Chapter 45:

When coming out of Yeluluan, the bright moon was in the sky, and Gu Jing walked slowly with his hands all the way to his palace.
In his view, the cooperation with Yeluluan is to get what he needs. He wants Turkuma, and Yeluluan wants Qin Jiu, which is a deal.
Although the new bow is important, once it is popularized in the army, Beiyan wants to get a bow and figure out its structure, and copy the same bow. It is actually easy to do it, and if it is not popularized in the army, the bow is not worth it. Mention.
But the horse is different. The Turkic horse is one of the best horses, which can make the Daqi cavalry more powerful.
This is not only what he wants, but those generals can also think of it.
There is no absolute fairness in this world. It is worthwhile for him to trade Turkic horses with a new bow-making method, and then gain favor in the army.
He is not a son, and the father prefers Gu Yu. For that supreme position, he must fight for himself!
As for Gu Zezhi, he is too obstructive, and too obstructive, no wonder the Prince of Duan can't tolerate him...
The midwinter night was all silent, only the cold wind in the middle of the night came, blowing the surrounding vegetation swaying in the darkness, like a group of demons dancing.
The ritual of the second day of Winter Hunting will start at dusk, so there will be nothing wrong during the day.
Qin Jiu slept three poles at sunrise, then slowly left Luqinyuan and went to the hunting platform.
From a distance, I heard Qin Zeyu's awkward voice in his ears: "...Cousin, you just have to lend me your bow, and I promise to hunt you back a bear."
Under the big trees in front of him, Qin Zeyu looked at the black bow in Gu Ju's hand with greedy eyes, patted his chest and spoke big words.
"Bringing bragging." Gu Ju made it clear that he didn't believe it, "Cousin Yu, you with thin arms and legs, don't let the bear hunt you away."
Qin Zeyu: "..."
He never thought this prince's cousin was so unpleasant. He must have been with his sister for a long time, Jin Mo...cough, Zhu Zhechi!
Qin Zeyu, who was secretly complaining about his sister, turned his head, and saw Qin Jiao approaching him leisurely, staring at him with a smile.
The expression on Qin Zeyu's face changed, and he shouted eagerly: "San Jie~~~ You are here, do you want to drink water?"
As he said, he poured a glass of cold water, and handed it to his sister.
Holding this cold teacup, Qin Jiu felt the oncoming cold wind, wondering if this kid was playing tricks on her intentionally?
"Sister Sister, aren't you thirsty?" Qin Zeyu asked, and without waiting for Qin Jiao's answer, he diligently suggested, "Do you want a shuttlecock? May I give you a pheasant as a shuttlecock?"
Qin Zeyu thought in his heart: In this way, he can justly ask Gu Ju to borrow the bow. Next, as long as he performs well in front of the third sister, the third sister will definitely be willing to make a new bow for him too!
Qin Zeyu patted his chest with his head upright and promised: "Sister Sister, I will make you the most beautiful shuttlecock!" His boastful appearance is exactly the same as he just promised Gu Bi that he would be a headhunter.
"Okay! Go hunting for pheasants!" Gu Ju's eyes brightened, and he eagerly responded, "Cousin Yu, I think it's fine for you to hunt a pheasant! Cousin Ji, don't you think?"
Qin Jiao gave Qin Zeyu a faint look, and unceremoniously dismantled the platform and said, "That's not easy to say." She saw the bear child's mind clearly.
Qin Zeyu: "..."
Qin Zeyu felt that his sister looked down on him too much.
Forget it, his adults don't remember the villains!
Qin Zeyu looked at Gu Yu again with scorching eyes, and said, "Cousin, let me use your bow. I will hit the pheasant and make a shuttlecock for the third sister." After a pause, he said earnestly, "You I’m too young to enter the mountains and forests."
There are naturally no pheasants near this hunting platform. If you want to hunt pheasants, you have to enter the hunting ground.
Gu Ju held his precious bow tightly, hesitatingly said, "I want to go too."
"No, no." Qin Zeyu objected strongly, "Aunt will not agree. Third sister, you will accompany your cousin and wait here, and I will give you the best pheasant in a while."
Qin Jiu would not let Qin Zeyu use himself as a guise so easily.
This bear kid really went to the house without fighting in a day!
She cleared her throat and was about to say something when she saw Gu Ju's eyes pass through her, and happily shouted behind her: "Uncle Emperor."
Qin Jiu followed Gu Ju's sight, and Gu Zezhi paced his horse from the direction of the forest.
