The so-called nursing home was, of course, a derogatory term, but in reality, most of those who had been sent to the West Mountain Barracks had one thing in common, and that was that they had committed unforgivable mistakes on the battlefield. Because of their military exploits, they could not be casually punished, so they could only be sent here to 'retire'.
Therefore, any old soldier here might have one or two life-saving skills on them.
On the surface, the West Mountain Barracks had the organization of a guard, which was a thousand soldiers, but in reality, there was only one battalion, which was only three hundred soldiers.
Yan Li had been granted the title of Guoyi Commandant, which was the rank of general in charge of a guard. Below that was the rank of general in the battalion, and they were called colonels. At this stage, they did not have the right to have a title.
Therefore, Yan Li had coincidentally reached the entry rank of a middle-ranking general. The ranks of the high-ranking generals were all 'some general'. For example, the lowest rank was General of the Guard. In terms of rank, Yan Li had to look up to them.
For example, the two who had stopped him at the city gates were both Zhang Zhidong's students, and they had another title, called 'General Hu Ben'. Not only did it sound awe-inspiring, they were also the commanders of the vanguard. They dared to charge and were famous warriors in the army.
According to the laws of the army, not only had Yan Li spoken disrespectfully, but he had also attacked two generals. This was a great disrespect for his superiors. Even if he was sent back to Yongling, he would still be beheaded according to the law.
But if Yan Li's head was so easy to behead, he would have died a hundred times over.
As for his demotion, those who disliked him were already overjoyed, but he acted as if nothing had happened. On the morning of the second day, he went to the Ministry of War to find an old soldier to lead the way, and wandered towards the West Mountain Barracks.
This was not all. He also went to buy a carriage and large amounts of local snacks and pastries from Yuan Province. He had the old soldier drive the carriage, and they leisurely left the city, chatting about the local customs of Yuan Province along the way.
The autumn wind rustled, blowing off the few remaining dead leaves on the branches. The withered yellow leaves fell to the side of the road, like bodies that had lost their lives. The silence filled the entire space, making it seem especially desolate.
In the eyes of the veteran, Li Yuanfa, this was simply the path to the "Cold Palace", and the one he was transporting was a concubine abandoned by the emperor.
But the "imperial concubine" in his mind, who should have been dejected, was currently holding a roast chicken and eating it with grease dripping from her mouth. He couldn't help but say, "Commandant Yan, you are in the prime of your youth. With your cultivation and strength, you will certainly achieve great military service. It is not impossible for you to be conferred the title of marquis. Why do you look so happy?"
Conferring marquis and land was a little exaggerated, but it was still possible to confer a king and a general.
In fact, he had walked this desolate path no less than ten times. He remembered that more than a year ago, there was also a student who was said to have been expelled from the Academy. He didn't even have a clear look at Rong Cheng before he was sent to the West Mountain Barracks.
That student clearly understood the significance of the Western Mountain Barracks. That was why his expression of despair, as if it was the end of the world, was still engraved in Li Yuanfa's mind.
He was too clear about the significance of military service to such a young man. It was almost his life and all his hopes.
Yan Li threw the remains of the roast chicken out of the window, licked his fingers, and then wiped his hands with a clean towel. Finally, he smiled mysteriously, "Brother Li, do you know who is the stupidest person in the world?"
"Who?" Li Yuanfa couldn't help but ask.
"The stupidest person is the one who brings trouble to himself." Yan Li said lightly, "It is an established fact that I was demoted to the West Mountain Barracks. Since I can't change my fate, I might as well accept it and try to change it. Who said that once I entered the West Mountain Barracks, my future was doomed to be bleak? The West Mountain Barracks is also part of Rong Cheng's army. As long as you can kill the enemy, you will also get military service. So, don't care about your environment. Opportunities are for those who are prepared. "
Li Yuanfa couldn't help but feel deep respect for him, "You are really different from those rich playboys who come here to get some learning points. No wonder you are a famous young genius on the Tianjiao List."
"What? Getting some learning points? "Yan Li was stunned.
"Don't you know?" Li Yuanfa said with a smile, "Any student of the Academy can exchange the military service obtained in Rong City for learning points."
No one knew better than the students of the Academy what learning points meant.
It could be said that other than the stars in the sky, there was nothing that couldn't be exchanged for learning points.
Although the West Mountain Barracks guarded the rear of Rong City, it had been established for ten years. In the past ten years, the Desolate Man had only attacked from here once. Because they were not good at crossing mountains, the Desolate Man never came again after that defeat.
In other words, even if Yan Li guarded here for ten years, he wouldn't get any military service.
Out of the corner of his eye, Li Yuanfa caught a glimpse of Yan Li's twitching eyes. He was overjoyed and added, "All the students of the Academy don't have to hand in the trophies they get from the battlefield. A few years ago, the former top three student of the Academy, the current provincial governor of Qingzhou, Chen Ping, obtained a few spirit stones in a battle with the Desolate Man. "
He smiled and said, "Of course, you don't have to be discouraged. Even in the West Mountain Barracks, there are opportunities to gain merit. This is what you said just now."
As long as Yan Li thought of the missed military service, he might be able to complete the re-training of Xuan Jun, and his heart would twitch.
Just as he was lamenting over the spirit stones in his mind that were leaving him one by one, the carriage suddenly stopped.
In just a moment, he got rid of all distracting thoughts and every muscle in his body went into a state of alert. He focused all his attention and looked out of the carriage curtains.
Then, his whole body relaxed.
Li Yuanfa had to stop because a person suddenly appeared on this road that he had walked for more than ten times. It wasn't strange for a person to appear, but it was a beautiful woman dressed as a man.
The appearance of a beautiful woman on the road to the West Mountain Barracks really made people feel strange.
Even though Ji Zhiyuan had made herself ugly to a large extent, but she still had a beauty that no one could ignore.
The shape of her face was like the most outstanding work of the Creator, giving people the impression that it was the most perfect shape of a human being. Her cherry lips were thin and moist, and even when they were closed, there was not a single wrinkle. It was as if they were constantly being soaked in water, as delicate as the stamens of a flower. Her skin was so fine that there were no pores or hairs, and the veins on it were like the most dazzling and beautiful runes, exquisite and mysterious.
Only her eyes, although they were as clear as crystal, had a tinge of gray, as if some misfortune had befallen her, causing her to lose a lot of vitality. She didn't have the youthful vigor of a young girl.
Li Yuanfa's heart was filled with regret. But if he knew that the person in front of him was the Emperor that he was loyal to, he didn't know if he would still dare to look at her like this.
"That is my bodyguard, let her in." Yan Li said calmly.
Li Yuanfa was both envious and jealous of Yan Li's luck with women. He got out of the carriage and welcomed the girl in. After that, the curtains were lowered. The two of them did not make a sound inside, as if they were in two different worlds.
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