Chapter 471 Promoting Sports
In the pool, Cao Zhi floated his head out of the water and used his arms to support himself, barely keeping afloat.

Black Bear was reading Cao Cao's secret letter. The content of the so-called secret letter was not complicated. It just asked about overseas affairs.

The secret letter also came with a very crude map.

On this map, the peninsula is drawn very large, and it seems to be twice as large as the Jiaodong Peninsula.

Behind the peninsula and to the east are archipelagos that are vast in area but have severely distorted shapes.

Black Bear couldn't help but wonder how large the scope of the sea chart given to Cao Cao should be.

In the past twenty years, I have not had time to go to sea.

What is the point of simply destroying and killing Cao Cao’s group?

If hundreds of thousands of people died, how much land could be made fertile?
If they were released, their descendants would be endless.

He couldn't help but look up at the sky, wanting to see through the sky and see the real side of the world and the universe.

Matter is energy, this is his inherent concept.

But the goose cards and resource card groups that appear densely around him, these floating cards that only he can see, touch and trigger, constantly remind him that the truth of this world may be terrible and boring.

Looking at the various legendary stories about gods and magic spells, based on my own experience today, there is no such thing as mana or energy slot. It is more like a kind of authority.

The authority to dispatch and use the world’s material resources and deep resources.

He couldn't help but subconsciously want to speed up the process of becoming a god.

It seems that only by becoming a god can one strengthen the anchor between oneself and the world.

Perhaps this body is just a transitional carrier of consciousness, and the real carrier is the Utopia card.

Thinking about it, he rolled up the secret letter and handed it to Fa Zheng, who was standing beside him, and asked Cao Zhi, "Do you know the mission to come to Guanzhong?"

"Replying to the Grand Marshal, I understand."

"Now the envoy is sick and trapped in Hongnong, and I can't let others perform the duties of the envoy. I will prepare some small gifts later, and you will carry them and escort them back. If you want to abide by the agreement after you go back, you can come to Guanzhong as a hostage again."

Cao Zhi showed surprise and was about to bow to express his gratitude, but he lost his balance and sank into the water, taking a few gulps of bath water.

When the black bear saw this, it just smiled, lay on the water with its head raised, and paddled away into the distance.

Cao Zhi was lifted out of the water by Dian Man. Yang Xiu paddled closer and whispered to him, "Go to the side and float on the water. Don't bother the Grand Marshal. He is busy with government affairs and needs to rest. You can come to the dinner later."

On the other side, the black bear closed his eyes and basked in the sun, and couldn't help but think of the scene of his predecessor playing in the water in Monzeli when he was a teenager.

He thought of Heiyun again. Heiyun was also in the team during the expedition to Hexi, and Zhang Ding took good care of him.

After the war, he was appointed as the director of a small forest farm at the team officer level and was assigned a 19-year-old wife.

Now that his wife is pregnant, even if the other children in Huainan are killed, the Hei family will be passed on.

Although his body had changed, his facial features had changed slightly, but his eyes and expression were becoming more and more similar to those in his previous life.

Even now, standing in front of the black cloud, it was difficult for him to identify it at a glance.

By the pond, Lu Bu took out the tool box he carried with him, assembled a writing platform by himself, took out a roll of cowhide, and started drawing a map on it with a pen.

According to Black Bear's memory, there are some changes in proportion.

The center point of this map is located at the lake in the middle of Honshu Island. It ends at Bohai Bay in the west and extends to the eastern coast of the Bering Strait in the east.

The directions of mountains and rivers, as well as gold and silver mines, were also casually marked.

Let Cao Cao establish a forward base first. Cao Cao, who cannot find the immortal, will eventually turn into dust one day like a flying snake riding on the mist.

You can just go and receive it when the time comes. The overseas gold rush is the greatest incentive for the sons of the wealthy and the refugees to migrate.

Not long after, Lü Bu finished drawing, put away his toolbox, left a roll of cowhide map, and went to sit in the shade. At this time, Zhang Ding also arrived with a group of people, bringing three lambs that were grazing in the valley on the north side.

These lambs are all born in winter. They are castrated and raised, and their growth period is only five months.

Zhang Ding slaughters, bleeds and skins the animals on the spot, and takes out the most tender tenderloin and places it separately.

The bone-in meat is used to make mutton soup, and the remaining meat is strung into large skewers and grilled.

During the meal, Black Bear sat alone at the head of the table. He only ate one skewer of mutton, and the rest were tenderloin slices that he had fried himself.

