Chapter Eighteen: Rewards and Punishments

  Time flew like a white horse, and after they did that thing in Liujiacun, hiding here for more than 20 days had passed. In these 20 days, Xiao Tianjian led the group to practice intensively every day. Although they obtained a lot of grain from Liujiacun, it was only relatively better compared to their previous difficulties. Under the intense training, the grain was consumed quickly, and soon half of the grain they looted was eaten away.

  "What's crucial in a fight to the death is how comrades cooperate with each other. Your lives are not in your own hands, but in those of the brothers beside you. At the same time, each one of you bears the fate of his brothers on his shoulders. Charging into battle isn't just a matter of individual bravery!"

  I'm drilling you this way because I want you to know that we must be of one mind, advance and retreat together, if we're going to live a little longer. Any man who deserts his post during combat, whether he's advancing or retreating, is guilty of murdering the brothers beside him!

  From now on, I'm setting a rule: whenever we're about to engage in battle, you must follow my orders and not act arbitrarily. Anyone who disobeys and engages in chaotic fighting will be punished with 50 military lashes. Those who flee the battlefield will have no one to blame but themselves when I show them no mercy! The outcome is clear: kill or be killed, with no quarter asked or given!

  "Are you all clear?" Xiao Tianjian pressed the hilt of his waist knife, with a very serious expression, loudly said to these dozen or so people lined up in front of him.

  Listening to Xiao Tianjian's words and looking at the solemn expression on his face, no one thought that Xiao Tianjian was just talking nonsense, because so far, all the rules set by Xiao Tianjian for them have been kept, never said but not counted. Therefore, everyone habitually shouted in unison: "Remember, boss!"

  "There's still one more thing I want to tell everyone, since the brothers followed me, Xiao Mou, it's also been a hard work. I, Xiao Mou, haven't forgotten everyone's hard work! Although what we've gained isn't much, today I, Xiao Mou, will give everyone their first salary, not much money, one or two silver coins per person, this is what you all have earned by your own efforts! It's also what you deserve!"

  As long as you brothers follow me as usual, I, Xiao, guarantee that I will not treat everyone unfairly. Every time we gain money, I will take out a portion to reward everyone. Whoever puts in more effort will be rewarded more generously! As for the remaining money, don't think that I'll be the only one to swallow it all. This money is useless in these chaotic times and can't even be taken to the grave! The remaining money will be used to recruit soldiers and expand our strength. You don't need to worry about how this money will be used. In short, I, Xiao, won't treat everyone unfairly!

  As for the reward this time, last time we attacked Liu's village, Feng Gouzzi made the greatest effort. If he hadn't guided us, we wouldn't have even touched the edge of Liu's village. So, a special reward of five taels of silver is given to Feng Gouzzi! Now, everyone line up and come over to receive your silver!" Xiao Tianjian suddenly pulled out a small package from his pocket, opened it, revealing a pile of fragmented silver!

  Everyone was stunned at first, and then suddenly burst into cheers. They didn't expect that following Xiao Tianjian would actually bring them a reward, although it wasn't much, but for these people, it was undoubtedly already a huge sum of money. To know that they had previously not even encountered a disaster year, after a year of hard work, they could hardly earn a few dollars, and every year there were still several months when they had to rely on eating coarse grains to make ends meet. Now, not only could they eat their fill, but they also had money in hand, instantly making everyone overjoyed. As a result, the group of people immediately knelt down and thanked Xiao Tianjian.

  Feng Gouzzi was even more overwhelmed, almost bursting into tears. In his entire life, he had never been taken so seriously before. This time, on the trip to Liu's village, aside from wanting to get some food, his main reason for coming was to use Xiao Tianjian's power to avenge his relatives. However, he didn't expect that today, Xiao Tianjian would reward him with five taels of silver! These five taels of silver were no small fortune for him, and it was the first time in his life that he had earned money through honest means! (Of course, he wouldn't think about how this money was also obtained through robbery!) So when he received the five taels of silver from Xiao Tianjian's hands, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed heavily to Xiao Tianjian, choking back tears as he said: "Thank you, Master Xiao, for your generosity! I, Feng Gouzzi, may have been a rascal in the past, but I don't want to be looked down upon for the rest of my life. From now on, I'll follow Master Xiao to the death! If I ever betray him again, let the heavens strike me with lightning!"

  Xiao Tianjian smiled and pulled Feng Gouzi up from the ground, patting his shoulder and saying: "Gouzzi doesn't have to be polite, this is what you deserve! I, Xiao, value loyalty above all else. As long as you follow me, I will never betray you!"

  Xiao Tianjian had his reasons for doing so. Although he could still get these people to follow him just by feeding them, after a long time, he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't have opinions and might not abandon him for someone else when they met other powerful figures. Therefore, in order to motivate his subordinates to wholeheartedly follow him, necessary rewards were essential. Only this way could these people always have motivation.

  Moreover, people are greedy for wealth. Everyone knows that they looted some money and goods this time. If they don't get some benefits, it's hard to avoid making them resentful. So by distributing some money and goods to them, you can also buy their hearts. Compared to the ancients, Xiao Tianjian, a modern man, has some insights on how to mobilize people's enthusiasm!

  Because during this period of time, he has already seen that these people have a bit of an idle thought. They just got some food and they already have the idea to rely on this food and quietly mix here for a while. This is not good news for Xiao Tianjian, so he wants to stimulate them first, let them have bigger thoughts. Idleness is undoubtedly short-sighted in this era, if they want to expand their power, they must continue to fight.

  Now it seems that the effect is not bad, a group of people came forward one by one, took their fragmented silver from Xiao Tianjian's hand, and thanked Xiao Tianjian excitedly. Only Zhao Erdui was a little jealous when he gave five taels of silver to Feng Gouzi, although he didn't say anything, but it could be seen in his eyes.

  There is still one more update this afternoon, everyone continues to vote and support!