On the outskirts of the capital, there is a hill called Caoshan, and at the foot of the hill there is a small village. Because it is at the foot of the mountain, it is called Xiacaozhuang. Xiacaozhuang is one of the best villages in the Jia family near the capital.
The farmers in Xiacaozhuang were all soldiers of two generations of Rongguo Dukes at first, but after the previous generation of Rongguo Dukes, Jia Daishan, retired in old age, they were arranged to retire in this small village. Over the years, people have continued to die, and now there are still
There were only a few veterans left. On this day, these old people were still playing chess and chatting under the big tree at the entrance of the village as usual. The content of the chat was just about remembering the glory of the two previous generations of Duke Rong.
"Back then, the master and I were surrounded by barbarians from the grassland on a hill outside Yanmen Pass. For five days in a row, we ate all the food we could. In the end, the Duke of Guo killed all his BMWs. He just wanted to finish eating.
As soon as we all fought against the barbarians, how could we imagine that it was Mr. Shi Laohou who brought troops to rescue us? It was so miserable at that time. There were only a thousand soldiers left from 5,000 soldiers and 300 personal soldiers.
The Duke of Guo also suffered from three sores. See if the scars on my face are gone, they were left at that time." The old man who spoke showed off the scars on his face.
Another old man couldn't stand it anymore and said: "Old Liu, you can pull it off. You have been talking about this little thing for decades. Look at the elders sitting here. Which one of them is not covered with injuries? You are the only one.
There is only one scar on your face all over your body, and you have been suffering from it for decades."
Old Liu Tou was unwilling and said: "I don't have any injuries on my body. That's because I'm good at it. It's not like you, Xiao Qian, who gets injured every time we fight. I don't know how I got into the Guards back then." After finishing speaking,
She glanced at him disdainfully.
When Old Qiantou heard what he said, he quit and said, "I can't do it. You have forgotten who trained you when you first joined the Guards."
When Lao Liu heard what he said, he had always been scarred. He stood up and his eyes widened like a bull's eye: "If you, an old boy, hadn't tricked me, would I have fallen into your hands?" He said and was about to take action.
Lao Qian doesn't show weakness and will challenge when he stands up.
At this time, the old man with white hair and beard sitting in the middle of the big tree spoke: "Stop it, everyone. You are so old, and you are still like a child. What will it look like? Sit down."
As soon as they heard the old man talking, they both stopped and sat down again. As he sat down, Old Liutou murmured: "Is it him who always stabs people in the lungs?" The old man glared at him, and Old Liutou immediately shut up.
This old man with white hair and beard is also surnamed Liu. He is the uncle of the old Liutou just now. He is also the only one of the old soldiers of Duke Rong who is still alive. Therefore, he has the highest prestige in the village, and everyone else listens to him.
While the old man was joking at the door, a carriage came from a distance. The carriage came to a stop and Lin Zhixiao, the steward of the outer courtyard, got out of the carriage.
Lin Zhixiao walked up to several elderly people and immediately saluted and said: "How are you all, old gentlemen? I would like to say hello to you all."
Old man Liu who was sitting in the middle saw that it was Lin Zhixiao and said, "Xiao Lin, you are out of season and it is not the time to collect rent. What kind of wind brought you here?"
Lin Zhixiao did not dare to put on airs in front of these elders, and said respectfully: "This is not something that happens in the house. I need these elders to take care of it."
Old Liu didn't look at Lin Zhixiao, but just lowered his head and said: "We old people, all we can do now is eat, sleep, kick our legs and close our eyes. What's the use? Manager Lin is afraid he has the wrong person."
"
Lin Zhixiao was very familiar with several of the elderly people present. Lin Zhixiao came to Xiacaozhuang every year to collect rent. In fact, he said he was collecting rent on behalf of the Rongguo Mansion to visit these elderly people who had lived and died for two generations of Rongguo Dukes.
As a soldier, part of the rent collected every year is returned to the villagers in the name of pensions, pensions, etc. This is to prevent other villagers from being jealous and causing trouble, and also to make other large landowners with land nearby speechless.
