Chapter 147: All As Witnesses!

  The whole audience was shocked!!

  Dozens of pairs of eyes at this moment; all staring at this young general!

  Xia Ya's face was as usual, suppressing the drum-like heartbeat, slowly approaching the horse of the Emperor of the Riding Gun. On the horse, he only held a long bow horizontally and slightly bowed his head. His tone was neither humble nor arrogant: "Your Majesty, Xia Ya reports for duty!"

  This arrow, if we're talking about accuracy, is likely to surpass even the Eagle Clan's top generals among these people present, not to mention those nobles. Xia Ya's arrow ultimately hit the deer's neck, almost piercing through it with a single shot, blood splashing everywhere, yet somehow didn't manage to take its life. The deer fell before the Emperor of Spears' horse, still struggling weakly without losing consciousness.

  If it were an archery expert, one arrow would have sufficed and this deer would have been dead long ago.

  However, Xia Ya's arrow was superior in terms of power!

  It's too powerful! Too overwhelming!!

  On the trunks of those two giant trees in the distance, there were holes the size of eggs, completely shot through with one arrow! Under the super strong penetrating power of the聚啸弓, one arrow shot through two dogwood trees, and the remaining force was enough to shoot a grown male deer flying?!

  Such power is simply monstrous!!

  This arrow, although not shot at the deer's vital spot, was victorious in its power! The arrowhead pierced through the deer's neck, and the force of the bowstring shattered the deer's neck bones instantly! So this deer, though not dead, could no longer jump or struggle, but could only lie there quietly bleeding to death.

  Among the dozens of gazes that were either astonished, admiring, or jealous, Xia Ya simply maintained her resolute expression as she gazed at the Emperor of the Riding Gun, while a faint smile appeared on the face of Emperor Kantes. The smile was shallow, but it came from the heart!

  The Emperor of the Riding Gun is very satisfied, this kid, indeed earned face for himself.

  The great emperor nodded, and immediately several courtiers came up beside him, holding golden knives and kneeling on the ground. One knife cut open the deer's throat, drawing out a bowl of steaming hot deer blood. Then, with skilled hands, they cut off the deer's antlers. Emperor Constantine quietly surveyed the nobles behind him, then smiled warmly: "Xia Yu is indeed brave and martial, my good son among the Byzantine emperors!"

  At this time, some quick-witted people had already rushed to speak out loud: "Your Majesty has a discerning eye! General Xia Ya has been recognized by Your Majesty and will surely make great achievements in the future, not disappointing Your Majesty's expectations!!"

  Someone laughed and said: "The gods have blessed him, I salute the young heroes of the Byzantine army! That is Your Majesty's great fortune!"

  Several eagle-like strong men with gentle smiles on their faces looked at Xia Ya, they had long heard of Xia Ya's name, but after all, everyone was in the military, and that so-called "injury to Blackstein" incident, what exactly happened inside, everyone knew very well, so at first, no one paid much attention to this Xia Ya. Now looking at him showing his face, that arrow although its accuracy was just average, but the power of that strong bow was really astonishing, it seems that he is not a nameless thief, he actually has some skills. Moreover, Xia Ya and the eagle-like fatty Luer and mad dog Gelin are friends, since they all deliberately took a stand to help this kid gain fame, so-called going with the flow, one by one they laughed and opened their mouths to praise him a few times. The emperor heard it, his face clearly became more pleased, looked at Xia Ya, but saw that this kid's face didn't change color, not showing any signs of self-satisfaction, in his heart he was even more satisfied.

  Below, the waiters held up a tray with the cut-off deer antlers and deer blood. According to convention, the emperor would reward this first deer's prey to his ministers. As for who would be rewarded, that was a matter of great importance! Those who could receive the emperor's favor were usually the people he trusted and appreciated most recently. In previous years, if Duke Minas attended, then the first share of the reward would naturally go to Duke Minas or his son. Apart from Duke Minas, the General of the Imperial City Guard and the Chief Executor of the Imperial Capital had also received this honor.

  "Is it today?"... Indeed! The emperor smiled faintly: "Since this deer was hunted by Xia Ya, let's reward him with the thing!"

  After finishing speaking, Your Majesty raised his eyelids and took a look at Xia Ya.

  Xia Xi still made a bold and fearless expression, nodded slightly without humility or arrogance, took the bowl of deer blood handed over by the servant, and swallowed it in one gulp without caring about the bloody smell.

