In a house in the woods next to the Prince's Mansion in Huliang, northwest, the afterglow of the setting sun was obscured by the woods, and the light in the yard was a little dim. In the flat open space in the yard, dozens of people stood high and low.
Lin Jue and Shen Tan were standing under the steps of the main room, talking in a low voice.
"Brother, are these the people you selected for my nursing home?" Lin Jue asked in a low voice.
"Exactly, the fifty brothers selected from the one thousand five hundred palace guards who were cut down to two. I dare not say anything else. They know the rules, are loyal, and have the ability. I can guarantee you these three things. I won't hide it. You said that the reduced guards will be transferred to the Infantry Division of the Forbidden Army, and I forced them to stay. There are no more guards in the palace, and it happens that you are short of people in the palace, so it will be easier for you." Shen Tan said with a smile.
"Thank you, brother. I've had enough of Xiao Daquan. This time I can finally let him take his people back to the palace." Lin Jue said with a smile.
"I've already scolded him, and this kid is really a little out of touch. I'll give him a whip later," Shen Tan said.
"That's not necessary. He is quite good. His character is not bad. He is just not under my control. He is unambiguous in doing things. His performance in Changheng County this time was also good. If he hadn't been the prince's I will keep his identity as a guard. I will reward him with some money later." Lin Jue said with a smile.
"Hahaha, sometimes I can't do anything about this kid. How should I put it, we have to be more tolerant to our subordinates. I treat them as brothers, so I don't think anything of it." Shen Tan said.
Lin Jue shook his head and said: "Brother treats them like brothers, but what I want is loyal guardians and helpers, not brothers. If there is anyone among these fifty people who does not want to be restrained, brother can let him leave now. The people who follow me are less capable, but they must be obedient and follow the rules."
Shen Tan was stunned and said with a smile: "What my brother said is that I come from a worldly background, so I am inevitably a bit undisciplined. But these people are all good people. If you think anyone is not suitable in the future, just fire them yourself. I am here to open the door." I can’t handle this.”
Lin Jue nodded. Shen Tan was originally a figure in the world. After arriving at the palace, many of the palace guards were actually recruited by him. Many of them were figures in the world. In private, Shen Tan treated them like friends in the world and treated them with loyalty. First of all. This is completely different from Lin Jue's request. Lin Jue does not want to be surrounded by a group of talkative people full of quack habits. What he wants is loyal guards and loyal subordinates. Never talk too much, and can A person who keeps secrets and can serve his life.
"Let's go meet them and I'll introduce them to you. Although most of them know you, and you may know some of them, it's better to be familiar with each other." Shen Tan said with a smile.
"good."
The two of them walked down the steps and came to the courtyard. Several rows of guards in the courtyard straightened their backs when they saw the two approaching, and they all bowed their hands to Shen Tan and Lin Jue.
Shen Tan stood in front of everyone and said in a deep voice: "Brothers, I, Shen Tan, am incompetent and cannot keep your jobs in the palace. You all know about the changes in the palace, so I won't say more. But as I told you before What you said is the same. Although you can't be on duty in the prince's palace, the county horse is willing to take you in and serve as a guardian in his mansion. I think this is also very good. You all know the county horse, and I don't need to introduce you further. Bar."
A tall man standing in the front row raised his hands and said loudly: "How can we not know the name of the Commandery Horse? Back then, I went to Tiaohua Island alone and worked together to destroy the bandits' lair on Peach Blossom Island. We brothers all admired me greatly. I can win the title of Commandery Horse." I wish you could take her in, which is what we ask for."
"Yes, we have all heard the name of Lord Commander. We never thought that we would have the opportunity to listen to Master Commander. We brothers are very happy." Everyone shouted one after another.
Shen Tan laughed and said: "You guys, before you even entered the county horse mansion, you started flattering me."
"Commander Shen, that's not flattery. We, brothers, really admire Jun Ma. Otherwise, we would never stay. It's precisely because you said we were going to follow Jun Ma that we, the brothers, will stay. .Where can I go and find a job to make a living? Brothers are all well-known figures when they go out, why do they stay here instead of admiring the prestige of the county horse?" The tall man said loudly.