Gu Zezhi rode solo, with neither bow nor arrow nor prey, as if he was just walking a horse in the forest.
Gu Zezhi also saw Qin Jiao and the others, and rode a horse towards them. The white horse's snow-white fur was shining in the golden sunlight, majestic and extraordinary, and Qin Zeyu's eyes sparkled.
After meeting each other, Gu Yu said hurriedly: "Uncle Emperor, you can take us into the hunting ground. Cousin Yu and I are going to give cousin a pheasant!"
"Fighting a pheasant?" Gu Zezhi raised his eyebrows and looked at the little girl who was smiling exceptionally bright beside Gu Ju.
"It's making a shuttlecock." Qin Zeyu immediately added, "I want to make a shuttlecock for my sister."
Gu Zezhi readily responded, "Let's go."
Both Gu Yu and Qin Zeyu were overjoyed. Gu Yu was pleased that he could finally enter the hunting ground, and Qin Zeyu was that he had the opportunity to touch the compound bow.
Therefore, Gu Zezhi stopped riding a horse, threw the horse to the guard, and walked into the forest with Qin Jiu, Qin Zeyu, and Gu Ju.
The emperor’s winter hunting is not trivial. The area around the hunting ground will be cleaned up by the Forbidden Army in advance, and the beasts such as wild wolves, wild boars, wild bears and so on will be driven to the depths of the hunting grounds, just hit a pheasant and stroll around the outside of the hunting grounds.
The first time he entered the mountains and forests, Gu Ju was curious about everywhere, and everything was fresh, pulling Qin Zhuo to twitter.
They were lucky. It didn’t take long to see a pheasant walking in the woods. This pheasant was very plump. When flapping its wings, the colorful tail wing spread out slightly, especially bright, like a peacock. Screen-like.
Qin Zeyu said impatiently, "Quickly, cousin, lend me the bow and don't let the pheasant run away."
Gu Ju watched the pheasant's eyes brighten, and generously handed out the bow. Qin Zeyu finally got the compound bow and stroked the bow cherishedly. He was afraid that the pheasant would run away, so he couldn't care more, so he quickly took an arrow. Pull the string.
He must show up in front of the third sister!
Qin Zeyu drew the bowstring confidently, and he drew the bow easily.
He had some surprises, but more surprises.
This compound bow is better than what the older brother said!
Qin Zeyu released the bowstring abruptly, and the feather arrow shot out with a "swish", hurriedly through the bushes, and hit the grass less than half a step away from the pheasant.
"Hahahahaha!"
Gu Yu laughed without giving any face, "Cousin Yu, you still keep saying that you want to hunt a bear, you can't even hunt a pheasant!"
Qin Zeyu became angry with embarrassment, his cheeks were flushed, and he drew another feather arrow, and said unconvinced: "Come again!"
However, the pheasant in front was already startled by that arrow, and was about to fly away with its wings flapping, giving Qin Zeyu no chance to remedy it.
"give me."
Gu Zezhi stretched out his hand, and Qin Zeyu passed the compound bow into his hand without even thinking about it, and saw Gu Zezhi easily bow the bow.
In a sharp burst of air, the feather arrow accurately hit the thin neck of the pheasant, sealing the throat with one arrow.
"impressive!"
All three of them looked at him with scorching eyes and applauded enthusiastically.
Qin Zeyu eagerly picked up the deadly pheasant. Gu Zezhi's arrow was extremely accurate. The pheasant didn't splash many blood beads, and the tail feathers were intact.
Qin Zeyu secretly said: This third son Gu has a good look, how could he blindly look at his third sister. Hey, I guess he didn't know that the third sister was very painful when hitting someone, so I must not tell him!
Gu Zezhi smiled and said to Qin Jiao, "Go, let's make a shuttlecock."
At this moment, for some reason, Qin Zeyu and Gu Yu felt that the "we" that Gu Zezhi said did not include them, and their existence seemed a bit obstructive.
It must be an illusion!
Now that they had hit the pheasant, they left the forest.
The maid and the maid serving Gu Ju were all waiting outside to see their eyes through, and they were relieved to see that they had returned safely.
When Gu Zezhi said to be a shuttlecock, he really started a shuttlecock. He personally removed a few tail feathers from the pheasant, and then carefully trimmed them.
Qin Jiu took Qin Zeyu to set up a grill in the pergola near the hunting platform, and instructed the palace staff to clean the pheasant after the tail wing was removed and roast it. When the fragrant roasted pheasant was cooked, Gu Zezhi's shuttlecock was also finished.
"give."
