Chapter 89: Conscription

Zhou Lizheng had a delighted expression on his face as he held a scroll of announcement in his hands, as if he were holding a decree.

Sang Luo could even sense a bit of ‘Lord Zhou’ aura from him.

The people who rushed to the market to see him were puzzled by Zhou Lizheng’s expression.

Zhou Lizheng smiled. “Everyone, you all know that the emperor has been touring the country these years, right?”

The villagers of Shili Village looked indifferent. Of course, they knew. If the emperor didn’t like to tour, they wouldn’t have to serve so much conscription over the years. Was this supposed to be a joyous occasion?

Zhou Lizheng actually regarded this as a happy event, as proper reception could lead to promotions for everyone from top to bottom. Although the probability of him, a small village official, being promoted was close to zero, who knew what could happen in such situations.

He smiled and gestured with the announcement in his hand. “The emperor has been traveling to the south frequently in recent years. Our county magistrate has estimated that he should be coming to our area in the next year or two. Regardless of whether the emperor comes or not, we need to start preparing below, so everyone, take a look. In order to welcome the emperor’s arrival, we need to repair the roads this winter. Each family will need to contribute one laborer for one month.”

The appointments at the palace were confirmed, but road repairs could be prepared in advance.

The faces of Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang fell. Conscription again, it was always conscription. They didn’t leave them any room to breathe, treating them like livestock, using them until they died.

No, they were worse than livestock. Nowadays, who would willingly work their livestock to death? The Zhou family thought bitterly. Even livestock were cared for and cherished, how could they be used to such an extent?

As Zhou Lizheng began to read the announcement, the villagers of Shili Village looked numb.

When the government needed labor, they just issued a conscription notice and didn’t allow any resistance. Year after year, they had become accustomed to it.

They even felt fortunate. It was just road repairs, and it was only for a month.

At least it wasn’t like seven years ago when they were conscripted to dig rivers and carry sand, which lasted for three years, and a family in the village lost their only son, who died on the road carrying sand.

It wasn’t like four years ago when they conscripted laborers who knew a bit of carpentry to repair the warships requisitioned by the court in the south. That time, because the court was pressing, the people conscripted to repair the ships couldn’t rest day or night. Some died at the side of the ship, some were soaked in water day and night, their thighs or lower backs were soaked and rotten, and maggots grew out.

Chen Youtian was conscripted that time. He was lucky to come back with half a life left. His family spent all their savings to treat him and spent a year before he was considered to have been saved.

Just repairing the road for a month, the villagers felt relieved when they heard this.

Among the crowd, a man was extremely excited. “Zhou Lizheng, how many meals will be provided each day?”

Sang Luo was surprised by the excitement in that voice. Looking over, she heard a woman whispering beside her, “The Zhou family paid taxes this year. They might not be able to make ends meet next year. Although the food during conscription isn’t good, at least they’ll be fed. This must be Zhou Lizheng.”

Zhou Lizheng was announcing the conscription, a sight that usually provoked either grimaces, sarcastic expressions, or numbness. It was rare to see such enthusiasm.

He smiled. “Of course, there will be two meals provided each day.”

When Zhou Lizheng mentioned only two meals, the excitement on Zhou Lizheng’s face froze. With such heavy physical labor, only two meals meant they were going to suffer greatly.

But when he thought about it, when did conscription ever provide three meals a day?

As long as they had food, it was fine. They could save some grain for a month.

He rubbed his hands together, and a faint glimmer of hope appeared on his heavily wrinkled face.

Zhou Lizheng took in the expressions of the crowd and paused before saying, “Quiet down, listen. The county magistrate has also said that if women and children are conscripted, they will be assigned lighter tasks, such as fetching water and cooking. Even if it’s repairing roads and carrying sand, they will receive lighter workloads. There’s no need to worry about that.”

He said not to worry, but for those who were suddenly conscripted, how could they not voice their complaints?

The complaints never ceased.

