Chapter 538: Surnames

Xiong's expression remained as usual, but the expressions of Wu and Zhu looked much better, as if their future lives had gained meaning. Baifeng did not say anything more, only asking Xiong to gather those Soldiers and Workers together and find a suitable venue in the military camp; he had some things to attend to.

Xiong and Zhu hurriedly agreed. They first had to go to each family to notify them about the rewards, and then incidentally bring them along. The military camp's rules were very strict; without leave, if you wanted to go back, you had to file a report and follow the procedure. Once leave was granted, without a recall order, you were not to think about coming back early.

Of course, within this, there was a relatively special existence...

After the wedding of Shaoyin and Qinyang, a small room was arranged for them in the military camp, which counted as their home. They trained normally during the day and lived together at night; it had been like this ever since the New Recruit Company ended.

Although everyone knew this was because they had a good father, some people still harbored dissatisfaction. After all, they also wanted to bring their own wives over. Baifeng and Xiong, considering the Huaxia military discipline issues and population issues, decided to open a small gap: all Soldiers who had just married before enlistment and whose wives did not yet have children could bring them over to live, just like Shaoyin. Of course, because the houses in the military camp were limited, it could not be fully opened up yet and needed to be distributed according to contribution.

Furthermore, it was stated that in the future, the military camp would be expanded, and after the number of troops increased, a military system reform would be conducted to make management clearer, at which point certain groups of people would be able to bring their wives and children to live in the military compound.

Baifeng did not know when this vision could be achieved, perhaps it would take several more years, but this empty check alone made the Soldiers have no resentment toward Shaoyin. This was not just creating a position for one person, but directly building a factory; everyone could enjoy the same treatment, and they were even basking in Shaoyin's reflected glory, so instead of being jealous or slandering, they were actually somewhat grateful.

Qinyang faced a more difficult problem. Originally, it was easy for issues to arise among women, and Qinyang had this special privilege, which naturally made many people look down on her. However, when well-meaning people spread the news, letting them know that they could enter the military camp to realize their dreams because of Qinyang, they were too embarrassed to say anything more.

Although Baifeng's vision was still far from being realized, the policy Baifeng gave everyone was still very good. Besides being able to go home for four days of rest after thirty days of duty, they could also take one and a half months of annual leave, which was forty-five days, specifically to let them go home to accompany their families and also to create more little people.

Those Soldiers who were settled at home, having seen Xiong come to offer condolences once and then receiving no further news, felt very uneasy in their hearts. They had witnessed the death of their comrades and were now being left out at home; besides sadness, there was more disappointment. They did not know if this was worth it.

They lay on their beds thinking about life, their eyes dull. Fortunately, Xiong arrived in time, and after some low-voiced instructions, hope reappeared in their eyes, and smiles and joy surfaced on their faces. Xiong repeatedly urged them not to talk about it everywhere, and after Baifeng finished his business, a lockdown order would be issued to their entire families, forbidding them from stepping out of the house. They could celebrate however they wanted with their own families, but if they wanted to go out, they should wait for the day of the ceremony.

Xiong believed in the discipline of his Soldiers, but he did not quite trust their families, especially the children. If they were loose-lipped and talked everywhere, the anticipation for a ceremony would not actually be that high.

Martyr families—the two characters "Martyr" were proposed by Baifeng. Those who sacrificed for the country were called Martyrs; those who died of natural causes were just ordinary retired Soldiers. The families of Martyrs naturally had to be treated preferentially, otherwise, if people and the country became alienated in the future, how could Huaxia continue to develop?

Regarding the families of Martyrs, Xiong could not say much, so many details were not explained, only saying that Huaxia would not treat them unfairly and all rewards were being prepared. Afterward, he took the eldest son of each family along with him. The children were not old and were at an age of ignorance; they had not witnessed death, and their father's passing did not yet cause them too much harm. They did not even feel sad, because their father was often like this, gone for a long time without a trace.

Baifeng did not memorize the Hundred Family Surnames in vain; it was mainly because he knew many kinds of surnames himself. In his previous life, working at the Hospital, he would see a very rare surname almost every few days.

Because there were many of them, it was impossible for Baifeng to give them each a surname. Otherwise, with more than one hundred thousand people in the whole of Huaxia, did he have to arrange tens of thousands of surnames? It was close enough; a few people using the same one would do, and he believed they would not mind.

Baifeng prepared thirty surnames, among which the families of those who died occupied eight, which would not be repeated with others. The surnames for the late ones had already been thought of by Baifeng.

Baifeng prepared slips of paper and then wrote the surnames on them; he wanted to let everyone choose for themselves.

Baifeng had everything ready, and the ice in the room had melted more than half, with a lot of water sprinkled on the ground to cool it down. Everyone was afraid that Baifeng would suffer heatstroke and collapse again.

Xiong brought people over. Because they knew Baifeng was ready to fulfill his promise, there was no sad expression on their faces now. Baifeng kindly let everyone take their seats.

Afterward, he passed the slip of paper with the surnames written on it to everyone, letting them look for themselves. While everyone was looking, Baifeng began to announce the rules: "I promised you all that when you returned from completing your mission, I would give you a surname. Xiong has already told you about the other rewards; they are honors that can be passed down from generation to generation. I personally think that is more respectable than a low-level Nobility, and in the future, you can also rely on this honor to strive for a higher Nobility."

"The surnames are these that I have prepared. The ones listed separately at the bottom are for the eight who sacrificed. For the other surnames, you choose for yourselves; whichever one you like is the one. However, there will certainly be a few of you using the same one, which means that from now on, you are of the same clan and must be more united."

Someone did not quite understand: "King, what is the origin of this surname? It wouldn't be that you just randomly chose it from the characters..."

Baifeng had long known they would ask this, and his explanation was already prepared: "The surnames of the people in ancient times mostly came from the places where they lived. Beside the Ji River, so I am surnamed Ji. Actually, there is not that much to it. When you have the ability, the place you live in is named after your surname. For example, the Zhang surname; Zhang is a person pulling a bow and shooting an Arrow, which is a hunter. As for the others, I will explain them to you one by one."