Chapter 568. Profit is the most important thing.
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After reading it word by word, Chang Hai was overwhelmed with emotion and could hardly contain himself.
This is hardly a recruitment order.
This is truly a solid guarantee for the future lives of impoverished children and their families!
In particular, the two provisions on "child support" and "lifelong care" are simply unprecedented acts of benevolent governance!
This completely eliminates the soldiers' worries from the root!
"General... General, is what you say true?"
Chang Hai's voice trembled with excitement; he could almost imagine the sensation this notice would cause in Jian'an.
Li Shiyue's face was expressionless, but her voice carried an undeniable power: "They will all be my soldiers in the future. They have entrusted their lives and families to me and are willing to risk their lives for me. I will naturally protect their families."
This is my responsibility and duty as a general.
Chang Canjun, you shall carry out this recruitment order immediately.
"If anyone dares to embezzle or misappropriate funds during the recruitment process—" Li Shiyue paused, her tone suddenly turning icy, "whoever it is, will be treated as a traitor to the Japanese and executed immediately!"
"Understood! Obey!"
At this moment, Chang Hai felt no more hesitation or fear, only a deep sense of awe and an impulse to do his best to accomplish this task.
He bowed deeply and practically ran out of the study.
The following day, Jian'an City and the surrounding villages were in an uproar.
The gongs clanged loudly as the yamen runners, carrying copied notices, loudly proclaimed them in various crowded places.
At first, people listened from a distance with skeptical expressions.
But as those specific and impactful clauses were read aloud repeatedly, the crowd began to stir.
"Really? Not only do you get paid to join the army, but your family can also benefit and earn extra money for them?"
"Not afraid of death? Can a general really raise a child like this? And even teach him to read and write?"
"Even if you're injured or disabled, there are places to take you in and find work? Is...is that really true?"
"This female general... does she keep her word?"
She had previously killed the governor and the garrison commander...
When the "recruitment order" was announced, some people were skeptical, but many more were excited.
Especially those young men whose families had little land but abundant labor, or whose families had been destroyed by Japanese pirates and who harbored deep hatred, all had their eyes light up.
The first person to eat crab appeared.
He was a young man named Mancang, whose home was in Nanjiaozui, south of Jian'an City.
When the Japanese pirates attacked last year, his parents were killed, leaving him and his younger sister, who was not yet of marriageable age, to depend on each other for survival. Their lives were extremely difficult.
Later this year, he answered Li Shiyue's "order to kill the pirates" and risked his life to kill a lone Japanese pirate with a wood-chopping knife. He then received the twenty taels of silver as payment for the kill, which helped him get through the most difficult period.
Now, after hearing the "recruitment order" from the constable, he rushed to the front, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, "I'm signing up!"
As long as the general can truly take care of my sister and give her food, my life belongs to the general!
It's just killing Japanese pirates, isn't it?
"It's not like I haven't killed before!"
The yamen runners took Mancang back to the prefectural city, where Chang Hai personally received him at the recruitment point in front of the prefectural government office.
After verifying the situation, Chang Hai immediately gave Mancang ten taels of silver as a resettlement allowance. After inquiring about the age of Mancang's younger sister, Manyuan, he immediately wrote a note arranging for her to work in the military supply depot. Not only was food and lodging provided, but she would also receive thirty copper coins a day!
Putting everything else aside, the ten taels of silver that Chang Hai placed in Man Cang's hand were quite substantial, and could be seen by all the onlookers.
In this way, Mancang's registration set an example for others.
Then, a second, a third... more and more people flocked to the recruitment points in the city.
Some wanted to secure a stable life for their families, some longed to make a name for themselves and change their fate, and countless others, with a deep-seated hatred for the Japanese pirates, sought revenge!
The recruitment site immediately became bustling with activity, and many people responded.
Chang Hai and his clerks were extremely busy, registering applicants and conducting simple physical checks.
The once quiet recruitment site was soon packed with a dense crowd.
In the following days, news of the "recruitment order" spread like wildfire to every corner of Jian'an Prefecture.
Even young men from neighboring coastal counties, having heard the news, rushed to join the army.
Li Shiyue stood on the high building inside the government office, looking calmly at the bustling crowd at the entrance.
Sun Xiaoliu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask, "General, aren't these conditions... a bit too generous?"
Maintaining an army is extremely costly, let alone finding work for those disabled soldiers;
If we also have to raise orphans, and this continues, I'm afraid...
"What are you afraid of?"
Li Shiyue did not turn around, her voice calm, "I have my own plans regarding the money and provisions."
The world is already showing signs of great chaos; if not this year, then next year.
Although our Andong region is isolated and far from Kyoto, it is not affected too much.
However, a severe drought is already brewing, and Japanese pirates are still lurking along the Jian'an coast.
In such circumstances, what does money matter?
This thing is useless if it's not used.
In the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities, only by having troops at our disposal can we maintain our current stability!
Only then can we resist invasion from other places!
They could even pursue the enemy and launch an attack on Japan!
Turning her head, Li Shiyue looked at Sun Xiaoliu and said, "Moreover, although some of the property confiscated from Huang Wanchang, Cai Hua and his cronies was sent to the General, the amount we kept was not small."
Not to mention, the money donated by Li Yu and the others earlier should be enough to last for at least three more months.
What is taken from the people should be used for the people; what is taken from the enemy should be used for ourselves.
Besides, Xiao Liu, don't forget, we haven't sold any of our warehouses full of sea salt yet.
Once this salt is sold through trade routes, we'll not only have plenty of silver, but also grain and people.
After a pause, Li Shiyue turned to look into the distance: "Xiao Liu, the most powerful force in this world is not a sharp sword, but the human heart."
I give them livelihood, future and hope, and they will repay me with loyalty, strength and life.
An army that knows why it fights and has no worries about its rear is a truly invincible force!
What Li Shiyue didn't tell Sun Xiaoliu was that what he wanted to build was not just an army capable of fighting the Japanese pirates, but a new order that revolved around this army.
Military supply depots, salt fields, auxiliary military camps, nursing homes, schools... these not only provide shelter for military families and soldiers who have been discharged due to war, but also bind more people to my interests, ensuring their continued existence.
Self-interest is the most important thing.
I gave them what they wanted, and they will naturally stand with me.
Only in this way, standing together, can we no longer fear any storms!
There was no need to say these things to Sun Xiaoliu.
Or rather, apart from Li Shiyue herself, no one in this era needed her to say these things.
Sun Xiaoliu, after hearing what Li Shiyue said, seemed to understand but not quite. However, looking at Li Shiyue's firm and confident profile, he felt nothing but boundless admiration.
All he knew was that following this general might lead to a perilous future, but a good life was definitely within reach.
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