The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 20: Indestructible
The next morning, Qi Yinghao rushed over to have breakfast with Wang Xin and his group.

Wang Xin didn't ask Qi Yinghao what he did yesterday.

"I heard that Brother Wang has already decided on a place." Qi Yinghao said happily for Wang Xin and the others.

"indeed."

Wang Xin also wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible. He had been out for three days. As time went by, there were more affairs to deal with in the camp. The people in Yangzhou must be getting anxious.

"That water bubble, just plowing the land and digging ditches to drain the water, I estimate it will take several months to fix it. Don't even think about getting a harvest in the first year. It will take at least the third year to get back to normal."

Knowing that Qi Yinghao was sincere in his help, Wang Xin spoke sincerely and did not deliberately find fault to lower the price. "It takes three years to open up the wasteland, which is not bad. The land is fertile, and the harvest will not be small after it is opened up."

Qi Yinghao admires him.

It was indeed General Wang, with an impressive demeanor and a casual demeanor. He then tried to win over the crowd, saying, "There are many wastelands on the island, so feel free to come, brothers from the Wang family."

The small flag officer laughed and said, "When we brothers settle down on the island in the future, we will be grateful to the Qi family for taking care of us. We may even bother Mr. Qi Er in some way."

"From now on, the Wang brothers and the Qi brothers will be neighbors. We should get closer to each other. We are all brothers, so it is natural for us to help each other. Why bother each other?"

Zhang Bo, who was beside Qi Yinghao, smiled.

Qi Yinghao took over, pointed at Zhang Bo, and introduced him to everyone, "This is Zhang Bo. I'm sure you all know him. To be honest, when I'm not on the island, everything on the island is under the responsibility of Brother Zhang Bo. When Brother Wang comes to open up the island, if you encounter any shortages or troubles, feel free to speak to me. If I'm not on the island, you can also speak to Brother Zhang Bo."

Qi Yinghao had already said this, and Wang Xin did have something he wanted to trouble him with.

Originally, he wanted to ask Lin Ruhai for help, but Lin Ruhai had done so many things for him recently, and each one was a big deal. Wang Xin felt a little embarrassed and tried to ask, "I'm a thick-skinned person. There is indeed something."

Qi Yinghao asked quickly, "Brother Wang, please feel free to speak up. As long as I can do it, I will never refuse a word."

"I want to finalize the land deeds for the brothers who are coming to the island."

Wang Xin just finished speaking.

The room fell silent.

Everyone stared at Wang Xin in amazement, even Zhang Bo and others were surprised.

"Did I say the wrong thing?"

Wang Xin laughed.

Qi Yinghao finally realized what he had heard and suspected he had misheard. He quickly asked, "Give each brother a copy, using their own names?"

Wang Xin nodded.

Qi Yinghao sighed after a while and said, "Reclaiming wasteland is a good thing for the government. It can also collect taxes, and the officials can also achieve political achievements. This is very easy, but there is one thing I don't understand."

"please say."

"Brother Wang divided the land directly, leaving nothing behind. As the saying goes, a little bit of kindness is rewarded with a big amount of grudge. With such a great favor, I'm afraid the people below won't be able to repay it. After a long time, they will even blame you, Brother Wang."

Qi Yinghao was worried that although Wang Xin was a good general, he did not understand human nature, so he reminded him.

The Wang Family Army was about to disband. As a general of the Wang Family Army, Wang Xin made a living for his brothers. This was a favor. Many people could understand and even admired his actions.

But Wang Xin used all his connections to finally get the land, but he wanted to divide it up.

It’s too late.

Others will also despise you.

The general practice is to nominally exempt the tax by putting one's own name on the list, or simply not to include it in the government's yellow book. In this way, the land is still cultivated by the people below, the harvest is also theirs, and they do not have to pay taxes to the government.

There are so many benefits.

The people below can reduce their burden and save a lot of money.

Land tax and corvee tax may seem insignificant, but year after year, for ordinary families, it is not a small amount of money over more than ten years.

There are deeper benefits.

Because the fields are not in the official yellow book, in other words, the Great Zhou Dynasty does not protect the people who farm these fields, so if you want to keep these fields, you have to support Wang Xin even more.

And the people below wish there was a sky above their heads.

