RPAGF Chapter 52 The Light of Humanity
Chapter 52 The Light of Humanity
Wang Fu clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming.
Li Shi cracked his whip, and the oxcart creaked and groaned as it started to move.
Wang Fu stood there, watching the oxcart drive out of the courtyard gate, remaining motionless for a long time.
Zhang Wu stood a few steps away, watching Wang Fu's back with a complicated expression.
A young, strong man leaned closer and whispered something.
"Brother Zhang, that kid Wang Fu... isn't he going to be riding roughshod over us from now on?"
Zhang Wu gritted his teeth and spat out a few words.
"He won't."
The young man shrank back and didn't dare to say anything more.
But the atmosphere in the courtyard is different now.
The way the local militia looked at Wang Fu changed from disdain to scrutiny, even with a hint of envy and flattery, though they didn't show it because Zhang Wu was present.
Wang Fu felt those gazes.
He didn't turn around; his heart was filled with boundless gratitude for Li Sheng.
My benefactor treated me so well; I can only repay him with my life!
……
Li Shi drove the oxcart without looking back.
He hadn't said a word until now, but he finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Brother Sheng, I've been pondering what you just said for a long time..."
Li Sheng turned his head to look at him.
"Have you figured it out?"
Li Shi scratched his head.
"You said you wanted Zhang Wu to help deliver the message, but you yourself are the village head. If you want to recruit soldiers, why don't you just give the order directly? Why do you need his help?"
Li Sheng smiled but did not answer directly.
What do you think of Zhang Wu?
Li Shi thought about it.
"He's got some skills, but he's got quite an ambition. What he said just now implied that he wants to be on equal footing with us."
"right."
Li Sheng nodded.
"Therefore, I cannot directly pressure him. If I, as the head of the village, order him to hand over the person, he will be resentful in his heart, outwardly obedient but secretly sabotaging things, which would only make matters worse."
He paused.
"I asked him for help to save face for him. This way, he had a way out, and I achieved my goal."
Li Shi asked again.
"Then what's the explanation for taking Wang Fu away and asking him to recommend someone?"
Li Sheng glanced at him, his eyes filled with approval. It seemed that this taciturn man did have some ideas in his heart.
It's good that he has ideas, but he's worried that his subordinates will become machines that only know how to execute his orders.
So Li Sheng began to explain.
"Wang Fu was the first one to step forward and lead the way for me that day, which shows he has courage and vision. The fact that someone like him hasn't achieved anything in Xiangyang shows that he has no connections and no one to support him."
He leaned against the carriage shaft, his tone indifferent.
"By taking him away, giving him the status of a village guard, and having him recommend someone, I was telling the people of Xiangyang Village that there's a future for them if they follow me."
Li Shi suddenly realized.
"Brother Sheng, are you... planning to plant your own people in Xiangyang?"
Li Sheng did not deny it.
"Yes, we're unfamiliar with Xiangyang Village after all, and it wouldn't be good to forcefully intervene. I want Wang Fu to become the new choice for those in Xiangyang Village who want to get ahead. They don't necessarily have to follow Zhang Wu; they can come to me with Wang Fu."
He paused.
"As long as we unite them around us, Xiangyangli will naturally gravitate towards us in the future."
Li Shi remained silent for a while, then let out a long sigh.
"Brother Sheng, I'm truly impressed by your brain."
Li Sheng remained silent.
He leaned against the carriage shaft and closed his eyes.
The wind blows from the fields, carrying the scent of soil and young seedlings.
The corners of his mouth rose slightly.
……
As dusk settled, the oxcart rolled over the dust on the official road and slowly made its way back to Tingting Post Station in Siyang.
Li Sheng briefly instructed Li Zili to guard the post station, and then took Li Shi back to Dongpingli.
Li Shi was a quiet person by nature, so the two of them remained silent the whole way. By the time they got home, it was already completely dark.
Li Sheng had no choice but to take a break.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Sheng was awakened by the shouts from the wheat field.
