sinovels Chapter 26 Forced Conscription
Chapter 26 Forced Conscription
Ten days later.
It was still in the three courtyards of Moon Bay.
More than forty heads were gathered together, some with gray hair and some with black hair, some old and some young, and there was a chorus of mournful cries, with some even sobbing.
Hai Huishou looked helpless, while Song also had a bitter expression.
The two of them looked like they wanted to cry but had no tears.
In the crowd, Jiao Ada looked numb, while Yang Silang and Wang Daniu exchanged speechless glances, both feeling helpless.
Xiao Jiling jumped three feet high and burst into tears.
"Oh dear, what kind of mess is this!"
"If I'd known I'd be forcibly conscripted today, I would have been better off signing up for the Black Tiger Gang back then!"
"At least I don't have to go to the battlefield!"
"If anything were to happen to him, how would my whole family survive!"
"If I had known this would happen, why did I bother training so hard to become this damned 'hard-legged soldier'? Wasn't this just handing myself over to the King of Hell?"
Many people in the crowd also wailed as if they had lost their parents, beat their chests and stamped their feet, full of regret.
Everyone in the courtyard is of the same status; all members of the Sanshui Club are registered members, regardless of age.
"Stop howling!" the leader of the Hai Society roared, exasperated. "Who dares disobey the orders of the government officials? Don't they value their lives? If you're all transferred out, our Sanshui Society will be nothing but an empty shell. Do you think I want that?"
"What else can we do?"
"Also, you're being transferred to transport supplies and provisions, not to fight with swords and spears!"
"Xiao Jiling, shut your mouth! What are you crying about? It's bad luck!"
"Furthermore, Master Zhu is a kind and righteous man. I've asked him to come back and lead you there. You'll definitely return safely."
Xiao Jiling, intimidated by the powerful presence of the head of the Hai Association, indeed kept quiet, though his eyes were still brimming with tears and he was not entirely convinced.
Master Zhu coughed.
"Stop crying! It's bad luck!"
"When I was young, I took on three jobs. When we got to the battlefield, we were transporting supplies at the rear, far from where the fighting was taking place, so it wasn't that dangerous."
"Instead of wasting your energy crying, you should settle things at home before you leave."
"Besides, there are no mercy on the battlefield, so if you want anything to eat, drink, or do, you'd better get it done quickly in the next couple of days."
Yang Silang sighed upon hearing this, and could only say that plans can't keep up with changes.
Unexpectedly, a few days ago, the government suddenly sealed the rosters of several major porter guilds, selected a few guilds from them, and ordered all the porters on the rosters to go with the army three hundred li ahead to transport supplies and relieve the county town downstream that was besieged by bandits.
Sanshui Club was unfortunately shortlisted.
The news had been circulating for a day or two and quickly spread throughout Gongzhou Prefecture.
Sure enough, the association received an official notice from the government today, ordering all the hardened men to be counted.
"Erhu and Xiongshan are really lucky!" Wang Daniu muttered to himself.
That day.
Li Erhu gritted his teeth and climbed onto the hard, one-person-high stakes. Even though he had never practiced before, he gritted his teeth and mustered all his courage, running on more than thirty stakes with the weight on before falling down. His performance was quite remarkable.
He was immediately chosen by the "senior brother" to join the Black Tiger Gang, received tiger stripes, and became a formal member, earning two coins a day.
Xiongshan is also a man of action.
He said he originally planned to work until the end of the month to spend a few more days with his brothers, but now that they all know, there's no point in continuing.
Following the rules of the guild, Xiong Shan promptly paid the taels of silver that had been used to train him to become a tough soldier, then left the guild to embrace the widow, as they were about to get married.
That rich woman was really generous; she even paid for Xiong Shan to treat his close friends to a farewell dinner.
Xiong Shan got drunk very quickly. When the carriage came to pick him up, and the rich woman lifted the curtain to reveal her true face, Yang Silang suddenly understood why Xiong Shan had gotten drunk so quickly.
Thus, Li Erhu and Xiong Shan left the Sanshui Society by a twist of fate.
As for why Master Zhu wanted to get involved in this mess—according to Xiao Jiling, Master Zhu's grandson recently failed to break through to the Copper Skin Martial Warrior level, suffered a backlash from the injury, and needed to take a lot of medicine to recover.
