Dominate the Country

The winter of the 143rd year of Chongzhen seemed to be particularly cold. Three or five days ago, the sky was overcast. The dark clouds were so thick that no light could shine through. The weather was cold and cold. Yesterday, a heavy snowfall that had accumulated for several days fell down like flakes, and it has not stopped until tonight.

At night, there was a faint sound of coughing coming from the upper room in the backyard of the former Duke Lu's Mansion, now the Prince's Mansion. Grandma Wang came in along the veranda with the little girl carrying a food box. When she heard the suppressed coughing, she couldn't help but quicken her pace.

Opening the thick felt curtain, a warm feeling rushed inside. Several little girls and mothers were waiting respectfully outside. Except for Li Xiaomei's cough, there was no unnecessary sound in the room. Grandma Wang didn't say anything, she just took the food box from the little girl's hand and went into the Nuan Pavilion inside.

Li Xiaomei was leaning on the kang, covered with a thick silk quilt. The maid beside her helped her tuck the corners of the quilt, and the room was burning hot. Seeing Grandma Wang come in, the maid next to her quickly took the food box from her hand, put it on the table, took out a small cup of medicine from it, and took out a small plate of candied fruits and brought them together. Li Xiaomei in front. Grandma Wang then went over and helped Li Xiaomei sit up with her own hands. The maid then stepped forward and placed a cushion embroidered with gold thread with a pattern of a peacock playing peonies behind Li Xiaomei, and lined the back with a white towel.

Li Xiaomei smiled bitterly and said: "I have to drink the medicinal soup again. My mouth has been so bitter in the past two days that I have no taste. When will this 'I feel a cold' get better?" Her voice was full of doubts about the word 'I feel a cold' Deeply dissatisfied. This imperial doctor is so deceptive. She had been drinking medicine for four days when she occasionally felt cold, and she couldn't even eat what she wanted during the Chinese New Year. She really didn't want to suffer this anymore.

At the end of the year, the Chen family returned to Xiaonangou to worship their ancestors. Two days later, two of them fell ill. Except for Li Xiaomei, Chen Hui couldn't hold on and fell on the bed after surviving the big banquet on the first day of the first lunar month.

It cast a faint shadow on Chen Han's happy New Year.

"Your Majesty just caught a cold. Just drink a few more medicines and she will be fine! After your Majesty recovers from her illness, if you want to eat anything, please let Your Highness know. Dragon tendons and phoenix marrow, Your Highness will definitely get it for you." Chen Ming The kindness to Li Xiaomei can be seen by everyone in the house. Ever since Li Xiaomei went to bed, he either slept in the study or stayed here with her every night.

The corners of Li Xiaomei's mouth raised slightly, but she didn't argue. She just took the medicine cup and drank it in one gulp without looking at the dark medicine. The girl next to her hurriedly brought the candied fruit in her hand. Li Xiaomei waved her hand and said, "I've suffered so much, why should I eat this? Pour me a glass of water and rinse my mouth."

The two older girls quickly put down the preserves, one turned around to pour water, and the other went to get the spittoon. Li Xiaomei asked: "What time is it now? Has the snow stopped?"

"It's already half past eight. It's snowing heavily. I'm looking at it. It won't stop tomorrow."

"Has your Highness sent you a message? Where will you rest today?"

Grandma Wang thought for a moment and laughed in a low voice: "I guess His Highness will still have to rest in the study. He hasn't come back at this hour, and I'm sure it won't be until nine o'clock today. I heard from people who followed His Highness outside that the Governor's Mansion There are some trivial things in there, and it’s very busy.”

Li Xiaomei sighed, even though she was happy, she was also a little unhappy. What woman doesn’t want her man to be by her side when she’s sick? It’s just that there are really no such ‘rules’ in this era.

Just then the girl brought warm water over and helped Li Xiaomei rinse her mouth. Li Xiaomei let out a long breath and closed her eyes tiredly.

They spent two days traveling back and forth to worship their ancestors in Xiaonangou. No matter how healthy Chen Hui was, he was old, so a little illness was nothing. Li Xiaomei is more troubled here. She misses her loved ones even more during the holidays. Chen Han has conquered the entire south. Why don't her family members come out? Seeing the whole family of the Chen family lively worshiping their ancestors, I felt sad. Coupled with fatigue and a little wind, I couldn't get up.

In the past years, when Chen Ming was no longer at home, she was the one who supported the entire Lu Gong Mansion. Her son was still so young, so of course Li Xiaomei couldn't fall down. But this year it was rare for Chen Ming to celebrate the New Year at home, so she had someone to rely on, and she would decisively become 'uncomfortable' when she should be 'uncomfortable'.

