For Li Shimin, what he desired was far more than merely competing in archery with the master archers of later ages.
In truth, what interested him even more was the world of entertainment in the future.
Whether it was the vision of dreaming back to Tang Chang'an, or the surging rivers of lantern light, or trees of fire and silver blossoms with fireworks filling the sky, he longed to see them with his own eyes and wander among them.
The grand festivals of later ages now shown before him stirred deep yearning in his heart.
To compete under the name of Huaxia alongside athletes from a hundred nations, and in the end triumph and make that name resound across the world. Even imagining it made one's blood stir.
As for the claim that archery in later times pursued "consistency," the Heavenly Strategist General who was himself skilled at the bow could vaguely sense the principle within it.
Ever since he had gifted that treasured bow to Xue Rengui, every time he practiced shooting he felt that the arrow could no longer fly exactly as his heart intended as before.
The difference might well lie in what later generations called achieving consistency through equipment.
Thinking of it that way, he even felt a trace of genuine envy toward the treatment enjoyed by those future master archers.
As the voice had said, dozens or even hundreds of specialists would devote themselves entirely to helping them improve.
And what about him, the Son of Heaven?
After losing his well suited treasured bow, he even had to personally wrap and prepare a new one for himself. Even then he still had to worry about being discovered by Wei Zheng, who might submit a memorial accusing him of indulging in frivolous pursuits.
Feeling envy toward the future was not something new. Li Shimin suppressed the thought with practiced ease and muttered to himself,
"Perhaps the Assembly of Ten Thousand Nations could be convened again. Correct the excess of hanging silk upon trees, and adopt the method of later ages where competition displays prestige. From this…"
Empress Zhangsun, whose heart was closely attuned to that of her husband, considered his words for a moment and said,
"If such a great undertaking is to be carried out, the Western Regions must first be stable and the Eastern Sea peaceful."
She knew exactly what her husband was referring to.
In the fifth year of Daye, Emperor Yang of Sui had toured westward. From Guanzhong he traveled to Hexi, the procession rumbling with chariots and fluttering banners and neighing horses, displaying the majesty of the Son of Heaven.
At Zhangye he summoned envoys from twenty seven states, held a great banquet, performed the music of nine nations, and staged the dance of fish and dragons winding through the hall.
At last he performed sacrifices to Heaven and Earth at Yanzhi Mountain. Later generations called that grand ceremony the Assembly of Ten Thousand Nations.
In the following year, the sixth year of Daye, Emperor Yang again summoned the nations to pay tribute to Sui. Silk was wrapped around trees to display wealth, and wine and food were lavished in excess to demonstrate the splendor of the empire.
Yet Emperor Yang would rather grant brocade and silk in the millions to foreign khans than give even half a bolt of coarse cloth to the poor among his own people. In the end the various tribes mocked him.
Combining these two old events of the former Sui, the idea in her husband's mind was not difficult to guess.
Although she had confidence in Li family's second son, Empress Zhangsun still could not suppress a trace of unease.
Li Shimin merely smiled.
"I am not Emperor Yang. I know well that if one wishes the many barbarian peoples to submit to the rites of Tang, military power must come first. Only then may one speak of transforming them through virtue."
"I am the Son of Heaven. Even I now envy the people of later ages. By the same logic, if the khans of the barbarian tribes come to envy even the common folk of Tang, then the prestige of Tang will spread across the world from the mouths of those very peoples."
---
Meanwhile, in the Guangzheng Hall, Zhao Kuangyin also felt a surge of excitement.
The Song followed Tang precedent. At the New Year, foreign envoys would come to pay tribute, and the court would host banquets, stage performances, and hold contests.
Zhao Kuangyin had always felt that this old ritual did not sufficiently display the authority of the Son of Heaven.
After all, the hundred states around them now were not like the Xiongnu or the Yue tribes of the early Han who struggled even to secure food.
A single palace banquet merely made the envoys marvel for a moment. It did little to proclaim imperial prestige.
