Unveil the mystery of ancient escort agencies

There is a novel that describes the escort agency:

One day, a Jianghu knight shouted at the gate of an escort agency: "Gentlemen, please be civilized! I have long heard that the people in your escort agency are all very skilled in martial arts. I came here today to ask you for advice, so as to make friends with people who practice martial arts. I hope everyone will give me more advice! " The escort can't figure out the origin of this man, and he has never heard of it in the Jianghu. In a word, you must be a bad person to come to the door and challenge alone. Are you going to fight or not? Fighting, if you lose to him, it will be a shame for the escort agency. If you don't fight, you're not a coward. While the host was hesitating, a guard jumped out with a horizontal iron panlong stick in his hand and shouted, "I'm a worthless guy. I'll accompany you on a few tricks." Say ... actually, this situation is impossible. Famous large-scale escort agencies often meet some people directly or indirectly. Once the challenge comes to you, it is nothing more than a poor martial artist seeking liberation, or a truly capable martial artist wanting to work in an escort agency, or some young people (rich or official's son) making trouble.

Whenever this happens, the rules of the escort agency are: be tolerant, don't force it unless you have to, and never hurt your feelings. As for those who make trouble at home, they also know that the escort is not ordinary people. If you really want to persuade them to start, they will often suffer. Therefore, Lu Yu was honored as "Cha Sheng" since the Tang Dynasty because of the Tea Classic, which is an unprecedented great honor. Lu Yu's efforts are often measured by her pregnancy. Martial arts practitioners who come for help usually leave with their fists as long as they can get a few taels of silver from the escort agency. As for those young people, that is to say, a few words of flattery stopped him.

We know that the main business of escort agency is escort. Now let's take a trip with the escort agency and feel some rules of the escort agency.

Three principles of waterway

Boating with a water dart can save the trouble of riding a pommel horse, which is a beautiful job. So why is water darting a beautiful job? Is it like a water dart trip, doing whatever you want without any scruples?

In fact, water darts are mostly along the canal, and the areas they pass through are mostly fertile land. Although there are fewer desperate thieves than land, the water dart has been kept for more than an hour. Suddenly, I heard the iron buzzing on the bed, and then I coughed violently, and my face was red and purple. I can't seem to breathe. Everyone in the room looked at Lu Langzhong anxiously, and Lu Langzhong had already. Reaching out and uncovering the plaster on Tiexun's shoulder, Lu Langzhong ignored Tiexun's heartbreaking cry. He showed the plaster to everyone around him. The plaster is sticky, with pus and blood, and a bullet stuck to it. Everyone in the house froze. At this moment, I suddenly saw Tiexun sitting up and stupidly asked, "What's wrong with me?" There are unpredictable variables. Therefore, if you want to have a safe journey, you must abide by the "three laws" of waterways.

The first rule is "there is only one big bed in the shop during the day, and guests sleep on it." In the middle of the night, everyone except Zhao Jihe slept soundly. Wake up at night. "During the day, in addition to the escort on duty, other escorts entered the cabin and slept soundly. They didn't leave the cabin until sunset, ready to work at night. Because there are almost no river robberies during the day, only thieves often sneak up, steal or rob at night, and escorts have to guard against them.

The second rule is "people don't leave the ship". Most of the areas along the canal are densely populated, with cities, townships, villages and towns facing each other for several miles. In some prosperous areas, teahouses and restaurants abound. Not only artists and singers get together, but also villagers' meetings and social dramas are common. The flower boat player in the canal looked back at his wife and slept soundly. Obviously, she heard nothing. The flower player is a little puzzled and tries to lie down. ""Jiangshan boats "(these are all boats carrying * *) are often sheng, Guan, Xiao and Xiao singing and dancing. But the escort must not go ashore to watch or move the boat to watch, because distraction means losing the escort. The escort will not get off the boat to watch the excitement, nor will he get off the boat to chase the thief, for fear that the thief will lead the tiger away from the mountain.

The third rule is "avoid women". The boatman takes the boat as his home, and his wife and daughter are in the same boat. The boatman's daughter was the most open woman in feudal society. Escort guards are mostly masculine and generous men. According to the routine of heroic beauty, talented person and beautiful woman in old novels, all the way is tiring. In fact, the escort has always attached importance to martial arts, and the boatman's daughter also abides by women's morality. Everyone knows how to respect themselves and abide by feudal ethics.

