It is a delicate courtyard with three entrances. Entering through the gate, the inverted seat next to it is for the retinue to live; Passing through the inner door and entering the inner courtyard, the main house on the north side is the living room of Yang Baihua and his wife; Yang Yanran was placed in the east wing, while Xu Jin and Hui Ze lived in the west wing; The back room at the back of the house was used as a servant's room and storeroom, and the stables were also located here.

Early in the morning, Yang Baihua and his entourage packed their luggage from the Vermilion Bird Inn, and moved over.

Before the arrangement stopped, Chen Qingzhi and King Ye had already come to the door to congratulate.

King Ye specially sent two cooks, several maids and miscellaneous servants, and also brought two carts of daily utensils.

Hui Ze worked hard to help carry all kinds of gifts; After Xu Jin sent Hei Lei to the stable, he was so excited that he jumped up and down like a monkey, looking around in the courtyard, as if there were surprises and surprises everywhere.

Yanran followed behind Xu Jin, and when she saw him like this, she couldn't help but quip, "Look at your appearance that you have never seen the world, although this mansion is exquisite, it is far worse than my family's original mansion." ”

"Of course, a young lady like you wouldn't be surprised by such a house, but compared to my family, this is simply a palace!"

"Then tell me, what is your home like in Huaishuo?" Yan Ran fluttered with those clear eyes.

Xu Jin looked back at Yan Ran, his expression became solemn, "Huaishuo's home...... There's really not much to say what it looks like. As far back as I can remember, my mother was always sitting in the crooked doorway, either spinning threads or mending clothes for me and my father; My father took me out, and my mother always babbled a lot of words, and my father and I ran away after a perfunctory while. My father taught me to ride a horse and hunt, and to learn martial arts and archery, and he was always very strict with me; But when I really went to the battlefield, I was always asked to hide behind him, and I always felt that behind my father was the safest place in the world. For me, having my father and mother is the ...... home" Xu Jin couldn't help but clench his fists, "My home is gone......"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to make you sad." Yanran looked at Xu Jin with compassion in her eyes, and then said, "However, this is your current home, I, father and mother, Hui Ze, we all care about you!" Now, we are all your family, let's live a good life together! As he spoke, two lines of tears rolled down Yanran's eyes.

This sudden tear made Xu Jin panic suddenly, "Hey, Miss, what are you ......" Xu Jin circled around Yanran without a master, "Why is it all of a sudden...... If Brother Yang and Mrs. Yang saw it, they would think that I had bullied Miss. ”

Yanran wiped away her tears and tried to squeeze out a smile, "Oh, it's me who lost my temper." I just want to tell you that we have long regarded you and Hui Ze as family, and we hope that you will regard this place as your home and home. ”

"I couldn't protect my father's home, and now, I swear that I will use my life to protect everyone and protect this new home in a foreign country!"

The hustle and bustle of the whole day finally calmed down when the moon hung high on the branches. After the courtyard and the courtyard were basically taken care of, everyone had a simple dinner and then prepared to go back to their rooms to rest.

Yang Baihua stopped Xu Jin, "Jin, Brother Ziyun hopes to have a person who is skilled in archery and horses to help him teach soldiers the art of riding and archery, I recommended you to him, I don't know if you are willing?" ”

"Brother Yang, we can gain a foothold in Jiankang, we must have received a lot of care from Brother Chen, right?"

Yang Baihua nodded, "I have indeed received a lot of favors from Brother Ziyun." ”

"In this way, if I can help Brother Chen, of course I am willing."

A few days later, Chen Qingzhi came over and wanted to take Xu Jin to the place where the troops were trained, his hometown - Yixing.

Hui Ze reluctantly pulled Xu Jin. "Jin, let me go with you, didn't we say that we should go together wherever we go?"

"You're not good at horseback riding, besides, we're both gone, who's going to play with Miss?" Xu Jin patted Hui Ze's shoulder, "I'll go to help Brother Chen, it's not that I won't come back, you just take care of everyone for me." ”

"The weather is getting colder and colder," Mrs. Yang handed over a burden, "I made you a few new clothes to protect you from the cold, and a pair of new shoes, and when you get to the barracks, you have to take care of yourself......"

"Thank you, ma'am!" Xu Jin took it with both hands, feeling that this burden had endless warmth.

"Jin, you can come back early!" Yanran stood beside her mother, tears flashing in her eyes.

"Okay, let's take a look at you," Yang Baihua said with a smile on the side, "It's not like going to go to war, it's like parting with life and death, which makes Brother Ziyun laugh." ”

"Where, but it's down, I don't want to go."

