The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 73 Hope

Chapter 73 Hope
Since the fall of the capital city in the Battle of Tumu in the previous dynasty, the Nanjing Minister of War organized troops from all over the country to march north. After the victory, a civil war broke out for many years. With one side taking the stage after another, the powerful and glorious Ming Dynasty was destroyed in one day.

The new Zhou Dynasty learned from its lessons, so it had the four kings and eight dukes who were the founding fathers of the country. Even the Beijing camp was directly controlled by the nobles, and the Jiedushi was restored, etc.

At the same time, it also inherited the system of the Ming Dynasty. Relying on the huge legacy left by the two emperors Hongwu and Zhu Di of the previous dynasty, it quickly restored the national strength. All industries prospered, the economy developed, the atmosphere of literature was overflowing, and all nations came to pay tribute, enjoying peace for hundreds of years.

Guild halls began to be set up in various places in the capital.

There are Huguang Guild Hall, Jiangxi Guild Hall, and Zhejiang Guild Hall, but the Jinling Province is different. The various prefectures are dissatisfied. They already have the Jinling Guild Hall, but they still want to set up separate guild halls. If you set up a guild hall in Yangzhou, then I must also set up one in Suzhou.

They have only one thing in common, that is, they all ignore the Jinling Guild Hall, so that the magnificent Jinling Guild Hall is not as luxurious as the Yangzhou Guild Hall.

The guild hall was funded by merchants and provided accommodation for scholars coming to Beijing to take the imperial examinations.

Spin came on horseback.

The skinny boy before has gained weight visibly and grown taller because he has been eating well and sleeping well recently, just like bamboo shoots after the rain, changing every day.

The most eye-catching thing is the bright eyes on the boy's face.

Extra energetic.

However, at this moment, Shi Ping's eyes were filled with hesitation. The Yangzhou Guild Hall in front of him was not inferior to the Jia Mansion he had visited. On the contrary, it was more unique in details.

A gilded plaque with the words "Yangzhou Guild Hall" hangs under the blue brick gatehouse, and willow catkins accumulate between the manes of two stone lions. The morning sun obliquely cuts into the five-bay, three-in-one gatehouse, and the swastika-patterned window lattices filters the light and shadow into fine gold foil, which falls on the corners of the brocade robes of people passing by in the corridor.

There are many shops on both sides, and every inch of land is worth a lot of money, but the Yangzhou Guild Hall occupies a piece of it alone.

He is indeed very wealthy.

The waiter at the door was very tactful. Although the boy was wearing linen, he did not drive him away. Instead, he politely stepped forward and asked. When he learned that the boy was there to see Mr. Lu Zhongheng and deliver a letter for his family's Dusi, several waiters hurriedly ran in.

Then a groom came and took the horse away from Spin.

The groom smiled and said, "Please rest assured, my guest. I will not only take good care of the horse and feed it a good meal, but if I have enough time, I will also comb and wash the horse's fur and make it shiny and glossy, to ensure your satisfaction.

"Please come inside."

Soon, the guy ran out again and laughed.

Spin handed the other man the reins before following the man inside.

The young man thought he had opened his eyes these days, but when he looked at the scene inside the hall, he found that the Yangzhou Guild Hall was much more luxurious than it was outside. After entering, he discovered that it was a different world, even more exquisite and extraordinary.

The breeze carried fragrance across the screen wall. The rockery in the pool was carved with monkeys the size of rice grains. The hundreds of monkeys were vivid and each one was different. Shi Ping felt that he would not be bored even if he looked at the scenery here for a whole day, not to mention the other places.

After leaving reluctantly, he met Lawrence Lu in a separate courtyard.

Although it was the first time they met, the young man was nervous and uneasy, but he remained calm and respectfully handed the letter to Lawrence Lu with both hands.

Lawrence Lu finished reading the letter and looked at the young man.

The young man knew that the person in front of him was an important person, and he felt embarrassed to be stared at, so he couldn't help but lower his head.

"What's your name? How old are you?"

"Little Shi Ping is already fifteen." The boy emphasized his age.

Lawrence Lu saw through the young man’s thoughts and continued to smile, “How many years have you been in the army?”

"forgotten."

"Who else is in the family?"

"There's no one left. As far as I can remember, there has been no one at home."

The young man answered everything in detail.

"Who named you that?"

"My surname is Shi, after Old Man Shi, and my name was given by the Dusi."

Lawrence Lu nodded.

He speaks clearly.

As for who Old Man Shi was and why the boy called the person who raised him old man, Lawrence Lu didn’t ask any more questions and let the boy go.

When the boy returned to the camp, it was already past noon and he had missed the meal time. Shi Ping went to find his own commander and met several young soldiers who were about his age. They were all picked by the commander in recent days.

Veterans are selected to work in logistics, and young soldiers are selected to run errands.

Shi Ping's face showed worry. Everywhere else, there were young and strong men to choose from, but at home, everyone was soft-hearted, taking everything, good or bad. But such kindness wasn't a long-term solution.

The young man followed Wang Xin around. He was smart and had some guesses.

The more this happens, the more anxious I become.

But he forgot that he was also old and weak.

Shortly after.

An old man with a dark face was followed by several young men. They were carrying bags on their backs and were covered in dust. They were obviously outsiders who were traveling a long distance. They spoke with a foreign accent and were asking around along the canal.

"Hexi Small Camp?"

"What is the Hexi Camp?"

A vendor selling dates asked back, and the outsiders immediately looked embarrassed, thinking they had come to the wrong place.

"Master, you insisted on coming here by yourself and walked for half a day, but ended up going to the wrong place." The young man behind him complained.

The black-faced old man glared.

The young man didn't dare to say much, he lowered his head and muttered softly.

"Why are you making things difficult for them? Since you are looking for the Hexi Camp, you shouldn't do this. Isn't that heartless?"

At this moment, the vendor at the next stall spoke up, rebuked the other party, and then said with a smile: "Hexi Xiaoying is what we locals call it. It was originally the barracks of the Right Town of the Eastern Army. It's not far ahead, just around the corner."

The original vendor was accused and was a little dissatisfied. Perhaps he thought of something, but then he shut his mouth. There was still some injustice on his harsh face, but he did not refute it in the end.

The young men didn't mention it, but the old man became interested and stayed.

Squatting aside to ask.

"Wang Dusi is really good. We ordinary people have never seen such a person before. He always smiles at us and even comes to talk to us in person. The last time I passed by here, Wang Dusi even spoke to me."

The vendor laughed.

The old man smiled even happier and asked curiously, "What did you say?"

"I asked me how my business was going, whether it was enough to support my family, and whether I had any difficulties or been harassed by the soldiers."

As the vendor spoke, his eyes turned red.

"I went back to the Wangdu Division. The soldiers in the Hexi Small Camp were very nice. Not only were they polite to me, but they also paid me when I bought things. One time, I was harassed by a soldier from the Wucheng Bingmasi Division, but they rescued me."

At this point, the vendor couldn't help but interrupt.

There was still contempt on his face.

"No soldier is a good person, but the soldiers of the Hexi Camp are considered human beings."

Just saying.

"One or two."

"one two three four!"

"Tap tap tap."

A line of soldiers trotted along the river, brooms in their hands and shouting slogans.

Soldiers from the Hexi small camp cleared the road along the river.

At the same time, clean up the garbage along the way.

"Strange, it's quite unusual."

Not only the old man was amazed.