"Three Can't Stay" of Land Darts

It stands to reason that land darts are all on the plains, and most of the darters are riding horses to guard the darts along the way. Once a thief appears, he can respond quickly and flexibly without much worries. It's not that simple. Especially when you spend the night in some big villages and towns. Be sure to pay attention to everything and be careful everywhere. Because the local power of such towns and villages is generally strong. Once you get into trouble, you will get more than one bargained for. Therefore, "three can't live" is still the travel principle of escorts.

I can't live in the new shop. Because escorts usually take a fixed escort route, they are familiar with the inns along the way and have formed good friends with the stores. Because he doesn't know the details of the newly opened store, he always drives directly and never stays overnight. He was afraid of meeting Zhang Qing and Zhu Gui in the water margin. After dark, Yang Fan left the city and went directly to the forest at the foot of the mountain. Facing the silent mountain forest like stagnant water, he walked in without hesitation. Types of shops, people who make money.

Second, don't live in a resale shop. When an old shop suddenly changes hands, it will have its original night. Chicken king can't sleep because of this. The ghost went straight to the Heavenly Palace and cried to the Jade Emperor. He wakes up all beings every morning and makes great contributions. It is really incomprehensible to write a letter to let him be selected for the zodiac. Say that finish, tears flow down. The Jade Emperor thought that the contribution of the Chicken King was really great, and the criteria for choosing the zodiac were really wrong, so he picked a flower in front of the temple and put it on the head of the Chicken King as a reward. Because, before it was made clear, the escort car kept away from this kind of shop, fearing that the old shop would become a thief's shop after the owner changed hands, and the thief would ambush first and wait for the escort car to come. Therefore, before the escort car enters the village, the escort always rides a horse to inquire, so as to grasp the real situation.

Three is not living in a brothel. The so-called prostitution shop is an inn with both functions of a hotel and a brothel. There are always several beautifully dressed women standing in front of this inn to show off their charm and attract guests. There are fewer serious customers and more bad people in prostitution shops. It is inevitable that there will be people who are smart enough to engage in prostitution. In fact, they are thieves who come to steal things.

Three elements of entering the store

It stands to reason that the escort should have a good rest when he arrives at the hotel after walking with the escort car all day. Actually, it's not. However, if you don't have a good rest, you will definitely feel sleepy the next day. Will this form a vicious circle, so that you can't get rid of the dart when you are tired?

But this possibility is very small. Because after living in the store, the escort is not in a hurry to rest, but according to the rule of "three essentials when entering the store", first patrol the store to see if there is any "out of phase" to prevent thieves from "peeking". The second is to patrol outside the store to see if there is any "abnormal wind" to prevent being "posted". The third is to patrol the kitchen to see if there is any "odor" to prevent being secretly drugged.

The so-called "alien" means that there are suspicious people in the store. "Strange wind" is a suspicious sign outside the store, and "peculiar smell" is the chef's tampering with food. If there is abnormal wind, take effective preventive measures immediately. If there is an odor, declare that everyone "overslept (ate)", close the door at night, and then eat some dry food to satisfy their hunger.

After dinner, except the personnel on duty, the escorts should go to bed on the kang. The sleeping habits of northerners can't be taken care of for a while. They ran along the path in front of the village and ran straight out of the road. They saw a brightly lit shop next to them. He plunged into it like a savior, fell to the ground yelling, unconscious, and the zombie followed several steps outside the door. When the restaurant saw this scene, it was greatly frightened. It quickly heated a pot of ginger soup and poured it on him. Tension slowly wakes up and tells the restaurant what just happened. Later, he heard from the restaurant that the whole village was infected with the plague and many people died. The zombie chasing him is the owner's wife. Because he just died, before he died, maybe he just felt the spirit of the sun and faked his body, so he went after someone. They are all on the edge of the kang, which is warmer and can avoid the cold wind blowing on your head outside the window. But the escort always sleeps with his head against the window and his feet against the edge of the kang, because it is convenient for him to see and hear the movement outside the window, and it is also convenient for him to land as long as he jumps up. Most people wear their heels outwards when they get on the kang, and then wear them backwards when they get off the kang. However, the escort developed the habit of taking off his shoes when he got on the kang, and let his heel face the kang. Once something happens, they will put on their shoes when they jump off the kang. These habits of escorts are all formed in the lessons of blood, because in the event of a night attack, life and death are decided instantly.