"That's right, that's right. We don't want to be in the imperial army, but we want to be a nursing home? Isn't that because we admire Lord Commander Ma?" A group of people agreed one after another.
Shen Tan looked at Lin Jue with a smile and said: "It seems that your status in the hearts of these brothers is very high. I originally wanted to give them a few words to avoid causing unpleasant troubles, but now it seems that I have overthought it. There is no need for me to say more, you are their idol."
Lin Jue laughed loudly, smiled and cupped his hands and said: "Everyone, thank you for your kindness. Lin Jue is a scholar, how can he have such a prestigious reputation? It is Lin's honor that you are willing to condescend to come to my house to protect the courtyard. Not to mention the hero's bravery in the past, before There is no need to mention the matter again. If you are willing to follow me, Lin Jue, I will treat you sincerely, and I hope you will treat me in the same way."
The tall man cupped his hands and said in a deep voice: "Don't be polite, Lord Commander. Since we have decided to follow Lord Commander, we will obey Master Commander's instructions in everything in the future. Everything will be done according to Lord Commander's rules."
Lin Jue smiled and nodded and said: "This brother speaks straightforwardly, so I won't beat around the bush. After you follow Lin, you will definitely be different from working as an errand in the palace. The palace has its own rules, and I have my own rules here. Everyone. As long as you abide by my rules, everything else is easy to say. In fact, I don't have many rules, only two. But it is not easy to do. One is loyalty. My people naturally follow my lead. To say something ugly, in front of me Even if it’s a fire pit, if I say jump, you have to jump too. But don’t worry, I won’t give such an order. Even if I jump into a fire pit, I will jump first. What I mean is..."
"Be loyal and do as you are told, regardless of the reason." The tall man said loudly.
"That's good. This brother said it well. That's it. You can stay if you can do it. If you can't do it, it's still too late to quit now. Real men don't have to be coy. They are brothers even if they are not. If we don’t talk about it now, it will not be beautiful in the future.” Lin Jue said with a smile.
"Don't worry, Commander Shen. Commander Shen has already told us. Since we are willing to follow Commander Ma, we will naturally obey Commander Ma's orders. We will never retreat in the face of swords and fire," everyone said one after another.
"Okay, in that case, I have nothing to say. My second rule is self-discipline. I hope that when you are around me in the future, no matter what you see or hear, you must understand: say what you should say and do what you should do. Do it, resolutely don’t say what you shouldn’t say, and resolutely don’t do what you shouldn’t do. For yourselves, you must be more self-disciplined. I will require you to follow military discipline. If you think that if you are not a guard, you can let it go, gamble, drink and go to the brothels, then Please leave voluntarily. If people cannot exercise self-discipline, they will degenerate and let themselves go. Many things are caused by drinking, gambling, money and visiting brothels. I don’t want people around me to do such things." Lin Jue said in a deep voice.
"Can't you even drink alcohol? This rule is too strict," someone in the crowd muttered.
Lin Jue smiled and said: "When I talk about drinking, I mean being greedy and drunk. Of course you can drink wine, but if you are allowed to drink it, you can drink it. If you are not allowed to drink it, you can't drink it secretly. To put it bluntly, all behaviors must be With permission, just obey and do as you are told.”
"That's it." Everyone nodded.
"As long as you can do these two rules, I will continue. Even if you can't do it, don't force it. We are still good brothers, we just can't work together." Lin Jue said.
"I didn't say anything. I, Sun Dayong, was the first one to agree. You guys, listen to me. Whatever you agree to, you must do what you say, otherwise I, Sun Dayong, will be the first one not to agree. If you want to leave, get there early, don't be late. Complain." The tall man said solemnly.
Everyone shouted: "Don't worry, we can all abide by it."
Lin Jue looked at the tall man, turned to Shen Tan and said, "What is the background of this brother Sun?"
Shen Tan smiled and said: "Sun Dayong? This boy is the captain of the royal guard camp. He couldn't be laid off this time. He heard that he wanted to work with you, so he took the initiative to resign. He admires you very much. I'm afraid you don't know that after Peach Blossom Island, a group of people in the guards respect you like a god. This Sun Dayong attacks hard, and his fists and feet have the power to crack rocks and shatter monuments. He has a high prestige among the guards. You can be considered a treasure. Yes. The young prince blames me for this, saying that I didn’t persuade him to stay.”
