Chapter 810: Changing with Each Passing Day

"Shuanzi's father, did your family also get six mu of land?"

Like the man, others were already waiting at the village entrance.

Seeing the man arrive, they immediately asked.

The man nodded; there was no need to ask, as their families had certainly received the same, all given six mu of land.

"My family has three children, two of whom went to the Public School and learned quite a few characters," another person said, his face full of pride.

"When my family was too busy to manage the winter wheat planting, the Village Head led others to help us; they say it's called Mutual Aid for Villagers," another person said, his face full of emotion.

"In our village, Su Da's family, after the Yanzhou Army arrived, voluntarily handed over their thirty mu of land. The Yanzhou officials didn't make things difficult for him at all. They say he has now taken out a loan, built a Cement Workshop, and is even wealthier than before. Whenever he sees me, he keeps praising Yan Wang. Do you think we were wrong?"

"..."

The group introduced their situations to each other for a while, sighing continuously.

At this moment, one person suddenly said: "When we served as private soldiers for Su Mian, he only gave us three mu of land each, and even then, we had to hand over thirty percent to him. This 'own people' treating 'own people' is worse than how outsiders treat us. Tell me, what were we hoping for when we followed him so blindly?"

"It's just that they scared us, saying that if Yan Wang came, we would have nothing. They were just liars," one person said bitterly.

"Now, following them is like being a stray dog. Their own clansmen eat and drink well, but have they ever cared about us, their fellow clansmen with the same surname?"

"..."

The captives spoke, complaining about the Rich Clan once more.

As they were talking, the Wangfu Army assembled again and came before them.

The lead soldier said: "You've seen what you needed to see and said what you needed to say. Now we return to Baima Xian. Those who want to go back, we will send you there; those who want to go home, we will give you travel expenses to go home."

Hearing this, the captives were pleasantly surprised. Immediately, a captive said excitedly, "We don't even want the travel expenses. This is my home; I don't want to leave."

Two-thirds of the captives said this, while one-third chose to remain silent.

"You lot are truly stubborn.

Next time we meet on the battlefield, you might not be so lucky to survive," the lead soldier snorted coldly. "Let's go, we're sending you to Jiangbei."

Zhao Xu was also there; he had temporarily stopped to rest in Yang City yesterday and had come early this morning.

Looking at this one-third of the captives, he frowned slightly.

In his view, there were several tiers among the soldiers of the powerful clans.

The first tier, like Xie Duan and other top-tier powerful clans and core clansmen, would naturally never surrender.

The second tier, the Rich Clan and their core clansmen, who were once the power-holders of the commanderies and counties, were naturally unwilling to surrender either.

The third tier were the direct beneficiaries who relied on the Rich Clan; their family landholdings could not compare to the Rich Clan, but they still had a hundred mu or so.

The fourth tier were the ordinary soldiers of the powerful clans; they were clansmen with the same surname as the powerful and rich clans, but to those clans, they were merely distant, poor relatives.

The lives they led were not necessarily better than those of ordinary commoners.

However, some of them took having the same surname and being of the same clan too seriously.

This was just like the relationship between Ah Q and Master Zhao.

Ah Q was proud for a time because he shared the surname Zhao, only to be found out by Master Zhao, who gave him a sound beating and cursed, "You are worthy of the surname Zhao?"

Before Ah Q was beaten, he was very much in solidarity with Master Zhao; after being beaten, he suddenly woke up.

Many of these low-level soldiers of the powerful clans were the Ah Qs of Da Song, still immersed in the delusion that they were relatives of Master Zhao.

He wanted to shatter their delusions and tell them that their "Master Zhao" treated them quite poorly.

Therefore, seeing that one-third of them were still unwilling to stay, he was somewhat puzzled.

Truly, many people were willing to be Ah Q.

