When Mr. Chen left, Mr. Hou was still with him. Neither of them was in the mood to talk and walked out of the house in silence. The wind picked up in the late autumn night and there was already some coolness. The garrison flag on the flagpole in front of the door
It was slightly fluttering in the wind. The sentry still stood upright and seemed not to have moved. The officer on duty stood at the foot of the steps. After hearing the door ring, he glanced here and did not greet Mr. Hou.
The attendants from Shuiying who were waiting outside came over immediately. Mr. Hou thought that Chen Ba always came on horseback and was going to say goodbye at Shangmashi. Then he saw a sedan with four people parked outside Luchai.
Mr. Chen's steps were a little heavy and he walked slowly all the way. Mr. Hou had to slow down and follow the fat figure.
Finally arriving at the sedan chair, Mr. Chen stopped and turned to Mr. Hou, as if he was hesitant to speak.
"Best regards, Mr. Chen." Mr. Hou took a step back, indicating that he did not intend to talk to him.
Mr. Chen sighed, handed over to Mr. Hou and got on the sedan. The leading bearer shouted, and the sedan rose steadily to the west. The several bearers walked very rhythmically, and the car shook very little. At first glance,
Just work together often.
Mr. Hou shook his head. One of the skills he had experienced in the county government was to judge whether a person was rich or not by looking at the sedan chair. Lifting the sedan chair was a technical job. Lifting the sedan chair, walking the sedan chair, getting off the sedan chair, crossing the bridge, and going up and down the stairs all required the efforts of four people.
Skilled cooperation can lead to stability. Only wealthy families will keep a sedan bearer who is of little use for a long time, and they will be so well-trained. Looking at the sedan just now, you can tell that Mr. Chen Ba has a lot of money.
When we were in the study just now, Pang Yu, a young boss, mercilessly forced and suppressed Mr. Chen. Mr. Hou had some sympathy at first, but when he looked at the sedan chair, he felt that Mr. Chen was not unjust. In the past,
Mr. Hou may be envious of General Chen Bao's ability to make money, but after experiencing the rogue bandits at the beginning of the year, he hopes that these warriors can fight some more. But General Chen Bao does not look like he is good at leading troops, let alone a water camp.
Although he could always support four bearers, he knew that Shuiying would not have much fighting power. At least Pang Yu gave him a way to survive.
He touched the silver ingot in his arms through his clothes. After sighing lowly, he bent his waist slightly and turned around and entered the side door.
The lights in the two rooms on the west side were still on, and the door had just been opened. Some soldiers came out, talking to each other in low voices, and were preparing to return to the barracks through the east door. Mr. Hou changed his direction and prepared to return to the back office from the left side of the lobby.
If Pang Yu had no other arrangements, he would have finished his errand today.
I had just taken two steps when I suddenly heard a voice from the right, "Sir, you haven't rested yet."
Mr. Hou stopped and looked over, only to see a figure approaching. When he got closer, he could see who it was through the light of the lanterns in the surrounding corridor.
He smiled, glanced at the room over there, and said, "It turns out to be Da Cai. You are also here to attend this night school."
Wu Dacai came over and bowed politely, "Originally, Pang Pang gave me a day off today, and I wanted to come and visit you in the afternoon. But the people in the reception room said that my husband was discussing something, so they went back to the camp. I didn't expect to meet you here.
It’s my first time to come to this night school today. I’m in the second class. I’m not afraid of Mr.’s jokes. We used to be in the countryside. Reading and literacy were important things that only scholars could do. I didn’t dare to come at first, but I heard that
Get the literacy certificate and get an additional five yuan monthly salary, so be brave enough to give it a try."
Mr. Hou laughed and said, "That was decided by Da Da. It is indeed five coins, which is not a small amount in a year. Is there anyone else in your class who went there just for these five coins?"
Wu Dacai scratched his head, "The first general has two captains and three soldiers. The others can't be named. By the way, there is also Wang Zenglu."
"Wang Zenglu hasn't been studying very early, so why is he in your class again?"
"More than half of the Second General Command was lost at Beixiaguan. When Tongcheng was undergoing repairs, he was busy reorganizing the Second General Command and delayed his classes. When he returned to Anqing, he could only follow our second squad." Wu Dacai glanced over there. Those soldiers
The generals had already left, and the two clerks who were teaching had just come out. They each locked the door. He lowered his voice and said, "I heard someone in the army said that too many people died in the Beixia Pass in the second round. Pang Pang wanted to
Abandon him."
