Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 196 Land Acquisition and Soldier Organization (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The journey from the county seat to Wohu Township is about 100 li (50 kilometers).

His blue-maned horse was a top-quality steed obtained from Feilong Mountain, with excellent stamina. In less than half a day, Zhao Xian could already see the cluster of rural houses in Wohu Township in the distance.

"Hiss~"

Zhao Xian suddenly tightened the reins, and the blue-maned horse immediately raised its head, shook its mane, and neighed incessantly.

He dismounted and strode towards the gate of the mansion.

"We pay our respects to the Military Commander!"

The soldiers guarding the gate, upon seeing Zhao Xian arrive, quickly saluted, stepped forward to greet him, and took the reins from Zhao Xian's hands.

Where are Zhao Zheng, Zhao Cheng, and the others?

"The two platoon leaders are conducting drills in the camp!"

"Summon them to come to me!"

"Here you go!"

A moment later, all the officials gathered in the main hall.

"We pay our respects to the Military Commander!"

"Please be seated, everyone!"

Zhao Xian sat in the main seat and gestured for everyone to take their seats.

From top to bottom on the left are military officers Zhao Zheng, Zhao Cheng, Zhao Ji, Xu Hua, Zhao Zong, Zhang Gong, and Zhao Ze.

On the right, from top to bottom, are six people: Song Ming, Xu Dejing, Liu Ping, Liu Sheng, Yang Zhi, and Chen Chong.

"Have the compensation payments for the soldiers who died in battle been properly distributed?"

Zhao Xian convened a meeting of everyone, always speaking frankly and never beating around the bush. At this moment, he raised his head and looked down at Zhao Zheng, asking in a solemn voice.

"Reporting back to the military commander, as you instructed, the relief is divided into two categories. One category is the distribution of 10,000 coins, which was chosen by 22 households; the rest chose land!"

"How are the compensation payments for the injured and disabled being distributed?" Zhao Xian nodded slightly, then continued to ask.

"The 2,000 talismans for those with minor injuries, and the 5,000 talismans for those who are disabled or seriously injured, have all been distributed!"

"Now I can finally rest easy!"

Zhao Xian showed a hint of emotion and gestured for Zhao Zheng to sit down.

"Gongzhao, have the rewards for meritorious service been distributed in full?" Zhao Xianfu looked down at Song Ming and asked solemnly.

"For each headheaded person, one thousand coins are awarded; for those who are not beheaded, five hundred coins are awarded. All have been distributed!" Song Ming stood up and answered solemnly.

"How is the land purchase going?"

"It's still under discussion!" Song Ming said with a wry smile.

"But the villagers are unwilling?"

"It's not that we're unwilling!" Shaking his head, Song Ming continued, "It's just that we've purchased far too much land this time!"

"Fifty acres of land, even if it's barren, would be difficult to purchase in a short time!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian nodded.

"Marshal," Liu Ping suddenly stood up and saluted, "among the fallen soldiers, sixty families have chosen to receive land!"

"One mu of wasteland costs five hundred coins, and the compensation for one household is exactly twenty mu!"

"Furthermore, among the cavalrymen, there are several dozen who are willing to follow the military commander. According to the military commander's order, these followers must be allocated fifty acres of land!"

"Furthermore, the soldiers who previously followed the military commander are to be given land, not monetary rewards!"

"This land purchase was truly a difficult undertaking!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into complete silence.

"The cavalry's followers shall purchase all the necessary land in Xixiang! The land of those who died in battle shall be purchased in Wohuxiang!"

After pondering for a while, Zhao Xian looked around at everyone and said calmly.

"Our camp's funds are insufficient to purchase so much land!"

Liu Ping bowed again, trying to dissuade him.

"In this battle, we captured nearly seven hundred bandits and their families. We selected the strongest among them and traded them at below-market prices to wealthy families in the village for barren land!"

"What is your opinion?"

Zhao Xian looked down at Liu Ping and asked in a solemn voice.

"I fear that wealthy households in the village may harbor resentment!"

"Tonight, I've prepared a feast to entertain the most prominent families in the village!"

As night fell, oxcarts lined the gates of the mansion, and scholars dressed in magnificent brocade robes slowly entered the courtyard.

"We congratulate our lord on his triumphant return!"

Everyone in the hall raised their glasses and toasted.

"Haha! Without your all-out help, how could I have returned victorious!"

"Gentlemen! Drink this cup to the brim!"

Zhao Xian, holding a wine cup, looked around at everyone and laughed loudly.

Everyone burst into laughter and raised their glasses in a hearty drink!

