The old blind man is an old soldier. Although his beard and hair are gray, his body is still very strong. Moreover, his eyes were big and bright, and he showed no obvious signs of illness, and he didn't even glance at them.
Smoke and dust were rising in the distance. The old blind man saw it immediately and immediately waved the red pennant in his hand to warn.
The reason why he is still called an old blind man is actually because he suffers from presbyopia and cannot see things close up clearly, but he still likes to pretend to be an educated person.
From time to time, he would hold a scripture in his hand that he didn't know where it came from, his eyes would be narrowed to a slit, his hands would be stretched out, and he would be shaking his head to show off to others.
So the soldiers and catchers of the Inspection Department of the Fort along the river gave him the nickname "Old Blind Man" to make fun of him.
"Commander, there seem to be quite a few people coming in front of us." After waving the red flag, the old blind man took a breath and ran to the inspection office along the river behind him to report.
The patrol officer at the Yanhe Fort is a man with a ridged face and a weather-beaten look. His complexion is dark, and he does not look like a high-ranking imperial official and local bully, but rather like an old farmer working in the fields.
But everyone around the Yanhe Fort knew that Inspector Zhang was very capable. He is a hero of Helong who entered Luo from Long Dynasty. It is said that he is also the emperor's own family. In the battle of Luoyang, he personally captured the heads of seven Khitan generals. Due to his merits, he was awarded the 45th rank from the eighth rank to the Yilang military rank. After retirement, he was awarded Yanhebao. Inspection Department Inspection.
Inspector Zhang knew why the old blind man was such a loser. The old guy hoped that his youngest son could replace him and continue to be the Changzheng Jianyong of the Yanhebao Inspection Department.
The so-called Long March Jianyong refers to the soldiers who served in the inspection department for a long time during the leisure time compared to the conscripted soldiers.
At present, in Zhang Zhou's inspection department, the soldiers are divided into two types, namely, Changzheng Jianyong and Banshang Yisong. The number of the former is smaller, but they are generally warriors who have passed the selection of the inspection department. A small number of them have even passed the selection of the county martial arts school, and have the titles of bow and crossbow master and spear and stick master.
These people will only retire unless they are selected by a higher-level unit, such as joining the state guard army as a low-level officer, or even entering the Forbidden Army or the pro-army, or they are old like the old blind man.
The latter is the main soldier of the Inspection Department. All the strong men in the hometown who are under the management of the Inspection Department will serve in the Inspection Department as Banjo Yoshitsune.
Generally, one rotation lasts for three months, but during the busy farming season, it is shortened to one rotation of ten and a half days, or even no recruitment.
If future generations understand it, being a soldier in the Inspection Department is basically the same as serving. It must be a hard job and no one would want to come.
But on the contrary, the soldiers of the Inspection Department are very good. Whenever it is their turn, they are all happy. As for their bravery in the Long March, they are even more precious.
The reason is that it is beneficial to serve in the Inspection Department. The inspection departments that I, Saint Zhang, set up in various places, usually choose to be at water and land strategic points or important pass points.
Mainly responsible for catching thieves, anti-smuggling, searching, fighting bandits and water bandits in the countryside, and training local young men.
Under normal circumstances, such water and land key points and passes would be prosperous places with heavy traffic. After the political situation stabilizes and business prospers, the inspection department can also collect commercial taxes with the permission of the county government.
The inspection departments of some important commercial nodes are even directly under the jurisdiction of the Household Department or the Transfer Department. Just looking at these functions, you will know that there is considerable oil and water in them.
This is an important government office that integrates police, customs, and tax bureau employees. Although most of the taxes must be paid, even a small amount that is missed is enough for the inspection department to share the profits.
Moreover, this was the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The patrols in various places had just come off the battlefield. There were military-ranked officers who could receive rewards, and they had salaries for their posts, and they did not yet have a large family to support.
The important thing is that everyone is grateful for the emperor's kindness and wants to do a good job below to repay the saint's promotion.
Therefore, most of the patrols can barely abide by the law, and they are still relatively generous to the soldiers below.
Even Banjo Yoshitsune, who served in rotation, could often get three melons and two dates, at least two full meals a day.
As for Long March Jianyong, it was even more cost-effective. The obvious benefit was that he received a certain amount of salary. Although it was small, it was still an income. He could also get good profit sharing and subsidies from the small treasury of the Inspection Department.
The potential advantage is that he can hone his martial arts skills with others in the inspection department and adapt to the military environment.
Traditionally, the selection of small officers in the Guard Army, as well as the Forbidden Army and the People's Liberation Army, were mostly selected from the Long March brave men of the Inspection Department.
