I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 171: Fight between Two Villages
Lin Shisan rescued General Zhixue, the guardian deity of Kantou Village, and became Wu Weizhong's guest of honor.

Lin Shisan pretended to be polite and started chatting with Wu Weizhong.

Wu Weizhong asked: "How much copper do you plan to buy?"

Lin Shisan asked back, "I wonder how much copper your village produces every year?"

Wu Weizhong replied: "72,000 jin."

Jiajing Tongbao small flat coins, one thousand coins equal eight jin.

The price of copper is actually not much different from the value of copper coins themselves. Ten kilograms of copper can be sold for about one guan of money. It’s just that copper coins can be spent, but copper cannot be spent directly.

Lin Shisan said, "I can buy them all. I'll give you 7,000 strings of cash for 72,000 jin, or 6,500 taels of silver."

"The five hundred taels of silver I brought with me can be used as a deposit."

Wu Weizhong said, "Don't be in a hurry to pay the deposit. We just drove away the bastards from Beilei Village from Babao Mountain. They may counterattack soon."

"After this fight is over and the two villages have divided the copper well in Babao Mountain, it won't be too late to decide on this business."

Lin Shisan's purpose of coming here was to investigate whether the Wunan people were suitable as a source of soldiers to form a new army. It would be great if he could see the fight between the two sides with his own eyes.

There is no difference between a fight and a war.

So Lin Shisan said, "Chief Wu, the two villages are fighting now, and the situation in Wunan is not peaceful. Can I stay in your village for the night? I will leave after you finish fighting and the situation is peaceful."

Wu Weizhong agreed immediately: "Sure. You can live in the village ancestral hall."

Even mortal enemies like Kantou and Beilei villages have a tacit understanding. Even if one side defeats the other, it will never touch the other side's ancestral hall.

Therefore, if there are distinguished guests in the village, the clan leader will let them stay in the ancestral hall. It is safe here.

The chicken was cured and the guests were entertained, so it was time for Wu Weizhong to deploy strategies for the fight.

He seemed to want Lin Shisan to see the strength of Kantou Village in order to make his business go smoothly. So he did not let Lin Shisan avoid it. He directly hung a simple map in the ancestral hall.

Wu Weizhong gave orders like an experienced general: "All of you have heard! Wu Weixian should still take a hundred men with bamboo spears and lie in ambush as sentries on the small roads."

"If you encounter a large group of Chen's enemy spies, kill them all; if you encounter a large group of enemies, do not engage in battle, retreat immediately."

"Zhu Wenda led 800 people to guard Yaquetai."

"Wang Rulong led 500 people to guard the mountain temple."

"The rest of you, follow me and wait in the ancestral hall."

"All men, women, young and old in the village, come together to fight. Anyone who is afraid and hides at home will be expelled from the family tree!"

"If anyone dies in this fight, the whole village will provide for his family, young and old, and his name will be recorded in the family tree as a loyal hero!"

"If you charge ahead and kill Chen Dacheng, the bastard leader of Beilei Village, you will get a separate page in the family tree!"

No passionate man in a large clan in the countryside of Jiangnan could resist the temptation of opening the family tree.

They have simple values: people leave their voices behind, swallows leave their names behind. If you can have a separate name in the family tree, your life will not be lived in vain.

Wu Weizhong added: "There are now seven earthen guns and four pine tree cannons in the village. All are deployed at the mouth of the Kaoshan Well. The Kaoshan Well is the largest copper well. Beilei Village will definitely send thousands of people to attack it."

After that, Wu Weizhong explained the strategy to his tribesmen.

Lin Shisan listened carefully from the side. Although he was an amateur in leading troops in battle, he could generally understand Wu Weizhong's strategy.

It's nothing more than focusing on defense. When the enemy attacks, you hold on while letting the tribesmen from other places support you and encircle the enemy.

With Wu Weizhong's ability, he is more than qualified to be a captain of the Ming army.

