Chapter 375 (1/2)
Everyone in the world only cared about their own benefits. The only difference is the magnitude of said benefit. The common people cared about their farms and also whether they have food to eat. On the other hand, the n.o.bles placed more importance in their status and power. Rather than forcing the people to become soldiers, it was better to entice them with benefits. The common people weren’t saints. As evidence, they only came to Yangzhou because they were promised farmlands and thirty percent tax. They also refused to join the army because it conflicts with their own personal interests. There was no need to risk their lives for no extra benefits.
There are two ways to make someone loyal to the nation. The first was to educate them about the related values and make them think that their nation is a sacred place. However, this is not possible as the impoverished people would not bother to study in the first place. Even if they started to study now, it would already be too late.
That was why Jia Xu recommended the second method which was to attract the people with benefits.
“Benefits?” Jia Xu’s idea was a good one but Liu Mang was not able to think of anything that could be given to the people. It is possible to give them wealth but Liu Mang would not be able to see the difference between such soldiers and an unruly mob. Besides that, when the people have a lot of money, they would become afraid of death and could no longer remain as soldiers. He was not able to provide them with food as Shouchun was already lacking provisions. He was also unable to give out so much land and it would also be a misfortune for the people if they have too much land.
“Milord. Wealth is not the only kind of benefit you can give the people. There are also other things you can do like making them officials!” Jia Xu pointed out.
Liu Mang’s eyes s.h.i.+ned. As the population of Yangzhou was over a million, there was at least ten thousand positions for the people to occupy. Each of them with this position could supervise a hundred people which was like being a village chief.
At that moment in Yangzhou, there was a governor and those from the senior managment but no officials to deal with petty issues. Public security have not yet been put onto the right track. Any issues were sent straight to the governor, causing the governor to be extremely busy.
“Mister Wenhe. Looks like you had found a solution much earlier. No wonder you can close your eyes!” Liu Mang did not forget to attack Jia Xu after accepting his advice. The moment Liu Mang said this, the other advisors and generals showed a bad expression towards Jia Xu. This is because they could not find an answer no matter how hard they thought. On the other hand, Jia Xu was the one that pointed out the problem, find a solution and even take time to relax. It was as though Jia Xu treated them like idiots.
“I was merely lucky to suddenly think of it, Milord!” Jia Xu bitterly accepted the consequences. Jia Xu tried not to offend anyone by not standing out but Liu Mang ended up placing him in the limelight and helping him to offend everyone. Now everyone except for Ge Jun and Zhang Hu had a bad impression of him.
“Huang Zhong!” Liu Mang suddenly called out in a commanding tone.
“Hm?” Huang Zhong was shaken out of his distracted state. He had considered himself Liu Mang’s bodyguard and had stood by Liu Mang’s side silently. Suddenly, Liu Mang had called him, causing him to feel a bit surprised. However, he immediately knelt down and replied, “This general is present!”
“Huang Zhong. This king promotes you to a recruitment general1. I will leave the recruitment of the three hundred thousand people to you!”
“Milord. I…!” Huang Zhong wanted to tell Liu Mang that he wanted to remain as Liu Mang’s bodyguard but he was stopped. It was too much of a waste for Huang Zhong to remain as his guard. Liu Mang had come to this decision after thinking for a long time. In the entire Lu Bu’s Army, only Lu Bu could defeat Huang Zhong in a duel. He was a great talent on par with Zhang Liao. It would truly be the biggest waste in history if Huang Zhong were to remain as his bodyguard.
“Huang Zhong. I did not purposefully give you this post. The truth is that the others are already too busy!” Liu Mang said to the general. Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao were too busy with their own armies. Cheng Yu and Huang Xu also had to work together for the Urban Army. Liu Mang was also not able to give Huang Xu the responsibility of leading the troops at that moment. Another possible person was w.a.n.g Wei. Although the man was talented, they could not find anybody that could replace his position as the deputy of the Black Flag Army. After thinking of the future, Liu Mang decided that Huang Zhong would be the best choice.
After all, to get three hundred thousand men to join the army was a huge task. There would be a huge problem if something were to go wrong. On top of that, there was n.o.body around that could organize these people. The only people that could actually complete this task was Huang Zhong and Zhang Liao. This was why Huang Zhong was chosen.
