Jiuxi

Chapter 975 973 [It’s hard to have both in life]

A few days later, in a military camp outside the city, on a parade ground.

The execution that shocked the whole city filled the city with a solemn atmosphere, but the parade ground here was filled with laughter and joy, creating an exceptionally harmonious scene.

More than 3,000 soldiers sat cross-legged on the ground. From their appearance one could tell the difference between them and ordinary soldiers.

They are either too old or have disabilities that are not particularly serious. Under the premise that there will be no large-scale wars in the next few years, they are obviously no longer suitable to stay in the barracks.

But there was no gloomy emotion on their faces. On the contrary, they were all looking at the platform in front of them with great joy.

There were many generals on the platform, whether they were newly promoted generals like Li Chengen and Liu Yin, or veterans over 40 years old like Pei Sui and Duan Zuozhang. At this moment, they no longer deliberately maintained their usual dignity, and just like the soldiers below, they all sat cross-legged on the edge of the earthen platform.

Among these more than 3,000 people are their own soldiers.

Of course, including themselves, they were all Lu Chen's soldiers sitting in the middle.

The soldiers sat very closely together, very close to the platform. This did not look like a military style at all, but more like an unconventional tea party.

Over the past half hour, people kept standing up and telling Lu Chen on the stage, the generals of various armies, and their comrades around them about their life and stories in the army.

When talking about some interesting memories, the school field was filled with laughter.

Speaking of the fight with Jing's army, there was another round of angry curses directed at the enemy.

Of course, separation of life and death is inevitable. I watched my comrades leave the world. Although there was no crying around, my eyes were filled with tears.

Lu Chen listened quietly. Looking at these lovely soldiers in front of him, he couldn't help but think of his communication with those officials and celebrities in the past few days.

Although he handed the matter over to Chen Xun to coordinate, he would not let go completely. At least he wanted to grasp the general situation of each person, so he had to talk to each one one by one.

Thanks to Chen Xun's advance screening, the people who could appear in front of him basically had real talents and skills. Of course, the ones who impressed him the most were Cui Hao and another middle-aged man named Gao Ruli.

After preliminary investigation, some people stayed in Heluo, and the others were sent by Lu Chen to various places in Jiangbei.

Cui Hao went to Qingzhou and temporarily took over the position of Qingzhou Chief Secretary. What he didn't expect was that Lu Chen asked Wang Han to go with him, and the two would be inseparable colleagues for some time thereafter.

"In half a year, we should be able to see who is truly outstanding and who is just filling in the gaps."

Lu Chen thought to himself that he certainly didn't think that this matter could be solved once and for all. Only through specific practice could the quality of those officials be distinguished.

The surroundings gradually became quiet. Lu Chen looked up and saw the soldiers below looking at him in awe.

"The court has issued a clear decree. Everyone can get a lot of good land according to their military merits. In addition, there is a sum of money, which is enough for you to go back and marry wives and settle your families. These days, your generals have been arguing for better land for each of you, which has given me a headache. In the end, I decided to treat everyone equally. Anyway, there are a lot of unowned lands in various places in Jiangbei, so everyone can get a sufficient amount of good land."

Lu Chen's words were met with warm cheers from the soldiers.

When the noise subsided a little, he smiled and said, "I will leave the army from now on. Will you blame me?"

"will not!"

The soldiers shouted from the bottom of their hearts, and then a soldier with a broken finger said: "The prince is really good to us. No one has deducted our military pay in the past few years. The military pay we have saved, the bonus silver from the court, and so much good land are enough for us to marry a sensible wife!"

The rest all laughed.

Lu Chen was also smiling, but his smile was more emotional, and then he said: "But I am still worried. You have been in the army for these years. Apart from learning how to kill people, you are not good at other things. After you get married and start a family, if life is not going well or you encounter troubles, you will definitely not come to me with your temper. What should I do then?"

Another person shouted: "We are all the prince's soldiers. Even if we are not in the army, who dares to bully us?"

"That's right!"

"Your Majesty, we won't embarrass you after we leave, but if anyone dares to bully us, he will be punished. Anyway, Your Majesty will definitely support us!"

Lu Chen said with relief: "Okay, you should have this kind of heroic spirit of not causing trouble but not afraid of trouble. I feel much more comfortable when you think this way, but I still hope that your life will be more secure. I have thought about it carefully these days. Even if you are not in the army, you can't just waste the skills you learned in the army. So while the local governments are preparing to build, I have prepared two other livelihoods for you."

A soldier who was originally affiliated with the Feiyun Army asked curiously: "My Lord, you want us to become officials?"

Song Shifei couldn't help but laugh and scolded: "Wang Erniu, you can't even write your own name, and you want to be an official? You are embarrassing the prince?"

A burst of laughter suddenly broke out on the training ground.

Wang Erniu was worthy of being a soldier led by Song Shifei. He was not embarrassed at all. He raised his hand and touched his forehead and smiled foolishly.

