Chapter 158: One Nights Talk (1)
Seriously speaking, Li Mengxi actually fully deserves the special treatment he received.
When he first joined Liu Bei's army, Li Mengxi bluntly said that the Han Dynasty had lost its destiny. His words were unequivocal. If the village heroes had heard the private eloquence of Li Mengxi, Liu Guan and Zhang that day, no one would question whether the treatment Li Mengxi received was deserved.
But the problem is that the content of the debate that day involves the sensitive statement that the Han Dynasty has lost its destiny. Liu Bei will definitely not let ordinary soldiers know too much, so as not to destabilize the morale of the army.
Therefore, Liu Bei did not explicitly mention what Li Mengxi had done, but he also took great care of Li Mengxi. In the eyes of ordinary soldiers, it was natural that Li Mengxi had no ability, but his salary was many times higher than everyone else's.
As for the latter, Li Mengxi did a lot of things in recruiting refugees and working in the fields.
But he was commanding the village warriors, giving orders back and forth, keeping them busy in circles.
Liu Bei knew Li Mengxi's intention in arranging various affairs, and so did Guan and Zhang.
But let me ask, how many of the inexperienced local warriors working under Li Mengxi can see the brilliance of Li Mengxi?
How many people are being bossed around by Li Mengxi, a child, but secretly complain about it?
Li Mengxi was very polite and greeted everyone with a smile. The soldiers would not make it difficult for a child to treat him coldly, but many people had some opinions about Li Mengxi.
We had a meal together today. Li Mengxi took into account that everyone had been traveling all day and had an empty stomach. He refused to eat thick porridge no matter what. Porridge was nothing, but he could think of everyone, which was commendable.
The local warriors who ate with him immediately had a huge change in their senses about Li Mengxi.
Really classy.
There were twelve people in total, including Li Mengxi and his younger brother. There was only one earthen jar of wheat porridge, which was not much.
Each person ate one bowl, and each person divided more than half of the bowl, and the porridge was finished.
Li Mengxi made some mental calculations and found that each of Liu Bei's soldiers only had a bowl of semi-thin porridge.
Too little.
There is no meat and no vegetables.
After the meal, there was no need to wash the dishes, because these brave villagers refused to leave any food. They held the bowl and licked it back and forth with their tongues three times, and the licking was even cleaner than the washing.
It was hard for Li Mengxi to say anything. In an era of scarcity, it was a sin to waste even a little bit of food.
His younger brother Brick learned everything and licked the bowl clean like the soldiers, but Li Mengxi himself couldn't do the same as everyone else.
It is too difficult for him to let him lick the dishes without washing them.
Taking his brother's bowl, Li Mengxi told everyone to find water to wash the dishes.
"There is water here!" The chief stopped Li Mengxi, then stood up and brought half a bucket of water over.
With the help of water, Li Mengxi rinsed his bowl and it was considered washed.
Then, Shi Chang poured the water in the bucket into the earthen pot and boiled it again.
Although the wheat porridge in the earthen pot has been eaten and not a single grain of wheat is left, if you add some water, you can still cook a few bowls of water with a slight wheat flavor.
This is how everyone usually does it. You can eat a bowl of rice three times, have porridge once, lick the bowl again, and drink a bowl of water that even washes the pot. This is a complete meal.
It is said that soldiers need to eat food, but there is not much food to eat.
The last bit of clear soup was short of water, so Li Mengxi didn't drink it. He filled a bowl for his younger brother. His younger brother said he was thirsty during the day, but now there was boiled water, so he drank as much as he could.
After the meal was finally finished, Li Mengxi and the soldiers started chatting around the campfire.
During the conversation, we learned that these ten village warriors were all from Zhuo County, and none of them was the eldest son in the family. They were all either the second son, or the third and fourth eldest son in the family.
Also, the eldest son has to stay in his hometown, inherit the family's meager property and property, take care of his parents, and bear the heavy responsibility of spreading the bloodline.
It is the best choice for the non-eldest son to become a soldier.
While they were talking, the village heroes curiously asked how many people there were in Li Mengxi's family.
"I am the second eldest brother in the family." Li Mengxi smiled, "There is at least one eldest brother above me. Including me and my younger brother, I have at least three brothers. But my family was separated in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and we still have no news.
...Hey! It’s sad to say this, so I might as well not mention it.”
As he spoke, Li Mengxi quickly stopped talking. He was afraid that his brother would think of his parents again and start crying again.
Li Mengxi glanced at his younger brother with a guilty look. His younger brother lowered his head and didn't know what he was thinking.
Li Mengxi talked about his sad things, which made the fellow villagers feel the same and talk about all the things in their hometown.
There have been years of famine, and Zhuo County is no exception.
If they could have a way to survive at home, who would run out and become a soldier?
Although the Han Dynasty favored martial arts, no one could be granted a title except for military merit. In later generations, soldiers of the Song Dynasty were looked down upon and scolded as thieves who joined the army. But that was the Song Dynasty. Compared with the Song Dynasty, the status of soldiers in the Han Dynasty was as high as in the sky.
A man who was not a son of a good family was not allowed to join the army. Joining the army was an honorable thing, and soldiers had a high social status. It was absolutely impossible for ruffians to join the army.
But now, in the last years of the dynasty, the military preparedness of the Han Dynasty was depleted, and it no longer had the power to expand outwards. Except for the border areas, the Han Dynasty's hinterland said that only good family members should not be sent into the army, which had long become an empty statement.
"When I came out to join the army, my ancestor said that the world was going to be in chaos. Isn't this chaos caused by the Yellow Turbans?" A clever soldier turned to Li Mengxi who was talking eloquently, "Military advisor, are you knowledgeable?"
Yes, when did the Yellow Turban Rebellion come to an end?"
Everyone immediately focused their attention on Li Mengxi's face.
Li Mengxi took the bowl from his brother's hand and took a sip of hot water.
He looked at Xiang Yong who asked the question and nodded, "Your ancestor has a precise vision and what he sees is absolutely correct."
"If you ask me, the Yellow Turban Rebellion is just the beginning. In this troubled world, there will be no end to the chaos. I can't say when the world will be peaceful." Li Mengxi slowly shook his head.
Will the chaos continue after Dare to Love the Yellow Turban? With one sentence, all the brave men from all over the country looked at each other with no confidence in their hearts.
Almost all the local heroes have the same idea, that is, after fighting the Yellow Turban, whether it is to find an official position or to make some money, it is best to go home and farm when the world is peaceful.
When times are prosperous and stable, who would be so mean as to like troubled times?
The local warriors believe that military advisors are capable people, and the words spoken by knowledgeable people are naturally credible. Since Li Mengxi said that the world will continue to be chaotic, then it is very likely that chaos will continue.
This is great. The world will still be in chaos. If I return to my hometown to farm, I'm afraid I won't be able to go back.
"Brother, after the yellow scarf is beaten, what else will happen? Why is the world still in chaos?"
The person who asked the question was Lao Tie. When he asked this question, he had a blank expression on his face, as did the other village heroes.
What kind of knowledge can a country person have if he doesn't know two Chinese characters?
Chapter completed!