The streets of Tokyo were bustling with people. Outside the screen wall of Kaifeng Prefecture, many people gathered, blocking the road.
There were two groups of people. One of them was a large group of men, women, old and young, gathered there to watch the excitement. A clerk was beating a gong to read the notice. And here was another group of people, all men in long robes and futou, young and old, crowded there to read the yellow notice posted on the wall.
The student Yu Liang was also among them. He had just rushed over from Hongying's house to see the list. The candidates who took the Jinshi exam were divided into two categories: Xianggong and Shengtu. Yu Liang was a student sent by the local county school.
At this moment, a man suddenly shouted "I've hit it" and then jumped up. When his feet were raised, he clapped his hands on his shoes, danced with his hands and feet, his face glowed, and he raised his head and laughed loudly.
A person next to him who seemed to know him bowed and said with a complicated expression: Congratulations, Brother Liang
Yu Liang glanced to the side, then continued to look up at the list. There were not many successful candidates, and he looked at it many times, until his neck hurt, but he still didn't see his name.
As expected, I didn’t win.
Yu Liang stood there, not knowing where he was or what to do. Should he go home to farm? But he didn't know how to do anything. Besides, there was nothing good to farm on the land of the Yu family. His parents, wife, and brothers worked hard from dawn to dusk, but he didn't even have enough money to buy paper and ink, and had to rely on his uncles to help him out.
And Hongying, I think, treated me well, but she only gave me some pens, paper, ink, food, and the necessary expenses for the exam, no more money. She once said that I shouldn't feed her too much, and that was probably what she meant.
At this moment, Yu Liang felt a little ashamed to face his father and mother, simply because he was of no use to his family. Now there was not even a result. If he continued to take the exam for another three years, Yu Liang even doubted whether he was cut out for it.
At this moment, a sigh was heard, and a thin man with gray hair on his temples turned away from the list and walked alone toward the street. Yu Liang looked at the back of the man and for a moment felt that the man was his life.
A clerk was occasionally beating a gong by the wall not far away, while shouting: "Everyone has fame and honor. As long as you are willing to make a name for yourself, you don't need to seek fame. You can buy land from scratch."
Yu Liang was slightly distracted by the doggerel. Perhaps scholars are easily attracted by such things.
Then I heard the clerk say: "The Privy Council's military and national order, the Great Zhou has 350 states, and 200 of the richest states have been selected. Ten states form an army, with 100,000 soldiers."
As long as they are from good families, farmers, tenant farmers, artisans, and scholars, everyone can volunteer. The travel expenses are paid by the county, and each county must send it to the camp; when you enter the camp, you can throw away your food and clothing, and you will have your own public food. If you make meritorious contributions in the battle, you will be rewarded generously, and you can go home after three years to buy land and build a house
Military service is only for three years, and there is no compulsion after three years. As long as you are in the military, your parents and brothers will not have to do corvée; if you have any grievances, you can file a complaint with the military office, and your comrades can ask the government, and the right and wrong can be clarified.
Those who can read and write can become generals by bringing their fellow townsmen into the army. After leaving the army, they can become officials through imperial examinations. Those who fail the imperial examinations can directly become clerks, and military clerks can also take the imperial examinations.
Yu Liang did not continue listening. After ten years of studying, going back to the army was a joke.
After much thought, he decided to go back to Hongying.
The peddlers and pedestrians on the road were in a hurry, each walking on his own path. Yu Liang saw it all, if not for fame, then for profit.
Hongying was at home, she usually stayed at home because of her weak legs. Yu Liang was an acquaintance of the mansion, so he entered the mansion easily.
When Hongying saw them, she asked softly with concern: Is Yu Lang on the list
Yu Liang's face was dark, and he could not help asking: Lady Hongying promised to send my poems to Han Xizai, who would then recommend them to his good friend Li Gu. How come Li Gu had no idea that my poems must not have reached Prime Minister Li Gu
Hongying's gentle expression suddenly changed, and she said calmly: Han Xizai is a respected scholar, so he may have forgotten about this matter. Or maybe Li Gu was honest and did not do Han Xizai a favor.
Yu Liang was so angry after hearing this that he said coldly: "My lady really treats me like a three-year-old child. According to what you said about the relationship between Madam Shen and Chen Jiali and Mr. Han, Mr. Han would offend Madam Shen over such a small matter. And Mr. Li is a man whom Mr. Han can trust with his life and death."
You are blaming me, Hongying's face was pulled down.
Yu Liang's frustration surged up all at once, and he smiled grimly: "You're thinking of Yang Ye, and when he comes, you're so enthusiastic. In your mind, I'm just a cat or a dog. This matter is not difficult for you, but you are unwilling to help me."
You are wrong, Hongying sneered, but you are not entirely wrong. As a girl, I like the strongest one among a group of men.
Yu Liang suddenly became angry and embarrassed. He grabbed Hongying's arm and cursed her as a bitch.
Unexpectedly, Hongying was not afraid, but said coldly: I think you are becoming more and more ignorant, what do you want to do
Yu Liang stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do for a moment. He didn't dare to scold Hong Ying, as this woman knew some powerful people.
