RPAGF Chapter 26 Rewarding Merit
Chapter 26 Rewarding Merit
Watching Lu Xingzhou ride away on horseback, his figure radiant and composed.
Wang Tieshan had a vague sense of foreboding, and the more he thought about it, the stronger it became.
"Damn it, this kid's definitely up to no good!"
Once outside Wangjiadian's territory, Sanjiangshui, with a sly grin, sidled up to Lu Xingzhou, glanced at the wooden box in his hand, and asked in a cheeky tone:
"Young master, how much did that old man give you?"
Seeing Lu Xingzhou hold up three fingers, he smacked his lips, looking full of regret.
"If you ask me, to spare his life, you should at least give him 5000 if not 8000. 3000 is too lenient!"
Zhu Chuanwu, unusually, agreed with him:
"Yes, boss. If you ask me, keeping someone like that around is just asking for trouble. We might as well get rid of him!"
Is this still the honest child from a farmer's family?
Lu Xingzhou glanced at him sideways: "Chuanwu, did you get carried away with the killing and lose control?"
Zhu Chuanwu's face flushed slightly: "I... I'm just telling the truth! That guy has definitely swindled a lot of merchants, what's the point of keeping him around!"
Having served as a manager for many years, Lu Xingzhou knew it was necessary to help his subordinates grow, so he had no choice but to educate him.
"If we secretly kill a local gentry or landlord who owns several thousand acres of land, we're deliberately leaving evidence for the authorities. If they investigate further later, I'll be in a very passive position. If we hand him over to the authorities, this account book alone won't kill him, and we won't gain anything either. So, if we can extort 3000 silver dollars, we should stop while we're ahead."
Based on Lu Xingzhou's past life experiences, although Wang Tieshan didn't reveal any useful information, he could still tell that there was no doubt that this guy had powerful backers.
To say that no one in official circles knew what he was up to all these years was simply because they thought those top-notch shrewd people were fools.
Even if things were exposed, Wang Tieshan's wealth would easily buy him a life, and he could simply move to another place and start over, with all the benefits going to those officials.
Why bother?
The honest and simple-minded Chuanwu still needed to process Lu Xingzhou's words.
The shrewd Sanjiangshui rolled his eyes and immediately guessed another possibility:
"Young master, I have a feeling you're thinking about more than just these three thousand silver dollars?"
Lu Xingzhou laughed and scolded, "Shut up, you're showing off!"
"Hehehe~~!"
Despite being scolded, Sanjiangshui showed no displeasure on his face, but rather a strong sense of self-affirmation.
The truth is, money was completely unimportant to Lu Xingzhou, but keeping Wang Tieshan around was very important.
Given Boss Wang's style, has he really only ever cooperated with Shanfeng and his gang?
Obviously not!
After most of the day, we finally got back to the enclosure before sunset.
Zhu Kaishan led his men out to greet them: "The boss is back! Everyone, hurry and help unload the goods!"
Seeing that they had not lost any men but had returned with a full load, they were completely convinced of Lu Xingzhou's abilities.
Old Zhu is quite skilled; he can beat ten of his own sons in martial arts and still have room to spare. His throwing knife technique is also one of the most exceptional in the world.
But due to his personality, he couldn't do things as freely (recklessly) as Lu Xingzhou. He could only manage this business well and serve his employer.
After all these events, Chuanwu felt he had found his direction in life and stood excitedly in front of his father.
He revealed a smug expression that only Zhu Kaishan could understand.
The father and son had a falling out because Zhu Chuanwu wanted to marry Xian'er, who had been engaged to his elder brother Zhu Chuanwen, but Zhu Kaishan strongly opposed it. More than two months had passed and they still hadn't reconciled.
Old Zhu could tell what his son was smug about just by looking at his son's demeanor.
Although I'm quite pleased that my second son has grown into a capable man, there's really nothing to brag about in front of him after only a few haircuts.
"Daddy~!!"
Seeing that he didn't reply for a long time, Zhu Chuanwu called out, seemingly to remind Old Zhu.
Was he his biological son, or the one who resembled him the most among his three sons?
Zhu Kaishan put away the words he originally wanted to use to belittle him. His employer trusted him and made him the leader, so he couldn't embarrass his son in front of so many people.
There was neither scolding nor praise, but just a heavy pat on Chuanwu's shoulder, which made Zhu Chuanwu as happy as a 1.8-meter-tall child, his mouth stretching to his ears.
Seeing his smug expression, Zhu Kaishan glared at him:
"Go back to your dreams! What are you grinning about in broad daylight for? Get to work!"
"Okay~~ I'm going to get to work, hehehe~~"
Lu Xingzhou smiled knowingly as he watched this scene.
No matter how much the father and son disagree, blood is thicker than water, and they see each other all the time.
