afternoon.
Xu Ning returned to Taojiazhuang with the cut leopard fur.
Walking outside Taojiazhuang, it is not close yet.
Xu Ning suddenly saw a group of people galloping out of Taojiazhuang.
They wore black armor and black clothes, with short swords and long knives on their waists.
From afar, they can see that their movements are in unison, and the speed of their horses and horses are also completely consistent.
At first glance, it gives people a strong sense of oppression.
"This is... the Black Armored Guard?"
Xu Ning looked puzzled.
The last time he followed Tao Yun into the city to escort the chariot, he had seen a team of black armored guards.
Goodbye now, Xu Ning confirmed the identity of the other party at a glance.
"What is the black armor guard doing in Taojiazhuang?"
The predecessor lived in Taojiazhuang for several years, and had never seen a black armored guard come to the door.
"Has something major happened recently?"
Xu Ning made some guesses in his mind, but he didn't come to any conclusion.
Soon, he arrived at the fence gate at the gate of Taojiazhuang.
There are Shonai guards patrolling and standing guard here.
"Xu Ning is back, what have we gained this time?"
As soon as Xu Ning walked over, a big bearded guard greeted him with a smile.
Xu Ning will leave the village and enter the mountain almost every other day, and he has already recognized the guard at the gate. In addition to the fact that he helped Tao Yungang defeat Zhan Sandao before, more and more people in the village have heard of and know him many.
"Harvested a piece of leopard skin."
Xu Ning also responded with a smile: "It's just a pity that I shot a few holes in this leopard skin with an arrow, and the quality is quite different."
"That's not bad, much better than those of us standing guard."
The guard laughed out loud, envious of Xu Ning in his tone.
Most of the guards patrolling and standing guard in Taojiazhuang are ordinary people, and only a few of them have completed their external and internal skills.
Their daily work is just to play a guard role, so their income is also less.
"By the way, brother, just now I saw a group of people coming out of the village. They look like black armored guards?"
Xu Ning asked.
"That's right, it's the Black Armored Guard."
The guard said: "We were all taken aback when they came over. We had never seen a black armored guard come to the door before. They said they wanted to see the patriarch, and we didn't dare to neglect them. We notified them and let them go when we got the permission."
"What are the Black Armored Guards doing in the village?"
Xu Ning asked.
"I don't know about this..."
The guard shook his head, apparently unclear.
"Well… "
When Xu Ning heard this, he didn't ask any more questions.
After a few short words of gossip, Xu Ning went directly to the hunting shop in the village and sold the leopard skin.
…
Clan Laotang.
At this time, there were nearly ten people sitting in the hall.
They all looked very young, and the youngest had half silver hair on his head.
Everyone seems to have their own aura, and they are obviously martial arts masters.
These people are the highest decision-making members of the Tao family village, and they are the elders of the Tao family.
"Is everything here?"
Sitting at the top is a hale and hearty old man.
Although it was early winter, he was still wearing a thin shirt, and the forearm exposed from the cuffs still had obvious muscular outlines.
He is Tao Jingxing, the contemporary patriarch of Taojiazhuang.
"They're all here."
All the clan elders sitting below sat upright, all looking at Tao Jingxing.
"I called you here because I want to tell you something."
Tao Jingxing's voice was not loud, but it carried an overwhelming aura: "Just now in Kangyun County, Xia Yuanxing, the captain of the Black Armor Guard, came to the village and met me."
"Black Armored Guard Xia Yuanxing?"
When the clan elders below heard the words, some were surprised, while others were calm.
Apparently some people already knew that the Black Armored Guard had come, while others hadn't heard of it yet.
"Patriarch, what is Xia Yuanxing doing here?"
It was Tao Jinglu who spoke.
He had given Xu Ning and others the method of internal strength, the Spring Breeze Jue.
As soon as Tao Jinglu said this, everyone listened attentively.
Although some clan elders knew that the black armor guard had been here, Xia Yuanxing only saw Tao Jingxing alone, and the specific content of the exchange between the two has not been revealed yet.
Tao Jingxing didn't answer immediately, he rubbed his fingers, paused, and then said: "Xia Yuanxing said that the black armor guards are going to select new recruits in my Taojiazhuang."
Select newcomers in Taojiazhuang
"This… "
All the clan elders were astonished when they heard this.
They looked at each other, and then looked at Tao Jingxing again.
