White-robed Minister

The next day, everything was the same as before.

Apart from a dozen or so new recruits arriving, the entire camp remained largely unchanged.

Bored, Xu Lai continued to hang out with the able-bodied men. While building relationships, he also inquired about local customs, geography, and geography.

He actually dislikes interacting with people and prefers to close the door and read books alone.

But there's no other way now, it's a matter of life and death, so we have to make some preparations in advance.

While chatting with the able-bodied men, Xu Lai also continued his conversation with Yu Tiesi, inquiring about the names of the county magistrate and registrar. He also asked how the responsibilities of civil and military officials at all levels would be determined if a place were looted.

Yu Shanyuan rarely encountered someone he could chat with, so he treated him like a younger brother and gave him a detailed introduction to the various situations in the county.

In the afternoon, Xu Lai took the list of conscripts to Yu Shanyuan and said, "Officer, the camp is in a mess and there's no order. Why don't we organize them into groups first?"

Yu Shanyuan shook his head: "I don't have that authority. We need to wait for the generals to arrive before we can discuss it."

"It's just a temporary grouping, for the convenience of camp management," Xu said.

Yu Shanyuan thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead and make it up."

Xu Lai then said, "I don't know about the local military system."

Yu Shanyuan picked up his pen and wrote down the basic organizational structure of the patrol soldiers.

After carefully reviewing the documents, Xu Lai did not immediately organize them into groups, but continued chatting with the able-bodied men.

Another day has passed.

Yu Shanyuan slept until mid-morning, then rubbed his sleepy eyes as he went to prepare special meals. He found that the half-starved and half-full able-bodied men were actually lined up obediently to accept reorganization.

"How did you manage to get them to obey?" Yu Shanyuan asked in great surprise.

Xu Lai said, "We reasoned with them and appealed to their emotions. They actually wanted to stick together to avoid being bullied. We organized the neighbors into a team and selected respected people as captains. They were all very happy."

That being said, there is a prerequisite: gaining the trust of the able-bodied men.

Two days ago, it would have been very difficult for Xu Lai to get things done.

After two days of continuous interaction, Xu Lai had already become one of the able-bodied men. He was good at communicating, literate, and could take a joke, so the men readily accepted his group assignment.

Yu Shanyuan looked at Xu Lai thoughtfully, then laughed and said, "All your efforts are in vain. Once the generals arrive, all your hard work will be for naught."

"We have to do something," Xu said.

Yu Shanyuan said with a sigh, "Back then, I gave up the imperial examinations and, through a classmate's connection, became a clerk in the patrol office. At first, I had the same idea; I always felt I should do something. But the more I did, the more mistakes I made, and the more colleagues I offended. This world... sigh!"

There were some things that Yu Shanyuan did not say explicitly.

Xu Lai is in trouble!

But Yu Shanyuan did not stop him; he was already disheartened and not afraid of offending anyone.

After finishing this task, he will resign and go home for the New Year, find a job in his hometown, and pick up his books again to continue taking the imperial examinations.

Xu Lai handed Yu Shanyuan a list: "There should be 300 able-bodied men, but 283 actually showed up. I've organized them into twenty-eight teams, and there are still three left. These three are all clever and sensible, and I'll keep them as guards for the clerks."

"Yabing" refers to a soldier in charge of supplies or services.

Upon hearing this, Yu Shanyuan laughed heartily: "I, a mere clerk, actually have soldiers at my beck and call. If you were to work in the yamen, you would surely thrive."

Xu Lai chimed in, "The clerk is the official in charge here, so naturally we should flatter him."

The superior officer is the top leader.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, a decree was issued requiring standardized titles in the office. For example, officials under the jurisdiction of a county magistrate or county head must address them as "chief official" and cannot use indiscriminate titles such as "minister," "town magistrate," or "county lord."

Yu Shanyuan accepted the flattery with a smile and let Xu Lai run wild on the sandbar.

Xu Lai, wielding his authority like a chicken feather, summoned twenty-eight team leaders and said to them, "In our Qingxi Village, only animals defecate and urinate everywhere. We poor folks, though forced into labor, can't live like animals. In my opinion, we should choose a special place where we defecate and urinate."

Upon hearing this, the team leaders all burst into laughter.

