Chapter 1181 The Way to Sell Your Life
Chapter 1181 The Way to Sell Your Life
While Shao Xun was staying in Yinguan County, the first batch of troops escorting food and fodder had arrived in Xinping City.
This is the seat of Sanggan County and the home of the Pu tribe. For the past eight years, the county magistrate has always been either a member of the Pugu clan or a relative of theirs.
In short, tribal chiefs or powerful families controlled local political power, and the powerful families were thoroughly strengthened, even more thoroughly than in Jiangdong. They at least had many floating officials. Although the floating officials had to negotiate with the local powerful families, the Dai Kingdom did not even pretend, and the powerful families personally took to the battlefield.
However, while the locals were respectful to the Pu family, outsiders might not be, such as the soldiers of the Right Cavalry Guard of the Daliang Prefecture who escorted 100,000 hu of grain and fodder to Sanggan County.
"There..." Tuoba Sigong, who was wearing a green robe, pointed and said, "That was where I lived when I was young. Later, I gave it to my brother-in-law."
The soldiers of the Right Cavalry Guard turned their heads and looked. They saw a house made of adobe and wood, with thatched roof. Perhaps it had been damaged by the strong wind, so the roof had been repaired and replaced with reeds, and the color looked relatively new.
"Wait a moment, I'll go home and check." Tuoba Sigong said, turning his horse's head.
Everyone clasped their fists and said, "General, please do as you please."
Tuoba Sigong has now been promoted to deputy general of Longxiang Prefecture in Shixiang, which is the eighth rank, one level higher than the ninth rank Sima of the other department.
In fact, he is still a small official, but his future is brighter.
When the Daliang Dynasty's government troops were on duty or going on an expedition, if only 300 men from one garrison were mobilized, a Sima from another department would lead the troops.
If more than one defense is mobilized, a more senior official will generally be sent to lead the team, such as a general, deputy general, chief secretary, or even the governor of the department himself.
Therefore, Tuoba Sigong had actually risen from the three most basic levels of the military government, namely, Sima (ninth rank), team leader (ninth rank), and team deputy (no rank), and reached the middle level of the military government.
It is not uncommon for such middle-level officers to lead 600 men into battle, and they are likely to continue to make meritorious contributions.
When he rode his horse to the front of the earthen house, Tuoba Sigong felt a little nervous for no reason.
He swallowed, dismounted from his horse, and threw the whip to a soldier who followed him.
The soldiers were wearing deerskin armor, with bows and swords hanging from their waists, several short spears inserted diagonally on their backs, and a shield in their left hands.
He had someone make the short spear himself, and the bow, sword and shield were picked up on the battlefield and later distributed as trophies.
The deerskin armor was made by Tuoba Sigong using the deerskin he bought from his fellow soldiers.
Although he was just a small soldier and was not even qualified to be listed in the military register, he was considered to be armed to the teeth on the grassland.
Tuoba Sigong took two steps forward and just as he approached the wooden door, he saw a woman coming out with a bow, sword and saddle.
"Ruguo (meaning 'dog' in Xianbei language)!" The woman was stunned when she saw Tuoba Sigong, and spoke subconsciously.
The familiar sound of "some" seemed to free Tuoba Sigong from some restraint. He immediately stepped forward and said "Sister".
The woman hugged him directly, her eyes red, and said, "Why did you come back just now? You talk like a Jin person."
Tuoba Sigong was speechless.
He brought his parents and younger siblings over, and only his married sister remained in Xinping.
The woman let him go and was about to say something else when she saw several people approaching from a distance. The leader was leading a horse and shouted, "Mulan (meaning 'rich' in Xianbei language), I have found a horse for you. Hurry up and set off to meet up in the east of Xinping City."
"You only know how to recruit soldiers!" Mulan was also a hot-tempered person. She scolded him, "Is it not enough that my husband was conscripted by you? Do you want me to go to the battlefield too?"
When Tuoba Sigong heard this, he frowned.
Although it was normal to conscript women to fight in wars, after all, Xianbei women could ride horses and shoot arrows, and their archery skills were generally good, but this was not generally done.
In an army of 10,000 people, it is a big deal if there are 1,000 female soldiers, but sometimes there is not even a single female soldier.
It is understandable that my brother-in-law was conscripted, but it is too much that my sister was also conscripted.
Tuoba Sigong turned around and looked at the man, not recognizing him. He thought to himself, was their former small tribe annexed by the Pu tribe?
The visitor also saw Tuoba Sigong, and his momentum was immediately choked.
He was not an ignorant person. This man was wearing the robe of a Liang State military officer. Although it was a green robe below the seventh rank, he was still an official of the Liang State.
"You are..." the visitor hesitated.
Before Tuoba Sigong could say anything, his troops took two steps forward, drew out half of their swords, and shouted angrily, "Get lost."
The man was originally a little out of breath, but after being scolded like that, he became furious and pulled out his knife on the spot.
Several people behind him also drew their bows and swords.
The sound of hurried horse hooves rang out, and dozens of riders came galloping from afar, each holding a sharp lance, and asked from afar: "General, have you encountered any enemies?"
After saying that, he glanced at the group of people leading the horses, pointed his spears in the distance, and had a cruel smile on his face.
What would be wrong with using guns and knives to kill the imperial military officers?
