Chapter 163 Recruiting Female Guards!
"Lord Chang, I want to join the army!"
"Lord Chang, I want to join the army too!"
"I want one too, I want one too..."
Chang Daoyan stared blankly at the group of people rushing towards him to join the army for a moment, then immediately frowned and drove them away.
"Nonsense! You are all local students. What kind of scholar would join the army!" He had met these students before; each one was exceptionally talented. Even those who weren't outstanding were capable enough to teach and nurture students. How could they possibly join the army?
Don't they know they've all joined the ranks of traitors?
Have they wasted all those years studying the classics?
"Lord Chang, we've heard that Lord Lan treats his soldiers like his own children. To be able to serve under him is an incredible honor for us scholars!"
"Lord Chang, all the students at the private school have dropped out. If we don't find another way out, our whole family will starve to death before we even survive this month!"
"Lord Chang, I heard that joining the army will earn you two taels of silver, as well as rice and cotton-padded clothes. My family is poor, and I have too many younger siblings. We don't even have a decent piece of clothing. Fortunately, I heard someone say that Lord Lan's garrison not only provides three meals a day, but also meat, and thick cotton-padded clothes. Please, Lord Chang, take me in."
"Lord Chang, please have mercy and give us a way to live!"
Chang Daoyan felt an overwhelming pang of sorrow as he looked at the starving, freezing people covered in frostbite.
As the local official in charge, his job is to ensure that the local people have enough to eat and wear. He has failed in his duty!
But those were traitors...
These people only ask for three meals a day. Judging from their condition, if this problem isn't solved soon, they probably won't survive the winter!
In previous years, the cold, hard numbers in the disaster reports deeply pierced Chang Daoyan's heart!
"Alright, I'll personally take you to the garrison. If you decide to join the army then, I won't stop you. If you don't want to join, I'll risk my life to bring you out!"
"Thank you very much, Lord Chang. You are truly a righteous and upright official..."
...
"Bring the people to the garrison for a look?" Shen Lanxi asked, raising an eyebrow.
Wei Dongzhu pondered, "They're probably here to verify the truth. There might be spies among them. It's best not to let them into the garrison!"
Shen Lanxi shook her head: "Let them in. You lead them yourself. If there are spies inside, deal with them quietly!"
"……yes!"
Wei Dongzhu, accompanied by two members of the Wei family army, personally kept watch.
The time Changdao Yanxuan was at coincided with the mealtime of the garrison. The garrison had hundreds of people, who ate in batches in an orderly manner. Every soldier had a smile on their face, but there was no sense of urgency.
"Lord Chang, they're not eating black steamed buns, they're eating white flour."
"Lord Chang, there is meat in their bowls, several pieces, as well as tofu and cabbage."
"Lord Chang, each of them has three big steamed buns and a full bowl of vegetables. The vegetables are covered in oil, and they smell so good!"
"Lord Chang..."
The repeated calls of "Lord Chang" had already broken Chang Daoyan's guard. If it weren't for his last-minute decision to come to the garrison, if the food hadn't already been laid out, and if these people hadn't been eating so ravenously without fighting over it—clearly they were used to it—he would have definitely thought it was all an act, a performance for him!
With Lanxi feeding and drinking so much, isn't he afraid that the soldiers will run out of food in just a few days?
Springtime in Dongchuan is different from other places; here, even after spring arrives, the temperature remains the same as in winter. Even if he has food on hand now, he should be frugal, not indulge in such lavish eating and drinking.
He's truly a man who doesn't know the value of money until he's in charge. He's really willing to go to any lengths to win over his troops!
"Lord Chang, we'd like to sign up now. May we have a meal here?"
"Lord Chang, I haven't eaten for two days!"
"Lord Chang..."
Wei Dongzhu glanced at Chang Daoyan and asked, "Lord Chang, are you here to send them off to join the army?"
The people following Chang Daoyan all looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Even knowing there was a conspiracy involved, Chang Daoyan found it difficult to say no!
"...If they join the army now, will they be able to get food right away?" After Chang Daoyan finished speaking, he felt as if a floodgate in his heart had been suddenly opened.
As long as the people in the area can have food, it doesn't matter if they are rebels or something else.
"Is there a place to recruit soldiers here?" Chang Daoyan asked, his face flushed.
Wei Dongzhu led the way: "Follow me!"
After he finished speaking, he immediately ordered his subordinates, "Tell the kitchen to prepare food for fifty more people!"
"yes!"
In the following days, Chang Daoyan brought people to see it. He brought one person on the first day, two people on the second day, and a whole group on the fifth day!
Shen Lanxi began to agree to sell charcoal in large quantities, and carrier pigeons and hawks flew out one after another. Two days later, carrier pigeons and hawks flew back one after another.
After receiving and sending the letters, Shen Lanxi began processing official documents!
The official documents on her desk had all been submitted after going through several rounds of screening, and the screening team consisted entirely of students from Qinglan Academy.
“Establish literacy classes in the garrison, and set aside half an hour each day to learn to read.”
Cheng Zheng and Sang Guo were taking notes on the side!
"Recruiting female soldiers!"
A drop of ink falls onto the rice paper.
Cheng Zheng and the others stared wide-eyed!
Shen Lanxi: "For families that are poor, women can be sent to join the army to serve as guards, doctors, cooks, or embroiderers!"
"And one more thing: female soldiers enjoy the same treatment as male soldiers!"
"Really?" Cheng Zheng wrote quickly.
Shen Lanxi: "Write it down. I will personally report to Ma Feng later. Most of the military households in the village have been requisitioned, and the land is uncultivated."
Although Cheng Zheng and the others were sweating profusely with anxiety, they could not speak and could only write down their advice word by word!
Before he could finish writing, he was interrupted by Shen Lanxi.
My mind is made up!
Cheng Zheng was afraid that Shen Lanxi would misunderstand, so he quickly unfolded the paper.
It read: "We do not look down on women!"
Sang Guo: "A tall tree catches the wind; it'll be hard to explain to the higher-ups!"
Shen Lanxi: "I understand what you mean. Do you think they have time to care whether it's women or men joining the army now?"
This question stumped them.
"As long as the land is fully cultivated during farming season, even if you have to levy a pack of dogs, no one will care!"
"..." That's so true!
Women in the Great Zhou Dynasty already had a low social status, and many commoners sold their wives and daughters to survive. Now, with war raging outside, a woman being able to exchange for even half a sack of rice was considered expensive.
Now, as soon as they hear that female guards are being recruited and that they will be given silver and food, some poor families living deep in the mountains will lead their daughters to the guard post before dawn and after dusk!
“My son, here we can eat our fill and stay warm, and we won’t be mistreated. If it weren’t for your grandparents and your younger siblings to take care of, your mother would have come here too!”
"Girl, this is a good place. You're too young. If you want to live, you have to beg them to take you in. In a moment, rush over and grab that man's leg. Don't let go. As long as you have enough to eat, you can live, understand?"
"Two taels is too little. My sister is a virgin, and Chunxiang Courtyard gives her ten taels... Ouch, why are you hitting her?"
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