On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 118 Selecting Salt Soldiers

Author: He Tiantian from Lotus Picking

Chapter 118 Selecting Salt Soldiers

On the nineteenth day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Kaihuang's reign (584), early in the morning, outside Dongyang City.

In the temporary school site built in a hurry yesterday, people and horses were noisy.

The horse was brought by Cui Che to select outstanding talents who can ride horses.

Just watching them fall off their horses in disgrace one by one, Brother Che also gave up.

Think about it carefully, how can a group of farmers who work in the fields all year round learn to ride horses?

The three thousand cavalrymen under his command had to train for several years before they reached their current level.

Forget it, let the infantry be infantry. If we really want to form another cavalry unit, the cost will be quite high.

If a large number of livestock had not been captured in the Battle of Baidao, and Yang Guang, the Minister of Xingtai, and Li Xiong, the Minister of the Ministry of War, had not made it easy, Cui Che would not have been able to match Boling's cavalry with one person and two horses.

As Cui Che said yesterday, the selection criteria for salt soldiers is to test strength. Cui Che transferred a batch of strong bows from the treasury, and dispatched 20 officials to serve as examiners, and evenly distributed the 13,000 salt workers among them.

They inspect.

You can be selected if you can draw a full stone bow and you don't need to shoot accurately.

Able to shoot two stone bows, Cui Che will personally promote him to the rank of salt soldier officer.

Don't underestimate this standard. The ancients used 30 kilograms as a jun and four juns as a stone. One stone bow has a pulling force of 120 kilograms, and two stone bows have a pulling force of 240 kilograms.

"Liang Shu" and "Southern History" boasted that Yang Kan used a twenty-stone bow and could shoot a six-stone bow while riding a horse, which was too shocking.

Nowadays, the infantry in the army all use one stone bow, and the cavalry all use eight bows.

Of course, not everyone is of this standard, and the generals with extraordinary bravery are another matter.

There are also cases that decrease instead of increasing. When Cui Che shot his wounds and took pictures, he used a six-fighting bow. This year, as he got older and stronger, he switched to an eight-fighting bow.

Zhou Lang couldn't ride a horse, but he was born as an Orion and thought that it wouldn't be difficult to become an officer if he could shoot a two-stone bow.

But when he glanced at the thin young man who was trying out the bow not far away, he saw that he had exerted all his strength to draw the bow, but was sweating profusely, let alone drawing it full, so Zhou Lang had to put it away.

A heart of contempt.

The thin young man put down his bow and complained:

"I can really draw this bow to full capacity, but I'm just weak from eating porridge for several months."

But no one paid attention to his complaints. If he didn't get enough, he didn't get enough. If he couldn't meet the standard, he would have to work as a salt worker.

The thin young man left the school dejectedly.

Zhou Lang didn't care to feel sorry for the young man. When he heard the examiner calling his name, he hurried forward and received a stone bow. After taking a deep breath, he pulled the bow to the full moon.

"good."

The official nodded, then drew a circle on Zhou Lang's name and said:

"Try the two-stone bow again."

Zhou Lang replaced the two-stone bow as instructed. He adjusted his breathing, exerted all his strength, and finally drew the bow to full capacity.

"That's it!"

The official reminded him, and then ordered the officer beside him:

"Take him to the shooting range."

After hearing this, Zhou Lang quickly relieved himself, thanked the official, and followed the officer to the shooting range.

Cui Che was standing at the shooting range.

"Can you shoot archery? Or wield a sword or a gun?"

Cui Che asked.

"Report to the manager, I am willing to test-fire."

Zhou Lang replied.

"One stone or two stones?"

Cui Che asked.

Zhou Lang confidently said:

"Two stone bows!"

Cui Che's eyes lit up when he heard this and he smiled:

"Okay! Give him two stone bows and ten arrows."

Being able to fire a two-stone bow only shows that you have brute strength, and being able to shoot a target with a two-stone bow are two different concepts.

