Even in his twilight years, he swept through the chaotic army of ten thousand warriors!

"Cough cough!"

The fourth brother blushed, cleared his throat, and spoke again with an air of righteousness.

"This old man must not be able to stand this..."

"The land is shattered."

Seeing that he was struggling to come up with a word despite his face turning red, Ji Yan added a timely supplement.

"right!"

The short, fourth brother echoed, and then continued speaking.

"I desperately want...that..."

"Loyalty to the emperor and service to the country."

Ji Yan added, but he himself didn't know which ruler he should be loyal to.

The short, fourth brother nodded emphatically, looking dignified and awe-inspiring.

"We should admire this old man!"

"Old man, just call me Fourth Brother!"

In fact, didn't he also want to kick them out?

But feeling the peace of mind that money brings, and in this chaotic world, this little trinket in my hand...

He really can't let go!

Zhao Zhengdong stared blankly, his head practically spitting fire.

"But……"

"You idiot, what 'but' what?!"

The fourth brother cursed under his breath and stuffed a piece of silver into his palm.

Then he turned around, grabbed the roster on the table, and dipped his brush in ink.

"Name?"

"Ji Yan".

"Hmm... Ji Yan... twenty-eight..."

The fourth brother quickly made a list and then closed the booklet with satisfaction.

"alright!"

"It's getting late, I'll take you to the barracks to settle in..."

Then I remembered to look up at the sky.

It seemed like they were checking the time, but actually they were afraid that Ji Yan would change his mind and ask for the money back.

After saying that, she pulled Ji Yan up and started to walk inside.

But then he pulled...

It didn't move.

The short, fourth brother paused for a moment, then exerted his strength again...

?

Seeing that Ji Yan remained motionless, a question mark appeared above Lao Si's head.

Are you kidding me!

His family had been military households for generations, and even though he wasn't a soldier, he had been training his body for so many years...

Even an ox would have to move if he pulled, but he couldn't move a frail old man.

"That's... all?"

Ji Yan was still in a daze, looking at Lao Si with a bit of confusion.

"Isn't there any... assessment or anything?"

The fourth brother raised an eyebrow at this question.

"Assessment? Of course!"

Then, pointing inside the door, there was a dark blue stone lock weighing about a hundred pounds.

"According to the rules, trust requires lifting that large stone lock and holding it steady for three breaths, but you just now..."

He winked and patted the silver in his pocket, his smile carrying a knowing smirk, "Haven't we already 'raised' it?"

"But Fourth Brother..." Zhao Zhengdong's face was full of worry as he lowered his voice, "Tomorrow, when Officer Zhou comes to inspect the new recruits, if he sees this old man..."

"How are you going to explain this?"

"Easy!" The fourth brother raised his eyebrows.

Normally, he hated Dongzi asking all sorts of questions, but this time he had hit the nail on the head. At least he had to let Ji Yan know where his money had gone.

"Do you remember when the military fields at 'A Bowl of Water' were short of a night watchman?"

"I'll arrange for my father-in-law to move into our dorm first. When Gui Zi comes to ask for someone, I'll just send him over..."

He patted his chest and gave a guarantee.

"rest assured!"

"The banner officers are here to select elite soldiers, not to meddle in other people's business!"

There was no way around it; Ji Yan had given just too much...

Three ounces!

Even with his salary, he might not be able to earn three taels a year!

Besides, it's not a big deal, even if it gets caught...

He was already thinking about what would happen if he were found out, but little did he know that Ji Yan's attention was focused on the words "military soldier".

"Fourth brother, what does this 'military soldier' ​​mean...?"

The fourth brother didn't think much of it, assuming Ji Yan was just curious and asked casually.

"That one..."

"After entering the military camp, there will be a trial training session. If you can generate qi and blood, it means you have the opportunity to be promoted to a martial artist and will be promoted to a special training officer..."

"But that's for those young geniuses, we shouldn't even think about it!"

He kept waving his hand as he spoke, but showed no sign of discouragement.

"Qi and blood are very mysterious things; I've practiced them my whole life and still haven't mastered them."

Ji Yan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"If I become a soldier... will I be immune to arrest by the authorities?"

After he said that, the fourth brother was stunned for a moment.

"Have you done something wrong?"

But that makes sense, after all, he's already so old. If it weren't for the need to survive, he'd rather save the money to buy a pound of arsenic than join the army.

Ji Yan looked utterly helpless, managing only a forced smile.

"The officials were forcibly collecting taxes, and when I couldn't pay, they tried to beat me to death. I accidentally..."

"Kill the officials."

Ji Yan knew that at this time, if he could say more while the money was still warm, he might get more help.

Otherwise, once you're in the military, who will recognize you?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhengdong became even more puzzled and looked Ji Yan up and down.

"You old bones that could be blown away by a gust of wind..."

"Isn't it their fault that you killed them?"

But after hearing this, the fourth brother immediately covered the silver.

Who dies or not doesn't matter, money matters!

Seeing his panic, Ji Yan smiled and waved his hand.

"So, I won't be going to farm..."

"I'll go and compete for the rank of Warrior."

"I won't cause you any trouble, old man..."

After he finished speaking, he swayed his withered body and walked towards the stone lock...

Zhao Zhengdong seemed to have guessed what he was going to do and subconsciously tried to stop him.

One hundred jin...

At an age when people can't even get enough to eat, even young adults rarely have the strength to lift it.

Qingshuiwei is not short of people; it is Liu Baihu who is willing to give everyone a chance to earn a living through their skills.

But now this skin and bones old man...

But sensing Ji Yan's determination, he could only slowly lower his hand.

"Don't die, please."

Zhao Zhengdong was a dull and taciturn person, and it took him a long time to finally manage to utter this sentence.

"Do what you can." Ji Yan gave what he thought was a relaxed smile.

But he didn't know that the lack of expression on his gaunt face meant he was relaxed.

But what Zhao Zhengdong heard had already become...

I must die here today.

But what he feared ultimately didn't happen...

Ji Yan stepped forward, grabbed the stone lock with one hand, and lifted it up easily.

He didn't even show a hint of strain in his thin figure...

Ji Yan put down the stone lock and stepped over it.

"Now, can I finally relax?"

Gudong.

The fourth brother swallowed hard, and after realizing what was happening, he quickly stepped forward.

"Don't worry, don't worry!"

"I'll arrange for my father-in-law to go to the barracks right away!"

Perhaps feeling uneasy about carrying the silver, the fourth brother was very open about the situation at the garrison along the way.

According to the fourth brother, the military households in Dajing were hereditary.

Military households were limited in number, and during the prosperous period of the Great Jing Dynasty, they did not recruit people from outside the region at all.

At that time, military households received good benefits. In addition to military pay, they also received grain and winter clothing based on the number of family members, and were given free martial arts training.

Gradually, the number of military farms decreased, while the number of menial and arduous tasks assigned by the higher authorities increased.

Later, many soldiers couldn't afford to eat with their pay and had to become tenants or slaves for the local gentry.

Many of the guard posts had long since deteriorated beyond repair, but Qingshui Guard, under the leadership of Commander Liu, still managed to retain some semblance of a military guard.

Meals are provided, grain tax is waived, and the monthly salary is two qian (a unit of currency).

Not much, but enough to fill you up.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the barracks.