Chapter 558 - 560: Retired Sergeants

Chapter 558: Chapter 560: Retired Sergeants

Ancient Wen Heng patted Jin Qianqian’s head. "You just finished making your complaint, and now you’re already feeling sorry for him."

Jin Qianqian replied, "Of course. I hope My Lord will consider his youth and be lenient."

"So, since I stood up for you, shouldn’t I get a little reward?"

"My Lord, don’t forget, you are Lord Qingtian. How can you accept bribes?"

Ancient Wen Heng tilted her chin up. "I may see money as mere dirt, but I do have one true love in life. I hope my dear lady will indulge me..."

Jin Qianqian was speechless.

As for whether Lord Qingtian accepted a bribe, I’ll leave that to your imagination!

&

The prisoners were naturally eager for a chance to get out and stretch their legs, not to mention enjoy a good meal, so they were more than willing.

Besides, they had been locked up for so long that doing a little work was a good way to stretch their limbs. It might even help them survive a bit longer. As a result, they actually worked harder than the common folk conscripted for labor.

"You certainly know how to make the best use of people," Zhou Shixiong couldn’t help but remark with praise.

Just then, Ancient Wen Heng’s eyes were fixed intently on him.

A bad feeling welled up inside Zhou Shixiong. Just as he was wondering if he should make a quick exit, Ancient Wen Heng’s expression shifted into a somewhat fawning smile.

"Brother Zhou, things in the barracks must be much more relaxed these days, right?"

"It’s much quieter than in previous years," Zhou Shixiong said, thinking to himself, ’How could it not be? The very people who used to come and cause trouble are now toiling away in the fields. The tables have truly turned!’

Ancient Wen Heng asked, "So what do the soldiers do on a typical day? Do they spend all their time drilling?"

Zhou Shixiong immediately grew wary. He knew Brother Gu better than most; he wouldn’t bring up this topic for no reason.

"Of course. We don’t maintain an army just for show."

Ancient Wen Heng’s smile became even more ingratiating. "Drilling in the barracks all day certainly improves a soldier’s combat effectiveness.

But once their service is up and they return home, that little bit of discharge pay they get probably isn’t even enough to set up a household, is it?"

Zhou Shixiong stroked his chin, eyeing him. "Alright, you. Stop beating around the bush. Just say what’s on your mind. The more you talk in circles, the more uneasy I get.

We’re brothers. You’re not going to set me up, are you?"

’Since I’m going to get roped into this kid’s scheme one way or another,’ Zhou Shixiong thought, ’I might as well just get it over with.’

Ancient Wen Heng smiled. "Brother Zhou, you know me best.

I’ve got so much on my plate right now, and I can’t get it all done anytime soon.

As you can see, right now I’m not short on anything... except people."

Zhou Shixiong immediately shook his head. "That’s simply impossible. The soldiers have their duties. They can’t just come here to help you build roads and till fields."

Ancient Wen Heng countered, "The army and the people have always been one family. You can’t deny that, Brother Zhou. Most of these soldiers come from common families. If we give them more opportunities like this now, won’t it benefit them when they eventually return to their farms?"

Zhou Shixiong considered this. "There’s some truth to what you’re saying, but when these soldiers return home, they’ll be going back to their own villages, where everything is already familiar to them."

"I won’t have them work for free. I’ll pay them wages."

"That’s even more unacceptable. The soldiers already receive monthly silver. How can they neglect their training to do farm work?"

Ancient Wen Heng then unleashed his persuasive tongue, endlessly lecturing on the many benefits of a close kinship between the army and the people. By the end of it, even Zhou Shixiong was starting to feel tempted.

But his reason won out, and he shook his head in refusal. "I am only a garrison commander. I can only lead the soldiers to march and fight; I cannot interfere in local affairs.

Besides, do you think the one above—the Monarch—would want a garrison commander to win the hearts of the people?"

’This damned monarchical system,’ Ancient Wen Heng cursed inwardly. ’If I really acted on my own ideas, I could actually bring disaster upon Zhou Shixiong.’

"It was my fault for not thinking it through, Brother Zhou. Just pretend I never brought it up." Ancient Wen Heng’s expression fell. ’Looks like from now on, I really have to factor *him* into my plans.’

This served as a wake-up call for him. He had to adapt and integrate into this world more quickly.

Zhou Shixiong couldn’t bear to see him so dejected. "Actually, it’s not that there’s no way. It’s just that you’ll have to wait, Brother Gu."

Ancient Wen Heng didn’t want to put him in a difficult position. "I wasn’t thinking straight earlier. I hope you can forgive me, Brother Zhou.

I won’t bring this up again."

Zhou Shixiong said, "You and your temper... At least let me finish."

"Brother Zhou, please go on," Ancient Wen Heng said.

"You can’t get any ideas about the active soldiers in the barracks, of course.

But come spring, some soldiers will be retiring and heading home. If you’re willing to foot the bill, you could hire them."

"Really?" The gears in Ancient Wen Heng’s mind were already turning. He knew that the main thing holding back his ambitious plans wasn’t a lack of funds, but a lack of manpower.

Although hiring these former soldiers might cost a bit more Silver, it was far better than having no one to work with.

If he planned carefully, it wouldn’t be impossible to squeeze out the necessary Silver.

"I wouldn’t have brought it up if it weren’t an option.

Once they’ve retired, they’re no longer my responsibility as Great General.

But there’s one thing you must remember. Even though you’re a parents official for this region, you can’t have a large force of men under your personal command for an extended period."

Zhou Shixiong knew that with Little Sister Gu’s knack for making money, they could afford to support that many men, but doing so would attract too much unwanted attention.

Brother Gu came from a humble background, so Zhou Shixiong worried that no one had warned him about these political taboos. He felt it was his duty to point it out.

Ancient Wen Heng understood immediately. "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhou," he said gratefully. "Even when I hire these former soldiers, their wages will be paid strictly from the government office’s public accounts. My wife and I will certainly not be personally involved."

Seeing that he understood, Zhou Shixiong patted his shoulder. "The people of Lu City are fortunate to have you, Brother Gu."

"You’re too kind, Brother Zhou," Ancient Wen Heng replied. "I’m just doing my part. Whether their lives improve or not ultimately depends on their own hard work."

Zhou Shixiong toured the area with Ancient Wen Heng. As he was preparing to leave, he didn’t forget to add a word of caution. "You’d better keep a close eye on these prisoners. Even though they’re all in shackles, I’m afraid they might start getting ideas if they’re here for too long."

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhou. Once we get through the next two days, prisoners from the other county governments will be arriving. I’ll have them work in rotation so they won’t have a chance to get familiar with the terrain and cause trouble."

He appreciated Zhou Shixiong’s kindness and shared his own plan. "I’ve been keeping an eye on who performs the best. I plan to grant them appropriate sentence reductions. For the death row inmates, I’ll offer other benefits. I believe they’ll know how to weigh their options."

"As long as you have a plan, Brother Gu," Zhou Shixiong said. "I still have matters to attend to at the barracks, so I won’t disturb you any longer."