"Batya is going to camp in Beijing. I'm really envious that he can receive a salary!"
In a restaurant in the inner city, Batya ordered a table full of dishes, and there was even a jar of red wine.
Drinking with him were several friends from the Guards Department, three third-class guards, one second-class guard, and the only first-class guard Zhebu.
Especially Jebu.
Although Batya's face was slightly red, her eyes looking at Zhebu were full of envy.
The latter inherited the first-class title of Taiji from his hometown and was a Mongolian noble. He was naturally promoted to the first-class bodyguard of the sixth rank.
Ordinary third-class guards can only wear red plain clothes and a yellow vest, while second-class guards can wear flying fish uniforms, but without fish dragons.
Only the first-class guards are in real flying fish uniforms, which are extremely majestic.
Of course, the emperor's personal bodyguards are a separate matter. They are not selected from nobles and Mongolian scholars, but from the army. Although there are only 500 people, they are top-notch elites.
Therefore, there was a huge bodyguard department to guard the palace city. The third-class bodyguards together only had more than 3,000 people, and the first-class bodyguards only had 70 or 80 people. They were either rich or noble.
There are only two to three hundred second-class guards. As long as they perform outstandingly, such as winning prizes in martial arts, wrestling and other competitions, ordinary third-class guards can also be promoted.
Batya was like this. When he was in the capital, he practiced hard and diligently, and his archery skills even improved to the point where he could shoot arrows immediately. Therefore, he was promoted to the second-class bodyguard two years ago, entered the martial arts hall to study, and was released this year.
After working hard for many years, I am not as good as someone else's title.
It is impossible for him to be a first-class bodyguard in his whole life.
"What am I doing!" Batya was a little drunk. He looked at everyone and said, "It doesn't matter, and I don't have money to take care of it. I guess he is just the captain with the lowest level of concurrent duties!"
These words have touched the hearts of several people.
They can get together because they are naturally divided into groups. They are either Mongolians or poor people, with no money and no connections.
If the Guards Department had not been assigned to the Beijing camp for transition, they might have been directly transferred to the local area for retirement.
Batya survived for several years, rising from the third-class guard to the second-class sword-carrying guard, and from the eighth grade to the seventh grade.
This also means that once you choose to go out, patrolling the camp in the local area will directly be the camp, and it can even be Bawang City or the provincial capital.
In the frontier army and the Beijing camp, the rank is deputy battalion commander, that is, the actual rank of lieutenant colonel, and then he goes down to hold some positions in the camp.
For example, you can concurrently serve as battalion staff officer, military judge, logistics officer, etc. Of course, you can also serve as team leader. It mainly depends on your relationship and ability.
Slowly, everyone's eyes focused on Zhebu.
As the only first-class guard, Zhebu is also open-minded and loves to associate with capable people, so naturally he doesn't take it seriously.
He smiled bitterly:
"Don't look at me, my bodyguards are not really capable, they just have the title of Taiji."
"You can still become an officer. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few more years before you can be sent to the army as a decoration!"
These words were quite level, and everyone's expressions softened a lot.
The first-class Taiji is a Mongolian noble, and the next higher up is the Khan. The court will basically not let him serve as a general, staff officer, military judge and other assistant officers. If he takes some credit, it is considered good.
Of course, it is also possible to monitor the army.
Going to the grassland to be an angel is his important job.
In the past few years, he has been to Chahar alone four times, just to enthrone Mongolian nobles and inherit their titles.
This was his greatest contribution to being promoted to first-class bodyguard.
"By the way, do you know about sending troops to Kazakhstan?"
Although the order to send troops to the Kazakh Khanate has not yet been formed, people with a little connections have found out, not to mention the guards like them.
Although he didn't see the emperor a few times a month, the guards were quite well-informed.
These words made everyone fall silent, with eagerness to move written all over their faces.
"Here, which camp should be used?" Batya swallowed, suppressing his rough voice like gongs and drums, and said carefully.
"I don't know!" Another second-class guard whispered: "Of the four major camps, Changping should have the greatest chance!"
"It should be!" Everyone nodded.
The so-called four major military camps refer to the four major military camps with 200,000 soldiers stationed around the capital.
To the west is Xishan, to the east is Tongzhou, to the north is Changping, and to the south is Marco Polo Bridge.
Occasionally the location changes, but it's generally within a hundred miles of the capital.
Because troops had to be deployed to exchange defenses with the border troops, or the general troops led troops to local areas for guarding, the nominal number of the Beijing camp was 200,000, but in fact it was only about 150,000.
The four major camps all have their own characteristics. The Xishan camp is mainly composed of muskets and artillery, the Tongzhou camp is a mixture of part of the navy and infantry, and the Marco Polo Bridge camp is composed of mountain troops and infantry.