Suddenly a voice of greeting came from outside, and Grandma Wang said happily: "His Royal Highness is back." The door curtain was lifted, and Chen Ming strode in. There were already a lot of snowflakes falling on the big cloak that he was wearing.

Grandma Wang and a group of girls and grandmothers hurriedly saluted. Li Xiaomei also struggled to get up. When Chen Ming saw it, he waved his hand and said: "You are not in good health, so stop moving."

Naturally, a nanny stepped forward to take off Chen Ming's cloak and took it to the outside room to cook. There is heavy snow in the entire Huanghuai River this year.

Chen Ming came to the bedside and asked, "Have you taken the medicine? Are you feeling better?" The imperial doctors who came to their house for treatment were all famous doctors recruited by Chen Han from all over the medical department. How could they not see that Li Xiaomei was there? This is depression in her heart. She is now weak and bedridden, and the depression in her heart is even worse than the cold.

"I feel so miserable after drinking it. I drink medicine every day and there is no taste in my mouth. I am not very hot anymore. I just haven't stopped coughing." Because of her cough, she didn't dare to let her son get close to her today. Barrier said a few words and hurriedly sent Xiao Chen Ding out.

Seeing Li Xiaomei looking so weak, Chen Ming felt really helpless. Since returning to Lushan, he has slept at Li Xiaomei's place most of the time. What was he thinking about? Of course I want to have another child, even a daughter. result……

As a prince of Chen Han, it is obviously not enough to have only one child. But Liu Wanyun, Yao, Shi, Zhang, Zheng and others were in Jiangnan for quite a long time, especially Liu Wanyun, who was the only favorite for a long time.

As a result, let alone having a child, there was not even a pregnancy.

In this case, Chen Ming unconsciously felt that Li Xiaomei's belly, or the belly of the first wife, was more reliable. Moreover, his relationship with Li Xiaomei was completely different from that of Liu Wanyun and others.

From the first day of the new year to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, he must sleep in Li Xiaomei's room. There was something going on in the Grand Commandery these days. The news from the dark camp in the north-the Qing army had taken Pyongyang and the army had rushed to Seoul. However, there was no news from the fleet of Chen Dai and Shi Xinxiong who set out again, so Chen Ming was of course busy.

The year has passed. In another month, winter will be gone and spring will come. The floating ice in the Bohai Bay will melt. Will the navy of the Fu Han Army make some moves?

Although the Eight Banners New Army of the Qing Dynasty, the training troops in various places, etc., have improved their combat effectiveness a lot compared to a few years ago, on the Yellow Sea Plain, the real threat to the Fu Han Army is their tens of thousands of cavalry. If they only fight on land, the size of the Eight Banners New Army will be expanded to 50,000 people in one step. Emperor Qianlong may not have the confidence to fight the Fu Han Army, right?

Only their cavalry, the Green Camp cavalry, the Eight Banners cavalry, the Mongolian cavalry...

To break this situation, it is of course necessary to fight hard head-on, but it is also necessary to use the advantages of the navy and constantly harass the line from Shandong to southern Liaoning.

And several fleets were drawn out to cooperate with the navy marines that were being formed and expanded to conduct landing training, and they also had to pay attention to the war situation in Korea, as well as the war situation in Hunan and Guangxi. In this way, the Grand Commandery was not at all relaxed during the New Year.

A bowl of white mutton soup and four side dishes were quickly served in the kitchen. Chen Ming ate the mutton soup and meat, and most of the four side dishes. He rinsed his mouth and washed his feet. When he returned to bed, it was already nine o'clock. Li Xiaomei was still waiting for Chen Ming, holding Chen Ming's small pocket watch in her hand, and she was so sleepy that she could hardly open her eyes.

When she got closer, Chen Ming could still smell a hint of loquat paste.

"Go to sleep. Get well soon, and I'll take you to watch polo on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month!"

Chen Ming held his wife in his arms. He didn't feel sleepy for a while, and he thought of polo in his mind. This person, wherever he goes, there are differences in status and class.

There are basketball and football in Lushan City, but the difference between this place and Changsha, Wuchang, Hankou and other places is that there is also polo here. At first, polo was a training subject for the Fu Han Army Cavalry. This thing has a long history in Chinese history. Like the earliest Cuju, it is a training program for the army. It was popular in the Tang Dynasty and also existed in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

This sport was also introduced from the cavalry, but there was a shortage of horses in the entire Fu Han Army. Except for the children of the Chen Han nobles in Lushan, where can there be so many horses for tribute riders to ride?

Many of the children of the nobles also like football and basketball, but football and basketball are too popular. Polo entered their eyes at the right time and place, and soon became popular among the nobles.

