Syndicate Growth Manual

On the day we arrived in Jiangzhou, the sky began to snow again.After marching for more than half a month, the soldiers and horses were already exhausted. Coupled with the fact that the temperature was getting lower and lower every day, the armor was almost frozen, because most of the marching routes were along the river or in the wild. It was extremely muddy, and the cotton boots of many soldiers were wet and dry, and their feet were froze, and the medicine did not work.

Although Jiangzhou is colder, when we arrive at the military camp, we will not have to travel long distances, and we will have hot water and dry boots.When the army marched to the northernmost Huai County, everyone's spirits were lifted.

Zhao Chen and several other generals were going to report to the barracks with the army, a lot of trivial matters, so Zhao Yuan was escorted by Jia Xun, and went to the general's mansion first with two maidservants and several carts of belongings.The hussar general Jie Han who originally lived in the general's mansion moved his family to another mansion. He has always been a senior official. Jie Han emptied the general's mansion half a month ago and moved away, saving Zhao Chen's trouble.

Zhao Yuan and Lichun Lixia were sitting in the carriage. He was wearing a jacket with two fronts like the one in the north, with his hands folded in the sleeves, and a fur hat with ear protectors on his head, wrapped like a ball and looking out.

Behind him, Li Chun let out a pitiful exclamation: "I heard you say ten households and nine empties first, but I still don't believe it. Now it seems that it is true. It's too miserable!"

Yes, it is indeed miserable.

Zhao Yuan watched all the way, except for a few pharmacies and some shops selling mutton soup and meat pancakes, the street was actually deserted.There are white cloth strips floating outside almost every closed shop facing the street. Occasionally, there are scattered pedestrians, either soldiers with swords crossed, or old women with baskets. It is reasonable that a prefectural city of a large border county should be bustling and crowded. Can't see it either.

Li Xia was even more worried. She looked at the street outside with a sad face, and asked Li Chun: "Sister, what should I do with the shopping? This time I am here with the army, and I dare not bring more things. I am afraid that the general's mansion is not small, no matter how few people there are. , I will live here for a few years, I can't just tidy up a few rooms... Besides, the lord and the big man have worked hard, even if the food and food are not as good as those in the mansion, they can't be too bad!"

Why doesn't Lichun worry?

This time Li Qiu specifically pointed her out because she could control people, since Li Qiu cannot come, no matter it is Li Xia or Li Dong who come, there must be someone who can control them.In fact, even if Li Qiu didn't say anything, she would take the initiative to invite Ying. She has experienced some things this year, and she can understand that Li Qiu only cares about Mr. Lang when encountering major issues, but she is worried about Da Lang.

Dalang is like a young tree that is sprouting. It has not yet grown up, and it will come here to encounter wind and rain. The only thing she can do is to be the craftsman who waters and fertilizes, and takes care of her he.But there is such a shortage of supplies here, even a clever woman can hardly cook without rice!

When the carriage arrived at the General's Mansion, there were already four or five people dressed as soldiers carrying things back and forth. Jia Xun got off the horse and wanted to carry Zhao Yuan off, but Zhao Yuan jumped off by himself from under his arms.Although Zhao Chen had no intention of exercising Zhao Yuan along the way, the environment was not as good as Jiangcheng's Zhongjun Mansion after all. Zhao Yuan still slowly lost some of his coquettishness and became—according to Wei Hong's statement—a lot more skinny.

Lichun and Lixia were busy directing people to move things, and Zhao Yuan ran in.

The General's Mansion located at the border has a distinctive northern architectural style, with high courtyard walls and water-proof roofs, without the shady gardens, carved beams and painted beams and corners of the Jiangcheng Gaomen Mansion, and all kinds of decorations. On the contrary, there is a large bluestone-paved school yard in the front and back, which is neat and clean, full of rough and wild.

... The above is Zhao Xiaoyuan's perspective.

In fact, as soon as Lichun stepped into this mansion, he looked disgusted, and Lixia even made a fuss and shouted: "Where can people live here! The back room where the servants live in our mansion has more small gardens than here. Why is there not even a hanging flower gate here?" She looked around and complained, "Sister, look, the front is big enough to run a horse, but there are not even a few trees, and the wind is cold in winter and the sun is shining in summer. , there is not much lake in the back, pavilion, where is the banquet? In case there is a guest..."

Li Chun patted her, and said angrily: "What kind of banquet is there? Mr. Lang came here to lead the army to fight, and this place has suffered a catastrophe. How can anyone have the heart to have a feast!" She sighed as she spoke, " Fortunately, we don't have many people, we don't have female relatives, and we don't need those taboos."

Zhao Yuan was too lazy to listen to the women's chatter, and went into the second main room by himself.The house here does not have corridors, but the base is higher, and you can enter the house after two or three steps and a large threshold. The house is covered upside down with a layer of long-haired lichens with bright colors and intricate weaving patterns, but the inner room is not. It's a serious kang.

