Early the next morning, I saw that in the open field in front of the high platform, a rectangular field was surrounded by a three-foot-high haul, and more than ten horses were running and swinging in the field, obviously preparing for the upcoming polo performance. This is what Bai Yanjing said yesterday, and Jin Guo will demonstrate the program alone.

Polo, also known as "hitting the bow", is said to have originated in Persia and was introduced to China in the Han Dynasty.

In the Tang Dynasty, polo was all the rage, not only loved by the emperor and the aristocracy, but also quite popular among the people. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty also played polo matches with the countries of the Western Regions many times. Because playing polo can exercise riding, in the sixth year of Tianbao (747), Tang Xuanzong issued a special edict to order the royal army to practice polo to keep fit against the enemy.

In the "New Tang Dynasty Book" and "Zizhi Tongjian", it is also mentioned many times that the Tang Dynasty was prevalent in polo. The Liao Chen Jizhi painted the "Benqiao Huimeng Map", and the Song Dynasty Li Zhaolin once made the "Ming Emperor Polo Map" and "Five Kings Hitting the Ball", all of which specifically depict the polo scene that prevailed in the Tang Dynasty.

It was only after the founding of the Song Dynasty that the style of writing gradually improved, and the land of horses was lost, so polo gradually began to decline and gave way to Keju. However, polo is very fond of the nomadic fishing and hunting peoples such as Khitan and Jurchen, so whether it is in the Liao Kingdom in the past or today's Jin Kingdom, polo is very prosperous, and it is not inferior to the grand occasion of the Tang Dynasty. In ordinary times, aristocrats often play polo games with each other, often throwing thousands of dollars.

Therefore, many noble families in the Jin Kingdom will specially support a polo team, and also invite special people to train and teach. A person who is good at playing polo also has a very rich income, far exceeding that of ordinary people, and the masters of polo are even worth thousands of dollars and are very sought after.

Since it is in the army, polo has become a compulsory training item for all armies of the Jin Army, and every time the Jin State exercises and parades, there will be a polo game to help the fun. Because playing polo is like winning a decisive battle, not only does it require individual ability, but also the strength of the group and even tactical cooperation. Therefore, playing polo can not only hone the cavalry skills of the soldiers, but also practice cavalry tactics such as encirclement, assault, dispersion, and cover. It is also highly valued by military generals.

Wanyan Changzhi attached great importance to training cavalry by playing polo, so when the emperor asked him if there was any way to suppress the sharpness of the Song Dynasty in the autumn of the Southern Song Dynasty, but without provoking the other party too much, Wanyan Changzhi immediately thought of playing polo. Wanyan Yong and the ministers also thought that this method was very good, so they selected four of the best polo teams in the army, and sent them to the Southern Song Dynasty together with Bai Yanjing and Wanyan Chen, and found an opportunity to show it in front of the Southern Song monarchs.

At this time, the gold polo players in the field have finished their activities and left the field to change into special polo clothes. Bai Yanjing explained the rules of playing polo and the methods of winning and losing to the Southern Song Dynasty monarchs and ministers on the high platform. In fact, the rules are very simple, the polo players are divided into two teams, each team of eight, the ball is armed with a special bow stick for playing polo, and they chase a ball together to score a goal by hitting the opponent's goal. Within the allotted time, the winner is the one with the most goals. However, no one is allowed to leave his horse, nor is he allowed to strike with a pole, or to ram the opposing player for no reason, and so on.

While listening to Bai Yanjing's explanation, Zhao Chen looked down and saw that it was a rectangular field about 100 steps long and 60 steps wide, lined up in an east-west direction. In the field, the midline and core are also drawn with white powder. A goal more than six feet wide and one and a half feet high was left on the wooden wall at the east and west ends, and a net cover was added.

At this time, Bai Yanjing asked someone to send a set of polo playing utensils, sixteen bowing sticks and six small balls. Said: "This set of polo utensils is still a special trip from my lord Emperor Dajin to the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, if the Great Song Dynasty is also interested, you may as well form a polo team, and in the future, we can also learn from each other between the two countries." ”

A chamberlain had already taken the cane and a small ball, brought it to the stage, first presented Zhao Chen with a cane and a small ball, and then distributed the others to other ministers for circulation. Zhao Chen took a look and saw that the cane was made of hard white wood, very strong, painted with red lacquer, about six feet long, the end of the hand was the thickness of an egg, wrapped with black cloth, the end was slightly thinner, and a half-quarter moon-shaped iron sleeve was covered, with gorgeous patterns on it, and the work was very exquisite. The polo is also wooden, about the size of a tea cup, and is also painted with red lacquer, so it feels light and fluttery when you hold it, and it is not heavy. The ministers also took turns to pass and watch the ball of the cane, and there was a lot of discussion for a while.

At this time, Bai Yanjing said: "Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, now that all the golfers and horses are ready, can you start?" ”

Zhao Chen looked down the field and saw a small ball on the midpoint of the white line in the field. There are eight horsemen at each end of the east and west, standing in a row. Knights wear narrow sleeves and armor. And the horses are also covered with colored cloth, the east end of the eight riding rate blue background black lines, the west end of the eight riding rate red background white lines, the color is distinct, very eye-catching.

