Chapter 99: Border Soldiers and Young Masters in Jinyi
The name of Keshengju is also very famous in the imperial capital, and it is one of the famous time-honored brands in Chang'an City. It is said that when the late emperor went on an inspection tour incognito, he only ate at Keshengju to check the public sentiment in Chang'an. Later, he personally wrote a poem on the white wall of a private room on the second floor of Keshengju. Later, no guests came into this private room, the poems on the walls were protected, and even the tables and chairs in this room became treasures.
The Fenghuang Terrace in the eastern border city of the Sui Dynasty is also very famous. It was here that the victorious army of the Sui Dynasty accepted the surrender of the Emperor of Eastern Chu.
That war pushed the borders of the Sui Dynasty thousands of miles away. After the victory, the emperor ordered the construction of the Phoenix Tower garrison. It was a stone city that represented the glory of the Sui Dynasty. It was also a symbol of the shame of the Eastern Chu Kingdom.
?? Mo Xiandao, the leader of the Phoenix Terrace Scout Brigade, wants to entertain guests at Keshengju. With his background, he can get such a large sum of money. It is worth wondering whether there is anyone behind him to support him. After all, the salary of frontier army scouts is only so little, and not everyone is as lucky and resourceful as Fang Jie.
Fan Gu opened a trade market, so it was understandable that he had savings to do business and make a fortune. But how could a little man in the frontier army, who had only been promoted to the rank of brigade commander, get so much money to entertain hundreds of soldiers who were taking the exams at the Martial Arts Academy? Fang Jie had some doubts in his heart. He always felt that this dinner was by no means as simple as expected at the beginning.
Soldiers are not very particular, especially the border troops. It is common to live in the open without even having a hot meal for days and nights. Seventy-eight percent of the salary and silver I exchanged for my life were sent home to honor my parents. When I had nothing to do, I found a small restaurant to have a hot pot meal and enjoyed it. It was very satisfying.
Even a man like Fang Jie, who has a lot of money, feels a little unsure when he sees the luxurious and extravagant restaurants in the imperial city, let alone Mo Xiandao, who has no way of making money?
Fang Jie came by himself, without Mu Xiaoyao.
If he brought Mu Xiaoyao, he would be drowned in the envy of others immediately. The soldiers of the Sui Border Army were stationed at the border all year round, and it was common for them not to encounter women for a year or two. Mu's small waist was too eye-catching, and Fang Jie didn't want to be excluded because of this.
Since they are all frontier troops, let¡¯s show some of the simplicity that frontier troops should have.
So Fang Jie specially put on the military uniform he wore when he was in Fangu. It was brand new and straight. Although it was a bit shabby compared to the signboard of Keshengju, the pride and pride in his heart after wearing this clothes was not just that of just anyone. You can understand it. Only people wearing the same clothes can understand the complex meaning contained in the word "bianjun".
Sadness, hardship, struggle, and killing. If you drink and talk happily today, you may die on the battlefield tomorrow.
After being together for a long time, the border soldiers will have a kind of brotherhood that can depend on each other for their lives. For example, in Fan Gu, most of the border soldiers who were captured by Wu Peisheng did not give any explanation. People who have never experienced life and death will not understand how respectable the kind of trust that can be given to a colleague is.
Keshengju is indeed a century-old store. Although it is magnificent, it does not have the attitude of bullying customers. When Fang Jie arrived, the waiter at the door immediately greeted him attentively and said hello. The waiter was very smart. He knew by looking at his attire that Fang Jie was a candidate for the Ministry of War who was invited to come, and he was introduced directly into the lobby.
The entire lobby on the first floor of Keshengju was covered by Mo Xidao.
Fang Jie couldn¡¯t calculate how much money this would cost in detail, but he was sure that even though he could still get it, he would bite his fingers in distress. The lobby on the first floor of Keshengju can accommodate at least forty tables. The blue brick floor is so flat that it gives the impression that it is a smooth boulder.
When Fang Jie entered, there were already sixty or seventy people in border army uniforms sitting in the lobby. Seeing someone entering the door, everyone looked this way. The waiter who led Fang Jie in asked Fang Jie in a low voice, then raised his chin and shouted in a loud voice: "The military master of Fan Gucheng has arrived!"
Hearing this name, the frontier soldiers in the lobby stood up immediately for some reason. Almost at the same time, everyone performed a Sui military salute with arms crossed on the chest towards Fang Jie. Fang Jie's heart felt hot, he stood upright, straightened his body, spread his right arm across his chest, and returned the salute.
