At the fifth watch, I was happy to come to the barracks on time, and the drums that shook the sky sounded at the right time, but I was still beating the drums.

The whole barracks became nervous, and after the three-way drumming was over, everyone stood in formation according to yesterday's formation. Nodding happily and satisfied, he stepped up to the platform.

"You're doing a great job." praised happily, and then said solemnly: "Let's start training, those who don't meet the standards are not allowed to eat!" ”

Everyone was breathing tightly, they hadn't participated in training for some days, and they didn't know what the standard of happiness was.

Happy didn't give them much time to think, and after leaving the logistics soldiers to cook, they ran out of the barracks with a platoon-like team like a long line and started running.

After running, eat. Those who fail to meet the standards, those who violate the discipline of the queue, are directly disqualified from eating by joy.

After that, it's the queue training. If an individual makes a mistake, it will affect the same class, or even the same platoon, so that all the soldiers will not dare to be negligent and slack, for fear of causing public outrage.

The sun is shining on the head, and sweat is pouring outward. The sun at the end of the fourth month of the lunar calendar was already quite sunny, and standing still in a military posture was such a torturous and painful thing. Just when they were dying to faint and escape the boring training. Gao Fu came to the barracks, and the most important thing was that he brought chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and wine.

He said happily and at the right time: "Those who fail to meet the training standards and violate military orders will have no meat to eat, let alone alcohol!" ”

Everyone's faces tightened, and they all held their chests high, serious and serious, as if they had been stimulated, and their fighting spirit was high.

It wasn't until it was getting dark that the day's training was over. The rich smell of meat and wine permeated the whole camp, and everywhere there was a rumbling and gobbling. Happy words must be practiced, about thirty people who are lazy in training and have violated military orders can only drink a bowl of soup, and the wine and meat will naturally have nothing to do with them.

After the meal, he happily gathered all the teams and lectured on the point platform: "Soldiers, the first day of training is over, and your performance can only be said to be unsatisfactory. I don't criticize you, because in my mind you can only be counted as recruits. Tell me, what is the vocation of a soldier? ”

"Defend the country and the family." Some replied loudly.

"Wrong!"

Everyone was stunned and shouted happily: "The duty of a soldier is to obey orders, obey, absolutely obey!" ”

"Absolute obedience!" He shouted in agreement.

"Absolute obedience! Absolute obedience! The others roared and roared, and the ground shook with a rolling sound.

After a hard day of training, the fatigue and resentment dissipated a lot in the roar, and when everyone's mood calmed down a little, he happily continued: "You can forget who you are, but you must never forget that you are a soldier, and your duty is to obey orders." If you want to have meat to eat every day, then train hard, and those who don't work hard only deserve to eat bran, do you understand? ”

"Understood—"

After the disbandment of the troops, it was already dark, and Happy trotted all the way home.

As soon as he entered the door, Zheng's voice of complaint and concern came: "Xing'er, why did you come back?" Let my mother worry for a while! Come and eat! ”

happily apologized: "The child is not good, so my mother is worried." Eat it, the boy has eaten it in the barracks. ”

"How can the food in the barracks be as good as at home, it's all because of your father, you are still so young, so you have to suffer so much." Zheng complained to Gao Changgong.

Gao Changgong hurriedly shouted: "Madam, Xing'er is eating big fish and meat in the barracks, but it's not bad at all!" ”

Happy raised his eyebrows, puffed up his chest and said loudly: "Mother, Ganluo is twelve years old, and the children are thirteen years old!" A good man should cross the horse and cross the sword, crisscross the battlefield, and achieve immortal feats! ”

Zheng sighed helplessly and said, "Father and mother are just one of your children, how can you be willing to suffer and suffer?" ”

"Mother, you don't have to worry, the child will definitely take care of himself, you can eat quickly." Happy immediately assured, after which he took his leave and hurried back to his room. Zheng thought that he was tired of being happy, and looked at his back, his face full of heartache.

Looking at the night that was already very deep, and then looking at the figure of Xing Xing who was writing seriously on the window, Zheng frowned, bit his lower lip, and wanted to go in, but he was afraid of disturbing Xing Xing, so he didn't look at Gao Changgong beside him.

Gao Changgong shook his head lightly and said with emotion: "Xing'er has grown up, we should be happy." Night, ma'am, rest early. ”

Gao Changgong took a deep look at the still thin and thin figure in the dim light, and pulled the reluctant and worried Zheng family to gently leave the happy courtyard.

Early the next morning, he appeared at the barracks on time and ordered the training task to be the same as yesterday, and the acting instructor who had not yet given up supervised the training. I am happy to believe that with the stimulation of wine and meat, and the strict supervision of monks who do not give up, the training of all soldiers will not dare to be sloppy. After spending an hour in the barracks, he turned around and went back to the city.

By this time the sky was already bright, and there were more pedestrians on the streets, but the war was approaching, and the city was far less lively than before, depressing and depressed.

As soon as he entered the gate of the Inner History Mansion, Gao Fu greeted him, "Young master, the person you told you to find, the old slave has already been found." ”

smiled happily: "Fu Bo, thank you for your hard work, I actually sent something over yesterday in person." Where are the people? Take me with you! ”

Gao Fu said hello, and happily followed him out of the door. After walking through the streets and alleys for a while, the two came to a dilapidated courtyard on the edge of the city.

