Liubo Chess is a very popular game nowadays. There are only twelve pieces in total, six black and six white. Among them, one piece is equivalent to the king and is called the “xiao,” while the remaining pieces, equivalent to soldiers, are called “san.”
The board is divided into twelve lanes, with “water” in the center, and two fish are placed in the “water.” The two sides play by guessing fingers to determine their moves. These fish are not necessarily real fish; they can be made in the shape of fish from other materials.
When a piece moves to the edge of the water, it is called a xiao piece, and it can enter the water to eat fish, which is called “pulling a fish.” Pulling one fish earns two counters, and flipping one fish earns three counters. If during this time one defeats the opponent, one is regarded as the winner. If both fish are pulled away but the opponent has still not been defeated, it is called “having both fish flipped,” and the opponent gains six counters and wins a great victory.
This is actually a game similar to troop deployment and battle, because each round takes less time than Go, has more ways to play, and can better liven up the atmosphere, so it is often used as entertainment after meals.
“Let’s guess two fists,” Ji Mian said.
Two fists, as the name suggests, means both hands throw fists together, and in the course of play one takes pleasure in attacking the opponent’s pieces, so without some intelligence, it cannot be played.
Hui Shuyun said, “Wumei, how about you and I play a round first?”
“Excellent,” Ji Mian said with a smile.
The other six people all gathered around. Song Chuyi did not want to be eccentric either, so he took a bamboo slip from the small table and also walked over nearby to watch.
Ji Mian and Hui Shuyun had already begun guessing fingers.
“Five.”
“Ten.”
“Color!” Everyone burst into loud cheers. Ji Mian was clearly an expert among them, and opened the game after only two moves.
Xi Hong looked at the bamboo slip in her hand and asked quietly, “Why did you still bring a slip?”
Song Chuyi lowered her voice and said, “General Longgu might come by in a while. If we are this lax, it will inevitably give others something to talk about.”
Xi Hong smiled slightly and said, “You probably do not know. The general keeps people like us for two reasons: first, to plan military and political affairs, and second, to compete with the senior official. Every year in Wey, the retainers of each household compete, and among the events is liubo.”
“Oh? Forgive me for my shallow knowledge, but may I ask what they all compete in?” Song Chuyi asked curiously.
“Political discussion, policy, debate, military strategy, as well as Go, horse racing, hunting, and liubo. In the general’s household there are only a few of us, and each person must take part in two events. Wumei has won the liubo category for two years in a row.” When Xi Hong spoke of this, he was radiant with delight.
Song Chuyi thought to herself, so what if someone is good at liubo? Was it really worth being proud of?
“It sounds grand and mighty. Does the ruler know as well?” Song Chuyi finally understood why Wey had declined. Half the country had been occupied by others, yet the scholars were still calmly playing liubo. How could such a state not decline?
But Song Chuyi would absolutely not go looking for trouble and run over to rebuke them. Toward Wey, she had no feelings at all, nor did she place any hope in it.
While the two were speaking, Ji Mian had already pulled one fish, and Hui Shuyun was already showing signs of decline.
“Yunsi, how about you play a round with Huaijin later?” Ji Mian, sure of victory, turned and asked Nan Qi and Song Chuyi.
This Ji Mian really was the type who loved watching the excitement and did not mind making things bigger, Song Chuyi thought to herself.
“Fine,” Nan Qi answered faintly.
“Excellent.” As Ji Mian spoke, the piece landed with a clack, and he laughed loudly and said, “You lose, and I pull another fish.”
“Alas,” Hui Shuyun slapped his thigh, “truly hateful.”
Ji Mian rose from his seat and asked Song Chuyi, “Yunsi has already accepted the challenge. What do you say, Huaijin?”
“Let’s do it.” Song Chuyi agreed readily. She had already been put on the spot, and there was no way not to go through with it now. Nan Qi’s skill at liubo was second only to Ji Mian’s, and occasionally he could even win a few rounds against him. Everyone was very curious why Song Chuyi had agreed so readily. Was she already confident?
After the two sat down, Nan Qi gave a salute as if he had suffered a great loss, and Song Chuyi also returned the salute faintly. From the very start, hidden arrows flew in all directions. The crowd grew even more spirited.
“Left side throws first,” Ji Mian said.
The one sitting on the left was precisely Song Chuyi.
“Seven,” Song Chuyi said as she threw, and at the same time Nan Qi said it too.
“Color!” Everyone shouted excitedly. It had actually been guessed right on the first try.
“Ha, Yunsi has quite good luck today,” Hui Shuyun said with a smile. “So it seems the influence of terrain is not great after all. It still depends on timing.”
What he meant was that where one sat had little effect on winning or losing; it still depended on luck.
Nan Qi opened the game, and it was Nan Qi’s turn to throw.
“Five.”
Wrong guess, and it was still Nan Qi’s turn to throw.
“Six.”
Wrong guess, and it was still Nan Qi’s turn to throw.
“Seven.”
Wrong again. Nan Qi moved a piece and continued to throw.
“One.”
Wrong guess.
“Three.”
Still wrong.
…
After about fifteen minutes had passed, everyone stared at Song Chuyi with their mouths wide open.
After quite a while, Ji Mian finally reacted and laughed loudly, saying, “Huaijin, oh Huaijin, you can be called the number one person at liubo. You actually did not move a single step and were defeated by someone. I have roamed the liubo battlefield for many years, and only now have I seen the first such case.”
Everyone roared with laughter and said one after another, “How strange, how strange.”
Song Chuyi gave two dry laughs. “Actually, this is also a kind of strength.”
“Ha, such strength is far greater than mine. I failed to recognize it, I failed to recognize it.” Ji Mian, grinning, cupped his hands and bowed to Song Chuyi.
Song Chuyi’s loss in this round actually made the atmosphere more harmonious.
Everyone joked around, and the unfamiliarity between them was dispelled quite a bit.
Nan Qi gave a light snort.
Actually, Song Chuyi did not understand at all why Nan Qi had developed such a dislike for her. Could it be simply because she had two beauties? If that were so, then at least he would have tried to build a good relationship with her in order to get closer to the beauties, right?
After playing two rounds of liubo, just as they were about to begin the third, a young servant came running in like a wisp of smoke and whispered, “The general is here, the general is here.”
Ji Mian, quick-eyed and quick-handed, put away the board. Everyone slowly dispersed on their own, their manner very natural. Song Chuyi also held the bamboo slip in her hand and walked slowly to the small table.
Longgu Qing wore a dark brown cloth robe, with graying hair and beard, like an ordinary old man who could be seen anywhere in the markets, yet when he walked there was a whistling vigor, and his eyes were like lightning, so naturally he was not someone ordinary people could compare to.
Everyone stood beside their own mats and saluted him. “General.”
“No need for formalities. All of you sit and speak.” Longgu Qing knelt and sat on the main seat. After everyone had taken their seats, he spoke. “You all know that our Wey was coerced by the King of Wei this time and nearly lost half its territory. Having suffered such a great humiliation, this old man cannot swallow his food and cannot sleep at night.”
“We are willing to relieve the general’s worries.” Everyone straightened up and saluted.
“Good.” Longgu Qing sat up straight. “Do you all think that if we wished to send troops to retake our territory, it would be feasible?”
Longgu Qing had always been of the war faction. He would rather die in battle than endure the humiliation of ceding territory in such a cowardly way. Since the Spring and Autumn period, Wey’s territory had been swallowed and nibbled away by the surrounding states. Even though Wey had a hot-blooded commander like Longgu Qing, there was no help for it: one hand cannot clap. He wanted to fight, but without anyone’s support, he could not start a war.
