Liangzhou, Hanyang County, a county on the north bank of the Weishui River.
In the evening, the shops are about to close, and people rush to buy things, which makes it even more lively.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
In a house not far from the market, a seven-foot-old boy kept drawing his bow and arrows, shooting at a target filled with arrows fifty paces away. The young man had thick eyebrows, big eyes, a straight nose and a broad mouth, and he had a dignified appearance.
Sixteen or seventeen, only the soft hair on his mouth betrayed his true age, which showed that he had never reached the age where his hair was tied. If Gai Jun were here, he would be shocked. The bow in this young man's hand has a pulling force of one and a half stones.
One hundred and eighty kilograms. It should be noted that Gai Jun could not draw a strong bow with a stone and a half until he was almost fifteen years old. In other words, this young man was also born with supernatural power.
"Dashi..."
Hearing someone calling from behind, the young man put down the bow in his hand and turned around to look. This young man turned out to be the child Gai Jun gave the bone to him in the past. Before he knew it, seven years had passed and he had grown from a seven-year-old ignorant boy.
Become a tall boy.
"Father……"
"You have been very diligent in practicing bow and horse recently. Why?"
Dashi lowered his head slightly, rubbed his bones, and said slowly: "I want to join the army."
"What? You are only fourteen and underage. You must not do it!"
"Thirteenth Gai Ying shot a tiger to save his father, and he was famous in Dazhou County for his filial piety and bravery. Why can't I, fourteenth, join the army?"
"Gai is a very talented person. He has only appeared in Xizhou for hundreds of years..."
"How can my son be like ordinary people?" Dashi looked proud, and then bowed: "It is my son's long-cherished wish to follow Gai Ying. Father, don't stop me."
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The junction of Liangzhou, Hanyang and Longxi counties.
A group of undulating mountains suddenly rise from the vast plain. This mountain is called Zhangshan. At the foot of the mountain is a large village. The architectural style is not uniform. It must be Han Dynasty and Hu lived together. There is a bluestone in the north of the village.
The owner of the built house was a well-known hero in the nearby area. His surname was Ma, his given name was Teng, and his surname was Shoucheng. He was a descendant of General Fubo Ma Yuan.
Ma Teng's huge body sat at the front of the hall, lost in thought. Others thought that he was a member of the Youfu Feng horse clan and would have a rich family. In fact, it was quite the opposite. By the time his father Ma Zishuo was in decline, he lost the title of Langan County Lieutenant.
After working, he was unable to return to his hometown. He was poor and had no wife, so he had to marry a rough Qiang woman. After giving birth to two sons, he died early of illness, leaving only a family of women and children. It is not difficult to imagine the hardship of life. When Ma Teng was young, he had to support his family.
, often went to Zhangshan to cut firewood and sell it to supplement the family income. In a flash, Ma Teng passed his thirties. After more than ten years of hard work, the Ma family changed from a simple wooden house to a large bluestone house. From having no property and no job to now, there are acres of fields, cattle and horses.
In groups, but unable to serve as officials, the foundation is ultimately unstable.
Now... there is an opportunity before us.
"Shooting tigers and destroying locusts" wants to recruit two thousand soldiers to go to the battlefield. Regardless of their origins or past history, those who call ten people will be given the title of commander; those who call one hundred people will be given the title of camp commander; those who call five hundred people will be given the title of military prince.
Position.
Ma Teng admitted that he was tempted. Not to mention his relationship with Gai Jun, based on his reputation alone, he did not need 500 people, but as long as he brought 200 people to respond, there would be a military prince. Since Emperor Guangwu revitalized the Han Dynasty, there has never been a military prince.
After experiencing chaos such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion, which endangers the country, the people in power will not hesitate to hold official positions in order to quell the rebellion as soon as possible. Marquis, with a little military exploits, it is easy to gain "thousands of stones".
"Dang! Dang!"
The sound of heavy footsteps woke up Ma Teng, and when he glanced at him, he saw his younger brother Ma Zhi holding the door and entering, with faces full of eagerness.
"Brother, if you keep cutting off, you will surely suffer chaos..."
Ma Teng asked calmly: "What do you mean by waiting?"
Ma Ju said loudly: "There is not a single coward among the more than two hundred brothers. They are all ready to go, just waiting for a word from my brother."
"Okay! Then let's win!"
"Why!"
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Liangzhou, Wuwei County, Zuli County.
Zuli County Office is located in the center of the city. It occupies a very large area, about one-fifth of the county seat. It is magnificent, solemn and majestic. It is made of brick and wood as the main body. The Zhuchi gate is three rooms wide, facing north and south.
It is carved with exquisite patterns. A "big drum" is placed between the east ends, which is specially used for people to beat drums and complain about grievances. There are two officials waiting on both sides.
Deep in the county office, Wei Cao. Wei Cao's main function is to take charge of the transfer of soldiers and disciples. More than a dozen petty officials are lined up in a row, with their heads buried in their cases and their pens flying like flying. Wei Cao, who is usually very leisurely, has become very quiet these days.
