Although they had already had dinner, they could smell the tangy aroma of roast duck, and the whole family had the conditioned reflex that farmers have.
Perhaps in the wealthy families in the city, eating a roast duck is nothing new, but in the village, you may not be able to eat one even in three years, let alone one year.
The poultry must be kept for laying eggs, or at the worst, brought to the market to be sold for money, otherwise it will be a huge loss, just like a silk farmer who cannot afford to wear silk.
"Mom, this roast duck is still hot! Eat it quickly, it might go bad overnight!"
The temperature is very high now. Even if the roast duck contains enough seasonings, there is no guarantee that it will not spoil tomorrow. Therefore, Cha Yuan decided to let his family eat it immediately to avoid the regret of it spoiling.
"Second brother is absolutely right! It's absolutely true!"
Che Dan, who couldn't help but touch the corner of his mouth and drooled, hurriedly responded. These are two roast ducks, which are enough for the whole family to have a delicious meal.
"Oh~! You are such a good person! Eat! I bought them all!"
Ms. Liu knew that the price of roast duck was very high. In the past, she would have scolded her son for spending money lavishly. But today, her son finally came back from the army and the whole family was very happy, so she couldn't say anything more. .
"Hey, hey? Don't move! Wash your hands first, and use the soap I bought! This is how we eat in the army, we must be hygienic!"
When Cha Yuan saw his younger brother about to tear the roast duck apart, he hurriedly tried to stop him. This was a habit he had developed in the army and he would keep it when he returned home.
"Second brother, why are you so particular about it?"
After hearing what his second brother said, Che Dan retracted his hands angrily, holding a piece of soap and looking at it for a long time, feeling a little unhappy.
"What do you know about this kid? If we eat up our stomachs, let alone go into battle to kill the enemy, we won't even have the strength to stand. Haven't you heard the saying 'A good man can't stand up to three enemies'?"
The army stipulates that you must wash your hands before meals and after going to the toilet, wash your face and brush your teeth when you get up in the morning, and wash your feet before going to bed at night. When the weather is hot, you can take a shower after training every day, and you are not allowed to drink raw water. These are things Cha Yuan has never experienced before. things.
"Your second brother is right, hurry up and wash your hands before it gets dark, everyone!"
Mrs. Liu glanced out the window. Although the sun was setting at this time, it was not completely dark. Once the lamp was turned on, mosquitoes would be attracted. If the windows were open at that time, the whole family would have to feed the mosquitoes.
Since it was already the meal time for the mosquitoes, the family did not dare to set up a table in the yard after washing their hands. They could only sit on the kang in the house and start feasting.
Two roast ducks are quite a lot, but when facing a family of six, all of whom are farmers who have never had any food or water, it is not enough. Even if they have already eaten dinner, it can only be used as a late night snack to supplement the meal. .
Cha Yuan often ate meat in the army, so he was not so enthusiastic about fatty ducks. He preferred the delicious parts of duck necks.
Mrs. Liu insisted that she couldn't eat big meat, so she ate the duck head slowly, and then divided the four duck legs among Che Qiu, Li, Che Dan and Che Xia, just one for each of them, and it was a pleasure to eat.
Roast duck is greasier than roast chicken, but it just suits the appetite of farmers. In the eyes of farmers these days, roast ducks without enough fat are inferior ducks. The more oil, the better the duck is.
Only when your mouth is greasy and your hands are covered with grease can you consider the roast duck to be worth the money. Otherwise, if it is all dry and lean meat, then you have suffered a big loss and you have been deceived.
"Boy, how do you make money like this? How else could you buy these items, but you make more money than soldiers in other places!"
Che Qiu worked as a coolie on the construction site. After a month of exhausting work, he could only earn two taels of silver, but this was already a lot. At least there was no deduction from the officials.
It is said that Mr. Zhang Guowei, the Minister of Industry, often inspected the construction site and sent people to arrest people who were enriching his own pockets many times. Only then did he suppress the people below who were just working hard. Otherwise, they could only earn one tael of silver per month as coolies.
Che Qiu had never seen Zhang Guowei up close. Even if he did, he would only see a figure from a distance. I heard all this from the mouth of the foreman, because the foreman also hates those borers.
In comparison, serving as a soldier and eating royal food was a serious job. Look at the second son, he made a lot of money, which was very different from the soldiers in the past who were often owed wages by the court.
"Brother, I joined the prince's army. The prince is a man who is not short of money. It is right for me to serve as a soldier for the prince. The soldiers in our army have a probation period of three months, and the probation period begins after training. Assessment. After passing the examination, combat soldiers will receive three taels of silver plus half a stone of polished rice per month, and auxiliary soldiers will receive two taels of silver and three bushels of polished rice per month. I don’t know about other armies, but I know that in ours, we never default on money and food. The money is paid according to the day, and the soldiers collect it on their own, and no money will be deducted."
