Chapter 323: Volume 2: A Different Tuntian Chief, Chapter 312: The Grand Strategy (Part 1)

"In this campaign to reinforce the capital, our Shunxiang Army lost 1,425 officers and men killed in action, and 267 wounded or disabled. By order of General Dingguo, the army is to return to the prefecture. After paying homage to the fallen soldiers, compensation will be distributed to the families of the dead and wounded according to regulations."

"For those killed in action, each family shall receive a settlement allowance of fifty taels of silver. For the wounded and disabled, each family shall receive a settlement allowance of thirty taels of silver. Depending on the requests of the family members and widows, it may be paid as a lump sum or in monthly installments. The majority of the widows and dependents are willing to receive it on a monthly and yearly basis."

"This is the settlement silver. In addition, each family member shall receive a monthly grain allowance of five dou per person. Widows shall be supported for life, and their children shall be supported until they come of age and receive their caps."

Chi Dacheng's voice, utterly devoid of expression, continued to ring out, echoing through the spacious hall: "The General is benevolent. He has also granted the families of wounded and disabled soldiers a three-year tax exemption on their land. In the future, the farming teams of each fort will help them till their fields free of charge. Furthermore, the dead and wounded soldiers' families are given priority in the distribution of rewards for killing the enemy. Their families can now be free from worry about food and clothing for life."

After Chi Dacheng finished speaking, he bowed to Wang Dou and then sat down.

A murmur of hushed conversation filled the hall. Everyone felt that the compensation offered by the Shunxiang Army was exceptionally generous, ranking first among all the armies of the Great Ming at this time, comparable to the former Qi Family Army. The fact that their families had no worries about the future was one of the reasons for the Shunxiang Army's outstanding combat effectiveness.

Zhang Gui, the Prefectural City Tuntian Officer, sat together with Qianshu Officer Tian Changguo. Tian Changguo was still as gaunt as a rake, but today his large, usually half-asleep, bulging eyes were bright and full of spirit.

For the first time, he had been invited to attend General Dingguo's council. This was a rare honor, signifying that he too had become a core member of General Dingguo's circle. The opportunity was extremely rare; how could Tian Changguo not open his eyes wide and listen with rapt attention?

Listening to Chi Dacheng speak so eloquently, Tian Changguo felt tremor after tremor in his heart. The hidden strength of Wang Dou greatly exceeded his expectations. Just hearing about the recaptured silver, grain, and population was enough to make one shudder. After these gains were digested in the future, to what extent would General Dingguo's power swell?

Tian Changguo secretly rejoiced that he had not participated in the mutiny and rebellion several years ago and had striven to draw close to Wang Dou, thus obtaining this current opportunity to be valued and brought into the inner circle.

He and Zhang Gui whispered to each other for a moment. Zhang Gui stood up, cupped his hands toward Wang Dou, and said, "General, your subordinate has a word to say, but I do not know if it is appropriate to speak?"

Wang Dou said, "Qianshi Zhang, please speak."

Zhang Gui said, "General, and all my lords, your humble subordinate is of little talent, yet I have been honored by the General with the post of Prefectural City Tuntian Officer. Your subordinate believes that our Shunxiang Army's compensation is too heavy. First there is the settlement silver, then the monthly grain allowance, not to mention the separate rewards for killing the enemy. Such generosity may, in the future, increase the burden on the army."

"In this world of the Great Ming, one can simply conscript a man to be a soldier. When a few men die in battle, giving a few taels of compensation silver is already considered benevolent. ...Of course, the General's benevolence and generosity are unmatched by other officers. However, your subordinate believes that, other matters aside, the three-year tax exemption on land for the families of wounded and disabled soldiers is entirely unnecessary. Those grain allowances are already sufficient."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tian Changguo also stood up, nodded and bowed to Wang Dou, saying, "General, your subordinate shares the same view. The death and injury compensation given by our Shunxiang Army is already more than enough. The land tax exemption, your subordinate believes, is open to discussion."

Just as the two finished, Gao Shiyin had already jumped to his feet. After the battles of Zhuozhou and Pinggu, he had been promoted to Assistant Regional Commander of the Baoan Guard. In the future reorganization of the army, he would certainly be a full Company Commander, on equal footing with men like Tian Changguo and Zhang Gui.

