Chapter Sixty-Six: Within Arm's Reach

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Dou Chen looked at the assembled candidates who were all ready, but his mind lingered on Pei Min’s ambiguous gaze. He felt as though Pei Min had seen through something and was contemplating whether to continue targeting him. Just then, a voice beside him asked, “Who are you favoring?”

Startled, Dou Chen took a cautious step back, feeling guilty as if caught in a misdeed. He saw his superior, Guo Yuanzhen, watching him with a peculiar expression. Dou Chen hurriedly covered, “He Zheng is the son of He Yuanfang from the Longyou horse ranch. His horsemanship is quite excellent.”

Guo Yuanzhen nodded but said nothing.

Dou Chen, gathering his courage, asked, “Minister Guo, what brings you here today?”

Guo Yuanzhen smiled and said, “As expected! This military examination is a major affair for the Ministry of War. As Minister, how could I not attend? Not just this year, but from now on, we must establish a rule to treat the military exam as one of our most important tasks. Unless war breaks out, everyone must take it seriously to select more outstanding talents for our Great Tang.”

Dou Chen was stunned, quickly retracting all his schemes. Having served in the Ministry of War for years, he was well aware of Guo Yuanzhen’s formidable reputation. To try any tricks in front of him was akin to courting death.

As the signal sounded, Pei Min increased his speed. After passing the lane, he suddenly squeezed his horse’s flank and surged into second place, precisely behind the leader, running comfortably.

Guo Yuanzhen and Dou Chen found Pei Min’s running style baffling and were utterly perplexed.

In later times, Pei Min’s style would be called drafting.

At this time, the race was straightforward, mostly a headlong rush to first place, especially direct and blunt. To run as Pei Min did—without trying to overtake but sticking closely behind the leader—was unprecedented.

Yet, drafting had two major advantages: first, reducing air resistance, a fact supported by science; second, as a follower, the psychological pressure was much less, without the leader’s distraction of watching whether someone was overtaking from behind. As a time traveler from the twenty-first century, Pei Min’s grasp of physics and psychological tactics gave him a thousand-year advantage over this era—his greatest asset.

Unaware of who the leader was, Pei Min admired his exceptional horsemanship. After securing first place through a forward-leaning sprint technique, the leader steadily led the race, allowing Pei Min to follow comfortably behind.

He Zheng, horse and rider as one, was in his best form. Horsemanship was his greatest reliance; this round must not be lost. Raised since childhood among horses with his father, gifted in selecting horses, he personally examined all the mounts during Pei Min’s tussle with a giant man. He chose a superb horse with both explosive power and endurance, intending to use its burst speed to seize first place, then rely on its stamina to maintain the lead and claim victory.

He understood that horsemanship counted for only about thirty to forty percent of the result; the real key was the horse itself. With the best mount, as long as he could lead, victory was certain.

Listening to the thunder of hooves behind him like a downpour, he felt a rising irritation. Though no rider was beside him, he could sense someone clinging to his tail like a persistent fly, impossible to shake off.

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“Let’s see if you can keep up!” He Zheng gritted his teeth and jerked the reins, accelerating.

Pei Min smiled and matched the speed. The greatest benefit of drafting was that the faster the leader, the more advantage for the follower—if they had the strength to keep up. He secretly hoped his leading rival would speed up.

With one lap remaining, Pei Min bared his teeth and began his overtaking move.

He Zheng, unable to shake off the rider behind and afraid to look back to avoid losing speed, bore his discomfort and led stubbornly. Suddenly sensing something amiss, he glanced back slightly and saw Pei Min already in sight, preparing to pass.

He Zheng steeled himself, subtly maneuvering the reins to block the path. With victory close, he would not allow anyone to snatch the prize from his hands.

But Pei Min suddenly squeezed his horse’s flank, flicked the reins, and darted ahead, taking the lead before He Zheng could block him.

“Impossible!” He Zheng was stunned, unable to understand how Pei Min could still accelerate.

“Impressive!” Guo Yuanzhen, unaware of the reason, hoped Pei Min would earn the exceptional military examination distinction. After Pei Min left, Guo Yuanzhen mulled over his words and found them increasingly reasonable. A nation valuing military strength would not falter; a nation favoring only civil officials would fail. Only by balancing civil and military could a country be truly governed.

Why should the civil examination hold higher status than the military?

As a military official, Guo Yuanzhen was displeased with the rising trend of valuing literature over arms and resolved to promote the military examination more vigorously. Pei Min’s championship as the only dual top scorer in both civil and military exams would surely enhance the military exam’s prestige.

Dou Chen looked helpless. Despite his reluctance, he had no choice but to mark “A” on Pei Min’s score sheet.

After overtaking He Zheng, Pei Min surged straight to the finish line.

He had initially worried because his condition today was average and things might not go smoothly. Yet, the inexplicable targeting against him instead sparked a rebellious spirit, bringing him into peak form and fierce determination.

It seemed even Heaven was on his side. The second test was mounted archery.

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The mounted archery rules were not the imagined target shooting but shooting at the “Earth,” a fascinating name: an eighteen-inch diameter circular leather ball placed on a slightly concave wooden stand. The candidate’s task was to shoot the “Earth” off the stand while galloping. A hit did not count; the ball must be knocked to the ground. The test measured not only accuracy but also power.

Pei Min maintained his prior form, astonishingly hitting nine out of ten shots, surpassing his usual training performance. Eight times he knocked the “Earth” to the ground, earning another top “A” grade.

In the stone lifting test, Pei Min’s performance was ordinary. Physical strength was not his forte, so he only managed a “C,” just passing the cut-off.

After three rounds, out of more than twenty candidates in their group, only twelve remained—a fifty percent elimination. Pei Min was stunned by the rigor of the military exam. Upon reflection, it made sense. The military exam was unlike the civil one; even if a mediocre candidate passed the civil exam, it posed little harm to the country. But a military candidate would be assigned to command posts responsible for military affairs, where incompetence could cause far greater damage. Strictness was therefore necessary.

The fourth test was foot archery. The requirements differed from their usual practice, being simultaneously harder and simpler.

This was not contradictory. The military foot archery still required hitting the target; as long as the arrow struck it, points were awarded—easy for Pei Min, who was a consistent marksman. However, the target was made of thick cloth, and the arrow had to penetrate the fabric to count, emphasizing strength.

Ten shots hitting the target was normal, but penetrating the cloth was difficult.

A score of seven was the “A” standard.

By chance, Pei Min scored exactly seven.

His overall results were three As, one B, and one C.

This score was one step short of becoming a military scholar, equivalent to the top rank in the military exam but still two As short.

Two tests remained: the arena battle and mounted combat...