Chapter 128: Homecoming Money

The commotion only subsided once the Luhe Guard had fully secured the situation. Several locals—bored laborers who had finished their day's work, village women, and mischievous children—came over to watch the spectacle, their eyes wide with curiosity as they gazed at these outsiders.

Meanwhile, Li Dazhuang and Lei Laohu were busy counting the captives, directing them to squat outside the courtyard one by one. The sight of these soldiers crouching like rows of radishes was quite comical, prompting some of the children to clap and laugh until they were quickly restrained by the adults. Xu Wenshan offered a friendly smile toward the children, but they scattered in alarm, leaving him feeling somewhat awkward.

Even more awkward were the soldiers squatting on the ground. Usually accustomed to acting arrogant and imposing in front of the villagers, they now found themselves meekly huddled on the dirt, their pride deeply wounded.

Xu Wenshan scanned the group before speaking: "Which one of you is the officer? Step forward."

The fattest soldier hesitated for a moment before standing up.

"What is your rank?" Xu Wenshan asked.

The fat man replied in a small voice, "A... a squad leader."

Xu Wenshan raised an eyebrow. "A squad leader?"

"Spare my life, kind sir!" the fat man cried, terrified, as he knelt. "In truth, I am a centurion."

"A centurion!" Xu Wenshan was taken aback. He had suspected the man might be more than a mere squad leader, but he hadn't expected such a high rank.

In an instant, he shifted his strategy, his expression turning grave. "Do you realize you have occupied my house?"

The fat man had initially assumed Xu Wenshan was a brigand. Upon hearing this, he realized the man was actually a law-abiding property owner. Feeling slightly emboldened—for he dared not cross bandits, but felt no fear toward ordinary citizens with homes and businesses—he began to straighten his posture.

However, as soon as he did, the massive, dark-skinned man beside him frowned and growled, "What are you doing?" The fat man immediately slumped back down.

"I truly did not know this was your house, sir. Had I known, I would never have dared to occupy it..."

"Do you think 'not knowing' is an excuse?"

The fat man, sweating profusely, hung his head. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

Xu Wenshan sidestepped the issue. "Who among you is the fastest runner?"

The soldiers looked at one another, but no one dared to stand up.

"No one? Then you." Xu Wenshan pointed to a young private. "Go back to your main camp and tell your general that this house is mine, and he is not to harass me again."

The fat man spoke up with a fawning smile, "Sir, we guarantee there will be no more harassment. But what about us..."

Xu Wenshan glared at him. "You cannot return. What if your commander goes back on his word and brings a force to attack me? You shall remain here as hostages."

The fat man argued that as a minor officer, his commander would not care about his life, but Xu Wenshan refused to let him go, sending only the private to deliver the message.

Xu Wenshan had his men lock the captives in the backyard. The onlookers, realizing the spectacle was over, returned to their homes. After checking his estate, Xu Wenshan was pleasantly surprised to find that a significant amount of grain remained. The soldiers had also left behind some crude armor, which, while meager, was better than nothing, so he had his men equip it.

Next came the task of cooking. Xu Wenshan ordered his men to prepare food for the captives as well. When steaming bowls of white rice were brought before the prisoners, many of the younger ones wept.

Xu Wenshan’s demeanor toward these young soldiers changed entirely; he became kind and benevolent, ensuring everyone was fed and even offering seconds. The atmosphere turned warm and tender, and even Lei Laohu softened his approach.

These low-ranking soldiers lived hard lives, eating white rice only during the days they spent plundering. They had never expected the owner of this house to be so generous; their life as prisoners was actually better than their life in the army.

After the meal, Xu Wenshan gathered the captives and said gently, "I know you are all commoners from the State of Cai, sons of good families forced into service. Is there anyone here who joined the army voluntarily? Anyone at all?"

The captives shook their heads. Xu Wenshan smiled. "If not for the Duke of Cai's decree, who would want to go to the battlefield to kill common folk? We are all ordinary people; the common people should not make things difficult for one another. Tell me, when you occupy a civilian's home and steal their grain, does your conscience not ache?"

At these words, several of the soldiers who had been conscripted more recently began to cry. Lei Laohu looked at them with disdain, seeing only cowards, but Li Dazhuang looked on with sympathy, understanding their plight.

Most of these soldiers were young men from villages, pressed into service, lacking the mettle of professional soldiers. Faced with such words, they all began to miss home.

Xu Wenshan continued, "Look, I know your lives are not easy. I will give each of you a string of coins as 'travel money' to get home. Take the money, return to your families, and never join the army again!"

The room fell into stunned silence. These soldiers' annual pay was barely a few strings of coins, and it was often in arrears. For the master of the house to hand out a full string of coins so easily was an act of immense kindness.

The people of Luhe Gully were equally shocked. Their own monthly wages were only a few hundred coins, and while their lives had improved significantly, such a display of generosity from Xu Wenshan was still staggering.

The soldiers, initially disbelieving, watched as Xu Wenshan opened his money bag and placed the silver and copper coins firmly into each of their hands. "This is your money to return home. Once you take it, you must never plunder the people again!"

With the heavy coins in their hands, they finally snapped out of their stupor. Xu Wenshan opened the gates and urged them, "Go! Go on!" The soldiers left in a daze.

They walked out into the fields with hesitant steps, constantly looking back to see if Xu Wenshan would shoot them with arrows. Only when they realized it was not a trick did they break into a run, vanishing like the wind.

The only one who did not leave was the centurion.

The fat man leaned in, fawning, and asked, "Sir, what about me?"

"You? You are the hostage," Xu Wenshan said. "Who told you to be a centurion?"

The fat man sullenly returned to the corner to squat.

Lei Laohu, still unable to comprehend what had happened, stared wide-eyed. "Chief! This... why?"

The other soldiers were also confused. They had captured these men, only to let them go?

Xu Wenshan smiled at Lei Laohu. "They had no choice. If we just sent them back, they might have continued to terrorize the people on their way. Giving them a string of coins allows them to go home and farm in peace."

Lei Laohu said, "But some of them clearly aren't the farming type. What if... what if they take the money and return to the army?"

Xu Wenshan replied, "Then that money wasn't a gift, but a ransom paid to save your lives."

"A ransom?"

"If they all learn that becoming my captive means getting a string of coins to go home, how do you think they will act?" Xu Wenshan patted Lei Laohu on the shoulder. "Think about it."

Lei Laohu scratched his head. "So what?"

As dusk approached, the sun dipped low toward the horizon. It turned out the soldier Xu Wenshan sent was indeed a fast runner. In this short time, the garrison in Sha County had already been alerted. In the distance, a unit of nearly a hundred men approached—not the lazy soldiers from before, but a regular army, disciplined, well-armored, and flying their banners high.