Lei Zhen said: "I am a son of a good family, and my family is a military household in Zhechong Prefecture, Juntian, Fanyangzhuo County."
Dugu Xiang said: "Brother Lei, you are a military man who studies martial arts. If you don't become a soldier, how can you become a thief?"
Lei Zhen said: "Hey... the little girl doesn't know something. It's not so easy to be a soldier. Zhechong Mansion reserves war horses, tents and weapons, and rations soldiers during the expedition. The soldiers of the government need to prepare their own military supplies, clothing and food. , There are six hundred and thirty-three people in the world who will attack the house without exception."
Dugu Xiang said: "I heard that all military households in the government are allocated equal land by the state. Since they have taken the state's land, it is reasonable to prepare their own military rations."
Lei Zhen said: "However, in the prosperous times, there are also poor people. Nowadays, the world is seriously annexed. I have studied with my teacher for sixteen years. I have been unaware of the changes in the world. When I returned home, my father had been in critical condition a few years ago. He died of illness, and his mother and younger siblings were unable to support him, so he had already bought the land to a powerful landowner."
Jiang Shuo was surprised and said: "According to Tang law, Yongye Field is not allowed to be bought or sold!"
Lei Zhen said with a "haha" smile: "The law is the law. When the people can't live, they can only sell Yongye Field. It's not a forced sale, and the government can't control it."
Jiang Shuo said: "But selling the land, although it relieves a temporary emergency, will make it difficult to continue. Isn't it like drinking poison to quench thirst?"
Lei Zhen said: "Hey... after selling the land, we can become tenant farmers... In order to survive, we have been working as cattle and horses for powerful landlords for generations."
Jiang Shuo said: "I understand, Brother Lei, when you return home, the land at home has been transferred to the landlord. You are no longer a good family son, and you have no military supplies or food, so naturally you will not be able to join the army."
Lei Zhen said: "It's just that we can't surrender to the army. In fact, since the Gaozong and Empress Wu dynasties, land annexation has become increasingly serious. The land equalization system has been completely destroyed. It is only a matter of time for military households to lose their land. The defense troops of various military towns were originally Relying on conscription from Zhechong Prefecture, however, Zhechong Prefecture soldiers lost their territory and fled, and there was a shortage of guards on Fanshang, making it more difficult to mobilize for conscription and defense. During the Wu Zhou Dynasty, border counties and counties recruited separate "united soldiers" to defend their hometowns. In the early years of Kaiyuan It also allowed the feudal towns to recruit their own troops, calling them "Long March Athletes." "
Nan Jiyun added: "In the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan, the sage issued an edict instructing all towns to set a quota of Jiedushi envoys according to their needs, and to recruit able men from border residents and even barbarians who volunteered to stay in the garrison for a long time. A year later, he issued another edict. It is said that the number of Long March athletes recruited by the armies has been sufficient, and they will no longer be mobilized from the mainland. All the original soldiers who were not Long Marchers will be released. From then on, the soldiers of the government have ceased to exist in name only."
Jiang Shuo said: "No wonder there are so many Hu'er like Khitan and Xi people in the Yan army. But using Hu to guard against Hu'er, can we really ensure border security?"
Nan Jiyun said: "Young Master, you have been to the border of Beidi, you should already have the answer in your mind."
Jiang Shuo nodded sadly, and Lei Zhen continued: "Fan Yang Jiedu also conscripted a certain person as a "Jian'er", saying that supplies, armor and weapons would be provided by the army and the town. "
Dugu Xiang said: "Ah... An Lushan wants to rebel. Brother Lei, you must not be fooled by him. It will be difficult to get off the pirate ship."
Lei Zhen praised: "This little girl is very knowledgeable. I also thought that the Yan army was weird at the time. After a secret investigation, I found out that Fanyang Town colluded with local powerful people and deliberately forced the farmers to go bankrupt, causing the military households to flee in large numbers. They then These refugees are recruited to be athletes."
Jiang Shuo said: "Ah... In this way, the country's government soldiers will become the private soldiers of the feudal town!"
Nan Jiyun said: "The equalization of land has collapsed, and the government troops are empty. This is the case across the country, but there are still a few people who do this deliberately like Fan Yangzhen."
