"Hey!"
Gao He is riding a horse and running in the scorching sun.
Although the tutorials in the Martial Arts Hall are a bit cumbersome, they lack systematic things that can really help you learn something.
For a man from an aristocratic family like him, riding lessons were as easy as eating and drinking, and it was easy to get an armor.
"Brother Gao's riding skills are getting better and better."
As soon as he stopped, several people came running over, obviously seeking after him.
It's no wonder that as the son of Duke Jing, he naturally has a huge network of connections, and he has no choice but to fawn over everyone who studies in the martial arts hall.
After all, the treatment of the frontier army, Beijing camp, and bodyguard department was extraordinary.
Anyone who has some pursuits will want to go to the Guards Department.
For Wu Jinshi, the bodyguard department is the literati's concubine.
"It's not worth mentioning." Gao He was also very modest: "My younger brother can only take the lead in riding, but I am not as good as my brothers in liberal arts."
Gao He, who is only twenty years old, is not too young to be in the martial arts hall. After all, many noble disciples often attend school, but compared with the average age of thirty martial arts scholars, he looks very young.
With the dual identities of a distinguished noble and a martial arts scholar, Gao He did very well in the martial arts hall.
"Hey, it's really uncomfortable to have to write and write after entering the school, especially geometry, which is more difficult to write than eight-part essay!"
"A few arithmetic, astronomical calendar, longitude and latitude lines, Africa and America, it's really a headache."
Several people immediately clicked the switch and couldn't help but complain.
The martial scholars who had been in Shaowu for 20 years experienced pain and discomfort for the first time.
You must know that at home, they only read Sun Tzu's Art of War and Taigong's Book of War. How have they ever been exposed to these?
A few people chatted and ended the riding lesson.
In fact, those who are poor in literature and rich in martial arts, and those who can pass the examination of martial arts and become scholars are basically from middle-class families or above. Even if they have never ridden a horse, they have ridden donkeys and mules, and they can get started very quickly.
Many people are dumb.
A one-hour riding lesson is leisure time for them.
The martial arts hall has its own servants to raise and feed the horses, so it is not their turn to do the dirty work of the martial arts scholars.
Afterwards, a shooting lesson officially took place.
There weren't many people on the range.
There are three hundred people in each section of Wu Jinshi, plus some junior officers recommended by the nobles and the army, a total of eight hundred people, and they are divided into twenty squads.
There are five shooting ranges, and there are thousands of horses in the stables.
Courses are naturally held in rotation.
The instructor took out three muskets, namely a matchlock gun, a flintlock gun, and a pistol.
He explained in detail the differences, attention, and power of the three types of guns:
"The shooting range of a matchlock gun is between forty and eighty steps. If it exceeds eighty steps, it will not be able to penetrate the armor, and the bullet will drift away, and it will be inaccurate..."
"The power of a flintlock gun is about a hundred paces. Compared with a matchlock gun, it does not need to ignite a fire, but its success rate is only 70%. In a large-scale war, it is nothing..."
"The gun is actually an enlarged version of the musket. It is very powerful and can reach 100 to 150 steps. Sometimes it can reach 200 steps."
"Even three layers of armor can penetrate at a hundred steps..."
After saying that, three soldiers walked in from the side and started demonstrating in turn.
There was a crackling sound and the smell of sulfur filled the shooting range.
Gao He and the others sat together, their buttocks hurting from the hot sand and stones, but they could only hold back and stretched their heads one by one to explore its power.
Although the imperial court does not prohibit swords and guns, muskets are strictly prohibited, and ordinary nobles may not be able to obtain them.
The smoke dissipated, revealing the true faces of three armored scarecrows.
At a hundred paces, I saw that the scarecrow under the matchlock was safe and sound, but the flintlock gun was missing a big hole.
But raising the gun directly scattered the scarecrow.
The seemingly sturdy armor also had a big hole in it.
"Okay, who can tell me the pros and cons of muskets."
The instructor asked casually.
Immediately, he ordered a burly man.
"Teacher, the advantage of firearms lies in their simplicity and feasibility. As the saying goes, there are three months of swords and six months of sticks, but I think this musket can be figured out in ten days as long as you are not an idiot."
"After decades of hard training, I am still no match for a new recruit who has been in the army for half a month..."
These words made everyone stunned.
"That's right." The instructor said seriously: "In the past, there are almost no strong generals who can defeat thousands of enemies. Only generals who plan strategies and command well can seize victory."
"Gao He, what do you think?"
After being called out, Gao He stood up and said, "Teacher, as you said, the army does not need strong generals, but it puts greater pressure on logistics."
"In the past, if there was no logistics, we would be hungry for two or three days at most, but now if we are short, the muskets are just fire sticks. Facing those fierce generals, we can only sit on the wax."
