My years as a soldier

"How did this happen? Who did he mess with? Who hit him—"

In the early hours of the morning, Hu Jiuzhang stood in front of Duwei Zhang. Although oil lamps were lit all around, the room was still dark, and he couldn't even distinguish the color of his clothes.But Hu Jiuzhang's eyes were red, the moonlight shone into the room from the side window, it seemed that all the light was absorbed by his red eyes.

"Hey...Jiu Zhang, it's not that I don't want to help you. The people in Chang'an City are in deep water, and it's not something small families like us can provoke."

Under the dim light, Duwei Zhang's face was hidden in the candlelight, and the dim yellow light could only illuminate his side hand and the linen bag clutched in it.

"Jiu Zhang, this is the 50 taels of silver you gave me when you came to see me last month. After such a toss, I used up 30 taels and left 20 taels... When they saw that the matter could not be done, they sent it back to me. Yes. This is not small money, you take it."

Zhang Duwei was a cheerful person, before Hu Jiuzhang mentioned it, he took out the money himself.As for how much was spent on Hu Yan, Zhang Duwei didn't say, and Hu Jiuzhang didn't know either.

"What's the use of this money..." Hu Jiuzhang grabbed the sackcloth bag, his voice trembling.

"Hey... why is it useless? Money is still useless these days?" Zhang Duwei seemed surprised.

"If my brother dies... only my mother is left in the family, how can she live alone..."

"Hey...or do you send the money back to your hometown to give to your mother? I see that you have suffered a lot in the past five years. You can take one round of leave in three years, but you have been insisting on it. In fact, if you are really worried, I I will give you a three-month leave, let you go home to visit your relatives, or simply bring your mother to Beiting. We don’t have many other things in Beijiang, we have many places, and everyone is close to you, so you don’t have to worry about it. gone."

"Hmm..." Hu Jiuzhang nodded in a muffled voice. He held the heavy 20 taels of silver in his hand, but his heart was overwhelmed and he couldn't calm down.

Hu Jiuzhang should have taken advantage of the free time he finally got to get a good night's sleep after having been busy with changing defenses for most of the night.But that night, he didn't even touch the bed, he just sat on the ridge outside the barracks and looked at the moon.

The next day, Hu Jiuzhang, who had never been out of work for five years, packed his bags for returning home.When Hu Jiuzhang was about to leave, Captain Cheng and Zhao Dazhu ran out to see him off.

"Old Hu, don't be too sad, this kind of thing is fate, no one can do anything about it. Why don't you go and pick up your old lady, stay by your side and take care of it, don't worry."

"Hey——you can just say a few words!" Captain Cheng pulled Zhao Dazhu back, "Jiu Zhang, no matter whether you go to Beijing or return to your hometown, you have to say something to the brothers when you get there. It's been five years, you also You are an old man in our Sixth Regiment, no matter what happens at home, you still have our brothers at least, so don’t overwhelm yourself before you run out of ammunition and food.”

The captain is still the captain.As soon as Cheng Dui finished speaking, Hu Jiuzhang's nose became sore.He nodded vigorously at Cheng Cen, and when he turned around again, he couldn't help it anymore.Hu Jiuzhang took big strides and walked towards the pass with arrogance and arrogance, but his face was already full of tears.He didn't know how far he had traveled like this before he cried intermittently.

"Xiaoyan, brother I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Hu Jiuzhang was wearing his navy uniform, walking on the avenue from Saibei to Chang'an, not to mention the scenery.They Han Haijun are well-known. Everyone in the northwest area knows everyone. His equipment is all specially made by Han Haijun. The domineering Tang Jun Hengdao, even though he is just a big soldier with no position and no power, the big soldier of Han Haijun is really different from other places.

When he was on the road in Beijiang, everyone respected him no matter whether he was playing the tip or staying in a hotel along the way.Even though Hu Jiuzhang's mood was extremely bad, but looking at the people in northern Xinjiang who warmly entertained him along the way, he thought that the past five years had not been in vain.What they Han Haijun protects is not only the northern border, but also the Tang Dynasty.And every time he thought of this, his heart felt warm, as if he was held in the palm of someone's hand.

