Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 316 My Name is Wang Tiezhu 3
One day, the brothers on the ship were making a ruckus on the deck. I ignored them and even mocked them for being naive.

Suddenly, a bugle call sounded from the flagship, and the fleet began to assemble. I also went up to the deck to await orders. Because I was far away, I couldn't hear what was being said from the flagship at all.

However, I will always remember this day, because on this day, I saw a real dragon for the first time!

The resounding roar of the dragon did not awaken me; I remained staring blankly at the ferocious dragon soaring in the sky and then diving into the sea.

I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things.

But then, after another resounding dragon roar, I saw that majestic dragon body again. The shouts of my companions and the deafening dragon roar told me that the person I, Wang Tiezhu, had been following truly possessed a dragon—a true Son of Heaven!
After the true dragon once again hid in the sea, all the commanders of the ocean-going fleet were summoned to the flagship. I didn't go because my rank wasn't high enough.

However, the centurion who returned from the main ship brought us a shocking piece of news.

It turns out that the rumors circulating in the military camp about His Highness distributing land to everyone are true! His Highness even wrote a special edict, and the summons to the generals just now was to convey the news to the entire army.

When I heard that the entire Yunnan army would be allocated land, I was stunned. It turns out, there really are benefactors willing to give us lowly soldiers a plot of land!

Then, the centurion told us that anyone who beheaded an enemy on the battlefield would be rewarded with five acres of land for each enemy head! Ordinary people were excluded.

At this point, I couldn't hold back any longer and asked directly, "Does the enemy killed in the previous battles count?" The centurion told me personally that all enemy kills since landing in Annam were included!
At this moment, I didn't say anything more. Instead, I swallowed hard, lowered my head silently, looked at my nervous hands, and tremblingly counted on my fingers how much land I could exchange for my current military service.

After calculating it several times, I finally realized with disbelief that I was already eligible to exchange for 25 acres of land before I was promoted to squad leader!

I've only been in Annam for a few months, and I already have twenty-five mu of land? I slapped myself in disbelief, the sound so loud that the people around me started laughing. But I didn't care about them at all, because I knew I had twenty-five mu of land!

Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! From now on, I, Wang Tiezhu, will be His Highness's sharpest blade! No one can stop my determination to serve His Highness! No one!

In the days that followed, I fought desperately to kill the enemy in every battle, but I was always unharmed. I always felt that I was being protected, that His Highness the Crown Prince was protecting me!
But during the final battle, I knew it was the last fight. In my haste, I charged too fast and fell into the enemy's encirclement. Although my teammates eventually rescued me, I lost an arm!
I know I'm finished. I'll never again ride a horse and fight for wealth and status, and I can no longer serve His Highness the Crown Prince.

But I don't regret it, because I beheaded a total of twenty-one people! I had someone calculate it for me. Before I was promoted to sergeant, I received twenty-five mu of land for my military merits. After I was promoted, I received an additional five mu of sergeant's benefits, which made a total of thirty mu of land! The nineteen people I beheaded afterward were worth a total of ninety-five mu! All added together, that's a total of one hundred and twenty-five mu of land!

One hundred and twenty-five acres! An astronomical figure I never imagined! I know that as long as His Highness the Crown Prince keeps his promise, I will become a landowner! A huge landowner!

Because of our disabilities, we, the remaining soldiers, gathered in several nearby barracks. No one spoke, but the burning gazes between us were unmistakable. Amidst my anxious anticipation, our entire barracks of remaining soldiers were called away by our comrades in the army.

When we went outside and arrived at the training ground, we saw that the group gathered there were all brothers who were wounded and unable to go to the battlefield. The brothers with intact limbs were all looking at us, because none of us knew what we were going to do.

But I saw on the central platform of the drill ground General Hu, General Qian, General Jiang, and some other officers I didn't recognize. No one spoke; they simply waited quietly for the generals to give their instructions.

"His Highness is merciful; wounded and disabled soldiers will be given priority in land allocation!" General Hu Tian, ​​leading the group from the high platform, uttered these words, which reached my ears. For a moment, it felt like hearing heavenly music! At the same time, I saw countless people around us casting envious glances our way.

"Not only that, in order to treat wounded soldiers well, His Highness the Crown Prince has specially permitted all wounded soldiers to be allocated their land to a place and to take up residence in a village as village chiefs, so as to continue to serve His Highness the Crown Prince!" Just after General Hu Tian finished speaking, an unfamiliar civil official came out and said something even more provocative to everyone.

For a moment, I was stunned. Not only was land allocated, but I could also become the village chief, the head of the entire village! We, the remnants of the army, could still continue to serve His Highness!?

"Whoosh~~~~~" A commotion erupted all around. Even I felt dizzy from the shocking news. Could it be that I, missing an arm, could still become the village chief who manages an entire village?!
"Quiet, you haven't finished yet."

Although you are remnants of the army, now that you have been assigned to the village, you are basically the landlords or village chiefs of the village. If you have family members, you can invite them to come and live with us.

"If you don't have a wife or family, the Prince's Mansion will allow you to marry in your own villages. But you can't steal!" Just as I was vaguely accepting the news that I could become the village chief, General Qian Zhongcai on the high platform stepped forward again and said something that made me incredibly surprised and excited, and also thrilled everyone.

His Highness even took it upon himself to arrange marriages for us disabled soldiers in various villages?! Suddenly, the allure of marriage began to assault my mind once again.

"Long live the Crown Prince!" Suddenly, one of the wounded soldiers shouted loudly, causing a commotion.

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!" The shouts echoed through the sky! Of course, I was among them, raising my only remaining arm, my face flushed, as I roared loudly, expressing my gratitude to His Highness the Crown Prince.

Soon, filled with excitement, I took my light armor, a long sword, a spear, and some money and clothes, and along with some unfamiliar officials and several brothers who were also disabled, and after a day's journey, I was taken to a village.

Before we arrived at the village, one of the officials traveling with us had already introduced it to us. The village is small, with only about a hundred households, all making a living by farming. There's a small river and a small hill in the village, and it's not far from the county seat. The village has less than a thousand mu of land in total, and I personally own 125 mu of it!
Several county officials and guards brought me to the village and gathered all the villagers together. They then addressed the villagers in a language I couldn't understand. Later, I learned that the official who spoke a foreign language was an interpreter. He told all the villagers that I, Wang Tiezhu, would henceforth be the village chief, an official appointed by the government! I am not to be trifled with!

Furthermore, the foreign interpreter told the villagers that he was a bachelor and that any family with a daughter could marry him. He claimed to own a hundred acres of land, have money, be skilled in martial arts, and even be able to speak with the town officials. Although I didn't understand what he was saying, I saw several villagers' eyes light up.

Finally, the accompanying interpreter told me something that completely surprised me: if I did something wrong in the village, the villagers could file a complaint. However, all government offices would only accept people who could speak Chinese; those who couldn't speak Chinese would not be dealt with!
(End of this chapter)