Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 41 Character Design (Update )
Su Ze shook his head and said, "This poem was written by a friend. I dare not steal his name. I can't remember the other sentences. Brother Liu, please forgive me."

Liu Bozhi showed a regretful expression. Prince Qinghe was fond of literature. If he could recommend a scholar who could write such poems, he would definitely be favored by Prince Qinghe.

However, since Su Ze said it was written by a friend, Liu Bozhi didn't want to ask any more questions.

Even Gao Huan showed a regretful expression. If it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to be as "honest" as Su Ze. With just one poem, he could be introduced to King Qinghe. This was much more likely than participating in any selection to join the court.

But Su Ze didn't feel any regrets because he had already established a good "personality" for himself.

During the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the most important thing for celebrities was their "personality".

For example, during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xie'an's demeanor as a famous scholar was his personality. After winning the Battle of Feishui, he still maintained this calm personality and did not even notice that his clogs were broken.

If Su Ze entered the Qinghe Palace through "literature", he would be labeled a "literary man", which was not a high standard for poets in those days.

Not to mention the Northern Wei Dynasty, even in the Sui and Tang Dynasties the status of poets was not high. Poets with high status were first of all officials, and only secondarily poets.

Although "full-time" poets like Li Bai and Du Fu are famous, they are seen by the world as either flatterers who sing praises or down-and-out scholars who moan without reason.

In these troubled times, the persona of a "poet" is not really a positive asset.

The characters such as "domineering military leader", "leader of refugees" and "frontier warrior" are all better than a poet who can only recite poems and couplets.

Su Ze wanted to become famous in Luoyang, but he was not prepared to do so through literature.

Instead, when you really have a team in the future, you can use personal traits such as "being close to the virtuous" and "eager to seek talented people" to attract scholars to join you.

Liu Bozhi took another sip of tea and turned the topic back to the selection of forwards.

"I've heard from colleagues who have participated in the selection that the four most important things in the selection are—"

"Control, weapon, beast, friend."

Su Ze showed an expression of humility and seeking advice, and Gao Huan also listened with great interest.

Liu Bozhi felt respected and spoke eloquently:
"The first thing is the horse. The horseman is the horseman. Participants in the selection can ride the horses provided by the palace, but each horse has different temperaments and habits, and the horses provided by the palace are not good horses, so if you want to achieve good results, you still have to ride your own horse."

“Whether it’s archery in the front or hunting in the back, riding your own horse will achieve better results.”

Gao Huan immediately said: "That's no problem, Brother Su Ze has his own horse!"

Liu Bozhi nodded and said, "It's better to have your own horse and your own rider. It takes a whole day and night to select the best horses. The horses need to eat grass and rest. Without a rider, you have to do all these things by yourself, which consumes too much energy."

Gao Huan asked in confusion: "Can this selected vanguard bring a cavalry slave with him?"

Liu Bozhi smiled and said, "Of course. How can you go hunting without a riding slave?"

Gao Huan frowned and said, "This is very unfair to the children of poor families. Some families can't even afford to buy horses or keep riding slaves."

Liu Bozhi said disapprovingly: "Fair? Where is fairness in this world?"

Gao Huan lowered his head, and Su Ze took over the topic and asked, "Excuse me, Brother Liu, this Yu is the horse and the riding slave, and this weapon? Is it a bow and arrow weapon?"

Liu Bozhi nodded and said, "That's right. The Qinghe Palace also provides bows and arrows, but it's better to use your own bow and arrows. Brother Su is a member of the Yulin Army, so he naturally knows how important it is to have a handy weapon."

Su Ze nodded repeatedly.

Liu Bozhi went on to say: "Then there are beasts. Beasts are walking beasts. You can bring falcons and hounds. These can also help you hunt prey better."

"King Qinghe has a Gaker Falcon, which was presented by the Bohai tribe. It is pure white like jade, and its beak and claws are like iron hooks. It can not only help search for prey, but also swoop down from the air to attack prey. Every time King Qinghe takes this Gaker Falcon hunting, he can kill a few more deer."

"It is rumored that when Emperor Xiaowen went hunting, his favorite animal was a lynx. It is said that this lynx could hunt on its own and could kill animals such as deer. It even defeated a lone wolf."

"After Emperor Xiaowen passed away, this lynx was buried in the imperial mausoleum."

Gao Huan also said: "I know this. When we go hunting in Huaishuo Town, we also have a hunting dog that can track down injured prey and catch some small prey. But the animal has to eat raw meat every day, and it eats more meat every month than ten elite soldiers."

Liu Bozhi continued, "In the end, it's just friendship."

"Hunting is also about surrounding. If you encounter a herd of deer, you can catch more if you surround them. So some of the noble family members who participate in the selection will communicate in advance, watch out for each other, and gather the riding slaves and beasts together. This often allows you to catch more prey than fighting alone."

Gao Huan immediately said, "This is too unfair! If someone cheats and gives all the prey to one person, wouldn't that person definitely be chosen?"

Liu Bozhi did not answer Gao Huan's question, but Su Ze also had the answer in his mind.

Everyone, including Liu Gui, felt powerless.

The royal family, the aristocratic families, and the nation are like a mountain. They occupy all kinds of resources. Even a small family like Liu Gui has no chance to rise, let alone ordinary people.

Even the military selection has become like this, which shows the corruption of the entire Northern Wei high-level officials.

After finishing his speech, Liu Bozhi stood up and said goodbye. After Liu Bozhi left, Gao Huan sat down with his legs spread out and began to drink the matcha in his bowl in big gulps.

He wiped the tea foam from the corners of his mouth and said, "Agui, your cousin is so arrogant!"

Then he said to Su Ze: "Brother Aze, I brought a good bow from Huaishuo, you can take it to participate in the selection of the bow!"

Su Ze was also somewhat touched. He and Gao Huan were just new friends. Su Ze even got a top-quality Huaishuo warhorse from Gao Huan for free, but Gao Huan was genuinely thinking about him.

Perhaps it was because of this that, in the history before Su Ze traveled through time, Liu Gui was willing to do many things for this Gao Shenwu and help him achieve hegemony.

"I appreciate your kindness, Brother Gao. My grandfather left me a good bow, so I don't need to borrow one from you, Brother Gao."

After politely declining Gao Huan's offer, Liu Gui sighed and said, "It's easy to get the Yuhe weapon. It takes several years to raise a beast for hunting. It's even harder to get a friend. There are many people with the same surname among the Yulin Huben. It's good that a Han like Brother Su is not excluded."

Gao Huan also sighed. Although Emperor Xiaowen carried out the Sinicization reform and "unified the nation and established Han surnames", the conflict between the Xianbei and Han people became increasingly fierce. The conflict between the Hu and Han people in the Six Garrisons was even more intense than that in Luoyang.

It seems that we can only hope that the system will be refreshed in two days.

(End of this chapter)