The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 601: Corvée (Part )

Of course, the best thing is military merit!

Military merit is always hard currency.

And it is the hardest currency!

Even after generations of hard work, one has not escaped poverty; even after ten years of hard study, one is still exhausted.

The three generations of Shang Cheng have great wealth, but how can it compare to the new rank and salary from joining the army.

Return victoriously and receive favor, get rich and honor with golden seal and purple robe.

He established great achievements and made outstanding contributions, and his expansion of territory was recorded in history.

May the family bring honor to their ancestors and make their wife and son marquises!

It doesn’t matter if you were born in a peasant family; it doesn’t matter if you are not good at studying; it doesn’t matter if you are not smart; on the battlefield, you have everything; just a head makes you a noble.

Two kills, and another level up, the reward will double!
As long as you dare to fight, you can be the first to climb the ladder, break through the enemy's formation, kill the general, or seize the flag. If you succeed in any of these, you can bring honor to your family and enjoy wealth and glory!

Wushuang Gui, who had such a dull brain, is now Wang Jian's trusted and beloved general, responsible for the important task of charging into battle, and has already been promoted to the rank of Gongcheng.

Once the world is unified, it will not be impossible to rise to the level of a commoner.

People like Wushuang Gui are the most loved by Ying Zheng and Wang Jian. They are truly loyal and obedient. If placed in the right position, they will be such talented people that they will laugh in their dreams.

He was too strong to ride a horse, but it didn't matter, he stood taller than an ordinary man on horseback and ran faster.

Ying Zheng specially selected an external skill suitable for him from the royal treasury and asked Wang Jian to teach him well.

Wang Jian also asked Gongshu Chou to tailor a special full-body armor and a 28-foot-long spear for him. Wang Jian really loved Wushuang Gui and even asked Nian Duan to make a good antidote for him to prevent him from being harmed by conspiracy.

Wushuang Gui is a true unparalleled ghost god on the battlefield, and he is also the most intimidating to ordinary enemy soldiers. He enters the enemy camp and kills them, and the enemy's morale is basically destroyed. When attacking a city, he can directly break the gate of an ordinary small city with a few charges.

Although Wushuang Gui is not smart, after being trained under Wang Jian for so many years, he is finally no longer like a wild beast. He is just not smart and no one teaches him. If there is someone to teach him, he can still grow.

Of course, he certainly couldn't manage the affairs of the palace, he didn't have the brains. Ying Zheng ordered Wang Jian to carefully select a good woman from a good family as his wife, and selected veteran soldiers to assist him as a housekeeper. With a mistress at home, he could still manage it. Who would bother with a fool?

The main thing is that both the king and General Wang like this fool, and his godsister is the king's favorite concubine, so no one would bother with him.

Now Wushuang Gui has a big house in Xianyang, with dozens of slaves and maids, more than 20 hectares of land under his name, and more than ten wives, concubines and beauties.

The concubine was found for him by his wife, there is nothing he can do about it, he has to understand this.

Wushuang Gui now has several children, but unfortunately, no one has inherited Wushuang Gui's talent yet. Although the children are also quite strong, there is still a world of difference between them and someone as gifted as Wushuang Gui.

Wushuang Gui did not need to take care of the family affairs, as the house was taken care of by the mistress, and his wife was a decent and honest woman whom Wang Jian had carefully found. Wang Jian sent many people to inquire about the woman and confirmed that she had a good upbringing, noble character, and that her family members were all honest people, so he came to propose marriage.

Although the girl's family background is ordinary, her good character is really good! Anyway, Wushuang Gui will not care about the other party's family background.

This woman also keeps her home in order, and her relationship with her husband is very harmonious.

Miscellaneous matters outside the mansion are under the full responsibility of the steward, who is Wushuang Gui's reliable subordinate.

Wushuang Gui only needs to eat well, sleep well and practice well at home. On the battlefield, he only needs to obey orders and charge, and wealth and glory will come naturally.

There are good horses only when there are good horse trainers. Good horses are common, but good horse trainers are rare. Therefore, even if there is a good horse, if there is no good horse trainer, the good horse can only be humiliated by the hands of slaves and die in the stable.

You still have to follow the right person and choose the right platform.

Now, as the Qin Dynasty has grown stronger and stronger, its population has increased, and it has always been crushing the battlefield, now the military service in the corvée has to be snatched away, especially in foreign wars.

Although Ying Zheng had made major changes to Qin's laws, the situation in which the people were happy to hear about war not only did not change, but became even worse.

Everyone knows that going to the battlefield now is to gain credit.

How can studying hard, farming, or being a humble businessman be as quick as going to the battlefield and wielding a sword to grab wealth and fame?

If you are not an elite who is strong, disciplined and has rich battlefield experience, forget about it if you want to get a job participating in foreign wars.

The military service system of this era is a system in which all citizens are conscripted. People work as farmers in peacetime and are called up to join the army in times of war.

The Qin Dynasty was no exception. It stipulated that men would be registered at the age of sixteen, which meant they could perform corvée labor, and they would be exempted from labor service until they were sixty.

The types of corvée are roughly divided into four categories: forced labor, miscellaneous labor, fine labor, and military service. People start to perform miscellaneous labor at the age of sixteen, and they only need to perform miscellaneous labor. They start to perform full-time service at the age of eighteen.

