mtl008 Chapter 364 Recruitment
Chapter 364 Recruitment
This child had a very low profile and rarely went out. He would follow Xiao Bo around reading and writing. Xiao Bo liked quiet people and was willing to teach him. Chen Wenfang didn't care about the details; she just considered it as having an extra pair of chopsticks and didn't mind.
After dinner, Chu Yi led the children to practice martial arts in the yard. Chen Wenfang gave Wang Erniu a bath. He was always out early and back late, and the couple hadn't had a proper conversation.
"Didn't they say that Japanese people come here every few days to plunder? Why does it feel so quiet here? Apart from fewer people on the street, I can't see anything else?" Chen Wenfang slowly rubbed his back. It's too hot in the south, and you're covered in sweat all day long. Men especially smell bad, so they need to exfoliate.
“I issued a village-level order with Magistrate Zheng, assigning five patrolmen to each village to patrol in shifts throughout the day. If Japanese pirates are spotted, they will use smoke signals. An observation tower has been set up in the county town, guarded by county soldiers, so they can provide timely assistance if they receive a report. The village heads will oversee the patrols, and any strangers must be reported. Each patrolman receives 800 cash a month. We've only been here five days, and so far it seems to be working. The only problem is recruiting; the notices have been posted for three days, and not a single person has come.” Wang Erniu wiped the sweat from his face. “Wife, next time, please give me a cold bath; it’s too hot.”
"I've already used lukewarm water, it's still hot." Chen Wenfang reached out to test it, "It's not hot."
"Oh dear!" Wang Erniu grabbed her hand, stretched out his long arm, and lifted her into the basin as she bent over. This was a super-large basin that he had specially bought, big enough for two people to sit in.
Wang Erniu grinned mischievously, "Come in!"
Seeing her half-wet clothes and the tantalizing glimpses of her allure, he was irresistibly drawn to her and couldn't help but touch her all over.
"Oh, how annoying!" Chen Wenfang said, grabbing his mischievous hand. "I think your idea is good, but you can add one more thing."
"What?" Wang Erniu didn't care at all. He held her two fidgety little hands with one hand and used the other hand to nimbly untie the belt of her clothes.
"I think it's because the taxes are too heavy, or the former captain here was too corrupt, so all the young men have gone into hiding. The fish we ate today was caught by those who went into hiding. They have it tough."
“You’re right. It’s just that the people in front were too greedy. I only found out when I got here. They only paid the soldiers they recruited two hundred coins a month, and often they didn’t even pay them.” Wang Erniu stopped and stroked her smooth back. “If it weren’t for Magistrate Zheng and his good officials, this place would probably be in chaos long ago.”
"In this world, it's so hard to find a good official," Chen Wenfang sighed.
"What did you want to add, my lady?"
“I’m thinking about it again. They’re unwilling to conscript soldiers because they don’t trust us, which is normal. But the old people in the village are still their relatives. They always want to come back to see us. Even if they’re hiding not far away, they still want to come and see us. Why don’t we issue an order that no matter which village, if they find or capture a Japanese soldier, no matter what method they use, as long as they bring the Japanese soldier’s head to be handed over as proof, we can hang it at the city gate and let the people supervise it. The Japanese soldier’s property can be disposed of by the person who captures him. We’ll reward one tael of silver for killing a Japanese soldier. After a while, who will be afraid of the Japanese soldiers? People are only afraid of being poor!” Chen Wenfang became more and more excited as he spoke, and he almost stood up.
"Who's going to pay for it?" Wang Erniu thought she was joking.
"I'll pay! I have plenty of money. I can buy their lives. Those Japanese devils shouldn't exist in this world." Chen Wenfang felt suffocated when she thought of the century of humiliation in later generations, the Nanjing Massacre. Even if she didn't have money, she would conjure it up.
Wang Erniu remained motionless, deep in thought, listening intently, his eyes filled with joy as he gazed at his confident and radiant wife.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He quickly stood up, got out of the tub, and while dressing, grabbed a dry handkerchief from the side and covered his beloved wife with it. He cupped her face in his hands, gave her a deep kiss, and said, "Wife, your idea is wonderful. I have to go to the county office. You can dry yourself off yourself. I love you!" Then he ran off.
"Hey, where are you going?" Chen Wenfang called out, but the person couldn't hear her anymore. She shook her head, cleaned herself up, and called in some of Wang Erniu's personal guards to remove the water. Although Caiyun was nominally his personal maid, Chen Wenfang always felt that she couldn't just order her around. It was better for her to do these more private things herself.
Chen Wenfang waited for a long time, but he still didn't return, so she fell into a deep sleep.
At the county government office, Magistrate Zheng summoned County Assistant Magistrate Lou and together with Wang Erniu, they devised a plan.
When Wang Erniu told them about Chen Wenfang's idea, the two fell silent. After a long while, Magistrate Lou slapped his thigh and said, "Good, this idea is excellent. How many people can that tiny Japanese country have? One tael of silver for one head, and they will probably be destroyed in a few years. However, they bullied us because we are weak, and they deserve this retribution."
Magistrate Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "The method is good, but I'm afraid our county government can't afford the one tael of silver per person."
Wang Erniu laughed and said, "You two don't need to worry about that. My wife said that we'll use the county government's name and she'll pay for it. It's just that the workshop will require the help of County Magistrate Lou. He must get it set up within seven days."
"No problem, I'll take care of it." Magistrate Lou patted his chest, stood up, and gave Wang Erniu a deep bow. "Please accept my bow on behalf of Madam Chen. You two have done so much for the people of Huian County. On behalf of the people of my county, I thank you both."
Seeing this, Magistrate Zheng also went to the side and knelt down with him.
"Absolutely not!" Wang Erniu quickly stopped the two. He was strong and held one of them in each hand, preventing them from kneeling down.
"Gentlemen, we are colleagues. You are both good officials who speak up for the people. We are unworthy to kneel before you. This is what we should do. We are loved by the people. The money we earn comes from the people and should be used for the people. I am not well-educated and do not have any grand principles. Please get up quickly."
The three of them were a little embarrassed. Perhaps the other two realized that they couldn't argue with Wang Erniu, so they had no choice but to give up and toast him with tea instead of wine. Wang Erniu had nothing to do with himself and went home happily to toss and turn his wife over and over for a long time.
The announcement was issued the next day, causing an uproar throughout the county.
In the woods behind a deserted temple, Song Er and his men squatted motionless under a tree.
"Second Brother, hasn't Mr. Song given us any signal? We can't keep feeding mosquitoes like this, can we?"
"No, he said he's already sent people to keep an eye on the Wang family residence. If that kid surnamed Huang dares to go out, he'll be dead. What are you worrying about?"
"Oh, Mr. Song is truly resourceful."