Chapter 128 Recruiting all over Lingnan!
County Magistrate Song came in a hurry and didn't even drink a sip of water. His throat was a little hoarse when he spoke.
Su Zhizhi pulled County Magistrate Song to sit at the table together: "County Magistrate Song, have you eaten yet? You can eat with us, we have a lot of dishes."
Xue Che went to the cupboard and took out a set of bowls and chopsticks as if he was familiar with it.
County Magistrate Song was originally embarrassed to sit with Murong Di, and politely said that he would just stand and drink some water.
"Don't be so formal, County Magistrate Song. Please sit down." Wu Yingniang stretched out her hand and pressed down County Magistrate Song who was about to stand up.
County Magistrate Song tried his best to stand up, but he couldn't, so he just sat down.
Hao Renze personally scooped a bowl of pork bone soup for County Magistrate Song:
"County Magistrate Song, have some soup to moisten your throat. Don't be impatient. Speak slowly."
County Magistrate Song sat next to Murong Di and looked at the soup that Hao Ren brought him. He wanted to offer the soup as a sacrifice.
Because the soup was so delicious and he was thirsty, he drank half of it in one breath and burped awkwardly.
After drinking the soup, County Magistrate Song explained the court order in detail.
"Your Highness, preparing military supplies is no small matter. If you make a mistake, you could be charged with a crime. Do you want to file a petition to evade this matter?"
Murong Di and Hao Ren shook their heads at the same time:
"This comes at the perfect time. We must not only make the Northwest Army uniforms this time, but also do it well."
They just said that they would mobilize manpower from all over Lingnan. Hao Ren was thinking about how to make Murong Di's order seem less sudden.
The court issued this order, perhaps with the instigation of He Tingfang, who wanted to create a difficult problem for Xunzhou.
But this order also happened to provide Murong Di with an excellent reason.
Xue Che listened quietly, then asked, "If it's sent to Tingzhou, is it for the Xue family army to wear?"
County Magistrate Song said, "That's right. I heard that General Xue repeatedly petitioned the court to prepare winter clothing early, which is why this decree was issued."
Xue Che's eyelashes fluttered, covering the light in his eyes:
"The Xue family army must be in great need of good winter clothes to keep warm."
Xue Che knew that with his father's personality, if he repeatedly submitted petitions asking for help, it was likely that the Xue family army was in trouble.
They probably had a very cold winter last year.
A small hand fell on Xue Che's shoulder, and Su Zhizhi said confidently:
"Then we will send very warm cotton clothes."
…
Ten days later.
Yongzhou, Lingnan.
Yongzhou is surrounded by water, with well-developed waterways and busy docks.
At the first light of dawn, a thin mist rose on the surface of the Yongjiang River.
On the river, wooden boats were slowly approaching, and many people were getting on and off the boats at the dock, loading and unloading cargo.
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds and the mist quickly dissipated.
The pier became increasingly lively with the bustling crowds of travelers and merchants.
In addition to travelers, many idle people gather at the Yongzhou Wharf every day to do the hard labor of carrying goods.
Their luck in this line of work varies with the weather.
If the weather is good and they are lucky, there will be many ships and much cargo, so they can earn enough money for a few days' food. But sometimes the weather is bad and there are few ships at the dock, so they can hardly get a job even if they try their best.
On this day, when the dock was bustling, several officials appeared and posted a large notice on the wall of a teahouse at the ferry:
The Emperor has issued an imperial decree ordering Xunzhou to weave winter clothing for soldiers in the northwest. Liangmin Village in Baiyun County, Xunzhou, is urgently seeking skilled craftsmen to meet the demand. The King of Yue has summoned the people of all Lingnan provinces to join in this endeavor.
Liangmin Village in Baiyun County is recruiting workers for a long term. The salary is generous, with food and lodging provided. The daily wage is 20 wen, and the work period must be at least three months. Interested parties should register at the county government office and receive the necessary documents to prepare for the trip.
People coming and going gathered around to watch and talk about it:
"Hey, what's this notice? Is it about conscription?"
"Maybe it's a wanted thief. Didn't you hear that a serious criminal was arrested in Xunzhou a while ago?"
