"You're not worthy yet."
As these words were uttered, an uproar swept through the crowd.
Wu Qiuyang slammed his wine cup onto the ground and cursed, "You've got quite a mouth! I'll knock you down, you brat!" With that, he stepped out of his seat, knelt below the steps, and addressed Sikong Ting, "Your Majesty, I may be unworthy, but I hereby request a match with the Yazeobu warrior!"
Sikong Ting had long intended to use this opportunity to further stir the fighting spirit of the military generals. Moreover, he had always had full confidence in Wu Qiuyang's martial arts skills. So he said, "I grant your request."
A thunderous cheer erupted from below the court.
Only Qin Huaiqiu's gaze flitted between Yazeobu and Wu Qiuyang, and his brows gradually knitted together.
"Let's head to the drill ground then!" Amid the crowd's excitement and with the emperor's approval, everyone became even more enthusiastic and directly made their way to the drill ground.
Sikong Ting also rose to his feet and said to Qin Huaiqiu, "Does Concubine De want to go and watch with us?"
Qin Huaiqiu nodded.
As the emperor moved towards the drill ground, the ministers and concubines also arrived.
Wu Qiuyang was already warming up, while Yazeobu still held a cup of wine and sipped it leisurely, seemingly not the least bit nervous about the upcoming match.
"General Wu's strength is no joke! This Loulan barbarian is so calm now. Later, we'll beat him to a pulp!"
"That's right. General Wu has never been stationed in the Protectorate General to Pacify the West area. These Loulan people have no idea about General Wu's real strength."
"Let's just wait and watch the show. That barbarian thinks he's so great, still drinking wine."
The crowd snickered, all waiting to see Yazeobu make a fool of himself.
Qin Huaiqiu was still being pulled by Sikong Ting to sit beside him. She originally wanted to go down to the drill ground for a closer look, but unexpectedly, Sikong Ting grabbed her hand and led her to sit on the high viewing stand.
"Don't worry. Although Wu Qiuyang may not be as famous as your father, his martial arts skills are no ordinary. In the entire Dacheng Empire, in terms of one - on - one combat, no one can defeat him," Sikong Ting said to Qin Huaiqiu.
Qin Huaiqiu thought for a moment and directly asserted, "Your Majesty, Wu Qiuyang can't defeat Yazeobu." Qin Huaiqiu had a general understanding of Yazeobu's strength. Although she had never faced him directly, Nie Rong had once fought against Yazeobu. It was the day after Nie Rong had beheaded Huyegaoer. Yazeobu led his troops to the city wall of the Protectorate General to Pacify the West and demanded an explanation for the death of the Xiongnu prince.
According to Nie Rong's recollection, after Huyegaoer's death, the Xiongnu king, Huye Chanyu, had no intention of continuing the war. So Yazeobu's provocation was just for show for their so - called Xiongnu "allies". But that battle made Nie Rong realize that the once - defeated Loulan by Qin Feng was secretly cultivating a group of talented generals. And Yazeobu, the leader of the four warriors, was someone even Nie Rong didn't dare to take lightly.
If comparing Nie Rong with Wu Qiuyang, in terms of individual combat, there was simply no comparison between them. That is to say, in this match, Wu Qiuyang would lose.
Sikong Ting looked at her and softly asked, "How do you know?"
"One of the guards in the Qin Mansion once fought against him. Yazeobu's strength should not be underestimated," Qin Huaiqiu said. "Yazeobu has great brute force. The long knife on his waist weighs thirty jin. An ordinary person couldn't even pick it up for battle. So there's no chance of winning if you go head - on with him. You need to use the method of subduing the strong with the soft. But General Wu..." Qin Huaiqiu paused and pursed her lips, not continuing.
Sikong Ting naturally understood her meaning. If Wu Qiuyang lost, in another sense, it meant that the people of Dacheng had lost. So although it was just a match between two people, in fact, it was also a reflection of the strength contest between Dacheng and Loulan.
"Does my concubine have a solution?" Sikong Ting asked.
My concubine? Qin Huaiqiu was taken aback. This was the first time Sikong Ting had called her this way, which made her cheeks flush slightly. She turned her head and said, "We need to watch their match first."
Below the viewing stand, Wu Qiuyang and Yazeobu had already stood on either side of the martial - arts arena. Both were preparing themselves, just waiting for Sikong Ting's order.
