The event, which was finally named the Gubei Military Exercise Competition, was scheduled for the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the Little New Year.
Cheng Shao accepted the three somewhat commercial names of "Big Competition", but was determined not to put up any arches or banners at the foot of the Goddess Peak.
His exact words were, "In the thick snow, a sea of red and black. Are we doing this to let the Xiban people know we're showing off here?"
Miao Wan was pregnant and could not go to the county town due to the bumpy ride, so she protested through Gu Shuyao.
"If we don't show off, won't the Xiban people know we're competing here? The bigger the better, I think. The whole point of holding this event before the New Year is to showcase our strength."
Cheng Shao still refused. He felt that he was not an ostentatious person (fog). He preferred to play the pig and eat the tiger, which is the so-called dirty style.
In the past, when Guangzhou Prefecture was fighting against the Japanese pirates, and when we helped the Zhennan Army conquer the Miao area, we relied on this method. Practice has proved that it is both delicious and smooth.
Miao Wan, through Gu Shuyao, retorted, "You're so filthy, so they don't want your head? You think you can just play the pig and eat the tiger? They're not allowed to play the tiger's trick, but they won't come out to play with you. When it comes to hit-and-run, can you compare to those shameless bandits?"
Cheng Shao was choked, and Cheng Zijian had nothing to say, but General Cheng still refused to do that, mainly for the sake of face.
In fact, in order to prevent avalanches, the place where they were exercising was quite far away from the Goddess Peak. Cheng Shao had thought through all the possible reactions of the Xiban people, both rough and detailed.
If the Xiban people took this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Anyong County, Lin'an County and other places, each military camp would only send out fifty good fighters, and when these fifty people set out, they would learn the Xiban people's method of attaching cloth to the back of their horses' buttocks to create a big scene.
So no one knew that the main force was actually led by fifteen generals, all on high alert, ready to attack.
If the Xiban people take advantage of their exercises and try to grab some of their territory in Xiping County and Xining Town, that's fine too.
The mechanisms that Gu Shuyao had arranged on the city walls of the two places, as well as the plainclothes patrols of Xiping County and the guards armed with bows and crossbows in Xining Town, could all prevent them from returning.
If the Xiban people were to directly confront their exercises, Cheng Shao would have to praise them for their bravery, and the 150 skilled soldiers of the Cheng family army's magic gun battalion could easily send them to hell.
Even if we take a step back and say that the Xiban people just act like cowards and refuse to come out to play with them, that would be easier to deal with.
In the past, Dayue was bullied by the Western Barbarians and the Northern Mongols. This time, they can be as arrogant as possible in their exercises. If we can't kill them, we can at least piss them off.
Show half of the strength (provocation). Regardless of whether the foreign tribes are afraid or angry and want to attack the Gubei Army, Cheng Shao has already made arrangements.
In short, in short, this exercise, in addition to completely suppressing the fifteen generals with complicated forces behind them, has only one goal left, which is to kill the Western bandits by any means necessary.
So Cheng Shao couldn't argue with Miao Wan, so he hugged Gu Shuyao and muttered for a long time, meaning that Miao Wan was a young lady who was too impatient.
Gu Shuyao was tired of passing messages between them, so she simply waved her hand and asked them to take a step back.
Don’t put up the arch, and wait until the rehearsal is over to put up the banners. Let’s have a shabby opening and a brilliant closing, without wasting time on either.
Miao Wan and Cheng Shao were speechless. The main reason was that the brats at the garrison were making a fuss every day, and Miao Wan had to take care of her children and her belly, so she couldn't go to the scene and had to give up.
Cheng Shao's blood was boiling with excitement. He just wanted to kill a few more Xiban people to scare them away. He had no interest in arguing with Miao Wan. He had to deal with the military affairs handed over by Qiao Ruichen if he had time.
The competition started in the early morning.
In the hazy moonlight and the silence of all things, a loud horn sounded from Xiping County, breaking the peace.
Soon, many houses lit up their lights, chickens clucked, dogs barked, sheep bleated, cows chirped... In short, the entire Xiping County was in an uproar in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, notices were posted in front of the Dingbei General's Mansion and the County Magistrate's Office a few days in advance, and most people knew that it was an exercise. Those who didn't know could see soldiers guarding the place when they hurried out, and soon returned home with peace of mind.
