Chapter 473: Old Friends Come to Join
Chapter 473: Old Friends Come to Join
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, military recruitment began in various places. The military had already allocated the quotas to each county and sent dozens of recruitment teams to various places, with the cooperation of local governments.
This was the first time that professional soldiers were recruited in Jiangnan after the fall of the Chen Dynasty. More soldiers were recruited in counties with larger populations, and fewer soldiers were recruited in counties with smaller populations. However, this was not necessarily the case, because it was not mandatory and depended entirely on the voluntary participation of the applicants. Adjustments would be made based on the number of applicants.
However, a public opinion survey had been conducted before, and Xiao Xia discovered some clues. In comparison, people from Jianghuai were more willing to join the army, while people from Jiangnan were less willing to join the Sui army. According to this survey, the 20,000 troops this time were mainly composed of people from Jianghuai, and some from Jiangnan were also recruited appropriately.
There are seven counties in Jianghuai, namely Jiangdu County, Lujiang County, Zhongli County, Huainan County, Yiyang County, Liyang County and Tongan County. Among them, Jiangdu County and Lujiang County have the largest area, the largest population, and the most enthusiastic registration.
On the main street of Qingliu County, Jiangdu Commandery, a long team stretched for two miles. All of them were strong young men. The recruitment point was two tents with a row of tables inside the tents. There were a total of seven people in charge of the recruitment, three officials from Qingliu County, four recruiting sergeants from the Jin Wang Army, and a captain in the lead.
The first step in registration is to check the household registration. This time we only recruit good citizens. If you are an illegal resident or not a local, you cannot register.
After verifying the household registration, you take a wooden number plate to the military to apply for recruitment. The application is also very simple. You have to meet the appearance requirements, reach the height standard, and have no disabilities. Then you have to lift an 80-jin stone lock above your head. Only then will you pass. Finally, you will register and take home a stone of rice and two sheepskins. This is a benefit for the new recruits.
On the third day after being admitted, the new recruits gathered at the gate of the county government office and would take a boat to the new recruit camp for training. If they took the things and did not report, they would be held accountable by the government.
Of course, if one has any special talents, such as excellent swimming skills, or has reached the third rank in martial arts, or is a county scholar, one will be admitted as an exception even if the height and weightlifting skills do not meet the requirements.
In just two days, Qingliu County alone admitted nine hundred new recruits, Jiangdu County alone admitted five thousand soldiers, Lujiang County admitted four thousand, and the other four counties each admitted one thousand. The entire Jianghuai region admitted thirteen thousand people. Xiao Xia planned to recruit the remaining seven thousand people and the future navy from Jiangnan.
Jiangdu County was busy recruiting soldiers. At noon that day, a 2,000-stone mixed passenger ship slowly approached the Jiangdu wharf. A mixed passenger ship is actually a long-distance passenger ship on the water, carrying many different passengers, and is especially common in the Jiangnan region.
The boat was brought ashore and the guests flocked to the dock. The last person to come ashore was a young man in his twenties. He wore a gauze hat, a white warrior suit, had a handsome appearance and a long sword at his waist.
But if you look closely, you can still see that this young man is dressed as a young woman, but she walks briskly and exudes a hint of murderous aura.
The woman walked into Jiangdu City and asked an old man selling water on the roadside, "Excuse me, sir, how do I get to Prince Jin's Mansion?"
The old man smiled and said, "Sir, do you want to go to the old Jin Palace or the new Jin Palace?"
"What's the difference?"
"Prince Jin is moving to the city. He is moving these days, so both sides are Prince Jin's palace."
The woman thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the new palace!"
The old man pointed at the main road and said, "Young Master, walk along the main road until you see a Guanyun Restaurant. Then turn north and walk to the end. On the left is a magnificent mansion with very high walls and soldiers standing guard in front of the gate. That is the new prince's palace."
"More fathers-in-law!"
The woman walked quickly with the sword in hand, and soon found the magnificent Prince Jin's Mansion. It was originally the official residence of Wei Lihu, the governor of Jiangdu. It was later renovated and expanded, and the walls were raised. Now it has become Xiao Xia's temporary Prince Jin's Mansion, covering an area of about 30 acres.
The woman walked to the gate of the mansion, and the guard stopped her, "This is the Prince of Jin's mansion, you are not allowed to enter without permission!"
"I was recommended by Governor Xiao of Wu County. Please let me know!"
"What's the matter, sir?"
Steward Tian was directing the servants to hang lanterns when he turned around and saw the young woman. When he heard that she was recommended by Governor Xiao, he walked up to her.
The woman cupped her fists and said, "I heard that Prince Jin's Mansion is recruiting guards, so I came here to apply."
"We are only recruiting female guards."
The woman laughed, "I know!"
