The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 7 Meeting Lin Ruhai
The Red Army passed through the fields, with the soldiers holding the reins tightly to prevent the horses from eating the rice fields on the roadside.

The flag with the word "King" fluttered in the wind.

The children from the village ran out and followed the army, running barefoot at the edge of the field happily. The two smallest naked children could not keep up with the older children, so they sat on the grass and cried.

The people who were busy in the fields with their trouser legs rolled up stood up and watched in groups of three or five, with smiles on their faces.

"oh oh."

"The Wang family army is here."

"The Wang family army is here."

"The Japanese were selling sesame cakes. They sold them all the way to Dongmenling. Three artillery rounds were fired at the top of Dongmenling. The Japanese were so frightened that they screamed and cried. They fled to Linhai and then fell into chaos. The river was filled with corpses."

The children danced, clapped their hands and sang nursery rhymes.

The children didn’t know why they were so happy. Every time Wang Jiajun passed by their door, the adults would exclaim in praise, and the children knew that Wang Jiajun was a good person.

The soldiers looked at their general with admiration, and seeing the general's serious expression, their hearts tightened and they became even more afraid to make mistakes. They held the livestock tightly and didn't even think about stealing a single bite of rice.

Hold your head high and your chest out.

The soldiers’ uniforms are issued four times a year. Wearing the majestic uniforms, the soldiers are in high spirits.

It's a beautiful army.

"Our general is good in every way except that he rarely smiles or laughs."

A soldier in the team sighed as he walked.

"You know shit."

The captain turned around and cursed, "Too many people can easily lead to trouble. The general loves his soldiers, so he is very serious and doesn't smile. He doesn't let us slack off."

Everyone suddenly realized.

"The captain is indeed the captain. He knows more than us."

"Nonsense, I can be your captain, so I must be better than you."

A low laugh broke out from the team.

Jiangdu is ahead, and after Jiangdu is Yangzhou. They are almost home. This battle has yielded great rewards. Each soldier received a reward of 20 strings of cash, and everyone is eager to return home.

At the marching speed, they will reach Jiangdu in the afternoon, then get supplies from Jiangdu, set up camp outside the city and cook, spend the night, set off early tomorrow morning, and reach Yangzhou at noon.

After returning to Yangzhou, according to convention, the soldiers had at least ten days of vacation to go home.

If there is no accident.

Jiangdu sent people to tell Wang Jiajun that they were not allowed to stay in Jiangdu.

Wang Xin frowned.

"General, we submitted the letter to the Jiangdu City government office. Everything we said and did was in accordance with the rules. There was absolutely no mistake. I don't know why they won't allow us to enter the city."

The two sentries knelt on one knee and tried to explain.

"It's not your fault, get up."

Wang Xin trusted his own people. Since it was not the soldiers of Wang's army who committed the crime in the city, then there must be other reasons.

Everyone didn't expect to encounter difficulties at their doorstep, and they felt angry and aggrieved.

He Kuan started cursing.

"We went to fight the Japanese pirates and won a great victory. It's one thing for the officials not to arrange any rewards, but they are making things difficult for us. This is outrageous. If we hadn't defeated the Japanese pirates, these officials would still be able to keep their seats."

"Don't make a fuss. Listen to the general."

Tang Ping frowned, although he was also dissatisfied.

"General, what should we do?"

The officers looked at their general, waiting for him to make a decision.

Wang Xin thought of Lin Ruhai's previous warning to him and felt that this world was really ridiculous.

The attempt to suppress the Japanese actually caused trouble.

I have been very careful, turning a blind eye to many things and going along with many things, but in the end I still got into trouble, and I didn't know where the trouble came from, all because I wanted to do something practical.

"Tell them to cancel the camp and continue the march, reaching Yangzhou tonight."

None of the officers moved.

They were not convinced. "Why, do you think I wronged you?"

Wang Xin knew what the officers were thinking and hoped for an explanation. Wang Xin himself also wanted an explanation, but after more than a year of experience, Wang Xin had already understood the darkness of officialdom.

All I can do is maintain this pure land.

For yourself and for those who follow you.

"Here!"

The officers all clasped their fists and immediately left. No one complained. They left cleanly and neatly to arrange their respective troops and prepare to continue the march.

Looking at these subordinates who were loyal to him, Wang Xin frowned.

I had underestimated the darkness of officialdom.

Be more prepared.

The soldiers were very dissatisfied because they did not receive the proper treatment. They felt sorry for themselves and the general. Why were they being ignored? They had done nothing wrong.

They did indeed sacrifice only three brothers.

But that was because the general was capable. He led his brothers to practice the skills of killing the enemy. Everyone went to the battlefield with their heads on the line. Why should they compromise themselves for the glory they had earned with their lives?

The soldiers were dissatisfied, but no one violated military discipline.

The 1,500 soldiers traveled for a day and a night, arrived in Yangzhou at midnight, and quietly returned to the barracks 30 miles outside the city.

On the second day, the soldiers had just gotten up when they learned that the barracks had issued an official document stating that starting tomorrow, the soldiers of the three battalions would take turns to have leave, and the soldiers' reward of twenty strings of copper coins would be distributed today.

Twenty strings of cash were their spoils of war.

The soldiers took their twenty strings of copper coins. Although it was a lot of money, they were not happy.

Morale has dropped and is now below 80, but the army's status has not changed and it remains loyal.

This shows that there is an impact between morale and status, but they are not absolutely equivalent.

On the way to Lin's Mansion, Wang Xin looked at the changes in the information box in front of him and guessed that the army's morale had dropped because of the government's indifferent attitude, and the person to whom the government's attitude was loyal was himself.

They soon arrived at the Lin Mansion, and Wang Xin met Lin Ruhai under the guidance of the housekeeper.

Lin Ruhai did not receive Wang Xin in the main hall, but chose to receive him in the pavilion in the courtyard. This attitude showed that Lin Ruhai treated Wang Xin as his own son, and Wang Xin knew it very well.

Wang Xin admired Lin Ruhai very much.

Whether it is personal ability or family.

He was born into a noble family, won the third place in the imperial examination, and served as the Salt Inspector for many years. His ability is unquestionable.

For family.

He hired a teacher to teach Lin Daiyu and even did not forbid her from learning the piano. All these actions showed that Lin Ruhai cared very much about his family.

A person with a bottom line is always more trustworthy.

If my initial contact with Lin Ruhai was just to get a foot in the door and save myself some time, after getting along with him for more than a year, I found that this elder Lin Ruhai was actually a really good person.

Lin Ruhai makes tea.

Without the airs of an elder, he took the initiative to pour tea for Wang Xin enthusiastically.

Wang Xin held the teacup in both hands.

"I told you not to fight against the Japanese. Isn't it better to live in peace and stability?"

Although Lin Ruhai was blaming him, his eyes were full of smiles.

This junior.

He is a good person.

And talent.

After a few years of hard work and success, they will be qualified to take care of their daughter, so that their daughter will not be wronged in her husband's family in the future and there will be no one to help her. Poor parents in the world.

Lin Ruhai was ill for a while, and although he recovered, he didn't dare to hope that he could live long.

All we can do now is to show more kindness.

There are many people who have shown kindness to me, and I don't ask for anything in return. I will be satisfied as long as a little bit of it can be given to my daughter.

So when the younger generation in front of him did not listen to him, Lin Ruhai was not angry, but admired him even more.

(End of this chapter)