Dugu Xiang said: "No wonder the military in Fanyang Town is so strong. It turns out that they recruited Hu'er while privately recruiting government soldiers. It's really abominable!"
Lei Zhen said: "I was so angry that I called on the villagers to argue with Fanyang Town. I didn't want the feudal town to surround us as rebels. I led the brothers in the village to resist. Unexpectedly, the leaders of the Yan army who dragged Luohe had very strong ideas. This is my point. The Three-Legged Cat Kung Fu was no match, and the whole village was slaughtered. My mother-in-law, brothers and sisters all died under Yan Jun’s sword, and I was the only one who escaped."
Jiang Shuo thought to himself: The leader of Yiluohe mentioned by Lei Zhen is probably Liu Yao and others. Brother Lei's skills are indeed no match for any of them.
Lei Zhen said: "I couldn't stay in Hebei any longer, so I crossed the river and came to the land of Qilu. I met many people.
Dear brother, later on we discovered this beautiful place, and slowly gathered a group of the same landless farmers, built this village, and made a living by blocking roads and robbing people. "
Dugu Xiang said: "Brother Lei, you are forced to have no choice but what about this Brother Xu? Is he also a farmer who has lost his land and has equal land?"
Xu Yuan crossed his hands and said, "I come from a family of officials, and my ancestor was Xu Jingzong, the right minister of Gaozong Dynasty."
Dugu Xiang asked: "Is that Xu Jingzong, whose first posthumous title was "Miao" and later changed to "Gong"? Lingzu's reputation is not very good. "
Jiang Shuo saw that Dugu Xiang was speaking freely, so he stopped her and stopped her from talking further.
Xu Yuan smiled and said: "The little girl is right, Naizu not only has a bad reputation, he can be called a "female sycophant" minister. "
Dugu Xiang stuck out his tongue at Jiang Shuo, as if to say: Look, this is not what I said.
Xu Yuandao said: "Naizu is in charge of the history of the country. Since he took charge, he has kept inaccurate records and blindly catered to the king. In the matter of Emperor Gaozong's establishment of Empress Wu, he contributed a lot to the future empress. There is no need to deny this. Naizu also taught his children. Fang, before I was born, my family was in decline, but fortunately I still had the status of a good man. At the end of the Kaiyuan Dynasty, I passed the Jinshi examination and worked for Yizhou in the Jiannan Jiedushi Palace."
Jiang Shuo and Dugu Xiang were shocked when they heard this. Xu Yuan looked shriveled, thin, and unattractive, but he turned out to be a Jinshi.
Xu Yuan saw the surprised look in their eyes and said with a smile: "You should not be judged by appearance. Although Xu also practiced martial arts with his master, he did not put in as much effort as Brother Lei. He was really a scholar back then. But I didn't After working for a long time, I was demoted to Gaoyaowei for disobeying Jiedushi Zhangchou Jianqiong. Gaoyao was in the wild and harsh land of Lingnan Road. I didn't want to go to the post, so I simply ran away halfway, but I didn't dare to return to my hometown, so I Wandering among the mountains and rivers of the Central Plains, I met Brother Lei here by chance. I saw that the mountain looked small on the outside, but was actually steep on the inside. It was easy to defend but difficult to attack. It was closer to the official road and easier to plunder. So the two of us settled down here and started our business. Buying and selling without capital."
Jiang Shuo sighed and said, "Both eldest brothers, you do have your own reasons for living in the wilderness, but why did you decide to give up the cottage that you have been running for so long when you came to the south?"
Lei Zhen said: "We also know that there is no future in being robbers. We are not hard-hearted evil people. When we encounter poor people, we not only do not rob them, but also help them. In this business without capital, not only do we not get rich, but we often find it difficult to make a living. "Ji, it's just that there is no way out, so we are living in this hill. Nanba showed us a way out, so naturally we won't stay here anymore."
Dugu Xiang said: "Hey... what's the way out? Are you being asked to join the Jianghu Alliance and make a living under Brother Shuo?"
Nan Jiyun said with a smile: "Nan Ba has no intention of pursuing an official career and is very comfortable walking around in the world. My two brothers are different. Not only do they have martial arts skills, but they also know the art of war. No matter whether they are Luo Cao or walking in the world, they are all using their talents."
