Tuesday 26 March 2024

WLAEF afterward 7




It felt like picking up money. Of course, Jiang Yun Zhu didn’t let money go to her head. She knew that Chi Zheng and the others had encountered many difficulties this time, such as strong winds and waves, diseases, etc. This was Chi Zheng and the others. If it were other people, they might all be buried in the sea.

It was better to be careful, she warned herself.

Fortunately, this trip had accumulated a lot of experience. Next time they go to sea, they will have preventative measures.

Once she calmed down, she began to distribute profits.

Early the next morning, everyone gathered in the courtyard.

Jiang Yun Zhu stood there and listed out everything gained from this trip to sea.

Everyone listened carefully. It was a bit like listening to a leader's speech. In fact, they were more concerned about what happened next.

Jiang Yun Zhu understood and quickly ended this link. She waved her hand, motioning to Chi Zheng and others to move the boxes over.

Going by the previous agreement on the profit earned by the fleet, Yang Sheng accounted for 6%, Chi Zheng and others accounted for 7%, Han Kuo and others accounted for 7%, Qilin Guards accounted for 5%, and Yang Family’s army accounted for 4%, and the rest belong to Shen Feng Ming and Jiang Yun Zhu.

In other words, this time, Yang Sheng earned 100,000 liang, Chi Zheng and others earned 120,000 liang, Han Kuo and others earned 120,000 liang, Qilin Guards earned 80,000 liang, and Yang Family’s army earned 70,000 liang. 

Chi Zheng’s group had less people. Dividing it equally, each of them had more than a thousand liang. Han Kuo group could get 700 or so liang each.

Immediately someone brought boxes of gold and silver to them.

Toward this much money, Chi Zheng and the others were fine. While Han Kuo and others mostly had red eyes. They all came from poor families. They joined the army for food or corvee service. After spending ten years in the army, they risked their lives and could only get twenty liang of silver. They couldn't build a house or buy good land. After returning, they still had to suffer poverty.

But this time they only went out for more than half a year and earned more than 700 liang. What did this amount to? If they go back to their hometown, they can build a house as well as buying land with this 700 or so liang. They will be worry-free for the rest of their lives.

The feeling of getting rich overnight.

Moreover, they did it for their own brothers, earning over 70,000 liang for those in Yang Family’s army who couldn’t come.

Those people may have passed away and their families were suffering. Or those who may be poor and sick. Or those who may have been forced to a dead end...

With these 70,000 liang, they will definitely be able to live a better life.

Oh right, there were those brothers who were still in the military. It was bitterly cold at the border, but they couldn’t even afford a pot of wine to ward off the cold. Now they could!

Thinking of this, they felt a little proud. They wanted to see those brothers and let them see the money.

They were overjoyed. Li  Xing Lin and others were anxious to death. They wanted to go to sea and make this glistening money.

"Madam, didn't you say that when they come back, you will let us go to sea? Now that they are back, should we set off tomorrow?" Li  Xing Lin asked Jiang Yun Zhu eagerly.

Behind him, everyone enthusiastically stared at Jiang Yun Zhu.

Han Kuo and others were anxious, "Madam, let us go. We have experience." 

They wanted to go and earn more for their brothers.

"Elder Brother Han, you've already gone once. It's better to take a break and let us go." Li  Xing Lin said to Han Kuo.

"It’s because we have gone once, we are familiar with the route. We should go." Han Kuo stated with a straight face.

The two refused to give in to each other. In the end, they asked Jiang Yun Zhu to make the decision.

Jiang Yun Zhu had already thought it through. Based on the experience of Han Kuo and others, some more preparation was needed as well as adjusting the fleet. Had to wait until everything was sorted, "Huang Li, Li  Xing Lin, you will set off."

"Yes!" Huang Li, Li  Xing Lin, and others crossed their hands and responded excitedly. The sound shook the sky.

Contrary to them, Chi Zheng, Han Kuo and others were dejected.

Seeing them like that, Jiang Yun Zhu smiled and said, "You should take a break. I'll give you three months of rest. After three months, you can go to sea again."

As soon as these words came out, Chi Zheng, Han Kuo and others were piped up.

"By the way, there is another task for you." Jiang Yun Zhu directed this to them.

"Yes." The two of them were curious about what task she wanted to give them.

That afternoon, Yang Sheng led a group of people and drove several carriages back home. Along the way, he was so proud that he even wanted to sing a few lines of a ditty.

When he arrived in front of Yang’s Manor, he happened to meet his mother. She seemed to be going out.

"Mother." Yang Sheng greeted.

When Madam Yang saw him like that, she became irked. Recently, it was almost impossible to open the stove at home and he was still unreliable.

