Great Warriors of Sui and Tang Dynasties

Chapter 10
"You should practice riding and shooting well when you have time."

Qin Qiong confessed that the soldiers of the Sui Dynasty had to prepare their own weapons and horses. Although they usually paid money to the military government and then got the standard weapons made by the court, but to be a soldier, they must first have good martial arts skills, especially the best riding and shooting skills. important.After all, even if you are selected to join the Fubing, how can you do meritorious service if you don't have good riding and shooting skills.

"I don't know how to ride a horse, and I don't have a horse." Luo Feng said with a wry smile.

Horses are not cheap, especially in recent years, when the emperor planned to conquer Goguryeo in Liaodong, he ordered wealthy families all over the world to raise horses. These horses were reserved for the Eastern Expedition.Many families have the task of raising horses, and they have to deliver horses to the imperial court when the time comes, which makes the price of horses in the Central Plains soar.

When the current emperor first succeeded to the throne, the price of horses in Qi County was not high. The average cart crossbow horse was about one horse, while a horse that could be used for transportation was about eight horses, and a war horse was at most two horses. About ten guan, but now, it is said that a young war horse needs at least forty guan, and the price has doubled.

"I have a friend surnamed Xu in Dongjun. His family has a caravan that goes to Saishang to trade every year. They will bring back some cattle and horses. The price is actually not expensive. I will ask him to choose a young pony for you. Five or six times is enough, you just need to domesticate and train yourself."

Luo Feng originally wanted to say that he could buy a horse, but it was not easy to raise a horse, but thinking about the large bounty this time, it would be fine. It would be much more convenient if he could raise a horse.

"The horse is here, and I will give you a set of saddles and a set of hunting bows."

Ordinary people can't have strong bows and crossbows in the army, but hunting bows is fine, and practicing archery with hunting bows is actually a way.

At breakfast time, the attendant brought breakfast again yesterday, which was simpler than yesterday, a bucket of freshly steamed barley rice served with a pot of egg drop soup.

The barley rice is unpalatable. It is made by grinding the wheat and steaming it with beans. It tastes very rough and unpalatable.However, compared with pasta, it saves the process of grinding into flour and sieving, especially after mixing beans, it can save a lot of food.

Third Uncle Luo was very satisfied with the wheat rice when they woke up. For them, it is not bad to be able to eat a full meal.

During the years of Kaihuang and Renshou, life was relatively stable. Except for the years of famine, those who were hardworking and thrifty could still have enough to eat. However, in the reign of the new emperor, he made great efforts to build and build land, and sent troops to conquer everywhere. People were often conscripted, even beyond the time limit. Serving in the military, the field and housework at home are often delayed, and life becomes sad.

When there is a lack of harvest, they often eat chaff and swallow vegetables. If there is another flood, drought and locust disaster, they have to be ordered to beg for food and escape from famine.

"When I get the reward, I'll buy him two stones of wheat and take it home." Uncle Luo said while eating the wheat rice.

"Third Uncle, can you afford two stones of wheat?"

"Why can't I afford it, I think back then..." The third uncle recalled the past when he was young.

After dinner, the county magistrate's entourage came again and asked them to go to the county government office.

The county government is built in the north of Zhangqiu County, and it is considered the most luxurious house in the county. It is very big and grand, but this is how it is in the eyes of Third Uncle Luo and the others. In Luo Feng's eyes, Zhangqiu County is too backward, and everywhere It was dilapidated, the houses were low, and the streets were narrow. Even such a small county town had a special market, which stipulated that all commercial transactions must be carried out there.

On both sides of those narrow and uneven streets, there is no shop at all, let alone people who set up stalls along the street. Everywhere reflects the design ideas of the war era. The small county town is actually divided into squares, with square gates and walls. The small counties are divided one by one.

When I came to the county government office, it was already very lively here.

Almost every household in the small county town was summoned. Early in the morning, the officials in the county government beat gongs and drums to inform them that the eighteen blue-faced ghosts had been arrested and had a public trial presided over by the county magistrate. It is tantamount to good news for the common people.

