Throughout the afternoon, Yang Ming, accompanied by Liu Bixian, inspected the barracks. To the east of the school yard and to the north of the backyard of the General's Mansion is a section of space where the city wall at the Rucui Gate protrudes outward from the east wall. The barracks has a wooden fence on the side facing the school field, and there is a sentry box at the opening, which is not surrounded on all sides, so as not to block the view, and the straw canopy on the top has been replaced with paulownia wood planks.

Entering the camp from the entrance of the sentry box, there are rows of blue brick camps, some of which are obviously newly repaired, and the color of the new bricks can be seen. The sergeant's dormitory was a large bunk, and only high-ranking officers had separate rooms. The windowsills of the corridors are quite neat and clean, and these days because the school grounds are inhabited by refugees, the reserved training space is very small, and the sergeants cannot devote themselves to the drills with all their might, and the main effort is to tidy up the internal affairs of the barracks.

Yang Ming's monthly money to the sergeants was one tael of silver, which was basically the average level of the Ming army, which was higher than the salary of the Ming army in the south, and less than the salary of one or two or five yuan of the Guanning army. Sergeant and above, the captain, the captain, the sentry officer, and the total increase in the monthly money step by step, to the level of Ding Yousan, the monthly money has already been two, two, five, and the monthly money has been two, two, five.

And Yang Ming's soldiers also have an advantage that the general Ming army does not have, that is, the monthly money is not in arrears and is not deducted. After entering the city, as soon as he settled down, Liu Bixian gave the sergeant an advance of a month's monthly money. Compared with the general Ming army, because of the financial difficulties of the imperial court, military salaries are often in arrears for several months or even years, which is simply heaven and earth. Yuan Chonghuan said in a note in the second year of Chongzhen: "The training of soldiers must first be paid, I can't pay enough, and he is willing to be my soldiers." It's a soldier who is paid. Today, there is no shortage of soldiers on the nine sides, and if there is a shortage of January or February, they will not be able to be full", the dignified soldiers on the nine sides can't even eat a full stomach, what else to talk about fighting?

More than 20 houses adjacent to the barracks were razed by grenades, and a large canteen was built on the original site, which was connected to the barracks, so that the sergeants could go directly from the barracks to the canteen to eat, and the sergeants of each team did not have to cook by themselves. The large canteen provides three meals a day, and the meals include meat. The wounded horses captured under Shunyi City last time have not yet been eaten, and they can still maintain a supply of meat for a period of time. Yang Mingding's rule is that in peacetime, the sergeants have to charge money for eating, and the large canteen provides meals at cost price or even subsidized price. But if it's a march to war, then everything is supplied for free. This is also Yang Ming's rules in the army in the previous world.

These sergeants had meat to eat every day, and their spirits came up, and they did not have enough training to consume them, so gambling, prostitution, and all kinds of abuses came out. A few sergeants lost money in gambling, so they stole horse meat from the barracks and sold it, and today they have all found out.

"Master Ding, all the monthly money confiscated by these sergeants will be expelled ......," Yang Ming ordered.

"Yes......" Ding Yousan hesitated in agreement.

"General, now this is the ...... of the New Year," Liu Bixian on the side opened his mouth, "Most of these sergeants are helpless people, and they can only sleep on the streets when they are expelled......

There were already a lot of refugees in the school yard, and the arrow road had crowded some places, and the shacks everywhere were already overcrowded. If these sergeants were expelled, it would not be easy for them to become refugees, so they could only live on the streets as beggars. According to the temperature of the ninth cold winter of the Xiaoice River in this era, temporarily changing careers to become a beggar, without any experience and skills, I am afraid that I will have to freeze to death on the street in a few days.

"According to the students' opinions, let's give them a chance, each person will be beaten with forty military sticks, and the monthly money will be deducted by double the price." Liu Bixian put forward his own suggestions.

Ding Yousan glanced at Liu Bixian, his eyes were quite complicated, but there was no doubt that he was grateful. Last time, he and Liu Bixian had a very unhappy quarrel about cultivating the Arrow Dao, but he didn't expect Liu Bixian to have no trouble, and he would help himself talk at this time.

