Lin Fan entered the door and bowed.

He secretly looked at his father with his spare eyes, today's Lin Ruxian is dressed as a middle-aged scribe, sitting quietly behind the bookcase, with a majestic bearing.

Lin Ruxian's face is square, slightly thin, and his beard is more than three inches long under his chin, which adds a bit of detachment to it. It is not difficult to see from the eyebrows that there is a vague similarity between him and Lin Fan, and he must have been a handsome boy when he was young.

However, the years are the most ruthless, and they have left traces on him after all. A wrinkle had quietly formed at the corners of his eyes, and his neatly tied hair was faintly mixed with a few strands of gray.

"Get up!" Lin Ruxian looked at Lin Fan, and after seeing Lin Fan get up, he said, "You just came back from Zhenbei?"

"Yes, the child just went to the north of the town and met Wang Hu and them." Lin Fan then said worriedly: "Father won't blame the child, right?"

Lin Ruxian sighed and said, "What do you blame?"

Without his father's permission, the child made an assertion and brought Wang Hu and others back to settle down without permission. As a result, the family's expenses have increased so much that the family has to save money elsewhere. ”

Lin Ruxian's brows furrowed: "Silly boy, what are you thinking about, how can I blame you?" Instead of blaming you, being a father will feel very gratified. ”

This shows that my son is a man who helps the poor and has responsibility, which is what my son Lin Ruxian should be. If you really don't save them and let them fend for themselves, I will really feel the chill. ”

"Fan'er, you have to remember that if you can do something like today, your father and your mother are proud of you!" At the end, there seemed to be a glitter in his eyes.

"Dad, Fan'er is also proud of you." Lin Fan choked up.

"Alright, Fan'er, now let's get down to business. You and Shaofu have been secretly running away for more than a month without hiding from their families, and now what are the results, take them out for me to see. Lin Ruxian said.

"Father, you know everything!" Lin Fan was a little embarrassed.

"You! Zhizi Mo Ruo's father, a few of you are not at home every day, and when you come back, you sneakily hide in the study to write and draw, and you still want to hide from me. Lin Ruxian said with a smile.

"Father, look! This is a map of the surroundings of Chu City, and we have been busy for more than a month, and we finally finished it. Lin Fan said as he took out a map from his arms, stepped forward, and spread it on the bookcase in front of Lin Ruxian.

Inadvertently, Lin Fan saw a letter on the bookcase that had been opened and put back in. The letter was placed on the bookcase at random, Lin Fan paused for a moment, and then looked away. The Lin family education was extremely strict, and without his father's permission, Lin Fan didn't dare to look at it more.

Lin Ruxian leaned over and said, "Why are you making this picture?" Do you know that making topographic maps without permission is against the legal system of the imperial court? ”

"It all started when the child met Wang Hu and others. From them, I learned that the north has been plagued by disasters for many years, and the taxes are severe, which has led to rampant banditry, and the people have been displaced. Judging from the experience of Wang Hu and others, the children are afraid that if these displaced people have no way to live, they will take risks and gather crowds to become bandits. If the displaced people loot everywhere, it will definitely endanger Jiangyuan Town, so prepare early. Lin Fan replied.

"What do you think of this picture?" Lin Ruxian asked again.

Lin Fan pointed to the map and said, "Father, look, Chu Cheng is here. Chucheng is bordered by the river in the north and faces Huainan Road across the river; It is adjacent to Daze in the east, and the water area is nearly a thousand miles in circumference, vast and boundless; The south is Zhangshan Mountain, and the mountains are dense and forested. There are many continents in the river, and the homeless people can become water bandits if they occupy any place, and the ships coming and going are all under their watch. There are many ridges and caves in the mountains, the bandits can gather in the mountains and forests, and when they go out, they rob one side, and when they retreat, they hide in the deep mountains, which is really difficult to find. The most important thing is this Daze, with a radius of nearly 1,000 miles, many lakes and shallow islands, and reeds all over, not to mention a small group of bandits, even if tens of thousands of troops hide in it, they may not be able to easily find it. Jiangzhou is rich, although it is heavily guarded, but it is mostly guarded near the state city, and it is difficult to mobilize. At the mouth of the river, there were naval warships, but they were in disrepair and understaffed. At that time, if bandits are everywhere, with Jiangzhou's current strength, it will definitely be difficult to deal with it. ”

Lin Fan paused for a moment, and then continued: "Besides, Jiangnan has not been in war for more than a hundred years, and the soldiers of each department have been sparse for a long time, and the soldiers are not well trained. If it is really to suppress the bandits, the two armies will face each other, and it is still unknown who will win and who will lose. If the court wins, the bandit army will disperse in a hurry, and it will be difficult for the court to pursue it, but if the official army is defeated, the thieves will definitely be powerful, and I am afraid that more homeless people and people will be caught up in it, and all of them will be thieves. Then the situation will be out of control. ”

"Fan'er, do you think Jiangzhou can survive this troubled times, be independent of the outside world, and not be affected?" Lin Ruxian asked again.

