Emperor Ming Dynasty

The spring breeze brings warmth, and after February [-]st, everything begins to revive, and the entire north begins to come alive.

If calculated according to the solar calendar, it should be March. Even in the Monan area, the grass is sprouting and showing green.

Cullen City also became active at this time. The silence of a winter broke out at this time, showing a prosperous scene.

The Mongolians coming and going all wore gray and black Mongolian robes, which were worn and dusty. Only the nobles wore green or other colored Mongolian robes to show their special status.

Baoyin led the horse and slowly walked out of Culun City.

Pedestrians on the road looked at him enviously, their eyes wandering.

Without it, although he was wearing an ordinary green Mongolian robe with no embroidered patterns, it was enough to distance himself from ordinary people.

Wearing sheepskin boots on the feet, a felt hat on the head, and a sheep towel around the neck, these are the unique clothes of the army.

From a distance, one could tell that he was from the military.

Baoyin is indeed a soldier, but he is not a border army, but a patrol cavalry under General Mobei, which can also be said to be a garrison.

The frontier army was supported by the imperial court, and they were supported by Mobei's finance, so their salary and welfare were slightly inferior, but they also received one silver dollar and one stone of grain every month, which was much better than simply grazing.

The reason why there are patrol cavalry is to face the rebel bandits, and a large number of local young people are recruited. In the end, some elites are left and reorganized into the army to continue the mission of clearing and suppressing.

Baoyin joined the army at this time, and there were 3000 people who joined the army. They were all top-notch strong men among the herdsmen, and were the best in riding and archery.

He enjoyed the envy of everyone and pulled off the wrinkled Mongolian robe. It was a smooth and bright satin cloth that cost him a silver dollar.

He was grinning widely and his thick eyebrows were splayed, which made him look a bit more ugly, but he didn't mind at all.

He was holding two horses in his hands, one of which was carrying a package, which was very heavy and bulging.

After leaving Culun City, he looked back at the bustling city with nostalgia, then mounted his horse and ran north.

At this time, outside Culun City, the snow has melted, the grass is lush, and the flat grassland is full of low-lying areas, which can be easily fallen into if not careful.

But Baoyin was very familiar with this. He controlled the horse, cautiously and with speed, and ran for almost an hour, before he found a slope to rest.

"Eat!" He took out a bag of dried beans from his arms and hurriedly fed the war horse.

As for the humpbacks on the side, they could only lower their heads and eat grass.

After a moment, there was a sudden sound of horse hoofbeats. He raised his head warily and saw several horses running towards him.

The style of his clothes and the marks on his horse's butt all show his status as a soldier.

"Brother, although the traitor has been wiped out, it is not safe at this time. You know it is very dangerous for people to go home."

The leader had a round face, big ears, and his flesh squeezed his eyes, turning them into a pair of narrow eyes: "What's wrong? Which one is it?"

"The fourth team of Battalion B!" Baoyin said truthfully.

The 3000 people in Mobei are also a regiment, following the example of the Beijing camp and the frontier army.

There are five battalions in a regiment, plus more than a hundred people in the regiment headquarters, and each battalion has 580 people, so a team naturally has [-] people.

"We are all from Camp A."

The big man laughed: "I heard that Zhao Yingzheng injured his thigh, how is he doing?"

"Our camp's surname is Zhang. He is currently in good health and has not been injured." Baoyin said casually.

Then he saw the vigilance of the people in front of him disappeared, and their smiles became more sincere.

"Yes, I was confused."

The big man smiled casually: "I wonder where you are going back? Shall we go together?"

“In Ugtai Qianhu!”

"What a coincidence? Mine is Bayan Qianhu, right next door!"

Several people looked at each other and smiled, and then walked together.

Before the establishment of the Mobei General's Mansion, when Zeng Ying served as the Minister of Mobei Affairs, he implemented the Thousand Household System, turning large tribes into First Tribes, and the titles of Hundred Households and Thousand Households for the nobles.

With the emperor's alliance in Chengde, Jinong and Nuoyan were abandoned, and they only had the identities of Tabu Nang and Taiji.

At this time, a thousand-household district was formed in the huge Mobei area, surrounding Kulun like stars, thus forming a ruling order.

Just like Suiyuan, Baihu and Qianhu are independent individuals. Qianhu only has the power of communication and mediation granted by Cullen to Baihu, but does not have the right to punish.

Dozens of thousands-household districts do not belong to each other. The nobles do their own thing and have designated pastures. They are not allowed to violate the rules without authorization, let alone start wars without authorization.

