"Master, everything is ready, and you can start to look forward to it." In the morning, at the end of the hour, that is, near eleven o'clock, a maid stepped into the hall and said so.

Therefore, hearing such words, Zhang Shihua, his wife, parents, brothers and sisters and other Zhang family members couldn't help but smile and came to the back room to see what Zhang Xi, who had just turned one year old, would catch today.

"Xi'er, go ahead." As a mother, Guo Weier gently put her son on the bed, and then couldn't help but look at her son with a smile.

"Ah~" At this time, Zhang Xi, who had just turned one year old, naturally did not have any nervousness under the gaze of the elders. Even when he saw that everyone was looking at him, he couldn't help clapping his two little hands and laughing.

But after all, it is a child, and after looking at the elders and laughing, the next moment of attention can't help but be attracted by the many items placed on the bed.

"Hmm~" Looking at the things that were full of things, Xiao Zhang Xi, who had just turned one year old, didn't know what to take for a while.

So lying on the bed, he couldn't help but be stunned for a while. But after being stunned for a while, Xiao Zhang Xi couldn't help crawling and picked up a seal from the bed. Then after holding the small red seal in his hand and playing with it for a while, Xiao Zhang Xi couldn't help but grab a small booklet of discourse beside him.

"Hahahaha, good!" Seeing this, Zhang Shihua's father Zhang Liewu couldn't help laughing.

You know, there is such a thing as a seal, which is the thing of the person in power, and the book of the Analects is naturally not ordinary. Xiao Zhang Xi took both the seal and the Analects, and when the two were added, the meaning was naturally excellent.

So seeing his grandson like this, Zhang Liewu, who wanted to love his grandson, was naturally extremely happy in his heart.

"Haha, Chang'er, my grandson will be the one who is in power and the country with literature in the future!" Zhang Liewu laughed, but he couldn't help but say such a thing.

At this time, Zhang Shihua heard his father's words, even if he was unimpressed with the matter of arresting Zhou. But looking at the cute appearance of his son on the bed, Zhang Shihua still couldn't help but show a bright smile.

……

A few days later, it was February 20th.

On this day, the spring ploughing in the countryside was almost busy. However, at this time, the officials under the rule of the Black Army still had no leisure for a while. Just because at this time, Zhang Shihua is ready to expand the army again.

Yes, it is the expansion of the army. Because Zhang Shihua knew that in the second half of the year, under the continuous attack of political enemies, in order to further consolidate his position, as the right prime minister of the Yuanmeng Empire, he would leave Beijing again to quell the chaos. And this time, what the result is, everyone naturally knows.

Therefore, in order to seek greater benefits for himself in the end of this turmoil, Zhang Shihua couldn't help but prepare to expand the army by 20,000 again, and officially expand the soldiers and horses under his command to 100,000.

At this time, the total number of soldiers and horses under Zhang Shihua's command is 80,000. And under his command, plus the generals and the Wanhu officials who were single-handedly pulled up by him, the generals of the position of Wanhu alone have reached nine. And these nine people are Zhao Jiu and Zhao Er, who are guarding the northern border; Guo Yu and Bai Xi who guarded southern Xinjiang; The general Zhao Yufu of Wanhu stationed in De'an Mansion and Zhang Mingtong, Zhang Shihui, Shi Shisan, and Gao Kaida, who were stationed in Xiangyang, and the general Wanhu Gao Kaida.

Nine officials of 10,000 households have 80,000 soldiers and horses. Therefore, if Zhang Shihua plans to continue to expand the army, it is obvious that he needs to promote three more officials of ten thousand households.

Therefore, after Zhang Shihua proposed the idea of expanding the army to his subordinates, he couldn't help but work out a reasonable list with Zhao Ziyu and Chang Xiqiao. is ready to promote Wang Shijiu, Deng Hu and Li Erniu to ten thousand household officials.

After all, these three people are already deputy households, and all three of them are also from the inspection department. There is absolutely nothing to say about seniority and loyalty. Individuals are quite capable.

But in addition, Zhang Shihua also planned to promote Zhao Jiubiao to privy councillor and transfer him from the north.

Because in Zhang Shihua's plan, the focus of the black-clothed army will be in the south for a long time in the future. So in such a situation, there is really no need to keep a strong general like Zhao Jiu in Nanyang and Beidi all the time.

