Infinite Professions

Chapter 354 - 184: Schemes (First Watch)

The battle lasted throughout the night, and it took most of the day to clear the battlefield. Guided by Song Wen, everyone was busy from dawn till dusk, finally sorting out all matters.

In front of the Land Temple, on the threshing floor, all the villagers gathered, looking at the forty-two corpses placed before the temple gate. Most remained silent, while a few sobbed in grief.

Although last night’s strategy of Little Huang Village to lure the enemy in proved successful, resulting in the annihilation of hundreds of bandits from Black Cloud Three Villages within the village, war is inevitably accompanied by casualties. First, over a dozen Yellow Turban Warriors died at the hands of Wang Po and others to draw the enemy in, followed by over twenty young and robust villagers who perished in the intense battle.

Combined, there were forty-two in total.

Forty-two people, all young and vigorous, the pillars of their families. Losing them, for their families, is akin to a bolt from the blue.

But there is no other choice.

Black Cloud Three Villages, encompassing hundreds of people, including practitioners of evil techniques like Wang Po from the Five Immortals Gang, as well as bandit leaders with martial prowess like Liang Erjiang. The three villages joined forces and could even ransack towns. Now, Little Huang Village exterminated them entirely, with less than a hundred casualties of its own. Such a result might stir the Prefecture City.

Both the outcome and the losses can be described as glorious.

But no matter how glorious the outcome, it cannot change the fact of death.

Standing atop the high platform, Song Wen looked down at the forty-two corpses arranged below and the silent, grieving villagers, his expression solemn.

"This battle saw forty-two martyrs who bravely fought against mountain bandits to protect Little Huang Village. They are all heroes of our village. The Land God has announced to me that they will all be enshrined as Yellow Turban Warriors, their spirits entered into the Land Temple, sharing incense offerings with Him!"

Upon hearing these words, the crowd stirred somewhat.

Last night, facing the fierce bandits from the three villages, the hundred warriors and several hundred sturdy young villagers displayed fearless bravery, never retreating.

The reason is twofold: There was no way to retreat, as behind them lay their village, families, and the land and wealth painstakingly cultivated over the years, leaving them no choice but to fight to the death.

The second reason is the might of the Land God.

On the previous night, they all collectively entered a dream, witnessing the manifestation of the Land God and the punishment of a few treacherous villagers who colluded with bandits, casting them into hell. This scene remains fresh in everyone’s memory.

The grace of God is vast, His power like mountains, with divine beings overhead and a world after death.

Knowing this, the fear of death among the people weakened, at least more than their reverence for the divine.

Thus, in last night’s battle, several hundred sturdy young villagers of Little Huang Village showed fearless bravery, and the hundred Yellow Turban Warriors performed even more valiantly, fearing to dishonor the divine, lest they be denied forgiveness and cast into hell.

This is the result of combining grace and power!

Prior intimidation had already been established, and now, having won the battle, grace must be bestowed, otherwise it would lead to disunity and discord.

No one can survive on air alone. To unite a force or a group, common interests must be realized.

Therefore...

"Three feet overhead are divine beings, after death mortals enter the Underworld!"

Song Wen spoke solemnly: "These forty-two warriors are enshrined in the Land Temple, sharing incense offerings with the Land God. Though their bodies perish, their spirits remain. If evil ghosts, demons, bandits, or robbers come again, they will surely manifest to assist the Land God in safeguarding our Little Huang Village, just like last night."

Upon hearing these words, the crowd became increasingly restless.

Last night, the magic realm was shattered, evil ghosts flooded into the village. Though mere mortals couldn’t see them, they noticed the whistling dark winds, surging currents, and finally, a faint appearance of golden light, transforming into a Land Temple and Divine Soldiers and Generals.

Though vague, the feeling was not very clear, but people leaned towards believing, for who wouldn’t wish for the protection of divine beings?

Now, hearing Song Wen’s words, they strongly felt confirmation, and the sorrow from the death and injury of friends and family was significantly eased.

Seeing this, Song Wen seized the opportunity with a firm offer: "These warriors died protecting our Little Huang Village, so the village cannot neglect their families. From today, all relatives of martyrs who sacrificed for our village will receive monthly allowances in money and grain. Parents and spouses will be supported until leading full lives; offspring and children until adulthood. Moreover, they will be prioritized to become Yellow Turban Warriors in the future!"

"This..."

These words caused an uproar among the crowd, and voices erupted.

"Village Chief, is this true?"

"Really receive monthly allowances?"

"If so, my Aqiang can rest in peace underground!"

The people spoke, arguing amongst themselves, somewhat in disbelief.

Throughout history, soldiers fighting on battlefields received rewards, but despite Court offering compensation, it was usually a one-time payment. Only officers received some lifelong privileges, sometimes followed by their offspring continuing their careers.

A system like Little Huang Village’s, supporting parents until their natural end, compensating children until adulthood, practically unheard of.

The reason is simple: the Court can’t afford such a responsibility, nor does it want one.

But now...

"The words of the divine cannot be false!"

Song Wen spoke solemnly: "However, let me put the ugly words upfront. Little Huang Village strictly adheres to village rules, national laws, and the commands of the Land God. Relatives of the martyrs will receive compensation, but anyone daring to manipulate or bully widows and orphans, beware of being punished within the village, with death followed by cast into the Eighteen Layers of Hell.

Moreover, being a martyr’s relative means remembering the sacrifice made by the martyrs. Engage not in wrongdoing, taint not their good name, otherwise, not only will the village retract their compensation, but they will also face legal consequences..."

Song Wen’s words established the compensation system.

Upon hearing this, everyone rejoiced, and invisibly strands of wish power emerged, merging like smoke into the temple, while faint golden light condensed, enhancing the divine statue.