After leaving Longyou Road, Hu Jiuzhang's military uniform is not so useful.The people in the pass didn't know him in military uniform outside the Great Wall. When they saw someone approaching, they only knew he was a soldier, but they didn't know where he was from. Some people were trustworthy, so they asked, but most Don't even ask.

Humanely, there are seven Zhechong mansions in Datang 620, each of which is different, but they are all soldiers after all, so it’s good to treat them all as soldiers.And if someone really opened his mouth to ask, Hu Jiuzhang would say that he was from Longyou.From the perspective of Guanzhong people, the 21 mansions of Longyou Road are all the same.

When Hu Jiuzhang arrived in Chang'an, it was half a month later.The journey was tiring, and he had to walk for a month, but he walked there in half a month.Along the way, he carried the 20 taels of silver that Captain Zhang gave him, but he didn't dare to spend any of it.He thought that when he arrived in Chang'an, if Hu Yan really couldn't survive, he would have already turned into a rotting corpse.

When a person died, even if he couldn't speak anymore, he wanted to find his brother's body and give him a decent funeral.It always costs money to buy a coffin, and it also costs money to transport the corpse back home. 20 taels may not be enough, and 30 taels and 40 taels may not be enough.

And if Hu Yan hadn't died, Hu Jiuzhang would take the 20 taels to treat Hu Yan's injuries.

If you want to take 20 taels to buy medicine for a dying person in Chang'an, it may not be enough.But Hu Jiuzhang hoped that his younger brother was still alive.As long as the person is still alive, he is willing to spend any amount of money.He doesn't care whether Hu Yan is disabled or stupid, as long as he is alive, it is better than anything else.

Hu Jiuzhang hurried and ran on the avenue all afternoon with his luggage weighing more than 20 kilograms on his back, before entering Chang'an City when the square gate closed before sunset.

"Brother please—"

After being inspected by the city gate supervisor, Hu Jiuzhang suddenly grabbed the old official's hand.

"Is something wrong?"

The city gate supervisor in Chang'an spoke in an official accent, but Hu Jiuzhang was not used to that accent, and when he opened his mouth, he smelt of the Northwest soil, which made the old official frown.

"Trouble brother, I came to Chang'an to find someone. Have you ever heard of Hu Yan? He is my brother. He is from Chengzhou Prefecture, Shannan West Road. He is 21 this year. He came to Chang'an last month. I I heard that something happened to my brother, so I came—”

Before Hu Jiuzhang finished speaking, he was interrupted by the old official waving his hand.

"Hey - you, did you not see that the city gate is about to be closed? I want to find someone to ask Wuhou Zhisuo in the city early in the morning. Don't get in the way here!"

With a wave of his arm, the old official turned around and left.It's just how strong an old official can be, how can he shake off Hu Jiuzhang's hand in one go?When the old official turned to leave, Hu Jiuzhang's arm was still propped there like cast iron.The old official didn't shake off his hand, he did it himself.

He couldn't forget the way the city gate supervisor looked at him when he spoke.That's like watching a dog.

But Hu Jiuzhang still had a smile on his face.If he hadn't spoken to the city gate supervisor, Hu Jiuzhang would never have felt that his Northwest dialect was so rustic.He suddenly thought of Hu Yan. When Hu Yan came to Chang'an last month, did he also receive such supercilious looks?As soon as Hu Jiuzhang thought of this, his tears could not be stopped.

Xiao Yan is a scholar, he has a thin skin...

Hu Jiuzhang endured the soreness in his nasal cavity, hurried past the small table of the guard at the city gate, and walked straight towards Chang'an West Market with his head sullen.He had to find a temporary hotel before the curfew in Chang'an City.On weekdays, you can eat and sleep outdoors, but once you enter Chang'an City, you have to spend money every day.

