Chapter 114: A Visit to Fangcao Academy—The Ball Game

The Fangcao sports field was the second largest in Lingao, second only to the stadium the Yuanlao Senate had built for military parades and celebrations. However, its facilities were much simpler. There was no grand rostrum, nor were there proper spectator stands. The rostrum and stands were simple structures made of iron frames and wooden planks. For major school-wide sporting events, students had to bring their own stools to the stadium.

The utilization rate of the Fangcao sports field was very high. The physical education classes for the two hundred internal affairs classes were scheduled back-to-back, with eight periods in the morning and evening. There wasn’t a single period when the stadium wasn’t occupied by several classes at once. After school, there was a lack of artificial lighting, so such matches could only be scheduled in the spring when the days grew longer.

The rugby introduced by the Yuanlao Senate was the English style, which was relatively less confrontational and didn’t require complex protective gear. Simple rattan helmets and cotton knee pads would suffice.

Because of its strong confrontational nature, tense rhythm, and high spectator value, coupled with a strong emphasis on teamwork and complex tactical arrangements, rugby was considered a very suitable sport for the “militaristic” ideology of the Yuanlao Senate. Therefore, its promotion and popularization began in Yanchang Village. After a few years, a rudimentary competition system had gradually formed among the naturalized citizens of Lingao. Various factories, offices, farms, and military units had amateur teams. Fangcao Academy not only had its own representative team but also had school leagues divided by age groups.

The match was at one in the afternoon. When Huang Binkun said he was going to watch, everyone in the visiting group, except for Liu Dalin who needed an afternoon nap, expressed their desire to go along. It was certainly more interesting than listening to incomprehensible lectures on campus.

Dong Yizhi was extremely pleased that the local gentry were willing to observe. For matters that could spread their influence, the more the merrier.

At this moment, the observation group was already seated in the stands next to the sports field. The match was not organized for student viewing, and the academic pressure was high, so only about a third of the stands were occupied, with some scattered spectators dotted around the field.

Since it wasn’t an official match, there was no special VIP section, and of course, no one was in charge of reception. It was only after Yuanlao Dong’s personal intervention that the visiting group was led to the front row of seats closest to the field.

The sight of a group of gentry and scholars in long robes and topknots sitting in the stands gave Yuanlao Dong a strong sense of incongruity.

Indeed, long robes and topknots don’t match the Yuanlao Senate, he muttered to himself.

Just as his thoughts wandered to the matter of a hair-cutting decree, a student ran over to report that the match was ready and was just waiting for him to announce the start.

Dong Yizhi was not only the host of the match but also the referee. In fact, he was also the coach of both teams. Since none of the Yuanlao had ever actually played rugby, let alone the English style, they could only read books and then act as coaches. Yuanlao Dong, who only knew how to kick a soccer ball a few times, had also stepped up, relying on books and a small amount of video footage.

After the first kickoff, the scholars from the Jasmine Pavilion sat in the stands, staring blankly at the field. Although they couldn’t understand the changes on the field, they roughly understood that it was two groups of people fighting over a ball and then desperately trying to kick it into a goal. This rough “ball game” left the scholars dumbfounded. Some of the more well-read among them, or those who had been to large cities like Guangzhou, naturally associated this game with Cuju (ancient Chinese football).

Although Cuju was most prosperous during the Tang and Song dynasties, it was also very popular among the common people in the Ming dynasty. However, by this time, Cuju had degenerated into a performative “play” or a self-entertaining activity, losing the competitive content of two teams opposing each other that it had before the Song dynasty. Even its reputation was not very good—the professional Cuju organization, the “Yuan She,” was a role for idlers in the city, mostly serving large households and high-class brothels.

Respectable sons of “scholar-farmer families” like Huang Bingkun wouldn’t even watch activities like Cuju, viewing it as a pastime of the lower classes.

The fact that the Australians also played Cuju made their first reaction that the Australians’ claim to be “descendants of the Great Song” had some basis. Otherwise, why would they also organize this kind of ball game in their schools? They thought this must be a legacy of Emperor Huizong.

However, as the game progressed, the members of the visiting group quickly realized that this “Australian Cuju” had nothing to do with the Cuju they had seen. Not to mention the lack of fancy footwork, the back-and-forth struggle between the two sides and the way the team members cooperated to desperately carry the ball for a touchdown had the air of a military formation.

Although they already knew that the short-haired bandits would “rebel” sooner or later, seeing a group of teenagers on the field already exuding a fierce, combative spirit in a game of Cuju still filled the members of the visiting group with a deep-seated worry. Most of them were not worried for the Great Ming—the Ming court was too far away from them and had little presence in their lives. Rather, the temperament revealed by these young students, carefully cultivated by the Australians, was completely incompatible with their own. If such a group of people were to become officials of a new dynasty in the future, and also become the “scholar-officials,” what would become of people like themselves? Could they still be considered “scholars” of the new dynasty?