Lu Chen looked at the soldiers with a smile, motioned Wang Erniu to sit down, and then said: "It's not impossible to be an official, but you have to start with things you are familiar with, such as maintaining law and order and catching thieves. My soldiers are brave in the battlefield, can't they even deal with a few bandits? The ten states in Jiangbei plus the Heluo area have more than a hundred prefectures and more than seven hundred counties, which require countless thief-catching officers and three shifts of runners. I think you can definitely do it. This is the first path I have prepared for you."

The soldiers stopped smiling and looked seriously at the prince on the stage who was planning their future.

"As for the second way..."

Lu Chen paused slightly and said kindly: "You should all have heard of the name of Lu's business. In the past, Lu's business only operated in Jing, Huai and Ding states. Now it wants to expand to all parts of Jiangbei, and needs a large number of capable manpower. If you are interested, you can go to the business to be a security instructor, or you can learn how to run a business. Of course, this certainly doesn't sound as decent as being an official in the government, but it pays more. In short, no matter which one you choose, or go home to live a quiet life, I can accept it. I just hope that you can live a good life and make it worthwhile for you to follow me through life and death." After a brief silence, more than 3,000 soldiers stood up spontaneously and saluted Lu Chen with the most standard military salute.

Lu Chen and the generals beside him also stood up. He smiled and said, "Okay, we don't have to be so pretentious. We will go find your respective commanders and make your choices clear."

The soldiers looked up at him and said in unison: "We are willing to die for you, my Lord!"

Lu Chen waved at them.

He slowly walked down the platform, looked up at the blue sky, and complicated thoughts surged in his mind.

Things in Heluo and Jiangbei are gradually getting back on track, and he will have to take some time off to go to the northern part of Dingzhou after a while.

That is the treasure land where he will be able to change the world in the future.

……

Baishi Ferry, south bank of Hengjiang River.

A carriage slowly approached, accompanied by dozens of elite guards.

Just by looking at the posture, passers-by would know that there must be an important official in the court in the car.

"Teacher."

A young official in simple clothes came out of the car. He was Jiang Hui, the editor of the Hanlin Academy. The middle-aged man he helped out of the car was the current right prime minister Xu Zuo.

He personally went to arrange the ferry, and Xu Zuo walked to a pavilion on the river bank.

Looking at the turbulent Hengjiang River in front of him, Xu Zuo stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly: "Four years ago, I went north from here to Dingzhou. At that time, the late emperor felt that the Prince of Huai'an had a rebellious heart, so he ordered me to serve as the governor of Dingzhou to supervise him. At that time, I was suspicious and didn't know why the late emperor had such concerns. In the two years in Dingzhou, the Prince of Huai'an never overstepped the boundaries, and I also witnessed with my own eyes that he worked tirelessly for the border defense of Da Qi, so I became more and more puzzled about why the late emperor was worried."

Jiang Hui listened quietly.

Xu Zuo continued, "When the late emperor decided to march north, I stood on the side of the Prince of Huai'an without hesitation, and even allowed the Lu family's business to move freely in Dingzhou, and the government gave it the greatest convenience. To this day, I do not regret my original decision, because I am sure that the Prince of Huai'an at that time had no selfish motives, and all his actions were for the safety of Da Qi. Therefore, I should lend him a helping hand."

Jiang Hui could tell that his master was in a complicated mood, so he couldn't help but ask, "Master, are you trying to say that times change, and people's hearts change?"

Xu Zuo retracted his gaze, turned to look at him and asked, "To this day, do you still firmly believe that the Prince of Huai'an is a loyal minister?"

Jiang Hui remained silent.

He is just a man of strong will, not a pedantic person who turns a deaf ear to what is happening outside. He has heard a lot about what is happening in the court and the country of Da Qi.

Even his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy often discussed behind the back of Hanlin Academician Wang An that Lu Chen had made such an unprecedented achievement and was in control of the military power of the Great Qi, and that he might be eyeing the supreme position at any time.

After a moment, Jiang Hui bowed his head and said, "Master, I firmly believe that seeing is believing, and we cannot use speculation to determine a person's loyalty or treachery."

Xu Zuo did not comment, and sighed softly, "Actually, you don't have to go north with me."

Jiang Hui said earnestly: "If there is anything, I will serve you. Master, you have traveled a long way, and your wife is worried. How can I not accompany you and serve you?"

"That's all."

Xu Zuo showed a relieved smile on his face, and then said: "After you arrive at Heluo, you must remember to only use your eyes and ears. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to speak rashly."

Jiang Hui didn't understand what he meant, but out of trust and respect for his master, he replied, "Yes, I'll remember that."

In the distance, the attendants had already arranged the ferry. Seeing this, Xu Zuo stepped out of the pavilion and headed towards the ferry.

Jiang Hui followed behind, looking at the thin back of his master, and finally couldn't help asking: "Master, is this trip dangerous?"

"Of course there won't be any danger. The Prince of Huai'an is such a great man, how could he embarrass an old acquaintance like me?"

Xu Zuo laughed at himself and said slowly: "I just don't know how to face the most unpredictable hero in the history of Da Qi for more than a hundred years."

This sentence is full of vicissitudes of life.

He looked at the rushing river in the distance and let out a sigh of endless melancholy.

……

……

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(End of this chapter)