Jiang Shuo said: "But Brother Lei fled his country and Brother Xu abandoned his official position. He is no longer a good man. Can he still be an official or join the army?"
Lei Zhen said: "It is impossible to become an official, but there is still a way to join the army."
Dugu Xiang asked curiously: "Don't all soldiers have to be from good families? And according to Brother Lei, as you said before, the army has collapsed...ah, are you going to join the Yan army?"
Lei Zhen said: "It is true that I am going to join the feudal town, but it is not the Yan army. Among the ten largest feudal towns in the world, Anlushan is not the only military governor. The military governors in each town are recruiting Long March athletes, but not all for their own selfish interests. , there are also those who really fight against foreign invaders."
Xu Yuandao said: "We are going to join the army in Hexi. I heard that the Tibetans in Hexi are about to make a move. Going to Hexi now is a great time to make contributions. Besides, Anlu Mountain will rebel in the long run. If we join the army now, we will be safe if the thieves do not rebel in the future." Forget it, if you dare to rebel, the Western Army will definitely be the main force in countering the rebellion. By then, Lei will have a chance to take revenge! "
Jiang Shuo heard that what he said was similar to that of Cheng Qianli, and he knew that Nan Jiyun and Cheng Qianli must have a more secret connection. Their plan only revealed the tip of the iceberg, and I'm afraid there were still many things they were hiding from him.
Dugu Xiang said: "Oh, so you guys were dismissed years ago and are preparing to go west. Then since you decided not to be bandits, why are you still coming to rob us?"
Xu Yuan said sheepishly: "The area west of Hexi is vast.
Naturally, the horse is as powerful as a tiger. We don’t have good foot strength, but I happened to see that the horses you two were riding were very impressive. Besides... besides..."
Dugu Xiang said: "Besides, the ones riding the horses are just two little kids."
Xu Yuan hurriedly crossed his hands and said: "Young master, Xiang'er sister, please forgive me. We are really fooled by lard. We saw you, a boy and girl riding a BMW, but there was no one accompanying you. We just thought you were a wealthy family who was alone." The dandy, now he has the evil intention, he wants to make this last vote, and he doesn’t want to collide with the two young heroes."
Nan Jiyun said: "Brothers, it's lucky that you met Young Master Jiang today. Otherwise, wouldn't you have committed another sin?"
Xu Yuan said in awe: "We just want to steal the horses, but we don't want to kill them..."
Dugu Xiang looked at him sideways and said, "That's not necessarily true. When we were in the canyon, with such a big stone millstone, if Brother Shuo didn't have magical powers, the two of us would have been smashed into meat patties by Brother Lei..."
Lei Zhen folded his hands guiltily and bowed again: "I did have murderous intentions at that time..."
Jiang Shuo interrupted him and said, "Don't be surprised if you don't know. I think the two eldest brothers at that time acted like this because they saw that we were not weak in martial arts. They didn't mean to harm our lives."
Lei and Xu nodded hurriedly, and Nan Jiyun said: "If you two eldest brothers don't have good mounts, you can talk to Nan Ba. I will come up with an idea. Since you have decided to go west and join the army, you can no longer do the business of cutting trails." Already."
Seeing that Nan Jiyun was not angry, the two of them couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief, and both said: "No way, no way." Although they are Nan Jiyun's fellow disciples, they are incomparable in terms of understanding and study time. Shang Nan Jiyun was actually a little afraid of this young junior brother who hated evil.
Nan Jiyun crossed his hands and said, "In that case, now let's ask our two brothers to burn down this village and go west together."
The two of them knew that Nan Jiyun wanted to cut off their retreat immediately, so they had no choice but to agree at this moment.
Hun Weiming hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said, "Hey...wait a minute, wait a minute, Nan Ba, we didn't sleep yesterday. We've been traveling all day, why don't we start cooking a day later? Let Hun Er rest for the night, what else is there to eat and drink?" ? Please don’t waste it by burning it. Can you fill our stomachs with it?”
Hun Weiming was witty by nature and what he said was very interesting. Everyone laughed together. Lei and Xu hurriedly brought out wine and meat to entertain everyone.