At this thought, a few of the scholars already felt restless. “Having learned literary and martial arts, sell them to the emperor’s house”—this had been the ultimate goal of scholars since ancient times. Now, this new “emperor’s house” that was about to raise its own banner seemed to have no interest in their “literary and martial arts.” Hadn’t they studied their books in vain?! Those with active minds and a desire for wealth and glory were already secretly wondering which books they should start reading to learn this Australian knowledge.

Huang Binkun was concentrating on the match. He was gradually beginning to see the patterns. At first, he thought it was just a game of brute force, a matter of who could run faster and who was stronger. But he gradually discovered that there was a certain subtlety of military formation in it. What was even more remarkable was the exquisite cooperation of the team members in snatching and passing the ball. Their forward and backward movements, pincer attacks, and support… all flowed like water, executed in one breath. If this were a battle, they would be first-rate elite soldiers. Thinking of their neat formations in running and doing exercises, a strange thought occurred to Huang Binkun: could it be that the short-haired bandits governed the country with military law?

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw it was Instructor Wang, his face twisted with shame and indignation. He whispered, “Truly, the world is in decline! It corrupts the hearts of men!”

Puzzled, Huang Binkun followed his gaze and saw a section of the stands where more than twenty female students were sitting. They were also divided into two groups, each holding red and blue silk flowers, singing and dancing to the rhythm of the game. Their skirts, which originally only covered their knees, flipped up from time to time as they danced, revealing a hint of wheat-colored thighs above their knee-high socks.

Driven by them, the students watching on the sidelines either shouted or cheered, creating a very lively atmosphere. It made the corner where the visiting group was watching seem particularly deserted.

Huang Binkun had no interest in the female students’ “absolute territory.” He felt that none of this mattered. What mattered was that the short-haired bandits were sparing no effort to bring about the Great Ming’s downfall. If this continued, not only would the Great Ming be finished, but even the eternal unity of China might be destroyed at the hands of these fake Song descendants!

Seeing him remain silent, Wang Ci was about to say a few more words when a horn sounded on the field, and one team announced a substitution.

The person who came on was none other than Huang Ping. This was the first time Huang Binkun had seen his servant boy in such short clothes. In Huang Family Village, a servant boy like Huang Ping, who ran errands in the mansion, would absolutely not be allowed to wear clothes that exposed his legs and arms, which was considered an insult to decency.

He saw his servant boy, Huang Ping, wearing a short shirt with a large “Arabic numeral” on the front and back, a rattan helmet on his head, and thick bands wrapped around all his joints. Huang Binkun suddenly realized that this small, thin boy by his side had grown taller and stronger. His exposed arms and legs were covered in solid muscle as he ran and shouted on the field.

Not long after entering the game, Huang Ping coordinated an attack. Although it didn’t result in a touchdown, the strength and agility he displayed in the attack made Huang Binkun look at him in a new light. How had he never noticed this boy had such ability? He knew that the family servants of the Huang family all had to practice martial arts, and Huang Ping was known for being “useless,” unable to even learn the simple Taizu Long Fist.

“The Australians truly have the Midas touch,” Huang Binkun, who was feeling emotional, suddenly heard Liu Dalin’s voice.

“Headmaster, you—”

“I’m awake. I heard you were all here watching the game, so I came to join the fun,” Liu Dalin said.

“The sun is strong here. Let’s go watch under the canopy,” Huang Binkun quickly helped Liu Dalin to the shade of a nearby awning. Liu Dalin seemed quite interested in this energetic sport, chuckling as he watched the game. But Huang Binkun no longer had any desire to watch. Suddenly, a loud cheer pulled Huang Binkun out of his daze. He saw Huang Ping, in his red jersey, running across the field with his hands raised high, a look of happiness on his face that Huang Binkun had never seen before. While he was still bewildered, Liu Dalin told him:

“That’s a score.”

“Headmaster?!” Huang Binkun was very surprised. The headmaster had difficulty moving and rarely went out, yet he knew so much about the bandits’ affairs!

“My housekeeper’s grandson studies here. He also likes this game of rugby, so I know a thing or two.”

Just as Huang Binkun was about to say something, Huang Ping broke free from the pursuit of his excited teammates who wanted to grab and hug him. He ran towards the stands where his classmates were, and a girl also jumped out with her arms outstretched, and they embraced tightly. This action instantly stunned Huang Binkun. His mind went blank, and he felt something inside him collapse. The sun shone brightly on the entire field, yet the place where he stood was cast in a long shadow.