Liu Yongxin was recently discharged from the army, and at this time he sat in the mail car compartment, leaning on the corner. While chewing tobacco, I read the war report on "Eighteen Weapons" with great interest. This is his favorite newspaper, this newspaper mainly publishes about war, weapons, and often carries news about military personnel.

Liu Yong put down the newspaper and looked out the window.

Driven by four sturdy horses, the four-wheeled mail carriage is said to have been an improvement from a style imported from Europe and is heavier than the traditional two-wheeled carriage. However, the road requirements are also high, fortunately, in addition to the sea and canals, the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, the Huai River and other golden waterways in the Han Empire, there are also many land transportation arteries, even this new four-wheeled carriage, can be unimpeded.

The mail train belonged to the General Post Office, but it was not a post station in the past. In the Ming Dynasty, the post station system was divided into three major institutions: the express shop, the water horse post and the delivery station, each responsible for different tasks.

The post station is mainly to receive officials, provide post men and horses, food and lodging, etc., and the scale is large, dozens of miles and one station. The express delivery shop is specially designed for the transmission of military intelligence documents, one shop for ten miles and twenty miles, and the delivery station is responsible for the transfer of military supplies.

However, the post transmission system of the Ming Dynasty was extremely erosive, and it became a bottomless pit in the imperial court, and no amount of funds were enough to fill it in. Today's biggest thief, Li Zicheng, used to be a post guard of the post station, and later rebelled because the post station was cut off and had nowhere to stay.

The post system is extremely important, after the founding of the Han Dynasty, the post system was fully restored, but it was not a simple restoration of the old system.

The entire post transmission system was integrated into the General Post Office, and became independent, and became several very special yamen of the new dynasty, just like the General Administration of Salt Affairs, the General Administration of Taxation, the General Administration of Grain Affairs, and the General Administration of Customs.

The General Post Office has a post office, a transport office and a post office.

The post station bureau has water and horse posts, and sets up a station every 40 miles on the main water and land lines across the country, and places cars, horses and boats to accommodate food and accommodation. The post stations were given priority to the officials of the imperial court and the soldiers and officials of the imperial court. However, regardless of the grade, neither post coupons nor free of charge are given, but the accommodation and carriage and boat fees are charged at a uniform standard. In a way, apart from the fact that they had to provide chariot and horse accommodation to the officers, sergeants, and officers who had official documents, they were actually no different from the private ones.

Under the Transport Bureau is the courier office, which is responsible for the delivery of all kinds of materials, not only to deliver official military supplies, but also to undertake civilian transportation appointments, and the same public and private transportation materials have to be paid.

Post offices are dedicated to the delivery of letters and documents. not only delivered military information and official documents, but also began to help ordinary people and businessmen deliver private letters.

The post office has a special mail truck to deliver mail from station to station.

Postmen drive mail trucks, mail letters, and small parcels, and also operate passenger services. Because each mail truck runs a fixed route, it has also become a profit-making project of the post office to transport passengers along the way.

The four-horse mail cart is not small, a four-horse mail cart. Usually the mail package is tied to the roof of the mail car, and then there are about six to eight people in the car. Squeeze in, ten people can sit down, and even two or three can sit on the carriage.

Since the new post system has been in operation. It was well received from top to bottom.

For the imperial court, the post station delivery station is no longer a place for those officials to take advantage, and the imperial court does not have to keep throwing money into the bottomless pit every year, and the new post system is still efficient. The delivery of military intelligence and official documents has been solved, and the delivery of many official materials has also greatly saved time.

Moreover, this post system has also allowed many ordinary people and merchants to enjoy a lot of convenience.

In the past, it was difficult to get out of the house, and it was even harder to connect with home. Although later there was also the emergence of the Civil Information Bureau. However, not to mention the slow delivery speed of this kind of civil letter bureau, there are still many places that cannot be reached.

However, the postal system of the imperial court is a network all over the world, and the delivery of one station is several times faster than in the past.

Not to mention, it is convenient and cheap to send parcels or even deliver goods, and even take a car.

The mail truck that Liu Yong was riding on could take him for forty miles, but it only cost five cents. But when he was about to pay, the postman smiled and pointed to the blue robe on his body, "Is it a discharge from the army or a family leave?" ”

"I was discharged from the army, I was injured in the war, and I was not suitable to stay in the army, so I came back from the army."

"Where's the injury, brother?"

Liu Yong smiled and pointed to his abdomen, "I was punched with a spear, and the military doctor rescued me, but I cut off several feet of intestines, and I was missing a waist." In the future, I can't do any physical work, so I can't stay in the army. ”

"Fortune is great, there will be blessings in the future, my brother is still young, don't worry. It's good to be able to pick up a life and come back from the war, you were injured in Yanbei? ”

"Well, the Yanbei War."

"Oh my God, it's actually the Battle of Yanbei, that is the battle of the emperor's personal expedition?" The coachman exclaimed.

"Yes." Liu Yong used to be a line infantryman, although he left the army, but when he thought of everything in the former military camp, it still made his blood boil, especially in the first battle of Yanbei, their tens of thousands of infantry fought hard against 30,000 Qing cavalry, and the fight was really earth-shattering.

"Brother, tell my brother quickly, is the emperor and his old man a god descending from heaven?"

"Your Majesty is wise and martial, son of heaven."