Of course, most people feel at ease, while those outsiders with ulterior motives are very nervous.
Especially when they heard the clanging sounds of weapons outside, their hearts were pounding. Was this an exercise or was a fight about to break out?
The loud and powerful team count and the amplified voices that followed also made Gu Shuyao's purpose of tossing around in the middle of the night largely achieved -
"From now on, anyone hit by a paintball will die! Anyone caught in a trap and unable to escape will die! Deserters will die! Anyone who accidentally kills a teammate will die! Anyone who doesn't return within the time limit will die!"
"I only want the last ten winners. Do you understand?"
The cries of death made the outsiders more and more frightened, and the common people who were secretly listening were also a little scared. Why was the rage so strong?
They didn't know that this was a special rhetoric made up for deterrence. The soldiers participating in the exercise knew that death meant just having a white cloth stuck on the body or colorful dyes hung on the body. It was actually just elimination.
Moreover, they were asked not to talk to each other after being eliminated and to remain extremely vigilant. The result of today's exercise was based on the competition results and the number of enemy heads killed, and the two scores were equal.
So the show is not over yet, and no one knows the final outcome.
The results of this competition - monetary rewards, official position rewards, baggage rewards, and work point rewards - were so attractive that all the soldiers responded actively and in unison.
"I understand!"
Cheng Shao scratched his ears and said, "I didn't hear clearly."
The next moment, the shouts of the 750-man team almost broke through the sky in the night, "I understand!!"
Cheng Shao waved the colorful flag and said, "Very good, let's go!"
What happened next is not something ordinary people should know.
Gu Shuyao modified the standards and content of the special forces selection and arranged a very large venue. The scouts responsible for counting scores and testing all the contestants were hidden in advance.
From the shocking start in the night, there was no sound by the time daybreak came. However, this belated and deserved silence made some people even more unable to sleep, and they kept their eyes open until dawn.
As soon as the day broke, or as soon as the soldiers guarding the streets withdrew, inconspicuous figures immediately emerged from many houses.
Some went to other people's homes, some rode out of the city on horseback, some left the city through secret passages, and some even released messenger hawks.
It was silent yet lively, and all of it fell into the eyes of the soldiers holding binoculars and standing in the sentry post at the highest point of the city wall.
There were also civil servants nearby who were quickly registering the number of people. The secret guards who had been lying in ambush intercepted the information through various means and then quickly sent it to the sentry post.
When Cheng Shao got the intelligence, he just glanced at it and couldn't help but sneer, "Good boy, the allies are more active than the Xifan spies, quite lively."
Gu Shuyao looked at the sand table, analyzing the situation of the competition scene one by one, and gave instructions on the on-site arrangements in an orderly manner. She was not surprised at all.
Often, what can most damage a building is not external forces, but the components of the building. What they need to do is to find out the hidden dangers that affect the safety of the building, repair them one by one, or eliminate them.
The bustle in Xiping County will last for two days and one night, which is the standard time for special selection and can effectively test the physical and mental strength of the contestants.
But this has nothing to do with Xining Town, or rather, it has nothing to do with the garrison.
When Miao Wan woke up, it was almost noon. Qiao Ruichen went to the county town to arrange the rehearsal. Qiao Rui and Taotao had slept with her last night.
Neither of them is here at the moment, probably because they went to class.
She lazily lingered in the quilt for a long time before slowly sitting up. She took out the clothes that were warmed by her body temperature and the heat of the kang from between the two layers of quilts and put them on.
When Nanny and Aya heard the sound, they walked in quietly and lightly, helped Miao Wan get up and wash, and then helped her drink some soup and wait for the family to have lunch together.
When Miao Wan came to her senses, she had washed her face, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. Aya was gently applying the White Jade Dragon Cream on her.
Miao Wan had the urge to cover her face, feeling a little guilty. It is really easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
In less than a month, the two personal nannies, led by Aya and the others, had completely taken care of her and turned her into a useless little girl who could only talk.
At first, she was able to resist being conquered by this temptation. They were all employees and would be put into indentures in the future. Although everyone wanted the last form of indenture with more work points, no one had succeeded yet.