"I haven't heard of it. I just got off the boat..."
There are many people chattering about it, but not many of them can actually read.
After the official posted the notice, he turned around and shouted:
"The Emperor has ordered Xunzhou to produce winter clothing for the soldiers in the northwest. Now, a large number of workers are needed in Liangmin Village, Baiyun County, Xunzhou. This is where the black mountain cloth is produced.
"Food and lodging are provided, the daily wage is 20 wen, and the duration of employment is at least three months. Those who wish to work as long-term laborers in Xunzhou should register at the county government office within the next two days and receive the official documents!"
When the officer shouted like this, the dock was in an uproar.
Some workers who were originally sitting on the roadside to rest came over. Although they could not understand the words, they still wanted to squeeze in to read.
"I've heard of Black Shan cloth... My mother-in-law even bought a few feet of it to make clothes during the Chinese New Year."
"And Black Mountain Ink is from that, too. I see scholars in the county buy that ink. It's so good! Black! Blacker than crow..."
"Twenty cents a day? And I don't have to pay for food and lodging?"
Although they could sometimes earn more than 30 cents a day at the dock, they had a hard time when they had no income.
The officer just now asked for a daily wage of 20 wen, and the work would last for at least three months. He would be paid every day, and food and accommodation would be provided.
These days they don’t dare to go out and work for others, for fear that they might be sold by someone they know. Many people have never even left Nanzhou.
But they knew about Black Mountain Ink and Black Mountain Cloth, so they felt relieved. Furthermore, this was a notice posted by the government, saying that the clothes were made on the emperor's orders. No one would dare to deceive people in public with the emperor, so this couldn't be faked.
Many people were moved.
A few bold and loud people shouted:
"My mother and wife at home can sew clothes, so we can go. We only know how to do manual labor and have never sewn clothes before. Can we go too?"
The officer said: "The master said that no matter whether you are a man or a woman, as long as you are willing to work hard, you will be accepted. After you go, someone will naturally assign you work!"
"Then when can we go to the county government office to register and claim our detention?"
"From now on."
"Okay, okay, let's go and take a look!"
"Hurry up, hurry up, if you walk slowly you will have to wait in a long line..."
At the same time, identical notices were posted at theaters, taverns, and market gates in the city.
Some people listen to operas, drink tea, and drink wine, just to watch the fun.
But there are always some people with shabby clothes, pale faces and thin bodies who want to try it once.
As a result, a scene similar to that at the dock was played out in every corner of Nanning.
One after another, people continued to walk towards the county government office.
The news of recruiting personnel not only spread to Yongzhou, but also to Shanzhou, Yanzhou, Zhizhou, Tianzhou, Chunzhou...
Everyone in Dayu knew that Lingnan Dao was a poor, backward, unruly and ignorant place.
But many people forget that this place filled with insect and ant miasma is very large.
Lingnan has more than 70 prefectures and more than 300 counties, with a jurisdiction area of more than 7 million hectares.
They don't have towering palaces or carved beams and painted buildings, but they have vast expanses of vibrant mountains and rivers, plants and people who want to make a living.
There is endless potential.
Although Murong Di had no real power, his status as a royal relative was real. With the title and identity of King of Yue, his words were enough to have an impact in the entire Lingnan Road.
After the recruitment order was issued to various states in Lingnan, thousands of people came to Heifei Mountain in just one month.
Fortunately, Governor Gu and County Magistrate Song made preparations in advance and helped the Liangmin Village build simple houses on the hilltop next to the Black Bandit Mountain to be used as workers' quarters and clothing and cloth-making workshops.
The imperial court allocated funds for military supplies, so the purchased food, cotton, clothing accessories and other materials were all in place.
The weather was hot and everyone was busy. Not only did the people on the mountain get tanned, but Governor Gu and County Magistrate Song also became darker and thinner.
The two officials and the villagers stood together on the hilltop of the newly opened workshop, watching the large number of workers pouring in with excitement.
Aunt Cuihua laughed secretly in Aunt Qiu's ear:
"The two adults don't look like fat white officials, but more like villagers from Black Bandit Mountain."
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