When he came to the gate, the groom was already waiting outside the door with Hei Lei. Xu Jin bowed his hand to say goodbye to everyone, then lifted the red practice gun, turned over and jumped on the back of the black thunder.

Chen Qingzhi climbed onto the back of his horse a little awkwardly, adjusted his sitting position, and said to Xu Jin, "Brother Xu Jin, don't run too fast, you are not good at riding, I am afraid that you will not be able to keep up." ”

The two of them left Jiankang and headed all the way to the southeast. Along the way, the autumn is crisp and the scenery is pleasant, which makes people feel very comfortable.

After walking for a long time, Chen Qingzhi saw a tea shop on the side of the road in front of him, so he proposed to take a break and use some tea and snacks before leaving.

The shop served two bowls of freshly brewed tea and a plate of dim sum. Xu Jin was a little hungry, so he grabbed a piece of snack and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Wow! Brother Chen, what is this? Xu Jin carefully tasted and chewed the snack in his mouth, stretched his neck, and swallowed it down his throat, "It's fragrant and soft, it's so delicious!" ”

"This is a rice cake, also known as a rice cake, which is made from rice." Chen Qingzhi smiled and said, "Although it is not a precious pastry, I think it is a perfect match for tea." ”

"It's delicious!" Xu Jin stuffed a few pieces in a row, and poured a few sips of tea, "When you go back to Jiankang, bring some for Huize and Miss to taste." ”

"Haha, okay, you can bring as much as you want." Chen Qingzhi turned his head and greeted the shopkeeper, "Please give us another rice cake." ”

After eating and drinking, the two continued on their way.

"Brother Chen, how far is your hometown Yixing from Jiankang?"

"It's not far, and if you hurry up, you can get there in three days. But with my burden, it will take at least two more days. ”

"Brother Chen, don't you want me to teach you how to ride, how about I teach you now?"

"Good! If I can get the hang of it, we'll be there sooner. ”

"You see, like me, step on the stirrups with the forefoot; Hold on to the reins and don't jerk; Shake to the rhythm of the horse and slowly accelerate ......"

After entering the realm of Yixing, Chen Qingzhi rarely showed excitement, "Brother Xu Jin, it seems that please you are really right, we have at least advanced for most of the day; I used to ride a horse and always be shaky, but for the first time in my life, I felt that riding a horse was quite fun. ”

"That's the essentials, just practice; Horses are very spiritual, and when you have time to pet them, take them for a walk. Xu Jin stroked Hei Lei's neck and said with some pride. Hei Lei also seemed to feel the mood of his master, and shook his head and let out a series of excited hisses.

Chen Qingzhi's barracks was stationed on an open and flat ground, not large in scale, surrounded by wooden hedges, from which bursts of drill calls were constantly heard, reaching through the sky. Coming to the gate, a tall and strong, bronze-skinned, bearded man was already waiting here, standing tall like a black iron tower.

Dahan happily clasped his fists and saluted, "Ziyun, you are here!" What about the equestrian instructor you brought with you? ”

Chen Qingzhi pulled Xu Jin to his side, "Let me introduce you," he pointed to the big black man, "This is my fellow countryman Fa Xiao-Yu Tianshu." He was a blacksmith, and he also joined the army to fight with the Northern Wei Dynasty, and he was the leader of the army in the army. ”

"This little brother's name is Xu Jin, and he is the head of the horseback riding instructor I found." Chen Qingzhi said to the big man, "Brother Xu's equestrian skills are exquisite, and on the way here, he gave me a little guidance, and even my riding skills have improved greatly!" ”

"Ziyun, you're not kidding, are you?" Obviously, Yu Tianchou was not satisfied, "You found a child to be the head teacher?" ”

"Brother Yu, the so-called people can't be good-looking, don't measure them by age."

"I'm worried that this hairless kid can't convince the public!"

"This big brother," Xu Jin interjected at this time, "If you have any doubts, you might as well let me show the means and then make a conclusion, how about it?" ”

On the school field, there are ten grass targets, lined up, each with an interval of about ten steps.

Thirty steps away from the grass target, a row of half-person-high fences was erected to isolate the grass target from Xu Jin.

Yu Tianshu asked the soldiers on the school field to suspend the drill and lined up neatly.

Xu Jin sat on Hei Lei's back and propped up the bowstring in his hand, "Can you start?" ”

"I haven't had a horse riding instructor before, so I thought of this method of training riding and archery, riding horses along the fence, shooting grass targets during the period, and the current army can shoot three targets, which is already the limit, see how many you can hit." Yu Tianchou said with a serious expression.

