Fu Shanhe

Chapter 73 The Growth of Private Army

With so many refugees involved, chaos could easily arise if one is not careful.

You can let others take the blame, but you have to let your own people do the work, only then can you feel at ease.

Li Mu, who has rich experience in maintaining stability, was once again appointed by Marquis Wuyang to be in charge of this work-for-relief project.

It is euphemistically called "the more capable you are, the more work you should do", but this is the price you have to pay to be valued by your leaders.

If you can't shirk it, then treat it as an experience.

The more experiences you have, the faster your personal abilities grow.

In the past, when I read about work-for-relief in books, it was just four simple words, but in actual operation, there were a lot of messy things.

Due to the lack of sufficient grassroots management personnel, the only option is the simplest and most brutal military control.

Whether it is reasonable or not is not important. What needs to be done most is to establish order in the shortest possible time and resolve the refugee crisis.

Looking at the forcibly planned refugee camps, Li Mu instantly understood why military generals who implemented work-for-relief policies were impeached by the censors.

If we ignore the quality of the personnel inside, this is a weakened version of the military camp.

He was clearly directing the refugees to do work, but when it came to the hands of the subordinates, it felt like training new recruits.

Fixed work and rest hours, regular routes to work, and even learning to queue up for meals.

If it weren't for the large number of old and young people mixed in, it would have looked like a barracks for new soldiers.

The ability to establish order in a short period of time was all due to the whip.

There are several thorny heads hanging on the fence outside the camp, warning everyone at all times.

When he walked into the camp, he saw everyone's fearful eyes everywhere, which made Li Mu very uncomfortable.

Deep down he felt relieved. If all he saw were grateful looks from the people, his head would be in danger.

It was not easy to be an official in the Dayu Dynasty.

If a civil servant has a good reputation, he can be promoted.

If a military general has a good reputation, he can be promoted to a higher position.

……

“Master Qianhu, this is the expenditure of the refugee camp in recent days.

The total amount of grain consumed was 2,800 dan, and the expenditure was 1,200 taels of silver."

After taking the account book handed over by Lan Linjie, Li Mu casually flipped through it and lost interest.

The Dayu Law has clear provisions regarding work-for-relief.

The imperial court gave specific standards for how much money and food each person should be given every day.

If there is too much or too little, there will be accountability, and the executors have little room for free exercise.

One dry meal and two liquid meals a day can make me about 70% full.

However, when it comes to the actual implementation, part of the grain will usually be replaced with chaff in order to gain some benefits from it.

Li Mu was not interested in this small amount of money and did not want to dirty his hands, so he simply followed the court regulations.

This is most in line with his identity. As a new official, it is reasonable that he is not familiar with the unspoken rules of local officials.

“Well, just follow the steps as usual.

There is no need to rush the construction period, but the quality of the project must be guaranteed.

Did the soldiers who attacked the enemy camp at night last time make a decision?"

Li Mu asked with concern.

The promises made by our family must be fulfilled as soon as possible.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Five Cities Military Command is in charge of Yangzhou, it would be convenient to place personnel at the grassroots level of the government offices.

If we wait until new local officials take office and then want to interfere in local personnel affairs, it will be difficult to do so.

“My Lord, the situation has changed slightly.

Several officers, including Zhou Zongqi, chose to give up promotion and were accepted as disciples by Marquis Wuyang.

There were also a hundred soldiers who left with them. The steward of Marquis Wuyang came personally to lead them. It was said that this was what you agreed to.

The remaining soldiers neither want to go home nor enter the government office, and they hope you can accept them as servants." After hearing what Master Lan said, Li Mu almost spit out the tea in his mouth.

Marquis Wuyang's actions were truly unethical.

Everyone knows that the soldiers who come back alive after a night raid on the enemy camp are all top-notch soldiers, and with a little training they can become an elite force.

Li Mu also kept his eyes on these people. Many of his colleagues in the camp asked him for people, but he refused them all.

Leaving time for these people to choose freely is just a trick to win people's hearts.

It is easier to cultivate loyalty from people who voluntarily come over than from those who are directly recruited under your command.

I've been busy dealing with the refugee issue recently, and my lair was raided by someone because I wasn't careful.

Fortunately, Marquis Wuyang did not do anything too extreme and left him half of the soldiers, otherwise he would have suffered a real loss this time.

What surprised him most was Zhou Chuanfa, who actually gave up his position as deputy captain and went to guard the house for Marquis Wuyang.

During previous contacts, Li Mu could confirm that this person was very keen on fame, wealth and power.

There must be a story behind this, but since it’s something that both parties are willing to do, there’s no need for him to act like a bad guy.

“If you want to stay, just accept it!

Next, they were arranged to enter the personal guard camp to receive military training.

The basic treatment is the same as that of the original servants. The salary is 15 taels in the first year of joining the government, and it will increase by 1 tael every year thereafter, and all will be paid in full. "

Li Mu pretended to be calm and said.

The people below cannot be blamed for this matter. He himself couldn't stop his superior, Marquis Wuyang, from coming to ask for people.

If the people below saw the imperial envoy and went up to him to ask him a few questions, they would be considered loyal to their leader.

After a little pain, he recovered.

With so many people under my command now, I can always find good soldiers as long as I screen them carefully.

Including these people, his personal guard camp now has more than 400 people.

Looking at all the thousands of households in the Dayu Dynasty, who dares to support so many servants?
Even if the imperial court paid the military salaries in full, it would still have to put money into it, making it difficult to balance income and expenditure.

Even Li Mu himself was unsure.

If one can get a lucrative job after being promoted, all the personal guards will naturally stay.

If you are unlucky, you may go to a government office with great prospects but no "money prospects".

Maybe in the future, you will have to worry about the expenses of supporting servants.

Layoffs are out of the question.

Having witnessed the cruelty of the battlefield with his own eyes, he has long valued strength more than money.

“Sir, the students will be properly accommodated.

In addition to this incident, a scholar named Zhou was also brought back during the night raid on the enemy camp.

The students who have come into contact with him found that this man's conversation and knowledge are extraordinary, and he should not be an ordinary country scholar.

This person must have concealed his true identity, considering that he helped us lead the way and successfully burned the enemy's food supplies.

It is not convenient for the people below to interrogate him strictly. How do you think we should deal with this person?"

Master Lan asked with concern.

It can be seen that he had a good impression of the scholar named Zhou.

Otherwise, if such a person of unknown origin did not honestly reveal his identity when he arrived at the military camp, he would have been severely punished.

Helping to lead the way is indeed a great deed.

However, this person did not lead the way on his own initiative. Instead, he led the suicide squad willingly only after the knife was placed on his neck.

"Bring the person here so I can see him in person!
I am a person who values ​​talent.

If he really has talent, as long as he is not the leader of the rebellion, he can be given a lighter sentence."

Li Mu thought for a while and said.

(End of this chapter)