After working for a long time, Chen Chang cooked a pot of white porridge with a handful of brown rice and wild vegetables such as horsetail. At this time, a light as big as a bean star was lit. Yan Xiu stared at the porridge that could illuminate the silhouette of a person.
, his eyes were like those of a hungry wolf. As soon as he took the bowl of porridge, he made a sound of purring and drinking porridge.
Chen Chang knelt down next to Yan Xiu. This was the first and last meal of the day.
The pottery pot containing the grain has bottomed out, and not a single grain of brown rice is left, leaving only dozens of rat droppings with pointed ends.
Chen Chang drank the steaming wild vegetable porridge. Although the clear soup was a little watery, it still had a sweet taste in his mouth.
"Aweng, let me serve you another bowl."
"Hey", Yan Xiu handed over the empty bowl, seeming to be savoring the taste of the wild vegetable porridge, but his body was trembling slightly, and muddy tears fell down.
When Chen Chang went to serve the porridge, Yan Xiu turned his head to the side and quietly wiped his tears with his sleeves. Then he saw Yan Qianshi who was licking the porridge bowl, and his brows suddenly wrinkled.
Chen Chang brought the full bowl of porridge to Yan Xiu. In his heart, these two people, the old and the young, who had nothing to do with him before, were now like his relatives.
There was also the unknown girl dressed in men's clothing. She made it clear that he was taking advantage of her. She must have known this, but she never pointed it out from the beginning to the end. When he returned his belt to her, it seemed that he had known it for a long time.
In order to seek help from her, Chen Chang now recalls it as if he was in a dream.
At that time, she only said: "Lead the way!"
"Uh..."
There was no hesitation or sloppiness.
Is she someone who cares about me?
And the woman in Jiangling who is engaged to him.
Suddenly, he felt that he was not alone, and that there were people who cared about him in this world.
If you want to succeed, you must first be confident; if you want to win over others, you must first win over yourself!
Unknowingly, Chen Chang felt a surge of pride in his chest.
However, he soon returned to reality.
After the modern Chen Chong became successful, he was also a big boss with assets worth billions.
It can be said that the houses are always big and plentiful, the cars are not too luxurious, the dishes are always exquisite, the clothes are brand-name, stay in high-end hotels, eat delicacies from the mountains and seas, drink fine wines, dine together, enjoy themselves in high-end clubs, and linger in high-end sports venues.
Singing in the morning and playing music in the night among the famous mountains and beautiful waters, intoxicated in the exotic customs...
But now, eating has become a problem, and I feel sad just thinking about it.
Compared with people like Chen Chang who only think about food and clothing, Mr. Yan Xiu is much more enlightened. He took a sip of gruel and said: "Qilang, you are young, you should study more Confucian classics."
Putting down the bowl of porridge, he arched his hand in the direction of Jiankang and continued: "In those days, Emperor Gaozu opened five schools to teach the study of the Chinese nation. He always taught the Five Classics, and assigned teaching assistants to each school. He named Pingyuan Mingshan Bin, Wujun Lulian, Wuxing Shenjun, Yan Zhizhi of Jianping and Dr. Hechangbu of Kuaiji each headed a library with hundreds of students.
Encourage Confucian scholars to study and delve into the classics, and give those who are enlightened by the enlightenment scriptures, give them a piece of cake, work with silk, and then remove them as officials. In the past ten years, those who have cherished the classics and carried the scriptures have gathered..."
Chen Chang was holding a bowl of porridge and looking at Mr. Yan who was talking endlessly, with an extremely focused expression.
Seeing that he was listening seriously, Yan Xiu asked again: "Do you know?"
Chen Chang shook his head.
"Shuzi, you are ignorant and incompetent!" Old Man Yan puffed his beard and glared, "In my old system, there are those who can master a single lesson without getting tired from beginning to end. After the strategy is implemented, we will select and add details. Although the cattle and sheep are reinstated, they are descendants of poor families. , and test officials according to their talents, without leaving any gaps...Although you come from a poor family, you are not without opportunities. As the saying goes, officials are based on people, so how can they be limited to members of the Jia clan?"
Chen Chang roughly understood what Old Man Yan meant. This move by Emperor Wu of Liang used Confucianism as the standard for selecting scholars, which to a certain extent broke down the concept of family status at that time, allowing children from poor families to enter official careers after entering school and taking official exams. He obtained a certain degree of protection. Later Liang inherited his old system, which meant that the good young man he possessed still had a chance to become a scholar.
