Chapter 464 The Three Raiders
Shen Mu said: "Will Li Mi talk to Li Yuan during our performance? That would not be the best time, because Li Yuan must be in a bad mood."

Xu Ziling cast his eyes on Shen Luoyan who was next to Zhang Jieyu. She hadn't noticed the existence of the two of them until now. It would be a different matter if they ended up. She should be able to see through their disguise.

The drums started again, and the last set of the first round was announced. Then there was a demonstration performance between the two rounds, and it was also the moment when Shen Mu and Xu Ziling showed their shame. What did they use to demonstrate to the super polo masters in Persia?

In the third set, Li Yuanfang changed his strategy to attack against attack.Among the four, in terms of ball skills, Li Yuanji is actually the first. Li Yuan is inferior to him in horsemanship, so he is not as good in flexibility.

There are rules for playing polo. First of all, you are only allowed to touch the ball with the stick, and you are not allowed to leave the horse's back. These two alone have made the inner martial arts masters useless even if they have all their strengths. He had no choice but to compete on the field with his ball skills and equestrian skills.

With a sound of "beep", Li Yuanji narrowly intercepted Zhili's ball to the east gate net, dribbled the ball past Kesa, and passed the ball across to Li Shentong before Longsheng intercepted it, Li Shentong shouted loudly, The horseman rushed forward with the ball, and when Zhili chased to block it, he actually sent the ball back to Li Nantian, who was three feet away behind him. , the ball quickly bounced in the air, crossed the midfield, and threw it towards the west gate.

Li Yuan is overjoyed, as long as he can get rid of Ha Meimei who is closest to him, he will definitely win.

Seeing this, Ha Meimei reined in her horse and chased after it like a gust of wind, and forced Li Yuan to force her horse to the north. The heart of victory will never be tolerated on the field.This is the exciting part of the game that fascinated Li Yuan. How can there be such fun in ordinary days? Who would dare to compete with him for victory?
Seeing Li Yuanfang's outstanding performance, the thousands of spectators and the imperial guards who guarded the four directions cheered loudly, drums and music blared, and everyone was fascinated by watching.Zhang Jieyu, Concubine Yin De and other concubines ignored their manners and seemed crazy, and the atmosphere inside and outside the arena was extremely intense.

The ball was rolling on the ground, and it was only 30 steps away from the Ximen hole net. As long as Li Yuan could catch up first, he would definitely hit the ball into the net, giving everyone the opportunity to shout long live.

There were many changes, Ha Meimei yelled, raised the rein and leaped the horse, the horse lifted off the ground, crossed a space of nearly two feet, and landed on the right front of the ball first, then leaned out with most of its body to the left, bowed its staff Stretching, hooking the rolling ball, Li Yuan was half a step late when he arrived, success was in sight, but in the end it fell short.

Li Yuan rushed straight to the west gate to rein in his horse and turn around. Ha Meizao controlled the ball and galloped towards the east gate.

Cheers turned to sighs.

Shen Mu and Xu Ziling felt terrible, Li Yuan's aura after regrouping, would definitely be defeated by such a heavy setback, and Li Yuan would definitely not be able to hold on to it in a four-on-three fight.

Shen Mu almost wanted to close his eyes, and sighed, "Didn't someone say that we once defeated the polo masters in Tubo? If we behave like a junior brother who doesn't know how to play polo, what will Li Yuan think of us?" ?”

Xu Ziling heard him keep repeating this worry, and knew that he was terribly worried. Even without the terrible consequences of being exposed, Shen Mu still couldn't bear the treatment of being humiliated in public because of Shen Mu's aggressiveness.With a wry smile, he said, "What we need most now is confidence. We must perform well in the coming football game with the mentality of Jingzhongshuiyue."

Shen Mu said with regret: "I really regret not bringing the two treasures Qianlimeng and Wanliban."

The three-way drum sounded, and Persian Fanguo scored another goal as expected.

At this time, the imperial guards came, and the two of them were ready to end, both of them had the feeling of being urged to the execution ground for execution, and reluctantly went down to pick the stick and pick the horse.

The guards and grooms in charge didn't have time to pay attention to them and focused on watching the battle.

Li Yuanfang lost another goal.

The two held their sticks in one hand and led the horse in the other, watching the game from the northeast corner of the arena like dumb birds.

If Li Yuanfang loses three goals in a row in this set, this battle will undoubtedly be lost, unless one of the next three sets can be completely won, and the other two sets will be better, but according to the current strength of the two sides, this is impossible.