Therefore, many Long March warriors would choose to rent the 40 acres of Dingkou field under their name to their brothers and uncles for farming, and then join the inspection department to hone their martial arts, waiting to soar into the country's economic and political army.
Even if you can't fly anymore, you can still save a lot of money by serving for ten or eight years. This is a very good way out for an adult man who comes from a rural background.
Moreover, in this era where the atmosphere is quite martial, an adult who cannot even become a banjo is basically like a disabled person. There is a high probability of being bullied, looked down upon, and beaten.
Correspondingly, if you can be selected to become a brave warrior in the Long March, it will be a symbol of status! When you got home, Ye Niang praised you with a smile on your face. Your brothers, sister-in-law, and brothers and sisters all regard you as their backbone.
When the family wants to decide something, or when there is a conflict between two families in the family, you will be the judge.
There is a conflict with a foreign tribe, or a conflict between several villages. If you stand forward and tell your identity, the person on the other side will be frightened and start to be reasonable.
When worshiping ancestors, you line up in front with the elders in your family. The unsatisfactory brothers in the family only deserve to see your back and butt.
Your family can divide the largest piece of pork belly after ancestor worship. When dividing the white silk cloth for ancestor worship, your family should choose first.
When farming is busy, your family will use the plowing cattle first, and when it is time to irrigate, your family's fields will be irrigated first. When paying taxes, the Wuhou and officials in the county government will not dare to go in and out in big and small buckets, and cheat you on the weighing.
You can sit at the head of the banquet. Others eat cooked wild boar and rabbit meat, while you eat oily, fat mutton and large chunks of fat white pork meat.
Whose beautiful little widow has lost her husband? If she wants to keep her family business and not be ruined by other men, she is willing to follow you even if she has no status, just for protection.
All the Changzheng Jianyong in Yanhe Fort have such benefits. Even an old man like the old blind man who is almost fifty years old has a sweetheart who is almost thirty years younger than him.
This treatment is actually almost better than that of scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, no! It should be said that he is better than the average old scholar.
Because Long March Jianyong was armed with force, Zhang Zhou's Long March Jianyong could solve problems with his fists and sticks that the old scholar could not solve with his words in the countryside.
This kind of special treatment is the biggest reason why the old blind man is still practicing sticks diligently at this age, trying to please his superiors, and fighting hard for the annual assessment, and is unwilling to move even after death.
It was also the biggest motivation for the six members of his family to tighten their belts and choose to let his youngest son quit his job and practice martial arts.
Yanhe Fort, as you can tell from its name, is located on the riverside. It is located on the north bank of the Yellow River and guards the famous Baima Crossing port. After Yanhe Fort, only a mile or two away is the Yellow River Floating Bridge of Baima Crossing.
Therefore, the Yanhe Fort is not only a patrol station, but also a small fortress. Its function is to provide warning and inspection functions for the Huazhou Central Guards guarding Baimadu.
After all, it is still too expensive to have thousands of people stationed at a ferry like Baimadu all year round. Therefore, Yanhebao needs to be used as a nail in the front. Only when their warning signal comes, the Huazhou central defender will start mobilizing.
Inspector Zhang brushed away the old blind man's flattering face. He was on the fort wall, observing the approaching team. There were no flags, there were not many people, and there seemed to be a large car following behind.
However, Inspector Zhang was secretly wary. As a veteran of the Zhang family who returned to the rebel army, he was very experienced in the smoke and dust caused by horses.
The large plume of smoke and dust just now obviously required at least two to three hundred riders to bring it up, but this time, there were only thirty or forty riders, and the gap was too big.
Inspector Zhang looked back and saw that there were nine Changzheng Jianyong in the Yanhe Fort, and even him, there were a total of ten who could fight.
There were one hundred and twenty soldiers from Banjoyoshi, but these were only brave men and not soldiers. It would be no problem if we defended the two or three-meter-high fort walls along the river, but it wouldn't work if we took them out to fight.
It would take at least two quarters of an hour for the Huazhou central defender to arrive. No wonder Inspector Zhang was so vigilant. In addition to repeated orders from the military supervisor of Huazhou Prefecture, when the saint set out from Baimadu to fight the Khitans and Liu Zhiyuan, he also dismounted his horse and told him with a smile that he should guard this road. The way home.
Therefore, since then, Inspector Zhang has felt that he has a heavy responsibility, and even saints must rely on him, so he has been extra serious.
"Old blind man, please take a few people over to investigate!" Inspector Zhang pointed at the harmless knight coming from a distance and said to the old blind man.