Speaking of this, it was the most comfortable thing for Che Yuan. He and his comrades usually struggled around and got scolded. Apart from never being beaten, they had experienced almost all corporal punishment items, and even entered the dark room. Yes, it can be said that I have suffered a lot.
But when it comes to money and food, the prince really sticks to his word and does what he says. From officers to soldiers, no one can fault him. Whenever they receive their share of monthly salary, everyone forgets all about their usual hardships.
"I'm thinking that the third child is now an adult. It would be great if he could join the Crown Prince as an errand like you!"
Che Qiu had not had this idea before, but when he saw that the second child had made a lot of money when he returned home, he came up with the idea of letting the third child join the team.
No matter what, it is better than following him as a coolie on the construction site. No matter how tiring it is to be a soldier, it is more comfortable than being a coolie. Not to mention that you will be given money, food, clothes, and food and housing. It is a great deal.
"Brother, I heard that the imperial court is still recruiting troops, but the East Palace Guards are not recruiting for the time being. Even if my brother can apply for it, he will not be able to join the prince's army. I heard that other troops only have two taels of silver per month. Plus half a stone of rice, it's not as good as our East Palace Guards. And starting from this year, the new recruits recruited by the imperial court around the capital must undergo three months of training and pass the exam. He was fired. The prince also said that from now on, anyone found to be escaping from battle will be severely punished, that is, his head will fall off with a 'click'!"
The quota for the East Palace Guard has been filled. Che Yuan heard that the imperial court has trained three batches of more than 40,000 people, of which 30,000 will be incorporated into the East Palace Guard, and the remaining 10,000 will be added to other units. go.
They are probably the last group. Even if these people are unlucky, they will receive one or two taels less every month in the future. For ordinary soldiers, this is a huge gap.
After adjustments, for the ministries under the Ministry of War, the monthly pay for infantrymen has been increased from one to two five taels of silver to two taels of silver, and for horsemen has been increased from one to 28,000 to 30 taels of silver. Moreover, there will no longer be payment arrears, and they will be fully paid by then. Dispatch.
But they are still far behind the East Palace Guards. Here, they are divided into combat soldiers and auxiliary soldiers. The auxiliary soldiers are paid as high as the infantry of other troops. The salary of the combat soldiers is the same as that of the horse soldiers, and the horse soldiers are paid as high as per month. On the fourth day of the month, two taels of silver.
Soldiers with special skills, such as being good at climbing, swimming, bombing, and shooting, can even receive five taels of silver per month, which is equivalent to the treatment of the soldiers around the general. Their life is quite nourishing, but it is envied by everyone.
"Mom, what do you mean?"
Cha Yuan has no say in this matter, and his mother has to make the decision.
"You said you won't be recruiting people for the time being, so let the third child work with the eldest brother first. Let's do this this year. We'll see if we recruit people in the spring next year. You should also pay attention to the ranks. If you hear any news, just Let the third child go over and try!"
Mr. Liu felt that working on a construction site was not a serious job. After finishing the work that day, he had to find another job. Not only was it hard and tiring, but he still couldn't make much money, so he might as well follow his second son as a soldier and eat the royal rations, and grow old in the future. Three, there is no need for her to continue worrying.
"What mother said is that I will inquire about it after I go back. If there is any news, I will ask someone to come back later!"
Cha Yuan felt that his mother's arrangement was a safe one. If he applied rashly, something might happen, so it would be better to find out first.
It would be best if both brothers could join the East Palace Guards as errands. Not only would the treatment be superior, but also because he would take care of his younger brother. If there is no other option, then think of other options.
"By the way, mother, I also bought you medicine to treat waist and leg pain. You have to take it on time. Take it while it's summer, so you don't have to suffer when winter comes!"
Che Yuan knew about his mother's chronic problem, so he went to the drugstore to buy a course of medicine that would last for a month. He would see how effective the medicine was first, and if it was good, he would continue to buy it.
"Oh~! Mom, this is an old disease and it won't get better. Why are you still spending this money?"
Ms. Liu was worried about money. She knew that her disease could be relieved by taking medicine, not to mention curing it, but she couldn't bear to let her son spend money to buy medicine.
"Mom, I didn't make much money before, but it's different now. The eldest brother makes money to buy rice and noodles and take care of the family. The money I make is used to sell medicine for you, to buy meat for our family, and to buy a dowry for my sister. The third brother earns money. When you get money, save it and wait until you get a wife, how wonderful this is!"
Che Yuan thought very carefully. As long as he served in the army for three years and received enough salary, his family's situation would be greatly improved.
"It sounds like you don't need to marry a wife! My mother is expecting you to marry a wife first!"