When everyone was quite drunk and their ears were flushed, Zhao Xian coughed lightly and put down his wine cup.

The wealthy households in the surrounding villages exchanged glances, fully aware of what Zhao Xian was about to say.

"I intend to purchase barren land in the countryside to house the families of my fallen soldiers; 1,500 mu will suffice!"

"You are all prominent figures in our village; you must lend me a hand this time!"

Zhao Xian looked around at everyone and said with a smile.

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, the wealthy households were slightly taken aback. Weren't they supposed to buy 5,000 mu of land?

How did it become 1,500 mu again?

If it's only 1,500 mu, then there's still room for negotiation.

The wealthy households exchanged glances, and Cao He, the head of the Cao family, understood immediately. He stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "The military commander's generous treatment of his soldiers is truly admirable!"

"But with so many fields, even though each of us owns some, it's still difficult to gather enough!"

"I beg Lord Cao for your assistance!"

Zhao Xian sighed inwardly, then immediately bowed to Cao He with a sincere expression.

"Five hundred coins per mu of wasteland, so this 1,500 mu would be seven hundred and fifty thousand talisman coins!"

Cao He glanced around at the other wealthy households, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

More than 700,000 talisman coins—I doubt anyone present could come up with that amount!

Even Zhao Xian, in his opinion, would find it difficult to produce such a thing in a short time!

After all, they had all heard that Zhao Zheng and others had spent hundreds of thousands of talisman coins distributing compensation to the wounded, disabled, and dead in recent days!

"Having captured hundreds of bandits and their families, I intend to use them as collateral in exchange for barren land!"

Zhao Xian understood Cao He's unspoken meaning and immediately spoke up.

"A strong servant costs about 20,000 talismans, and those with cultivation levels cost even more!"

"We are willing to sell at 80% of the market price!"

At this moment, Song Ming also spoke up.

"Absolutely 80%~"

Upon hearing this, the wealthy men in the hall all fell into deep thought.

If that's the case, then you've indeed made a lot of money!

If barren land is left uncultivated, it will just grow wildly with weeds. It would be better to replace it with some weeds and use it for land reclamation!

"Absolutely 80% for this price~"

One wealthy household hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Zhao Xian above, wanting to try and lower the price further.

But Zhao Xian looked over at the sound, a half-smile on his face.

"Eighty percent it is!"

The wealthy man swallowed his words, gave a fawning smile, and agreed.

"Therefore, this matter shall be settled!"

Zhao Xian raised his glass and looked around at everyone.

"I will obey your command, General!"

Everyone raised their glasses and responded with smiles.

Night had fallen, the banquet was over, and Zhao Xian returned to his inner room to rest.

The next day, Zhao Xian led Song Ming and the others to Xixiang without stopping.

Inside his residence in Xixiang, Zhao Xian once again hosted a banquet for wealthy villagers, and finally acquired another three thousand mu of wasteland.

In this way, he was finally able to settle his soldiers and followers.

Wasteland is actually barren land, overgrown with weeds, and still needs to be cultivated.

Fortunately, Zhao Xian still had some captured bandits, so he distributed them to his newly joined followers as apprentices, with each person still assigned to a household.

In addition, the construction of the followers' farmland and houses also began, and with so many complicated matters, Zhao Xian had to handle them personally.

As a result, Zhao Xian traveled back and forth between Xixiang and Wohuxiang for seven or eight days before he gradually sorted things out and assigned tasks to others.

At this time, there were only four or five days left until Zhao Xian's wedding.

The wedding was held at the residence of the woman in Wohu Township.

This house originally belonged to Chen Yuancheng. He knew that Zhao Xian lived a simple life and didn't have any houses to rely on in Wohu Township.

Chen Yuancheng then gifted the house to Zhao Xian for their marriage.

The house was usually neglected, and Chen Yuancheng was worried that his cousin might be mistreated, so he sent Wang Cong and Zhang Wen to bring two servants and two maids to prepare the house in advance.

It's truly comprehensive!

This truly made Zhao Xian, and even Zhao Ji, Zhao Zheng and other members of the Zhao family extremely grateful!

Before they knew it, their wedding day was fast approaching.

Marriage customs in this life are no different from those in the previous life.

On the wedding day, the groom must also go to the bride's home to fetch her.

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To bolster his prestige, Zhao Zheng selected twenty handsome men from the Zhao clan to serve as attendants and accompany Zhao Xian.

Zhao Hong, Zhao Zheng, Zhao Ji, Zhao Cheng, and others also accompanied Zhao Xian to Yunwu Mountain.

Dozens of people, surrounded by a retinue, roared past, looking quite imposing.

