The way to Houfeng Wangfu will be extremely dangerous, since Jiang Ming promised Mu Qinglan to go with him to ask for an explanation, after all, people can't die in vain, and the tears of the living can't be shed in vain, but he is not sure that he can retreat with his whole body. So he came to the drunkard's house, hoping to get help, that Yun Rinxuan's purpose was already clear, but he didn't think that Yun Rinxuan was his enemy, at least the jackal who murdered people would not show his claws in front of the prey, and the tiger stood in the light although it was terrifying.

The danger of lurking in the darkness is the deadliest!

"Excuse me, is the prince of Yun Rin in the mansion?

The porter was an old man with white hair and short hair, he greeted him with a smile, and said, "The son-in-law is serious, but my son-in-law has left Yeyang City and doesn't know where to go." ”

"Oh, did he tell him to do anything?" Jiang Ming asked.

"Childe travels far away, how can he tell me to wait? Childe has always done it casually, maybe now he is painting in another dangerous scene, or sleeping drunk on the field and sleeping on the sun and moon, waking up to the building and willows, of course, this is not what the old man said. The porter smiled innocently, compared to Yun Rinxuan's mystery and indifference, this porter was unintentionally too ordinary and close to the people.

"Since that's the case, then I won't stay here, please forgive me if I bother me a lot. Jiang Ming bowed and saluted, and was about to leave, but heard a female voice behind him.

"Jiang Minggongzi, please stay, my son-in-law has something left before leaving, and Gongzi said that if Jiang Minggongzi comes, he must hand it over to you. "The person who came was a young girl, with a good face, a graceful posture, and a white dress, as if she was Yun Rinxuan's maid.

Jiang Ming took the thing and peeled off the bag outside, but found that it was a bag, and he was very curious, but he realized that he couldn't show it at this time, so he bowed to the woman, thanked him and hurriedly walked away.

"Could it be that Yun Rin Xuan knew about me, but he didn't want to help, so he asked the porter to say that he had gone on a long journey? But why did you want the maid to hand me this thing, wouldn't it expose the true news? He shouldn't be so stupid, just ......" Jiang Ming couldn't wait to return to the residence, so he opened the bag and found that there was a note in it, which read: "Be safe with what you encounter."

Back at the residence, Jiang Ming saw Mu Qinglan packing up his things, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Are you really going to go?" ”

Mu Qinglan was silent, expressionless, and even her demeanor became extremely stiff: "They won't let us go, I instigated you to save Mu Chuan, since you were the enemy of the sergeant in order to save me, these hatreds will not end easily, not to mention that we offended the prince who is high." Kikawa had already observed, and after we came back that day, Yeyang City strictly controlled the people who came in and out, and we had no chance of escaping. Perhaps it is really only when they go to the banquet in front of the public that they will care about the slightest bit of dignity as a prince, and it will be difficult to attack us. ”

Jiang Ming was stunned, she didn't expect that she would think about it so much, these deceptions involving power struggles are not something that ordinary people can see through, and being able to analyze the current situation so carefully is incredible.

She seems to have changed.

From the moment she had a psychological breakdown, she was no longer the Mu Qinglan she used to be.

Jiang Ming is sad or sad, mixed with joy and sorrow. "Even then, you can just let me go, if you go, I really can't guarantee your safety. Jiang Ming frowned, he knew his strength, after two constraints and failures, Jiang Ming was unwilling to fight so passively. Mu Qinglan suddenly smiled sadly and said, "I think, if you are alone, how many people can escape from the siege?"

What are you talking about!How could I leave you alone!" Jiang Ming scolded angrily, his face was already quite ugly, and he had a moment of feeling that Mu Qinglan might want to die, which made him very sad and angry.

Mu Qinglan gently twisted a strand of her own green silk, still smiling sadly, like the scene when the peach blossoms bloomed and withered: "I'm not so stupid, since you can go alone, take me with you." If she had said this before, Mu Qinglan would have been cute and naughty, but at this time, she seemed much colder.

