Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 149 Encountering Japanese Pirates Again (2)

Yang Hexin scratched his head. Song Yan was only a sixteen-year-old boy. Even if he was somewhat intelligent, could he really have so many complicated thoughts in his mind? He felt that his older brothers were just overthinking things. Song Yan might simply be taking things one step at a time and trying to get through this crisis for the disaster victims first.

As soon as he said this, six pairs of eyes immediately fell on him. Under his brother's gaze, Yang Hexin felt an immense pressure and couldn't help but shrink back.

"Thirteenth Brother, do you really think that the person who managed to cause the Yang family to suffer two defeats in a row is just a brainless brute? At most, a little bit of cleverness?" Yang Hexing couldn't help but say.

Yang Hexin scratched his head again. Now that he said this, he also felt that his guess was a bit far-fetched. Don't underestimate Song Yan just because he is young. Maybe he is a born bad seed?

"Never mind what I said," Yang Hexin muttered. "So what are we going to do next?"

"Let's soften our stance a bit and see if we can cover up the current situation," Yang Hexing said with a sigh. "Right now, Ningping is definitely short of food because of the large number of disaster victims gathered there."

"In the name of the Yang family, donate 100,000 shi of millet."

"It would also be good to salvage the reputation and public support lost due to the Japanese pirates."

The elderly men nodded.

One hundred thousand shi of millet may sound like a lot, but for the Yang family, it was just a drop in the ocean.

Things that can be solved with money are never really troublesome.

"For the next period of time, you guys will have to work hard to restrain the members of the family and not allow any more rule-breaking actions like this, unless you are absolutely certain of victory."

"For the Yang family, the most important thing has always been the long-term plan. Generations of ancestors have adhered to it for so many years, so we must not let any problems arise at this critical moment."

Their plan was perfect, like spring rain that, though small and slow, silently moistens the land.

By the time those people finally realized something was wrong, it was too late.

The worst thing to do with such a plan is to be greedy for quick results and act rashly.

Two consecutive defeats, if they can teach the older and younger generations of the Yang family a lesson, will not be a complete loss.

"Furthermore, if there are locust plagues, droughts, or floods in other places, go and provide disaster relief. Instead of letting that grain mold in the warehouse, why not distribute it and give the Yang family a better reputation?"

……

In Ningping County, disaster victims are still arriving one after another.

Upon arriving in Ningping County, the first thing the elderly tell the disaster victims is how terrible the butcher is, and that they should not cause trouble here. If they behave themselves, they will be given cornbread and porridge to drink. In recent days, some troublemakers have had their heads chopped off and thrown into the cemetery.

Right at the two city gates, there was a row of simple wooden houses, and bamboo houses had also been built. The roofs were made of leaves and thatch, and the walls let in drafts. But no matter what, at least there was a place to live, so that they wouldn't have to be exposed to the wind and sun every day.

A little further away, dry toilets were also dug out.

This is a mandatory rule that all disaster victims must relieve themselves in the toilet. Song Yan did not want the disaster victim camp to be plagued by people urinating and defecating anywhere.

This rule was somewhat unfamiliar to the disaster victims who were used to finding a corner or tree stump to relieve themselves. However, after punishing some people, the remaining disaster victims accepted it.

As for sick disaster victims, they will be isolated and treated by doctors from Ningping County.

The food problem was finally alleviated as the Fang and Cui families' carriages entered Ningping one after another. At least they could eat an extra cornbread and drink an extra bowl of thin porridge every day without much trouble.

What Song Yan didn't expect was that the Yang family not only didn't use her massacre of disaster victims to attack her, but instead donated 100,000 shi of millet... Song Yan even remembered what the person in charge said, something about being moved by the Princess's benevolence and compassion for the world, and that the Yang family was also willing to do their part for the disaster victims.

I'd never believe you.

Song Yan's first reaction was, "Could the Yang family have poisoned this batch of grain?" However, after a careful inspection, he found that although the millet was last year's grain, it was absolutely clean. Could it be that the Yang family had really lost their minds? One hundred thousand shi of millet! One shi equals more than fifty kilograms, which adds up to more than five million kilograms of millet.

More than 50,000 disaster victims, on average each person could receive 100 jin (50 kg).

As expected of the Yang family, a powerful and corrupt household.

Song Yan felt a little embarrassed to ambush the Yang family's experts again, since he had accepted their gifts.

However, there was a problem with Bu Yu. Since the pretty widow left, he hadn't been able to contact her, and Song Yan didn't know where she was. After a moment of worry, Song Yan stopped thinking about it. After all, what did the people Bu Yu killed have to do with him?
……

Time passed day by day, and before we knew it, it was October.

The weather is getting cooler.

During this period, there were no abnormal weather events; even when the sky was occasionally overcast, it only looked scary.

The floodwaters of the Yi and Luo Rivers gradually receded, and the disaster was basically over. The remaining issue was how to resettle these disaster victims. There were basically two options: first, return to their original hometowns; second, settle down in Ningping County.