Chen Chang sighed. The Southern Liang Dynasty was really a good era. They used Confucian strategies to recruit scholars, downplayed their origins as much as possible, and promoted the formation of a culture of emphasizing Confucianism in society.
But now, he has his own calculations: Old Man Yan's words are useless even if he breaks the sky. Xiao Yan's Nanliang has long been dead. Nowadays, Houliang is just a state. The cost-effectiveness of being an official is not high. He wants to go there. We also have to go to the Northern Zhou Dynasty. At this time, there are only twenty years until Yang Jian succeeds Zhou Jian and Sui Dynasty. It is better to have a good relationship with Yang Zhong, Yang Jian and his son, and maybe he can make a fortune.
Besides, who doesn’t know that the study of Confucian classics is extremely boring, and even a distinguished scholar may not be able to finish it all, so what a waste of time.
Chen Chang still has a typical businessman mentality. He will not engage in loss-making business.
"Do you know?"
Chen Chang shook his head again.
"If you have any questions, just ask, and I will answer them for you."
"Then I'll say it."
Old Yan twirled his beard and looked at Chen Chang with expectant eyes: "Well, just tell me!"
"What will you eat tomorrow morning?"
Old Man Yan really wants to smash the porridge bowl into Chen Chang's face!
……
The clouds have closed and the rain has stopped, and the surroundings of Yangjiadu are pitch dark, without even starlight, and you can't see your fingers at all. It looks a bit cold and scary.
Two black figures in raincoats walked side by side on the path leading to Yangjiadu. The path under their feet was muddy. Every step they took made a squeaking sound. The juē on their feet seemed to be sinking in at any time. .
One of the yellow-faced men wiped the sweat and rain off his face, looked at the lights in the direction of Yangjiadu, and said in a low voice: "Tian Hu, Yangjiadu is ahead, and not far from Yangjiadu is the riverside. Your Highness and Zhou
The captain and the others haven't arrived yet, so tonight you and I, brothers, will stay at the Yang Family Ferry."
The big man named Tian Hu said: "Subordinate... oh, no, little brother... I will obey my brother's arrangements in everything."
The yellow-faced man smiled faintly: "It's been really hard on you during this period of time, dining and sleeping outside Jiangling City. How about the things I asked you to inquire about?"
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It turned out that the two of them were pretending to be businessmen, and they had just met not long ago, and they didn't talk much to each other. It was getting darker and darker now, and they would not encounter many people on such a trail, so the two of them met like this.
Just started talking.
Tian Hu said: "Brother, I followed your instructions and went all the way south to Jiangling. I went around to inquire about news. Although the man from the east just passed by Jiangling and didn't stay too much, he still found out something.
."
When he said this, he was obviously very proud of his achievements, so he looked a little proud.
The yellow-faced man handed him the wine gourd on his body. Tian Hu took a sip to moisten his throat, and then said: "My little brother, let me tell you about the attitude of Houliang first. Emperor Xiao Qing heard that His Highness is going to set off from Anlu.
, passing through Jiangling and going down the river to Jiankang, I was very nervous.
Therefore, during this period, a large number of government agents were sent to set up checkpoints and arrests in important towns, passes, and water and land transportation lines. Many bandits, water pirates, and gangsters were arrested one after another. At the same time, some soldiers and soldiers were sent into the mountains to suppress bandits, along the river.
Ping Kou."
The yellow-faced man frowned when he heard this: "There are many bandits around Jiangling. They are not going to become powerful in a short period of time. It is not easy to wipe them out in one fell swoop."
Tian Hu nodded and said: "Exactly! I heard that there was a bandit camp that occupied the big slope. For more than two days, it was inserted into the river from the slope. The wooden fences were one foot in diameter and were buried deep in the soil. When they encountered trees, they were cut across the ground.
Pillar. A three-story trench is dug outside. Outside the trench, there is a multi-branched tree with sharp branches pointing outward, which is called a wooden stick."
The yellow-faced man said: "This stronghold is well defended. I think Liang Jun must have used catapults to attack it."