When Jiang Ming heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that Mu Qinglan was hit by his father's death, and even his emotional personality had changed, but he couldn't stop and control it, but fortunately, she didn't have the idea of committing suicide, otherwise even if time could heal the pain, I wouldn't be able to tolerate her death! Jiang Ming said: "I have already hired a few credible people through the steward of Prince Yun Rin, and on the day of the banquet, they will disguise themselves as coachmen to give us a ride, and the guards of the city gate handle will also change patrols on that day, which is also our biggest chance to get out of the city." If only I can escort you to the gates, then we will survive. ”

Mu Qinglan said: "That's fine, if I don't go, it will lead them to suspicion, so I can be regarded as the protagonist of this trip." ”

Jiang Ming didn't dare to answer, he also sensed Mu Qinglan's self-deprecation, he just wanted to tell her that she was not a burden, but she had already turned around and went inside.

Jiang Ming and Mu Qinglan got up early this day, exchanged the valuable gold and silver for silver, and carried them on their bodies, and abandoned the pastry shop that had only been open for more than ten days, even if they were all lost.

"Mu Chuan, you get out of here, go to other cities, don't be a beggar anymore, you respect me as a young lady, you can take these silver taels, and make a living in the future." ”

This last word made Mu Chuan's brows deep, he naturally knew what was happening, how could he not know what such a catastrophe was coming? He had to take the silver ticket, take a deep look at Mu Qinglan, and then glance at Jiang Ming, and then turned to leave.

When a catastrophe comes, each finds a way out. Jiang Ming sighed, but similar to Mu Qinglan's faintly revealing joy, he hoped that Mu Chuan would leave, at least because he didn't want him to struggle in this life and death situation.

"Let's go!" Mu Qinglan was dressed in a light cyan long skirt, holding an apricot umbrella, and walked abruptly. Jiang Ming followed closely, like a personal guard, with a long halberd with a dark body in his hand, but fortunately, Yeyang City was originally a border city, swordsmen and swordsmen can be seen everywhere, and the law has never prohibited it, but no one cares about anything.

The pastry shop is closed, and I don't know when it will open. A remote small house in Linqing Lane is also deeply closed, and this small courtyard does not even have a lintel couplet.

The banquet of the palace of the king of Houfeng, set up for the eighteenth birthday of the fifth son of the king of Houfeng, the fifth son of the king of the phoenix, was not organized in a big way, only invited a few officials in the state of Xingyu and the generals of the military department of the city, if the scale of the banquet with the officials of the same position is compared, it is undoubtedly too cold.

The palace of the king of Houfeng is built on the top of a low hill in the city, there is a lotus pond of the jade pavilion of the Jingong Palace, and the middle is a lush pine forest, which is covered with a pure gold fire avoidance net to prevent the fire from affecting the mansion on the top of the mountain. The road up the mountain is a curvy bluestone road, guarded by ironclad guards on the left and right, and there is no other way.

There were already messengers on the road at the top of the mountain to greet them, Jiang Ming and Mu Qinglan were neither rich nor noble, neither powerful nor powerful, but when they arrived at this place where powerful and wealthy meat eaters gathered, they didn't need to make a generous appearance, they just came to find a way out.

Led by the messenger, the two of them quickly walked into the hall, where there were about thirty or forty seats, all of which were sitting Hou Fengwang's relatives, friends and colleagues, and when the two inconspicuous figures arrived, almost all of them cast their eyes on each other.

A man and a woman, dressed cleanly but without the air of wealth, behaved politely but lacked officialdom, which was unbelievable in the eyes of everyone, and besides, this was the son of a major minister of the family, who dared to walk straight into the banquet hall without greeting the principal.

"Who is this? Why hasn't the old man seen it? And how can you carry a weapon at the banquet?"

"That woman looks quite peugeot, I don't know who is beautiful, if the door is right, my unmarried grandson should come to the door to propose. ”

The banquet suddenly became chaotic and noisy, and the voices of all kinds of talk were loud or small, and they had no intention of not reaching the ears of Jiang Ming and Mu Qinglan.

The two of them randomly found a seat where no one was around, looked at each other, and neither spoke. Since someone invited them, someone must come to inquire when the banquet will begin, and their minds must not be in a hurry. After a while, a bewitching maid stepped forward, with naturally charming eyes, and said to Jiang Ming: "This son, you are not allowed to carry blades at the banquet, please hand over your weapons to us for safekeeping." The woman bowed her waist, the etiquette was extremely good, and when she bowed, her chest revealed a touch of snow white, if ordinary people saw it, they would not care about what she said.

