N-M Chapter 336: Defeated
Chapter 336: Defeated
According to the rules, the first game is a competition of chess skills, the second game is a competition of scriptures, the third game is a competition of poetry, and the fourth game is a test of calculation skills.
Qin Xiang's chess skills are almost unmatched in the Great Chu, and he is the national player of the Chu State. He thinks there will be no problems. It is best to win. If he can't win, he will try to end in a draw. Never lose!
If the first round is lost, it will greatly affect the morale of the next three rounds.
Qin Xiang has a heavy burden on him.
The chess table has already been prepared in the Great Hall.
The person who played against Qin was an old man. He seemed to be about the same age as Qin Xiang, and he had reached the point where his grandson could marry him. However, although he was old, he was physically healthy and had an excellent mental outlook.
It seems that eating two bowls of rice at noon is not a problem.
But if you think about it, the state of Chu is far away from the state of Zhao, and it takes more than two months to drive. The old man with a bad physique was lost on the carriage while walking. How could he get to the state of Chu? Go back after playing a game of chess in the capital?
Qin Xiang and the old man sat on both sides of the chess table, each holding a piece.
"In line with the principle of having friends come from afar, it's not easy to say".
Qin Xiang holds the white pieces, and the old man holds the black pieces.
Guests first.
This is also a rule that has been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years.
The old man was not polite, he smiled kindly, and then settled down to Tianyuan.
Tianyuan is the center of the chessboard.
There is a chess proverb in Go: Gold horns and silver edges wrap the belly with straw.
It means: the chess pieces placed on the corners are as valuable as gold, because the corners are not only free, but also easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is as worthless as thatch.
There is no way, the position of Tianyuan is empty in all directions, naturally there is no danger to defend, and the start is at a disadvantage.
The person who starts the game with Tianyuan is either a top master or a peerless rookie.
However, could the flag bearer representing Zhao Guo be Rookie?
Just looking at the almost extinct scalp on the top of his head, he should know that this old man is a great master!
When Qin Xiang saw this scene, he obviously chose to think about it. The go in his hand was slipping around in his hand, but he couldn't figure out the old man's mind. Then he still focused on stability and settled in a corner.
This game affects the hearts and minds of the two countries.
The face of Emperor Chu, who was above the high position, was cloudy and uncertain.
Since many officials gathered around to watch the game of chess, the seats around Xu Qing were empty.
At this time, Xiao Ruxue walked over to Xu Qing from the female family and sat down next to Xu Qing: "Xu Qing Xu Qing, do you think Prime Minister Qin will win?"
Xu Qing shook his head: "I can't see it, how do I know if I will win?"
Xiao Ruxue asked curiously, "Why don't you watch Xiang Qin play chess?"
Xu Qing said honestly: "Because I don't understand."
Xiao Ruxue frowned: "Aren't you very good at chess?"
Xu Qing thought for a while and said, "Why don't you tell your uncle, let's play backgammon in the next game?"
If it is changed to backgammon, Xu Qing is sure that no one in this world can match it.
But for the game of Go, he is a peerless rookie who has never played Go before. He doesn't have a chess spirit, and he doesn't know how to play. How can he win?
This chess match lasted from morning to afternoon. At noon, the game was sealed and guarded by envoys from the Three Kingdoms. The game continued after the meal.
This is not a rare thing. If the chess players are of equal strength, some chess games can even be played for more than two months without a winner. In comparison, can't you finish a game of chess in a day?
It's just a small scene, so much fuss.
Su Qian is like Xu Qing, she is good at backgammon, but she can't understand Go, and Xiao Ruxue has even more headaches.
Simply in the afternoon, Xiao Ruxue took Su Qian to play backgammon. Go and the like were complicated and boring, so she didn't want to watch it.
This varies from person to person. A layman looks at Go as if thousands of troops are fighting on the battlefield. You come and go, and the competition is fierce.
He will be excited because he has eaten the word of the other party, and he will sigh angrily because he lost a piece of land.
And the layman?
Just like Xu Qing, Su Qian and Xiao Ruxue, they were so bored that they could only stare.
Asking them to watch chess is probably like reading a book from heaven.
Su Qian and Xiao Ruxue could leave the arena at any time, but Xu Qing and Xiao Ye were different. They had to stay until the two countries competed, even if they wanted to leave early.
In the two rows of seats, except for Xu Qing and Xiao Ye who couldn't understand anything and could only sit here, everyone else gathered around to watch chess.
This made the surroundings of Xiao Ye and Xu Qing quite empty.
That is to say, the women's relatives are very disciplined, and almost all sit in their seats.
Xu Qing looked at Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye looked at Xu Qing, Xiao Ye took out a familiar booklet and tilted his head at Xu Qing, and Xu Qing nodded.
So Xu Qing and Xiao Ye walked to the last row and sat down next to each other tacitly, and began to study.
...
This competition lasted for five days, and Xu Qing and Xiao Ye also studied for five days.
Although I have gained a lot of knowledge, the only disadvantage is that it is uncomfortable during the learning process.
Learning has always been a painful and happy process, which is normal.
Finally, on the fifth day, Prime Minister Qin and the old man finally came to a conclusion. There were sighs all around, and the officials of Chu State walked away dejectedly.
It seems that Chu State lost in this competition.
Xu Qing stood up and walked forward.
At this time, Prime Minister Qin's face was a little haggard. Obviously, the five days of chess games had exhausted him a lot, and the old man opposite him was not as energetic as he was at the beginning. It seemed that he won the game. It didn't go well.
Qin Xiang walked up to Jiang Xiang and patted Jiang Xiang's shoulder, sighed and did not speak, Jiang Xiang also patted Qin Xiang's shoulder, as if he wanted to comfort this old man who had been side by side for many years.
Then Qin Xiang walked up to Xu Qing again, patted Xu Qing on the shoulder, sighed, and did not speak.
In the end, Qin Xiang walked up to the Emperor Chu, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the minister lost."
The old man on the side cupped his hands and said to Prime Minister Qin: "This old man is just an idler in the mountains and fields. He spends the rest of his life studying the way of chess. Prime Minister Qin is the prime minister of a country. He usually deals with political affairs. What time should he spend studying the way of chess?" At least, to be able to play like this with the old man, Qin's talent in chess is already above the old man."
Qin Xiang also said to the old man's cupped hands: "If you lose, you lose. Truth is not the one who can't afford to lose. After Benxiang retires, put down the burden on him, and he will definitely go to the master to play chess again."
The old man also smiled and said: "Okay, when that day comes, the old man will sweep the couch to welcome you."
Although the Emperor Chu was in a bad mood because of his rudeness in the first battle, he still said: "Prime Minister Qin is the prime minister of my great Chu. He has worked hard for the country for many years. It is normal for him to be incompetent. Don't be discouraged. From now on, our great Chu will still need the assistance of Prime Minister Qin. Don't hurt your mind because of a chess game."
When Qin Xiang heard this, he cupped his hands to Emperor Chu and said, "I obey the order."