Chapter 143: Weeding Out the Scum

"Because only by experiencing this can you know panic, helplessness, and humiliation. Only then can you feel the pain of the soldiers on the front lines. Day after day, they guard the borders; day after day, they endure the very same pain, panic, and helplessness you just felt. Why? Because for a long time, they have lacked weapons sharper than the enemy's, shields stronger than theirs, and armor capable of blocking stray arrows. Their helmets cannot even withstand the enemy's wooden clubs! They have held the mountain passes with their own flesh and blood. And you? How many of you thought... shouldn't it be this way? But by what right?!"

As the Military Secretary reached this point, he slowly scanned the brave men and the candidates before continuing: "Hardship creates life; ease leads to death. If you had not endured today, you would have remained as complacent as before after earning your titles as master craftsmen! You would have gradually lost the spirit of a craftsman and forgotten your duties. As a craftsman, one should practice self-restraint and constant reflection—reflecting on how to forge better weapons for the imperial court and more efficient tools for farmers, rather than complaining without ever contributing."

*Hardship creates life; ease leads to death.* The spirit of a craftsman, the duty of a craftsman... Wang Ge clenched her fists, her heart surging with emotion! Yes, a craftsman must have spirit, and with spirit comes courage. The very word "craftsman" implies duty, and because of that duty, one learns to strive and constantly examine oneself.

"You throw a papaya to me, and I repay you with a jade pendant. Ever since you were certified as apprentice craftsmen and journeymen, you have enjoyed various benefits granted by the imperial court—reduced land taxes and labor service. Have you ever considered how much grain the court loses each year? How many local militiamen are filling the gaps left by your exempted labor? Once you are certified as journeymen, the official workshops cannot refuse to hire you and must pay you the money and grain you deserve based on the quantity produced! This benefit alone is enough to sustain a household! Yet, for how many years has this been the case? How many years since the Master Craftsman Edict was issued? And yet, the farming tools and the siege equipment for our soldiers have seen no improvement! If we do not make you feel the pain, the despair, and the longing for someone to rescue you, how will you ever know shame?!"

*You throw a papaya to me, and I repay you with a jade pendant.* Wang Ge pondered deeply. She did not think the official was inciting the crowd, for every word he spoke was justified. When one receives favors, one must naturally repay them; one must never take the benefits provided by the court for granted. Should the labor projects exempted for you simply be abandoned? No, because local militiamen have stepped in to take your place. Should the reduced land taxes lead to empty storehouses and hungry soldiers on the front lines? No, the court uses other resources to trade for grain with the wealthy!

Suddenly, a row of short figures appeared in her peripheral vision... Wait, why are the fellow students all here?

It turned out that because the younger students were positioned too far away to hear the Military Secretary clearly, Master Zuo had led them closer to the candidates' formation.

The Military Secretary continued: "And as for you, the brave men. Why did the court establish the Youth Guard Battalion? Is it for you to show off and compare family backgrounds? Or for you to seize every opportunity to bully the common people just to vent your anger? How can such people be worthy of being local militiamen? Keeping you here only insults the name of the militia! Instead of feeling secure when they see you, the people are terrified by your presence. You multiply your petty grievances and take them out on the people; you ruin not only the reputation of the militia but also the very intent behind the court establishing the Guard Battalion! Today, all the officials are ashamed to have you as their comrades!"

Well said! The stifled frustration in Wang Ge's chest finally burst out!

Behind the Military Secretary, a wounded candidate lying on a straw mat could no longer contain himself and began to sob.

"Left and Right Officers, take note! All twenty-nine people recorded earlier are to be expelled! Strip them of their title as brave men and revoke their status as militiamen! Anyone who dares to resist shall be flogged on the spot!" By the end, he sounded extremely "indignant" and pointed toward the location of those twenty-nine men (if only his finger weren't shaking so violently).

It was not that he had suddenly grown the courage to confront these aristocratic families; it was that Magistrate Huan was already dissatisfied. If he did not resort to thunderous measures, the position of Military Secretary would soon change hands again.

