Chapter 76

When Yueyang and the others entered the residence of the former commander of the guard, Yueyang finally understood what it meant for the rich to have their wine and meat stink while the poor froze to death on the road. This house, though unremarkable from the outside, was lavishly decorated inside, with carved railings and jade steps, its luxury comparable to that of the wealthy families in Yingzhou City.

The petty official who had been arguing with Shunbao on the road sighed and said, "No wonder the military households outside are almost starving to death. It turns out all the silver and grain have gone into Wu Fatian's pockets. If this man is not punished, it would be a violation of heaven's will!"

The sound of the petty official's words fell on the ears of the surrounding officers, and the faces of these old soldiers, who were usually unflappable, turned red. After all, they were partly to blame for the state of the guard.

After entering the hall, Yueyang took the seat of honor without hesitation. His piercing eyes swept over everyone present, and he said, "Gentlemen, I believe you all know why I am here. I have just taken up the post of Commander of Yingzhou City, but I am short of officers. Therefore, I have specially obtained Lord Zheng's permission to recruit some soldiers and officers here. However, the results are very disappointing. The military households have fled in large numbers, and the officers at all levels have neglected their training. To put it bluntly, how many of you can still wield a sword or a spear? If all the soldiers and officers of our great Ming Dynasty are like you, bullying the military households and seizing their land, our downfall is not far off!"

As he spoke, Yueyang's eyes fixed on the people in front of him, but they all kept their heads down and remained silent. Only the centurion named Wu Chengfeng's eyes flashed with a hint of sorrow. Seeing this, Yueyang felt extremely disappointed. He knew that the officers of this guard had become useless, and a century of comfortable living had eroded their fighting spirit. It was impossible to expect them to charge into battle like their ancestors.

Sighing lightly, Yueyang no longer wanted to say more and was about to wave for everyone to leave. At this moment, the military household Feng Xiaoyun spoke up.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Your Excellency, the various bad habits of the guard did not form overnight. For over a hundred years, the rules of the guard have been like this. And as you know, once a military household, always a military household. The path of the imperial examinations has long been closed to us. In recent years, there have been continuous droughts, and if we do not take the military land, we would struggle to make ends meet. If there were any other way, we would not want to be such villains!"

"Yes, Your Excellency, we are truly in a difficult position!" After Feng Xiaoyun's words, the officers all knelt down and spoke.

In recent years, with the large-scale flight of military households, a series of dire consequences have begun to show. On one hand, the situation around has become increasingly dire, and on the other, the excessive oppression of the military households has led to their mass flight, leaving fewer and fewer people to farm the land, making their lives increasingly difficult. In a few years, they might even starve. However, this Yueyang is a well-known large landowner in Yingzhou. If he could show them a way out, wouldn't it be better than living a half-dead life here?

Seeing the people kneeling on the ground, Yueyang couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. He had come here to select capable officers, but it had turned into a grievance meeting. What a mess! He quickly raised his hand and said, "Alright, all of you get up. You are all military officers of the court, how can you be so spineless?"

A middle-aged centurion in an eighth-rank military official's robe said, "What kind of military officers are we? The court has long ignored us. In the past few years, there was still some military pay, though not much, it was enough to fill our bellies. But now, we haven't seen a single coin. Since ancient times, soldiers have been fed by the state, but we can't even get enough to eat. What's the point of being a military officer? If Your Excellency is willing to take us in, we will abandon this guard and follow you to Yingzhou City!"

"Yes, Centurion Niu is right. If Your Excellency is willing to take us in, we will abandon this guard and follow you to Yingzhou City!" The others echoed, their eyes gleaming. They had heard that this Yueyang was not only a large landowner but also controlled the private salt market in Yingzhou City. Even a small share of his wealth would be enough for them.

Seeing the excited faces of the people, Shunbao sneered. He knew what they were thinking, but did they really think it would be so easy to take advantage of the young master?

Yueyang pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned to the petty official who had been silent behind him and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked your name yet?"

The petty official bowed and replied, "Your Excellency, my name is Hailou!"

"Hailou?" Yueyang thought for a moment and then laughed, "The surname Hai is quite rare, but your family has produced a remarkable figure!"

Hailou naturally knew who Yueyang was referring to. He raised his head and said, "Your Excellency must be referring to Lord Ruxian (Hai Rui). I am not talented, but Lord Ruxian is indeed my ancestor!"

"You are Hai Rui's descendant?"

When Hailou spoke, Yueyang looked at him in surprise, finding it hard to believe that this thin, unremarkable man was the descendant of the famous Hai Rui. But when he looked around, he noticed that the others seemed to have no reaction, which puzzled him. How could they not react to such news? It was quite strange!

But Yueyang quickly understood. Hai Rui had died only a few decades ago, and although he had some fame in the court, he also had many detractors. Otherwise, Hailou, as Hai Rui's descendant, would not still be a petty official. Moreover, in the countryside, his fame was not as high as it would be in later generations, which was mainly due to the later generations' praise.

After some thought, Yueyang had an idea. He carefully examined Hailou and asked, "Hailou, since the Prefect has assigned you to me, I will appoint you to oversee the land reclamation at Wulizhai. What do you think?"

"Ah, Your Excellency, you want me to oversee the land reclamation?" Hailou was taken aback.

"Yes, not only will you oversee the land reclamation, but you will also clear the land and manage the military households. If you do well, I will recommend you to the court for a promotion. What do you think?"

"This..."

Hearing Yueyang's words, Hailou was speechless. As the saying goes, a dragon's son is a dragon, a phoenix's son is a phoenix, and a rat's son knows how to dig holes. As a descendant of Hai Rui, his personality was very similar to Hai Rui's—rigid, inflexible, and strict with himself. Such a person was not well-liked in the official circles, ancient or modern. Therefore, he was still a low-level clerk, equivalent to a government clerk in modern times. Without any special circumstances, he would likely remain a petty official for life.

"How about it? From what I hear, you are aloof and not good at socializing, which is why you are still a clerk at nearly forty. If my guess is correct, it will be very difficult for you to get a promotion. If you agree to this, I will immediately promote you to a clerk, and you will manage over ten clerks and secretaries. What do you think?"

In the Ming Dynasty, clerks were divided into four ranks: clerk, secretary, clerk, and chief clerk, with the chief clerk being the highest. Unlike officials, clerks were not appointed by the court but by the lower officials themselves. For Hailou, being promoted to a clerk was a two-rank promotion. Seeing that Hailou still hesitated, Yueyang offered another big incentive.

Alright, Hailou admitted he was tempted. It seemed his self-cultivation had not reached the level of his grandfather, Hai Rui. He gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and bowed to Yueyang, saying, "This humble person, Hailou, pays respects to the Commander! May the Commander have a long and prosperous life!"

"Ha ha... Good, good... Get up!" Yueyang knew he had secured Hailou and laughed heartily, then extended his hand to help Hailou up. He then turned to the surrounding officers and said, "Since you all are willing to follow me, I am willing to show you a way. From now on, you will all follow this Clerk Hailou... no, Clerk Hailou, to Wulizhai to clear the land. As long as you don't slack off, your future will be bright!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

The officers all responded in unison. Thus, all the people of the Yingzhou Guard were taken away by Yueyang...

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