Ever since the blue-faced ghosts fled to Qi County, people were panicked. Even in Zhangqiu County, several businesses were robbed outside. Now that the blue-faced ghosts have been taken over by a nest, wouldn't it be very satisfying.

Luo Feng and the others came all the way, and they heard people talking about how the blue-faced eighteen ghosts were captured, some were exaggerated, and some were almost the same.

Some people were spreading the names of Qin Qiong in Licheng and Luo Wu in Changbai Mountain, saying that they were young heroes, Luo Feng actually felt a little elated after hearing that.

Others said that the Eighteen Blue-faced Ghosts robbed the county magistrate's daughter because they didn't open their eyes. As a result, the county magistrate invited Zhang Zhuguo, the county magistrate who happened to pass by the county to take up his post. and so on.

Luo Qi was very unhappy when he heard such words, and went to argue with them with a blushing face, saying that they were the ones who captured the Eighteen Ghosts, his face was red and his ears were red, and his saliva was flying all over the place.

When he arrived at the gate of the county government office, Luo Feng saw many guards in soap and brown clothes. According to Uncle Luo, those in soap clothes belonged to the third class of government officials, while those in brown clothes belonged to the third class. The servants of the servants are basically the people from various townships, who are recruited to take turns to serve as servants. These people are different from those servants in soap clothes. They have quotas, and they are called Baizhi and Zhiyi.

"Those Zaoli are so majestic, fifth brother, you must be majestic in this suit." Xiao Qi looked at the Zaoli with horizontal knives on their waists and said enviously. In his eyes, he was a public police officer, and he was very prestigious.

"Actually, I don't think you need to agree to county magistrate Zhang to be a soap slave." Qin Qiong said.

After all, Qin Qiong was born in the Qin family in Licheng, which is a local noble family. In their eyes, he can be an official or an official, but if he were to be a Zaoli, it would be too humble, even humble.

After all, even the yamen servants of the third class are actually not considered real tolerances, because they don't even have formal money, grain and salary, and rely on various unspoken rules for gray income.

"Just practice your martial arts at home. After you become an adult, I will recommend you to serve as a soldier under Shuai's command. That's the right way."

Being a servant is just a side door, but being a government soldier is the right way. This is Qin Qiong and the common concept of people nowadays.

There was a bang of the gong, and a group of government servants shouted in unison.

County magistrate Zhang appeared in a green official robe and hat, and the county magistrate Zhang Xutuo also appeared in official uniform.

After the two sat down, County Magistrate Zhang ordered the blue-faced ghost to be escorted.

As soon as the blue-faced ghost came up, it attracted the voices of curses from the people outside.

"Strangle the decision!"

Magistrate Zhang's sentence was very straightforward and decisive. In recent years, bandits have sprung up all over the place, and the law and order are poor. The court has become more and more strict with these criminals.

Therefore, the county magistrate Zhang, the blue-faced ghost, was directly sentenced to be hanged, and it was a decision.

The blue-faced ghost is a villain who has been wanted by the government in many places to kill him without mercy.

Zhang Xutuo had no objection to this verdict, and even admired Zhang County Magistrate. He was a county magistrate who was born in the army. This is his job, and in troubled times, heavy codes must be used, and there is no politeness at all.

"After the execution, the corpse will be exposed to the city for three days, and then the head will be beheaded and sent to the state government!"

"Okay, good kill!"

The people applauded, no one sympathized with those people, and no one cared why these people became thieves.

"If you are guilty, you will be punished; if you are meritorious, you will be rewarded. The government soldier Qin Qiong and the villager Luo Wu and others have made great achievements in capturing and killing the blue-faced thief. "..."

"The government soldier Qin Qiong, the villager Luo Wu and others stepped forward to receive the reward!"

