Chapter 346: Joy and Sorrow

"Dad, Mom, you eat."

In the dim candlelight, Huang Yang's family sat around a table with one broken leg.

Propping the missing leg's corner against his own thigh, he looked at his parents, who were slow to pick up their chopsticks.

The sky turned dark, and the villagers went to their respective homes.

His older brother, who had been watering the fields, also returned.

So he took out the roasted chicken he had bought in Yancheng and placed it on the table.

Huang Yang's father, Huang Yongchang, examined the golden-brown roasted chicken, then cast his gaze toward his youngest son, his eyes full of gratification.

Yet, seeing Huang Yang buy so many things, he felt a bit of heartache: "This is silver you earned by risking your life; you should be more frugal. First clothes, then rouge, and now a roasted chicken—this is something only the Rich Clan could afford to eat in the past; why would a family like ours eat this?"

"It's not just me buying things; every soldier returning to visit their family has bags full of goods." Huang Yang patted his younger sisters' heads.

The three girls could not help but let their saliva flow.

His older brother, who was as taciturn as their father, also had his Adam's apple bobbing.

Taking the roasted chicken, he tore off a leg and handed it to his father, saying: "This time, His Highness rewarded us. Everyone in the military camp received about thirty taels of silver."

Huang Yang's father and mother looked at each other and sighed with emotion.

Huang Yang's mother said with excitement: "His Highness Yan Wang is truly a good person. Not only is he good to the people of Yanzhou, but he is also good to the soldiers under his command. You must work hard in the army in the future and not let Yan Wang down."

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"Mom, you don't need to tell me; your son will definitely fight with his life on the battlefield. As long as Yan Wang is here, we will live better lives," Huang Yang said. "When we were attacking Jinzhou, His Highness Yan Wang ate the same roasted flour as us soldiers and slept in the open just like us. Such a good Highness must not be let down. It's not just me; all the soldiers in the army say so."

Huang Yang's parents both nodded. Huang Yongchang took the chicken leg from Huang Yang's hand and said: "Good, let's eat."

Having said that, he began to gnaw on it in big bites.

Huang Yang continued to tear off pieces of the roasted chicken for his mother,

his older brother, and his younger sisters.

Gnawing on a chicken wing, Huang Yang's gaze swept over his family.

His father, mother, younger sisters, and older brother were all wearing new clothes.

From now on, they could finally go out with their heads held high.

Thinking of this, he felt immensely proud.

"Dad, after using the twenty taels of silver for the family to build a thatched house, let's find a wife for Big Brother. Big Brother isn't young anymore. In the past, our family was poor, and no one would act as a matchmaker for him. From now on, our family can be considered a well-off household," Huang Yang laughed.

Huang Yang's older brother, Huang Qi, lowered his head in embarrassment upon hearing this.

He was already twenty, which was indeed considered old in the village.

It was only because his family was poor that no matchmaker was willing to arrange a marriage for him.

Raising his head, he waved his hand: "You should let Dad and Mom keep this silver for you to use when you get married. Our wheat will be harvested soon; after paying the taxes, we can keep ten shi. Even if we keep five shi for food, we can sell the rest for five taels of silver. After selling the wheat and planting rice, we can earn another five taels by the end of the year. This life will be on the right track."

Speaking of this, Huang Yongchang could not help but beam with joy: "The taxes collected by His Highness Yan Wang are low; soon, the people of Yanzhou will all be able to live good lives."

Huang Yang had forgotten about this point. Hearing his brother and father say this, he suddenly felt a sense of stability and happiness.

Such a hopeful life was something they had never dared to imagine before.

And now, these things were quietly happening in Yanzhou.

He believed that as long as Yanzhou remained stable for a few more years, the people of Yanzhou would be wealthier than those in any other province.

At this thought, he looked at his family, who were eating the roasted chicken and chatting happily, and a firm resolve rose in his heart.

As Yan Wang said, although Yanzhou is now stable,

the threat has not yet gone away. For the territory of Yanzhou, for the people living on the land of Yanzhou, and for his own parents, brothers, and sisters,

they, the Wangfu soldiers, must go through fire and water and fear no sacrifice to ensure that this beautiful life continues and keeps getting better.

Chewing on the chicken wing in his hand, an extraordinary light shone in Huang Yang's eyes.

At this moment, in a thatched hut less than a hundred meters from Huang Yang's home, the Village Head, He Li, was glaring at his son.

"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is how to eat. Your father is a Village Head, at least, and you don't even earn me any face. Look at Huang Yang; how glorious he is this time he returned. With a son who is a soldier like him, I reckon the Village Head position will fall to Huang Yongchang next year."

He Cang gave his father an eye-roll: "Can you blame me? When I wanted to sign up with Huang Yang, who knows who got bitten by a snake and lay in bed for half a month? If it weren't for taking care of you, I could have been as glorious as Huang Yang this time."

He Li stomped his feet. He hated himself for being bitten by a snake at that time and could only vent his nameless anger on his son.

After eating a bite of salted vegetables, He Cang said: "But don't worry. When I went to find Huang Yang, he told me that the Emperor has issued an Imperial Edict, and His Highness can expand the army again. There will be another chance this time."

"Really?" He Li was overjoyed.

He Cang nodded: "Could this be fake? It is said that this time there is also a Navy. I have good swimming skills, so I plan to join the Navy."

He Li was satisfied.

As a Village Head, he always had to set an example for the villagers in everything; this was the instruction given to him by his superior when he went to the Government Office.

When the Rich Clan ran rampant in Yanzhou, Xiaowei Village was also governed by members of the clan appointed by the Rich Clan.

These members ran rampant in the countryside, forcing the collection of taxes and harming the people.

But after Yan Wang took control of Yan Commandery, the Village Head was elected by the villagers under the supervision of officials from the Government Office.

Because he was well-liked in the village and upright, he was elected as the Village Head.

Therefore, regarding joining the army, he naturally did not want his son to fall behind others.

Having agreed on this matter, the father and son suddenly became harmonious.

He Li kept putting food into his son's bowl, looking forward to the day his son would become a soldier.

At the same time.

In the countryside dotted across Yan Commandery, similar things were everywhere.

Soldiers who were once looked down upon had now become the object of everyone's envy, sparking the enthusiasm of more young men to join the Prince's Personal Army.

Yet, along with the joy, there were also tears.

At this moment, low sobs could be heard from a courtyard in a residential ward within Yancheng.

Qin Shan held a lantern, standing in the center of the courtyard, his eye sockets slightly red.

"Uncle, please accept my condolences. This is the pension issued by the Prince's Mansion, totaling three hundred and sixty taels of Silver, plus thirty-eight taels of Silver as a reward for this time," Qin Shan said.

The pension standard for the Prince's Personal Army is ten years of military pay.

He came from the Imperial Guard and knew very well that after soldiers died in battle, their bodies were basically left in the wilderness, and there was no pension at all.

Yan Wang giving so much pension money could be called very generous.

From soldiers to generals in the army, everyone was grateful for this policy set by Yan Wang.

In this way, even if they died on the battlefield, they would not have to worry about their wives and children at home suffering from hunger and cold.

Yet even so, the fallen soldiers still made people feel sad.

This soldier was under his command and lived near his home, so he came in person.