The corners of Xu Jin's mouth raised slightly, and he didn't speak, his legs were clamped, and the black thunder raised his hooves and ran out.

The arrows are not missing. In the exclamation and cheers of the soldiers, in an instant, Xu Jin had turned back to the stunned Yu Tianshu.

"All in the middle!" Xu Jin looked at Yu Tianshu with some smugness.

"Hahaha......" Chen Qingzhi on the side let out a hearty laugh, he patted Yu Tianshu's shoulder, "Brother Yu, how is it, this little brother is very skilled, right?" ”

Yu Tianshu closed his mouth that was wide open in surprise, and said embarrassedly, "Oh, it's me who doesn't know it, I underestimated Brother Xu, take care of it, treat it more." ”

Xu Jin jumped off the horse, "Brother Yu is quick to talk, the younger brother is young, and it is normal to have doubts, and in the future, I want Brother Yu to support the younger brother more." ”

Seeing this, Chen Qingzhi said with relief, "You two are the support of our army, if you can be honest with each other and work together, you will definitely be able to train the army of tigers and wolves!" ”

"Brother Chen, don't worry, little brother will do his best." Xu Jin said to Chen Qingzhi with a fist.

"Brother Xu, this riding and archery is just one thing, more importantly, you have to charge into battle, how about showing us your martial arts on the horse?" Although Yu Tianshu's tone was much softer, he still wanted to continue to test Xu Jin's skills.

"Okay!" Xu Jin agreed very happily.

Yu Tianchou singled out two soldiers with the best horse combat ability in the army at present, with thick cloth pads tied to their chests and bamboo sticks in their hands as riding spears; He also ordered ten foot soldiers to hold long bamboo poles and wait behind the cavalry.

Xu Jin shook the bamboo stick in his hand and asked confidently, "Brother Yu must want to see me rush into battle, right?" ”

Yu Tianchou nodded, "How about overturning the two cavalrymen first, and then breaking through the infantry's gun formation, do you dare to give it a try?" ”

"Brother Yu, this is a little dangerous." Chen Qingzhi said worriedly, "If you hurt Brother Xu, how can it be good." ”

"Brother Chen, don't worry, I have practiced this technique thousands of times since I was a child, if I get injured to this extent, I don't deserve to stay here!"

"Well said!" Yu Tianchou clasped his fists and said loudly, "Brother Xu Jin, it's not that I, Yu Tianchou, deliberately make things difficult, you and I are entrusted by Ziyun, and we should be loyal!" Only by showing superior means, can the soldiers take your skills as the goal, practice hard, and train an elite! ”

"Little brother understands what Big Brother Yu means, come on!" Xu Jin pulled the reins, and the Black Thunder Man stood up, waving his front legs in the air a few times, and rushing towards his opponents with a loud snort.

Seeing Xu Jin rushing over, the two cavalrymen also set up bamboo sticks, one after the other.

The cavalryman who rushed ahead was already close to Xu Jin, and he screamed loudly and stabbed the bamboo stick in his hand. Xu Jin dodged the attack with a slight flash, and at the same time the bamboo stick in his hand stabbed through the opponent's chest, and the moment the two horses staggered, the cavalryman seemed to be pulled by a powerful force and flew out of the horse.

In a flash of lightning, the second cavalry also rushed in front of him. He picked up the bamboo stick and tried to slash his opponent. But apparently Xu Jin was faster than him, and the bamboo stick in his hand was like a poisonous snake attacking, knocking the prey to the ground in an instant.

With just one charge, the two cavalrymen were knocked out one after the other, and the remaining infantry began to panic. Xu Jin didn't slow down at all and rushed towards the other party.

The four hooves of the black thunder slapped the ground vigorously, splashing bursts of mud, and the dull sound of horses' hooves echoed over the school field like a beating war drum, hitting everyone's eardrums.

Xu Jin frowned, carefully estimating the distance between himself and the bamboo poles in the hands of the infantrymen.

As the distance between the two sides continued to shorten, the infantry faltered, some of them began to tremble with their hands holding bamboo poles, and some began to cower and move backwards.

At the moment when they were about to collide, Xu Jin shouted angrily, the bamboo stick in his hand stretched out in front of the black thunder, and with a quick pick, he pushed away the bamboo poles in front of him.

