001:mercenary

After the rain, the sky suddenly cleared up, and the clouds filled the west sky.

There were a few people standing on the north bank of the Yi River, seemingly admiring the sunset.

One of them was a middle-aged man in a white silk robe with an elegant demeanor. He kept talking, his expression was slightly excited, and his voice became louder: "Since Jiong has achieved success, he has been arrogant and extravagant, indulged in banquets, built a large mansion, and destroyed hundreds of public and private houses, which disappointed people at home and abroad. In this matter, Zimei also suffered a loss. Sikong Zhengpi's nephew, why did he stop him from taking office?"

The words were passionate. Looking at this man's expression, his thick eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes were wide open, and his right hand was subconsciously clenched into a fist, looking like he was worried about the country and the people.

The man standing in front of him was silent, just shaking his head and sighing.

He was very familiar with this brother from his family. He usually had nothing to do and liked to talk about nothing. Worrying about the country and the people was definitely not his style. This time, he came to persuade him to let his son go to work, and his words and expressions were so urgent. It seemed that he had a deep entanglement with Sikong.

"Zimei." Seeing that no one was talking, the middle-aged man took a deep breath and said, "Sikong has a mansion, and his followers are like clouds. They are all talented people of the time and have a very high family background. If Yuan Gui's nephew is invited to work, he should have more contact with them. With his talent, he will definitely be famous among the gentry, which will be of great benefit to improving the family's reputation."

The person opposite seemed to be somewhat moved, and asked after a while: "Sikong has a mansion, who are the subordinates?"

When the middle-aged scholar heard that there was a chance, his face eased greatly. He subconsciously looked around and lowered his voice and said, "I heard that Peiguo Cao Shangshu Fu has accepted Sikong's invitation and entered the mansion as a military commander."

"What else?" Zimei was still waiting, but he didn't hear the next word. He was a little surprised and asked.

The middle-aged scholar was a little embarrassed and said, "Liu Qia of Donghai is the left Sima."

"Dai Yuan of Guangling is the military advisor."

"Mi Huang of Donghai is the supervisor."

... ...

"After all, except for Minister Cao, they are all small-time and poor. I have never heard of Liu Qia's family background." Zimei sighed, and then laughed at himself: "In fact, how much better is my family than theirs?"

"In this case, we should seize the rare opportunity." The middle-aged scholar advised.

Yu Zimei hesitated for a while, sighed, and said, "Let's go back to the house first."

The middle-aged scholar choked and agreed casually: "Okay, let's talk about it."

The group walked forward.

There were several soldiers behind the middle-aged scholar, all of whom were not very old.

The leader looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a calm and even bold look, unlike the ordinary soldiers who were timid and self-abased, which made Yu Zimei slightly unhappy.

Sikong was really confused. Did everyone in the feudal state die? Even the young soldiers were recruited, which made him even more hesitant.

The soldier was named Shao Xun. He seemed to be keenly aware of his gaze. He didn't say anything, but just walked silently. Only his face revealed a vicissitudes of life that was completely inconsistent with a teenager.

System? It doesn't exist! Such a high-end thing is out of his reach.

All kinds of martial arts and riding skills are good, but they are just experience and knowledge. There is no muscle memory at all. At present, he has recovered some of them through hard training, which is not easy.

To be honest, he doesn't know where these skills come from. It feels like his own, but it doesn't feel like it.

God made me travel to this time, is he playing a joke on me? Is he joking?

It would be better if you gave me a large sum of money, a noble family, and a bunch of beauties, so that I could live a carefree life, and then I would barely not be angry.

But - forget it, the matter is done, and there is no point in saying that.

A group of people quickly entered a shabby house.

The house was not big, and it seemed that it had belonged to a local rich man in the past. In this world of war and chaos, officials and nobles can't even protect themselves, so what can a local rich man without any foundation count for?

There are so many houses in Luoyang that have changed owners repeatedly, and no one knows how the owner died.

