The six children of the aristocratic family looked at the masked man in black robe sitting in the main seat.
Long Wushuang, the marshal of the Northern Hebei Rangers, the orphan of the Yanzhao royal family, appears and disappears!
"Kill Lanling Marquis Liang Xiao? Duanmu Hongping, he is an official of the imperial court, and he is still recruiting elites today, right? How can one hundred thousand taels be enough?"
The masked man spoke, his voice gloomy.
Duanmu Hongping, who was taking the lead, said: "We only need to ambush Liang Xiao on his way back from inspecting the fiefdom. Then we will find ways to distract the officers and soldiers for you!"
The masked man said solemnly: "The risk of this matter is immeasurable, 150,000 taels, otherwise there is no need to discuss it!"
Duanmu Hongping said seriously: "I will go back and tell the family head and let them make a decision!"
There was a bit of joy in the masked man's eyes, and he talked eagerly with Duanmu Hongping.
After the children of the aristocratic families left, the masked man informed the people around him: "Go back immediately and inform the young marshal: These aristocratic families are actually willing to invest one hundred thousand taels."
"Long Wushuang wants 150,000 taels? Jibei Ranger is just a rebel, he takes himself too seriously!"
In the secret room of the Duanmu family, everyone looked down upon him.
Duanmu Cao said solemnly: "Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain. Our four families and the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion will each contribute one-fifth to satisfy him! If we can kill Liang Xiao, how much can we stop the loss?"
Someone took the lead, and representatives from the other four companies reluctantly agreed.
Tuoba Jun asked Duanmu Hongping again: "What do you think of Long Wushuang?"
Duanmu Hongping sneered: "I thought he was such a hero, but it turns out he is nothing more than that!"
"Are you sure he is Long Wushuang?" Tuoba Jun asked doubtfully.
"Definitely! Although he has his face covered, there is a mole under his left eye. It is absolutely unmistakable! I talked with him for a long time and found that he is just a short-sighted person who only sees money!" Duanmu Hongping said decisively.
Tuoba Jun's eyes were blazing and he nodded: "In that case, sooner or later the Northern Hebei Rangers will be at our disposal and annexed!"
Early the next morning, there was a sea of people outside a military camp in the south of the city.
Thousands of people stood outside to watch the 5,000 applicants participating in Liang Xiao's selection.
This was the first time they had seen such strict selection criteria.
All applicants wore three layers of heavy armor, held long halberds, iron swords hanging from their waists, large shields and oars, fifty crossbow bolts and powerful crossbows, and water bags equivalent to the weight of three days of military rations.
The imperial court specially arranged for five thousand Yulin troops to monitor along the way to prevent anyone from violently killing people or breaking out of the range specified by Liang Xiao.
"Remind everyone, the closest route along both sides of the official road ends at the ten thousand military camp fifty miles south of the city. After arriving at the military camp, someone will give you a number plate with the name of the recipient written on it. Take this plate and the military equipment with you , retrace your steps and return to the starting point within half a day to be selected! The number you receive will affect your future status in the army. The higher you are, the more chances you have to make meritorious deeds!"
"Pushing, crowding, and fighting are prohibited along the way. Violators will be punished and will be disqualified!"
After repeated explanations by the officers, more than 5,000 able-bodied applicants looked enthusiastic.
Even if they can't read, they still understand what the numbers mean.
Liang Xiao stood on the city wall, holding an iron gun in his hand, looking at the more than 5,000 people who participated in the election, full of expectations.
This will be the first army he personally trains, which is of great significance.
As the officer blew the horn, five thousand people swarmed along both sides of the official road in the south of the city.
At the same time, the masked man in the inn also received a silver note of 150,000 taels provided by the family.
Duanmu Hongping warned: "This is my trust in you Northern Hebei Rangers. After the project is completed, I can give you another fifty thousand taels. If the project fails, you will be responsible for the consequences!"
The masked man asked someone to count the banknotes in the box, and nodded: "I am determined to restore the country. You know it very well. I can still tell the difference between a full meal and a full meal."
Duanmu Hongping smiled and said: "If you really have the ability to restore the country, our family will not be stingy in supporting you. Maybe we can become ministers of Yan and Zhao in the future."
"We'll see!" The masked man nodded with joy in his eyes.
After Duanmu Hongping left the inn, his eyes were full of jest: "They are just a group of foolhardy hungry wolves."
150,000 taels of silver notes, each family contributed 30,000 taels, which was just a drop in the bucket for several families.
Usually, they only rely on tokens to contact Jibei Rangers without leaving any evidence.
Even if the Northern Hebei Rangers were recruited, as long as they refused to admit it until death, the court would not be able to find anything.
Now, they have absolute initiative.
Outside the military camp, the five thousand people slowly disappeared from the audience's sight. Liang Xiao was waiting quietly on the tower for good news.
Last night, Gongsun Yue came to "recognize her relationship", which really shocked him. He almost couldn't resist the temptation of this woman.
At present, the most important thing for the Great Zhou Dynasty is to improve its military strength and stabilize the domestic situation. The matter of conquering the Gongsun family and the Guanlong nobles cannot be rushed.
"When Lei Hong comes back, we can let them be responsible for training these new recruits, so we can get the best of both worlds."
Thinking of Lei Hong, Liang Xiao couldn't help but feel happy.
Being able to take the eighteen heroes of Yanyun under his command is like finding a treasure.
His goals are business, military training, and country governance, all in one.
Business income can be used as an emergency at critical moments to support the other two items.
Timely payment of military pay, timely updating of military equipment, and timely supply of military rations can all affect the combat effectiveness of an army.
Of course, if we want to solve this problem once and for all, we must take back the power of the six departments as soon as possible.
Duan Yunyi can do it with force, but the price is too high at the moment. After all, these aristocratic families are deeply rooted in the country, and Duan Yunyi will not attack them casually unless there is an emergency.
When the influence of these aristocratic families becomes smaller and smaller, the power transition of the Six Ministries will be much easier.
Although these aristocratic families are detestable, their personnel are still serving in various positions in the country. Attacking them indiscriminately may cause the collapse of the entire national machinery, and by then even replacement officials will not be found.
This is the confidence that aristocratic families dare to be arrogant towards the emperor.
This is the direct significance of Liang Xiao's promotion of cheap books.
Only by selecting more talents from poor families and ordinary people can this phenomenon of official position monopoly be completely changed.
Half a day passed, and as Liang Xiao expected, only 2,500 people met the standard. When they came back, they were fully equipped and the number plates also had the corresponding names written on them.
This is to avoid substitution and fraud.
The two thousand and five hundred people were arranged to rest aside, meals were served, including pork and mutton, and thirty taels of silver were distributed on the spot.
"Xie Lanlinghou!"
The inductees were overjoyed.
Just for one day's running, you can get three taels of silver, and you are also selected into the elite army, with generous treatment and a gratifying monthly salary.
Isn't this more practical than doing hard work?
There is also a saying in the Zhou Dynasty: Good iron cannot be hammered into nails, and good men cannot be soldiers.
Most of the Zhou generals were forced to join the army, because there were not many who could become elites, and being a soldier had always been regarded as a lowly profession, with the risk of dying in battle.
The treatment given by Liang Xiao was that of an elite, which obviously impressed countless people!
Another 2,500 people returned one after another, and were dismayed to learn that they had lost the election.
"The Marquis of Lanling has ordered that those who are not selected will be provided with today's meals and will be rewarded with one or two and a half coins of silver!!"
The news spread and the whole place was shocked.
One or two and a half pieces of silver is already a month's wages for some workers in the capital.