Lin Jue nodded slightly, feeling happy in his heart. In fact, it is not a good idea to restrict people with rules or interests. The best thing is to control people and control their hearts. If they are people who worship themselves, they will absolutely obey themselves and be loyal to themselves. Such people are The most reassuring.
"Okay, since you all can follow these two rules of mine, I won't say any more. We are all men, and we must abide by what we have said and what we have promised. Now let's talk about treatment. Question. I know that when you are on duty in the palace, you are paid fifteen taels of silver per month, plus some rewards during New Years and holidays. The annual salary is about two hundred taels of silver. When you come to my place, I can't treat you badly. Let's do this, in the palace. All the benefits have been doubled, are you still satisfied?" Lin Jue said.
"Ah?" Everyone was surprised. They thought that their income would be reduced after entering the Junma Mansion, but the salary of the palace guards was already extremely generous. The imperial army's monthly salary was only five taels, while the palace guards' monthly salary was fifteen taels. On weekdays, they eat The reward money is also constantly flowing. Considering the financial resources of the palace, it is not surprising. But the county horse has to double it, which is four hundred taels of silver a year. These fifty people have to spend 20,000 taels of silver a year, which is an amount of money. It's really not small. This county horse is just a small executioner, can he handle it?
"Brother, it doesn't have to be like this. This salary is too high. As the commander of the palace, don't I only get five hundred taels of silver a year? You are almost catching up with me." Shen Tan said with a smile.
Lin Jue smiled and said: "If you are willing to come to my house, what is a thousand taels a year? This is not a question of how much money. The level of treatment represents the importance I attach to such a brother. This is a question of respect or not. .Besides, brothers have to settle down and spend money, so how can they worry about money? The more generous the salary, the fewer things to worry about, and the better things can be done. This is a mutually reinforcing relationship. Don’t worry, although I am not the richest person in the world. , but I still own a few big theaters and the Lin family's blockbuster industry. Such a small amount of money is nothing."
Shen Tan smiled and said: "Well, since you insist on this, I won't say anything. Brothers get more money, and I am happy for them. In the future, the palace will not need me, and I will have to work with you to earn a living. The treatment of one thousand taels of silver you mentioned cannot be changed."
Lin Jue laughed and said: "Don't say it's a joke. If you come, I'll give you a thousand taels of silver, five thousand taels or ten thousand taels. Can I still treat my brother badly?"
Shen Tan burst out laughing after hearing this.
Lin Jue turned to the guards who were looking happy and continued: "Aside from treatment, I know that there are other things that you care about most. Let me tell you my thoughts here. Although you are no longer guards of the palace, you have come to my place. , I will arm you to the teeth, even worse than the palace guards. Each of you will get a good horse, a good set of armor, a fine iron sword and a bow and arrow. In the future, you will meet your former brothers. , you don’t have to envy them.”
"Wow! Really? That's great. Hahaha" everyone shouted. Being able to get these things is more satisfying for this group of people who are used to dancing with guns than getting money. You know, there is money. You may not be able to buy these things. Each person is given a good horse, which is a treatment you cannot get even when you are a guard in the palace.
Shen Tan said in astonishment: "Brother, don't let the lion open its mouth. Where did you get these things? This is in the capital."
Lin Jue said with a smile: "Isn't it you? I will pay you. You are responsible for getting me fifty sets of the best armor, fifty good knives and bows and arrows. All of them are of the best kind. How much money can you give me?" I’ll give you the number.”
Shen Tan smiled bitterly and said: "Brother, it turns out that you are planning on weapons and equipment in the palace again."
Lin Jue said: "Just tell me whether it will work or not. If not, I will go to Brother Ma to find a solution."
Shen Tan hurriedly waved his hands and said: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." ,What can't you get? I'll get it for you."
Lin Jue smiled and said: "This is nonsense. Let's talk about it first, the best kind. Don't replace the damaged ones. You'd better get some from the weapons storehouse. I heard that you are very close to them now. Ripe."