When they arrived at the foot of Cloud Mist Mountain, the Chen family had already made all the necessary preparations.

Although it was not the eldest daughter's wedding, the preparations were still quite grand.

The three tests upon arrival at the bride's home were certainly not difficult!

Without Zhao Xian, the groom, needing to step forward, Song Ming, Zhao Cheng, and others naturally stepped forward to address the issue.

After the final door-blocking ceremony, the two female cultivators from the Chen family each asked for some money as a "blocking fee," and then helped Chen Yuanqing, dressed in a phoenix robe and a red quilt, out of her boudoir.

After the lively celebration, the group took the bride back to Wohu Township.

The Chen family naturally needed someone to escort the bride, and this responsibility fell to Chen Yuancheng, his cousin.

Upon returning to Wohu Township, Xu Dekun, the northern patrol officer, Xu Dejing, the newly appointed county military garrison chief, He Qing, the Wohu Township official, Liu Zhuo, the township assistant, Cao Miao, the Shahe Township official, and other colleagues all came to congratulate him.

When everyone arrived, Liu Yuan, the county clerk, and Gao Yuan, the county official, also slowly arrived.

One of the two represents himself, and the other represents County Magistrate Gao Su.

After that, prominent families and wealthy households from Wohu Township and Xixiang Township sent people to offer their congratulations.

With everyone gathered together, the atmosphere was naturally lively and extraordinary.

The gifts alone amounted to over 100,000 taels of silver.

After paying respects to her parents, the bride returned to her inner room, while Zhao Xian naturally began to socialize with the guests.

As night deepened and the guests departed, Zhao Xian returned to his inner chamber.

She lifted the veil, revealing a beautiful and gentle face, with a hint of shyness and tranquility in her eyes as a newlywed.

"From now on, let us walk together on this journey!"

After his wedding, Zhao Xian immediately began shuttling between Xixiang and Wohuxiang.

Chen Yuanqing also accompanied Zhao Xian on an inspection tour of the farms and pastures in the two places.

As for the various miscellaneous affairs in both places, Chen Yuanqing was not prepared to take them on.

The jade slip that County Magistrate Gao Su bestowed upon Zhao Xian contained a set of extremely precious spiritual plant master lineages.

It is possible to cultivate to the upper level of the Yellow Rank!

Chen Yuanqing originally possessed a wood spirit root and had previously managed spirit fields in the Chen family, where he was already a low-grade Yellow Rank spirit plant master.

Now that he has obtained this precious inheritance, he naturally intends to study it diligently in Wohu Township and prepare to develop spiritual fields.

Zhao Xian naturally agreed with this, stating that the personnel from both locations could be freely deployed.

As for the dowry from the Chen family, it consisted of a full ten bushels of spirit-nurturing powder.

The so-called Spirit Nourishing Powder is a spiritual field base material made from the bones of demonic beasts, spirit stones, and spiritual objects belonging to the earth and wood elements.

These ten stones of spirit-nurturing powder, when sprinkled on ordinary fields and combined with the techniques of a spirit plant master, are enough to turn two acres of fertile land into spirit fields.

The spirit field is the foundation of a cultivation family!

When Chen Yuanqing learned that there was a spirit well in Yangpingli, he was even more excited.

Zhao Xian naturally followed her suggestion and sent her back to Yangpingli.

The Zhao clan members in Yangpingli were naturally quite pleased with Chen Yuanqing's arrival.

When they learned that Chen Yuanqing was also a spiritual plant master, they held him in even higher esteem.

Yangpingli.

In the countryside, a group of people surrounded two young monks.

"Yuanqing, this is the sacred well of our clan!"

Leading Chen Yuanqing to the well, Zhao Xian put down the bucket and slowly drew up a bucket of well water.

"There really is a faint trace of spiritual energy!"

After scanning with his divine sense, Chen Yuanqing was quite surprised.

"The fields surrounding this spirit well are all my family's land, irrigated daily with water from this spirit well. Do you think it's possible to cultivate them into spirit fields?"

Looking around, Zhao Xian turned to Chen Yuanqing and asked tentatively.

Seeing this, Chen Yuanqing didn't mind at all. He grabbed a handful of soil from the field and began to carefully sense it.

The great-uncle, grandfather, and others standing nearby remained silent, afraid of disturbing Chen Yuanqing.

After a while, Chen Yuanqing sprinkled the soil from his palm and a smile appeared on his face.

"My lord, these surrounding fields are already considered top-grade among fertile lands due to the nourishment of spiritual energy. Even without the intervention of a spirit plant master, they will surely become spirit fields in another ten or twenty years!"