Lin Fan shook his head: "It's almost impossible!" ”

"Father, Jiangzhou is the thoroughfare of the world, the road leads to the five mountains, and the three rivers are rejected. The great river runs through the east and west, and the water and land connect the north and the south. Got the convenience of the boat, the trade is developed, nearly half of the tea and rice in the world from Jiangzhou transit, thus leading to the whole country, Jiangzhou is rich in products, the land of fish and rice, so since ancient times it has been a place for soldiers to fight, and how can it be peaceful in the troubled times for a long time. Now the imperial court can still control the situation, in case the situation gets out of control in the future, the soldiers will be together, Jiangzhou will be able to enrich the world because of its geographical advantages, and it will also become a place for four wars. If you want to avoid the war and protect yourself, it is almost impossible. ”

"Fan'er, then what do you think we should do to be saved in the troubled times?" Lin Ruxian said.

"The child thinks that human life is like a mustard in troubled times, and it is better to prepare in advance than to sit and wait for death. The reason why the child brought Wang Hu and them back to settle has several meanings. ”

"The first and most important thing is that I see that Wang Hu is really pitiful and can't survive. Our Lin family has been kind for generations, and I want to help them survive so that they don't die of cold and starvation. As for the second and third meanings, they also came to mind after the child returned. ”

"Second, Wang Hu and they are all from Jiangbei, we can use their mouths to spread the reputation of our Lin family. At the beginning, most of the bandits were refugees who fled from Jiangbei, and when these bandits heard that we helped Wang Hu and them and gave relief to the victims, they could minimize their hostility, so as not to make our Lin family the primary target of the bandits and the target of the public. ”

"Third, if our Lin family is plundered, it will be Wang Hu and the others who will be affected the most. At that time, we will no longer be able to take care of them, and the peaceful time they have so hard won will be broken again, and they will return to the precarious days they used to have. Therefore, whether they are grateful or for themselves, they will do their best to protect the Lin family, and they are our protective force in addition to the young people in the town. ”

Lin Fan hesitated for a moment, and then said solemnly: "The above is just the surface, and it treats the symptoms but not the root cause. To do so would be to put your fate in the hands of others, which is not a good solution in my opinion. ”

The child believes that if you want to survive in the troubled times, the only way to do this is to recruit villagers and train them diligently to defend themselves. And Qingzhuang and Wang Hu and others in this town are our reserve soldiers, only in this way can our Lin family have a trace of self-protection in this troubled world. ”

"Enough! Fan'er, do you know what kind of crime it is to invest in Xiangyong, this is a big crime to exterminate the clan? Aren't you afraid that our family has not died at the hands of thieves, but has been exterminated by the imperial court? Lin Ruxian scolded loudly.

"Father, the child naturally knows that the private placement of the village is brave, and the crime is complicit. It is a heinous crime, but if the government is unable to exterminate the bandits in various places, it can only recruit troops on a large scale, but the imperial court is unable to support so many troops, so the local government can only raise food and salaries and raise troops to suppress the thieves. Therefore, it is a matter of time before the local self-recruited villagers are used for self-protection and banditry, and we are just one step ahead and seize the opportunity. ”

"Even if the East Window incident happens by then, the matter of Xiangyong has already blossomed everywhere, and the court can only turn a blind eye, and it will not be pursued and cannot be pursued. Taking a step back, we are just for self-preservation, not for war, in order not to arouse the taboo of the imperial court, Xiangyong does not necessarily have to exist in the army, but can be temporarily trained in the form of a martial arts hall or a nursing home; As long as you follow the dispatch and can come in handy at a critical moment. ”

"I roughly estimated that with the financial resources of our Lin and Lu families, it would not be a problem to raise one or two hundred people. In fact, it is not impossible to have more, but there are too many people who can easily arouse the suspicion of the local government, and the current situation has not yet reached that point, and there is no need for so many people. ”

Lin Ruxian asked, "What do you want to do when you have manpower?" ”

"With manpower, the family has the power to protect itself. In addition, Shaofu and I trained with the kung fu and battle formations taught to us by Mr., unless there is a large army to attack in the future, ordinary bandits can't help us, and it is enough to protect ourselves. ”

"I have already discussed with Shaofu, and I will set up a martial arts hall in the town in the name of our Lin and Lu families, recruit people from the town and Wang Hu and others, and I am about to discuss it with you, as long as you agree, Uncle Lu will talk to me." Lin Fan said in one breath.

Lin Ruxian's expression softened and he muttered for a long time! After thinking for a while, he said, "You can do these things!"

Lin Fan was overjoyed: "Yes, father."

"Fan'er, how old are you this year?" Lin Ruxian stared at Lin Fan and suddenly asked.

Lin Fan was a little strange, next month was his birthday, how could his father forget his birthday.

But he still replied respectfully: "Father forgot, the child was born at the end of Gengchen's year and belongs to the dragon. ”

"Gengchen year; Then you will be twenty years old after the New Year! It's time for the crown ceremony next year, and I've always treated you like a child, and today I suddenly found out that you've grown up. Lin Ruxian looked at Lin Fan and smiled with relief.

Lin Fan seemed to see his father's back straighter than before, as if some invisible pressure had disappeared, and he didn't know if it was an illusion caused by himself.

"You've grown up, and it's up to you to make your own decisions. This is a letter sent by your husband from Liaodong, you can take a look at it first. With that, Lin Ruxian picked up the letter on the bookcase and handed it to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan took this letter, which made it difficult for his father to calm down and locked himself in the study all day.

When he opened the letter, he couldn't help but feel a little pale, and his brows were solemn, even though he was ready.