Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 419
On the second day of the exam, there was nothing to say.Due to the lack of officers in the army, the examination questions were not difficult.As long as you can read one or two thousand characters, understand an article that is not too difficult, and then write an article of more than five hundred words, which is similar to the composition of later generations.Wu mainly tests bow and horse.Get on the horse and ride five hundred steps, and you can pass smoothly.A step bow with one stone, a horse bow with seven strokes, and a crossbow with two stones and seven strokes is the pilot test.

For Wang Zhongfu, these exam questions are like playing with children, without any difficulty.Of the other people who came together, only Cui Liang could not read much, and he felt that there were many wrong characters in the composition, and he felt uneasy.

The sun was setting and everyone had finished their exams.Most of the candidates were full of confidence, and the city of Xinye became lively.

As soon as they returned to the inn, Shu Jiming came over to invite them to drink no matter what.

In front of Qingfeng Building, Xu Shijie grabbed Shu Jiming who was about to go in.He said: "Brother, we are not a wealthy family. If you drink two glasses of wine, you can't distinguish between good and bad. You don't need to go to this kind of restaurant. If you have a lot of money, just eat more meat."

Shu Jiming said: "There is also Qingfenglou in Xinyang Military City. I heard that it is a very good place. The wine is good, the food is good, and there are all kinds of excitement."

Xu Shijie said: "That's right, everything in this restaurant is good. But the price is really high. To drink in it, an average person needs at least two or three pennies. Seven of us, if we go in for a meal, dozens of pennies will be gone. .”

Shu Jiming was taken aback: "Is it so expensive? Ordinary drinking, no matter how good the wine is, five hundred Wen is enough!"

Xu Shijie said: "Qingfenglou is one of the high-end restaurants under the Zhenfu envoy, is it a joke! Xinye is a military city, with few merchants, only Qingfenglou is a high-end restaurant. In prosperous places, such as Xiangyang, the Zhenfu envoy There are seven high-end restaurants under the company, and the Qingfeng Building is relatively cheap."

Wang Zhongfu was curious.Asked: "Two or three times a meal is scary. If it is more expensive, how much does it cost per person?"

Xu Shijie said: "I came from a poor family, and I have never been in this kind of place. But I heard people say that expensive places are like Peach Blossom Spring, etc., as long as one goes in, one person needs at least ten guan. Don't dare to approach!"

Several people were stunned when they heard this.A meal costs ten yuan, and I don't know who the guests are there.Wang Zhongfu's family is a big Zhuangzi, and he can be regarded as a rich family.Hearing the price, I was also taken aback.

Xu Shijie said: "If you say it's cheap, the most common ones are human fireworks. I heard that Zhenfu built them himself after he arrived in Xiangyang. The dishes there are rich and the prices are not expensive. People like us are the most suitable to go."

Shu Jiming originally wanted to show his arrogance, but after hearing the price of Qingfeng Building, he had no idea about it.Said: "In this case, let's go to the fireworks in the world. The Xinyang Army also has them here, but they haven't been there."

While talking, several people walked to the shore of Baishui.It is already March in Yangchun, and the wind is filled with the breath of spring.In the western sky, a round of red sun hangs down to the west, and sprinkles the sky with rays of light.The sparkling water was golden.

Xu Shijie took a deep breath: "I haven't smelled the fireworks here for a long time. I miss it a lot!"

Several people found a table by the river and sat down.The boy came over and filled them with tea.Said: "What do you guys want to eat tonight?"

Shu Jiming said: "When you get here, you can relax and order whatever you want! We won't return tonight until we're drunk!"

Human Fireworks mainly cooks three kinds of dishes.One is barbecue, then cold dishes, and stir-fry.Except for barbecue and cold dishes, all other dishes ordered here are stir-fried, which is a major feature.Walking near the stall, the first thing you can see is a row of frying pans, and a man behind is holding a spoon.The fire permeates the pot, constantly tumbling, changing various shapes, which is very spectacular.

Barbecue includes not only kebabs, roast kidneys and other dishes, but also roast chicken, duck, quail and so on.In general, the colors here are very rich and easy to make.The ingredients are required to be fresh, and the chef controls the heat.

Several people ordered thirty skewers of roast lamb, a plate of fried loach, a plate of salt and pepper quail, a plate of cumin lamb, and a plate of tofu mixed with green onions.Shu Jiming ordered another big grilled catfish, and asked the boy to serve the wine.

The boy said: "We have good plum wine and sweet-scented osmanthus wine, which one do you want?"

Shu Jiming said: "Two days ago I drank a kind of shochu, light blue in color, very strong. I don't know what kind of wine?"

The boy said: "Our name is Zhuyeqing. This wine is easy to drink, but it is very strong, and many people get drunk. If customers want it, the store will naturally have it, but the price is a little more expensive. You get what you pay for, and we are the best here. Affordable."

Xu Shijie asked: "How much is general shochu? How much is Zhuyeqing?"

The boy said: "Returning to the guest officer, a bottle of two liters of liquor is generally 110 Wenzu. Zhuyeqing is also a bottle of two liters, 170 Wenzu."