As long as you go through many things together, you can always reconcile.
In his previous life, when he watched this part of the TV series "Crossing the Guandong", he felt that the biggest regret was that the impulsive Chuanwu, in a moment of passion, eloped with Xian'er and fled Yuanbao Town on his wedding night with Xiu'er.
As a result, his beautiful dream with Xian'er was shattered by the chaotic world, and another good woman, Xiu'er, was forced to live as a widow. For more than ten years afterward, the Zhu family was never able to reunite.
Escaping is the worst way to solve problems; this situation is such a good opportunity to begin a reconciliation.
Feeling like he had done another good deed, Lu Xingzhou happily distributed rewards to everyone after collecting the spoils of war.
"Gentlemen, we've completely wiped out that gang of Guo Shanfeng! You all shared the risks with me, and I, Lu Xingzhou, won't keep all the spoils to myself!"
Understanding his meaning, the farmhands' eyes gleamed with eagerness.
Those who were about to go to the kitchen to get their food stopped carrying their bowls and gathered around him.
Lu Xingzhou continued, "The grain, gold, and silver we've obtained are hard to divide, so I'll take them all as my share. I'll settle everyone's contributions in silver dollars!"
Agricultural production is a cyclical job, much like the fixed salary of a contract worker, which most landlords paid annually.
However, unlike farming, bandit suppression is a major and temporary project with high risks and a strong sense of urgency, and the rewards should be calculated as project bonuses.
Moreover, this bonus must be paid out immediately.
Otherwise, employees who are still worried about whether they can actually receive their bonuses from the previous project will be much less willing to take on the responsibility for unexpected projects in the future.
The money he got from Wang Tieshan, plus the silver dollars he dug out of the mountain stronghold, was more than enough to cover the bonuses of the farmhands, so Lu Xingzhou couldn't delay.
"Anyone who participated in the raid on the wall the night before last, helping to defend against the bearded men smashing the kiln, will each receive 10 silver dollars! Those who went with me to the gang's hideout yesterday will receive an additional 5 dollars! In addition, you'll get 10 silver dollars for every bearded man you take down. Payment in advance!"
Upon hearing about the reward, men, women, and children were as happy as if it were New Year's Day!
They hadn't expected any reward money.
After all, if the bearded man comes to smash the kiln, his own wife, children, and elderly parents will also be in danger. It is only right and proper to protect his own family.
But an unexpected surprise would certainly be even better.
The night before last, excluding Lu Xingzhou and Sanjiangshui, Zhu Kaishan and his family of three went to the enclosure, along with 40 people to defend it.
There are 26 households, with some sending one person and others having two or three people from each family.
"My dad and I both went, and my family will get 20 silver dollars. I also killed a beard, so I can get another 10 silver dollars!!"
Hammer wasn't envious of his younger brother: "I killed two bearded men, I can get 30 each!!"
You can buy 15 acres of good land for 30 silver dollars!
Making money by working for this boss is too easy!
Chen Damangzi was also happy for his son, looking at his second son with a proud and loving expression in his eyes.
Touching her third son's bald head, she said hopefully, "Firecracker, you must grow up quickly!"
The younger son also envied his second brother for earning so much money, but this kid was probably a natural-born shrew, and upon hearing this, he looked disdainful:
"Dad, don't let his smugness fool you, I'll definitely be better than him someday!"
"Hey~ you little brat, how dare you talk about your second brother like that?!"
Firecracker has a sharp tongue, but he's shrewd enough; otherwise, he would have been beaten to death by his friends long ago.
He ran out as soon as he finished speaking, leaving Chen Damangzi's mouth hanging in the balance.
Lu Xingzhou continued to strike while the iron was hot, laying the foundation for the project:
"All five gunners this time managed to kill a bearded man, proving their marksmanship is truly impressive. From now on, there will definitely be dedicated brothers on the perimeter to do this job. The safety of the perimeter will depend entirely on you!"
"Since we're doing the most dangerous work, not raising my annual salary would make me, Lu Xingzhou, seem stingy! I think we should tentatively set it at 30 yuan per year, with bonuses for fighting on separate!"
Hammer was overjoyed: "Hooray! I'm earning more than my dad!"
Chen Damangzi didn't even bother to hit his youngest son; he repeatedly bowed to Lu Xingzhou.
"Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss!"
Lu Xingzhou felt that by clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments and combining kindness with severity, he could win the hearts of the people.
From today onwards, Weizi can be considered to have initially become a qualified group centered around him, and I feel a little excited.
"Taking down Guo Shanfeng's gang is a good start! From now on, I'd like everyone to work together to wipe out all the gangs along the Liao River and live a good life together!"
Chen Damangzi and the others cheered in unison:
"Let's live a good life together!!"