looking over there: “What are those bastards doing?”

Princess Dou had long been watching with boiling blood. Only after Li Er called twice did she react, loudly answering: “Imperial Father, come look quickly! They’re fighting over a rope. Many aunts are watching. Sister Xinyue is there too. My fourth sister and fifth sister are both there. Princess Dou wants to go over too.”

Having said this, she climbed up the high wall and ordered the guards on the other side to bring her a ladder.

The bewildered Li Er also climbed the ladder. Stretching his neck to look, he saw Yuchi Gong crying out strangely, having removed his upper garment, pulling the tail of the rope and desperately yanking it with his life. Looking past the dense crowd of heads, he saw Niu Jinda doing the same. The two great commanders had completely stripped to the waist for battle.

Princess Dou had already descended the ladder like a young deer and run over, embracing Qinghe’s shoulder, desperately cheering for Old Niu. Looking back at Li Xiaogong, Li Daofu, Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and the recently returned Li Zhi standing at the base of the wall, all holding polo mallets and curiously pricking up their ears to listen to the activity on the other side.

Li Jing’s angry curses, Cheng Yaojin’s loud laughter, Liu Hongji’s duck-like clamoring, plus Yun Ye’s strange and peculiar cursing voice stirred up their great curiosity.

Suddenly, the crowd seemed to be ignited like a fire oil bomb. Yuchi Gong pounded his chest like a black bear and roared toward the sky. The strongmen behind him also shouted together, instantly drowning out the women’s voices.

Li Xiaogong’s heart felt like a hundred little mice were scratching it. He had received Yun Ye’s invitation, but the Emperor hoped the imperial family could play several good polo matches this year.

Li Chengqian began to smile bitterly. The polo game was basically unplayable now, because Li Er had also crossed the high wall and gone to the other side. With father gone, Li Chengqian could only stay behind to organize the imperial relatives to continue playing games.

Yet he heard a chorus of “ten thousand years” coming from that side, and Li Er’s laughter also transmitted from there. Li Tai threw down his polo mallet and suddenly leaped onto the ladder. Turning back to the furious-looking Empress Zhangsun, he said: “Ah, my imperial father is truly mighty. When throwing the spear just now, he pierced through three targets. Watch this child cheer for my imperial father.”

Having said this, he also disappeared. Li Zhi was about to climb the ladder when Empress Zhangsun pulled him down. He could only obediently pick up his polo mallet and wait for his eldest brother to give orders. The polo game that had seemed endlessly interesting just moments ago now felt like chewing wax.

The tug-of-war game just now was only an appetizer. Yuchi Gong, possessing tremendous strength, ultimately achieved victory. Now he had been grabbed by the angry and ashamed Niu Jinda, and the two began wrestling.

Li Er stood in the middle as referee. Yuchi Gong moved forward and locked Niu Jinda’s left arm. With a shout, he twisted his body intending to swing Niu Jinda off the ground. But Niu Jinda’s right leg firmly hooked Yuchi Gong’s forward-extended left leg. His whole body twisted, turning half a circle to dissolve Yuchi Gong’s killing move. His knee bent and pressed on Yuchi Gong’s leg crook. Who would have thought Yuchi Gong would take advantage to crouch, his left hand seizing Niu Jinda’s belt. With both arms exerting force, he heavily slammed Niu Jinda into the sandy ground.

Everyone shouted approval in unison. Li Er laughed like a vulture seeing rotten meat, crying out strangely as he separated the wrestling Yuchi Gong and Old Niu. Yuchi Gong held a jade pendant in his hand and casually placed it into the helmet on the ground. The helmet filled with money notes and valuable items shone brilliantly under the bright sun.

While talking and laughing with the old generals, Li Er suddenly discovered that horse racing had actually begun in the training ground. Over a dozen vigorous and sturdy war horses flew with all four hooves around the oval training ground, chasing each other in intense competition.

When he saw the rider behind grin wickedly and draw a blade from his waist to viciously slash at the rider in front, he was about to get angry. But then he saw that the rider in front, after being struck, cursed angrily and rode his horse off the track, with a white mark very clearly visible on his back.

“If it’s horse racing, then race horses. Why is there also swinging blades to chop people?”

“Your Majesty, this isn’t horse racing—this is racing cavalry. Only the one with no marks on his body who also takes down everyone else can win. This subject originally planned to only race horse speed, but after General Cheng and the others joined in, it became like this. Fortunately, the armor on the soldiers is still suitable, so there shouldn’t be any accidents.”

Yun Ye’s words had just finished when a cavalryman who had been attacked and became desperate actually performed a tiger leap on horseback, jumping directly onto someone else’s horse. Grabbing the neck and pulling backward forcefully, the war horse cried out in alarm, jumping about wildly in the field. Both people fell from the horse’s back, yet still wouldn’t let go, entangled together in mutual combat.

