Three days later, Li Wuyan went to the martial arts hall as scheduled. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 When he came to the study, he saw a large map on the table, and Fan Zhutou was intently marking it. Seeing Fan Zhutou working so hard for himself, Li Wuyan was a little moved. He didn't walk in immediately, but knocked on the door first. Fan Zhutou beckoned Li Wuyan to come over without raising his head, and the two went straight to the point after greeting each other.

Fan Zhutou pointed to the map and said, "Let's tell you about the form of Hexi Road first." We have a total of 11 provinces in Dayan, namely Hexi, Hebei, Henan, Youyun, Jiannan, Shannan, Qianzhong, Lingnan, Jiangnandong, Jiangnanxi, Huaiyang, plus the central Luojing generation, which constitutes our territory of Dayan today. Each province divides large parcels of land, but only Hexi Province is an exception, you see. ”

Fan Zhutou pointed to the three places on the map and said: "There are only three prefectures in Hexi Province: Lanzhou, Liangzhou, and Ganzhou, and the size of the area occupied is about the same as that of the Luojing area. But it was such a small area, and there were actually forty military palaces stationed before. Now, although 16 of them have been taken away by the Ministry of War and returned to the central government, even the 24 military mansions cannot be raised by Hexi Dao. Now the Shasha people are ready to move on the border again, and the people of Hexi Province are really in trouble. When you go this time, you must pay attention to the fact that the enemy is not only the Shasha people in front of you, but also from behind. ”

Li Wuyan thought about it, but still asked suspiciously: "Aren't the food and salaries of the government soldiers all issued by the imperial court?" Moreover, the military government itself has cultivated land, why does it have such a great impact on the people? ”

Fan Zhutou patiently explained: "The imperial court's food and salary are not much, and they may not arrive in time, and they mainly rely on local financial support. Where did the local finances come from, and they didn't come from the people? Moreover, there are only a few plots of land in Hexi Road that are suitable for farming, and almost all of them are occupied by the military government. The people harvest that little grain every year, and they have to pay a large amount of taxes. I have heard from some homeless people from Hexi Province that people are starving to death every day, and everyone is bleeding for that little bit of food, and there are even rumors that they choose to eat human flesh when they are hungry. I don't know if they're exaggerating, but every year more and more people come to us, and if you think about how far we are from Hexi, it's not hard to imagine how miserable it is now. To put it mildly, if the imperial court doesn't care anymore, I think the people of Hexi will rebel. So you have to be careful not to die at your own hands when the time comes. ”

"Since the people of Hexi Province are so hard, why doesn't the imperial court care?" Li Wuyan said indignantly.

Fan Zhutou shook his head and said in a sarcastic tone: "Every year, the imperial court has allocated funds for relief, but there are more and more displaced people. Where did the money go, hehe, I guess only God knows. ”

Li Wuyan's eyes also dimmed when he heard this, and he sighed. He thought for a while, and then asked again: "Then why don't you merge Hexi Road into other provinces, at least you can share the burden of the people, anyway, he is such a small piece of land." ”

"There are many political reasons for this, and this is what you need to pay attention to when you join the army this time." Fan Zhutou looked at Li Wuyan and said solemnly: "First of all, it is a problem left over from history. This piece of land in Hexi Province did not belong to my Dayan at the beginning, but was taken from the Shaxia people by Emperor Wu on two consecutive expeditions to the west. Before the start of the Third Western Expedition, Emperor Wu confidently believed that the entire Hexi Corridor would be owned by Dayan, so he first established Hexi Dao, which was also regarded as a good omen. But he didn't expect that in the third westward expedition, Dayan was defeated, and Da Meng took this opportunity to invade the south, and Dayan almost suffered a catastrophe. In the end, although we succeeded in repelling the Dameng army, we also lost the land east of the Liao River that we had previously seized, and the Great Yan Dynasty was also greatly damaged. Since then, no one has mentioned the plan of the westward expedition, nor has anyone mentioned the issue of Hexi Road. Because whoever mentions it first is slapping the royal in the face! It was impossible for the royal family to admit their mistakes, and they did not give up their ambition to conquer the Hexi Corridor, so Hexi Province continued to stay like this. ”

