Chapter 151 I Want a Set of Armor
"We usually farm, weave, and hunt... and in our spare time, we train our troops. Then our Black Bandit Mountain will become even stronger, and we won't be afraid of any enemy."
When Su Zhizhi sees something interesting outside, she picks it up and takes it home. When she sees a useful method, she also wants to take it back with her.
"Instead of relying on a few experts in the village to protect the village, it would be better to have a team like the Xue Family Army. In this way, my mother, Uncle Dao, Grandpa Qin and others would not have to work so hard."
Qin Xiao looked at Su Zhizhi in surprise.
He gradually came to understand the eight-year-old girl.
He seems naughty and playful every day, but sometimes his words and actions are shocking.
An eight-year-old child, with such a big tone, actually said that he wanted to "have a team like Xue's army."
Qin Xiao: ...As expected of a child raised in Black Bandit Mountain.
Wei Dashuan spoke seriously:
"We can train like this, but in the long run, if we want to train a good team, Black Bandit Mountain needs more people, more reclaimed land, and more money."
Su Zhizhi heard the last sentence: "Does it cost a lot of money?"
"Yes, it costs a lot of money."
Xue Che, who had been concentrating on thinking beside him, explained,
"Maintaining an army is a huge expense. Men need food, horses need grass, weapons and armor need to be replaced when they break, uniforms need to be replaced every year because they are often worn out, charcoal fires are needed for warmth in the winter, pensions are paid for soldiers killed in action, and medical expenses for illness and injury... all of this adds up to a considerable amount."
Xue Che had heard his father and others mention the issue of military supplies. The court had to allocate money every year, and if the financial resources could not keep up, no matter how hard they tried, it would be in vain.
Su Zhizhi kept these words in mind.
It turns out that having an amazing and powerful team costs a lot of money.
"It doesn't matter if we can't be as powerful as the Xue family army. Our Black Bandit Mountain is not as big as the Northwest, and we don't have so many people.
The Xue family army has 100,000 soldiers, while our village only has a few hundred. My parents said we can do things step by step. It would be a good idea for us to first train the few hundred people in our village into a team.
Su Zhizhi had a crazy day playing in the snow.
You don’t have to write big characters, and you don’t have to worry about being spanked by your mother.
She came back covered in snow.
When Hao Ren saw this, he could only helplessly help Su Zhizhi brush off the snow on her body and check if there was any wetness.
When Hao Ren lowered his head to help Su Zhizhi tidy up her clothes, Su Zhizhi suddenly asked:
"Dad, can we make a lot of money in our village?"
Hao Ren's hand paused.
This was the first time Zhizhi asked about making money in the village. Before, she only asked if she could get some extra pocket money.
Hao Ren: "Our village has made a lot of money compared to before. Why did Zhizhi ask this?"
Su Zhizhi took off her gloves and placed them by the brazier to dry:
"Because I only knew that many things were free before, but now I know that many things require money."
Catching butterflies, digging holes, picking fruits, and collecting beautiful stones in the mountains... these are all things you can do for free.
But buying seeds costs money, hiring farmhands costs money, buying tung oil costs money... and training a large army also costs money.
Su Zhizhi told Hao Ren her thoughts.
Hao Ren nodded as he listened, feeling that his daughter, who was always noisy, seemed to have grown up a little.
Su Zhizhi crawled into the warm bed and squinted her eyes in comfort:
"Dad, I won't need lucky money next year."
"Hmm? Don't want to buy the candy man anymore?"
"I want a set of armor, shiny and bright, like the ones worn by the Xue family army."
"good."
…………
Not far from the tents of Hao Ren and others were the tents of the military's miscellaneous personnel.
Every year, there are people exiled to the northwest.
The Song family is one of them.
The Song family is a wealthy family, and everyone in the family has been used to a life of luxury.
Everyone barely managed to hold on and come to the northwest, but what they faced was endless desert and endless cold wind.
Everyone on the road was thinking about one thing:
Old Master really shouldn’t drink!
The old man is usually very slick among the nobles in the capital, and he always has a smile on his face when he meets everyone.
Ever since the Pei family got into trouble, the old man has been privately cursing the emperor as a bastard at home for more than a day or two, but he usually pretends to be fine.
But once he got drunk, he actually spoke out the truth.
Now the whole family is in trouble.
Drinking will cause trouble, drinking will cause trouble!
They were resentful towards Murong Yu, towards the old man, and even towards the wine.
However, after being in the Northwest for some time, they were so tired that they didn't even have the energy to complain.
Xue Yucheng did not make things difficult for them. When they first arrived, he sent a military doctor to treat them and let them rest for a short period of time.
After that, they were assigned to do odd jobs in the military camp:
Cooking, chopping wood, moving things...
What is a simple job for poor people is almost a life-threatening task for them.
It took me more than half a year to finally adapt to these difficult days.
Song Yu's father is Song Sheng.
People used to call him "Old Song", but now people in the barracks call him "Old Song" every day.
Mr. Song used to drink tea and listen to opera every day, but now he just chops wood and sweeps the floor every day.
His originally fat body became half thinner and his big belly became flat.
Mr. Song prayed to God every day to protect his youngest son Song Yu and keep him safe outside.
Until yesterday, Song Yu stood in front of him safe and sound.
Mrs. Song wiped her tears and kept repeating:
"Yu'er, luckily you left and escaped."
Song Sheng warned: "You must hide your identity well when you are outside, don't let anyone see through it."
Song Yu sat in the center of the tent with a brazier at his feet and a circle of tribesmen surrounding him.
Song Yu had been told the same thing several times last night.
Today he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, my child knows and will be cautious."
"Besides wanting to see that you are all well, I came here for another reason."
Song Yu looked serious and sat up straight.
"What's the matter?" One of Song Yu's cousins sighed, "We've fallen into this state, I'm afraid I can't help you."
Song Yu took out a handkerchief holding something:
"My cousin, you're wrong. Although our Song family is now in the northwest, it doesn't mean we have no way out. A hundred years ago, our ancestors were once cart drivers and pulp vendors. Now, as long as we're still around, there's a chance we can make a comeback."
Song Yu thought it through clearly on the way here.
The Pei family's situation was even worse than that of the Song family back then, but Pei Lingyun took root in Black Bandit Mountain and made the mountain village prosperous.
Then it may not be impossible for their Song family to make a name for themselves in the northwest.
Song Sheng nodded with relief: "Yu'er is right. As long as we, the Song family, are still here, we are not at the end of our rope. Yu'er is making ink with tung oil in Lingnan. We in the northwest can also think about what we can do."
Song Yu unfolded the handkerchief, revealing a ball of soft, fluffy material inside.
Song Sheng: "Is this cotton?"
Song Yu's face was illuminated by the fire in the basin:
"This is cotton, which can keep you warm. But except for Lingnan where it is grown in large quantities, it is rarely found elsewhere. The Northwest is vast and sparsely populated. You can try growing it. If you succeed, you can not only supply it to the Northwest Army, but you can even sell it.
Village Chief Hao will discuss cotton planting with General Xue, and the Song family can take the initiative to take charge of this matter."
Song Sheng took the cotton and held it in his hand.
A soft and warm ball.
Song Sheng lowered his voice and said, "We can give it a try. Besides, my father has been here for more than a year and sometimes sees Western Region caravans passing by."
The Hu people in the north are brutal, but the Persians who come to the Western Regions to do business will come this way.
If we can open up sales channels to the Western Regions in the future, the prospects will be immeasurable.
"Okay, let's try it."
"Since we've come this far, no matter how hard it is, let's give it a try."
"Even if it doesn't work out, the worst that can happen is we can try another approach."
"right……"
The charcoal in the brazier has burned out.
The flame was so weak that it was about to go out.
The flames were reflected in the eyes of all the Song family members, burning more and more vigorously, becoming more and more blazing.
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