Chinese New Year

Chapter 631 Family
After Wang Yan was appointed as the Shangshu, he was suddenly very busy and could no longer run around as he did before. However, he still paid attention to Shao Xun's every move, and when he learned that Shao Xun was inspecting in Bianliang, he immediately sent an envoy to urge him.

When Shao Xun received the news, he was inspecting the area around Mu Ze Long Xiang Mansion.

In a roughly renovated village, two men, one big and one small, were practicing against each other.

The older one was in his thirties and was a soldier in the prefecture, and the younger one was thirteen or fourteen years old and was his son.

The middle-aged man in his thirties held a large shield, and the young man held a spear with the tip removed.

The former was leisurely, while the latter was out of breath.

As soon as the young man took a step forward, the middle-aged man guessed the direction of his next attack - it didn't matter even if he guessed wrong, his rich battlefield experience allowed him to come up with more than one way to deal with it in a split second.

These coping methods seem to require no brainwork and rely entirely on the body's instinctive reactions, but upon closer inspection, they are all the most reasonable ways to cope.

This man's fighting skills have been deeply imprinted in his muscles and even his bones.

Outside the drying yard where the two men were practicing, farmers had already planted beans in the fields.

They spoke with a Hebei accent and would greet each other when they saw acquaintances. The land in Henan was quite fertile, not worse than that in Hebei. If they settled down well, they could make a living even as foot soldiers for others - where could they not be foot soldiers?

Sometimes they would look at the father and son who were practicing together with complicated eyes.

Other people's children have been practicing the art of killing since they were young, and it is natural for them to take over the duties of the government soldiers when they grow up to ensure that the tax-free lands in their families are not taken back.

Where are their children? The farmer looked up and found his two children, one big and one small, by the river, one cutting grass and the other herding sheep. He sighed.

"That's right, I'll give you a piece of cloth as a reward." A deep voice sounded in the yard.

The farmer stood on tiptoe to take a look, and saw that Mr. Chen's personal soldiers were holding a piece of white linen and handing it to the father and son who were practicing.

The father and son expressed their gratitude profusely.

"I have inspected five or six families, and most of them have no organized skills. Only you are well versed in the art of swords and spears, and you have experience in fighting. Where did you get it from?" Shao Xun asked.

The soldier was silent for a while, then said, "More than ten years ago, I was a lieutenant in Zhang Fang's tent."

There is no point in lying in front of experts.

Mr. Chen also rolled out from a pile of dead bodies.

At Qilijian, he gave a military lecture, charged into the enemy's camp on his own, and captured the general and returned.

In the Battle of Daxia Gate, he crushed the enemy's front and shot an arrow into the mouth of the thief who attacked him.

There are also other glorious deeds such as capturing Sima Yi in the palace and standing on horseback with sword drawn at Luoshui.

He is a warrior who is as pure as can be, with a sharp eye, and he might have already made some guesses in his heart.

"Were you present when Zhang Fang was killed?" Shao Xun asked again.

"Yes. I saw Zhi Fu's head come out with my own eyes."

"Why not kill Zhi Fu?"

"The Zhi family has been doing business for many years, and three generations of my family have served as caravan guards."

"I see." Shao Xun did not ask him how he became a refugee and fled to Nanyang. He only asked, "Are you satisfied with your life now?"

"Satisfied, satisfied." The soldiers said repeatedly: "My family said they were guards, but in fact they were just servants who wielded swords and guns, and we have been unable to free ourselves for generations. Now we are soldiers of the palace, and we also have land and houses. We could not even dream of it in the past. I am willing to die for you, sir."

Shao Xun thought for a moment, and asked his personal guard to fetch a bow tip, and handed it over along with three bow strings, saying, "This is a Henan mulberry wood bow tip, and I give it to you. Your archery skills are too poor after all, so you should practice hard in the future."

At this point, he pointed to the farmers who were busy working in the fields and said, "They provide you with food and clothing, so you should protect them. You don't ask for wealth, but at least you can keep your family safe, right?"

"Yes, sir." The soldier bowed down with his son.

"Get up." Shao Xun stood up and left, and gave another reminder: "The government soldiers have such good conditions. It would be a pity if they don't have three weapons and can play with all kinds of equipment. Practice archery well."

After leaving the farmhouse and walking to the willow tree at the entrance of the village, Shao Xun stopped for a while.

In the past few days, 6,600 soldiers of the Silver Spear Camp began to move north and moved to Bianliang.

Their families also moved here, and from then on they became people of Junyi and Kaifeng counties.

After the Qihuo Army withdrew, Junyi was deserted for a while, and Kaifeng County actually didn't have many people. After the arrival of the government soldiers and the Silver Spear Camp soldiers, there were suddenly more than 16,000 households and more than 70,000 people, and the popularity gradually became strong.

The rich and powerful also began to buy land and houses. Even if they could not come here for the time being, they would send a son to manage the family business. The population of Bianliang tended to increase.

These are all the changes he brought about.

It’s good to be a friend of time, accumulate and change bit by bit.

******
From Bianliang to Luoyang, taking a boat is the most convenient way, and taking a horse-drawn carriage is the safest way.

Shao Xun decided to lead his troops by land, heading west through Xingyang and passing Chenggao Pass.

On the morning of May 27, Liu Ling walked briskly like a giant human-shaped bear, carrying heavy luggage such as a desk and a bed.

Shao Xun was talking to his two sons in the yard.