After hundreds of years, order appeared again in the Mobei region.

Since they were all riding horses, the speed was very fast. After a few people ate a piece of dried meat for lunch, they hurriedly hurriedly arrived. Baoyin returned home before sunset.

In Erhun Baihu District, the former small tribe was renamed, and the leader became Baihu. He continued to hold the power of the tribe, and no one dared to violate it.

In the future, his title of [-] households will be passed on to the eldest son, and then passed down from generation to generation.

This is a compromise made by the court, and it must be done.

Baoyin believes that this is also the case, and nobles should remain nobles for generations.

As soon as he entered the tribe, several men on horseback noticed him and followed him furtively from a distance.

He glanced sideways: "Saev's companion!"

With disdain in his heart, he continued walking towards home.

Halfway through, he encountered a blockage.

A group led by Seif, the son of a hundred households, blocked the road.

Saifu was riding a horse, wearing a gorgeous Mongolian robe: "Baoyin, what good things did you encounter from outside? Don't you know that you want to give it to the leader?"

Seeing the arrogant look on his face, Baoyin couldn't help but take two steps back, which in turn caused the other party to laugh at him.

At this moment, he felt the scimitar at his waist, and then he remembered his identity:
"Sev, you are just the son of a mere hundred households. So what if you inherit the position of a hundred households? I joined the army."

As he spoke, he suddenly drew out his scimitar, showing a cold expression.

This time, several people were startled.

Sev squinted his eyes. He looked at the heavy package on the horse's back, his eyes full of fear.

The army is the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Last winter, the Mobei General Mansion wiped out tens of thousands of rebel bandits, which could be described as a river of blood, once again shocking the entire Mobei grassland.

The nobles, big and small, remained chilly and even sacrificed their cattle and sheep in winter to contribute their negligible strength.

It is precisely because of this that the prestige of General Mobei has reached a new high in the grassland.

No one wanted to offend the imperial court unless necessary, including the soldiers who had been busy for half the winter.

Seph's eyes lingered on the horse's butt for a moment, then he gritted his teeth and left.

At this time, he felt extremely regretful.

At that time, the General Mansion recruited troops in various districts with thousands of households and hundreds of households.

Using three tents to levy one tribe, because of his father's care, he naturally did not have to take risks to participate, but at the same time, he also missed out on the rewards of the thick road.

"If I had known this, I should have gone..."

Seeing the latter leaving with a cold face, Baoyin breathed a sigh of relief.

He led the two horses back to his home, a tent that was narrow but not cluttered.

As free people, their family only has [-] sheep, but there are seven people in the family. Naturally, the whole family has to herd sheep for the nobles in order to barely survive.

As soon as he arrived at the door of his house, his two younger brothers who were picking up cow dung saw him and ran over happily. Their dark faces were full of smiles, but the sallowness hidden under the skin could not be seen.

This is the result of food shortages.For nobles, winter is a season of enjoyment, but for herdsmen, winter is a time of suffering.

Every moment of the day, I have to measure the fodder, think about which sheep to slaughter, and pray for more ewes to get pregnant.

"Aha (brother), you are back!"

"I'm back!" Baoyin smiled and showed his yellow teeth: "Where are Abu (father) and Eji (mother)?"

"Aha, you are so stupid, everyone is herding sheep for the leader!"

The three brothers returned to the tent with a smile.

After a while, an iron pot was set up, the cow dung was lit, cold water and precious mutton were put in, and the aroma began to rise.

"Aha (eldest brother), do you want to eat meat today?" The two younger brothers huffed and their eyes widened.

"Of course!" Baoyin took out a bag of salt from the package, took out a handful boldly, pinched it and sprinkled it into the pot.

Let the two younger brothers look at it with their mouths agape, too much salt was added.

Immediately afterwards, several cans, knives, tea bricks, cloth, and several bags of salt were placed.

Almost the entire floor was filled.

"Aha, is this also salt? Why is it so white?" At this time, the seven-year-old fourth brother curiously opened a jar and sniffed it vigorously.

Baoyin took a look and saw that it was something like sand. He smiled and said, "This is sugar!"

As he spoke, he carefully pinched a little in his hand, then stuck a little on his fingers, and asked the two younger brothers to open their mouths and put it on their tongues.

The two younger brothers were chattering vigorously, with extremely happy expressions.

Sweet, this taste goes straight to the brain.

This is something they have never tasted since they were born. It is memorable and reluctant to part with.

"This is sugar, and it is also brown sugar." Baoyin explained: "This thing is sweet when you eat it. It is very expensive, and even in Culun City, it is very rare."