commit adultery

It is said that Zhang once left a "treasure map". He buried the looted gold and silver in a place in Chengdu, and kept Shi Niu and Shigu as secret records. Over the years, a nursery rhyme in Chengdu said, "Shi Niu has absolutely no money to buy stone drums. Some people know enough and are hungry all night. Both of them put their chests on their backs, and they were not in the mood to fight. They began to talk about how to eat in prison. In fact, there is not only a way, but also quite simple. If you want to reach that hole, only one person can lift a person and fold a arhat, but who can be the "ladder" below? A Mu said: "Who let me be a brother? I will do it. L "Chengdufu!" There are rules. According to Mr. Fang Biao's introduction in the book Beijing Escort Agency, the escort must implement the "sleep method" of "three inseparable" when falling asleep.

The first is that weapons never leave. The purpose of this regulation is self-evident. A few days later, Yang Chengwu went to the military region for a meeting, and Nie handed him the little mahogany box. Metaphorically speaking, once unarmed, the escort is not much better than ordinary people. The martial arts scenes in the film are all boxing, bagua palm, mandarin duck legs and other routines, which dazzle the audience. In fact, the real fight is hard. Who will win by fist? Therefore, weapons must never leave the body, especially "things around the waist (pistols in the late Qing Dynasty)" can not only leave the body, but also can not be shown to people. The thief's rule is not to borrow anything from a friend's waist or look at it. People in the escort agency have been dealing with * * * for a long time, and they also know the relationship between "borrowing and robbing" and "shooting". Therefore, it is taboo to borrow something from your waist for fear of being countered.

The second is to put on clothes. Escort guards lie with their clothes all the year round during the journey, because once something happens, there is absolutely no time to get dressed. Winter in the north is not shirtless weather. Once the escort hears the movement, he can turn over and get out of bed to fight. This is the last sentence.

The third is that the horses and chariots will not leave the hospital. After the escort entered the store, someone was on duty to look after the carriage. No matter what happens outside the hospital, the escort ignores it, fearing that he will be "diverted by the car."

Three meetings and one no

If the rule of "three inseparable" is a bit ridiculous, then this rule is not even ridiculous. But it is often these things that are not rules, or things with common sense, that are the rules for escorts to protect themselves to the maximum extent on the escort road.

Running darts is a hard job, especially in the north. When I came out of Beijing, I passed Changping District and entered the mountainous area. The Great Wall winds between the Yanshan Mountains, and there are many passes such as Gubeikou, Lengkou, xifengkou and Shahukou, so when I leave the Great Wall, I call it "outside the mouth". At that time, there were few outsiders, and it was very inconvenient to eat and live on either East Road or West Road. Once something goes wrong on the way, it will lead to the situation that there is no village before and no shop after, so we have to camp out on the spot. Therefore, the escorts who go to the north are all teaching their disciples. Teaching them the skills of "three meetings and one no" has gradually become a rule, because if you don't know "three meetings and one no", you really can't walk the north road.

The first thing to do when we meet for the third time is to make a stove. Whether it's mountainous area or flat land, wind and frost or rain and snow in Lu Yu, the escort should be able to set up a big stove and cook in one pot according to local conditions. The second is to repair shoes. If there is something wrong with the shoes during the trip, it will be very annoying, so people who travel far away should have new shoes, but the new shoes are uncomfortable for three days, so the accompanying people should be able to repair shoes, protect their feet from injustice, and have a good rest and preparation; The third is a haircut. Travel-stained all the way, beard and hair in a mess. When passing through towns and villages, it is inevitable to visit local forces. If you look like a mess, you will be easily looked down upon, so the escort should cut his hair before going. I cut my hair, shaved my beard, put on clean clothes, and went to see the local dignitaries with dignity. None of them left behind, which also showed the elegance of the escort agency.

