Hyper-Dimensional Player

Chapter 786 - 63: Reassuring the People! Mixed Overlord's Way (Part 6)

The scorching sun blazed.

Bao Le'an's family was simply settled for two days, then under the shouting of the yamen officers, they went to the county office to collect tools. The men formed one group, the women and children another, a vast gathering of thousands of people, surging like a black tide, heading towards the land to be cultivated and the trenches to be dug.

As they passed an intersection, Bao Le'an saw several people dressed as craftsmen. Leading them was an elder, about fifty years old. After a few words, a yamen officer shouted loudly, "Anyone with skills, stand by the roadside."

"Are there any ironworkers or miners? Quickly follow this officer, there's a daily wage of fifty wen."

Bao Le'an felt a surge of interest but, unfortunately, he had no skills and couldn't take on such work.

Nowadays they worked without any wages; they didn't even think about it. Having a meal was already a good fortune.

In the end, only a dozen were chosen from among the thousands.

Bao Le'an, because of his strong physique, was assigned to dig trenches. Those doing heavy work got three meals a day, while the women and children only got two. Because he worked hard, at noon the foreman even rewarded him with a piece of meat, though he didn't know what kind of meat it was. It was finger-sized, and he secretly hid it to share with his two children.

Not that there weren't those trying to shirk; a few lashes would make them honest. One lash would leave wounds, a day's hunger assured they'd be obedient the next day.

Tired.

Truly exhausted, like an animal.

Bao Le'an, after finishing a day's work, returned nearly speechless from fatigue. Due to a lack of livestock, they had to manually dig the trenches, yet time waited for no one. Nanhan's irrigation hadn't been repaired for several years. If they didn't seize the time in these one or two months, the spring plowing would be delayed.

Fulfilled.

Very fulfilled.

And he felt he was still alive, living like a person.

People in this era are very different from modern people. You might call them lowly, but once they start working and are exhausted to death, Bao Le'an and the relocated refugees truly felt at ease.

They were useful, valuable, not easily discarded.

As long as they had work and food, they would work themselves to death as long as it didn't kill them.

The whips in the hands of the overseers were no joke. If they couldn't complete the tasks assigned from above, they would be severely punished, even to the point of losing their lives.

Using cattle and horses as men, using men as livestock.

Within the entire Cailong County, cattle and horses were far more valuable than people. After working, they could rest, but Bao Le'an and the refugees could only rest at noon when they ate, then immediately resume work, carrying baskets of soil elsewhere.

The place for resettling refugees was a row of broken sheds, requiring them to repair it themselves; they barely managed to live there, offering little protection from the wind and rain.

Bao Le'an took out a strip of jerky from his bosom, tearing it in half, giving the larger piece to his son and the smaller to his young daughter. He did heavy labor, receiving three meals a day, better than the rest of the family. His young daughter drooled over the jerky, taking a small bite and smiling broadly, "Daddy. So fragrant."

His son, about fifteen or sixteen years old, a half-grown boy, not particularly robust, was very silent, named Bao Ping. He took the jerky, swallowed his saliva, and went to his mother resting in the corner, handing her the jerky, "Mom. You're weak, you eat."

Seeing this, the young daughter wistfully glanced at the jerky in her hand, then handed it back to Bao Le'an, offering it to his mouth, "Daddy. You do heavy work, you eat."

The couple exchanged a glance, tears welling up instantly.

The old wife took the jerky, tore off a thread of meat, and returned it to the eldest son. Bao Le'an did the same, patting his young daughter's head, hoarsely saying, "Eat up."

"You're at the age where you're growing."

The family shared the jerky, only finger-length. Bao Le'an looked at his old wife, beckoned her to rest well, then got up and went out to check on other villagers nearby.

Everyone was exhausted.

But, while there was still daylight, several heads of households gathered together, talking quietly. The eldest man there, about fifty, was chewing something. He glanced at Bao Le'an, speaking softly, "This Red Army uprising, it might succeed."

The others nearby raised their heads but said nothing.

They didn't know much, not good with words.

The old man continued, "In the past, there were uprisings, but the way things are being done now, I've never seen it before."

He had rebelled early on, joining a faction of the Rebel Army during Zhang Yuxian's uprising.

But back then, the Rebel Army never considered settling people by farming. It was all about killing officials, landlords, robbing money, grain, and women. Once they'd robbed one place, they'd move to another, but no matter how much they robbed, it never fed all the mouths.

Throughout history, countless uprisings occurred, yet the first time he'd seen an uprising not coercing the people.

They had only one feeling now—peace of mind.

Because they knew that all the exhausting work done today would allow the whole family to eat their fill next year, at least no one would starve to death.

They weren't forcibly enlisted; to join the army, they'd still be selected carefully. Those without strong bodies and skills weren't accepted. According to the officials, orders from above were clear—they were to prioritize using 'Good Family Sons,' and soldiers didn't need facial branding. Criminals weren't the main force of the army.

Nor were the common people coerced into dying—back when the old man rebelled, they used knives to force common people to storm the cities. They didn't know how many people died just to take a county seat.