novelAbuy Chapter 356 Unification of Thought
Chapter 356 Unification of Thought
June 11, evening.
More than ten boats sailed in from a distance and slowly moored at the riverbank.
A moment later, more than 300 soldiers slowly walked ashore on the soft riverbank.
Leading the way were over a hundred soldiers clad in tan armor, followed by nearly two hundred auxiliary soldiers comprised of refugees from the Huai River region, salt workers from Yidu, farmers from Ma Tuosha, and the soldiers' relatives and sons.
After more than 300 people lined up on the river embankment, Shao Shuyi, dressed in a red robe, gave a speech, and the auxiliary soldiers were dismissed and sent home first—they were just training during the off-season for farming, so it was time to let them go.
The soldiers sat on the ground, enjoying the river breeze while eating and drinking.
Shao Shuyi led a group of people down to the fishermen's huts inside the dike and invited everyone to sit down.
Intentionally or unintentionally, the dozen or so people split into two groups and sat down.
Shao Shuyi glanced at the left side and saw ten people: Li Fu, Gao Daqiang, Bian Yuanheng, Wu Shangyuan, Jiang Sanbao, Wei Erdi, Yan Zhongyi, Zhou Chongwu, Cheng Ji, and Zeng Yi.
On the right are Gao Jian, Gao Wang, Gao Yue and his sons, He Zizu, Wang Xing, the monk Huiyong, and the newly arrived Lu Senglin and Lu Qi, the village head of Kaiyuan Township in Wuxi. They are newcomers, and the reason is simple: Lu Senglin has been driven bankrupt by the heavy taxes.
Not long after they sat down, Lin Shanyi led several ship managers over, ready to find seats.
Shao Shuyi immediately stood up, pulled Lin Shanyi to his side, and said with a smile, "Mr. Lin, please sit here."
Upon seeing that it was the first seat below Shao Shuyi—which was actually a prayer mat—Lin Shan immediately declined, saying, "No, I'd better sit here." After saying that, he moved down one seat himself.
As for the ship managers behind him, they sat down directly behind the group of people, guided by the Fu brothers.
A moment later, Liang Tai and Yu Yuan arrived one after the other. At Shao Shuyi's beckoning, they sat down to his left and right.
In this way, the order becomes clear.
The army has more than ten "warriors" on land and sea, and more than two hundred soldiers, including ten teams of 140 men who are land troops and more than one hundred men who are naval troops. They have twelve ships of various sizes.
Master Lu was trained by Shao Shuyi himself; he was the creator of Master Lu, and his prestige was extraordinary.
The naval force consisted of over a hundred households, including relatives, in-laws, neighbors, and friends from Lin Shan's area. They had just settled in Matuosha and were almost all from Wenzhou or pirate families.
They are a separate group and have not yet fully submitted to the government. Theoretically, they are "franchisees" rather than directly affiliated "stores" of Shao Shuyi.
Of the more than ten civil officials, nine are currently present. They are usually either doing accounting or some management work.
Shao Shuyi's gaze swept over everyone, a slight sense of satisfaction rising in his heart.
It's been five years since I transmigrated, and I've finally accumulated this much wealth. It wasn't easy.
What's even more commendable is that this wealth was accumulated bit by bit by him, not inherited, which is a fundamental difference. Inherited power is not reliable enough because you haven't planted your own unique mark in the process of building the army, so you can't command it completely as if it were your own arm.
If you haven't spent time with them day and night, haven't formed bonds of kindness and affection in daily life, and haven't created shared memories, then they are essentially just "working class people."
The pay is good, and I'll work, but whether I do a good job or not is unknown.
If the pay isn't good enough, the job definitely won't go well.
But favors and affections are intangible, but they can be used like money in critical moments. Subordinates may not work for you solely because of the salary; they have their own initiative.
This is the difference between a creator and an inheritor; control and combat power are not the same.
"I've already told you everything that happened last night." Shao Shuyi withdrew his gaze and said, "You all have differing opinions, we'll discuss that later. Yu She, first tell us about our assets."