Lin Shisan secretly laughed in his heart: It's just that Chief Wu has no intention of guarding against spies. He believed me so easily. If I am really a spy from Beilei Village,
Just as he was thinking about this, Wu Weizhong walked up to Lin Shisan and said, "Manager Lin, you are not allowed to leave the ancestral hall until this fight is over. I am doing this for your own good."

It was said that it was for the good of Lin Shisan and others, but in fact it was to prevent the news from leaking out.

Lin Shisan immediately said, "Yes, yes. I will follow Patriarch Wu's arrangements."

In the evening, dinner is served in the ancestral hall.

There were more than a dozen tables in the ancestral hall. Those who were qualified to eat in the ancestral hall were the family members of those who died in previous armed conflicts or those who died while digging for copper.

There were four children and two elderly people sitting at the same table with Lin Shisan and others.

The food was simple: rice, pumpkin soup, braised tofu, and pickles.

The seemingly simple meals were actually delicacies that were out of reach for the lower-class people of the Ming Dynasty.

This is all thanks to the copper mines in Babao Mountain. No wonder Kantou Village and Beilei Village have been fighting for hundreds of years over those copper mines.

Lin Shisan asked a child beside him: "Where are your parents?"

The child replied: "My father contracted pulmonary emphysema while mining and died last year."

Lin Shisan was puzzled: "Pulmonary blood disease?"

An old man interrupted, "Any man who works in the copper mine for a few years will get pulmonary emphysema. The symptoms vary in severity. His father was unlucky and his disease was too severe."

Lin Shisan thought to himself: It seems that mining copper is not an easy job. It can only provide enough food and clothing, but it also causes illness.

It is different if you join the army. Not only will you have the emperor's food to eat, but if you kill the enemy and make meritorious service, you might even be able to become an official and make a name for yourself and bring honor to your family.

At the same time, in Beilei Village west of Babao Mountain.

In the ancestral hall of Beilei Village, the young clan leader Chen Dacheng is gathering everyone to prepare for war.

Standing in front of Chen Dacheng was a group of Chen clan members, such as Chen Lu, Chen Ziluan, Chen Jiuxiao and so on.

Chen Dacheng shouted, "Everyone, young and old! The bandits from Kantou Village drove us out of Babao Mountain this summer. As a result, our villagers have been forced to eat only porridge for the past six months!"

"Those injured in the previous fight have all recovered. Swords and spears are also fully forged. If we don't take back those copper wells, we will be sorry to the ancestors of the Chen family!"

"This time, we will follow the old rules. All the villagers, young and old, will join the battle. Within three days, I will drive the bandits from Kantou Village out of Babao Mountain!"

All the Chen clan members howled. From the eighty-year-old man to the six- or seven-year-old children, they were all holding back their anger and vowed to capture Babao Mountain and capture Wu Weizhong alive.

This large-scale fight was about to break out. About 2,800 people from Kantou Village and 2,000 people from Beilei Village participated.

About 40% of them are young and strong.

At night, Lin Shisan and Zhang Bo came to the front yard of the ancestral hall. Seeing that no one was around, the two talked in a low voice.

Zhang Bo said: "Wang Yue, the most famous general in the Chenghua and Hongzhi dynasties, once said that soldiers are not afraid of wildness. Soldiers who are good at wildness are more likely to win battles."

"The border troops are like a pack of wild wolves. They are fierce and aggressive. The only troops in our Ming army that can really fight are the border troops."

"I think the Wunan people are a bit like wild wolves."

Lin Shisan said, "Master, I think we should not jump to conclusions and report to the emperor. Let's wait and see how they finish this fight."

Zhang Bo smiled and said, "Look at how well Chief Wu arranged his troops. He has a methodical way of deploying his troops. He is already better than 99% of the thousand households of the garrison troops."

"I just don't know if his men can obey his orders. Only those who can obey military orders are good sources of soldiers."