Yes, Yu Liang didn't dare to offend her too much; but what was the point of staying here? This woman got a lot of money from nowhere and opened several shops, but they had nothing to do with Yu Liang, and he could only get some leftovers; Hongying was a weak woman, she didn't even have two feet, but Yu Liang couldn't do anything with her and there would always be consequences. Hongying saw that although he didn't have any family background or ability, he had a family, land and property, and he was still a young scholar, he was totally unwilling to commit crimes and ruin himself.
The two of them stood there in silence for a long time, and Hongying smiled.
Yu Liang didn't know any dignitaries, Hongying was the only person he knew who had connections. He thought about it and felt that Hongying didn't seem to owe him anything, and she even provided him with clothes, food, and shelter, and even slept with him for free.
Sure enough, Hongying said softly: How have I ever let Yu Lang down
Yu Liang stood there, hesitating and wandering, his heart was in turmoil.
On the one hand, he felt that the meal was not very tasty. Even though he was well fed, warmly clothed and had a beautiful woman in his arms, he still felt very depressed. He didn't know where to go now and had no way out. Maybe this Hongying could give him some help, and there was really no harm in her.
At this moment, Hongying put her hand on Yu Liang's handsome face and said gently: I am trying to be good to you, but for people, the most reliable thing is what they earn themselves. I will hurt you if you say this.
Yu Liang's face turned pale and blue, and he swallowed his breath and said: "People live by their faces, and trees live by their skins. Goodbye."
Hongying was surprised and said quickly: Whatever you want, I will give you the money.
Yu Liang said loudly: Please go to Lingyan Pavilion for a moment, if you are a scholar,
He strode out of the door and wiped his tears with his sleeve.
Yu Liang walked out of the government office and asked people along the way where Kaifeng government recruited local militiamen. It turned out to be outside the city of Dongjing. He immediately hurried over.
When we arrived at the camp on the outskirts of the city, we saw a square flag hanging on the camp: "Fellow villagers who are loyal and brave and serve the country"
Before he even reached the door, a clerk and several soldiers came over. When they asked Yu Liang if he was a scholar who wanted to join the army, they immediately shook Yu Liang's wrist and said, "Brother Yu, from now on we are all brothers in arms. We will share the good times and the bad times together."
Yu Liang was stunned.
The clerk took him into the camp again and kept talking. Brother Yu, don't be polite when you come in. We have clothes to wear and food to eat. You don't need to bring anything. We will arrange a place for you to stay first, and then register you.
Yu Liang suddenly felt very warm and felt that the people here were particularly nice to him.
On the way to the camp, all the soldiers came and went to greet him kindly. Yu Liang finally couldn't help but said: "No, I don't know martial arts, you guys choose the soldiers.
The clerk smiled and said: "General Cao Gong, I like young people who read books and good families the most. It doesn't matter if they have martial arts skills, as long as they are good people." He said in a tone of his own, "To be honest, it's very difficult to recruit soldiers these days. They must be volunteers and they must be young and strong from good families. The country is in need of people now."
Yu Liang got excited and clasped his fists and said: Just because my brothers think highly of me, I dare not not repay them.
When they arrived at the lobby, a military officer looked Yu Liang up and down, and was also very polite. He asked someone to bring a stool for him to sit on, and asked him his name, background, etc. in a gentle voice.
When the general heard that Yu Liang was a student, he immediately said: If you go back to your hometown and bring some young and strong people who farm here, I will immediately make you one of the ten generals in charge of the people I lead.
These chaotic times had just passed, and those who were still able to study and take imperial examinations were generally from wealthy families and were somewhat prominent figures in the local area.
Tenth General Yu Liang was a little confused about this military position.
The military generals spoke eloquently: The ten generals of our militia are not ordinary ten generals. They have as many as thirty-six people under their command, including thirty combat soldiers in a team and six firemen, divided into three fires.
There are some things you don't know. The local militia mainly use bows and crossbows, and their tactics are three-stage shooting, so the troops are very different from the imperial guards. Three teams take turns shooting, forming a du; two dus form a regiment, with a lieutenant; two regiments form a commander. One state recruits one commander, with a full complement of 472 people, all from the same hometown.
Wu Jiang was a commander, and it seemed that he had to recruit people to become a real commander, otherwise he would be alone. He kept persuading: Brother Yu is a student, but it is not easy to pass the imperial examination, which is one in a million; even if you pass the imperial examination, you still have to take the selection test to become an official.
If you join the army now and you are a scholar, you can find some people to join you and you can be promoted to a general. If you make some achievements on the battlefield in the future, you can be promoted from a general to a deputy commander. After three years, you can leave the army and be given an official position immediately.
If you can't be promoted to commander, you can take the imperial examination, which is only for military officers. It is much easier to pass the exam than to take the regular imperial examination. At worst, you can get a job as a clerk, and you can also eat the imperial food. If you are not an officer or a clerk, the court will issue an edict to treat you preferentially, but you can be promoted to an official.
In order to encourage him, the general whispered: With Cao Gong and others in the court, we are not without people to look after us.
Yu Liangxin said: This is also a way out.