Besides, Chen Han is martial. Even those Confucian children who joined the Chen Han court began to bring out Confucius's "Six Arts" again. And they kept up with the times and changed "driving" to "riding" and archery to shooting.

Although polo has been circulated among the children of Lushan dignitaries for less than a year, it has already had a good foundation. This year's Lantern Festival, someone proposed to his father - to hold a polo match.

Anyway, it was lively. Just setting up banquets, watching acrobatics and circuses, it would be too boring every year.

Chen Hui himself also encouraged the children of the rich and powerful to play polo. Those who were not brave and without guts would not dare to play. Chen Hui encouraged the sport of polo because he wanted the children of Chen Han, the future descendants of the country's nobles, to maintain a spirit of bravery. When he heard the proposal, he agreed on the spot and took out a white jade Ruyi as a prize.

Although there would only be two teams on the fifteenth day of the polo match.

After Chen Hui agreed that day, he asked someone to bring a copper pitching pot. The ministers present who were willing to come forward to form a team went to the pitching pot to draw lots. There were two red dots in a large number of signatures. As a result, Chen Ming's eldest cousin Gao Yanjing, the eldest son of Gao Pengqi, and the old uncle of the Huang family each drew one. The Gao and Huang families have been actively recruiting people these days.

The participants of the horse race on the fifteenth day must not only have outstanding skills, but also have a qualified status. Chen Ming was thinking about this, and he fell asleep unconsciously.

…

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the day of the polo match that attracted much attention finally arrived.

The venue was not located in Lushan County, because the county was too small. The Lushan magistrate had asked to remove the city wall several times. The polo field was located in the South School Field outside the city. The venue was extremely spacious, and three semi-circular stands were properly arranged in advance. The stand in the middle, near the north, was higher than the other two. It was covered with bright yellow curtains and was for the King of Han, the Crown Prince, the Queen, and the Crown Princess to sit. Looking at the fluttering curtains, in fact, the bright yellow curtains were placed in the middle of the three-point thick iron plate and one-inch thick solid wood board, and the security work was very reliable. The seats for the close ministers were on the left and right.

The polo field is rectangular, with a wooden goal with a stone lotus seat on each side, but the goal is very small. There are embroidered flags on both sides of the goal, the same color as the shirts of the two teams, one red and one black, and an empty flag stand next to it. Every time a ball is hit, it is called a chip. Two guards holding small flags sing the chips loudly and insert an embroidered flag on the flag stand next to them to indicate that the chip is scored.

There are wooden fences around the field. In the Tang Dynasty, when polo was most popular in history, there were professional polo fields with perimeter wall cloth and three short walls around it. The main walls were mud walls and stone walls. The fields were mud, grass, and sand.

The land in Lushan was too precious. The training ground was used instead of the polo field. Of course, it could not be grass or sand, but mud. It was made of finely sieved soil, repeatedly tamped and rolled. During the game, horses galloped and collided. If they fell off the horse or stumbled in front of the horse, they would break bones and even lose their lives.

At this time, the central stand was still empty, but there were many people sitting on the stands on the left and right. Two teams of people wearing leather armor and red and black forehead bands were walking their horses to warm up in advance.

Robert, Perrier, Lustig of Sweden, Deckerma of the Netherlands, and Luis Paulo Ribeiro, the representative of Portugal, were arranged on the right side, accompanied by Han Teng, the acting director of the Foreign Trade Department. This is an old friend.

Seven players on one side, five substitutes. The horses under the crotch of these people are already Chen Han's first-class horses, but compared with the tall horses in Europe, these horses, which are generally only more than 13 hands tall, are undoubtedly ponies. And compared with the war horses of this era in Europe, their sprint speed is slow.

"Yes, just like the earliest Cuju, polo was also a military training program in China a thousand years ago. This can keep soldiers brave and vigorous. Every rider on the polo field is an excellent cavalryman."

The Qing Dynasty's entry into the pass destroyed and changed too many things in China. Han Teng initially developed a deep hatred for the Qing Dynasty because corrupt officials harmed his family. But as he learned more about some things, he felt that the Tartars were really nothing. The damage caused by the Qing Dynasty to China was much more serious than that of the Mongols.

At this time, Qianlong had not yet had time to compile the Siku Quanshu, otherwise, the Chinese civilization and culture after the catastrophe would have been castrated more and more by the Qing Dynasty. Even Song Yingxing's "Heavenly Creations", a work that is a culmination of ancient technology, was banned from the Chinese market. I wonder if the "Siku Quanshu" collection has destroyed more books.

