Free Web NovelChapter 1224: Chapter 1206: Winning Hearts Taken by the Enemy
Seeing that it was his eldest son who was captured, the old man’s face changed dramatically, and he hurriedly reached out to stop them, "He can’t go, he can’t go, he’s the main labor force at home, he can’t be taken..."
Before he could finish speaking, soldiers had already found more than half a bag of grain from inside the house and carried it away directly, but it was still not enough. One dan and two dou, one dan would fill a big burlap bag, and this was only half of it.
The soldiers rummaged everywhere, stuffing any finished shoes they found into their arms. After searching for a while and finding nothing more, they simply grabbed another person and threatened, "If you don’t provide enough grain, we’ll take your heads instead."
This meant they were imposing an additional conscription.
Seeing that his younger son was also captured, the old man hurriedly chased them out. Just as they were about to leave the yard, he finally hugged his younger son’s thigh and cried, "I’ll give it, I’ll give it."
He turned back to call his wife and eldest daughter-in-law, urging them, "Quick, go quickly and bring more grain."
The daughter-in-law hurriedly ran back to the kitchen, moved the firewood, and found a burlap bag in the corner. The soldier who followed pushed her aside and dragged the whole bag out.
The daughter-in-law chased after them, saying, "This is one dan; the half bag just now was at least six dou. Please take out four dou."
The soldiers glanced at her and ignored her plea. The leading soldier, with a cold face, said, "That half bag has six dou? I think it’s only two or three dou. You’ve refused to pay taxes and delayed us so much time, and we haven’t even asked you for compensation."
The soldiers had both bags of grain carried off directly and then asked the old man, "You have two sons, which one do you want to keep?"
The old man pleaded, "Take all the grain, just please leave my sons. They can only hold hoes, not wield swords and guns; they truly can’t become soldiers."
"Who is born knowing how to wield swords and guns? Are you choosing or not? If you don’t choose, I’ll take both."
The old man was so heartbroken he almost collapsed, and under the gazes of his two sons, he painfully chose his eldest son, saying to the younger one, "Your nephew is only two years old; he can’t grow up without a father."
The younger son understood, knelt to kowtow to his parents, and wished to say a few words to his brother. Still, the soldier holding him impatiently started dragging him away.
The eldest son immediately flared up in anger. He rushed into the kitchen, picked up a kitchen knife, and was ready to charge out, but his mother and wife held him back. These people killed without blinking, more ruthless than bandits. When the neighboring village resisted during their conscription, several were killed.
The old man saw the soldiers glaring fiercely, their hands already raising their knives, and he quickly kneeled and kowtowed, "Youngsters are hot-headed, and the brothers are close and loving, so he got confused. I will beat him, beat him severely. Please, my lords, do not take it seriously."
After saying this, he got up, swung his arm, and slapped his eldest son hard on the face twice in a row. His eyes and face swelled up, and after he berated him, the soldiers’ anger subsided, and they left with their captives and the grain.
On the village’s main road stood an ox cart filled with the collected grain. The captured men were tied together with ropes, only to be released once they reached the military camp and officially became soldiers.
The soldiers were not afraid they’d escape. After all, their families were here; they might escape as monks, but the temple couldn’t. If they ran, their whole family would be criminalized.
This was why thirty soldiers could ransack a village, and why soldiers were ranked above bandits.
If bandits came, they could kill them, and the bandits might not dare to return. But if they killed soldiers, it would provoke endless trouble.
Therefore, in the people’s hearts, soldiers were even worse than bandits.
Thirty soldiers scoured the entire village, filled five ox carts, and divided the captured men into three groups. Then they led the ox carts and men back.
Once they reached the main road, they could meet their larger unit. Several other teams were stationed on the official road, all conscripting grain and materials from nearby villages, forming three teams totaling over three hundred soldiers.
Everyone looked at the grain they had gathered and felt they returned richly laden.
"Jiangnan is indeed wealthy; we’ve conscripted twice here and still gathered so much grain. In Qingzhou, even the first time we couldn’t collect three dou from a single household."
"This time we’ve finished searching. Next time, there won’t be much left. When will we head south? The main army has moved, and we’re left collecting provisions, a task not fit for man. My ancestors have been cursed to the eighteenth generation."
"If we don’t want to be cursed, we risk losing our heads. Do you dare not complete the mission they’ve set?"
While they were chatting, suddenly, the sound of hooves arose, and everyone turned to look. Instantly they were terrified; under the scorching sun, the ’Zhao’ banner flapped loudly, stinging their eyes.
Already some soldiers’ legs were shaking, their hands holding the knives trembled, but the young men who were tied up were excitedly shouting, "It’s the Zhao Family Army! The Zhao Family Army has come to save us!"
Zhao Shi had not specifically come to rescue them. He was just on his way to Yinling County, originally heading north, but a scout reported that this conscription team had captured many people here.
Recalling the tragic scenes of the conscripted villages he saw in recent days, Zhao Shi immediately led his soldiers over.
Because it was a conscription team, naturally two thousand men were unnecessary, so Zhao Shi only brought a thousand, which was more than enough to crush them.
The battle quickly ended, and after cutting the ropes, he let them free themselves. He then touched the grain bags in the cart and said, "Each person takes two days’ worth of rations, and the rest is returned."
The soldiers agreed, immediately tearing off the cloth bags they carried, which were meant for storing grain. As light cavalry, they could only carry three days’ rations each time.
Coincidentally, they had finished their rations today.
Each person evenly scooped two handfuls of grain from each bag, and after tying up the bags, Zhao Shi’s soldiers had already organized the men by village and instructed them to take their village’s grain back home.
The grain was conscripted from which family; that family would reclaim it themselves.
The men were deeply moved and gratefully kowtowed to Zhao Shi.
A young man asked Zhao Shi, "I wonder if the Zhao Family Army is recruiting soldiers. I, I want to join the Zhao Family Army."
Zhao Shi smiled at this and patted his shoulder, saying, "Just go home. Being a soldier isn’t easy; lives can be lost."
"I’m willing to die for the Zhao Family Army and for General Zhao!"
"Me too, me too, I want to join the army!"
A seventeen-year-old youth squeezed to the front and loudly said, "General, please accept us. They took all of my family’s grain. If you hadn’t come, even if I submissively enlisted, the family without winter provisions would have barely survived. You saved my entire family."
Of course, Zhao Shi couldn’t recruit new people, but seeing their enthusiasm, he thought for a moment and said, "In a few days, the Zhao Family Army will surely come to reclaim this land. Go home and endure for a while. When the main army arrives, you can then plead with the Grand Marshal to join the military. If he’s willing to take you, you may stay. If not, please help by relaying the rebellion news about Wang Dun. That’s enough."
He further advised, "Please inform your fellow villagers that if you encounter Wang Dun’s rebel army forcibly recruiting, do not resist to avoid losing your lives. Instead, follow them. Rest assured, on the battlefield, our Zhao Family Army does not kill indiscriminately. We know that many new recruits across the battlefield are conscripted militiamen. At that time, as long as they lay down their weapons and surrender, we’ll integrate them and let them return."
The militiamen were surprised by this revelation and were filled with newfound hope.
