Chapter 7: Zhao Jun's Camp (II)

At that moment, a warhorse galloped in, raising its front legs high in the open space, charging forward a few steps before finally coming to a stop. On the horse's back sat Li Mu's adopted daughter, Li Yinghong

Although the military strength of Zhao State is not significantly inferior to that of Qin State, the overall national power of the two states differs greatly. The failures of Qin State in one or two battles do not affect the overall situation, but a single defeat for Zhao State can be devastating. It can be said that Zhao State was completely worn down by Qin State. Furthermore, Zhao State lacks a grand strategic vision and an overall development plan for the nation, which makes its defeat a foregone conclusion. Even with Li Mu present, it would not be possible to save Zhao State's fate; at most, it could only delay its demise by a few years. Additionally, Zhao State's lack of a grand strategic vision and an overall development plan further cements its inevitable defeat. Even with Li Mu, Zhao State's fate cannot be altered, and the most that can be achieved is a slight postponement of its downfall.

A soldier ran over, intending to kick the ball away from the foot of the plateau. However, at that moment, the plateau suddenly pulled its foot back from the ball, causing the soldier to miss his kick. The plateau immediately turned around and executed a beautiful Marseille turn, and before the soldier could comprehend what had happened, the plateau had dribbled past him.

Du Yi immediately said to the other soldiers: "Did you all hear that? Hurry and change your clothes. Today, we must earn some respect for the young lady and defeat the front camp, understood?"

Gao Yuan nodded and smiled, saying, "Sure, I was planning to go anyway"

Thus, the crowd gathered around the plateau and arrived at the grand parade ground together

Li Yinghong was about to speak again when someone laughed and said, "Yinghong, are you all prepared this time? Our front camp does not wish to win too easily"

She was still not wearing a helmet, dressed in a set of leather armor, with two swords strapped to her waist. Her hair was styled in two half-spherical buns, giving her a striking and heroic appearance. She said, "Du Yi, have you completed your training for today?"

Although there were some words that Du Yi did not understand, he could still discern that the meaning of "Gao Yuan" was to praise Zhao Jun, and it was not just a casual remark. Therefore, he also smiled and said, "Mr. Gao, you flatter me."

The large training ground of Zhao Jun is located right at the main entrance of the camp, covering a vast area, with dimensions of at least 200 meters in both length and width. In the center, there is a platform over two meters high, displaying the flags of Zhao Jun and Li Mu. At this moment, Li Yinghong, dressed in a short-sleeved outfit, is standing at the edge of the platform, gazing in this direction

After finishing lunch and resting for a while, Du Yicai ordered the soldiers to assemble and began the afternoon training, while Gao Yuan observed how the ancient soldiers trained.

Mr. Gao's kicking style is such that the ball seems to stick to his foot like a magnet

Du Yi removed his helmet and approached the plateau, saying: "Mr. Gao, what do you think of our Zhao Army's training?"

"Cuju!" Upon hearing this, Gaoyuan immediately became excited, as he knew that cuju was the ancient Chinese term for football. It began to gain popularity in the military during the Warring States and Qin-Han periods, becoming a sport that combined exercise and entertainment, and it was not until the Tang and Song dynasties that it spread to the general populace. Gaoyuan used to be a football fan and often played with his team during his spare time. He never expected to witness the ancient football sport in Li Mu's camp. Of course, he would not miss the opportunity, nodding his head and saying, "Sure, I would like to go and take a look"

Although during lunch, Du Yi and the soldiers were chatting and laughing, once training began, he adopted a completely different demeanor. His face remained stern, and his language was extremely harsh. He showed no mercy to soldiers who were not executing their movements properly or trying to slack off, striking them with a few blows, causing the soldiers to cry out in pain. However, the beaten soldiers dared not voice any complaints and could only obediently listen.

During the approximately fifty years at the end of the Warring States period, the states of Qin and Zhao occupied the positions of the strongest and the second strongest among the six states. Among these, only the Zhao army was able to independently confront the Qin army. Therefore, the major wars during this period were primarily fought between Qin and Zhao, with both sides engaging in five large-scale battles, resulting in three victories and two defeats for Zhao, which slightly held the upper hand. Moreover, each time the six states united to resist Qin, the Zhao army served as the main force. Given the current training conditions and morale of the Zhao army, this indeed makes sense. Thus, the major wars during this period were fundamentally between the two states of Qin and Zhao, with both sides having fought five large-scale battles, where Zhao achieved three victories and two defeats, maintaining a slight advantage, and each time the six states united against Qin, it was the Zhao army that took the lead. This is indeed justified when considering the current training and morale of the Zhao army.

At that moment, among the several soldiers competing for the cuju, one of them unknowingly kicked the cuju to the front of Gao Yuan. Gao Yuan lifted his leg and stepped on the cuju, and only then did he see clearly that the cuju was slightly smaller than a football, made of leather, and filled with an unknown material. However, its elasticity was certainly much inferior to that of modern footballs, and even basic movements did not have a significant impact.

If Mr. Gao joins us, we will definitely be able to win the front barracks this time

Gao Yuan nodded and said, "Very good. I see that the soldiers' spirit and morale are excellent, and they are training very diligently. Each individual's combat capability is commendable"

Du Yi hurriedly approached and said, "Miss, it is already finished"

Du Yimang said: "Miss, I have good news. Mr. Gao also plays cuju, and he plays exceptionally well. It seems as if the ball is glued to his feet; none of us five or six can compete with him. If Mr. Gao takes the field today, we will surely win against the front barracks."