Perhaps it is because people have lived there all the time, the room is not humid, and there are no small ornaments, but the big ones such as the brocade box, the black lacquered bedroom cabinet and dressing table, the square table and the short table are all complete. The curtains inside are made of thick felt, only inlaid with brocade, and they are probably new.

Satisfied, he took a tour of his and Dad's bedroom for the next few years and went out.

Jia Xun was entering with a couple of guards with two boxes in between, and when he saw Zhao Yuan, he said, "Don't run around, my lord, the people in the house are carefully abducted when they come in and out!"

Zhao Yuan rolled his eyes at him. Apart from adding the honorific title of "Xiao Langzhu", the content of this sentence is like greeting a kitten and a puppy!He snorted dissatisfiedly, and followed Jiaxun to the second entrance room, no one lived there anyway, so he simply used it as a warehouse to store some valuables.

"Where's my big red dates?" He watched Jia Xun put down the cage, shaking off his sweat in the winter.

Jia Xun took Zhao Yuan by the collar and moved him to the side out of the way, saying: "Your jujube is still breastfeeding, and I will bring it to you after weaning."

Yes, that's one of the reasons Joo-won likes this new home.Although the Zhongjun Mansion also has a school field, but it is relatively small, and it is unlikely to want to race horses.But at that time he was still young, even the pony couldn't get on without help.This time on the march, Zhao Yuan spent at least one-third of the time on his father's horse. Comrade Zhao Chen taught him how to control the reins, how to calm the horses, and even agreed to take a baby born on the road. A horse cub was given to him.

The war horses that Zhao Chen brought out this time were all bred from Dawan horses and Central Plains horses, and they were extremely precious.These Dawan horses used for breeding were paid tribute to the Zhao Kingdom by Dawan a hundred years ago, and have been carefully bred by the Yuma Garden until now. Once they are mixed, they will not exceed four generations.For unknown reasons, Dawan horses gradually lose their reproductive ability after mating with local horses for several generations, and the horses born after three or four generations basically do not show the genes of Dawan horses.

Zhao Xiaoyuan's Dahongzao is the most successful second-generation crossbred horse, with a strong body, dexterity and speed.

"Little horses can't live without Auntie, alas, just grow up quickly." Mou Yuan muttered behind Jiaxun's buttocks, "Then take me to see it later, feelings need to be cultivated from an early age, time It's too long, I'm afraid the red dates will forget me."

What a chatterbox!

Jia Xun moved things a few times, and his young master babbled on his buttocks for a long time. Although this kind of treatment was rare, the ears couldn't bear it if it was too sour.He clapped his hands, signaled to leave the rest to the other party, then turned around and squatted down to look at Zhao Xiaoyuan.

Zhao Yuan took a step back and looked at him vigilantly: "...What are you doing?"

Jia Xun gave a smirk, and hooked his fingers at him: "Master Xiao Lang, come, this subordinate will take you up to the tower to have a look."

"Don't try to cause me to make mistakes," Zhao Yuan stared at him with an expression of "I've seen through your tricks", "How can a child go up the tower at will? I will be the one who will be beaten!"

"You will hang out in the military camp sooner or later. If you go earlier, no one will say anything about you. Let's go!" Jia Xun couldn't help but reach out and pinch his little face, and walked outside while he didn't respond.

Then he was almost turned into a pig's head by Zhao Yuan.

There is another difference in Fucheng on the border, that is, you can run horses on the street at will.Of course, this has something to do with the fact that the streets are too empty now.Jiaxun led Zhao Yuan in small steps on horseback, and when he looked up, he could see the high city wall in the distance.

Everything seems tall in the north, city walls, courtyard walls, trees, horses, and people.Sitting in front of Jiaxun, Zhao Yuan looked at the shops on both sides. There were high thresholds. Occasionally, a tree protruded from the yard. The trunk was straight and straight, and it stretched desperately to the sky, as if it wasted all its nutrition to grow tall. , not even a few leaves.

Seeing that Zhao Yuan was fascinated, Jia Xun held him with one hand and pointed to a roadside restaurant and asked, "Do you want to eat the mutton cakes sold by this restaurant?"

Zhao Yuan nodded when he smelled the fragrance in the air.Jia Xun didn't go down either, he drove his horse to the door of the restaurant, took out a few baht from his pocket and threw it to the old man guarding the door: "Wrap me four cakes."

The old man took out the steaming mutton from a large pot, chopped it into minced meat and stuffed it into the sliced ​​cake, then baked the cake for a few times, sprinkled some peppercorns, wrapped it in oiled paper and stretched it out. Pass it to Jiaxun.From the beginning to the end, without saying a word, with a deadpan face.

Zhao Yuan couldn't help but glanced at him a few times. The old man finally squeezed a smile out of his wrinkled old face when he saw the little baby, and he looked extraordinarily stiff.

