There is a carpenter named Li Mingde in Shimen Township, Shexian County. He is skilled and talented. Every time I help my boss finish his work, I will send him a photo, so it is very popular in the neighborhood.
It is said that Li Mingde was once a scholar and carpenter. He was supposed to be an official. Later, because of the death of his parents, his family was too poor to open the pot, so he had to give up his pen and work as a carpenter with Liu Laohan in the village.
As a carpenter, being an apprentice is the hardest. You have to be an apprentice for three years before the master can really take you in. Therefore, there has always been a popular saying in the woodworking industry: three years as an apprentice, five and a half years as a foot and seven years as a master.
When Li Mingde was an apprentice, Liu Laohan treated him very well and often took care of him in all aspects. The reason for this is that Liu Laohan likes to look at people besides his poor family.
Once Liu Laohan got drunk and confided that he had built Miyagi for the imperial court when he was young. He almost became an assistant minister of the Ministry of Industry, but he missed the opportunity because he didn't study enough.
Perhaps because of this, Liu Laohan is very strict about accepting disciples. This year, he is almost fifty years old, and there is only one apprentice like Li Mingde.
Generally, after getting started, apprentices usually do some rough work first, such as carrying water, sweeping the floor, sawing, sharpening blades, filing and sawing. In a year or so, the master will let his disciples learn to push the plane and chisel their eyes.
After learning from Liu Laohan, Li Mingde learned to grasp spears, wield axes, thread and cut materials in the first year, and he couldn't find anything wrong with his work. Liu Laohan is also very satisfied.
Before the Song Dynasty, the status of artisans in scholars, peasants, industry and commerce was not high, but it was greatly improved in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the social status of artisans was gradually improved.
This can be seen from the talent policy at that time. Three years after the treasure was opened, the imperial court promulgated the "imperial edict of filial piety", demanding that "anyone who shows filial piety, has a reputation for being good at rural songs and is served by Wang Shu" can be promoted, but it also stipulates that "there are wizards traveling abroad, and there is no limit".
After the border was broken, more and more people worked as craftsmen. Therefore, it is not easy to make a living by craft without their unique skills.
On this day, Liu Laohan saw his apprentice planing wood at the door. He went to the other side and said, "If you want to be a good carpenter, you must obey the rules and break them. As a teacher, do you know what you are talking about? "
Li Mingde thought for a moment and said, "I understand that Master told me to stick to my natural conscience. I can't use what I have learned to hurt others. However, if I want to develop carpenters, I need to improve my skills, break them first and then stand up. "
Liu Laohan nodded after hearing this. Carpenters are very knowledgeable and eager to learn. It's hard to learn thoroughly. If you want to live by this craft, you have to find your own way.
At that time, Lu Ban, the grandfather of the carpenter, taught himself constantly, and combined the skills of Zhouyi with carpentry, which made people have a new understanding of carpenters.
The reason why carpenters rank first among the "nine old and eighteen craftsmen" and are respected is that there are countless ancestors who "obey the rules" and "break the rules".
Liu Laohan took the chisel aside and said, "I'll teach you tenon and mortise today, and you can start your career when you learn it."
Hearing this, Li Mingde's face showed joy. This carpenter's mortise and tenon technique is a magical skill invented by Master Lu Ban. It can connect two or more parts together very skillfully, without any wooden nails and iron, and you can't see any traces. More reliable and practical than external connection.
After half a year's study and research, Li Mingde finally learned tenon and mortise.
Liu Laohan looked at his apprentice and was very pleased. "Son, if you hone your skills a little in the future, you will be better than Shine. I have nothing to teach you. "
Li Mingde knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the master. Although he has been looking forward to this moment for a long time, he can't say how much he still remembers.
Before he did well, the master would praise him, and if he did badly, the master would correct him. In the future, he can only rely on himself. If the boss is not satisfied with the work he has done, it is his job.
"One day as a teacher, lifelong as a father. Master, you can rest at home in the future, and I will go out to work for your retirement, "Li Mingde said confidently.
"What a good boy!" Liu Laohan smiled. He knows that the child in front of him is sensible and filial, and there is no white support.
The next day, Li Mingde got up and went to the room to call Master, only to find that Master was not in the room. There is a letter on the pillow, which reads: "My child, a real carpenter, can build a home and serve the country. I hope that when I see you again, Master will be proud of having taught an apprentice like you. "
Li Mingde had a letter in his hand and read it over and over again. He didn't know why Master left without saying goodbye, but he secretly vowed that one day he would become a real carpenter in Master's mind.