Gu Zezhi handed the shuttlecock to Qin Jiao.
This shuttlecock selected the most beautiful tail feathers on that pheasant. The long colorful feathers hung down to all sides, like a blooming Phoenix flower. When the wind blew, the feathers swayed slightly, flashing gorgeously. The brilliance is exceptionally beautiful.
Qin Zeyu urged: "San Jie, you come and try!"
Qin Jiao was also eager to try, throwing the shuttlecock up, and then used his right foot to coil the shuttlecock...
The shuttlecock flew up and then fell. She kicked the shuttlecock accurately. The next moment, the shuttlecock was kicked out by her, drawing a long parabola in mid-air, like a bird spreading its wings. Finally hung on the treetop not far away.
"a ha ha ha!"
Qin Zeyu laughed loudly and made no secret of the ridicule.
Qin Jiao: "..."
This bear kid is owed! Qin Jiu subconsciously touched the whip on his waist, before holding the handle of the whip, he listened to Gu Zezhi and said with a smile: "A good kick."
Gu Zezhi raised his hand and took down the shuttlecock hanging from the treetop.
"..." Qin Zeyu's eyes instantly widened. Gu Zezhi's eyes are really blurred!
Qin Zeyu also saw that Qin Jiu's hand had been grasped on the handle of the whip, and boasted wittily: "The third sister played really well, so accurate and powerful!"
Qin Jiu naturally knew his level, and was so praised by the two that he got goose bumps all over his body. It's nothing more than his own bear child, Gu Zezhi is... is he doing his best? !
When she took the shuttlecock from Gu Zezhi, she suddenly remembered something: By the way, the veil has not yet been returned!
Qin Jiao squeezed her mouth, wishing to beat her head, she forgot to bring her veil again.
At this moment, there was a sound of horseshoes in the direction of the hunting ground in front, and a group of hundreds of soldiers from the Forbidden Army came out of the hunting ground. At the same time, another group of soldiers from the Forbidden Army crossed with them and entered the hunting ground.
Now is the time for the Prohibition Army to switch over.
Qin Jiu looked at the forbidden army disappearing in the forest, and asked casually, "I remember going to hunt at night tonight?"
"That's right." Qin Zeyu gushed out in order to express himself, "This is the rule that the Daqi dynasty has established since the founding of the dynasty, because the emperor said, my Daqi dynasty was fighting on horseback. In the world, all the children of the Gu family must not forget their roots and must be able to ride and shoot well in order to protect their homes and the country..."
Qin Zeyu was serious at first, and as he spoke, he revealed his true shape and shrugged his shoulders: "However, Sanjie, you know so much is useless, anyway, you can't go, you can only sleep in the house! "
Qin Jiao's response was that he directly threw the shuttlecock in his hand towards Xiong's head...
However, Qin Zeyu guessed wrong.
After the night hunting started that night, Queen Wei asked Qin Jiao to enter the hunting ground together.
Qin Jiu said honestly: "Auntie, I can't ride a horse."
She could only ride a few steps slowly on Taqing's back, and she couldn't count as a horseback riding mate.
Empress Wei smiled naturally: "There is a zeal."
Qin Jiao: "..."
She always feels that something is wrong, whether she can ride a horse has anything to do with the golden thigh.
"Auntie, I want to go too!" Qin Zeyu eagerly leaned forward, thinking that since Qin Jiao can go, so can he too!
"Stay while you go!" Qin Zening picked up the little kid's back collar and threw it to Gu Ju's side, meaning that the child should look like a child.
Qin Zeyu: "..."
In the pitiful eyes of Qin Zeyu and Gu Ju, everyone crowded around the empress and entered the hunting ground.
Now that the night has fallen, the stars and the moon are hanging high in the night sky, and a torch illuminates the surrounding mountains and forests as bright as day.
Soon after entering the hunting grounds, the emperor pulled the horse rope to a halt, and said loudly: "Hunting at night is to teach martial arts by hunting, and also by martial arts to meet friends. I am Daqi hit the world on horseback. Don't forget your roots!"
"Today's night hunting, all the officials will show their talents, let me see how bravely and skillfully my Daqi man is. The first wild bear hunter today is the leader of the night hunt. I have many rewards!"
Those noble children were full of enthusiasm, leading their orders in unison, and then they rode their horses to the depths of the forest, the rumbling of horseshoes gradually disappeared...
The surrounding area of ​​the emperor suddenly became quite empty.
Qin Jiu knows himself well, and follows Shengjia obediently.