Of course, after Zhao Jiu is transferred again. Zhao Er, the official of Zhongwanhu, who also guarded the northern frontier, would succeed him as the highest military commander in Nanyang and Bianliang.

But in this way, I can't help but vacate a 10,000-household position again.

However, Zhang Shihua has not yet thought about who to give this position to for a while. Therefore, he also planned to take a good look at the performance of the generals under his command in the future, and then give this position to the best performer.

As for the candidates for deputy ten thousand households, Zhang Shihua will naturally give him the qualifications recommended by those ten thousand household officials. For example, in the next step, the officials of the ten thousand households can select three or four people from the thousands of households under their command who they feel are qualified to serve as deputy ten thousand households, and then Zhang Shihua himself decides the final candidate.

The method of the Thousand Household Officials and the Deputy Thousand Household Officials is similar to this. Of course, as for the hundreds of officials below, the ten thousand households will also have the qualifications for individual appointment and dismissal. At that time, they only need to report to Zhang Shihua.

After all, at the level of 100 households, even if Zhang Shihua has three heads and six arms, it is impossible to deal with it. And as a leader and decision-maker, he must also know how to delegate power.

If you really want to be like Zhuge Liang, you have to bow down to everything big and small, and Zhang Shihua will definitely die young.

But even the appointment of candidates in mind has already been planned. But the expansion of the army is still a rather cumbersome and complicated matter.

Anyway, even with the current organizational ability of the black-clothed army, it will take more than a month to recruit 20,000 people at once. After that, the training of recruits will take a full three months.

So in this way, the time left for Zhang Shihua is really not rich.

Therefore, under such circumstances, on the day of February 23, the recruitment of troops could not help but be carried out in the entire Xiangjing land.

……

"Folks, folks, folks have come to listen. Our black-clad army is going to recruit! "In the land of Xiangjing, under the rule of Zhang Shihua, every county or township, a famous officer or Lizheng, he couldn't help but follow the instructions from above, and conveyed the matter of the black-clothed army to recruit soldiers and horses to the many people under his rule as soon as possible.

"Folks, listen up. This time, we will recruit a total of 20,000 soldiers and horses. Therefore, in our county, all the places add up, and there are only two hundred and thirty places. There are not many people who want it.

As for the benefits and treatment after becoming a soldier, I think the villagers have also heard of it. As long as one person in your family becomes a soldier, the family will be able to share an additional ten acres of land. In addition, after becoming a soldier, the money, food, and salary received every month are even more considerable.

If you become a soldier, you can make achievements on the battlefield. The benefits of money and food are even more numerous. If you cut off the head of the tartar, you will not only get an acre of eternal field as a reward. That's even more meritorious, and you can be promoted!

You know, it's Liu Erlang of our county, Da Liuzhuang. People still have some relatives with me, and Liu Erlang joined the army two years ago. Today, he has become a serious master of a hundred households.

Listen, Hundred Household Officials! That guy, in terms of rank alone, is on an equal footing with our county master! One of them was shouting at the villagers. And under his kind of publicity, the young men around him who are motivated and unwilling to be ordinary because they are young. After listening to such words one by one, it is inevitable that they will be moved.

So for a time, more than 60 counties and countless towns under Zhang Shihua couldn't help but emerge countless young men who wanted to join the army.

After all, in this world of great controversy at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there is no saying that "a good man should not be a soldier". On the contrary, because of the difficulty of the imperial examination in the Yuan Dynasty, it became a road to get ahead when he joined the army. And in addition to the treatment of the Black Army and the prestige accumulated over the years of invincibility. At this time, there are many people who join the army, so it is naturally not unusual.

Therefore, it took less than a month to recruit 20,000 recruits.

Moreover, in this time, almost all the young men who joined the army were from good families. The quality of the soldiers is much higher than that of the black-clothed army in the past.

The emergence of such a result undoubtedly made Zhang Shihua very happy. Because this also reflects from the side the extent to which the black-clothed army has won the hearts of the people.

After all, if the black-clothed army is unpopular with the people, these good sons with innocent family backgrounds will not join the black-clothed army.