Li Sheng glanced into the distance and saw Liu Wu and Li Feng leading nearly a hundred villagers in warm-up exercises, a rather spectacular scene.
He stepped forward and offered a few words of encouragement, which energized the crowd. Li Sheng, satisfied, led Liu Lu and Li Shi to the inn.
The reason for bringing them along was naturally to give them experience and training.
When the three of them arrived at the entrance of Siyang Pavilion, they saw Wang Fu dressed in clean coarse cloth clothes, followed by six fairly strong young men, who were helping to clean inside and outside the pavilion.
These six men were all hardworking and spirited farmers from Xiangyang Village, and they had never looked down on Wang Fu. Naturally, he selected them and recommended them to Li Sheng.
When they heard that Wang Fu had been promoted to a minor post by Li Sheng, they congratulated him and also wanted to follow Li Sheng and make a name for themselves to repay his life-saving grace.
Upon seeing Li Sheng approaching from afar, Wang Fu immediately put down what he was doing, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a loud voice.
"Wang Fu pays his respects to his benefactor, having been ordered by him to bring six brothers to serve him!"
Upon hearing Wang Fu's words, the six men also bowed to Li Sheng. Their eyes were filled with admiration and respect.
Li Sheng's gaze swept across the faces of the seven people one by one.
Although these people were unfamiliar, they all looked like honest and hardworking farmers with clean eyes and no slickness.
"What are your names?"
Li Sheng walked to the stone stool in the courtyard and sat down, speaking in a casual tone as if he were chatting with someone.
Wang Fu stepped aside and introduced them one by one.
Each time he introduced someone, that person would step forward and greet him again.
Li Sheng nodded, occasionally asking a question or two about how many people were in his family, what they did for a living, and whether they had received any education.
When asked the last question, Li Sheng suddenly paused.
He was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, as thin as a bamboo pole, but with bright eyes.
"This child's name is Wang Man, he's my cousin. He's the only one left in the family..."
Wang Fu lowered his voice a few decibels as he said this.
This was partly his personal motive; if he didn't help Xiaoman, his future was uncertain...
Li Sheng glanced at the boy.
The boy bit his lip and tried to stand up straight, but his body was still trembling slightly, whether from fear or nervousness, it was hard to tell.
How old are you?
"Reporting to my benefactor, it is the sixteenth."
"What?"
The boy hesitated for a moment, his voice barely audible.
"I once audited classes at a local private school and learned some characters..."
Li Sheng raised an eyebrow.
It's important to know that before he promoted simplified characters within Dongpingli, there were very few literate people in the entire village.
"If you know a few words, write them down for me."
Wang Man squatted down, picked up a twig, and wrote the two characters "Wang Man" crookedly on the muddy ground. Although the strokes were clumsy, it was indeed a character.
Li Sheng nodded and looked at everyone.
"Since you're here, why don't you all stay?"
The seven people breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Fu's eyes reddened again, and he quickly lowered his head.
Li Sheng then spoke seriously.
"From this day forward, you will be the guards of Siyang Pavilion. Guards are not ordinary people; they are provided with food by the village, exempt from taxes and corvée labor, but their duty is to protect the territory and ensure the safety of the people. I will not employ those who are lazy or cunning. I will not employ those who cannot endure hardship."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces.
"If you wish to leave, you may leave now. If you stay, you must abide by the rules of this pavilion."
The seven people looked at each other, and none of them moved.
Wang Fu clasped his hands in greeting and spoke.
"Our benefactor saved our entire village's lives; our lives belong to him. From this day forward, if he tells us to go east, we will never go west!"
The other six people also clasped their hands in greeting, their voices, though uneven, were all firm and resounding.
Li Sheng waved his hand.
"No need for all that. Doing your job well is more important than anything else."
At this moment, Li Zili came out of the duty room, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hands, and bowed to Li Sheng.
"Brother Sheng, Zili has already done what you asked me to do yesterday."