Early the next morning, Zhou Youda summoned the clan elders, village heads, and similar figures among the refugees to the ancestral hall.
“Mr Zhou!”
“Han the Valiant!”
The elders greeted Zhou Youda and Han Feng one after another.
The two men returned the greetings politely.
“Mr Zhou, you said Mr Jin promised to help us find a way to survive. Is there news?”
one elder asked.
“The kiln factory to the west has started construction, hasn’t it?”
Zhou Youda said, “But building the kiln factory alone won’t employ that many people. Once it’s finished, we’ll have bricks, and then we can build other factories.
Mr Jin said he wants to build a super-large workshop in my Zhou Family Village that can employ ten thousand women at the same time. He also plans to build an iron smelting plant by the Jinma River to the west. By then, all of us can work in the factories and no longer have to farm for landlords!
Mr Jin will pay all your taxes for you, and your children can attend the school he has set up for free. You’ll never have to worry about freezing or starving again!”
“Is there really such a good life in this world?” one elder asked doubtfully.
“Why not? That’s exactly how it is in our Xihewan Village!”
Han Feng said, “In our village, workers in the factory get three meals a day of wheat porridge, and every three days there’s a meat dish. As long as you’re a factory worker, you can eat as much as you want!
For workers with nowhere to live, Mr Jin has built brick-and-tile dormitory houses for them. All workers’ children can study for free at the village school. My son can now recognise three hundred characters!”
The common people knew that if the government sent men to requisition war horses, they would have to hand them over obediently.
But Han Feng had promised to buy them at five taels of silver each, and he had already kept his word.
So now Han Feng had great influence among the refugees. When he spoke like this, none of the elders doubted him.
They had already lost everything. Jin Feng had no reason to deceive them.
“Mr Jin is truly a living Bodhisattva!”
Many elders showed longing expressions. “We really hope we can soon live that good life too.”
“That’s exactly why I called everyone here today, to discuss this matter.”
Zhou Youda said, “Mr Jin wants to recruit a batch of soldiers. To take care of the brothers in our prisoner camp, he’ll recruit from among us first.”
“But we all have brands on our faces…” one elder said hesitantly.
“Mr Jin doesn’t care about the brands. He even praised the brothers from our prisoner camp as heroes.”
Zhou Youda said, “Mr Jin asked Her Highness the Princess to report our affairs to the court, to erect a monument for us so that everyone in the world knows that although we have brands on our faces, we are not cowards!”
To build goodwill for Jin Feng, Zhou Youda directly attributed what the Ninth Princess had done to Jin Feng.
“Really?” The elders all became excited.
“It’s true. And I heard from the gentleman that the court has already approved it. Work on the monument should start in the next few days!”
Han Feng cooperated with Zhou Youda. “The gentleman also said that the names of everyone who took part in seizing the army’s horses will be carved on the memorial monument, so that future generations will forever remember our contributions.”
“That’s wonderful! Now even if we die, we can face our ancestors!”
“Mr Jin’s kindness will never be forgotten by my Cai clan. When we rebuild our ancestral hall, we’ll erect a longevity tablet for Mr Jin!”
“My Zhong clan will never forget it either!”
Many elders burst into tears on the spot.
Some even knelt on the ground and kowtowed towards the direction of Great Python Slope.
After the excitement subsided, the elders gradually calmed down and began to express their support.
“Mr Zhou, Han the Valiant, rest assured. When Mr Jin recruits soldiers, we will fully support him. I’ll go back right now and send my eldest son to Great Python Slope to report to the gentleman!”
“I still have three sons. I’ll give two to the gentleman!”
“It’s a pity my son died in the prisoner camp. Now I only have two daughters left, otherwise they could serve the gentleman too!”
“Han the Valiant, I now have only one son left. May this old man ask how many years one serves as a soldier for the gentleman, and where one goes?”
Most elders immediately pledged to send their sons to join the army.
Those with only one son left were a little more cautious and asked more questions.
“Everyone calm down and listen to me finish.”
Han Feng raised his hand. When the elders quietened down, he first answered the initial question. “The gentleman’s Zhenyuan Army is responsible for guarding Jianmen Pass, in Guangyuan. On horseback, it’s only two or three days away.”
The Ninth Princess had handled things reliably.
Not only had she secured the second-class army designation for Jin Feng, she had also obtained the nearest pass, Jianmen Pass.
Of course, the reason things had gone so smoothly, apart from the Ninth Princess’s efforts, was that the army originally guarding Jianmen Pass belonged to the Qing family.
Although Great Kang was corrupt, internal unrest was not severe. Jianmen Pass was merely an internal barrier and not of great importance.
Since the Ninth Princess had personally requested it, and it was for Jin Feng, Qing Xinyao naturally would not refuse them face.
When Jin Feng learned that the Ninth Princess had given him Jianmen Pass, he could hardly believe it.
Jianmen Pass was the throat into Shu. With plank roads thirty li long on both sides, equipped with Jin Feng’s heavy crossbows and catapults, it truly was a pass where one man could hold back ten thousand.
Moreover, Jianmen Pass was only a little over a hundred li from Xihewan. Letting Jin Feng guard it was equivalent to letting him protect his own base.
To be honest, Jin Feng was moved for two days over this.
If he were to rebel, unless the court sent more than twenty times his forces, they could forget about taking Jianmen Pass from him.
Later he understood. The Ninth Princess was showing goodwill and trust, and winning people’s hearts.
If he really intended to rebel, having Jianmen Pass or not would make no difference.
But even understanding this, Jin Feng still felt grateful to the Ninth Princess.
With Jianmen Pass in his hands, Xihewan became an iron barrel.
Jinchuan was not particularly far from Xichuan. When the elders heard that service would be at Jianmen Pass, they all felt relieved.
Then they heard Han Feng continue, “There’s one more thing I must make clear in advance. After your children enlist, they won’t immediately become soldiers. First they’ll serve for a while as escorts, delivering goods to the capital, Jiangnan, and various places in our Chuan-Shu region. Only after training for a period will they go to guard Jianmen Pass!”
“Start as escorts?” one elder blurted out. “Is there pay?”
“Old Cai, what’s wrong with you?”
Another elder immediately looked at him with disdain. “If not for Mr Jin, your old bones would have rotted who knows where. Your child works for Mr Jin, and you’re still thinking about pay?”
“Oh dear, I just spoke without thinking…” The Cai elder hurriedly slapped his own mouth twice.
“Our gentleman often says that if you work, you should receive wages. Old Cai, your question is fine.”
Han Feng said, “Whether serving as an escort or as a soldier for the gentleman, there is pay!”
He then explained the escort team’s compensation in detail.