Sima Zhou, who was at the bottom of the rankings, trembled so hard his legs knocked together. From the person next to him, the patrolling officers began dragging the brave men away two by two... No, they were no longer brave men. His twenty-nine companions, who had been full of vigor that morning, would never be able to join the Guard Battalion.

Sima Zhou bit the bullet and shuffled sideways, moving past the twenty-nine empty spots until he reached the 70th-ranked candidate. This companion was shaking like a leaf, terrified; fortunately, oh fortunately, he had not bullied the craftsman candidates.

Many people noticed that as the Military Secretary delivered his resounding words and the scum were driven away, the spirit of the remaining men grew stronger rather than weaker.

Only by removing the dross can the excellence of those who remain be revealed!

The competition came to an end. The fifty spots for the Guard Battalion trainees required a tallying of all scores, which would not be ready for a while. Of course, Sima Chong and Sima Zhou, who couldn't even defeat a craftsman, no longer needed to worry about that.

Wang Ge bowed to Master Zuo and, having no time to catch up with her fellow students, followed the candidates back. Except for her status as a "first-tier prospective master craftsman," which was already settled, the other candidates, like the Guard Battalion trainees, had to wait for their scores to be tallied.

However, except for the examiners and the wounded who remained in the preparation area, the rest of the candidates were urged by the patrolling officers to pass through the prep area and enter the departure passage. The blacksmith candidates remained ahead of the carpenter candidates like Wang Ge.

Where were they being taken as a group?

Gradually hearing the noisy sounds of iron-smithing, Wang Ge inexplicably remembered the training ground where she had been swindled out of money and scolded.

The passage widened, and they walked out. Before the candidates appeared a large workshop that combined carpentry and blacksmithing, but this was only the first craft zone.

After being told this was an official workshop, the candidates were divided into groups. Wang Ge and the twenty other carpenter candidates were assigned to the seventh zone, the furthest one in, where there were only woodworkers.

"Make way," a filthy-faced young boy said as he struggled to drag a basket of wooden parts.

"I'll help," Wang Ge said, pulling it with him.

"Many thanks. I am Zheng Que from He-Fang Township. Master Craftsman Wang, why were you eliminated too?"

Wang Ge remembered him; she had seen this boy at the testing site. "I wasn't eliminated. The prospective master craftsman examination just concluded."

Zheng Que was torn between sorrow and joy—could he finally go home?

This basket of parts was what Zheng Que had just finished making. They dragged it to the parts zone, where the craft official inspected it and, finding it qualified, immediately exchanged it for copper coins.

Wang Ge hurried back. The craft official who had brought them over was just assigning tasks: "Each of you will have one workstation. Once chosen, you may not change your position. Produce items according to the provided molds—some molds are for complete items, others for parts. Retrieve necessary materials from the materials zone. After producing a batch, go to the finished goods or parts zone to have them inspected against the standards. Some molds have characters engraved on them; when you replicate these items or parts, you must also engrave your place of registration and name in the same spot. Production must be standardized. If problems arise due to negligence or laziness, you will be held strictly accountable! All craftsman ranks will be revoked! Once the exam results are out, you may leave."

"Yes!"

The place was vast, and there were many empty workstations. The molds at each station varied. As the candidates dispersed, Wang Ge chose the straw basket. Many of the molds in the straw-weaving shed were for straw baskets, and she had sensed that the official office might be in urgent need of them.

The craft official patrolled the workstations at regular intervals, informing them that they could use the latrine every four hours. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were delivered to the workstations by the state-owned servants. The workstation was also the resting area, where they could sleep for up to three hours each day.

Not long after, a craft official approached, holding a bamboo contract. "Can the candidate read?"

Wang Ge looked at the contents of the bamboo contract: This scene felt so familiar! And it was truly a coincidence—was this not the same craft official who had held the rattle and made her sign the contract at the third training ground back then?