Zhu Bai walked slowly in the team, carefully looking at everyone's face. He suddenly stopped and said in surprise: "Hey, you seller of fake goods, why are you here?"
The owner of the calligraphy and painting shop hurriedly lowered his head: "Your Highness, don't joke, I am not."
Zhu Bai took two more steps and said, "Shopkeeper Chen of the pastry shop, what a coincidence, you are here too."
Shopkeeper Chen's face turned pale: "Your Highness has admitted the wrong person."
If I had known that this was King Xiang, I would not have dared to do Zhu Bai's business even if I killed him just now.
Zhu Bai walked a few more steps and said again: "Hey, aren't you the cloth seller at the end of the street?"
"I'm not."
"Hey, the owner of the pork shop is here too. He is truly a hero regardless of where he comes from."
"You admitted your mistake."
"Yes, I recognize you too. Just now you were basking in the sun at the end of the street catching lice, why did you change your clothes and become a guard?"
"Hey, it's just me. Thank you for the sweet-scented osmanthus cake, Your Highness."
Zhang Yu didn't know if Zhu Bai had figured out the mystery, but he figured it out anyway.
Because military households were exempted from hard labor, in order to avoid corvee labor, some merchants and farmers bribed officials to convert them into military households, and created a non-existent relative to join the army.
For example, places like Suzhou where there is no shortage of money and many people.
Then the whole family is the family of the guard, and there is no need to worry about being dragged to do hard work. Everyone should do business and farm.
Today Zhu Bai said there was going to be a military parade. Qianhu definitely didn't have 1,120 soldiers, so he had to ask these people to come back and make up the number.
Zhang Yu turned around and looked at Qianhu coldly.
His fourth rank is two levels higher than Qianhu's fifth rank. If Qianhu were punished according to military discipline now, Qianhu would have no place to complain.
Someone whispered: "The young ones are just helping the family take care of business after training and farming."
Zhu Bai smiled and nodded: "That's right. I heard that the guards of the Ming Dynasty are very powerful in combat. They can catch arrows with their bare hands. That is a basic skill. I have only recently learned how to draw a bow and shoot an arrow, which means pulling a three-power soft bow. I believe you can catch it."
"
When those people heard this, they felt weak and wanted to sit down, but they were afraid of being whipped by Zhang Yu, so they could only hold on.
Zhu Bai said: "Come up one by one. Stand still and let me test your abilities."
The beggar shouted: "It's none of my business, I was called here..."
Before "the one who made up the numbers" could say anything, an arrow flew from a distance and pierced his left chest.
The beggar's eyes widened and he fell straight to the ground.
Those who pretended to be military households were so frightened that the two groups trembled.
This is a naked threat, telling them not to talk nonsense.
Zhu Bai looked back gloomily.
Deputy Qianhu put away his bow and arrows and raised his hand to Zhu Bai: "Your Highness, this person is making a lot of noise and is disrespectful to Your Highness. The minister has already dealt with it for Your Highness."
There is nothing wrong with killing a beggar pretending to be a soldier, even if he reports it to Lao Zhu.
Zhu Bai narrowed his eyes: Damn it, you dare to shoot a cold arrow in front of my face. You are not only threatening these people, you are also threatening me.
Zhang Yu was also furious that a young official of the fifth rank could be so presumptuous.
Zhu Bai stretched out his hand towards him.
Zhang Yu immediately took out the bow and handed it to Zhu Bai.
Zhu Bai skillfully nocked an arrow, fully drew the bow, and pointed it at Fu Qianhu: "I haven't killed anyone for a long time, and I will start with you today."
Fuqianhu didn't expect that such an eight or nine-year-old child could be so cruel, and he was so frightened that he even took a few steps back.
As soon as Zhu Bai let go, the arrow shot through the air, but was caught by Deputy Qianhu.
The soldiers below cheered: "Okay!"
"My lord is mighty!"
Zhu Bai smiled: "I didn't expect that someone really has this ability. It really opened my eyes."
He took another arrow and aimed another arrow at Fu Qianhu's leg. Fu Qianhu rolled on the spot, but he didn't expect that Zhu Bai had already shot the third arrow.
This time it hit him squarely in the shoulder.
Fuqianhu knelt on one knee, covered his shoulder and let out a cry of pain.
Zhu Bai's guards took the opportunity to pounce on him and hold him down.
Zhu Bai turned around and said solemnly: "Who wants to try?"
Then those pretenders knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Highness, please spare your life. We realize our mistake."
Zhang Yu was very nervous because many soldiers below were already clenching their fists with murderous intent and planning to take action.
As long as Qianhu gives the order, they will be surrounded.
No matter how bad it is here, there are at least a few hundred actual guards.
But there were only thirty of them, so it was difficult to escape intact.
Zhu Bai said to Qian Hu calmly: "Your Majesty uses the money they pay to support elite soldiers. Your intention is good. But don't go too far. At any rate, when the actual war comes, your Majesty must be able to get enough soldiers."
This is a dilemma, either everyone has enough to eat and cannot fight the war, or the money is concentrated to feed a few strong soldiers.
Qianhu just chose the latter.
Qianhu's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground: "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."
Zhu Bai looked at the deputy Qianhu: "You still have some ability, but you are too stupid. Do you think that if you kill the beggar, I will have nothing to do?"
Deputy Qianhu said hurriedly: "Your Highness, I beg you to have mercy. I am confused for a moment."
Zhu Bai thought for a while: "Because you are good at skills, and you want to protect your boss, and you have also received an arrow from me, I will spare your life. However, you can't stay here anymore. Report to King Yan."
Bar."
Zhu Di was always going to fight with others.
Since Zhu Bai "exiled" Deputy Qianhu, Zhu Di would definitely take him to the most dangerous place.
Although the tip of the knife will lick blood from now on, there is still a chance to make military exploits.
Even if you die on the battlefield in the future, it is better than dying now with a crime on your back.
Fu Qianhu wanted to understand this and hurriedly kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness."
Zhu Bai put away his bow and arrow and asked the prefect with a smile: "Master prefect, I wonder if the county school and the state school can be opened."
The magistrate watched the whole process. The two groups were fighting, and he could hardly stand still. He wiped his sweat and said: "Yes, yes. I will tell the magistrates to open the county schools as soon as possible according to your method."
Zhu Bai said: "Ah, Master Qianhu. Since these people are pretending to be soldiers, it's not too much to ask them to dredge the river for free."
Now that Qianhu had the handle and Zhu Bai was holding it, he naturally did not dare to shirk it any longer and hurriedly said: "It's not too much, not too much. The minister asked the guards to supervise the work. This section of the canal must be dredged."
In fact, it is equivalent to making up for the corvee work that these people escaped before, and they will not suffer any loss.
Zhu Bai thought for a while and said: "If the family is full of old, weak, women and children, and they really have no way to contribute, just let them pay and hire laborers to do the work instead. But Qianhu adults should not charge them any more money."
From now on, as long as they dredge the river every year, I will pretend that I don’t know about it. What you did in the past will do the same in the future."
Qianhu's face was filled with shame: "Thank you, King Xiang, for your kindness."
Zhu Bai smiled: "Sir, I see that your soldiers are willing to fight for you. It means that you are pretty good to them on weekdays. It's very good. Keep it up."
