Chapter 977: Be the First to Open a Private Warehouse

After hearing this, students such as Ying Zilin lowered their heads in shame.

Ying Zilin's face flushed red as he said, "Sir, what you said is truly shameful to me. Serving the country and the people is the purpose of studying. How can I be considered to have made any contribution?"

Kang Rong and Zhou Rong were getting anxious... Ying Zilin, could you please stop pretending? Isn't the purpose of studying, taking the imperial examinations, and becoming an official all for success and fame?

If you don't want any achievements, how can you achieve success and get promoted?

Ying Zilin is just hypocritical, unreal, and has no popularity. I despise such people!

The two of them were madly chatting with Ying Zilin in their hearts.

Zhou Rong was originally an accountant in the county and township martial arts hall, but after the incident of high-yield grain and potato seeds came out, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He found an excuse to donate things to the old soldiers and rushed back from the suburbs of the county.

I had just returned and hadn't delivered the supplies to the old soldiers yet when I encountered Guan, Qin and Jiang looking for Old Jing and Old Xun.

He was always smart and knew something big was going to happen, so he didn't leave. Sure enough, after nightfall, the master and the master called them over and told them about the 'Kai family's private warehouse asking for food' incident.

"Zilin, you're wrong," said Old Man Xun. "You must be paid for your work. Working without pay is like committing servility. Your merits are your wages, so you must take them, and the lion's share."

"The promise of merit is to lure those families who will only take action if they see merit... The burden of food and fodder cannot be solved by just the twelve of you opening your private warehouses and donating grain. Hundreds and thousands of families must open their private warehouses and donate grain to raise enough food and fodder for the Wei Dynasty to resist the war."

Old Man Xun added, "I'm not forcing you to do it, but you need to make a quick decision. Otherwise, if the Xie family reports back to the capital and Jiangnan, it won't be easy for us to get food. They'll divert the food, or even burn it. They won't open their own warehouses to donate grain, even if they bring the court officials to see the empty warehouses."

"Grandmaster, what you said is too much. Our family has always taken it as our responsibility to serve the people. If we have grain, we will definitely donate it. How could we deliberately destroy the grain and not donate it as you said? You are prejudiced and making false accusations without evidence!" Shen Yinming of the Shen family in Jinling, Jiangnan, said angrily.

Qi Yucong of Dongjiang Prefecture in Jiangnan also said with a bad face, "Master's assumptions are too exaggerated. Beans and millet are as precious as pearls. Even aristocratic families cherish their food and would never dare to deliberately destroy it."

Qi Yucong continued, "Master, if the imperial decree requiring the noble families to open their private granaries to distribute grain comes down, and no family deliberately destroys the grain, please write a letter of apology to the people of the world."

"Classmate Qi, you can't do that." Ying Zilin stopped him.

But Qi Yu, a son of an aristocratic family, refused to give in. "Please agree, Grandmaster, otherwise the Qi family of Dongjiang Prefecture in Jiangnan will withdraw from this mission of raising food and fodder for the Northeast Province!"

"Hahaha, good boy, okay, if you have the arrogance, I promise you." Old Man Xun was very happy. He took out a pen and paper and wrote him a note on the spot: "Take this note. If no noble family deliberately destroys grain in the future, and I don't write a letter of apology, you can use this note to punish me."

Qi Yucong took it, looked at it carefully, and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Grandmaster. I will now clearly inform you and Grandmaster that I will persuade you to open your own private warehouse to collect food and fodder for the Northeast Province."

"Master Ying, please record my Qi family's name on the list of those who opened private warehouses to raise food and fodder for the country to fight the enemy."

"Brother Qi, have you made up your mind so quickly? Don't you want to think about it anymore?" asked Wu Lianshu from Linhe Prefecture, Jianghuai Prefecture.

Qi Yu smiled magnanimously: "This is a great thing that benefits the country, the people, the war, and the family. It can also make our family, and our names, recorded in history. Why not do it?"

Wu Lianshu, Shen Yinming, Lu Qingyu, Su Baitai, Dong Chengxin, Ning Jinghui and others were all excited when they heard the words "our names will be recorded in history".

There are many children from aristocratic families, and they have many brothers in their families. Those who are older than them have been officials for several years. What can they use to compete with their brothers?

The only chance to win is to achieve extraordinary feats!

Now, the opportunity to achieve extraordinary feats is before them. Although they may be punished by the family, they believe that the family also wants them to achieve this feat.

So they said, "Sir, Master, we are willing to contribute to the country!"

Elder Jing was very happy. He stood up and bowed solemnly to them. "Thank you all for your noble deeds. I will die with no regrets if I see my Great Wei having younger generations like you."

"Teacher, you are embarrassing us!" Ying Zilin, Qi Yucong, Zhou Rong and other twelve students present stood up and returned the greeting to Master Jing.

Seeing this, Old Man Xun felt that their attitude was just too pedantic. "Don't bother with the formalities. You're practically bending over. Hurry up, sign your names, and then write to your families. Or you can go to your family's private warehouse in Northeast Province and open it yourself first."

Ah this?

Master Jing was shocked: "...Master, instigation is not advisable."

Old Man Xun rolled his eyes at him and said, "You are just old."

He then looked at the students and said, "When your teacher was young, and when I was young, your great-grandmaster, we all did things without consulting each other. You are young, and young scholars are bound to be unconventional. If you don't do something extraordinary now, you won't have the chance to do it when you are older."

"Think about it. When you're old, there will be stories about you opening private warehouses in your youth and raising food and fodder for the war effort. How impressive! Just thinking about it will make your life worthwhile, right?!"

Sages and teachers, this is exactly what they meant!

Kang Rong was so excited that he immediately said, "Grandmaster, I will rush to the capital early tomorrow morning to open up my Kang family's private warehouse!"

Hehe, he is the first person to open a private warehouse to raise food and fodder for the war of resistance against Japan!

As for his father and his uncle who was the county magistrate?

It doesn’t matter. Once he opens his private warehouse, what can his father and uncle do?

Can you really kill him?

That was impossible, so in the end I could only help him do it.

The head of the Kang family who was far away in the capital: "..."

Thank you, you bastard!

Is that your Kang Rong family’s private warehouse?

That is the private warehouse of my entire Kang family. What qualifications do you have to open it!

"It just so happens that my father took me to see some private warehouses. I know quite a few of them, and they must all have been opened. Sir, master, and fellow students, just wait for the good news from me, Kang Rong." At this moment, Kang Rong felt like he was a living hero.

Master Jing, Master Xun, Ying Zilin, and the students: "..."

Ying Zilin was afraid that he would be beaten to death, so he advised: "Why don't you talk to your father first?"

Kang Rong waved his hand and said, "Although my father wants to achieve great things, he is too timid, ahem, too cautious, so he needs someone to push him when he encounters difficulties. I, his son, will be his back pusher, giving him a push and helping him achieve this great achievement."

This?

May God bless you.

Old Xun was also afraid that this calf would get himself killed, so he said, "Take some more trusted men with you, so that when you escape, there will be someone to protect you."

Otherwise you might really be beaten to death by your father!

Kang Rong thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll listen to my master...but we have to keep this a secret from Kang Lang first."