But if she gets used to it, they will all be able to stand on their own in the future, and then wouldn't she, Miao Shiren, be useless?
But the maids insisted on serving properly, and their words were so touching that they were impossible to refuse.
"I am a servant of the Qiao family. Now that I am old, I have nowhere to go even if I am released. I just want to serve the master for the rest of my life.
If the master is kind enough to provide us with a place to live in our old age and a grave for us when we die, we will be satisfied. Is it possible that my wife is unwilling to satisfy even this little wish of ours?"
Miao Wan is so kind, she can’t be refused, really…it smells so good…
If she hadn't been struggling to hold on, these people would have wanted to feed her all the food.
Now she too has fallen.
After being tidied up and helped to the kang, she naturally leaned on the soft pillow, then froze for a moment, and quickly took the white fungus soup from the nanny's hand.
"I can do it myself. I can do it myself."
Damn it, she must stick to the bottom line, at least she can't let anyone feed her.
Thinking this way, Miao Wan didn't notice that the Tremella Soup had spilled a little bit to the corner of her lips. Before she could react, the nanny came forward and gently wiped it off for her. It spilled, it spilled...
After class, Taotao came back to see her mother holding her aunt's hand. She happened to see this scene. When Qiao Rui carried her over the threshold with difficulty, she did not forget to scratch her face with her chubby little hand.
"Mom, I can't eat, Diudiu!"
To be honest, Miao Wan is usually not that shameless, but the nanny's attitude was like serving a baby, which made her feel a little embarrassed after Taotao called her out.
She glared at him with a red face, "Your butt is all right now, right? The New Year hasn't even passed yet."
Taotao immediately became obedient and was carried to the kang by the nanny. His soft little body leaned obediently on Miao Wan's arm, and his baby voice was so sweet, "Mom, Taotao is wrong, I dare not offend you~~"
Miao Wan was almost covered in goosebumps by her daughter's sweet little noise. She smiled and pinched her little face, "What do you want to do now?"
Taotao covered his face with his hands and squeezed out a little duck mouth for himself. He was so cute that even the nanny couldn't resist it and a smile appeared on her face.
"I'm a good boy, Taotao, I'm in a good mood."
Miao Wan couldn't stand it either. Who can resist the cuteness of a three-headed body?
Especially for pregnant women, the maternal instinct is unprecedentedly strong and it is even more unbearable.
With a heart full of motherly love, she kissed Taotao's smooth smiling forehead and said, "Taotao is a little cotton-padded jacket, even if he is not well behaved."
Taotao's eyes immediately lit up, and he looked at his aunt. A hint of pride flashed in his eyes, and his true colors were immediately revealed.
"Mom, I want to see flowers."
Miao Wan's eyes were full of pity, but her heart was hard. She said softly, "Sure."
Without waiting for Qiao Rui and Tao Tao to be happy, she said lightly, "Wait until New Year's Eve. You can see it in six days."
Even Qiao Rui felt a little disappointed. She climbed onto the kang and hugged her sister-in-law's other arm. "Sister-in-law is the best. Sister-in-law, please let us take a look in advance. We only need to look at the youngest one."
Miao Wan talks more to her sister-in-law than to Taotao. It’s not because she is partial to her, but because Taotao, who is only three years old, can’t understand what she says.
"This is my filial piety to Emu. If I let you see it in advance, wouldn't that reduce my filial piety? If I'm not filial, I'll be struck by lightning."
Miao Wan thought about it and felt that this was a bit empty, so she added something practical, "At least you will get spanked."
Qiao Rui thought of that afternoon of ghosts howling and wolves howling, and Taotao thought of that afternoon when his butt hurt so much, and they were both speechless.
Maybe what Madam Zhang said that day was too horrible, so Miao Wan still had the idea of pushing her children to grow up. It doesn't matter if they are clumsy, at least the children must have good qualities such as courtesy, righteousness, integrity, shame and filial piety.
She held Qiao Rui in one hand and Taotao in the other, and the three of them lay on their backs on a large camel-hair pillow, chatting comfortably.
"Think about it, why do I have fireworks?"
They both thought, why?
Miao Wan said: "Because I have money!"
The two little guys nodded and said, yes, you need money.
