In the Qianqing Palace, it was as warm as spring, and Chongzhen was reviewing the memorial in the Xinuan Pavilion.
The room was very quiet and you could hear a pin drop. The eunuchs and maids did not dare to make a sound. The ground here is paved with gold bricks, and as long as there is a slight movement under the feet, it will make a sound of winter.
It is said that this was to prevent someone from assassinating the emperor while he was sleeping. As long as someone moves around, you can hear the sound of Dongdong. Therefore, no one dared to touch it while the emperor was there.
At this time, there was a sound of Dongdong, and someone obviously walked in.
Wang Chengen walked in holding a new pile of memorials.
"My eldest companion, what is Uncle Dingyuan busy with?" Chongzhen asked casually without stopping or raising his head.
"Back to Your Majesty, Uncle Dingyuan is organizing a competition in the Beijing camp. In the past two days, all the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp will take part in the training subject examination. The top three in each subject will be rewarded with money and material. The top three in the group will be awarded representative honors. banner. It is said that the enthusiasm of the officers and soldiers in the Beijing Camp has been aroused. As long as they complete the assessment, everyone will be given a pig head." Wang Chengen said.
Chongzhen put down his pen, stretched his stiff wrist, and said with a smile: "Uncle Dingyuan always has fantastic ideas. When the same soldier comes into his hands, he will be led to scream. It really turns decay into magic."
I heard that officers and soldiers were given pig heads. Chongzhen suddenly remembered the pig head meat made by the cooking class when Xinghe Tuanlian was guarding the Forbidden City. That one was so delicious that my mouth watered immediately.
Chongzhen was also speechless. There were so many royal chefs in the palace, all chosen from all over the world. The food I made was not as delicious as the braised pork made by Huotou Bing. I really didn’t know what to say.
"At noon, let's cut a plate of five-spice pork head. I haven't eaten it for a long time, so I'm going to buy a bottle of Jade Jelly Chunlai."
"No, I'll go get ready now."
"Well, Uncle Dingyuan wrote to ask me to approve the annual leave for the officers and soldiers of the Beijing Camp. They will have a holiday on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month and return to camp in the morning of the 16th of the first lunar month. What do you think?"
Wang Chengen thought about it seriously. Recently, he has been working hard to study military affairs, hoping to share his worries when His Majesty inquires.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the way of civil and military affairs is relaxed and relaxed. Uncle Dingyuan's move must have deep meaning. Previously, the capital camp collapsed too tightly. I heard that the officers and soldiers complained about something. When they opened their eyes, they practiced to Turn off the lights. It’s also a good thing for everyone to go home and relax during the Chinese New Year.”
Chongzhen's eyes lit up and he scolded with a smile: "You old dog, I haven't seen you for three days, so you should look at me with admiration. The way of civil and military affairs, one step at a time, is a good saying, it is indeed true. Then I am right."
"Your Majesty is holy."
Zhao Yongtang was walking happily in the alleys of Nancheng with a large sack on his back.
It has been more than two months since he was taken into the Beijing camp to serve as a soldier. He was originally going to take part in long-distance running for others, but he didn't expect to be left to serve as a soldier.
At the beginning, he was scared to death that he would be beheaded if he pretended to be someone else.
The army is highly disciplined and is no joke.
Unexpectedly, as long as you admit that you are the replacement, you will forget the blame, but you can't leave.
He tried to escape several times, but unfortunately, due to the strict management of the military camp, there was no chance. Until one of the deserters was chopped down, he was so scared that he almost peed in his pants. I never dared to run away from now on.
Then, the brutal training began.
He swore that since he was born from his mother's womb, he has never endured such hardship or suffered such a sin. Especially the 400-meter obstacle course every day, which squeezes out every last bit of your physical strength.
Dig trenches, install sandbags, build fortifications, and do 300 push-ups every day. Two hundred squats and one hundred meters of crawling.
He was stabbed a thousand times a day, and his arms were so swollen that he couldn't even lift them.