Forced labor refers to construction projects, such as building cities, palaces, tombs, the Great Wall, digging canals, building dams, dredging rivers, building roads and bridges, etc. These large-scale national public facilities also include local engineering construction.

This is voluntary labor, and you have to pay for your own round-trip fare. When you arrive at the construction site, you will only be provided with food and accommodation, but no wages.

The annual labor service is 20 days, which can be completed continuously or in stages. In the event of war or emergency projects, the duration of labor service may be extended.

In the past, extension of working hours was compulsory labor, but now Ying Zheng has given grace and those who extend their working hours will be paid daily wages.

This was a groundbreaking act of benevolence! Even Xunzi and Duanmu Jingde, who were far away in Xiaoshengxianzhuang, praised the sage monarch's presence when they heard about it.

Of course, the time spent on the way to service is not included.

Menial labor means doing odd jobs for the government.

They were responsible for various chores in government offices at all levels, such as cutting wood for the government, cooking, raising horses, and guarding the gates. The most important task was to transport supplies, including transporting food, weapons and other military supplies for the army, as well as transporting various supplies for the government. There were also some other scattered miscellaneous tasks, which need not be elaborated.

The number of menial labor is also set at twenty days per year, and the execution regulations are the same as those for forced labor.

In addition, civilians without titles have to spend three days every month doing menial work for nobles with titles. This time is calculated separately.

As for forced labor, as the name suggests, it is corvée labor with a punitive nature, applicable to criminals who have committed minor crimes. They are sentenced to service for committing crimes or violating regulations, using labor to pay off debts, fines or ransom.

Then there is the most important military service.

The first is the night watch service: adult men have to serve twenty days of night watch service every year, mainly responsible for building city walls, roads, palaces, etc., and also transporting supplies for the army.

The duty of night watchmen is still voluntary labor, but the food will be better and there will be more meals.

Then there is the battle of the regular soldiers.

Adult men serve as local soldiers in their respective counties and receive necessary military training. They become formal soldiers.

There will be a small amount of food and wages.

Moreover, the types of soldiers will vary according to local conditions.

Any adult male who has completed two years of regular military service in his lifetime may continue to serve, but starting from the age of 20, the service must not be less than one month each year.

Among them, the elite will be selected to guard the capital and the border, and they will have good income from food and wages. Now everyone is mainly competing for this type of military service.

The backbone forces of various countries are also similar to this elite.

These are professional soldiers. Soldiers stationed in the capital and guarding the border can often be rewarded with honors, and few of them voluntarily retire. The development prospects in the army are obviously the greatest. They can become officers step by step, and at a certain point, they can also choose to become local officials.

Those with lower ranks would be given priority to be appointed as officials at the local pavilion or village level after they retired and returned home.

Among them, the elite among the elite, those with clean backgrounds will be absorbed into the palace guards, that is, the king's soldiers. These are the famous Qin elite soldiers.

This is the most powerful force in the royal family, and this kind of treatment is the most generous. They have the best equipment, the best food, the most food and salary, the most opportunities to make meritorious deeds, frequent rewards, and time off. After a long time, they can move their household registration to the vicinity of the capital area and bring their families to settle down.

The king's soldiers basically have titles, and after retiring and returning to their hometowns, they are often the core grassroots backbones at the level of the three elders.

Since he ascended the throne, Ying Zheng has vigorously promoted the literacy movement in the army to cultivate people with certain management capabilities. The soldiers are already highly obedient, and after fighting in the battlefield, the only thing they lack is literacy. As long as they can recognize words, plus education on loyalty to the emperor and moral education, they are the most suitable grassroots officials.

Ying Zheng was never stingy when it came to his soldiers. Where else would the money be spent if not on guns?

In addition to the treatment in the army, the soldiers also had no worries. Anyone who died while serving in the army, especially those who died fighting on the battlefield, would receive a generous pension, and all his merits would be counted to his family (according to the Qin's inheritance law). His title would also be inherited by his family, and there would also be generous rewards and corresponding exemption benefits.

It is the most realistic truth that political power comes from the barrel of a gun, but making the gun follow you is a technical job.

If the treatment is not adequate, you will inevitably worry about your life and death. Who would be willing to work for you?
Power always comes from the bottom up! If someone obeys your orders, then you are the emperor. If no one obeys, then you are a dog-footed emperor.

No matter who has a hundred thousand loyal elite soldiers under his command, no one would dare not listen carefully to his words.

The Qin Dynasty was a typical example of royal power being sent to the countryside. It had extremely strong control over the entire country, relying on the soldiers who had experienced fighting, were highly obedient, and had made contributions to return to their hometowns to take control.

The Qin Dynasty also had an extremely complete administrative system below the counties, with townships below the counties, pavilions below the townships, and villages below the pavilions.

Township level: Township Youzhi (in charge of large townships), Xiangshoufu (in charge of small townships), Xiangzuo (the adjutant of the township chief), Xiangyoujiao (in charge of inspecting the local area and arresting thieves), Xiangsanlao (the most respected people in a township, in charge of education), in addition there are Xiangzu (militia), Xiangyouzhi (large townships), Xiangshoufu (small townships) (both of whom mediate neighborhood disputes, help the government collect taxes, and arrange corvée labor) and others who are in charge of the subordinate pavilions.

(End of this chapter)