Late Tang

(Thanks to wssssssss88 and Dreams in the World for their rewards, thank you!)

When I woke up in the morning, the silver and silver autumn rain that had fallen all night had stopped, and the mixed soot smell in the air was washed away.Guo Tao breathed this rare fresh air, but felt that he was not used to such fresh air for a while.He has gradually gotten used to the smell of coal ash. Although it is a bit pungent, it has become the best smell after a long time.

Walking on the way to the school with his schoolbag on his back, seeing the wisps of smoke rising from the rows of neatly planned houses, he couldn't help but feel a lot more comfortable in his heart.

Guo Tao is an orphan, a 12-year-old orphan.His hometown is in Xuzhou. When he was six years old, during the Pangxun Rebellion in Xuzhou, his parents, brothers and sisters all died. At that time, his mother hid him under her body. There was a scar on his body, but he survived.The whole family only survived him, and in the six years since then, he has become a beggar from a young son of a family of officials.

From Xuzhou to Yangzhou, from Sizhou to Haozhou, from Yingzhou to Songzhou, from Bianzhou to Luoyang, from Zhengzhou to Caozhou, from Yanzhou to Qingzhou, in six years, he walked with an old beggar countless places.But although the world is big, there is no room for him.After being chased and bitten by countless white eyes and vicious dogs, he could only stand up after being sick.

It's just that living like this is numb and hopeless for teenagers, and it's just a habitual beggar and survival.

Until half a year ago, when the old beggar was dying in Luoyang City, he was asked to go to Dengzhou.

The old beggar said that in Dengzhou, there are no beggars, and everyone can get food and clothing.In Dengzhou, not only can you eat every day, but you can also eat three meals a day. I heard that people in mines and workshops can even eat four meals a day as long as they work overtime.In the morning, I eat porridge, fried dough sticks, eggs boiled with tea leaves, and steamed cakes called buns and steamed buns.You can eat dry food for lunch and dinner, and you don’t have to worry about food at all, you can eat with your belly open.You can even eat meat often and have your own house.People in Dengzhou don't even have to go up the mountain to collect firewood, they directly burn the black stones dug out of the mountain.

It is said that what an ordinary man in Dengzhou can get for a day's work, if all of them are replaced by corn, can be exchanged for six catties; It can also be replaced by five catties, which is enough to feed a family.I heard that even women in Dengzhou can earn money by working. A woman can earn at least five catties of corn a day.Children in Dengzhou can go to school, wearing clean clothes and carrying schoolbags, sitting in a school with bright windows and clean windows to read and write.

Dengzhou is a paradise outside the world, a paradise in the eyes of poor people.

Guo Tao has also read books. He began to babble with his father at the age of three, learned to read at the age of four, and could write neat big characters with Langhao at the age of five. At the age of six, he knew hundreds of characters and was able to write Come out, and even recite dozens of poems.

That night, the old beggar kept whispering the countless legends about Dengzhou that he had heard while begging, his eyes full of longing, until finally the sound stopped, his body was cold, but there was still a smile on the corner of his mouth.Guo Tao has traveled all over the country and all over Henan in recent years, and has seen too many prosperous cities, but the more prosperous the city, the more beggars there are.This is the case in Yangzhou, and the same in Xuzhou, that is, Songzhou, Bianzhou, and Luoyang, the eastern capital, are all the same.

He doesn't believe that there is a paradise like Dengzhou in the world, but he still decides to take a trip for the sake of the old beggar.According to the old beggar's last wish, he washed his thin body, burned it to ashes, put it in a gourd, and resolutely embarked on the road to Dengzhou.In any case, the old beggar has been kind to him in nurturing him. Without the old beggar, he would have been gone long ago. He wants to scatter his ashes on the land of Dengzhou.

Today is the No.30 day after Guo Tao arrived in Dengzhou. He was brought to Dengzhou by the town [***] in Qingzhou.After entering Dengzhou, he realized how lucky he is. On the border between Dengzhou and Laizhou, there are 10,000+ people waiting for the opportunity to enter Dengzhou, but it is difficult to enter, because Dengzhou only needs artisans, Literati who can write and count, as well as young and strong men and women.The old and the weak are generally not needed. He is only 12 years old. If he came a month earlier, he might have to wait blankly outside the Twelve City in Dengzhou.

But this time he was very lucky. Li Jing, the commander of the town [***], issued a new order to take away all orphans under the age of 15 from Ziqing Town. If the parents are willing, they can also give it to the town [***] to bring it into Dengzhou.

After these children were brought into Dengzhou, they had to recuperate and recover in a children's camp for a month.There are special doctors and nurses to check their bodies, enough meals are provided every day, as well as brand new clothes, and some character learning and queue training are carried out.

Yesterday, Guo Tao's one-month life in the children's camp ended. According to the age of all the children, he was arranged to live in the home of a couple in their 40s.This is also a new rule of the town [***], these children brought in, after a month of living, those under the age of seven will be transferred to a special nursery for upbringing.All children over the age of seven will be placed in various foster families.