Under the gaze of countless gazes, Luo Feng and Qin Qiong were called to the hall to receive the rewards. Several guards brought up several large boxes in pairs, and Luo Feng and the others put one in front of each of them.

The lid of the box was opened, revealing strings of copper coins and bundles of silk.

Luo Feng and seven fellow villagers each received a reward of 110 guan in copper coins and silk, while Qin Qiong alone received a reward of [-] guan.

Pieces of silk and cloth were taken out and displayed in public, along with strings of money.

Luo Feng secretly counted the silk money, he found that there were five strings of money in total, ten bolts of silk and twenty bolts of cloth.

On the other side, Uncle Luo felt that something was wrong, so he hurriedly asked, "Zuo Shi, isn't there a reward of twenty guan, why is it only five thousand cash, ten bolts of silk, and twenty pieces of cloth?"

The government servant in soap clothes next to him smiled and said, "That's right, one string of money is one thousand, and five strings are exactly five strings. Ten bolts of silk are worth five strings, and twenty pieces of cloth are worth ten strings. It's twenty."

"But now a piece of silk is only worth a hundred dollars, how can it be worth five hundred dollars?"

"Otherwise, what you're talking about is the black market price, but the official price is five hundred yuan for a piece of silk, and five hundred yuan for a piece of cloth, that's right."

A piece of silk is forty feet long, one foot eight inches wide, and weighs 12 taels, while one end of cloth is fifty feet long and one foot eight inches wide. The price of a piece of silk and one end of cloth is the same. Five hundred, of course this is the official exchange price.

In fact, due to the continuous increase in food prices in recent years, silk cloth has become more and more cheap. The normal price in the market is a piece of silk for one hundred renminbi, but now the county only gives five copper coins, and the remaining [-] guan are given to silk and cloth. But it was given with a piece of silk worth five hundred dollars. In this way, the difference was five times.

The silk cloth, which was originally worth fifteen guan, has depreciated by five times, and it is actually only equivalent to three guan.

The bounty of twenty strings has become eight strings in disguise.

Even Qin Qiong only issued ten guan coins, and the remaining 110 guan rewards were also silk cloth, which was given at [-] per horse. His reward of [-] guan was equivalent to only getting [-] guan in the end.

Uncle Luo wanted to say something else, but Luo Feng stretched out his hand from behind and pulled him a few times.

He knew that since the yamen servant dared to do this in court, he must have obtained the consent of the county magistrate. Although they lost a lot in this way, they had nothing to say about the legitimate reason of the official price.

If twenty guans change to eight guans, let's change to eight guans, anyway, there are still eight guans.

County magistrate Zhang saw Luo Feng's actions and admired Luo Feng's actions very much. He didn't know that a piece of silk is only worth a hundred dollars in the market now, but the county government treasury doesn't have much money, so he wanted to come up with 270 pennies for a reward. That's not easy either.

What's more, all the yamen's practiced like this, and he couldn't make exceptions just for Luo Feng, that was breaking the rules, and he couldn't explain it to the higher authorities.

Luo Feng didn't make a fuss, he was very sensible and nice.

I'm afraid that when encountering ignorant villagers making mischief, it will be embarrassing.

He waved his hand, and another servant brought several boxes of money.

"It was a bounty offered by the government just now, and this is an additional reward for you from the county and the big merchants in the county, five thousand dollars per person."

These five pens are real gold and silver, all of which are strings of copper coins, without any silk cloth.

Eight plus five is equal to getting thirteen guan, although it is still equal to the loss of seven guan rewards, but Luo Feng is already very satisfied, after all thirteen guan is a lot of money, especially for him and the old Luo family at the foot of Changbai Mountain to say.

"Thank you county magistrate!" Luo Feng took the lead to thank you!
"Thank you county magistrate!" Uncle Luo and the others followed suit, but they could tell that they were actually somewhat unhappy, after all, the bounty was cut in half.

On the other hand, Luo Feng was quite content, ten birds in the forest were not as good as one bird in hand, the one in hand was his own.

(End of this chapter)