Chapter 275: Eager

The North Gate of Yan Commandery.

Less than an hour after Zhao Xu left, a notice was posted at the city gate.

At the same time, soldiers held up wooden signs and walked among the commoners.

Paper was pasted onto the wooden signs, and the content on them was the same as at the city gate.

These soldiers shouted while holding the signs, and there were also soldiers specifically responsible for beating gongs.

Immediately, the commoners were drawn over one after another.

Although Yan Wang had spoken personally just a moment ago, there were, after all, too many commoners.

Those in the front heard him, but those further back knew nothing at all.

Now that the soldiers were making such a commotion, the commoners soon learned the news.

In an instant, the commoners heading to the city gate to register formed a long line.

Three days later.

The specific statistical figures came out.

Liu Fu handed the roster and the total count to Zhao Xu.

"Your Highness, within three days, there were 3,321 carpenters registered, 1,153 blacksmiths, 842 masons, 337 potters..." Liu Fu read them out one by one.

Zhao Xu nodded as he listened.

All the people with skills added up to less than ten thousand.

This was also normal; after all, Great Song was an agricultural country.

The vast majority of the population was engaged in farming.

However, this quantity was still too small for him.

It could not satisfy the current needs of Yanzhou.

Besides these old craftsmen, he also needed apprentices to be led by the old craftsmen.

In this way, after a period of time, the total number of various types of craftsmen could be increased many times over.

Therefore, he said: "You shall recruit another 8,000 men aged sixteen to forty-five from the commoners as carpenter apprentices, 3,000 blacksmith apprentices, 2,000 mason apprentices, 1,000 potter apprentices, and an additional 30,000 laborers."

This number was not something he asked for at random.

It was a figure arrived at after calculating the needs of the Armaments Bureau, the Shipbuilding Bureau, and various Workshops.

The total number of people to be recruited was estimated to be around fifty thousand or more.

From his observation outside the city gate last time, Zhao Xu discovered a phenomenon.

Among this batch of commoners who came from Jinzhou, young and strong men and women were in the majority.

Later, he learned a very cruel fact.

The Xiliang people never left the old, weak, sick, or disabled alive.

The Shengqin Army only captured the young and strong.

Precisely because of this, those who could arrive in Yanzhou alive were also this portion of people.

And like this, it was actually not very difficult to recruit forty thousand or more people.

Liu Fu noted down the numbers Zhao Xu mentioned.

Returning to the Government Office.

He once again ordered the soldiers to convey this news to the commoners.

Unlike last time, when this news was spread, the commoners immediately exploded with excitement.

The officials responsible for registration were almost submerged by the surging crowd.

Last time, because the Government Office wanted commoners with skills, those without skills could only stare blankly.

But now that they were recruiting a large number of apprentices who did not need skills, although the monthly wage was only five units of Silver, it still included free food and lodging.

Now the commoners were no longer willing to miss this opportunity.

They surged forward as if they had gone mad.

Some commoners even fought to compete for a position in the front.

They only settled down after being taught a lesson by the soldiers responsible for order.

However, after such a struggle, the young and strong who lacked physical stamina were instead squeezed to the back.

Seeing this, the Government Office officials simply started registering them one by one from the front.

The name of the first young man, "Shen Da," was written down, he pressed his fingerprint, and he excitedly ran to a straw shed a hundred meters away.

At this moment, a woman in the straw shed was holding a child less than eight months old and breastfeeding.

The woman was gaunt, her bones protruding from her exposed body, clearly the result of long-term starvation.

The child was the same, basically reduced to skin and bones.

"Shunzi's mother, I was kept by the Yancheng Government Office, I am now a carpenter apprentice, and I have five units of Silver every month." Shen Da excitedly grabbed the woman's arm.

A ripple appeared on the woman's dull expression, and she said in disbelief: "Is what you said true?"

"It's true, the official just wrote down my name, and I even pressed my fingerprint." Shen Da was trembling all over with excitement.

Other women in the straw shed heard this and revealed expressions of envy.

Their husbands had also gone,

and they did not know how things had turned out.

Shen Da's wife suddenly wept with joy, she hugged her child, "If it weren't for Yan Wang giving us porridge to eat this time, and the doctor in the medical shed decocting medicine for Shunzi to drink, Shunzi might not have made it through; no matter where the Government Office sends you, you must work with all your might to repay Yan Wang."

"That goes without saying, only Yan Wang treats us like human beings; not to mention that, His Highness can also give us five units of Silver every month, and it is said that after finishing the apprenticeship, one can even get one tael; such a good Yan Wang, we certainly cannot be ungrateful." Shen Da clenched his fist and shook it.

Remembering something, he said: "The Government Office official also said that those who are selected can also bring their wives, children, and elders, so we don't have to worry about being separated."

Hearing this, the woman breathed a sigh of relief.

She was also worried that if her husband left, what would become of her and her child?

The conversation between the two made the other women even more envious.

Each and every one of them hoped their own husbands could return sooner.

The recruitment continued for another three days.

On the fourth day, Liu Fu once again presented the list to Zhao Xu.

"Let everyone on this list enter the city, and arrange all the people on this list to the Chengde Workshop," Zhao Xu said.

There were only a few days left before the Armory officially relocated.

"Send the people on this list to Fanyang and hand them over to Chen Shou; tell him that once the matters at the Chengde Workshop are settled, this Prince will make a trip to Fanyang," Zhao Xu said.

Liu Fu nodded, "Your Highness, the officials from the Government Offices of each prefecture have all arrived; if Your Highness does not need to recruit any more, I will have them take the people away."

Zhao Xu thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead.

He had only been thinking about the Armory and the Workshop, completely forgetting about the government-run farms.

Handicraft industries must be developed.

But agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery—forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery must also be vigorously developed.

After all, they can provide raw materials for the handicraft industries and improve the living standards of the people in Yanzhou.

And once living standards improve, the physical fitness of the people will rise.

Only in this way can they provide high-quality sources of soldiers and supply protein nourishment to the soldiers on the battlefield.

During the Opium War, besides being unable to compete with the Westerners in firearms, the physical fitness of the Qing soldiers at that time was also inferior to the British army of that era.

Therefore, the Qing army also lost in hand-to-hand combat.

This was not just one aspect, but a gap in comprehensive national strength.

This phenomenon also existed during the War of Resistance Against Japan.

Some veterans recalled that toward the later stages of the war, Japanese soldiers became easier and easier to fight.

This was because the Japanese economy collapsed due to the war in the later stages, and it could no longer provide abundant logistical support.

The starving Japanese were naturally no longer capable.

It is precisely based on this that he has focused on the provision of protein for the Wangfu Army from the very beginning.

The reason the Wangfu Army could hold their own in contests against the Northern Di was also because they were not inferior in physical strength to the Northern Di, who primarily ate meat.

Of course, this was still far from enough.

He wanted to provide the soldiers with even richer meals.

Only then could they withstand even more rigorous training.

Besides this, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery were also the sources of raw materials for the initial handicraft industries.

For example, the flower petals needed for Perfume, the grain needed for alcohol, and so on.

However, he still did not say anything to Liu Fu; he told him to go back and have the Government Offices of each prefecture take their people back.

In any case, Wang Yanzhong was still continuously sending people over.

He could select some more from among those people.