After more than three months, the "Martial Arts Examination" of Jiading's 14th year officially came to an end.
After many competitions, the top ten rankings have been clearly positioned.
Guo Mo, the number one scholar in martial arts, Meng Gong, the second in the martial arts rankings, and Hua Yue Ao, the military explorer, are the three tripod armors.
According to the game progress and actual results, the fourth to tenth place are as follows:
Wang Jian, Qin Ju, Lu Guanying, Yu Jie, Lei Peng, Zhang Ce and Li Geng.
"It turns out that person is Yu Jie."
After hearing the examiner announce the final ranking, Guo Mo turned his attention to one of the martial arts events. That was the only person in the top ten that Guo Mo was not familiar with.
A young man who should be about the same age as himself, with a medium build, and a hint of elegance all over his body.
It’s hard to imagine that this person could even reach the top ten.
But Guo Mo knew that during the entire late Southern Song Dynasty, besides Meng Gong, this Yu Jie was another general with commanding ability.
...
"Xuan Guomo, Meng Gong, Yue Ao, Sanding Jia went to the palace——"
In this "martial arts competition", the top ten were all waiting outside the "Daqing Hall", but only Sanding Jia could go to the hall to face the king.
"Let's see the official's house——"
Guo Mo, Meng Gong, and Yue Ao entered the palace with their heads lowered and their eyes fixed.
According to the words warned by Xiao Huangmen before, go to the designated location and pay homage.
"Hello, haha, these three are really rare young heroes in our Song Dynasty. Xue Qing, do these three people have positions now?"
This is asking questions knowingly, but it is also the proper process.
Xue Ji, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, came out to report, "Reporting to the official family, Meng Gong is now the 'Jinwu School Lieutenant' and serves as the 'Loyal and Shun Army'. Guo Mo and Yue Ao are both white."
At this time, the Song Dynasty implemented a military rank system, that is, military ranks, with eight and sixty levels.
Meng Gong's "Jinwu School Lieutenant" is ranked fifty-third and has no rank.
This military rank is a bit low. According to the imperial edict issued by the previous government, the top fifty will be awarded "Jinyi Xiaowei", which is only one level lower than "Jinwu Xiaowei".
And Meng Gong ranks second in the military rankings, which is obviously low for this military rank.
Xue Ji saw what the official meant and thought about it for a while.
"According to the preface, those who rank in the top ten will be promoted to one rank, so Meng Gong should be promoted to 'Chengxin Lang', from the ninth rank."
"As for how the top three will be rewarded in the end, please ask the official judges."
"In this case, the purpose is to—"
"In this 'military examination', all eleven to fifty people will be awarded the title of 'Jinyi Xiaowei'. Those whose original military rank is higher than the 'Jinyi Xiaowei' will have their military rank raised accordingly."
"Anyone from four to ten will be given the title of 'Chengxin Lang'. From the ninth rank, those whose original military rank is higher than that of 'Chengxin Lang' will be raised by one rank accordingly."
"Three tripod armor, refer to Meng Gong's example. Meng Gong was originally the "Jinwu Xiaowei", and now he was promoted to "Zhongxun Lang" in the ninth rank; Yue Ao was named "Baoyi Lang" in the ninth rank."
"Guo Mo, the number one scholar in martial arts, was given the title of 'Dun Wu Lang', the eighth rank. According to what Xue Qing said, he was also appointed as the 'Ti Dian Imperial City Secretary'."
As soon as the official finished speaking, countless people were whispering in the "Daqing Hall".
Although the official positions conferred are not big, for a low-level general with a "martial arts" background or in the army, how much military merit is needed to be promoted?
Especially the martial arts champion Guo Mo, who actually became "Dun Wu Lang"?
This is already the highest rank for ambassador, starting from the 43rd rank.
Even Yue Fei was only promoted to "Chengxin Lang" at the age of 20 due to meritorious service, reaching the fifty-second level, starting from the ninth rank.
After four years of military service, he was only promoted to Wu Yilang, level 42, from the seventh rank.
Guo Mo's "Martial Arts Champion" is equivalent to Yue Fei's four years of hard work in the army.
However, when I thought about Guo Mo, he also held the position of "Secretary of the Imperial City".