Mr. Hou exclaimed and shook his head, "Wang Zenglu's losses in the second game were a bit higher, but Pang Pangren has already concluded that although the losses in the second game were bigger and there were a lot of deserters, overall the enemy was defeated in a bloody battle. Wang Zenglu
His bravery is commendable, let alone taking up his original position. Besides, the second task is to replenish the ranks, not to reorganize them. Your Excellency has already roughly decided on the strategy, and the reorganization will begin in the blink of an eye."
"So that's it. The villain also thinks that Pang Daren values Mr. Wang Bai. The number of people killed by the second president in the official circles were piled up many times, and the horses were not overwhelmed. And Mr. Wang learned calligraphy really fast.
He is also willing to help in class and allows everyone to ask him if they don’t understand something.”
"Why are you asking him? Do you understand the two teachers from the office?"
"I actually understood it today. Each of us was given a military literacy list. I learned five words tonight."
Mr. Hou said with great interest, "That booklet was compiled by Pang Pang. He decided what words and sentences should be written. At that time, it was handed over to Chengfafang for editing, so I could see if there were any missing words. They were all in the military."
Commonly used, the first sentence I remember is 'one two three four five'."
"Same as what the teacher said, I learned 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 today. The first sentence is easy to write and learn, but the second sentence is more difficult. It is called 'six seven ** ten'. The first five characters are a villain in one night.
That’s it. I heard from the people in the previous class that the words at the back are very difficult.”
Mr. Hou laughed and said, "Don't listen to others to tell you how easy it is to learn something. Some people deliberately say it is difficult just to show off their ability. In fact, if you learn it yourself, you won't realize it. These two sentences are a couplet, which is considered to be
Cheap, the last few sentences, I remember it is 'a piece of door frame and ship parts worth hundreds of millions'; cents and two kilograms, inches and feet; front and rear, left, center and right, southeast and northwest; army and flag bureau
, the enemy's infantry, mounted artillery', it will be more difficult to learn than it is today, but once you master it, it will be easy to master. In the third unit, I will also give you a course on official documents."
"Young people are afraid that they won't be able to learn. I heard that they have to take exams from time to time."
Mr. Hou advised, "There are exams, but in your camp, individual skills and team drills are also exams every three days. The same is true for night schools. It's just that the large number of people are divided into some units. After the first unit,
There is a unit test, which will be invigilated by the Chinese Guards. You need to put the words you learned earlier into sentences. You must be able to read and write. For example, when I just said those words, you can write "There are five hundred enemies within three miles to the northwest."
And so on."
"That little man really doesn't know if he can pass the test. Although he can get five more silver coins per month, I heard that he will have to take the test every three months from now on. If he fails, the five silver coins per month will be gone. Maybe in the end
All your hard work is in vain, the villain is a little hesitant."
"Da Cai can't think like this. Pang Daren often tells me that there are not enough people in the army. I listen to your words every day. What he needs are soldiers who can read and write, not literati who can talk about military affairs.
Yes. Your Excellency attaches great importance to this night school. The revised military regulations have been handed over to the Chengfa Office. An additional clause has been added. Those who have obtained literacy certificates will be given priority for promotion."
Wu Tachai looked at Mr. Hou carefully and said in a low voice, "Speaking of promotion, I happened to meet Mr. Hou tonight. I wonder when my temporary captain will be promoted?"
Mr. Hou looked around and saw that Wu Dacai had just come out of the countryside. Although he had served in the Chinese Army, his experience was still not enough. He asked about things so directly that the people around him could hear what he said to Pang Yu.
This will give Mr. Hou the impression that tip-offs are unreliable.
After hesitating for a moment, he took two steps towards the wall and stopped when he was close to the wall. Wu Dacai quickly followed him, and then Mr. Hou whispered to him, "In this reorganization, Panda is going to set up a trap on General Manager Bai."
General, each general has three hundred generals. There are three generals of the battalion and three generals of the Chinese army. The total number of soldiers is more than 1,500. The number of infantry is 1,200. The number of soldiers of the Chinese army is 1,200.