"Now that you've nurtured me~"

"With the help of that truckload of spirit-nurturing powder, I am confident that I can turn the surrounding three acres of fertile land into spirit fields within a year!"

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These words immediately brought immense joy to the faces of his great-uncle, grandfather, and others behind him.

"However~"

At this point, Chen Yuanqing also showed a hint of hesitation.

"Yuanqing, is there any difficulty?" Zhao Xian asked with a smile upon seeing this.

"If we could have a spirit-gathering array to assist us, that would be even better!"

"A spirit-gathering array," Zhao Xian pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. I'll have Ah Hong go to the Daqingshan market to buy one!"

"Then I thank you, my husband!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuanqing smiled and replied.

After the matter was settled, Zhao Xian immediately sent Zhao Hong to Daqingshan Market to purchase the Spirit Gathering Array, and ordered Zhu Ji to bring all the servants and maids from Wohu Township to Yangpingli.

Zhao Xian also led Chen Yuanqing to the inner room to pay respects to several clan elders and seniors.

After staying in Yangpingli for several days, Zhao Xian also got up and left Yangpingli, returning to Wohu Township.

Now it's time to prepare for the tasks assigned by the county magistrate!

Wohu Township.

Inside the ranch, Zhao Xian, along with his father Zhao Yi and ranch manager Yan Zhu, inspected the livestock in each pen.

Behind the three, four burly young men followed closely.

"Ah Xian, the young men from the clan you entrusted to me before have all reached the Skin Refining stage. It's time for them to go out and gain some experience with you!"

Zhao Yi tilted his head back, took a puff of his pipe, exhaled a smoke ring, and slowly spoke.

Upon hearing this, the four teenagers behind him immediately tensed up and pricked up their ears to listen carefully.

"With these lads gone, Father will be without any trusted servants!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian smiled and replied.

"There are plenty of young boys in the clan, I'll just have your fifth uncle send four more!" Zhao Yi immediately waved his hand and replied with a smile, "Besides, Elder Mu has ten boys with him too!"

"I've heard that horsemanship skills are quite good nowadays!"

"Now that you're training a cavalry unit, adding these dozen or so boys should be enough!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian nodded thoughtfully.

My father's words made sense; it would be really difficult to find a few skilled horsemen in the countryside.

If a suitable candidate is available now, then naturally we should still use these young men we know well.

"Are any of you willing to leave with me?"

Zhao Xian turned to look at the group of teenagers and asked with a smile.

"We are willing to follow you, General!"

Upon seeing Zhao Xian's inquiry, the boys were overjoyed and immediately nodded in response.

"Alright, come with me tomorrow!"

The next morning, Zhao Xian led several boys to the open space on the west side of Wohu Village.

Hundreds of Taoist followers gathered in the open space, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Zhao Xian ascended the makeshift earthen platform, looked around at the Daoist followers below, and they all bowed and shouted, "We pay our respects to the Military Commander!"

"Please rise, everyone!"

"Today, Zhao Xian is here on the orders of the county magistrate to recruit soldiers. Any second son in his family who is skilled in horsemanship and martial arts is welcome to apply!"

"For applicants, third-rate martial artists will receive a settlement allowance of 300 talismans, and second-rate martial artists will receive 500 talismans!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers below began to wave their scabbards, directing the recruits to line up and maintain order at the event.

County Magistrate Gao Su allowed Zhao Xian to recruit one unit of soldiers, but Zhao Xian obviously wouldn't just recruit one unit of soldiers.

The formation remains the same: one unit of cavalry, three units of infantry, one unit of archers, and one unit of auxiliary troops.

In the previous battles in Ronghuai County, apart from the dead and the wounded, most of the lightly wounded had returned to their units.

Currently, he has over 150 infantrymen and archers under his command, and he needs to recruit about 100 more.

The auxiliary troops from before, now tempered in blood and fire, have naturally all been added to the regular troops.

"Name? Age? What level of cultivation? Are you skilled in horsemanship? Which pavilion and which place are you from?"

Zhao Ji sat upright behind the desk, looked at the burly man in front of him, and asked in a solemn voice.

"Chen Zhi, twenty-five years old, a second-rate martial artist, knows some horsemanship, from Yunde Village, Ting Township!"

The burly man immediately replied respectfully.

"Yundeli? Is that a member of the Chen family?"

Upon hearing this name, Zhao Ji asked with considerable surprise.

"Exactly!"

"Your Chen family recently moved to Wohu Township. Instead of staying home and farming, why are you planning to enlist as soldiers?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, there are a few more mouths to feed in the household recently!"

The burly man blushed and replied helplessly.