Well, this one is stronger, higher than "Atsushiro".
It is not just a matter of rank, this is directly under the government, and neither the Privy Council, the Three Yamen, nor the Ministry of War have the right to interfere.
"The official sage!"
Upon hearing the official decree, Xue Daji, the Minister of Civil Service, was overjoyed.
It seems that the officials succumbed to the pressure of the Prime Minister and compromised, and had to appoint Guo Mo to the position of "Tiandian Imperial City Secretary".
Guo Mo was also a little puzzled. Although he was asked to supervise the "Imperial City Division" before, it was done secretly. He didn't expect that today he would be rewarded in public in the "Daqing Hall".
Moreover, it was said that it was played by "Xue Qing"? Who is this?
"I thank the officials for their kindness, and I will repay them with all my heart!"
The three of them were naturally very happy when they were promoted and thanked the officials again.
"I intend to select five thousand men from the Forbidden Army and let the top ten in Jinke's 'Martial Arts Examination' to lead them. They will be named 'Dunwu Army' and subordinate to the 'Imperial City Division'. What do you think?"
Before the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty had time to digest the extraordinary rewards for this "military examination", another breaking news was brought out by the officials.
This time, even the most active Mr. Xue Ji failed to catch it for a while.
The Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty was the Central Army of the Song Dynasty.
The Division in Front of the Palace, the Division of Horse Guards, and the Division of Infantry Guards are collectively known as the "Three Yamen" and govern all the squads in front of the Palace, as well as the national forbidden army.
The military status and the power to send troops to the Forbidden Army belong to the Privy Council.
Although the Forbidden Army at this time in the Southern Song Dynasty still maintained its reputation as the Forbidden Army, its combat power was far from what it was back then.
The Forbidden Army only served as the emperor's bodyguard, while the garrisoned armies became the main force of the Central Army, and the military commanders were under the command of the capital and deputy capital.
It seems that even the officials do not dare to directly use the most powerful garrison troops.
However, whether this was to steal people from the "Three Yamen", the ministers still focused on Shi Miyuan.
"What do you think, Shi Xiang?"
Seeing that no one in the palace answered, the officials had no choice but to ask Shi Miyuan directly.
"What the officials said is true. In recent years, the strength of the Forbidden Army has been weakened, and it is time to reorganize it. Isn't the number of five thousand a little too small? The veteran suggested that it would be better to allocate 20,000 soldiers directly."
Unexpectedly, Shi Miyuan didn't even hesitate. Instead, he directly increased the number to 20,000 soldiers on the basis of the five thousand required by the officials.
"this--"
Shi Miyuan's sudden generosity made the officials not know how to reply for a moment. At a glance, they saw Guo Mo and three people standing in the hall with their hands hanging down.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "The Prime Minister proposed to allocate 20,000 soldiers. I wonder what Guo Qing wants?"
It was the first time for Guo Mo to hear such a performance. He didn't want to mention how awkward it was, but since the question was put to him, he had to answer it bravely.
"Thank you to the officials for their trust, and to the Prime Minister for your support. It's just that Guo Mo is new to the military and is not familiar with regular affairs. Twenty thousand soldiers may be beyond the ability of the general."
"However, since it is due to the praise of historical figures, the general will have a compromise."
"Oh, does Guo Qing have any clever ideas to solve this situation?"
The officials looked at Guo Mo with great interest, wondering how he would behave when dealing with these old foxes for the first time.
"Since Prime Minister Shi proposed to allocate 20,000 soldiers, the general will accept 20,000 soldiers for a period of one month and conduct training near Lin'an."
"Set the assessment standards and eliminate unqualified soldiers one by one until the number of soldiers reaches 5,000. If there are not so many qualified soldiers, it is better to be short of generals than to overfill them and just recruit them again."
"I also ask the officials and prime ministers to be considerate of the general's difficulties and thoughts."
Seeing that Guo Mo actually made such a request, Meng Gong, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but give a thumbs up and praised.
"That's all. You are worthy of being the number one scholar in martial arts. Meng is so happy to be inferior to this person. From now on, when we work together with the "Dun Wu Army", we will do our best to live up to the official's intention of "Dun Wu"!"
