The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 523 - 512: Soldiers (Birthday update for book friend "Yan Qing, Qing Qing")

Chapter 523: Chapter 512: Soldiers (Birthday update for book friend "Yan Qing, Qing Qing")

Manbao looked on curiously and asked, "Lord Yang, didn’t they say that civilians and merchants should be separated?"

Yang Heshu shook his head with a wry smile and sighed softly, "Can things in this world really be separated that cleanly? As long as Old Master Bai doesn’t organize his own caravan for trade, then no one can change his status."

Yang Heshu looked at her with a smile and said, "For example, the shop you bought for your sister-in-law doesn’t count as engaging in commerce, does it? Do you mean to include even those who occasionally come into town to make some pocket money when you talk about separating civilians from merchants?"

All three nodded in agreement, full of approval. Bai Shanbao looked at him and asked, "Then why does your expression still look so worried?"

Yang Heshu touched his own face and said, "Is it that obvious?"

The three of them nodded together.

Seeing that even Bai Erlang nodded, Yang Heshu sighed, "It seems I’ve been relaxing for too long. The worries I have are not about Luojiang County, but about the imperial court."

Yang Heshu stood up and looked at the somewhat withered lotus leaves in the small pond outside the pavilion, sighing softly, "Luojiang County is poor and without major gentry or wealthy families. Civilians are civilians, merchants are merchants. The distinction between civilians and merchants seems blurred but is actually very clear. However, it is not the same in other places."

He sighed and turned around, only to see that the three children had already eaten their fill but couldn’t help reaching for some pastries to eat, savoring them with great relish.

Yang Heshu: ...

Forget it, what’s the point of talking to three children about such worries? Not to mention they wouldn’t understand, even if they did, what could they do at this moment?

Yang Heshu changed the subject and said, "Shanbao, you’ve read quite a few books now, have you ever thought of taking the county school exams?"

Bai Shanbao shook his head, "Grandmother and Mr. Zhuang both said that since I’m able to study with Mr. Zhuang now, I could go directly to take the exams at Yizhou’s prefectural school in the future."

Yang Heshu was a little surprised but then he remembered Mr. Zhuang and felt relieved, "Mr. Zhuang’s scholarship is no worse than that of the instructors in the county school."

His gaze fell on Bai Erlang, and he asked with a smile, "What about you? Are you planning to take the county school exams?"

Bai Erlang shook his head repeatedly, "I won’t. I prefer studying with Mr. Zhuang."

Yang Heshu then laughed heartily and said, "You should also put in some effort, to one day go to the capital to seek an official position."

Bai Erlang didn’t have much confidence in himself, "Even I can seek an official position?"

"As long as you have abilities, the emperor will make use of you."

Bai Erlang then fell silent, taking this matter to heart.

Yang Heshu looked over at the quiet Manbao and for some reason, he felt a deep sense of regret in his heart.

Driven by this feeling of regret, Yang Heshu stood up and smiled, "Shall we go for a walk in the county town?"

The three had just eaten their fill, feeling a little sleepy, and a walk to aid digestion seemed like a good idea.

In two days it would be New Year’s Eve, and many people came to the county town to prepare for the festival, bustling with activity back and forth.

It wasn’t noticeable in the morning, but now it was just before lunchtime, the busiest time in the county town.

Manbao was almost swept away by the crowd, which frightened Bai Shanbao into grabbing her hand and pulling her to his side, saying, "Be careful not to get sold by the traffickers."

"The traffickers are bold to try and sell me right in front of Lord Yang," she said.

Bai Shanbao replied, "They don’t know he’s the county magistrate."

He held her hand tightly and said, "Let’s go."

The two of them caught up with County Magistrate Yang and Bai Erlang, who were walking a few steps ahead, and remarked with feelings of admiration, "Lord Yang, the town is really bustling now."

Yang Heshu also nodded with a smile, "It is bustling, even more so than last year."

As they chatted and continued walking, they ran into a group of noisy soldiers who pushed past, shoving them to the side. Yang Heshu almost fell to the ground, and when he looked up, he saw the soldiers pushing people aside to squeeze into a small restaurant.

Yang Heshu frowned.

Manbao watched them with wide eyes, then said, "They don’t seem to be from Luojiang County."

Yang Heshu turned to her in surprise, "How can you tell?"

"Their accent doesn’t sound the same, and they don’t quite look like locals either."

Yang Heshu looked again at the restaurant and then led them into a teahouse directly opposite. After ordering tea, he explained, "They are actually from Luojiang County. Even if they are not, they are mostly from other counties in Mianzhou."

Yang Heshu took a sip of tea and, looking at Manbao with a smile, continued, "However, you’re not wrong in saying their speech is different. These soldiers were only transferred back not long ago. They left to join the army when they were young and are now redeployed back home. It’s normal for their accents to change after being away for ten years, or even longer."

Bai Shanbao was curious, "Why would they redeploy soldiers back to their hometown?"

"This is a benevolent policy from the imperial court; the emperor is compassionate and allows soldiers over fifty or those with disabilities to return home. Except for some important border towns, the number of soldiers in other places is being reduced. Those cut from the ranks can be redeployed to the local militia."

The garrison in the county town was generally recruited from the local area, and unlike being a yamen runner or clerk, no one liked to be a soldier, even if they were part of the local garrison.

Therefore, it was difficult to fill the quota for the local garrisons, especially in places like theirs that were neither border towns nor strategic locations.

The vacant slots were mostly consumed by the colonel and the county military commander, so when the soldiers were transferred down from above, Yang Heshu didn’t worry too much and accepted them.

Since the salaries for these soldiers were originally embezzled by the colonel and the military commander, having these additional men didn’t increase the expenditure of the County Governmental Office by much, it just meant that the military commander and colonel got a little less.

However, now seeing the soldiers’ behavior, Yang Heshu became somewhat worried. He enjoyed sharing his concerns with these three young friends, therefore he sighed and said, "If they bring their rowdy habits into the county town, it might be difficult to discipline them."

Manbao leaned against the window looking at the soldiers. One of them, apparently displeased with the taste of the tea, casually tossed the tea from his bowl outside.

The tea splashed on someone else, but instead of apologizing, the soldier glared and shouted, "What are you staring at? Stare again and I’ll gouge your eyeballs out!"

Manbao clicked her tongue, "He’s fierce. Would you beat them with a plank?"

Yang Heshu, standing behind her with his hands clasped, shook his head slightly, "Such soldiers can’t be disciplined by beating, and besides, they aren’t under my direct control."

That was his greatest concern.

Although both the military commander and the colonel were supposed to listen to him, normally, a county magistrate did not directly manage the garrison. He couldn’t always meddle in these trifles, as that would be too domineering, and the military commander and colonel would also have opinions about it.

Watching the scene, Manbao asked in wonder, "They are ordering a lot to eat and drink, wine, and meat. Are they going to eat and drink for free like the bad yamen runner who came to our house before?"

Yang Heshu replied, "...No, they have been in the city for more than two months now, and I’ve never heard of them leaving unpaid debts. Although they’re known for their overbearing behavior."

Manbao was incredulous, "Soldiers have so much money?" She remembered her father always saying, "Don’t be a soldier no matter what. It’s not only poor, but you could also lose your life."

Bai Shanbao glanced and explained, "The yamen must have just disbursed their military pay, right? They’ll get an extra month’s pay to celebrate the New Year."

Yang Heshu nodded, "That’s right."

Influenced deeply by the Zhou family, Manbao looked on in disbelief, "They actually spend so much salary on eating and drinking instead of taking it home?"