Chapter 97: Change of Ownership

*Final edit with an added segment, please reread.*

What else could it be but madness to conscript even ten-year-old children into the army?

It seemed the emperor, beset by troubles within and without, had reached a desperate impasse, lashing out like a mad dog.

The previous year, when the conscription took place, the government officials attempted to draft one of the twin brothers into service. Only through Yu Lian's intervention with a bribe did they manage to escape that fate. However, none of the other teenagers in the village were so fortunate. Regardless of whether they were only children or not, once they reached a certain age, they were all forcibly enlisted, with no room for negotiation.

Even the scholarly and frail Young Master Hua Tianqu, who tutored the children, was forcefully taken away. Yu Lian had tried to bribe her way to save him, for she knew all too well that the young man possessed not an ounce of martial skill; with his constitution, sending him to the battlefield would only be a death sentence.

Yet, to their surprise, despite reaching the designated age, the young men were not released by the authorities even after paying the required silver!

Fortunately, later on, Zhu Ying recounted that he had managed to intercept the young man along the way but, fearing detection by the authorities, dared not send him back to the village. Instead, he provided him with silver and a bag of provisions, urging him to seek refuge elsewhere.

Zhu Ying confided this to Yu Lian, but in truth, he had noticed Hua Tianqu's sharp mind and exceptional scholarly abilities. Thus, he sent him to a merchant house with connections to their master, hoping to have him delivered to their master's side, where his talents might prove useful. Their master was undoubtedly in need of capable individuals at the moment.

Given that his faction was the largest and most populous among all the rebel forces, even the Emperor quaked at the thought of him, branding him as the paramount nemesis and the top priority for eradication!

The Emperor's main forces were concentrated on the Master's side, naturally bearing a heavier burden than the other miscellaneous troops. However, it was unclear whether the Emperor's men were incompetent or if the Master's power was too overwhelming. The more the Emperor sent, the stronger the Master grew, forcing wave after wave of surrender and delivering their lives.

But this time, the Emperor seemed to be in dire straits.

With the frontier defenses lost, the combined Jin-Liao army had captured scores of cities, threatening the Imperial Capital. The Emperor had no choice but to withdraw his troops and turn back to confront the Jin-Liao alliance.

That's why he resorted to desperate measures, conscripting every male child, regardless of age, as long as they could wield a weapon, sending them to the battlefield.

While the Emperor was preoccupied, ordinary rebel forces continued to harass from all sides. Faced with internal strife and external threats, the Emperor's desperate actions might not last much longer.

"It's feared that before we settle our internal disputes, the barbarians from beyond the borders will have seized the throne."

Everyone believed this, and those families with some influence had already started financing and sending troops to assist the Emperor in defending against the enemy. First, they aimed to drive away these barbarous outsiders!

To these prominent families, it didn't matter if their own people fought amongst themselves or if the throne changed hands. But they could not tolerate the kingdom falling into foreign hands. Thus, during the uprising, these powerful clans quickly distanced themselves, each looking out for their own interests.

Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, the largest rebel force, the Hua Character Army, did not seize the opportunity to march on the Imperial Capital. Instead, they suddenly redeployed their troops, pushing the Jin-Liao forces back by a hundred miles.

This action won the Hua Character Army the admiration of the common folk and many noble families. Everyone wondered about the origins of their leader, who clearly possessed extraordinary background, profound knowledge, and great responsibility. Otherwise, why would he not take advantage of the Emperor's distraction to plunder and expand, but instead prioritize defending against external foes?

After this battle, some ambitious families began to secretly approach the Hua Character Army. If they could aid the Hua Character Army in achieving great feats, they would become founding heroes in the future. Who wouldn't want that glory?

Of course, throughout history, countless rebellions had risen, but how many had succeeded? Only a few daring clans dared to join in, while the majority remained deaf and dumb, not willing to take risks. Once they ventured into the unknown, should the emperor suppress the rebellion, they would be labeled as traitors and dealt with accordingly.

Surprisingly, the leader of the Hua Character Army was proud and refused all offers of alliance. After defeating the Jin-Liao coalition, he turned his sights on the capital, capturing several cities along the way. It seemed only a matter of time before the imperial city fell. Panic gripped the inhabitants, and many officials resigned from their posts to flee the impending danger...

But these events had yet to reach Upper Village due to its remote location, lagging by at least one or two months in news updates. Yu Lian had learned that the combined Jin-Liao forces had breached the border and were advancing on the capital, threatening the emperor's stronghold. Desperate, the ruler even sent ten-year-old boys to fight and die on the battlefield.

Upon her return, government officials had already descended upon Upper Village.

The cries of children and pleas of adults echoed everywhere. With a furrowed brow, Yu Lian hurried into her family's yard.

With the largest family in the village, her father-in-law and Zhu Ying had gone out to purchase supplies for the winter. In their absence, villagers without male children and refugees from Kindness Village gathered at her home, protecting the two young boys.

Over the past three or four years, the two short boys who had arrived from the capital had grown significantly, towering taller each day. Yu Lian observed that within another year or two, they might surpass her in height. This was the advantage of martial arts; the boys had developed into young men, their faces flushed and eyes ablaze as they supported their elderly grandmother, ready to engage the soldiers with wooden swords in a desperate showdown.

They were not afraid of being conscripted or facing death; their fear stemmed from leaving their parents, aunt, grandmother, and sister without protection. Their aunt had always told them that they were the second pair of men in the family, besides their father, who was growing older and would eventually become frail. Only they could safeguard their loved ones.

