Taiheiki

Chapter 141 Raising Sheep
"That's easy. I'll have someone prepare it right after I get back, and I'll send it over together with the Yin family tomorrow!" Wu Wu replied.

"Good!" Wei Cong finally smiled. "You finally show some sincerity. There's one last thing." He paused. "The soldiers I sent to capture Yin were killed and many were injured by your men. What are you going to do about this?"

Wu Wu's face showed a hint of anger: "Didn't you just say that ignorance is not a crime? Why are you bringing it up again?"

"I did say that ignorance is not a crime, but that doesn't mean you don't need to atone for your mistakes. That's why I'm asking you what you should do now. After all, the only way to deal with a criminal is to punish them, not negotiate with them. Otherwise, I would have sent troops into the mountains, killed your men, kidnapped your women, and burned down the entire village!"

Wu Wu suppressed his anger. Thinking of the warriors he had seen when he entered the camp, who were practically encased in steel, he didn't want to argue about the exact price, so he offered a high price. "Captain, do you want a life price? That's easy. How about killing one person and getting three cows for one wounded?"

"No?" Wei Cong shook his head.

"Han generals are really greedy!" Wu Wu cursed inwardly, and said, "Then how much do you want?"

"I don't want money!" Wei Cong laughed. "You should know that the entire Nanhai County is now in my hands. The rent, head tax, and tax that the entire county had to pay to the court last year are now in the warehouse of Panyu City, and I can spend them as I please. In addition, Panyu has overseas trade, and I can have all kinds of precious goods in the market. The money of the merchants and wealthy families in the city is also in my pocket. So I have no shortage of money, at least not those few cows you can give me!"

"Then what do you want?"

"Exchange them!" Wei Cong extended his right hand. "For every one of my men you kill, you must provide five men. For every one you injure, you must provide three men. Of course, they must be strong men. You cannot use the elderly, weak, women, or children as substitutes."

"You want my men to fight for you?" Wu Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Winter was approaching, and food was scarce in the mountains. The men in the tribe were idle anyway, so serving as soldiers for this man would at least save them some food. Combined with the cattle saved, the spring famine would be much easier. However, the Han people were known for their cunning ways, so he couldn't agree too readily, otherwise they might raise the price and propose new conditions.

"That's right!" Wei Cong nodded. "The ones you killed or wounded are my soldiers. Of course, replacements will have to fight in their place. Your men are skilled in using long poles and slingstones, which will be very useful to me on the battlefield!"

"Of course, my men are the bravest fighters!" Wu Wu puffed out his chest proudly.

"On the battlefield, bravery alone is useless. The most important thing is to follow orders!" Wei Cong smiled and said, "If you agree, we can discuss the details!"

"Details, what details?" Wu Wu became alert.

"Settlement allowance, salary, rations, and so on!" Wei Cong laughed and said, "We Han people have a saying: The emperor does not want hungry soldiers. Since they are going to fight for me, Wei Cong, it is natural to make sure they are well fed and well clothed, and have no worries!"

"Settlement allowance? Salary?" Wu Wu became excited: "You mean you want to give us money?"

"No, it's not for you, but for those who come to serve as soldiers!" Wei Cong corrected.

"Okay, then how much can they get?" Wu Wu didn't care about the details. In his opinion, there was no difference between giving it to those who came to serve as soldiers and giving it to himself. At most, it would just pass through their hands.

"My soldiers' resettlement allowance is one thousand coins each. Yours will get half that, or five hundred coins. As for salaries, they're paid every three months, and they won't be paid this time!"

"Fine, five hundred is five hundred!" If Wu Wu had just been regretting that his men had killed or injured so many people, now he felt it was too little. He roughly calculated that five hundred coins per person, a hundred men, would be fifty thousand coins. This was a huge sum of money. Even the usually arrogant Han county magistrate would immediately become reasonable if he spent ten thousand coins on him. Against the Han people, copper coins were much more effective than swords.

"Then it's settled!" Wei Cong smiled, as if he had seen through Wu Wu's thoughts. "Just to digress, if I were you, I wouldn't choose cash. I'd use the money to buy sheep and raise them!"

"Raising sheep?"

"Correct!"

"Let me calculate it for you. A pair of lambs costs less than four hundred coins, and you can get a discount if you buy more. The mountain pasture here is plentiful, and sheep aren't picky eaters. They can breed and give birth to lambs at seven or eight months old, with a litter size of two or three, sometimes five or six. Sheep are not only good for meat, but also for milking. Milk is not only drinkable but can also be made into cheese, which is easy to store and trade. The wool can also be spun and woven into cloth, which can be worn as warm clothing. Best of all, shepherding is something women and children can do; it doesn't require strong physical labor. The men can go out to the military, and the women and children can stay at home to tend the sheep. After a few years, if you're lucky, you'll have dozens of sheep, and the cheese and wool alone can support the family."

