A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 70 The Old Boss
On October [-]th of the eighth year of Chongzhen.

The weather had turned cold, and the deadly north wind outside the hall was blowing again and again, but there were a few red fires burning inside the house, but it was extremely warm.

Xie Yike came in excitedly, and shouted: "Brother-in-law, someone came to visit again. To see the famous thorn, it is a team officer from Huiyao Castle called Zhong Dayong or something. He said that he is an old acquaintance with you. Do you want to call me?" He comes in?

As he spoke, he smiled and tossed the penny in his hand.

This guy used to walk up and down, maybe because other people knew that Wang Dou was his brother-in-law, and there were more people who flattered him. These days, he has become swaggering when he walks, like a crab.

"The clock is used?"

Wang Dou smiled slightly, he was indeed an old acquaintance. In the past, my old boss, I had to kowtow to him every day, and now that I was promoted to a defense officer, he also rushed to flatter me. , Wang Dou is still in a good mood. After all, he is a secular person, not a saint, so it is inevitable that he will have the vanity of ordinary people.

On the day of the marriage, the integrity officer Xu Zucheng came, and the accompanying general Yang Dongmin brought Wang Dou Renshun Township Defense Officer's waist badge document seal and other things. Because Wang Dou was newly married, Xu Zucheng graciously gave Wang Dou a seven-day wedding holiday .

But how could Wang Dou be idle these days?There was an endless stream of congratulatory and flattering people from all sides, and even relatives who were usually less than one piece in eight poles also came to the door one after another, especially there were more officials in each fort, some wanted to make connections, some wanted to take a step up in their positions, and some were staring at vacancies Yes, there are people who want to keep their current official positions, and the number of people who come to visit every day has never stopped.

Yesterday, Chang Zhengwei, the team manager of Huiyao Castle, came to meet Wang Dou and presented him with a generous gift, hoping to keep his current position and try to see if he could go further.Today, the post team official Zhong Dayong is here again.

On the day of the wedding, Zhong Dayong actually came, but Wang Dou got married that day, and the integrity officer Xu Zucheng came, so I couldn't take care of him. The two of them spoke less than three sentences. Zhong Dayong came again today, presumably It was a solemn relationship with old acquaintances.

Wang Dou said: "This Zhong Dayong is my old boss when I was in Jingbiandun, he is indeed an old acquaintance, call him in!"

Xie Yike responded: "Good!"

I went out excitedly.

Wang Dou heard that Xie Yike himself boasted that he is a well-known hunter in Sunjiagou, Xishan. This time his sister got married and came to Jingbian Fort, hoping to stay in the fort to make a living, but Wang Dou has not yet made up his mind about Xie Yike's arrangement. , let him stay in the mansion to help first, similar to doing errands for a follower.

Soon Zhong Dayong's shrill laughter came from afar: "Oh, oh, oh, this mansion is full of style, it is worthy of being the mansion of the defender, this style is different!"

Then I saw Zhong Dayong and his wife Wang walking in with pleasant smiles. Both of them were blue from the cold wind and their lips were purple, especially Wang was holding a huge gift box in his hand.Entering the hall, a wave of warmth greeted them, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief subconsciously.

Wang Dou hadn't moved yet, but Zhong Da used his hands and eyes to rush forward, knelt down and kowtowed to Wang Dou, and said repeatedly: "Zhong Dayong, the humble post of the post team officer of Huiyao Castle, congratulates you, and congratulates you for being promoted to the defense officer!" The position, Mrs. Congratulations to the newlywed Yan Er, the family is safe and healthy!"

His movements were very smooth and unrestrained, without the slightest discomfort, and he switched roles naturally.Seeing his mother-in-law Wang Shi was still there, staring blankly at her husband, Zhong Dayong gave her an angry look.

When Wang came to her senses, she hurriedly put on her back and saluted, and went forward to pay respects to Wang Dou.

Wang Dou was still wearing an ordinary winter fur coat, but his power and status made no one dare to underestimate him. He came over with a smile, supported Zhong Dayong with his own hands, and said, "We are all colleagues in the past, why should we do this?" Dali, get up."

He also supported Wang from afar.

Zhong Dayong was flattered and stood up quickly.

Just like the defense officer Xu Zhongjun's qigong against Wang Dou that day, Wang also stood up according to the situation.

Zhong Dayong handed over a gift list with a smile on his face again, and said with a smile: "Master Defender is overjoyed, I hope you will fulfill your humble filial piety with a little bit of heart!"

Wang Dou took the gift list and looked at it. There might be as many as twelve taels of gifts in it. He handed the gift list to Xie Yike who was next to him, and said, "It's good for people to come. Why buy these expensive gifts? Old Zhong You are just too careful."

Wang Dou's name for Zhong Dayong also changed naturally, but it couldn't be more reasonable under the current status and occasion.

Hearing Wang Dou's words, Zhong Dayong's face was also full of smiles, and his face was even more radiant. He nodded and bowed and said: "It should be, it should be, it is a small honor, an honor. "

Seeing the majestic and mean boss nodding and bowing in front of him in the past, Wang Dou also felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart. He smiled and said to Xie Yike: "Yike, go and call your sister out!"

