It was getting late, and smoke was rising from the countryside courtyard.
Halfway through the meeting, everyone took a break.
Chang Can sniffed, with an intoxicated look on his face, and sighed: "When I was young, I helped a wealthy family in the village cook. At that time, I didn't like the smell of firewood. When the war broke out, the whole village was gone. Gradually,
I actually miss this smell."
After saying that, he looked quite sad.
"The Chang Governor protects my feelings." Several acquaintances said with a smile.
"Get lost!" Chang Can cursed with a smile, and the trace of reminiscence and sentimentality seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
In the army, weakness is looked down upon. Even if you are very scared, you must pretend not to be afraid. If you show sentimentality, these rough guys will not understand you, but will despise you.
"Xu Meng, do you know how to drink tea? How do you eat tea leaves?" Someone else laughed loudly.
Xu Meng, the military governor from Yingqiao, Xiangcheng, blushed and said, "You care about me? I can't kill anyone."
When Chang Can saw it, he was happy and said: "Xu Meng, you have been the director of the department for several years, how come you are still the same as before?"
"Has the Chang Governor changed?" Xu Meng asked.
"There are always some changes." Chang Can said bluntly: "Isn't it just for the sake of wealth and honor? Now that wealth is in front of you, but you don't enjoy it, what's the use?"
"That's true." Xu Meng smiled and said, "This wealth was given to me by Duke Liang, but it's hard to impress him."
"Actually, the people below need wealth more than me. What Mr. Liang just said really gave everyone a way out."
"Who said that? I also want to earn merit, but the deputy general is still too young."
"Bo Qudu is too young."
"Ha ha."
While Chang Can and Xu Meng were chatting, others started to make noises.
Those present here are all low-level officials between the seventh and ninth grades, and they are also talented warriors. Many of them were even top-notch thieves before joining the army. They really have no taboos in speaking.
Shao Xun walked over from a distance, followed by a group of soldiers, and brought dinner to everyone.
All meals are made from local ingredients.
The staple food is wild rice harvested by the Ru River, and several large barrels of wild rice are made.
The dishes are seasonal vegetables, plus a few slices of dried meat and some fish soup.
Shao Xun sat at the top and said with a smile: "Everyone is in high spirits. It seems that you are quite satisfied with the matter of being an officer."
Everyone laughed, and Chang Can came forward and said: "Only Ming Gong can do things for the benefit of warriors. In this world, if any warrior is not loyal to Ming Gong, then he has lost his conscience and will be struck by lightning."
Shao Xun stretched out his hand and asked him to sit down, and said: "What's wrong with the sons and daughters who face the sword with their flesh and blood and gain some wealth? When the world is in chaos, whoever exerts his strength should benefit. Warriors fight for their lives, and they bleed after their efforts.
, they deserve the benefits. It is true that the scholars also contributed, providing money, food, and people, but originally the benefits were all theirs, and it is common for them to let some of them out."
"Everything in the world is just a rule." Shao Xun picked up his rice bowl and said: "The scholars give up the benefits, and you wait until you get the benefits. Everything depends on merit. This is the rule. If there is no merit, just want to get benefits, that is not good.
Neither scholars nor warriors can follow the rules."
"Starting from next year, the Luonan Fourteenth Defense Forces will be the first batch of troops to try the honorary officer system. This system has just been launched, there may be shortcomings, and it will be changed in the future. Let me tell you first, please make it clear to the sons when you get back.
, before the reform, the good things were considered to be easier for you, and the bad things were also suffered. After the change, the merits will be calculated again, and the previous ones will not change."
"After the system is perfected, I will choose the opportunity to promote it. But how to push it, when to push it, and to what step it will be pushed depends on the current situation. Even I have to discuss the affairs of the world with others, and I cannot do whatever I want. You can wait.
You can't do whatever you want. If you break the rules, not only will the scholars lose, but you will also lose."