Tian Hu said in surprise: "Brother, I really guessed it. But the stone encountered a wooden yoke hole, but the fence did not collapse. It was repaired even if it was broken, and the stone attack failed. Afterwards, Liang Jun prepared dozens of ropes and tied them with iron hooks.
At the end, we recruited warriors who dared to die and went to hook the fence at night. We used hundreds of people to drag the ropes in an attempt to tear the fence open. If the bandits found out and cut the long ropes, this plan would not work."
The yellow-faced man smiled and said: "In this case, the only thing we can do is attack with fire."
Tian Hu nodded: "Exactly! Liang Jun first made a shield to defend against crossbow arrows. One card can protect more than ten people. Two people carry the cards and move forward. A dozen people follow each other with a bunch of salary. Dozens of cards are held up simultaneously, such as
They entered the wall, pulled out the wooden sticks, crossed the deep ditch, and lit a fire under the stronghold. Unexpectedly, the northwest wind came up, and the fence wood was wet and did not burn. Instead, the fire came towards Liang Jun, so he had to retreat.
He used his method again the next night, but the bandit's fence suddenly caught fire. The bandit was shocked. Liang's army was waiting with swords in hand. They rushed in and killed them when the fence was broken. However, the fire on the fence was extinguished after a short time.
The army had nothing to do. After hearing the report, Xiao Qi already felt that the situation was not good. Knowing the situation of the thieves, he established a strong barrier and found it difficult to conquer, so he issued an order to withdraw his troops."
The yellow-faced man pondered for a moment and then said: "Even if we can't take advantage of the victory and clear out the holes, it has restrained the bandits a lot, which is a good thing for the safety of His Highness after all. Well, I understand this. What are the other situations?"
Tian Hu smiled slightly and said confidently: "One day I pretended to be a hawker selling wine and food, and I dealt with a group of Houliang caravans coming from Yecheng. I heard them complaining after drinking, and someone asked them about it on the way back to Jiangling.
Naturally, these merchants didn't know about His Highness's situation. Unexpectedly, those people became angry when they didn't get the news they wanted, and the two sides almost had a conflict."
The yellow-faced man was furious when he heard this: "I didn't expect Beiqi's hand to stretch out so far. His Highness only set out from Anlu a few days ago, and they got the news. They are really well-informed..."
When he said this, he suddenly remembered something and said strangely: "But... His Highness is surrounded by our own people, and Captain Zhou is very guarded, and he will definitely not reveal His Highness's whereabouts early. Could it be... Could it be that he is here to pick us up?"
Someone leaked the news?"
Tian Hu said: "My younger brother is also very doubtful about this, and has also spent a lot of time to verify this matter. However, after those spies from the Northern Qi Dynasty entered Jiangling, they were broken into pieces, just like fish entering the sea, and they were never seen again.
It’s hard to find a trace.”
The yellow-faced man said: "It would be great if Captain Zhou was in Jiangling at this time. He would definitely be able to find out."
Tian Hu said strangely: "Brother, how can you be so sure? Is Captain Zhou very familiar with this place?"
The yellow-faced man said: "Well... I don't know if he's familiar with him or not, but I heard him talk about it when I was drinking. He once saved a person who later went to Jiangling and became a merchant. The rich family didn't tell them.
He controls many urban foxes and social rats in Gangneung."
Tian Hu laughed out loud and said: "Even so, he's just a businessman, so he can't help much. Isn't brother looking up to him too much?"
The yellow-faced man shook his head and said, "Even if you can't trust this merchant, what about Captain Zhou?"
Tian Hu immediately stopped smiling: "Of course you can trust it!"
The yellow-faced man asked again: "What about the one named Hou?"
Tian Hu said: "After they arrived at Jiangling, one person left the group and went up the Shuojiang River, but was missing."
Tian Hu didn't have many people around him, so he could only follow the large group of people, but he had no time to do anything else.
The yellow-faced man paused for a moment, then said bitterly: "Hmph, as long as someone threatens the safety of His Highness, no matter who he is, I will kill him!"
The two walked another few hundred steps, and the yellow-faced man looked up: "There seems to be a fort in front of us. There are no lights. It must have been abandoned. Let's go and have a look. Maybe we can live in this fort tonight."
Got it!"
Tian Hu said enthusiastically: "Yes, we brothers still have wine and meat on us. Let's go into Wubao and have a good rest to relieve our fatigue."
This chapter has been completed!