（0007）

Originally, a few years ago, the prices in Ningxia Town were not so high. The best white rice is about two taels of silver for one stone. However, in the 30th year of Wanli, a large number of Jin merchants poured into Ningxia Town, buying grain from here and transporting it to Gansu and Shanxi, Beizhili, Liaodong and other places to supply local military households. As a result, the price of grain in Ningxia Town has continued to rise. Therefore, everyone loves and hates Jin Shang.

If there were no Jin merchants, the furs and other skins that the military households usually accumulated would not be so easy to get rid of, and there would be no way to increase family income. However, the large purchase of grain by Jin merchants led to soaring prices, and poor families became more and more unbearable. This situation has become more and more obvious in recent years. There are even rumors that black-hearted businessmen from Shanxi sold a large amount of grain to the Tartars outside the Saiwai to make huge profits, but they don't know whether it's true or not.

Xu Xingxia bought five buckets of white rice and three buckets of white flour in one go, and basically spent the remaining three taels of silver in his hand. The three of them went home with heavy things on their shoulders. The people around them all looked at Xu Xingxia and them with the same eyes as nouveau riche. The drastic changes in the Xu family have made many people a little unbearable, and their eyes are always a little silly. However, when Xu Xingxia looked at them casually, they immediately changed to a flattering and kind smile.

Xu Xingxia felt their gaze, and just smiled in his heart, without any reaction on the surface. That's right, now he is indeed an upstart. However, through today's events, he has the confidence to make the Xu family rich step by step. He has never thought about the feelings of his relatives before, and from now on, he must take good care of his relatives. He wants his relatives to live happily.

"Natsuko is back!"

"Quick! Stuff put here! ”

When the three of them returned home, the Xu family was already very lively. Niuniu's movements were very fast, and she had already called her aunt, Cousin Chunlan, and Cousin Qiulan over. They all greeted Xu Xingxia warmly. To say that the relationship between these two families is indeed too familiar, and they have to meet almost every day. Chunlan and Qiulan are also married, they are not shy little girls, and they have nothing to do with Xu Xingxia.

"You're busy, you're busy......"

Xu Xingxia said hello, handed over the meat, rice, and noodles to a group of women to deal with, wiped a handful of sweat by himself, walked to the edge of the water tank, scooped a scoop of water with a water scoop, tilted his head, and poured it into his stomach with a gurgling grunt. After drinking the water, Xu Xingxia went into the hall, took off all the bows and arrows, and hung them on the wall again. Subsequently, he came to the house of his father, Xu Fuqing.

Xu Fuqing has already learned the news from his youngest son, and is waiting for Xu Xingxia to come back. He always felt that his youngest son was lying to him. He is not unclear about his son's ability. If you really have such strong skills, you won't be bullied. How can there be such a good thing in the world? His own son actually shot a red deer? No matter how you listen to it, it feels like a fantasy.

"Xia'er, is this true?" Seeing his eldest son, Xu Fuqing immediately asked impatiently. He looked his son up and down, as if trying to figure out something was wrong. However, no matter how you look at it, his eldest son seems to be no different from before? But how did he suddenly become so capable?

"Dad, I bought all the meat and white rice and white noodles, you still don't believe it! In this way, I will carry you out and see for yourself. Xu Xingxia said with a smile. He walked to his father's earthen kang, bent down, and slowly carried his father on his back to the courtyard outside.

In the courtyard, my aunt Wang and her two daughters were kneading dough. The beef and mutton that have not yet been cut are all placed in a large wooden basin, a full basin. The white and red flesh fat is dazzling. The big tsubaki and the little tsubaki picked up two bundles of dry firewood from their own homes for later use. Niuniu and Dongzi both squatted next to their aunt, helping out, and couldn't wait for the dumplings to come out.

Xu Fuqing finally believed that his son had indeed hunted a red deer. There are so many meat, rice and noodles, but you can only get it back with real money. However, soon, he became suspicious again, and asked in a puzzled voice, "Xia'er, are you the red deer you hunted with an elm bow?" ”

Xu Xingxia said with a smile: "Dad, do you think the elm bow can hunt red deer?" I used our family's ancestral iron-backed bow, and the black feather arrows that came with it. Ah, that's the one that hangs on the wall of the back room. ”

Xu Fuqing turned his head to look at the inner room, and said with a little disbelief: "That's a two-stone hard bow!" Xia'er, can you really shoot a two-stone hard bow? ”

Xu Xingxia said with a smile: "Dad, what do you say." ”

Xu Fuqing shook his head with difficulty. He was still a little unconvinced. It's no wonder that all this came too suddenly, and with his cautious and steady surname, it was indeed too difficult to accept. His eldest son, how much skill he had before, he didn't know. If everything is not clear, he will not be able to sleep.

