The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 329 Settlement (Part 2)

The immigrants were ecstatic!

Good guy!
Before even starting to earn money, they can already extend credit to the women and children in the family!

They're taking these refugees way too seriously, aren't they?
The village chiefs immediately ordered that the young and strong men and craftsmen from each family be placed at the front.

The village chiefs also argued vehemently:

"With so many people queuing up for consultations, it will take several days. Your wives and children are still waiting for you to earn money to support your families! Those of you who have finished your consultations today, don't wait until tomorrow, go to Hamiwei on your own!"

"You don't need to worry about things at home. A soldier just said that the women and children will be assigned to various garrisons. With us old folks keeping an eye on things, nothing will go wrong!"

They couldn't even wait one night.

The village chiefs even urged the 125 doctors to get to work immediately.

On average, one person is observed in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea (ten minutes).

The efficiency is actually not low.

Those at the front of the line were all young adults. From afternoon until dark, more than 18,000 people were seen.

More than 60% of the cases were found to be free of any disease other than hunger.

at this time.

Outside the tent, Guan's men carried in hundreds of large black pots.

The commander of the Guazhou Guard, holding a large ladle in his hand, introduced it with a cheerful smile:
"Our big-tailed Hu sheep from Guanxi are really big! This afternoon alone, we slaughtered 3,000 of them, each weighing over 100 jin (50 kg). Everyone gets half a jin of meat, and there's plenty of radish and mutton soup in the pot!"

Two hundred thousand people, half a pound of meat per person?
Generous.

Absolutely generous!

They were unaware that the original plan was to sell it.

Later, the commander of the Guazhou Guard decided to treat these people to a meal.

They were hoping that these immigrants would fall in love with the big-tailed sheep and use the men's wages to buy meat regularly.

You can’t catch a wolf without risking your child.

Tell me, isn't our mutton delicious?

The family members were squatting in a corner, slurping soup from their bowls.

"It smells amazing! Even the bones smell wonderful, there's absolutely no gamey smell!"

"Dad, you must work hard when you go to Hami New City! I'll go and buy a few pounds of lamb bones every three to five days to make soup! Maybe if my younger brother and sister take care of themselves like this for the winter, they'll become stronger."

“Daughters! Don’t be too frugal at home! Your father is a well-known bricklayer in the surrounding villages. This time, I’m sure I can earn two or three taels a month! I can support the three of you.”

I ate half a pound of meat and several bowls of radish and bone soup.

More than 18,000 able-bodied men didn't stutter once, and they set off again with their still untied bundles on their backs.
That afternoon, after receiving the resettlement proposal for over 200,000 immigrants sent back by General Gan via golden eagle, General Xiong summoned all the generals of the General's Office to discuss it.

No one objected to the series of arrangements, including epidemic prevention inspections, work-for-relief programs, and allowing family members to live on credit with their wages.

After all, the most urgent matters in the Kansai region right now are building a city and mining coal.

However, the generals had strong opinions about the arrangements for the educated immigrants.

"It's one thing to make those underage boys read and write, but why make all the garrison troops learn together?"

"Exactly! They don't have that kind of free time. Once on the battlefield, do you think the barbarians will give them three moves just because they know a few more words?"

"No, absolutely not! Few of my men have the patience for that, General, you wouldn't agree to it, would you?"

The bear was furious.

"Didn't you hear what General Gan wrote? In each garrison, all the young men in their teens and twenties are practically illiterate. How many of them can write their own names? They can't even do basic arithmetic up to 100!"
If our Kansai region develops well in the future, there will inevitably be merchants from all over the country coming here to do business. What if, when that happens, we sign some kind of contract with someone and we're completely clueless? Wouldn't we be at their mercy?
General Gan himself said it! It's not about reciting the Four Books and Five Classics and writing elaborate essays! Learning to write your name, writing simple everyday letters, understanding contracts, and doing arithmetic when shopping—these shouldn't be difficult, right?

Some people struggled, saying, "General, we really don't have the time!"

Xiong Zhen wanted nothing more than to kick this guy: "Didn't they say it would snow heavily here for three or four months?"

Seeing that many people looked reluctant, he decided to take drastic measures: "Then the teachers will set the exam questions. Those who pass will start receiving military pay starting next year!" The generals exclaimed in surprise: "Military pay?"

Xiong Zhen held his head high with immense pride:

"Yes! With coal, we'll have a stable income! Then we can start paying the soldiers, but the boys have to prove themselves."

Military pay is truly crucial for border troops who are only stationed there and have not participated in combat.

Ever since.

Three days later.

More than 900 scholars collectively ushered in a new spring.

The impoverished scholars and students were truly caught off guard.

How could a plan be made to make all the border troops literate in a wild land that had been recovered less than half a year ago?
What to study?
Learn the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic.

Learn simple arithmetic.

Learn the laws of Bei.

The minimum standard by the end of this year is to teach everyone to read and write 500 words!
Four months isn't a particularly difficult task.

Everyone happily accepted the teaching assignment.

Being a tutor to these garrison soldiers not only allows me to support my family, but also helps me build good relationships with them.

In this way, we can settle down here with peace of mind.

After completing this round of physical examinations.

Even the centurions of Guazhou Garrison had to admire General Gan's cautious approach.

Those young and strong immigrants, no matter how much they went through along the way, still had the physical foundation.

However, the elderly, women, and children suffer greatly.

Three days.

More than 2,000 people have been quarantined.

Most of these people had typhoid fever.

You can understand it if you think about it.

They walked more than 3,000 miles under the scorching sun, their clothes constantly getting wet and then drying again.

Those weak children who weren't abandoned on the street are already considered to have a strong will to live.

I was on edge while traveling.

Once we arrived at our destination, we quickly relaxed.

Symptoms such as headache, fever, cough, and runny nose immediately appeared.

Typhoid fever, in folk medicine, can be a deadly infectious disease.

For those who contract typhoid fever from sun exposure, the most common prescriptions doctors give are Guizhi Tang and Mahuang Tang.

The young apprentices were boiling large pots of medicinal soup.

Then, it was suggested that these patients cover themselves with several layers of blankets to sweat after drinking the herbal decoction.

If there aren't enough blankets, let them heat up the kang (heated brick bed) in their isolated dugouts.

Don't tell me yet.

The immigrants were quite satisfied with the dugouts, these semi-basement houses.

After being assigned to their respective garrisons, each household was divided into units, with an average of four or five people sharing a room of about ten square meters.

For refugees who have been away from home for more than a year, such a cramped dwelling is a decent home.
(End of this chapter)