"You are right." The instructor said happily: "Without the gunpowder, even if the musket is equipped with a bayonet, it will not be able to compete with the elite soldiers who have been trained for many years."
"So, troop training is just to let soldiers master the formation and shoot, which is not enough. Bayonet fighting also needs to be practiced, but it is the key."
"Even if there is no gunpowder, we will still be able to fight and kill the enemy..."
To put it bluntly, it is refuting the theory of gun invincibility.
After seeing the power of muskets and artillery, some people in the army praised them so much that they only practiced formation and shooting, and disdained fighting.
But muskets are not omnipotent.
In the southern rain forests, deserts, rainy days, etc., the disadvantages of muskets appear.
Balanced development without delay.
The martial arts hall is to cleanse the brains of these new students, especially since most of them come from the folk and have an inexplicable admiration for muskets.
After some instruction, about fifty people took turns firing guns. The instructor taught them step by step how to load gunpowder, clean the gun chamber, aim and shoot, etc.
Two hours flew by.
Everyone was in high spirits.
What man doesn't like playing with guns?
Everyone was in high spirits.
By dusk, everyone had tried firing. Class has officially ended.
During this teaching trip, twenty kilograms of gunpowder and dozens of silver coins were used, which can be said to be a luxury.
But facing this group of camp leaders in the future army, this little money is nothing.
Gao He returned to the dormitory.
This is a four-person room with upper bunk beds and a lower table. It is narrow and smelly.
The training in the martial arts hall is closed, with one day off every half month, even for him, the son of the prince, no exception.
"What class is tomorrow?"
He lay on the bed and lit the spices underneath, but he couldn't get rid of the stench. Instead, it mixed with it, making it especially strange.
"In the morning it's geometry, math, and geography."
These words immediately aroused sighs from several roommates.
Gao He also had a headache.
A few pieces of mathematics are like a bible, which makes people feel uncomfortable from the bottom of their hearts.
The courses in Yanwutang are divided into two categories, liberal arts and martial arts.
The liberal arts include general knowledge courses (military knowledge such as queues and ranks), geography, geometry, astronomy, history, and logistics.
The martial arts subjects include riding, archery, sailing, and artillery.
Among the four subjects of martial arts, everyone must choose two subjects to study, instead of selecting all.
Because the four subjects imply distribution.
There are three types: cavalry, infantry, and navy. Archery, crossbows, and artillery are all infantry.
However, in the army, there is not much difference between cavalry and infantry, and they can be converted at any time, but the navy cannot.
Therefore, there are very few people to choose the water division. There are three hundred people in a class, and only a few dozen people choose.
But the navy also has great advantages. Since there is less competition, it is easier to get promoted, and you can also bring your family members with you.
The navy had never heard of a rebellion, so the court felt relieved.
Compared with the Shujishi interning in the cabinet, the Yanwu Tangtang pays attention to study.
All subjects must be passed online in Arts 6, Martial Arts 2, and 8 to be approved for graduation assignment.
Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to get the first prize in martial arts and fail the exam.
In addition, except for the number one, number two, and top pick who are clearly admitted to the Guards Division, the remaining forty-seven places will be ranked lower according to their ranking.
Whether you are assigned to the Beijing camp or the frontier army also depends on your graduation score.
It can be said that these eight subjects are related to graduation and placement, and no one dares to be careless.
Who doesn’t want to stay in the capital and sit next to the emperor to hone his qualifications?
Jane in the emperor's heart is the best way to get promoted.
Just like this, in the warm sunshine of April, the martial arts scholars who have been practicing martial arts for 18 years ushered in their graduation day.
In that session, there were more than 600 people.
The first fifty people join the Guards Department and become new sword-wielding guards with a bright future.
The remaining people were assigned to the Beijing camp and the border army according to their performance.
As for the border troops, they are divided into three, six or nine levels. Chahar, which is close to the capital, is naturally the first choice, while those like Anxi and Jilin are strongly resisted.
Since the ranking was based on performance, an interesting phenomenon occurred. Those with low education but strong military skills all went to the frontier army, while those who were good at reading went to the Beijing camp.
So many people joked that the Beijing camp would become a group of scholar soldiers in the future.
But Gao He has a good father. Of course he understands that Jingying has always wanted talented soldiers.
Because generals who are influenced by Confucianism are more likely to be trusted and less likely to rebel.
To put it bluntly, reading makes sense, your mind becomes brighter, and you can think about military orders, instead of just following what the superior officer says and executing it to the letter.
When encountering rebellion, you won’t just go ahead and follow it immediately.
The cost of officers' interests colluding will be greater.
