Chapter 32: Reward Money
Seeing the worried expressions of the soldiers, Jinsui instantly understood what they were thinking and chuckled:
“That was before.”
The crowd was full of confusion, and she said with pride and confidence:
“This King is saying that the various armies in Yandi used to look down on our Border Army, that was before!”
“And now, This King has arrived.
You are This King’s personal guards, and This King will definitely make the Black Feather Camp the most valiant and respected army in all of Yandi!”
The soldiers were overjoyed, inspired by the Prince’s confidence, and all cheered:
“That’s right! We will show those people how capable our Border Army is.”
Jinsui had a bit of a wild streak; the more people egged her on, the more excited she became.
She stood among the soldiers, hands behind her back, reciting lines from military dramas she’d watched in her past life:
“An excellent army must first be united.”
“Never abandon, never give up, every soldier is a brother!”
Hei Hu raised his arms and shouted: “We are all brothers!”
Jinsui shouted again:
“We fear no hardship, we overcome obstacles, and we water our bodies and souls with blood and sweat.
Let our Black Feather Camp become an army with a steel-like military spirit!”
Hei Hu yelled with his hoarse voice: “Fear no hardship!”
…
When Jinsui asked how many of them were illiterate, she was told that only Han Xing and three squad leaders could read.
She gave them a new task: to spend an hour each day learning to read.
Not only must we train our bodies, but we must also arm our minds.
Some soldiers felt that literacy was useless; what use was it on the battlefield to kill enemies?
Jinsui directly replied: “Being literate allows you to understand military strategy books and imperial court documents, making it easier to get promoted and receive more military pay.”
At this, everyone had no objections. The previous spiritual speech was indeed inspiring, but promotion and increased military pay were material temptations!
Jinsui decided not to have them learn introductory texts like the “Three Character Classic” or “Thousand Character Classic,” but to directly start with the Thirty-Six Stratagems.
She quietly entered her space and used the printing device to print three hundred copies of the ‘Winning Stratagems’ first. She implemented a reward system: those who learned well could eat energy bars, while those who didn’t could only watch.
Every soldier loved hearing the stories of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and they were captivated as she told them.
When Han Xing and the others returned, they saw a very surprising scene: these rough men were each holding a page of text and listening to Li King lecture them.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves, the soldiers reluctantly put away their ‘teaching materials.’ One soldier sighed:
“If our village teacher taught like this, I would have definitely passed the licentiate exam.”
Soon, they were drawn to the items Han Xing brought back and all gathered to help unload. There were three fat sheep from the assassins and two large baskets of stewed chicken.
The mud hadn’t been completely removed, but the aroma of the chicken oil had already seeped out, making their stomachs rumble with desire.
Rice and flour were replenished, beans and peas were used to feed the horses, and over a dozen tents were purchased for them to sleep in rotation at night.
Although the weather was warm and sleeping outdoors wouldn’t cause them to freeze, there were many insects and heavy dew. Having tents to sleep in from now on would be much more comfortable.
Hei Hu circled Han Xing like a child waiting for his family to get off work:
“Eldest Brother, my new clothes, my new clothes.”
Han Xing smiled helplessly and threw a bundle into his arms:
“The ready-made clothes shop didn’t have any in your size, so this was altered. See if it fits.”
It was a garment that was entirely jujube red, but the collar, cuffs, hem, and underarms were spliced with fiery red fabric.
Jinsui was initially puzzled, wondering if there were spliced styles this early.
Upon asking, she learned that the ready-made clothes were too small, and since they had to alter them quickly, they didn’t have fabric of the same color.
Han Xing was in a hurry, so the tailor used other red cloth to alter it.
To be honest, the outfit was eye-catching, but it was quite ugly.
However, Hei Hu was very satisfied. He put it on immediately and proudly showed it to everyone.
He even shyly asked Jinsui: “Prince, do you think my new clothes look good?”
Jinsui nodded repeatedly: “They look good, they look good, like a groom.”
Hei Hu was delighted and shy, his face turning dark red.
That wasn’t all; Han Xing made a cloak from the remaining fiery red fabric and tied it to Hei Hu’s worn armor, instantly transforming him from a private to a great general.
He joked that as Li King’s personal bodyguard, his cloak should also be extraordinary. Hei Hu was as happy as a child on New Year’s Day.