The previous cavalry and infantry of the team were organized separately, and there were roughly half more flag captains and captains than the previous six hundred commanders. All those who had made meritorious services in Beixiaguan were promoted this time, and they are still in their original positions at the moment. The basic basis for promotion is
They are all veterans, as for you..."
Wu Tat Choi's heart beat violently. It sounded like he might even have a chance to be promoted to flag general. He couldn't wait to ask, "What's going on?"
"Yao Dongshan reported that your name was not on the list of officer candidates."
"Oh." Wu Tat-choi chatted for a while before uttering a word, feeling a little dizzy.
"I heard that it was stuck at Jiang Guoyong's place. Nowadays, an officer's promotion requires the signature of the governor before he can go to Pang Pang. Jiang Guoyong said that your gambling incident has only occurred for two or three months. Your military merits can be recognized, but your promotion is difficult to convince the public.
, Yao Dongshan did not fight hard, so he applied for another one." Mr. Hou shook his head, "For the promotion of an officer, the promotion office only requires the issuance of documents, and there is really nothing I can do."
Wu Dacai lowered his head in the dim corridor and didn't speak for a long time. Mr. Hou sighed and said to him, "But your military merit has been confirmed by defeating the enemy in the bloody battle at Beixia Pass. Even if you are not promoted this time, you will definitely not miss it next time."
Lose."
Wu DaCai lowered his head. Promotion in the military is not easy. If he misses it this time, he will be one step, or even two steps behind others next time. For example, if he should be promoted to captain for meritorious service this time, he may be promoted to flag captain through reorganization. In the future
Even if you risk your life, you may not be able to catch up to these two steps. He couldn't hide the loneliness in his voice, "I understand."
Mr. Hou looked at his appearance, thought about it, and then advised, "A temporary gain or loss is nothing. If you can learn calligraphy here at night, you will be much better than other soldiers. I hope you can train hard during the day, but you can still ignore it at night."
Those who are tired and work hard here are those who have great perseverance. The future prospects of those who are literate and those who are illiterate are very different. Put your mind on this night school. Mr. Pang will hire a teacher for you and will also provide you with free paper, pens, desks and chairs.
, Where else in the world can there be such a good Shangguan? You are cheaper than other scholars from ordinary families." Mr. Hou showed a reminiscing look, "Such preferential treatment, I couldn't even think of it. I lived near the city when I was young.
, my family was also poor, and there was no place to study. Later, my mother helped to collect shoe soles and reluctantly asked my husband to learn how to write. If not for this, I would not have worked as a clerk in the county government."
He was a little choked as he spoke. Wu Dacai knew that his mother was killed when the bandits invaded Susong at the beginning of the year. At this time, he inevitably remembered that he had forgotten about his promotion, but he didn't know how to persuade her.
Mr. Hou calmed down for a moment and said, "I can't talk about these past events, so getting rich and getting promoted in this world are important, but you must understand that having your wife, children and parents by your side is the greatest blessing from God. Without this blessing,
What's the use of having a great official and having great wealth."
When Wu Dacai heard this, he knew that Mr. Hou had indeed brought back bad memories. Seven members of his family died in Susong at the beginning of the year. Hou Shuban himself was able to escape on business in Anqing. When the bandits retreated, he went back and buried the whole family with his own hands.
My frustration was really incomparable to him, so I couldn't talk about my own affairs anymore, so I quickly bowed and said, "I listen to you, sir. Don't think about the bad things, sir. I won't delay my rest."
Mr. Hou waved his hand, "You go ahead, I have to go back to the master. The master is a young man, and he becomes more energetic at night. If he doesn't rest, I don't dare to rest."
Wu DaCai did not dare to say anything more and quickly saluted and left. Mr. Hou watched Wu DaCai disappear, turned around and walked towards the passage on the left side of the lobby alone.
In the quiet night, there was only the sound of his own footsteps, and the lantern in the lobby cast his lonely shadow very long. When he reached the passage on the side of the lobby, Mr. Hou sighed and stopped.
The light in the passage was darker, the sentries in the second hall were far apart, and there were no patrolling sentries. Mr. Hou leaned against the wall of the curtain friend's room, looking up at the dark sky in the passage.
A low sob could be heard in the dark alley, and no one noticed it in the quiet night.