Li Wuyan nodded as if he didn't understand, Fan Zhutou took a sip of water and moistened his throat and continued: "Second, it's the problem of the local governor and the royal family. Although the governor was appointed by the imperial court, the imperial court always did not trust the governor enough. It sounds ridiculous, but it is, and the power of the Governor is being eroded. When this position was first established, it was able to manage local military and administrative affairs, but now only military administration is left, and even subordinates are appointed by the imperial court, and only two nominal deputy positions can be appointed by themselves. But even so, the court was still not at ease with the governors. Although Hexi Road is small, it is also full of twenty-four soldiers, and there are more than 40,000 soldiers. Whether it is incorporated into Jiannan Province or Hebei Province, it will increase the power in the hands of a certain governor in disguise, which is absolutely not allowed for the imperial court. ”

Li Wuyan's brain became dizzy when he heard this, and he asked, "That'...... Why don't you just remove the position of Governor? Anyway, the court was so uneasy about them. ”

Fan Zhutou shook his head and said: "Although the imperial court does not trust the governor, it is even more distrustful of the local officials, and they need to firmly grasp the local power through the governor. Besides, with such a large land as the Great Yan Dynasty, there is always a need for a few more people to help the emperor solve problems. Therefore, the position of Governor General will not be removed. ”

Li Wuyan thought about it for a long time, and finally frowned and said: "This politics is too troublesome, I don't understand, I really don't understand." ”

"If you don't understand, forget it." Fan Zhutou said helplessly: "You just need to remember not to get too close to the Governor of Hexi's faction, and don't discuss the political issues of Hexi Province in public." ”

After hearing this, Li Wuyan nodded seriously, and then asked with some surprise, "But how do you know so much?" It's not a headcatcher at the foot of the capital, where did you get so much news from a small catcher in a ravine? ”

Fan Zhutou said mysteriously: "Jianghu." ”

Li Wuyan glanced at him, stretched his waist and said, "Is that all?" Is there anything else? ”

Fan Zhutou thought for a moment and said, "Let me introduce you to several important generals and officials in Hexi Province by the way." The first is Wei Yiyun, the governor of Hexi. He is a native of Ningzhou, Hebei Province, and he is a Jinshi. Although he was a civil official, he led the suppression of bandits in Weishan, so he was favored by the former Taishi He Zhangjie, and after being tempered and promoted layer by layer, he was finally given the position of governor of Hexi Province. He is only forty-four this year, but he is already a second-class official in the imperial court, and he looks like he has a bright future. However, there are rumors in the capital that in the past few years since he took office, he has repeatedly asked for the rectification of Hexi Province, and denounced the embezzlement of food and salary by officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Households, and the high-ranking officials of the imperial court and the emperor have begun to discourage him. Whether this is true or not, it is better to believe it than not, and the most important thing in politics is not to be on the wrong side. So if you have the opportunity to contact him, it's best to keep a proper distance, not too close and not too distant. ”

Li Wuyan said funny: "He is a second-class official, how can I not be too close or too distant to contact him?" You've thought too much, can you introduce a few more down-to-earth ones, this is too high. ”

Fan Zhutou felt that this seemed to be the truth, he thought about it again and asked: "Do you want to go to the six military mansions of the Hexi Road conscription this time?" ”

Li Wuyan was a little surprised and said, "Huh? Is this also an option? ”

"The rules say that the soldiers are allotted, but the rules are dead, people are alive, and money is omnipotent. Do you just need to give some money and are you afraid that there is something you can't do? ”

"That'...... How much? Li Wuyan asked a little nervously.

Seeing Li Wuyan's stinginess, Fan Zhutou said helplessly: "It doesn't matter how much money you have, at most no more than five taels of silver." You're going to the battlefield, why are you still losing money like before? What's the use of keeping this little money? ”

Li Wuyan said angrily when he heard this, "Don't say it as if I can't come back, this is my wife, of course I have to save some flowers!" ”

"Okay, okay." Fan Zhutou sighed and said, "I suggest you still spend this money, after all, having a good chief is better than anything else." I recommend you to go to the Jingou Military Mansion in Lanzhou, where the assigned lieutenant is Li Weicang, the eldest grandson of General Huaihua. It is said that he has been in the military palace with his grandfather since he was a child, and he has a deep insight into leading soldiers. And he is an upright person, there are no bad rumors, plus he also has a good grandfather as a backer, the four generations of his ancestors have always maintained political neutrality, and he is very innocent in political identity, so he is the most suitable chief for a silly boy like you. ”

"Uh-oh." Li Wuyan nodded with a look of understanding, and then said, "Then does he want to join the army?" ”

“…… If you don't join the military, what kind of government soldier are you going to be? ”

"But this time it is said that there are mercenaries recruited, and there is no need to join the army, so I don't really want my children to become soldiers in the future."