「是。」虞渊起身行了一礼，然后面向众人，心平气和地说道：「先说军械。今有铁铠48副、皮甲152副、步弓56张、火铳10桿、弩2具、钩镰枪8桿、狼牙棒6桿、双手重剑5把、长柯斧6桿、锚斧4桿、铁锏4把……长枪、环刀、盾牌皆以百数，另有大小马36匹，其中堪做战马者25..…」
Yu Yuan spoke for a long time, mentioning almost every detail.
Everyone reacted differently upon hearing this.
Some people were overjoyed, excited about having so much wealth.
Some people were slightly surprised, seemingly aware of these things but unaware of how many there were.
Some people, like Lin Shanyi and his group, were quite shocked when they arrived. The pirates sitting behind the captains even stirred, their eyes filled with surprise and fear.
"Having discussed military equipment, let's talk about money and provisions," Yu Yuan continued. "Currently, Ma Tuo Sha has about 4000 shi of grain stored, of which 3000 shi are stored in the granary, 500 shi are stored in Chong Sheng Temple, and 500 shi are stored in the military farm warehouse."
There are seven groups of free-range pigs, cattle, sheep and donkeys, totaling 121 animals.
Shengye Trading Company had a total of 40 ships of various sizes, while Huangtian Trading Company had 12.
帐上有中统钞3410锭余、盐32万斤余一一如果算上已至福山港的吴黑子船队，则有约52万斤一一另有鹹鱼17000余斤、腊肉2000斤。
There are 11 inns, namely the Brothers Grain Shop and Matuosha Shop... and two farmlands, namely Matuosha Thousand Mu and Sanlinli...
433 farmers and soldiers were trained in rotation, including 86 from military dependents' villages and displaced people...
After saying this, Yu Yuan paused for a while, giving everyone time to digest it.
Just then, the guards brought over the tea and distributed it to everyone. Shao Shuyi personally took a bowl and handed it to Yu Yuan.
At this point, some whispers began to circulate in the room.
Gao Daqiang arrived early and grabbed a chair. Leaning back, he glanced at Bian Yuanheng on his left and Cheng Ji on his right, and laughed, "Back then, some people said I'd made enough money and should go home and enjoy life. I said Shao She wasn't an ordinary man, and following him around might bring some surprises. See, I was right. In my life, I've eaten what I wanted, worn what I wanted, and had my share of women. Even if I die now, I'll have no regrets. Shao She is so good at managing a household; he should be in charge. I'll just follow him and see how far I can go."
Bian Yuanheng, a twenty-three-year-old "old thief," was in the prime of his life, full of youthful vigor. Hearing this, he raised his head and said, "Big Spear is right. When brothers get together, it's lively, inspiring, and exciting. We eat and drink together, and kill bandits together. I could live like this forever." Li Fu glanced at them, seemingly disdainful of their "lowbrow tastes." His ambition was to overthrow the Tartar dynasty; wealth and status were secondary.
Cheng Jize remained calm, as if he had figured things out at a certain moment and would no longer be bothered by other thoughts. He was extremely determined and there was no way to sway him.
Zeng Yi sat on the outermost side of the military officers' group, which seemed to indicate that he was the least senior and lowest-ranking among the ten officers.
But he didn't care, didn't talk to anyone, and had a hint of arrogance in his eyes.
It seems to be saying, "You were all dissatisfied and resentful towards me back then, but didn't I still promote you to team leader? There's nothing I can do about it. My abilities are undeniable, and no one can ignore them. I'll continue to get promoted in the future, so just wait and see how I crush you all under my feet."
As the whispers gradually turned into loud discussions, Shao Shuyi cleared his throat lightly.
Everyone immediately fell silent and turned to look at him.
"What are your thoughts on what happened last night?" Shao Shuyi asked, glancing around at the group.
"Shao She, there's really nothing to say. You didn't want to rebel before, but now someone is forcing you to. What are you going to do?" Li Fu, already prepared, spoke first: "In my opinion, it would be better to respond to Fang Guozhen, raise the banner directly in Jiangyin, arrest a provincial councilor, kill him as a sacrifice, and that would greatly enhance your reputation, attracting many to join you. If you're worried about a lack of navy, you can send people to Taicang and Liujiagang to gather men and ships. Even if we don't have as many as Fang Guozhen, a hundred or so ships should be enough to gather them."
