As noon approached, in Taishan Commandery.
Five li southwest of Fenggao.
On the banks of the Wenshui River, at the foot of Guishan Mountain.
Under Zhang Niu’s guidance, Zhang Jing and his group arrived at the place where the villagers had gathered.
They saw more than a hundred able-bodied men and women.
Working together in coordination.
Each performing their own task—ramming earth and constructing houses—busy and full of energy.
“Alright, everyone, stop for a moment!” With joy on his face, Zhang Niu shouted loudly:
“Come over and pay your respects! My lord has come to see us!”
“My lord has come!!!”
Hearing this, many of the people who had been working cried out in surprise.
They quickly spotted Zhang Jing and his entourage.
“My lord, we pay our respects to you!” In no time at all, the young men and women rushed over.
“We…”
“No need for formalities!”
Seeing that everyone was about to perform a grand salute, Zhang Jing smiled and called out loudly:
“I was merely passing through and decided to stop by and have a look. I wanted to see whether these officials have been bullying you in their daily lives, or committing any wrongdoing!”
“…”
Zhang Niu and the others were somewhat speechless at his words, but they also breathed a sigh of relief.
“If there are any such people,” Zhang Jing continued, “then tell me. I will uphold justice for you and will not spare anyone who has committed offenses!”
After hearing this, the villagers glanced at the five local officials, who had practically shrunk together in fear, and relaxed considerably.
“No, no, Uncle Zhang has been very good to us!”
“General, Village Head Zhang is a good man. Not only did he organize everyone for the spring planting, but he also helped everyone move into new houses…”
“General, please don’t punish him…”
Listening to the villagers’ words, Zhang Niu could not help wiping the corners of his eyes.
“Good. As long as that’s the case.” Zhang Jing nodded and said:
“I often tell the officials under me that we all come from commoner backgrounds. Just because one gains power does not mean one should forget the people, much less oppress them in the countryside.”
“Zhang Niu has done well. I am very pleased.”
As he spoke, Zhang Jing looked toward Zhang Niu and asked:
“Was building houses for the people your own idea?”
“No, my lord.” Zhang Niu hurriedly waved his hand.
“How could I be capable of something like that? It was an official directive issued by the Ministry of Works, instructing every village to organize the people to repair and build houses after the spring planting.”
“I see.” Zhang Jing nodded slowly. “After the directive was issued, has the village been able to manage the workload? Have any of the people complained?”
“No one has complained!” Zhang Niu quickly replied.
“The people are delighted. After the spring planting, there isn’t much work to do, so everyone has plenty of time to build houses. Living conditions are much more comfortable.”
“Good.” Zhang Jing continued: “How many people are currently in the village youth academy?”
“My lord,” Zhang Niu thought for a moment before answering:
“The youth academy is overseen by Principal Li Hei. There are three orphaned children under the age of twelve, one disabled veteran who cannot move about freely, and thirty-six young children from the village.”
“Why are there only thirty-six children?” Zhang Jing asked.
“Does the village have fewer than one hundred households?”
“That’s not the case.” Zhang Niu explained:
“There are indeed a hundred households in the village, but nearly thirty of them consist of able-bodied men and women who have not yet married.”
“I see.” Zhang Jing nodded.
“I will deal with that matter myself. After this year’s autumn harvest, I will issue orders to organize marriages. By then, the situation should improve.”
“Have you married?” At this point, Zhang Jing glanced at Zhang Niu’s missing left arm.
“My lord,” Zhang Niu replied somewhat embarrassedly, scratching his head.
“I have already married. It was not long after I became village head. However, I did not force any woman into it.”
“Good.” Zhang Jing patted him on the shoulder and said:
“No matter what, you are all brothers of the Qihuo Army—soldiers under my command, under Zhang Yuheng.”
“When your lives improve, I will not forget you. I cannot promise great wealth and glory, but at the very least, I will ensure that you can leave descendants behind and live without worries about food and clothing.”
