Chapter 8: The Current Situation of Bian County

  The Lu family was not prosperous, and apart from the couple, there was only one child, Lu Chao. The dinner party had only four people seated. Gao Yuan considered it his first time seeing Mrs. Lu, who turned out to be a kind-hearted woman. However, compared to how Lu Hong doted on him, Mrs. Lu seemed much more indifferent.

  The dishes were not many, only five or six bowls, but the chef's level looked pretty good, with a balance of meat and vegetables, colorful and fragrant. There were four people at the table, and Gao Yuan was the smallest. Since it was a family dinner, Gao Yuan didn't stand on ceremony, didn't treat himself as a guest, and first mentioned the wine jug on the table, opened the mud seal, and prepared to pour wine for the four of them.

  Lu Hong pinched his mustache and smiled, as if all of this was a matter of course.

  "Today is a happy day, I must drink a few more cups, this jar of wine was given to me by Wu County Magistrate in his early years, it's been four or five years and I haven't had the heart to drink it, Haoran, you're lucky today." Lu Hong laughed.

  "The nephew has been lying down for almost a month and really doesn't know the taste of wine anymore." Gaoyuan smiled and poured wine into the bowls of the four people. As soon as the wine was poured out, Gaoyuan couldn't help but pause, this wine smelled quite good, but its color was not very good, somewhat murky, compared to the clear and pure wine he had drunk in his previous life, it was much worse. Wasn't it spoiled from being stored for too long? Gaoyuan thought to himself, but looking at Lu Hong's expression, there was nothing unusual, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

  He raised his wine bowl and said: "This first cup of wine, I want to toast my uncle and aunt, thank you for taking care of me for many years. My parents passed away early, so my uncle and aunt are like a second set of parents to me. Let me drink this cup as a sign of respect."

  Gao Yuan and Jing Lu's husband, Lu Chao, also stood up and smiled: "I'll keep you company!"

  Two people, one task, done perfectly.

  Madam Lu picked up her wine cup and smiled, saying: "Gao Yuan used to not be so eloquent, I didn't expect that this time being reborn as a human, he would actually become more sensible, it seems that getting stabbed by a knife was worth it."

  Lu Hong burst out laughing, looking extremely pleased, and also downed his wine in one gulp.

  He put down the wine bowl and slightly furrowed his eyebrows without drawing attention to himself. Just now, Lu Hong said that this was an old wine he had treasured for several years, but when drunk, it was actually bland and tasteless, similar to the yellow wine of his past life. To be honest, it didn't count as a good wine, but looking at Lu Hong's treasured expression, he couldn't say anything.

  "This second bowl is to wish you a successful journey and studies, brother. On the day when you achieve great things, don't forget to bring your little brother along." Gaoyuan said with a smile.

  Lu nodded slightly, "That's natural." The two clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp.

  Watching him down two bowls in one gulp without even blinking an eye, Lu Hong couldn't help but feel a little worried. "You've just recovered from your injury, drink less wine and eat more vegetables. If you get drunk, it won't be good for you. There's still a long way to go."

  Gao Yuan secretly smiled to himself, with this wine, even if he drank the whole jar by himself, it's unlikely he'd get drunk. In his past life, he had 50-60 degree pure grain liquor and could drink two kilograms in one breath without changing his expression.

  A meal eaten with such harmony and warmth is a rare sight, it's clear that this family has truly accepted each other as their own, my heart can't help but feel moved, in my past life, I didn't know what warmth was, every day I faced either the coldness of machinery or the brutality of mortal combat, when had I ever experienced such tenderness.

  After dinner, Mrs. Lu went to the backyard to attend to something, and Lu Chao also bid farewell and returned to his room to read books, but Gao Yuan was kept behind by Lu Hong.