"Then Aha, how come you have it?"

"I got it as a reward for killing the enemy. Even if I have money, I can't buy such a good thing!" Baoyin was very surprised to know.

He began to tell his two younger brothers about the battles he had fought on the battlefield in the past few months. The hardships were naturally mentioned in one sentence, but the rewards in the end were numerous.

"I killed seven people and became a captain. I also have two and thirty silver coins..."

As for the length, the two younger brothers didn't know how big it was, but they were very sensitive to silver coins.

Compared with bulky cattle and sheep, or tea bricks, salt, and silver coins, currencies with purchasing power and convenience are widely sought after by herdsmen.

"Ah, an iron pot only costs five yuan."

The younger brother pointed to the broken clay pot and said: "It would be much better if there was an iron pot. I heard that the tea brewed is better."

"Don't worry, there will be iron pots." Baoyin said seriously: "There are too many people buying iron pots, and the prices have increased. It's not cost-effective. I will buy them back next time!"

The two younger brothers immediately jumped for joy.

For a long time, until Baoyin was almost exhausted from talking, his parents, the elderly Yiji (grandma) and the 16-year-old Ejingdu (sister), came back together.

Their bodies are filled with wool and the smell of mutton, and they are traditional shepherds.

"Baoyin——"

Everyone was happy when their eldest son (grandson) came back.

And the things all over the floor shocked everyone.

Repeating what he just said, Baoyin recounted He's achievements: "The rebels are more timid than the sheep on the grassland. In order to kill them, the sword under my hair was curled up..."

The whole family listened to his bragging without feeling bored at all.

In the end, Baoyin felt embarrassed and pointed to a large bag of salt and said, "Salt is cheap in the city. I simply bought twenty kilograms, which is enough for my family for a year."

"With these pieces of cloth, Erji, you can get Suobude some nice clothes and marry him in a glorious way..."

Looking at her youthful sister, Baoyin felt quite distressed.

He raised his younger sister, Sobude.

"Aha, you are working hard outside, it doesn't matter to me, I should make clothes for you!"

Sobud shook his head hurriedly.

"I have clothes." Baoyin smiled, touched his head, and took out the money bag from his arms.

The tinkling sound attracted everyone's attention.

"This is 20 silver dollars."

Baoyin solemnly handed the money to his father: "Ten yuan will be used as dowry for Sobud. You can keep the rest to buy food and clothes..."

"Enough, enough..."

The family was in tears.

He basically brought back salt, cloth, and tea bricks. Almost all the important expenses of the family were gone. This money was an important savings.

"What's the captain? He's the captain of ten. I'm in charge of ten people..."

"It's better to be an official. Being an official for the Han emperor is much better than the Great Khan. How could there be so many rewards at that time!"

The father sighed with emotion. He stroked the scimitar and saw the light on it, feeling particularly fond of it.

And Sev returned home, depressed.

The head of a hundred households, who was in his forties and had a weathered face, looked at his cherished son like this and immediately asked: "Sev, what's wrong?"

"Abu, Baoyin is back!" Saifu's deep voice sounded:

"He was riding a tall horse and leading a nag. There were a lot of things on his back. Although he didn't know what they were, they must be good things."

"I wanted to snatch it back, but he was different. He dared to resist and even showed off his machete!"

The old man was silent for a moment and then slowly said: "It's different. He is no longer the son of a herdsman. He just herds sheep and collects cow dung every day."

"My child, Bao Yin has become a soldier, fighting for General Mobei. There are thousands of people with him, and he is eating with the Ming Emperor's salary."

"Don't provoke him again, lest it cause trouble!"

"Abu, what are the benefits of joining the army?"

Sev raised his head and asked seriously.

"Join the army? I remember what they said at the time. You will receive a salary from the court every month. If you are injured, someone will treat you. If you are disabled, you will receive a lot of rewards."

"You can even reward ranches and tribesmen and become true nobles!"

"A large number of strong young men were recruited into the army. After joining the army, they came back changed and not very obedient..."

The old man sighed there that he was not happy with the young men joining the army, but he could not and did not dare to stop them.

If things go on like this, his prestige as a leader is probably getting lower and lower.

"Abu." Saifu suddenly remembered something: "Our family is Tabu Nang. If we make contributions, can we become a Taiji? Even the last third-class Taiji?"

"I don't know!" The old man was dumbfounded, but couldn't answer.

Because according to the practice on the grassland, Taiji must be a bloodline of the Golden Family.

But now that Han people rule the grasslands, anything is possible.

(End of this chapter)