That medicine is expensive, costing ten taels of silver per pill.
The head of the Haihui Association was also afraid that the government would burn down the elite troops he had painstakingly trained.
He spent twenty taels of silver to invite Master Zhu back to lead the team, hoping that the old man's experience would at least allow him to escape more easily if anything unspeakable happened.
He needs to preserve the vitality of the Sanshui Society. If all these tough guys are wiped out, he'll be heartbroken.
Everyone in the courtyard vented their frustrations.
Hai Hui waved goodbye for the last time.
"The government has created a register; everyone's household registration, name, and address are on it. There's no way to run away."
"Meet here at dawn five days from now. Don't be late, everyone. Now you may leave..."
The group walked out of the courtyard in a row, looking worried. Master Zhu was surrounded by a crowd of people, all trying to get close to him by asking questions.
Only Master Zhu had the experience of being conscripted into the army to transport supplies and provisions. Listening to a few more words about it now might save your life in the future.
Master Zhu racked his brains and could only come up with a few suggestions.
Prepare two extra pairs of good shoes and leggings so you can walk faster in winter; prepare some dry food that won't spoil easily and will fill your stomach; also prepare a straw hat and raincoat to protect yourself from wind and snow.
The crowd dispersed in a flurry, hurrying to prepare; no one was in the mood for conversation.
Yang Silang picked up his load and went shopping along the street. He bought boots from one shop and a raincoat from another. He also went to Caozhentang and bought dozens of heavy, half-fist-sized dry food dumplings.
This thing is deep-fried in oil and is a mixture of grains and meat. I don't know what recipe it uses, but it doesn't spoil easily. One can last for a meal. It's extremely salty and is usually an essential item for bodyguards and martial arts practitioners when they go out.
The miscellaneous items quickly filled half a load.
What displeased him was that, in addition to conscripting two hundred strongmen from the major guilds, the government also conscripted seven or eight hundred laborers. These laborers were supposedly scourds of vagrants, beggars, and even prisoners from the city.
In the next few days, the porters' guild will send people out for training.
News of the expedition had already leaked out, so he ended up spending two taels of silver on his purchases today, more than twice the usual price.
He carried the things home.
Fifth Sister isn't home. She should be doing odd jobs at the employer's place during the day. That's good, so that the crybaby won't shed tears when she sees her.
I ate a few bites of lunch haphazardly, practiced stances, wielded the sword, and took a short rest.
Yang Silang went out again and made several turns to reach the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters. It was a large courtyard with several courtyards, high and deep walls, and two gates that were open. Inside, there were stone locks and wooden stakes, and dozens of strong men were practicing boxing naked.
Despite the cold winter weather, they were all steaming with white vapor.
A short-sleeved disciple stood guard at the door, hands on hips and arms crossed. Seeing Yang Silang, a stranger, approaching, he cautiously asked what business he had.
Yang Silang cupped his hands and said that he was a key member of the Sanshui Society and that he had fellow villagers working in the society. He asked if they could let him in if he needed to contact them.
soon.
Li Erhu walked out shirtless and immediately complained, "Silang, you and Da Niu would have been better off joining the gang with me back then. At least we brothers could look after each other."
The Xiongshan people can live off women, but you can't. Now look what's happened, you've all been conscripted to the battlefield.
Yang Silang smiled wryly and said, "Who would have thought? Brother, I need to borrow your name for something."
After hearing this, Li Erhu simply nodded and patted his chest, saying that there was absolutely no problem.
Yang Silang left in a hurry and found a broker to buy a house. With that little money, he certainly couldn't afford a brick house. He needed at least a house with wooden beams, pillars, rafters, and walls, and it couldn't be in a shantytown.
With the Jiangdong Province in turmoil, housing prices in Gongzhou Prefecture have increased by 20% compared to six months ago, but there's no time to worry about that now.
He didn't know what it would be like on the battlefield. Individual strength was insignificant in that environment, so why save up the money?
The initial concern was that it would be too conspicuous for a porter to take out twenty or thirty taels of silver.
Nowadays, if a single person can't save enough money to buy a house, they'll say they have several good friends who will lend them money as "assistance."
Li Erhu's Black Tiger Gang name is very useful. If the house is more expensive, he can talk to Xiong Shan about it. His half-baked widow is rich and can be a good shield.