Ma Sanniu is an ordinary citizen in the border town. His ancestors have been in the border town for generations.
In his generation, there are five brothers, and they are about the same age.
When I was ten years old, my father and I had six men in the family with stomachs as big as bottomless pits. Life was extremely difficult.
As you can tell by his name, Ma Sanniu ranks third in the family, neither above nor below, and the one who is easily ignored.
When he was 13 years old, the family really couldn't open the pot. It happened that the Yu family army was recruiting troops, so the Ma family's parents decided to let their son join the army.
These days, "a good man should not be a soldier", but the Ma family is so poor that if he does not become a soldier, he will starve to death.
I went to the military camp and could at least get some food.
Moreover, the Yu family army has a good reputation in the northwest. It would be good to receive half of the military pay for the garrison troops in several other cities.
There is also food. Most military camps provide two meals a day, and you can eat half full at each meal.
But in the Yu Family Army, you can get two-thirds of the military salary, and the daily meals are not too bad.
Although it also contains whole grains and pickles, it can still make you feel full.
If you save a little, you can also send some food rations to your family.
Also, if there is a war, the soldiers on the front line can still eat dried meat.
There is also a pension after death, five guan per person.
Human life is worthless, especially in border towns, where one sells oneself like a slave for only two or three dollars.
With these five guan of money, you can build two rooms for your family, or buy one or two acres of land, and your family can live a comfortable life for a few years.
If you leave it at Ma's house, you can probably find a wife for your son of the right age.
Therefore, the Ma family's parents were very moved.
However, among the five sons, the eldest son is the eldest son who has established a family, while the fourth and fifth sons are younger and are the youngest sons who are most distressed by their parents.
Only the second and third children in the middle are used, which is the least valued by parents.
The second child of the Ma family is weak and is obviously one year older than Ma Sanniu, but is not as tall as Ma Sanniu.
If you go to the military camp to serve as a soldier, people will only look at Ma Erniu's skinny and short appearance and won't accept him.
The Ma family's parents' eyes moved around their five sons, and finally landed on Ma Sanniu.
Ma Sanniu:......
I can't say I'm disappointed, after all, I've been ignored since I was a kid.
"It's okay to be a soldier! Even if you're not a soldier, if the Northern Army soldiers plunder the border town, we young men will have to go to the city gate to support them in the end!"
"Being a member of the Yu family's army, you can still have armor and weapons, so you won't have to fight against the brutal Beirong soldiers with bare hands."
"...The most important thing is that the Yu family army is benevolent and kind to ordinary soldiers. It is impossible to be popular and drink spicy food, but at least you can have a full meal!"
"There are also military pay and pensions——"
Although Ma Sanniu didn't want to touch the word "pension" at all.
But, this is an inevitable fact.
No one can guarantee that if you go to the battlefield, you will come back unscathed.
If he dies, Yu Jiajun can still give his family five guan of money.
With this money, parents can live a little easier, just like Ma Sanniu repaying their parents for their kindness in raising children!
Thinking like this, Ma Sanniu's unwillingness and grievances disappeared a lot.
Without letting his parents speak, he took the initiative and said, "Dad, grandma, I'll go!"
"..." The Ma family's parents were very reluctant to give up.
No matter how much he values him, he is still his own son, not picked up from the roadside.
Wiping her tears, Ma Mu said sadly, "Son, don't blame dad and mom. It's just your bad luck that led you to be born into a poor family like ours!"
Father Ma didn't cry, but patted Ma Sanniu on the shoulder with red eyes, "San'er, go to the military camp and have a good time. Dad doesn't ask you to get promoted or make a fortune, as long as you can come back alive."
Seeing his parents like this, Ma Sanniu felt sour in his heart.
After living for thirteen years, he finally felt family affection from his parents. Although it was not much, it was barely enough to comfort him.
Just like that, Ma Sanniu, who was still a bit immature, ran to Yujiajun to sign up.
Ma Sanniu is not very old and has not had enough to eat since he was a child, but he still has a big frame.
He is tall, has long hands and long legs.
The captain in charge of recruiting soldiers touched his arm and said, "Tsk, there's not a few ounces of meat on it, but the skeleton is there. It only takes a few days of good food to grow it."
"Okay! I'll accept you!"
After checking the three generations of Ma Sanniu's ancestors and confirming that they were all good citizens of Daliang and not spies, the captain accepted Ma Sanniu.
Ma Sanniu successfully became the most ordinary and lowest-level soldier in the Yu family army.
Entering the military camp, Ma Sanniu discovered that he could really provide food.
Although I still can't open my stomach to eat, I eat more than at home.
Two meals a day, one meal of four or five steamed buns plus a bowl of wild vegetable soup with floating oily flowers, can fill your stomach to the fullest.