Gao Fu stepped forward and knocked on the door, the door opened, and a man of about fifty years old walked out. He is not tall, his face is yellow and thin, his messy beard is still stained with some sawdust, and the clothes on his body have been mended again and again, and he has long been unable to see the original color, obviously living a very poor life.

"Who are you looking for?" The man asked, confused.

"Hello sir, I'm glad to be here." Happy introduced himself before Gao Fu spoke, stepped forward and said, "May I ask if you are Lu Ping, a Xuyi Divine Craftsman?" ”

The man shook his head and sighed: "Old and decrepit Lu Ping, the god craftsman doesn't dare to be, he just barely eats, is there anything wrong with the son?" ”

Happy bowed and said, "Mr. Lu, I would like to ask you to help build something, this is a deposit." He said happily, and there was already a bulging money bag in his hand.

"I wonder what Childe is trying to build?" Lu Ping just glanced at the money bag, then withdrew his gaze, looked at it happily and asked.

"Old immortal, ask so much what to do? Just take it! ”

Happily surprised, a slightly pale hand snatched the money bag from his hand and held it tightly in his arms. The owner of the hand was a young man of twenty-three or fourteen years of age, with a pale face, vain steps, bloodshot eyes, greedy excitement and a little madness.

"Rebel, what are you doing? Hurry up and return the things to Childe! Lu Ping shouted angrily, so angry that his face trembled and his beard trembled.

"Old immortal, you can build things for others, I'm leaving." The young man ignored it, threw down a sentence and walked away.

"You—" Lu Ping was furious, a blush rising across his face, and he coughed violently.

"Sir!" Happy stepped forward and gently patted him on the back.

When the breath calmed down, Lu Ping's face was gloomy, he sighed, looked at him apologetically and said happily: "Childe, what do you want to build, the old man must do his best!" After a pause, he said again: "Childe, please come in and say, the humble house is shabby and sluggish." ”

"You're welcome." Happy shook his head and smiled into the yard.

After coming out of Lu Ping's house, he went home happily, rushed into his room, buried himself in the bookcase, and worked hard to write.

"Young Master, Master Hou called you to the front hall!" Fauber's voice rang out.

"Got it, Fauber." Happy put down the brush in his hand, stretched his body, and sighed: "How long has it been since I have written so seriously!" ”

When I came to the hall, I was happy to find that in addition to Gao Changgong, there were ten people in the hall, all of them were old and strong, fat and thin, but they all had one characteristic, that is, they were all richly dressed, oily, and their lives were very moist. Happy quickly glanced at it, the smile on the corner of his mouth brightened a little, and he stepped in with his head held high.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the pleasure of the dog." Gao Changgong introduced to everyone with a smile.

"I've seen Mr. Gao." And all the people stood up and saluted, and they were all in harmony.

"You're welcome." Happy clenched his fists, and after his eyes gently touched each other, he took it back.

This person is the richest person in Xuyi County, and he has a lot of influence in Xuyi County.

After seeing the ceremony, he happily sat at the end, looked at Gao Changgong, Gao Changgong nodded imperceptibly, then coughed lightly, and said: "You are all rich and important people in Xuyi City. ”

"Master Hou, you are too polite, if you have any needs, but it doesn't hurt to say it, as long as we can do it, it is incumbent on us." The person sitting under Gao Changgong said with a smile, and exchanged glances with the other nine people with a smile.

This person's name is Zhang Cha, about 60 years old, but his hair is dark and shiny, his face is full of red light, and he is in good spirits. He always had a faint smile on his face, and his eyes looked slightly cloudy, but occasionally they shone with wisdom when they opened and closed.

He was the oldest of the ten and the richest merchant in the entire Xuyi County.

"What Boss Zhang said is that I will rely on Master Hou in the future!"

"Hou Ye said it directly." Everyone else chimed in.

"Okay, the official will say it directly." Gao Changgong sat up straight, the smile on his face disappeared, his brows twisted into Sichuan characters, and said in a deep voice: "One hundred thousand ** pressure realm, like a broken bamboo, is now close to Shiliang City, hundreds of miles away from Xuyi. However, the defenders of Xuyi County, excluding the old, weak, sick and disabled, were only 3,500 people. Those people usually neglect training, their combat effectiveness is low, and Xuyi City is not a strong city, when the ** soldiers come to the city, I am afraid that they will not be able to hold it for even a day! ”

Everyone glanced at each other, their faces were a little solemn, obviously, they knew the situation in Xuyi City.

Zhang Cha, who was still bowing his head to Gao Changgong, opened his mouth and said: "Master Hou, you are in charge of the entire Xuyi military and government, what do you think we should do?" ”

Gao Changgong said: "As the head of a county, it is the responsibility of this official to protect the safety of this place. Therefore, the official wanted to recruit brave men in the city and form an army to train them to resist foreign aggression. At the same time, the city walls were repaired, supplies were stockpiled, and preparations were made in advance. ”

Everyone agreed, but Gao Changgong shook his head and sighed: "However, the treasury is empty, the rice and grain are insufficient, and the official is really powerless." With that, Gao Changgong stood up and saluted everyone, so startled that everyone stood up and returned the salute in a panic.

"Master Hou, what are you doing here?"

"Hurry up, don't kill me."

Gao Changgong looked at everyone eagerly, and pleaded sincerely: "Everyone, for the safety of hundreds of thousands of people in Xuyi County, this official has the audacity to ask everyone to help me!" After speaking, Gao Changgong bowed deeply to everyone.