There are more than ten people in the house, plus seven or eight guards, servants and the like.

To be honest, it's a bit shabby, not worthy of their family.

It's all the fault of the Sima family!

Yu Zimei led the guests in, and his wife Guanqiu came out to greet them.

Shao Xun stayed in the yard, folded his arms, and glanced around.

He needed to be responsible for the safety of the middle-aged scholar named Yu Hua (ái), after all, he was a person that Sikong valued and wanted to win over. If he still wanted to make a living in this chaotic world, he had to work hard.

The four soldiers who came with him were all from Donghai, about the same age, about seventeen or eighteen years old. At this time, they all looked at him with awe, silently dispersed, and stood in awe with weapons.

Shao Xun sneered.

These young soldiers were not good at martial arts. He casually pointed out a few words, corrected their wrong habits and movements, and immediately made them very awed.

Of course, he was their direct squad leader, which was also very important.

In a chaotic world, people with ability can still make a living.

There were also a few men in sackcloth clothes in the yard, practicing martial arts in a serious manner.

Shao Xun took a look and was not very interested. The level was too poor.

He also saw several young men in brocade robes chopping wood, and a little girl was busy passing water to people, sometimes chatting and laughing. They looked very close, and they must be brothers and sisters.

Alas, as a noble family, they never thought that they would have to do rough work one day, right?

Wait, there will be more fun later. Not only do you have to do rough work, you will also starve or even die.

The nobles and ladies were sold as slaves, surprise?

However, he immediately thought of himself and couldn't help sighing.

His situation may not be better than others, right? It may even be worse.

There are too many messy troops near Luoyang, and they are not under each other's command, and each has its own ulterior motives. If something goes wrong, they will fight one day. Can he resist the trend alone?

It's hard to hold.

"Do you want some water?" The little girl came over with a porcelain bowl in her skirt and asked softly.

Shao Xun glanced at her. She looked about five or six years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, and she looked like a beauty.

But her most attractive thing was not her appearance, but her big black eyes, which flashed with enthusiasm, innocence, and curiosity, as if she had just been born into this world.

"No need." Shao Xun smiled and replied.

The little girl also smiled, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and her big eyes curved like crescents, without any expression of anger or loss.

She held the porcelain bowl again and asked the other four soldiers one by one. The four waved their hands and refused, even a little at a loss.

Shao Xun secretly praised that the little girl was kind-hearted, which was rare in this society with clear distinctions between noble and humble.

However, who would pity such a kind person in troubled times? If you meet a cruel person, it's just a matter of a knife.

He suddenly felt a little irritated.

He couldn't even start a fight, this damn world.

He was just a military household in Donghai, with the same status as the other four soldiers around him. He had no background or family background. In today's society, he was as lowly as dust and mud.

Yu Hua, who he escorted, was a serious nobleman, but he didn't even look at him straight in the eye. His attitude was very obvious.

The reality is here. If you don't want to be a rotten person, there are actually very few choices.

Like Shi Le, he joined the refugee leader Ji Sang and hoped to make a name for himself. For those who don't have a family background, joining the peasant uprising army is a very good way.

But Ji Sang's strength is not good. The peasant army is just a mob. It is likely that they will be beaten on the battlefield. If they go there, they will die. The result is unpredictable.

Then what about joining Liu Yuan? Let's not talk about whether he is willing to accept him, even he himself is not very happy.

Forget it, let's go and see.

Sima Yue, the King of Donghai, has just been the prime minister for a short time. He is in an awkward situation where no one is available, whether it is a civil official or a military general.

He even didn't have military power, and he was trying to recruit soldiers from other states to Beijing.

He was in such a miserable situation. No one could compare to him.

"Swoosh!" An arrow flew out and missed the target...

A guard in Yu's mansion put down his bow in despair and stammered.

Seeing this, Shao Xun couldn't help but say, "Haven't you practiced before? Lean forward, lower your left arm, and turn your elbow inward..."

The guard seemed to be thinking about something.