Zhou Lang's hand holding the bow trembled slightly. He knew that today was an opportunity to change his destiny. If he could win the favor of the general manager, he would have a bright future.

Maybe I was too nervous and the first arrow missed the target.

Cui Che also saw his hands trembling and reminded:

"Concentrate and don't think too much. You have already drawn the two stone bows. Being able to serve in the army is nothing more than your position."

Zhou Lang had forgotten all about his so-called great future. His mind was as calm as water, and there were only targets in his eyes.

After pulling and loosening the string nine times in succession, nine feathered arrows were nailed to the target in the distance.

"Good! Good archery skills! I'm afraid you don't make a living by farming?"

Cui Che asked curiously.

Zhou Lang respectfully replied:

"Report to the manager, Xiaomin used to be a hunter."

Cui Che sighed:

"No wonder you have such good shooting skills. What's your name?"

"Xiaomin Zhoulang."

"Saburo's name does not deserve such good archery skills."

Cui Che smiled.

Zhou Lang's heart moved and he quickly bowed and said:

"Please also give me a name from the manager."

Cui Che pondered for a moment and then said:

"There is a general in Qianliang who is good at shooting. His name is Yang Kan. Today I will name you Zhou Kan. How about that?"

Zhou Lang didn't know who Yang Kan was, but he knew that the general manager gave him a name. He was no longer the humble hunter Zhou Lang, but the salt soldier officer Zhou Kan who could be remembered by the general manager of Qingzhou.

Zhou Kan quickly knelt down to thank him. Cui Che helped him up, turned to Pei Xiu and said:

"Pei joins the army. Please record it. Zhou Kan will command the fourth battalion."

The Salt Corps has a school captain, who is concurrently held by Cui Che himself, and is divided into four levels: battalion, team, team, and even.

Ten people have one tenth, five tenths form a group, three groups form one team, and five groups form one battalion. Each battalion has 750 people, totaling four battalions.

The first battalion was commanded by Qin Qiong, and the second and third battalions were handed over to two cavalrymen transferred from Boling, Wang Qing and Zhang Heng.

Although it is said that the appointment is private, at least the candidate for the chief officer of the fourth battalion is publicly selected, so it is not embarrassing.

"The manager gave me the name and the kindness to support me. I will always remember this kindness and love in my heart and will never forget it!"

Zhou Kan cried excitedly and said goodbye.

Cui Che helped him up again, comforted him for a few words, and then let him go down to rest.

When Zhou Kan left the shooting range, he happened to see a person coming on horseback. He looked very familiar, but he didn't remember who it was.

The person who came was none other than Zhao Wen. Fortunately, he deliberately covered his face with dust yesterday so that no one could recognize him.

Zhao Wen came to Cui Che and said softly:

"Master, we are almost arriving at Dongyang City."

Cui Che nodded when he heard this. He left the selection of the remaining teams, crews, and even third-level officers to Pei Xiu and Qin Qiong. He himself took some personal entourage and went with Zhao Wen to greet the people.

Cui Che looked up at the pavilion outside Dongyang City and saw dust flying in the distance, and soon there were more than ten horses galloping towards him.

"Farewell to Shuozhou, and finally meet Brother Liu again. Brother Liu is well and well!"

The visitor was getting closer, Cui Che walked out of the pavilion and said with a hearty smile.

The person he came to pick up today was not Yang Lihua and others, who would take some time to arrive, but Liu Fang, the Sima of the General Administration who was sent by Yang Jian for him.

Liu Fang was about forty years old, and his father was Liu Feng, a general of the Eastern Wei Dynasty. He was the unlucky man who took the same boat with the famous Eastern Wei Dynasty general Murong Shaozong at Yingchuan City.

After the fall of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Liu Fang served in the Zhou Dynasty and followed Wei Xiaokuan to quell the rebellion of Yuchi Jung. In the Battle of Baidao, he and Cui Che followed Li Chong to attack the Turkic camp at night.

besides

(End of chapter)