During festivals or when the war is tense, you can still eat some meat and fish.
There are also clothes for winter and summer. Although the fabric is not of good quality, they are new and have no patches.
Ma Sanniu actually got the first new clothes in his life in the military camp.
Ma San and Newton felt that the Yu family army was really good, and the General Yu who gave all this was an even better person.
You know, the military camps in the Northwest Army, Xicheng, Beicheng and other places do not have such good treatment as the Yu Family Army.
However, good people do not live long.
That year, the Northern Rong soldiers invaded heavily.
The Yu family's army attacked with all their strength.
General Yu fought to the end.
Ma Sanniu was lucky, he only got stabbed in the shoulder, but survived.
After lying among the dead for three days, he finally returned to the border town and heard about the death of General Yu.
Before ordinary soldiers like Ma Sanniu could cry bitterly for the death of General Yu, another news came -
General Yu was greedy for power and advanced rashly, which resulted in the loss of 100,000 Yu family troops and almost allowed the border city to be breached.
The saint in the distant capital was very angry. He not only convicted General Yu, but also escorted General Yu Erlang and others back to the capital.
The remaining Yu family army suddenly lost its backbone.
Feng Lang, the guard of the west city, and Yu Ye, the deputy general of the border city, took the opportunity to divide the remnants.
The camp where Ma Sanniu was located was separated by Feng Lang.
Ma Sanniu was just an insignificant person. Although he was reluctant to go to Xicheng, he had no choice but to obey the military orders.
In this way, Ma Sanniu went to Xicheng and became a soldier under Feng Lang.
Arriving at the Feng family's military camp, Ma Sanniu soon discovered that his living standard had plummeted.
Military pay has been cut in half and will not be available for another three to five months.
Two meals a day, but basically the standard of not starving to death.
Ma Sanniu is fifteen years old and is still growing, and his belly is still a bottomless pit.
But there was only so much food rationed in the military camp. Every night, Ma Sanniu was so hungry that he couldn't sleep.
I finally managed to raise some meat in the Yu family army, but after staying in the Feng family camp for half a month, I was all hungry again.
Ma Sanniu wanted to run away, but the crime of desertion was very serious.
But his whole family is in a border town, and the monk can escape but cannot escape from the temple.
In the end, he could only take it one day at a time.
Sometimes, when Ma Sanniu couldn't stand the heart-wrenching hunger, or when he was beaten, scolded and punished by his superiors, he would think:
It seems good to just die on the battlefield!
At least you don’t have to suffer alive!
However, the Feng family army is not the Yu family army. If the soldiers die, the court will indeed provide them with pensions.
After several rounds of deductions, the money distributed to the family members is not enough!
For such a small amount of money, Ma Sanniu felt that it was not worth it to exchange one life.
"Oh, it would be great if General Yu is still alive!"
Countless nights, holding his growling stomach, Ma Sanniu sighed silently in his heart.
A few months later, news suddenly came——
"Mr. Yu Erlang, Mr. Yu Silang has been assigned to the West City, and he has also been drafted into the army as a top soldier!"
Ma Sanniu and other veterans of the Yu Family Army were immediately excited.
Although Lord Yu Erlang is not as good as General Yu, he is the successor of the Yu family.
He is here, is it too late for the Yu family army?
Sure enough, after Yu Erlangjun returned to the military camp, he was quickly promoted to the rank of captain based on his "war merits".
He can recruit eight hundred soldiers under his command.
The leader of Ma Sanniu's group was also from the Yu family army.
He discussed it with the forty or fifty old brothers in his group, and everyone turned to Colonel Yu.
Of course, not all remnants of the Yu family army are willing to "return".
The Yu family is still in exile, and Mr. Yu Erlang's foundation in the army is not stable.
I heard that the three deputy general managers are targeting and suppressing him.
The future of the Yu Jiajun is really worrying.
...Ma Sanniu didn't understand this, but he knew that his first full meal and first new clothes were all obtained from the Yu Family Army.
After he was injured, the doctor from the military camp also gave him medicine.
These benefits are not available at the Feng family camp.
"I want to die on the battlefield, why are I afraid that the Yu family's army will not last long?"
"If I could return to the Yu Family Army and live a good life for a few days, I would be willing to die!"
With this idea in mind, Ma Sanniu actively followed his team leader and other old comrades to join Yu Erlangjun.
At the first meal after returning, Ma Sanniu saw enough food that she had not seen for a long time.
"Wow, that's great, I don't have to be hungry anymore!"
Ma Sanniu cried in his heart while munching on the warm multigrain pancakes.
Soon, Ma Sanniu was surprised to find out again.