Ha Meimei once again performed the skill of immediately controlling the ball, passed Li Yuan and Li Yuanji successively, and handed the ball to Zhili in the front line. Zhili swung his stick and the ball passed through the feet of Li Nantian, who was the weakest in Li Yuanfang's game. However, it hit the hole like a shooting star.

The drums sounded, and the first half came to an end.The two sides dismounted and saluted, and left the field separately.

Shen Mu smiled wryly and said: "Ugly women must see their family members eventually, and it's even more unfortunate that our family members have thousands of people. Damn it! It's that guy Lei Jiuzhi who insists on us pretending to be his grandma's Taihang Twins .Look! How it ends now."

Ha Meimei waited back to her own tribe to accept the congratulations.

Surprisingly, Li Yuan did not return to the concubines to receive comfort, but stood on the sidelines, and even summoned Eunuch Wei and Cheng Mo to talk.

Xu Ziling smiled and said: "You kid only knows how to complain, what's the matter with Brother Guan Lei? Just remember the two great polo skills of Renma Ruyi and Changqi. Don't think about anything else."

Shen Mu said: "It's miserable! It's about to end! Look at us, Li Yuan can't stop looking at us."

Xu Ziling was paying attention to Li Mi, to see if he would take this opportunity to talk to Li Yuan, but Li Mi was still sitting in the west stand, frequently whispering secret words to Chao Gong beside him.Hearing this, he looked at Li Yuanfang, only to see him scrutinizing the two of them while listening to Eunuch Wei.Surprised: "It seems that it is not as simple as our end?"

Shen Mu was taken aback and said, "Could it be that we have a problem?"

At this time, the two polo masters under Li Yuanji moved their horses and sticks to the southwest corner of the arena, ready to enter the arena for a performance, which made their hearts tremble even more.

The guests from the two stands replied to the lively situation before, talking and laughing, making a lot of noise.

Li Yuanji, Li Nantian, and Li Shentong who surrounded Li Yuan all looked at Xu Ziling and Shen Mu. Obviously, they represented the leaders of the Li Clan and Tang Dynasty, and they were talking about these two.

Shen Mu said: "Forget it! If there is anything inappropriate, we will break out of the encirclement immediately."

Cheng Mo walked straight towards the two, and said in front of them: "Follow me! The emperor wants to talk to you."

Seeing his solemn expression, the two of them felt uncomfortable, but they just let their feet go and broke out of the encirclement. It didn't make sense at this time when good or bad luck was uncertain, so they had to lead the horse and walk.

Cheng Mo stopped him and said, "Leave the horse and Ju Zhang."

Since someone came to lead the horse and take the stick.

At a loss, the two followed him straight to where Li Yuan stood, and were about to kneel down to salute, Li Yuan shouted: "There is no customary etiquette on the field, you have watched the game just now, what can you say?"

Li Yuanji, Li Nantian, Li Shentong, and Eunuch Wei looked at them with scorching eyes, and they could only pray for blessings in their hearts and kept calling their mothers.

Shen Mu managed to regain his composure, bowed his head respectfully and pretended to be an expert, and said, "Your Majesty has clearly observed that the Persians play polo in a unique way, and Prince Hanmei performed the best, and the whole team cooperated seamlessly. The weakness is Longsheng, the flexibility of handling the horse is not as good as that of his teammates, but his batting technique is not inferior."

Eunuch Wei made a point: "The emperor means is there any way to break their horse formation?"

The two knew that Li Fanfang didn't see through them, they just asked for advice humbly, and they were determined.

But there is another anxiety, if they talk about the hype now, and then they will behave badly later, wouldn't it be more suspicious?

Xu Ziling replied: "As long as you can restrain Prince Hameimei in horsemanship, you can use your whole body to break their cooperation. This is the only way to win."

Li Yuan looked at Li Yuanji, then at Li Nantian and Li Shentong, and then said in a deep voice of shock: "If the two of you end up instead, what are the chances of winning?"

These two sentences were like a bolt from the blue, shaking the two of them out of their wits. They had never touched polo in their life, and the opponent was still a super polo player. How would they answer Li Yuan?

Shen Mu didn't need to ask Xu Ziling's consent, he also knew that there was only one answer, so he replied without hesitation: "The emperor has orders, villains will do their best."

Li Nantian snorted displeasedly and said coldly: "The emperor is asking what are your chances of winning? It's not about whether you will try your best or not."

