choke element

Chapter 962 Miraculous Doctor (Part )

For several days after that, it was inevitable that someone would ask Yin Chang's many managers and doctors, wanting to know what they had seen in the past few nights, and whether they could provide any information that would help the other side. But Yin Chang was really a wonderful person. Since he had made it clear that the carriage and horse had nothing to do with the political situation in Goryeo, he would not allow any omissions in this regard.

All those who responded to the invitation and went out late at night to treat and cure people were placed in different courtyards. Each time, the people who responded to a certain party were always a fixed group of people, and different courtyards rarely contacted each other. So the Koreans asked around, but got no results.

The doctors' medical skills were highly praised, and soon there were rumors of miracle cures. The medical skills of Goryeo were taught in the Central Plains. The two Taiping Shenghui Fang, which they regarded as medical classics, were a collection of medical prescriptions that flowed into Goryeo during the Tang and Song dynasties. Therefore, the few people from Song in the caravan were particularly respected. One day, a nobleman came to seek medical treatment in broad daylight.

At this time, who knows whether the so-called nobleman really wants to seek medical treatment or is taking the opportunity to gather information? Such a person was naturally rejected by Yin Chang, who said that he might as well wait until the polo tournament was over.

As the polo tournament draws near, Kaesong maintains a superficial calm while all parties rush to gather and consolidate their forces. In the process, the mutual restraint and tug-of-war between the parties inevitably become more and more intense.

However, compared to what would most likely happen at a polo tournament, these were just minor changes. The deaths of a few insignificant people were suppressed by the tacitly understood officials.

Whether there were any unusual movements or not, it would not affect Yin Chang's activities in Kaesong. Taking advantage of the good time when officials from all parties gathered in Kaesong, he also calmly visited many senior officials who were qualified to send people to participate in the polo tournament, and carefully checked the competition process with them or their capable men.

The whole set of procedures he brought out had been implemented in Kaifeng Prefecture, which was crowded with people, for dozens or even hundreds of years. Its perfection was far superior to that of the Koreans themselves. Therefore, all the preparations went smoothly. Perhaps because of the many people who praised him, Yin Chang was summoned by Cui Zhongxian. Accompanied by Chi Yunshen, he entered Cui Zhongxian's mansion alone and left after more than an hour.

The division of the four classes of people in Goryeo was a hundred times stricter than that in the Central Plains. For a businessman who led a team to organize a polo match, no matter what his previous status was, it was really an honor to be received by the King of Goryeo. Moreover, during the meeting, although Cui Zhongxian was often confused, he showed that he was very much looking forward to the polo match. After that, he summoned Yin Chang twice in a row and gave him some messy instructions.

After each meeting, it was inevitable that someone would approach Yin Chang under various pretexts and ask him in a roundabout way what Cui Zhongxian had to say.

Yin Chang was very shrewd. Whether it was a drinking buddy he met unexpectedly in a tavern or a Goryeo official who came to discuss business, he could understand the purpose of the person. He was also very honest and did not deliberately hide his experiences. He told the truth about what he saw and heard.

He said that Cui Xiang did not tell him anything extra, and he did not say anything to Cui Xiang either. This was mainly because Cui Xiang was mentally tired, which was getting worse day by day. When he was summoned for the first time, he could still speak for half a minute at a time, but when he was summoned for the second time, he could only say three or five sentences and then had to rest for a long time.

During these two meetings, the conversations were all about the polo tournament, and Choi Sang-sang recalled with interest how he rode a fierce horse when he was young. During the third meeting, Choi Sang did speak, but his voice was too weak, and neither Yoon Chang nor Chi Yun-shin could hear what he said.

After asking around several times, he compared Yin Chang's story with what he had learned from Prime Minister Cui's residence, and found that they all matched.

As a result, Yin Chang's every move was gradually overshadowed by the increasingly tense atmosphere in Kaesong. All parties had their own priorities to focus on, and they were all seizing the last bit of time before Cui Zhongxian's death to expand their forces. No one paid much attention to them. At most, they just studied the process of the polo tournament over and over again, and figured out how to act at this time.

A few days later, the polo competition finally began.

This event was first introduced to Goryeo during the Tang Dynasty. Later, when the Liao Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty were strong, the nobles of the two countries also liked it. Therefore, Goryeo gathered officials and nobles every year to hold the event in a grand manner to show the friendship between the country and the superior country.

