In a teahouse in Changsha City, several tea guests were chatting happily.

"Have you heard that? The court is going to recruit new recruits!"

"Ah? The court? Which court?"

"Which court can it be? Who has the final say in Huguang now?"

"Ming Jun?"

"That's all. Of course, the Ming Dynasty was recruiting soldiers."

"Hey, I don't know how many strong men I'll catch this time."

"What are you talking nonsense? The court recruiting soldiers is a voluntary principle and will not be forced."

"Volunteering? Not to arrest the strong men?"

"One or two tael of silver a month, and you can eat meat every meal. Do you think it's necessary to catch strong men?"

"Tsktsk is really good, no wonder it's voluntary... If I were a few years younger, I would have wanted to apply for the recruitment."

"Forget it, they want a big guy. You are over forty years old and want you."

There was another burst of laughter, and the atmosphere of tea was very harmonious.

...

...

There are a lot of bars gathered at the Orange Island Wharf outside Changsha City.

Whenever a merchant ship arrives at the dock, a manager will come to find someone to unload the goods.

Their strong rods were used to remove the sacks from the ship and transported them to the earth slope here.

You can change to a bamboo stick by moving a sack, and settle the bill until the end of the day.

Zheng Dali often works here, and if he is lucky, he will work for many days.

But if you are not lucky, you will not have worked for many days.

Recently, due to war, no merchant ships have arrived at Orange Island Wharf.

Zheng Dali sat on the mound helplessly, his eyes full of fatigue.

If you don’t have a job, you will have no money to take; if you don’t have money, you will have no food to eat, and if you don’t have a meal, you will be hungry.

It's that simple truth: a penny wins a hero.

The sun gradually climbed to the sky, making people sweat.

Zheng Dali narrowed his eyes when he felt the sun was shining.

"Brother Dali, it won't work if this continues. There shouldn't be any merchant ships dock in a short period of time."

The person who speaks is a pretty child.

He was shorter than Zheng Dali, with dark skin, and his uneven teeth were revealed as soon as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Wei Xiaojiu, what do you think you should do?"

"I want me to tell you we'll just try it in the city."

"Go to the city? No no no..."

Zheng Dali shook his head repeatedly when he heard this.

"I can't do the work in the city. I am a stupid person and can easily offend noble people."

Wei Xiaojiu covered her mouth and smiled, "Who said she wanted to work in the city?"

"If you don't go to the city to work? Why do you go to the city?"

"I'm recruiting the army. I heard that the army is recruiting new recruits. Should I try it?"

"Join the army?"

Zheng Dali stared at his eyes like a cowbell, and asked in disbelief: "Wei Xiaojiu, are you crazy? You can lose your life at any time when you become a soldier. Although we may not be able to eat enough now, at least we have no worries about our lives."

"We can't be a force stick for life. What should we do when you can't do it when you are in your forties?"

Wei Xiaojiu frowned.

"I can't do it anymore. I don't have to worry about this now."

Zheng Dali spread his hands and looked indifferent.

Wei Xiaojiu shook his head and said, "I don't believe that there must be a road before any car arrives at the mountain. Even if there is a road, it will be a dead end."

He paused and then continued: "What's more, the Ming army gave him a very good treatment, one tael of silver a month, and he could eat meat every meal. This kind of good life can't be found anywhere."

"What did you say? One tael of silver a month, and you can eat meat every meal? Is this impossible?"

"How is it impossible? This is how the notice posted by Ming Jun is written. I asked someone to read it for me."

Wei Xiaojiu straightened her chest and said.

"This...it's really tempting."

Even Zheng Dali had to admit that the conditions offered by Mingjun were very good. If this treatment was really the case, Zheng Dali was really moved.

"Why don't we go and try it?"

Wei Xiaojiu laughed and said, "If it's fake, we can come back."

"You let me think about it..."

Zheng Dali was a little hesitant.

The work of making bars at the dock is a casual worker. If you are tired of working, you can rest for a day or two at any time.

Joining the army is indeed completely different.

Once you enter the barracks, it will be difficult to think about them again.

Zheng Dali was struggling inside.

On the one hand, he really hopes to eat imperial food, and on the other hand, he doesn't want to end his relatively free life.

But there is no best in both worlds, so you must make a decision.

After considering it over and over again, Zheng Dali decided to give it a try.

"Forget it, let's go into the city and take a look!"

...

...

The Ming army's recruitment site was selected in the Gongyuan in the north of the city.

The reason why I recruited soldiers here is because the venue is large enough and has nothing to do with Confucius.

People from various yards gathered here and lined up to register.

"What's your name? How old is it? Where are you living? How many men in your family?"

"The villain's surname is Sun Qiang, and he is from Anhefang. He is eighteen this year."

"Why do you want to join the army?"

"My parents were dying of illness, and I was the only one at home. They went to the dyeing workshop to work on weekdays. They were better when they were employed. When they were not employed, they could only go hungry. I heard that being a soldier could have enough food, so I thought about giving it a try."

"Are you willing to join the army?"

"willing!"

"Yeah, sign and seal it."

Zheng Dali and Wei Xiaojiu were not far behind Sun Qiang, and they were very nervous when they saw this scene.

Why do I feel like when I press my handprints are like signing a contract for my body?

If I sign this, will I have to be a soldier in my life?

Zheng Dali was a little hesitant at this moment.

"Next!"

Seeing that Zheng Dali was still stunned, Wei Xiaojiu pulled the corner of his clothes hard.

"Brother Dali, it's your turn."

"ah!"

Zheng Dali woke up from his dream and hurriedly stepped forward a few steps.

"What's the name?"

"Zheng Dali works at the dock outside the city, because he is not full and wants to join the army."

"I'll ask you what your name is, you answered so much."

The soldier found it very funny and asked jokingly.
To be continued...