A man wearing a brigade uniform came over with a smile and said in a gentle tone: "Welcome, we have all heard your name, and we all know Fan Gu. In the northwest war a while ago, all eight hundred of Fan Gu's brothers were killed. "Die, brothers, we have respect in our hearts. We are all frontier soldiers and our own people."
Fang Jie's words made Fang Jie deeply moved.
Mr. Zhuo has already told him about Fan Gu. Fang Jie suppressed his hatred for Li Xiaozong in his heart, but today, facing the solemn military salute of the sixty or seventy border soldiers, it seemed that he could no longer restrain his feelings, and his eye circles turned slightly red without realizing it."I am the only living frontier soldier in Fan Gu. I accept everyone's military salute on behalf of my brothers!"
He said.
The soldiers in the lobby had solemn faces, and the scene became uncomfortable for a while.
"Come in and sit down first. We were talking about you just now. We are all very curious about you. We all admire you for what kind of hero you are as a scout who has achieved twenty-one military exploits. By the way My name is Zhang Kuang, and I come from the northeastern border of Sui Dynasty."
? Crazy!
Hearing this name, Fang Jie's heart tightened slightly.
This middle-aged man, who looks kind and amiable, about thirty years old, with fair skin and bright eyes, if he were to put on a robe, no one would suspect that he is a scholar with a heart. He is not tall and has a slim build, slightly shorter than Fang Jie. He does not look cold-blooded at all. But he was such a kind and amiable man. He was a cold-blooded man who lurked in the northern barbarian tribe for two years, married the tribe leader's daughter, and then personally sent his father-in-law and his wife to hell. Speaking of which, the blood debt of more than 10,000 northern barbarian heads should be counted on his head.
In Anyuan City, Zhang Kuang was promoted to brigade commander due to his meritorious service. When he first heard this name in Wu Daodao's mansion, Fang Jie once thought that he would be a man with a sinister face and cold and arrogant eyes.
¡°I¡¯ve seen the travel rate!¡±
Fang Jie performed a military salute again.
In terms of status, he is just the deputy of the scout team, so he will naturally salute when he sees Zhang Kuang.
"Come on, sit with the brothers."
Zhang Kuang said with a gentle smile.
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"Maybe you are a little curious"
Zhang Kuang pulled Fang Jie to sit down at a table and said with a gentle smile: "We are all bitter frontier soldiers, how can we be so generous and book an entire lobby for guests? Look at your expression I knew you didn¡¯t know the allusion, and no one had mentioned it to you.¡±
Fang Jie nodded and said, "I'm really curious."
"Do you know who the ancestors of this Keshengju boss are?"
Zhang Kuang asked.
Fang Jie shook his head.
He smiled arrogantly and said: "The boss of Keshengju also had a military background, his name was Li Sheng. He was also a member of the frontier army. He injured his legs in a fierce battle and had to go home. After returning to Chang'an City, Li Sheng used his own He opened this restaurant with his salary and military reward. At that time, it was just a small shop. Over time, the business of this restaurant became more and more prosperous, and it gradually became famous in Chang'an. However, Li Sheng never forgot his origin. No soldiers were charged for eating in the restaurant, but because they were not charged, no one was embarrassed to come back. Later, everyone persuaded Li Sheng, and he decided that from now on, soldiers would only be charged 10% for meals. His descendants have followed it ever since.¡±
"No wonder"
Fang Jie had a deep respect for the founder of Keshengju.
"There is another allusion."
Zhang Kuang smiled and said: "Since His Majesty established the martial arts academy, the current boss of Keshengju has made another rule. Every candidate who comes from the border army can eat for free as long as he walks through the door of Keshengju. For a meal, order whatever you want. After having this rule, the candidates of the last year's Yanwu Academy gathered together to discuss and decided to hold a gathering of the border soldiers in Keshengju so that everyone could get to know each other. No one here is rich, and they can¡¯t afford this much money to treat us. This year, it was Mo Xidao from Fenghuang Terrace who stepped in. Speaking of which, we have to thank the owner of Keshengju.¡±
Fang Jie really doesn¡¯t know these things.
Since arriving in the imperial capital, he has not been idle. He has been plotted against others, and most of the information he has learned is only about the exams at the Martial Arts Academy. He had never heard anyone mention these things that Zhang Kuang said. After arriving in the imperial capital, he was not like other border soldiers, wandering around and asking for interesting anecdotes. He was busy in a dead situation on how not to be killed, and how to deal with the waves of enemies in the open and in the dark.