Chen Ming knew that the Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo had the first edition of this set of books, and it was not difficult to find this book on the Chinese market at the moment. After all, Emperor Qianlong had not had time to compile the Siku Quanshu. When Emperor Qianlong established the Siku Library to compile the Siku Quanshu, he found that among the books presented by Jiangxi, the Fang Yutang Complete Works by Song Yingxing's brother Song Yingsheng and some works by Song Yingxing's friend Chen Hongxu and others had anti-Qing ideas and advocated "distinction between Chinese and barbarians". Therefore, the Siku Quanshu destroyed the Tiangong Kaiwu as much as possible in the name of collecting books. As a result, Chinese literati in the late Qing Dynasty did not know what Tiangong Kaiwu was. When the Chinese people knew about this book and looked for it, they found that even Europe and the United States, which they needed to look up to at that time, had translated versions of this book.

"Since you want to compete, you must have a good competition. The leader of the winning team will be awarded a jade ruyi, and the others will be rewarded by the king."

The two teams in the audience responded in unison: "Yes."

Then they each turned on their horses, and those with the same color on their foreheads rode their horses together, facing one side with the other team and waiting for the start. The drummers on both sides beat the drums at the same time, and the sound of "dong dong dong" resounded throughout the venue.

The drum sound and momentum made the onlookers' blood boil.

After the gong sounded, Chen Ming, who was standing on the field and was responsible for serving, threw the red and black polo ball in his hand to the middle of the two teams in the distance. After a loud shout, the two teams rode their horses and rushed towards the ball with their sticks. The people behind them went in different directions. Some went to the back to respond, some went to the left and right front to intercept, and some followed the "forward" to chase.

The field was immediately filled with dust and smoke, and horses neighed and people shouted.

"Left, left, pull over..."

"Oh, oh, right, right..."

"Go, go, go, go..."

The polo field stands, which had been quiet just now, soon became a mess. Cheers, cheers, exclamations, stomping... Such an atmosphere made Robert and others involuntarily think of a football match. The atmosphere in that field was also so warm, but the identity of the audience here was far beyond the civilians on the sidelines of the football field.

It was hard to tell who was who in the field. All you could see were the red and black people riding horses, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, charging and breaking through. Suddenly they went forward, and suddenly they turned back. The gentlemanly and gentle manners had long been thrown out of the window. Winning was the right way.

Polo was a favorite of all the senior members of Chen Han. Everyone knew that you couldn't be prudent when playing polo. If you were afraid of hurting someone because the other party was of high status, then why did you play polo?

"Black team wins."

The first goal was scored by the black team formed by the Gao family. With the sound of gongs and drums, an embroidered flag was inserted into the flag stand on the right hand.

The red team riders and their supporters sighed slightly. But their spirits became even stronger. It was just one goal, and it had just begun, but it was far from the time when the dust settled.

With the score difference, the "battle situation on both sides became more intense". The two teams chased each other, and the more they fought, the more excited they became. Polo is a matter of competition among the crowd. Occasionally, when intercepting, it is inevitable that a group of people will be crowded together, which is both thrilling and prone to frequent conflicts.

Either your club hits me, or my horse bumps into you. As the game goes on, all the respects and inferiors are thrown out of mind. Even if the person in front is Gao Yanjing, who has the highest status on the field, there are still people in this group who dare to pull up their sleeves. When the opponent makes a mistake, provocative boos will follow.

So it didn't take long for the first injured soldier to appear. In one swing, the red rider not only hit the ball, but also swept the front hoof of Gao Yanjing's horse, which was galloping, and then...

The mount cried out, the horse lost its front hoof, and then fell to the ground with a bang, and Gao Yanjing was thrown far away like a cannonball. Everyone in the stands stood up, even Chen Ming could not hide his shock. Li Xiaomei beside him covered her mouth in fear, and his mother Gao was even more worried.

"Bang."

The man fell heavily to the ground and rolled seven or eight times before stopping. Chen Ming had good eyesight, and Gao Yanjing's distorted expression was clearly captured by him. The doctor waiting outside the field rushed into the field with his assistant without waiting for shouting. Gao Yanjing broke two ribs, one left arm, and his shoulder was bruised when he landed on the ground...

Robert and others were excited and shocked, especially when they saw the captain of the noble black team was quickly carried off the field on a stretcher. His vacancy was quickly filled by the substitute rider, and then the game continued. Not long after, the crowd in silence around them became excited again.

Robert grinned even more. What did he see? Is this still the Chinese he knew?

From this game, he saw barbarity, ferocity, fearlessness, and resilience. The old "impression" of the Chinese people hit hard.

Perhaps this is the other side of the Chinese hidden under their gentle appearance, just as the captured Portuguese said - the Fu Han army on the battlefield is a group of devils. "Think about it, they can't always be gentle, without the qualities of bravery and strength, how can their country be so huge?"