  The deer's blood was extremely gamey, but for the soft-shelled turtle who had grown up in the mountains and forests since childhood, this gaminess was nothing. He had gone through days of drinking blood and eating fur, let alone a little fresh blood?

  Moreover, deer blood is a great tonic. Xia Ya finished drinking it in one gulp and still seemed to be savoring the aftertaste. He wiped the blood from his mouth and his eyes shone brightly: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

  Today, the nobles who have arrived at the scene are all first-class aristocrats in the imperial capital. At this moment, they see that a young man named Xia Ya has actually received such favor from His Majesty, which is something that has never happened before. After being shocked and amazed, they also made secret calculations: This month, since he has received such favor from His Majesty, his future prospects will be great! Although it is said to be only a baronial title for now, with actual power as the military equipment officer of a county (this title and position may seem high-ranking and powerful to ordinary people, but to true aristocrats, they are still insignificant), since he has received His Majesty's favor, following His Majesty's intentions, showing some kindness to this young man can be a long-term investment. If His Majesty finds out, he will naturally be delighted.

  At this time, the abacus was busy, and Shanggui was already on the list of people to be won over by many wealthy and powerful families present without even knowing it.

  The Emperor of the Cavalry seems to be in a good mood today, and it's not clear why. Looking at Xia Ya, this young lad, with his military general demeanor, he looks pleasing to the eye no matter how you look at him. His actions earlier have already helped Xia Ya save face greatly.

  He suddenly felt like it, and let the attendant next to him take the arrow that had been taken from the deer's body and hand it over. The emperor picked up the arrow and took a look at it. The weight of it in his hand made the emperor feel somewhat satisfied, and he couldn't help but glance at Xia Ya again.

  He is a famous gunner, with many years of military career. Although he is now old in age, his eyes are still sharp! Such heavy arrows, made of pure iron, with three-edged arrowheads that can cause bleeding, require great arm strength from the archer!

  Among the young nobles who have participated in the hunting meeting over the years, although some of them have tried their best to gain my favor, the young nobles from the imperial aristocratic families have lived too comfortably and indulgently. They are often drunk and infatuated with wealth and women, and their bodies have become soft and weak from being immersed in luxury and alcohol for a long time. Where is the bravery and martial spirit? In previous hunting meetings, these young men competed to show off, with some having attendants helping them cheat, while others who claimed to be "true talents" were only skilled at empty and impractical techniques. Their archery was accurate but lacked power. Using hollow bamboo arrows, they could shoot accurately within a few dozen steps, but once the distance increased, the wind would blow and the arrow would become crooked. This kind of archery is only good for deceiving people, not for real combat.

  The Emperor of the Riding Gun grasped the arrow shaft, and suddenly a hint of essence flashed in his eyes, and both hands exerted force to bend it!

  With a "ka" sound, the arrow shaft was bent by the Emperor's strength, but it didn't break! The Emperor had a satisfied expression on his face as he threw the bent arrow shaft to the ground and looked at Xia Ya: "How much does this arrow weigh?" Xia Ya looked at the arrow on the ground with some heartache - after all, this arrow was worth a lot of money! When he heard the Emperor's question, he was taken aback for a moment before answering: "Three catties." Three catties? The Emperor laughed loudly: "Good! In my younger years, I used golden arrows that weighed only two catties!" He paused and glanced at Xia Ya: "Hmm, I broke your arrow, and you seem to be heartbroken?" Xia Ya didn't hide his feelings - he had already noticed that the Emperor seemed to like people who spoke their minds. Since that was the case, he might as well let go of his reserve. He said loudly: "Yes, this arrow is made with great care, and its cost is high. I only have twenty arrows in total, and now that Your Majesty has broken one, next time I'll have to be more frugal!" Hahaha! Very good! A warrior cherishing his weapon is a matter of course! The Emperor suddenly looked at the Crown Prince, who had been standing behind him without saying a word. From the moment Xia Ya shot the deer, everyone had been praising him, but the Crown Prince had remained expressionless and silent.

  The emperor scrutinized the crown prince, hesitated for a moment, before speaking "I broke this kid's arrow, can't let you waste a good weapon." He looked at the crown prince "Garcia!" The father! Garcia bowed slightly on horseback, his movements still as precise as a ruler.