Later, 3,000 chained slaves were brought, and they were said to be prisoners of the Zhenglan Banner. They were asked to wear leather armor and hold wooden knives to spar with these slaves.
They, the so-called elite soldiers of the Beijing camp, were beaten like gourds by the shackled Jiannu slaves one by one. Their wails could be heard a mile away.
These slaves can easily beat four or five of them.
There is also the long-distance running in full gear, which makes my heart burn with exhaustion. I stood in the training queue for an hour. My legs were shaking and swollen. There were blood blisters on the soles of my feet and it was painful.
Anyone who dared to move would be immediately struck down with the officer's stick. If you fail to complete the training and memorize the military regulations, you will be beaten to death with military sticks.
However, there is still a little light in the endless darkness. The food in the military camp is really good.
All they eat are steamed buns and rice, and one meal every day is braised fat pork and potatoes. There is often beef. Occasionally, each person is given a tael of liquor. He had never lived like this in his life. It was like a dream. He even felt that if he ate like this every day, it wouldn't be unbearable to be tired.
He soon discovered that he had a talent for being a soldier, and he was among the best in all aspects of training.
In the recent competition, I won three first places. Got many rewards.
No, the military camp is on holiday and visitors are allowed, as long as they return to the military camp on the morning of the 16th of the first lunar month.
Zhao Yongtang greeted acquaintances in the alley. While walking quickly towards home, he felt like he was returning home. He had been away for so long and he didn't send a message to his family. He didn't know how worried his family was.
"It's Yongtang. Where did your kid die recently? Your wife and I are crying every day. Why don't you go home and take a look."
"I heard that you were captured by the Beijing camp and became a soldier. Is it true?"
"What are you carrying in this sack? It's so bulging."
Zhao Yongtang became even more anxious after hearing this, and ran home while coping.
I rushed into the dilapidated little yard of my house and saw my mother and my wife washing clothes. It was almost the New Year. At the end of the year, whether you have money or not, you have to be clean.
"Mom, my son is back." Zhao Yongtang felt sad when he saw that my mother seemed much older and had more gray hair. He threw down the sack and knelt on the ground with a plop.
The old lady saw that it was her son who had not been seen for more than two months, and the wooden basin in his hand suddenly fell to the ground.
"Son, where have you been? I'm so worried." The old lady suddenly started crying.
"Mother, my son is unfilial and makes mother worried." Zhao Yongtang kowtowed and cried.
"Mom, head, it's cold outside. Let's go back inside and talk. Go back inside and talk." Seeing the neighbors watching the fun, his wife quickly pulled the two of them into the house.
"Son, our family is poor. We don't have much food. If you don't come back, we won't have anything to eat. The two hungry children are crying." The old lady said, wiping her tears.
Zhao Yongtang immediately ran out, carried the large sack into the house, and started taking things out from inside.
First a huge pig's head escaped, and then ten pounds of dried noodles.
This big sack is like Doraemon's treasure bag, it actually contains so many things.
A bag of ten kilograms of rice, a bag of ten kilograms of flour, and a five kilograms of fat pork.
A total of copper coins, two taels of silver, two pieces of homespun cloth, and a dozen cans of luncheon meat, all of which he saved on a daily basis.
There was also a hundred pounds of cornmeal he bought from Nanyuan Military Service Co., Ltd. A bag of dehydrated vegetables.
Fortunately, he has a strong physique, otherwise most people would not be able to carry so many things.
His wife also opened her eyes wide in surprise and asked: "Master, where have you been these days and how did you get so many good things back?"
Ever since he refused to listen and insisted on accepting thirty large sums of money from Jingying Qi Liu to run some race around the city for him, he has never seen anyone again. Didn't come back until today.
"Mom, my son was captured by the Beijing camp and became a soldier." Zhao Yongtang said with a wry smile.
"Ah! Then our family has become a military household, what should we do?" The old lady and his wife were dumbfounded.