Lin Shisan said: "Even if we reveal our identities now, I'm afraid we can't stop this fight. I just hope that fewer people will die on both sides." Zhejiang Governor's Office.

Hu Zongxian was drawing up the military pay for the new army with his trusted advisers Xu Wei and Xu Wenchang.

Xu Wenchang said, "Since ancient times, you cannot gather soldiers without money. If you want to train a new Zhejiang army of 3,000 soldiers as Qi Jiguang said, I think food, money and rewards are all necessary."

Xu Wei was the most talented scholar in Jiangnan, and was good at calligraphy, poetry, painting, and writing. "Books" refers to military books. His strategy was no less than that of Hu Zongxian.

But there are some people who are only suitable for staying behind the scenes and making plans all their lives, and are not suitable for being in the front and building a government. Xu Wei is such a person.

Hu Zongxian asked: "Food, money, and rewards? Please tell me in detail."

Xu Wenchang said: "Ration means food. At least we should let the new soldiers have enough to eat every meal. The quota is three catties of fine rice per person, and a certain amount of meat and vegetables."

"As for the salary, the border troops are paid 18 taels per year. Our Zhejiang soldiers are paid 40 taels per person per year. That's 3.5 taels per month."

"For a new army of 3,000 people, the total annual military pay is 120,000 taels. Since the total number of people is small, the Governor-General's Office of Zhejiang Province can definitely afford the figure of 120,000."

"The other thing is the reward. As the saying goes, a big reward will attract brave men. Every time you kill a Japanese pirate, you will get a reward of thirty taels of silver! In other words, killing one Japanese pirate can almost get you a whole year's salary."

"The total number of Japanese pirates along the coast is no more than 100,000. The imperial court is happy to exchange 3 million taels of silver for 100,000 Japanese pirate heads."

Hu Zongxian nodded: "Yes, Mr. Xu is right. Please draft what you just said into a proposal. I will submit it to the emperor."

This kind of food, salary and reward treatment is indeed the best among the Ming army.

Hu Zongxian said: "Qi Jiguang's new army must be established. We can't treat Yu Dayou's 4,000 veterans badly."

"Among Yu Dayou's 4,000 men, they are either Guangxi wolf soldiers or Fujian natives. Fujian is almost entirely guarded by Yu Dayou's soldiers."

"Increase their annual salary to 40 taels as well."

One day later, Mt. Hachiho.

Suddenly, a gong sounded in Kantou Village. A young man struck the gong and shouted, "The people from Beilei Village are coming! Those who stay in the village, beware of thieves! Beware of thieves!"

As soon as Lin Shisan stuck his head out of the ancestral hall and looked around, he was reminded by several young men guarding the ancestral hall: "Manager Lin, our clan leader said that you are not allowed to leave the ancestral hall before the fight is over."

"It's for your own good."

Lin Shisan was a little disappointed. He really wanted to see the fight between the two villages with his own eyes.

He returned to the ancestral hall and anxiously waited for the fight to end with Zhang Bo, Sun Yue and Li Gao.

Li Gao, who had a tooth knocked out, complained: "If Master hadn't said that he wanted to recruit soldiers from here, I would have told my sister and asked her to persuade my brother-in-law to send troops to wipe out this village."

"Damn it, ever since my sister entered the palace, when have I ever been beaten like this?"

Sun Yue asked: "From what you said, you were beaten a lot in the village before your sister entered the palace?"

Li Gao was a straightforward person: "Well, I got beaten a lot in my hometown village. Who made me the son of a bricklayer, not the son of a landlord?"

Lin Shisan was a little worried: "Don't let this fight kill all the young men in the two villages. Then our trip would be in vain."

"I haven't seen anyone from Beilei Village. As for the people from Kantou Village, they are a perfect source of new soldiers."

As everyone was talking, suddenly there was a "flutter" and General Blood flew into the ancestral hall.

Zhang Bo reminded: "Don't forget that we have another errand this time. We have to bring General Xue back to the capital."