"The general can tell the whole army about this matter, and if there is a recidivism, or if someone else recidivists, he will be severely punished!" Liu Bixian's eyes sharpened.

The literati command of the army must have the means to make the martial generals subdued, this Liu Bixian is invisible, and a word makes Ding Yousan rely on him a little more and be jealous, and there is no trace of pretentiousness, it is really a rare talent.

Yang Ming didn't want to save Liu Bixian's face, and on the other hand, he didn't want to really let these sergeants live on the streets and starve, so he agreed:

Mr. Liu is very kind in this remark. But forget the military sticks, and if they are injured, they have to be treated, so they will be locked up for seven days. ”

"Confinement?" Ding Yousan asked puzzled.

"Well, build a few confinement rooms, each three feet square, and lock them up for seven days and not be allowed to come out, so that they can reflect on their mistakes." Yang Ming said.

"This ......" Ding Yousan hesitated again, "Will you starve to death for seven days?" ……”

"Three ...... a day Deliver a meal, the water pipe is enough, eating, drinking and Lazar are all inside, and when you come out after seven days, you are responsible for cleaning inside and out. Yang Ming originally wanted to say that he would deliver three meals a day, but thinking that the standard of living in this era is generally difficult, it cannot be ruled out that some people regard confinement as a leisure way to cultivate their minds, and they can't be allowed to eat too much.

"Oh......" Ding Yousan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master Ding, tomorrow will be the Chinese New Year's Eve, and we will close it after the New Year." Liu Bixian looked at Ding Yousan with a smile, "The portion of that meal is sufficient." ”

"Yes, Mr. Liu." Ding Yousan hugged his fists and promised.

"Oh, there's one more thing. I heard that a sergeant ran away from the barracks? Liu Bixian asked, "Also stealing horse meat?" ”

Ding Yousan's face turned red, "Yes." One of the stolen horse meat, probably afraid of being tracked down, ran away overnight. ”

As he spoke, Ding Yousan looked at a chief beside him and said, "That sergeant's name is Wu Laoer, and he used to be a ...... under He Shichang."

Then He Shichang hurriedly bowed down and reported to Yang Ming and Liu Bixian: "It's because the discipline is not strict, I didn't expect that the guy under him actually stole horse meat......

"When did you run?" Yang Ming asked.

"Last night...... Last night, the little one sent him to the city to assist in the defense, but he never came back at dawn, and he didn't know when he ran......" He Shichang stammered.

"I only investigated the theft of horse meat today, why did you run away last night?" Yang Ming asked strangely.

"This ...... Maybe it wasn't last night, maybe that guy is where the cat is lazy to sleep, and he ran away when he heard the news today......" He Shichang had a bitter face, why did this black second man run, he never dared to say.

On the night when Xu Ying and Wang Cheng came to the barracks to look for Yang Ming two days ago, He Zhenshan stood with a spear in the cold wind outside the Chinese military room like a nail all night.

"Run? This Shunyi City is so big, where can it go? Yang Ming had a calm face, "Please ask Mr. Liu and Mr. Fan to coordinate with the county government, and search the whole city to find out the people for me!" ”

Yang Ming accepted these family members in the hope of cultivating a strong fighting force, and he didn't want to see his team desert before they even fought. Therefore, this escaped sergeant must be found out and severely punished to set an example.

"According to the students, let's talk about the New Year first." Liu Bixian groaned, "This Chinese New Year, searching people door to door, is too beautiful. ”

"Well, sir has a point." Yang Ming felt that Liu Bixian was still more thoughtful than himself when considering things.

"Master Ding, in the future, gambling is not allowed in this barracks, and it is not okay to go out to gamble!" Yang Ming instructed Ding Yousan.

"General, the barracks have been searched and inspected under the mark, and the dice and bamboo cards that those sergeants have privately hidden have been searched out and destroyed."

"The rules of the barracks are not allowed to gamble in the first place, and they have been negligent in checking and prohibiting precautions some time ago...... There are also those who go out to prostitute and put an end to it! Ding Yousan said solemnly.