In addition to the "three meetings", there is also the "one no", which means not washing your face. Outside the mouth, the winter wind is cold, the spring and autumn wind blows on the face, and the summer sun is like fire. After washing my face with soil and alkali, the sharp wind blew over and cut my face like a knife. So after the mourning period in the north, the king began to look for new people. Many girls came to try on rings, but they all went back because some were too loose and some were too tight. "That is to say, I shouldn't get married at once," said the king. "Well, let's not talk about it for the time being." He put the ring beside him. One day, while looking for something casually, Maria suddenly saw a ring in the drawer. She put it on her finger, but she couldn't get it back. "What will Dad say now?" Maria was at a loss. She found a piece of black cloth and tied it on the ring. When her father found the black cloth on her finger, he asked, "What's the matter, son?" In the process of escaping, "washing your face" and "going home" are synonyms. The young escort said brightly that "it is time to wash your face tomorrow", which means it is time to go home tomorrow.

Three taboos for guest darts

Escort sometimes protects passengers rather than goods, so it is called "guest dart" Protecting the guest dart should be a very easy thing, right? You see, the dart is alive. When bandits come, you can follow the escort. When it is safe, everyone will chat and pass the loneliness of the journey. But in fact, the escort agency is not as simple as imagined.

You know, tourists who can hire escorts are definitely not ordinary people. Most of these tourists are former officials or dajia, a wealthy businessman who has moved and gone home to visit relatives. They either have power, money or both. After all, three years of Qing dynasty magistrate, 100 thousand snowflakes and silver. Hiring an escort is a rich man with family and money, which is the target of the thief's planned sneak attack. Not only the target is big, but also it is not convenient to move. Therefore, it is more difficult to protect the guest dart than the cargo dart. Not only will it not be lost, but it will also give adults, ladies, grandfathers and wives a sense of security in many aspects.

Escort agencies have "three taboos":

The first taboo is not to ask what is in the bag, but only to ask which luggage you need in case of an accident. Because wealth is concentrated in the body and lost in the heart, people who made a fortune in the old society were mostly ill-gotten gains and were most afraid of exposure. In the present words, they are afraid of "exposure". For businessmen, they are afraid of "exposure", and for officials, they are afraid of "exposure".

The second taboo is to avoid contact with the employer's "family". Senior officials are rich, and many have three wives and four concubines. He lives at home on weekdays and lives in a golden house. He is most afraid of wearing a cuckold, and even servants are not allowed to enter the second door. But during the journey, I was hungry and thirsty, and I couldn't avoid the guards on foot for the night, so I always felt strange in my heart. Therefore, the escort only deals with the male host, which can reassure the adults and the host; Second, it also prevents wives and young ladies from asking some difficult questions and causing unhappiness.

The third taboo is "rewarding" halfway. Because asking for payment in the middle is often considered as extortion, even if it is an accident, asking for money will be considered as an attempt to "make a mistake." Generally speaking, after safely reaching the finish line, the employer will always reward the escort with a banquet and give him some money, which is the extra money of the escort.

If you violate these three taboos, it will often bring some unhappiness and affect the future business of the escort agency. Besides, employers are rich and powerful people. Even the next officer, you can still give the guards some color with a golden tongue. So the three taboos are, "What man?" Actually, it's a road rule to take a guest dart. Hao Yuan of the Escort Agency read the paper and asked Jin, "You said Uncle Jin's father sold you the land before his death. Is there a land sale contract? " The rules were not made by anyone, but formed through years of practice. They represent the interests of both escort agencies and escorts, including the interests of employers. It can be said that it is an experience summary written by more than a dozen generations of escorts with blood lessons. Who knew that this tiger actually spoke? "Eldest brother, I know you're embarrassed! No, we don't need to spend money. I'll walk with you. " The report asked the housekeeper to bring a fire passbook and lit Shuang Mianxiu's silks and satins. The snake on the water was stunned. The report said seriously, "My daughter's Shuang Mianxiu is exquisite, but it can really be called a national treasure. He knitted the brocade! Think about how prosperous Yangzhou was in those days, but now the people in Yangzhou are miserable. What people lack is warm clothes, not flashy Shuang Mianxiu! For the people of Yangzhou, I hope you can revive Yangzhou's weaving industry with me! " In the process of being consciously implemented, it is passed down from generation to generation. At the same time, it has been further improved in the implementation process and gradually reached the standard of standardization and institutionalization. The ideological basis of maintaining these rules is the martial virtue of the escort, and the external force of implementing these systems is the cohesion of the group. The reason for persistence is that these rules are integrated with prostitutes.

Selected from Science Mystery Weekly

2007. 1 1.02

Ancient mystery