Chapter 9 Entering Military Households
Ever since Lin Changning decided to go to the border in place of Lin Changping, the atmosphere at home has been oppressive every single day.
Madam Lin would often stare at Lin Changning in a daze, and would often secretly shed tears. Madam Niu and Madam Wang would also sigh all day long.
Changping seemed relatively calm, and recently he had been cramming Lin Changning on military regulations.
He also briefly talked about some training records and military preparations. Although Lin Changping was a scholar who had not yet completed his elementary school years, he had a wealth of knowledge and could answer most of the questions Lin Changning asked.
It seems that scholars of this era were not just bookworms who could only memorize books. According to Lin Changping, in addition to the Five Classics, scholars at this time often had one or two skills they were proficient in, such as the Six Arts: rites, music, archery, art, calligraphy, and mathematics. Many of them were also proficient in medicine and agriculture.
After spending a few days cramming with his younger brother, Lin Changning gained a fairly good understanding of this dynasty.
The dynasty described in the book was one she had never heard of in her original world. It was roughly at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. It seemed that the Yuan Dynasty was replaced by the descendants of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. At the end of the Song Dynasty, the Jurchens entered the pass. Li Yu, a descendant of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, led a ragtag army to rise up in rebellion. After eight years, he defeated the Jurchens, took over the Song Dynasty, and established the Xuande Dynasty.
He is now the third emperor, and also the grandson of Li Yu, who has ascended the throne under the reign title Taihe. He has been on the throne for three years now.
A butterfly flaps its wings and an entire dynasty is gone. Lin Changning knew the course of history, but time travel doesn't make sense.
History took an abrupt turn, leaving Lin Changning with nowhere to turn for reference.
The only thing she remembered was that the female lead was married to a marquis of the new dynasty, but she didn't see any details about how she got married.
I only vaguely remember that when the female protagonist was twelve years old, a vassal king rebelled, plunging the world into chaos.
A few pages later, it was all about how lucky the female protagonist was and how her family was blessed.
As for who rebelled and who ultimately succeeded, Lin Changning only vaguely remembered that it was the Prince of Chu, the late emperor's ninth brother, and the current emperor's ninth uncle.
She didn't look at anything more, let alone remember it.
Lin Changping explained most of the various systems of the Great Xuan Dynasty, which were quite similar to those of the Great Ming Dynasty in her original world.
These are likely various regulations from the Ming Dynasty that the author borrowed when writing the book, so they are not too difficult to understand.
On the third day after the Cold Dew solar term, a strong medicinal fragrance filled the Lin family's courtyard.
Lin Changping was curled up on the bamboo couch, his pale fingers clutching a book; it was Zhen Ji.
His health is failing him, and his older sister is so exhausted that she wants to join the army in his place. These past few days, he's been asking around to find all sorts of military books and strategies, just wanting to give his sister a comprehensive explanation, as comprehensive as possible...
If we only hope that my sister can save her life, that's fine. My sister is very strong, and who knows what might happen to her in the future? So we should teach her as much as we can.
Who knows, it might come in handy later.
The door hinges creaked as Lin Changning slipped in, carrying a bowl of medicine.
She wore a coarse cloth short jacket that had been washed during the day, but the wooden hairpin in her hair had been replaced with a cowhide rope.
"Sixth Brother, drink it while it's hot." She shoved the medicine bowl into her younger brother's hand and turned to bolt the door.
"Sister, don't rush, come here, I'll explain the key points to you again..."
Lin Changning locked the door and turned to go back to his room.
Help me up.
The boy sat up and grabbed the yellowed journal from beside his pillow. As the pages turned, a few withered mugwort leaves fell out.
"First, let's talk about the military organization. In the border troops, five men form a squad, two squads form a platoon, and five platoons form a team..."
A sudden night wind blew sand onto the window paper, and the sound of a garrison soldier's clapper could be heard in the distance.
Lin Changping leaned against the bed: "The garrison changes shifts on the seventh of each month. At 3:45 AM, the cooks start the fires. That's the easiest time to sneak out of the camp..."
"If it's a night attack, remember to cut off your left ear first."
With trembling hands, he pulled a handwritten copy of "Essentials of Battle Formations" from under his pillow, with yellowed pages tucked between the pages.
"The right ear is connected to the visor strap, making it easy to counterattack when it is cut off."
"If...if you encounter someone wielding a curved sword, be sure to cut off the third copper ring on his left shoulder first."
