The rise of the poor

Traveling day and night, Zhu Pingan led the Zhejiang army back to Shaoxing in the middle of the night. Although he was eager to go home to see Li Shu and the two little ones, it was too late, and he was covered in the dust of battle and blood. Worried that he might catch a cold, he did not return home but stayed in the Zhejiang army camp in Shaoxing.

"I want to go home, and I'm sure the soldiers want to go home too," Zhu Ping'an said, putting himself in their shoes.

So, without even taking off his battle robe, Zhu Ping'an ordered all the Zhejiang soldiers to be summoned.

The cooks got busy, setting up large pots to cook chicken, duck, mutton, and pork.

A large pot of stewed meat was filled with Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, scallions, ginger, and salt. The meat bobbed up and down, and the aroma was irresistible.

Soon, everyone had a large bowl of stewed meat in their hands. There was plenty of meat, little vegetable, and a rich broth. They were served with two flatbreads, and one bite was incredibly satisfying.

The soldiers from Zhejiang slurped up the meat soup, gnawed on large chunks of meat, and ate flatbread soaked in the soup—they couldn't have been warmer.

"Brothers, we've been fighting all the way from south to north for over a month now. You've all worked hard. Tonight, boil some water and take a good shower. Starting tomorrow, all the brothers in the army will be divided into two groups and take turns on leave. Each person will have ten days off to go home to their wives and children and enjoy the warmth of family life!"

Zhu Pingan held a bowl of meat soup, took a sip, put down the bowl, picked up a tin megaphone, and addressed the crowd, announcing the holiday.

"Great! It's a holiday!"

"Thank you, sir!"

The Zhejiang soldiers shouted excitedly, each one more excited than the last, putting down their soup bowls and embracing each other in cheers.

After such a long campaign, both my body and mind are exhausted. A ten-day break would be wonderful.

"My lord, what am I to do if I have no wife and children?" a soldier in the audience joked.

"Hahaha, you old bachelor!"

"How come you don't have a wife? You have five, no, you have ten wives! Hahahaha!"

The soldiers burst into laughter.

"If you don't have a wife, then go back and find a matchmaker to find you one. Work hard, and you'll have a wife, kids, and a warm bed soon!"

Zhu Pingan chuckled.

"Old bachelor, you're in charge of finding a wife. If you can't have children, we'd be happy to help you."

The soldiers burst into laughter.

"Each battalion will decide on its own batches, and the first batch can go home tomorrow. Before going home, there is one important thing to do."

As Zhu Pingan spoke, he stood up and clapped his hands.

The soldiers stared wide-eyed with curiosity, unsure of what important matter Zhu Pingan was referring to.

Amidst everyone's anticipation, a series of heavy footsteps approached, followed by Zhejiang soldiers carrying heavy boxes.

Four Zhejiang soldiers carried a large iron box, and a group of sixteen Zhejiang soldiers carried a total of four large boxes.

The box was so heavy that it made a loud thud when it was placed on the ground, and everyone felt the ground beneath their feet shaking.

Four large, half-person-high metal crates were placed on the ground, and the ground beneath everyone's feet shook four times.

"What's in the box? Why is it so heavy?"

"Weapons and armor?!"

The Zhejiang soldiers speculated wildly, wondering what was inside the iron box that Zhu Pingan had ordered to be brought over.

"It can't be."

Some people had a vague suspicion and couldn't help but get excited.

"Could it be something else?" someone next to him urged. "Why are you so excited? What's in the box?"

Zhu Pingan didn't keep them in suspense. He reached up and beckoned, gesturing for them to open the box.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—almost simultaneously, four sounds of unlocking rang out, and the box was opened.

"Wow"

"My eyes."

The four large chests were opened, and under the torchlight, the contents glittered with gold, almost blindingly so.

"It's all silver, so much!" Everyone looked at the box full of silver, their breathing rapid like bellows.

Everyone was astounded as to why Zhu Ping'an had brought up four boxes of silver, and they were all incredibly excited.

"These are the performance evaluation results for all of you brothers. Your usual training, battlefield performance, and kills are all included. Now, according to your evaluation results, we will distribute the rewards. After your names are called, come forward to receive your rewards."

Zhu Pingan took out the performance evaluation report and addressed it to everyone.

"A holiday and a reward, this is truly...I'd gladly die for you, sir!"

"I am willing to die for you, sir!"

"I am willing to die for you, sir!"

A scholar will die for one who understands him. The Zhejiang soldiers below the stage were filled with fervent patriotism, their eyes burning with admiration for Zhu Ping'an. They excitedly pounded their chests, their thousands of words condensed into one sentence: "We are willing to die for our lord," their voices resounding through the heavens.

Zhu Pingan stood on the high platform and pressed his hand down. The Zhejiang soldiers below the platform immediately fell silent. Zhu Pingan nodded in satisfaction, opened the performance evaluation book, and used the iron megaphone to announce the amount of the reward to the crowd below.

"Wang Hushuan, reward fifty-seven taels of silver!"

"Zhang Tiedan, a reward of twenty-six taels of silver!"

"Hu Erniu, a reward of thirty-seven taels of silver!"

"Zhang Suo, a reward of ninety-two taels of silver!"

"Wang Tiechui, a reward of two hundred and thirty-three taels of silver!"

The Zhejiang soldiers in the audience cheered excitedly when they heard their names called and the exciting sums of money following them.

When the crowd heard that someone had given more than one hundred taels of silver, and even two hundred taels, the crowd below the stage cheered "Awesome!"

"Damn, I didn't expect to get a reward of eighty-three taels of silver. Hahaha, now when I get home, I'll let that woman know who's the head of the household. Let's see if she still dares to call me incompetent. I'll make her obediently bow down and submit."

"Wow, Iron Hammer! You actually got a reward of two hundred and thirty taels of silver. Now you're the richest guy in our village. I don't even think the clan chief's family is as wealthy as you. When you go back, you'll build a big house, have your uncle and aunt find you a wife, and have a warm bed at home. Life will be so much better now!"

“Erniu, don’t be envious of Tiechui. He killed three Japanese pirates and saved the squad leader. That’s his skill. Of course, you’re not bad either. You also received a reward of thirty-seven taels of silver.”

"Great! Now I can be really awesome when I get home. I'll buy a calf, two pigs, and three bolts of cloth to make new clothes for my wife and kids."

"Erhei, what are you so smug about? Although I may not be as good as you this time, I'll definitely cut off a Japanese pirate's head next time we go to the battlefield, and my performance score will surpass yours in one fell swoop."

The Zhejiang soldiers below the stage were in high spirits. Those who received high rewards were overjoyed, imagining the scene of their families admiring them when they returned home. Those with smaller rewards secretly resolved to work harder and vowed to turn the tide next time. Everywhere, morale was high and vitality was abundant. (End of this chapter)