Xie Yike responded loudly, and soon, Xie Xiuniang came out from the inner hall. She was wearing a bright red bijar, with a young woman's bun on her head and hairpins inserted.Maybe it was the newlyweds, her face was flushed like a layer of rouge, which added a bit of beauty to her.Coupled with her identity and attire, there is a sense of grace in this attire, and the country girl's rusticity of the past has disappeared a lot.

As soon as they saw Xie Xiuniang, Zhong Dayong and Mrs. Wang rushed forward to pay respects, calling them Madam.

Mrs. Wang even murmured, "Look at Madam's attire, it's really extravagant, it's worthy of being a defensive lady, it's decent!"

In the Ming Dynasty, it was necessary to be called a wife. The wives of scholar-bureaucrats can only call their wives when they reach their thirties, but now the Ming Dynasty’s etiquette system is chaotic, and any official’s wife is called a wife. Xie Xiuniang is now inside and outside the castle. Everyone respectfully called her Mrs.

This Mrs. Wang had met Xie Xiuniang several times before, and she was surprised and envious when she saw that the old country girl and village woman had the grace and demeanor of an official wife in the blink of an eye, and the ugly duckling had become a white swan. Looking at herself, she couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Mrs. Wang has already made up her mind that she must take this wife's route well in the future. This is a solemn task entrusted to her by her husband.

Xie Xiuniang spent her free time inquiring about the etiquette of those officials' wives, she did not dare to take a wrong step, her husband has now become a defense officer, this man's decent behavior in front of him should not be ignored, lest Wang Dou's face be lost, Let others see the joke.

At this time, she was meticulous on her small face, without squinting her eyes, and solemnly bowed to Zhong Dayong and Wang's two people clasped together.

Wang Dou said softly: "Madam, you greet Madam Zhong to speak!"

Xie Xiuniang responded, put on a blessing to Wang, and brought Wang in.

Wang Dou smiled and watched the two go in. As for Xie Xiuniang, she has now officially become his wife. Wang Dou plans to let her take care of the relief of refugees inside and outside the fort, and care for women and children, so as to better win the hearts of all parties.This is also a common practice of politicians in later generations, and it is very effective.

……

The second daughter went in, Wang Dou called Zhong Dayong to take a seat, and asked the servants to serve tea, Zhong Dayong just sat on half of his buttocks carefully.

Looking at Wang Dou, Zhong Dayong also felt deeply moved. Last year, Wang Dou was promoted to the chief banner officer, which made Zhong Dayong lament Wang Dou's strong luck as an official. In just a few years, he has completed the journey of more than ten years of hard work.It is even more unexpected now that he was promoted to a defense officer, and he became his immediate boss in the blink of an eye. Looking at the entire Shun Township Fort, who has this blessing?

Zhong Dayong can only lament that Wang Dou is a boy with a good fortune and a prosperous official career.However, he just buried this psychological gap deep in his heart. The most important thing right now is to build a good relationship with this new boss.According to Zhong Dayong's understanding of Wang Dou, this old man is still very nostalgic, and he has an old relationship with Wang Dou in the past, which is a great advantage.

In fact, Wang Dou can understand Zhong Dayong's inner world. These days, others are talking about his sudden promotion to the defense officer. Show an affectionate look.

Wang Dou just laughed it off. Everyone had to quickly adapt to the change of environment and status. Those who didn't adapt could only be eliminated. The officialdom was notoriously cruel.

The stove in the living room was set up with an iron frame, and a hot tea pot was burning on it. Xie Yike was busy at the side, constantly adding hot tea for the two of them.

The atmosphere in the hall was harmonious. While drinking tea, Wang Dou and Zhong Dayong recalled the old days in Dunzhong. Both of them were full of emotion, especially when it came to the death of Ma Zhong and his wife, they were very sad.

The two of them consciously didn't mention the unpleasant things back then, they just talked about funny things.

This way of talking is also what Zhong Dayong is willing to see, which makes him feel close to Wang Dou.

When he was talking, Zhong Dayong didn't make any request to Wang Dou. Of course, he knew that this was a big taboo in the officialdom. As long as he had a good relationship with Wang Dou, if there was any good thing to get promoted and get rich, Wang Dou would forget himself?

After drinking tea for a while, Wang Dou looked at the sky, Zhong Dayong stood up tactfully, cupped his hands with a smile on his face, and said, "Mr. Defender is busy with work, so I won't bother you. Let's take my leave, take my leave!"

Wang Dou said: "Old Zhong, you can still come to the mansion often in the future!"

Zhong Dayong bowed his head and said: "Definitely, definitely!"

Seeing that Wang Dou was about to stand up, he hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please stay, please stay!"

……

Zhong Dayong came out of the mansion, and after a while, his wife Wang Shi was also sent out.

Seeing Zhong Dayong, Wang asked eagerly, "Dayong, what's going on?"