Xu Xingxia carried his father into the house, put it on his own earthen kang, then turned around and went out, took off the iron-backed bow, stood in front of his father, and pulled the bowstring away easily. In order to let his father see clearly, Xu Xing Xia Xian to the full moon kept for five breaths. Only when his father could see it completely clearly did he retract the bowstring. Xu Xingxia hung down the iron-backed bow and said confidently: "Dad, now you believe it, right?" ”

This time, Xu Fuqing finally believed it. His eldest son was really able to pull the ancestral two-stone hard bow. For a while, Xu Fuqing couldn't help but burst into tears, and muttered to himself: "My Xu family has a future, my Xu family has a future." Quick, Xia'er, take out the bag at the bottom of the wooden cabinet in my room and give it to me. ”

Xu Xingxia came to his father's room, squatted down, took out a cloth bag that had been sealed for an unknown number of years in a dilapidated wooden cabinet, took it outside the house and patted it fiercely, patted the dust off it, and then went back and handed it to his father. Xu Fuqing took it and opened the cloth bag with a solemn expression, and it turned out to be a tablet inside.

Xu Xingxia asked curiously: "Dad, which ancestor of our family is this?" ”

Xu Fuqing said remembrance: "It's our ancestor, called Xu Yougong." He was a general during the Jingnan period, and once led the army to defeat Li Jinglong. During the Chengzu period, he accepted Chengzu's order, took his family, and migrated to our Ningxia Town, which led to our Xu family. Xia'er, let me tell you, our first rent, but a well-known general. ”

Xu Xingxia looked at the ancestor's tablet suspiciously, and asked in a low voice: "Dad, you said that our ancestor is really a general?" General, that's a big official. ”

The general of the Ming Chengzu Zhu Di era was quite a bullish figure. Before the Tumubao Incident, the status of military generals was still relatively high. The number of high-level generals is also very rare. The chief deputy staff member, the chief soldier and the deputy chief soldier below, are the generals. At that time, there were probably not a hundred generals in the whole country. The ancestor of the Xu family is actually one of them, it is indeed glorious! It's just that why did the Xu family get mixed up to the point where it is now?

The brilliance on Xu Fuqing's face slowly receded, and he said gloomily: "That's right, our ancestor is indeed a veritable general." It's a pity that the later ancestors were too poor in ability and didn't learn a little skill from this ancestor, so that the family was corrupted, and our Xu family fell to such a point. Xia'er, if you can restore the glory of your ancestors, your father can also comfort them when he goes to see his ancestors and ancestors in the future. ”

Xu Xingxia nodded thoughtfully and didn't say anything.

He believed his father's words. If he can really mix with the generals, the Xu family will indeed be able to glorify their ancestors again. It's just that, judging from the current situation, it is still relatively difficult for him to become a general. For no other reason, his current starting point is indeed too low. Now he is a lowest-level soldier. Unless there is an outstanding military achievement, it is almost impossible to have a chance of promotion.

According to the two systems of the Ming army, the generals are matched by the commanders and officials at all levels of the guard system, including the commanders of the second grade, the commanders of the second rank, the commanders of the third grade, or the commanders of the third rank. If the grade is lower, it is impossible to become a general. In other words, he, Xu Xingxia, must at least be mixed into the position of the commander of the guard before he can become a general.

From a small soldier to a guard commander, how many levels do you need to go through? Xu Xingxia calculated, there are small flags, general flags, Zhenfu, 100 households, deputy 1000 households, 1000 households, Wei Commander Servant, Wei Commander Tongzhi, Wei Commander Envoy...... Roughly speaking, there are about eight levels. Weizhenbao is under the jurisdiction of the Ningxia avant-garde, as long as he becomes the commander of the Ningxia avant-garde, it is possible to hang the title of general, and he will be on par with his ancestor in terms of official position.

This process, if everything goes well, will probably take twenty or thirty years. If it doesn't go well, then there's nothing to say. However, my father's words are not completely hopeless. If your archery skills have always been so magical, it is entirely possible to rely on your combat exploits and be promoted step by step. Since he could kill five or six hundred catties of red deer with one arrow, he could naturally shoot the Tatar cavalry with one arrow. In this regard, Xu Xingxia has full confidence.

was thinking about how to accumulate battle merits and get to the position of the commander of the guard, when there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, followed by laughter and laughter, but it was his mother Wang and Uncle Guangliang who came back together. Xu Xingxia went out to take a look and found that there were really a lot of things that the Wang family bought, and there were a lot of them. I guess it cost a lot of money. Among them, the most conspicuous are the cloth shoes bought for Dongzi and Niuniu.

[Ask for collection, ask for recommendation~~~~]