After Liu Laohan left, all the villagers nearby went to other carpenters to build furniture and houses. They saw that Li Mingde was too young, and his craft should not be much better, so they refused to come to him.
To this end, Li Mingde came up with a way. He went to the mountain to cut some wood, and then made very exquisite items to sell in the town, so that the villagers could see his craftsmanship.
After he did this, it really worked, and soon several people took a fancy to his exquisite little things. At this time, everyone found that the young carpenter had a good skill, so they invited him to play with furniture and build a house at home.
Li Mingde is very careful when he works for his employer. Once, Mr. Liu moved to a new house in the town. Seeing Mr. Liu's sad face, he went over and asked, "Dare you ask why Mr. Liu is unhappy?"
Mr. Liu pointed to the door of his house and said, "My father will move into this new house soon, but there is no good couplet on this door." If my father knows, I will inevitably be reprimanded. "
"W, does your father have an honor this year?" Li Mingde asked.
Commissioner Liu casually replied: "My father is 60 years old this year, and this new house was built when my father retired."
"What's the difficulty? Do you have a pen outside? " Li Mingde asked with a smile.
Committee member Liu looked at each other curiously and asked, Do you still study pen and ink?
"Know a thing or two." After writing, he took the brush handed by the Li family housekeeper and wrote on the rice paper: "Cotton in the new year, good character, rich spring and autumn."
When Mr. Liu looked at the couplets written by the other party, they were not only neat in antithesis, but also magnificent in handwriting, which was very suitable for posting on the new house. He couldn't help admiring: "Gong Li is indeed a great talent, but ..."
Mr. Liu didn't say what he said, but Li Mingde knew what the other party wanted to say, so he said modestly, "Mr. Liu laughed. What a good craftsman I am. "
Looking at the back of Li Mingde's departure, Mr. Liu shook his head and sighed: "If the court has such talents, how can this be the case!"
Li Mingde became famous in Shexian because of this incident. Many wealthy families invited him to build new houses and furniture, and even some people from nearby counties came here.
Li Mingde knew that some people came to ask him, perhaps not to do wood work, but to ask him a word. Even so, he did not deliberately show off his talent and made a living by writing. On the contrary, he studied his woodworking skills more intently.
One day, he came home from logging on the mountain and saw a middle-aged man standing at the door waiting. After seeing him, he hurried to meet him and said, "Gong Li, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Li Mingde knows this person. The other person is Zhang Guanjia, whom he met in Liu Fu the other day. It's just that the other person is looking for what he calls today.
So he asked politely, "Why did manager Zhang come to me?"
Manager Zhang said directly, "My young lady will get married in a few days. My host wants to invite Gong Li to the wedding reception, and I hope Gong Li can find time to go. "
Many people invited Li Mingde to dinner these days, but he politely refused. It's just that Mr. Liu, for him, it's not good for him to refuse this kind invitation.
"Thank you for your reply. I will definitely go next time. " Li Mingde hand replied.
A few days later, Li Mingde arrived as promised. When he arrived in Liu Fu, Mr. Liu personally went out to meet him.
"I'm flattered by your hospitality!" Li Mingde politely held out his hand and said.
"My daughter is married, and Gong Li would like to join us. Liu has been honored. Please come in. " Member Liu leads the way outside.
When Li Mingde entered Liu Fushi, they sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries. Seeing that there seemed to be a trace of sadness in Mr. Liu's eyes, he came straight to the point and asked, "Mr. Liu, you invited me to this wedding reception today." There should be something else. Please tell me frankly. "
Member Liu sighed deeply and said, "Brother Li, to be honest, my brother is really in trouble."
Seeing that the other party suddenly changed his mind, Li Mingde knew that today might be difficult, so he asked cautiously, "Since I haven't seen you outside, I'll call you brother. My brother is very kind to me. If my brother can help, I won't refuse! "
"In fact, the person my daughter married today is not what she wants, but Zhang Sheng, the son of Zhang Juezhi." Liu w said.
Li Mingde's eyes widened when he heard this name. Obviously, he also heard of the man Mr. Liu just mentioned.
It turns out that Zhang Jue was admitted to the Jinshi in his early years, and he was an official in Liao country and an official in Liao Xing army. Later, when the nomads from the Jin army attacked Liao, they surrendered and became navy officers.
"That Zhang Jue is a two-faced man. Now that he has returned to the Song Dynasty, Jin people will not let him go. If I marry my little daughter, I will undoubtedly push her into the fire! " Mr. Liu cried sadly.