Shu Jiming said loudly: "Since that's the case, let's bring four bottles, and the two of us will drink one bottle! If you don't get drunk, you won't go home!"

Xu Shijie waved his hands hastily: "Since it's strong wine, how can one person drink one liter? Store, one bottle is enough!"

Shu Jiming said: "Dutou, you don't need to save money for me! You have seen my purse, there are dozens of pennies in it, please afford it!"

Xu Shijie sighed and said: "Brother, you don't often drink strong alcohol, so you don't know how powerful it is. Most people don't say that one person drinks a bottle of shochu sold now, and eight people drink a bottle. Just don't worry, if If you don’t enjoy drinking enough, let the store take it again.”

Most of the wine cities in the Song Dynasty were sold by the bottle, with a bottle of two liters.This is to ensure that it is not easy to deteriorate, easy to transport, and most importantly, it is convenient for the government to collect taxes.Of course, the liters at this time are smaller than those of later generations, less than [-] milliliters.Xu Shijie is not an alcoholic, thinking that a bottle of wine is enough for the seven people present.

Of course, the store also sells loose wine.It is often said that a dime of wine is four liters. This unit cannot be used for baijiu, and it is generally used together.It's just that the boy saw a few people, it's not that they are short of money, of course they have to drink from the bottle.

After arguing, the boy left.Not long after, a bottle of wine came over.After opening the mud seal, the loach, quail, tofu and other dishes came out without filling up for a few people.The seven people had just raised their wine bowls, and all the other dishes such as mutton kebabs were also served.

After taking a sip of wine, Shu Jiming wiped his mouth and said, "The food here is served so fast!"

Xu Shijie said: "It's different here. Because there are so many people, the meat skewers are roasted non-stop, and there is no need to wait for the guests to order. Most of the rest are already ready, so there is no delay in time."

Several people were drinking and chatting.The sun went down, the moon came up, and there was more mist between the sky and the earth.

Wang Zhongfu said to Shu Jiming: "Today's exam, I saw that my brother is proficient in bow and horse, and the arrow is not in vain. No one in the exam room can compare with you."

Shu Jiming sighed: "I have loved knives, guns and sticks since I was a child. My family has a little money, and I learned horseback riding and archery when I was a little sensible. I'm not boasting. There are few nearby states and counties that can match me in this skill. It's just that I didn't like reading when I was young. , I can only write my own name. The year before last, I wanted to enter the military academy, but only those who can read here. There is no way, please ask a gentleman, study hard at home for more than a year, and finally be able to read an article."

Xu Shijie said, "How do you think you did in the exam today?"

Shu Jiming was a little depressed: "If you talk about bow and horse martial arts, everyone has seen it, so naturally there is no problem at all. But it is too difficult for me to write an article. I probably know it myself. I am afraid that a five-hundred-word article will not be useful. Twenty or thirty different words! Not to mention, I don’t know, it’s actually wrong. Tell me, how can this kind of article be hit?”

Xu Shijie said: "Don't worry. The essay test in the military school is just to confirm that you can read and write. It's not a Jinshi test. It doesn't require you to be outstanding. Even if there are more other characters, you are very proficient in martial arts, and you should be admitted."

Cui Liang said: "I don't know much about Chinese characters, and I feel that there are a lot of typos in the article, so I feel uneasy."

Speaking of this, Shu Jiming sighed.He took a sip of wine and said: "After today's exam, the official of the bow horse exam asked me for my name. From his appearance, he seemed to appreciate me. But I didn't live up to it!"

After finishing speaking, he tapped the table lightly, feeling extremely frustrated.

Wang Zhongfu said: "Since I asked your name, I intend to record you. It doesn't matter if you have more other characters, you just need to learn after entering the military academy. In fact, in other armies, what's wrong with being illiterate? Many officials like illiterate people."

Not long after the founding of the Song Dynasty, Taizu once said a word, wanting to make all the warriors in the world read as much as possible.Only when Taizong arrived, the policy changed a little.When it came to Zhenzong, it completely changed.Zhenzong used military generals to promote illiterate people on purpose.

This kind of ethos has a very deep impact.Fortunately, the Song Dynasty was better. Many military generals became high-ranking officials, and they would consciously read and write.For example, Yue Fei and Han Shizhong would write poems after they became senior officials.Yue Fei even left a few famous pieces.In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this kind of atmosphere became more and more prosperous, and many generals did not know a single character.For the emperor, if he was illiterate, he would not have much thought, and it was reliable to use.But for the army, being an illiterate general will directly affect the combat effectiveness of the army, and even more affect the inheritance of army experience.

Shu Jiming knew that he did not do well in the literature test.But the martial arts test was so smooth that the examiner came here to ask me his name, with a hint of luck in his heart.I figured that if I really passed the exam, I would have to work hard to learn how to read and write when I entered the military academy.He saw that Wang Zhongfu's essay test was extremely easy, so he deliberately approached him.I really passed the exam, with such a familiar person by my side, I can teach myself.

(End of this chapter)