Xie Ming

Xiao Lang read aloud two matters concerning the army's provisions and pay, and his words were earnest.

Seeking an opportunity, Qiu Zhizhong quickly consulted with him and came up with a plan.

Unfortunately, the question was rambling and left Xiao unable to respond immediately.

In a moment of clarity, Zhizhong hastily wrote the following.

"Ah, that's right."

"Of course, this is not a new rule. There are many precedents, and it's just something we're following."

"What I mean is that I want to designate a whole area of ​​state-owned land along the Nanjing-Zhenjiang line south of the Yangtze River for you to cultivate." (This is a supplement to his plan.)

Upon hearing this, Xiao took a deep breath, deep in thought.

After a brief pause, he quickly joined in the conversation.

"Oh? You mean..."

"Shall we imitate the early Ming dynasty style and set up some kind of military garrison or outpost?"

Xiao Jingchuan understood and made his point clear.

Upon hearing this, Zhi Zhong nodded in affirmation and continued speaking earnestly without pausing.

"Hey, actually, it's not about whether it's clear or unclear."

“Even earlier, the Cao Wei’s military colonies and the Tang Dynasty’s militia system were similar.” This is an analogy.

"The main reasons for promoting this are basically the same across industries."

"It was only to solve the problem of military rations and pay that we had no choice but to do this."

“Currently, the southern regions are poorly governed. Those in distant areas do not obey orders, while those closer to home are controlled by powerful clans. The people are impoverished, and the government offices at all levels are redundant and corrupt.”

"Even if we try to clean up the government and rectify the political climate in the short term, it will probably be of no use."

When faced with such a difficult and painful situation, one cannot help but let out a long sigh.

"Ugh"

"We are fighting to survive in this chaotic world and resist the Jurchen Qing army. With such a huge amount of military supplies and troop quotas, it is probably hopeless to rely solely on the current court for long-term support."

"Since that's the case, why not designate a plot of land and let the military do it themselves?"

With eyes sparkling like stars, Qiu Huai spoke with earnest and excited expression.

"If this method can be properly implemented, the problems of military food and pay will be solved without a doubt."

"This not only solves the problem of feeding the soldiers, but also helps to prevent soldiers from harassing the people."

"Specifically, at the local level, the concepts of Si, Wei, and Suo can still be restored."

"Each guard has 5,600 men and is under the jurisdiction of five thousand-household units."

"Each thousand-household unit still has 1,120 people and governs ten hundred-household units."

“Each hundred households shall have 112 people, under which there shall be two general banners (50 people each) and ten junior banners (10 people each).”

"As for the land distribution, each military household will receive fifty mu of land, along with oxen and seeds."

"As for taxes, the harvest yields twelve shi of grain to supply the rations of the military households."

"The remaining grain amounted to twelve shi, which was handed over to the garrison warehouse to be used as the officers' salaries and for reserve expenses."

"The ratio of troops allocated for border defense and land reclamation is up to you, whether it's 30/70 or 40/60. Just adjust it according to military needs."

“Military households themselves should be registered separately.”

"Father dies, son succeeds, generation after generation are soldiers."

"Exemption from corvée labor is not permitted, nor is escape."

"Of course, we can consider these minor rules and regulations once things get started."

"I was thinking, if we could do it this way, once these troops have established a firm foothold on the Yangtze River beach..."

"Then, I suppose by then, the Southern Territory will be truly secure."

In his eloquent and detailed report, Qiu Zhizhong's words all demonstrated the principles of justice and righteousness.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shen took it to heart.

However, upon closer reflection, he frowned.

Clearly, this method takes too long and cannot yield immediate benefits.

Xiao hesitated for a long time, pondering the matter, but couldn't help but add a few words of complaint in his heart.

"Yes, yes, this method is indeed feasible in the long run."

"Well, well, I'm afraid that distant water can't quench immediate thirst."

"Feiyu, look outside."

"It is now late autumn."

“Even if you approve the land and provide the grain and seeds, I’m afraid the seedlings won’t even sprout before the people have already starved to death.” Xiao Biao was certain, but speaking of the matter at hand, no matter how good the future prospects are, they can’t replace the food in the present.

There's nothing I can do; it's so distressing.
Suddenly, just as the two were sighing, Yao Zuyin, that old monk, started laughing madly again, adding fuel to the fire.

"Hahahaha." After laughing, he immediately continued to tease the person relentlessly.

"Hey, Xiao Chuan is clearly more pragmatic this time, huh? Hehe," Yao Xiang teased.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lang was speechless, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

Of course, this was all in vain; sometimes, going blind isn't such a bad thing after all.

"Master, what you're saying is just sarcastic."

Seeing that his attitude was not working, Xiao decided to stick to his guns and ask him for a solution.

"No, no, you should come up with a better idea."

“We’ll follow Feiyu’s method and send the work out to benefit the long term. No problem.”

"But it's only right in front of us."

"You have to come up with a solution, otherwise the war in the north will be bad, and all the political factions and cliques will have to give up and be finished together."

Turn the tables on him; since he has choked on his words, the wicked will be tormented by the wicked.

Ogawa wouldn't tolerate it, so he threw the words back at him directly, waiting for the old monk to offer new advice.

Upon hearing these words, Yao Zuyin could only shake his head with a wry smile.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"You little Chuan, why are you clinging to me again?"

"Okay, okay."

"well"

He paused briefly, then stroked his beard.

"Actually, the idea was already there." He suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh? How so?!" Qiu Zi chimed in from the other side, not letting up for a moment.

Attracting attention from all sides, the old monk, unable to conceal his smugness, readily revealed the truth.

"Hehe, don't forget, two days ago, Xiao Chuan entered the palace with armor, didn't he force Ma Shiying to his death?"

"Now, Qiu and Gao are both in prison, waiting to be executed."

PS:

Alas—a long sigh.

These past few days, the petty squabbles at the company have been really unbearable.

Ugh, this lousy class is so frustrating, I just can't be bothered to go anymore.

I'm exhausted, furious, and have to work overtime, so my updates have been quite infrequent lately. I apologize to everyone for that.

Right now, I'm at the company earning a pittance, having spent two days writing this chapter on and off before finally managing to get it up here.

Since I've gotten to this point, I'd like to vent a little more to relieve my boredom.

You all, just take this as a bit of fun.

I couldn't help it anymore; I had nowhere else to say it.

What exactly happened?
To put it simply, one of the colleagues I worked with on the project was a complete idiot.

Limited abilities, and crucially, extremely low emotional intelligence.

The manager is a cunning old fox.

Because of the circumstances behind it, he wanted to harm others but was hesitant to do so, so he decided to use me as a pawn.

I was caught in the middle, with the spearhead pointed at my face; I couldn't advance or retreat.

I had the intention to give this big fool a hard time, hoping to make him repent, and I was somewhat shrewd, but this person is truly not someone you can reason with.

To escape, he sided with the manager, willingly becoming a mouthpiece, which offended others in the process.

Behind my back, they'll tattle and try to absolve themselves of all responsibility. But the cunning old fox will pretend to be oblivious, muddy the waters, and implicate me.

Moreover, talking behind someone's back is not the behavior of a gentleman. The books I read do not support such despicable behavior, nor do I deign to collude with such cunning and treacherous people, to be their lackeys.

They knew the old schemer was setting a trap, they could see through it, but they were powerless to do anything about it.

He's truly a mediocre person.
When I first started working in technology, it was because I didn't want to deal with too many people.

But who can escape it? Everywhere is a battlefield.

Making money while maintaining dignity and not being controlled by others is difficult, really difficult. (End of Chapter)