  "The imperial workshop is under your control, so I'll entrust you with a task," the emperor said calmly. "Baron Summer's arrow, go back and ask him for one, then rush to make 100 of them as a gift for Baron Summer. As for the expenses, they will be allocated from the palace budget." The emperor looked at Xia again: "Warriors kill enemies, how can they lack divine equipment! Xia, do you understand my intention?" Xia was overjoyed, patted his chest hard, and saluted: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me an arrow!" "Haha! Very good, I grant you deer blood and deer horn, such a great honor that cannot be bought with 10,000 gold coins, yet you don't thank me. But when it comes to the 100 sharp arrows, you open your mouth to thank me! Very good!" The emperor laughed heartily and rode his horse towards the forest, walking a few steps before turning back to look at Xia and smiling warmly: "Young man, what are you dazed about? Follow me!" This series of actions openly showing favoritism was rarely seen in years! Amidst the astonished expressions of the surrounding nobles, Xia's face remained unchanged as he followed on horseback, carefully keeping a distance of one horse position behind the emperor.

  The nobles behind him hurried to catch up, and along the way, people discussed it enthusiastically. Many people who had originally planned to make a big show today had already faded away, and everyone understood that no matter how they performed from now on, they would absolutely not be able to surpass the prestige of this Marquis Shaya. Even if you really surpassed him, you might not only fail to please the Emperor but also provoke his displeasure.

  A group of people walked in the forest, Prince Garcia looked at Shaya who was riding alongside him and said calmly: "Baron Shaya, please give me one of your arrows."

  He took the arrow handed over by Xia Ya and looked at it: "Within ten days, I will send a hundred more." Along the way, the prince only said these two sentences to Xia Ya, and nothing else. In Xia Ya's heart, he was muttering that he had heard that this prince hated him to death because of the Bang Folete incident, but today it seemed that there was no obvious hostility, thinking that people at this level would not easily reveal their true thoughts even if they wanted to.

  Shaya couldn't help but take a closer look at the crown prince, who was also a handsome man. Compared to Bahnfreedt, Garcia had a similar facial structure, but lacked his bold and heroic aura, instead giving off a slightly more feminine vibe.

  Although the old Emperor Taizong of Tang was frail and had a sickly complexion, his eyebrows would occasionally flash with spirit, like an aging lion that although in decline, would still occasionally reveal its sharpness, making one not dare to underestimate him.

  However, this crown prince's demeanor is full of solemnity, although he has the etiquette of being brought up in the imperial family, but it gives people a sense of stiffness and weakness. He is obviously under thirty years old, yet he lacks the vigor that a young man of his age should have.

  Are all those who like to take shortcuts so ambiguous and mysterious?

  By the afternoon, it had become a stage for young people to show off. After a few dignitaries made some symbolic moves, they gave way to the young people. The young masters from various noble families came on stage, bringing their entourage of knights, dispersing in the forest, each going hunting on their own.

  Not long after, the young nobles returned one by one, bringing back rich spoils of the hunt. Just looking at those deer, foxes and pheasants, it was unclear whether they were the prey of these young aristocrats or the handiwork of their skilled and powerful knightly attendants.

  Apart from hunting, there were also some archery competitions, setting up targets and having young men compete in shooting, often with some prizes to be won. These were all retained projects from previous years, and the emperor was delighted to see these scenes, hoping to use this to inspire the young nobles not to forget their martial spirit.

  This year, with Xia Ya's shooting deer in the lead, the rest of the gamblers seem somewhat unenthusiastic. Among them are young and vigorous people who are secretly dissatisfied that Xia Ya has stolen everyone's thunder, but they don't dare to find trouble with Xia Ya at this time.

  Shang Bie also has a sense of self-awareness, he knows that his archery skills are not bad, but far from being the best in the field. In this kind of competition and gambling, he hides behind the emperor and doesn't show up or participate, which is what it means to hide one's abilities.

  It was just a leisurely occasion, and some nobles came up to chat with him. In the conversation, Xia Ya remembered that the Emperor was nearby, so he deliberately pretended to be a rough and unrefined military officer who didn't understand anything. Following the principle of "the more you say, the more mistakes you make; the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make; not saying anything makes no mistakes", he spoke sparingly but politely, expressing goodwill in his words. However, amidst this goodwill, a hint of formality and distance also slipped out. Sure enough, the Emperor glanced over at him several times from afar, seeing that Xia Ya knew his place, and couldn't help but feel increasingly pleased.

