Chapter 154 Military Interview
Huo Jiang looked tired and his beard was unkempt, and it was obvious that he hadn't taken care of it in the past two days.
But his eyes were still incredibly bright, revealing a domineering aura that could pierce through people's hearts.
"Boss Gu wants to set up some business for the dependents' village?"
Huo Jiang was a little unhappy. "I have never defaulted on military pay. The pay of ordinary soldiers in the Northwest Army is higher than that of any other garrison in Daye."
"Boss Gu, what you said sounds like you're accusing me of mistreating my soldiers?"
Gu Xixi nodded, "General, calm down. I don't mean to blame you."
"You pay a lot of money, but there are always months in a year when it's not enough to spend."
Huo Jiang was not a stubborn person. He frowned and said, "Go on."
"The women and children in the village are indeed not starving to death thanks to the military pay sent back by the head of the family, but every winter around the New Year festival and before the wheat harvest in summer, the price of grain in the northwest always rises by several percent."
"In order to feed the whole family, they can only budget carefully, buy coarse grains, bran, and dig wild vegetables to mix with refined grains. It's okay for families with only one or two children, but the hardest thing is for families with three or four children."
"It's really hard for a mother. I have to carefully calculate the amount of food I can eat every day, for fear that if I make a mistake, I will run out of food before the end of the month when I get paid."
Huo Jiang's expression gradually became heavy.
After Gu Xixi finished speaking, Huo Jiang suddenly stood up and bowed to her solemnly.
"Thank you, Boss Gu, for telling me all this today. I apologize for my rude words just now, if they offend me!"
As expected of the King of the Northwest, his apology was so loud and resonant in his chest.
Gu Xixi's ears were buzzing from the shock, and she waved her hands hastily, "The general loves his soldiers like his own sons. When food and wages are scarce, he would rather pay for them out of his own pocket. I understand your misunderstanding just now."
Huo Jiang did not want to shirk his responsibility. He said guiltily, "It's my fault. Every time I asked these monkeys if they had any difficulties, they all said no. Now I think they must be afraid that I would worry about them."
"But as their commander, I have neither conducted a thorough investigation nor visited the dependents' village. This is my dereliction of duty."
He walked to the long table, poured a bowl of warm water from his own double-layer thermos, and handed it to Gu Xixi personally.
Then he sat back down and pretended to listen attentively.
Although Gu Xixi was not thirsty yet, she didn't want to refuse Huo Jiang's kindness.
She held the bowl with both hands, took a sip, and continued, "There are no whole fields in the dependents' village, so the women still planted vegetables in those corners. This time you paid them wages, and they were as happy as if it was New Year's Day."
Huo Jiang pondered, "You mean, these family members also want to find some work to do?"
"Yeah," Gu Xixi nodded and said with a smile, "I heard that some of them wanted to make new clothes for their husbands, some wanted to use the money they earned to buy delicious food and eat with their children when their husbands come back, and some wanted to save money to send their children to school."
Huo Jiang thought thoughtfully, "It all sounds like good things."
He thought about the reason why he established the family villages. There was no hierarchy in the army, and he allowed the families of soldiers who had the conditions to come here to move in and live there, which was considered a welfare for the soldiers.
The deeper reason is that it is beneficial to stabilizing military morale.
At this time, Huo Jiang had already deduced a series of positive effects in his mind.
First of all, once the difficulties in the lives of the dependents are resolved, naturally more and more families will be willing to stay here for a long time, which is beneficial rather than harmful to the morale of the army.
Besides, the families have money to spend and work to do, and they are in a good mood. The atmosphere at the soldiers' homes is good, so naturally they have no worries.
Huo Jiang nodded repeatedly while thinking, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Boss Gu, leave me alone and continue talking!"
Gu Xixi said, "The military families helped a lot in digging the epilepsy grass this time."
"They learn quickly, are willing to work hard, and are quick and agile. Isn't it a waste if you just let them stay at home to do laundry, cooking, and take care of the children?"
Huo Jiang had completely thrown away his prejudices, and immediately understood the meaning of the music. He asked with a smile, "Boss Gu, tell me, what is considered not wasting money?"
Gu Xixi said, "First, my Pinellia trees are planted here, and it's not a good idea to keep running back and forth, so I want to give the orchard to the military families to plant."
"Secondly, the army has reclaimed dozens of acres of oat fields close to the village. Can we give each family in the dependents' village some land? It doesn't need to be too much, one acre per family will be enough to supplement their household expenses."
Huo Jiang laughed out loud, "Boss Gu is really brave enough to say that."
"It was the first time someone asked me to spit out some of what I had eaten."
Gu Xixi was not afraid at all. "Anyway, you have given me a lot of subsidies over the years, so just think of it as an advance subsidy for me to support my family. You don't have to plant the land or harvest the oats yourself, it's a good deal."
Huo Jiang was so amused that he pounded his legs and laughed.
Gu Xixi raised her eyes and looked towards the inner room of the tent behind him, her eyes deep.
When Huo Jiang looked over again, Gu Xixi had already looked away and was drinking water as if nothing had happened.
Huo Jiang waved his hand and said, "The oat field issue is easy to handle. We have plenty of fields now! But..."
He showed a playful expression, "Boss Gu never works for nothing, so why don't you first explain clearly how to use the Pinellia fruit tree?"
When Gu Xixi arrived, she had already made up her mind. "The method is the same as what I did in Huachidu Village. Those who are willing to claim the fruit trees must sign a contract with me. I will not take a penny in the early stage. It is considered as lending the fruit trees. After the Pinellia fruit is harvested, I will collect the money every year according to the proportion agreed in the contract."
"After the tree has successfully produced fruit, after five years, it will belong to the owner, starting from the first year of successful fruit production."
Huo Jiang nodded and said, "I only heard from Xiao Meng that you plant fruit trees like deploying troops."
"Now that I've heard the details, I know what he said is true."
He smiled and praised, "This arrangement is indeed very thoughtful. It helps others without being a loss to yourself."
Gu Xixi bowed slightly and said politely, "General, you are too kind."
Huo Jiang finally thought about it for a while and made the decision, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Boss Gu, to help me. You can go back and talk to the women in the village. As long as they are willing, you can decide on this matter."
Gu Xixi achieved her goal and said happily, "With your words, I dare to go back and tell everyone."
After finishing the business, she immediately stood up and said goodbye.
Huo Jiang still had military duties to attend to, so he did not want to keep the guest and told the sentry outside the door to see him out.
When Gu Xixi reached the door, she suddenly stopped, turned around and said with a smile, "I'm not a hungry tiger in the mountains, why should I hide?"
Huo Jiang's expression tensed and he felt a little embarrassed.
"Who are you talking about, Boss Gu?"
Gu Xixi smiled and said to Huo Jiang, "General, please tell that person that if he has been using the medicine for a long time, it is best to find a way to wash it off, otherwise he will be easily discovered when he hides."
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