Later, when Li Xuyang rose to power, he proposed a controversial policy: any prison inmate willing to join the western expedition would be granted release. This policy seemed cruel, but it was actually a clever strategy; it eased the burden on the prisons while giving these inmates a chance to reform and contribute to the nation’s border security.
After Zhao Mingcheng returned from the western expedition, his performance was truly disappointing. He lacked physical strength, struggling even with basic labor. In character, he was both dull and stubborn, incapable of adaptability. Worse, he proved clumsy even with a pistol, and to everyone’s disbelief, he managed to injure himself with the recoil. He showed no aptitude for strategic planning either. After being captured and attacked once, his spirit collapsed entirely, leaving him lethargic and listless. The armed trade group stopped accepting him and sent him back to his hometown along with several others like him.
Li Xuyang found these people to be a massive headache. After much deliberation, he decided to put them through a comprehensive training program in hopes of changing their circumstances. He intended to place them as elementary school teachers once the training concluded. While most of them showed a shift in mindset after the training, Zhao Mingcheng and a few others remained stubborn, their old ideas too deeply rooted to be shaken.
Chapter 378