Chapter 595

Chen Wuji tried to block them for a while, to no avail, so he could only let the civilians swarm forward, piling all kinds of things in front of the Government Office gate into a small hill.

This is the civilians' goodwill; he could not possibly use the Personal Guard to forcibly keep them outside.

These good intentions must be accepted!

Xu Zengyi laughed and sighed, saying, "My lord, this is where the people's hearts lie!"

"There's no need to say the rest; I am now an officially appointed Military Governor by the Emperor, and even if it's just for show, I have to keep up the act for a while." Chen Wuji laughed.

Xu Zengyi nodded to show understanding, "My lord is already past the age when I would need to incite rebellion."

Chen Wuji: ……

How come these words sound so awkward?

"Old Xu, quickly send people to keep these civilians here!" Chen Wuji suddenly said.

"They've given me so much stuff; I can't just ignore it, so let them set up a banquet in the camp, and we'll move over there to rejoice together with the soldiers and the civilians."

Xu Zengyi gave a low hum, his face full of shock as he looked at Chen Wuji, "My lord is still impressive; this move… I've learned something from it."

"What are you learning this for? Planning to rebel against me?" Chen Wuji asked with a laugh.

"Naturally, to help my lord rebel!"

"Hurry up and arrange it; I'll go back to the camp first and have the troops prepare food."

"Yes!"

……

Nightfall gradually deepened.

The camp was illuminated by countless bonfires and braziers, as bright as daytime.

Numerous makeshift tables and chairs were spread out across the camp.

This was an ultra-large-scale banquet attended by tens of thousands of people.

Fortunately, being in the army meant there were more than enough cooks; otherwise they couldn't have supported Chen Wuji's grand spectacle—for this banquet alone, over a hundred sheep were slaughtered.

Chen Wuji ordered that all the items the civilians had brought to the Government Office be brought over as well.

"Chen Baojia, take your men to keep order and let the civilians take their seats first!" Chen Wuji, acting as a major steward, shouted at the top of his voice, "After the civilians are seated, let the guests from San Guan Jun sit, then the various unit soldiers in turn; don't be chaotic—even while eating, damn it, keep the ranks neat."

"Yes!"

Chen Baojia quickly dispatched soldiers, who received the civilians one by one outside the yamen gate, seated them nearby, and then ordered tea to be poured.

Although the cups were just made from bamboo cut from the mountain, giving them a strong bamboo-green flavor, the procedure was not lacking in any way.

The civilians had never seen such a scene before; indeed, it was likely their first time entering the camp, each one nervous yet novel, curiously looking around.

"General Chen actually invited us to eat; I could brag about this for a lifetime."

"Hey, I think your ear is useless. Those soldiers have been shouting for how long, and General Chen set up a banquet in the camp to express thanks, inviting us to eat and drink; their voices are hoarse from shouting, yet you only now realize it."

"General Chen is a truly good official; now that he has taken Guangtongzhou, our lives will surely improve. A few days ago, a relative sent word through someone, urging me to move to Hezhou; he and his family have reclaimed over ten mu of land in this period, all their own, paying only three-tenths of the usual tax to the Court. He plans to put in extra effort this winter, open a few more mu, and have a prosperous next year—just hearing that makes me genuinely envious."

"General Chen encourages civilians to reclaim land, taking only a little rent; that amount of grain is basically just a token, perhaps because not taking it would be inappropriate. But we can't think only of ourselves; if General Chen does the same in Guangtongzhou, I suggest everyone contribute a bit more when the time comes."

"You old slug, when did you become so generous? Besides, whatever the people of Hezhou have, we surely have too; that notice says it all, identical."

"It's not that I'm generous; you all should think, General Chen still supports tens of thousands of soldiers. Soldiers need grain to eat; if they're not full or well-fed, how can they fight? If General Chen loses his battles, our lives won't be good either."

"That really is the principle; when you return to your villages, tell everyone more about it."

……

The soldiers, under the arrangements of Xu Zengyi and Chen Baojia, took their seats in turn, orderly.

In the rear, the outdoor kitchen that had been busy for a long time began sending out steaming rows of food and dishes. Although it was a banquet, the scene looked like a large military drill, appearing especially magnificent from afar.

While the soldiers were serving dishes, Chen Wuji also began to busy himself.

He walked in front, while the Personal Guard behind pulled ten-odd carts loaded with the food, Cloth, shoes, belts, and various other items the civilians had sent.

Chen Wuji first arrived at the table where Tang Yu and his subordinate generals were seated.

"You are all guests from afar; I'll distribute first." Chen Wuji laughed, took a basket of boiled eggs from the cart, and gave each person one.

"Although there looks to be a lot of stuff, it can't be divided among every soldier's hands, so we'll just make do—each person takes an egg to taste. This is a token of goodwill from the civilians who raised and cooked it themselves; don't despise it."

Tang Yu stared at the egg in his hand for a long while, then said, "I, your subordinate, would dare not despise it; this egg is worth a thousand gold, so I won't eat it, I'll keep it—surely the General won't mind?"

"What do I have to mind? Once it's in your hand, it's yours. Eat well, drink well; I won't entertain you further—with so many people, after making the rounds, my waist will have to slim a notch."

Tang Yu and the others rose, clasped their hands in salute, then lifted their bamboo cups to toast Chen Wuji.

Chen Wuji continued to the next table.

Some tables had food, others had small items.

Some could be divided among everyone, others had to be shared collectively, or assigned to a specific person.

Only after Chen Wuji had walked far away did Tang Yu pull that egg from his bosom, saying, "General Chen truly lives up to his name; a single egg wins both military and popular hearts. Gentlemen, prepare to lose face—when the time comes, don't glare, for we can't stop this."

Several generals at the table were somewhat dazed.

One person asked, "Commandant, what people will we lose? And we haven't done anything."

"Losing face isn't what you think; it means our soldiers will desert, understand?" Tang Yu almost tangled himself up, so he rephrased, "How are the soldiers under General Chen's command faring?"

"Good, indeed it's good; I've never seen better."

"Then do you want to join General Chen's army?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Tang Yu sighed faintly, "You don't want to, but will the soldiers below want to?"

"As long as they fight bravely for General Chen, they can gain rank and title, have food and clothing without worry, marry and have children, and enjoy a harmonious life. The fiercer the battles, the better their days will be—will they be moved?"