"That's all, let's eat." Shao Xun patted the table and said, "Anyway, this is a good thing. If you want to be rich in the future, just kill the enemy to pieces on the battlefield."
"As ordered." The officers responded with a roar, looking very excited, but also put away some of their arrogance.
Liang Gong gave them benefits, but also beat them. They should not be satisfied with their desires.
Scholars are also capable of resistance. It is not easy for them to give in. Don't think too much.
****
The officers of the imperial army left after finishing their meal.
They obeyed the order carefully, and after returning to their respective defenses, they summoned the sergeants and told them exactly what had happened.
There is autumn harvest in August, and after the autumn harvest, there will be autumn sowing. But if nothing unexpected happens, Luonan soldiers will be called up before the autumn sowing, and they will go to Guangchengze with Liang Gong for training.
After sending away the soldiers, Shao Xun summoned the students who had also just finished dinner.
Everyone was given a greeting gift, not much, just a piece of silk and a new amount of Yongjia money.
"Bai Tong, how many years have you been studying martial arts in Liang County?" Shao Xun asked a student as he sat down.
"The student enrolled in the school in the second year of Yongxing (305), and became a teacher in the fourth year of Yongjia (310), and it has been eight years since." Bai Tong stood up and answered.
"Sit down, sit down." Shao Xun said kindly: "I have wronged you by forcing you to study martial arts in Liang County for eight years."
Bai Tong stood up again and said: "I am a native of Taiyuan. I live here. My parents and relatives died together with me. Without Master Shao, I would have become someone else's food. How could we be here today?"
"How are you today?" Shao Xun asked.
"There is a house in the first area by the Ru River, with 70 acres of land, one wife, one concubine each, and several children." Bai Tong said: "While serving as an edict, the food and salary rewards were the same as those of eighth-rank officials, and they had more positions.
The three hectares of land are so generous that outsiders cannot imagine. The students are filled with gratitude. Although they cannot fight for Master Shao to kill the enemy, they can teach more disciples with good conduct and both civil and military skills for Master Shao. Praise Master Shao for his great achievements.
.”
"Master Shao is very happy that you think so. But Master Shao can't treat you badly." Shao Xun pulled the student to sit down again and said, "How old is your master?"
"Five years old."
"Are you willing to send him to Liang Palace to stay with my son?" Shao Xun asked.
Bai Tong was a little excited. After calming down a little, he said: "I wish."
"My students should be so straightforward." Shao Xun laughed.
Liangxian martial arts was taught by himself at the beginning. Later, when time became less and less, he invited poor scholars to serve as instructors and give cultural classes. He also invited military lieutenants and generals to make temporary guest appearances to teach martial arts and military strategy.
After surviving the first five years, Shao Xun ordered that from each batch of graduates, those with outstanding literary talents - relatively speaking - be selected into the teaching team, allowing martial arts to form a self-circulating cycle.
Most of the other graduating martial arts students entered the army.
For more than ten years, the Silver Spear Army has expanded almost every year, and the demand for officers is very high.
For example, if a new building is built, there will be 600 officers and soldiers, including sergeants recruited from various places, totaling about 30 officers, large and small, and the paperwork and other matters will be filled by martial arts students.
Now the Silver Spear Army has thirty buildings (originally thirty-one), and theoretically needs more than 900 student soldiers and officers.
Although not all of the ten buildings of the Heijin Army are student officers, they account for more than 60%.
There are also a few mule troops.
Liang County Martial Arts has trained a total of 1,673 students so far. If we exclude those who have entered local political power in large numbers in the past two years, the number will only be more than 1,300.
In fact, there are still many people who were killed in battle, disabled, sick, and some people who entered the place, so there are even fewer student officers available.
Therefore, there are a large number of veterans in the Silver Spear Army, and not all of them are student officers.
The army needs people and places need people. Talents are not enough, and far from enough.
