Chapter 30: Respect

"I hope all officials will guide the people well, that the people will labor diligently, and that you will work in unity with His Majesty to face our nation's trials together!"

At these words, the crowd fell into a hushed silence. One by one, they knelt, bowing their heads until their foreheads touched the ground, unable to rise.

The villagers were no fools; they understood the gravity of what Chen Fan had spoken. Since childhood, they had often heard the village schoolmaster, their elders, and the clan leaders tell stories of how the soldiers of the Great Zhou protected their homes and defended the nation. They spoke of how the Emperor had spared no cost to fight the barbarians to the death, even going so far as to move the capital to a site less than a thousand miles from the frontier.

A saying circulated among the common people of the Great Zhou: "The Son of Heaven guards the border; the monarch dies for the state."

The men of the Great Zhou were filled with passion for joining the army. Whenever conscription arrived, the training grounds at every military camp were always overflowing. However, to ensure the quality of its forces, the Great Zhou maintained extremely strict requirements for enlistment. One had to be physically robust and possess a clean family history. These two criteria alone were enough to disqualify more than half of the applicants.

Yet, the Great Zhou treated its soldiers exceptionally well, and their families were granted special state favors. For instance, the families of ordinary soldiers were given priority by the imperial court for government positions. Staffing for state-run shops or menial roles in the local government offices was drawn from the ranks of military families or those of officials. Furthermore, the state provided soldiers with rigorous training and comprehensive educational opportunities.

The villagers before Chen Fan were those who had failed to be selected. This was partly because the state needed to retain men to ensure the continuation of their lineages, and partly because many of these men were the sole sons of their families. The military recruiters or county magistrates usually found ways to screen out such men. Once rejected, these young men were essentially barred from enlistment unless they were merely physically weak, in which case they could be recruited later once they had built up their strength.

With the path to military service closed to them, these villagers had no choice but to farm. Having transitioned from the high-spirited eighteen-year-olds who dreamed of service to discouraged men in their twenties, it was no wonder they felt they had no future in the countryside. But now, learning of the new laws of the Great Zhou, they saw a path forward—a glimmer of hope that the grand dreams of their youth might yet be realized.

Chen Fan reached out and pulled the kneeling villagers up one by one. Seeing this, Li Xing and the others stepped in to help. Once they were on their feet, the men remained silent, though their hearts were surely filled with gratitude toward their monarch.

One man finally spoke up: "Sir, we shall go and clear the wasteland immediately. We will surely open up many new fields to help the government and help the Emperor collect more taxes!"

"Yes! We all share the same sentiment!" the others echoed.

Chen Fan felt the timing was right; the atmosphere was perfectly set. It was time to try and persuade them to assist with the autumn harvest.

"Everyone, there is no need to rush!"

"Ah! Why is that?" The crowd, hearing this, could not wait for Chen Fan to finish before asking anxiously.

"Because it is not necessary for you to do so yet. According to my investigations, Xia Family Village was originally a prosperous place with hundreds of hectares of farmland. When the magistrate encouraged agriculture, he already urged you to reclaim the lands you had abandoned. Look at the rice in the fields now—it is about to ripen. If you do not harvest it, you will have no grain to survive the winter."

The villagers looked at one another and said, "It is autumn now, so the land is easy to clear. Once winter comes, the ground will freeze, and our hoes will not be able to break the wasteland. If we clear it now, we can plant more in the spring."

"What you say is true, but if you do not harvest this rice, it will be too late."

"Sir, couldn't the women of the village handle the fields? They are busy enough as it is."

Chen Fan felt a surge of annoyance at their callous remark. He pulled out the proclamation he had written, which called upon everyone to farm, and waved it in front of them. He then read aloud:

"The autumn harvest is at hand. This year, the people of this county have worked in unity to clear the wasteland. Conservatively estimated, this will be a year of great abundance. When the time comes, the people of Zeng County will no longer worry about food or clothing! To encourage all the people of the county to witness this historic moment, the government has decided to mobilize everyone for the autumn harvest! Upon completion of the harvest, all who participate will receive 'Meal Vouchers' issued by the government. These can be used to offset meal costs at any Kaixing Wine Shop in the county. Depending on the success of the harvest, the government will continue to provide further benefits to the people! We shall also host a grand temple fair at the end of the year! Please register at the government office!"

He concluded, "The government serves the people heart and soul, and hopes the people will trust us as we work to build Zeng County together!"

The villagers had heard of the delicious food at the Kaixing Wine Shops, and they felt that helping with the harvest was not a bad deal, though they remained greedy for their own plots of land, desperate to own their own small piece of earth. Chen Fan, having grasped their psychology completely, began to "brainwash" them:

"Do not be anxious. These crops cannot be harvested by the women alone. Many of the young, strong women in your village have already been taken, and there are not enough left to finish the harvest. Furthermore, the magistrate has been constantly seeking ways to make the farmers prosperous. He has hinted to me that if the men of Xia Family Village are willing to help with the harvest, he will acknowledge their goodwill. He will consider reporting your diligence to his superiors, and he will, at his discretion, reward you with more grain and other benefits."

"Sir, you have no proof! Why would you give us benefits?"

"Right now, the men throughout the county are plagued by laziness. The fact that you are willing to help with the farming shows that you are exemplary men. The magistrate has always wanted more people to know of your industry. This proclamation has been widely publicized; if you perform with all your might, people across the county will know of your deeds, and the magistrate will be able to commend you as a matter of course. Perhaps the trend of laziness among the men in the county will even change because of you. Do you not deserve a reward? But you must seize this opportunity and work hard."

The villagers looked at one another, not knowing what to say. They were lazy themselves, and had it not been for the village chief keeping them in line, they would not have wanted to work either. They felt unworthy of Chen Fan’s praise, but they could not expose the truth, lest they lose face.

One honest man said sheepishly, "Sir, we are ashamed to admit it, but this is all thanks to the village chief! He urges us every day to help the women, which is why we do it. Besides, the village is not like the county town. If we don't farm, we don't eat. In the town, people can gamble or steal, but here in the village, we have no money to gamble, and the chief wouldn't allow it anyway. We are all kin and relatives; we couldn't bring ourselves to steal from our own people. We... we really are quite ashamed."

The one speaking was the village chief's nephew. The crowd glanced at the village chief, and Chen Fan followed their gaze, nodding toward the chief to show his respect.

"You have a good village chief; you must cherish him. You need not feel unworthy. In the county town, we have the magistrate’s office, posting proclamations and teaching lessons every day, yet the men there are not nearly as obedient. You are all equals, as stipulated by the laws of the Great Zhou. The fact that you are willing to listen to the government and your village chief already puts you far ahead of them! Do not be afraid to step up. Work hard for a few years, and one day, you too will go to live in the county town!"