Butler Tian then noticed that the woman had no Adam's apple in her throat, and her neutral voice suddenly became soft.
Butler Tian apologized, "I didn't recognize you, please forgive me, may I ask your name?"
"My last name is Xiao too, and I am from the Xiao clan of Piling County."
"I see. Please come in first, young lady!"
This woman was none other than Xiao Ai, the most skilled female warrior of the Xiao clan of Piliang. She was the daughter of Xiao Huan. Not long after the three Xiao fighting competition ended five years ago, she got married. However, her husband died of illness only two years after their marriage, and she became a young widow.
Later, she was preparing to get married again, but before the wedding, the man suddenly fell ill and died, and she became a widow again.
Having been married twice and widowed twice, she had a reputation of being a jinx, so it was difficult for her to get married again. After several blind dates, the other party immediately cancelled the plans after hearing about her reputation. Xiao Ai simply decided not to remarry, and traveled around the south with a sword to do good deeds. She also worked as a bounty hunter, catching thieves everywhere. She was very good at martial arts and swordsmanship, and she liked to wear white clothes, so she earned the name of a white phoenix.
After three years of wandering outside, she was already 23 years old and a little tired. She went home to visit her parents during the New Year, and the head of the family, Xiao Lin, wrote her a letter of recommendation, recommending her to work as a female guard in the Prince Jin's Mansion.
After sitting in the living room for a while, the housekeeper came over and said, "Young lady, please follow me!"
Xiao Ai followed the housekeeper to the back hall, "Miss, please sit down for a moment. The princess will be here soon."
Xiao Ai sat down and a maid came in and served tea. Soon, the sound of rings and pendants was heard, and a group of maids surrounded a very young lady and came forward. Behind her followed a young woman, but she had no makeup and no jewelry. She was dressed very simply, but she was obviously not a maid.
Xiao Ai was very knowledgeable. She immediately guessed that this noble young woman was the Princess of Jin. She quickly stood up and bowed, "I am Xiao Ai, your humble servant, and I pay my respects to the Princess!"
Cui Yu nodded, turned around and asked Zhang Qiao beside him with a smile, "Is it her?"
Zhang Qiao smiled and said, "Yes, it's her!"
Xiao Ai was stunned. Did the young woman behind him know him?
She looked at Zhang Qiao carefully and felt that he looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where he was.
Cui Yu waved his hand and said with a smile: "Miss Xiao, please sit down!"
Xiao Ai sat down and looked at Zhang Qiao with confusion.
Cui Yu smiled slightly and said, "Miss Xiao must have seen my husband."
Xiao Ai nodded, "Back then in Jiangning County, King Jin's sword was amazing. I remember it vividly!"
"Speaking of which, my husband's surname should be Yang, but he always says that he is a descendant of the Xiao family, so we are also one of our own. Miss Xiao is welcome to join the Jin Palace. Currently, there are 30 female guards in the Jin Palace, divided into three groups. I would like Miss Xiao to be the supervisor of the third group. Is Miss Xiao willing?"
"The princess thinks highly of me, I will definitely fulfill my duties and do my best!"
Cui Yu smiled again and said, "According to my husband's rules, the inner house guards are not servants, but his military staff. Miss Xiao will be appointed as a second-level military staff, with a monthly salary of 30 strings of cash. The mansion provides food and accommodation, one month's vacation every year, and additional rewards for meritorious service. If the guard's master dies in misfortune, we will give a pension of 1,000 strings of cash, but I don't want this to happen."
Xiao Ai nodded, "I can accept what the princess said!"
Cui Yu smiled and said, "I'll ask the housekeeper to arrange a room for you. You should have a good rest today. You will officially start work tomorrow."
"More princesses!"
Xiao Ai stood up and bowed. She glanced at Zhang Qiao again and said, "Miss, I seem to have seen you before, but I can't remember where!"
Cui Yu introduced with a smile: "She is my sister, you can call her Third Madam!"
Xiao Ai was startled, "It turned out to be the Third Madam, I'm sorry."
Zhang Qiao smiled slightly, "Miss Xiao should know Zhang Jue!"
"Of course I know him. He even taught me how to throw knives."
"Then do you still remember that when he first came to the Xiao family in Jinling, he brought an eight-year-old Taoist nun with him, and you took care of her for three days."
"Ah! Could it be that you are that little nun?"
Zhang Qiao nodded, "Sister Ai, do you still recognize me?"
Xiao Ai's eyes lit up and he immediately became excited, "Oh my! It turns out to be you! You are Xiao Chuchen, I almost didn't recognize you, it's been almost ten years!"
Zhang Qiao smiled and said, "It's been exactly ten years. I didn't expect that we would meet again."
Xiao Ai felt as if she was dreaming. She never expected that the timid little nun would actually marry the Prince of Jin.
(End of this chapter)