Chapter 1345: Side Story: Having the Whole World in View (22)
Lin Chengxiu was indeed brave and resourceful. Even after Zhou Zhou retreated to Guangzhou with most of their men, he could still prevent the soldiers of Great Qi from being bullied in Nanyang.
Tiger Head and Little Lion had learned a lot from him and improved at lightning speed. Even if Lin Chengxiu didn’t like them very much, he had to admit that they were more talented than him.
Especially Tiger Head, who was only 15 or 16 years old, but he dared to sneak attack and occupy an island with more than 100 people.
Due to Deputy Assistant Commander Bai’s arrival, Luzon Island had also seen major transformations. He had led the soldiers to build the barrack and even established a good relationship with the local people to help the Harvest Grain Store open its first branch here.
He did not stop the soldiers who returned home to visit from bringing goods here. As long as it was a small quantity, he turned a blind eye. As a result, the indigenous people’s living conditions improved.
He even allowed the soldiers who weren’t training to go beachcombing every few days. The fish, prawns, crabs, and other supplementary food that they obtained, even the kelp that could be seen everywhere on the reef, was made into fresh soup by him. Not only Luzon Island, but the soldiers on the other islands also saw improvements in their diets. Even though Deputy Assistant Commander Bai had only been here for three months and everyone now consumed 10% less military rations, they had actually gained weight.
Lin Chengxiu was very grumpy about this, but Deputy Assistant Commander Bai said with a smile, "It’s hard on the soldiers to train and fight in wars. Since it improves their lives without utilizing additional military funds, why not? In the past, when His Majesty was in the north, he’d bring the soldiers into the mountains to hunt at the end of autumn. He just wanted to let everyone put on some weight."
"The environment in Nanyang is much worse than in the north. A decent town is half a month’s trip away from here. If our men crave meat, they can only look at the forest and drool. What reason is there to stop them from having some ready-made fish and prawns? If they starve, who will be willing to guard Nanyang in a few years?"
Lin Chengxiu sneered and said, "It’s the duty of soldiers to protect the country. So what if they’re unwilling?"
Deputy Assistant Commander Bai patted his shoulder and said gently, "If they’re reluctant, how can they win a war? General, I naturally can’t compare to you in terms of fighting wars, but as a general, not only does one have to know military strategies, but they also have to know how to train and manage troops."