Gao Liuxing shot three arrows smoothly, and all three arrows hit the vital point. There was cheering all around. Chen Qing nodded secretly. Although this man's archery skills were slightly inferior to his own, he was already on par with Liu Cui and Yang Zaixing. To be a
Dutou is indeed a pity.
But the rules are here. If you want to be a commander, you must have military merit and high martial arts skills. This only shows that he now has the basis for promotion.
At this time, Gao Liu was led to Chen Qing, knelt down on one knee and saluted, "See you, Commander!"
Chen Qing smiled and nodded, "Gao Dutou is good at archery. Have you ever joined the Song Army before?"
"Bi Zhi did not join the regular army. He initially participated in the bow and arrow shooting organized by the county, and later led a rebel army to fight against the Jin soldiers in Ruzhou."
"In what year were the rebels organized?"
"The second year of Jingkang."
"Is your real name Gao Liu?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.
Gao Liu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Exactly!"
Chen Qing saw the doubt in his eyes, so he did not ask further questions, but changed the topic and asked: "What weapons does Gao Dutou usually use?"
"Reporting to the commander, I used a pair of double maces in my early years. Later I felt that the weapon was too short and was disadvantageous on the battlefield, so I learned from a famous teacher to learn the spear. Currently, I don't have a suitable weapon, so I am going to find a blacksmith to make an iron spear."
"How many kilograms of weapons do you use?"
"A humble job requires at least a forty-pound iron gun."
Chen Qing smiled slightly and said: "I happen to have a large iron gun, weighing forty pounds. It is not suitable for other generals. It seems that I am destined to you, so I think it will be your prize for being the top one today!"
Gao Liu was overjoyed and saluted with clasped fists, "Thank you, Commander, for your love!"
"From now on, you will serve as the deputy commander of the third battalion and cooperate with General Yang in training new recruits!"
"Follow the order!"
At this moment, Chen Qing suddenly heard a buzzing sound coming from the sky. When he looked up, he found a group of pigeons circling in the sky.
Chen Qing's expression suddenly changed, and he ordered Yang Zaixing to take Gao Liu down to explain the appointment matters. He got on his horse and said to Yan Jun: "Go and find Hu Yanlei!"
He urged the horse to go outside the military camp. Not long after, Hu Yanlei hurried over, saluted on the horse and said: "I see the commander for your humble position!"
"Did you see the flock of pigeons just now?"
Hu Yanlei was sweating profusely and said: "I have also seen it, and I am tracing the source."
There are two shops in Zhongnan County that specialize in leasing pigeon letters. The pigeon letters are sent to Jingzhao and then delivered to various places by Jingzhao's express delivery.
After Chen Qing entered Zhongnan County, he was afraid that the news would be leaked, so he temporarily stopped the pigeon business of two companies.
Unexpectedly, homing pigeons actually appeared in the sky today. How could Chen Qing not be annoyed?
At this time, a soldier rushed over, clasped his fists and said: "Commander, commander, we have found the source of the carrier pigeon!"
Chen Qing waved his hand and said, "Lead the way!"
The soldiers led Chen Qing and his entourage to a small shop in front of Beicheng Gate. The shop had been controlled by the soldiers, and the shopkeeper sat at the door with a pale face.
One of the guards came forward and explained to Chen Qing: "Commander Qi, this shop is specialized in pigeon mailing business in Zhongnan County. He said that today it is just a normal flight, and it is not good to keep it in a cage."
"Did he secretly take over business?"
Chen Qing's eyes were very stern, and the shopkeeper's face became even paler.
At this time, a soldier came out and said: "We asked the clerk, and he said that we have been closed since we entered the city, but yesterday we couldn't stop a businessman's plea, and we secretly did a business early this morning."
Chen Qing was really annoyed that they would be exposed. He immediately said to the shopkeeper: "I'm warning you for the last time. The Song Army will compensate you for your losses, but if you dare to do business secretly again, I will punish you severely!"
The shopkeeper was so frightened that he quickly nodded and bowed, "I promise not to do it. Yesterday, it was a businessman from Ruzhou. He was afraid that his family would think something had happened to him, so he just wanted to report to his family that he was safe. The villain did not write about the Song Army. He just said that he is safe now.
I’ll go back when spring comes.”
"The pigeon letter is sent directly to Ruzhou?"
"No! All pigeon mail only goes to Jingzhao City. The store there will then be forwarded to Ruzhou by express delivery."
"Just this once, don't do it again!"
"I promise not to send pigeon messages anymore."
Chen Qing said to Hu Yanlei again: "You must monitor them and give the other store a severe warning."
