Although it is the busy time of harvesting wheat, everyone finished work early today.
After Chen Twelve finished work, he went down to the river to take a bath, put on clean clothes, and even washed his hair carefully. Today was a big day for him.
The Chen family was also very happy. Chen Ada, Chen Twelve’s father, even asked his wife to boil two eggs for his son’s meal.
"How many people will join this forum?" Chen Ada asked his son.
"There are thirty-six of them, and I am the only one in our village." Chen Twelve said with some pride in his tone. He is a strong man, and his family is poor. However, they have a large family, and they are the twelfth among the juniors, so his name is
12. He has been a competitive child since he was a child. Even if he pretends to be a general and goes to war, he has to be a general.
Later, when I grew up, I would graze cattle for the landlord's family, and I had to feed the cattle fuller and fatter than others. Later, when I was twelve years old, I started to follow my father and brothers to harvest wheat for the landlord's family. In summer, the wheat awns scratched my body, and I felt itchy.
It stung again, and I was bent over all day long, and I couldn't sleep at night.
But Twelve is so strong that he won't lag behind even if the adults cut a ridge.
A few years later, he became a famous mike from far and near, and was nicknamed Twelve Scythes. His scythes were truly unparalleled.
However, in this world, hard work cannot make you rich. No matter how hard you work, you will not be able to have food and clothing all year round. It will be even worse when there is a famine or war.
Chen Twelve is twenty-eight this year and is still a bachelor.
There is no other way, how can I find a wife if I can't support myself.
"Elder brother can like you, so you have to work hard and not be more cowardly than others. I can see that this old master Zhao and senior brother Zhao are people with a bright future. They are full of destiny in heaven. It is right to follow them.
.”
Twelve's nephew smiled and said, "Can I join the Red Spear Team if I join the club? It would be great if I could join the team. I can get six buckets of food per month, two dry meals every day, and one meal per ten days."
You can have a meal of white flour steamed buns in three to five days. If you can join the Red Spear Team, girls from all over the country will be vying to get married, and they don't even need any gift money."
Twelve laughed after hearing this, his face full of yearning.
His nephew is twelve years old. He usually attends the school and even goes to gun practice with him at night. He is a smart-talking child, but he is too thin and lacks nutrition, like a skinny monkey.
More than ten years ago, there was a flood in Xuzhou, and many people were affected by the disaster and fled. Chen Yi, the twelfth eldest brother, went out for three days. Finally, he brought back a woman who was dying of hunger and brought two children with her. Chen Yi used three wild vegetable and grain cakes
So I brought the three mothers back.
From then on, the woman stayed in the Chen family and became Chen Yi's wife. Later, she gave birth to a son, who was this boy. Unfortunately, the woman also had a bad life and died of illness not long after giving birth to the boy.
From then on, Chen Yi had to raise three children.
The mother handed the two hard-boiled eggs to Twelve Kan. The children all looked at it with greedy eyes, but they quickly looked away wisely.
"Xiao Ni will share one with your brother Ah Fu, and I will share one with A Gui." Twelve smiled and pinched an egg for the two children brought by his sister-in-law. Ah Fu was already fifteen years old, but because of lack of nutrition since childhood,
He is dark and thin, especially because he is a boy. He is obviously not well-received at home. His mother died early, and he is a miserable child. Chen Yi can do well in raising these two children, and he is not much of a father.
Love and the like, country people don't understand these things.
Ah Fu has been often called a bastard by the children in the same village since he was a child, and he has a somewhat low self-esteem.
In the family, Chen Twelve is the only one who is nice to the three children of his eldest brother's family, and he is even nice to Ah Fu.
Ah Fu shied away and refused, and Chen Twelve smiled and said, "Uncle Twelve, I will join the association immediately. I will definitely be able to join the Red Spear Association by then. At that time, there will be a six-douchin grain subsidy per month. If I go on a mission, there will be another
With subsidies, life will get better and better in the future. Uncle Twelve will catch more chickens and raise them, and when they grow up, they will lay eggs for the family to eat."
Chen Ah laughed and said, "It costs money to catch chicken cubs."
However, the whole family is extremely happy today and looking forward to the future.
The Red Gun Club is changing this village and changing this family. If you can be selected into the Red Gun Club, you will naturally get public food.
Not to mention that the Red Spear Team also has a benefit, that is, they often take on missions.
In fact, everyone knows what they are doing. It is nothing more than selling salt, grain, cloth, etc., that is, smuggling, especially selling smuggled salt. Because Yangzhou was controlled by the Ming army, although the salt in Henan still comes from Huaiyang,
But it came through smuggling channels.
Senior Brother has a way. He can sell salt from the Huaihe River and make a lot of profit by dumping it a few times. Every time he picks up the salt, he will mobilize the Red Spear Team. If he participates in the mission, he will be rewarded with money, food and even salt.
There was a time when there was a lot of salt sold, so not only the Red Spear team was transferred, but also some additional peripheral team members were transferred. That time Chen Twelve went out for half a month, and afterwards he distributed a bucket of salt and a stone of grain.
