The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 288

"Master Xu, what kind of football are you talking about?" Xu Tian simply nodded, then drew the shape of a football on the paper and said, "This football is made of an extremely tough and elastic material."

This basketball is quite similar to the ancient Chinese game of Cuju (蹴鞠), except that in Cuju, you simply kick the ball into a round wooden board, while in basketball, there are nets hanging on two very tall frames; you win by throwing the ball into the opponent's net.

Hearing that Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and basketball were similar, the two men's eyes lit up. In the past, only their cousins ​​could play it; children like them were not allowed to touch it.

Sure enough, Master Xu said, "At your age, you two probably can't even touch a basketball backboard."

Zhang Yunlie immediately said, "Master, what about the football? We can play football now, right?"

Gu Zhihuai nodded immediately.

Xu Tian said from the side, "This is a football, it's a ball that's kicked with your feet, so of course you can play with it too."

Imagine modern children playing soccer on the playground, forming soccer matches, and then saying, "We need to make two huge nets."

As he spoke, he quickly drew a few strokes on the paper. Gu Zhihuai and Zhang Yunlie came over, glanced at it, and then nodded, saying, "This is easy. We can have the servants do it later."

"The material of this soccer ball is similar to that of a basketball, except that the soccer ball's material is smoother." He then drew the shape of a basketball on the paper.

Zhang Yunlie and Gu Zhihuai immediately regarded the picture as a treasure, and then they saw the two of them disappear from Xu Tian's sight.

"This time, my father saw that I was going out to study alone, so he brought a lot of rare treasures with me, including a nine-colored golden toad skin. If I send it to the skilled craftsmen in the city, they will surely be able to make the football that Master Xu mentioned."

Gu Zhihuai nodded and took out the things behind him.

"This is a treasure of my family called Heavenly Silkworm Silk. Don't underestimate this small piece of silk. If we weave it into a large net, we can play football."

In less than a day, the soccer ball and basketball net were delivered to the two of them.

Yesterday morning during PE class, Xu Tian was leading the students in a run when he noticed some strange things on the playground. His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Are those a soccer ball and a soccer net?"

Zhang Yunlie and Gu Zhihuai immediately waved to their friends and said, "We already asked Master Xu about the rules of this game yesterday."

"We will pair up, twelve people per group, for a total of two groups. Each team will play one match, and each team must have no more than eleven players. Each team must have one goalkeeper. Each team may have one substitute player during the match."

In the case of a "friendly match", up to five substitute players are allowed. With the referee's permission, substitute players may replace players during a break in the match.

In each match, each team's head coach can freely adjust the players' entry and exit from the field, but each team only has three substitution opportunities per match, and substituted players cannot return to the field.

A substitute player may only enter the field after the player has been substituted off; no player may enter or leave the field without the referee's permission.

"Is this football even fun? And you actually made a ball out of the skin of a nine-colored golden toad? Aren't you afraid that when you get back to Wu County, Master Wu and Madam Wu will skin you alive?"

Gu Zhihuai and Zhang Yunlie immediately frowned and said, "I'm asking you, are you still going to play or not? He not only made a sphere out of the Nine-Colored Golden Toad, but let me tell you again, it's not a sphere, it's a soccer ball, inviting you to play. That's a sign of respect for you. Moreover, I also made a fence out of our family's heirloom silkworm net."

The other young men from prominent families, seeing the football, decided to give it a try. They said, "Since you're so enthusiastic, we'll join you. But we only have eight people; we're still short sixteen."

“That’s easy. Didn’t Changsun Wuji bring 180 disciples? We can choose from among them. I’m asking you if you can put aside your sectarian prejudices.”