Guo Tao's new family, the adoptive father is also surnamed Guo, Guo Xiaoshan, 43 years old, works in Dengzhou Wharf, with a monthly salary of 25 yuan, and has three days off every month.The adoptive mother, Mrs. Liu, works in a cloth dyeing workshop in Dengzhou. She is paid twice a month and has three days off in January.There is no old man in the family. They have three children, two sons and two daughters. The eldest son is 22 years old and serves in the town [***] Pingri Army.The second son is [-] years old and is currently training in the Terengganu Unity Camp.The two daughters, one fifteen and one fourteen, have not been married yet, but they are already working in the workshop of the adoptive mother, and they can get a salary of [-] cash per month. They are not bad, and many families come to propose marriage, but But he hasn't agreed yet.

Guo's family has a courtyard house with earthen grass and thatched roofs, and the house is quite spacious.It is an excellent condition for a family of six, with a monthly income of more than [-] yuan, and without the burden of the elderly.The children are all of marriageable age, but they are unwilling to marry early. This is the biggest worry for adoptive parents.

But in Guo Tao’s view, the life of Guo’s family is indeed the paradise that the old beggar said. He eats dry meals three times a day, and can eat meat every three days. Every day is either fresh fish or dried fish, or even eggs. This life is Guo Tao remembers that when he was a child, life in the Guo family was not so easy.

Guo Tao was fostered by Guo's family, but it was not Bai Zeng's burden. Zhen [***] subsidized Guo's family with six buckets of millet every month, which weighed 33 catties. 33 catties of millet are enough for Guo Tao's life.

It is said that this time the town [***] brought back more than 10 children from all over Henan, of which [-] were over seven years old.These children, according to Li Jing's order, are to study and train.

Hundreds of thousands of children have been newly established as scouts. Scouts will not participate in combat until they become adults, but they must receive training.

The 12 scouts are organized completely according to the military. They usually wear uniforms and gowns and receive military training and cultural studies.Although they are fostered in various families, they have to go to a special military academy.Enrolled at the age of seven, received [-] years of military academy training, and graduated.After graduation, they must enter the town [***] and serve six years of military service.Those who perform outstandingly during their service can enter the lecture hall for further training after three years and become non-commissioned officers.

If the six-year service is over and you don't want to continue to serve in the army, you can retire.

Zhen [***] established a military academy in each county of Dengzhou and southern Liaoning. There are also two state-level key military academies in Dengzhou and southern Liaoning, ten military academies, each with [-] people.The training is completely closed. Except for one day a week to go home, the rest of the time is not allowed to leave the school at twelve o'clock.In the school, everything is the same as in the barracks.

Guo Tao is 12 years old this year, and he directly entered the intermediate class of Dengzhou Military Academy for training.

Guo Tao had come to school with him yesterday and accepted the assessment.After the assessment, Guo Tao was assigned to the Eighth Squadron of the Fifth Brigade of the Tenth Detachment of the Intermediate Class of the Scout Corps.Because Guo Tao knew a lot of words, although he was a little thinner, he was tall and energetic. Therefore, after the assessment, he was appointed as the squadron leader of the No. [-] Squadron.

There are 10 scouts in the scout corps, and there are elementary classes, intermediate classes, and various detachments below.Each team has 1000 people, which is at the Xiang level, a brigade is at the battalion level, with 500 people, and a squadron is at the capital level, with [-] people.The team is gang level, ten people.

Scouts have 1 detachments, [-] brigades, [-] squadrons, and [-] squads.

When we arrived at the gate of Dengzhou Military Academy, the principal of the school, the military representative, the dean of instruction, the director of training, and the instructor, all leading the school guards and the school military band were playing music at the gate to welcome the new students.

However, on the first day of the school today, almost all the main officials of the 22nd Army including Zhen[***] Heping Lu Army, the United Army, and 26 counties including Dengzhou were present.Marshal Li Jing, dressed in dazzling armor, stood at the door like an iron tower, watching the young men in sky blue military uniforms, which were different from the fire red robes of the regular army, step into the military academy one by one.

When Guo Tao walked in front of Li Jing, his heart was beating violently, his throat was a little dry, and the blood rushed straight to his forehead, although he tried his best to pretend to be calm.But the whole body is still tense, and the body can't help but follow the queue knowledge trained in the youth camp, raise the chest and raise the head, stride forward, and finally the right hand is even five fingers together, naturally and violently raised to the side of the head , gave a Scout salute!

Every teenager who passed by couldn't help raising their hands to salute, and Li Jing and the generals standing at the school gate also raised their hands to return salutes from time to time.

As soon as you enter the school gate, on a large stone wall with marble reliefs, there are big thin gold characters inscribed by Li Jing himself, welcome to Dengzhou Military Academy!

There is also a row of slightly smaller characters below it, which is the Scout motto, discipline and honor code.

Official school motto: Duty, Honor, Country.

Scout motto: Punctuality, discipline, strictness, integrity, fortitude.

Cadet Honor Code: No lying, cheating, stealing, or tolerating others to do so.Do not shirk responsibility.Dedication. (To be continued.)