But now, seeing this spectacle of later ages, Zhao Kuangyin faintly felt that its effects were likely far beyond anything he could have imagined on his own.
It would be best to wait until Northern Han was destroyed and incorporated into Song, and after the Khitans were expelled from Hebei so that north and south were united.
Then such an event could be held to celebrate the achievement of unification.
---
The voice from the light screen continued.
[Lightscreen]
["Among the activities depicted in The Pleasure Painting of Xuanzong, one especially worth discussing is polo.
This is a traditional competitive sport from ancient times with a long history. In modern times, in 2008, polo was even included in the second batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list.
So what exactly is polo?
The Zizhi Tongjian gives a detailed explanation, though we will not quote the original text here.
Simply put, it resembles modern football somewhat, except that the ball is struck with a mallet rather than kicked.
Like football, polo has simple rules and clear victory conditions. It requires horsemanship, quick reactions, and teamwork from the players, giving it considerable competitive intensity.
In general, this sport originated in the Eastern Han, flourished during the Tang, Song, and Yuan, declined during the Ming, and completely disappeared during the Qing.
The decline of polo can be seen even from surviving paintings.
In Tang era paintings, polo always shows two teams competing on horseback.
But in The Pleasure Painting of Xuanzong, polo had already become a sport where a goal was set up and participants took turns striking the ball into it.
The offensive and defensive confrontation had disappeared, and with it the fundamental competitiveness of the game."
---
"As with most competitive sports in modern times, which at their birth carried strong military attributes, polo was the same.
The Tang writer Yan Kuan pointed this out directly in Ode on the Imperial Polo at the Warm Springs, stating:
'The game of striking the ball is in truth a skill of warfare.'
As mentioned earlier when discussing the Tang dynasty, during the hundred years of the great flourishing age the expansion of Tang never ceased.
Even on the eve of the An Lushan Rebellion, Gao Xianzhi was still fighting the Central Asian coalition at Talas.
In ancient times such expansion naturally required an enormous supply of horses.
The New Book of Tang records briefly:
'From Zhenguan to Linde, within forty years, the number of horses reached seven hundred and six thousand.'
It was said that since the Qin and Han dynasties, the horses of Tang were the most abundant, and the emperor himself was keen on martial affairs.
Thus throughout the empire the atmosphere of martial spirit was extremely strong.
In that era polo could both stir fighting spirit and train horsemanship. It is no wonder Yan Kuan called it a 'skill of warfare.'"
---
"However, in a feudal age whether a sport could truly flourish depended upon one crucial factor.
The emperor.
Fortunately, the emperors of Tang, who were fond of settling matters at the Xuanwu Gate Incident whenever words failed, always valued horsemanship and frequently played polo.
A typical example is Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, of whom it was recorded:
'He delighted in playing polo, and thus the custom spread among the people.'
Because of imperial favor, polo in the Tang even came to possess political influence.
For example, the Tang text Fengshi Jianwen Ji records that when the Tibetans came to escort Princess Jincheng for marriage, they repeatedly defeated the Tang side in polo matches.
At last Emperor Xuanzong of Tang personally entered the field.
'Xuanzong charged east and west, whirling like wind and flashing like lightning, unstoppable wherever he went.'
With his superb skill he regained a victory for the Tang and preserved the empire's honor.
From this alone one can see how widespread polo was in the Tang and how powerful the martial spirit of that age remained."
---
"Thus it is no wonder that even the bedridden poet Li He could cry out in verse:
'Why should a man not carry the Wu hook sword and reclaim the fifty frontier states?'
Of course, the later anecdote of Emperor Xizong of Tang gambling the office of the Three Rivers Military Commissioner on a polo match while Huang Chao advanced with his rebel army is another story.
And by the Ming dynasty, the greatest influence on polo came from the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.
In the Ancestral Instructions of the Ming he stated the strategic principle of the dynasty:
'To seize their land brings little supply.
To gain their people brings little service.'"]