Chapter 26: Martial Examination |
A few days later, the martial examination of the 24th year of the Qing'an era finally arrived.
Unlike the literary examinations, which were held in examination pavilions set up in the county market, the martial examination took place outdoors.
The venue was set up in the square in front of the main hall of the City God Temple on West Street of the county town.
On the elevated platform in front of the main hall, a middle-aged official in a green robe sat in the central position. On either side, according to their official ranks, were the county commander, the county vice-commander, and other assistant officials of the county office.
The difference in the officials' attire made their ranks easily distinguishable.
The square was filled with local gentry and wealthy merchants from Qing’an County, all dressed in fine attire. These onlookers focused their attention on the two to three hundred martial artists standing in the square, their eyes filled with anticipation.
It has always been the case that wealth favored martial prowess. Wealthy families could afford to support one or two scholars, but supporting a martial artist who had trained from a young age was far more difficult.
As a result, over sixty percent of the martial artists standing in the plaza came from the families of these gentry and wealthy merchants. The other twenty percent were closely connected to them, often being their household guards.
Only the final twenty percent of martial artists came from impoverished backgrounds.
“He’s here too?”
In a corner of the plaza, a table was set up to verify the martial artists' origins and certificates.
Behind the table sat the black-robed clerk whom Wei Tu had seen in the county office. After checking the stack of certificates, the clerk suddenly found Wei Tu's name among them. He looked surprised as he flipped to the last page of the household registration book and compared Wei Tu's hometown and age, exclaiming in astonishment.
It had been only half a year since Wei Tu had left his official position, and since Wei Tu was the first servant to be redeemed during the clerk's tenure, his impression of Wei Tu was still fresh.
“Attempting to change one's fate through the martial examination is not an easy task. I hope he doesn’t perish on the examination stage,” The black-robed clerk thought silently.
Every three years, the county office conducts a review of "hidden households," and newcomers like Wei Tu are part of his performance evaluation. He certainly did not want Wei Tu to die here.
In the plaza.
Not only the black-robed clerk but also a beautiful woman among the gentry recognized Wei Tu.
This beautiful woman was Wei Hong, who sat behind Lord Huang. She furrowed her brows slightly and glanced a few times at Wei Tu standing in the plaza.
Even though many years had passed since she last saw her own nephew, she recognized Wei Tu at once due to their blood relation.
“What is he doing here? Is he trying to take the martial examination? He certainly looks stronger than he did three years ago… But among these martial artists, he seems quite ordinary. He might not even be as skilled as Yuan Shan.” Wei Hong felt conflicted.
She hoped Wei Tu would stand out among the martial artists and later be able to assist her as a relative. Yet, she had an intuitive sense that Wei Tu was inadequate and did not believe in his potential.
Over the past three years, Wei Tu had only learned some basic health-preserving techniques. He could not compare to martial artists from wealthy families who had been training since childhood, had meat for every meal, and were taught by renowned masters, occasionally receiving medicinal food to nourish their bodies.
How could someone from a humble background compare? It was simply impossible!
.......
Soon, the sound of gongs and drums signaled the beginning of the martial examination.
Wei Tu received a badge marked “B-13” and waited among the crowd.
Compared to the provincial and prefectural examinations, the county-level martial examination was the simplest, consisting of only five tests.
These included physical strength, standing archery, horse archery, sparring, and finally, tactical strategy.
Among these, physical strength tests were subdivided into lifting stones, pulling a hard bow, and wielding a large blade.
“Individuals in the B category, take your positions.”
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and the military officer in charge of the examination shouted.
Hearing this, Wei Tu composed himself and followed the martial artists in front of him into the arena, standing before several stone locks of varying sizes.
Two hundred pounds.
Three hundred pounds.
Four hundred pounds.
Five hundred pounds.
A total of four stone locks.
In the county-level martial examination, the stone lifting test starts at two hundred pounds, a feat that is extremely difficult for ordinary people to achieve.
“Five Hundred-Pound Stone Lock!” Wei Tu fixed his gaze on the heaviest and largest stone lock. With a serious expression, he focused his energy, his feet spread apart in a horse stance.
Then, he summoned all his strength, placing his right hand on the stone lock and lifting it with effort.
The heavy stone lock immediately rose from the ground, pausing momentarily at Wei Tu’s knee level, then at his elbow, and finally lifted above his head.
After hanging above his head for four or five breaths, Wei Tu could no longer hold on and slowly lowered the five-hundred-pound stone lock to the ground with his right arm.
As the stone lock hit the ground, a faint rumble echoed across the square, as if a dragon was turning. The entire square fell into a hushed silence, with all eyes now fixed on Wei Tu, astonished by his feat.
Lifting a five-hundred-pound stone lock in the stone-lifting test was an extraordinary achievement, occurring only once in several decades in Qing’an County.
In a century, it has happened only three times. All three previous martial artists who achieved this feat had topped the county martial examination.
And now...Wei Tu was the fourth. This meant that, at this moment, the future champion of this year's martial examination had already been determined.
But….
“It’s difficult!” Seeing Wei Tu’s modest attire, the gentry smiled and quickly reached their conclusion.
Wei Tu wore simple, worn-out clothes, clearly indicating a poor background. Such martial artists often faltered in the horse archery and tactical planning sections, leading to disqualification.
Horse archery required a good horse to assist, and although the county examination provided horses, they were often inferior. Riding a poor-quality horse made it difficult to maintain accuracy, no matter how skilled one was in archery.
As for the tactical strategy section, it had an invisible glass ceiling. Without skilled guidance, producing an outstanding essay was not easy.
“B-13. Top Grade in Stone Lifting.” At this time, the examiner for the stone-lifting test announced Wei Tu’s results.
According to the regulations, to achieve a top grade in stone lifting, one had to lift a three-hundred-pound stone lock with one arm above the head and hold it for thirty breaths.
Or lift a four-hundred-pound stone lock with both arms and hold it above the head for twenty breaths.
Wei Tu, however, had lifted a five-hundred-pound stone lock with one arm and held it above his head for over four breaths. This level of strength far exceeded the typical top grade for martial artists.
The difference between lifting three hundred pounds and five hundred pounds with one arm was as vast as a chasm.
This was well-known.
Lifting five hundred pounds with one arm suggested a possibility of achieving the rank of a martial scholar in local examinations. In other words, Wei Tu had already demonstrated martial scholar level prowess in the stone-lifting test.
“Even though it’s rare to take first place, achieving a top grade in stone lifting also qualifies him for a recommendation to the provincial examination.”
“Wei Tu is still young, only twenty? Around twenty-two?”
“If he hires a renowned teacher, he should be able to compensate for his shortcomings in horse archery and tactical strategy in the next examination.”
Among the gentry, Wei Hong’s expression grew complex as she observed Wei Tu’s performance, her mind reflecting on these thoughts.