Chapter 149: Life in the Fortified Camp
Chapter 149: Life in the Fortified Camp
September 25, 2017
...
Zhao Er, clutching two hundred copper coins and a set of cotton robes and cloth shoes he had collected from the storehouse, followed a bandit who led him to a recently constructed house.
Nine people had already taken up residence in the house before Zhao Er's arrival, making him the tenth occupant.
After bringing Zhao Er to the house, the bandit returned to report, leaving Zhao Er alone in the unfamiliar surroundings.
This naturally made Zhao Er feel a bit anxious and cautious, as anyone would in a strange place.
However, Zhao Er was indeed exhausted, and after sitting in the house for a while, he unknowingly fell asleep and didn't wake up until the other residents returned.
Initially, upon being awakened, Zhao Er still felt uneasy, but to his surprise, he recognized several of the house's occupants as fellow villagers or neighbors from nearby villages.
Reuniting with his fellow townsfolk quickly dispelled Zhao Er's anxiety, and they warmly welcomed him, a young lad from their hometown. With their help, Zhao Er quickly adapted to life in the camp, though he was slightly annoyed that everyone called him by his nickname, Ergou.
On his second day in the camp, Zhao Er joined his companions at work, as he had no particular skills, he was limited to manual labor, which was physically demanding but well-paid, earning him over a hundred copper coins a day.
After just a few days, Zhao Er grew fond of the camp, noticing that no one bullied him. Although there were overseers during work, they merely recorded the workers' progress and distributed wages without pressuring them.
In the camp, Zhao Er felt a sense of security and experienced a newfound freedom.
Apart from urgent projects, all tasks in the camp were non-designated, allowing workers to choose freely. They could engage in logging, stone quarrying, or even craft items like straw sandals to sell on the street if they possessed the necessary skills.
Zhao Er's favorite place in the camp was the street, bustling with various food shops. The aroma of steamed buns and dumplings filled the air, captivating Zhao Er.
Occasionally, the street also offered a glimpse of unique and curious items, but Zhao Er's favorite spot was an old man's stall.
This old man exclusively sold books, specifically those on martial arts, a subject Zhao Er had always been fond of, despite his illiteracy.
However, the old man was notoriously greedy, charging several thousand copper coins for each book. Even though Zhao Er had worked for several days and saved up, he only had a few hundred copper coins, which was far from enough.
The old man's personality was particularly malicious; he would fawn over those with money and treat those without it with disdain.
He especially disliked Zhao Er, who often lingered at his stall after finishing his work and meal, merely browsing without buying anything.
Aside from the old man's stall, Zhao Er's other favorite place in the camp was the training ground.
This so-called fortified camp was actually on the scale of a small town. The residential area where Zhao Er and his group lived, the East District, was filled with people who had just recently joined the camp and lacked survival skills.
Apart from the East District, the residential area also included the West and South Districts. The West District was the largest, with houses arranged in small courtyards. Most of the residents there lived in family units, and at least one member of each family had a special skill and contributed to the camp.
The South District, on the other hand, was where the skilled professionals lived. It was said to be quite prosperous, but Zhao Er had never been there.
The residential area was located at the back of the camp, or more accurately, the town. In the middle was the commercial district, which was currently a street primarily selling food and necessities. Beyond the commercial district lay the military camp.
During the few days Zhao Er had been there, a training camp was being constructed in the military area, designed by the Mountain Leader himself. Zhao Er had been working on that project.
Because of this, Zhao Er had the opportunity to see the Mountain Leader in person. He seemed very busy, only appearing in the military camp in the afternoons, leading a group in training.
Every time this happened, Zhao Er would stop his work involuntarily, watching their training with great attention, trying to learn their moves and practice them later, though he never managed to make much progress.
Zhao Er had always been fond of martial arts, dreaming of becoming a great general. But given his current situation, he knew that becoming a general was out of the question. However, the idea of learning martial arts and becoming a bandit didn't seem so bad.
This thought began to take root in Zhao Er's mind. He started visiting the military camp whenever he could, hoping to be noticed and join the ranks.
However, a couple of months passed, and Zhao Er still hadn't become a bandit. His thoughts had also changed.
At first, he only wanted to become a bandit to learn martial arts. Now, he still wanted to be a bandit, but for a different reason. Somewhere along the line, the citizens of the camp had developed a strong ambition to become bandits.
Over the months, the citizens of the camp had come to see it as their home, genuinely loving the place. They had developed a sense of pride in being bandits.
It might sound funny, but it was true. The reason for this was that over the past two months, Lu HaiKong had devoted a great deal of effort to fostering a sense of belonging among the citizens.
His method wasn't particularly unique, but it was simple and effective.
He made sure the citizens knew that the Mountain Leader and the bandits were always busy, either attacking bandits or fighting off small groups of Xianbei tribesmen, working hard to ensure a good life for everyone. Life in the camp was comfortable, with plenty of food and warm clothing, while life outside was harsh, with the citizens either oppressed by the aristocracy or bullied by foreign tribes.
By repeatedly using this approach in various ways, the citizens of the camp naturally developed a strong sense of belonging over the two months.
Even many young people like Zhao Er volunteered, wanting to become bandits and join Lu HaiKong in fighting bandits and eliminating foreign tribes, protecting the camp.
Thus, Lu HaiKong's efforts to build the camp's cohesion and public sentiment had achieved initial success.
(End of Chapter)
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