.And there are also rewards during festivals, so Xiacaozhuang is a famous and wealthy village in the surrounding four miles and eight townships. Villagers in nearby villages are proud to marry Xiacaozhuang.
The Rongguo Mansion signed the contract, but the nearby villagers still flocked to it. Firstly, there were no taxes and corvees in Xiacaozhuang, and secondly, there was no rent. The life was several times better than in nearby villages. Thirdly, half a year's worth of harvests were given as rewards every year.
What dissatisfies Lao Liu and the others is that the men in the Rongguo Mansion now have to take the imperial examination to establish their careers, and those who do not join the army will no longer recruit bodyguards in Xiacaozhuang. Their children can only learn martial arts.
Be a farmer.
Lin Zhixiao came here several times every year, and he often heard their complaints. Of course he knew what they were thinking, so he said: "I'm afraid a few elderly people will really come forward this time. The eldest son of the master in the house is the old lady in front of me."
The son born to my aunt Zhou is planning to join the army. He just learned some martial arts blindly. I don’t know the depth and I want you to give me some advice."
Old Liu thought for a while and said, "Aunt Zhou is the granddaughter of old Zhou Tou from the west of the village?"
Lin Zhixiao replied: "It's his home."
Old Man Liu said: "A few years ago, I heard that the eldest daughter of his family was elected to the government, and then the family moved to the city. It turns out that this happened."
Lin Zhixiao said to him again: "Aunt Zhou's son is the eldest son of Mr. Jia Zheng, who is now in charge of the house. He has never heard of joining the army before. He just learned martial arts from somewhere. In addition, the husband said
It was difficult to start a business, so the master relented and let others try his skills first."
Old Man Liu said: "How could it be that there is no one in the house, so why are you here to call us old immortals?"
"I originally called Chief Tao of the nursing home to ask, but I'm still not at ease. It's just because these old men are well-informed and came out of the bloody rain of corpses, so I've come to invite you to come over.
.Let’s see what the eldest young master’s martial arts skills are like.”
After hearing what Lin Zhixiao said, the old man Liu could no longer bear it and said, "What are you waiting for? Let's go to the mansion right away."
When Old Man Liu heard what he said, he became very angry and shouted loudly: "If you don't speak, no one will think you are mute. If you can't speak, just shut up and listen honestly. There's nothing wrong with that."
Then he said to Lin Zhixiao: "I know about Young Tao. His martial arts skills have been inherited from his father. Back then, his father, Lao Tao, was one of the best in martial arts in Beijing. So what did Young Tao say?"
Lin Zhixiao answered him: "Leader Tao said in front of the master that the eldest son's martial arts are several times better than his. He has no rivals in the capital. If he grows up and is equipped with a BMW and a euphorbia, he will be able to conquer the world."
Old Man Liu was unmoved and said: "How can the eldest young master have such martial arts at such an age? I absolutely don't believe it."
Lin Zhixiao retorted with a serious face: "The old man is wrong. Mr. Li, who was teaching at that time, didn't believe it, so the eldest son demonstrated it to him in the courtyard. When the eldest son demonstrated martial arts, Leader Tao and I were there.
Although I don't know martial arts, I still know the basics of good and bad. At that time, I just felt that the cold light of the euphorbia was like an autumn wind sweeping leaves, and it was moving and changing in countless ways, and it was as fast as lightning and disappeared. I felt as if I was on the battlefield.
The murderous aura kept wandering around me. After the eldest son finished practicing, all my clothes were soaked with cold sweat. Thinking about it now makes my hair stand on end."
Old man Liu heard that what Lin Zhixiao said was definitely not a lie, so he pondered for a while and said: "Since you are sure of what you said, it can't be wrong. I still know who you are. In this case, I will go back to your home with you.
"
After hearing Old Liu Tou's promise, Lin Zhixiao happily told him other requests: "Not only does the master want some old people to come and see the eldest son, he also wants the old people to bring all the young men with good martial arts skills in the village.
It's time to compete with the eldest son. I don't know what the old man wants."