……

A few days later, it was finally the fifth day of the third month. One day, Zhao Jiu, who had guarded the northern border of the black-clothed army for a long time, couldn't help but take more than 100 personal guards with him, after receiving the order issued by Zhang Shihua. rushed to the outside of Xiangyang City non-stop.

"Xiangyang, General. You see, now it's finally in Xiangyang. Outside the north gate of Xiangyang City, the commander of the personal guard beside Zhao Jiu pointed to Xiangyang City not far away, and couldn't help but say so.

"Yes, we finally arrived in Xiangyang. Let's go into the city quickly, there has been a lot of delay along the way, don't let the lord wait for a long time. Hearing the words of the commander of the guards, he looked up at Xiangyang City not far away, Zhao Jiu nodded like this, and he couldn't help but urge the war horse under his crotch and ran towards Xiangyang.

"Look, General. That's someone again. The group, under the leadership of Zhao Jiu, galloped to the ten-mile long pavilion outside Xiangyang City. The commander of the guards with good eyes couldn't help but see for the first time where a man in official uniform and a group of officials were waiting at the ten-mile long pavilion.

So after seeing these people, Zhao Jiu and the others couldn't help but urge the war horse and walked towards the man.

"Well, Lord Zhou?" Riding a horse approached, he saw where the pavilion was. Zhao Jiu couldn't help but recognize this person in official uniform.

"I've seen my Privy Counsellor on Thursday and September." And after Zhao Jiu walked in and recognized Thursday Jiu. On Thursday, Jiu couldn't help but smile, bent down at Zhao Jiu, and made a proper subordinate salute.

Seeing this, Zhao Jiu, who was originally riding on a war horse, was naturally busy turning over and dismounting, and waved his hands together, and returned the salute to Thursday Jiu.

Then, wait until the two salute each other. Thursday Jiu couldn't help but smile, and said loudly to Zhao Jiu: "The lord knows that the general is coming today, so he can't help but order his subordinates to wait for the general here." Now, the lord should have set up a banquet in the palace and wait for the general, and you and my subordinates will also enter the city with me. How is it? ”

"This, self-so, self-so." Hearing Zhou Jiu's words, he knew that Zhang Shihua had already set up a banquet waiting for him. Zhao Jiu was naturally also busy, turned over and got on the horse again, and the group rushed towards Xiangyang City again.

……

"Lord, lord. General Zhao is here, and he is waiting outside the mansion gate now. A moment later, when Zhao Jiu and his party rushed to the Marshal's Mansion, a black-clothed sergeant guarding the door couldn't help but inform Zhang Shihua of the news as soon as possible.

So after knowing the news, Zhang Shihua, who was sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but smile, and looked at the people in the hall and waved his hands and said, "Gentlemen, come." And go out with me to meet Ah Jiu. ”

Saying this, Zhang Shihua couldn't help but get up from his seat, and walked towards the door of the mansion with three steps and two steps.

"Hahahaha, Ah Jiu. You're finally here, but it's really keeping me waiting! When he stepped out of the house and saw the sturdy man surrounded by everyone at the gate of the house, Zhang Shihua couldn't help laughing like this.

"My lord. Your Majesty Zhao Jiu, meet the lord! Seeing this, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but take everyone and respectfully bowed to Zhang Shihua.

"Ah Jiu, hurry up, hurry up." And when Zhang Shihua saw Zhao Jiu kneeling, he couldn't help but be busy. couldn't help but walk quickly in front of Zhao Jiu, and personally helped Zhao Jiu up from the ground.

"Ah Jiu, you and I are like brothers, why do you need to be like this, why do you need to be like this!" Zhang Shihua held Zhao Jiu's hand tightly and said this. A pair of tiger eyes couldn't help but get wet at this time.

So when he saw Zhang Shihua like this, Zhao Jiu, a burly man, was also extremely moved.

"My lord......" he choked up. The voice was trembling, but it was a belly of words, and I didn't know what to say at this time.

"Haha, Ah Jiu. It's a great joy for us to meet again after a long absence. Come on, let's go into the house first. Today, let's drink and sing together, and we won't get drunk or return. At this moment, Zhang Shihua, whose eyes were moist, couldn't help but squeeze out a smile on his face.

Then as he said this, he couldn't help but kindly pull Zhao Jiu in and out of the lobby.

(To be continued.................................... ）