It was extremely busy, and it was all caused by the Yellow Turban Rebellion. The government issued an order, and all counties in Liangzhou must send a quota of troops within the specified time without delay.
The age of the county officials ranged from thirty to fifty years old, but it was not absolute. There was one man in his twenties, tall, with arms and waist, a face as white as jade, and bright eyes. He leaned over his desk and waved a letter, writing
As he wrote, his eyebrows suddenly frowned, and he slapped the pen on the case with a loud "bang" sound.
His colleagues were startled and stopped writing to look at him.
The young county official, as if there was no one around, said loudly: "My family has been in the military for many years, but now the country is in unrest. A man should go thousands of miles away to show off his power on the battlefield and be famous for his paintings. How can he be a swordsman and pen official for a long time?" After saying this, he bowed on all sides, raised his legs and left.
.
The officials looked at the young man's retreating figure and looked at each other, with shock on the surface. A hundred years ago, Ban Chao came from a poor family and copied documents for the government to make ends meet. It was very hard for a long time, and he sighed: "A man who has no other ambitions can just be like this."
Following the example of Fu Jiezi, Zhang Qian performed meritorious service in a foreign land in order to gain the title of a marquis. How can he be able to spend a long time doing research and writing without leisure?" Everyone else laughed. Ban Chao said disdainfully: "You know how strong the ambition of a strong man is!" Later, he was granted the title of marquis, and his name went down in history.
Will the young man's bold words come true?
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Liangzhou, Jiuquan County, Lufu County.
"The East City is interested in Yang Aruo, the West City is interested in Yang Aruo. The East City is interested in Yang Aruo, the West City is interested in Yang Aruo..."
A group of naked boys surrounded a young man in black robes, running and shouting.
The young man in black robe is about seventeen or eighteen years old, with even bones and flesh, slender hands and feet, and black hair that looks like splashing ink simply tied up in a hairpin. His skin is fair and moist, even more so than that of a woman. He has willow eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a pretty nose and red lips, and a graceful appearance. If he is willing to dress up,
Women are definitely the type that can bring disaster to the country and bring disaster to the people.
His surname is Yang Mingfeng, nicknamed Aruo. He is from Jiuquan. Even though he looks like a woman, he is actually extremely skilled in martial arts. He is the most famous ranger in Jiuquan County.
A small battle, a big battle in five days, regardless of whether it is in the east or west of the city, he will be indispensable in places with disputes. Therefore, the popular song goes: "The east city will fight against Yang Aruo, and the west city will fight against Yang Aruo."
It cannot be denied that the Han Dynasty was dominated by wealthy families, and it was too difficult for ordinary people to get ahead. Yang Aruo was unwilling to rely on the wealthy families, so his life became more and more difficult. At this moment, a turning point appeared——
"Gai Shehu... the Central Plains... I have no nostalgia for this place anymore. It's time to go out."
Yang Aruo looked into the distance and murmured to himself.
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Liangzhou, Dunhuang County, Dunhuang County.
In the Song Ancestral Hall, the head of the family, Song Bing, led more than 20 core members of the family to worship in groups and sit in the ancestral hall according to seniority and age. The ancestors of the Song family were the first people to come to Hexi, and they can even be traced back to the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. , no less than the Cao family. Not to mention the Cao family, which spanned the two Han Dynasties and had infinite glory. Over the past few hundred years, it has witnessed the rise of its descendants such as Linghu, Zhang, Suo, Fan, Gai and other surnames. However, the development of the Song surname itself has been extremely slow. Today, the population There are only a hundred people with hundreds of servants, so it seems that they are boasting as a wealthy family in Dunhuang.
The head of the family, Song Bing, asked: "Gongyuan, what is the attitude of the tribes in Dunhuang towards Gai Shehu's intention?"
Song Li, who was hailed as "Zang Hong's Second" by Gai Jun, straightened his tall body and replied: "Reporting to my uncle, the Cao family and the Zhang family of Dunhuang, the ancestors of Gai Shehu, have both agreed to send tribes to support, but other clans have not yet. There is a response.”
Song Bing nodded and said: "You are very intelligent, and you will undoubtedly be the one who wants to improve my family. In your opinion, what should I, the Song family, do?"
Song Li's eyes narrowed and he said decisively: "The Song family is about to rise. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Uncle, don't miss it."
"Don't I know?" Song Bing said hesitantly: "But there are few villains in our Song clan..."
"A hundred people are enough."
Song Bing's brows were raised high. Hundreds of capable warriors may not mean anything to the Dunhuang wealthy family, but to the Song family, it means using all the strength of the clan. Is it worth putting the rise and fall of a clan on Gai Shehu? As a Patriarch, he must think carefully.
"uncle……"
Song Bing was silent for a long time, and then slowly said: "Gongyuan, whether the Song family can occupy a place in Dunhuang depends on you."