The next day, after having breakfast with Cixi, Guan Zhuofan rushed to the small station barracks under the command of a group of guards.

After entering the barracks, as soon as he sat down, the guards outside the door shouted a roll call: "The commander of the Chinese army has arrived!" ”

Wall entered the door and raised his hand to salute, and after Guan Zhuofan returned the salute, Wall said, "Yixuan, Brooke and Bird are here to report." ”

Guan Zhuofan's eyes lit up: "Call them in." ”

Brooke has black hair, and looks like he is about thirty-five or six years old; Bird had pale yellow hair and was not yet thirty years old. The hair color of the two is very different, but the common feature is that they are tall and strong, extremely strong, especially Bird, whose tendons and flesh bulge one by one, and the British Royal Navy winter coat on his body is tightly propped up.

Guan Zhuofan glanced at it, and secretly cheered in his heart.

Both men were dressed in the uniforms of the British Navy, but the black-haired Brooke, with his clean salute movements, should indeed be professional soldiers; The yellow-haired Bird, though he tried to look like a soldier, with his head held high, always seemed a little disobedient in his gestures, and he trembled slightly uncontrollably—this big man was unusually nervous, and a layer of sweat actually appeared on his forehead on a cold day.

However, the most attractive thing is not their movements, but the left hands of the two people, both holding a leather ball, sandwiched under the flank. Brooke's ball is round, Bird's is strangely oval.

Kwan Zhuofan's eyes fell on two leather balls - this is football and rugby in the sixties of the nineteenth century?

After returning to China, Guan Zhuofan put forward a "supplementary request" to the British side: an excellent "Football" coach and an excellent "Rugby" coach.

Guan Zhuofan used to be curious. When modern football was born. Is it called "Football" or "Soccer"? He soon found out. None of the entire British advisory group knew the strange name "Soccer", and the British called football "Football", and "Soccer" was originally made by the Yankees themselves.

As for "Rugby" - the original time and space, after this kind of ball was introduced to China, because of its resemblance to an olive, it was given the Chinese name of "rugby", and the English name is "Rugby". It does not mean "olive".

The "Rugby" in Bird's hand is the first "Rugby" to appear in China in this time and space, and at this time, there is naturally no such thing as "rugby".

At the beginning, the British side was quite surprised by Guan Zhuofan's request, because in the sixties of the nineteenth century, football and rugby were not very popular sports. Rugby, in particular. It has not been a long time since it was born, and it is still a relatively niche sport. Moreover, it is barbaric and vulgar, and it is not even in the eyes of gentlemen.

Briton Zeng Jian yì Guan Zhuofan: Your Royal Highness, why don't you think about cricket and polo? How tall is that? Moreover, in these two sports, there are enough talents in the army of Her Majesty the Queen, and we can find you a few more.

His Royal Highness the Prince politely but firmly declined the kindness of the British, and insisted - give me a "Football" and another "Rugby"!

The British had no choice but to start busy.

At that time, the English Football Federation had been established two years earlier, and it was only natural that the Foreign Office and the Admiralty would first approach this body, which would later be known as the "English Football Association" in China.

However, the deal was not smooth.

Listening to the government's demands, this little association opened its mouth wide from top to bottom: What? Going to Asia to promote football? You're not talking in your sleep, are you? Until now, Sheffield's gang of birds have refused to join our English Football Federation, and we have been circling around London - this, England has not even gone out, and is about to rush out of Europe and into the world?

It's too big, isn't it? What to do with the eggs?

I had to stop talking to the "FA". The Foreign Office and the Admiralty have also approached what the FA calls the "Sheffield Birdmen".

In fact, Sheffield was the first region in the UK to develop football, and as early as eight years ago, the world's first football club - "Sheffield Football Club", that is, the predecessor of the later "Sheffield United".

Brooke came from this Sheffield Football Club, but that was before he joined the army. After retiring, Brooke formed another team, both as a leader and coach, and from time to time he had to play in person, forward, center, defender, goalkeeper, almost any position.

During his service, Brooke had been to Egypt, India, and Singapore, and was considered a man who had seen the world, and he was willing to come to China, but there was one condition: to re-enter the service, and the rank was calculated according to the rank at the time of retirement - lieutenant. In addition, during the period in China, the seniority is counted.

This is not a big problem, Congress has passed a special bill: active duty military personnel sent to China will count their years of service in the Royal Navy during their time in China.

So Lieutenant Brooke happily crossed the ocean to China to promote football.

