When the winner of another duel was announced, the old man hurried back to the noisy crowd. Amidst the raucous crows of hundreds of fighting cocks was the clamor of people betting again, and then winning another fight.
“I never imagined that such an old man would be so obsessed with cockfighting!”
"What's the point!" Jin Renwen had just won a bet and was in high spirits: "Don't think that the emperor and the prince like polo so much, but in fact the most popular thing in Chang'an City is cockfighting. In the streets and alleys, there are two fighting cocks, male and female. People of all ages gathered around, some with a few guans and some with a few pennies, and they were having a great time gambling."
While they were talking, another cockfight began. Different from the previous fights that ended quickly, this time the fight lasted for a long time. Both chickens fought until they were shaken, torn, bleeding, and stunned. , tongue hanging out, wings dragging on the ground, whole body trembling, until finally unable to collapse, and then while the referee was counting, one chicken struggled to get up with the last remaining strength, and gave the opponent a final fatal blow. One step.
Cheers and sighs erupted from the audience. Both the winner and the loser had expressions of satisfaction on their faces, praising the courage of the cockfighting and the intensity of the fight. (By the way, the popularity of cockfighting during the Han and Tang Dynasties is not accidental. In the eyes of ancient Chinese, roosters are a special kind of bird with five virtues: literature, martial arts, courage, benevolence, and trustworthiness. Because of the Those who stand tall are called "Wen"; those who are full of distance are called "Wu"; those who dare to fight when the enemy is in front are called "Yong"; those who call each other when seeing food are called "Benevolence"; those who keep watch at night without losing time. )
"Everyone, everyone!" The man in brown clothes walked back to the center of the cockfighting ring: "Time is now suspended. Everyone can find a convenient place to rest for a while. Then the highlight of the day will begin!" He paused briefly, and then used He shouted with a louder voice: "Liu Weili and Liu Langjun will bring out six fighting cocks today and accept anyone's challenge. The amount of the bet will be determined by the challenger. If Liu Langjun's chicken loses, he is willing to double the repayment!"
"Double repayment? What does this mean?" Wang Wenzuo asked with some confusion.
"That is to say, you pay a hundred guan. If you lose, you only need to pay 100 guan. If Liu Weili loses, he will pay you 200 guan!"
"Oh, who is this Liu Weili? His tone is quite serious!"
"I heard that my ancestor was a great tycoon in Guanzhong. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he followed Princess Pingyang to raise an army. By his generation, he was considered a tyrant in Chang'an!"
"There is such a person at the emperor's feet?" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "Jing Zhaoyin didn't uproot him?"
"Haha, there are people above me!" Jin Renwen said with a smile: "You may think that this guy doesn't have any official title, but he has thousands of evil young men under his command, and he can do many things that the boss wants to do but is inconvenient!"
"No wonder! But even so, I guess he only looks good on the surface, but in reality he is walking on thin ice!"
"Oh, why did Saburo say that?"
"Chang'an is the capital of the Tang Dynasty, where wealth and goods gather from all over the world. Over time, there will be many vagrants in the city who have no permanent property, and no one can do anything about it. But it is one thing to have these vagabonds, and there are people who can raise their arms and call them out , it’s another thing to have a chief with thousands of people gathered. Liu Weili must not be a fool to reach this point. I can think of it, and he can also think of it. "
"That's true, but this is also his business. We don't need to worry about it for him!" Jin Renwen said with a smile. At this time, two shirtless tattooed boys came into the field, each holding a short sword shield. They raised their hands in all directions, and then started fighting. At first, Wang Wenzuo thought they were the kind of show-off entertainers in "Water Margin", but after a few glances, he realized that the two young men here were very agile and their fighting was very fierce. They were no worse than the cockfighting just now. After a while, , one man was stabbed on the shoulder, and blood was everywhere. The man did not advance, but cupped his hands in all directions and helped his companion down.
"This is also Liu Weili's subordinate? How come he saw blood?"
"Yes, he is also one of his men. What's weird about seeing blood? There are so many evil young men like this in Chang'an who live and die and don't love their bodies!"
"What a pity, what a pity!"
"What's a pity?" Jin Ren asked: "Sanlang, are you saying these two teenagers are a pity?"
"Yes, you see that they are quite skilled in wielding the rattan daggers, and they are not afraid of life and death. Instead of being a jobless vagrant in Chang'an City, wouldn't it be better to follow me to the frontier to make achievements and find a wife?"
"Hahaha, Sanlang, your thinking is too simple!" Jin Renwen laughed: "These evil boys are indeed brave and fierce, and are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of hardship! At least they don't want to take the initiative to seek hardship. This has happened in Chang'an City What kind of day is it? There is food to eat, wine to drink, cockfights, polo, and endless excitement. Even if I am a beggar, I will not die of hunger. When I go to the frontier with you, 10% of the diseases on the road will die first, and there is still a long way to go. Hard work, unacclimated to the soil, being on guard all year round, having to get firewood and water by yourself, only a few handfuls of old rice mixed with sand to eat every day, and not having many good teeth in your early thirties, how can these days be like those in Chang'an City? Comparable? After all, the soldiers of the government still have property at home that can be exempted from taxes and labor. What do these evil boys want? They have no property at home. Besides, among the generals and captains of the Tang Dynasty, how many are as capable and kind-hearted as you? Bullying the soldiers , are there not many who withhold rewards?"
After hearing Jin Renwen's words, Wang Wenzuo couldn't help but become speechless. He himself regarded Chang'an as a fearful road, but he forgot that for the East Asians at that time, Chang'an was the north, south, and deep reaches of China today. No, the gap between Chang'an and other places in East Asia at that time was much greater than the gap between China's first-tier cities and rural areas today. . Chang'an was not only the political and cultural center of the Tang Dynasty, but also the starting point of the Silk Road. It was the largest node and economic center of foreign trade, roughly similar to Beijing + Shanghai in China today. In such a prosperous metropolis, even a proletarian who sells his labor power may have a better quality of life than a landowner in a remote rural area. After all, even if the granary is full of grain, you can't watch cockfights or go shopping in the countryside. city. The tributes and grain transported from all directions through the canal have generally ensured that the price of goods in the capital will not starve and freeze the workers, and can even feed a large group of gangster proletarians. Therefore, these evil young men in Chang'an City may not be afraid of death, but more importantly They will not take the initiative to go to the frontier to fight for their lives.
"But Saburo, you do coincide with several of your husband-in-laws from the Political Hall!"
"You mean to ask the court to send evil young men into the army?"
(End of chapter)