Miao Wan asked again, "But why can I have fireworks if I have money? Ordinary people can't buy these."
The two looked up at her.
Miao Wan said earnestly, "That's because I'm filial, which is the most traditional virtue passed down by our ancestors."
So, Miao Wan concluded, "If you're filial, you'll get fireworks and even more fun and exciting things. Tell me, do you want to be filial to your mother?"
The two little guys were already confused. Fireworks equals money equals filial piety, so if you want fireworks you have to be filial. Okay, no problem.
Qiao Rui has been away from her mother for more than a year. Now is the time when she is closest to Geng and she has no resistance to filial piety.
Taotao still didn’t understand what filial piety meant, but when she saw her aunt nod, she nodded too.
After Miao Wan successfully tricked the two little ones out, Taotao asked, "What is filial piety?"
Qiao Rui thought about it, pursed her lips and smiled as she explained, "It means being nice to mother and giving her good things."
Taotao nodded ignorantly, but they were still just children, and even their pocket money was in the form of jingling copper coins.
Why is it loud? Because it is empty, because it is small.
So they can’t buy anything, so what good things can they give to their mother?
In the afternoon, the aunt and niece brought this issue to their small classroom.
Because it is the Little New Year, we can have a holiday after today's classes. We should have had a holiday today, but everyone at home is busy, so it is safer to keep these naughty kids in one place.
Seeing that the little ones were very excited, Geng didn't tell them any stories, but just let them play freely in the west yard.
So Geng missed the opportunity to know, and the maids didn't hear what the children were talking about.
But even when no one was listening, the kids generally had no good ideas about this issue.
Zhang Tiedan scratched his forehead and said, "Should I give Emu something he likes?"
But Am likes to make money now, and the little wallet he subconsciously held on to has really not much money left.
His younger brother Zhang Ludan was calmer than his brother. "It's free and looks good."
Qiaoya is a little older, and although her brain isn't very good, she has more ideas than the younger Luobotou. She looked up at the sky and said, "It would be great if it snowed. I could give her a snowman as a gift. It would be beautiful and free."
Unfortunately, although it was very cold, the snow had melted away when the sun was shining brightly at noon.
Qiao Rui wanted to give her mother an embroidered handkerchief, but after being pricked by a needle and screaming, she gave up the idea.
If they can’t figure it out, children won’t make things difficult for themselves. If they can’t figure it out, they can ask others.
"You can't ask Ada, they can't keep secrets!" Qiaoya puffed up her little face and snorted, obviously having suffered at the hands of her Ada Zhang Dazhuang.
Zhang Tiedan had also suffered at the hands of his own A-Da, and more than that. He nodded and added, "You can't ask Grandma and Grandpa either."
Taotao looked around. She didn't care and could ask anyone, but she was the most awkward in talking to Ludan, and the others didn't expect the two or three-year-old friends to do the same.
Qiao Rui was smarter. "There are also Brother Donkey Egg and Brother Gou Egg, and Brother Changshou. Shouldn't they take a rest?"
The school was on holiday before the Chinese New Year, but the three of them are older now and don’t like playing with little girls and children, so they didn’t come.
Even Qiaoya's elder sister Cuiya stopped playing with them. She followed Yu every day to learn how to manage the household and do the accounting. She was so busy that she was never seen most of the time.
A few people thought it was a good idea, so Uncle Geng was soon covered with radish heads, and they insisted on taking them to find Donkey Egg and Dog Egg.
Donkey Egg, Dog Egg and Changshou are all at the Jufu Inn, working with Zhang Sanzhuang to earn pocket money.
"Brother Goudan!" When they arrived at the inn, Taotao was sharp-eyed and was the first to see Zhang Goudan running errands for the guests.
As soon as she shouted, a taller guy next to her couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Goudan stamped his feet and blushed, "I have a name now, call me Brother Erfu!"
The Zhang and Yu families, along with several other local families, were rather casual in their naming, but by Goudan's generation, they started using better characters like Qiang, Zhuang, and Zhi.
The remaining bravery, prosperity, etc. were used by cousins of several families.
Children must have a good name to go to school. But with cultured people like Qiao Shengwen and Qiao Ruichen, they don't worry about it and just come to them directly to ask for a name with a good meaning.