Lin Changping patiently explained, as if afraid of missing anything...
His voice suddenly stopped, and he stared at his sister: "Sister?"
Lin Changning's absent-minded gaze made Lin Changping realize that this might not be a good time to explain.
Lin Changning shook his head, casually took the medicine and handed it to his younger brother: "Drink your medicine first, nothing else is urgent..."
Lin Changping couldn't refuse, so he took the bowl of medicine, tasted it, and found the temperature was just right. He then drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth with his sleeve without changing his expression, and put the bowl aside.
“I heard that my uncle’s grandson is also going to serve in the military. It’s a pity that he is the only son in three generations of his family.”
"Perhaps there is a way."
Lin Changning turned to look at his younger brother, who was keeping everyone in suspense.
Lin Changping pulled the quilt tighter and looked at Lin Changning: "Your family is already preparing to have their members join the military household. The military households can be selected from the clan to accompany the soldiers..."
Lin Changning's eyes lit up: "You can do it like this?"
"However, once you join the military household, in addition to serving as a soldier, your clan will also provide you with clothing and a stipend..."
Calculating that things would work out, Lin Changning changed his clothes and went to see the village head the next day.
Should ordinary citizens join the army, or should students abandon their studies to pursue a military career?
The village head hesitated slightly when he looked at Lin Changning's small frame.
"Abandoning literature for military service?"
"yes."
"To avenge my father?"
"yes!"
"Sixth Brother, can you even lift a knife?"
"...Did you see the millstone?"
"You saw that? Could it be that Liu Lang can cleave it in two?"
Lin Changning lifted the stone roller, which weighed over a hundred kilograms, with one hand and spun it around a few times.
"Seventh Uncle, do you think I'm fit to join the army?"
The village headman's white beard twitched: "You're quite a fine piece of meat. Didn't you say you were sick? Seventh Uncle sees you in very good spirits."
Joining the army isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if I remember correctly, your family was among the soldiers conscripted this year. A soldier's term is only a year; if you become a military household, you might only be able to…”
Uncle Lin Qi's words were not finished.
He knew a little about the affairs of Lin Daniu and Lin Erniu's families.
Erniu's actions were truly underhanded, but there was nothing that could be done.
Who can blame Sanlang for being so promising? It is said that Sanlang always ranks first in his studies at the academy, and he will be able to take the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai this year.
Who knows, a scholar might even emerge from this village.
At that time, Linjia Village will naturally open its ancestral hall to worship its ancestors.
Although Erniu was not kind, his sons were successful. The old folks knew the truth about some things, but they could only turn a blind eye because of Sanlang's concerns.
I used to think that Liu Lang was sickly and that with Da Niu, Da Lang, and Er Lang gone, the widow and her children would be left without hope. But now it seems that's not necessarily true.
Judging from Liu Lang's ruthlessness and sudden burst of brute force, it's really hard to say whether San Lang or Liu Lang is a good match.
Thinking of this, the village head hesitated for a moment: "Sixth Brother, tell Seventh Uncle, is your strength to lift a cauldron innate? Or..."
Lin Changning's eyes lit up: "Naturally, it's innate. My family used to be poor, and we were always hungry."
She gets dizzy and lightheaded with the slightest exertion, so she always looks sickly.
"These past few years, our family has been better off, and we've been able to eat our fill, so we've been able to use more strength..."
The village head stroked his mustache and said "good" several times.
"How about this, you wait for me at the village entrance early tomorrow morning, and I'll take you to the county government office in an oxcart to change your household registration, is that alright?"
"Thank you very much, Seventh Uncle."
“Your aunt made wild vegetable dumplings, and there’s some cured meat at home. Take some back with you. When I visited your house last time for a funeral, the meat was all greasy.”
Lin Changning was somewhat surprised: "Uncle? How could I possibly accept this?"
The village head waved to his wife, signaling her to go back and get some things, and looked at Lin Changning with a smile:
"Since you're going to join the army, don't refuse your uncle's offer. Take it back with you and have something good to eat before you leave."
Before Lin Changning could refuse, the old woman smiled and stuffed the cured meat and vegetable dumpling she had taken off into Lin Changning's arms.
Lin Changning, who hadn't tasted meat in a long time, swallowed hard. He looked at the two elderly people, who were hunched over and had gray hair but were exceptionally kind, and awkwardly bowed.
"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt..."
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