“This general obeys!” Huang Zhong could only cup his fist at Liu Mang and accept his order when he saw that Liu Mang was not backing down. He knew that Liu Mang was giving him and the Huang Family a chance. While following Liu Mang around was good because he could be by Liu Mang’s side, when they both grow older and Huang Zhong could no longer hold a sword, Liu Mang would no longer care about him.
As many more important things were going to happen in Liu Mang’s territory, it was unlikely for the Huang Family to fall out of favour. This is especially true since Huang Xu is in the Urban Army. However, Huang Zhong was still in his robust years. Even though he was no longer at the peak of his life, he still thought of obtaining his achievements on the battlefield. This was the dream of all generals. With two generals giving outstanding service, the Huang Family could move up from a common martial family to a n.o.ble family.
“Do not thank me yet! Your a.s.signment is a very important one that must not fail! If you fail, I will have to apprehend you!” Liu Mang shamefully spoke of his development plans for Yangzhou. For more war potential, Liu Mang desired strategists and also prepared to bring an entire nation to arms just like the old Han. During a battle the people were placed at the front lines and during times of peace, they were just common people. Liu Mang also prepared them for engineering projects at Shouchun like the dam. Now that Liu Mang had chased Liu Bei away, he would not give Liu Bei another chance to enter Yangzhou. As Liu Mang did not want another war within the borders of Yangzhou, the three hundred thousand reserve soldiers were very important.
“I am willing to set up a military order! If I fail, I am willing to give you my head!” Huang ZHong replied with confidence.
“It is good to have confidence but there is no need for a military order! I trust you!” Huang Zhong had that confidence but not Liu Mang. Liu Mang merely hopes for the forced conscription to provide a little preparation and also to provide job opportunities.
“Milord. Who is going to protect you when I am gone?” Huang Zhong was still worried. Even though he is going to a commander of three hundred thousand men, his mind was only concerned about Liu Mang’s safety.
“You do not have to worry.” Liu Mang laughed. “Men. Call in the brave warriors Zhou and Guan.”
“Hm?” Huang Zhong furrowed his brows. “He did not know who these two men were. Soon, two men carrying swords came forward. One man seemed to be between his robust years and middle age. He looked tall and st.u.r.dy. He should have had a handsome face but it was almost completely covered by a large scar. Half his nose and mouth had also already gone missing and he looked quite horrifying. The other person by his side looked younger and was about thirty years old. This one did not look as frightening but had a foolish expression. Both of them cupped their fist at Liu Mang. “We greet Your Highness, King of Shu!”
“Come. General, let me introduce these people to you. The one standing on the left is Guan Hai!” Liu Mang pointed at the man with the disfigured face.
“Guan Hai?” Not many people recognized the man but the few that did were surprised. Amongst the surprised generals, the usually calm Zhao Yun was the one that yelled out the man’s name.
Zhao Yun could not help but be surprised. Guan Hai was someone he had met before. Guan Hai had appeared several years ago when Qingzhou was still controlled by Kong Rong. At that time, Guan Hai was one of the biggest leaders of the Yellow Turbans at Qingzhou. It was no mistake that the Qingzhou Troops in the Cao Cao’s Army and also the ones belonging to Guan Yu were once Guan Hai’s troops.
“Guan Hai of Qingzhou?” Zhao Yun was uncertain but spoke out. Guan Hai’s murderous gaze confirmed Zhao Yun’s suspicion. Zhao Yun was truly stunned by this person’s sudden appearance. Guan Hai was a skilled warrior and had even killed Kong Rong’s general, Zong Bao, in combat. However, he was no match for Zhao Yun. Zong Bao was merely a second grade general. The reason why Zhao Yun was stunned was because Guan Hai should have been dead.
When Kong Rong was besieged at Beihai, he had dispatched Tais.h.i.+ Ci to look for reinforcements. The person Tais.h.i.+ Ci found was Liu Bei. During that time, Zhao Yun had been sent to Liu Bei by Gongsun Zan. Although Zhao Yun had never partic.i.p.ated directly in that battle, he still knew about its conclusion.
Guan Hai should have been killed by Guan Yu at Beihai. His death caused the Qingzhou Army to fall into confusion before getting surrounded. How could a dead person appear here?