Chapter 80

From the time Yue Family Village was established in Wulizhai, it had been the most prominent presence in the area for over a hundred years. It owned nearly half of the land in Wulizhai, and more than forty percent of the people in Wulizhai were tenants of Yue Family Village. They farmed the Yue family's land and relied on the Yue family for their livelihood. Therefore, it was not an exaggeration to say that the Yue family was a local tyrant in Wulizhai.

It was early spring, and the willows by the Sanggan River had sprouted new buds. The tender green leaves swayed gently in the wind. By the reed beds and the field ridges, the wild grass and flowers, which had been dormant all winter, were growing taller and taller each day, nourished by the spring dew. Fresh wild vegetables sprouted in clusters from the thawed soil, stretching out their new green leaves. Even the long-dormant canal seemed to be infected by the spring atmosphere, rushing joyfully toward the distance.

Last night, a heavy rain had fallen, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and moisture. In the early morning, Wulizhai, still shrouded in the lingering rain mist, appeared even more hazy, looking like a fairyland in a painting.

Daniu, a sturdy and robust native of Wulizhai, was eighteen years old this year. The farthest he had ever been was to Yingzhou City, dozens of miles away, a few months ago, when he accompanied his uncles. He had been boasting about this to his friends for months.

Today, Daniu, as usual, sat by the Sanggan River chatting with a few companions.

"Hey... I say, Tiezhu, have you noticed that the rain this year is heavier than in previous years, and there seem to be a lot of refugees from other places coming here to make a living?"

"Who isn't aware of that? A few days ago, the hundred-household garrison over a hundred miles away moved here entirely. But Yue Gongzi arranged for them to cultivate the land twenty miles away from the river. I just can't understand why they aren't afraid of a poor harvest. After all, that area lacks water," Tiezhu, who was relatively slim, chimed in.

"Smack!" As soon as Tiezhu finished speaking, Daniu slapped him hard on the shoulder, making him wince in pain. Before Tiezhu could get angry, Daniu scolded him, "Idiot, you can't call him Yue Gongzi anymore. Now that Yue Gongzi has become an official, we should call him Yue Daren. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble if someone hears you!"

"Hmph, don't scare me. Yue Gongzi is kind-hearted. He wouldn't make things difficult for me over such a small matter," Tiezhu shot a disdainful look at Daniu.

Daniu looked at his childhood friend with disdain and lowered his voice, "You don't believe me when I say you're an idiot. Those areas were indeed barren, but doesn't Yue Gong... I mean, Yue Daren have those well-drilling machines? If he's willing, he can drill dozens or even hundreds of wells. Water won't be a problem, right? And I heard that Yue Daren plans to gather the refugees and divert the water from the Sanggan River to those areas. That way, the problem will be solved. After all, so much water flows into the Hun River, the Huangshui River, and the Mugua River every year, and no one down there even says thank you. They're all ingrates."

"That's true! But the people from Wang Family Village don't dare to speak up, even if they had the courage," Tiezhu fell silent. Since the Wang family was expelled from Yingzhou, their properties were gradually sold off, including their good farmland. Yueyang didn't hesitate to seize most of their good farmland, making the Yue family the largest landowner in Yingzhou, with over twenty thousand acres of good farmland.

"Zhu, I heard your mother plans to find you a wife after the New Year. Is that true?" At this moment, someone shouted from the side.

"Who... who said that? I haven't agreed yet!" Tiezhu's face turned red.

"Don't care who said it. Just tell us if it's true," Daniu grabbed Tiezhu's collar and asked fiercely.

"I... I don't know!" Tiezhu hesitated for a moment and then said, "I don't want to get married so soon. I... I..."

"What's wrong? Is there something bothering you?" As Tiezhu's childhood friend, Daniu immediately sensed that his friend had something on his mind.

"If... if I tell you, you can't laugh at me!"

"Of course, tell us. We promise not to laugh," another friend named Sanbao said.