Everyone chatted for a while in the ancestral hall. When it was time for lunch, no one came to serve the food.

All the young and old in the village went to fight, and only five or six young men were left to watch over the ancestral hall. No one was there to cook.

Lin Shisan suddenly heard a shout outside the ancestral hall: "Chen Wu, Chen Liu, Chen Qi, and Er Quezi's family. There is a fierce battle ahead and we need manpower. Go to Yaquetai and transport the seriously injured uncles and brothers."

Hearing the sound, Lin Shisan came to the gate of the ancestral hall again. He saw the young men guarding the ancestral hall running out of the village.

Lin Shisan said: "Master, our chance has come. Let's go to Babao Mountain and watch this fight."

The four of them left the ancestral hall and entered Babao Mountain. As soon as they entered Babao Mountain, they heard the deafening shouts of killing and the wailing of pain.

This place is called Yaquetai, which is the only way to the largest copper well, Kaoshan Well. Both sides put almost all their forces in the decisive battle at Yaquetai.

Lin Shisan and his companions found a high place and looked down at the entire Yaquetai battlefield. This fight was not only brutal, it was simply brutal!
Countless people from the two clans were knocked to the ground. One person's stomach was ripped open by a bamboo spear, revealing a large part of his intestines. He actually rushed forward with his left hand holding his intestines and his right hand holding an iron knife, howling.

Not only the strong men from the two families were fighting, but also the children, the old men and even the old women in their sixties and seventies were fighting fiercely!
If you lose your weapon, use your fists, kick, or bite!

"Boom! Bang! Bang!" The reinforcements of the two sides' firearms arrived. The fire cannons of the Song Dynasty and the pine-tree cannons of the Yuan Dynasty began to fire scattered bullets.
Lin Shisan was furious: "If we continue fighting, how can we recruit any more soldiers? Both sides will die on this Yaque Terrace!"

At this moment, a group of cavalrymen wearing mandarin duck battle jackets rushed into Yaquetai.

The leading general, dressed in armor and a red robe, was Qi Jiguang!

Qi Jiguang came with two hundred personal soldiers from the Governor's Office.

He led the cavalry to ravage the center of the two villages, forcibly separating the two sides.

Qi Jiguang raised his whip and shouted, "Stop fighting! I am Qi Jiguang, the deputy governor of Zhejiang and the lieutenant general of Ningshaotai! I order you to stop fighting!"

Qi Jiguang had a good reputation in Zhejiang. He also brought more than 200 cavalrymen with him. Both sides of the fight had to give him face.

Wu Weizhong waved his hand and shouted, "Stop!"

Chen Dacheng also shouted, "People from Beilei Village, stop!"

The fight between the two sides stopped.

Although the Yaque Terrace was not littered with corpses, there were still heavy casualties.

Qi Jiguang shouted, "The clan leaders of both sides, come forward!"

Wu Weizhong and Chen Dacheng stepped forward.

Wu Weizhong said: "General Qi, I told you last time. People from Kantou Village will never serve in the army. Don't bother with it!"

Chen Dacheng said: "People from Beilei Village will never serve in the army!"

Qi Jiguang said with a serious expression: "Let's not talk about this for now. Let me ask you, have there been any people with northern accents coming to Babaoshan recently?"

"You didn't do anything to them, did you? They were imperial envoys. If you kill them, the court will send a large army to kill you!"

"I, Qi Jiguang, will be the first to chop off both of your heads!"

Chen Dacheng looked puzzled: "Someone with a northern accent? I've never seen one before."

Wu Weizhong, however, frowned and said nothing.

Qi Jiguang asked, "Have you seen them? Tell me the truth!"

Wu Weizhong still said nothing.

Qi Jiguang was anxious: "You are not really going to kill them?"

At this moment, Qi Jiguang heard a familiar voice: "General Qi, Lin Shisan is here!"

(End of this chapter)