Looking at these seniors, Gao He was not envious.
Because his future has been arranged.
Even if he didn't pass the top forty exams, he would still be admitted to the Guards Department due to his family status.
After staying for another year or two, he will be assigned to serve as the camp commander in the Beijing camp, and then naturally transfer to the border army, where he will kill some thieves and gain promotion and meritorious service.
In three to five years' time, it was no longer a matter of course to rise to the regimental level.
Even if you have gained seniority by then, it is common for a province to have a total number of soldiers in your forties or fifties.
After the holiday, Gao He returned home.
Her mother, Gao Guiying, greeted her with greetings, but her father, who was actually her uncle, asked her a few words in a gentle voice before mentioning marriage.
"The Zeng family's daughter is already sixteen, it's time for you to get engaged."
Gao Yigong had lived in exile for many years. Before he reached fifty, he already had frost on his temples, aching back and waist, and was extremely old.
"Chan Guo Duke's Mansion?" Gao He frowned: "Dad, now Chang Guo Duke is in great momentum, I'm afraid others won't be able to do it!"
"How dare the Zeng family respond?" Gao Yigong chuckled and said, "This has been agreed a long time ago and cannot be denied. Besides, the Gao family is not bad at all and they are well matched."
Gao He naturally had no freedom in marriage, but the Zeng family exceeded his expectations.
After thinking for a while, he said: "I'm afraid it's inappropriate to have two Duke's offices!"
"If it's a marriage with the Duke of Jin, it's naturally not possible, but the Zeng family is different."
Gao He showed a trace of complacency: "His daughter is the crown prince. If you marry his younger daughter, you will become brother-in-law with the prince. Why not help the prince?"
Besides, I have no control over this marriage. It was arranged by the emperor himself.
Let a pair of brothers be brothers-in-law, but he can't think of it.
"Set up the marriage first and choose a good day to get married at the end of the year."
Since there is nothing wrong, Gao He can only accept his fate.
Not long after, several young men came to see him.
They are Chang Youdao, the Marquis of Huaiyuan, and Deng Ziqiu, the Marquis of Dingyuan.
Huaiyuan Hou Chang's family was after Chang Yuchun. His position as Duke was lost when he became an ancestor. During the Jiajing period, he was granted the title of Huaiyuan Hou. During the Hongguang period, Huaiyuan Hou Chang Yanling lived in seclusion and refused to surrender, so he stood firm in the Shaowu Dynasty.
Dingyuan Hou Deng Wenming was the successor of Deng Yu. After his army invaded Beijing, his family set themselves on fire.
The Shaowu Dynasty praised loyal ministers and made his younger brother Deng Wenjing the Marquis of Dingyuan.
The two of them are several years older than him and have been married for a long time. However, although they have titles, it is conceivable that they are old titles from the previous dynasty.
You know, even in the early Ming Dynasty, the heroes of Jingnan were much better than the heroes of the founding of the country.
Not to mention anything else, the amount of land that Shaowu's heroes were rewarded was enough to make them drool with envy.
These marquises are not even comparable to ordinary earls.
Naturally, it is natural to gather around the princes.
"Brother Gao, hurry up, we've been waiting for you for a long time."
Chang Youdao waved his hands.
Deng Ziqiu became even more impatient, grabbing his arm and taking him away: "He put on a good show today! You are the only one missing."
Gao He's heart felt hot and he was taken away as the tide went.
It turned out to be a game of mahjong.
Eight people formed two groups, and the fight was fierce.
"Brother Gao, this thing is very popular in the palace. Sit down quickly and pay one yuan each."
After a few confused rounds, the group of people appeared at Zuichun Tower after it got dark.
Only then did Gao He feel normal.
I ordered a banquet and looked upstairs.
Soon, a group of women appeared on the high platform, wearing thin clothes and beautiful faces.
That's all. It's just that the looks of those women are so strange.
Green eyes, yellow hair, red hair.
"Hahaha, Brother Gao, this is from Xiyi."
The prince of Changguo proudly introduced his future brother-in-law:
“I’ve eaten too much delicacies from the mountains and the sea, and with a few plates of different snacks, it’s a unique taste.”
Gao He raised his eyebrows: "Brother Zeng, do you like this?"
"Have a taste." Zeng Yucheng whispered: "There are even two Xiyi people in the palace, what are we afraid of?"
After speaking, he loudly said: "In addition to the Western Barbarians, there are also Mongolians and Liman. If you have a more unique taste, I can also find some black people for you."
"As long as you have money, what woman doesn't?"
Gao He said in surprise: "You guys are tired of playing with me!"
After saying that, he just watched her dance. Instead of choosing Western and other flavors, I followed the rules and chose a Han girl.
(End of chapter)