Jia Xun frowned, and drove away directly.He touched Zhao Yuan's forehead with the hand holding him, and held a piece of cake for Zhao Yuan to eat.

"Don't go to see them, eat it while it's hot."

Zhao Yuan made a muffled reply, then stretched out his head and took a bite.The sheep here are all bought from outside the customs, which means that when there is no war, the lamb is very fresh, and the marinade is mellow, and it can be blissful to the bones when it is sandwiched in the crispy cake.But unexpectedly, Zhao Yuan felt a bit bitter from it.

"Why are there only old people in the city?" He raised his head and asked Jiaxun.

Jia Xun was using his rough fingers to wipe away the dregs from the corners of his mouth. Hearing the words, he said casually: "The young ones are either conscripted to the military camp, or they are dead. For those who stay open like this and don't leave, I guess my son is still in the army." .”

Zhao Yuan frowned.Just now the old man is getting old, he has a son, so he should be at the age of marrying a wife and having children... He had noticed the white flag hanging in the corner of the shop, and he didn't know that someone in the family had died.

Jia Xun rubbed his face and said: "How old are you, how do you frown? Now that we are here, we will avenge the dead sooner or later. If you feel uncomfortable, you should learn martial arts and the art of war from Master Lang. Come and be a general to protect us Zhao people."

Zhao Yuan glared at him and nodded for a while.

Every city has walls and gatekeepers, but the gatekeepers here in Huai County Fucheng are completely different.Their faces are covered with dust, their armors are covered with rust and mud spots, their eyes are bloodshot, and their bodies and hands are wounded, but they are all tall and straight, their hands holding the pointed halberds are motionless, their eyes are firm and murderous, and they are human. People are like swords out of their sheaths.

These are all soldiers who have seen blood and killed people.

The city gatekeeper saw Jiaxun's badge and let them go up.Jia Xun put Zhao Yuan down and protected him from behind, letting him climb up by himself.Zhao Yuan had never climbed the Great Wall in his life, and the high stone steps here were as high as his thighs, so he had to use his strength to climb up step by step.

He could feel the eyes of the gatekeepers following him along the way. Although they were silent, those eyes seemed to be able to speak.After all, the child's physical strength is limited, Zhao Yuan lost his strength when he climbed to two-thirds of the way, his knee slipped and almost slipped, and Jia Xun picked him up.

Jia Xun wiped off his sweat and led him up the tower.

The city wall is about ten meters high, and even the stacked walls are nearly two meters high.Zhao Yuan was hugged by Jia Xun, so he could lean on the wall and look out, and was completely shocked.

There is a moat under the city, and not far away is a large number of troops camped. Farther away, trenches have been dug, thorn nets have been drawn, and the flag of Zhao State is flying high.Outside the city is the endless prairie. In winter, the prairie is covered with heavy snow, and all that is exposed is black soil, white snow and black soil, and black rivers meandering. Everything looks so vast and tragic. .

Jia Xun hugged him and pointed to the west: "Look over there, do you know what's going on with that smoke?"

Zhao Yuan looked to the west, and saw thick smoke bursting out there, and the black air shot straight into the sky.

He looked at Jiaxun, and Jiaxun said in a deep voice, "That's the resentment of burning corpses! There are not only the corpses of the people in the city, but also the soldiers of our Zhao Kingdom, as well as the dead dog Rong people—the dead people." There are too many, and if the whole family dies, no one will identify the corpses, and to prevent the epidemic, we can only burn them all!"

Zhao Yuan opened his eyes wide and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Kill all the dogs! Kill all the dogs!"

In the barracks not far away, rows of soldiers changed their formations, waved the long knives in their hands, and let out deafening, powerful roars.Among them, several generals on horseback wore red cloaks and walked back and forth with swords in hand.

"Kill all the dog soldiers and defend our country of Zhao!"

Murderous -

Zhao Yuan almost immediately recognized the general's voice echoing outside the city gate, it was his father!For the first time, he felt a deep sense of belonging, and realized that he was a native of Zhao, and the place he was standing at this time was the land of Zhao.His father is the great general of Zhao, and he is willing to shed his blood for this land!

He, although he suffered some hardships in his previous life, those sufferings were actually very limited in a country with a sound system and peace for many years.For example, even if he is an orphan, because of the national education system, he can still go to school instead of being blind, and he can still find a job to support his family in the future.

In this era, he seemed to be made up for the hard work of his previous life, almost as if he had fallen into a honey pot.Although he didn't have a biological mother, his father changed his way to pamper him from life to psychology. The suffering he suffered was nothing more than some calculations, but compared to everything in front of him, it seemed to be nothing worth mentioning.

Many more people are struggling with death.

Looking at his father's heroic appearance on horseback, Zhao Yuan suddenly wanted to grow up—only when he grows up can he ride a horse and keep pace with his father. When his father goes to the battlefield, he will follow him!He wants to protect Zhao Chen and the people around him!

(End of first volume)

Volume Two: The Young Phoenix's First Sing