King of Song

Chapter 471

In the third year of Qiande (AD 965), Song Taizu brought elite soldiers from all over the country to the central government and unified them into the Forbidden Army. The rest of the old and weak soldiers stayed in the local area, called "Xiang Army", which belonged to the Guards Department, but actually only governed Xiang. The "name" of the army.Xiang soldiers are mainly engaged in various labor services, so they are also called "conscription soldiers".

Compared with the Forbidden Army, the Xiang Army is much worse in terms of treatment, discipline, and living conditions.After all, the forbidden army is either defending the capital, or stationing on the frontier to defend against the enemy, so they must have strict requirements, high quality, good treatment, strong combat effectiveness, and most importantly, strict military discipline.You know, from the moment the imperial army recruited troops, the Privy Council was watching closely, and the Xiang army seemed to be ignored.

The Xiang army is also divided into two parts, the infantry and the horse army. The infantry is mainly some labor labor, or the recruiters are formed in the regiment, or the children of the battalion are taken to obey the army, or the hungry people are recruited to make up for the city, or the criminals are assigned as slaves. To serve, the composition is very complicated.Compared to the Forbidden Army, it was completely raised by the stepmother.As for the horse army among the Xiang army, they are relatively special. They have undertaken an important task of maintaining local law and order.

The Xiang army in the prefectures and counties of Yanbian is counted in the border defense army system. It may be stricter in terms of food, military pay and daily training and management, but the Xiang army in the inland states and counties is relatively messy.

However, it is an army anyway, and management cannot be too slack.The local Xiang army is mainly commanded by Zhizhou. According to the rules of the Song Dynasty, other officials cannot intervene casually.The role of the general judgment is to cooperate with the Zhizhou to monitor and check and balance the Zhizhou, but it cannot intervene in the military aspect. This is a matter of principle.

So Fan Jiyun covered the sky with one hand in Bozhou, and could even take Li Ru off the ground, but the Xiang Army had no way of touching it.The army is very sensitive in any dynasty, and it is also the place where the emperor cares and suspects the most, so he dare not go too far.Even Han Qi couldn't break the rules and give support in this regard.

However, because Bozhou is not on the front line, the Lixiang Army has no chance to be dispatched at all on weekdays, and it has no impact on the government affairs and situation in Bozhou, nor does it affect their interests.So Fan Jiyun didn't care about it, and went about his business as usual, not paying attention to the gang of gangsters.

But this time, the situation is different.

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Lu Gan, nicknamed Songyang, is a general of the Bozhou Xiang Army. He has nothing to do on weekdays and no wars. They are not a real army.As for local law and order, it is enough to have general judges, push officials, and yamen servants, and they are not needed at all.In a word, the majestic Xiang army has no use for it.

The treatment and salary of the Xiang army are not very good, so there is no good life to live.On the contrary, whenever there is labor to build bridges and pave roads, they must be indispensable, and it is thankless.The Xiang army are all dawdling under Zhizhou's hands. In a wealthy land, Zhizhou treats them better, and the life of the Xiang army will also be better.

But the situation in Bozhou is special. Even if Li Ru wants to treat them well, he is in a state of overhead, and he really can't give these big soldiers under his hands any benefits.As a result, the days are getting worse day by day, and many people even have the idea of ​​becoming deserters.

Now there are too many displaced people on Hebei Road, and it is not difficult to escape if they get mixed up among them.But what can you do if you run away?The life of fleeing famine may not be as good as the Xiang army who has been taken advantage of!It can only be to endure the day, one day is not as good as one day!
Lu Gan is a general after all, so it is reasonable to say that he can be a little oily, but it is a pity that he encountered such a strange situation in Bozhou, and his life is so-so, which is really not good.He was in a bad mood that day, drinking alone at home, and the news that the imperial court was going to renovate the Yellow River had already spread.At that time, it is certain that civilian husbands will be recruited, and it will also be certain that the Xiang army will be used.I have to do coolies again, don’t you want to?Wearing this military uniform, you can't help yourself!
There is no way, this is the fate in this life, if there is a chance to get mixed up with the forbidden army, it will be a different matter.The treatment and situation of the Xiang army and the forbidden army are very different. At that time, the promotion of the Xiang army to the forbidden army was actually a kind of reward, which would make people a little excited.

It's just that this kind of opportunity is rare, unless the Khitan people came to the Yellow River as they did back then, it's possible for him to participate in the battle by chance, and make some contributions.Forget it, stop dreaming, the sky is still bright, Lu Gan sighed, and poured another bowl of wine.

Before she finished her stomach, the mother-in-law suddenly said at the door: "You are the head of the house, and the magistrate will send you into the house!"

Zhizhou?Li Zhizhou?Lu Gan hesitated, what did he want from him?Oh, it must be a matter of recruiting manpower for Zhihe, and I have to do coolies again, alas!
Even if there is a hundred reluctance in my heart, knowing that the master of the state has summoned me, I have to go.After all, it is the immediate boss. As a general, he must obey orders.Lu Gan hurriedly asked his mother-in-law to fetch water, rinsed her face and rinsed her mouth, tidied up her clothes, and then hurried out. It must be inappropriate for him to meet Mr. Zhizhou with the smell of alcohol.