At this point, he emphasized his words slightly, saying, "Among all the households in Jiangnan, the ones who suffer the most are the boat people, who are even worse off than ordinary households! With your reputation, Mr. Shao, you should be able to recruit hundreds or even thousands of people."
"Team Leader Li... Section Chief acted rashly." Ma Tuosha's Chief, Gao Jian, quickly advised, "I thought about it for half the night last night and felt that we shouldn't divert the court's attention to Fang Guozhen. What if he's recruited? Wouldn't we be the only ones left? At that point, we'd be surrounded on all sides, and Ma Tuosha would be nothing more than an isolated island in the river, making it difficult to sustain a long-term strategy. However..."
Old Gao changed the subject and sighed, "If we make a fuss and accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty, it might not be a bad way out."
That old fox actually said both sides of the story, which is as good as saying nothing at all.
"Absurd!" Li Fu retorted directly, "I even asked someone beforehand, what good intentions do you think the dog of a court has in offering amnesty? Take Brother Shao as an example, if he were to be granted amnesty, there's absolutely no way he could serve as an official in Matuosha or Taicang. He would definitely be transferred elsewhere, and the government would send people to urge him not to stay at home. Do you think he could still be a local strongman in Jiangyin and continue to manage this family business after being granted amnesty? Dream on. We can't say for sure, but Brother Shao will definitely have to go far away. After he leaves, the government will use both soft and hard tactics, and the Matuosha business will fall apart."
Gao Jian avoided eye contact, looking embarrassed.
In today's "market rate" for being granted amnesty, unless you are a local official in a frontier region, this is indeed the case. If the bandit leader's crime is not serious, he will be granted an official position in another place, urged to take office, and you are not allowed to contact your former subordinates privately.
If the ringleader's crimes are serious, he won't even get an official position; he can only go home and live in seclusion, and he will still be under surveillance.
"May I ask, Section Chief Li, isn't Chen Bao'er from Changzhou serving as a patrol inspector in Wujin County?" Gao Wang asked.
"Go and inquire again. After the Xiang Army was defeated, Chen Bao'er was transferred to Huizhi Township, Songyang County, Chuzhou Road, to serve as a patrol inspector," Li Fu said with a sneer. "Chen Bao'er actually agreed?" Gao Wang asked in surprise.
"So what if you don't want to? When the government troops were busy, they were very lenient with you. But now that the Xiang Army has been wiped out, do you dare disobey?" Li Fu said. "Furthermore, after Chen Bao'er accepted the amnesty, he immediately dispersed some of his old brothers, and his power is far less than before. It's already good enough that the government isn't going to settle scores later; what more do they want?"
Gao Wang was speechless.
"That's right, we can't accept the amnesty." Gao Daqiang slapped his thigh and said, "If Shao She accepts the amnesty, at most he'll be a patrol inspector or a county lieutenant. What am I then? I'd rather stay home and live a comfortable life as a wealthy landowner. Why bother coming out here? I'm sweating buckets in the sweltering summer and my hands and feet are cracked in the freezing winter. What am I doing here?" Bian Yuanheng also clasped his hands and said, "Shao She, think it over. You are the backbone of Ma Tuosha. If you leave, the brothers can't outmaneuver those corrupt officials. They'll probably be defeated one by one, and none of them will have a good ending."
Shao Shuyi nodded slightly, then looked at the other team leaders.
In this atmosphere, regardless of what they think in their hearts, at least they have publicly stated that they cannot be appeased.
Shao Shuyi then looked at Gao Jian and his son and the others.
Gao Jian sighed and said, "Shao She, you make the decision. I will obey."
Shao Shuyi then withdrew his gaze and said, "The situation is now very clear; it has already taken the step I least wanted to see. Even if the government is not capable of punishing us now, it will definitely come in the future. Therefore, we must be prepared."
After speaking, Shao Shuyi stood up and said, "I have the following instructions."