Just like a noble family, the servants in the mansion are proud of it and look down on the common people outside.

Many ordinary people would also take the initiative to transfer their farmland to local gentry.

It can not only gain protection from being bullied by outsiders, but also save the trouble of the government and save a lot of money. This has been done for hundreds of years. Anyone who doesn't do this is a fool.

Qi Yinghao, the second son of the Qi family, believes that General Wang is too straightforward and that too much is as bad as too little, so he wants Wang Xin to understand this truth.

Wang Xin understood.

I thought it was something else.

"What favor have I done for you brothers that you should remember for the rest of your lives?"

Wang Xin smiled.

Hearing Wang Xin's laughter, Qi Yinghao was puzzled. Wang Xin didn't hide anything and told the truth, "I don't need to worry about the whereabouts of the officers of the Wang Family Army. It saves me a lot of energy. A hero has three helpers. They will go their separate ways and take many elite soldiers with them. I don't need to worry about them. The only ones I worry about are the elderly and the weak."

Tang Ping sat beside the wooden board, holding his head high with pride.

How can ordinary people understand their own general?

They used mediocre eyes and certainly did not understand how great their general was.

Qi Yinghao, Zhang Bo and others listened in silence. It was the first time they had met such a person. There were so many things they had not expected, so they listened attentively.

"So I want to get some land for them to farm, so that they won't have to worry about food and drink for the rest of their lives. In my heart, this is my way of repaying them."

"Because of them, the Wang Family Army was established, and then I became what I am today."

"How can it be a favor I owe them?"

"Even if they did something kind, why should they remember it for the rest of their lives?"

"Just because I've given them some land, does that mean I have to expect them to remember my kindness for generations to come?"

"The general's kindness will be repaid for generations to come."

Wang Xin told a joke that no one understood. Seeing that no one laughed, the atmosphere became silent. Then he spoke in a relaxed tone, trying to ease the atmosphere.

"I don't expect anything in return, because I think I'm repaying a favor. Even if I wanted to repay you, it would just be that one day when I pass by the island, my brothers would treat me to a drink, we could talk about our youthful memories, get drunk happily, and then say goodbye joyfully the next day. That would be enough."

It has always been top-down, when did it become bottom-up?

Even the Qi family.

It is because of the existence of the Qi family that the brothers have food to eat. A hero in the martial arts world must be loyal.

There was silence in the room.

Zhang Bo's eyes lit up.

did not expect.

That’s General Wang.

This is the General Wang that the common people know.

Having been in the underworld since childhood, Zhang Bo had seen all kinds of things. When he heard the story of General Wang passed down by the people, he did not take it seriously. He thought that some storyteller might have deliberately exaggerated the story for the sake of business.

Now, Zhang Bo has changed his mind.

General Wang sincerely arranged livelihoods for his brothers and did not expect anything in return.

Since there is no expectation of reward, General Wang will naturally not be disappointed.

This is probably General Wang’s confidence.

If you ask for nothing, you have nothing to fear.

Qi Yinghao thought he had overestimated General Wang, but now he realized that he had underestimated him and lowered his head in shame.

outside the house.

"Boss Deng, the second in command of the Qi family is refusing to leave. Why don't we also withdraw?"

One of the men offered an idea.

Boss Deng glared at his men, then turned around to look at his brothers' expressions. He felt bored and wondered who he was. He didn't dare to make any noise and retreated quietly.

"what happened?"

"Discovered?"

In the distance, the men hiding saw the boss coming back in disgrace and asked curiously.

Boss Deng walked back without saying a word.

Halfway through, someone else explained it again, and everyone felt mixed emotions.

Finally, they all returned to the boat.

"After all, this is the Qi family's territory, and our goods are still on the island. If we anger the Qi family, it will delay our own business. This time, let's spare that guy surnamed Wang." Boss Deng ran out and said.

The men on the deck looked at each other in confusion.

"correct."

"That's the Wang family army. Three of them can be exchanged for 2,000 Japanese pirates. Even without the Qi brothers, they have four or five people. Only one of them can be exchanged for all of us. Who can hurt General Wang?"

"General Wang's body is indestructible and invulnerable to swords and spears."

Everyone was talking at once.

In high spirits.

(End of this chapter)