The polo games popular among the Khitan and Jurchen peoples were much more bloody and cruel than the rituals preserved in the Song Dynasty. Dangerous actions such as collisions, punches, and even horse trampling often occurred during the games, and deaths were not uncommon.

During the Liao Dynasty, Empress Xiao's favorite Han Derang was playing polo with others. He was knocked off his horse by Yelu Hulishi, a member of the Khitan royal family. Empress Xiao immediately beheaded Yelu Hulishi, and no one in the royal family dared to ask for help. This is because polo games are full of dangers and are often used as a semi-public excuse for killing people.

The Koreans learned a lot from this and also held bloody competitions. Every competition became a stage for the nobles to show their strength or take revenge on their opponents, with broken limbs flying everywhere.

It was not until a few years ago when dynasties in the Central Plains changed and the Khitan and Jurchen tribes were visibly in a mess, and the Goryeo Kingdom was unable to grasp the customs of the Central Plains court, that the government stopped organizing this traditional event and instead allowed the people to make a fuss.

Although there have been no games for several years, the rammed earth ground in the center of the court and the surrounding high platforms have never been abandoned and have been well maintained. This is because this place was also the execution ground for the Goryeo Kingdom. The founding monarch of the Wang family slaughtered the entire family of soldiers who surrendered to the enemy here. This tradition has been passed down for hundreds of years, and countless blood has been shed here.

Cui Zhongxian killed even more political enemies in Qiuting. For example, he killed more than 700 people from three clans of his political enemy Li Yimin and others in the early days of his reign, and killed hundreds of generals Zhao Chong, Sun Yong and others for complaining not long ago.

The funny thing is that Kaesong was cramped after all, and Qiujeong was the only open area in the city, so it had to be used for multiple purposes. It was not only a place for executions and killings, but also the place where the Goryeo king held the Eight Pass Meeting and watched music and dance. When the harvest was good, the king personally entertained the country's elderly people over 80 years old here.

With the help of various ceremonies preserved from the past, Yin Chang arranged everything properly on the first day of July.

Since the early morning, fully armed knights have been gathering in various mansions in the city. They are like gurgling streams merging into a torrent, or like hundreds of rivers flowing into a lake, rushing to the north of Shenfeng Gate.

Yin Chang had divided the court into dozens of areas with long fences beforehand, originally only to accommodate the players participating in the polo competition, and at most the nobles themselves, their entourage, and their horses. But the number of people who arrived at this time was much greater than he had expected.

In just one hour, the knights and the warriors who followed them on foot filled up the entire available space around the ball court. Each party dispatched their men to the buildings outside the ball court, and unceremoniously drove away the ordinary people who occupied the outer high platforms and flying bridges, wanting to see the excitement, and grabbed the best seats... It seemed that so many people really loved the game crazily.

Then, the nominal king of Goryeo came out first, sitting under a reed shed surrounded by colorful flags. This king has never taken care of government since he ascended the throne, and has rarely appeared in public in recent years, so the noise in the hall did not stop.

It was not until the person who truly held power in Goryeo leaned on a sedan chair and was respectfully carried to the reed shed seat at the same level as the king that the ministers suddenly became solemn and began to dance and kneel in worship. It was unclear whether the person they were kneeling to was a young puppet or an old and powerful official who was dying.

At this moment, countless colorful flags were flying, countless drums and horns were blasting, countless hundreds of drums were being beaten, and thousands of people were praying respectfully. Yin Chang and his small team were free instead.

Except for those who were maintaining order and arranging for a few local acrobats to perform on stage, the rest of the people sat under the Shenfeng Gate on the south side of the court to enjoy the cool air. A subordinate hurried over and whispered, "Everyone is here, the first game will start soon."

Yin Chang chuckled twice.

"In the early years, I watched the Jurchens play polo in Shandong, and people often died. The Jurchen nobles often used well-equipped cavalry to fight against prisoners from the prison, using polo poles to beat their opponents directly on the field. This way of death is called 'Meng Shuang Te Gu' in the Jurchen language..."

Before he finished speaking, a roar like a tsunami came from the direction of the football field.

Yin Chang turned his eyes and looked past the densely packed flags and spears, only to see a blood mist rising out of thin air in the smoke and dust in the center of the venue.

Without Yin Chang's instructions, the doctors stood up and prepared to start working.

(End of this chapter)