RWNEFE -Chapter 163 Recruiting Female Guards

“Master Chang, I want to enlist!”

“Master Chang, I want to enlist too!”

“Me too! Me too…”

Chang Daoyan stared at the crowd rushing forward to enlist, stunned for a moment, then furrowed his brow and tried to drive them away.

“This is nonsense! You are all local students—how can scholars enlist in the army?” He had seen all of these students before. Each was exceptionally talented. Even the less outstanding ones were perfectly capable of teaching and guiding others. How could they come to join the army?

Didn’t they know they would be joining the rebels? Had all the wisdom and moral teachings they’d studied over the years gone into one big useless heap?

“Master Chang, we’ve heard that Lord Lan cherishes his soldiers like his own children. To serve under him and assist him is a rare honor for scholars like us!”

“Master Chang, all the students in our private school have dropped out. If we don’t find another way, our whole families will starve to death before the end of the month!”

“Master Chang, I heard that enlisting comes with two taels of silver, plus rice, grain, and cotton clothes. My family is poor, and I have too many younger siblings—none of them has decent clothing. I heard that Lord Lan’s garrison provides three full meals a day, with meat included, and thick cotton clothes. Please, Master Chang, accept me!”

“Master Chang, please show mercy and give us a chance to survive!”

Chang Daoyan looked at these famished, frostbitten villagers, and his heart ached like never before.

As a local magistrate, it was his duty to ensure the people were fed and clothed—he had failed miserably.

But… these were rebels…

These people only wanted three meals a day. Judging by their condition, if he didn’t act quickly, most wouldn’t survive the winter!

The annual disaster reports, filled with cold, lifeless numbers, had always pierced Chang Daoyan’s heart.

“Very well, I’ll personally take you to the garrison to see for yourselves. If then you decide to enlist, I will not stop you. If you don’t want to enlist, I’ll risk my life to bring you out safely!”

“Thank you, Master Chang! Master Chang, you are a just and noble man…”

…

“Bring the villagers to the garrison to see?” Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow.

Wei Dongzhu thought for a moment: “They probably want to verify the truth. Some of them might be spies. We shouldn’t let them enter the garrison.”

Shen Lanxi shook her head: “Let them in, and you personally escort them. If there are spies inside, deal with them quietly.”

“…Yes!”

Wei Dongzhu led two squads of Wei family soldiers to monitor them.

Chang Daoyan had chosen the exact time when the garrison was eating. The hundreds of soldiers ate in shifts, orderly, each with a smile, but without rush or greed.

“Master Chang, they aren’t eating coarse bread—they’re eating white flour bread!”

“Master Chang, their bowls have meat, several pieces, plus tofu and cabbage!”

“Master Chang, each has three large buns and a full bowl of vegetables with lots of oil—so fragrant!”

“Master Chang…”

Hearing “Master Chang” repeatedly broke Chang Daoyan’s defenses. If he hadn’t come personally, if these meals weren’t already laid out, if the soldiers hadn’t eaten calmly without fighting for food, he would have thought it was a trick, staged to impress him!

Lan Xi actually fed her soldiers this well—didn’t she worry they’d finish the reserves in just a few days?

The region of Dongchuan was different—spring temperatures remained like winter. Even if there were reserves, they should be rationed carefully, not devoured in grand feasts.

Truly, she was fearless in winning the soldiers’ loyalty!

“Master Chang, we want to enlist now. Can we eat here?”

“Master Chang, I haven’t eaten for two days!”

“Master Chang…”

Wei Dongzhu looked at Chang Daoyan and said: “Master Chang, are you here to bring them to enlist?”

Everyone following Chang Daoyan stared at him with hope.

Even knowing there might be a trap, it was hard for him to refuse.

“…If they enlist now, can they eat immediately?” Chang Daoyan felt a barrier in his heart break down.

If the local people could eat, who cared whether it was a rebel army?

“Is this where the recruitment is?” Chang Daoyan asked, his face red.

Wei Dongzhu led the way: “Follow me.”

Then he instructed his subordinates: “Tell the kitchen to prepare fifty extra meals!”

“Yes, sir!”

In the following days, Chang Daoyan kept bringing more villagers. First one, then two, and by the fifth day, a whole group.

Shen Lanxi began authorizing large-scale charcoal sales. Carrier pigeons and messenger hawks flew out, and over the next two days, messages began to return.

After handling communications, Shen Lanxi started processing official documents.

All documents on her desk had been filtered through several layers, handled by students from Qinglan Academy.

“Set up literacy classes in the garrison, half an hour each day for reading instruction.”

Cheng Zheng and Sang Guo recorded everything.

“Recruit female soldiers!”

An ink drop fell on the rice paper.

Cheng Zheng and the others’ eyes went wide.

Shen Lanxi continued: “Those from poor households may send daughters to enlist—as female guards, medics, cooks, or embroiderers.”

“And add this: female soldiers will enjoy the same treatment as male soldiers!”

Really? Cheng Zheng quickly wrote it down.

Shen Lanxi: “Write it. I’ll report personally to Ma Feng later. Most military households have been conscripted, and the fields are uncultivated.”

Though sweating with urgency, Cheng Zheng and the others could only write down each word as instructed.

Before they finished, Shen Lanxi interrupted: “My decision is final!”

Cheng Zheng, fearing a misunderstanding, unfolded the paper.

It read: “We do not underestimate women!”

Sang Guo: “This is risky—hard to explain to the higher-ups!”

Shen Lanxi: “I understand your concern. Do you think they have time to worry about male or female recruits right now?”

Her question left them speechless.

“As long as the farmland is fully cultivated during the season, no one cares, even if you conscript a pack of dogs!”

“…That’s… too real!”

Women in the Great Zhou had low status; many were sold to survive. In these chaotic times, a girl earning half a sack of rice was a valuable commodity.

Now, hearing about recruiting female guards with pay and food, some poor families in remote mountains raced under the stars to bring their daughters to the garrison.

“Child, here you can eat and stay warm, without being abused. If it weren’t for your grandparents and younger siblings, your mother would come herself!”

“Girl, this is a good place. You’re too young—if you want to survive, beg them to accept you. When you run forward, grab that person’s leg and don’t let go. You’ll have food and safety, understand?”

“Two taels is too little! My sister is a proper maiden—Spring Fragrance Courtyard gives ten… Hey, why are you hitting people~”