Changping in the north is special because there are a large number of horse farms, so the cavalry is the largest, accounting for 70% of the Beijing camp.
Kazakhstan is a steppe khanate, so the cavalry must come first.
"Not necessarily!" After several years of studying in the martial arts hall, Batya has gained a lot of knowledge:
"To fight those Tatars, although we need cavalry, artillery and muskets are the best choice. Xishan Camp will definitely have to mobilize a lot of people."
"It's a pity, I don't know which camp I will be assigned to, and whether I can be transferred there..."
Having said this, Batya looked at Zhebu again.
Among these people, only Zhebu has the most connections.
"I want to help, but I can't!"
Zhebu smiled bitterly: "If we transfer the Beijing camp, we have to fight Xikang in the 22nd year of Shaowu and Tibet in the 23rd year of Shaowu. But there are only 8,000 people. It's been almost seven years. I don't know how many people in the Beijing camp are hungry and thirsty!"
The conferment of fields and titles for military merit are a great desire for the officers and soldiers in the Beijing camp.
It should be noted that during a war in the southwest, there were three people who were promoted to count, including sons and more than 20 men. How much wealth is this?
Even if you are a lifelong knight, a brave and resolute captain, you can still receive thirty or fifty yuan a year. It is an enviable life.
The condition for obtaining the title of Commander of the Brave Captain is the bravest one in the battalion, that is, the one who kills the most people. If you get it twice in total, you can become the Commander of the Brave Captain.
After being awarded the title of Captain Xiaoyi, you can enter the martial arts hall to study. This is the best opportunity for ordinary soldiers to change their destiny.
Because of the captaincy, after the baron was passed down for one generation, his heirs could continue to inherit the title of Xiaoyi captain, so it could actually be passed down to two generations. This was also the emperor's comfort to him.
For Mongolians like them, if they want to stay in Beijing for a long time and enjoy the endless glory and wealth, they must obtain a title.
Become a prince that everyone envies!
"The temptation of a title is too great. Without heat and humidity, and without altitude sickness, no one would give up this opportunity."
Zhebu said with emotion: "I don't know how big a storm is going to be caused in Jingying!"
"Yes!" Batya was quite depressed.
Unable to participate in it, he could only sit aside and watch the show, which made him feel helpless as if a hero was useless.
Everyone was not in high spirits, and it was over after half an hour of drinking.
Riding behind Jebu's carriage back, Batya closed her eyes and rested.
In the capital, only nobles like Zhebu with an annual income of tens of thousands can keep carriages.
"Batya!" Jeb suddenly called softly.
"What's wrong?"
"If you really want to get a title, you have to find a way."
Zhebu said with a serious face: "There are so many distinguished disciples in the Guards Department and there are also many in the martial arts hall. How many of them do you know?"
Batya was silent.
"For example, the younger brother of the Chuzhou uncle, the future Tai'an uncle!"
Hearing this, Batya was slightly surprised that he paid so much attention to him.
But he immediately put aside his suspicion, opened his eyes, and said after a long silence:
"If this happens, I'm afraid we won't be friends anymore!"
"Friends? Hahaha!" Zhebu laughed: "Do you think you can be a friend in front of the future earl? Even I, a first-class Taji, are not qualified."
"Remember, relationships must be used, otherwise they will be wasted. Friends are rare things that only people of equal status have and will last long. Even prostitutes look down on beggars on the street..."
"Then, are we friends?" Batya's eyes were bright.
"Of course!" Zhebu nodded: "Although you and I are very different in status now, you will have a bright future in the future. Friends who have known each other since we were young will naturally last a long time."
Batya smiled and said in a deep voice: "Zhebu, I know you have a sable coat, can you lend it to me?"
"Borrow it? I'll give it to you directly!" Zhebu laughed and said, "With the relationship between you and me, what does a mere mink coat mean?"
With a wave of his hand, a coat worth thousands of yuan was transferred, which moved Batya, a big Mongolian man.
He didn't say much.
The next day, he made some repairs and handed over his famous assassination in front of the Tai'an Bo Mansion.
The servant was holding the silver dollar, smiling happily, and his steps were naturally fast.
After a moment, someone opened the side door and let him in.
This made Batya relax. This was much better than the back door, at least people recognized him as a friend.
"Batya has met the lord!"
"If that's the case, why are you and I so polite?"
Jia Daishan smiled and helped him up, sitting up together.
Jia Daishan, who is twenty-five or six years old, started out as a bodyguard. In just five years, he started as a third-class bodyguard and became a first-class bodyguard. Last year, he entered the martial arts hall to study.
He has the official rank of the sixth rank directly on his body. When he joins the army, he is a colonel of the sixth rank. He can be awarded the rank of assistant officer under the regiment level (3,000 people) guerrilla general.