Wu Wu's eyes lit up when he heard this. Wei Cong had said that each soldier had dozens of sheep at home, but his mind automatically replaced it with the idea that his family had tens of thousands of sheep. But deep down, he still didn't believe it: "Are you serious?"

"If you don't believe me, you can send someone to the Han village to take a look. Raising sheep, milking them, shearing them, and spinning them isn't difficult to learn. Once you've learned that, why not buy some sheep? Copper coins won't just run away!"

"Okay!" Wu Wu nodded: "Then I will gather people immediately after I go back, and you can send someone to select them then! The resettlement fee will be distributed on the spot, right?" He confirmed carefully.

"That's right. If you don't believe it, you can just watch it right there!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Okay, okay!" Wu Wu forced himself to smile and said, "I have one more thing to ask for, please promise me!"

"what's up?"

"That's what's going on!" Wu Wu laughed. "According to the rules of our clan, since we're relatives by marriage, we can't betray them no matter what. So if Yin is to be handed over, my daughter will have to divorce her first, leaving her husbandless. So, could you please, Captain, grant me a husband?"

"Is that so?" Wei Cong laughed. "That's easy to say. When you bring Yin here tomorrow, I'll fulfill your request. How about that?"

"Thank you very much, Captain!" Wu Wu hurriedly thanked Wei Cong and left the tent. Liu Jiu snorted coldly: "This guy got a good deal!"

"This is a win-win situation!" Wei Cong smiled. "I get an extra team of soldiers, and he gets a useful son-in-law and a way to make money. This kind of relationship that benefits both parties can last long!"

"Captain!" Liu Jiu asked, "Why do you think so highly of these barbarians? Yes, they are indeed difficult to deal with in the mountains, but that's only in the mountains. If they were on flat ground, they would be completely vulnerable!"

"That's why I told you to use your brain more often!" Wei Cong sneered, "Let me ask you, when two armies are fighting, where should they line up?"

"Of course it's Sunnyside Highlands!"

"Just the high ground?"

"It would be best if there were mountains and rivers on both sides and behind, and a flat and open area in front for easy walking!"

"Hmm!" Hearing Liu Jiu's correct answer, Wei Cong's expression softened slightly. "These barbarians are good at using long poles. They can easily cross terrain that ordinary soldiers cannot pass through. They are also good at throwing stones. So if the two armies are fighting fiercely, and they are ordered to sneak across the mountains to the rear of the enemy formation and hit them with flying stones, what do you think the consequences will be?" "This..." Liu Jiu suddenly understood, his eyebrows dancing with joy. "Yes, why didn't I think of it? That's right. If this is the case, even an army of tens of thousands will be attacked from both sides and scattered!"

"And if those long poles in their hands were equipped with spear tips, wouldn't they become spears? If they were scattered, they could throw stones; if they were gathered, they could stab with their spears. If used effectively, they could defeat the many with the few and the strong with the weak!"

"That's right, Captain!" Liu Jiuxi asked, "Then who do you plan to let lead them?"

"Are you willing to marry that wild woman who just got divorced?" Wei Cong asked.

"Ah?" Liu Jiu was stunned. "You mean I have to marry that barbarian girl before I can lead that group of barbarians?"

"That's not necessarily true, but it will definitely be much more convenient. After all, marrying the chief's daughter means she's half a family member!" Wei Cong smiled and said, "Forget it. Judging from your expression, you probably don't want to. Let's find someone else! Go call Liu An in. I need to talk to him!"

"Yes!" Liu Jiu responded and walked out of the tent quickly, as if he was afraid that Wei Cong would change his mind and force himself to marry the divorced woman.

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"Your subordinate greets the captain!" Liu An carefully glanced at Wei Cong's expression. Although he knew that Wei Cong would not change his mind and punish him, he still felt a little uneasy.

"Get up!" Wei Cong smiled at Liu An and said, "Jucheng, I remember you're not married yet, right?"

"No!" Liu An was confused. "I'm a knight-errant man in my village. My father died young, and no one in my village wants to marry their daughter to me!"

"I see!" Wei Cong laughed and said, "But this may not be a bad thing. Jucheng, I will introduce you to a marriage. If you agree, the defeat will be written off. In addition, I can also promote you to the rank of Dubo!"