Gu Zezhi didn't leave either, and didn't seem to plan to participate in the night hunt tonight.
Empress Wei looked at Gu Zezhi and said with a smile: "Zezhi, Xiao Jiu doesn't know how to ride a horse. You have to take care of her."
Qin Jiu was looking at the direction Qin Zening was leaving, and when he heard the words of Empress Wei, he quickly retracted his gaze and smiled at Gu Zezhi obediently.
Her smile was seen in the eyes of Queen Wei, it was that her niece really liked Gu Zezhi.
Wei Huang looked back at these two people later. Although Gu Zezhi was a few years older than his niece, he would hurt others when she was older. The more she looked at Gu Zezhi, the more satisfied she felt, and she felt that the marriage was worthwhile.
After a short stay, the emperor continued to ride his horse forward, Gu Zezhi and the emperor rode side by side, walking towards the depths of the mountains and forests under the moonlight.
Qin Jiu at the back carefully pulled the horse rope, and just walking forward so slowly, it had taken all of her thoughts.
The emperor and Gu Ze walked the same way, talking all the way, and the topic revolved around Beiyan.
"The emperor, Bei Yan will never die."
"As long as Daqi shows a little disadvantage, they will definitely make a comeback."
What Gu Zezhi said was also the emperor's concern. He was in poor health. Although he has improved a bit recently, he is still weak.
If a country's monarch is in poor health, it is easy to shake the morale of the military and the people, allowing foreign enemies to take advantage of it.
The compound bow is just a means to hang Bei Yan.
The emperor once summoned the Ministry of Industry to ask the craftsman who made Qin Jiu's bows. Since each bow has subtle differences, the position of the gears requires additional calculations. Each composite bow made will suffer a lot of loss. This also means that in a short period of time, it is difficult to mass produce and promote production in the military.
Weapons that cannot be used in the military, no matter how good they are, are useless to Da Qi.
The emperor frowned slightly and his eyes were deep.
The greatest value of this compound bow nowadays is to make Beiyan impossible to obtain.
The more fearful, the less dare to go to war easily.
Daqi needs time to recuperate.
Gu Zezhi said meaningfully again: "It's good for Gu Jing and him to'deal'."
The emperor was startled and smiled.
The moonlight was like water, it was mid-winter season, and the forest was cold and windy, and it was chilly. The group walked forward unhurriedly until a guard of the imperial army who had explored the way came back and said: "My lord, there seems to be a bear left in front of you. Palmprint."
"Really? Take me over and see,"
The emperor was overjoyed, and the horse passed by, and the others followed.
The place where the guards of the Imperial Guard found the palm prints was not far ahead. Perhaps because there was a light rain in the afternoon and the soil was a little moist, a few palm prints remained on the ground.
These palm prints are not very clear, but it is still possible to tell that it is indeed a bear!
"It's a bear! It seems that my luck today is really good!" The emperor overjoyed and said jokingly, "Maybe today's leader will let me take it."
Qin Jiu smiled, and said jokingly: "When my cousin finds out, I'm afraid I will be envious of me!"
Gu Yu also wanted to come to hunt at night, but he was too young for the empress to agree.
Qin Jiu looked around with scorching eyes, his pupils bright. She has never seen a real bear!
Gu Zezhiyang pointed in a direction and said, "The emperor, judging from the direction of these bear paw prints, the bear should be heading over there."
The emperor stroked his palms and smiled and said, "Go, let's go and take a look!" With that, he had taken the lead in riding his horse.
The emperor was in good spirits, and other people would naturally not discourage him, so a group of guards of the imperial army surrounded the empress and followed the direction of the bear's paw print.
The silver moonlight fell on the ground through the dense branches and leaves, making it easy for them to find palm prints.
However, bear paw prints are scattered, some are covered by thorns, and some have already been covered by the footprints of other animals. It is not easy to find them. The emperor was not in a hurry, but Quan was a pastime, looking around enthusiastically.
Qin Jiao's eyesight is good, and she discovered it many times.
This time, the same is true.
"The emperor," she excitedly pointed at a bear's paw print beside a big tree, "here...General Yu!"
There was a faint rustling sound from behind the tree. A young man in a frost-colored robe led the horse and walked over from the other end. The cold moonlight ran down on him, coating him with a silver streamer, covering him all over his body. Add a bit of coldness, a bit of alienation.
The person here is Yu Fuyun.
Yu Fuyun paced slowly, Xu Shi did not expect to see the emperor here, with a slightly surprised expression on his face, and stepped forward to salute.