Qingxi Village had ten able-bodied men, enough to form a small team. Xu Lai didn't appoint himself as the team leader, but instead let Uncle Zhang do it.

Uncle Zhang naturally had to cooperate with him: "Once animals are raised properly, they all know where to poop. In my team, if anyone dares to poop anywhere else, I'll crush their balls."

Another team leader asked, "If all that excrement is deposited in one place, how should it be divided when we return to our hometown?"

Xu Lai said, "I will only designate one area, and each team will go and claim its own territory. The excrement produced will be distributed among the teams themselves. If any team makes a mistake, they have to accept their bad luck and cannot argue or fight anymore."

The team leaders all agreed.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Lai adjusted the shack.

Living together as a team makes it easier to assemble quickly and facilitates communication.

Areas for drying clothes have also been allocated.

The entire sandbar was mostly chaotic, but it had taken on a slightly military camp-like appearance.

Yu Shanyuan had been observing silently, and he found Xu Lai increasingly interesting.

……

The relaxed and pleasant atmosphere was quickly broken.

The generals have arrived!

The leader was Huang Bao, the deputy inspector of the Qingyuan County Patrol and Inspection Office.

Huang Bao landed on the sandbar with a dark expression and immediately summoned Yu Shanyuan: "Has Commander Ma been here?"

After exchanging greetings, Yu Shanyuan replied, "Commander Ma arrived three days ago. I led my soldiers to greet him. During our audience and inquiries, I only had time to say one sentence before Commander Ma turned and left."

"What did you say?" Huang Bao asked.

Yu Shanyuan replied: "Commander Ma asked: Where are the officers of this camp? I replied: The able-bodied men have not yet all arrived, but the officers will arrive tomorrow."

Huang Bao roared, "You son of a bitch! Can't you just say I was leading troops on a patrol of the countryside?"

Patrolling the countryside my ass!

Setting up a new temporary patrol post requires a military officer of deputy patrol officer rank or above to be stationed there. Why would he go patrolling a village at a time like this? That Commander Ma isn't stupid.

Yu Shanyuan bowed his head and admitted his mistake.

At times like this, there's no point in arguing; the more he says, the worse he'll be scolded.

After venting his frustrations, Huang Bao asked, "How many able-bodied men have come?"

Yu Shanyuan replied, "300 people were expected, but 286 people actually arrived. They have been temporarily organized into 28 teams, and the remaining six people are serving as guards."

"Did you make this up?" Huang Bao asked.

Yu Shanyuan said, "That's right."

This wasn't about taking credit, but about helping Xu Lai take the blame, since he was already planning to resign anyway.

Training local soldiers is the responsibility of the constable. If he knew that a strong man dared to overstep his bounds, the constable would definitely make Xu Lai suffer.

Xu Lai was thinking about making a contribution.

But in the eyes of the constable, it was a clear case of seizing power!

……

The sandbar quickly became lively.

Several ships carrying supplies were transported here, including grain, timber, and tools such as hoes, axes, hammers, and baskets.

Contracts for recruiting soldiers also began to be signed.

Xu Lai looked at the contract and asked the new clerk, "What about the settlement money? This contract says to give the provincial governor 1 guan."

"You can read?" the clerk asked, somewhat surprised.

Xu Lai said, "I recognize some of it. This contract also says that shoes will be distributed..."

The clerk interrupted directly: "Don't ask any more questions. They will give it to you when you return to your hometown."

Xu Lai said, "Was the resettlement allowance given before the training began?"

The clerk gave a cold laugh and threatened without any attempt to hide his anger: "If you want to die, go ahead and spread it everywhere. If it gets out of hand and the whole camp of able-bodied men riot, others might get resettlement allowances, but your family will only get a pension!"

Xu Lai immediately shut up.

He knew these guys were capable of it; they didn't need any complicated methods. They could just pick a few mistakes and beat him to death with a military rod.

Xu Lai was seething with anger, but he could only obediently press his fingerprint.

Pressing your fingerprint is equivalent to receiving the resettlement allowance; it won't be given again when you return home.

This money was actually allocated by Guangzhou. If Guangzhou's finances were insufficient, it would be transferred to the Qingyuan County government. The funds ultimately ended up in the hands of the Qingyuan Patrol and Inspection Office, where the patrol and inspection officers distributed the money to the able-bodied men.