"If there's anything I can do, brother, just say it." Li Mingde asked.
Mr. Liu took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Li Mingde, saying, "Brother, please look."
Li Mingde took the letter and opened it. It was written by Master Liu Laohan. It was not until he read it carefully that he understood all this.
It turns out that Mr. Liu is a descendant of Mr. Liu Yong, and the other party and his master are very good friends. His owner's real name is Liu Yanqing, and he was born in Gatestown. He fought against Xixia for many times and was transferred to Yan Yandao as the general manager. Later, he followed Tong Guan in the Tang Dynasty to suppress the Fang La Uprising.
Li Mingde read the letter and asked, "Where is my master now?"
"When the nomads attacked, General Liu was called into Beijing to guard the capital," Liu W said.
What can I do now? Li Mingde knew that the master must have a task to teach himself a skill.
"That Zhang Jue is now an angel of the navy, and he has a map of Yanzhou City. If you fall into the hands of Jin people, the consequences will be unimaginable. " Liu Kun said with a face of worry.
"Brother wants me to go to Zhangfu to get the protection map back?" Li Mingde looked at each other and asked.
Mr. Liu nodded: "This time, my daughter apparently married that Zhang Sheng, but in fact, she wanted to steal Yanzhou's protection map. But after the little girl stole the protection map, there was still one person missing outside. "
"My brother told me very clearly. I will be the one who meets outside. " Li Mingde said.
"General liu this arrangement, in fact, because zhang jue was cunning. There is still an old road around him. It is difficult for ordinary people to leave Zhangfu, so it is difficult to be competent. " Liu W explained.
"Thank you for reminding me. I will definitely take the Yanzhou protection map home safely." Li Mingde confidently promised.
"Sir, the wedding procession has arrived." At this time, chapter housekeeper hurriedly ran in and said.
"You go and inform the young lady." Mr. Liu ordered, then looked at Li Mingde and bowed and said, "This matter concerns the life and death of my DaSong, please."
"Brother, don't worry, I will live up to my mission. I will go! " Li Mingde said, turned and walked out of Liu Fu.
This time, he will go to Pingzhou as a farewell party for the Liu family. As long as Miss Liu steals the protection map, he will bring it back as soon as possible.
From Shexian to Yanzhou, the team walked day and night for several days before reaching the place.
"Here we are, be careful." Li Mingde looked up at it. Yanzhou House in front of us is full of lanterns. He bowed to Miss Liu in the sedan chair and warned.
"Li Shu, after you get something, leave me alone and send it to a safe place as soon as possible." Miss Liu lifted the curtain and glanced at Li Mingde outside the car.
This is the first time that Li Mingde met Miss Liu. He didn't expect the other person to be so big, and he looked fourteen or fifteen years old, but there was no wave in his eyes. Didn't the other party know about this narrow escape?
"Welcome the new mother to welcome the bride. I think the bride is well dressed. One step is peach blossom, and the other step is apricot blossom. Three steps and one knot, four steps and one person. " At this time, someone was singing outside, and Zhang Fu soon came over and put a red carpet where the sedan chair was placed.
When Miss Liu was led out of the sedan chair, someone beside her began to sprinkle cereal beans.
It is said that at that time, getting married, spreading cereal beans was to ward off evil spirits, and turning over mats was to seek wealth.
Because the flat land is the homonym of "poor land", the bride should not step on the flat land after getting off the sedan chair, otherwise it will be unlucky. A big family like Zhang Fu will naturally lay a red carpet where the bride gets off the sedan chair and let the bride walk to the new house on the red carpet.
Li Mingde glanced at his eyes, and took advantage of the chaos to enter Zhangfu. He wanted to get familiar with the surrounding environment in advance, so as to get the protection map and escape as soon as possible.
In a hurry, I bumped into someone when I entered the door. He looked up and saw that the other person was dressed as a Taoist.
"Sorry, sorry." Li Mingde in the mind a surprised, how at this time ran into the sophisticated Mr Liu said.
"hmm? Who are you, what's the hurry? " Sophisticated eyes a clot asked.
"You go back to your adult, I am a servant of the Liu family, and I have come to send a dowry." Li Mingde raised his hand in the box.
"Come on, watch your step next time." The old Taoist priest shouted at him in a cold voice.
After Mr. Liu moved into his new house, Zhang's father held a grand banquet in the yard. Today, those rich families in Yanzhou come to congratulate.
Halfway through the banquet, the bride and groom were dressed in red and raised their glasses to toast the guests, but the bride wore a red hijab and the guests could not see clearly.