Those returning to their ancestral homes were mostly elderly people. People in this era still valued returning to their roots, especially the elderly, who always felt that even in death they wanted to die in the place where they were born and raised. For these people, Luo Yuheng gave each of them one hundred copper coins, plus enough rice for ten days.

According to the laws of Ningguo, those who become refugees due to natural disasters are required to be provided with oxen, seeds, and rations until the autumn harvest by the local government upon their return to their place of origin.

The law is good, but Song Yan is not optimistic about the fate of these people. After all, the officialdom of Ningguo has been corrupt for a long time. Seeds, oxen and food rations may not end up in their pockets. They will most likely become beggars.

However, this was their own choice, and Song Yan wouldn't force them to change anything. After all, it was a very thankless task... You might not even be appreciated, and you might even be blamed for meddling.

Many more people were willing to settle in Ningping County. Most of them were soldiers who had joined the army or people who had jobs in ironware workshops or sugar workshops. If they returned to their hometowns, they would lose the opportunity to continue working. Such jobs, which paid four or five hundred coins a month, were not easy to find.

The entire Ningping was Luo Yuheng's fiefdom. Due to the previous raids by Japanese pirates, many villages were empty, so resettling these people was not a difficult task.

Another thing happened during this time: two months ago, after Zhang Yan sent out that letter late one night, she seemed to have caught a cold. Although Song Yan tried her best to treat her, she was ultimately unable to save her life.

Luo Yuheng was very sad and even shed a few tears.

The midday sun shone on his face, warm and pleasant, a far cry from the morning chill. A faint smile graced Song Yan's face as he walked along Wenlin Street. He had just returned from the estate and was quite satisfied with the situation there.

Although Song Yan held the title of guerrilla general, it could not be made public.

Therefore, all the soldiers recruited this time were officially designated as Japanese pirate guards.

Total quantity: 7,000.

In reality, if recruitment were open, simply shouting "Food is provided!" among the disaster victims at the beginning would likely have raised at least 20,000 to 30,000. However, soldiers without combat capabilities would be useless on the battlefield except as cannon fodder.

Of these 7,000 men, 500 were veterans who had originally fought against the Japanese pirates.

There were several hundred border troops brought by Lei Yi.

There were bandits brought by Ma Han.

There were refugees led by the dynasty.

In addition, a large number of civilians from Ningping, Songzhou Prefecture, and other counties came to join the army.

The food was plentiful every day, but the training was also quite tough. At first, almost every recruit scoffed at the training facilities and training plans that Song Yan had built, but after three days at most, they were crying and complaining.

Initially, some people were unconvinced, saying that the training program was too harsh and no one could stick to it. But after Song Yan appeared on the training ground and trained with the soldiers for half a month, all the doubts disappeared completely. Song Yan could feel that the soldiers looked at him with a touch more respect now.

In a month or two, these soldiers might not have undergone a complete transformation, but they had changed dramatically. They were stronger, their skin was darker, and their eyes had lost their youthful naiveté, becoming resolute and fierce. Of course, without the tempering of blood and fire, they could not yet be considered elite troops, but at least they had the beginnings of an elite force.

Among these 7,000 people, Song Yan also specially appointed several ideological instructors.

The work of these so-called ideological instructors is somewhat similar to that of the Party Committee.

Every evening after training, it was time for the ideological instructors to give lectures. This was just as important as the training itself, and trainees who performed exceptionally well in these lectures could even receive priority for promotion. The content of the lectures mostly focused on ensuring the soldiers remembered who paid their salaries and who provided their rations!
It's the Eldest Princess, it's Song Yan!

I guess you could call it brainwashing.

As for Emperor Ninghe... he has never shown his face, so why mention him?

Near the training ground are blast furnaces, and now three blast furnaces are smelting iron simultaneously. The first batch of armor has already rolled off the production line. Song Yan has seen the finished product, and although it is still somewhat different from his requirements, it is by no means comparable to the current military equipment of Ningguo.

The blast furnace could not have been completed without the help of those craftsmen, and in his delight, he rewarded each of them with ten taels of silver.

The sugar workshop is now on track, and the formula for the adsorbent is firmly in the hands of Song Yan and Luo Yuheng. Even if someone tries to uncover the secret, it will be of no use without the adsorbent.

Initial production was not very high, with only a few thousand catties produced throughout September, averaging about two hundred catties per day. However, based on Luo Yuheng's price of three hundred coins per tael, that was still a net profit of tens of thousands of silver coins.

Sweet as honey and white as snow, it was highly sought after among the nobility and had no trouble selling. The orders from the Fang and Cui families were even booked until next year.

"Your Excellency Song Yan..." A voice with a strange tone broke Song Yan's thoughts. Song Yan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes returned to normal. Looking over, he saw that a man who was about 1.5 meters tall had blocked his way.

He was dressed in Ningren's clothing, but somehow it had a comical feel to it, like a monkey wearing a crown.

The strange way he spoke, his incongruous attire, and the bowlegs and wooden clogs made Song Yan roughly realize who this person was.

This is a Japanese pirate.

(End of this chapter)