"This ......" Yang Ming was stunned. He didn't really want to take care of this prostitute, and in the last world, when he and his comrades-in-arms in the army were on vacation, they often flew to the Netherlands, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and other places to play. Erotic sex also, this thing is blocked too hard and easy to get into trouble, and it is much better for a sergeant to prostitute than to harass and rape a woman.

"Master Ding, let's do it......" Yang Ming replied vaguely.

Liu Bixian looked at Yang Ming, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then he changed the topic.

"Master Ding, tomorrow night the general will have a party with the sergeants in the big canteen, those orphans will sleep at night, and ask Master Ding to arrange for some sergeant dormitories to come out." Liu Bixian said to Ding Yousan.

Tomorrow will be the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the sergeants are alone outside, and it is inevitable that they will feel homesick, and if they do not do well, it will affect the morale of the soldiers. Yang Ming thought of a way, that is, to organize a "Spring Festival Gala" in the barracks, so that everyone could roar and make trouble together, which was also a good way to enhance the unity and morale of the army.

Among the prisoners that Yang Ming rescued on the road that day and the prisoners released into the city from outside the city, there were hundreds of orphans. The oldest of these orphans was no more than twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest was only seven or eight years old. In the past, when the porridge was giving, the orphans begged for bowls of porridge with the adults, but they could barely make ends meet. After borrowing food and money, the soup kitchen stopped, and the refugees lived on the borrowed money, leaving the orphans alone. Liu Bixian had no choice but to arrange for these orphans to live in the big canteen, and every day after the sergeants finished eating, the leftover meals in the big stove were eaten by the orphans. Liu Bixian instructed the canteen to cook more meals, on the one hand, to fully meet the dining needs of the sergeants, and on the other hand, to allow these orphans to eat a few more bites.

"Mr. Liu's arrangement is very good." Yang Ming was too busy during this time, he actually had arrangements for these orphans, "I will take these orphans into the family, and when the house behind the big canteen is built in the future, let these orphans move in and ask the teacher to teach them to read and write......"

"Oh?" Mr. Liu was a little surprised, but then he was happy. As a reader, I have an instinctive admiration for reading and literacy. During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zhidong's father, Zhang Ying, was an official for more than 30 years in his life, diligent and honest, he attached great importance to education, vigorously established schools, and supported education. During his time as an official, every midnight patrol, he would send two officials to carry tung oil to patrol the city, and when he met someone who had a scholar who read at night, he knocked on the door to help him add a spoonful of lamp oil and send encouragement, which is the origin of "refueling" that everyone commonly uses now.

"The general is benevolent and righteous, and Liu admires it so much!" Liu Bixian's words are indeed sincere.

In fact, Yang Ming's plan is to train these orphans into educated and disciplined newcomers who will serve as his new army in the future. THOSE SOLDIERS WHO GAMBLED, PROSTITUTED, AND STOLE HORSE MEAT, YANG MING DID NOT DARE TO HAND OVER THE MODERN WEAPONS HE BROUGHT WITH HIM TO USE, OTHERWISE ONCE THEY TURNED AGAINST EACH OTHER, HIS GREAT CAUSE OF CROSSING WOULD BE OVER.

"It's just that there are many people and big mouths, and the money and food will ...... in the future" Liu Bixian suddenly looked a little worried.

"Mr. Liu, rest assured, as long as you think of a way, there will always be money and food." Yang Ming said lightly.

Yang Ming said that there is a way, then there must be a way, Liu Bixian somehow became a little superstitious about Yang Ming. Thinking of this, Liu Bixian couldn't help but sigh with emotion, with Yang Ming's merits and skills, the future will be sealed, it is just around the corner, and he has kept up with Yang Ming, and his future is guaranteed. It's just that in case this Yang Mingzhi is more than that......

Liu Bixian's heart moved, and he didn't dare to think about it anymore. I still hope that I haven't looked away, judging from Liu Bixian's reading eyes, this Yang Ming doesn't look like a person with such ambitions.