The eldest son, Jin Dao, was born in the first month of the second year of the Yongjia reign (308). He is nine years old this year. He is the son of the Le family and his full name is Shao Zhang.

The second son, Huanlang, was born in February of the fourth year of Yongjia (310). He is seven years old this year. He is the son of Lu and his full name is Shao Gui.

Both sons have received a certain degree of cultural education.

The Le and Lu families each took out their family annotated books and hired famous teachers to teach them. When learning to read, they would go out for a walk from time to time, recite the Book of Songs, recognize plants, and then write them down.

I am also learning martial arts, but I haven't practiced them much. I'm still in the stage of laying the basics and getting familiar with the equipment.

Those who teach martial arts are all guest martial arts masters from each family.

The actual fighting ability of these guests may not be very high, but their movements are standard and methodical. They are martial artists from the academy, and they are different from the wild martial artists who fought desperately on the battlefield. They have not reached that stage yet.

Now the main focus is on laying the foundation, and the movements must be correct, which will help protect their bodies.

When you get older and go to the battlefield to gain experience, there will be plenty of opportunities to temper and improve yourself.

Since following their stepmother Yu Wenjun to Bianliang two days ago, the two children have been studying literature and practicing martial arts for three days without missing a day - they can rest tomorrow.

As for the results of his literary and martial arts studies, Shao Xun remained silent.

Well, not bad actually.

The IQ of the two children is at least average. Thanks to the guidance of famous teachers, their intelligence has been developed a little, and they may be at an above-average level, but they have not reached the level that Shao Xun expected.

But he has accepted this fact now.

Genius is hard to come by, but people with above average talent can become good rulers who maintain the status quo if they are well educated.

If that doesn't work, then just have more children, have a lot of them, and choose the best from the best...

"Jin Dao, you are nine years old this year, it's time for you to be sensible." Shao Xun tapped his son's forehead and said, "Studying is hard, is it harder than farming? Practicing martial arts is tiring, is it tiring than fighting on the battlefield? If you don't learn literature or martial arts, you are a waste. If Grandpa was neither good at literature nor martial arts, you wouldn't even be qualified to see your mother, and you wouldn't be in this world."

"What are you talking about!" Le Lanji smiled shyly and patted Shao Xun.

Looking at her son standing in front of her with great respect, and then looking at the man scolding her son seriously, she felt very warm.

This is how a family should be.

She has reached great heights and fallen into the dust in her life, and she cherishes the present day very much.

Jin Dao also laughed secretly, but was hit hard again.

"Your studies will be suspended for the next few days. Come with your father to Beijing. You should read and learn more on the way." Shao Xun said.

"Okay." There was a look of excitement in Jin Dao's eyes.

It is so much more fun to go out than to stay at home studying literature or practicing martial arts.

"Huang Lang." Shao Xun pulled his second son over and asked, "The Thousand Character Classic was written by your father, why don't you study it carefully?"

Hulang looked at his elder brother first, and his golden sword shook subconsciously.

"Father." Hulang bowed and said, "My son is stupid, I will work harder in the future."

Jin Dao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Shao Xun noticed the little movements between the two brothers, but said nothing.

He knew that his eldest son was active and lively, and often pulled his second son to play together, and then was punished with a ruler by their respective mothers and even his stepmother Yu Wenjun.

"Forget it." Shao Xun sighed and said, "Go and have fun by yourself."

The two children cheered and ran side by side to a corner of the courtyard, staring at the golden sculpture standing on the wooden beam.

The golden eagle watched them with its sharp eyes, as if wondering if it could catch them in the sky, then throw them down to kill them and feast on them.

Five-year-old Nian Liu trotted over, as if wanting to play with Jin Dao and Huan Lang, but was too timid to open his mouth.

Jin Dao was older and knew that Nian Liu was also his father's son and his third brother, so he smiled and took his brother's hand and said, "Can you write the word 'mulberry'? Let's go out and pick mulberries to eat."

"Okay." The three brothers left and walked out of the yard.

Yang Qin selected twenty soldiers and followed them out carefully.

Shao Xun looked at the three brothers' receding backs and smiled.

The feelings between children are the most sincere. If they like someone, they like him. If they don’t like someone, they don’t like him. They can be very happy today, but they will be upset tomorrow, and they can be reconciled the day after tomorrow…

I hope that when they grow up, they can still remember picking mulberries together today.

In a powerful family with too many interests involved, it is rare for brothers to be friendly and respectful to each other.

"My husband." Yu Wenjun handed the last few pieces of clothing to the maid, walked over, and said softly: "The luggage is almost packed, let's go after dinner."

Le Lanji and Lu Xun immediately bowed and left quietly.

"Why do you look so unhappy?" Shao Xun asked guiltily, holding his wife's face.

"No." Yu Wenjun said lightly.

"Really do not have?"

"Really do not have."

Shao Xun was speechless.

Yu Wenjun stood up gently and said, "Hurry up and have dinner."

Shao Xun hummed and wanted to say "I can explain it", but he didn't know how to explain it.

In the end, he could only utter one sentence: "This time we go to Luoyang, it's just you and me."

In his current position, he has no shortage of women, and he doesn't need to lick women, or even care about what women are thinking. There is no need. But Yu Wenjun's behavior always makes him feel uncomfortable.

Yu Wenjun turned her back and almost laughed out loud.

The Queen's advice was indeed useful.

(End of this chapter)