  Don't be fooled! He's very clear about the intentions of these aristocratic families who come to curry favor with him! Without a powerful background or connections, he's just a small fry from the mountains! If it weren't for the emperor's appreciation, these aristocratic families probably wouldn't even give him a glance! So, their attempts to win him over shouldn't be taken too seriously. As long as he has the emperor's favor, these people will continue to try to ingratiate themselves with him in the future, no need to appear overly enthusiastic on an occasion like today.

  It can be seen from this that Xia Ya is a cunning and vicious person!

  In the afternoon's hunt, Xia Ya never shot another arrow again, keeping a low profile. Until nightfall, the servants from the palace had gathered all the hunted game together, then lit up piles and piles of bonfires. The master chefs from various palaces took to the stage, roasting sheep, deer, chicken, and other wild game, filling the entire camp with fragrance!

  A grand outdoor barbecue party has begun. The emperor himself is full of interest, he has long been tired of the greasy and hypocritical banquets in the palace, those greasy smells, those hypocritical sounds, those palace etiquette, those decorated peace... At this moment, in this camp, large pieces of roasted meat, big mouthfuls of wine, swords by their side, bows and arrows on their flank! Such an atmosphere makes him recall his youthful years, when he was fighting battles in the south and north, the days when he ate at Maosiling in the military camp.

  One barrel after another of fine wine was brought out, and Xia Ya once again stole the show!

  He was originally a good drinker, and these nobles, how could they be the opponents of this natural wine barrel cultivated by the old guys since childhood?

  The emperor specially praised him with a couple of sentences, Xia Ya was straightforward and open-minded, drinking freely, not long after, several young nobles who were dissatisfied with his show-off today came to toast him, but ended up getting drunk themselves and being carried away by their subordinates.

  Xia Zhan got drunk and took off his upper body armor and leather robe, revealing a robust physique like that of a small bull, with clear muscle lines, as if carved by a knife or axe, full of explosive power!

  How can those aristocrats who have been emptied of their bodies by luxury and wealth, with brains full of fat, be compared to him?

  The emperor looked over and saw Xia Ya sitting there with her upper body exposed. His eyes suddenly narrowed, he raised his hand and pointed "Xia Ya, come here!"

  Although there was a lot of noise around him, as soon as the emperor spoke, everyone else immediately fell silent!

  Xia Ya didn't mince words and walked right up to the Emperor's face. Emperor Cantos had also drunk several times more, his face slightly flushed, looking at Xia Ya's muscles, on which there were still scars! With the eyes of a great emperor, it was not difficult to see that these were left behind in the military camp!

  "Xia Ya, stand up straight and let everyone take a good look at the scars on your body!" The emperor suddenly stood up, laughing "Ha ha! A fine young man, scars are the best medals! What's there to be ashamed of? Stand up straight for me!"

  The emperor was indeed drunk and actually said, "Laozi..." Xia Ya is a reckless person like a rolling knife, the emperor has spoken, what else is he afraid of?

  "Wine, come!!" The emperor roared loudly, and the servant next to him quickly brought over a wine cup. The emperor took one look at it, glared, and with one kick of his foot, kicked the servant to the ground: "Fool! Get a bigger cup!!"

  The waiter rolled and crawled down, and soon brought up a large wooden cup. The emperor held the wine cup and shouted loudly: "Xia Ya! Count the scars on your body! Tell me the origin of these scars one by one! If what you say is wonderful, I will use your words to drink! You say one, and I'll drink one cup! Let's see how many cups you can make me drink today!"

  Although there were palace maids and eunuchs around, tense with the emperor's body, at this moment, the emperor glared, who dared to speak out? And coincidentally, Crown Prince Garsia had left early in the evening, presumably not wanting to stay with Xia Ya for too long.

  Xia Ya hesitated for a moment, and then heard the Emperor's cold laugh: "Good boy, you're so timid! What are you afraid of!" Xia Ya was stimulated by this, and his drunkenness took over: "Who says I'm afraid?! Fine! Listen up!" "This scar on my left shoulder is from an arrow wound! During my first battle, I was ambushed by Odin's archers halfway through, and I got hit by an arrow. But on that mountain slope, I killed more than a dozen Odin warriors! Not only did I not lose out, but I made a huge profit!" As soon as he finished speaking, the Emperor thunderously applauded, downed a full cup of wine, and loudly laughed: "Good!"

