You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 31 Layout
At the South City drill ground, banners fluttered and swords and spears stood like a forest.

Jiang Qingyun inspected the troops on horseback.

The first row consisted of a dozen or so newly promoted brothers, who served as commanders, deputy commanders, clerks, and constables in Daxing and Wanping counties, respectively.

These men wore brand-new official robes, and their eyes were filled with loyalty.

Alliances without shared interests won't last long.
Only a very small minority of people have ideals; for the vast majority, we need to talk more about reality.
……

Zhao Zesheng drew his knife.

"Greetings, Imperial Censor Jiang."

Behind him, a formation of over 70 armored soldiers knelt on one knee, fully armed; these were disciplined soldiers. The Five Cities Garrison originally had 150 men, but Jiang Qingyun had reduced their numbers by half.

Moving forward, there was a formation of over 100 Han soldiers from the Two Yellow Banners, led by Zhou Cang. They wore ancestral cotton armor, were small in stature, but had great fighting spirit.

If you walk any further, you'll reach a square formation of miscellaneous soldiers.

There were former soldiers recruited from Zhili, young镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from Xikou镖局 (escort agencies), soldiers from Dezhou brought by Uncle Zheng, the father's personal guard, and people from Baoding.

They were dressed in uniform black uniforms designed by Jiang Qingyun, with leather belts around their waists, long copper-tipped sticks in their hands, and red silk scarves around their necks, making them highly recognizable.

Even regular soldiers thought the uniforms looked pretty good, much better than the loose, beltless Green Standard Army uniforms.

A man should be dashing, and his clothing is very important.

Shoulder pads and a belt—anyone who wears this will look incredibly stylish!
……

Finally, Jiang Qingyun shouted: "Loyal to the Emperor, defend the Qing Dynasty!"

Everyone shouted together, and the parade was over.

A get-together, a treat for the senses.

Jiang Qingyun no longer wore official robes, but instead wore a coarse white shirt that he designed and tailored himself, and carried a wine bowl to show concern for his subordinates.

To win people's hearts and minds, material resources are fundamental, but not everything.

It's a mistake to think that giving more money will win people's hearts. Everyone needs to feel valued and respected.

Jiang Qingyun understood this principle well. He paid great attention to respecting his subordinates, talking to them more, encouraging them more, and showing them more care, so that his subordinates felt that "the boss values ​​me very much."

Looking at the large group of people gathered there, it was as if they were heroes gathering at Liangshan Marsh.

Jiang Qingyun thought to himself that the first wave of the campaign to "purge the internal conspiracy groups of the Eight Banners" was about to arrive, using the Five Cities Military Command as a starting point and the Plain Blue Banner as a breakthrough point.

……

Do not refrain from doing good because it is small.

Three days later!
The first phase of the Shijia Hutong project, which is just a few steps away from Bingmasi Hutong, has finally been completed, and the philanthropists who donated silver and the local officials and gentry have all come to pay their respects.

"I'm coming."

"Ready, go!"

Firecrackers and drums resounded, shaking the heavens and the earth.

In the distance~
A group of orphans, who looked more like ghosts than humans, walked timidly by, some supporting each other, some being carried.

A blind child, but with intact limbs, carried a child whose legs had been severed but whose eyes were intact on his back, walking at the front of the procession.

The two worked together seamlessly, as if they were one.

The "eyes" are responsible for describing the grandeur of the new orphanage.

"Legs and Feet" are responsible for expressing their feelings.

Everyone was stunned; this was too tragic.

……

The woman in charge shouted:

"You little brats, kneel down."

"Without the master, there is no food to eat; the masters will be dukes and marquises for generations."

A group of children knelt on the ground in a mess, shouting auspicious words incoherently.

Jiang Qingyun sighed. Every time he saw these children, it felt like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart, causing him both soreness and pain.

"Children, this will be your new home from now on. Be good, go inside, take a bath, change your clothes, get your hair cut, and take your medicine."

