I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

Cuju was first recorded in the pre-Qin period. "Warring States Policy" records that Su Qin had a conversation with King Xuan of Qi.

"Linzi is very rich and prosperous, and its people are all good at playing Yu, drums, harps, building, playing harps, fighting cocks, running dogs, playing six games, and treading."

The earliest Cuju was called Maowan, which as the name suggests is a ball made of hair.

Until the Han Dynasty, they were solid balls. The outside was made of silk and later leather, and the inside was filled with silk, hair, etc. At that time, it was made of four pieces and six pieces.

In the Tang Dynasty, inflatable balls began to be used, with eight pieces of leather on the outside and an animal urinary bladder inside, called a ball.

In the Song Dynasty, the craftsmanship of Cuju was improved. It was sewn with twelve pieces of leather and had an inflated urinary bladder inside. It was rounder than the one in the Tang Dynasty.

It's close to today's football, and the weight is similar to modern football.

These are what Li Shen saw when watching the development history of football in his previous life, and there were many popular science programs.

The more Li Shen thought about it, the more excited he became. He waved to Liu Su and said:

"Go down, remember what I just asked you to do, write a notice, and have it read to every worker.

Everyone is here to make money, not to work hard.

Peace is the most important thing in everything. Don't be competitive. When you have nothing to do, think more about your family. They are all waiting for them to go back home with their money.

Instead of waiting for their bodies to go back.

Just write as I say and go ahead. If this happens again, I will never let you off lightly. "

Liu Su was granted amnesty and quickly thanked him and left.

His clothes were soaked with sweat just now. Li Shen is a prince, and a famous dandy prince in Chang'an City.

Squeezing a commoner like him to death is as easy as squeezing an ant to death, and no one will hold him accountable afterwards.

When he saw Li Shen getting angry just now, he was frightened to death.

After Liu Su left, Li Shen regained his energy, came to the desk, took out a pen and paper, and began to write down the rules of football.

Then the dimensions of the football field were drawn and the various lines of the field were marked.

Wang Xuance looked at what Li Shen wrote and was amazed. It was different from the rules of football he knew.

After Li Shen finished writing, he thought about it and drew a goal and a net, and asked people to go to a nearby city to make them.

After everything was completed, Li Shen began to wait for the ball craftsman to arrive.

Three days later, the guard returned with seven craftsmen, all of whom he had searched in several states and counties.

Originally it was a job offer, but when people heard that Chiling was so far away, they were reluctant to come.

It wasn't until the guard showed his sword that they followed reluctantly.

"This is my Royal Highness, Prince Ji of the Tang Dynasty. Come quickly to pay your respects." The guard urged.

"I see His Highness Prince Ji."

"Well, no courtesy," Li Shen nodded. Most of these people were middle-aged, and there were two who were a little older.

Not only that, but a dozen young and strong apprentices also came with him.

"You don't have to be afraid. The king asked you here just to let you play ball. There is no other meaning. If you need anything, just ask.

Come, let's go into the big tent and talk. "

Li Shen had a professional smile on his face and looked particularly amiable.

This also made everyone feel somewhat relaxed. As long as it was not life-threatening, playing ball was nothing.

Li Shen entered the main tent and spoke first:

"You should have brought all the things I asked you to bring. Then make one for me to see first.

Don’t worry, you are not here in vain, I will give you generous rewards. If you do well, I will also reward you. "

Several people nodded repeatedly, and then ordered their apprentices to take out the balls they made for Li Shen to appreciate.

Li Shen didn't expect these people to bring samples, so he immediately looked at them one by one with interest.

Putting it on the ground, Li Shen frowned. There were seven balls in a row, and none of them were round.

"What is this?" Li Shen asked, pointing to something on the ground.

"My lord, isn't this just a ball?" one of the craftsmen replied.

"Is this what you do?" Li Shen was speechless.

Several people nodded in unison.

Li Shen reluctantly accepted it first, and then said to several people:

"Let's do it this way. I'll tell you what I want, and you guys will do it. If you make it, you'll be rewarded with ten coins. I'll make this ball in thirty-two pieces.

It needs to be in the shape of a ball, with a high-quality allantoic inside. Can you do it? "

A few people looked at each other, ten dollars! ! Everyone nodded immediately.

"Your Majesty, I can give it a try, but I have never made thirty-two slices before, so it may take some time."

"Yes, you can give it a try, too."

"The villain is willing to serve the prince."

Several people immediately became motivated when they heard that there were ten coins, and they all expressed that they could give it a try.

"Okay, then go down and make it now. It's best if you can do it quickly. I will be useful." Li Shen ordered.

Li Shen believes that the ancients had this wisdom, and as long as they have a goal, they will definitely achieve it.

Ten coins is already a sky-high price for craftsmen like them.

During this period, those who could play ball were basically dignitaries. Ordinary people did not have the leisure time even if they had money.

But Li Shen suddenly thought of a question?

"Xuance, how many people play this game in our Tang Dynasty? Why have I only heard of it before and no one has ever played it with me?"

Li Shen was a little confused. If someone had taken him to play ball, he would have invented football long ago. How could he wait until now?

After Wang Xuance heard Li Shen's question, his face showed a tangled expression. He was debating whether to tell the truth.

However, he considered that telling the truth might make King Ji unhappy, so he responded tactfully:

"Back to my lord, balls are very popular in our Tang Dynasty, both among the nobles and ordinary people. Because they are simple to work with and can even be played with solid balls, they are also very popular among the people.

Maybe it's because the prince has been busy with everything and doesn't have time to pay attention to these things. "

"Really?" Li Shen was a little doubtful.

"Then tell me what other entertainment activities I haven't done yet."

Li Shen was very curious, did Datang have anything he hadn't played before?

Wang Xuance thought for a while and said:

"Your Majesty, the most popular among the nobles is Juju. Your Majesty also plays it often, and the Prince also likes it very much.

There are also tug-of-war games and wrestling, these are martial arts.

There are articles about cockfighting, horse dancing, singing and dancing, pot throwing, etc.

These activities are quite popular among the princes and nobles, including the children of the literati family. "

Li Shen's mouth opened wide. He had never heard of many of them, but he did know about the game of polo, which is known as horse golf. His father, Li Shimin, likes to play it.

Li Shen thought that the tug-of-war would be similar to the tug-of-war in later generations. People on both sides of a rope would pull and compete to see whose strength was stronger.

But what is wrestling?

"Xuan Ce, I know what wrestling is, but I have never participated in it because I am not good at equestrian skills. But what is wrestling?" Li Shen asked shamelessly.