He also had the sudden decision to eat mutton. The group of women in Xixiang were like demons, wishing they could squeeze his flesh and blood into pulp so that they could swallow it all.

Zhang Ding was sitting opposite him. Seeing Black Bear looking at the sky, he suddenly asked him, "Do you remember what happened when we sailed into the Langdang Canal and passed through Xudu?"

"I dare not forget, but I wonder what your Majesty is referring to?"

"At that time, I felt that the transport ship was too cumbersome and wanted to abandon it and set you all free, but you refused to abandon me, so we went north together, passed through Cao's blockade, and arrived in Hebei."

Black Bear looked at Zhang Ding and said, "You know what happened afterwards, whether it was traveling around the world, conquering the barbarians, or later settling Shuzhong. For me, the fun of conquering a place is getting smaller and smaller, and the fun of staying in Ganquan is also getting less and less."

Zhang Ding was stunned, but he also thought it was natural, so he immediately said, "The Xiongnu meeting in June was quite lively, do you intend to go out of the border?"

"The grassland is just so-so. Tens of thousands of people gather together to compete in martial arts, which looks lively, but in fact it is just a stage for nobles and tribal warriors. These defeated soldiers are nothing to watch."

Black Bear grabbed a piece of white onion and chewed it. It tasted slightly spicy, sweet and refreshing. He said, "How about this, we also have a big competition. All the soldiers and civilians in the counties under the jurisdiction of the shogunate can participate. There will be short-distance running, long-distance running, archery on foot, archery on horseback, chariot driving, wrestling and other events. First, the best people will be selected from each county, and then gathered in Chang'an to compete together. According to the ranking, the civilians will be rewarded, and the officials will be commended for their merits."

Zhang Ding's mind immediately became active: "Your Majesty, are you going to select pillars of society?"

"What kind of pillar is this? It's just to encourage the people to admire strength and give the capable people in the mountains and fields an opportunity to serve. There is no plan to go to war this year. In the future, the country will be peaceful. How can the soldiers in the army make merit? In this way, the army and the people will gather together, which will make it easier for the warriors in the army to be awarded merits and promoted to higher ranks."

As Black Bear spoke, he hooked his finger at Lu Bu who was on duty nearby. Lu Bu approached with a toolbox and immediately took out a pen and paper.

After a brief consultation and discussion with Zhang Ding, he decided on fifteen assessment items and prepared to order the counties to select suitable contestants.

It is not suitable during midsummer, so the only suitable time to hold large-scale sports competitions is during the autumn harvest in August.

Zhang Ding held the paper and saw that in addition to the ten common individual events used by both the military and civilians, namely short-distance running, long-distance running, archery on foot, archery on horseback, driving, horsemanship, wrestling, javelin throwing, swimming and swordsmanship, there were also team events, including Cuju, martial arts, head-grabbing, rowing and sheep chasing.

After Hei Xiong's explanation, Zhang Ding understood what each project was specifically about.

With his culture and knowledge, he can understand the literal meaning of Cuju.

Weapon fighting means both sides wear armor and fight with each other, and head grabbing means both sides wear rattan armor and fight to grab the "head", which is a rugby game.

Rowing is dragon boat racing, and it can be done on the Wei River.

Chasing sheep is also simple, with three riders on the scene at a time, competing for the lambs.

The group events are almost designed for the military, and they are the only ones who have armor on a daily basis to facilitate training.

The military has better medical resources and is not afraid of injuries during training.

As long as the weather is good this year, the internal food expenditure can be roughly met after the autumn harvest.

Sports competitions can be organized appropriately to enrich the daily lives of soldiers and civilians and improve their mental state.

The three prefectures are now stable. Except for occasional bandit disturbances in the border counties, everything is basically in order. The overall atmosphere is no longer in the precarious state of life and lack of trust in the chaotic times.

Many military and civilians relaxed their tense attitude and began to pay attention to entertainment in life.

Use sports competitions to support a group of people who can make a living by physical labor, and then use this activity to attract the thoughts of the military and civilians, while at the same time improving the martial spirit and promoting self-disciplined and well-trained officers and soldiers.

At the same time, find some fun in your daily life and watch people compete, which is much more interesting than cockfighting, dog fighting, and cricket fighting.

Zhang Ding was very enthusiastic about this matter. It was a new thing involving the military and civilians, so it was naturally under the charge of him, the Sima of the shogunate.

(End of this chapter)