After so many years of fighting in the south and the north, what kind of people have I not killed? Why would I be afraid of you bunch of stinky shepherds?
The people from the "Recruitment Office" were obviously a little overwhelmed and wanted to take action directly, but were stopped by the leader. This person was flexible and saw that a large group of elite cavalrymen had come with Tuoba Sigong, so he knew that if he continued to resist, he would probably get into trouble.
He suddenly put on a smiling face and said, "It turns out that I was wrong. The hermit has already applied, Mulan can stay at home."
After saying that, he winked at the people around him.
The followers understood and went directly to the thatched cottage of Mulan's neighbor, grabbed a man who was watching the excitement, stuffed the whip and reins into his hands, and said, "But the Zhuhun family (roughly meaning a person with a strong smell) will gather in Xinping today."
But Zhu Hun was stunned and said, "Someone in my family has already applied for the job."
No one paid any attention to him. They put him on the horse and then took a lance, a bow and a quiver from his house.
After carefully counting the arrows in the quiver, he tied them to the saddle and said, "If you dare to run, I will burn your house down."
"Why?" But Zhu Hun's horse was patted on its butt and was already moving forward, but he still turned his head and asked unwillingly.
"The Emperor of Daliang has arrived. The nobles of the Pu tribe have decided to gather all the capable fighters, obey the orders of the Emperor of Daliang, and fight against the misguided herdsmen." The recruiter said, "They are exhausted and in urgent need of rescue by the Emperor of Daliang."
But Zhu Hun cursed, but the horse had already gone far away and could not be heard clearly.
The recruiter took another look at Tuoba Sigong and his sister, then turned around and left without even saying hello.
After they left, many people suddenly appeared in the village and looked at Tuoba Sigong with awe.
"Some have become nobles."
"If my archery skills are not worse than yours, can I become an official?"
"Where is the 'Daliang Tribe'?"
Everyone was talking at once.
While speaking, they were very envious of Tuoba Sigong's current status. Some people with quick minds were already thinking about whether they could replicate Tuoba Sigong's success and become a noble by fighting for the so-called "Emperor of Daliang".
They are so poor that they are willing to take a chance with their lives.
After seeing everyone's envious expressions, Tuoba Sigong felt a sense of pride in his heart, so much so that he began to look down on these neighbors, whether they were known to him or not, with a slightly condescending look.
They can't even get a good price for their lives, just like a bunch of pitiful creatures.
Of course, he was also more grateful to the emperor of Daliang. Without his "fortunate encounter" and the military culture of Liang State that only the talented were promoted, he would not have been able to get his current position.
Clan leaders and tribal nobles were not worthy of his worship at all, yet they were still wagging their tails like dogs in front of Emperor Liang.
Only by jumping out of this well and seeing the wider world outside can you know how big the world is and what is the best way to do things.
Otherwise, you will live your life in a muddle, being driven at will by the tribal nobles, fighting here today and looting there tomorrow, and you won't be able to find the right way even if you work hard.
Besides, what happened today made him feel a little strange.
Generally speaking, when the Chanyu or tribal nobles recruited soldiers, there were three households sending one male, three households sending two males, one household sending one male, and the most terrifying one was "Da Fa".
A big fight means that all those who can go into battle must go, including all men taller than the wheels, and some able-bodied women may not be spared.
If they were defeated in this situation, it would mean the end of the tribe, and the life and death of the old, weak and sick who stayed behind would depend entirely on whether the winner was merciful.
It was obvious that today was a big day, and all the capable soldiers of the Pu tribe were recruited. Tuoba Sigong felt that Pu Gulu was making a fuss. The emperor brought so many elite soldiers, so why did he need to show off? Who were you showing off for? Well, you never know, maybe he was really showing off for someone.
"Sister, wait for me at home." Tuoba Sigong turned his head to look at his comrades wandering not far away, took out two pieces of silk and four pieces of yellow fine cloth from his luggage, put them on a felt carpet in the yard, and said: "I have a military order, I will leave first, and come back to see you in a while. If you are not satisfied living here-"
Tuoba Sigong thought about it and said, "Wait until I come back."
After saying this, he looked at his sister again, jumped on his horse, and galloped away surrounded by soldiers.
The convoy on the dirt road was endless, loaded with food and military supplies, heading north in a mighty manner.
The brave knights rode past, raising a large cloud of dust.
The servants driving the carriages were angry but dared not say anything. In the end, they could only look at the Xianbei people on the roadside and laugh at their houses that looked like doghouses...
From June 15th to 20th, waves of Xianbei, Wuhuan, Xiongnu and even Han people gathered from all over and headed towards Pingcheng.
By the 23rd, the number of troops gathered near Pingcheng had exceeded 40,000.
Looking down from a high place, tents were everywhere on the mountain, and the sound was extremely terrifying.
Is this still "Queshuang"? Is it just Queshuang?
On the 25th, when Shao Xun's canopy appeared on the horizon south of Pingcheng, everyone knew that the emperor of Daliang had arrived and all the mysteries were about to be solved.
"We are ten days behind schedule." In the evening when the north wind was blowing hard, Shao Xun climbed the high slope beside the road and said, "Pass on my order. All the tribal leaders from Suotouchuan in the east, Yanqi in the west, and the desert in the north, come to see me. I want to call out their names one by one!"
(End of this chapter)