Jiang Ming held the Fang Yuan halberd in his hand, his eyes proudly swept over the guests under the seat, smiled coldly, and said: "The halberd does not leave his body, if he must unload my weapon, please come in person and bring more armor, so as not to be unable to take my halberd." ”

The maid's face suddenly became quite pale, and just as she was in a dilemma, a delicate figure walked out of the hall on that side, and shouted with a smile in her mouth to retreat, and the person also walked slowly. If the maid was released, she answered the question and bowed her waist and withdrew.

The figure came to Jiang Ming's side, bowed slightly, hugged his fists and said: "Jiang Ming's son, my father and brother Wang are discussing in the main hall, and we will be here later, please forgive me for the sin of negligence, I have ordered the left and right, the child's weapon does not need to be unloaded, and please enjoy the food for the time being." The prince was able to put down his body and salute like this, which can be said to have given Jiang Ming and the others great respect.

Jiang Ming can faintly see that this person is mysterious and unpredictable, but he has already guessed his identity, and he can laugh at Jiang Ming's difficulties like this, there is no doubt that he is the fifth son of King Hou Feng, and he is known as the wise man Ziqi.

After Sam Ziqi's solution, the worries in Jiang Ming and Mu Qinglan's eyes deepened, and they wanted to test each other's attitude through this difficulty, but they were easily prevaricated by the mysterious fifth prince. The guests were even more surprised, the young man who could be so arrogant and domineering, the background must be extremely profound, but they all guessed, and they didn't agree.

"Qinglan, it's almost midnight now, and the night has fallen, but King Hou Feng hasn't appeared yet, so I'll go and explore left and right. Wait here, don't leave. Jiang Ming was confident that with his martial arts and prudence, he could enter and exit this well-guarded palace without danger, so he took advantage of the fact that the guards on the left and right were not paying attention, and quietly disappeared in the dark, not knowing where to go.

"Shouldn't I really blame him?" Mu Qinglan sat alone in her seat, her eyes suddenly darkened a lot, she only knew a little affection, and she didn't know what to guard.

Passing through a tortuous corridor, Jiang Ming saw a team of more than ten guards patrolling by, and hurriedly hid behind a nearby rockery, but fortunately, the sky was dark, and the lights here could not be reflected, so Jiang Ming avoided without danger. He wants to find the scenery and troop layout of the entire palace, such a large-scale banquet, whether it is personnel layout and program planning, it should be very reasonable, if he can get it, he will know the many roads and troops of the palace, Jiang Ming and the others will be able to increase the chance of retreating.

After some time of searching, Jiang Ming almost figured out most of the palace structure, and finally saw the figure of King Hou Feng in a senator's hall, and his fourth son Shen Ziheng and five son Shen Ziqi were with him, and there were a few people who had not met, so he attached his ear to the wall and listened carefully.

"Father, most of the guests have come, and most of the officials and city lords and generals who have sent invitations have come, but the guards of Cambrian Pass, Gao Zhuxu, and Fu Hong, who joined the army in Yeyang City, have not arrived. This is the voice of Sam Ziqi, who is both the protagonist and the host of this banquet.

"Lord, this Cambrian Pass is the gateway of the Qin Dynasty to the hinterland of the Nine Provinces Alliance, and this year is different from previous years, the war between the two countries has become increasingly hot, and its guard Gao Zhuxu has always regarded state affairs as the first place, it is reasonable for him not to come, but there is no reason for Lucheng to join the army overnight, it seems that he will have to mention a few words about this person in the future. "This person Jiang Ming has also seen, it is the peerless strategist Wei Dao'an, who is now the military advisor under King Hou Feng.

"If you regard state affairs as the first priority, it can be regarded as dutiful, but this Gao Zhuxu has never taken the prince in his eyes, relying on the heavy troops in the Cambrian Pass, and even treating our courtiers as grass mustard, and the prince can be aware of it. Another unknown strategist spoke.