Mortals couldn’t see these changes, but they felt refreshed. Among them, Lu Xuan and Huang Lin exchanged glances, resigning yet relieved that the little fire of ambition within them was extinguished.

Through this battle, the prestige of Song Wen and the Song Family in Little Huang Village reached unprecedented heights. Aspiring for the position of village chief was now beyond them; they could only humbly remain as the leaders of the second family.

There’s nothing you can do about it; who told you to have a good father?

Accept your fate!

Once the compensation was handled and the people’s hearts were won over, it was time to celebrate the victory.

Song Wen looked at everyone: "To celebrate the victory of this battle, a grand ceremony will be held in three days. The entire village will feast with wine and meat, and at the same time, the spirits of the martyrs will be enshrined in the Land God Temple!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone cheered again. The sadness was completely dispelled, and even some enthusiastic flames were ignited.

Seeing this, Song Wen also sighed. His father’s actions had truly earned the hearts of the people of Little Huang Village to the extreme. Now, everyone was ready to fight. After a period of sedimentation and the implementation of various systems such as compensation, even if they were to rise up and commit major treason, they would likely have followers.

The way to raise warriors is nothing more than this!

After appeasing everyone, Song Wen ordered again, asking the craftsmen to make coffins and spirit tablets. On the third day, the bodies of the martyrs would be buried, followed by a grand land ceremony to enshrine their spirits into the Land God Temple. As there was divine guidance, there was no need to leave the bodies for seven days.

After completing these tasks, Song Wen finally came outside the village.

Outside the village, the fields that had been harvested were also filled with corpses, the very same Three Strongholds Bandits that had been slaughtered last night.

"Big brother, what should we do with these bodies?"

With Song Wu still unconscious, only Song Ying was present, leading twenty to thirty strongmen.

Song Wen’s expression did not change: "Have the captives identify, cut off the lackeys’ heads, bury the bodies as fertilizer. Keep the bandit leaders intact, and send them along with that group of magician corpses to the prefecture to claim credit and secure a position for you two; otherwise, without a legitimate status, there might be trouble in the future."

"A position?"

Song Ying’s eyes lit up: "What kind of position, could it be a general?"

"Are you dreaming?"

Song Wen gave him a sideways glance, then looked at the bandit corpses: "They’re just a bunch of mountain bandits and vagrants, what great credit could there be? Not to mention, when it’s sent to the prefecture, there will be plenty of sharing. Big ghosts and small ghosts all need their share of incense offerings. In the end, if you can secure an eighth or ninth grade scattered officer captain position, that would be good enough."

"Just a captain?"

Song Ying seemed a bit disappointed at this, but quickly comforted himself: "A captain isn’t bad, at least it’s a rank. Our father was only a standard eighth-grade county instructor. If both I and Third Brother become eighth-grade military captains, could we become gods like him after death..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Song Wen glared at him, then instructed everyone: "Get on with it quickly and avoid more trouble."

"Yes!"

The strongmen nodded, then picked up broadswords and began beheading.

Such a bloody scene made Song Wen somewhat uncomfortable, and he immediately had Song Ying oversee it, while he quickly returned to the village.

On the other side, in the Land God Temple, Shen Hex observed everything and nodded in approval.

This battle did not gain much for Little Huang Village, just a few hundred bandit corpses. Among them, the most valuable were Wang Po and those dozen or so Five Immortals Gang magicians.

Back then, this group of horse bandits rampaged into the territory of Qinghe County, plundering numerous towns including Baixi Town, causing over five thousand casualties, which shook the prefecture and county and prompted heavy military suppression.

Now that Little Huang Village captured Wang Po, the bandit leader, they should logically receive a great reward.

But that’s only in theory.

In this world, many things are unreasonable.

Back then, when Jinyang Prefecture deployed heavy troops, every aspect exerted great effort, and yet the main culprit got away?

Could that be justified?

Obviously not!

So, back then, the Five Immortals Gang’s leader must have been executed on the spot, and only small remnants fled. This way, there is accountability both upwards and downwards.

Therefore, Wang Po killed by Little Huang Village now cannot be sent to the prefecture as the leader of the Five Immortals Gang to claim credit, but only as remnants of the Five Immortals Gang to seek reward, which surely reduces its value significantly.

However, the truth is, everyone knows these matters clearly, so even the remnants of the Five Immortals Gang can still earn quite a bit of merit, at least enough to secure a local military official position for Song Wu and Song Ying.

An official position is the strength urgently needed by the Song Family and Little Huang Village.

Since ancient times, illegitimate names result in chaos. Little Huang Village has developed to this stage, reaching the peak form of a small rural household. To advance further, there are only two choices: become officials or become bandits.

The latter is not an option. Although this "Chen Dynasty" has opened to Yuan for a hundred years, with accumulated problems, it has not yet reached the stage of collapse and power struggles. It’s too difficult and unwise to rise up now.

Besides, Shen Hex himself is constrained by the Yin Spirit of the prefecture’s superior officer, unless he abandons the path of the True God and joins those evil ghosts, demons, and heretical cults, there is no reason for Little Huang Village to turn bandit.

So, Shen Hex plans to use the heads of Wang Po and others to secure an official position for the Song Family, and it must be a military position. Only then can they legitimately engage in martial cultivation and training. Otherwise, with the methods the Song Family is using, like invoking Yellow Turban Warriors, they would eventually attract scrutiny.

By then, they would have no choice but to rebel.

However, with an official position and military power, within the Court’s system, they can calmly grow stronger.

But a military officer with real power is not a minor clerk. Based on merit, Wang Po and others’ heads are sufficient, but in terms of connections...

"I’ll have to make a trip to the prefecture city!"

Shen Hex murmured, looking in the direction of Jinyang Prefecture, his expression subtly changing.