This has made everyone in the Chen family happy for a long time, and even now they are still sparing salt and grain.
Chen Ada has even been asking someone to arrange a marriage for Twelve recently. With a few kilograms of salt and a few buckets of grain, he can now find a young girl. If he is not picky, he can even go to the Yellow River.
Hungry people often pass by, and if they are very hungry, they can bring back a few kilograms of grain.
However, in famine years, if there is no food at home, even if you give a girl away for free, you may not dare to bring her back. After all, it will be an extra mouth.
Chen Twelve was successfully selected this time to join the forum and become a formal member. This is great news.
Some people have taken the initiative to ask someone to marry them, and they don’t even need any gifts. This is because in Yongcheng, the word "Red Gun Club" is very important. A formal Red Gun member is more popular, which means that the whole family is safe.
, you can even have good money and food.
It's better than working as an errand in the county or even as a soldier.
Chen Twelve gave most of the eggs to his nephew, but he actually kept a small piece of egg white. The eggs were boiled because there was no oil at home.
He finished it in two bites and felt that the eggs were so delicious.
He picked up a large bowl of noodle soup and drank it down loudly. What he said was noodle soup was actually water. Some salt was sprinkled in it, some wild vegetables were added, and some gnocchi were added. It was said to be a bowl of noodle soup.
It can soothe the stomach but does not resist hunger.
With hope, the family finished eating quickly, tidied up briefly, and then picked up the bench and headed to the village to dry their food.
When they arrived, they found that the sunbathing area was very lively. Many torches were lit and several large fires were burned, which illuminated the sunbathing area very brightly.
In fact, the development of the Red Spear Club is no longer a secret. People from all over the world know it very well, and the government also knows it. It's just that after the money was delivered, no one took care of it.
The news of the opening of the altar in the evening had spread early. Not only people from this village had come early, but also people from the street shops. Even some nearby villages came early, and many teachers and senior brothers from the branch also came with them.
People.
Chen Twelve wore his best clothes and appeared surrounded by his family. The neighbors all said congratulatory words to him. He felt as lively as when he got married.
He kept following the neighbors and villagers he knew to say hello.
At this time, many Red Spear members had appeared on the field. They were all carrying red tasseled spears and had belts with different league logo colors around their waists. The official team members also had knives (daggers) around their waists.
These people stand out from the crowd like chickens.
Even these people are very proud, with their heads held high like big cocks.
In Yongcheng, the signs of the Red Spear Club are more effective than the words of the gentry and landlords. Almost no one dares to bully and provoke them, let alone becoming a Red Spear member, which has many real benefits.
People are all realistic, and they don't care about too many big principles. The tangible benefits in front of them are the most tempting, especially in the current era of famine and turmoil.
More and more people are gathering here. Daeqiu Marketplace was already a big place, but now that the wheat on the sidelines has been harvested, it can accommodate more people.
"Aren't you afraid that there will be thousands of people?"
"More than that, it's probably more than that."
"Someone else is coming."
"This shouldn't be in the thousands or tens of thousands?"
"I don't think there are tens of thousands, but there will definitely be two or three thousand tonight."
"My dear mother, there are so many people."
"So, how famous is our Red Spear Club now? It's even famous in Xuzhou and Yingzhou, and the branch is even going to Kaifeng City."
In such troubled times, there are villages everywhere, as well as social organizations formed voluntarily by the people, whether they are guilds, Taoism, religions, sects, gangs, etc., anyway, they are given various names, all for the purpose of helping each other.
Help each other and stay together for warmth.
The red spear club here in Yongcheng is famous, and I heard that the broadsword club in Xuzhou is famous, and Yanzhou to the north is famous for boxing, and there is a small sword club in Huai'an that is also famous.
Gu Ming
In Haizhou, it is said that there is an Ax Gang.
······
No matter what name it is called, its essence is the same: scholars and people form associations to unite and protect themselves.
In a violently turbulent society, it is difficult for the official power to reach the countryside, it is difficult to distinguish between officials and gangsters, and disasters continue. The surviving people must protect themselves.
The drum beat started.
The noisy crowd gradually became quiet.
The sound of the drums became clearer and clearer, then the horns.
These are the sounds of the golden drum in the military, and they are also the battle formation methods that the Red Spear Club usually practices, and they were also used when the forum was opened later.
After hearing this, everyone consciously shut up.
After the three-way trumpet.
Zhao Zhongyi, the senior brother and chief instructor of the Loyalty Red Spear Association, rode out on a bay-red horse, carrying a red tassel gun, and led a hundred-strong Red Spear Guards team.
Each member of the Hundred Guardians' Association wore a red scarf on their head, a red scarf belt around their waists, and a red-tasseled gun in each hand. The most astonishing thing was that they were all riding mules.
They came out in a neat queue, and everyone unconsciously made way for them.