The good news is that at the end of this year, the first batch of Xuchangwu students who enrolled in the 8th year of Yongjia (314) will graduate. Liang County Martial Arts will continue to provide students, and there will be slightly more people available. This year, Bianliang Martial Arts has also left the refugee camp.
180 orphans aged ten to sixteen were recruited as the first batch of students.
The situation is getting better step by step, and the foundation is getting stronger bit by bit, and this is inseparable from the hard work of the teachers.
Especially this kind of close disciple who has been studying for five years and teaching for eight years is extremely precious.
His level has improved greatly compared to eight years ago.
His loyalty is completely worthy of Shao Xun's trust. At least he will not teach anything messy and lead the students astray.
He was also very grateful to Shao Xun because his destiny had been changed.
This kind of person is very safe to use.
Bai Tong is just a microcosm, there are many people like him.
In order to compensate for their loss of not being able to serve as officials or generals, in addition to improving their economic benefits, it is also appropriate to compensate their next generation.
Moreover, the effect was indeed very good, and Bai Tong burst into tears of gratitude.
Studying with Master Shao's children is a blessing.
After giving Bai Tong the benefits, Shao Xun called on the names of eight or nine more people. They were basically students from the first to fifth periods. Most of them were good at literature, and a few were good at military strategy. He based on their daily performance.
, give rewards one by one.
"Wait a minute -" Shao Xun pointed to the dozen students behind the instructors and said, "Are they all from Dongping?"
"Yes." The students replied in unison.
These were the students who enrolled at the beginning of the eighth year of Yongjia (314). There were 165 students in that batch, all from Dongping Kingdom.
Because of the war, many orphans were born. In the past few years, the local area also cleaned up a group of wealthy scholars and powerful people who were at both ends of the war. Many bankers were fined and confiscated, and many students came from the families of bankers.
Therefore, this group is not all orphans - in fact, as Henan becomes more and more peaceful, it is not so easy to collect orphans, unlike before, where one could catch a large number of orphans.
"The army has not been expanded for two years. In the twelfth lunar month of this year, I will recruit a small number of new soldiers and organize them into four buildings, which will be the right battalion of the Heiyi Army. At that time, a hundred people will be selected from among you to serve as the officer corps." Shao Xun said.
: "Silver Spear and Black Gun are my right-hand men. You must be brave and diligent and practice hard."
"If the soldiers are well trained, they will have the opportunity to go into battle in the future, and have the opportunity to be rewarded for their meritorious service. Liang County has been studying martial arts for more than ten years, and has produced more than a thousand students. Now they all have families, careers, wives and children.
, live a prosperous life, and have a noble status. There are plenty of opportunities. Do things well and wait with peace of mind. Master Shao will not treat you badly."
"I sincerely follow Master Shao's teachings." Among the more than ten people, the two people standing at the front took the lead and responded in unison.
"Each of you will be given a bow and a sword handle." Shao Xun clapped his hands, and the soldiers immediately brought the instruments and distributed them one by one.
"Thank you Master Shao for the reward." Everyone said again.
"Master Shao is your god, Yin Qiang, and the Heiji Army are your home. Without Master Shao, you are nothing. As a human being, you must not forget your roots, remember." Bai Tong suddenly stood up and said to everyone.
Shao Xun patted him on the shoulder and laughed.
The Silver Spear and Heiji armies are a very cohesive organization.
If outsiders want to enter, there are only two ways: first, to be recruited as a new soldier; second, to study martial arts in Liang County, Xuchang or even Bianliang.
So far, most of the recruits are trackers, dock laborers, miners and some farmers; most of the students are orphans, and a few are children of ordinary farmers.
This is an upward path for people at the bottom. Shao Xun knew it, the scholars knew it, and they themselves knew it.
They are very exclusive, they form a group internally, and they only recognize Master Shao.
This has advantages and disadvantages, but in the process of conquering the world and consolidating power, such a silver spear army and a black army are very easy to use. The so-called advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Maybe it will do more harm than good in the future, but it's not time to make changes now, so don't worry.
Chapter completed!