"Patriarch, didn't the Black Armored Guard never recruit people from our local area, why did he suddenly change his mind?"
The speaker was a bald old man with a white beard on his chin.
After hearing this, everyone followed the bald old man's words and asked questions.
After the fall of the previous dynasty, each state capital fought on its own, and there were disputes among the state capitals, sects and aristocratic families.
Finally, thirty years ago, the Yuansheng Sect rose rapidly, subdued the sectarian families in Feiyun State, and became the real helm of Feiyun State.
Subsequently, Yuanshengzong set up a black armor guard in Yunying City, the capital of the state capital, and assigned them to station in various places in Feiyun Prefecture. They controlled the jurisdiction of each place through the army and became the de facto ruler.
During the 30 years during the period, the black armor guards in Kangyun County also had a rotation, but the rotation members were all dispatched from abroad, and no one from the local area entered it.
Everyone knows the reason for this.
After ending the chaos in Feiyun Prefecture and realizing the unification, the Black Armored Guards will draw a clear line with the local tyrants in order to maintain their independence after being stationed in various places and not be infiltrated and won over by the local tyrants.
Taojiazhuang, as a veteran force in Kangyun County, had been guarded by the Black Armored Guards before.
However, there is also a tacit understanding between the two, the black armored guards never bully Taojiazhuang, but if there are orders, Taojiazhuang will try their best to obey.
Not only Taojiazhuang, but also the other two big villages in Kangyun County, Songjiazhuang and Tanjiazhuang.
However, Tao Jingxing's words broke the balance between the two in the past thirty years.
If someone from Taojiazhuang entered the Black Armored Guards, then the boundary between the two would fade, and the Black Armored Guards would formally merge with the local forces.
"When Xia Yuanxing informed me of this matter, I also felt it was sudden."
Facing the questioning of other clan elders, Tao Jingxing explained: "About the reason, Xia Yuanxing didn't directly say. He just said that the situation was unstable before, and it was inconvenient to recruit black armored guards locally. Now the time is ripe, and it's time to dig out our Local talent."
"Patriarch, what are the selection criteria for the Black Armor Guard this time? How many people will be selected?"
At this time, an old woman with gray hair asked.
Her face was wrinkled and she looked very old, but there was still a shrewd light in her slightly squinted eyes.
This old woman's name is Tao Jingfang, she is the oldest Taojiazhuang elder and the only female elder.
She never married in her life, so it can be said that she has dedicated her whole life to Taojiazhuang.
"Miss Jingfang."
Even Tao Jingxing, the head of the clan, was very polite to Tao Jingfang: "Xia Yuanxing said that they will select twenty people in Taojiazhuang. The most outstanding youngsters under the age of eight will be recruited into the Black Armor Guard."
"The best young man between the ages of fourteen and eighteen?"
Tao Jingfang's face changed a little: "This is to poach all the young backbones of our Taojiazhuang."
"How can this work?"
Tao Jinglu hurriedly said: "Give our talents to the black armor guards, what will Taojiazhuang do? The future of our Taojiazhuang depends on these young people."
Tao Jinglu's words aroused the support of all the clan elders present.
Facing the emotionally agitated elders, Tao Jingxing frowned and said in a cold voice, "Be quiet!"
Immediately, the noisy clan elders fell silent in an instant.
Tao Jingxing's majesty and power as the patriarch were fully displayed at this moment.
Seeing that everyone's emotions calmed down a little, Tao Jingxing's tone became calm again: "Everyone, I understand your feelings. After Xia Yuanxing said this at first, I was also angry."
"But then he made a promise to me again." Tao Jingxing continued, "Xia Yuanxing said that after my son of the Tao family enters the Black Armor Guard, he can enjoy the right to permanently reside in Kangyun County; After the age of ten, you can decide for yourself whether to stay in the Heijiawei or return to Taojiazhuang."
"That's fine!"
Hearing Tao Jingxing's follow-up explanation, the eyes of all the clan elders brightened.
Although the young people in the village joined the Black Armor Guard, they would not leave the local area because of the transfer, so they would stay in Kangyun County forever.
Moreover, after the age of forty, the candidates can decide on their own whether to stay or not. At that time, some people will leave the Black Armor Guard and return to Taojiazhuang, and they can still become the backbone of the village, leading Taojiazhuang to develop and move forward.
From this point of view, the selection of the Black Armor Guard in Taojiazhuang seems to be acceptable.