Although Zhang Gui was once his direct superior, so what? In the past, Zhang Gui was even General Dingguo's direct superior. Times had changed.

Through several major battles, Gao Shiyin deeply understood the importance of the morale and fighting spirit of the troops under his command. Wang Dou's granting of several years of tax exemption to the families of dead and wounded soldiers would certainly further enhance the army's cohesion and strengthen their combat effectiveness. For military officers like them who commanded troops, this was a good thing they could only wish for. As for the future burden on the army, that was not within his jurisdiction.

He first respectfully bowed to Wang Dou, then turned to Zhang Gui angrily and said, "Qianshi Zhang, the three-year land tax exemption for the families of wounded and disabled soldiers was personally drafted by the General. It reflects his benevolence and his compassionate heart for the soldiers. It is merely a three-year land tax exemption. For the land of just over a thousand soldiers, how much grain could it possibly reduce in revenue? What do you mean by jumping out to oppose it?"

By the end of his speech, he was practically gnashing his teeth, even the fierce flesh on his face was twitching.

Zhong Xiancai, seated in his place, said in a soft, measured tone, "I agree with Qianshi Gao's opinion. Although the soldiers have been allocated compensation silver and grain, if the land tax is also exempted for three years, it will further win the hearts of the soldiers."

Zhong Xiancai was one of the earliest veterans who had followed Wang Dou at Jingbian Fort, second only to Han Chao and Gao Shiyin. With his vocal support, Gao Shiyin's backbone immediately stiffened considerably.

Sun Sanjie said, "I also agree with Qianshi Gao's opinion."

Gao Shiyin looked even more smug.

Zhang Gui glanced sideways at Gao Shiyin and said, "There is a saying: a sheng of rice creates gratitude, a dou of rice creates enmity. If you give me a sheng of rice and keep me from starving to death, I am grateful to you; you are my benefactor. But if you give me a dou of rice, it means you can give even more. If you don't continue to give more, then you become my enemy."

"Our Shunxiang Army is full of good men, and naturally such ungrateful wretches would not appear. However, Qianshi Gao does not manage the household and thus does not know how expensive firewood and rice are. In this campaign to reinforce the capital, our Shunxiang Army suffered nearly two thousand casualties. The General is a heroic figure, and the Great Ming cannot do without the General anywhere. In the future, he will certainly have to go out and fight constantly, and the casualties among the soldiers will increase more and more. First, it's land tax exemption for over a thousand soldiers' families; how many will there be in the future? Many a little makes a mickle... Your subordinate raises this opinion purely out of public-spiritedness, to nip trouble in the bud."

Tian Changguo chimed in from the side, "Exactly, exactly. Qianshi Zhang's words are the prudent counsel of an experienced statesman."

Wang Dou listened quietly to Zhang Gui's speech, watching him talk with spittle flying, impassioned and vehement. He knew, however, that Zhang Gui, despite his fierce appearance—short beard bristling like halberds, leopard-like eyes wide and round, looking just like Zhang Fei—was actually a very shrewd man, rough in appearance but subtle within. His deliberate display of discord with the other generals was deeply meaningful.

He nodded, put down the teacup in his hand, and stood up. Immediately, everyone arguing in the hall fell silent and stood respectfully.

Wang Dou paced the hall with his hands behind his back. He walked to the window. Outside, the pattering sound of rain continued endlessly, a continuous curtain of rain. The trees in front of the hall and the stone slabs on the steps were washed spotlessly clean.

Wang Dou stood before the window with his hands behind his back, gazing out for a long time. Everyone in the hall quietly watched his back, not daring to utter a single word.

After a long while, Wang Dou turned back. He sighed and said, "Qu Yuan once wrote: 'Long did I sigh to hold back tears, grieving the hardships of the people's lives.' Whenever I read history, I am always moved by the suffering of the common people. It is said: in prosperity, the people suffer; in ruin, the people suffer. Wang Dou, though untalented, is willing to strive together with all of you gentlemen to do our best to make life a little better for the military households and commoners under our governance."