Shen Mu and Xu Ziling suddenly realized that Li Yuan was considering using them to replace Li Nantian and Li Shentong, who were inferior, which made them lose face. Therefore, Li Nantian attacked them, vented his resentment, and even indirectly expressed his dissatisfaction with Li Yuan.

I know my own book, no matter how good their "people and horses are like one" and how superb their vitality is, they still need a period of time to familiarize themselves with the skills of playing polo, but by the time they can grasp the key to victory, they will lose the game early.So now they are really riding a tiger, terrified, but have no way to deal with it.

Xu Ziling bit the bullet and replied: "Every time the villains play polo, they have full confidence in winning. Please learn from the emperor."

Hearing this, Li Yuan cast his eyes on Li Yuanji, but Li Yuanji looked at Eunuch Wei. Eunuch Wei coughed dryly and said, "The Commander Yuqi should be more clear."

Li Yuanji and Eunuch Wei can avoid answering, so as not to offend Li Shentong and Li Nantian, but Cheng Mo, the captain of the cavalry, has no right to evade, and reluctantly bowed his head and said truthfully: "I haven't had the opportunity to see the two brothers in person. Playing polo, but their riding skills are certainly not inferior to each other."

At this time, most of the people in the stands on both sides noticed the strangeness of Li Yuan and others on the sidelines, and looked at them one after another, and talked a lot.Xu Ziling and Shen Mu really wanted to know Shen Luoyan's reaction when they saw them, but they didn't dare to look at her.

Li Yuan finally made a decision and said: "The two of you will take the place of Shentong and Nantian. The arena is like a battlefield, and changing troops is normal. Now I am defeating the enemy with a surprise army, so that the opponent can't figure out our deployment."

Li Yuanji said: "However, what they are playing is not the usual jujutsu and horse racing. It is very likely that the Persians will take advantage of it. We have already lost three tricks, and we must not lose again."

The tense faces of Li Nantian and Li Shentong showed mocking and complacent expressions, knowing that Li Yuanji was speaking on their side.

Shen Mu didn't know how grateful he was to Li Yuanji, and took advantage of the situation and said respectfully: "King Qi can tell the minds of the villains, instead of using the usual sticks and horses, our ability to win will be compromised, please learn from the emperor."

This is not an intentional modesty, but after listening to Li Shentong and Li Nantian's ears, it made them less disgusted with them.

Li Yuan pondered for a while, nodded and said: "That makes sense! I will invite the Persians to drink and chat in the palace, and the lord will bring two people into the palace to choose the most suitable one from my bow sticks and horses. They will practice for half an hour and then go to the arena for the race." , but don’t let me down.”

Everyone had nothing to say, Shen Mu and Xu Ziling couldn't object, so they had no choice but to thank the Lord Long En and enter the Tai Chi Palace with Eunuch Wei to wait for God's arrangement.

Xu Ziling and Shen Mu followed Eunuch Wei, surrounded by more than a dozen imperial guards, walked around the Tai Chi Palace, and walked towards the imperial garden.They didn't dare to walk side by side with Eunuch Wei, and fell two steps behind.

Eunuch Wei said with a strange voice: "The two young boys go forward, so that the old man can talk."

The two rushed to his side, Duke Wei said: "To save time, I will only take you to the nearby tribute hall to pick out the bow sticks treasured by the emperor, and the horse races will be drawn from the royal stables on the other side of the Xuanwu Gate. Pick seven or eight horses for you to choose from, otherwise you won’t have enough time to practice, and you will have to change your clothes to look good.”

The two listened intently, and looked around curiously with the eyes of "Tai Chi Palace is so magnificent", pretending to be big fellows who have just entered the city.

Eunuch Wei lowered his voice and said: "It must be a blessing from your ancestors that you have this opportunity to compete side by side with the emperor. As long as you can perform well, the emperor may reward you in addition to gold and silk."

Shen Mu knew the elegant meaning of the string song, and humbly said: "It's all thanks to Eunuch Wei for his support and care."

Eunuch Wei said happily: "Ordinary people always feel sorry for their talents. If you perform outstandingly later, I will ask the emperor to ask for an official position for you. In the future, you will not have to live in gang life."

