Qiu Xu: "Did your senior brother say anything to you when he left?"

Qiu Yan: "No." Gu Qian didn't say anything, afraid of worrying her.

Zhou Zifang and Gao Chong, rubbing their sleepy eyes, came to the crowd.

After hearing the gist of the story, the two men had different expressions on their faces.

Zhou Zifang: "What's going on?"

Gao Chong: "Why did they suddenly start conscription?"

Qiu Xu: "Let's plan ahead."

He turned his head and his forehead bumped against a broad chest.

Li Zheng had somehow appeared in the crowd.

"Master."

Li Zheng said, "Ah Xu, your master has been looking for you. You can't give up halfway through your martial arts training." He pulled Qiu Xu away from the crowd.

Qiu Xu turned to look at his sister, "Master, Senior Brother, he..."

Li Zheng: "With him here, we are sure to win this battle!"

Qiu Xu: "It definitely will."

Zhou Zifang and Gao Chong, standing behind Qiu Xu, silently wiped away a tear of bitterness.

Qiu Xu's master wouldn't allow him to slack off for even a moment.

Zhao Shan glanced at Li Zheng's departing figure and continued, "From thirteen years old to fifty, anyone who goes to the battlefield can receive ten taels of silver. If no one in the family goes to the battlefield, they must hand over five taels of silver to the imperial court."

The national treasury was empty, and the imperial court needed to spend a lot of money to maintain the army and horses, while He Lin was very poor.

He wanted the people of Dongjin to feel at ease being conscripted into the army, so he came up with this idea.

These words caused another uproar among the villagers.

Five taels of silver is a sum that some families cannot afford even if they sell everything they own.

Qiu Dayong, however, fainted on the spot, terrified.

"What if you don't have a son?" a woman asked cautiously.

"Even if you don't have a son, you still have a father, right?" Zhao Shan said helplessly. His son had just gotten married and was already going to be separated from his daughter-in-law for a long time.

“My son Zhao Jun was the first to sign up.”

After Zhao Shan finished speaking, Zhao Jun stood in the middle of the road, which was his own decision.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Zheng and Zhao Jun stood together.

The two young women, who were sisters from the next village, both had red and swollen eyes, reluctant to part.

"Anyone else who wants to join the army, step forward immediately," Zhao Shan continued to call out.

Qiu Yan thought of her family. Her younger brother was too young, and her two uncles... She shook her head and said, "Pay the money."

"Cousin, what happened?" The one who asked was Xia Minhan.

Xia Minrui followed closely behind. Because the two of them had stayed up very late with Gu Xiaoran last night, they got up a little late today.

Qiu Yan said, "Recruit soldiers."

"Will our village also be conscripted?" Xia Minrui asked, his face showing worry.

Qiu Yan nodded affirmatively: "Yes."

The imperial court even considered conscripting soldiers from remote mountain villages, let alone Xiajia Village.

The village chief shouted for a long time, but apart from his son and Zhao Zheng, no one else had made up their minds. Anxious, he continued shouting.

"Listen up, everyone. When the country is in trouble, every citizen has a responsibility. Each family that joins the army will receive ten taels of silver. If something unfortunate happens, they will receive fifty taels of silver as compensation."

If no one in a household joins the army, they must pay five taels of silver. Everyone should go back and think it over. I'll go door-to-door registering everyone later.”

If no one is home, you have to pay money. In any case, every household has to contribute to the country.

After the village chief finished speaking, the villagers dispersed in silence, their hearts heavy with sorrow.

They arrived curious and uneasy; they left with gloomy expressions.

After hearing this, Xia Minhan was so shaken that she could hardly stand up.

In their family, the father is quite old, and the younger brother is the same age as Ah Xu, so he is the only one who can stand up.