"I will definitely listen, I will listen."

Jiang Qingyun noticed that the woman in charge had a red flower tucked into her hair and had haphazardly applied some cheap rouge, and couldn't help but ask:

Where is your alms bowl-bearing Arhat?

"Who?"

"That's your husband. Why haven't I seen him today?" "He's dead."

Jiang Qingyun was stunned for a long time.

"How could someone who was perfectly fine suddenly die?"

"Sir, everyone dies. He's 45."

Jiang Qingyun was slightly shocked.

Where was the person buried?

"He's buried in the courtyard of the old orphanage. All the children who died over the years are buried there, so they can look after each other in the afterlife. Sir, do you really think he can become an Arhat?"

"Amitabha! Three years later, after his body has decayed and his bones have separated, he will be able to ascend to heaven."

The monk Tianji, who had been standing solemnly to the side, suddenly spoke up.

The woman's eyes reddened, and she wiped them with the back of her hand, laughing and scolding, "That rascal."

……

The advisor, Zhou Shao, lost his composure again and turned to leave the scene.

The monk Tianji remained dignified and solemn, gently tapping his bronze bowl.

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

Jiang Qingyun tore off the red cloth, revealing a huge stone tablet with the names of the donors and the amount of silver they donated clearly engraved on it.

Line by line, densely packed, yet clearly written.

The monk Tianji proclaimed loudly, "Good people, a hundred years from now, you will be blessed by Heaven, and your descendants will inherit your good fortune. Amitabha!"

Everyone quickly put their hands together in return.

The din of gongs and suonas dispelled the slight sadness.

……

Shaving, medicated bath, changing clothes, diagnosis, taking medicine, drinking porridge—each step is easy; the difficulty lies in the money!
Jiang Qingyun walked into the courtyard and saw a timid child who seemed familiar. The child stared at him and then opened his arms.

The words, "Sir, you can hold him for a while, but you can't hold him forever," still echo in my ears from the old orphanage.

It was him!

Jiang Qingyun walked over, picked him up, and fed him a piece of pastry.

"What's your name?"

"I have no name."

……

The construction of the orphanage, the charitable hall, and the refugee camp cost a total of more than 5000 taels of silver, part of which came from donations and part of which was misappropriated from the "smallpox vaccination silver" allocated by the Ministry of Revenue.

All the beggars in the southern part of the city were rounded up and taken to the refugee camp.

It is unlikely that Jiang Qingyun conducted a real shelter program in the 17th century. He simply screened beggars who were physically intact and mentally sound and sent them to work at a brick kiln he built outside the city. At least they would have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to sleep.

They are free to come and go, and are allowed to leave at any time, but they are not allowed to return to the South City to beg.

A small number of people who were identified as not capable of heavy labor, as well as people with disabilities, were kept at Pujitang to do light work, such as cooking, cutting medicinal herbs, distributing porridge, and growing vegetables.

There are large tracts of wasteland at the foot of the southern city wall; it would be a shame not to plant some vegetables there.

……

Under the invisible hand of the universe, many changes quietly took place throughout the southern city.

Taking the dung and charcoal trades as examples, after the original trade associations were destroyed, a group of people from Baoding came forward to rebuild new trade associations.

It looks the same as before, but it's actually very different.

The new industry regulations, operating procedures, management standards, and employee salaries were all drafted by Jiang Qingyun.

Everyone was paid a wage, including the foreman.

The remaining profits were given to Green Pearl by the leader, and then Green Pearl gave them to Jiang Qingyun.

This is similar to a modern corporate system, where Jiang Qingyun manages the company through professional managers, and can replace the managers at any time if he is not satisfied.

……

future~
As time went on, Jiang Qingyun was able to select the first batch of activists from the industry associations in Nancheng who came from humble backgrounds, and then, peripheral organizations were formed.

Then, the first batch of children in the orphanage could also be selected based on merit.

Like a hidden thread running through the grass, its layout extends for miles.

(End of this chapter)