The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

After Doctor Liu left, Zhang Ping'an thought that Brother Dahu's current condition was not suitable for moving.

He suggested, "Uncle Daqiang, Xiaohu, Brother Dahu's leg injury is not suitable for moving. You should stay in the inn for now. When Brother Dahu's leg is almost healed, I will find you a courtyard in the south of the city. It will be a good place to live next to Master Luo's family, so you can both keep each other company."

"Oh, okay, okay, I'll do as you say," Daqiang responded repeatedly.

After everything was almost packed, Zhang Ping'an left some money and prepared to say goodbye.

"Xiaohu, send him off quickly," Daqiang, who was busy taking care of his eldest son, hurriedly ordered.

Xiaohu was much more steady than before, and spoke very little. After cautiously escorting the two downstairs, he saw them about to board the carriage and couldn't help but step forward a few steps, leaning on the carriage and asking, "Brother Ping'an, can I still be your servant?"

Zhang Pingan was stunned after hearing this, then smiled and said, "Xiao Hu, we are all grown up now, so I naturally don't need a servant anymore. Besides, we are from the same clan, so it is not appropriate for you to be my servant now."

After hearing this, Xiaohu was immediately deflated and could not hide his disappointment.

"But if you are willing, when Brother Dahu's leg is healed and his family is settled, you can come to be my personal bodyguard and learn something there," Zhang Pingan said, changing the subject.

This was the future arrangement he had just thought of for Dahu and Xiaohu. Uncle Daqiang's family was in the current state, and it would definitely not work if they were ignored.

But the two of them were from the same family within the fifth generation of mourning, and it was definitely not suitable for them to stay by his side and do servant-like work. It would be bad if it got out.

What's more, we don't know when the troops will be dispatched, and our safety cannot be guaranteed.

In addition, the two of them could not read or write and had little education, especially Da Hu, who was no different from an illiterate, so it was really difficult to make arrangements for them.

The situation is quite different from that of Master Luo's family.

You can only stay by his side as a personal bodyguard for a while, and after experiencing the ways of the world for a while, you can arrange to be a constable in the yamen or a patrolman in the market, which are both good and can give you a place to work.

Xiaohu didn't know Zhang Ping'an's painstaking efforts, but it was also good to be his personal bodyguard.

His eyes suddenly brightened up, and he smiled stiffly with his lips pursed. It was obvious that he was very happy.

"Okay, go up. If you have any problems, come to the military camp to find me according to the address, or go to the south of the city to discuss with Master Luo and his family." Zhang Ping'an also smiled and waved.

"Hey, Brother Ping'an, I'll listen to you," Xiaohu nodded. At this time, he became a little more lively than before, and the relationship between the two became much closer.

Liu Sanlang looked at all this and once again felt fortunate that he had followed Zhang Ping'an.

I became more determined to listen to my brother-in-law in everything from now on.

Smart people are always more careful.

Zhang Ping'an had no idea of ​​his brother-in-law's thoughts. At this moment, he was thinking about the imperial court sending troops.

Before that, he had to settle the two families.

"Brother-in-law, you are a military general. Next time we discuss matters, you should take the initiative to ask to lead the troops as the vanguard and see how Commander Yang reacts," Zhang Pingan said after thinking for a while.

"Okay!" Liu Sanlang agreed without thinking.

Then he guessed, "Are you trying to test Commander Yang's attitude towards the Northern Expedition?"

"I wanted to see if Commander Yang had any ingenious plans for the Northern Expedition," Zhang Pingan said with a smile. "Once I have a plan, I can better cooperate with them!"

Liu Sanlang was no longer the naive man he once was. After some thought, he understood. He said, "The ice age is over now. If we want to send troops in summer or autumn, we can only build a pontoon bridge, use a fleet of ships to force a crossing, and use a feint to the east and attack in the west. A quick victory and avoiding delay is the best strategy."

"That's right. And if we want to advance steadily in the long run, we must control the fortresses north of the Yellow River, such as Damingfu, Zhending, Taiyuan, etc., establish a bridgehead for the Northern Expedition, use it as a supply transit point, gradually advance the front line northward, and then seize the capital and Datong, and cut off the Tatar cavalry's southward route. This is the best strategy," Zhang Pingan analyzed.

"So, your vanguard this time can't extend the battle too far. Now that you've arrived at the front lines, you can't hide away. A true man should make great achievements. Dangers and opportunities coexist."

"Ping'an, although I haven't studied as much as you, I understand everything. I'm not a coward. It's just that I'm worried about Maodan. Let Maodan follow you, and he can learn more skills. You are better than me," Liu Sanlang said in a calm voice.

"Okay, speaking of Maodan, that guy has been like a rat entering a rice jar since he came to the front-line military camp. He is nowhere to be seen all day long," Zhang Pingan shook his head helplessly.

"I am the father and he is the son, so I have to think more about him," Liu Sanlang also shook his head and laughed.

When talking about his son, he felt angry, hateful and reluctant to let him go. This is what a father's feelings are like!

As Zhang Ping'an and the others had expected, the commander-in-chief Yang Zhong arranged several more meetings for civil and military generals. This time, two people took the initiative to volunteer, offering a plan for the Northern Expedition and expressing their willingness to be the vanguard.

One is Liu Sanlang and the other is Zhao Renzhi.

After seeing this, Mr. Huang couldn't help but look at Zhang Ping'an.

Zhang Ping'an had a frank look on his face, not caring who saw it. He was not doing this for others, but to fight for his own survival.

The court now has a good hand of cards, and it cannot be ruined so easily.

Yang Zhong was very satisfied with their performance. He praised them highly and allowed them to be pioneers when the time came.

In comparison, Deputy Marshal Yan looked very unhappy.

The matter is of great importance and it is impossible to finalize it all at once.

We will have to discuss this another day.

It was delayed for two or three months.

During this period, Dahu's legs were almost healed and he could walk with the help of crutches.

Zhang Ping'an found a small courtyard for them in the south of the city, not far from Master Luo's home. The two of them were neighbors in the same alley and had a companion.

Uncle Daqiang was old and could not do much work, and his two grandsons were still young, so Zhang Pingan did not assign him any work.

I only arranged for Xiaohu to follow me and learn some things.

Speaking of this, Zhang Pingan couldn't help but sigh at the importance of family background.

He arranged for several grandsons of the Luo family to work in the yamen and the street office. Although they were still young, about the same age as Xiaohu, they were very knowledgeable about the ways of the world and learned things quickly. In just two or three months, they had established themselves in the yamen.

Of course, there are personal connections involved, but a blacksmith must be strong himself. If they were really a bunch of hopeless people, someone would have told him a lesson long ago.

On the other hand, Xiaohu has had too much to go through in the past few years, and Uncle Daqiang has placed all his hopes and burdens on him, and he nags him every day.

This invisible pressure made Xiaohu very nervous, and he seemed to be a little restrained in doing things.

Zhang Ping'an sighed inwardly as he watched, but he could only patiently teach him slowly. Fortunately, Xiaohu was not too old and had a humble attitude, so there was still time.