Shen Tan rolled his eyes. He was indeed very familiar with the people in the Arms Department now, and that was not because of Lin Jue. The major weapons robbery case in Qingtai Town in the previous year was finally settled with money, and Shen Tan was He has a secret relationship with the people in the Arms Department and has some daily contacts. As long as he has money, he can indeed get good things. But this is a matter of beheading and losing one's head, and Shen Tan himself is frightened, fearing that something will happen.
"Don't be excited. In fact, these are nothing. If you can satisfy me, I will consider equipping you with a more expensive and powerful weapon. A unique weapon in the world. I don't know what it is for the moment. "It all depends on your performance. Are you satisfied with the treatment and equipment I arranged?" Lin Jue smiled at everyone.
"Satisfied, satisfied. A thousand satisfied, ten thousand satisfied. The Commander-in-Chief is so generous, my brothers and I are going crazy with joy." Sun Dayong and everyone else shouted.
Lin Jue said: "That's good, but let me remind you that you are just the guardians now, not the guards. Once you get the things, don't show them around, otherwise some people will say that I have exceeded the rules and raised private soldiers, which will be troublesome. I am in the grounds of the house. Huge, no matter how hard you train in the house, you will be able to do it. When you leave the house, you will give me a green hat and a stick as a grandson."
"That's right, that's right. Don't worry, Commander, we all understand." Everyone nodded and smiled.
"Brother Sun Dayong." Lin Jue shouted.
Sun Dayong was excited, raised his chest and said: "Here."
Lin Jue said: "These brothers are under your control for the time being. If there is any mistake, I will come to you. I have a security captain at home, so I will temporarily appoint you as the deputy of the team. Assist in handling daily matters of protecting the home and the hospital. I have been on probation for three months and passed the test."
Officially appointed, the salary will be ten taels more per month. You are looking for some brothers for me to be team leaders. Although we are a nursing home, we must have rules. There will be a team of ten people, and each team will have a team leader. Once appointed,
The salary is five taels more per month. What do you think?"
"Don't worry, Lord Commander, I will obey my orders!" Sun Dayong said solemnly. Sun Dayong is the leader as expected. No one will object. It's just that I heard that Sun Dayong is only the deputy of the team, and there is also a team leader above him. Some people are a little bit embarrassed.
.After all, it is a small circle, and I feel uncomfortable when an outsider comes in to tell me what to do. But it’s hard to say anything at this time.
"Do you have anything else you want to say or ask? If you have any, just ask. If you don't have any, then leave. Tomorrow morning, report to my house. From tomorrow on, you will be members of my house." Lin Jue said.
"No, thank you very much. I'll take my leave. You all should listen to me. You will report to the County Ma Mansion on time tomorrow at 12:00. Anyone who feels itchy will be ignored. If I tell anyone about this treatment,
There are so many brothers who want to break their heads, and you can grab a lot at will, each of them is useful. You can weigh it yourself, and don’t blame me for not showing brotherly loyalty when the time comes." Sun Dayong shouted, quite like a team deputy.
momentum.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll go when I get up in the middle of the night. Don't worry, Boss Sun." Everyone said one after another.
A group of people held their hands and huffed and retreated.
In the twilight, Shen Tan and Lin Jue stood in the yard and watched all these people leave. Lin Jue cupped his hands and smiled and said, "Brother, thank you very much for finding so many people for me."
Shen Tan smiled and said: "Brother, I am very grateful that you can take them in. After all, they are my former brothers. I am also happy to be able to find a good place. Your matter is settled, I still have to get horses for you.
Equipment or something, hey."
Lin Jue smiled and said, "Thank you, brother. I'll treat you to a drink."
Shen Tan waved his hand and said: "I won't drink anymore. I don't want you to have a drink. But why did you recruit so many people at once? There is no need at all. After all the expenses for this meal, there is not even one hundred thousand taels of silver."
It won’t work, so why bother?”
Lin Jue said softly: "Brother, to tell you the truth, too many things have happened recently, and I don't feel safe anymore. I keep these people just in case. I hope they are not used for the best. If they are used,