The old blind man was originally a soldier of Wei Boya. It is said that he took part in the rebellion that forced the Later Dynasty Zhuangmiao to Xingjiaomen.
Wei Bo Ya Bing sounds prestigious, but generally few of them have long lives. Those who can live to the age of the old blind man are all selected from among the rare ones, otherwise they would have died in the gutter.
As soon as he heard what Inspector Zhang said, he immediately realized something was wrong.
"Commissioner, are there any problems with these people?" Inspector Zhang did not answer, but nodded. Of course, he would only ask the old blind man to check if there was a problem.
Because although the old blind man is still strong and can pass the annual assessment, he only passes by the sidelines. Compared with the other Long March warriors, his combat effectiveness is far behind.
If there really is a thief, losing him will not greatly affect the combat effectiveness in the fort. Hearing this, the old blind man silently put on his not-so-fine cowhide armor and a leather stomach. Then he carried a long spear, a horizontal knife slung across his body, and a few Banshang Yisong. Bao ran over.
Inspection Zhang also started to put on his armor and notified Changzheng Jianyong, who was on duty and resting in the fort, through a semaphore to come and gather.
After a while, the old blind man led the twenty or thirty riders over, waving the green flag symbolizing safety all the way, but Inspector Zhang's heart suddenly rose to his throat.
Because although the old blind man waved the green flag and looked relaxed, the direction he ran in was not the main entrance, but to a haystack on the wall beside the main entrance. In this haystack, there was a Fuyuan Crossbow hidden.
The old blind man still had the same flattering smile. He nodded and bowed and said to the strong man in the Iron Tower who was standing behind him: "Your Majesty, please let the little old man make the announcement and open the fort gate." The strong man in the Iron Tower looked around cautiously. Realizing that something was wrong, he snorted softly from his nostrils and nodded nonchalantly, portraying the arrogance of the elite of the Forbidden Army to the fullest.
The old blind man stood under the fort wall, looking up at Inspector Zhang above.
"Commander, you said that you are a member of the Longtoni Zhang family and can talk to saints. Is that true?" Inspector Zhang nodded. In fact, he didn't know whether he was a member of the Longtoni Zhang family. Bloodline, but that’s what the elders in the family have always called themselves.
In fact, it is really possible that he was. Later generations of gene sequencing showed that among the Zhang surnames in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Shanxi provinces, a highly distributed branch of the Zhang surname continued from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the outbreak of the late Tang Dynasty. It is one of the most common Zhang surnames in the north. The branch is most likely a descendant of the Longtongue Zhang family in Shazhou.
Come to think of it, Zhang Yichao served his country loyally and was a national hero. Although he was likely to die, the Zhang family of Longtongue eventually multiplied into later generations, with at least dozens or millions of people.
The old blind man saw a smile of relief on his face when he saw Inspector Zhang admitting that his youngest son was only fifteen years old, and he was still a little short of being able to survive the selection of the Long March Jianyong.
When the old blind man mentioned this matter to Inspector Zhang in the past, Inspector Zhang had criticized him. 'If you want your stupid son to pass the selection of bravery in the Long March, unless I go to the emperor to ask for a favor.
What great achievements have you made that deserve me to save my face for you? With a smile on his face, the old blind man suddenly turned around and pierced the strong man behind the iron tower with the spear in his hand.
This shot was so accurate that it hit the armored man's neck directly, and blood immediately spurted out.
The strong man from the iron tower roared twice, and fell down from his horse before he even raised his hand. The old blind man shouted loudly,
"Zhao Zaili rebelled. These are the remnants of the silver gun capital of the past!" Zhang Xunjian jumped up immediately. He uncovered the Fuyuan crossbow covered by the haystack. The two strong men next to him followed him and immediately gave it to him. The crossbow was cocked.
As soon as it was fired, it pierced a strong man directly. The arrow that came out of the body missed and even nailed a strong man and the horse behind him to the ground.
The old blind man howled, holding a spear and blocking the gate of the fort along the river. The surroundings were full of panicked travelers. The knights on the opposite side shot five or six arrows at him, but the old blind man did not move.
A knight came forward, and the old blind man burst out with great fighting power. He held a spear and knocked the knight over with a single thrust.
Under the setting sun, the blood was so dazzling that the old blind man stood upright. Covered in blood, he roared like a beast.
He cooperated with the large crossbow and strong bow on the fort, and the remaining dozen knights were so frightened that they did not dare to come up and grab the door. It was not until the gate of the fort along the river was finally closed that they fell headlong into the dust.
