Chapter 40 Advantages and Disadvantages

Now the Zhenbei Army needs to repair the border wall outposts, but the Ministry of Revenue is holding back the money.

Moreover, with winter approaching, the soldiers also need to buy winter clothes.

The Zhenbei Army is short of food and money!

Zhao Tingduo couldn't sit still, pacing back and forth in Captain Luo's study, thinking carefully.

I was only fourteen years old when the "Broken Gold Tragedy" happened. It was the time when the tribe was migrating for winter, so I did not return to Xishi Pass and had no idea what happened that day.

But since then, he was reminded by his father and brother not to show up in the Wu Dynasty at will, so he rarely returned to Zhenbei Prefecture.

Nowadays, the court is in constant conflict. Although my father and brother still hold power, it is obviously not as strong as before.

The eldest brother has even set his sights on the gold sand in Suijin Town.

People were sent here to set up camp, on the one hand to guard the throat leading to the Mida River, and on the other hand to mine some gold sand to supplement the army.

Unfortunately, Captain Luo and his men have traveled all over the surrounding mountains and rivers for half a year, but have not found any gold mines.

Military household!

Zhao Tingduo's heart skipped a beat.

Although he did not serve in the military, he knew that the military households of the Wu Dynasty could directly supply food and fodder to the army.

Most of the military households on the border of the Wu Dynasty were criminals exiled by the imperial court. These people had traveled thousands of miles and were physically weak after being tortured. They had no experience in farming and were lucky enough to be able to support themselves.

Moreover, the military households of criminals were sent by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, and even if there was a harvest, it was still managed by the local government.

If the Zhenbei Army could have a large number of military households dedicated to growing grain, there would be no need to worry about food and fodder.

Unfortunately, my father and two elder brothers held important positions and were closely watched by the civil and military officials of the court. Their every move would implicate their cousin the Crown Prince and their aunt the Queen in the palace.

Because of his special status and the inconvenience of traveling, Wu Chao tried to relieve his father's worries, but all he could do was to ask the tribe to provide cattle and sheep on time to improve the food in the army, but he was unable to solve the most basic problem.

In the study, the third young master Zhao Tingduo was worried.

In the main hall of the barracks, Captain Luo met Song Liyun and his two siblings.

"You guys want to join the military?"

Captain Luo stared at Song Zhenping with sharp eyes, trying to find any clues from the face of this thin and frail boy that he was "not smart" or had "other intentions".

The invisible murderous aura of the soldiers immediately made Song Zhenping tremble, and he said in a trembling voice: "Yes, it's a commoner."

It was Song Liyun who taught him to call himself "common people". He almost forgot it when he shuddered just now.

Seeing Song Zhenping so timid, Captain Luo suddenly lost interest and almost wanted to kick him out immediately.

He just didn't want to go back to the study to check the account books, so Captain Luo had to be patient and said in a deep and stern voice, "Why do you want to join the military household? Once you join the military household, you will be a member of the army. When there is a war, every household will be required to recruit soldiers and collect food. Military orders are as heavy as a mountain, and there is no reason to refuse."

Song Zhenping was almost crying because of him. The words he had prepared disappeared in an instant and he was speechless: "We have no house, no land, and no home. We just want to survive! We have become military households. You can't just watch us starve to death!"

"Well!"

Captain Luo was dumbfounded.

Looking at the tattered clothes Song Zhenping was wearing, one could tell that his family was poor. He had come here to perform labor service and had eaten for a few days, and now he wanted to stay in the military camp.

I am worried to death, how can I have enough food to feed idle people?

The soldier who led Song Zhenping and his sister in was also dumbfounded.

Seeing the captain's face darken, he was quite perceptive and hurriedly pushed Song Zhenping out: "You're dreaming. Military households have to pay taxes every year, and you, a refugee, expect to eat for free."

Song Zhenping was so anxious that his mouth was knotted: "We are not refugees. We can farm in the future... Pay, pay the military rations."

Song Liyun took Xiao An's hand, bowed to Captain Luo, took out a household register and handed it to him, saying, "Captain Luo, we have the household register.

Just because our family’s land and house were seized by our step-grandmother and uncle in the name of filial piety, the three of us brothers and sisters were enslaved and driven.

Knowing that he would be oppressed in the future, he voluntarily changed his nationality to that of a military household, just to have a stable place to live.

We brothers and sisters are neither lazy nor greedy. Even if we are unable to join the army due to poor health, we will still receive enough military rations every year and will definitely do our bit to stabilize the border."

Song Liyun spoke slowly and calmly, explaining her situation clearly in a few words.

Captain Luo had accompanied them all the way here, so he had naturally met Song Liyun and her two siblings before.

After listening to Song Liyun's brief explanation of her life story and looking at the two skinny brothers, Captain Luo also began to think seriously about it.

The Song brothers and sisters are civilians with household registration certificates, have a clean background, are neither refugees nor foreign invaders, and are trustworthy.

Suijin Town has a small population and a large land area. The conditions are better than those in the exile area and it is also a good place for garrisoning troops, but there are no military households yet.

If we can keep a few of our own people, the brothers in the garrison will also benefit from their daily logistics.

Thinking of this, Captain Luo said, "Since you are willing to join the military household, I will accept you.

According to the rules, military households were to be allocated houses and land, one house and ten acres of land.

Suijin Town is now entirely owned by my garrison. You can choose any house or land you like. Just choose the one that has been registered as a garrison.

In addition, military households do not have to perform corvee labor.

From today on, you don't have to carry stones. If you have no food, you can temporarily eat with the civilians, or come to the camp to borrow food and return it when the autumn harvest arrives."

House, land... Song Zhenping was speechless.

He was stunned by the long list of benefits!

If he only agreed to join the army, he would not have to do labor service, would get ten acres of land for free, and could choose any house he wanted.

Song Liyun was also a little surprised. She thought she could only get a piece of land, but she didn't expect this bearded officer to be so generous as to give her a house.

Captain Luo is indeed a soldier, he is decisive and efficient in his work, and he has just received Song Zhenping's household registration book.

They arranged for a clerk to take the household registration copy to the Qili County Government to transfer the household registration and make it a military household.

He also called Xiaoqi and asked him to take Song Zhenping and his two siblings to choose a house and land so that they could settle down as soon as possible.

Coincidentally, this Xiaoqi knew Song Liyun and Song Zhenping. It was Xiaoqi Xue Zhuang who agreed to let the brother and sister get on the bus when they were on the way from Qingping Town to the county town.

Xue Xiaoqi has been working at the construction site of the garrison since he was sent back as a laborer, and has no time to wander around.

At this moment, he was delighted to see that Song Liyun, whom he had taken in out of pity, was actually in Suijin Town.

Especially when he heard that the Song brothers and sisters had become military households, he felt even more familiar with them. He was even more familiar and clingy than Song Dekui.

He was particularly attentive and attentive in introducing to the brother and sister which houses were good and which fields were fertile in Suijin Town.

If someone saw him, they would think he was choosing a home for himself.

It’s just that Song Zhenping has always been protective of his younger brother since he was a child, so naturally he has a second sister now.

The more affectionate Xue Zhuang was, the more wary he became.

Without saying anything, he pulled Song Liyun and walked behind him.

Captain Luo had done a good thing for the army, and he even had enough confidence to return to his study.

As soon as he entered the door, he happily turned around Linglongge and reported his achievements to the third young master Zhao Tingduo.

At this point, Zhao Tingduo had regained her composure. Only after hearing that the siblings were truly planning to transfer their civilian status to the military did she raise her eyebrows and ask, "Have you made it clear to them that you'll be paying for military rations in the future?"

(End of this chapter)