Li Er watched from afar, smacked his lips and said: “If something happens, I’ll hold you accountable!”

Having said this, he walked to the platform, kicked Liu Zhengwu away with one foot, found himself the most central position, picked up a wine flask to drink grape wine, and after finishing the wine talked with Li Jing and the others who had returned with him.

Li Tai was shooting arrows. His archery wasn’t very good—he could only barely shoot arrows onto the target, yet even this could draw thunderous applause from those soldiers skilled at flattery. Princess Dou’s strength was too small to pull open a three-load bow. Military bows weren’t something a young girl just recovered from serious illness could draw.

Getting anxious, she said she knew how to throw flying knives. The archery target was a bit far away. Two very perceptive soldiers immediately placed the archery target one zhang in front of Princess Dou.

The first knife flew out—didn’t count. The second knife’s handle hit the target—also didn’t count. The third knife she threw forcefully, and the killing machine with a flattering expression preparing to call the score had a knife stuck in his shoulder, blood gushing out. Princess Dou’s tears were about to come out, ready to cry, but that killing machine grinned and said it was just a minor flesh wound, nothing serious. He pulled the knife from his shoulder, used his own clothes to wipe off the blood, reversed the knife to hold the handle, and gave it to Princess Dou, saying next time it would definitely stick in the target.

Princess Dou wasn’t stingy. Seeing this fellow hopping around energetically, she didn’t cry anymore. She felt around on herself and discovered she was wearing a fitted outfit with no accessories. She yanked off a jade plaque from Yun Ye’s waist and bestowed it upon that killing machine.

Getting stabbed could earn a reward? And a generous reward at that. Marquis Yun never wore cheap items at his waist. Immediately a pile of soldiers came over to help hold targets. The knives Princess Dou threw were soft and feeble. They had already prepared to catch knives with their shoulders.

Zhangsun Chong was a scourge. Sporting a small mustache, he held a three-load bow in his hand as if it weighed nothing. With three arrows tucked between his fingers, after just three rapid bowstring sounds, three long arrows were already neatly embedded in the bullseye.

Xiao Miao most hated Zhangsun Chong because back in Yuezhou, this fellow had struck very ruthlessly. Originally not planning to make a move, hiding behind Xinyue to enjoy the excitement and be done with it, she saw the women all praising Zhangsun Chong in unison. Unconvinced in her heart, she took a long bow, played with it in her hands, and that bow went to her back. Without visible movement, her hands already grasped four arrows and she also held one in her mouth.

Her hand grasping the arrows twisted behind her back, directly beginning to draw the bow. Her eyes didn’t even look at the archery target. Four arrows flew almost in a line, circling the bullseye and embedding neatly in the target. Exhaling and opening her mouth, that arrow from her mouth was already in her hand. Almost just as the first four had stopped trembling, the fifth arrow was firmly embedded dead center. With a flip of her wrist, this time the long bow returned to her chest. She took another arrow, lightly hooked the bowstring with two fingers, and the strong three-load bow became a full moon. The last arrow whistled out, hitting precisely the tail of that centermost arrow. The sharp arrowhead broke through the arrow shaft, striking dead center in the bullseye.

Women also had such abilities! Those women who had just been worshiping Zhangsun Chong like a god immediately surged toward Xiao Miao. Xiao Miao wrinkled her nose and snorted at Zhangsun Chong, then was submerged in the crowd of rouge and powder.

“What are you looking at? You can’t beat Xiao Miao anyway. Having your face wiped by someone, you can only accept it. But speaking honestly, you as a military general—your archery can’t beat a woman’s, and your fighting also can’t beat a woman’s. I as a man feel very ashamed.”

Li Tai somehow obtained a large handful of dried longan. While peeling them to eat the flesh, he mocked Zhangsun Chong.

Zhangsun Chong approached with a dark face, saying irritably: “Is that a woman? That’s a human-shaped fierce beast. People in the Great Tang who can beat her can be counted on one hand. Are you saying your archery is very brilliant?”

“I’m a scholar who reads books. If a woman’s learning is better than mine, then I’ll lose face. You’re a military general—you play with swords and spears. If your main profession can’t beat a woman, is that very glorious?”

“The academy is currently researching how to increase weapon lethality while ignoring physical strength. Before long, strong men like you will have no place to display martial prowess. If I hold a newly invented weapon, you may not necessarily be my opponent.”

Zhangsun Chong threw down the bow in his hand somewhat dejectedly and pointed at the old generals on the platform talking and laughing happily with the Emperor: “I may still have time to learn anew, but they probably…”

Li Tai nodded, pointed at the training ground and said: “Their martial prowess can only be displayed here from now on. After the military’s major re-equipment next year, you’ll see—there will even be old generals who commit suicide.”