Chapter 755
Extra
Chapter 755 Extra Ten
The second challenge is military strategy.
There were many low tables in the field, with paper and pens on them. Each piece of paper had a question written on it about how to deal with a certain predicament encountered on the battlefield.
The time allotted for answering questions is only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn out; once the incense has burned out, you must get up and leave your seat.
This competition was much quieter; there wasn't a sound on the field.
Some people scratched their heads in frustration, some felt like they were sitting on pins and needles, and some looked around anxiously.
The man in gray quietly picked up his pen and wrote quickly, filling the paper with vigorous, lean characters in no time.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. Half of the people in the room have clean papers in front of them, while the other half have written some large, crooked characters on their papers, the content of which is another matter.
About half an incense stick's time later, someone brought over a list.
For the sake of fairness, all the warriors who registered used only a number instead of their names, so this time the list only has five numbers and no specific names.
"Warriors number five, eight, twelve, twenty, and twenty-six, please stay and follow me to the third checkpoint." The guard glanced at the numbers on the list and announced loudly, "The other warriors may return on their own."
The five people whose numbers were called remained inside without moving, while the others got up, looking somewhat dejected, and walked out grumbling and complaining.
The man in gray had a round wooden plaque with the number "20" hanging from his waist. He got up and followed the other four people, walking with the guard towards a large tent in the distance.
Inside the large tent were several low tables, each with some melons, fruits, and fine wine.
Opposite the five tables was a screen, and it seemed that the princess was behind the screen.
"Princess, the five warriors have arrived," the guard said respectfully to Yan Shu behind the screen.
Yan Shu's voice came from behind the screen: "You warriors have worked hard. Have some fruit and rest first, and then we can talk."
The five people took their seats.
Having just spent time riding horses, shooting arrows, and writing military strategy articles, the group was now parched and somewhat exhausted. The Jie people were not particularly concerned with elaborate etiquette, so they happily began to eat and drink after sitting down.
The man in gray had no intention of eating or drinking, but several maids kept pouring wine for the five of them, saying it was a reward from the princess and that not drinking it would be disrespectful to the princess, so he had no choice but to drink it cup after cup.
Before long, all five of them were quite drunk, their eyes were becoming glazed, and some of them could no longer sit up straight, swaying unsteadily.
At this moment, Yan Shu, who was behind the screen, finally spoke: "You are all outstanding warriors today, and you would be excellent husbands anywhere. But I would like to know, why did you come to participate in the marriage selection event?"
"Because during the last marriage contest, the princess said she only wanted the strongest warrior. Last time, my martial arts weren't good enough, and I was knocked off the stage halfway through. I wasn't convinced, and this time I'm going to prove that I'm the bravest and the most powerful!" A burly Jie man, his face flushed and reeking of alcohol, answered loudly. "My father sent me here, saying that if I can marry the princess, it will be the glory of the family!" Another man, his eyes glazed over, spoke as if he had already achieved his wish, almost bursting into laughter.
The other two gave similar answers, essentially saying the same thing: to be the strongest warrior in Jie territory and to bring honor to their families.
After the others finished speaking, the man in gray remained silent.
The guard beside him urged, "Brave warrior, you haven't explained why you want to participate in the marriage contest yet!"
The man in gray slightly raised his eyelids, fiddled with the wine glass in front of him, and slowly sighed: "Because I want to give myself a chance to see if I have the good fortune to marry a woman whose appearance is as beautiful as a celestial flower blooming in the desert, whose temperament is as fierce as a wild horse galloping on the grassland, and whose heart is as kind and warm as a child."
I don't need to prove myself the strongest warrior, nor do I need to bring glory to my family. I only want to strive to be the luckiest man in the world.
Hearing that voice from behind the screen, Yan Shu's heart skipped a beat. She was somewhat surprised and looked out through the gap in the screen, only to see an unfamiliar face.
Perhaps it's because the voices are similar.
As she pondered this, she realized that the answer to which of the five responses she liked the most was obvious.
But Yan Shu remained silent for a while before asking, "What if the husband I choose cannot hold any official position in the Jie Kingdom and can only be a wealthy and idle person far removed from power? What are your thoughts on this?"
Upon hearing this, the four Jie men exchanged bewildered glances.
This seems to be a little different from what they had expected.
Most of these people came from good families and were considered to be from prominent clans in Jiedi. If they simply wanted to marry a beautiful wife, there were many more beautiful girls in Jiedi than just Princess Yanshu.
If they wanted to live a life of leisure and wealth, they could simply have their families find a beautiful woman of equal social standing to marry into their families, and after marriage, they wouldn't have to be restrained in front of their wives.
Moreover, at least two of these people, even if they don't marry the princess, can still manage to get a minor official position based on their family's influence.
They had originally hoped that marrying the princess would elevate their status, but it seems that... if the marriage goes through, they might end up worse off than before.
A fine young man, after marrying a princess, can only ride horses, play with dogs, and hunt rabbits with a falcon... If word gets out, wouldn't he be the laughingstock of the outside world?!
Normally, these people might have their own complaints, but at least they would try to put on a nicer front. No matter how straightforward Capricorns are, they still have a basic sense of social etiquette.
Unfortunately, they had just drunk some alcohol, not the usual low-alcohol milk wine, but a genuine aged craft beer. Now the alcohol was kicking in, and they were a little dizzy, so they couldn't control their mouths when they started talking.
“That won’t do…” one of them waved his hand. “I’m the eldest son in the family, and I have several younger brothers waiting for me to set an example for them!”
If I were to become a wealthy, idle person, wouldn't my younger brothers look down on me?!
“I don’t want to either. Since he married a princess, it’s not as good as not marrying her. That’s just too unfair…” Someone spoke first, and others immediately chimed in.
"I have never cared about fame or fortune. It is a joy to enjoy nature alone. If I could marry a woman I love and we could enjoy nature together, that would be even more perfect," the gray-clad man said calmly.