Chapter 1180

First Volume_Chapter 1180: The Glorious Beixi People

The team leader took the heavy bag of silver, stunned and delighted.

"Your Highness… Your Highness, this is far too much! And ten taels per person? That's outright excessive."

"Why not pay by household? Ten taels per household. I brought my wife and children back with me—just my family alone has four people…"

"Are we supposed to just take forty taels for free?"

"That would be utterly unacceptable."

The team leader felt that merely living in Beixi County was a fortune earned from past lives.

Returning to Jiangnan this time allowed him to visit family while also lending a humble hand to Prince Qin—double joy indeed.

Now to receive Prince Qin's silver for free? He simply couldn't cross that mental barrier.

Qin Feng knew that the five hundred Beixi People present were, in reality, only about one hundred fifty to one hundred sixty households—paying by head count was indeed inappropriate.

But matters must follow rules, yet not be rigidly bound by them; when it's time to be generous, one must be generous.

"Take the money—and pay by head count! I'm in a good mood, and no one can stop me."

"Besides, you've traveled thousands of miles from Beixi County to lend me your strength—any benefits due you must not be withheld."

Qin Feng always adhered to the principle: money that must be spent, never spared; money that shouldn't be spent, never wasted.

These five thousand taels of silver would yield battlefield gains far beyond ordinary imagination—this was an absolutely worthwhile investment.

Of the five hundred Beixi People present, the smallest household received at least thirty taels; the largest received fifty taels.

What did this mean?

Even if every member of a Beixi County household worked nonstop in production, their annual surplus amounted to only seventeen or eighteen taels of silver.

Qin Feng had, in one go, given them two or three years' income.

It was equivalent to… the lifetime earnings of an ordinary Liang commoner!

Cheers rose and fell across the crowd; the people gazed at Qin Feng with worship, convinced that becoming his subject was a fortune earned over countless lifetimes.

Due to the long journey, Qin Feng did not immediately send the five hundred people off—instead, they would rest at the garrison today and depart for home tomorrow.

The column included many children; suddenly, the once stern garrison grounds echoed with children's laughter, easing the tension in everyone's nerves.

Qin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, watching the children playing nearby, and said gravely: "Though the Enemy Army is now trapped within the City…"

"We still cannot lower our guard. These five hundred people came as they must return—security is paramount."

Liu Ming smiled too, his eyes fixed on the innocent children, yet his mouth kept moving as he responded to Qin Feng without expression.

Their tacit understanding had reached a state of perfect harmony.

"Are you worried they'll draw too much attention and attract bandits?"

Qin Feng shrugged: "Besides the money I gave them, each household carries their own wealth—dozens of taels per family."

"Returning home in such a showy manner may win admiration, but it will also breed envy and resentment."

"If they collude with bandits and are robbed or murdered, it would be a disastrous loss."

Liu Ming knew these five hundred Beixi People were Qin Feng's most vital propaganda tool—no mishap could be allowed.

He immediately nodded: "Rest assured, Your Highness. I'll assign Jin Yi Wei to secretly protect them."

Hearing this, Qin Feng grew interested: "Do you have enough Jin Yi Wei personnel?"

Liu Ming smiled proudly: "The Jin Yi Wei has shifted southward—over half our forces now operate in Nan Jing."

"Just in Jiangnan, the Jin Yi Wei, Anwu Guard, and couriers combined exceed two thousand."

"The entire Jin Yi Wei now numbers over ten thousand."

Ten thousand—this force seems large, but the Jin Yi Wei's duty is surveillance over all of Heaven.

Even fifty thousand wouldn't be too many!

Yet given the Jin Yi Wei's unique nature, we must adhere to the principle of quality over quantity—expansion cannot be rushed.

Moreover, since Li Xiaolan is pregnant and Qin Feng is fully occupied with the Nan Jing campaign…

Mo Li has stepped down; now, nearly every Jin Yi Wei matter, big or small, rests solely in Liu Ming's hands.

One man alone clearly cannot handle it all.

Qin Feng patted Liu Ming's shoulder and said solemnly: "You've worked hard."

Liu Ming froze.

This was the first time Qin Feng had ever shown him any care since he joined the Jin Yi Wei.

Before this, Qin Feng had always treated Liu Ming like a tiger—rarely offering him a kind word.

Liu Ming had faithfully followed Qin Feng for two reasons: first, he was captivated by Qin Feng's charisma and knew him to be a true master;

second, his Household Registration had long been transferred to Beixi County—he was now one of the Beixi People.

Most crucially, even if Qin Feng distrusted him, it was only because of Liu Ming's nature—he was, after all, a spy…

Once Liu Ming retired, he could immediately live as Mo Li did—free as clouds, food and clothing secure, utterly carefree.

As one of the Jin Yi Wei's founders and a founding elder of Beixi County, Mo Li had been directly "pushed off" the Jin Yi Wei Commander's throne—yet his current life was nothing short of heavenly!

This was the benefit of serving Qin Feng: never subjected to suspicion or retaliation; retirement benefits surpassed even those of Liang's Border Officials.

A blood-soaked iron-blooded general, moved to near tears by a single sentence from Qin Feng.

Qin Feng noticed Liu Ming's odd state and didn't mince words: "What's there to get emotional about?"

"What's so touching? If you overstep your bounds, I'll punish you without hesitation."

Liu Ming forced his tears back and forced a smile: "Do you not know who I am, Your Highness?"

"I have no grand ambitions—my only goal is to retire like my master and live as carefree as a god."

Qin Feng said nothing, but inwardly, he too hoped his comrades could one day gather together in freedom after retirement.

After all, one day Qin Feng himself would step back to the Second Line, retiring with honor.

However, before stepping down, Qin Feng must find a strong successor—at least for now, there is no suitable candidate.

Even Li Zhang, the most hardworking and long-suffering nominal second-in-command of Beixi County, won't do!

The next morning, just as the sky was growing light, five hundred Beixi People, under the covert protection of the Jinyiwei, set off on the road home to visit their families.

Qin Feng wasn't idle either—as more and more troops arrived at the Front Line, the pressure on Logistics would begin to show.

To hammer iron, one must first be strong oneself; if he wanted to wear down Nan Jing through attrition, his own logistics system had to be rock-solid first.