Hou Feng Wang Shen Zhengfeng sighed and said: "Although this king is in charge of half of the military affairs of Xingyu Prefecture, he is weaker than King Jing'an in terms of military weight, so I can't move Gao Zhuxu at present, so you don't need to say more." On the contrary, Fu Hong worries me even more, although this person has no ambitions, but he is in a heavy position, and Yeyang City and my palace are in the same breath, so there must be no gap. Ziqi, in a while, you will personally ask the Lord of Yeyang City, and be kinder. ”

But when he heard Sam Ziqi's response, his face hesitated, and he said: "Father, Jiang Ming and that woman are here, and they have been waiting for a long time in the banquet. ”

Shen Zhengfeng said: "You did the right thing in this matter, then Jiang Ming is a seventh-stage martial arts master, enough to serve as the general of our army, after discussing with your Uncle Wei, I decided to recruit this person first, in order to allow him, if it can be used by me, it is naturally good, if not, I will kill him tonight." ”

Shen Ziheng's voice was angry at this time, and he said secretly angrily: "Father, didn't you promise me to kill that slut? I also want that damn woman to be my plaything, if Jiang Ming is obedient, won't this revenge be avenged." ”

Shen Zhengfeng angrily reprimanded: "You are too sloppy! You don't even put the interests of the palace first, don't you know how much help Jiang Ming will give me if he submits to me? Maybe in the next year, I will be able to dominate the princely battle, and Xingyuzhou will completely fall into my hands." ”

The hall suddenly became panicked, and several ministers and generals also hurriedly begged to calm their anger and admonish the prince on the grounds of his youth. After a while, the noise calmed down, and a figure walked out of the hall, it was the fourth prince Shen Ziheng.

"Although this person is stupid, he must die!" Jiang Ming already had a killing intent for Shen Ziheng, he didn't even hide it, he came to the banquet to kill this person.

The hall talked again, only to hear the military advisor Wei Dao'an said: "The fourth prince used your birthday as bait this time, first, to test the attitude of the officials in Xingyuzhou, so as to strengthen the control of the military and politics, and secondly, to take this opportunity to secretly recruit troops to solve Jiang Ming's matter, such a credit is not a small one, you are really the prince's right-hand man." ”

King Hou Feng smiled: "It is the luck of this king to have this son." It's just that Jiang Ming's matter must be handled rigorously, try to pull him into our camp as much as possible, and of course we must prepare another way. ”

Shen Ziqi said: "I have arranged three ambushes on the left and right of the mountain path, and ordered Zhu Wenqian and other generals to go to the ambush, and General Ning Yuanshan is sitting in the mansion, the two echo each other, if Jiang Ming does not agree, he will not be able to escape." ”

Jiang Ming thought secretly: "This ginseng Ziqi is really thoughtful, in addition, I see that the layout of this palace patrol is also extremely strict and orderly, now it seems that this hand is arranged by him, this person is my great enemy, it seems that I have to think about the plan again." He stopped standing and turned to go, but he stepped on a dead branch, and with a click, not loud or small, was enough to put him in danger.

"What people!" A man jumped out of the hall in an instant, his face was like an eagle and a falcon, his eyes swept around, and he found a colorful strange bird landing on the edge of the steps, looking at the people running out of the hall quite spiritually, and shaking its eyes in a daze.

"What's the matter, General Ning?" asked the strategist on the side. Ning Yuanshan is nearly seventy years old, but his perception is very shrewd, even if the sound is subtle, he still captures it, when he sees that there is only a strange bird here, his face suddenly becomes cold, and after looking around and not finding it, he said: "The old man is suspicious." ”

After the dark viewing garden, Jiang Ming walked out slowly, and only when he saw those people walking into the hall did he feel relieved, and he secretly thought: "This person must be a master, I don't know how strong it is!"

After that, Jiang Ming wandered around for a while, and found the guard hall in charge of the deployment of troops as he wished, but fortunately, there were only two or three guards in charge of planning and arranging, and it was easy to get the drawings by using a little trick to branch it out.

Jiang Ming, who returned to his seat, took a deep look at Mu Qinglan, she was still in the same place, and when she saw him come back, she just smiled faintly, and didn't ask anything, I don't know if it was because of belief or indifference.

