Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 325 Training (Part 1)

Having spent a long time in the military camp, he was used to Pei Qinghe's cold and stern demeanor when training troops. At this moment, Shi Yan's face was solemn and his eyes were sharp, showing a bit of General Pei's temperament and style.

Shi Li was also taken aback and reflexively responded.

Then, he quietly returned all the generous gifts he had received.

Shi Yan stayed at the Shi family's Wubao for more than half a month, finalizing more than thirty large-scale transactions. He also had the Shi family prepare a large quantity of grain seeds.

After spring plowing began, all the grain shops owned by the Shi family in Youzhou put up signs saying "Borrowing Grain Seeds".

Ordinary people with surplus grain or meager wealth could exchange old grain for seeds or buy seeds with silver. Those who were destitute could borrow seeds on credit from the Shi family grain shop. They could repay the loan after the autumn harvest, adding 10% to the interest. Compared to the heartless landlords and wealthy landowners who demanded interest that compounded several times over, the Shi family grain shop's 10% interest was incredibly low.

In fact, this was a losing proposition from the start. The grain seeds were lent out for half a year at a time, and at most, only 70-80% could be repaid. There were always some people who couldn't repay. These bad debts, when accumulated, amounted to a considerable expense.

However, from a political perspective, it's a sure-fire and extremely worthwhile endeavor. Providing appropriate relief to the poorest people allows them to cultivate the land normally during the spring planting season. With the people settled, the number of displaced people will decrease significantly. Without displaced people, there will be no bandits, and the counties will be at peace. The number of military campaigns to suppress bandits will also decrease considerably, reducing unnecessary sacrifices and expenditures, and allowing more time and energy to be devoted to training troops.

Furthermore, the people who grow grain are required to pay 30% of their harvest as land tax. The more people cultivate the land, the more land tax is collected, which can support a larger army.

General Pei's prestige among the people was almost like that of a Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering.

The people's hearts are as still as water, and everyone's hearts are with General Pei. Other armies want to recruit soldiers and have to forcibly conscript able-bodied men. When the Pei family army issues a recruitment notice, people flock to sign up.

Spring plowing has also begun outside Liaoxi City.

Pei Qinghe has always attached great importance to spring plowing. In previous years, she would go to the fields every day at this time. This year, while busy recruiting and training soldiers in Liaoxi City, she did not neglect spring plowing.

The prefectural governor's office in Liaoxi Commandery had long been emptied by General Li. Now, military and political power in Liaoxi City were in Pei Qinghe's hands. She led Li Chi, Lü Erlang, and others out of the city to inspect the fields.

At first, the people were terrified, but later they discovered that the general never let his horse trample the fertile fields, nor did he ever oppress the people. He would often go to the fields to watch them work, and gradually they became less afraid.

Some of the bolder ones even dared to chat with the general.

Why are these fields empty?

"General, you may not know this, but that scoundrel Li used to send men to rob our grain. Many people fled Liaoxi and went to Yan County. I'm too old to run anymore, otherwise I would have run away long ago. Fortunately, you came, General. My old bones are still alive and I can still work in the fields. This is all thanks to your kindness."

The gray-haired, thin, dark-skinned farmer praised General Pei incessantly. When he mentioned General Li, who had been dead for several months, his face was full of indignation, and he gritted his teeth, calling him "Li the traitor" repeatedly.

Even with his thick skin, Li Chi felt his face burning.

Lu Erlang was actually quite guilty.

After all, the Fanyang army wasn't exactly a saint either. Robbing grain and silver and oppressing the people were commonplace occurrences.

Pei Qinghe ignored the embarrassed Li Chi and Lü Erlang, and smiled as she said to the farmers, "You can focus on your farming. If there are any bad people, just go to the military camp to complain. With me, Pei Qinghe, here, no one can bully you."

The old farmer grinned and readily agreed.

After Pei Qinghe and his entourage left, the farmers working in the fields gathered around the bold old farmer, surrounding him: "Old Tian, ​​where did you get the audacity to speak to the general!" The old farmer proudly straightened his thin chest: "I, Old Tian, ​​am over sixty years old, I've lived long enough. I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Besides, since the general arrived, the Liaoxi Army has changed its military flag. Anyone who sneaks out of the camp, regardless of whether they have done anything wrong, has been executed by the general as a deserter. The general never steals our food, and even distributed food to us when we were suffering from famine."

"We didn't have any seeds for spring planting, so the general gave us seeds."

"The general is like the clear sky above us. If I could talk to the general, I, Old Tian, ​​would close my eyes immediately and it would be worth it."

The surrounding people looked on with eager expressions: "Old Tian is right. With the general here, we will have good days ahead."

"We've been oppressed by that scoundrel Li for so many years, and now we've finally got our general."

"It's a pity that so many fields here are uncultivated. Even if we have the strength, we don't have enough seeds. If we could plant them all, and then send the harvest to the general as military rations, wouldn't that be wonderful!"

The people were still sighing the day before, but the next day they were surprised to find many soldiers in the fields.

These soldiers, tall and strong, with hands accustomed to wielding long swords, actually looked quite adept at handling iron plows.

Old Tian, ​​being bold, was the first to approach: "Are these soldiers here to plow the fields?"

The leading soldier grinned and said, "That's right. The general was heartbroken to see so many fertile fields outside the city that hadn't been cultivated. After returning to the camp yesterday, he selected five battalions and ordered us to cultivate all the vacant fields."

One battalion has a hundred men, so five battalions would have five hundred men. Five hundred tall, strong and powerful soldiers spread out in all directions, and the idle fields outside the city that had not yet been completely abandoned were plowed open with iron plows and sown with grain seeds.

Li Chi and Lü Erlang were both banished to the city to farm.

Farming is hard work. They toil all day with their heads bowed and backs bent. After a long day, their backs ached, their eyes were blurry. For several days in a row, the once proud and upright soldiers were all exhausted and dizzy.

Pei Qinghe smiled calmly and asked, "How have you been these past few days?"

Lu Erlang, being younger and less shrewd, spoke the truth: "It's so tiring! I only now realize how hard farming is. The people work so hard just to harvest a little grain. We used to steal grain from everywhere; that was utterly despicable!"

"I, Lü Sheng, understand the general's good intentions. From now on, I will never dare to bully the people or steal their grain again!"

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly: "You've put a lot of thought into this."

Then he looked at Li Chi.

Li Chi said solemnly, “There are too many people who have abandoned their homes and fled outside Liaoxi City. After a few years of abandonment, the land has become wasteland. With no one to cultivate the land, the harvest will be less in the autumn, and the land tax will not be enough to supply the army’s needs. We can only conscript fewer soldiers.”

"If our military strength is weakened, the barbarians from the grasslands will frequently come to harass us."

"To break this vicious cycle, the first thing we need to do is to make the soldiers turn over a new leaf and become good soldiers who cherish the people."

(End of this chapter)