Shen Mu and Xu Ziling were secretly taken aback, wondering if this was a coincidence.Eunuch Wei may be the person in the palace who knows Li Yuan's mind best. He knows that if the two of them help Li Yuan win this match, Li Yuan, who has a bright heart, will be a "polo leader" official. The father-in-law pushed the boat along the river and accepted the two of them as confidantes in advance.If you lose the game, of course nothing will be mentioned.

Xu Ziling remedied: "But we..."

Eunuch Wei laughed and said, "You are working for that upstart Situ Furong! I know it all. Don't worry! As long as you belong to me, I will always think of you. I am happy that you are loyal to the Lord. .”

Shen Mu was thinking about whether he should lose the game because he didn't need to be an official, and Xuan laughed secretly that he was worrying for nothing, so it is not easy to lose the game, and it is difficult to win the game.

Eunuch Wei said again: "Winning or losing is nothing to worry about, but the Persians have always regarded playing polo as war, and they even think that our Han people's polo skills are far inferior to theirs. The emperor specially invited them to come here from a long distance to compete. For the competition, preparations have been made for many years, and we attach great importance to it. Therefore, there is no room for loss in this battle, and the Persians must be convinced to lose. Now you should understand why the emperor ignored the feelings of the Huainan king and insisted on changing you into the arena."

At this time, they turned right from the imperial garden and entered Li Yuan's harem, and walked towards a group of buildings located in the southwest corner. To the north was the imperial study room where the two almost ended their feud.

The guards in the inner palace have been significantly strengthened, the entrances and exits are even more heavily guarded, and many open posts and secret posts have been added, creating a tense atmosphere.

Entering the gate guarded by more than ten guards, there are four magnificent buildings standing in front of the two of them. The corridors surrounding the buildings are even guarded at five steps, and one sentry at ten steps. I am afraid that it is difficult for flies to be free in this situation. fly.

Eunuch Wei led them to the hall in the southwest, and said: "The gifts and tributes presented to the emperor from all directions are placed in these four tribute halls, and there are more than a thousand bow sticks alone. You can't put it down after seeing it. But time is short, so don't waste it on this."

Then he said to the accompanying guards: "You stay here."

All the imperial guards responded abruptly and stood still. Eunuch Wei led the two of them up the stone steps, and the guard who guarded the door opened the middle door, allowing the three of them to enter the hall with the words "Chaofeng Hall" written on it on a horizontal plaque.

The Chaofeng Hall is divided into eight tribute rooms, and the closed iron doors are arranged on the left and right. At this time, the eunuch official in charge of the tribute hall rushed to Wenfeng with four young eunuchs, and unlocked the door for the chief eunuch, Mr. Wei.

The two thought that Eunuch Wei was really putting on airs, he didn't go to inform the eunuch official in charge of the tribute hall first, if the other party came late, he would definitely be blamed.

The two of them followed Eunuch Wei into the hallway, suddenly their minds were shaken together, their noses were busy with work, and indeed a faint fragrance that seemed to come through the gap in the door became richer, it was Lei Jiuzhi who smelled it this morning. Smells that have been given to them.

Xu Ziling, Shen Mu, and Li Yuan, who thought they would be so superstitious, actually received the "Cold Forest and Qingyuan Picture" in the first tribute hall on the left of the entrance.

Wei Gonggong said: "There."

The door of the room is open, and bow sticks of different styles, patterns, colors, and materials from all over the world are lined up in rows, densely packed, like entering a forest of bow sticks, you can only walk sideways.

Xu Ziling and Shen Mu remembered their upcoming fate, smiled wryly in their hearts, and stepped into the room.

The two led the colorfully dressed racehorses, with selected bow sticks hanging on the horses' bellies, and returned from the Tai Chi Palace to the Hengchuan Square. Eunuch Yi Wei instructed to wait for Li Yuan Shengjia at the northwest corner of the arena.

Both the east and west stands were bustling with each other, returning to the scene of greeting and laughing among the guests before the start of the game, which was in stark contrast to the guards standing in all directions.

There are three gates in Taiji Palace, the main gate is Chengtian, and the other two gates are Guangyun and Changle.They entered the arena from the Canton Gate of Chengtian West, so they didn't attract much attention.

Just now in the imperial garden they tried their best to practice and master the skills of playing polo. The two are martial arts geniuses, and they learned by analogy. See it clearly, after practice, my confidence will increase greatly, and I will no longer be trembling and fearful like before.

Xu Ziling looked at the east stand far away on the other side, and saw that Shen Luoyan was looking at them intently, but there was no way to convey his heart.

(End of this chapter)

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