At this time, King Feng, his two sons, and cronies were already at the banquet, indicating that the banquet was the beginning. Shen Zhengfeng stood at the head of the table and said in a loud voice: "Thank you for your lordship and the general's eighteen-year-old banquet. Because of your dedication in previous years, the Nine Governments Alliance can grow stronger and stronger, this king thanks to the recommendation of the Alliance Parliament, to be able to carry out the regency power, although the official position is small, but the line is cautious, there is no major mistake, thank you for all of you with one heart and one mind, in order to have this achievement, today by the children's New Year's banquet, a little respect. I declare the Children's New Year's Feast open, please sit down and drink freely. ”

There is a common custom in the entire Yuanye world, where men wear eighteen strands of hair crowned, crowned with white jade, wear agate hairpins, and tie a green silk belt around their waists, symbolizing that adults can take responsibility. Jiang Ming naturally didn't have such an outfit when he was eighteen years old, whether it was white jade or green silk belt, it was only the rich and noble who were willing to spend it, and Jiang Ming's status and status naturally couldn't be extravagant. But on that day, Jiang Ming walked twenty miles into the Kanluoling Mountain Range, set a trap at the edge of the mountain range, and killed a wild boar weighing 200 catties. When Jiang Ming carried more than a dozen thorn beast spears on his back and pulled the wooden cart carrying the entire body of the wild boar back to Huangshi Town, attracting half of the town's people to go out to watch the excitement, no one could have imagined that Jiang Ming, who seemed to be emaciated, could drag such a huge beast.

Mu Qinglan looked at Jiang Ming's slightly dull eyes, and knew that he was reminiscing, and she was also recalling, those memories that were still fresh.

Mu Qinglan smiled and said, "Do you know what I was thinking when I saw you dragging such a big wild boar back?"

Jiang Ming smiled faintly and said, "Could it be that you want to have a good taste at night? After all, such a big game has improved the food for a long time!"

"No!" Mu Qinglan glanced at him, and couldn't help laughing: "You were covered in dirty clothes at that time, if you hadn't spoken, I wouldn't have recognized who that swarthy figure was?"

"Haha, I've been fighting with that wild boar for a long time, squatting in the field, and tossing in the trap, I must not be able to take care of my clothes. It took me a lot of effort to drag it back, and I didn't get any good, and you scolded me badly. ”

"Hmph, I bought you a fat chicken that day, and after waiting for a day, I almost boiled the chicken, and you didn't come back, and it was okay to scold you. ”

"Haha, didn't I finish eating all the chicken soup later? ”

"I'm so embarrassed to say, it's like a rice bucket. ”

"That day I was an adult, although I did not have a white jade crown, agate hairpin, but I suddenly woke up to the general, I am valuable, I am different from the ordinary, there is no forever ordinary person, if you know how to forge ahead, you can also win the respect of others. ”

Mu Qinglan's watery eyes stared at Jiang Ming tightly, and at that moment it was exactly the same as before, without another barrier: "That day, in the afterglow of dusk, you said to me that one day, you want the people of the world to bow your head for you." However, because of these words, Jiang Ming chose his own path and became farther and farther away from her.

I have to say that the fifth prince Ginseng Ziqi is extremely handsome, with fair skin, good facial features, and a somewhat feminine appearance, even ordinary women are quite envious. At this time, he put on the blue and white robe, and his slender figure looked extremely chic, and the white jade and agate fully reflected the nobility of the prince.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in addition to the joy of the crown, Xiao Wang actually has something to announce today. As we all know, in the year of the war, the warrior who can become a general, must have the courage of ten thousand people or the talent of being alone, and the father is fortunate to have the help of the generals, but in recent years, the war has been frequent, and it has become common for thousands of soldiers to die on the Cambrian battlefield, and the generals are also frequently killed. Fortunately, there is a young talent who can inherit the great cause in the banquet today, and he has reached the level of a seventh-rank martial arts master, which is really a blessing for my Nine Mansions Alliance. Sam Ziqi looked at the young man and woman sitting in a corner, smiling.

All the guests were powerful ministers, and when they heard the prince praise him like this, they hurriedly followed Sam Ziqi's gaze, and the pair of young men and women suddenly became the focus of the banquet, which couldn't help but cause everyone to talk.

"It turns out that this person is a martial artist, no wonder, no wonder, but such a young martial arts master is really rare. ”

"Listening to the prince's words, this person should not have an official position yet, but just a commoner. ”

"Since she is a commoner, that woman can come over and be a concubine for my grandson. ”

......