But after the advance taxation incident last time, Sang Luo also knew that no matter how much people complained, cried, or got angry, as long as they could survive, it would just be complaining, crying, and getting angry. In the end, they would still obey the government.

Everyone’s desires and demands were very low, so low that they were buried in the dust, just happy to be alive.

Living in peaceful times, even living like a dog was acceptable.

Sang Luo looked at herself, wasn’t she the same?

As commoners, unless forced to the point of desperation, they would do whatever they could to survive.

So, all this noise and fuss wouldn’t affect anyone. It wouldn’t affect Zhou Lizheng, who wasn’t very tall among the crowd, nor would it affect the county magistrate, deputy magistrate, or even higher officials.

Zhou Lizheng followed the usual routine, concluding that those who didn’t want to serve could find substitutes or pay a fee to avoid conscription, then prepared to go to the next village.

It was only at this point that Zhou Cunzheng spoke up and stopped him.

Approaching him, he mentioned the situation of Shen San’s family. Zhou Lizheng raised an eyebrow, but instead of going through the usual lengthy process of deliberation, he made a decision in one sentence.

“It’s not difficult. We lack labor anyway. Each person will be penalized with a month of service, in addition to the service they have already completed. So, the couple will serve for three months in total, whoever from the family.”

Zhou Lizheng was clear about the situation of the hundred households under his jurisdiction. Shen San’s family had four children. It wasn’t realistic for both of them to serve together. Who would take care of the children?

So, with the statement about the total period of service, the road repair, which wouldn’t be completed in half a year or a year, would simply rotate among the villages.

As for reporting to higher authorities, Zhou Lizheng didn’t benefit from it. He didn’t want to deal with such matters, as it could negatively affect his performance evaluation as a local official. It was best handled privately.

He waved his hand and left. Shen San and his wife didn’t even need to be brought out for another interrogation. Zhou Lizheng helped them settle the penalty.

Could Shen San refuse to serve?

Yes, but reporting to the county government would only result in a heavier penalty. It was up to him to choose.

Sang Luo had listened to everything. When Zhou Cunzheng looked back at her, she smiled and nodded, indicating that she had no objections to this punishment.

With three months of service, Shen San’s family would be severely weakened. They wouldn’t have the energy to cause any trouble in front of her anymore. With Shen San and his wife as examples, as long as they weren’t starving to death, the villagers wouldn’t do anything reckless.

As for the follow-up matters, whether negotiating with Shen San’s family or warning the villagers, Zhou Cunzheng would naturally handle them. Sang Luo didn’t need to intervene.

What she needed to deal with was the conscription that was now pressing on her.

Sang Luo had never considered serving herself. She earned a lot by making tofu and sour jujube cakes every day. How could she leave her business behind to repair roads?

Seeing Zhou Cunzheng being surrounded and asked about the situation, Sang Luo thought of asking Chen Shilu’s family about their conscription. If she remembered correctly, Gan and her two sons formed a household and were also required to provide labor.

The three families were already standing together. Before Sang Luo could speak, Gan had pulled her aside for a private conversation.

“For this conscription, are you going to find a substitute?”

Wasn’t she asking the right person?

Sang Luo asked, “Does Auntie have someone in mind?”

Gan nodded and pointed to the father and son standing with Old Man Chen and Old Man Lu. “That’s Zhou Lezi and his eldest and second sons. Their family is short of food this year and knows that I have a stall. They asked if I needed a substitute. One stone of grain for one month of service would suffice.”

One stone of grain was equivalent to fifteen hundred coins at the current price.

Sang Luo didn’t quite understand the situation, and Gan explained, “If you pay the government to avoid conscription, it costs two yuan per month. By asking Zhou Lezi’s family, you can save five hundred coins.”

“As for why they want grain instead of money, it’s because they’re short of food now, and the price of grain is rising every day. They don’t have money, and they can’t bear to spend it on entering the city to buy grain.”