"Introducing a marriage?" Liu An subconsciously turned to look at Liu Jiu, and found his boss's face full of an inscrutable smile. He felt even more insecure. "Excuse me, who are the bride's family members?"

"It's the barbarian chieftain who came to my tent today. I think his name is Wu Wu!" Wei Cong smiled. "You marry his daughter, and then I can select a group of men from the young men he brought with him to compensate for our previous losses. This group of barbarians will form their own team, and you will be the leader! How about it? Not bad, right?"

"Then, what if I refuse?" Liu An answered carefully.

"Then let's change someone!" Wei Cong said with a smile: "I have so many people under my command, do I still need an unmarried man? You just saw it. Although he is a barbarian, he is also a noble chieftain. If you don't marry him, there are plenty of people who are willing to do so!"

"Well, that villain agreed!"

"Okay, okay! Liu Jiu, Jucheng has no elders in Jiaozhou. You are his superior, so the rest of the matters will be handed over to you!" Wei Cong said with a smile: "Make sure it is done properly and lively, so that both sides are satisfied. Don't be afraid to spend money!"

"Don't worry, Captain. Everything is on my shoulders!" Liu Jiuqiang suppressed his smile and answered in a deep voice.

"I have some business to attend to in Panyu, so I'll be leaving tonight!" Wei Cong turned his gaze to Liu An and said, "Jucheng, you should be most aware of the advantages and disadvantages of these barbarians. The more humiliating they made you in the past, the greater your achievements will be in the future. A man who wants to achieve something great should be open-minded. You should forget the past grudges. Do you understand?"

"Thank you for your advice, Captain!" Liu An bowed.

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Panyu, prefectural government office, side courtyard.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law!" Yu Wen walked quickly into the yard, closed the gate behind him, and shouted repeatedly.

"What's wrong?" Liu poked her head out to look outside and said, "Come in and talk!"

"Hey!" Yu Wen responded, hurried up to the hall, and sat down in the study. He poured himself a glass of water and drank it all. "Sister-in-law, it's bad. I just heard from outside that the three counties of Cangwu, Yulin, and Hepu are all recruiting soldiers. They must be going to attack that Wei captain. What should we do now? We have been dragged into this inexplicably. If these counties win, we will definitely not be invited!"

"Don't panic!" Liu was very calm: "You are not a court official yet, and I am just a woman. It won't be difficult to escape!"

"I hope so!" Yu Wen sighed, "I'm afraid that my brother will be implicated by those who are interested in this. That would be very troublesome!"

When Yu Wen mentioned the situation she feared most, Liu remained silent. She grasped her sleeve with her right hand, trembling slightly. "I'm just a woman. It doesn't matter. When the time comes, as long as I can get your brother's flesh and blood, nothing else will matter!"

"Sister-in-law..." Yu Wen looked at Liu in surprise. It was the first time he discovered the perseverance hidden in the heart of this usually weak and skillful sister-in-law.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Things haven't reached that stage yet!" Liu wiped her eyes. "Any other news? That Captain Wei isn't making any moves?"

"It's still the same, staying in his shogunate, seeing this and that, and changing the notices at the city gate every few days. But his ships on the river are practicing frequently."

"A new notice? What does it say on that notice?"

"They're talking about opening a navigation school! And announcing a city plan!"

"Navigation school? Urban planning? What do you mean?"

"The first one said that in order to promote maritime trade and fishing, Panyu's shipping and shipbuilding industry must be improved, and more shipbuilders and sailors must be trained. All boys over ten years old who are healthy and have no disabilities can be sent to school to learn various skills, and food, clothing and accommodation are free. The other thing seems to be that Wei Cong plans to expand Panyu. The new Panyu is several times larger than the current one, and there will be a city wall. There is a map of the new Panyu on the notice, which divides the new city into several areas. It tells the city residents that if they want to build houses in the new city, they can pay to buy the land! Sister-in-law, don't you think Wei Cong is stupid? People are about to attack, and he is still doing this!"

"So does he want to cheat some money before running away?" asked Liu.

"How is that possible?" Yu Wen laughed. "If Wei Cong wanted money, he could just let his troops plunder right now. Who could stop him? The news that the Jiaozhou troops were coming would have spread throughout the city long ago. Who would be so foolish as to pay for a piece of land that was only advertised? If the Jiaozhou troops arrived, and we investigate, not only would the money we'd already paid be thrown away, but we'd also probably be charged with being accomplices to the thieves."

(End of this chapter)