All kinds of whispered talk slowly entered their ears, Jiang Ming and Mu Qinglan's faces changed, and they knew that the five princes' methods were quite subtle, and they directly pushed the identities of the two to the forefront, if they didn't agree well, they would not only offend the powerful people present, but also make it difficult to care. Jiang Ming glanced at the guests coldly and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Your Royal Highness, but you really can't lead the three armies, and you can't serve the soldiers, how can you share your worries for the country? If His Royal Highness the Prince insists on recruiting me as a general, it will not only abandon the efforts of other famous generals, but also cast an unstable factor for the Nine Provinces Alliance, such an act will discourage many adults, is it?" Jiang Ming knew the intention of Hou Fengwang's solicitation, and a direct refusal would anger the officials, and only this quiet refusal could make the questioner have nothing to do.

Sam Ziqi said: "Mr. Jiang Ming can not change his color in front of a thousand horses, and his Dao heart is as firm as the old generals;

The faces of all the guests changed, there are many people who know the strength of the glazed lion, but there are not many warriors who can kill the glazed lion, firstly, because the glazed lion lives in groups and will hardly go out of its habitat, and secondly, because the adult glazed lion has the strength of the status realm, how can ordinary people kill it? Because of this, they looked at Jiang Ming's gaze and began to have a kind of awe.

Jiang Ming said: "His Royal Highness the Prince laughed, the glazed lion has long been injured, and the strength is under the status, I don't have the strength comparable to the strength of the strong in status, the rumors are not true, His Royal Highness the Prince should stay in the next place and have real achievements and then entrust him with important tasks." ”

At this time, all the guests began to understand that it was King Hou Feng who intended to recruit this person, so he praised him and abandoned his defects. Puzzled, the young man didn't seem to have any intention of doing anything.

"Oh, could it be that Mr. Jiang Ming thinks that my prince's status is too low, please don't move Mr. to complement him?, or does Mr. blame me for the weakness of the Yuzhou Temple, which is not worthy of you to give full play to your talents?"

Among the guests were the cronies of King Houfeng, who looked at Jiang Ming with disdain, and echoed in a cold voice: "This prince, Prince Houfeng can be invited with such an attitude is already a great courtesy, if the prince still has such an ambiguous attitude, it will disappoint all the adults." What's more, being a soldier and sharing worries for the country is what a strong man should do, if the son insists on shirking, it will involve the suspicion of treason. ”

"Yes, it is a major event to show your talents, and under the hands of Lord Hou Fengwang, not to mention the prominent status, not to mention the wealth and wealth of your life, from now on you are no longer a civilian without status, but the mainstay of the alliance country, don't you want to have such a glorious prince?" Another person echoed, although his words were sincere, but there was a cold front in his eyes.

The power of the prince is so cramped that Jiang Ming glanced at the smiling Sam Ziqi, and in his heart he actually appreciated this person's conspiracy. It would be good to be an official, but unfortunately it was not Jiang Ming's path, so he had to refuse.

Jiang Ming got up and stepped on the guest chair, describing himself as domineering, with fierce eyes, like a bloodthirsty hungry wolf. He pointed to the full audience and said: "For the generals, for the country, for the sake of the country, after death; There is no morality and incompetence, and he cannot take on the post of a general, one is the experience of inaction, and he is afraid of being entrusted, and the other is a colleague who has no knowledge, and he is afraid that he will become a corrupt official in the future. It seems that the powerful people such as Er, who only know how to be sycophants and only belittle the common people, how can they become a great talent in the auxiliary country, although they have no talent below, they are ashamed to be in the company of traitors. It is unrighteous for you to act treacherously and disfaithfully for the sake of the state, to rebuke the poor and lowly for not loving the people, and for not knowing the body of things, and to allow His Royal Highness the Prince to go alone. What kind of face do you have to speak out on this table, and make the loyal laugh!"

One person reprimanded the powerful people seated, and everyone looked gloomy and did not dare to refute.

The fifth prince Shen Ziqi was shocked, he didn't expect Jiang Ming to find a unique way to seal everyone's mouths with state affairs, although he directly offended all the officials present, but he completely gained the upper hand in momentum and affairs, which can also be regarded as a big victory over rhetoric.

The atmosphere at the banquet suddenly became tense, and the Chinese guests were all angry, and many officials who did not make suggestions lay down for no reason, and they were even more aggrieved. However, at this time, no matter who it is, they dare not underestimate this young man from a civilian background.