Such as chief of staff, logistics, military law and other tasks, the battalion commander is not eye-catching at all, and you can take the post of deputy guerrilla with some qualifications.
But Batya didn't even have a chance to camp with 500 people.
This is the gap, the gap between ordinary people and distinguished people.
The two chatted about interesting things about performing in the martial arts hall, and then Batya sighed: "I will have to be transferred to Beijing Camp next month, and the future is uncertain!"
As he spoke, he stared at Jia Daishan with bright eyes.
The latter smiled in his heart, he was indeed an honest man, and it was written all over his face.
"Although I have a thin face, I can still use him wherever Brother Ba wants to go to camp."
Jia Daishan said softly, with a relaxed tone, as if this little thing was easy for him.
"Brother Jia, I won't hide it from you. I actually want to go to Kazakhstan to fight the Tatars!"
Batya said seriously: "You also know my shooting skills. I'm afraid it will be wasted if I stay in the capital."
Jia Daishan was stunned, his heart moved, and the smile on his face instantly became more sincere:
"That's a coincidence. I'm also going to Kazakhstan on this trip. Then, wouldn't it be nice for you and I to travel together?"
With a capable person like Batya, the chances of making military exploits are much higher.
In this case, someone should not be in the regiment headquarters, but should be given the rank of battalion commander and be his deputy. When he fights, I will take the credit and enjoy the results. It is really wonderful.
For a time, the relationship between the two improved a lot, and both got what they wanted.
As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first.
The imperial envoys of the Beijing camp began to be busy screening the troops, and the border troops of the Beijing camp could not be missed.
For this western expedition, the Beijing camp and frontier troops will mobilize 30,000 people, and the patrol battalions in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Anxi will also number 20,000, for a total of 50,000 elite troops.
At the same time, the Fifth Army Governor's Office expects to deploy tens of thousands of patrol battalions from various provinces to accompany the army on expeditions to serve as heavy supplies and transport food. If necessary, they can also go to the front line to train troops.
The total number of soldiers and horses is expected to be no less than 100,000.
The Ministry of War was not polite and directly requested three million yuan in military expenses from the Ministry of Household Affairs and began to prepare supplies in advance.
Military rations, military uniforms, armor, weapons, herbal medicines, mule and horse grain carts, gunpowder, etc.
For the capital city, three million silver dollars is simply a huge relief of gold and silver.
"Hahaha, great joy, great joy!"
Gao Dashan returned home happily and cheered to his parents:
"Dad, don't we make shoes? The court wants to order 5,000 pairs of cotton shoes from us!"
"What? Five thousand pairs?" Dad's shrewd expression changed: "How much do you pay for one pair?"
"Forty cents!"
"It's too low!" Dad complained: "A pair of cotton shoes on the market costs eighty cents, and the shoe sole alone costs five or six cents..."
"Excluding the workers and materials, I can only earn five cents for a pair of shoes, and it will take two months. It's not cost-effective. I'll have to pay a lot of money!"
His head shook like a rattle, as if it could fan people out of the cold.
He can earn back more than 20 silver coins in a month, and how many more coins will he receive from the rewards of dignitaries?
"Dad, that's not how the account is settled!"
Gao Dashan said seriously: "The big emperor merchant took 50,000 pairs of cotton shoes from the Ministry of War. He asked for two cents a pair, and then transferred them to the little emperor merchant and gave them one cent. Now I can only give them forty cents."
"Although it doesn't make any money, this is the business of the imperial merchants. If we participate, we will benefit a lot from it in the future!"
"Maybe I can become an imperial merchant in the future! This will bring glory to our ancestors!"
At this time, Dad immediately agreed: "Yes, even if it is to accompany the money, you have to do it, and you have to do it well, and you can't ruin the sign!"
"What, so many?"
Neighbors who were bored at home also received orders from Gao Dashan.
A pair of shoes requires six steps: tying, refining the sole, silk sole, holding the sole, making the upper, and putting on the shoe.
Gao Dashan divided them into different categories and distributed tasks to many virtuous women.
The last step of putting on the shoes is actually the easiest.
As a result, the number of families benefiting has reached 200.
Affected by the war, the prices of various fabrics soared.
The one that gets the biggest orders is the cannery.
In order to save food and prevent the army from starving on the way to Anxi, using canned food is the simplest way.
More than a dozen canneries in Beijing and Tianjin received huge orders for millions of cans in an instant.
Cans with a shelf life of more than one year are popular.
As a result, the price of marine fish has gradually increased, and the price of whale meat is almost the same as that of pork.
"He's from Nainai. Why have prices risen so much?"
Batya, who was about to buy silk underwear for protection, couldn't help but curse.