Chapter 41: Where the Heart Finds Peace, There is Home

The mountains were covered with wild grass, which just needed to be cleared away, along with obstacles like rocks and trees.

A squad of a hundred soldiers was digging a ditch in the distance, hoping to channel water from a small river to this area.

Lin Shize strained to pry open a large rock with a wooden stick, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the busy crowd on the hillside.

He could not understand how he had transformed from a military commander into a farmer.

A half-grown boy ran over in a rush, looking for Lin Shize to get some shovels—a batch that Lin Shize had urgently ordered the blacksmith to forge specifically for land reclamation.

With a blank expression, Lin Shize pointed under a tree and told the boy to get them himself.

The boy hurried over, picked up two shovels, and ran off into the distance again.

Liu Wu was as exhausted as a dead dog. He came over to Lin Shize, panted heavily, and asked, "Chief, why are we up on the mountain digging out rocks?

"This is completely wasteland. It will take three consecutive years of farming just to turn it into fertile soil before it can yield any harvest.

"To be honest, the reward I got from cutting off a single enemy head out there is enough to farm for ten years."

Lin Shize breathed heavily and replied intermittently, "How would I know? I just wanted to grow some food to use as military rations.

"I didn't expect that as soon as I had this idea, everyone came looking for me, so I had to allocate a plot of land to each family, and now it's turned into this."

Zhao Tai crawled over, collapsed onto the ground, and wailed, "I can't take it anymore. This is even more tiring than military training."

Looking at the villagers still busy under the scorching sun, Lin Shize scratched his head in disbelief.

Even people like them who underwent rigorous daily training could not handle this, yet where did these villagers get such strength and enthusiasm?

Even the children were trying their best to pick up rocks and pile them aside. Not a single person was idle in all of Yingling Village.

Goudan ran over like a simpleton and said excitedly, "Chief, what are you guys doing here?"

Seeing Goudan like this, Lin Shize felt his anger flare up.

"You act like a total idiot, what are you smiling so foolishly for? What's so great about these two pathetic plots of land that you had to drag your entire family here?!

"The silver you earned from your military achievements is enough for you to farm for generations!"

Goudan scratched his head, sat down next to Lin Shize, and thought about it carefully—it seemed to make sense.

Clearly, he was already a centurion now, so why on earth did he want to farm? The moment he heard about the land distribution, there had been no other thoughts in his head.

It was simply that, exhausted as he might be, he had to get the land ready as quickly as possible.

It was only at this moment, after hearing Lin Shize's words, that he snapped back to reality and realized he couldn't even understand his own actions.

Looking at the busy figures bustling all over the hillside, he thought they were all a bunch of stubborn fools. Putting military achievements aside, just the two jobs the commander arranged—blacksmithing and brewing—could easily earn five taels of silver a month.

Yet here they were, wasting an entire morning for the sake of a piece of wasteland.

Zhao Dahu looked at the group in confusion, unable to understand why they were sitting there with such expressions.

As a result, he was unanimously looked down upon by all of them.

After hearing their thoughts, Zhao Dahu also squatted on the ground, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Though I have a lot of money now, I still hope to have a piece of land of my own.

"Silver is something you can't eat when you're hungry and can't drink when you're thirsty. If you can't buy things with it, it's just a rock.

"But food is different. It's something that can genuinely save lives. Back when I was mistreated in the Qian estate and so starved I had no strength left in my body, all I could think about was how to get a full meal, not how much silver to earn.

"For us, land can fill our stomachs while we're alive, and we can be buried right here when we die.

"With this piece of land, we have roots. People are like leaves on a tree; no matter how far they drift, they eventually fall back to their roots."

Liu Wu and the others didn't understand Zhao Dahu's words, but Lin Shize lowered his head in silence.

Though Liangyuan was a fine place, it was not somewhere to linger forever.

Where the heart is at ease, there is home. Yet his hometown was too far away—so far that even if he invented airplanes and rockets, he could never reach it.

Looking up again at the busy figures on the distant hillside, perhaps his true hometown was right beneath his feet.

Here were his comrades, his brothers, and everything he had built with his own sweat and blood. Wasn't this the hometown he had crafted with his own hands?

The captured crop seeds finally had a place to shine.

Lin Shize went to the main camp once again because Zhang Jiawen had summoned him, saying there was an important mission to hand over.

As soon as Lin Shize stepped into the military tent, he hurried over to Zhang Jiawen's side, his eyes brimming with tears, and said, "General, I've missed you so much! A single day apart feels like three autumns."

With a speechless expression, Zhang Jiawen said, "You can miss me all you want, but why did you secretly swipe the inkstone from my desk? That's a counterfeit and worth nothing."

"Hmph, and here I thought it was something good." Lin Shize put the inkstone down and nonchalantly sat down nearby.

The moment Lin Shize sat down, Zhang Jiawen hurriedly put the inkstone away.

Only then did Lin Shize realize he had fallen for a trick; that inkstone was clearly very valuable.

Coughing lightly, Zhang Jiawen said, "This time, there is an extremely arduous mission for you.

"Although we won the recent battle at Qier Mountain, it was a pyrrhic victory. The casualty reports and military merits have already been submitted.

"Censor Chu Boxuan has dispatched Vice Surveillance Commissioner Chu Longlong to the main camp to verify the situation."

The Censorate dispatched censors to represent the central government in inspecting border regions, wielding the authority to monitor border military generals, audit military provisions and rations, and oversee military discipline. They reported directly to the emperor and possessed broad jurisdiction.

The Vice Surveillance Commissioner was responsible for judicial and supervisory matters in border regions, assisting in supervising the daily conduct of border troops, and was an official of the Provincial Surveillance Commission.

In other words, the higher-ups were sending someone over to verify the actual conditions at the camp.

Frowning, Lin Shize asked, "They both share the surname Chu?"

Zhang Jiawen nodded and replied, "Yes, Vice Commissioner Chu Longlong is the son of Censor Chu Boxuan.

"The higher-ups have already dispatched a thousand men to escort Chu Longlong here. All you need to do is go to the Jingshan Military Fortress to meet and receive them."

Ah! Hearing that, Lin Shize understood. This was a case of having a powerful father, sending his son over to pad his resume.

One could imagine that after the fierce battle at Qier Mountain, the area was undoubtedly safe. Having Chu Longlong come at this time was just a mere formality.

A vice commissioner traveling to a perilous border region to inspect a military camp, only to return and smoothly secure a formal promotion.

Lin Shize complained, "Oh my, General, I'll have to mobilize at least a hundred men or so, and all the provisions for the men and horses along the way..."

Zhang Jiawen gave him a sidelong glance and retorted angrily, "Your self-reliant camp consumes provisions every single day. This time, I'll give you five hundred taels of silver."

Shaking his head and sighing, Lin Shize said, "Ah, this matter is rather difficult to handle."

Zhang Jiawen snapped, "Difficult to handle? Then we won't handle it! Guards, see the guest out!"

Lin Shize quickly stood up and said, "Hey! Hey! General, I'll go! I'll go, all right?!"

Seeing Lin Shize's wretched expression, Zhang Jiawen asked with a half-smile, "What, you don't think it's enough?"

Lin Shize grinned and chuckled, "The more, the better."