The ministers' thoughts were completely different from Meng Gong's, and they all looked at Guo Mo with their mouths agape.
"This kid can do it. He doesn't want 20,000 soldiers, but insists on 5,000? He actually openly compares officials and history in the main hall. Isn't he afraid that officials will be offended by this?"
People in Shi Miyuan's family, after hearing Guo Mo's remarks, also felt that he could be taught.
He not only maintains the rare "humility" of young people, but also takes care of both the official family and the prime minister. Could this person be someone secretly conquered by the prime minister?
It seems that from now on, the "Dunwu Army" needs people, money, and materials, and they must be well supplied.
Even Guo Mo didn't understand that a beautiful misunderstanding was formed like this.
"I have no opinion. What does Mr. Shi think?"
Seeing that his son was handling things appropriately, even though he was suspected of "showing favor" to Shi Miyuan, he didn't take it seriously at all.
"Guo Zhuangyuan is indeed very comparable, and the veterans have no objections. They will definitely support him and build this 'Dunwu Army'."
"It's just a suggestion from an old minister that these fifty people can be admitted to the 'Martial Arts Examination' of this year and all of them can be assigned to the 'Dun Wu Army'. Let's see what this group of boys can do."
Shi Miyuan said this out of selfish motives.
He found that among the top ten, excluding Guo Mo for the time being, only Zhang Ce and Li Geng could be considered his people, and they were still at the bottom of the top ten.
And from eleven to fifty, his people accounted for almost half.
If they can all be deployed, even though this "Dunwu Army" is separated from the Privy Council and the Three Yamen, it is not completely out of control.
What's more, this Guo Mo, at first glance, seems to be a well-rounded person, so he may not be unable to have good cooperation opportunities in the future.
"Okay, Prime Minister Shi is indeed very impressive, so it's settled that all fifty people taking the 'Martial Arts Examination' will enter the 'Dun Wu Army'."
"Promote Guo Mo to be the commander-in-chief of the "Dunwu Army", and Meng Gong and Yue Ao to be the deputy commanders of the left and right, assisting Guo Mo in the training of the "Dunwu Army"."
"I will give you three months. After three months, I will personally inspect the "Dunwu Army" at the military training ground in the south of the city. If I am satisfied, I will personally award the flag to you and others!"
"When I finally thank the officials for their support, I will surely break into pieces. I will repay you with all my heart!"
The three of them bowed down and thanked each other again.
The lengthy court meeting was finally over.
Outside the Li Zhengmen, the top ten "Emperor's Disciples" freshly released from Jinke filed out of the palace.
"Congratulations to Guo Dutong and both of you. From now on, my brothers will be working under you, haha——"
Lei Peng's careless temperament had long forgotten his failure in the competition.
After all, my skills are not as good as others, and I am also an "Integrity Man" now, from the ninth rank.
Lei Peng has been in the army for two or three years and has fought some battles. However, he has no one to support him in the army. He is still just a small "Deputy Lieutenant of Jinyi". He has been promoted to five levels all of a sudden.
"Everyone, it's past noon now, and we are all hungry after working hard for a long time. I wonder if I can give you a favor, so I would like to invite you to get together at the 'Sanyuan Building'?"
Guo Mo also liked Lei Peng's character, so he thanked him first and then said to everyone.
"Haha, that's a good relationship. 'Sanyuan Building', I heard that it is one of the largest restaurants in Lin'an City. Wang has been in Beijing for a few days and has never dared to go in for a drink."
Wang Jian echoed from the side.
"This is the first general order given by Guo Dutong, and the last general will obey it to the death, haha——"
Even Yu Jie, who seemed so weak, actually responded actively when he heard about drinking.
"Guo Dutong, the general is still busy, so he won't go through. See you at the military camp in three days."
Still uncooperative, Li Geng clasped his fist at Guo Mo, then mounted his horse and left.
Zhang Ce didn't even reply, he jumped on his horse and left immediately behind.
"These two people are the prime minister. Guo Dutong should not take it to heart if his results are not good in this competition."
Qin Ju came to Guo Mo and reminded him in a low voice.
