Chapter 99: The Military Examination

After the fifth day of the first lunar month, Chang’an City began to come alive. On that day, the polo tournament of the seventh year of Tianbao officially commenced, and at the same time, the annual military examination was held to select warriors. These two major events brought excitement to the otherwise quiet capital. The polo tournament was organized by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Stables Department; the Ministry of Rites was responsible for setting the rules, while the Imperial Stables Department handled the actual planning and organization.

Polo tournaments were held every three years and were considered the national sport of the Tang Dynasty. The common people had long looked forward to them. When the first match took place in Wuben Fang between the Yizhou team and the Songzhou team, it attracted a large crowd. Although the polo field could hold only five thousand people, nearly ten thousand gathered in Wuben Fang, eagerly awaiting the results.

Soon, the other ten polo fields also started hosting matches. In Chang’an, taverns, inns, brothels, and gambling houses all saw a surge in business. Many experienced fans knew every detail about each strong team. With their enthusiastic discussions, polo became the talk of the town. Supporters of different teams fought in restaurants, and long queues formed at gambling houses as people placed bets. The atmosphere in Chang’an became intense, and its people fully immersed themselves in enjoying this once-every-three-years polo festival.

The Anxi team had a rest day today; their first match was scheduled for the next day against the weaker Jiannan Polo Team. However, Li Qing’an had a match later that afternoon on behalf of Gao Lishi, facing the powerful Jinyiwei Team. It was a crucial match—winning it would ensure that at least Gao Lishi’s team could stay among the top fifteen. This was a private arrangement by the officials of the Imperial Stables Department, designed to keep Gao Lishi’s team in the spotlight while secretly securing their position, leaving no room for criticism.

Li Qing’an’s match was held at the Chongren Fang Polo Field. Since it was an open-field stadium without walls, many people flocked to Chongren Fang to watch the game. With Li Qing’an competing, even more young men and women came to watch.

Before dawn, Gao Lishi held a motivational meeting and offered generous rewards: a thousand guan per player for winning the first match, plus an additional three hundred guan for each goal scored. The players were extremely excited and eager to compete.

“Qilang, come here for a moment.”
Gao Lishi waved at Li Qing’an, who quickly stepped forward. “Please give your orders, Master Gao!”

“Shichiro, I might not be there for today’s first match. You’ll have full authority to make decisions. I’ve already told them that anyone who disobeys your orders can be dismissed on the spot, and I will never employ them again.”
“Thank you for your trust, Grandpa Gao. But why aren’t you attending today’s first match?”
Gao Lishi smiled helplessly. “Of course I want to attend, but today is also the first day of the military examinations. The Emperor is going to inspect, so I must go as well. There’s nothing I can do!”
Li Qing’an nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandpa Gao! I won’t disappoint you.”
……
For the people of Chang’an, the polo match might be the most important event today, but for Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty, the commencement of the military examinations is his top priority. Over the years, the Tang Dynasty has grown strong, and he needs to quickly reverse its unfavorable position in the stalemate with Tubo. The victories of the Small Bulei forces in the west have given the Tang Dynasty a strategic advantage in Anxi. Now, the strategic focus has shifted to the Helong region in the east. He must make progress there within these two years, which is why he attaches great importance to this year’s military examinations. Selecting a large number of military officers with outstanding riding and archery skills is the top priority of these exams.
When Li Longji woke up early, his beloved consort Yang Yuhuan was still fast asleep. It’s no wonder—the night before, she had competed with him in pot-throwing and managed to hit three targets out of five from a distance of twenty feet, tying the score. She had been practicing enthusiastically every day in the palace over the past two days, leaving her quite exhausted. Even Li Longji had to admit that Li Qing’an was a good teacher—after just one afternoon of instruction, he had enabled his consort to get the hang of it.
It was just dawn when Li Longji, dressed in casual clothes, boarded his carriage. The examination site was at the Right Military Guard training ground within the imperial city. Today was the first day, with military personnel recommended by various provinces and military commands in Jianghuai, Henan, and Lingnan taking part. The Ministry of War was in charge, and not only Emperor Li Longji but also the prime ministers were required to attend.
As soon as Li Longji arrived near the Right Military Guard headquarters, he heard sounds of archery and horseback riding coming from inside the walls—the examinations had already begun.
……