At the same time, the infantry scattered and dodged like frightened sparrows, especially the several soldiers who were facing Xu Jin in front of him, and at the moment when the bamboo pole in his hand was removed, they simply threw away the bamboo pole and dodged to both sides.

Xu Jin controlled the black thunder to stop, jumped off the horse, and ran towards the infantrymen, "How is it, is anyone injured?" ”

Seeing that everyone said that they were not injured, Xu Jin looked at the two cavalrymen again.

At this moment, the two had already supported each other to stand up, and Xu Jin asked with concern, "It's okay, right?" Are there any injuries? ”

The two patted the thick cloth pad on their chests, "Fortunately, I have this, otherwise, I would have to break a few bones." ”

Chen Qingzhi and Yu Tianchou also ran over.

"Brother Xu Jin is really a god!" Yu Tianchou exclaimed as he ran, "With you here, I'm afraid that I won't be able to train an elite iron horse!" ”

"Brother Xu's good means, it's really eye-opening!" Chen Qingzhi also admired.

"Brother Xu Jin, you are young, but you have such superb martial arts, where did you learn it?" Yu Tianshu asked.

"The two big brothers have won the prize." Xu Jin replied with a smile, "The younger brother was born in Huaishuo, one of the six towns in the north, and followed my father to the battlefield at the age of ten, and these skills were honed under my father's guidance. My father faced five Rouran cavalry alone, and he didn't fall behind. ”

"In this way, I can rest assured that I will hand over the training of cavalry to Brother Xu." Yu Tianchou said excitedly, "Before that, let me introduce you to the current situation of our army." ”

Yu Tianchou led Chen Qingzhi and Xu Jin to inspect the barracks, "Our army currently has 1,275 people, all of whom are brave people recruited from the children of the township; There are one hundred and thirty horses, and then they will all be handed over to Brother Xu, you let go and practice. ”

"It seems that there is a shortage of weapons," Xu Jin looked around, "I see that many soldiers not only do not have armor, but also use bamboo guns to practice." ”

"I'll think about solving the ordnance matter," Chen Qingzhi took over, "The two brothers just need to step up their training." ”

"Okay! Brother Yu, please gather the soldiers on horseback, and I will meet them first. ”

After a while, about 100 soldiers lined up in a neat phalanx and stood in front of Xu Jin and the others.

Yu Tianchou loudly announced, "Brothers, this is our horseback riding sect, Brother Xu Jin!" In the future, you will train with him, and if there is anyone who does not obey the order and offends the head of the sect, I will never spare him! Do you hear me? ”

The soldiers replied neatly and loudly, "Yes!" ”

Xu Jin took a step forward and hugged his fists towards the soldiers, "Brothers, since I have come here, I want to hone everyone's riding skills, otherwise, what kind of face will I see Brother Chen and Brother Yu." So, please do your best! ”

"Now the first thing to do," Xu Jin glanced at the soldiers, "each bring his own horse and go and groom and brush it." Then from today onwards, stay in the stable with your horses at night! ”

As soon as Xu Jin's words came out, there was a chaotic muttering sound among the soldiers.

Yu Tianxuan shouted, "Quiet! Be quiet! Didn't you say that everything should be listened to by the head of the church! ”

The soldiers fell silent, and they all looked at the young leader with suspicion.

"Horses are very spiritual." Xu Jin explained, "A cavalryman, on the battlefield, the horse is your most trustworthy brother, only with your own horse to establish a relationship of trust, when facing the enemy's spear, the horse will listen to your call, this is a critical time to let you save your life!" I also live with everyone and my horses in the stables. ”

"You live in the stable?" Yu Tianshu obviously disagreed with Xu Jin's words, "You are the head of the sect, this is not appropriate, right?" ”

"It is precisely because I am the head of the sect that I have to eat and live with the soldiers and lead by example, otherwise how can I serve the people."

"Brother Xu Jin's words make sense," Chen Qingzhi said on the side, "It's just that Brother Xu has been wronged." ”

"It's okay, it's just a routine for me." Xu Jin said indifferently, "It's just that the younger brother can only train everyone's riding skills and horse skills, formation and tactics, and the younger brother doesn't understand them." ”

"I will ask Brother Yang for advice on these, and Brother Xu doesn't have to worry about it."

"Okay, Brother Chen, you can rest assured that you will leave it to me!" Xu Jin patted his chest and said.

"Then it's hard work for the two brothers!" Chen Qingzhi bowed his hand and took his leave, "After all, I still have a job in Beijing, so I don't dare to delay too long, so I will go back to Jiankang first." ”