"What about Brother Mo?"
Fang explained the question.
"He was helping carry the wine in the back," he said arrogantly, "and he'll be back soon."
As he was talking, a group of border troops suddenly rushed out from behind Keshengju, each holding a wine jar in their hands. The leader was a tall man, lean and strong. The most eye-catching thing was the scar on his face from his forehead to his chin.
He actually lost an eye!
Seeing the surprise on Fang Jie¡¯s face, Zhang Kuang sighed slightly and said, ¡°He is Mo Xiandao. He was the one who sneaked into Dongchu and was killed., he killed more than a hundred people in a row, but he also lost one move. But it would be great if I could come back alive. If it had been another situation, I would have died in a foreign country long ago. Moreoverif he died in Dongchu, the imperial court would never recognize this contribution. "
Sadness
The sadness in his tone made people feel touched.
He was right. If Mo Xidao had not come back alive but had been caught by Dong Chu's pursuers, the imperial court would never have recognized him as a soldier of the Sui Dynasty. Even if the Sui Dynasty never paid attention to Dong Chu, such an unprovoked killing of a whole family would ruin the reputation of the Sui Dynasty. In fact, the Phoenix Tower guard who sent him to Dong Chu back then really only asked him to sneak into Dong Chu to find out the news. It was Kuang Kuang who took it upon himself to destroy that Dong Chu general's family.
"I heard that Brother Fang Jie is here!"
The tall man with one missing left eye handed the wine jar to someone else and asked loudly: "Which one is Brother Fang?"
"I am!"
Fang Jie quickly stood up and saluted: "I've seen Lu Lv!"
He and Zhang Kuang had such great merits, but they were only promoted from the team leader to the brigade leader. It has to be said that the Sui Dynasty court owed them and all the border soldiers. Fang Jie had no doubt at all that if such a great contribution was made by a member of the aristocratic family, he would probably get far more than Zhang Kuang and the others. Even if the court still won't publicize it with great fanfare, this will undoubtedly be their qualification for promotion and wealth in the future.
But now, the imperial court only gave Zhang Kuang and Mo Xiandao a chance to take the Martial Arts Academy exam. They, humble border soldiers, felt inexplicably grateful.
¡°I-fuck!¡±
Half a head taller than Fang Jie, the lean but strong Mo Xidao strode over, laughing loudly as he walked: "I thought Brother Fang Jie, who has made twenty-one military exploits, must be a burly man." , how come you are a handsome young man who looks like a girl? Haha, you are not pretending to be my brother Fang's name. If I find out that you are a fake, you have to watch your ass! "
He is such a vulgar person, but Fang Jie is not disgusted at all.
This is the true temperament of the border soldiers that Fang Jie is familiar with. They are as rough as rocks blown by the wind. They talk dirty words when they open and close their mouths, but their hearts are warm.
"There are a lot of people who want to poke my asshole, but instead they are all smashed by me! If I had known that everyone knew my name, I would have stood up and showed off and cheated."
Fang Jie said with a smile.
Ha ha!
Mo Xidao strode over and gave Fang Jie a bear hug: "Of course he is a man who killed hundreds of horse thieves! I don't like sissies who grind and chirp the most. Come on, let me see your hands. Lies don¡¯t lie!¡±
After he finished hugging Fang Jie, he grabbed Fang Jie's right hand and looked at it.
"What a thick knife cocoon!"
He couldn't help but sigh, then raised Fang Jie's right hand and shouted: "This is our little brother, the youngest border soldier to take the Yanwu Academy exam this year! You all can show me what he looks like, who will be the one in the future?" If you dare to bully our little brother, you can¡¯t even pretend to be a coward!¡±
Everyone cheered loudly.
At this moment, six or seven young men in brocade clothes suddenly walked in from outside the door of Keshengju.
The leader of the group had an extraordinary face, but his face was too pale, as if he had applied a layer of powder. He had a high nose and thin lips. When he saw a room full of border soldiers, he couldn't help but frown and cursed in a low voice: "A bunch of poor people with no money came here to eat for free. I don't know why they are so shameless." thick!"
The young boy was smart and quickly let those people in: "Young Master Wang, hurry up to the private room on the second floor."
"It smells fishy, ??disgusting!"
The person behind the prince glanced at Fang Xie and them, eyes full of disgust.