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Chapter 60
"Four years, huh? You'd better treat your girlfriend well after this. Her youth has been wasted waiting for you. You can't just take it for granted that she's the one who agreed to date you and give her nothing in return. When you two get married, don't let her miss out on anything she deserves."
"Of course! My girlfriend is a rare gem - you'd have a hard time finding someone as good as her even with a lantern. Let me show you her photo, isn't she a beauty?"
"Ah, I'm getting discharged tomorrow, but unfortunately, I don't have a girlfriend. Not to mention a girlfriend, I barely get any new dishes - it's the same old stuff every day. The navy has such good food!"
"It's tough to become a navy man, you know. If I had met the standards, I would have wanted to join the navy too."
The ancient soldiers listened as the modern soldiers talked about their girlfriends with such happiness and indulgence on their faces. They couldn't understand or fathom why these men cherished and respected their girlfriends so much.
Then, when the topic shifted to food, the ancient men immediately turned their attention to the matter of eating.
As they looked, oh heavens!
The ancient soldiers guarding the city nearly cried in joy.
This food wasn't good?!
Even during the new year celebrations, they couldn't eat such a sumptuous feast of meat and fish!
The ancient soldiers from the Lingnan region couldn't help but salivate as they gazed at the bowl filled with braised pork, mustard greens with pork, chicken wings, and pig trotters.
"That's true, it's just meat, meat, meat every day, no variety. I'm getting bored of it," one of the other soldiers at the next table chimed in, nodding in agreement.
The ancient men: ??
Meat, meat, meat wasn't good enough? They, as common folk, couldn't even afford to eat meat once a year!
So this was how good the treatment for soldiers was in the future?
"Brothers, I'm getting discharged tomorrow. Let's keep in touch! After this discharge, I plan to use my money to start a business..."
"I prefer a more stable life. I'll save up for my future wife..."
As they watched the enthusiastic faces of these future soldiers talk about their discharge benefits, their eyes shone with light.
The ancient soldiers who were watching the livestream gaped in astonishment.
One of them mustered the courage to ask Gu Sang, "Goddess, in your world, does getting discharged mean being relieved from service? But I see that he still looks strong and able-bodied, why would he be discharged early?"
"Maybe his family is very wealthy and used money to reduce his military service time."
Gu Sang smiled and replied, "Some of them are conscripts who only have to serve for two years before getting discharged. After being discharged, they even receive a substantial sum of money."
"Many students who don't get into universities, their parents will voluntarily send them to become conscripts for two years. This way, it can help reform their bad habits, and they'll also get startup money for their future."
Upon hearing this, all the ancient men were in an uproar. "No! Absolutely impossible. Becoming a soldier means risking one's life!"
"You're deceiving us. If it wasn't compulsory for every household to provide one able-bodied man for the army, who would willingly leave their hometown to become a soldier! And to voluntarily send their children to become soldiers, and even get paid for it? Preposterous!"
Gu Sang's words were difficult for the ancient men to accept. They instinctively felt that she must be lying to them.
Everyone knew that being a soldier meant risking death!
It had always been the imperial court that forced conscription. How could there be people who would voluntarily become soldiers?
Faced with the doubts from the ancient men, a proud light flickered across Gu Sang's face.
She said, "In our world, we never force conscription. In fact, many parents beg their children to join the military."
"As more and more young people want to enlist, the requirements have become stricter. Men who don't meet the height standards or have bad behavior are not allowed to become soldiers."
"Apart from the two-year conscripts, there are also specialized police and military academies to recruit talent. After being discharged from the military, those who don't want to start a business can even get job placements, and there are various benefits during holidays and festivals."
"Moreover, during their service, soldiers get leave to visit their families. For the families of these warriors, the state also provides..."
"..."
No matter how good the modern world was, there would still be people who were dissatisfied, still complaining about its many flaws.
But why not show those flaws?
Because in the eyes of the ancient men, any flaws, no matter how minor, would seem like unattainable advantages to them!
If the ancient civilians were to come to this world, would they be dissatisfied? No, this world would be a heavenly paradise for them.
In the modern era, ninety-nine percent of the civilians had food to eat and could afford meat.
But in ancient times? They couldn't even eat the pearl-like premium rice grains.
During droughts, they still had to pay grain taxes and would be forced to sell their possessions or be beaten as slaves.
Not to mention having the opportunity to attend a school...
But now!
Even the prospect of being conscripted, which they had feared like a tiger, had become something that everyone in the prosperous Chinese nation voluntarily did. These young soldiers had no pain or indifference on their faces, only confidence and cheerfulness!
The Lingnan soldiers, upon hearing every word, felt their eyes redden instantly.
If soldiers received a substantial sum after being discharged, and if their families were compensated in case they were killed in action, and they were respected and loved by the people, how wonderful that would be.
They, too, would undoubtedly serve their country without hesitation, wouldn't they?
In the main hall, a martial officer murmured softly, "How fortunate they are."
After hearing these words, he felt a surge of bitterness and envy in his heart.
So many heroic warriors had died in battle.
But how many of their families had received any assistance from the local county magistrate?
None. They had all died, too.
With the pillars of their households gone, their families lost their breadwinners and starved to death...
Pei Changying stared intently at Gu Sang. "Stop deceiving us with your nonsense. Do you know how long it takes to train a soldier? This so-called 'conscript' that you mentioned, getting discharged after just two years - are they fools in your country, or am I the fool for believing what you say?"
"Two years, hmph, just training them and then letting them go. Is your country stupid, or am I stupid?"
Gu Sang looked at Pei Changying with a contemptuous gaze, as if he were a complete imbecile.
"If you don't have any experience, don't come out and embarrass yourself. Don't judge this world based on your own limited perspective."
"I don't--"
Before Pei Changying could finish his indignant denial, the image in front of them suddenly closed, and the livestream ended.
He was furious!
Absolutely furious!
They kept broadcasting these scenes of a powerful, free modern world, causing the people to endlessly discuss and debate.
Nowadays, even the concubines in the palace no longer fought for his favor. Instead, they kept going on and on about how good the one-husband-one-wife system was.
If this continued, the women's thoughts would be shallow and corrupted!
Just as Pei Changying's face was filled with chilling anger and the atmosphere was tense...
The eunuch who went to summon Zhou Qichen to the palace hurried into the hall: "Your Majesty, it's terrible. General Zhou has left the capital and is said to be on his way to Lingnan."
"This servant heard from the city guards that before leaving, General Zhou took all of his soldiers with him!"
"I'm afraid...he has gone to join the Crown Princess."
"What!!!"
The entire court was shocked.
Pei Changying stood up abruptly, his face darkly frightening.
Zhou Qichen!
Pei Weiqi!
He knew it, he just knew the Zhou family harbored ill intentions!
And his legitimate sister, that concubine-born woman, was unwilling to be married off or to welcome a husband, using the excuse of guarding their late father's spirit tablet to remain unmarried until the age of twenty-two.
During the time of rescuing the plague-stricken city, Pei Changying had a bad premonition.
Now it seems that was no rescue effort, it was an attempt to buy the people's hearts!
She's planning a rebellion!