Chapter 297 Return
A dark-skinned man in the crowd, pounding his hoe with a look of longing, said, "That's a house made of red bricks. I've never lived in a brick and tile house in my life! I never thought that after fleeing to Lingnan, I would have the chance to live in a brick and tile house."
As he spoke, he chuckled, and many people around him started laughing too.
Xu Lin looked down on these people, who looked like they were ignorant. They looked like refugees who had just arrived in Lingnan.
He puffed out his chest and said proudly, "That's nothing! If it weren't for the drought, we could still eat meat!"
Someone immediately chimed in, "That's right. I heard that last year was a good year, so the government-run workshops had meat every other day. It's only because of the drought and bad years this year that everyone has to tighten their belts."
Some newly arrived refugees were amazed when they heard this. "Working in a workshop and getting meat?"
"That's right! Many people fight tooth and nail to get a job in a workshop, but it's not easy to get into a workshop. They have high requirements." Xu Lin said, "But if you want good food, the best option is to join the army."
Someone agreed, "I heard the soldiers in the barracks have really good food. Even though there's a drought right now, they still have fish meal to eat."
My aunt's family cried as they sent their son off to join the army, but now whenever they talk about it, their faces light up like flowers. I heard that her son didn't lose weight while serving in the army, but actually grew stronger.
Some people were tempted, but quickly shook their heads and said, "No, that won't work. Being a soldier is a life of hardship. What's the point of eating well? You might die after eating this meal. It's no different from the last meal of execution."
"You're wrong!" Xu Lin said, "Serving under General Lu is different. Did you hear about our recent battle with the Great Zhou? Do you know the final outcome?"
"Everyone knows this! Of course we won a great victory." Many farmers snorted.
I thought he was going to say some new news, but he said this.
Some time ago, a war broke out at the Cangwu border. The people in Lingnan were extremely nervous, fearing that the good days they had finally come to an end, and they paid close attention to the war at the border every day.
They didn't feel relieved until they heard that General Xie led his troops to fight, defeated the larger force with a smaller one, and captured many prisoners to work with, that they felt relieved.
"I know everyone knows about our army's great victory, but that's not what I want to talk about."
Xu Lin looked around at everyone and asked, a little suspensefully, "Do you know how many casualties we suffered in that battle?"
This question stumped everyone. They only cared about whether they won the fight and whether it would affect their lives.
Since they won, they naturally didn't care about anything else.
Xu Lin said proudly, "Don't you know? Let me tell you, in that battle, not only did we defeat the enemy with fewer men, but we also didn't suffer any casualties."
"That's impossible!"
They had never heard of a war without casualties.
Moreover, General Xie only brought more than a thousand people to fight against the soldiers of the Great Zhou. Even if these soldiers fought ten to one and were very brave, the other side sent 10,000 people, which was more than them.
Xu Lin said: "Our soldiers have good food and excellent medicine. Every injured soldier can receive good care and treatment, so of course there are fewer casualties."
"Then why don't you join the army?"
Xu Lin chuckled and said proudly, "To be honest, I am a soldier. Although I was not able to participate in the battle at that time, I will definitely be able to fight in the next battle."
His words made the farmers around him even more incredulous. "You're a soldier, why are you farming?"
Xu Lin acted as if he was surprised by what he had seen. "Madam said we want to set up a military farm so that we can be self-sufficient. Soldiers should come to farm when they are not fighting."
Many people were worried: "Now that all the soldiers have come to farm, will they stop hiring workers? Will we still be able to live in the new house that Madam built?"
"Of course there's room for us. Soldiers in our military settlement don't participate in rewards based on merit."
Xu Lin said, "Besides, there's so much land in Lingnan, are you afraid you won't have enough to grow rice? I heard that Madam sent a group of people out a while ago to look for some salt-alkali land. I heard that this kind of land is also very suitable for growing this kind of wild rice."
"What? Madam has sent people to look for land again?" Many people became curious, "What is saline land?"
Xu Lin couldn't explain clearly what saline-alkali land was. After some discussion, the topic soon returned to the house.
But that night, several young men came to the thatched hut where Xu Lin lived to ask about joining the army.
The next day, several young men found the manager, quit their temporary jobs, and went to the conscription office to apply.
*
On the sea, Zhou Lei counted the supplies on the ship again and approached Lu Shiyan with a heavy expression, "General, the supplies on the ship are almost exhausted. We must make a decision as soon as possible."
This time, Lu Shiyan led a group of soldiers out to sea and engaged the enemy in several rounds. However, the enemy relied on their superior geographical advantages and a cowardly strategy to keep them at bay, preventing them from entering Nan'an.
Although Lu Shiyan also relied on the rocket box to severely damage the opponent, the space on the ship was limited, and the weapons that could be placed were also limited.
Now, they have very few rocket boxes left to use.
Zhou Lei said under pressure: "General, I request that you consider the overall situation and return first. After you go back to replenish supplies, you can retake the island.
Although our previous attempts to attack the island failed, we have gained a lot of information about them during this period. Once we are well prepared next time, we will definitely be able to take down Nan'an in one fell swoop."
only……
Zhou Lei looked at Lu Shiyan with some worry. Lu Shili's ship was hijacked by pirates disguised as those from Nan'an Country. He might be imprisoned in a dungeon in Nan'an now.
In order to capture the island, the general inflicted heavy damage on the enemy. The enemy might use them as a scapegoat to vent their anger.
His safety...
He didn't dare to think further.
What Zhou Lei could think of, Lu Shiyan could naturally think of as well.
It's not that he hasn't tried to appease the other party, but it just didn't work.
He rubbed his temples, feeling unwilling, but ultimately considering the overall situation, he quickly made a decision, "Let's set off for home."
All the warships that received the order returned and arrived in Lingnan five days later.
After receiving the news, Su hurried over.
Seeing her eldest son return empty-handed, she fainted. The scene was in chaos, and Jiang Tangtang didn't have time to communicate with Lu Shiyan for the time being, and went to take care of her mother-in-law first.
Su was not seriously ill, but was just too worried and hit so hard that his body couldn't bear it and he fainted.
When her eldest son transferred Xie Xin to Lingnan to take charge and led his troops out to sea, she learned that her youngest son's ship had an accident at sea and the people on board were missing.
But her eldest son and daughter-in-law obviously kept it a secret from her, obviously not wanting her to worry. She also didn't want to cause trouble for her son and daughter-in-law, so she kept pretending that she didn't know.
But how could she not worry about such a serious matter as her youngest son's disappearance?
He had always hoped that his eldest son would lead the troops and bring his younger son back, but he didn't. He couldn't bear the blow and fainted.
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