"I humbly obey orders!"
Chen Qing got on his horse and was about to leave. After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and called the shopkeeper back and asked, "Where does the Ruzhou merchant I just mentioned live?"
"I live in an old store in Zhongnan. Many businessmen live there. This Ruzhou businessman is called Qiao Xingchun. He is a medicine merchant. The general will know it as soon as he asks."
...........
Chen Qing urged his horse back to the military camp, walked into the tent and told Yan Jun: "Go to the old Zhongnan store and find Qiao Xingchun for me!"
Chen Qing still suspected that Gao Liu was not telling the truth. He should have another name. Chen Qing had already thought of someone, but he needed to confirm it.
Soon, a businessman was brought into the big tent by Yan Jun. The businessman thought that something about Ge Xin had happened. He was really scared. He knelt down and saluted: "The little man Qiao Xingchun pays tribute to the general!"
"I heard that you are a businessman from Ruzhou?"
"That's right, villain!"
"I want to ask about Ruzhou. Is there any war in Ruzhou this year?"
Qiao Xingchun was relieved when he heard that it was not a matter of pigeons. He thought for a while and said: "At the beginning of this year, there was a war in the central and southern areas. Guo Zhen led 50,000 Qi troops to suppress the bandits. In fact, it was not to suppress the bandits, but to suppress the rebels.
Jin Yijun."
"The results of it?"
"The rebel army only has more than 3,000 people. How can it defeat an army of 50,000 people? I heard that they retreated all the way and were completely defeated in Ye County."
"What is the name of the leader of the rebel army?"
"My name is Niugao, from Lushan County, very famous."
Sure enough, it was Niu Gao. The homophone of Gaoliu is [Gao Niu], which in turn is Niu Gao, a fierce general of the Yue family army. Historically, he was recruited by Yue Fei during the Shaoxing period, but history took a turn, and Niu Gao's rebel army was defeated by the Qi army in advance.
After the suppression, Niu Gao fled from Shangluo Road to Guanzhong.
"How is the situation in Niugao?"
"He was wanted by Qi State with a reward of 3,000 yuan. I heard that he was killed by his men on the way to Xiangyang. I just heard about it."
That's right, the reason why Niu Gao kept his name anonymous was found, because he had been killed in battle, maybe he was afraid of damaging his family.
Chen Qing sent Qiao Xingchun away. He walked away with his hands behind his hands for a moment, and then ordered: "Go and find Yang Zaixing and Gao Liu!"
Not long after, Yang Zaixing and Gao Liu quickly came to the big tent, and they both bowed and said: "See the commander!"
Chen Qing smiled and said to Gao Liu, "Have you got the spear I asked the soldiers to send you?"
Gao Liu hurriedly said: "I got it. I am very suitable for my job. I like it very much. I would like to thank you again for your kindness, Commander!"
Chen Qing smiled slightly and said: "I know a famous person in Ruzhou. Can the deputy commander tell me his current situation?"
"I wonder who the commander is talking about?"
Chen Qing handed a note to Gao Liu, who opened it and saw the word "Niugao" written on it.
His face suddenly turned red and he couldn't say a word.
Chen Qing asked with a half-smile but not a smile: "Why, the deputy commander doesn't know this celebrity from Ruzhou?"
The commander had already named him as a famous person in Ruzhou. Niu Gao could no longer deny it, so he had to kneel down on one knee and said: "I am Niu Gao because of my humble position. It's just that I have difficulties in my humble position. I have no choice but to keep my name anonymous. Please forgive me, commander?"
Yang Zaixing was really surprised, "Are you... the famous Niu Gao from Ruzhou?"
Niu Gao smiled bitterly and said: "There are many people who know me in the Central Plains area, so I escaped from Guanzhong. In fact, I know that I will be discovered sooner or later, but I only hope that I will be discovered one month later."
"Why?"
"Because I died at the beginning of the year, the government let my family go and no longer paid attention to them. They are migrating to the south. As long as they settle down, I am not afraid of being discovered."
"Is your family still in your hometown?"
Niu Gao shook his head, "They should have left a few months ago, but I have never heard from them. We agreed to hide it until the end of the year, and I can resume my official status next year."
Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said: "The army has rules. If you use anonymity, it will affect your promotion, naturalization, rank and officer awards, etc. In the future, and you are a new recruit, it is a bit against the rules for me to promote you to deputy commander.
But if you are Niu Gao, the leader of the rebel army, then it is justifiable. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand, now that the commander knows my true identity, I no longer need to hide it. From now on, I will resume my real name, which is Niu Gao."