His voice echoed in the hall: "Those wounded and disabled soldiers were once also the military households and commoners of our Baoan Prefecture. In this national war, their families have either lost their sons and brothers, or have men wounded and disabled, unable to work. My heart feels pity for them, and I do what little I can. Even if it becomes more difficult in the future, I will find ways to ensure that the families of these dead and wounded soldiers have enough food and clothing, and no longer suffer from hunger and cold. And to ensure that the living soldiers of our Shunxiang Army have no worries about what they leave behind."

Everyone in the hall stood up together, their faces showing expressions of deep emotion and being moved. They said in unison, "The General's benevolence is rarely seen in this world. That we can follow the General is truly a blessing."

Zhang Gui was even more choked with emotion. He prostrated himself on the ground: "Compared to the General, your subordinate awakens to the realization that he is truly a frog at the bottom of a well. Ashamed, I am ashamed."

Wang Dou extended both hands in a gesture of helping them up: "Generals, please rise."

He then personally walked over and helped Zhang Gui up: "To remedy omissions and correct errors, to boldly speak the truth—Qianshi Zhang also acted out of public-spiritedness. Please rise."

Zhang Gui stood up, weeping bitterly.

After everyone was seated again, the Lingli Feng Dachang, seated at the upper right side of the great hall, stood up with a smile.

With graceful movements, he bowed deeply to Wang Dou, then smiled and nodded to everyone in the hall. He then unfolded an official document in his hand: "General, since the rescued commoners from Zhending Prefecture and Baoding Prefecture were escorted back to Baoan Prefecture in the third month, this student and my colleagues in the Lingli Office have been conducting detailed statistics over the past few days."

"Including the over 25,000 disaster victims taken in by Liujing Fort over the past few months, our Baoan Prefecture has gained a new population of 236,547 people. Among these individuals, the majority are able-bodied men and women, with able-bodied men being the majority, numbering over 131,600. Able-bodied women number over 88,700. The remainder are the elderly, the weak, and children, mostly disaster victims taken in by Liujing Fort."

"These 230,000 disaster victims and commoners have been resettled in four locations: Zhangjia Fort, Shunxiang Fort, Wubao, and Fanshan. How to proceed in the future, I await the General's decision."

After he finished speaking, he smiled and nodded again to everyone in the hall and sat down with a smile.

Zhang Gui cleared his throat and took out a thick official document. He had meticulously prepared for this meeting for a long time. He stood up, bowed to Wang Dou, and said, "General, regarding the resettlement of these individuals, your subordinate has discussed it in detail with Sir Lin. Currently, our Baoan Prefecture has a population of 100,000, and the land in the prefectural city has long been fully cultivated. To resettle these commoners, we must develop towards the surrounding guard battalions. It is fitting that the General is now garrisoning the Eastern Route of Xuan Town, establishing tuntian settlements and resettling military households, which is perfectly justified."

He continued, "The Eastern Route under the General's garrison includes Baoan Prefecture City, Baoan Guard City, Huailai City, Yongning City, and Yanqing City, among other places. There is vast wasteland everywhere, ideal for establishing military agricultural colonies, resettling the commoners, and storing grain and troops. My humble opinion is to establish one tuntian fort for every Battalion Commander. Calculating five to six thousand people per Battalion Commander, we would only need to establish fifty tuntian forts to complete the resettlement of these over two hundred thousand commoners. With the large amount of grain, fodder, and draft cattle our Shunxiang Army recaptured in this campaign, resettling these commoners should be easy."

"Of course, many of these rescued commoners are single individuals or scattered households. We can follow the policy of the prefectural city, pairing them up to marry and encouraging them to have children. In the future, as they multiply and bear offspring, it will also increase the population of our Xuan Town Eastern Route. Regarding the various details, your subordinate has roughly drafted a plan. I request the General to review it."

As he spoke, Zhang Gui respectfully handed the document to Xie Yike to pass on to Wang Dou.

Wang Dou took the document and browsed through it. In truth, he already had his own overall strategic plan in mind. These past days, he had been constantly pondering the future governing principles for the entire Eastern Route of Xuanfu Town, as well as the overall military and civilian affairs planning. Still, it was good to hear the opinions of his subordinates.