"What are you calling me for? You want money, there’s none. If you want life, there’s one." A few days ago, Yang Sheng wanted to change to a good horse. As soon as he opened his mouth, it was two thousand liang of silver. After hearing this, Madam Yang almost spit in his face.

Among the family members, the old was always lending money out, the young had worked in Qilin Guard for so many years and had never taken a penny home. Let’s not mention the two younger ones. The family's expenses and favors all depend on Madam Yang alone. She felt depressed just thinking about it.

"Mother." Yang Sheng chuckled and patted the box behind him, "What do you think is inside?"

Madam Yang had already seen the carriages behind him, but she didn't care, "What are they? You better not bring back a few more women. I can't even support you guys."

Yang Sheng was so embarrassed that he decided not to drag it. He opened the box a little.

Madam Yang saw only a piece of gold. The gold pierced into her eyes.

Her heartbeat sped up. Without asking Yang Sheng, she went directly to the box and carefully examined the inside. Gold color! All gold.! It was a chest of gold. What was the worth of such a big box of gold? And those carriages at the back...

She hurriedly closed the box and asked Yang Sheng, "Where did it come from?" Did he steal it or rob it?

Yang Sheng saw through his mother's thoughts and his expression became gloomy. Was he that reliable? "It’s earned by the fleet’s trip to sea. The fleet finally came back a few days ago and this is our share of the profit ."

Madam Yang’s mind had always pined on this matter, but there hadn't been any news for such a long time. Why did they suddenly distribute the money? And so much?

She grabbed Yang Sheng and dragged him to the manor, "Tell me what's going on."

The two of them entered the room and Yang Sheng briefly explained the matter. Hearing that this trip brought a profit of one hundred thousand liang and that the fleet was about to set off again, Madam Yang immediately got up and went to the backyard to check the boxes.

The first box was filled with gold. The remaining boxes were filled with jewels and jade. A rough estimate showed that it was worth a hundred thousand liang.

She looked at this and touched that. Her excitement was palpable.

"Mother, how is it?" Yang Sheng leaned against the box, waiting for my mother to praise him.

Madam Yang closed the box, "You have made a good friend."

This... Yang Sheng felt neither good nor bad. She seemed to have praised him, but she didn't seem to praise him at all. As expected of his mother. She always had a way to defeat him.

Madam Yang felt happier when she saw him like that. Who told him to never listen to her.

While mother and son were squabbling at this, Han Kuo and others already knew the task Jiang Yun Zhu had assigned to them. This time, 70,000 or so liang of profit belonged to Yang Family’s army. She wanted them to be sent to the border.

Of course, from what Jiang Yun Zhu conveyed, if they were unwilling to go, she could let others go.

How could he not be willing to go? Han Kuo agreed immediately. He had wanted to go back to the border to see his brothers!

After Han Kuo returned, he told his brothers about the matter and asked who wanted to go back with him.

Everyone voiced in unison that they all wanted to go with him.

Anyway, there was three months of rest. In the end, Han Kuo decided that everyone should go together.

Traveling through day and night, they didn't feel tired at all. Ten days later, they arrived at Yumen Pass. After leaving Yumen Pass, it was another three hundred miles to reach the Bajiaogu City where the Yang Family Army was stationed.

They had discussed it on the way here. They would use half of the money they earned this time to buy wine and meat and share it with their brothers.

Therefore, they stayed at Yumen Pass for two days and almost bought up all the food and wine there.

On the third day, they arrived at Bajiaogu City.

Looking at the familiar ancient city, many people shed tears on the spot. Their shortest stay was at least four years. For those like Han Kuo, who stayed here for ten years and went from an ignorant boy to a veteran, they knew nothing but fighting.

One’s arm was missing, another’s was somewhere else.

The past events seem to be vivid in their mind. Now that they were back here, how can they not feel emotional?

"Yes, Centurion Commander Han?" At this time, a group of soldiers came out of the city gate. The leader looked at Han Kuo and exclaimed in disbelief.

The positions in the army include fifth commander, tenth commander, and centurion commander, who were respectively responsible for five, ten, and one hundred people. Han Kuo was already a centurion commander before his arm was cut off by the Xirong. If not, these people wouldn't take him as the leader.

When Han Kuo looked at that person, he knew him. When he was very young, he was a soldier under his command.

"It's Zhao Liang. What? Have you been promoted?" He knew the other person's position at a glance.


  Previous



Links:

Table of Content
Become a Patron!
Feed Maggie

1 comment:

  1. Big salute for those veteran who still remember their friend still on duty in borderšŸ„²

    ReplyDelete