Soon, two people came to Li Mingde's table. The bride judges each other's position through the shoes on the soles of her feet, and then inadvertently approaches and gives each other a piece of cloth. Then she whispered during the toast, "Pretend to be drunk and run away."
Li Mingde hid the protection map handed by the other party in his sleeve. He knew that Miss Liu had succeeded, and the next step was to escape from Zhangfu.
After the toast, Li Mingde pretended to be as drunk as a fiddler and left the party early. He went around the back garden and came to the front door. It's just that he just stepped out of the door and was stopped by a man.
"Hum, hand it over, you can't escape from my palm." The old Taoist priest looked at the opposite Li Mingde with sarcastic eyes.
"How did you see through me?" Li Mingde was surprised. This road seems to have known for a long time that he would leave Zhangfu early, so he came to block it.
"Didn't your master tell you that he has a brother? Speaking of which, you should call me teacher. " Old sneer at a track.
"Since you and Master are from the same school, why do you want to get in my way?" Li Mingde asked.
"sworn, sworn, all roads lead to Rome. Brother, he is willing to be loyal to his country, and I only work for money. " The old Taoist priest flashed a sneer on his face, as if sneering at his brother Liu Laohan's practice.
"Jin people won't let Zhang Jue go. If he dedicates Yanzhou's protection plan to Wan Yan Zongwang, it will endanger the whole Song Dynasty. Do you know what this is about? " Li Mingde questioned each other.
"You don't tell me this, take money to eliminate the evil. Later, Evonne used treacherous court official Cai Jing. They do all kinds of evil under the banner of expounding the new law. Sooner or later, the land of the Great Song Dynasty was captured by the Jin people. Only gold, silver and jewels are the capital for survival in troubled times. My younger brother is too stupid to think that his disciples are ignorant. " The old Taoist priest said dismissively.
"In that case, let's take a look at the real seal at hand!" Li Mingde took two steps back and took out Mo Dou from his arms.
At this point, the old Taoist across the street took out a mirror and read a few spells. The mirror suddenly reflected several beams of light and enveloped Li Mingde.
The noise outside attracted many people to stop and watch, and their eyes widened when they saw this scene. That Zhang Jue murmured: "I didn't expect the precise skill of Zhouyi to be so terrible." It seems that I have to guard against him in the future. "
Zhang Jue betrayed Liao country to surrender to Jin people, and later betrayed Jin people to surrender to Dasong, indicating that he never trusted anyone, even the old Taoist priest invited at a high price.
At the moment, Li Mingde was shrouded in the white light in the mirror, and the whole person seemed to be in the battlefield, and countless soldiers with spears came to kill themselves.
In a critical situation, he quickly pulled out the chalk line, and with a flick, a green light directly defeated the soldiers opposite.
"I didn't expect there was still a way to go, so let you try my gossip!" When the old Taoist priest finished, he bit his finger and squeezed out a few drops of blood to point at the mirror.
Li Mingde was in a white dreamland, and Mo Dou defeated the soldiers who came from siege after siege, only to find that these soldiers seemed endless after wave, and each wave was more fierce than the other.
Just when Li Mingde was on the verge of despair, she suddenly remembered what Master had said: "If you want to be a good carpenter, you must obey the rules and break them."
Master's words were repeated over and over again in Li Mingde's mind. He suddenly smiled. "Master, I finally understand what you said."
Say that finish this sentence, the soldiers seemed to shoot Li Mingde in the chest, but he suddenly closed his eyes, corners of his mouth rose, and a shallow smile appeared on his face.
"poof!" The old Taoist priest gushed out a mouthful of blood. He didn't expect Li Mingde to break his white mirror.
"Uncle, if you have any other way, just use it!" Li Mingde opened his eyes and looked at the old Taoist priest opposite.
In fact, he just realized that the other person's white mirror is just an illusion. If he resists for fear of the real scene of death, he will only be exhausted in the end.
But at the last moment, he remembered what Master had said. Didn't he fight hard because he was afraid of death, so he kept the rules? Then if you want to crack each other's dreamland, you can only break the rules first and let yourself die and be reborn.
"You go, my younger brother really taught a good apprentice!" The old monk wiped the blood from his mouth, but smiled with relief.
"Poof bursts" At this moment, under the surprised eyes of all, a sword passed through the back of the old Taoist priest.
"teacher!" Li Mingde gave a cry, and Zhang Jiao came out from behind the road with a smile.
It turned out that Zhang Jue was killed after seeing the defeat of the old Taoist priest, because the old Taoist priest knew too many secrets about him and must not keep this scourge.