“My lord…” Looking at Zhang Jing, Zhang Niu’s voice choked with emotion.
Dian Wei and the others also had reddened eyes, deeply moved.
Even Taishi Ci was greatly touched.
He had not expected Zhang Jing to be this kind of person.
“Enough. Why are you crying?” Zhang Jing said irritably.
“How much grain does the village still have? If there’s enough, I’ll eat lunch here today. Afterwards, I’ll have someone replenish whatever is used.”
“There’s enough, there’s enough!” Zhang Niu wiped away his tears and quickly replied:
“The village has a total population of three hundred and twenty-seven people and still has forty-five shi of grain. That’s enough for nearly ten more days. In another two days it will be the fourth month, and more grain will be delivered then, so there’s no need to trouble yourself, my lord.”
“Then go make the arrangements.” Zhang Jing nodded slightly and said, “There are five hundred of our brothers here. I’ll go take a look at the youth academy first.”
He did not ask any further questions.
Nor did he ask why there were still as many as forty-five shi of grain remaining.
The grain distributed throughout his territory was calculated according to individual rations: two jin per person per day, equivalent to about one modern jin.
The common people did not cook in their own homes.
Instead, the village head organized manpower collectively.
Meals were prepared in communal kitchens and cooked into hot porridge, ensuring everyone could eat their fill.
Some people had larger appetites, while others—such as children—ate less.
Yet even children were allocated a full jin of grain per day in the calculations.
“Yes, my lord!”
“I’ll make the arrangements right away.”
After saying this, Zhang Niu instructed the village elder to guide Zhang Jing while he himself went off to make preparations.
The youth academy was located in the eastern part of the village.
It covered an area of roughly three hundred square meters.
“Rice, millet, broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, grain, hemp, and nonglutinous rice.”
“Rice, millet, broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, grain, hemp, and nonglutinous rice.”
As Zhang Jing was about to enter the academy, two voices of differing cadence drifted into his ears.
“Cakes, pastries, wheat rice, sweet beans, and soup.”
“Cakes, pastries, wheat rice, sweet beans, and soup.”
Leaving the soldiers outside the courtyard, Zhang Jing entered with only Dian Wei and a few others.
The first thing he saw upon entering was a middle-aged man sitting on the ground in an unusual posture, weaving straw sandals.
“My lord!!!”
The middle-aged man also noticed someone entering.
The moment he saw Zhang Jing, his expression changed drastically and he cried out in shock.
“No need for formalities.”
The instant Zhang Jing saw the man, he guessed his identity. S
eeing that the man was about to bow, Zhang Jing quickly stepped forward to steady him and asked with a solemn expression:
“How have you been? Have you been living peacefully here?”
The man was an old veteran who had come back from the battlefield.
He had lost both legs, which was why he sat differently from ordinary people.
“Thanks to your benevolence, my lord.”
The middle-aged man’s face was filled with gratitude as he replied:
“The neighbors in the village live in harmony, and the youth academy has people specially assigned to care for it. This is a peace and stability I have never known in my entire life. My only regret is that I can no longer kill the enemy for you, my lord!”
“As long as you’re living peacefully, that’s enough.”
Hearing this, Zhang Jing’s eyes reddened slightly.
“It wasn’t easy for our brothers to survive the battlefield.”
“Only when you can live in peace can I be at ease.”
“I cannot allow the brothers who followed me to shed blood and then shed tears as well.”
“My lord… Waaaah…”
Upon hearing those words, even a man with a heart of iron could no longer hold back.
The veteran burst into loud sobs.
Dian Wei was not an emotional man, yet even he raised his reddened eyes toward the sky.
His hands were clasped behind his back, his fists clenched so tightly that they creaked.
“Only when you can live in peace can I be at ease.”
“I cannot allow the brothers who followed me to shed blood and then shed tears as well.”
Taishi Ci looked at the weeping veteran and softly repeated those simple, straightforward words under his breath.
His heart was deeply moved.
His eyes, too, grew moist.
— The end of the Chapter–
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