Brother Rong of Red Mansion

Chapter 134 The Teacher of Benevolence and Righteousness

Because they had to hurry, the escort walked for a few days, practiced marching, and then mounted their horses again.

This time, they practiced riding and slashing.

The escorts were more interested in the cavalry's tactical skills than in marching.

The instructors also taught very seriously, telling everyone various tips and tricks so that they could experience it on the way.

Gradually, the skin on the inner thighs was worn away, almost turning into bow legs. But the journey had to continue. After the initial pain passed, their riding skills improved. They rode fast on the horse, jumped on and off the horse, and occasionally pulled out swords and wooden spears to stab.

That power is indeed scary.

"Why didn't some blind little thief come and rob me along the way?"

After walking for more than ten days, everything was uneventful, which made Jia Rong a little dissatisfied. I thought I could meet a green forest hero on the road and let him charge and kill me.

However, after walking for more than ten days, I didn't meet a single thief.

Regardless of whether they were ordinary people or merchants, when they saw so many of them on the road, they all stayed away in awe, for fear of getting into trouble.

It was actually very peaceful.

"Okay."

Jia Rong shook his head, gave up this idea, and focused on the escort training and making friends with the officers. Ensure food and drink supplies for everyone.

Let alone the escort, they have long been accustomed to Jia Rong's generosity.

And those instructors were working with Jia Rong for the first time. Seeing that Jia Rong spends money like water, and is provided with wine and meat for three meals a day. I can't help feeling that Jia Rong is very wealthy and has really made a lot of money this time.

It's not just them.

On the way, Jia Rong also met many 'refugees'.

They were all people who had suffered a disaster at home and were begging for food on the road to escape.

In recent years, natural and man-made disasters have occurred in various provinces, prefectures and capitals of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the people have been living in dire straits.

After leaving Shenjing City, I saw many refugees in the countryside, rushing to big towns.

Whether you sell yourself into slavery or work as a part-time worker, you always need a way to survive.

In the countryside, the land cannot produce food, so the land and children can only be sold at low prices. But if they lose their land, they lose the capital to survive. No one wants to work as a sharecropper because too many people are bankrupt.

On the road from Shenjing to Guanwai, you can see people like this all the way. They heard that there was a shortage of people in the fields outside the pass, and they all wanted to go outside the pass to find a way to survive.

"Are you going to Guandong?"

Jia Rong murmured, and immediately asked people to go to the town to buy food and help the refugees on the road.

"Sir, we can't save so many people." Jiao Da, Sun Rui, and a group of officers from the Beijing camp tried to persuade him, but Jia Rong shook his head, "Everyone I can save is one. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have to pay too much." A few taels of silver. For them, it is one more hope for survival."

Hearing this, Jiao Da, Sun Rui, and all the officers in the Beijing camp all sighed and praised Jia Rong for his benevolence and righteousness, and for being a compassionate and generous Bodhisattva.

Soon, Jia Rong ordered people to put the rice grains down by the refugees' hair.

Not much, only a pound. But the refugees showed gratitude and couldn't help but kowtow to Jia Rong. Soon, smoke rose from cooking stoves on both sides of the official road, and the sweet smell of rice came. The refugees gathered around the stove fire, and hope for life lit up again in their numb eyes.

"Ningguo Mansion...Jia Jueye..."

"Heishan Village, Baishi Village, Shangguan Village..."

Among the crowd of refugees, someone whispered from time to time, and occasionally a few familiar words were revealed.

As the food distribution continues, Jia Rong doesn't mind giving them a few more "notes". He told them who he was and the name of the farm outside the pass, and asked them to go outside the pass and pray on his farm.

"Come to my village, as long as you work hard, I will let you all live!"

Jia Rong said this.

And because of his benevolent act, the refugees had no doubts about his words.

Gradually, along the way, Jia Rong's reputation spread along this official road. Many refugees spontaneously made Jia Rong famous, and with inexplicable gratitude and hope for life, they embarked on the road to the outside world.

Seeing this scene, Jiao Da, Sun Rui, and all the officers in the Beijing camp sighed with emotion at Jia Rong's benevolence and righteousness, and also felt that the refugees' attitude towards them gradually changed.

It is no longer awe-inspiring indifference, but close friendship.

When everyone sets up camp, the refugees always come spontaneously to help.