"We are returning to Jiangbei, not to fight you again. My older brother and second brother still don't know if they are alive or dead. I want to tell them about the changes in the village and let them come back to farm and live a peaceful life," just then, a captive said with his neck stiffened.

"Me too."

"Me too."

"..."

The remaining captives spoke up one after another, vying to be heard.

The lead soldier was stunned for a moment, then revealed a smile.

So, he had misunderstood.

Zhao Xu nodded slightly, the smile on his face gradually blooming.

His painstaking efforts, after all, had not been in vain.

He believed that some among these captives were still stubborn, but at the same time, the majority must have truly awakened.

This time, as they returned to Jiangnan and spread the picture of the good life in Jiangbei, it would certainly cause more low-level soldiers to waver.

Having gained a simple understanding of his strategy, Zhao Xu continued his journey toward Yanzhou.

However, this trip back was not just about traveling; every time he encountered a city, he would stop to inspect it and check the implementation of the Imperial Court's policies.

When he was in Peng City, he saw the three major banks that had already been put into use.

Like Yancheng, Peng City was currently planning a Workshop District.

Some workshops manufacturing civilian goods had already moved into the workshop area.

Besides this, the infrastructure of Peng City was also underway.

Some streets in Peng City had been paved with smooth and clean cement roads, and canals were being dug and bridges built in the countryside.

Continuing north from Peng City, he arrived at Lu City in Qizhou.

The development here was even more complete than in Peng City.

Compared to Peng City, the Workshop District was not only larger in scale but also had a more complete range of industries.

The mud roads within the city had basically been turned into cement roads.

Heading further north into Yanzhou, the industrial atmosphere hit him directly.

Even in the county towns, there were traces of the Steam Industry; many workshops here had installed Steam Engines.

As for the roads, they are no longer limited to within the county seats and commandery seats; cement roads between counties and between commanderies are also being paved.

Outside Fanyang City, he even saw a steam excavator digging a trench.

They are preparing to divert the Canal to Yancheng, which is part of the Imperial Court's plan.

On the way to Yancheng, he saw six more steam excavators one after another.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Yancheng, he saw steam tractors at the Official Manor.

It is evident that during the time he was away at war, everything in Jiangbei has been developing in an orderly manner.

The gratifying changes are truly surprising.

Thinking of what he had heard and seen, Zhao Xu was still in a very pleasant mood when he returned to the Prince's Mansion.

"Before Your Highness returned, the Newspaper published the news of your capture of Jinling. Whether it was the commoners and merchants or the Royal Clan and veteran officials, everyone praised Your Highness highly. It is said that the Emperor was so happy he did not sleep all night, saying that if one were to have a son, he should be like Yan Wang. Now, Your Highness's prestige is truly unparalleled." As soon as Zhao Xu returned to the Prince's Mansion, he was caught by Yang Susu and pulled into the bedchamber.

She fussed over him with concern and spoke of her longing.

They clung to each other like lovers who had been separated for a long time.

After a while, she ordered dinner to be prepared while speaking with high spirits about the praise for him in the Newspaper.

Her own man being praised, she naturally felt a little proud in her heart.

Hearing this, Zhao Xu laughed softly.

Just as he had expected, taking Jinling City was a carnival for the entire Jiangbei.

At the same time, it was a heavy blow to Jiangnan.

And once Chang Wei captures the entire southern part of Ningzhou and gains control of the grain-producing regions, the lives of the powerful clans will become even more difficult.

The two were whispering sweet nothings when Feng'er arrived outside the door, pouting as she said, "Your Highness, Xu Ke requests an audience. Honestly, Your Highness has just returned; he should let Your Highness rest for a while."

Yang Susu smiled and said, "Your Highness belongs to the people of the world, not just to us." As she spoke, she pinched Zhao Xu's waist, her eyes shimmering like water.

Zhao Xu chuckled twice, understanding the implication, "This Prince will return shortly."

He had just returned, and Xu Ke arrived; he must have some rather urgent intelligence.