An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Xu Zize thought of the trees he had seen on the mountain, the sticky sap that oozed from the cracks in their bark. The sap shimmered slightly in the sunlight, like some kind of natural gum.

A flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes, and he had already thought about it many times in his mind. This tree sap is so rich in gum, if it can be used properly, it may be of great use.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this thing would be very useful to them, so he couldn't help but say, "The sap of this nameless tree is gum-like. Let's call it the gum tree. The sap can fill gaps and stick things together. After it's cooked, it's very tough. Besides making marbles, it might have many other uses."

"really!"

After hearing what Jing Changjiang said, several of his men nodded in agreement and fell into deep thought.

Jing Chunxi sat aside, recalling the experience of riding in the carriage. Although the carriage was padded with thick cushions, the bumpy ride still made her butt hurt, and the sound of the wheels rolling over the floor was very loud.

Even riding a horse and sitting in the saddle wasn't much better; the jolting sensation made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't help but have a sudden thought, her eyes lighting up as she said, "Uncle, there must be a lot of sap from all these rubber trees. If we could heat them up and put them on the wheels, wouldn't the carriage be less jolting? And wouldn't the wheels make much less noise when they roll?"

Her words made everyone present's eyes light up, and they quickly said, "Maybe it really can work."

Brother Kuan looked at the rubber ball in the general's hand and couldn't help but feel itchy. He had actually tried it before by secretly placing it under his butt. The bouncing feeling was very comfortable. He couldn't help but say, "Sitting on the big ball, my butt is soft and comfortable!" Although he didn't say it explicitly, his eyes revealed his enjoyment of this comfortable experience.

Uncle Sijiu's gaze fell on the bare feet of the children across from him. He imagined that if shoes were made of this rubber, they would be light and soft, keeping the soldiers from getting tired or hurting their feet. Furthermore, during surprise attacks, these shoes would reduce noise and increase the concealment of the operation.

He couldn't help but say, "Maybe we can make shoes for the soldiers. They are light, soft, and won't hurt the feet. They won't make much noise when they launch a sneak attack." His voice was not loud, but it attracted everyone's attention.

Jing Changjiang saw the slingshots in Da Niu and Er Niu's hands and had a new idea in mind. He said, "Some weapons might be improved with this glue, and their range should be longer."

His words activated the minds of everyone present. Everyone discussed the various uses of this gum one after another. Even the children no longer felt that the general on the opposite side was scary.

"I have to reward you well. I will make rubber balls for you first, and the best ones." The general's words made the five children jump up excitedly. They cheered: "Great!" "Thank you, General!" The children's faces were filled with innocent joy, as if they had already seen themselves playing with the best rubber balls in their hands.

Jing Changjiang smiled all summer and said to Sijiu, "We have to reward their two families as well." He originally wanted to say that each family would be rewarded with dozens of taels of silver, but when he saw the five children playing and getting covered in mud, like mud monkeys, he suddenly changed his mind.

He said, "All five children will go to school and be sent to the nearest private school." Hearing this, a smile appeared on Qier's face, and hope glimmered in the eyes of the three older boys, and even Cuifang's eyes lit up.

Lingnan was poor, and Leizhou was even poorer. Education cost a lot of money. In their hometown, even the village chief only sent his eldest and second grandsons to school. Younger children were not allowed to go, let alone girls.

"But," Brother Seven Second looked at Uncle Four Nine, lowered his head with a gloomy expression, and said, "It's over forty miles from here to the nearest town, and it's a long mountain road over mountains and ridges. It will take you a whole day to get there, sir."

When he first brought the child and his mother home, he had considered this issue. After all, he didn't want the child to become blind, and even if it cost him all his salary, he wanted to send the child to school. However, after asking around, he discovered that education wasn't just a matter of money, but also that it was difficult to leave the village in this remote mountain area.

Jing Chunxi looked at them gloomily and suddenly said, "Among the thousands of people in my uncle's camp, is there anyone who has passed the examination for a tongsheng or a xiucai?" At home, she had heard from her master that there were a total of 5,000 people in the Iron Eagle Camp, and all of them were excellent in martial arts and reconnaissance. They must be smart and clever, and it is impossible that all of them could not read. Does that mean that if they want to start a rebellion, my uncle has to fight alone?

Just from the performance of the master, Uncle Seventh, and Uncle Third, we can tell that the Iron Eagle Camp is full of talented people, and many of them can read and write.

"That's right, Sijiu, we have a lot of talented people. When the time comes, we can find a student to teach them. We will definitely have more and more children in the future. Not only should we teach them to read, but they should also learn martial arts and military tactics. We have to plan all these things. The children of our Iron Eagle Camp cannot be bad." He even thought that when this place becomes stable in the future, we should also recruit soldiers. The half-grown children whose families are poor and have no food to eat and are forced to become beggars are the easiest to tame and will be more loyal.

Jing Changjiang's words made everyone's eyes light up, and they nodded in agreement.

"We're so happy the General thinks so. I was just about to tell him this. We don't know how many years we'll have to stay here, and we can't let the soldiers with families live like widowers and worry about them. We have to quietly bring their families over," Uncle Sijiu said, not only for the soldiers but for himself as well. He really missed his wife and children back home.

Jing Changjiang nodded and said, "That's right. We can't let the soldiers suffer losses for their efforts. You can make a plan based on the statistics. According to the speed of our housing construction, we can secretly bring people here in batches and phases. And for the soldiers who are old enough and still unmarried, we have to help them solve their personal problems nearby."

Then he looked at Qi Er Ge and said, "Your hometown is nearby, and there must be many young ladies in the village. You can ask your sister-in-law to go home occasionally and bring over some honest and hardworking girls. Maybe you can find a good match."

Qi Er rubbed his hands excitedly upon hearing this. His wife had told him about this the night before, saying that the people now hated the local government. They exploited them at every level, and they had to pay seven or eight kinds of taxes a year, making it difficult for the people to survive. She also sighed and said that it would be great if the people back home could live like them.

"Qi Er can take responsibility for this." The black-faced man made a promise. His wife is eloquent and cheerful. There is nothing she can't do when she returns to the village.

Everyone saw a greater future for Shibaao in Jing Changjiang's words. The children were excited at the thought of future schooling and more playmates. They chattered and discussed, as if they had already envisioned a brighter future.

"Kids, go out and play! We adults still have some things to discuss." Uncle Sijiu shooed the children out just in time, saying, "Everyone gets an extra chicken leg tonight." The children cheered, their older brothers and sisters eagerly ran out, and Sanniu rushed forward without looking back. But he was stopped by the threshold, his white buttocks trembling as it peeked out. Xiaoman was quick-witted and pulled him out.

"These children!" Jing Changjiang shook his head with pity, then turned to look at Xu Zize with expectation and trust in his eyes, intending to discuss the next plan with him.