Chapter 62: Invitation (Part 2)

  After seeing off Wen Qing, Yan Zhong, who was in charge of entertaining guests, came to report to Gao Yuan again and received two invitations.

  Actually, although Gao Yuan is now at home due to illness, after the rescue of Luo Huan, his reputation has become even more renowned. As a result, there are almost unending streams of people coming to visit and pay their respects every day. Of course, the vast majority are just ordinary visits, all handled by Yan Zhong and Geng Zhong. Moreover, at least ten invitations can be received every day, either inviting Gao Yuan to attend birthday celebrations or rushing to attend wedding banquets.

  Gao Yuan of course did not want to participate in these activities, he had only been an official for a few days and apart from Li Mu and Sima Sang, there were hardly any other familiar ministers. Now his heart was focused on saving Li Mu's life, resisting the invasion of Qin State, training the Zhao army, and didn't have the energy to deal with these comings and goings. Therefore, he also ordered Geng Zhong and Yan Zhong to decline all invitations, anyway, he was currently recuperating from illness, which was a very good reason.

  Of course, general invitations can be declined by Yan Zhen and Geng Zhong, but some important officials' invitations, although Gao Yuan did not show up in person, Geng Zhong arranged for someone to prepare gifts and go to congratulate them. These things were handled very properly by Geng Zhong and would not lose courtesy. But there are also a few invitations that cannot be pushed away. For example, these two now.

  The first one was sent by Wu Lie, asking Gao Yuan to attend a banquet at the Lie Wu Pavilion at noon. Not only is Wu Lie closely related to the military, but he also has a special status that can be eaten in both the black and white ways of Handan. It's just that this time, when rescuing Luo Huan, Gao Yuan and Lie Wu Pavilion also had a good relationship, so it was reasonable for him to invite Gao Yuan, who couldn't refuse this invitation.

  Moreover, the plateau's impression of Wu Lie and his daughter was not bad either. After seeing Qing Dong, he nodded and said: "Since it's an invitation from the master of the Wu Mansion, I should also go to the appointment. You quickly arrange for gifts, call Wang Hu and Wang Bao, and prepare to go out with me."

  Geng Zhong hastily said: "Yes, and there's a second invitation from Dong, it was sent by Gong Shu Jia, he's invited a group of famous scholars to gather, and would like to invite Your Excellency to attend." As he spoke, he handed the invitation to Gao Yuan.

  Although Zhao Jia did not hold any official position, his status was special and he was known as the second Pingyuanjun in Zhao State. He liked to associate with famous scholars and had many well-known scholars among his guests. Zhao Jia often hosted banquets for famous scholars, allowing them to express their opinions freely, even publicly debating. This time, when Zhao Jia invited Gao Yuan, it was also such a banquet. Not only did several renowned scholars from Handan attend, but also two important figures, Chunyu Bao and his daughter Chunyu Zhongxiu.

  Gao Yuan looked at Zhao Jia's invitation and asked: "What kind of people are Chunyu Bo and his daughter Chunyu Zhongxiu?"

  Geng Zhongdao said: "Xun Yu Bo was a man of the Song state, originally named Liang. Because he was well-versed in the teachings of various schools of thought, his name was changed to Xun Yu Bo. He was still a renowned scholar throughout the land. By nature, he liked to travel to different countries and converse with scholars from those countries. No matter where he went, he was always treated as an honored guest by the rulers of those countries. It is said that the rulers of Qi, Chu, and Wei all wanted to make him their prime minister. However, he had a strange habit - throughout his life, he never set foot in any royal palace. If a ruler wanted to see him, they would have to meet outside the palace. Since he wouldn't even enter a royal palace, naturally he also wouldn't serve as an official in any country."

  Gao Yuan nodded, "In the pre-Qin era, many scholars still maintained a rather good demeanor, after all, the temptation of becoming a prime minister was not something that anyone could resist. He said, 'To be well-versed in the teachings of various schools of thought is indeed no easy feat.'"

  Geng Zhong smiled and said, "Actually, the so-called hundred schools of thought, only a dozen or so have truly had an impact. But to be well-versed in over a dozen schools of thought is indeed extremely rare."

  "What about his daughter?"

  Geng Zhongdao said: "Actually, his daughter Chunyu Zhongxiu's reputation is even more impressive. It is said that she was born with a beautiful appearance and exceptional talent, and her intelligence and knowledge are not inferior to those of her father. Along with Qi Guo's Luo Mingzhu and Chu Guo's Wu Xiyan, she is known as one of the three greatest talented women in the world. This time, the father-daughter duo has finished their tour of Qin Guo and happened to come to Zhao Guo on their way back." After a pause, he continued: "Moreover, Chunyu Zhongxiu is only 19 years old this year and has not yet married. Young nobles from various countries all dream of marrying her. Doesn't the great lord want to meet this talented woman?"

  When he said that, Gao Yuan was also slightly moved, because this is the normal reaction of any man. When they learn that there is a beautiful woman, they all want to go and take a look. Moreover, Zhao Jia's identity is different after all. If he refuses this invitation, it will not be beneficial to himself. Moreover, the State of Qin has already sent an envoy to the State of Zhao. The two are almost at the same time in the State of Zhao. Is there any connection between them? Therefore, Gao Yuan also nodded and said: "Okay, you go back and reply, just say that I will definitely come at that time."

