The Demon Lords-Chapter 764 - 168 Reward_1

The drill grounds of Shengle City were buzzing with activity. Over a dozen tables were set up, each manned by two military clerks. One sat at the table, pen and logbook in hand to record details, while the other stood to one side, using a small scale to weigh out silver.

As troops set off for battle, it was impossible to bring along family members. Throughout history, those who ventured to war with their families were not considered an army, but more precisely... bandits.

The distribution event happening now on the drill grounds was for the military merit rewards earned in this campaign. Rewards for beheadings, meritorious service, and assessed contributions were all tallied accordingly. The calculation method was complicated. Although enemy heads were definitive proof, opportunities to leisurely claim them in battle were often scarce. Furthermore, certain types of soldiers found it difficult to reach the front lines to compete for heads. Therefore, to maintain morale without penalizing soldiers unjustly, a series of supplementary reward plans was established to compensate for this.

Similar practices were indeed implemented in various armies of Yan State, but none were as meticulous, refined, and accepted by most soldiers without complaint as the Shengle army's system. Of course, Siniang had made substantial contributions. Drawing up comprehensive 'evaluation standards' was not too difficult a task for her.

At the moment, the Shengle citizens present on the drill grounds were mainly from military households, here to collect their reward silver. Some also collected disability compensation, the amount based on the severity of their disability. Those who could still work would receive a smaller subsidy. In contrast, those who had essentially lost their ability to care for themselves would receive more, along with a monthly allowance of money and grain to maintain their household.

Death compensation for those killed in combat was not distributed here. To have grieving families, still reeling from the devastating news, receive money while witnessing the smiling faces of other families was considered a secondary injury. Therefore, death compensation for fallen soldiers was delivered personally by representatives from the General's Mansion, who visited each household. Alongside the money, they would also bring steamed buns, preserved meat, Yellow Wine, paper money, and white cloth, because upon hearing the devastating news, the families still had to arrange funerals. Those from the General's Mansion who delivered these items also had to re-record the household's actual situation to facilitate future support.

The blind man was standing on the city wall, overlooking the drill grounds below. His eyes were closed, listening intently.

A Ming, holding a wine pouch, walked over and asked, "What are you listening to?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The blind man made wave-like gestures with his hands. "CLINK, CLATTER..."

"What?"

"Shh, listen. That's the sound of silver flowing away like water."

"Oh, so you're heartbroken over the expense," A Ming remarked.

The lists of names had been brought back by A Ming. In fact, this task had been performed daily during the city's defense. Once the battle concluded, all the various statistics were finalized. Every night during those days of defending the city, dedicated personnel were assigned to compile these statistics. There was no real need for such urgency, but it was indeed an excellent method to maintain the army's morale and fighting spirit. The aim was to make it clear to the soldiers, to let them feel, that if they died in battle, the General's Mansion would take responsibility for their orphans and elders. The wounded and disabled would also receive pensions and have arrangements made for their care.

The blind man shook his head and sighed, "How could one not feel heartbroken? It's such a vast amount of silver, after all."

Sustaining an army is truly expensive. Especially a professional army, not engaged in production—they are extravagantly costly.

"Anyway, this war yielded a considerable amount of wealth and goods."

The city of Fengxin had been looted clean. Additionally, at Snow Sea Pass, a significant amount of goods seized from the wild people, which they hadn't managed to transport out, had been stored. In truth, the sum wasn't small; it was just that during the city's defense, the focus had been solely on grain and fodder, with little attention paid to those other valuables. In A Ming's view, they had more than enough to cover the expenses of this campaign and its aftermath. Of course, the imperial court would also send down compensation and rewards, but the court's contributions would naturally fall short of the Shengle Army's own standards.

"But I am curious about one thing," A Ming said. "Our army certainly has many married soldiers, but there are also quite a few bachelors, aren't there? Do we really need to provide death compensation for these bachelors too?"

In such chaotic times, being a bachelor who only had to fend for himself was also a 'mainstream' approach.

"Before an expedition, every soldier had to register a beneficiary's name. This was so the General's Mansion could deliver the death compensation should they fall in battle. Many bachelors listed the name of a courtesan from the brothels."

"Well, that's truly touching," A Ming commented.

"For those without family or a loved one, their death compensation would be donated to the charity school to fund a child's upbringing. That child would then keep their spirit tablet and adopt their surname."

In the Three Jin region, after several major battles, orphans were numerous and not difficult to find.

Hearing this, A Ming couldn't help but take a sip of wine. "Siniang is indeed very thoughtful."

No wonder, during the defense of Shengle City, a dying soldier had laughed and said, "What are you crying for? I'll have an heir too! After I die, some little bastard will burn paper money for me!"

The blind man stretched lazily. "To maintain an elite army, one must be willing to invest heavily. And spending money is just the first step. Simultaneously, we must also cultivate our own unique military-political culture to enhance cohesion. Every single measure, every single path, is far from easy."

Other military leaders in Yan State also put effort into maintaining their forces, but none to the extent seen here in Shengle City. This is because the 'devils' want an army capable of helping General Zheng 'don the yellow robe' at any moment. To maintain this level of loyalty, every facet, every detail, must be meticulously considered.