The story in the General's Mansion was staged in the homes of various families in Mucheng, especially those who could not go to Longdu because they were married, and they were even more sad.

When Zhang Xiaowu issued the marriage order two years ago, he solved the problem of singleness of a wave of veterans in the army, but after all, Mucheng is a military city with an extremely unbalanced distribution of men and women. In order to avoid the problem of gender imbalance, Zhang Xiaowu allowed Mucheng to open a few more Qinglou kilns to solve the problem of men and women. Those old soldiers who married wives were naturally complacent at that time, and the single soldiers could only be jealous of others, so there were still nearly 15,000 bachelors in Mucheng, and more than 8,000 of them were ghost guards.

Unexpectedly, at this time and at that time, the people who were envied at the beginning have now become people who envy others, and the bachelor soldiers were given priority to be selected into the silver guards and transferred to Longdu, and the married people could only continue to stay in Mucheng as border soldiers.

Some people naturally beat their chests and regret it, some people are noncommittal, and more people have complicated attitudes, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

The matter of seven thousand ghost guards entering the capital has become the top topic of discussion among the people of Mucheng, not to mention that people have been talking about it for a few days, and for more than ten years, everyone's topic is still inseparable from this matter.

Five days later, 7,000 people were selected for the list, and everyone was ready for a new life.

Zhang Xiaowu found Xiao Kai and handed over 250,000 taels of silver to him.

Xiao Kai immediately refused, saying that for three thousand border troops, two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver was indeed too much. Then Xiao Kai also calculated an account, and Zhang Xiaowu was slightly surprised to hear that the military salary of the three thousand ghost guards, in addition to the allocation of the imperial court, replenished 10,000 taels by himself every year, and the consumption of food and clothing was 15,000 taels, that is to say, only 25,000 taels of silver were needed every year to feed 3,000 people, and 250,000 taels of silver were enough for the ghost guards to use for ten years.

In addition, according to Guan Xiang's estimates, Mucheng's refined salt business brought Mucheng an annual profit of 50,000 to 100,000 taels of silver, and because Mucheng encouraged commercial circulation, the commercial tax could bring Mucheng an annual income of 10,000 taels of silver. Therefore, instead of being short of money, the ghost guard did not know how to spend it, and the 250,000 taels of silver were left for everyone, and everyone could not use them.

"Therefore, we can provide you with military salary support, we are in the north of the country, but we are better off than you." Xiao Kai smiled, "We plan to give you some every month, and everyone doesn't want your life to be too cold." ”

Zhang Xiaowu waved his hand and said: "Lao Xiao, this is not a matter of money or not, it is related to the ownership of property. The 700,000 taels of silver of the Qinglong military salary is our common property, and it must be used on the ghost guard. It is not my Zhang Xiaowu's private property, you and I are just the managers of the silver, not the users. Now that the ghost guard is divided into two, the remaining 500,000 taels of silver must also be divided into two, which is everyone's power and everyone's interests. ”

Xiao Kai thought for a while and felt that it made sense, he had never thought about things like salary and income before, after all, he was just a deputy general, he didn't care about food and clothing at all, he just needed to take the army. Thinking that he was about to manage everyone's food, clothing, housing and transportation next, he subconsciously scratched his head and sighed: "I am a one-eyed person who has to manage so many people, it is really ...... I don't have any concept of money. ”

Zhang Xiaowu said: "I recommend a person, Zhang Tongming, this person is good at calculating and using money, you can ask him to help you calculate the amount of income and expenditure." ”

Xiao Kai nodded and said, "Okay." He suddenly remembered the question of the ownership of the property, and immediately said: "So I will accept the two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver, but you must also accept one condition from me, that the salt well we discovered together, and the refined salt business in the salt well are also our own." You went to Longdu, but the salt well has half as much refined salt as yours. The ghost guard cannot be monopolized, so in the future, the ghost guard and the silver-clothed guard will each occupy half, otherwise the brothers will never agree. ”

Zhang Xiaowu originally planned to hand over the salt well to Xiao Kai, but Xiao Kai insisted that Zhang Xiaowu could only accept half of the ownership of the salt well on behalf of Yinyiwei. Later, Zhang Xiaowu also said the results of his discussion with Xiao Kai and the brothers, and everyone immediately expressed their support, although everyone cared about the silver, they cared more about the friendship together.

In fact, what everyone was even more moved by in their hearts was Zhang Xiaowu's selflessness and fairness, because the Qinglong Army's salary was almost completely used on the ghost guard, and Zhang Xiaowu almost did not use it for his own personal use. But for other generals, not to mention that the money is their own, but the lives of their subordinates are their own. It is impossible for people to be unmoved in the face of money, but those who can restrain possessiveness in the face of money are the real strong.

Back at the General's Mansion, Zhang Xiaowu unexpectedly saw his eldest brother Yuan Shikai coming, and the Yuan family learned that Zhang Xiaowu had returned from Beijing and Longdu, so they sent their grandchildren to visit their relatives. Zhang Xiaowu immediately wrote a note to him and asked him to bring it to the old lady, and said that he would go to Yuan's house to visit the old lady in the future.

Yuan Shikai took the note and stopped talking.

Zhang Xiaowu smiled and said: "We are relatives, and we have something to say. ”

Yuan Shikai said: "This ...... Brother-in-law, if you go to Longdu, can you secretly visit an old person for me, I just want to know if she is doing well? ”

"What does a man, or a woman, have to do with you?" Zhang Xiaowu asked with a smile.

Yuan Shikai lowered his head and said: "This person is a girl, her family lives at No. 12 East Third Street of Ruyifang, she is the second lady of the Lou family, and her name is Ziling." She and I were ...... We were married, and because of the accident of the Yuan family, the Lou family dissolved our marriage contract. I had seen Ziling before, and we were incense together at the Big Buddha Temple, and I was very satisfied with this family affair at that time. Unexpectedly, the world is impermanent, and I didn't expect that the two of us are inseparable. Brother-in-law, you and your sister must go to Longdu to see her for me, if she is doing well, write a letter to me, if she is not doing well, can you help her? ”

Seven thousand ghost guards entered Beijing, the children of the Yuan family were not qualified, and the brothers of the Yuan family also died in the heart of returning to Longdu, and they were happy that their cousin could live in Longdu with their husband. But for Miss Lou's regrets, Yuan Shikai still can't let go.

Zhang Xiaowu smiled slightly, and said in his heart that it was his first girlfriend, and the involvement of the Yuan family caused Lao Yan to fly apart, and comforted: "Okay, this request is simple, what if she is still waiting for you?" ”

"I ......" Yuan Shikai scratched his head and said, "I don't know what to do." Miss Lou is innocent, alas...... I don't know what to do. Brother-in-law, I ...... Just take a look at it for me, just take a look. ”

Zhang Xiaowu shook his head and said: "I'll help you tie her back, throw someone back to Saibei, and wait for the two of you to cook rice and give birth to seven or eight children, see if the Lou family dares not to admit this marriage." ”

Yuan Shikai couldn't cry or laugh, if he was tied back, he would be able to get the support of the Lou family, his Yuan family would be shameless, and he didn't want to revive the family, so he could only wave his hand and thank him, and turn back.