Du Yidao: "Mr. Gao, please wait a moment. I will go change into my uniform." With that, he also slipped into his own tent

The several soldiers also gathered around, chattering: "Indeed, Mr. Gao kicked exceptionally well; I didn't see Mr. Gao's movements clearly just now"

Gao Yuan had been observing the training of the Zhao army soldiers from the side. Although Gao Yuan was an agent, he had also undergone several years of training in the military, so he was not unfamiliar with military training. Comparing the Zhao army's training methods with those he had experienced in the past, he found the Zhao army's approach to be quite primitive. However, the training attitude and morale of the Zhao soldiers were commendable, and the overall morale of the entire army was relatively high. Therefore, from an overall perspective, the quality of the Zhao army soldiers was not poor. Although Gao Yuan found the Zhao army's training methods to be quite primitive, the training attitude and morale of the Zhao soldiers were commendable, and the overall morale of the entire army was relatively high. Therefore, from an overall perspective, the quality of the Zhao army soldiers was not poor

In the afternoon, personal quality training is conducted primarily in the open area of the camp. This begins with basic physical training, including weight-bearing exercises, running, strength, and endurance. Following this, soldiers practice the techniques of various weapons such as swords, spears, halberds, and crossbows. To conserve horse power, cavalry training is simulated on wooden horse equipment. Consequently, the sounds of soldiers shouting and the clashing of weapons resonate continuously, creating an atmosphere of intense practice.

After playing for a while, Gao Yuan finally stopped his movements and stood on the cuju ball, while the soldiers around him were already dizzy from his performance. Du Yi hurriedly approached Gao Yuan, both surprised and delighted, and said: "Mr. Gao, I didn't expect you to play cuju as well, and so skillfully! Come join us for a game."

The other soldiers were also dazzled, and none of them clearly saw Gao Yuan's movements, but it was evident that Gao Yuan intended to join them in playing cuju. Immediately, two soldiers rushed forward, one after the other, trying to seize the ball from Gao Yuan. However, Gao Yuan remained unfazed, alternating control of the ball with his feet, swaying left and right, and with an 'S'-shaped maneuver, effortlessly evaded the two soldiers.

At this moment, the other soldiers also stopped, their eyes fixed on Gao Yuan, who, surrounded by five or six people, was still able to maintain firm control of the cuju ball at his feet. Meanwhile, the soldiers trying to seize the ball were in a flurry, with a few of them losing their balance and falling due to sudden changes in direction, which elicited bursts of laughter.

Li Yinghong glanced at the plateau and, somewhat skeptically, asked: "Can you play cuju?"

The other soldiers, upon hearing this, immediately rushed into their tents to change clothes. Gao Yuan was also somewhat curious about what they were up to. Were they going to fight? However, fighting among soldiers in the barracks was a common occurrence. Gao Yuan had also been involved in many fights during his time in the barracks. But seeing the demeanor of Li Yinghong and Du Yi, it seemed as if they were preparing for a group fight. Therefore, he asked, "Du Yi, what are we going to do later?"

Li Yinghong said, "Alright, you all hurry up and prepare. I will go change my clothes and wait for you at the main parade ground. Today, we must all put in a little more effort; we must defeat the forward camp." After saying this, he kicked his horse's belly with his legs and immediately galloped away

A few soldiers took out the cuju and began to pass it among themselves by kicking it in mid-air, which resembled a form of kicking the ball without it touching the ground. Gao Yuan was pondering whether this was what cuju was really like. Then, several other soldiers placed the ball on the ground and started to compete for it, which looked somewhat like playing soccer. However, the skills of these soldiers were not very impressive; typically, the ball would fall after being passed in mid-air four or five times. During the scramble, there was not much technique involved, primarily relying on physical pushing and shoving. In Gao Yuan's eyes, it resembled a group of middle school students kicking the ball haphazardly, resulting in the ball flying all over the place.

Du Yi nodded and said: "The training is complete, and the time ahead is ... ... "

Du Yi chuckled and said, "Gao Shengxian, wait a moment and join us to take a look. We are going to compete in cuju with the front army camp."

In addition, three or four soldiers charged up towards the plateau. Although the football level on the plateau could only be considered amateur, his football skills had been developed over hundreds of years, representing the most reasonable and effective techniques. In this era, they could be regarded as being at the level of Maradona. Therefore, with his legs skillfully maneuvering left and right, he weaved and dodged among the crowd, moving back and forth. As a result, even under the pressure of five or six soldiers, he still appeared to be in complete control.

Indeed, I was also dazzled and could hardly see his movements clearly

At this moment, Du Yidao said: "Alright, alright, let us hurry to the main square, the young lady is still waiting for us there. Mr. Gao, you should come with us as well."

Gao Yuan nodded and said, "I can do a little bit."

The afternoon training lasted for more than two hours. Each soldier was drenched in sweat and panting, yet they were all very serious, with no one slacking off. It was only when Du Yi ordered the dismissal that the soldiers began to disperse to rest and drink water. At this time, Gao Yuan estimated the time to be around three or four o'clock in the afternoon. Could it be that the day's training was over? But there were still two or three hours until dinner; what would they do then? At this time, Gao Yuan estimated the time to be around three or four o'clock in the afternoon. Could it be that the day's training was over? But there were still two or three hours until dinner; what would they do then?

At this moment, several soldiers who had already changed their clothes emerged from the tent. They had removed their armor and donned tight-fitting garments with narrow sleeves, wearing soft boots on their feet. They also brought out a large basket containing more than ten spherical objects, likely for cuju.

Gao Yuan asked, "Is today's training finished? What will we do next?"

Upon seeing Du Yi and others arrive, Li Yinghong immediately jumped down from the high platform and approached them, saying: "Why have you only just arrived? I have been waiting for quite a while."