Don't look at the way Zhong Dayong nodded and bowed in front of Wang Dou just now, he is very majestic in front of his wife.

He coughed with a straight face, and said: "Needless to say, based on my old friendship with Mr. Defender, Mr. Zhong must have looked and spoken kindly to me!"

Wang clasped his hands together and said, "Thank God, it seems that your position as team officer has been saved, maybe you can move up, hee hee!"

Zhong Dayong snorted and said, "That goes without saying!"

I remembered that when I was the post team officer of Huiyaobao, the team officer Chang Zhengwei rejected him a lot. However, after Wang Dou was promoted, Zhong Dayong intentionally or unintentionally hinted at his friendship with the new defense master, and specifically pointed out that he had a relationship with the defense team. After the lord was a brother who had fought together in the past, Chang Zhengwei, the captain of the Huiyao Castle, immediately had a different expression, and he was much more polite and affectionate to him.

But how can Zhong Dayong be satisfied with this?He was also envious of the position of team officer.

Seeing Zhong Dayong standing proudly, showing a rare masculine demeanor, Wang couldn't help but wink at him, and said softly, "Dayong..."

Mrs. Wang is still pretty. Seeing his wife like this, Zhong Dayong couldn't help but feel a little moved, but he looked around, coughed, and said: "What are you doing? Pay attention to etiquette in front of people. Look at Mrs. Wang. Their demeanor is different!"

Wang snorted and said, "She is an official's wife, how can I compare with her!"

The two were talking, suddenly a few riders had arrived in front of the two, and dismounted beside them.The leader was a sturdy military officer wearing an official uniform from a hundred households, followed by a few followers, all carrying huge gift boxes in their hands.

Zhong Dayong was taken aback. These hundred households were actually Xu Lu, the confidant of Shun Township Baoyuan's defense officer, and his official position was quite a bit higher than his own.

Zhong Dayong saluted hurriedly: "So it's Mr. Xu, I was so rude just now!"

Mrs. Wang also hurriedly put on her back and saluted.

Xu Lu just hummed, with a proud expression on his face, he didn't put his mind on Zhong Dayong, he just led his followers into the palace.

Seeing Wang Dou, Xu Lu did not have the arrogance he had shown towards Zhong Dayong just now, he just saluted with a smile on his face: "Mr. Defender is very happy to be married, I am taking the liberty to come here, please don't blame me for being rude!"

Wang Dou also said happily: "So it's Brother Xu, take your seat quickly!"

After reading the gift list that Xu Lu handed over, he shook his head and said, "You and my brother, why are you so ignorant!"

He asked Xu Lu to sit down and serve tea, but it was about Xu Lu and his servants' fate.

Xu Lu, the former defense officer Xu Zhongjun's personal general, led a team of 50 servants. Since Xu Zhongjun's death, he has been worrying about his own affairs. He planned to vote for Du Zhen before, but Du Zhen didn't like him. , and died.I wanted to invest in Zhang Gui, but unexpectedly Zhang Gui was going to be transferred to Zhoucheng, so I gave up on this thought.Now that Wang Dou is the new defender of Shun Township Fort, Xu Lu came to find out what Wang Dou said.

Xu Lu led the servants of this team, and he was not worried about losing his status. It's just that these servants have difficulty supporting them, and if they don't find a new owner, what should he do?

It's not like the guerrilla generals in the towns, the participating generals, and the battalion servants under the command of the general army need to pay two, three, five cents a month, plus five buckets of natural rice.The servants of the officers in the guard only need one tael of silver and five buckets of real rice every month.However, for these fifty servants, plus weapons, armor and horses, the cost of raising soldiers is not a small sum in a year.

Moreover, the soldiers of the guards usually have to support themselves, and they have to pay food every year to farm the fields. It is even more difficult to raise soldiers. It is useless to count on the higher-ups to allocate food and salary. No one paid much attention to the soldiers. Without the new owner, these fifty servants, should they be disbanded?

During these times Xu Lu was panicked, thinking that he and Wang Dou had friendship, so before Wang Dou's wedding period was over, he rushed to Wang Dou's door.

At this time, he looked respectful, only sat on half of his buttocks, and there was still a hint of worry on his face, and he did not have the sense of superiority in front of Wang Dou in the past at all.

Wang Dou pondered for a long while, then smiled and said, "Don't worry, Brother Xu will follow me from now on. The soldiers under your command, among other things, it's no problem to eat and drink enough!"

Xu Lu was overjoyed, he thanked him a thousand times, satisfied, and went with a smile on his face.

Wang Dou sat down. He received several waves of guests today, he was a little tired, and wanted to have a good cup of tea.

Suddenly Xie Yike walked in like a crab again, he said with a smile: "Brother-in-law, there were a few people kneeling outside the gate just now, I heard from them that they are the village chiefs of Zhouzhuang, Huzhuang, Chafangbao and several forts. I am here to make an apology for being negligent and disrespectful to my brother-in-law!"

……

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Old White Bull:
Hehe, there is another chapter tonight, please subscribe more and vote more monthly, thank you.

(End of this chapter)