It is unknown who exactly withheld the funds.

It is also possible that there will be layers of deductions.

Be patient, you must be patient, wait until I pass the imperial examination before we talk!

Xu Lai put away the contract and went to accept the reorganization. He found that after the reorganization, it was the same as the one he had organized before, except that the order of each team had been changed.

Over the next few days, the rice porridge became slightly thicker each time it was served.

It wasn't that the officers were acting out of kindness; they just needed to get work done—building the stockade wall!

The so-called stockade wall was nothing more than digging a trench, erecting wooden stakes, and then tamping them down. Because the sand and soil were loose and the wooden stakes were not firmly buried, the stockade wall would very likely have collapsed if salt bandits had attacked.

"That corrupt official only gives people porridge to do their work, not even a proper meal!" Cousin Bu Chao cursed.

Xu Lai said helplessly, "Let's say less, so we can save some energy."

Xu Lai was both tired and hungry.

No matter how thick the rice porridge was cooked, it couldn't sustain them through strenuous physical labor. The able-bodied men had to eat extra meals, and the dry rations they brought were quickly being consumed, soon to be gone.

Even more absurdly, they were actually selling food in the military camp.

If a able-bodied man is starving, he can pay for his own food. As long as he can afford it, he will not only have dry rice to eat, but also a bowl of meat soup with oil floating on top.

Fair trade, honest business.

Xu Lai was completely exposed, all his previous efforts were wasted, and he was too busy working to communicate with the other laborers.

They could no longer share special meals with Yu Shanyuan, eating bland, stale rice porridge every day while digging pits, driving piles, and repairing the village walls. By the time they finished work, they were so exhausted they felt like they wanted to die.

After repairing the stockade walls, we still need to build watchtowers.

The watchtower was also very simple, only big enough for one person to climb up and keep watch.

Then they dug trenches around the outer walls of the stockade, supposedly to slow down the salt bandits' offensive.

The able-bodied men harbored resentment, and if they hadn't been on a sandbar, some of them would probably have tried to escape.

That damned Deputy Inspector Huang Bao brought dozens of patrol soldiers with him, and they beat and scolded any able-bodied men they found slacking off.

After several days of hard work, the basic fortifications were completed, and the able-bodied men were finally able to rest for a day.

Xu Lai lay in the shack, not wanting to move at all.

He had already finished the mixed grain cakes he brought with him, and even spent more than ten coins to buy dry rice.

"How does it feel?"

Yu Shanyuan entered the shack without anyone noticing.

Xu Lai was too exhausted to get up to greet them. He lay on the straw and said, "At least we get thick porridge every day, so we won't starve to death immediately. However, several strong men have already fallen ill. I would like to ask the clerk to go and advise them. If this continues, before the salt bandits even arrive, more than half of the strong men will fall ill."

Yu Shanyuan laughed and said, "Do you think I have any say in this? Inspector Huang brought a clerk with him, and all the documents have to go through the clerk. I can't even see Inspector Huang. Inspector Huang left the camp yesterday to have some fun in the county town, so Chief Liang is temporarily in charge here."

Xu Lai wasn't the only one whose true form was revealed.

There is also Yu Shanyuan.

Previously, Yu Shanyuan was in full charge of this place, but now he can only copy and organize documents as ordered.

"Take this, I'm leaving."

Yu Shanyuan threw down a piece of coarse grain cake, turned around and left the shack.

Xu Lai reached out and took the pancake, then lay there motionless, staring blankly at the top of the shack.

He thought that by associating with Yu Shanyuan, he could gain some benefits.

He mingled with the able-bodied men and took the initiative to help reorganize the troops, hoping to gain the favor of the officers.

But now?

Yu Shanyuan has become virtually invisible, with no real power whatsoever.

As for the officers like Inspector Huang and Chief Liang, they didn't even bother to look at Xu Lai, treating him like an ordinary soldier.

Having transmigrated to this dilapidated Song Dynasty, it seems the only way to get ahead is through the imperial examinations.

Damn it!

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(Thanks to many brothers such as Fawenbaobao, cryfengzi, Xiaomingtongxue1991, Zailulu55618, and Halokunlun for their generous donations.)