It's a pity that he still couldn't hide it from Mr. Zhizhou's nose. When Li Ru saw Lu Gan, he frowned and said, "What's the matter? Have you eaten wine?"

"My lord, I was eating wine, and came here in a hurry after hearing my lord's summons, so I smelled of wine!" Lu Gan apologized, after all, it was his fault.

"Why do you want to drink? But what's wrong?" Li Ru asked with a straight face.

"It's nothing, just eat something if you have nothing to do!" Lu Gan didn't dare to complain in front of Zhizhou, so he changed the subject and asked, "May I ask Master Zhizhou what is the order for summoning the humble staff?"

Li Ru didn't answer, but asked: "But because of the uselessness of life, do you drink too much?"

"Uh..." Lu Gan didn't make a sound, his expression was the best answer.

"Hmph, are you sober now? If you're drunk, don't talk about it!"

Li Ru's words made Lu Gan hear the implication. Could it be something good?Not to build embankments?Sounds like a lot of anticipation.

"I'm not drunk, I'm very sober, but follow the instructions of Master Zhizhou!"

"Okay, it's good to be awake, then I have something to say!" Li Ru asked in a deep voice: "Are all the soldiers under your command still loyal?"

"It's all brought out by a humble job, it's absolutely reliable!" Lu Gan's heart tightened, this rhythm, does the Lord Zhizhou mean to have a conspiracy?What do you want to do?To deal with Fan Tongjue?He knew that the two prisons in Bozhou did not agree with each other.

Li Ru nodded and said: "Then do you want to make meritorious service? If you are given a chance, you can be promoted to the Forbidden Army, and you can be a general, would you like it?"

Didn't you just daydream at home, and the dream came true after a while?Now in the end is in a dream or reality?Lu Ganru couldn't believe it in his dream, he stretched out his hand and twisted his arm violently, felt the pain, and knew it was indeed happening.Even so, it still feels like a dream.

"My lord, are you serious?" Who would miss such an opportunity?This is something that everyone prays for in their dreams. It's a good thing that the pie in the sky is falling!
"Of course it is true, what can I say to be false?" Li Ru gave a very affirmative answer, and then sat quietly.He knew that the general in front of him, who was skilled in archery and looking forward to the future, must have something in his heart!

Lu Gan did have an idea in his heart, it was good to be a Forbidden Army, for the Xiang Army, this was the greatest benefit and reward, a blessing that one could only wish for, it was enviable.Not only that, Master Zhizhou also said that he became a general in the Forbidden Army, which is even more extraordinary.Such a great honor, some people are excited and almost jump up.

But when you calm down and think about it, a problem arises.It is said that there is no such thing as a free lunch, such a good thing is definitely not given for nothing, it must be something to do.But what to do?For whom?Can the promised things be fulfilled?These are all questions.Most importantly, is he destined to accept this reward?
To give such a big benefit, it is always worth the money, so what do you need to do yourself?I'm afraid this matter is not easy, and the difficulty and risk are not small... Risk and benefit are directly proportional and complement each other.Lu Gan's heart moved, and he kept licking the corner of his mouth with his tongue, struggling and hesitating.Luckily, he thought in his heart, could Master Zhizhou be testing his loyalty?Things are not so serious!
Li Ru said bluntly: "I am not joking, I am serious. This matter is very important. You should think about it carefully and see if it is necessary to continue."

He didn't even say anything, so it was naturally difficult to judge.But Lu Gan also knew that looking at the posture, it must be a matter of great importance, and the idlers could not wait to leak the news.You have to express yourself to know the specific content.After pondering for a moment, Lu Gan nodded and said, "But according to your lord's order!"

He had figured it out, and it was not an option to continue living like this.The most important thing is that the opportunity is rare, if you give it up, you will lose it.Rather than being half-dead like this, it's better to have a good time, a manly man, and it's a rare opportunity after all.Times come and go, maybe this is the step for him to become a success.

"That's good!" Li Ru said in a deep voice, "Now I have something to tell you, and you must go and finish it."

"Okay, as long as your lord orders!"

"Take your people and go..." After Li Rufen said it again, Lu Gan suddenly realized that this was the case, and it was much simpler than imagined.Opportunity, really is an opportunity, before Lu Gan doubted whether Master Zhizhou could give him a future.But now there is no doubt at all, Zhizhou can't do it, but the servant can definitely do it.Therefore, he nodded again and again, expressing that he would fully cooperate.

In one day, several generals of the Xiang army entered the study of Li Ru, the Zhizhou, and they probably heard the same words, which meant exactly the same thing.

The results are similar, and everyone can clearly realize that this is an extremely rare opportunity.

Xiang Jun, who has been ignored for a long time, should feel proud!
(End of this chapter)