In fact, Zhao Chen had only seen the matter of playing polo from books and pictures before, but this time he wanted to see the real thing, and his heart was full of curiosity, so he wanted to see what playing polo was like, so he nodded and said, "Envoy of the Jin Kingdom, you can start." ”

Just listen to the gong sound of "dang", and the game begins.

At the east and west ends, the sixteen horses of the blue and red teams spread their limbs together, and the hooves trembled and galloped forward.

Zhao Chen and other monarchs and ministers looked carefully, not everyone in the field rushed to the ball, in the green and red teams each set aside one person, fell at the end, guarding the goal, among the remaining seven horses, only one horse galloped, running to the ball in the middle line, the remaining six horses galloped their horses, or prepared to respond, or to protect, the action was well-founded, not chaotic at all, obviously all of them were rehearsed in advance of the formation and tactics.

At this time, one of the two teams of green and red each rode to the vicinity of the polo by galloping, and the knights on horseback leaned forward and waved their bows to compete for the polo. The two sticks reached the polo almost at the same time, but the blue-robed knight finally took the lead and touched the ball first. The polo immediately flew diagonally towards his teammate behind the left. And the two horses galloped unabated, almost passing by, causing a burst of exclamation from the crowd watching.

At this time, the polo flew to a knight in front of the horse on the left for about five or six steps, and the red team was also on guard, and immediately someone Pegasus rose from the diagonal spur to intercept it. The Tsing Knight suddenly urged the horse to accelerate, the bow staff in his hand stretched out, and caught the ball from mid-air, this staff was very skillful, after the polo touched the cane, it did not bounce up, but was unloaded by the force, and rolled on the ground, the Tsing Knight took advantage of the situation to ride the horse and flashed and verticalized, and immediately evaded the interception of the red knight, along the south end of the sideline, and quickly relaxed in the direction of the red team's goal.

After running more than ten steps, another red knight stepped forward to intercept him, and at this time, the green knight was forced to get close to the south end line, and there was nowhere to dodge, so he swung his staff vigorously, hitting the ball high and flying more than two feet high, passing through the heads of several knights, like a meteor, flying towards the north end.

At this time, the center of gravity of the whole field was attracted to the south end of the field, and the north end was empty, and there was already a knight in green clothes, galloping on horseback, and playing the landing point of the ball. Two red knights hurriedly pulled out the horse's head and rushed over to block it, and a red knight followed closely behind, but it was too late, the green knight did not wait for the ball to land, and immediately swept with his staff, and the ball crossed most of the field diagonally, and flew towards the south side of the red goal.

At this end, there was already a Tsing Yi knight waiting, and when he saw the polo flying, he immediately slammed the ball with a rod, and the polo turned into a red line and flew straight into the red team's goal, scoring a goal first.

The Tsing Yi Knight who scored the goal rode along the touchline at the southern end, galloping slowly, raising his cane high and waving it in the air as if he had won a big battle. The knights of the youth team rushed over on horseback to congratulate him. One by one, the knights of the red team hung their heads, picked up the ball from the goal, and prepared to start again.

The game was only carried out with a pillar of incense, not only to score, but also to be intense and tense, making people feel breathless, and only then did they breathe a sigh of relief. Although I knew that the people who participated in the race were all golden, there were also many people who applauded the exquisite riding skills and striking skills of both sides, and there was some applause for the sparseness. Even many ministers of the Song Dynasty on the high platform saw it and nodded slightly.

But in the eyes of Zhao Yueru, Yang Yizhong, Li Xianzhong, Chen Min, Qi Fang and others, they were more surprised than curious. They are all people who have been on the battlefield for a long time, although the polo time is not long, but both sides have shown superb riding skills, the youth team that scored the goal not only showed skillful team cooperation, but also used tactical techniques such as breakout, encirclement, and overshooting, it is conceivable that if the youth team appears on the battlefield, although there are only eight people, but the power of the joint attack, with the current quality of the Song army, can meet more than twice the Song army.

On the pitch, the game resumed, this time not scrambling for the ball, but by the red team that conceded the goal. All eight of the Knights of the youth team retreated to their own half of the court and set up a defensive lineup.

After the red team kicked off, a knight controlled the ball and advanced, and behind him, there were two horses in response to protect him. In front of him, there were also two galloping horses, which at first glance looked like rampage and disorganization, but in fact they were disrupting the opponent's defensive formation, forcing the three Tsing Coats in front of the goal to adjust their positions as their positions changed. At the north and south ends, a cardinal rider rode along the border. and each restrained a Tsing Yi knight.

In the blink of an eye, the RED team had already attacked the half, and a Tsing Knight had already jumped across the halfway line into the RED team's half, and as soon as his teammates intercepted the RED team's ball, they could immediately launch a fast attack. In addition, there are two Tsing Knights, in the back gap between the wing and the middle, closing in on the red knights who are advancing on the ball.

(Full Text)