Chapter 140: When together, we are a ball of fire; when apart, we are a sky full of stars
In the military camp of Yaoyuan County, Zuo Lengchan, a group of centurions, as well as Wang Chenger, Wang Haoba and others were called over.

After a while, Ou Zanghua came in from outside, and all the generals knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Greetings, Lord Ou!"

"No gift!"

Ou Zanghua responded, then sat in the main seat, looked at everyone and said: "There are three things I need to tell you! First, Yaoyuan County has returned to peace, and there is no need for so many soldiers. Therefore, I have decided to disband the soldiers originally summoned after paying two months' military pay. Second, I will take over the 11,000 Yaoyuan soldiers, and will not hold them accountable. They will also be disbanded on the spot. Those who have land will return to their hometowns to farm, and those who have no land will stay in Yaoyuan County and wait for distribution."

"Third, I just received news that the original Poyang Lake navy actually collapsed under the threat of Yao Yuan's army. This is simply a great shame!"

"I have already reported to the court and captured the commander of the Poyang Lake navy."

There is nothing much to say about Wang Chenger, Wang Haoba and others. They rebelled just to get rid of those gentry, landlords and corrupt officials who oppressed them. Now that group of people have been killed by them. Lord Ou will not pursue the responsibility, and everyone can go home and live their lives. It's good.

Some of the centurions also looked unhappy.

They don’t even have soldiers anymore, so what are they supposed to do as centurions?
Moreover, under the pressure of Lord Ou, they did not enjoy much of the treatment they should have as a centurion, and they did not even receive any respect. They only received a little more military pay than the soldiers below.

Isn't this a joke!
Which centurion could support his family with that little bit of military pay?
At this time, a centurion stepped forward and said, "Sir Ou, I think there are still bandits in Ganzhou's Damao Mountain that have not been eliminated, and there are still local bandits in Fuzhou Prefecture that have not been suppressed. Is it a bit too late to disband the old troops at this time?"

"With the presence of Lord Xiantai and the Governor of Southern Gan, the bandits from Da Mao Mountain in Ganzhou and the local bandits from Fuzhou Prefecture can no longer cause any trouble." Ou Zanghua glanced at the centurion and said calmly.

The centurion shrank back in embarrassment. He was able to muster the courage to stand up and ask questions because Ou Zanghua usually behaved in a gentle manner.

If it were any other civil servant, how could he have the courage to do that?

This group of 4,000 soldiers who were literate and understood the "Great Ming Code" were the seeds that Ou Zanghua spread to the six counties of Po, Yu, Gui, Le, An and Yao.

He wanted to see whether, if this group of literate, law-abiding and united people got together, the gentry and landlords could still run lawless in the villages and towns as they did in the past.

As to whether they will lose control.
Ou Zanghua was not worried about this. He was sure that if he released the people, he would be able to gather them together again.

As Ou Zanghua's order was passed down, many soldiers felt reluctant to leave. Although they had to train every day for the past three months, they had to go on patrol when they were not training. In addition, they had to learn to read and practice principles every evening.

The strict military discipline has even helped many people get rid of their bad habits.

As they walked through the town with their weapons in hand, they felt an inexplicable warmth in their hearts when they saw the genuine respect and love shown by others, and everyone liked this feeling.

So, even though they are as tired as dogs every day, they still feel an unprecedented sense of fulfillment.

Because they know what they are busy with, instead of working like cattle and horses all year round just to stay alive.

The only pleasure is to sit on the edge of the field and chat with neighbors during the slack season.

Some soldiers were packing their luggage, with confusion on their faces.

What should I do after I go back?

Yes, it's time to go weed the fields.

and then?
Maybe you can teach the younger generations at home to read?
At this moment, a comrade rushed in and shouted, "Liu Qi and Zhao Changgen took their flags to look for Lord Ou! I saw Qian Xiantian and Ding Zetang's flags also went!" Several soldiers who were collecting troops looked up at the same time, "Really?!"

"Really? I saw it with my own eyes!" the comrade nodded.

"We can't let that barbarian Zhao scare Lord Ou, brothers!" Liu put down his small flag and shouted, "Follow me to protect Lord Ou!"

"Yes!"

A group of soldiers responded loudly and rushed out behind the small flag.

However, when they arrived at the central army camp, they were surprised to find hundreds of soldiers on the scene. They knelt on the ground in silence, led by their own small flags.

Xiaoqi surnamed Liu was stunned, and approached a familiar Xiaoqi and asked, "What's going on?"

The flag bearer knew the inside story and explained immediately, "They had committed crimes in the past and were locked up in the county jail. This time Lord Ou was expanding the army, and the county magistrates were afraid of taking away the young and strong men in the county, so they released them and handed them over to Lord Ou."

"Now Lord Ou wants to disband us, and they feel that they won't get anything good if they go back, so it's better for them to continue to follow Lord Ou. So, they all came to beg."

After finishing speaking, the little flag shook his head and said with emotion: "If I didn't have old people and young children to take care of, I would also be happy to follow Lord Ou."

"Look at those disabled people over there. They were all injured in the last battle with Lord Ou. Not only did they receive all the pensions, Lord Ou also gave them land. Although they are disabled, they have money and land. Are they worried about not being able to find a wife? When the time comes, they can pass on their family line and have children, and their lives will be complete."

After hearing this, Xiaoqi Liu also nodded subconsciously.

Lord Ou treated them very well. Liu Xiaoqi felt that even his own father cared about them less.

When he was a child, he asked his father some questions. Not only did his father not know the answers, he also beat him up, asking why he wanted to do such things at such a young age.

Another time, he saw his father laughing and laughed too, and then he was slapped in the face. He still can't understand why he got beaten.

But Lord Ou was different. No matter what was asked, he would answer patiently. Occasionally he would say a joke or two, making everyone laugh, but Lord Ou didn't mind.

Liu Xiaoqi didn't understand the twists and turns of the matter, but he knew one thing: as long as Lord Ou needed him, he could put everything aside, bring his own food and gun, and go into battle to kill all the bandits for Lord Ou.

Zuo Lengchan, along with four centurions Ding Mian, Tang Ying'e, Zhang Jingchao and Bu Chen, stood in front of the central army camp. Looking at this group of soldiers who were unwilling to leave, he felt helpless.

They also didn't expect that there are still people in this world who are eager to join the army.

At this time, Ou Zanghua walked out of the central army camp, looked at the soldiers half-kneeling on the ground, and couldn't help but sighed and said: "Everyone, get up! I have already understood your situation. Since you are willing to stay in the barracks, then stay. But I remind you that the next task will be more difficult, and you can't retreat at all!"

"Thank you, Lord Ou!" Hundreds of people were delighted and immediately kowtowed and shouted.

Then some more people joined in and hoped to stay. Ou Zanghua did not refuse and accepted them all.

In the end, including those who were willing to stay in Yao Yuanjun’s army, there were a total of 1,500 people.

(End of this chapter)