"Haha, who's going first?" Qi Hao, wearing a baseball cap, picked up a poem in front of him and blew on it.
"I'll go first!" Duan Yan Sheng spoke up first.
He knew himself that in terms of poetry, he was definitely no match for Wu Xiao Meng and Qi Hao.
If he presented his first, he might still get some praise from the audience.
Otherwise, once Qi Hao and the others showed their work, there would be no chance for him.
"Next, let's see the poem written by the talented Duan Yan Sheng!"
After the host finished speaking, a staff member from the program came to Duan Yan Sheng, picked up the paper with the poem on the table, and placed it on the display stand.
The camera zoomed in.
"Golden spears and iron horses traversed mountains and rivers..."
Duan Yan Sheng's poem described the life of General Chen Lie's battles.
The language was passionate, and the desolate solemnity of golden spears and iron horses was well depicted.
Moreover, it also wrote out Chen Lie's patriotic heart.
"A very good poem."
"Indeed, it's a very positive poem, but there are too many poems of this type."
"Duan Yan Sheng is playing it safe. Although his poem is good, the angle is a bit cliché."
"Chen Lie was a patriotic hero, so writing about him like this is not wrong."
The older generation of literary masters discussed.
According to their professional opinion, Duan Yan Sheng was playing it safe.
When there wasn't a particularly good angle, writing about war and patriotism was a sure bet.
But it also lacked many elements that would make people's eyes light up.
"So, who's turn is it to present next?" the host asked.
"I'll go," Shen Chun said.
He was completely out of sorts and had no intention of competing with anyone.
This time, he had only written a couple of lines for his poem.
Wu Xiao Meng beside him gave Shen Chun a displeased look.
A pig teammate!
She was so angry!
She had the best relationship with Shen Chun, and only ordinary friendships with Qi Hao and the others.
Therefore, in this competition, she was on Shen Chun's side. However, he was entangled in his emotions and had no mind to compete, leaving her, a woman, to face two other grown men.
"Cold night, fine rain before the city tower, longing for fame, longing for home, drunk on beauty..."
As the host recited Shen Chun's poem.
The audience was somewhat surprised as they looked at him.
Shen Chun had actually written a love poem!
And it was about missing his wife who was far away.
This idea, however, made many of the older generation in the cultural circle's eyes light up.
When people thought of Chen Lie, they almost always thought of his battles on the battlefield and resistance against foreign enemies.
Many people praised him for serving the country and the people, and for his loyalty.
But Shen Chun chose such a unique angle to portray this heroic figure.
It had a touch of the romance of heroes and their loves.
"Marvelous, Shen Chun is worthy of being a talent, such a niche angle!"
"A love poem written so sadly, full of emotion and imagery!"
"It's as if you see an invincible general standing on the city gate, missing his wife from afar. This poem is excellent!"
The audience nodded in admiration after listening to Shen Chun's poem!
Niche angle!
Iron will and tender feelings!
"Ah, this... this works too?" Wu Xiao Meng looked at Shen Chun, a little stunned.
She could clearly feel that Shen Chun was distracted, but the angle he chose surprised everyone.
"Heh, Shen Chun, you're deliberately putting on this act to make us lower our guard against you, aren't you?" Duan Yan Sheng said with a cold smile.
He realized that Shen Chun, who had been in a bad state, had written such a love poem, which was definitely a case of playing the pig to eat the tiger.
Although Shen Chun's poem was not as good as his in terms of national sentiment, it resonated much better with the audience.
The main reason was that the angle was truly eye-catching.
The idea of a hero who fought on all fronts also having a tender side deepened the respect for Chen Lie.
"Brother Chun is amazing!" Wu Xiao Meng's complaints completely disappeared, and her smile became even brighter.
Now it seemed that Shen Chun's poem was actually much better than Duan Yan Sheng's. This meant that as long as she took first place, she would be able to suppress Duan Yan Sheng and Qi Hao.
So there was still a chance.
"Heh heh..." Shen Chun himself hadn't expected that a casual love poem would receive such good reviews.
However, he glanced at the audience seating area intentionally or unintentionally, but due to the lighting, he couldn't see that figure.
This works too?
Well then, it was like unintentionally stealing the spotlight.
"Qi Hao, who should go first?" Wu Xiao Meng provocatively looked at Qi Hao.
"I don't mind," Qi Hao said, spreading his hands, full of confidence.
"Then I'll go first," Wu Xiao Meng said, handing her poem to the staff member on stage.
After receiving it, the staff member hung it on the display stand.
"Great desert, solitary smoke, sound of falling rain, withered eagles feast on the old, ravaged city..."
Wu Xiao Meng's poem mainly depicted the brutality of war, the desolate scene after the battle.
Finally, she used a sentence to highlight Chen Lie's bravery in killing enemies during his campaigns.
Stillness and movement.
They complemented each other.
It was as if one was dreaming of the past with golden spears and iron horses.
"As expected of the top talented woman in the capital, her poetic talent is not inferior to men!"
"Xiao Meng's poem is even better than the other two!"
"Not bad, she doesn't disgrace her father, Wu Tian."
Many of the older generation in the literary circles exclaimed.
In their opinion, Wu Xiao Meng's poem could already be considered a masterpiece!
"Xiao Meng's poem is indeed very good, but it might still be a notch below mine," Qi Hao said with a laugh.
He picked up the paper with the poem from the table and blew on the ink.
He deliberately waited until everyone had presented their poems before bringing out his own.
This was because he had absolute confidence in his poem!!
"Hmph, let's see what good poem you have!"
Wu Xiao Meng crossed her arms, her twin ponytails swaying slightly in defiance.
In terms of poetry, Qi Hao had always been her biggest competitor.
Therefore, winning or losing this time was very important for Wu Xiao Meng. If she won, she would have the upper hand over Qi Hao, and if she lost, Qi Hao would definitely boast about it.
"Loyal soul of iron and blood travels a thousand miles, thirty merits flow through eternity..."
Qi Hao's poem was a pure tribute to Chen Lie.
Furthermore, the angle was to write about the hero from the perspective of later generations' views on him.
The language had an ancient charm, and the emotional depth was also very powerful.
"Good poem!!"
"Truly a good poem!"
"As expected, Qi Hao's poetic talent surpasses Wu Xiao Meng's!"
"Is this kid considered the leader among the Four Great Talents in terms of poetic talent?"
The group of older literary figures were instantly amazed by Qi Hao's poem!
Among these four, in terms of poetic talent, Wu Xiao Meng and Qi Hao had been evenly matched before, but today Qi Hao clearly had the upper hand.
"Since the four talented individuals have all completed their poems, we will now move on to the voting stage. You can scan the QR code on the screen to vote for your favorite poem. The one with the most votes will receive a prize provided by the program team."
The host came to the center of the stage.
The names of the four individuals appeared on the big screen.
The votes behind their names were rapidly increasing.
Two minutes later.
The voting time ended.
"I announce that the first place in the poetry segment goes to Qi Hao!!"
The host announced loudly, looking at Qi Hao, who was far ahead in votes on the big screen!