The bearded postman smacked his mouth, "If I can see the emperor once in my life, it will be worth dying." The emperor is merciful, without the emperor, I don't have the job I have now, driving this four-wheeled carriage every day, I can earn four yuan a month, and there are allowances and bonuses for good work, which add up to five yuan when it is good. ”

Liu Yong nodded, all the way south, he did see that many places had changed. He has been away from the south for nearly ten years, and he used to leave his hometown to make a living, but later joined the Chu army by coincidence, and now that he has been discharged from the army, he also wants to return to his hometown to settle down. Along the way, he found that many places were very strange to him.

Who would have thought that a postman would be paid five dollars a month.

"Brothers get in the car, active and retired soldiers, I don't charge money. If you hadn't followed Your Majesty to fight the world, there would be no good life now. Get on the bus, wait for the next stop, and the two of us just have two drinks. ”

The postman was very kind and enthusiastic, and after the carriage was on the road, there were several passengers in the carriage, and everyone was also very enthusiastic and in awe of him in military uniform.

Liu Yong told them that he had been discharged from the army. "See, the epaulettes are gone."

"Why did you retire from the army, it's a pity that the army is so popular now." A middle-aged man said, looking at his appearance, he seems to be a businessman, but he is very familiar. "Nowadays, young people are breaking their heads and want to squeeze into the barracks, the new dynasty was first established, and it is easiest to make contributions to the army and fight."

"Hurt."

"Oh. I see, what kind of military position did that brother have before he left the army? ”

"Captain."

"It's the captain at such a young age, so it should be the right captain?"

Liu Yong nodded, and the merchant immediately politely said, "That's from the ninth grade, I have to call the master." ”

"It's only from the ninth grade, and I'm still out of the army."

"If you have a grade, you are an official, and this official body is for a lifetime. Since you were injured in the war and discharged from the army, then the court will not treat you badly. What's the arrangement? ”

Liu Yong told the businessman that he had asked to return to his hometown. Therefore, in the end, he was given several options, including returning to his hometown to be a militia captain, and going to the tax or grain departments in his hometown and county.

"So which one did you choose? Want me to say. You should go to taxation, which is the most popular department nowadays, and whether you go to food or not, it is a good yamen. ”

"I chose to go back to my hometown and be the captain of the militia. After a few years as a soldier, I am still used to military life. ”

The merchant was a little sorry when he heard this, "How can the militia captain follow up with the Yamen of the Tax and Food Administration." It's a shame. ”

"By the way, did the court have any rewards and subsidies when you were discharged from the army?"

Yes, there is a discharge settlement. ”

"How many?"

Liu Yong smiled, "I was given 18 months' salary as retirement pay." ”

"And how much do you get paid a month?" The businessman is a bit of a digression.

"It's not too much, it's not too little, the basic salary is six yuan per month, in addition to military age allowance, job allowance, combat allowance, meal allowance and insurance money, etc., all add up to about 20 yuan a month. Some clothing, household utensils, etc. are distributed free of charge, and meritorious service rewards are also counted separately. ”

Speaking of which, the Han army's treatment of both officers and soldiers was very generous, and there were no deductions. The biggest feature of the Han army's salary is that the salary is composed of a number of people, and the basic basic salary is not high, but there are subsidies and rewards for various projects.

And the salaries of soldiers vary greatly, there are many ranks, there will be differences in military age, rank and so on. Liu Yong has been in the army for more than two years, and his salary has basically been saved, stored in his soldier's account, and there is interest.

Over the past two years, he has also saved a lot of money, of course, for him, in fact, the rewards are more than the usual salary. In the past two years, he has also participated in many battles, such as the pacification of the southeast, the capture of Liaodong, and the battle of Yanbei in the last battle.

Every time you go to war, the rewards are great.

In the end, when he was discharged from the army, he received another year's and a half years of salary as a retirement pay.

Right now, in his arms, there is a bank passbook.

The whole 1,000 silver dollars above are basically what he has earned in the past two years, more than two years of military salary, various allowances and rewards, retirement pay, and disability pension.

One thousand yuan, plus a martial official body from the ninth grade, this is what he has earned in more than two years.

No, there is another item, His Majesty the Emperor also rewarded him with 100 acres of land, and asked him to ask the local government for it when he arrived in his hometown. Although according to the new dynasty system, although this 100 acres of land was rewarded to him, he would not have preferential privileges, and the taxes he should pay were still a lot. But 100 acres of land is still a very rich reward, especially in his hometown of Luoyang, Henan, how can an acre of land get 20 yuan or more.

In this way, in fact, he has been a soldier for more than two years, and the largest net worth he earned is actually this 100 acres of land.

The businessman was still amazed at the retirement pension of one and a half years of salary, "Wow, I know that the treatment in the army is good, but I didn't expect the treatment to be so good, and I am tempted to become a soldier." ”

"Hey, it's a pity that you're discharged, otherwise, in another three or five years, maybe you will be promoted to a captain. Now that I've returned to my hometown and become the captain of the militia, I'm afraid it's far worse than before. ”

Liu Yong took out his appointment letter from his pocket, on which his appointment was written. Liu Yong, the retired right lieutenant, is hereby appointed as the captain of the militia in Longmen Town, Luoyang, Henan Province!

After ten years of leaving his hometown, and returning to his hometown, Liu Yong couldn't help but feel a little timid.

Henan, I'm back again! (To be continued.) )