He also stayed around the military camp and enjoyed the protection of the military camp at night. The bonfires were bright, dispelling all the coldness of the dark night. If they are lucky, they will also receive the wine and meat rewarded by Jia Rong, and taste the meat and wine aroma at night, which will make them even more grateful.

To be honest, this was the first time for Jiao Da, Sun Rui, and all the officers in the Beijing camp to feel this kind of "community-military relationship."

Some are at a loss, some are confused.

This change made them subconsciously uneasy, but they quickly got used to it and became immersed in it.

"You see, the common people are the most honest people in the world. As long as you are a little nice to them, they will repay you a thousand times!" When inspecting the camp, Jia Rong also sighed and told the people around him, " My soldiers, at least understand this. The ancient Yue family army was well-disciplined and well-trained. It would freeze to death without tearing down the house, starve to death without looting, and it would run rampant across the world, saving the country and rescuing people. They were the true army of the king, and the common people Everyone is ready to fight with their food! This is the most upright military law in the world."

The guards were naturally filled with admiration and were extremely convinced of Jia Rong's every word.

The officers in the Beijing camp also talked among themselves, enjoying the change and complimenting it a few times.

Two completely different attitudes fell into Jia Rong's eyes, but he looked as usual, just thinking secretly: "It's not that easy to change a person's concept. As long as I plant a seed today, sooner or later, one day, It will take root.”

Jia Rong knew that the officers and soldiers these days had very poor discipline, and it was very common to rob the people.

Even those with strong discipline will occasionally rob.

Once the war fails, unspeakable things such as city massacres will occur.

Officers and soldiers? Master Wang? I bother!

A thief's fault is like a comb, a soldier's fault is like a grate, and an official's fault is like a haircut. This is not a lie.

If, when everyone in the world is in ruins, a "teacher of benevolence and righteousness" like the Yue family army suddenly appears, its reputation will skyrocket, and it will be universally praised by the people, and it will bring unprecedented prestige to the general.

Even in a war, the common people will help, so that the enemy will be plunged into the vast sea of ​​​​the common people.

This is the kind of soldier Jia Rong needs to practice well.

******

In this way, Jia Rong started from the capital and led a hundred and fifty people along the wide dirt official road, spreading the name of benevolence and righteousness, and gradually arrived outside the pass.

At this time, the grass is growing and the orioles are flying, and it is already March.

But the cold wind outside the pass was still very cold, and the land was hard. Everyone rode straight forward, the cold wind stung their faces, and what they saw was the mountain forest that blocked the sky and the sun.

Outside the pass and inside the pass are two completely different scenes.

Without this trip, Jia Rong would never have a clearer understanding of the Zhou border. Nor will they know the true combat power of the Great Peripheral Army.

Jia Rong came all the way, and every time he passed the defense, he would carefully observe the surrounding troops. Fortunately, those near Gyeonggi Province were that the city-defending officers and soldiers were all squads selected from various provinces, prefectures, and prefectures. Their quality was very poor and their combat effectiveness was not high.

But the closer they got to the border, the fierceness of the border troops was revealed.

Can fight!

This was Jia Rong's first intuitive feeling when she saw the border army.

The frontier troops in almost every important town showed their fierce and domineering spirit, as if they were the second and third eldest, and no one paid attention to them.

"No wonder King Beijing, who is still a king, has such a group of proud soldiers and generals in his hands. Even the Supreme Emperor and the Emperor have to treat him politely."

Jia Rong was envious.

He secretly decided to start practicing quickly after entering the capital camp.

Only when you have military power in your hands can you not panic in your heart.

"Of course, we must not treat the border officers and soldiers harshly like the Beijing County Prince's Palace did."

Jia Rong shook his head.

The spirit of the border officers was not bad, but the equipment and weapons they wore seemed too shabby.

Some of them didn't even have the equipment. Not to mention the iron armor, even the cloth armor was damaged, which made people shake their heads secretly.

"You really don't treat Master Bing as a human being."

In fact, it's not just the border troops, it's the same in the Beijing camp.

The group of Beijing camp officers around him also looked shabby when they came to Ningguo Mansion to report. It was Jia Rong who ordered someone to purchase a set of winter clothes and let the Beijing camp officers put them on. Only then did they show a bit of elite vigor. Son.

At this time, Jia Rong had raised them to be fat and strong, all of them had rosy faces, their nostrils were turned upward when they walked, and their eyes were filled with contempt when they looked at the border soldiers.