After inspecting the barracks and discussing the arrangements for tomorrow's "Spring Festival Gala," Yang Ming and Liu Bixian had dinner accompanied by several high-ranking officers including Ding Yousan, and it was already evening when they returned home. Ding Yousan sent Yang Ming and Liu Bixian out of the barracks, and the two walked slowly to the General's Mansion together, and soon arrived at the intersection of the General's Mansion.

"Mr. Liu, do you have any silver on you?" Liu Bixian was about to turn left onto the street in front of the General's Mansion when Yang Ming suddenly stopped him, "Lend me some broken silver, and Ming'er will return it to Mr." ”

Liu Bixian was slightly surprised, but he quickly took out a few pieces of broken silver from his arms and handed them to Yang Ming.

"Mr. Liu's hat...... Lend me a favorite, too. ”

"General, why is that?" Liu Bixian asked strangely.

"This ......" Yang Ming seemed a little embarrassed, "Don't hide it, sir, I want to go to the Qinglou for a walk......

Liu Bixian couldn't help but laugh dumbly, hehe said a few times, took off the fox fur hat he was wearing and handed it to Yang Ming.

"General, do you want the students to send a few plainclothes sergeants to follow?" Liu Bixian's first consideration was Yang Ming's safety.

"No, don't make ......a noise when you go back, sir."

Yang Ming put the hat handed over by Liu Bixian on his head with millimeter short hair, arched his hand, and rushed forward into the darkness.

In fact, Yang Ming didn't want to go to prostitution, but he finally traveled back to this Ming Dynasty, what the ancient Qinglou was like, no matter what, he wanted to go and see it. I was too busy a few days ago, but today I finally have some free time, and I remembered this stubble in my heart, so Yang Ming immediately took action.

Looking at Yang Ming's back disappearing into the darkness, Liu Bixian felt a sense of relief, it seemed that he really didn't look away, this Yang Ming is not such an ambitious person.

Relaxed in his heart, this step was also relaxed, Liu Bixian turned into the street in front of the General's Mansion in a dashing manner, but twenty or thirty steps away, he arrived in front of the corner gate. When the sergeant guarding the corner gate saw Liu Bixian returning home, he hurriedly bowed and saluted.

"Old Sun, you are on duty today......" Liu Bixian greeted the sergeant with a smile, "It's cold this day, it's hard work......"

"Ouch, Mr. Liu, how dare these little ones be ......" The sergeant bowed on his knees and smiled at Liu Bixian with a flattering face.

Liu Bixian walked into the front yard of the General's Mansion from the corner gate with his big sleeves on his back, but saw that the lamp was burning in the department room on the west side of the lobby, and there was a faint sound of crackling of abacus. Pacing over, it was Wang Anpei, the new bookstore two days ago, who was busy behind the bookcase full of paperwork.

"Mr. Wang, are you still working overtime at night?" Liu Bixian stepped into the department, looked at Wang Anpei with a smile and said.

Wang Anpei, who was concentrating on settling accounts, heard the voice, looked up and saw Liu Bixian standing at the door looking at him, his face was slightly red, and he quickly got up and said: "Mr. Liu, tonight is a student on duty, it's okay to be idle, just sort out these account books again......

When Wang Anpei used to be in the pile of prisoners outside the city, Liu Bixian was the prisoner of Houjin management, Wang Anpei despised him for being used by the Tartars, and once reprimanded Liu Bixian for reading the book of sages in vain, but he didn't know what loyalty was, and there was some mustard between the two. Later, Wang Anpei wanted to get a job in the general's mansion, but he didn't want to look for Liu Bixian to bow his head, but Fan Tongzhou entrusted Xu Ying to come in. Wang Anpei worked under Liu Bixian, although the face between the two was still harmonious, but the jiedi in his heart was never eliminated.

"Oh, what's the matter? Are there any questions? Liu Bixian asked gently and casually.

"This ......" Wang Anpei hesitated, "It's the end of the year, and the county treasury is also taking stock......"

"After the students do the math carefully, they will see the results in a few days." Wang Anpei said.