  "Alas, my intention was not to let you become a soldier again. In the past, I also allowed you and Chao'er to study together, but you couldn't bear the temperament, your personality is too impulsive, really not suitable for studying. It's also my fault, your parents passed away early, so I spoiled you a bit. Otherwise, with your intelligence, if you had studied, your achievements today would definitely not be inferior to those of your elder brother!" Lu Hong sighed repeatedly.

  "Uncle, actually I'd rather lead troops, it's more exciting!" Gaoyuan laughed and said.

  "When you were a soldier, you couldn't avoid the battlefield and killing, your father died on the battlefield, your mother died of depression, I really didn't want you to go to war again, but you don't want to study, this path is blocked, there's only going to be a soldier to fight for a future, this time I arranged for you to be a soldier, Uncle has two positions under him, which one do you want to go to, choose for yourself." said Lu Hong.

  Gao Yuan's uncle was a government official and he wasn't bad at all, his job allowed him to choose what he wanted to do.

  "Uncle is the county lieutenant, with a quota of 300 regular soldiers under his command, and there are four positions for army officers. Two of them are now vacant, one is to assist Uncle in doing some miscellaneous tasks, and the other is to lead troops, which one do you choose?" asked Lu Hong.

  "Let your nephew lead the troops." Gaoyuan said without hesitation. "Doing some paperwork in the county government office, your nephew really can't bear this boredom."

  "It's also in line with your temperament, but the military camp is not like other places. Your uncle can arrange for you to go, but whether you can stand firm or not is another matter. In the military camp, the strong prevail, and even if you have your uncle as a backing, those under you may not obey you." Lu Hong said with a smile, "If you want to lead troops, that's fine too. I'll give you three months' time. If you can't hold on, come back, and I'll keep the position for you for three months. How about it?"

  "No need to persuade me, Uncle! Since I've chosen to lead the troops, I won't turn back now. You just watch!" Gaoyuan said loudly.

  "You and your father are of the same temperament. Well, let me introduce you to the situation in Fufeng County. Our Fufeng County has a total of 300 regular soldiers, with 100 stationed in Fufeng County Town, another 100 stationed at Juliguan, more than 50 miles away from Fufeng City, and the remaining 100 scattered throughout the county's towns to maintain law and order. These are three battalions, which are rotated once a year. The hundred men you brought this time will be stationed in the city. However, after the New Year, they will have to go to Juliguan." Lu Hongdao said, "That's not a good place to go."

  "My nephew can endure hardship!" Gaoyuan said seriously.

  "It's not a matter of whether we can bear hardships or not, but our Liaoxi County is a border county, and our Fufeng County is the closest place to the enemy in Liaoxi County. The Juliguan Pass is the first to bear the brunt. Every year, the Eastern Hu barbarians harass and plunder, and the Juliguan Pass always loses some manpower."

  In these days, Gao Yuan and Zhang Yi chatted idly about nothing in particular. Zhang Yi worked alongside Lu Hong and had a good understanding of the situation on the border. Gao Yuan also knew that the greatest enemy of Liaoxi Commandery was the Xiongnu people from the east. The Xiongnu were powerful, and Liaoxi Commandery was mostly on the defensive, which meant they were just passively taking a beating. To deal with the Xiongnu, it would require a nationwide mobilization of Great Yan to have any chance of winning.

  "Uncle, I have something that doesn't make sense. Our Fufeng County is the first county on the eastern border of Hu, but why do we only have 300 regular soldiers?" Gaoyuan was puzzled in his heart, "With such a small number of troops, what can be accomplished in battle?"

  Lu Hong burst out laughing. "As soon as I hear you say that, I know you're a young kid who doesn't understand anything. We have 300 regular soldiers in Fufeng County, which is already not a small number. In the ten or so counties of Liaoxi Prefecture, the number of regular soldiers in Fufeng County is three times that of other counties. Have you ever calculated how much it costs to support one soldier? Just the monthly salary of 1 guan per person, and in a year, it's over 3,000 guans. Not to mention uniforms, weapons, food, each soldier spends an additional 10 guans per year. That means these 300 regular soldiers cost us over 6,000 guans per year. This is not a small amount of money. Fufeng County has special circumstances, and the governor allocates 60% of the budget each year, which is 3,600 guans. I can also take out 20% from the county, which is 1,200 guans. There's still a shortfall of 1,200 guans that needs to be made up."

