Chapter 148 Entering the Baihe Military Garrison!
At first, the four Shen brothers were only worried about their sons, but after hearing what Shen Yuanjing said, they began to worry about themselves as well.
That can't be right! If the imperial court really does that, aren't they afraid of their line dying out?
Fearing her family would make her son go, Ms. Tian immediately threw a tantrum, saying, "I don't care, whoever wants to go can go, I won't let my son go!"
"When you achieve success and fame in the future, our fourth branch will not share a single penny with you. And now, don't even think about pushing my son out for your own future!"
Shen Congyi glanced at Shen Congwen with an unpleasant expression, then at Shen Yuanjing, before turning his head away and remaining silent.
Grandpa Shen let out a long sigh.
“When your children and grandchildren grow up, they will all go their separate ways to make their own way in the world. If we elders try to stop them, we will be ruining their future!”
Although Old Master Shen did not say it explicitly, his attitude was already clear.
Madam Shen disagreed.
"Yuanjing, besides sending you to ask us, what else did your older sister say?"
Shen Yuanjing's eyes darted around a couple of times, then he shook his head: "No, Big Sister didn't say anything else!"
Liu and Miao were also reluctant to let their son go. If Shen Yuanjing were to go, he should go by himself and not drag their son along!
"Yuanjing, you are the eldest grandson of the family. From now on, the Shen family will depend on you to support it!" Madam Miao said sarcastically.
Old Madam Shen glared at her, her face darkening as she angrily shouted, "Shut your stinking mouth! If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"
Shen Yuanjing's heart sank when he heard his grandmother say that.
"Yuanjing, your grandmother doesn't want you to die in vain. Every one of you children is the apple of my eye. I don't want an old woman to bury her child!" Old Madam Shen covered her face and wiped away her tears.
"The snow outside hasn't stopped yet. With such heavy snow, even if we were to recruit soldiers, it wouldn't be quick. Why don't we wait and see?" Old Madam Shen said with concern.
“Mother, if Yuanjing wants to make a name for himself, let him go. If he can achieve great things…” Before Madam Tian could finish speaking, she was slapped by Old Madam Shen.
"Go back inside and reflect on your actions. Don't come here for a meal before the New Year!"
Tian covered her face, angrily hiding behind Shen Congyi!
Shen Yuanjing sighed and said, "Grandmother, I'll go and tell my eldest sister right away!"
Madam Shen nodded thoughtfully.
...
"Lord Zhang, these brothers of mine want to join the army!" Liu Yan handed the list to Zhang Liao.
Zhang Liao was in a real predicament. He was given five days to hand over the person, but where was he supposed to find someone?
"Mr. Liu, you guys..." Zhang Liao felt both relieved and somewhat uncomfortable.
Liu Yan smiled and said, "My brothers all volunteered to join the army. I heard that everyone who joins the army now receives a settlement allowance of twenty taels of silver."
Zhang Liao's expression stiffened, and after a moment's hesitation, he explained, "That's what they say, but it's not guaranteed. I'm only telling you this because I consider you a brother!"
Liu Yan replied, "I understand, thank you, Brother Zhang. If you can't recruit soldiers, you won't be able to explain to your superiors, will you?"
Zhang Liao sighed and said nothing more.
"If you're truly willing to join the army, I'll submit the list."
Shen Lanxi and the others nodded.
"Alright, pack your things and come with me!" Zhang Liao gritted his teeth and made the decision immediately.
Shen Lanxi packed a few simple things and met Zhang Liao at his doorstep a quarter of an hour later.
"The snow on the road is too thick, we have no choice but to walk!"
Shen Lanxi: "It's alright. I wonder why the imperial court is mobilizing and recruiting soldiers?"
Zhang Liao sighed and said, "King Cheng has rebelled, and the garrison troops in the village were transferred away yesterday. I estimate that the recruitment is just to expand the local military equipment, and they will only operate locally. I will inquire further when I reach the military garrison. I wonder if the people I know are still there!"
The military garrison in Baihe County was located west of the county seat. According to Zhang Liao, it was under the jurisdiction of centurion Cao Lianwang, and although the number of soldiers was said to be five hundred, there were actually less than two hundred.
"Cao Lianwang is ruthless. Once you arrive, don't show yourselves or mention that you know me. Otherwise, he'll definitely make things difficult for you!"
Shen Lanxi nodded. Along the way, Zhang Liao talked about many things about the garrison. After traveling for more than two hours, they finally arrived at their destination when it was almost dark.
"I am the squad leader of Hongliutun, and this is my token. I am here to hand over the soldiers on the orders of the centurion!" Zhang Liao knocked on the door of the military garrison, and seeing that no one was around, he slipped two taels of silver into the hand of the gatekeeper.
When I returned, I had already found out the details.
"The military households from Hongliutun arrived yesterday and set off with the main force!"
He wanted to find out about his brothers, but unfortunately, he was too late!
"I just asked, and they didn't call you here to go into battle!" Zhang Liao said in a low voice.
Shen Lanxi nodded: "Thank you for informing me, Lord Zhang!"
Zhang Liao waved his hand: "No need to thank me, I should be thanking you. If you hadn't stepped forward, I wouldn't have been able to explain myself!"
Someone came out from inside.
Zhang Liao immediately distanced himself from them, handed over the goods to the newcomers, and then left.
“My surname is Niu, and my name is Niu Zhuang. I’m a squad leader. Look at you all, you’re all tall and strong…” His gaze fell on Shen Lanxi.
"Except for a few individuals who are a bit lacking, everyone else is alright. You're lucky to have arrived early; there are only a few people left in our garrison. Tomorrow I'll give you a little training, and once more people arrive, you'll be in charge!"
"This is where you'll be staying. It's late at night, and it's snowing. There's nothing much to do, so you can stay here for the night. I'll come back tomorrow to assign you tasks!"
Niu Zhuang led them to the place and then left.
They were all brought into a room. If it were all men, it wouldn't be a problem, but the addition of Shen Lanxi made it feel awkward.
Before they could feel awkward for long, Shen Lanxi began to give instructions.
"Find out how many people are still in the garrison!"
"yes!"
The group of people scattered in all directions in an instant.
An hour later, people began to return one after another!
"Including that quartermaster from earlier, there are ten people in total!"
"All ten men were injured!"
"There's no one to keep watch at night, and the warehouse has little charcoal and food left, only enough to feed twenty or thirty people for five or six days!"
Shen Lanxi concluded: "They sent us here to guard the military post for them!"
Xiao Fang said with some disappointment, "I thought I'd get to fight on the front lines."
Shen Lanxi gave a mocking laugh: "What enemies are you killing? Our own people or foreigners?"
The people transferred in the last wave were there to quell the rebellion; strictly speaking, they were killing their own people.
"With so many troops, it would be better to transfer them all to the Northwest and take back the city!" Xiao Fang said angrily.
Shen Lanxi: "Rest for one night, and we'll see how things go tomorrow!"
"yes!"
During the break, everyone sneaked into other rooms to rest. There were plenty of empty rooms here, and they didn't dare to sleep in the same room as Shen Lanxi!
Daylight broke in the blink of an eye, and Niu Zhuang came to inform them that Cao Lianwang would be coming over at noon and that they should take their weapons and stand guard!
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