The remaining middle word is all rankings, which makes it sound more friendly and makes the family look prosperous.
Without even thinking, Qiao Shengwen came up with many idioms with beautiful meanings, enough for the Yu, Zhang, Lin, and Yang families to use.
There are so many words like "happiness and health", "far-sightedness", "live and work in peace and contentment" that it's hard to choose.
The Zhang family chose Fu Rui An Kang, which sounds auspicious and is also related to Ju Fu Inn.
Therefore, Zhang Ludan and Zhang Goudan became Zhang Dafu and Zhang Erfu.
Taotao smacked her lips, which were as pink as cherry blossoms, and called softly, "Brother Erfu."
Goudan...ah no, Zhang Erfu brought a group of little radish heads to the backyard and asked them, "What are you doing here?"
Everyone started talking about the problem.
At this moment, Zhang Erfu couldn't think of anything good, but the guy who laughed at the beginning, the gossipy Ah Cheng, gave some advice when he passed by.
"I heard ice lanterns are very beautiful. I heard the owner of the dental shop say that I saw them in the homes of wealthy people. They are very beautiful. You can make them for free."
Anyway, it’s so cold in the northwest that water will freeze into ice. So why not freeze a basin of water into ice, then drill a hole and put a candle in it?
The little ones were inspired. Yes, ice lanterns only need water and candles, which are available at home. They don’t require money, only the thought.
The little kids couldn't wait any longer, so they ran towards the mule cart and went home immediately.
Unfortunately, just as they were about to walk out with the basin of water, they were stopped by the maid who was watching them much more closely than before.
"My dear young masters, don't play in the water when it's so cold. If you get frozen, you'll get sick and have to drink very bitter medicine."
The little kids whose water was taken away were dumbfounded.
Someone needs to watch me while I drink water, but it’s not convenient to hold the basin, and I can’t get close to the water jar. What should I do?
A few little kids were worried for most of the day because they wanted to get some water, but instead of getting some, they were stared at and had to drink a lot of water.
As expected, there were three more people who peed on the kang at night.
Yes, Sun and Zhang Sanzhuang were very sure that Tiedan had also urinated, otherwise the braised egg alone would not have been able to kill both of them.
Tiedan and Ludan were both slapped and sent to their grandparents' room in the middle of the night. The next day, when Sun was washing the quilt covers and mattress covers, her face looked a little unhappy.
The two of them ran away, covering their buttocks. When they arrived at the garrison, they found Taotao in the same posture.
The three people said: "..." Needless to say, those who should understand will understand.
Well, my filial piety hasn't been fulfilled yet, but my butt is suffering first...
Maybe his Ren and Du meridians were opened, or at least one of the meridians on his buttocks must have been opened. Tiedan's eyes suddenly lit up, "I have a way to make ice lanterns!"
Qiaoya and Qiaorui looked at him curiously. Taotao and Ludan didn't react either. Tiedan smiled and waved at everyone, "First, find an empty basin. We can't play with water, so let's play with soil, okay?"
After the two-day and one-night exercise, Miao Wan couldn't wait for the official bulletin to be published, so she asked Adun to take people to the county town and asked him to find Qiao Ruichen and Cheng Shao.
Take the unpublished internal version of the article back to Xining Town first and let her enjoy it first. She won’t spread it to others anyway.
Qiao Ruichen naturally obeyed his wife unconditionally, and Cheng Shao did not intend to offend Miao Wan. Well... ahem, the reward was still waiting for the sponsor to give it.
So, while everyone else was still guessing whether the drill was over, what the drill was like, and what the occasional "bang bang" sounds were, Miao Wan received an internal manuscript.
She is also a person who loves to be lively, and the feeling of knowing the secret before others is really great.
When Adun placed the manuscript in front of her, Miao Wan was so happy that she pulled Geng and Aunt Geng together, and even asked someone to invite Butcher Zhang and his wife to come over for a tea party.
However, before the tea party began, something happened that made Miao Wan and Geng even happier.
The children, especially Qiao Aqian and Qiao Xiaorui, two delicate and pretty girls, entered the house shyly with their filial piety.
The author has something to say:
Taotao: Mom, I’m filial. Can I see the flowers now?
Miao Wan nodded: Okay, I’ll come right away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