  "Self-funded?" Gaoyuan took a deep breath in surprise.

  Lu Hong nodded, "Yes, self-raised, high and far, I'll tell you the truth. My three hundred troops are evenly numbered, but every year when I distribute rations, only the one hundred stationed at Ju Li Guan receive full pay. After all, they might lose their lives there. The other two battalions stationed in the county seat and maintaining order in various villages, receiving half of their annual salary is already good."

  Gao Yuan took a deep breath and mentally calculated that Lu Hong brought back 4,800 guan of money from the county and prefecture each year. The household expenses for over 100 people in the residence would take up at least 2,000 guan, which was unavoidable. If the other two teams were also halved, they would only have 2,000 guan left, leaving a remainder of 800 guan. If he could cut corners elsewhere, such as on food and weapons, the amount would definitely exceed 1,000 guan. It was clear where this money had gone, and after some thought, his uncle, who seemed so majestic in his mind, turned out to be just another blood-sucking official.

  "You're a clever person, so you naturally know where the rest of the money went. I'm in a difficult situation too - not only do I have to support my family, but I also have to pay for your older brother's education. Hiring a teacher is no small expense, and then there are the annual gifts we have to give to our superiors, which is another large sum of money. If we only relied on this amount, it wouldn't even be enough to cover the basics. Fortunately, we have some other sources of income, so Uncle was barely able to balance the books."

  "But uncle, I don't understand, since our county is a border county, if the Eastern Hu people attack, what should we do? Just relying on these three hundred soldiers who can't even get their full pay?" Gao Yuan said with some helplessness, after all, Lu Hong was his uncle.

  "Hong Hong smiled and said, 'You don't know this, but the Donghu people come to raid us every autumn, although the scale is not large. When they come, we defend the city, and apart from 300 soldiers, we can also temporarily recruit young men. The Donghu people won't attack the city, just plundering is no big deal, but if they really want to attack the county seat, that's a major feud! The imperial court and the prefecture will not sit idly by, it would be a big battle! If we really fight, the Donghu people are also uncertain. In previous years, the governor gathered tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to fight a big battle with the Donghu people, severely punishing them, they have been more honest since then. The real fighting troops are in the prefecture, our places here are just for show. The internal situation of the Donghu is also unstable, they are a tribal alliance, their minds are not united. Now you understand, right?'"

  Gao Yuan nodded, finally understanding that the Donghu people had come to plunder, but only plundered some villages outside the city. As long as they didn't attack and loot the city, Da Yan wouldn't bother with them. However, this meant that the villages outside the city were doomed to suffer a bloody disaster.

  "If no salary is paid, will the soldiers not make trouble?" Gaoyuan asked a crucial question.

  "It all depends on the tactics of the soldiers' leader!" Lu Hong looked at Gao Yuan with a profound gaze, "There are many ways to make money, it's up to you whether you can handle it or not."

  "I understand!" Gaoyuan nodded.

  "To lead soldiers, first you need to have them obey you. To make them obey you, not only do you need to be braver than others, but also ensure everyone has food to eat." Lu Hongdao said: "The troops you're going to this time have been owed half a year's wages already. I've prepared 100 taels for you, which is one month's worth of wages. This is all I can afford, and it's only because it's you - if it were someone else, it wouldn't be so cheap."

  Gao Yuan stood up and bowed respectfully to Lu Hong. He understood in his heart that this hundred taels was actually given to him by Lu Hong especially. If he were to change it with the army's cashier, it would be impossible. "Thank you, Uncle."

  "Ah, as long as you understand."