With Brooke's experience, when the "Rugby" professionals were recruited, the government simply offered the same conditions: "special recruitment" into the army, and the treatment of officers on active duty.

That's how Bird came about. Of course he can't be compared to Brooke, who has the rank of sergeant. For Bird, though, it's pie in the sky.

Bird is a worker in the East End of London, and the small team he is in can't get any sponsorship, and he has eaten the last meal without the next meal, and he is the main player and coach, maybe there will be no ball to play one day. Of course, that doesn't mean he's going to be unemployed, he's playing amateur – in this era, whether it's football or "Rugby", it's all amateur, professional league magic, and that's decades later.

But he genuinely loves "Rugby"! The thought that maybe when I go to sleep tomorrow, I may not have a place to play "Rugby", and the little liver in the big guy can't stand it. Now, there is such a good opportunity: to be able to make money by playing ball, and earn a lot more than being a worker?! Alleluia!

And also. China -- what a mysterious country is that? It's a chance to go out and open your eyes!

But. Now. Sergeant Bird, who later went down in history as the "founder of Chinese rugby", was nervous to death. Ever since yesterday he had been informed that His Royal Highness the Prince would receive him and Lieutenant Brooke the morrow morning, Bird had been restless, and had not slept at all last night—Prince, I had never seen such a great officer in my life!

Hey, Prince—so young?

His Royal Highness the young Prince talked and laughed and looked amiable.

"Lieutenant Brooke. I've heard that there are already almost twenty football clubs in the Sheffield area? ”

"Yes, Your Royal Highness, you are really ...... Profound. ”

"So, you think you should organise your own league and not have to join the English Football Federation?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Also, we Sheffield people believe that the 'English Football Federation' has been renamed 'London Football Federation'. It would be more appropriate. ”

His Royal Highness the Prince laughed: "I think, if the Sheffield area and the London area. Each team has a team and a game, and it must be a lot of fun. ”

"This ...... What a brilliant idea! Your Royal Highness, I will convey this of your advice to the head of the Sheffield League. ”

Having talked about "Football", His Royal Highness turned to "Rugby".

"Sergeant Bird, 'Rugby', was originally a place name?"

"Yes...... Yes, Prince...... Your Highness, 'Rugby' is...... is a town in Warwickshire. ”

"I've heard that the sport, called 'Rugby,' has something to do with the town?"

"Yes, Your Royal Highness, you ...... Is...... Profound. ”

The story goes like this: One day in 1823, a football match was being played at the school in the town of Rugby. Weber. Easley's guy, playing up, picked up the ball and went straight to the opponent's goal. This strict behavior caused crazy applause from the audience, so everyone did the same, and then the school held a football match, and someone picked up the ball at every turn and rushed to the opponent's goal.

And so rugby was born.

Of course, this is just a legend, but people of this era believe in this legend.

"'Rugby' is a good name, but it doesn't have a specific meaning. Now that 'Rugby' is in China, we have to give him a Chinese name. ”

"Uh, yes, yes, then, may I ask His Royal Highness, what should I call ...... What's the name? ”

"Sergeant Bird, do you like to eat olives?"

"Olives? Uh, this, hi...... Loved ......"

"Do you think 'Rugby' looks like an olive?"

"Huh? Uh, this, really...... Pretty similar...... Interesting......"

"So, in Chinese, let's call 'Rugby' and do 'Olive-ball', okay?"

"Huh? Oh, oh, okay, okay! Your Royal Highness, this is really a ...... Wonderful name! ”

Well, "Rugby" is officially named "Rugby".

His Royal Highness then proceeded to announce his grand plan to the two Englishmen:

"My troops, infantry, artillery, cavalry, and engineers, together, make a total of twenty-five regiments, except for three regiments in the northwest, two regiments in Jiangnan, and here in Tianjin, there are twenty regiments. Each of these 20 regiments had to build a football team and a rugby team. ”

That is, twenty football teams, twenty rugby teams.

Brooke and Bird, their eyes widened, and their jaws almost fell to the ground.

"When Tianjin has done its job, it will be Jiangsu's turn, and the two regiments over there will be handled together."

Well, twenty-two football teams, twenty-two rugby teams.

"The three regiments in the northwest are still fighting, and I can't say when this battle will be over. However, it can't be more than three years. When the battle is over, this lesson will naturally have to be made up. ”

Well, there are twenty-five football teams, twenty-five rugby teams.

Occasional cake purchase.

Is it over?

It's not over.

*(To be continued......)