The small hotel where Hu Jiuzhang lived temporarily was called "Shunchang".The shop signs of the shops in Chang'an City all have auspicious names, and once they are called out, they are catchy, full of confidence and bright.But in fact, Shunchang Hotel is just a small shop located on the edge of the West Market. When you enter the door, there is only one clerk in the shop.The small shop is not big, there is a small wooden table in the left compartment, which is used for cooking tea and wine for the guests, and a small room with two entrances and two exits on the right is a temporary hut for the guests.

"Is the guest here to stay?"

As soon as Hu Jiuzhang pushed open the shop door, he heard the busy man in the middle of the hut speak loudly to him, also in a sharp Beijing accent. Hu Jiuzhang took a deep breath, and his voice was a little nasal after crying.

"Trouble store, I'm staying here, how much is it for a night here, do you have food?"

As soon as Hu Jiuzhang opened his mouth, the guy understood.

"Is the customer here from out of town? My small shop is not expensive, eight big bucks for one night. If the customer is hungry, there are sesame seeds in the shop. Hubing, two big bucks, it is delicious to eat hot." .”

"Ah..." Hu Jiuzhang stared at the shop owner in a daze and replied.Flatbread.He remembered the two cakes that Hu Yan baked for him again...

"I... stay overnight first."

Only then did Hu Jiuzhang fully enter the door.He closed the wooden door of the small shop casually, took out a small piece of broken silver from his clothes, and handed it to the shopkeeper.

"Hey, the customer spends a lot of money. You see, it's late, and the small shop can't break through the broken silver. The customer might as well wait for the west market to open early in the morning, go to the street to break the money, and then pay for the hotel. "

The shopkeeper said it politely, Hu Jiuzhang thought for a while, but didn't say anything, he just took back his hand and put the broken silver back into the linen bag stuffed in his skirt.

"That's good. Stay at the hotel... where?"

Hu Jiuzhang looked left and right, and before he finished reading, the shopkeeper laughed and led him to the small room on the east side with two entrances and two exits.

"This way, this way..."

The small house has two entrances, separated by the first column, which is blocked by a wooden screen, and further inside, there is another screen.The shopkeeper only led him to the first wooden screen, and then withdrew to leave.Hu Jiuzhang looked at the poorly furnished floor, and couldn't help but want to look into the second screen.

"Shopkeeper, I'm going to sleep here?"

"Yes." The storekeeper nodded at Hu Jiuzhang with a smile, "There is already a customer staying in the inner room, and the wronged guest lives in the outer room."

Hearing his words, Hu Jiuzhang couldn't help frowning.It costs eight bucks to play a floor shop here for one night!It's too expensive--

"Shopkeeper, is the inside the same as the outside?"

"Uh... that room inside is already occupied, wronged customer..." Seeing Hu Jiuzhang's frowning, the shopkeeper's voice became a little tense, but a human voice suddenly came from behind the second screen.

"There's only a small cave in here. If you don't mind, come in and make a bed on the floor, I don't mind."

It was another very fluent Beijing accent, but this one was different from the city gate supervisor Hu Jiuzhang met, and from this shop.The voice was clear and easy-going, and there was a sense of elegance in and out of the words, which made Hu Jiuzhang unable to answer for a while. Compared with that voice, the Northwest dialect he spoke was really too ugly.

"Cough, uh..."

Hu Jiuzhang simply walked around the screen and peeked inside.But he saw a jade-faced scholar in a white robe lying on his side on a small couch.

For some reason, his face turned red.

That kid is so handsome——

Hu Jiuzhang took a deep breath. He thought that the scholars were all like Hu Yan of their family, white and clean, wearing scholarly robes and scarves.But now the kid lying on the couch in the back room is also dressed like this, but Hu Jiuzhang looked at him, but he couldn't associate him with the word scholar.

As soon as he looked at the man's face, he thought of the beauty in Zhangtaigui's courtyard, who had just complained to the store owner, but became embarrassed again.