"Haha, Guo Mo is not so stingy. It's just that in three days, I will enter the military camp. Once we enter the military camp, we won't have many opportunities to drink."
"If I don't take the opportunity to drink once, I don't know when the next time will be. Do you have any objections?"
Guo Mo was asking everyone, but his eyes were fixed on Meng Gong, who was also the person he cared about most.
"Since Guo Dutong Shengyi Quanquan, it would be too unwise for us to refuse. I just want to go and see what's so special about the famous 'Sanyuan Tower' in Lin'an?"
Meng Gong's statement was echoed by others.
Originally, they were all young people in their early twenties. The eldest was probably Qin Ju, who had just turned thirty, but today he accepted Guo Mo's favor twice.
It can be regarded as a "golden list title", and what is even more rare is that he has been given the additional gift of "emperor's disciple". Now that the future summit is going to treat guests, and it is a place like "Sanyuan Building", how can you not go there happily?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Guanying, go to the 'Sanyuan Building' first and book the best private room. We will arrive soon."
Guo Mo didn't think much about it. Seeing that everyone agreed, he gave the order casually.
Lu Guanying clasped his fists in agreement, mounted his horse and left first.
This scene, in the eyes of the other six people, was extremely shocking.
"Um... Guo Dutong, this Brother Lu Guanying, do you two know each other?"
Lei Peng is a stubborn person who can't hold back his words. Moreover, he was defeated by Guo Mo and Lu Guanying one after another, so he can barely be regarded as an "acquaintance" of these two.
"Well, Guanying is one of my nephews. His kung fu is only so-so. This guy is usually too lazy. I hope you can bear with me and give me some advice when he is in the army."
Guo Mo said calmly.
Well, this time of pretense, the other people don’t know what to say.
"Haha - let's go. When we get to the 'Sanyuan Building', let's eat and talk."
Everyone got on their horses and headed towards the "Sanyuan Tower".
"Young Marshal, this Guo Mo is not simple."
Wang Jian followed Meng Gong, and both of them were born in the "Loyal and Shun Army". The commander of the "Loyal and Shun Army" was Meng Gong's father, Meng Zongzheng. Therefore, Wang Jian also called Meng Gong "Young Marshal" in private.
"Yonggu, don't call me 'Young Marshal' anymore. It will have a bad influence. Although Guo Dutong is not old, his skills and intelligence are the best."
"If you can work with him, you will definitely be able to achieve something. Since he can so easily instruct people like Lu Guanying, and he can take people directly to the 'Sanyuan Building' and arrange a high-class private room without making a reservation in advance."
"This kind of ability is rare even in Lin'an. He is currently the top martial arts champion in high school, the appointed head coach of the Dunwu Army, and the Tipian Imperial City Secretary. Who would believe that he has no background?
"
Guo Mo also didn't expect that just by asking Lawrence Lu to book a private room at will, Meng Gong would think so much.
When a group of people arrived at the "Sanyuan Building", there was already the shopkeeper Wu Mianfeng waiting at the door with a few waiters.
Although it was already past dinner time, many people went to watch it this morning. The competition in front of the "Five Phoenix Tower" also had lunch a little late.
"Haha - welcome to the 'Sanyuan Tower'. Today you are awarded the title of 'Disciple of the Emperor' together, and you are also in charge of the 'Dunwu Army'. In the future, you will surely rise to the top, and your official career will be prosperous."
"The best private room has been vacated in the 'Sanyuan Building'. All purchases today are half price, so let's take it as Wu's congratulations to all the generals!"
This Wu Mianfeng is becoming more and more like a businessman.
This loud voice yelled at the door and went out like an advertisement.
"Shopkeeper Wu is so sincere, we brothers will not be polite. My dear, Guo Mo, I will host a banquet for several future colleagues today. Sanyuanlou will serve you all the good wine and food. The more the better."
Guo Mo also cooperated with him, and even took out a thousand tael of silver note from his arms and handed it to Wu Mianfeng.
"Open it. If there's more, it's yours. If you don't have enough, come back to me."
This arrogant Lei Peng and Wang Jian's eyes were filled with little stars. Lu Guanying hid behind Wu Mianfeng, her mouth curled up, not daring to smile.
