Chapter 115: Showing Them Who’s Boss
Editor: Atlas Studios
“Big Brother Mu, let me do it.”
“No need, no need.” Mu Shi dodged slightly and smiled. “I’m strong. These aren’t heavy.”
Smiling, Hu Man took the hoe from him and said, “Although it’s not heavy, it’s not comfortable to carry so many things on your body. Since our houses are not far away, let me help you carry one.”
“Big Brother Mu, is Little General really going to build the reservoir?”
Mu Shi nodded. “Most likely. The elders all said that things might be bad next year. It’s always a good thing to make some preparations in advance.”
Hu Man lowered his head and did not say anything. Actually, he did not want to build a reservoir either. It was too tiring. The three of them were originally of about the same size. But now, after going to the military camp for just ten days, it was apparent he had lost a lot of weight, especially when he stood next to his two brothers. When he returned, his wife hugged him and cried all night.
Seeing him sigh like this, Mu Shi said helplessly, “Little General also knows how difficult it is. He has lost a lot of weight himself. He’s still a child.”
Hu Man was a little enlightened. Only then did he remember that Qi Haoran was only 12 years old. After a while, he said, “I forgot that Little General is still young.”
Mu Shi smiled. “Many people have forgotten.”
Qi Haoran’s actions during this period of time made everyone forget his age and truly treat him as a general.
Mu Shi and Hu Man felt that Qi Haoran’s improvement was great enough. The rate at which he was improving exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even Qi Xiuyuan was shocked.
After Qi Haoran ran away alone, he went into the county to look for Song Zhi. Then, he went to Minister Sun’s house and Minister Zhao’s house to sit for a while. In less than two days, the Sun and Zhao families brought over 20 carts of food and declared that they were lending it to Qi Haoran. In addition, there were two heavy-duty carriages at the back. It was said that the boxes on them were filled with silver.
The next day, Qi Haoran called all the soldiers back and directly named the able-bodied men who had been recruited. Other than those who had already joined the army, each family could only keep at home one young man. The rest of the males between the ages of 14 and 45 had to join the construction of the water conservancy facilities. The army would cover all three meals. If anyone dared to slack off, they would be sent to the 1st Division.
As soon as these words were spoken, no one dared to object.
The 1st Division was different from the 5th Division. The 1st Division was promising, but they also risked their lives. They had the chance to make contributions at all times, but they also constantly faced the risk of death.
Didn’t these men not want to be soldiers because they didn’t want to die?
The eldest son, Hu Dian, had no choice but to follow Hu Man to build the water conservancy. Now, only Hu Gui was left in the Hu family.
Qi Haoran’s resolve was not just limited to building a reservoir. He invited Song Zhi and a few people in the county who were knowledgeable about building water conservancy facilities. Not only did he set up three reservoirs, but he also planned to open a few channels to introduce water into the fields. This meant that the channels had to pass through the fields.
Although it was convenient to irrigate water like this, it also resulted in a significant loss of farmland. Many people were unwilling to let the channels pass through their fields because the ditch that Qi Haoran wanted to dig was ten meters wide, almost like a river. The farmland here had been divided into pieces, and ownership wouldn’t change thereafter. It was impossible for the army to compensate them for it later.
Others might not be willing, but Mu Yangling was very willing. She ran to look for Qi Haoran. “The land on the east side of my house is by the river. You can build it through my family’s land. You can dig all the way to the south where my family’s other plot of land is. Don’t worry, I have no objections no matter how big of a ditch you dig. Just don’t touch my high-grade land.”
Glad that she was so supportive of his work, Qi Haoran patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll tell those old men. They definitely won’t dare to pass through your high-grade land.”
Mu Yangling smiled brightly.
When Fan Zijin returned and heard Qi Haoran praising Mu Yangling, he couldn’t help but say, “She’s very smart. Her family has so much land that they can’t finish farming it. By building it on her land, isn’t she the one to benefit?”
Qi Haoran snorted. “She’s not the only one who can’t finish farming. Why don’t I see others who are willing? In the end, those people are too selfish. Hmph, just wait and see. When I have a bumper harvest next year, let’s see what else they have to say.”
After saying that, Qi Haoran went to look for someone to discuss building the houses. Although they had to build the water conservancy facilities, the construction of the houses could not be delayed either.
Yanmo hurriedly rushed in to look for Fan Zijin. “Master, the generals in front are here again. They said that they want to talk to Fourth Young Master about something.”
Fan Zijin’s face fell and a cold glint flashed across his eyes. Standing up, he said, “Let’s go and take a look.”
Qi Haoran was an acting general, and there were two training commissioners and four regiment commanders under him. Even the platoon commanders below were transferred from the other divisions.
Putting aside the platoon commanders, which one of the two training commissioners and four regiment commanders wasn’t a veteran in the army?
There were all sorts of reasons why they were pushed to the 5th Division by the other divisions, but they all had a common characteristic, which was that they were not capable.
Fan Zijin looked down on them, but it was undeniable that the operation of the 5th Division depended on these people. At least before Qi Haoran and he developed trusted aides, these people had to be present. Otherwise, the soldiers in the 5th Division would dare to rebel.
Fan Zijin came out to meet them with a cold expression.
The two training commissioners opened their eyes and glanced at him. They asked bluntly, “Young Master Fan, the person we want to see is Little General. We failed to see him for three consecutive days already. Is Little General planning to leave us alone?”
Seated at the head of the table, Fan Zijin looked at them coldly. “Haoran has gone to the West Camp. Cousin wants to summon him for questioning. If anyone wants to see him, you can do so when he comes back from the West Camp.”
Training Commissioner Han’s expression darkened. “Yesterday, you said that Little General was going to patrol. Previously, you said that he was going to look for Magistrate Song. Today, he’s off to see General. Then, is he going to see the emissary tomorrow?”
Fan Zijin chuckled and looked at him mockingly. “Why? Does Training Commissioner Han have a problem with Haoran going to see the general? Then you can go to the West Camp to lodge a complaint against him. Cousin has always been fair. Even if Haoran is Cousin’s biological younger brother, he will deal with it impartially.”
Bullsh*t. If the general knew how to deal with things impartially, would he have handed the 5th Division to his 12-year-old brother to manage?
Fan Zijin took a sip of tea and said slowly, “Training Commissioner Han, don’t think that I don’t know what you’re secretly planning. Haoran is upright and doesn’t think about those dirty things, but I’m not so easy to fool. To tell you the truth, Haoran doesn’t handle the accounts, so the grains borrowed from the Sun and Zhao families are all in my hands. It’s now in the storeroom of my residence.”
Training Commissioner Han’s expression immediately changed. He stood up with a whoosh and said angrily, “These grains are borrowed in the name of the 5th Division, and you’re only accompanying Little General to train. How can you control the resources of the 5th Division?”
Fan Zijin snorted nonchalantly. “Not only am I taking charge of these borrowed grains, but all the account books of the 5th Division are also in my hands.” Fan Zijin glanced at them from the corner of his eyes. “Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know? The 5th Division was abandoned and their purpose here is to farm land for the army. What do you think your chances of success are if you run back to the West Camp to complain about Haoran now?”