Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 321, Winning Over the Army

Zhou Shuan spoke from the high platform.

Below, soldiers were reciting his words.

"Today's military review ceremony was originally intended to observe your capabilities in order to make arrangements for the next combat missions."

However, based on what I've observed so far, I think you need something else more than combat capabilities!

The Liaodong soldiers below listened to Zhou Shuan's words with little interest. They had no interest in what Zhou Shuan was saying, and many of them did not even listen to him seriously.

The military review ceremony was held early in the morning, but these low-ranking soldiers had to arrive at night to prepare.

There was nothing to cover on the grassland, and the cold wind was exceptionally fierce. Even animals with thick fur could freeze to death from the frost if they weren't careful, let alone ordinary soldiers like them.
Many soldiers were already freezing cold.

They just wanted to end this so-called military review as soon as possible and then let them return to their barracks.

At the very least, at least don't let them just stand there like idiots.

Moving around, even fighting the enemy, is much better than standing here like this, freezing cold.

However, Zhou Shuan's next sentence stunned all the soldiers present.

"I hereby declare this military review ceremony to be concluded ahead of schedule. All Liaodong Army soldiers shall proceed in order to the Huaiyin Army camp to collect a cotton-padded uniform!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers below were filled with disbelief.

Chu Renfeng's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.

Zhou Shuan smiled gently and said to Chu Renfeng:

"Young Marshal, please forgive me for not discussing this with you beforehand. I only just learned that your soldiers are short of cotton-padded clothing, which is why I made this decision on short notice."

Upon hearing this, Chu Renfeng stared at Zhou Shuan, his fists clenched tightly.

He couldn't help but curse Zhou Shuan in his heart:

"You only find out now? You son of a bitch, who are you trying to fool! Did you conjure up 50,000 sets of cotton-padded military uniforms out of thin air and onto the grasslands? If they hadn't been prepared in advance, he would have eaten those 50,000 sets of uniforms right there and then!"

This is blatant bribery to win over the army.

Moreover, they were trying to win over the soldiers right in front of him.

If war were to break out between the Huaiyin Army and Liaodong, what would become of these soldiers dressed in Huaiyin Army uniforms? Would they accidentally pick up their weapons in the wrong direction...?

Chu Renfeng simply couldn't imagine that scene.

But he can't refuse right now.

He even had to greet Zhou Shuan with a smile and thank him for providing uniforms for his soldiers.

Chu Renfeng knew that if he showed any reluctance or unwillingness at this moment, he would instantly be on the opposite side of the Liaodong soldiers below.

That would make Zhou Shuan's plan even more successful.

At this point, Chu Renfeng had no choice but to admit it.

Zhou Shuan wasn't finished yet; he wanted to destroy Chu Renfeng's spirit as well, explaining with a smile:
"Don't blame the young marshal and his men. The grassland climate is cold, and it's understandable that the young marshal was not well prepared since this is your first time fighting here."

After Zhou Shuan finished speaking, the soldier responsible for relaying the message loudly repeated Zhou Shuan's words to the soldiers below.

From the crowd came many disdainful murmurs.

Chu Renfeng's ashen face turned even darker and bluer.

Zhou Shuan was talking nonsense.

What do you mean by being unprepared when you first arrive on the grasslands?

That was completely unprepared.

The climate in Liaodong is not much better than that on the grasslands. The only difference might be that the grasslands get colder earlier, while Liaodong gets colder later.

However, in terms of coldness, Liaodong is in no way inferior; in fact, at the end of the year, the temperature in some northern areas is even lower than that on the grasslands.

Although the soldiers in Liaodong were treated slightly better, they were still far from being luxurious enough to be issued standard cotton-padded clothes.

The finances of the Great Xi Dynasty had already begun to collapse when Emperor Kangning went on his southern tour. It was Zhang Tingzheng who forcibly maintained stability through his strong political skills.

The other party struggled to maintain the balance between the powerful families, the common people, and the emperor of Da Xi, much like a paperhanger painstakingly repairing a broken house and then painstakingly saving a little money and food for everyone to enjoy.

Under these circumstances, the fact that Zhang Ting could avoid delaying the payment of military salaries to the border troops was already a testament to his efforts as prime minister.

There simply wouldn't be enough money to make cotton-padded clothes.

In recent years, when Da Xi completely lost this paperhanger, it also meant the rapid beginning of its decline.

There was no precedent for issuing cotton-padded clothing to the Liaodong army. The imperial court only provided one set of military uniform, which was an outer coat; the soldiers had to provide their own cotton-padded clothing underneath.

According to the original regulations, there was actually a special allowance for soldiers to purchase cotton-padded clothing, which was distributed along with their pay.

However, due to some well-known intricacies, soldiers naturally cannot receive this subsidy.

They had to pay for their own clothes entirely.

In this era, a cotton-padded coat is extremely precious.

Many people wear the same piece of clothing for five, ten, or even longer.

In many folk tales, the reason why thieves on the road would demand that their victims take off their clothes and valuables is precisely this.

In Liaodong, cotton-padded clothing was even more precious due to the cold climate.

There's a specific term for this: "hibernating."

This means that in winter, when farming is impossible, people will stay in their houses and not come out.

It sounds like a comfortable and relaxing feeling.

But in reality, each household might only have one or two cotton-padded coats, which would be worn only by strong men who were responsible for buying necessities outside or going into the mountains to chop firewood or hunt.

Some women and children could only hide naked under the covers and were unable to go out.

The preciousness of cotton-padded clothes led them to treat them like treasures in other seasons, keeping them locked in their homes, sprinkled with insect repellent powder, and carefully preserved so that they could be used for a longer time.

In recent years, due to the chaos of the times, the prices of various commodities have been rising, and cotton cloth and cotton have become increasingly expensive, which has greatly increased the value of cotton clothing.

Before this war to the grasslands, Liaodong was far from being cold, and many soldiers were reluctant to put on their cotton-padded clothes so early, because putting them on too early meant more wear and tear.

So they set off for the grassland wearing only their thin clothes.

The pursuit of food and clothing has always been a lifelong goal for the Chinese people.

Over thousands of years, this pursuit was only barely achieved during the heyday of a very few dynasties.

Each realization will leave an indelible mark on the hearts of people of that era, and they will even cherish that period forever.

Now, on the frigid grassland, soldiers whose faces were purple from the cold have changed into warm, thick cotton-padded clothes.

Nothing feels better than when your cold, numb hands are placed in soft, warm cotton fabric!
No, there are still some!

For example, right after receiving their cotton-padded coats, a large pot of mutton soup, simmering with a rich aroma, was brought to a boil.

On this day, the soldiers from Liaodong, dressed in brand-new cotton-padded clothes, sat together with the soldiers from Huaiyin, eating large mouthfuls of piping hot and tender mutton.

They will remember this moment for the rest of their lives.

(End of this chapter)