To ease Sang Luo’s concerns about Zhou Lezi’s character, Gan added, “Their family is decent, hardworking, and has fallen into this situation because they sold their land to treat Zhou Lezi’s wife’s illness in the past. They can only lease land now, and they haven’t been able to make up for that loss.”

It was a sympathetic story.

With Gan helping to explain, Sang Luo could trust the character of the Zhou family. There was only one thing she was curious about. “Why is he called ‘Lezi’ (Leper)?”

Such names were usually given to some unkind people.

Gan laughed at the question. “Oh, that was given by his stepmother. She passed away long ago, but the name stuck.”

Sang Luo understood now.

She smiled and said, “Alright, I also didn’t plan to serve myself. Since Auntie is recommending them, I trust them. Please let the Zhou family serve as my substitute. Do I just need to register with Zhou Cunzheng?”

Gan nodded. “Yes, just tell Zhou Cunzheng. I also hired their eldest son to serve for me. Let’s go together.”

…

The people in the market gradually dispersed. Sang Luo, Gan, and Zhou Lezi’s father and son discussed the matter and went to Zhou Cunzheng’s house together.

Shen San and Li didn’t know when they were released. They had been tied up for most of the night. Now their clothes were disheveled, and there were grass stains on their hair.

Having already learned about their conscription, when Li saw Sang Luo, she hated her so much that she wanted to pounce on her and scratch her face.

Zhou Lezi and his son instinctively stopped her, and Sang Luo was protected by them.

She sneered, “Go ahead, try scratching me. Zhou Lizheng just said, what’s lacking in the county right now is labor.”

With one sentence, Li stopped her tantrum. She sat in the middle of the market, wailing loudly, “Sang, you heartless wretch! You deserve to be struck by lightning! You disrespect your elders! You’ll die a miserable death!”

Zhou Cunzheng shouted, “Say one more word, and if Alie’s wife isn’t willing, you two won’t be able to avoid the punishment of two months of conscription. After finding a magistrate, you’ll be sent to the county and won’t even be able to escape jail. You’ll be forced to labor for a year!”

Li’s crying abruptly stopped, and she looked at Sang Luo and Zhou Cunzheng. This time, she was truly crying.

The villagers, who had forgotten about the conscription and had no mood to watch the excitement, were once again disturbed by her wailing.

Shen San couldn’t afford to lose face. His buttocks were probably swollen by now, and his pants had been torn by those geese. He covered himself with one hand to avoid exposure and used the other hand to pull Li away. Under the curious gazes of the crowd, they slinked away.

Sang Luo glanced at Zhou Lizheng and his son, expressing her gratitude for their unconscious help in stopping Li earlier. She said, “I’ve already reported to Zhou Cunzheng. There’s a bit of grain in my house. Uncle Zhou can come with me to get it.”

The matter of hiring substitutes couldn’t be kept secret in the village, so it was better to be open about it.

Zhou Lizheng was excited, rubbing his hands together and bowing repeatedly. “Thank you, thank you.”

As they walked, Sang Luo and Gan were naturally at the front, while Zhou Lizheng and his son followed closely behind, two or three steps away.

By hiring two substitutes, the three of them could receive the government’s rations for a month. Although the food was definitely not delicious and would be exhausting to eat, it would save them enough grain for a month.

With the extra two stones of grain, their family could store wild vegetables for the winter. With wild vegetables in the spring, they had a much better chance of making it through until the autumn harvest.

Zhou Lizheng thought that from today onwards, his wife would no longer have to cry every day, and their children would no longer have to worry about being sold off next year.

So, Zhou Lizheng was truly grateful to Gan and Sang Luo. After all, families willing to hire substitutes in the village were few and far between. Even Zhou Cunzheng’s family was going to serve themselves for relatively normal conscriptions like this one.

When the father and son had protected Sang Luo earlier, it was sincere. They weren’t protecting Sang Luo, but their own family’s lives.

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① Not original, excerpted from real historical records.