Han Xing hurried over to explain the auction details to Jinsui, presenting all the silver earned:
“That Treasure Mirror sold for five thousand taels of silver.”
“We spent sixty taels on purchases in the city. This is the remaining four thousand nine hundred taels; four thousand is in silver notes, and this box contains loose silver.”
All the soldiers gasped. They knew the Li King’s treasures were valuable, but they never expected them to be so valuable!
Five thousand taels! That could pile up into a silver mountain!
Jinsui’s heart also churned like a boiling wave. A makeup mirror worth tens of taels sold for five thousand!
I didn’t even look at it just now, did the makeup mirror get copied?
This wasn’t a mirror! It was an unparalleled treasure!
Hao Duojin interjected aggrievedly: “If it weren’t for Young Master Jin’s arrogance, the treasure could have sold for more.”
Jinsui quickly asked what happened and learned that the largest aristocratic family in Wei Prefecture was the Jin family, and their young master was known for being a dissolute and extravagant spendthrift.
Upon hearing that the Li King was auctioning his treasures, how could he not participate? When Han Xing demonstrated the magical mirror on stage, he also invited guests to come up and take a look.
Young Master Jin was determined to have it. When the price reached five thousand taels, he directly told everyone that if they were not afraid of offending his Jin family, they could bid against him!
The aristocratic young masters and wealthy individuals who had wanted to bid for the Treasure Mirror no longer raised their prices, and Young Master Jin bought the treasure for five thousand taels of silver.
Seeing that the Li King was lost in thought after listening, Han Xing feared that the Prince would go to teach Young Master Jin a lesson. The Jin family was dominant in Wei Prefecture, and if trouble truly erupted, he feared he wouldn’t be able to protect the Prince.
Just as he was about to advise the Prince to calm his anger, he heard Jinsui say:
“Quick, pack up your things and leave the borders of Wei Prefecture as fast as possible.”
All the soldiers were stunned. They were just about to start cooking the fat sheep, and now they had to travel?
Jinsui feigned melancholy:
“This King feels heartbroken thinking about the Treasure Mirror falling into someone else’s hands. If I don’t leave this place, I fear I will regret it.”
In reality, she was afraid that Young Master Jin would regret it!
What if he heard that the Li King hadn’t left yet and came to return the item?
Five thousand taels for a mirror, what kind of a fool would do such a thing?
If the switch on the checkpoint’s casing didn’t light up, Young Master Jin might just change his mind.
However, Han Xing and the others believed the Prince’s reason. Having sold a royal treasure, how could the Prince not be heartbroken?
They immediately packed their belongings, and Hei Hu carefully wrapped up his new clothes.
Only the stewed chicken was cracked open on the spot and shared among everyone.
This time, Jinsui was even more eager to travel than when she escaped from Huai Prefecture. Without Han Xing needing to urge her, she urged herself.
And after this period of learning, she could already ride a horse by herself, albeit at a slower speed.
But the feeling of riding a horse by herself at lightning speed was exhilarating and kept her from feeling sleepy at all.
They rode until dark. Although they hadn’t left the borders of Wei Prefecture yet, Jinsui agreed to stop and rest only when she was sure no one was chasing them.
After dismounting, she began to regret rushing so much, as riding a horse for so long made the inside of her thighs burn with pain.
If she rode like this all the way to Yanzhou, she would definitely develop bow legs!
While setting up camp, all the soldiers were still in a state of happiness, thinking that with the Prince having money, their future meals would be better.
Only Jinsui, looking at the stack of silver notes and the box of silver, made a decision. During dinner, she announced publicly:
“All the soldiers who traveled a thousand miles to escort This King have worked hard!”
The soldiers were confused but all replied that it was their duty and their honor to serve the Prince.
Jinsui pushed the box of silver towards herself: “This King traveled alone to Yanzhou, and without all of you soldiers, I fear I would not have made it.”
“This silver is considered a reward from This King to all of you.
Captain Han will receive one hundred taels, each captain fifty taels, soldiers injured in Huai Prefecture twenty taels, and the rest ten taels.”
“The remainder will be used as military expenses. From now on, for our food and horse feed, we will have three dishes and one soup, and no more beans and peas.”
She expected everyone to cheer, but instead, she saw silence, tension, and helplessness.
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