Tiezhu hesitated for a moment and finally said, "I... I want to join the army!"

"What?"

As soon as Tiezhu finished speaking, almost everyone jumped up. Sanbao stared at him with wide eyes, as if he had just met him for the first time, and finally shouted, "Are you crazy? Do you know what will happen if your father finds out you want to join the army? He'll break your legs!"

"That's why I didn't dare to tell him!" Tiezhu, sitting on the ground, buried his head in his knees, looking like a frightened ostrich.

"Joining the army is a dangerous job. Aren't you afraid of dying? Your mother was planning to find you a wife after the New Year," Daniu, who had grown up with Tiezhu, felt as if he was meeting his friend for the first time. The usually impulsive Daniu was speechless for a moment.

"I'm the eldest in my family, and I have two younger brothers and a sister. Do you know that my mother plans to sell my sister Daya to a family in Wang Family Village as a child bride? How can I agree to that?"

"What? Your mother plans to sell Daya?"

The friends were shocked. They were familiar with Tiezhu's two sisters, especially Daya, who was only eleven years old and had always followed them around. They treated her like their own sister. When they heard that Tiezhu's parents planned to sell her, they were naturally very upset. For a moment, everyone fell silent, and only the sound of the wind and the river could be heard.

After a long silence, Sanbao asked, "How much does your mother plan to sell Daya for?"

Tiezhu mumbled, "Five taels of silver!"

After a while, Tiezhu continued, "I found out that Yue Gongzi... I mean, Yue Daren, offers very good benefits for the militia. You get two taels of silver as a settlement fee when you join, and you receive half a tael of silver as a monthly salary. Your food, clothing, and accommodation are all provided. Why shouldn't I go for such a good deal?"

Sanbao countered, "But joining the army means fighting, and fighting means risking your life!"

"Doesn't joining the army without fighting mean risking your life?" Daniu sneered. "If you don't fight, why would they need you? You receive their salary and eat their food, so you have to be willing to risk your life. This has been a fact since ancient times. Besides, they don't force you to join. I heard that the recruitment for the militia is very strict. They don't accept anyone who is physically disabled, sick, or over twenty-five. It's even stricter than choosing a son-in-law. Even if you want to join, they might not accept you."

After Daniu finished speaking, everyone fell silent. As Yueyang's reputation grew, his army became more well-known. Now, almost everyone in Yingzhou knew that Yueyang, the young master, not only knew how to train and lead troops but also offered excellent benefits. His soldiers received a settlement fee, a monthly salary, free food and accommodation, and even compensation if they were killed in action or injured and had to leave the army. Compared to other parts of the Ming Dynasty, such benefits were unparalleled.

Many people who envied Yueyang criticized his high salaries for the soldiers, saying it wouldn't last long. However, Yueyang didn't care. In the past six months, he had earned at least a million taels of silver from smuggling salt, which was more than enough to support four to five thousand troops. Moreover, the armor, clothing, and other equipment for the soldiers were all purchased in bulk from the modern world. A set of warm winter clothes and pants cost no more than a hundred or two hundred yuan, and a set of summer clothes cost only seventy or eighty yuan. In a world with a highly developed textile industry and numerous clothing factories, buying these items was extremely easy.

Given Yueyang's generous benefits, it was no exaggeration to say that if he wanted to expand his army, he would have a large number of people eager to join.

After a long silence, Daniu suddenly stood up and shouted, "Tiezhu, let's go!"

Tiezhu looked at Daniu in surprise and asked, "Where?"

Daniu, with a red face, shouted, "To join the army! I don't want to continue living like the older generation, toiling in the fields. I want to join the army and earn a name for myself. If I don't die, I might even become an officer!"

"But, will they accept us?" Tiezhu hesitated as the moment approached.

"Stop being afraid. We won't know if they'll accept us until we go and sign up. Let's go and see!"

With that, Daniu pulled Tiezhu and ran toward Yue Family Village, where he remembered there was a recruitment point...