"Alright! I'll enlist as a cavalryman. Train hard from now on!"

Zhao Ji nodded slightly and then registered the person in the register.

The armored soldier beside him counted out five hundred talismans from a bamboo basket filled with gleaming yellow coins and gave them to the burly man.

"Next!"

At the same time, Xu Hua, Zhao Zong, Zhang Gong, and others also selected the Daoist people they were satisfied with.

By noon, they had finally recruited all the missing soldiers.

"By order of the military commander: Those who meet the criteria but were not selected this time will be given fifty coins!"

"Those who do not meet the requirements will be given twenty coins!"

Zhu Ji weaved through the crowd, shouting loudly.

"We thank you, General!"

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed and expressed their gratitude.

"Go home today, pack a little, and we'll meet here tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priests surrounding the earthen platform slowly dispersed.

Looking around, those who were selected were overjoyed, while those who were not selected looked gloomy and sighed.

There was nothing Zhao Xian could do; he wanted to recruit more soldiers, but the money and provisions provided by the county were simply too little!

A month's salary is 30,000 coins and 200 bushels of millet. The coins are only enough for the monthly salary of 100 people, but the millet can support the consumption of 200-300 people!

After returning home and finishing his meal, Zhao Xian summoned all his officers and subordinates.

"Now that the recruitment of soldiers is complete, please, Gongzhao, explain the military system!"

Looking around at everyone, Zhao Xian's gaze fell on Song Ming on his right, and he said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Song Ming naturally didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately took out a bamboo slip from his sleeve, stood up, and looked around at everyone.

"Five men form a squad, two squads form a platoon, each with a platoon leader. A team consists of five platoons, with a platoon leader and a deputy platoon leader, and the platoon leader also has one personal guard!"

"So, a full-strength squad would have fifty-eight men?"

After a moment's thought, Zhao Zheng asked.

"Exactly!" Song Ming nodded slightly, then continued, "Two teams form a garrison, with one garrison commander and two personal guards!"

"Two garrisons and one bend, each bend is headed by a military commander and has a squad of personal guards!"

"The appointments are as follows:" Song Ming glanced at everyone, and everyone's expressions tightened, and they straightened their posture.

"Zhao Zheng is appointed as the commander of the left garrison, and Zhao Cheng as the commander of the right garrison!"

"Zhao Ji is appointed as the captain of the left detachment, and Zhao Hong as the deputy captain!"

"Xu Hua is appointed as the captain of the Zuotun rear guard, and Zhao Jun as the deputy captain!"

"Zhao Zong is appointed as the captain of the right detachment's vanguard, with Xu Fu as his deputy!"

"Zhang Gong is appointed as the captain of the right garrison, and Zhao Duan as his deputy!"

"Huang Zhong is appointed as the cavalry captain, and Zhao Bing as the deputy captain!"

"Zhao Ze, leader of the auxiliary troops!"

"Liu Ping and Liu Sheng are appointed as military officers in the camp, each with a squad of soldiers!"

After the appointment was read out, everyone in the hall naturally stood up and bowed.

"We will obey the Commander's orders!"

"Please be seated, everyone!"

Zhao Xian nodded slightly, gesturing for everyone to take their seats.

Song Ming took his seat, and Liu Sheng, who was beside him, also took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve. He looked around at everyone, stood up and shouted, "There are twenty sets of iron armor in the camp's inventory. Starting with the deputy captain, all officers must wear iron armor!"

"One hundred and fourteen sets of leather armor were first distributed to the cavalry, followed by squad leaders, sergeants, personal guards, and veterans."

"Starting with the vice-captain, issue advanced weaponry and tiered equipment!"

"A soldier's monthly salary is two hundred talismans, a squad leader's is three hundred talismans, a platoon leader's is five hundred talismans, and a deputy captain's is eight hundred talismans!"

"The squad leader receives a monthly salary of ten low-grade spirit stones, and the garrison commander receives a monthly salary of fifteen low-grade spirit stones!"

"This will be the established practice; any changes will be announced separately!"

Upon hearing this, everyone rose to accept the order.

"In addition, we also need to make military license plates!" Zhao Xian added.

"May I ask, Sir, what is a military badge?" Zhao Zheng immediately saluted and asked.

"Military tags were used to identify soldiers, with the soldier's unit, squad, and name engraved on the front, and the soldier's place of origin on the back!"

"Soldiers are represented by wooden plaques, while those leading from the deputy captain onwards are represented by iron plaques!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded slightly.

"We will discuss the remaining matters later!"

"We will depart for Xixiang tomorrow for five days of training, and then proceed to Nankou Township!"

"I will obey your command, General!"