"Li Wuyan." Fan Zhutou covered his head with his hands, and said helplessly: "That's all recruiting some ruffians to be cannon fodder, do you really want to die?" What kind of army did you join, wouldn't it be good to jump directly into the Yellow Sea? ”

"Ah, that's it, it's better to join the military. The child should be a soldier, anyway, if his father dies, he won't be able to come out, and it doesn't matter if he suffers a little in the future. ”

Fan Zhutou looked at Li Wuyan, who had suddenly become stupid recently, and suddenly felt a little worried. But looking at his clear and determined eyes, it is not a sign of confusion. He sighed, and finally instructed: "Remember, it is important to go to the battlefield to save your life, don't be in a hurry to make meritorious contributions." ”

Li Wuyan said with a smile: "I didn't really go to die, what are you afraid of." ”

"Don't forget to run away, you'll be counted as a deserter."

"......" Li Wuyan gave him a blank look, then walked out of the door and said, "It's nothing else, then I'll go to the conscription office to register." ”

"Wait." Fan Zhutou called out to stop Li Wuyan. Li Wuyan turned his head suspiciously, only to see Fan Zhutou looking at him seriously, but said in a tone with a hint of loneliness: "Li Wuyan, don't die, you are the pride of my life." ”

Li Wuyan smiled at him, turned around and waved his hand and said, "Master, it's better to keep these words and wait until you send them to me, otherwise you will be speechless and can only hold back a few tears and die of shame." ”

"Stinky boy." Fan Zhutou muttered, looked at Li Wuyan's back with mixed feelings, and finally sighed and left the study.

Li Wuyan came to the recruitment office, and after a friendly exchange and communication with the responsible personnel, he finally made a deal at the price of two taels of silver. Li Wuyan left the conscription office with a smile, thinking that he had earned it, but he didn't expect that Fan Zhutou's so-called spending some money was spent on the military registration personnel at the military department, not on this kind of miscellaneous service who was only responsible for the number of registrations. What he didn't expect was that the handyman folder the information form he had filled out into the roster with the word "mercenary" written on the side, and then said to himself: "I'm really sorry brother, the government soldiers are full." But since you want to serve the country so loyally, being a government soldier is also a soldier, and a mercenary is also a soldier, what's the difference? And you can complete the task of recruiting people for me by the way, brother, you are really a good person who saves the suffering. ”

Li Wuyan didn't know that he had been dropped, and he was a little excited to ride a donkey on the way home. He was told to gather in the state capital at the end of the month, and then go to the military headquarters in the capital to register for military registration. Now it is not a long time or a short time before the concentration, but it is enough for him to pack his luggage. But before that, he first said hello to Sun Fatzi and told him that he was going to join the army, and by the way, he handed over his business to him. After hearing this, Sun Fatzi cried and made trouble, and was drunk at Li Wuyan's house. After that, he secretly stuffed five taels of silver to Li Wuyan and asked him to take good care of his body, Li Wuyan was quite moved, and almost hugged him and cried. As a result, in the early morning of the next day, there were rumors in the whole village that Li Wuyan had made the daughter of a certain prefect have to join the army to avoid pursuit, so that he was pointed at by people from all over the family when he walked on the road, and even when he said goodbye to some elders who had taken care of him, those uncles and aunts grabbed his hand and told him in a serious voice that since he had already cooked raw rice, he just had to hide outside for a few months, and her father would not dare to do anything to you. For the sake of these five taels of silver, Li Wuyan decided to endure it!

The day of departure soon came, early in the morning, Li Wuyan prepared the bedding and dry food on his little donkey, and then he looked back and took a deep look at the place where he had stayed for sixteen years, and then resolutely rode on the donkey, and walked towards the official road without looking back.

Mother, this is definitely not a child's impulse, please don't blame the child;

Father, the child is going to bring back a beautiful daughter-in-law for you, please bless me.

Also, Li Wuyan glanced at the red belt wrapped around his hand, and said softly: "Yueyue, I'm here." ”