Shao Xun stepped forward, snatched the bow, and shot the arrow in one go.

"Swoosh!" It hit the bull's eye.

The guards looked at him stupidly, with complicated eyes.

"Did you see it clearly?" Shao Xun asked.

The guard shook his head.

Shao Xun slowed down his movements and shot another arrow that hit the bull's eye.

"Still not seeing it clearly?" He asked again, and without waiting for anyone to answer, he shot the third arrow, which still hit the bull's eye.

The guards were numb.

"Forget it, this can only be achieved through more practice." Shao Xun shook his head, untied the bowstring, handed it over together with the bow tip, and said, "It's time to change the string."

After that, he walked back to the wall, leaned there, and thought about things silently.

He had an instinctive familiarity with archery. Whether it was a foot bow or a horse bow, when he touched it, all the cells in his body seemed to be cheering, and various movements were churning in his mind.

Armored foot shooting, left and right bows, horse riding shooting, lying shooting, back shooting, etc., he was so familiar with it as if he was a sharpshooter in his previous life.

But he had no memory of his previous life, and his impression was only the various experiences in modern society.

Although this body that he traveled through was a military household, he had only practiced archery a few times, and his results were very average. He spent most of his time farming, which could not be brought from this life.

After thinking about it, it was probably a talent, or there were many unknown secrets in between.

Who cares! This is a good thing, right?

Even if he was a sharpshooter in his previous life, so what? He had completely forgotten about it. This life was a new one. His body, personality, family background, and social relationships were completely different. He was already a different person.

"He is a sharpshooter!" The men chopping wood in the yard stopped what they were doing, looked at each other, and were surprised.

There were tens of thousands of soldiers in the central army of Luoyang. It was not that there were no sharpshooters, but they were generally difficult to contact and were controlled by the various princes.

This branch of the Yu family was now in decline.

If the main branch could barely be considered a noble family, their branch could only be considered a small family name, and there was a danger of slipping into poverty - if no one in the family could hold a high position.

In today's world, Luoyang was almost as dangerous as a den of dragons and tigers. The warriors who were not valued before, if they had superb skills, could no longer be treated as servants.

Small families like theirs even need to use the courtesy of guests to win over, although they are unlikely to attract this kind of tiger warriors and sharp soldiers - strictly speaking, guests are also servants, just the highest level ones.

What a pity.

"You were so fierce just now." The little girl came over again.

Shao Xun glanced at her and said, "What's the use of a man if he is not fierce?"

The little girl retorted, "My brother is not fierce."

"There must be someone fierce in a family." Shao Xun said, "What's your name?"

"You are a little rude." The little girl smiled and shook her head, not saying anything.

Shao Xun also smiled.

"Why are you so bold?" The little girl asked, "I just talked to them, and they hesitated and didn't dare to look me in the eye."

After that, she looked at the other four soldiers.

Shao Xun was also asked. This question is more complicated, perhaps related to social customs and traditions.

There is an invisible gap between the nobles and the lower classes. They are two "species" and have reproductive isolation.

Some people are used to being arrogant, while others are used to being humble. After hundreds of years, everyone has become accustomed to it and even thinks it is right.

It's a big difference! No wonder he was taught a lesson by Liu Yuan and Shi Le.

As for why he doesn't humble himself, can he tell it?

"Tell me your name and I'll tell you the reason." Shao Xun joked.

The little girl narrowed her little crescent again, covered her mouth and laughed, but still shook her head.

"Zimei, you will regret it, alas!" Shao Xun was about to say something, but heard a voice from the main hall.

Yu Hua was a little unhappy and walked out with his sleeves brushed. It seemed that he failed to persuade him.

He didn't even look at Shao Xun and the other five and walked out directly.

Shao Xun signaled with his eyes, and the other four immediately followed. After a while, they left the Yu Mansion.

"Wenjun, it's time to practice the piano." A voice came from the main room.

The little girl responded and walked into the house with her skirt lifted.