Chapter Sixty-Eight: Cuju (Ten Thousand Words Update Complete)

After a day of bustling activity, Qin Cheng finally found peace at night to contemplate. These past days, he had been pondering how to forge a truly formidable cavalry force—a unit invincible on the battlefield, unstoppable wherever it rode, like the legendary horsemen of Genghis Khan in later ages.

At this moment, Qin Cheng recalled a particular group—wolves.

Later generations wrote much about Genghis Khan’s cavalry, but what struck Qin Cheng most deeply was the repeated mention of their “wolfish nature.”

With this realization, his mind suddenly cleared.

Another day passed, and on the following morning, Qin Cheng summoned the senior officers of his cavalry to the command tent. After a lengthy discussion, they finally settled on an important decision.

That day, a number of craftsmen appeared in the camp, building peculiar gates on the training field. The sentinels were puzzled, thinking perhaps some new military regulation was about to appear. Ever since Qin Cheng had become the Commandant of Cavalry, fresh innovations had been commonplace.

Within half a day, all the gates were erected.

On the next day, Qin Cheng gathered all the cavalrymen, announcing he had a crucial new military order.

When Qin Cheng appeared at the platform, Qin Qingzhi and his men brought several colorful balls and placed them below.

“Are those not footballs? What is General Qin planning to do with them?”

“Haven’t you noticed all those new gates on the field? Obviously we’re going to play cuju!”

“Cuju? Are you out of your mind? This is the height of our training; why would General Qin have us play cuju now?”

“Then what are these balls for?”

“I’m just as confused as you!”

...

The soldiers couldn’t help but whisper among themselves when they saw the colorful balls. Qin Cheng, observing their reactions, smiled inwardly.

He cleared his throat, and the training field fell silent. Only then did Qin Cheng speak: “Today I am announcing a new military order: from now on, cavalry training will include a new subject—cuju!”

As expected, his words immediately stirred up the troops.

“We really are playing cuju!”

“General Qin is so considerate—he’s letting us play cuju!”

“Indeed!”

Cuju, according to legends from the Warring States period, was invented by the Yellow Emperor. After defeating Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor had Chiyou’s stomach made into a ball, ordered his soldiers to shoot at it, rewarded those who scored, and “decreed the game of cuju to train warriors.” The truth of such ancient tales is hard to verify, but by the Warring States period, cuju was already very popular. Su Qin once remarked that the citizens of Linzi, the capital of Qi, delighted in “gambling and cuju.” Even after the Han dynasty began, people’s love for cuju persisted.

From the emperor to the common folk, countless people enjoyed it. “Every neighborhood had its custom, every district its field; they chased and galloped down wide avenues, played cuju in narrow alleys.” Professional players, known as “ball guests,” emerged, serving noble patrons and performing their skills. Some even lost their lives to the game; in the early Han, a man named Xiang Chu, frail in health, was advised by doctors not to exert himself, but he ignored their warnings and continued playing cuju, ultimately dying from hemorrhage—such was the popularity of the game.

Though cuju was widely practiced, it had never before been used for military training, which explained the soldiers’ surprise.

Qin Cheng’s reasoning was simple: through cuju, he could strengthen the soldiers physically; the intense competition would inspire courage and a fighting spirit; the team play would foster camaraderie; and with referees and rules, the men would learn discipline and obedience. Advance at the command; halt at the prohibition.

He had wrestled with this idea through the previous night and finally landed on this practical method. Many soldiers already knew cuju, so there was a foundation to build upon. Moreover, cuju was fun, blending training and entertainment for excellent results—why not embrace it?

“Now, it is late autumn, the air is cool and not hot—a perfect time for cuju. Soldiers, I ask you: are you willing to play cuju?” Qin Cheng called out loudly.

“General Qin, may I ask—will cuju be played during the day or at night? We already train during the day, so if we play cuju, when will we train?” a soldier shouted.

Qin Cheng looked closely and saw that it was Jiang He.

He smiled slightly. “I’ve already said—cuju is training. Since it is training, naturally it will be held during the day. Besides, can you even see the ball at night?”

The soldiers burst out laughing, followed by cheers.

Ji Zhu and the other senior officers were equally astonished and delighted. Their joy was obvious; their shock came from Qin Cheng’s unexpected use of cuju as training.

“I must say this in advance: though cuju is excellent, it cannot replace your other military skills. Cuju will not be played every day, but will be scheduled. Of course, if you wish to play in your free time, I won’t interfere; in fact, I’ll make time to watch and reward the winners. So, soldiers, are you willing?” Qin Cheng asked loudly.

“We are willing!” the troops responded in unison.

“Good. Then, today, cuju begins,” Qin Cheng declared. “But before that, you must form your teams. Since today is our first game on the training grounds, let’s have each cavalry squad leader form a team: the new cavalry camp and the old cavalry camp will each field a team for the competition. What do you think?”

“Excellent!” The soldiers cheered.

The cavalry squad leaders had known about this since Qin Cheng entrusted them with preparations, so they were ready, eagerly anticipating the event.

According to the rules, the “ball city” was constructed as “round ball, square walls, symbolic of yin and yang”—imitating heaven as round and earth as square, representing yin and yang. Thus, the ball was round, the field square.

The number of goals and players followed the principle of “twelve months, six per side.” There were twelve goals, six on each side. Teams consisted of twelve players each, two teams of twenty-four, matching the twenty-four solar terms.

Additionally, referees and assistants were appointed, enforcing the rules strictly and impartially—“establishing leaders and judges, the rules are constant; no favoritism, no partiality.”

With the ball field prepared and teams selected, the match could begin. To make the first game even more exciting, Qin Cheng had arranged some prizes—it was all funded by the army, as he himself had nothing to spare.

And so, the stage was set.