xymnovel Chapter 32 Even Bandits Farm
Chapter 32 Even Bandits Farm
At daybreak, Wang Lun led Lin Chong and Chao Gai to the rear camp.
The rear stronghold of Liangshanbo was inhabited by the families of Liangshan soldiers, as well as some civilians recruited from the foot of the mountain.
This includes the refugees Wang Lun recruited at the foot of the mountain.
When the three leaders of Liangshan arrived, the villagers of Houzhai elected the eldest among them to come out and greet them.
Wang Lun glanced around and saw that these people were dressed very simply, and that they were people who couldn't even get enough to eat before they entered Liangshan.
The lives of peasants in the Song Dynasty were indeed difficult. If the problem of land annexation could not be resolved, the Song Dynasty would inevitably be driven to the south by the Jurchens.
However, since he had not entered the imperial court, he was powerless to resolve these matters.
Wang Lun thought with some disappointment, why couldn't he transmigrate into the body of a prince? He remembered watching a TV series before, and there was a prince in the Northern Song Dynasty known for his great demeanor. If he could transmigrate into his body, then the opportunity wouldn't have been wasted.
Lost in thought, he saw a familiar face.
He was an elderly man with white hair and beard, and a somewhat hunched posture, but he looked to be in good spirits.
This was much better than when Wang Lun first met him. At the time of their first meeting, the old man was starving and on his deathbed.
"Grandpa, do you still remember me?" Wang Lun greeted first.
The old man was Wang Cheng, one of the first people recruited by Wang Lun to come up the mountain.
Upon hearing that Wang Lun greeted him first, he excitedly stepped forward and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Chieftain; greetings, both leaders."
Wang Lun quickly helped him up and said with a smile, "You are much older than me, so you don't need to kneel when you see me anymore. Besides, a man's knees are worth gold, so from now on, no one needs to kneel when they see me."
He swept his gaze across the surrounding crowd and shouted, "Your knees are for supporting your bodies, for standing tall and upright, not for kneeling before everyone you meet. If you must kneel, kneel to heaven, earth, and your parents. I, Wang Lun, am not worthy of your kneeling."
Everyone was astonished; they didn't have to kneel?
Officials kneel to the emperor, commoners kneel to officials, and bandits kneel to their chieftain.
Isn't this just a matter of course?
Wang Lun warmly took the old man Wang Cheng's hand and asked, "Have you been adjusting well these past few days?"
With tears welling up in his eyes, Wang Cheng pulled Wang Lun away, saying, "This old man invites the chieftain to sit in my home. My home was destroyed by the war. I never expected that the chieftain would give me a home and even share some land with me. I am extremely grateful."
He was about to kneel down again when he spoke, but then he remembered what Wang Lun had just said and held back.
"it is good."
Wang Lun, accompanied by Chao Gai, Lin Chong, and more than ten guards, followed Wang Cheng into the village. They saw that all the houses in the village were newly built, and although they still looked very simple, they were enough to provide shelter from the wind and rain.
The task of building Liangshan was entrusted to Song Wan, and unexpectedly, Song Wan did a good job.
Just then, Song Wan arrived quickly, stepped forward and knelt down: "Brother, what brings you here?"
Wang Lun waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities. I just came to see how everyone is doing. It's June now, and it rains frequently, so the houses need to be built as soon as possible. The season is good, and many crops that need to be planted can be sown in the fields."
Song Wan quickly replied, "Currently, houses have been built along the mountainside in the back village, enough to house two thousand families, but it's not fully occupied yet. As for the land, it's already quite good that these people are cultivating their old land well."
Wang Lun nodded, and behind them, countless people followed slowly. To these people, Wang Lun was their provider.
When they arrived at Wang Cheng's residence, the house and the surrounding area were the same, except that the room he chose had an excellent location, from which one could see most of the back village.
Apart from some furniture provided by Liangshan, there was nothing else in the house, making it even more difficult than being completely destitute.
Wang Lun sighed, "When will the people of the Great Song Dynasty be able to live a prosperous life?"
He chatted casually with Wang Cheng for a few minutes, then spotted a young man in the crowd. The young man had dark skin and avoided eye contact with Wang Lun. He shrank back especially when he noticed Wang Lun looking at him.
Wang Lun smiled and beckoned, "Come here."
The young man hesitated, then cautiously approached, but dared not get close to Wang Lun.
"Are you alright?" Wang Lun asked warmly. This young man was the one who had tried to hit him with a hoe and had been struck by Gongsun Sheng's Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Righteous Law.
Gongsun Sheng held back at the time; otherwise, the young man would not have survived.
That was the first time Wang Lun had ever witnessed divine power; he never imagined that Gongsun Sheng's magic in the original story was truly so formidable.
The young man stammered, "N-nothing."
Wang Lun laughed and said, "It's good that you're alright. Getting struck by lightning might even sharpen your mind. What's your name?"
The young man said, "My name is Zhao Ping'an. Ping'an means... peace and safety."
Wang Lun was amused by his words and asked, "You've been to school?"
Zhao Ping'an said, "I've studied for a few days and can recognize some characters."
Wang Lun nodded and said, "Zhao Ping'an, hmm, what a good name! You are surnamed Zhao, a member of the Song Dynasty royal family, hahaha, and your name is Ping'an (Peace and Safety), you are destined for great things in life. How old are you, and what do you plan to do in the future?"
Zhao Ping'an was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "I'm fifteen years old. I don't know what to do. Maybe... I should become a bandit?"
Everyone burst into laughter. Being on Liangshan, wasn't that what they were meant to do? Be a bandit.
Wang Lun blinked and said, "Want to learn martial arts and become a big bandit?"
Zhao Ping'an was overjoyed and asked, "Is it about learning divine techniques to summon heavenly lightning?"
Wang Lun shook his head and said, "The Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Orthodox Method is not easy to learn. You can learn spear and staff martial arts and become a great general who leads troops into battle in the future."
General?
Zhao Ping'an was immediately moved. After thinking for a moment, he knelt down with a "thump" and said, "I want to learn, I want to learn."
Wang Lun pointed at Lin Chong and said, "Your master is him. Today, I will make the decision for you to become Lin Chong's disciple. From now on, you will be Lin Chong's personal disciple."
Lin Chong was the chief instructor of Liangshan Marsh, and Zhao Ping'an naturally knew how powerful he was, so he was even more delighted and quickly kowtowed.
Lin Chong smiled and said, "Alright, get up. Now that you've become my disciple, pack your things and come back with me. You started practicing at fifteen, which is a bit old, but as long as you're willing to work hard, you can still achieve something."
Zhao Ping'an was overjoyed, thanked him profusely, and then left happily.
Wang Lun led the crowd outside and, seeing the growing number of people, said loudly, "Everyone, today I, Wang Lun, along with leaders Lin Chong and Chao Gai, have come to see you. Liangshan has now built houses for you, so settle down and live in peace. Take good care of the land allocated to you, and all the grain you grow will be yours. If we need any, we will buy it from you."
The people were both surprised and delighted, cheering and some even bursting into tears—words they had never heard before.
Wang Lun originally wanted to collect taxes, but seeing how poor these people were, how could he bear to collect taxes again?
He looked around at the people, all of whom were poor and only knew how to farm. In the past, the grain they grew had to be handed over to the imperial court and landlords, but now the grain they grew belonged to them, which made them more motivated to farm.
Who says bandits only know how to rob people on the road?
Even bandits have to farm.