"Liu Furen, take it for me, and the rebels will be killed!" Opening Angle of a wave of his hand ordered.
"Stop it!" At this time, a group of army horses came, and a general in armor boldly came out.
"Wang Anzhong, what are you doing here?" Zhang Jue looked at the bearer and asked in a cold voice.
Hearing this name, Li Mingde immediately knew who this person was. Wang Anzhong, Su Shi's apprentice, has been appointed as Fu Xuan's ambassador to Yanshan Mansion.
"Zhang Jue, nomads from the army is attacking. Only by taking your head can we calm Yan's anger and bring peace to the people of Yanzhou. You can apologize with death. " Wang Anzhong sneered.
When Zhang Jue heard this sentence, he immediately smelled the danger, but when he tried to escape, it was too late. The whole Zhang Furen was surrounded by Wang Anzhong.
"Zhang Jue, you are a slave of three surnames. It's a pity to die! " Wang Jianzhong looked at caught Zhang Jue, sneer at a way.
"Wang Jianzhong, pot calling the kettle black, you flatter me, Liang Shicheng and Cai you make friends in the DPRK, you are better than me. Nomads from army call in, such as this DaSong jiangshan sooner or later, you will not end up better than me. Ha ha ha ... "Opening Angle laughed loudly.
"Looking for death!" In a rage, Wang Anzhong directly killed the other party with a knife.
"Thank you for saving Wang Daren!" Li Mingde went to see Wang Anzhong and thanked him.
"Give me the Yanshan protection map!" Wang Anzhong reached for the road.
Li Mingde know this kind of situation at the moment, I'm afraid it's impossible not to give the protection map to each other, but it's okay to give it to each other, as long as it doesn't fall into the hands of gold people.
Wang Anzhong thanked Li Mingde for his kindness and finally gave a banquet. After dinner, Li Mingde and Miss Liu returned to Shexian.
Although I didn't bring back the protection map of the inkstone mountain this time, I returned my seat belt to Miss Liu, and saved the protection map of the inkstone state from falling into the hands of the gold people, which was a successful completion of this task.
After this incident, Li Mingde gradually realized the profound meaning of what Master said to himself, so he changed his name to Li Xun and began his military career.
At the end of Xuanhe, Emperor Taizong of Jin sent troops to invade Bianjing on a large scale, and the entire Song Dynasty palace was empty and outnumbered, making it difficult to defend the enemy. Therefore, Emperor Evonne called on the whole world with a sealed wax book and called on all parts of the country to get up and be diligent.
Li Xun was deeply anxious after receiving the wax book, and immediately called his subordinate officials to discuss: "How can you stay in the camp and not help on the grounds of a long journey?"
After careful consideration, he decided to recruit a death squad of 3000 people to the king of Qin. Driven by the spirit of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, Li Xun made unremitting efforts to travel thousands of miles across mountains and rivers and arrived in Hengzhou, Hunan Province.
At this point, tens of thousands of nomads from the army stopped Li Xun's March, while the nearby counties and counties closed down. Because Li Xun couldn't get reinforcements, even supplies became a problem.
In the grim situation where there were no soldiers or food, Li Xun was advised to withdraw, but he was eager to save the country and refused to withdraw. In the end, he was weak and helpless. After a bloody battle with 70 thousand nomads, the whole army was wiped out.
Li Xun wrote a poem "Cutting the robe" before his heroic sacrifice: "Although grass can grow, my husband will never do it. Today I am loyal, killing thieves as ghosts. "
Later, after the change of Jingkang, Liu Laohan stuck to the capital, and finally the city was defeated and sacrificed heroically.
When Li Xunqin's heroic sacrifice for his country spread to his hometown, the villagers admired him, regarded him as a national hero against gold, and built a Wang Ali Temple covering an area of more than 4 mu.
Later, in order to praise Li Xun, Zhang Shizhi, a juren in Yongfu County, wrote in the poem "Zhongzhou Defense Secretariat Gong Li":
The south crossing the jade is urgent, and the diligent king asks for help. The general is brave and good at fighting, and his sword and gun are effective. World War I was scary, and everyone came to me. The thief in Hebei won, and he was stunned by the dust. God's will is hard to recover, and I swear not to save the thief. This body promises to serve the country and live in peace with life and death. Zhitong Zongyue, Fengshan is full of beans. Strange loyalty, I can't learn but I can. Ma Tan left a legacy, and I will hang a loyal soul. After thousands of years, who is the big festival?