Chapter 810 – Wanzhou, Returning Home (Part 8)
“Seriously, a boss who doesn’t give you time to prepare—if that were in the live-stream world, they’d definitely get roasted by their subordinates.”
But Xu Ke and the others weren’t just any ordinary folks; they took their responsibilities seriously. There was no such thing as being unprepared for them!
Jiang Pengji asked again, and it turned out that Wanzhou was developing even better than expected, all thanks to everyone’s hard work.
So, she said, “You’ve all worked hard this past six months. Once things settle down in Wanzhou, I’ll definitely let everyone take a breather.”
Apart from a few clueless rookies, the veterans looked on with expressions that screamed “I’ve seen it all and my heart is weary.”
Time off?
Ha! Let’s not forget the seven days of time off from last year’s holiday!
Not just them, but the audience in the live stream also joined in the roasting of Jiang Pengji.
She probably realized her words were a bit hollow, so she switched tactics.
Jiang Pengji’s ways of rewarding people were pretty straightforward—bonuses, salary raises, maybe some property deeds!
The clueless rookies looked at her like she was your typical generous lord, loaded with cash.
In reality?
Heh—let’s not go there; it’s all just tears.
Noticing the lack of enthusiasm, Jiang Pengji quickly changed the subject to the agricultural situation in Wanzhou.
Farming was always left to Li Yun.
However, since Wei Ci, the all-rounder, came on board, not only was he in charge of military farming; he also took on agricultural matters.
Lucky for them, this guy could multitask like no other; otherwise, they’d probably wear him out.
Wei Ci was responsible for the farming project and naturally handled the report.
He stepped up, his gaze slightly downward, not daring to meet her eyes directly.
While others thought the lord’s face was too theatrical and needed getting used to, Wei Ci feared it might stir up emotions and drown him in memories.
Her voice came from above, neither hoarse nor tired, but instead filled with vigor and strength.
In that instant, Wei Ci steadied his mind, regaining his composure.
He spoke calmly, relaying the state of Wanzhou’s three prefectures and nine counties, even estimating the autumn harvest’s rice yield.
Only seasoned farmers, after years of experience, could make accurate assessments of the harvest.
This showed how much effort Wei Ci had put into military farming.
Jiang Pengji said, “Zixiao, thank you for your hard work.”
“Stabilizing Wanzhou” may sound light, but it carried immense weight. This wasn’t about wiping out the Green Garment Army or the Red Lotus Sect; they were merely secondary factors in comparison to the main issue.
The essence of stabilizing Wanzhou lay in reducing the number of refugees—in other words, providing them a path back to their fields, letting them have a stable living space. The more refugees there were, the worse the law and order became. When gathered together, they could easily cause upheaval. Even if one Green Garment Army was wiped out, another would spring up, or a new Red Lotus Sect could rise from the ashes.
The purpose of the farming project wasn’t just to resolve the grain shortage; it also aimed to reduce the number of refugees and stabilize the situation.
Wei Ci excelled in this regard; Jiang Pengji couldn’t think of anyone who could do better.
Not just with military farming, but also the “post-war compensation” she had previously assigned him; he was diligent in that too.
These weren’t things that could be resolved overnight; the time and energy spent were beyond what outsiders could imagine.
For Wei Ci, those six words from her were the greatest affirmation and reward, far surpassing any glory.
Wei Ci took the moment to rein in his emotions, maintaining his usual demeanor.
While others might not have noticed the signs, Jiang Pengji furrowed her brow subtly.
After inquiring about the agricultural situation, Jiang Pengji then asked about the training and recruitment in Luo Yue’s military department.
Luo Yue stepped forward, succinctly touching on the main points so Jiang Pengji could get a rough idea.
She was surprised, saying, “The number of female troops has increased significantly.”
Female troops were still a much-debated topic, and even in a place like Wanzhou, there weren’t many women willing to endure hardships to be soldiers.
The female soldiers recruited earlier had mostly been through wars and hardships, each with their own painful pasts.
Jiang Pengji had also deliberately set high standards for recruiting female soldiers, which had kept the numbers from increasing.
Unexpectedly, after being away for half a year, the female troop count had grown by a third—quite an impressive jump!
Since female troops were involved, Jiang Pengji naturally had to ask a few questions.
This aspect was entirely under Jiang Nongqin’s responsibility, and Luo Yue only knew the gist; the specifics still had to be inquired from her.
After half a year, Jiang Nongqin’s complexion had tanned a bit more, yet her features seemed tougher, like a wildflower blooming amidst thorns.
Despite her sufferings, she still managed to stand tall and proud.
Jiang Nongqin’s standards for female troops were even stricter than Jiang Pengji’s; if she was satisfied, it was clear that the development of the female troops was quite promising.
As for the strange growth in their numbers…
“That’s thanks to Mr. Wei,” Jiang Nongqin said.
Jiang Pengji was stunned, asking what exactly Wei Ci had done that impacted the female troops.
Upon further inquiry, she found out that not only did he take on the workload, but he also stirred up a fuss with the storyteller, creating some vernacular novels.
Strangely enough, this seemingly lowbrow stuff caught the people of Wanzhou enthralled, with many loyal listeners believing the characters in Wei Ci’s stories. They thought, if women could contribute like those characters, that would be pretty cool!
Did people find the content of the novels ridiculous and unrealistic?
Uneducated!
Wasn’t the former court-conferred Marquis Guanhou a female general?
Wasn’t their lord, Liu Xi, also a female general?
Going further back, during the chaotic Sixteen Kingdoms period, countless legendary heroines rose to fame!
The characters in Wei Ci’s novels were all based on real figures.
Influenced by the novels, some common folks even began to change their prejudices against female troops, helping to build a more positive reputation for them.
Hearing this answer, not only was Jiang Pengji baffled, but the audience in the live stream erupted—
“A pioneer of vernacular novelists! Wei Ci, you’re reaching for the stars!”
【My husband Ye Bu Xiu】: “Miss Ci should just change her name to Lu Ci!”
【Running A Gan】: “Goddamn Lu Ci! Mr. Lu Xun is called Zhou Shuren, okay? Even if you want to change it, it should be Wei Shuren!”
【Psychological Crime】: “Am I the only one curious about the novels written by Miss Ci? Any juicy content?”
【My little valley master】: “Miss Ci is so reserved and reticent, how could she write something inappropriate? Even if she did write something, it would be subtle and hinted at, nothing crude like you lot think, just writing X-genitals directly—how vulgar and obscene!”
【Mushroom Out in Summer】: “Subtle and reserved? Like ‘Jin Zhan knock on Yu Zhen, fragrant sweat soaks silk clothes’ or ‘Daytime races in love, nighttime dreams for the gentleman’ or ‘Makeup smudged, hair disheveled, hairpin fallen’? Not a single word vulgar, but the content is pretty sexy?”
【Du Xiaoye】: “My mushroom is amazing! This wave of train of thought is really smooth!”