Chongren Fang was already packed with people. The horse racing field was filled with enthusiastic spectators on both sides. Two officials from the Imperial Stables were in charge—one keeping score and the other timing. Dozens of cavalry patrolled the edges of the field to maintain order. On the field, Gao Lishi’s Fei Bao team and the Jinwu Wei horse team were already in position, with ten players from each side. The players were checking their saddles and riding sticks; they were dressed in short outfits, looking very energetic. The Jinwu Wei players wore red clothes, while Gao Lishi’s Fei Bao team wore white, creating a striking contrast. In the southwest corner, over 200 young women were packed together, creating a spectacular scene. They screamed and cheered, “Qilang—score a goal!”
Standing nearby were his colleagues from the Anxi Army—Li Siye, Duan Xiushi, Bai Yuanguang, Li Fei Yuanli, and about twenty others, all there to watch Li Qingan play. Shi Ruipo, Shi Ruohua, and Xiao Lian were also among the Anxi Army troops, cheering loudly for Li Qingan.
At that moment, the match signal was lit. A cavalryman stepped forward, raised a flag, and shouted, “Get ready to start!”
Twenty players jumped onto their horses and lined up. Suddenly, a shuttlecock was thrown into the field. The red flag was lowered, and a fierce battle ensued. The horses moved swiftly like lightning, the shuttlecock flying through the air. Tactics such as covering, cutting off, feints, attacks, and surprise strikes were used repeatedly. The spectators on both sides cheered loudly, and hundreds of Jinwu Wei soldiers on leave beat drums to boost their team’s momentum.
At that point, Li Qingan rushed to a distance of sixty steps away. Two opponents assigned to defend him blocked his path at twenty steps. They seemed convinced that Li Qingan couldn’t shoot from such a distance. An opening appeared in front of Li Qingan. The shuttlecock flew toward him. He narrowed his eyes, spurred his horse forward, and swung his stick to hit the shuttlecock. With a crisp “snap,” the shuttlecock shot like lightning toward the hole. By the time his two opponents reacted, it was too late—the shuttlecock had already gone in. Fei Bao team took the lead, scoring the first point just a short while after the match began.
The amazing shot from sixty steps away sparked cheers from the entire crowd, and the intensity of the game rose further. The Jinwu Wei team also fought back fiercely, and the match became even more intense.

On the stands of the Right Military Training Ground, more than a dozen high-ranking officials sat, with Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty in the middle. On either side were several prime ministers and seven or eight generals of various military units, surrounded by numerous guards. At this moment, Li Longji’s expression was grave. Perhaps because he had spent more time with the border troops this year, his standards for warriors had unconsciously risen. The warriors who came to take the martial examinations this year truly disappointed him. In fact, the requirements for the examinations were not high—drawing a three-stone bow at range and a two-stone bow while on horseback, with seven out of ten arrows hitting the target from fifty paces away would suffice to pass the bowmanship test. Then there were riding skills and spearsmanship on horseback; completing these three tasks would mean passing the examinations. As for height or sharp eyesight, those were secondary matters.

Yet even with such low requirements, more than half of the candidates failed today, especially those recommended from the Jianghuai region, with only one or two in ten passing. Of course, this was partly due to the emperor’s presence at the examination site, which put pressure on the candidates. Li Longji was aware of this, but if they couldn’t withstand even such pressure, how could they fight in battle in the future? He grew even angrier, let out a deep snort, and turned to ask Pei Kuan, the newly appointed Minister of Rites: “Minister Pei, what do you think of today’s martial examinations?”

Pei Kuan was tall, with silver hair. He had once served as the military governor of Fanyang and was highly skilled in archery. When the emperor asked him, he quickly replied, “Your Majesty, I am extremely disappointed.”

“I share that feeling!” Li Longji sighed softly. “It’s still the Jianghuai region. I remember someone could draw a seven-stone bow the year before last, and someone could draw a six-stone bow last year. But this year, not a single person could draw a five-stone bow. As for archery, someone hit all ten targets the year before last, which left a deep impression on me. But this year, it’s rare to see even seven hits out of ten. Alas! It gets worse every year. The situation of the local troops in Jianghuai is concerning!”

“Your Majesty, I believe this is a precursor to the decline of the local troops. Land consolidation in various regions is too severe, leading to a shortage of soldiers,” Pei Kuan said, taking the opportunity to express his concerns. Li Longji fell silent.

At that moment, Chen Xilié, the Left Prime Minister and also Minister of War, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I think this has nothing to do with the decline of the local troops. Minister Pei is overreacting.”

“Oh? Prime Minister Chen, please explain,” Li Longji asked with great interest.

“Your Majesty, my reason is simple. If the imperial troops were declining, it should be the case across all regions. Yet the performance of those taking the martial exams in Henan Circuit has not declined, nor has it in Lingnan Circuit—their scores remain the same as last year and the year before. Only Jiangnan and Huainan Circuits have seen a decline. I believe there are specific reasons for the lax military preparation in the Jianghuai region over the past two years. First, the region is rich in resources, and its people are generally well-off, leading to a prevalence of indulgence. This has resulted in a focus on civil affairs at the expense of military affairs, affecting the imperial troops and leading to insufficient training. Second, most of the military officers are elderly. I have statistics showing that the ages of the commanders in various military units in Jianghuai are mostly over 45, and the same is true for other officers. If the officers themselves lack competence, how can the soldiers improve? Therefore, I believe that ultimately, the low performance of those recommended from Jianghuai for the martial exams is still a training issue.”

