Chapter 1012

In the dim light, Lei Ming’s expression shifted with the flickering lamps.

Standing up and looking at the dark night outside, he said, “I was originally going to announce this tomorrow, but since you brought it up tonight, I’ll just say it directly. This attack on Australia, the Emperor still gave us some real benefits. If you want to turn the money you get from this war into land, I can promise you.”

Shi Yanjun was overjoyed and loudly exclaimed, “Long live His Majesty, long live, long long live! Commander, please give me a fertile piece of land.”

“That’s a given, but there’s one condition. The price of land in Australia has already been set by the Cabinet. If the land you want is too large, I’m afraid you’ll have to pay some extra money in addition to the money you get this time.”

“That’s certainly not a problem.”

Shi Yanjun said readily. In the last Guandong War, he had been allocated a three hundred mu (approximately 20 hectares) piece of land and had also purchased slaves to cultivate it. Over the years, he had earned a total of three hundred gold dragons from the land.

Now, he planned to sell his land in Guandong and use all his savings to buy estates and pastures here. While organizing the information, he became interested in this place.

This was because he discovered the profitability of wool in it. Now, with the development of the empire’s industry, the demand for wool was also increasing, and getting a head start was very important.

Looking at Shi Yanjun’s excited face, Lei Ming frowned and reminded him, “The Emperor has given us ample grace, but this does not mean we can do whatever we want. It is precisely because he is worried that military generals will abuse their private power in occupied territories that the Emperor has given us a little power this time. Moreover, the Emperor’s demand has always remained unchanged: generals and officials are not allowed to engage in business. Fighting is our duty, so do not waste too much energy on this matter, understand?”

Shi Yanjun regained his serious expression. He said, “Commander, rest assured, I will not act recklessly.”

“En, you go back and prepare to implement slavery in Wales,” Lei Ming said.

Watching Shi Yanjun leave, Lei Ming pinched his brow. From his position, he was no longer just thinking about warfare, but also about the construction of the army.

Although the court stipulated that generals and officials could not engage in business, there was no way to restrict their family members and relatives from doing so. After all, one could not expect one’s entire extended family to starve just because one became an official.

Therefore, faced with this situation, the Cabinet could only issue regulations to restrict relatives from engaging in business, trying to minimize the involvement of generals and officials, but there were always countermeasures to policies.

In the development of the empire over these years, it was inevitable that officials and generals used their influence to enrich their relatives.

And this phenomenon was also common in the military, such as in the Guandong War.

After occupying this vast land, the court urgently needed the people from within the passes to migrate there to gain actual control of Guandong. So, they adopted a method of generously rewarding meritorious officials.

As a result, many generals and soldiers received large tracts of land in Guandong, and they then managed these lands by purchasing slaves, which led to the gradual prosperity of Guandong within a few short years.

Although this was precisely what the court wanted, it was inevitable that generals would use their power to acquire fertile land during this process. For this reason, the court specifically dealt with a group of people.

Now that Australia had fallen to the Southeast Military Region, it was a juicy piece of meat for the generals. However, for him as a military region commander, this was nothing short of trouble. If handled improperly, he could be impeached by his political opponents.

Currently, everyone in the Empire was watching him, after all, many people wanted to pull him down from his position as commander.

“Ah, I really wish I could go back to the days when I was just a private.”

Lei Ming sighed. His warning to Shi Yanjun just now was also for his own good. He did not want his brothers who had fought with him in the north and south to make mistakes.

However, he did not speak in absolutes this time, because the imperial edict given to him by the Emperor was very lenient and gave him full authority to allocate land. Australia was too vast, enough for the empire to divide.

Therefore, he was also considering whether to be more lenient this time. He understood Shi Yanjun’s character. If Shi Yanjun took the initiative to propose it, it must be because other generals were instigating him from behind. If this involved the interests of most people, he would have to weigh it.

While he was pondering, Shi Yanjun also returned to his residence. As soon as he entered, the brigade commanders, regimental commanders, and battalion commanders of the army gathered around him.

“Division Commander, what did the Commander say?” Brigade Commander Gao Shunyi asked.

“It seems His Majesty has given the Commander some authority. This time, everyone should be able to get a taste of the sweetness,” Shi Yanjun said with a smile.

All the generals were immediately delighted. Gao Shunyi said, “Division Commander, this time you must take care of your brothers. During the Guandong campaign, Commander Lei gave all the favors to Luo Xin, and they took most of the fertile land. All we got were crooked gourds and cracked dates. This time, our Southeast Military Region has occupied the entire Australia. This valuable resource must not be given to outsiders again.”

“I can’t say for sure about that. The Commander just warned me to be more restrained. He probably saw what everyone was thinking. Our Commander came from a humble background and didn’t follow His Majesty from the beginning like Commander Lu, nor does he have a backer like Luo Xin. You should give the Commander less trouble.”

After a pause, he continued, “Besides, the Commander won’t let us suffer losses. You all should put your minds at ease. What’s yours is yours, and what’s not yours, it’s useless to stick your neck out for.”

Gao Shunyi was a little dissatisfied. He said, “The Commander is too timid. What’s there to be afraid of? If anyone dares to gossip about this matter and make things difficult for us, I, Gao Shunyi, will lead my men to shoot him.”

Shi Yanjun’s face changed. He said, “Shut up! If the Commander finds out, you’ll be in serious trouble even if you don’t die. From now on, no one is to mention the land matter, or don’t blame me for turning hostile.”

The generals all sighed, but under Shi Yanjun’s stern gaze, they turned and returned to their respective quarters.

After seeing off his subordinates, Shi Yanjun breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he was also in a difficult position. In this battle, the generals and soldiers fought very bravely, and the biggest motivating factor for them was being able to be among the first to divide the fertile land of Australia.

It was precisely for this reason that after the battle, the generals came to inquire about it. If this matter was not handled properly in the end, it would be a blow to the soldiers’ confidence.

“Commander Lei, you are an excellent general, but you don’t understand human nature,” Shi Yanjun sighed slightly. If he didn’t protect the interests of his subordinates, who would be willing to risk their lives?

Looking at the governor’s mansion, which was still lit, Shi Yanjun sat down at the table and began to draft the slavery law.

They had now occupied Australia, but it would be a long time before the court appointed officials to come here. During this time, they could only manage it on behalf of the court.

The next morning, Shi Yanjun handed the slavery law, which he had prepared for most of the night, to Lei Ming.

Scanning the contents, Lei Ming nodded. He did not mention the issue of slavery but said, “I thought about it all night and decided to give you a fertile piece of land.”

Shi Yanjun was stunned when he heard this. Had his commander finally seen the light?

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair