The Zhenbei Army needs to repair the border wall outposts, but the Ministry of Revenue is withholding funds.
Moreover, with winter approaching, the soldiers also need to purchase winter clothing.
The Zhenbei Army is facing a shortage of food and supplies!
Zhao Tingduo couldn't sit still. She paced back and forth in Luo Baihu's study, deep in thought.
I was only fourteen years old when the "Shattered Gold Tragedy" happened. It was during the tribe's winter migration, so I did not return to Xiashi Pass and did not know what happened that day.
However, from then on, his father and brothers reminded him not to show his face in Wu Dynasty territory casually, so he rarely returned to Zhenbei Prefecture.
Nowadays, the court is rife with infighting, and although my father and brother still hold power, they are clearly not as powerful as before.
The eldest brother has even set his sights on the gold dust in Broken Gold Town.
The purpose of sending people here to set up camp was twofold: firstly, to guard the vital passage to the Mida River, and secondly, to try and extract some gold to supplement the army's income.
Unfortunately, Luo Baihu and his men searched the surrounding mountains and rivers for half a year but failed to find any more gold mines.
Military households!
Zhao Tingduo's heart skipped a beat.
Although he did not hold a military post, he knew that military households of the Wu Dynasty could directly supply the army with food and fodder.
The military households on the border of the Wu Dynasty were mostly criminals exiled by the court. These people had traveled thousands of miles to get here, and after being punished, they were physically weak and had no experience in farming. It was already a miracle that they could support themselves.
Moreover, the criminal military households were sent by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, and even if there was a harvest, it was under the jurisdiction of the local government.
If the Zhenbei Army could have a large number of military households dedicated to growing grain, they would have no worries about food supplies.
Unfortunately, his father and two elder brothers held important positions and were watched by all the civil and military officials in the court. Every move they made would implicate his cousin, the crown prince, and his aunt, the empress.
Because of his special status and the inconvenience of traveling to relieve his father's worries, all he could do was ensure that the tribe provided cattle and sheep on time to improve the army's food, but he could not solve the most basic problems.
In the study, the third young master, Zhao Tingduo, was filled with worry.
In the main hall of the barracks, Commander Luo met Song Liyun and her two siblings.
"So you're the ones who want to become military households?"
Luo Baihu stared sharply at Song Zhenping, trying to find clues on the thin, frail boy's face that suggested he was "not smart" or "had ulterior motives."
The invisible killing intent emanating from the soldiers immediately made Song Zhenping tremble, and he said in a trembling voice, "Yes, it is this humble citizen."
The term "commoner" was taught to him by Song Liyun, and he almost forgot it just now because of a shiver.
Seeing Song Zhenping's timidity, Luo Baihu immediately lost interest and almost wanted to kick him out right away.
Not wanting to go back to his study to look at the account books, Commander Luo had no choice but to patiently and sternly say, "Why do you want to become a military household? Once you become a military household, you are a member of the army. In times of war, every household will be required to levy soldiers and grain. Military orders are like mountains, and there is no reason to refuse."
Song Zhenping was so pressured that he was almost in tears. The words he had prepared vanished instantly, and he could only stammer, "We have no house, no land, no home. We just want to survive! We've become military households. You can't just watch us starve to death!"
"Well!"
Luo Baihu was dumbfounded.
Judging from Song Zhenping's tattered clothes, you could tell he came from a poor family. He had only been there for a few days to perform corvée labor and now he wanted to stay in the army camp and never leave.
I'm so worried about myself, where would I find enough food to support idle people?
The soldier who led Song Zhenping and his sister in was also dumbfounded.
Seeing that the centurion's face darkened, he was quite perceptive and quickly pushed Song Zhenping out: "You wish! Military households have to pay taxes every year. You, a refugee, think you can eat for free?"
Song Zhenping was so anxious that he stammered, "We are not refugees, we can farm in the future... and pay... pay military rations."
Song Liyun, holding Xiao An's hand, bowed to Luo Baihu, took out a household register, and handed it over, saying, "Baihu, we have household registration."
It was only because our family's land and house were seized by my stepmother's uncle under the pretense of filial piety that my two siblings and I were enslaved and driven.
Knowing that they would be unable to escape oppression in the future, they voluntarily changed their household registration to join the military, hoping to have a stable place to live.
My siblings and I are neither lazy nor greedy. Even if our health prevents us from enlisting, we will still receive our annual military rations and will certainly do our part to maintain stability on the border.
Song Liyun spoke calmly and clearly, explaining her situation in just a few words.
Luo Baihu had been leading the way, so he had naturally met Song Liyun and her two siblings before.
After listening to Song Liyun's brief explanation of his background and seeing the two emaciated brothers, Luo Baihu began to seriously consider the matter.
The Song siblings are registered residents with proper household registration, have a clean background, are neither refugees nor foreign invaders, and are trustworthy.
Suijin Town has a small population and plenty of land, making it a better place than the exile areas. It's also a good place to garrison troops, but there are no military households yet.
If a few of our own people can stay, the garrison brothers can also benefit from some daily logistics.
Upon thinking of this, Commander Luo said, "Since you are willing to join the military households, I will accept you."
According to the rules, military households were to be allocated housing and land, with one house and ten mu of land.
The entire town of Suijin now belongs to my garrison. You can choose any house or land you like; just choose the one that has been registered with the garrison.
In addition, military households were exempt from corvée labor.
Starting today, you no longer need to move stones. If you run out of food, you can temporarily eat at the laborers' houses or borrow grain from the camp. You can return it when you hand over the grain to the army after the autumn harvest.
Houses, land… Song Zhenping opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
He was overwhelmed by this long list of benefits!
He only had to agree to join the military household, otherwise he wouldn't have to perform corvée labor, he would get ten acres of land for free, and he could choose any house he wanted.
Song Liyun was also somewhat surprised. She thought she would only get a piece of land, but she didn't expect this bearded officer to be so generous, even giving away a house.
As expected of a soldier, Commander Luo was decisive and efficient. He had just accepted Song Zhenping's household registration certificate.
They then arranged for a clerk to take the household registration copy to the Qili County government office to transfer the household registration and register the person as a military household.
He also summoned a small flag bearer and asked him to take Song Zhenping and his two siblings to choose a house and land so that they could settle down as soon as possible.
As luck would have it, this little flag bearer knew Song Liyun and Song Zhenping. He was Xue Zhuang, the little flag bearer who had promised to let the siblings ride on the way from Qingping Town to the county seat.
Xue Xiaoqi had been at the garrison construction site ever since he sent the laborers back, and hadn't had a chance to wander around.
Upon seeing that Song Liyun, whom he had taken in halfway through his life out of pity, was actually in Suijin Town, he was overjoyed.
He felt especially close to the Song siblings after hearing that they had joined the military household; he was even more affectionate than Song Dekui.
He was exceptionally attentive and helpful in introducing his siblings to which houses were good and which fields were fertile in Suijin Town.
If someone saw him, they would think he was choosing a house for himself.
Song Zhenping has always been very protective of his younger brother, so now he naturally has an extra younger sister.
The more affectionate Xue Zhuang acted, the more wary he became.
Without saying a word, he pulled Song Liyun behind him.
Luo Baihu had done a good thing for the army, and he even felt more confident returning to his study.
As soon as he entered, he happily turned around the exquisite partition and told the Third Young Master Zhao Tingduo about his achievements.
At this moment, Zhao Tingduo had regained her composure. Only when she heard that the brother and sister really wanted to change their civilian status to military status did she raise an eyebrow and say, "Did you make it clear to them that you would have to pay military rations in the future?"
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