Mrs. Liu was very pleased when she heard her son's arrangement. This way, the family now has two pillars of support, and she no longer has to worry about the boss's work suddenly failing and the family going hungry.
"Mom, I still have a plan. I'm still young. I'll work hard in the army for a few years and strive to become a non-commissioned officer. The monthly salary will be higher than it is now. If I can go into battle to kill the enemy and kill a Tatar, that's a lot of money. I have a hundred taels of silver in my bag! Wouldn’t it be better to marry a glorious wife then?”
Cha Yuan used to be a frog in the well. After joining the army, he learned a lot of new knowledge and broadened his horizons. He no longer planned to live the same way he did before, at least he had to change his way of living.
"Mom doesn't expect you to make a lot of money, I just hope you can go home safely. If you go into battle, you must be careful. Mom will go to the temple tomorrow to burn incense and worship Buddha, and ask for a peace charm, which I can bring to you! "
Ms. Liu didn't want to lose a son because of money. It was really not easy to raise her son to such an old age. If the second child was lost like this, she would really have no face to meet the child's father.
"Mom, don't worry. The armor the prince made for us is so thick that even the arrows of the dog Tatars can't penetrate it. The prince said that if you lose a soldier, you will have to pay two hundred taels of silver. If you lose ten thousand people, you will have to pay two hundred taels of silver." A million taels of silver. Instead of losing money, why not make a life-saving armor for each of us! We are now invulnerable from head to toe, and we are not afraid of the dog Tatars rushing over. They rushed over just to give us A gift of money."
What Cha Yuan said was based on facts, and he was not just trying to comfort his mother. Before each set of armor was put into the army, it had to be randomly inspected, that is, ten sets were selected from a hundred sets, and then the bows and arrows captured from Donglu were used for close-range inspection. Shoot.
The people wearing armor are not officers and soldiers of the East Palace Guards, but officials from the armor factory. If arrows cannot penetrate these ten sets of armor, then these one hundred sets of armor are considered qualified.
If even one set is shot through, it means that all 100 sets are unqualified, and Zhou Zongrong will not sign to receive it, and needs to be returned to the factory for re-forging. If the matter is reported to the Crown Prince, the relevant personnel will be punished.
According to veterans who had fought against the Dog Tartars, the Dog Tartars fired at close range, especially within twenty steps, causing great casualties to the King's division.
Taking this situation into consideration, the prince ordered the armor factory to produce armor that could protect against the Dog Tatars' arrows in close combat. As long as it could protect against the Dog Tatars' bows and arrows, when it came to hand-to-hand combat, it would be a competition to see which side had the bolder hand. So cruel...
Che Yuan had never been in a battle, let alone killed a living person. He had never raised any livestock at home, so he could only kill chickens and fish.
He had heard about the terror of the Tatars and said that "the Tatars are completely invincible."
But with invulnerable armor, he will not be afraid of the dog Tatar.
Since the dog Tartars can't shoot or chop themselves to death, there's no need to be polite to them!
Just like the prince said, if you are short of money, go kill the Tatars. As long as you make gains, you can come back and become a master!
Cha Yuan finally realized the benefits of having money in his pocket when he went shopping in the store during the day. He wished he could be an uncle every day.
In the entire East Palace Guards, there are countless people who have the same idea as him.
Especially the officers transferred from the Yongwei Battalion are masters who are not afraid of death.
With veterans leading the charge, new recruits like them don't have to be afraid.
"...That's good! That's good!"
Mr. Liu didn't understand armor, but felt that what his son said was so accurate that it couldn't be false.
"Second brother, this prince is quite good at settling accounts!"
Che Qiu had never heard of such a calculation. In order to reduce the pension, he actually made the armor thicker.
"Isn't that right? Brother, you don't know that the prince is only ten years old, but he has a lot of abilities. Even the court officials said that the prince is the son of the God of Thunder and has the ability to control thunder and lightning! I heard the officers say privately, the prince It didn’t take long for the country to be supervised, and the property of the corrupt officials was confiscated. The court was no longer short of money, and our military pay was secured. The project you are working on, brother, is the work-for-relief project of the Ministry of Works, Prince Edward We want to see a bigger and more solid new city next to the capital. The prince also exempted farmers from three wages, so our family doesn't have to worry about taxes and fees. From now on, the dog Tatars won't be able to roam for a few days. Wait for us Once they are organized into an army, they will send the dog Tatars to eat grass outside the customs!"
Speaking of the prince, Cha Yuan started to talk. The most news he heard in the army was about various things about the prince.
Some of them made him unbelievable, and some of them made him speechless, but they were always a good thing that benefited the country and the people.
It can be said that the prince is much better than the previous one, but no one dares to say it.