"Then Mr. Wang has worked hard, it is windy at night, Mr. pay attention to keep warm, don't suffer from the cold." Liu Bixian said, wanting to take off the hat on his head and give it to Wang Anpei, but he grabbed a blank spot, and then remembered that he had lent the hat to Yang Ming just now.

Arching his hand, Liu Bixian withdrew from the department, stepped down the steps, and walked towards the residence in the back row of the west wing of the front yard.

As soon as she entered the door, Xiaocui, the maid who lived outside the suite, hurriedly greeted her, and habitually reached out to pick up Liu Bixian's hat, but she was empty.

"Master's hat ......," Xiao Cui asked with a little surprise.

"Oh, it's fine. Just now, the general went outside to have something to do, so he borrowed my hat. Liu Bixian couldn't help but smile again.

"Master, please wipe your sweat ......" Xiao Cui held a hot towel and handed it to Liu Bixian.

Liu Bixian took the towel, held it with both hands and wiped it on his face a few times, stretched his waist and exhaled a long breath.

"Oh, Xiaocui......" Liu Bixian seemed to think of something, reached out and took out two pieces of broken silver from his arms, took them in his hand and weighed them, about six or seven yuan, "I've been busy these days, forget about this, you can take this silver to cut clothes for the New Year." ”

"Master......" Xiao Cui hesitated, "Slave ......"

"Take it, it's not enough to add it to you tomorrow, that's all for now, just now the general went out and borrowed the broken silver from me......" Liu Bixian smiled and stuffed the silver to Xiao Cui. As soon as the fingers of the two touched, Liu Bixian felt a cool and soft feeling, and his heart couldn't help but swing, and he couldn't help but hold Xiao Cui's hand in his hand.

"Master......" Xiaocui didn't withdraw her hand, but there was indescribable sadness in her voice.

Liu Bixian was shocked in his heart, and quickly retracted his hand, and secretly scolded himself in his heart: The gentleman does not deceive the dark room, Liu Bixian, Liu Bixian, you are still a person who reads sage books......

Although there was a certain personal attachment between the slave and the master in that era, it was not something that could be insulted casually, and it was a felony for the master to forcibly insult the slave and maid. Ji Xiaolan recorded such a story in "Notes on Reading Wei Caotang": A rich man in a certain county was at odds with the county order, and the county order wanted to rectify the rich but had no way to start. One day, a maid in the rich family's house hanged herself and was rescued, and when the county magistrate learned the news, he thought he had caught a breakthrough, and happily took the messenger to the rich family's house to ask for the crime. When questioning the maid, the county magistrate hinted in every possible way, hoping that the maid would accuse the old man of insulting him so that he would find a short-term opinion, but the maid said that it was because her father was imprisoned by the government servants, and she had no way to seek death, which made the county magistrate disgraced.

Liu Bixian was introspecting himself, but Xiaocui suddenly knelt down.

"The slave is really willing to serve the old man......, master, Xiaocui...... The slave and the maid can't help themselves......"

Under the candlelight, Liu Bixian saw that Xiao Cui seemed to be crying, and a few tears fell to the ground and disappeared into the shadows of his body.

"Xiao Cui, you should rest early. I'm tired......" Liu Bixian entered the back room in a daze and closed the door.

In front of the lobby of the General's Palace, a row of lanterns hung high under the eaves, and two sergeants sat on the steps with lanterns in their hands and snoozed, their spears resting beside them. Outside the corner doors on both sides of the lobby, dim lanterns hung under the eaves, swaying fast and slowly in the night wind. The corner door on the east side of the lobby was closed, and the sergeant guarding the door leaned against the cold by rubbing his hands and feet against the corner of the door, and the corner door on the west side adjacent to the north-south street was open, and a sergeant was pacing back and forth in the door with a spear.

A slender figure came from the darkness inside the corner door, and it was not until she reached the eaves that the sergeant could see her face by the dim light of the lantern.

"Miss Xiaocui, are you going out at night?" The sergeant greeted him.

"Yes, Master Jun, Master Liu wants the slave to go to the night market to buy something......" Xiaocui replied softly.