  "That one battle I heard you tell, you cut down one of Odin's Emperors with a single sword!" "Prince! Well done!!" The two scars on the right side are from the Great Plains Battle of Alpakt, where I charged into the valley and was shot by two arrows. Those two arrows almost took my life! But I managed to kill an Odin priest, so it wasn't a loss!" "Good!" The Emperor drank another cup, laughing: "A good man will settle his debts, even if it takes ten years! If you meet that person who shot you on the battlefield again, beheading him won't be too late!" "This one is from the Blackstone sneak attack on our 13th Cavalry Regiment's camp. We fought a bloody battle for half a day. I jumped out of the camp gate and clashed with the enemy. In the chaos, some Odin soldier's knife cut off two pounds of my flesh! Haha! It hurt so much that I screamed loudly, but I still made a profit!" And this one... Ah, this is from an Odin beast warrior." This was stabbed by a knife, but Old Lan dodged quickly and I chopped that guy's head open with an axe!" "Hmm, to be honest, Your Majesty, this one wasn't actually inflicted by the enemy. It was when I first joined the army and didn't know how to ride a horse. I fell off while practicing horse riding, haha!" Xia pointed at each scar on his body, telling stories about them one by one. Some he remembered clearly, some he himself couldn't recall. The Emperor, however, was in high spirits, with a red face and a big smile. Every time Xia told a story, the Emperor would drink another cup! Using Xia's words to accompany his drinking.

  After Xia Ya said seven or eight things, the emperor was already drunk and couldn't stand steadily. The palace servant who was pouring wine beside him looked tense and secretly made some moves while pouring wine several times. At first, he still poured a full cup, but later on, it was only half a cup at most. The emperor was too drunk to notice.

  Although it was like this, Xia Ya said in one breath, the emperor also drank a lot, and finally shook for a moment, thudded backwards and sat down on the chair, threw away his wine cup, panted heavily, spouted out wine fumes from his mouth, stared at Xia Ya with wide eyes: "Xia Ya, you're in the military, can you sing military songs! Sing!!" At this moment, the banquet had completely stopped, and it had become a stage for just Jiguang Emperor and Xia Ya. The emperor was extremely drunk, and Xia Ya's head was also hot, surrounded by piercing gazes, he couldn't care about anything else anymore.

  Sing a song? I won't sing a song." Xia Ya thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered that some time ago, he had gone to the military department and saw the statue of Duke Osgiliath, the legendary founding hero of the empire.

  Chubby Ruru and Green revered the legendary Tulip Duke, and Shaya had also privately asked Chubby about some of his heroic deeds. Suddenly recalling what Chubby had said at the time, the Tulip Duke had written a poem to boost morale when he was young and fought in many battles. Shaya's brain was on fire now, and he suddenly jumped onto the stage of the Riding Gun Dog Emperor, grabbed the candelabra as a hammer, used the table as a drum, and sang loudly.

  This poem is short, just two sentences.

  What if!

  We won't go to battle!

  So!

  The enemy will point at our skeletons and say!

  "That's a slave!!" The poem originally had several more lines, but Xia Ya's head was burning with fever at the moment and couldn't remember much. Fortunately, he only sang these two sentences. Suddenly, the Emperor of the Riding Gun sitting there burst out with a fiery gaze in his eyes! With a loud slap, he slammed the table and stood up!

  The emperor's tall figure was suddenly filled with heroic spirit, where was the usual sickly and tired look? Like a male lion, he showed his fangs!

  "Assassin!!!!!!" Xia Ya's eyes widened in shock, and the candelabra in her hand fell to the ground as she turned around to stare at the Emperor.

  The Emperor's eyes blazed like a fire: "I heard that in the Battle of Wildfire Plains, you shouted out a slogan: Kill Odin people! Kill Odin people! Kill more Odin people!! Is this true?!" "Yes!" Xia Yan replied with his head held high.

  "Good!!" The emperor burst into a loud, maniacal laughter three times, then fixed his gaze on Xia Ya: "You go to Mor County and take office, that is the border of the Byzantine Empire! I give you three years, within three years, if you can kill 30,000 Odin people, I will make you an earl!!!!!! One day, if you can bring me the head of Hastings, I will make you a duke!!!!!!" As he spoke, the emperor suddenly stumbled and supported himself with his hand on the table, looking at the many nobles below who were already stunned into silence. The old emperor's voice was tinged with a hint of desolation and grandeur:

  "If I die early, Xia will make a name for himself in the future! This dukedom will be conferred by the next emperor!! All of you present are imperial nobles, bear witness!!"