It was not the first time for Chen Twelve, who often participated in the Red Spear Club to practice shooting, that he had seen this scene, but every time he saw it, he was shocked and yearned for it. With this momentum and majesty, even the biggest gangsters in Dangshan could not compare with them. Although those gangsters
There are also many horses and mules, but I dare not say that there is such a neat team of 500 mules.
Zhao Zhongyi led a team of 100 mule riders to specially stage a mule troop parade. After shocking everyone in the audience, he dismounted.
Arriving on the stage that had been set up in advance, he shouted loudly.
"Please invite the old master to come on stage to open the forum!"
The old master was wearing a Taoist robe, and there was a sense of immortality and Taoism that floated over him.
"Worship God Xuantian!"
Old Master Zhao led everyone to face south and worship, shouting to worship Xuantian God.
Then the old master stood up, took out a piece of yellow talisman paper, muttered something, put the talisman away for a long time, and asked Zhao Zhongyi to get a basin of holy water, light the talisman, and then the ashes of the talisman melted into the holy water in the basin.
"Emperor Xuantian gave you the talisman, holy water!"
Thirty-six young team members who joined this time were called up. They were originally peripheral team members, but after observation they were promoted to full members.
Everyone came on stage and was admitted into the meeting by the old master in front of him.
The initiation ceremony is both simple and somewhat mysterious.
The simple thing is that when they go on stage, the old master gives them a red tassel gun, a belt, and a short knife, and then takes them to a mysterious black tent on the stage.
Do another transfer inside.
Set up a dark tent and tell the outside world that this is the Dharma without spreading it to the outside world.
Of course, outsiders cannot see what is passed on inside, and those who join the association are not allowed to reveal even the slightest bit.
Chen Twelve stood on the stage with great excitement, and the old master handed him a three-piece membership set.
Then thirty-six new members followed into the black tent.
After entering, there were a few candles lit inside and it was very dim.
Wash your face and hands first, this is baptism.
"Kneel down and worship God Xuantian!"
Chen Twelve and others followed the instructions and knelt down before the sign of Xuantian God.
Xuantian God is the god who protects the country and governs the country in the Ming Dynasty. He is also called Northern Xuanwu Emperor, Zhenwu Emperor, and among the people, he is called emperor Junye, Tiandiye, Tianlaoye, etc.
There is also a sign in front of Xuantian God, which reads, Lord of Heaven and Earth, Personal Master.
Finally, there is the transmission of talismans, that is, the transmission of dharma.
Chen Twelve knelt on the ground respectfully, ready to listen to Xuantian God's decree.
"The emperor of Fengtian Chengyun issued an edict:
Chen Twelve was stunned when he heard this. How could he return the emperor's edict?
Others were also a little stunned.
Only then did they see that the old master was actually holding a bright yellow scroll in his hand. Some people who had seen the show felt that this should be an imperial edict.
Isn't it a teaching? Why did you get another imperial edict?
The old master began to read.
"Since ancient times, emperors have ruled the world, and they have always lived in China to control the barbarians, and the barbarians have lived outside to serve China. It is unheard of to say that the barbarians live in China and control the world...
At this time, the fate of heaven is circulating, the Qi of the Central Plains is strong, and among billions of trillions, a saint will be born.
Drive out the barbarians, restore China, establish principles and discipline, and rescue the people.
······
It reaches Bashu in the west, Canghai in the east, Fujian and Yue in the south, Hu, Hunan, Han, Mian, Lianghuai, Xu, and Pi, all of them are included in the territory, and the border to the south is mine.
The people are at peace, the food is sufficient, the soldiers are well-trained, and the bows and arrows are in control. I look at the people of the Central Plains, who have been without a master for a long time, and feel deeply guilty. I respectfully accept the destiny, and do not dare to be safe. I want to send troops to the north to drive away the Hu.
Capture the captives, save the people from ruin, and restore the dignity of the Han officials.
Concerned that the people of the country are unknown and are my enemies, the family is heading north, and they are still in deep trouble, so I warn them in advance: when the soldiers arrive, the people should not avoid them. I give my orders seriously, and there will be no infringement.
Those who return to me will live in peace in China forever; those who betray me will flee beyond the Great Wall.
For our Chinese people, God will order our Chinese people to keep them in peace. How can the barbarians and the Di rule them?
I was afraid that the land in China would be polluted and smelly for a long time, and the people would be disturbed, so I led the heroes to work hard to clear it out, aiming to drive out the barbarians, eliminate the riots, and make the people find their place, so as to avenge China's shame and let the people wait for it.
For example, in Mongolia, although Semu is not a Chinese race, but they are born in the same world between heaven and earth, and those who know etiquette and justice and are willing to be subjects are no different from those raised by people in Zhongxia. Therefore, I am here to tell you, I hope you will know."
The cadence of the old master's reading was very passionate.
However, Chen Twelve and others were confused when they heard it, and seemed to understand.
a long time.
Chen Twelve couldn't help but ask, "Old Master, can you explain it to me? I don't understand."
The old master looked at these young people and said, "This is the proclamation for the Northern Expedition of the Yuan Dynasty issued by Emperor Gao, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, more than two hundred years ago."
