Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 331 Cockfighting 2
When the winner of another duel was announced, the old man hurried back into the tumultuous crowd.Between the harsh crowing of a hundred gamecocks there was the clamor of people re-betting, and then another bout was won.

"I can't imagine that such an old man is so obsessed with cockfighting!"

"What's the matter!" Jin Renwen just won a bet, and he was in high spirits: "You may think that the emperor and the prince like polo so much, but in fact, the most fashionable thing in Chang'an City is cockfighting. In the streets and alleys, just put two cockfighting cocks, men and women. All the old and the young gathered around, with a few pennies for more, and a few pennies for less, it was a joy to gamble."

While talking, another cockfight started. Unlike the previous fights that ended quickly, this time the fight lasted for a long time. , Tongue hanging out, wings dragging on the ground, trembling all over until finally collapsed, and then when the referee was counting, the chicken on one side struggled to get up with the last remaining strength, and gave the opponent a final fatal blow One step.

Cheers and sighs erupted from the audience. Both the winner and the loser had satisfied expressions on their faces, admiring the courage of the cockfight and the intensity of the fighting. (By the way, the popularity of cockfighting in the Han and Tang Dynasties was not accidental. In the eyes of ancient Chinese, the rooster was a special bird with five virtues: literature, martial arts, courage, benevolence, and faith: because of wearing Those who are crowned are called "wen"; those who have enough distance are called "wu"; those who dare to fight in front of the enemy are called "courage"; , known as "faith". Moreover, chickens are not only aggressive, but also "unruffled in battle, courageous in the face of the enemy", which just meets the standard of "scholar")

"Everyone, everyone!" The man in brown walked back to the center of the cockfighting arena: "Now the time is suspended, everyone can find a convenient place to rest for a while. Then it will be the highlight of today!" He paused for a while, and then used A louder voice shouted: "Liu Weili and Liu Langjun will take out six fighting cocks today and accept the challenge from anyone. The amount of the bet is determined by the challenger. If Liu Langjun's chicken loses, he is willing to double the repayment!"

"Double repayment? What does this mean?" Wang Wenzuo asked with some doubts.

"That is to say, if you pay one hundred guan, if you lose, you only need to give one hundred guan, and if Liu Weili loses, you will be paid two hundred guan!"

"Oh, who is this Liu Weili? His tone is quite serious!"

"I heard that my ancestor was a great man in Guanzhong. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he joined the army with Princess Pingyang. In his generation, he can be regarded as a tyrant in Chang'an!"

"There are such people under the emperor's feet?" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "Jing Zhaoyin didn't uproot him?"

"Hehe, there are people at the top!" Jin Ren asked with a smile, "Don't think that this guy has no official titles, but he has thousands of vicious youngsters under him, and he can do many things that the top wants to do but is inconvenient to do!"

"No wonder! But even so, I guess he is only superficially handsome, but in reality he is walking on thin ice!"

"Oh, why did Saburo say that?"

"Chang'an is the capital of the Great Tang Dynasty. There are a lot of wealth and goods from all directions. After a long time, there will be many vagrants without real property in the city. No one can do anything about it. But it is one thing to have these vagrants. It is possible to raise your arms It is another matter to be a chieftain with thousands of people. This Liu Weili must not be a fool to get to where he is today. I can think of it, and he can naturally think of it."

"That's true, but it's his business, so we don't need to worry about him!" Jin Ren asked with a smile.At this time, two shirtless tattooed teenagers entered the arena, each holding a dagger and a rattan shield, bowed their hands in all directions, and then began to fight.At first, Wang Wenzuo thought he was the kind of charlatan entertainer in "Water Margin", but after a few glances, he realized that the two teenagers here were agile and fierce, and they were no less than the cockfighting just now. Then, one person was cut in the shoulder, and the blood splattered everywhere. The person did not press forward, but cupped his hands in all directions, and helped his companion down.

"This is also Liu Weili's subordinate? How did you see blood?"

"That's right, he's also one of his subordinates, so it's not surprising to see blood. Chang'an has a lot of vicious youngsters like this who live and die and don't love their bodies!"

"It's a pity, it's a pity!"

"What's a pity?" Jin Ren asked, "Sanlang, are you saying that these two boys are a pity?"

"Yes, you see that they are quite proficient in wielding the rattan-branded dagger, and they are not afraid of life and death. Instead of being unemployed in Chang'an City, why not follow me to the frontier fortress to make contributions and gain a wife's shade!"

"Hehehe, Saburo, your thinking is too simple!" Jin Renwen laughed: "These wicked young men are indeed brave and brave, and they are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of suffering! At least they don't want to take the initiative to seek hardship. No matter what day it is, there is food to eat, wine to drink, cockfights, polo, endless excitement, even if you are a beggar, you will not starve to death. If you go to the frontier fortress, [-]% of the disease will die first on the way, and there is still a way to go. Hard work, unaccustomed to the environment, year-round garrison, firewood and drinking water, only a few handfuls of old rice mixed with sand to satisfy the hunger every day, and few good teeth in the early thirties. For comparison? The government soldiers still have land at home to reduce taxes and labor. What are these wicked young people doing? They don’t have any land at home. Besides, how many of the generals and lieutenants of the Tang Dynasty are as capable and kind as you? Bullying soldiers , are there still too few withholding rewards?"

Hearing Jin Renwen's words, Wang Wenzuo couldn't help being dumbfounded.He himself regarded Chang'an as a daunting road, but he forgot that for the East Asians at that time, Chang'an was the North, Shanghai and Shenzhen of today's China. No, the gap between Chang'an and other places in East Asia at that time was far greater than the gap between China's first-tier cities and rural areas today. .Chang'an is not only the political and cultural center of the Tang Dynasty, but also the starting point of the Silk Road, the largest node and economic center of foreign trade, roughly similar to Beijing + Shanghai in China today.In such a prosperous metropolis, even a proletarian who sells his labor may have a better quality of life than a landowner in a remote village. city.And the Quartet tribute and grain transported through the canal also basically ensured that the price of the capital would not starve the laborers, and even feed a large group of rogue proletarians, so these villainous youths in Chang'an City may not be afraid of death, but more They will not take the initiative to go to the frontier and go to the frontier.

"However, Saburo, you coincidentally coincide with the ministers of Zhengshitang!"

"Are you saying that you want the court to force young men to join the army?"

(End of this chapter)