It felt like Mr. Jing had seen a countryman.

And in fact it's pretty much the same.

Because the pay of the Imperial Guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty is indeed higher than that of the border troops, and their treatment is also better.

But even in the capital camp, life was very poor, so this group of frontier soldiers, no matter how outstanding their martial arts skills were, were just a bunch of 'beggars', making people look down upon them.

"Only better than the squadron." Some officers in the Beijing camp were talking to each other.

Jia Rong nodded after hearing this.

Banjun, the so-called military households, are selected to train in Beijing every year and are called "Beijing Exercise Banjun". Some stayed in the capital to train with the Beijing Battalion and the 12th Regiment Battalion to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops stationed in various places.

Some of them will also be transferred to important towns in the capital, or outside the customs, to help the border troops defend the city.

These people have no salary.

If you are lucky, you will receive part of the summer reward and autumn reward as a subsidy.

If you are unlucky, you will have to spend your own money to buy winter clothes and go to Beijing, spend your own money on the road, and help the court guard the city as coolies for free.

They say they are soldiers, but they are actually worse than slaves.

Therefore, there are many people who have fled from home, and every election is a test of life and death. Those who have money buy their lives, and those who have no money sell their lives, and the remaining value is squeezed out by the court.

This is a system left over from the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, the Ban army was in a state of "dead but not stiff". There are many shortcomings, but development has always been maintained. After the Zhou Dynasty conquered the world, Emperor Taizu inherited this system after careful consideration.

I can't help it, it smells too good.

Relying on the Ban Army, the court could save a lot of food every year, and it also had a large number of free labor slaves. You only need to pay a little bit, and you will gain thousands of times. Therefore, even though Rao knew that there were big loopholes in the Ban Army system, Da Zhou still inherited it and it continues to this day.

But beyond the pass, Jing Cao's squadrons were reduced, and the elite border troops roamed the countryside, which made Jia Rong secretly frightened.

These elite border troops, wearing iron armor and riding horses, looked like old warriors at first glance.

Patrol the place every day and hunt down deserters.

The swiftness with which he killed people made the guards and the officers in the Beijing camp all look solemn and show fear in their eyes.

At this moment, they all lost their contempt and contempt, and instead felt jealous.

"The border troops can fight..."

More than once, Jia Rong heard the officers in the Beijing camp talking to each other.

And their team also headed straight to the fields of Ning and Rong Mansion along the flat official road.

Zhuangtian outside the pass originated from the "horse racing and land enclosure movement" founded by Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In view of the fact that the previous Ming Dynasty spent too much money on the important towns on the nine sides, Emperor Taizu, after careful consideration, transferred part of the interests and allowed the founding heroes to race horses and enclosures outside the customs, establish farmland, and reward the meritorious deeds.

In fact, the emperor and his heroes divided up the entire Liaodong land outside the Pass.

The largest and most fertile land was enclosed by the royal family and established as the 'Imperial Field'. Then there are the four major princes' palaces, the Eight Founding Dukes, the Twelve Marquises, and the Twenty-four Generals.

This system binds the royal family and meritorious groups into a whole with interests.

A lot of profits are made from Liaodong every year.

This is also the basis for the rapid development of the Great Zhou Dynasty over the past hundred years, resulting in the prosperous era of "Zhaowu" and "Yongxing".

The Tatars outside the customs seemed to be powerful and invaded southward every year, but in fact they were not taken seriously by the imperial court. Because the military expenses of the border army were not only spent by the imperial family, but also the Shixun family would also provide money and supplies, investing capital in order to protect Zhuangtian.

Gradually, the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty took root outside the pass.

Outside the customs and the Central Plains have become an inseparable part. Whoever wants to seize it must bear the wrath of the emperor and the meritorious group. Even if the war is unfavorable for a while, no one would dare to say anything about giving up the barbarian land outside the pass.

Who dares to say that the Great Zhou Meritorious Group can tear him alive!

From this point of view, Jia Rong admired Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Sure enough, every founding emperor is not an ordinary person." Jia Rong went deep into Liaodong and got to know the institutional environment of Liaodong first-hand. He became more and more full of admiration for Emperor Taizu and felt that the 'Horse Racing Movement' had certain positive significance.

At the same time, Jia Rong's team also went deep into Liaodong and arrived outside a manor.

"Master, Black Mountain Village has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)