“Chen Prime Minister, even Your Majesty considers this an inevitable consequence of the decline of the imperial troops. As the Minister of War, aren’t you aware of the problems here? Yet you avoid addressing the core issue by claiming insufficient training. Chen Prime Minister, you are misleading the country!”

Pei Kuan was extremely angry. As prime minister, he failed to address the root causes of the problem and instead tried to evade responsibility, misleading the emperor.

Chen Xili laughed coldly and retorted, “Minister Pei, I am the Minister of War, and everything I say is well-founded. I can present the documents from various military units in Jianghuai to the emperor. You, on the other hand, have only been in office for two days—what evidence do you have?”

“Enough, my lords, stop arguing,” Li Longji said with a smile, trying to defuse the situation. He then turned to Li Linfu, who had remained silent, and asked, “Prime Minister Li, since you are also the Grand Commander of Yangzhou, what do you think?”

Li Linfu smiled slightly and bowed, “Your Majesty, I believe both possibilities exist. Therefore, the best approach is to conduct a trial on the ground to see whether Prime Minister Chen is right or Minister Pei is justified.”

“Then, Prime Minister, tell us what method you suggest for the trial.”

“Well… I haven’t thought it through yet.”

“Your Majesty, I do have an idea,” Chen Xili said with a smile.

“Prime Minister Chen, please share it. I’m listening.”

Chen Xili stroked his goatee and smiled, “There are many brave generals from the border troops in Chang’an now. I suggest appointing them as training commanders and sending them to Jianghuai to lead troops for half a year. They can use the training methods of the border troops to train the imperial troops there. After half a year, it will be clear whether the problem lies in land allocation or training.”

Li Linfu also smiled and said, “Your Majesty, I think Prime Minister Chen’s idea is good and worth trying.”

Li Longji glanced at Zhang Yun, the Minister of Revenue, who also smiled and said, “Your Majesty, it’s worth trying. If it doesn’t work, we can consider Minister Pei’s suggestion again.”

“Very well! I approve of this. Prime Minister Chen shall be fully responsible for coordinating it. I will assess the results in half a year.”
“As you command!”
……
The match at the polo field in Chongren Fang was coming to an end. Only a small portion of the third incense stick remained, and the score was 6 to 4 in favor of Gao Lishi’s Fei Bao team. Among those six goals, Li Qingan had scored four himself. There was little doubt about the outcome of the match. The eight players of Fei Bao team retreated near their own goal holes, shifting to defense instead of offense, determined to hold on to their lead—each of them would receive a thousand guan if they did. Only Li Qingan and another player continued to move around the field, looking for weaknesses in the opponent’s defense. It was precisely because of Li Qingan’s presence in the midfield that the Jinwu Guard did not dare to push all their forces forward. This was like siege warfare—having a cavalry unit roaming around made the attackers cautious, fearing their camp might be attacked.
In the spectator stands, shouts rang out loudly, drums were beaten furiously, and the sisters’ voices were hoarse from shouting. Xiao Lian accidentally noticed that Du Gu Mingzhu, who was always dressed in trendy fashion, was also there. She held up a large piece of paper with red letters written on it: “Li Qilang will surely win!”
As the match neared its end, despite the Jinwu Guard’s desperate counterattacks, Fei Bao team’s defense was impenetrable, leaving no chance for their opponents. Then one of the players seized an opportunity, sending the ball seventy steps away, right beside Li Qingan. Li Qingan kicked a high ball and rode swiftly to the diagonal position of the opponent’s goal hole. There was no one blocking in front of that spot, and the ball fell as it landed.
The four defensive players of the Jinwu Guard saw the situation turn unfavorable and rushed at Li Qingan together, but they were still a step too late. Li Qingan effortlessly struck a spinning ball that traced an arc through the air, landing in an open area on the other side, where another teammate was waiting. With no one defending in front of him, he gave a simple stroke, and the ball went straight into the hole—6 to 4.
At that moment, the bell signaling the end of the match rang, and the field erupted in cheers. The players of Fei Bao team dismounted, threw their poles high into the air, and hugged each other excitedly. This was the first time they had defeated a strong rival with their true skills. Everyone was so moved that tears streamed down their faces as they hugged Li Qingan. If they had ever had any dissatisfaction or resentment toward him, it all vanished in the face of victory.