Sikong Ting slowly stood up, looked around, and said, "For this martial - arts competition, it's a point - based match, with the best of three rounds. Does anyone have any objections?"
"Your Majesty! One round is enough to decide the winner," Wu Qiuyang said confidently.
Yazeobu curled his lips, a look of contempt in his eyes, but said nothing.
Sikong Ting narrowed his eyes and said, "My爱卿 and General Yazeobu have never fought against each other before. It would be too hasty to decide the winner in just one round. Let's follow the best - of - three rule."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Wu Qiuyang saluted Sikong Ting with a fist, then turned to face Yazeobu and said, "Come on, barbarian!"
"Get ready!"
"Start!"
At Sikong Ting's order, the crowd cheered loudly. Wu Qiuyang took the lead, stepping forward and rushing directly in front of Yazeobu. He raised his hand and threw a punch straight at Yazeobu's face.
This move was fast and fierce. Wu Qiuyang took the initiative to attack the enemy's front without even figuring out the enemy's strength, which was enough to prove that he had great confidence in himself - or rather, he had great contempt for the enemy.
Yazeobu didn't dodge at all. He directly reached out and caught Wu Qiuyang's fist. Wu Qiuyang's punch was extremely powerful, with an instant burst of strength. He never thought that anyone could catch his punch with bare hands, and with just one hand! Wu Qiuyang was clearly stunned for a moment. Then Yazeobu seized the opportunity, holding his fist, and swept his right leg.
Wu Qiuyang reacted very quickly. He jumped up suddenly, turned his left hand into a palm, and chopped at Yazeobu's neck. Yazeobu blocked it. The force of the two was so great that even Qin Huaiqiu sitting on the viewing stand could clearly hear the sound of their muscles colliding.
After just a few tentative rounds, the two jumped apart and stood on either side of the arena.
Wu Qiuyang looked at the five obvious white fingerprints on his fist. Fine sweat broke out on his forehead, and he sneered, "It seems your muscles are not for nothing?"
Yazeobu also retorted sarcastically, "Same for you."
Wu Qiuyang's veins bulged. He let out a loud shout and rushed forward again. This time, both of them were determined to win. Without saying a word, Wu Qiuyang lifted his leg and knee - struck Yazeobu in the lower back. Yazeobu let out a muffled grunt. Instead of continuing to dodge, he used his elbow as a spear and rammed directly into Wu Qiuyang's chest. Wu Qiuyang couldn't dodge in time and took the hit head - on. He instantly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He coughed and took several steps back.
Yazeobu, on the other hand, stood in the same place, like a stone statue, looking down at him contemptuously.
As Wu Qiuyang stepped back, the entire arena fell silent.
No one had expected that in just one round of the fight, Wu Qiuyang could clearly feel the gap between himself and the opponent. Just looking at Yazeobu's strong muscles, his explosive power was much higher than Wu Qiuyang's.
"Has General Wu lost?"
"How could this happen! Who on earth is this barbarian?!"
The watching ministers began to whisper among themselves, and the anxious expressions on their faces gradually became more prominent.
Wu Qiuyang covered his chest and gasped for breath with difficulty. Yazeobu's elbow strike, although seemingly simple, had left him with difficulty breathing and in great pain even now.
He gritted his teeth and roared, "What are you panicking about! Let's go again!"
Yazeobu looked at him and said, "Sure."
As a veteran general of Dacheng, Wu Qiuyang was very skilled in leading troops to battle. In terms of battle formations and strategic planning, he could even be compared with Qin Feng. But when it came to individual weaponized duels, even if Wu Qiuyang was undefeated among the Central Plains people, the Central Plains people were different from the Loulan and Xiongnu people. The individual weaponized duels of the nomadic people had always been better than those of the Central Plains people. This was not only due to their ethnic culture but also determined by multiple factors such as diet, climate, and humanities.
"Since ancient times, the Central Plains people's victories in the struggles against the nomadic people have never relied on brute - force duels," Qin Huaiqiu slowly stood up and said confidently to Sikong Ting, "This is why the military strategies of the Central Plains have been passed down from generation to generation, while the nomadic people can only live on horseback all their lives."
Sikong Ting smiled and said, "It seems my concubine has found Yazeobu's weakness?"
"Of course," Qin Huaiqiu smiled. Suddenly, she raised her voice and said to Yazeobu on the field and the stunned ministers, "General Wu is old. For the next two rounds of the match against Warrior Yazeobu, let this concubine take his place!"