The Yu family's army is now treated even better than in the past, and they can even eat meat every five days.
Meat!
It’s still that big, fat piece of meat. Although each person only has one piece, it’s still meat.
Ma Sanniu lived to be fifteen, and he could count the number of times he had eaten meat in his memory.
And even these few times were enjoyed in Yujiajun.
Nowadays, "enjoyment" has been upgraded.
Later, there were more benefits, which really surprised veterans of the Yu Family Army like Ma Sanniu——
"Oh, what does this mean? Mr. Yu Erlang said that as long as we train well and perform well, we can eat meat at any time!"
"Also, the monthly military pay is paid in full. If you have achieved military exploits, there will be rewards. I heard that you can get five guan of money for one head."
The captain was picking at the shreds of meat between his teeth and talking proudly to the soldiers.
Ahem, he is the team leader, the lowest military attache, and his food standard is higher than that of ordinary soldiers.
The soldiers drank broth, but the dozen or so captains could eat one or two pieces of meat.
The team leader is the "role model" promoted by Yu Er.
Yu Er said more than once, "We have a small number of people now, so we can only set up sixteen team leaders. If we have more soldiers, we can expand the number and promote more team leaders."
"The team leader will basically be selected from veterans like you!"
So, train well and kill the enemy bravely.
The huge pancake with meat fillings was hanging in the air.
As long as you work hard enough, you can eat meat and receive superior allowances like the people you once envied.
Ma Sanniu was moved. Although he was not old, he was a veteran of the Yu family army.
If the team leader was to be selected again, he would be qualified and able to run for office.
There is meat every day, a military salary of one and a half stones per month, and an officer's allowance...
It’s exciting just thinking about it.
Unfortunately, the Feng family and the Shi family suppressed the Yu family so much that they did not allow Mr. Yu Erlang to expand.
Mr. Yu Erlang could only guard less than a thousand troops and act as a small captain.
However, the pie painted by Yu Er is deeply engraved in the hearts of every soldier who is like a horse or a cow.
Occasionally when he gets tired from training, Ma Sanniu will curiously ask his own head:
"The Yu family's army was not so good in the past. Why is it that now that the Yu family has declined, it has become more generous?"
Ma Sanniu had no other ideas, he was just out of curiosity.
After all, the gap between the treatment of the old and new Yu family troops is quite large.
Although the commanders were changed, Yu Er and General Yu came from the same lineage, and the rules of the Yu family army were said to have been followed for hundreds of years.
It makes no sense that it has become so big.
"You don't know this, right?"
The team leader chuckled, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "I'm telling you, don't spread the word-"
"The Yu family, there are two Yu family troops now! As for us, we belong to the old Yu family army."
"And in the attached city, there is a new Yu family army——"
Ma Sanniu raised his hand, "Commander, that's not right. The attached city has been abandoned a long time ago. Why is there still a new Yu family army?"
"If you say you don't know, you really don't know anything!"
The team leader glanced at Ma Sanniu disdainfully, and said proudly: "What you are talking about is all from the old almanac! Now, Fucheng is not what it used to be."
"The youngest son of our General Yu, Mr. Yu Li and Mr. Yu, led five hundred troops to Fucheng. In less than three months, Fucheng's appearance changed."
"The horse bandits and mountain bandits around us were all wiped out by Mr. Yu Shaolang, and a small group of Bei Rong soldiers were also used by the new Yu family army for training!"
"...This is nothing. The most amazing thing about the new Yu family army is the welfare of the military camp. Tsk tsk, it's even better than ours!"
"Three meals a day, every meal has oil and water. Every five days there is meat, no matter whether it is wolf meat, horse meat, chicken, or pork, every soldier can get a portion!"
As the team leader talked, saliva began to flow from his mouth.
Alas, the food served by the Xin Yu Family Army is so damn good that even he, the cook, is envious of it.
"Commander, it's not fair! They are all Yu family soldiers, why should they be treated differently?"
Ma Sanniu is slightly aggrieved.
He is a veteran of the Yu family army. When Yu Erlangjun recruited his old troops, he responded positively.
Why is he inferior to some newly recruited soldiers?
"Why?"
The team leader glared at Ma Sanniu and swiped around with his fingers, "This is the West City, Deputy General Manager Feng's territory. Our Erlang Jun will be under control. He can't follow the Yu Family Army's new rules!"
Hearing this, Ma Sanniu lowered his head.
Although he didn't know as much as the captain, he also knew that the treatment of the Yu family army was the best among the several barracks in Xicheng.
Deputy General Manager Feng and a deputy general from the Shi family often held Jun Yu Erlang accountable for this matter.
"Well, it would be great if Xicheng was also taken over by the Yu family..."