"It turns out that Duke Zhuangyuan is here in person. I am disrespectful and disrespectful. Everyone, please come upstairs!"
A waiter had already gone over and took over everyone's horses. Under the personal guidance of the shopkeeper, and with the envy of the diners in the lobby on the first floor, everyone arrived at a private room on the third floor.
"Qilinju? What a good sign!"
Seeing the name of the private room, Yu Jie couldn't help but admire it.
Everyone entered the private room. As expected, the decoration was luxurious and magnificent. All tableware was made of gold and silver jewelry. Even the tables and chairs for eating were all made of mahogany.
The private room is very large, visually at least two feet square, with the left and right sides slightly longer. The floor is covered with a thick orange-red carpet.
When he took over the "Sanyuan Building", due to Guo Mo's suggestion, all the dining tables in the private rooms had been replaced by large round tables.
In fact, the round table appeared as early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but more people still habitually choose the Eight Immortals table.
There are four beautiful women in formal dresses standing at the four corners, ready to pour wine and serve dishes for the guests.
"Shopkeeper, it's fine if you have already picked out the food and drinks. There's no need for a maid. My brothers are all men in the military. When you're drunk, it's not good to cause trouble for no reason."
After Guo Mo's words, Meng Gong, Yu Jie, and Qin Ju's eyes flashed again.
It’s really commendable to suddenly be in a high position, young and rich, but to be able to restrain yourself like this!
Not long after, dishes and dishes filled the table.
Golden Chicken, Dongpo Pork, Sea Bass, Crab Stuffed with Orange, Song Sao Fish Soup, Wushan Ghee, Rice Balls, Mutton Shaomai, Premium Sour Mix, Beggar's Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Old Hangzhou Smoked Fish, Bamboo Shoots
Dry old duck pot...
Guo Mo felt that the two royal banquets he had in the palace seemed to be inferior to the dishes here.
It is estimated that "Sanyuanlou" has taken these people into consideration and all of them are able to eat, so the amount of dishes has been increased a lot.
Five kinds of famous wines, each put into a large jar, a full ten kilograms of that kind.
"Haha, Guo Dutong, do you want to drink all the brothers here?"
Seeing so much wine, Lei Peng became excited.
There were eight large bowls, and Lu Guanying rushed to pat them open and filled them one by one.
"Come, it's a rare fate for us brothers to get together here. After drinking this bowl, you will win -"
Guo Mo first picked up a bowl of wine and drank it all in one gulp.
After eight people and eight bowls of wine, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
"Guo Dutong is really good at martial arts. If Qin read it right, this horse fighting skill shouldn't be Guo Dutong's strongest, right?"
Qin Ju sat diagonally across from Guo Mo, drank a bowl of wine, and started chatting.
"Hehe, to be honest, just to prepare for this 'martial arts competition', Guo Mo just sharpened his spear before the battle, and barely practiced bow and arrow and horse fighting skills for two months."
Okay, if you talk like this, you can let others eat and drink in peace, right?
"Hey, it's so irritating to compare people to each other. We have been practicing hard for many years, but in Guo Dutong's eyes, we are just superficial."
"From now on, I must be shameless and steal some lessons from Commander Guo. This bowl of wine will be regarded as my 'apprenticeship wine'."
The boy Yu Jie rolled his eyes, picked up another bowl of wine, and drank first as a token of respect.
"Hey, why did you kid steal what I had to say? Guo Dutong, this is my Lei Peng's 'apprenticeship wine', drink it!"
"this is mine......"
"this is mine......"
"Haha, let's all drink together! If you want to learn kung fu, you have plenty of time. As long as everyone is willing, Guo Mo will never hide anything."
After a few bowls of wine, these "upstarts" blushed and hugged each other, as if they had known each other for many years.
At this moment, a discordant sound came from downstairs.
"Uncle, you can't barge in. There's already someone in the private room upstairs. I'll give you a better room here."
"Hey, uncle, why did you hit someone?"
"Hit you? I will demolish your 'Sanyuan Building' today as soon as I am happy. Who the hell dares to say anything?"
"I want to see what kind of thing can actually occupy the 'Qilin Residence' that I can't even decide on -"