The emperor glanced at Yu Fuyun's empty horse, and smiled: "Fuyun, you made a mistake today."
What he meant was that Yu Fuyun hadn't had any prey until now, which was not like his level.
Yu Fuyun said quietly: "The emperor, I must give others a chance." The voice was cold, like the night breeze in the mountains.
The emperor laughed heartily: "That's right, there is no chance for others to have you on this hunting ground. If you are the leader for three consecutive days, it would be too boring."
"The emperor is absurdly praised." Yu Fuyun arched his hands, downplaying, but arrogant.
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then laughed again, and said, "Fuyun ah, Fuyun, you are really not humble. Now that you have met, you will be with me."
"Yes, the emperor." Yu Fuyun complied, turned on his horse, and followed the emperor.
The emperor said again: "Fuyun, I followed the bear's paw print on the way to here. If I find a bear in a while, I will have the opportunity to show off. I want to see who owns the bow with you and Zezhi. Shoot better."
Yu Fuyun glanced at Gu Zezhi on the other side of the emperor.
The flame of the torch reflected the gentleness of Gu Zezhirun's elegant and handsome face. He smiled on his lips and said, "If there is a chance, I would like to ask General Yu for advice or two."
Yu Fuyun arched his hands, "It's easy to say."
These two people, one is as warm as jade, and the other is as cold as snow, they are obviously different in temperament, but they also have a similar and extremely similar temperament from the inside.
With a faint smile on Yu Fuyun's cold face, he asked, "How many arrows can Gu Gongzi's continuous arrow shoot?"
Gu Zezhi: "Five Arrows."
A strange light lit up in Yu Fuyun's eyes.
Lianzhu arrows are difficult, and the difficulty lies in being firm and ruthless. Yu Zezhi's three arrows at the time of shooting yesterday is enough to make people amazing, but he did not expect that he would hide his frustration!
"Gu..."
While speaking, the tip of Yu Fuyun's nose moved suddenly, and a faint fragrance of flowers permeated the cold night air from an unknown time.
This floral fragrance is very light, a bit clear, a bit like a mint herb, but compared with the mint herb, it is a bit sweeter and greasy.
this is……
Yu Fuyun frowned slightly, her eyes deep.
From the perspective of the wind, the smell should have come from the southwest.
Yu Fuyun raised his eyes and looked forward, which was the direction they were traveling.
Yu Fuyun subconsciously looked at Gu Zezhi beside him, and saw that he also looked thoughtful, and raised his eyebrows slightly.
It seems that Gu Zezhi also smelled it?
The two looked at each other, no one said anything, they were in a tacit understanding with each other.
The emperor rode at the forefront, and he was very interested tonight.
At the beginning of the Great Qi Dynasty, the annual winter hunting ended with the king hunting a bear. But gradually, this tradition was saved. There is no need for the king to hunt bears himself. Any minister who hunts a bear can be regarded as a sacrifice for winter hunting.
The emperor, when he was a prince, showed his skills in winter hunting, but then...
His body was defeated.
Since he became the throne, the emperor has been hunting several times in winter, and occasionally he hunts foxes, let alone bear hunting, even bears have never encountered them.
"Fuyun, I still remember that winter hunt four years ago, you hunted a bear." The emperor said nostalgicly, "At that time, you were not yet fifteen years old. When the bear came back, I was full of blood. And when you lost your hand and got hurt. This dazzling, you have grown so big..."
"Wow!"
At this moment, a loud roar that shook the sky suddenly interrupted the emperor's voice.
At this moment, many of the horses of the imperial guards were startled, pacing restlessly, snorting rough air in their noses.
"There is a bear ahead!" The emperor opened his eyes excitedly and waved his whip, "Go!"
The empress and his entourage brought a hundred guards. It was definitely not a problem to deal with a bear. Therefore, at this moment, everyone was only excited and not panicked. The emperor grabbed the long bow that was behind him, and was eager to try.
"Wow!"
There was another rough roar coming, louder than before, and with a madness.
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This is the era of cold weapons. It is hard to say what is more important than weapons and war horses. According to what I have found, there are different opinions.

The compound bow here refers to a new type of modern compound bow that uses pulleys to achieve a labor-saving effect. Xiao Jiu only remembered the general appearance, and drew a picture in his impression, which was made by the craftsman himself, relying on the craftsman's insight and trial and error. A bow is made by adding pulleys to the original bow, which saves effort and has a long range. But because there is no precise drawing and the craftsmanship cannot be reached, it is very rough, not energy-producing, and can not be compared with later generations~