  Geng Zhong responded with a sound, and immediately returned. After Geng Zhong left, Gao Yuan also took Wang Hu and Wang Bao brothers and a team of guards from the mansion to rush to Lie Wu's residence.

  When they arrived at the entrance of Lie Wu Xing Guan, the guard at the door had already received Wu Lie's order. As soon as he saw Gao Yuan coming, he immediately warmly invited them into the martial arts hall.

  As soon as they entered the martial arts hall, they saw that the large performance arena was already packed with people, and bursts of applause erupted from time to time. Wu Lie led Wu Zhanpeng, who had his arm in a sling, and their disciple Zhong Sunqi to greet them.

  Wu Lie cupped his hands and bowed, saying: "Lord Gao's willingness to condescend to visit the Wu Manor is truly a great honor for me."

  Gao Yuan also returned the courtesy: "The master of the martial arts hall is too polite."

  Wu Lie laughed loudly and pulled Gao Yuan's hand, saying: "Come on, let's go take a look at the competition between those two girls first, and then we'll invite the adults to come in and rest."

  Gao Yuan was also stunned and said: "Why are you fighting again?"

  Wu Lie shook his head repeatedly and said, "These two girls, as long as they see each other, they must compete with each other, I have no way to stop them." As he spoke, he pulled Gao Yuan away from the crowd and entered the martial arts arena.

  At a glance, it turned out that the two were competing in archery. About 100 meters away, two targets stood on each side, about two feet long and wide, with a red heart the size of a teacup painted in the center. Li Yinghong and Wu Hongying stood side by side, holding their bows and arrows, aiming at the targets in front of them. A disciple waved a red flag and shouted: "Fire!"

  The two of them almost simultaneously released their hands, and the two feathered arrows flew out like shooting stars, producing a sharp whistling sound. "Twang" twice, both hit the target in front of them, and at this time, four or five feathered arrows were already inserted on the target.

  The two of them exchanged a glance, each drew another arrow and nocked it in their bow, preparing for the next round of shooting.

  Gao Yuan only then noticed that the bows and arrows used by the two were not the wooden single-body bows commonly used in the military, but rather composite horn bows. Gao Yuan now knew that these composite bows were made from a combination of materials including wood, cow or deer horns, glue, tendons, silk, and lacquer.

  However, due to the fact that composite bows use different materials at different positions according to their respective requirements, the efficiency of composite bows is much higher than that of single-wood bows. With the same force applied to draw the bow, the range of a composite bow is far greater than that of a single-wood bow. Moreover, the lifespan of a composite bow is also much longer than that of a single-wood bow. The lifespan of a composite bow is at least around ten years, and high-quality ones can last up to twenty or thirty years. In contrast, the lifespan of a single-wood bow generally does not exceed three years.

  However, the manufacturing process of horn bows is also extremely complex. Because different processes require different seasons to be carried out, such as taking wood in winter, taking horns in spring, smelting tendons in summer, and gluing them together in autumn, then experiencing the cold air of winter, and being strung again in spring, dried with high temperature in summer. Every process must be meticulous. Even an ordinary composite bow takes at least two years to complete, while a high-quality composite bow often takes five or six years, or even ten years to complete.

  It is precisely because of this that the cost of a composite bow far exceeds that of a single-body bow. A high-quality composite bow can be worth over 100 taels of gold, not inferior to a nine-forged iron sword. Therefore, in the military, single-body bows are still the mainstay, and only a small number of elite troops are equipped with composite bows. High-quality composite bows are all private possessions of great generals or divine archers.

  Although Li Yinghong and Wu Hongying now use ordinary compound bows, the range is much greater than that of a single bow, with an effective range of nearly 100 meters.

  At this time, the two of them each drew their bows and shot arrow after arrow towards the target in front of them. Every single arrow hit the target, with most of them hitting the red center, drawing cheers from the surrounding disciples.

  Now, archery is the weakest link in Gao Yuan's personal martial arts. After all, he had hardly ever practiced archery techniques before, and archery is also a technique with no shortcuts. In modern armies, there is a saying that "godly marksmen are fed with bullets." Actually, godly archers are the same. Gao Yuan used to be an excellent marksman, but the aiming method of modern firearms is completely different from ancient archery. Gao Yuan can't do anything about it; after all, he has only been in this era for three or four months and still has a lot to catch up on.

  The two of them shot five or six more rounds, and only then did they put down their bows and arrows. Two younger brothers immediately ran over, took the target, and came to the front of the two. Both of them had shot ten arrows, with seven hitting the red heart. However, Li Yinghong had two arrows that were closer to the red heart, but one arrow hit the edge of the target, barely missing by less than an inch. Wu Hongying's other three arrows were more evenly distributed. Overall, they were basically even.

  "Alright, alright. This time the archery contest is a draw between you two again. Let's settle the winner next time. Come, Yinghong, Hongying, go to your room and rest for a while."

  The two girls, Wu Lie and Li Yinghong, also had no objection to the verdict. Wu Hongying hugged her father's left hand, while Li Yinghong went to Gao Yuan's side, and together they stepped into the main hall of the Wu Mansion.