Chapter 114: Relieving the Laborers

That night, Hong Chengchou personally inspected the camp and treated the officers and soldiers to food and drink, showing his care for his troops as if they were his own children.

Though this tactic was quite conventional, it proved effective.

"An eating mouth is soft," the soldiers praised Hong Chengchou unanimously, saying they had found a commander of integrity this time. Their morale was noticeably better than when the armies had first united.

The next day, the army set out.

He Renlong’s vanguard marched south first after organizing their ranks.

Then came the central army.

Finally, the rear guard and the supply trains.

Li Yi rode along on horseback, surveying the marching troops that stretched like a long serpent.

This campaign was an excellent opportunity for him to understand the Ming soldiers.

Though this force was composed of diverse elements, it well reflected the makeup of the Ming military.

The vanguard, under He Renlong, was an elite border force; their formation was somewhat disorderly, but every soldier was armored, their weapons stained with blood, faces stern and exuding a faint aura of lethality—clearly battle-hardened veterans.

The central army, the standard battalion handpicked by Hong Chengchou from various garrisons in Shaanxi, had neat ranks and fine equipment; yet their movements were rigid and precise, guarding Hong Chengchou like leashed hunting dogs—well-trained, but lacking the fierce tenacity of the border troops.

As for Li Yi’s own Suijin Army, newly formed and still inexperienced, though disciplined and orderly, they lacked armor and most of their weapons were rusted. The entire unit possessed only a dozen or so three-barreled muskets and a single tiger-crouching cannon. Their strength lay in the long barrel musketeers, all young men personally trained by Li Yi from Ganquan, who moved as if extensions of his own arms, effectively commanding the troops.

It had to be said that although the Ming faced internal strife and external threats, their garrison system still maintained a formidable army. No wonder the peasant rebellions, though rampant, were ultimately suppressed.

Had it been another dynasty, it was likely Li Zicheng would have overthrown them long ago.

The army advanced steadily. After his inspection, Li Yi returned to the rear guard.

At that moment, a group of civilian laborers, escorting the supply trains, slowly caught up with the army.

In border warfare, supplies were transported by the cart battalion, and the baggage could be temporarily unloaded and stacked to form a camp.

But now, with the three armies combined, their combat effectiveness was lower, let alone forming a specialized cart battalion.

Therefore, Yan Zibin conscripted laborers to carry the supplies.

Although Zhang Juzheng’s reforms had integrated corvée labor into taxation, easing the burden on the common people, where there were policies, there were countermeasures.

Local officials raised taxes in this way, creating new corvée duties under various pretexts to enslave the populace.

It must be understood that corvée labor was production, and production yielded profits—profits that naturally filled the coffers of the government offices.

Thus, the people had to pay more taxes and still serve corvée labor.

These laborers were conscripted corvée from Mizhi County.

Li Yi sat upright on his horse, watching the emaciated, disheveled laborers shuffle past.

Though they were said to be walking, it was more like crawling.

Bending under their darkened backs, like beasts of burden, they dragged heavy supply carts. Most wore tattered short jackets, many without shoes, their bare feet treading on hard ground, bloodied on their feet, hands, and backs. Yet they moved forward numb, expressionless as if devoid of pain.

Looking at these gaunt, ghostlike laborers, broken by cruel reality, Li Yi thought for a moment and summoned Liu Zongmin.

"Take a squad and go to Suide County to acquire one hundred and fifty pairs of old shoes and clothes."

Though Liu Zongmin was puzzled, he obeyed without question.

That night, after marching sixty li, the army camped outside Suide City.

Once the laborers had erected their camp walls and dug trenches, Li Yi led his men into the laborers’ camp.

At the sight of armed officials entering, the laborers froze like frightened rabbits, their faces cold and wary as they watched Li Yi and his group.

The greed of government officials had ingrained in them a deep fear and hatred of authority.

Li Yi stepped forward and beckoned.

Liu Zongmin and his men unloaded baskets from their carts, filled with various old shoes and clothing.

"I am Li Yi from Ganquan Village, just like you, a native of Mizhi. Now I serve as the rear guard commander and march alongside you. Some of you should have seen me during the day," Li Yi announced in a clear, resonant voice.

"But are you really the original Suijin Town patrol inspector, Lord Li Yi?" a laborer asked boldly.

Li Yi nodded. "You recognize me?"

The laborer wept with joy. "Lord Li, I’m from the Yang Family Village Farmers’ Association. I saw you when I went to Suijin Town for a meeting."

"A Farmers’ Association? Then why are you here?" Li Yi was slightly surprised.

Where there was a Farmers’ Association, they would certainly oppose unlawful corvée conscription by officials.

The laborer’s face fell. "This time, the county magistrate ordered every village to send men. Our village joined the Farmers’ Association, so we only had to send three men. Without the Association’s backing, villages had to send twenty."

"What is your name?" Li Yi asked.

"I am Wang Wu."

"Wang Wu, how many members of the Farmers’ Association are among the laborers?" Li Yi inquired.

"About a dozen or so."

Li Yi nodded and instructed, "Gather the Farmers’ Association members and organize the laborers to come forward and select shoes and clothes."

Hearing that shoes and clothes were being distributed, the laborers’ numb faces brightened with a flicker of hope.

Though the Farmers’ Association was growing rapidly, due to limited communication in ancient times, many villages remained unaware.

At this, the Association members in the crowd proudly extolled its many benefits.

Upon learning that the Association helped resist excessive taxes and reduce interest on tenant rents and loans, the laborers were surprised and envious.

Knowing that the commander before them was the founder of the Association, their suspicion eased, replaced by hope.

Under Li Yi’s direction, the laborers’ Farmers’ Association was effectively established, with original members responsible for organizing and managing.

They understood the laborers’ conditions well and separated the old shoes and clothes by size, arranging the laborers into three lines by foot length to choose their garments.

Half an hour later, the laborers, having shed their ragged black garments, now wore shoes and looked somewhat revitalized.

This unexpected gift deeply moved them.

The reality was harsh, and they seldom harbored hope. Avoiding cruel and greedy officials was a blessing; never had they imagined receiving clothes and shoes.

Thus, the laborers knelt one after another, expressing boundless gratitude to Li Yi.

Li Yi pulled up two men and addressed the laborers: "I come from humble origins, just a villager from Ganquan not long ago. Natural disasters and man-made calamities have made life hard for us all. Yet precisely because of this, we should help one another. We share the same hometown ties and humble beginnings. I will look after you. If you ever face hardship, let Wang Wu inform me."

This was, in effect, anointing Wang Wu as the leader of the laborers.

A single set of old shoes and clothes had filled the laborers with gratitude toward Li Yi. Now, hearing his words, they responded loudly in agreement.