Just then, their grandmother had knelt before the soldiers to beg them not to take away her young grandsons. The soldiers callously kicked the elderly woman, enraging the brothers to the point of charging at them. Fortunately, the villagers intervened and held them back.

How can commoners contend with officials?

When Yu Lian entered, the two boys were on the verge of tears. The older one, Hua Yan, supported his grandmother, while the younger, Hua Xing, rushed over and, disregarding everything, clung to her waist, burying his face in her embrace. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he repeatedly complained in a grievous tone, "Sister-in-law..."

Yu Lian gently stroked the boy's head. "Don't panic, don't be afraid."

Sniffling, he finally managed to speak clearly. Instead of complaining about himself or mentioning being conscripted, he only said, "They kicked Grandmother..."

His voice trembled with sorrow.

Yu Lian softly patted her younger brother's head.

Moving inside, the elderly lady, already weakened by age, struggled to regain her balance after being kicked by an adult man. She leaned on her grandson, panting heavily.

Approaching them, tears welled up in the old woman's cloudy eyes. "Lian'er..."

Yu Lian knelt down and personally massaged her grandmother's legs before standing up and addressing the soldiers. "My two younger brothers are both under ten years old, not yet of conscription age. I kindly request leniency."

The soldiers, taken by her beauty and extraordinary demeanor, showed a slight hint of politeness in their words, but they still firmly refused her plea.

In this age, enlisting soldiers is no easy task. Batch after batch of able-bodied men have perished on the battlefield or succumbed to starvation. Now, a stern decree has been issued: if conscription fails, those serving in the bureaucracy will be sent to fight in their stead.

Is there really a choice between dying oneself or letting others die?

Yu Lian was about to protest further, but the two towering soldiers had lost patience, roughly pushing her aside. Yu Lian stumbled backward, only to be caught by Hua Xing. Stepping forward, he shielded his sister-in-law behind him and glared fiercely at the soldiers. "Sister-in-law, there's no need for you to beg. I won't let you lower yourself before them. I'll go! I'll join the army!"

"I know martial arts, so don't worry that I'm throwing my life away..."

Feeling a twinge of sadness in her eyes, Yu Lian looked at the slender frame of the young man, who had recently grown taller, and patted his shoulder. "You're still too young to be playing heroes!"

She pulled out two hundred-tael banknotes, causing the soldiers' eyes to widen in awe. Yu Lian sneered. "One hundred taels for each person."

The soldiers' eyes gleamed, but recalling the difficulties of recruitment and the stringent orders from above, they still shook their heads.

Yu Lian raised the offer to four hundred taels, yet the soldiers still refused.

Her heart sank even further. It seemed this dynasty was truly on the brink of collapse. If not for the forceful order from the authorities, how could these money-hungry soldiers remain unmoved by such a sum of silver?

In the end, it was only after offering a hundred mu of fertile land that Yu Lian managed to save both her brothers.

Each person shall receive 100 acres of prime farmland.

The two brothers huddled around their grandmother and the elder lady, weeping uncontrollably. "Why is it so expensive? Waa, we're not worth that much land. Sister's land... waa, I'll go exchange it back..."

Yu Lian let out a long sigh. She had only four hundred acres of prime farmland in total, and losing half of it was indeed a severe blow. However, in her eyes, people were the most important. The two boys were mere adolescents, equivalent to elementary school age in her previous life. Even with some martial arts skills taught by Zhu Ying and their father, they were not ready for battle; sending them would be a death sentence. How could she bear to part with them?

Money could be earned again, and land could be regained, but once lives were lost, there was no bringing them back. She couldn't bear to let her grandmother, father-in-law, and mother-in-law endure the sorrow of burying their sons twice.

If they could survive this chaotic era, she was confident in rebuilding her land holdings and becoming an even greater landowner!

When Zhu Ying and Hua Zhan returned with their cart of supplies, they found the house in turmoil. The entire Upper Village was filled with cries and wails. Upon inquiry, they learned that the government was forcefully conscripting soldiers again, just a year after the last round. Many young men had disappeared without a trace, and now they were coming for more, even taking children as young as ten. It was utterly inhumane.

Hua Zhan's fists clenched audibly, while Zhu Ying drew his sword. "I'll go to the county office and kill that dog official."

Hua Zhan placed his hand on Zhu Ying's sword-wielding fist and shook his head solemnly. Though he could indeed slay the official, it wouldn't solve the root problem. Those soldiers were being sent to the provincial general's camp, not the county magistrate's residence. The county magistrate, however incompetent, was merely following orders. Killing him would be futile.

Only ending the chaos could provide a lasting solution.

Though they couldn't kill the county magistrate, they couldn't allow the innocent children of Upper Village to be sent to their deaths. Zhu Ying and Hua Zhan began devising a rescue plan. They decided to intercept the conscripted group on their way.

Just as Zhu Ying had previously rescued Hua Tianqu from being conscripted, they planned to settle these children outside until the danger had passed and then return them home.

To everyone's surprise, all the children were released that very afternoon.

No one knew the reason behind it. Zhu Ying went out to inquire, but couldn't find any answers in the county town. She then hurriedly rode to the capital city, only to discover that the throne had changed hands!

The imperial city had fallen, the emperor was deposed, and everything was over.

What use was there for child soldiers now?

Zhu Ying's eyes widened as she hastily sought more information. "What is the name of the new emperor? Who was it that breached the imperial city?"

"Who knows about the emperor? The new one hasn't even declared his era name or ascended the throne yet, so nobody knows his name. But I heard it was the largest rebel army, led by someone named... Hua... something, anyway, it starts with 'Hua'."

Zhu Ying: !!!!!!