Abraham Lincoln chuckled to himself. Back in the day, he had played on the school team; to chase girls—no, for love—he had practiced quite a few fancy moves. If the ball back then had been as good as the ones in later generations, he would have had even more tricks up his sleeve.

Abraham Lincoln looked at Franklin Pierce, then at Samuel Hayes and the others, and said, “Dare to play?”

Everyone was still a bit stunned. Hearing Abraham Lincoln repeat himself, Franklin Pierce immediately shouted, “I’m in! I want to be on the emperor’s team!”

Samuel Hayes thought for a moment and said, “As you command, Your Majesty.”

With that, he began dividing the teams, quietly balancing both sides, already thinking about how to let Abraham Lincoln win without making it obvious. In his view, no matter how good someone’s solo performance was, playing on the field was a different matter.

Abraham Lincoln called the selected players over, huddling together to discuss tactics.

With both arms around a few people’s shoulders, Abraham Lincoln leaned in and looked at one of them, saying, “You—I watched you a couple of days ago. You’re pretty fast. In a bit, you can break through; just follow my lead.”

The person pointed at was stunned, not expecting the emperor to have noticed him, and replied excitedly, “Yes, I’ll remember.”

Abraham Lincoln looked at another and said, “You’re good at dribbling. This round, break through on the left. You take the ball and make a long pass.”

This person responded with delight, “Yes, I’ve got it.”

Abraham Lincoln nodded, then turned to the person beside him and said, “You’re good at long shots. Get into a good position. If the opportunity comes, it’s yours.”

The one Abraham Lincoln pointed at was very encouraged and said, “Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. My name is Matthew Carter.”

Abraham Lincoln looked at him in surprise, then said, “Good. This round, no defense—full offense. Listen to my commands, and no one is to act on their own. Understood?”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

Franklin Pierce had been listening for a while. Seeing that Abraham Lincoln hadn’t mentioned him, he anxiously asked, “Your Majesty, what about me? What should I do?”

Abraham Lincoln gave him a light kick and said, “You go down the right wing. We’ll make it look like we’re breaking through on the right to draw their attention.”

Hearing he was just a decoy, Franklin Pierce was a bit unhappy, but after rubbing his backside, he didn’t dare argue and sulkily agreed.

On the other side, Samuel Hayes had also finished discussing tactics and was watching Abraham Lincoln’s team, ready for action.

As the emperor, he naturally had the right to kick off. He passed the ball directly to Matthew Carter, then shouted loudly, “Eleventh Brother, run!”

Franklin Pierce had been ready for a while. Though only nine years old, he ran fast, dashing down the right like a little whirlwind.

Samuel Hayes saw this and immediately ordered two people to block Franklin Pierce, while he kept his eyes on Abraham Lincoln from a distance.

Abraham Lincoln led his team forward, and Matthew Carter advanced with the ball, step by step. Spotting his chance, he passed the ball to Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln sprinted forward with the ball at lightning speed, dribbling past three players in a row.

Seeing Abraham Lincoln charging straight for the goal, Samuel Hayes immediately shouted, “Stop the emperor!” As he spoke, he secretly signaled to a few people.

They all understood—when playing with the emperor, you couldn’t really block him.

A few of them rushed over, already prepared to fall over in a chain reaction. Before they even got close, they saw Abraham Lincoln take a big kick and call out loudly, “Catch it!”

The one good at long-distance running had been waiting on the left. He received the ball and charged straight for the goal.

Song dynasty cuju had many variations; in this version, there was no goalkeeper. The player broke into the empty goal and, from a distance, kicked the ball right in!

Simple and forceful, clean and decisive.

Samuel Hayes and the others stared at the empty goal and the still-rolling ball, momentarily dazed.

They had just discussed how to lose without making it obvious, but now they’d lost so badly they were completely bewildered!

Franklin Pierce and the others were also a bit stunned—this win was way too easy!

Abraham Lincoln smiled, not surprised at all. After all, he’d watched so many matches and had countless tactics memorized.

“Come on, let’s go again.” Abraham Lincoln beckoned to his teammates.

Everyone came back, thrilled and excited, looking at Abraham Lincoln with joy and enthusiasm—including Franklin Pierce.

Franklin Pierce was so excited he could barely speak. If Abraham Lincoln hadn’t given him a kick, who knows how long he would have gone on.

Just like last time, Abraham Lincoln gathered everyone together and said, “This time, we’ll use a feint and break through the middle, but we’ll use two strategic deceptions. First, pass to Eleventh Brother. Once he gets the ball, he’ll make a long pass to the left. That’ll leave the middle open, and for the long shot… Matthew Carter, you take the shot!”

Everyone nodded repeatedly as they listened, and Matthew Carter was especially excited—the emperor actually remembered his name!

On the other side, Samuel Hayes was also discussing tactics. They had already abandoned the goal of “losing inconspicuously” and switched to “losing with all their might,” not only keeping an eye on Abraham Lincoln but also on the other skilled players, including Franklin Pierce.

After Abraham Lincoln finished speaking, he clapped his hands and said, “Everyone to your positions.”

“Yes!” The group stood tall and proud, even Franklin Pierce holding his head high, his little face full of confidence.

The ball was still at Abraham Lincoln’s feet, and once again he passed it to Franklin Pierce.

Franklin Pierce shouted and charged down the right wing with the ball, looking unstoppable.

Samuel Hayes had people block Franklin Pierce and also had others watch the left side.

Seeing himself blocked, Franklin Pierce passed the ball back, and it landed at Abraham Lincoln’s feet. Abraham Lincoln advanced a few steps with the ball, looking left and right.

Samuel Hayes saw this and quickly shouted, “Watch the left!”