The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 278 Everyone Has It
"This is Yan Zhongzheng. Some of you should recognize him. I got him from the Beijing Garrison."

Wang Xin introduced himself to everyone.

Everyone saw Yan Zhongzheng.

Zhang Can recognized him and greeted him. Yan Zhongzheng smiled back, then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the crowd, behaving very modestly.

Zhao Yong disregarded everything else and quickly voiced his concerns.

"Although the military register lists nine thousand militiamen, there are only five or six thousand in reality, leaving a shortage of three or four thousand. If we rely on local governments to fill the gap, it will probably take a year. Could we recruit from the local area?"

Recruiting from the local area meant that the Liao people would guard the Liao territory.

I do want to.

Wang Xin shook his head: "Our Datong Western Army was separated from Datong Town, which has affected the interests of others to some extent. If we want Zhang Wenjin to give in, he won't help take responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yong was at a loss.

Local authorities are complacent.

Many things are delayed.

Now that the weather is freezing cold, the number of disaster victims has not decreased, but rather increased.

It's not that there aren't people, but rather that there are no compliant regulations. If they can recruit disaster victims, the higher-ups will turn a blind eye. This is the only feasible method they came up with.

Everyone was talking at once.

None of them had a good solution, so they finally looked to the general.

This was Yan Zhongzheng's first time attending, and it was also the first legitimate high-level meeting of the Datong Western Army.

Feeling the atmosphere, everyone was offering advice and suggestions to the Datong Western Army, treating it as their own business. Yan Zhongzheng rarely saw such an atmosphere and was deeply moved.

No wonder General Wang is such a formidable warrior; with such unity between his subordinates and his men, he is naturally exceptionally powerful.

However, General Wang issued a military order.

A promise to quell the rebellion within three years.

Recruiting militia would waste a year, and then there would be training after they were recruited. I'm afraid three years wouldn't be enough time.

Yan Zhongzheng showed hesitation.

General Wang has not yet announced the military order, and now that we are facing such a difficult problem, it is even more difficult to say it, otherwise it may affect the morale of the troops.

You must keep your mouth shut.

If this gets out, General Wang will probably mistakenly think that he has told the truth.

Yan Zhongzheng looked very serious.

Upon hearing about his subordinates' difficulties, Wang Xin thought for a moment and came up with a solution, a trick that would become commonplace in later generations.

“They secretly recruited from among the disaster victims to replace those originally on the military roster.”

The military register lists nine thousand soldiers.

They were dispersed to five cities and two passes.

After most of them had fled, it wasn't until the beginning of the year that Wang Xin urged various regions to replenish their ranks, and only then were one or two thousand men recovered.

The person may have run away, but their name remains.

That is, to replace.

The more they thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

"A general is still a general; we are no match for him," Zhao Yong said with a smile, his face no longer showing any embarrassment.

Yan Zhongzheng is also incredible.

Substitution has happened before, but who would have thought of using it to replace militia members?

The general is indeed quite clever.

“We should recruit people under the name of Juzhongchang, and it would be best to let Master Xue handle it. We shouldn’t get involved,” Zhao Yong then said.

"Put people together alone, don't let them mix with others."

Everyone started discussing it.

Wang Xin listened and concluded that there were basically no problems.

This is determined by the environment.

Now, with the increase in the number of troops, morale has fallen below the level of loyalty. During the period of troop expansion, it even dropped below the level of loyalty and took a long time to rise back up.

Once the army reaches 10,000 men, based on past experience, morale will inevitably drop below loyalty.

However, as he was promoted...

The position of adjutant general allows one to observe the status of nine subordinates.

You can view nine per month, once per year, and bind up to 108 accounts. You can also view 54 accounts every six months.

To be on the safe side

I check every three months, and there are still twenty-seven.

While it's impossible to guarantee the rights of all officers, it's possible to constantly monitor senior generals and officers who are important to you.

However, this is not very efficient.

It's enough to check it once a year. Although a year is enough for many unexpected things to happen, one should have confidence in oneself. If one completely relies on the system, then one's ability to be a good person is too poor.

So each year, half was allocated to the officers and half to their personal guards.

He led two hundred personal guards.

Every year, a batch of officers are selected, and fifty-four positions are sufficient. Those who are truly sincere are assigned to the army, while those who are hypocritical and despicable are secretly eliminated on their own.

This approach will yield the best results.

It wasn't entirely about ensuring the soldiers' loyalty.

The military is different from others.

Unity is the most important thing, so I don't want any villains mixed in. Everyone's unity is also the key reason why I have won every battle so far, even when I am outnumbered.

Now that the number of soldiers has increased, he can no longer guarantee the loyalty of every soldier, and he can't even keep an eye on many officers.

However, we must still do our best to ensure that officers are of one mind.

It's all for the sake of winning the battle.

Wang Xin entrusted Zhao Yong with handling matters concerning the militia and asking Xue Yan to intervene.

Zhang Can, Ma Fan, Liu Ying, and others trained cavalry.

Tang Ping trains artillerymen.

Liu Tong, Zhao Sheng, and others were in the same situation, each performing their own duties.

Wang Xin left Yan Zhongzheng behind.

"Most of my two hundred personal guards are orphans from the military, and the rest are selected from the army. In recent years, they have diligently practiced martial arts and drilled regularly. They have also not neglected riding and archery. Each of them is considered an elite soldier."

Wang Xin explained.

Yan Zhongzheng was greatly surprised after hearing Wang Xin's words.

This was the first time Yan Zhongzheng had learned that Chen Zhixing, the chief instructor of the Imperial Guards, had already fallen into Wang Xin's hands.

"When I was in the Beijing garrison, I accompanied the general to the Hexi garrison several times. Why didn't I see Instructor Chen then?" Yan Zhongzheng asked curiously.

“He stayed in Hexi Camp for two or three years. He missed his hometown, so I gave him a six-month leave.”

Wang Xin explained.

Chen Zhixing is getting old; we can't let him have any regrets.

He can go back to his hometown if he wants, or stay in Hexi Camp if he wants.

At his age, whatever his choice, that's where he'll end up.

Chen Zhixing has devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching all his skills over the past two years, and Wang Xin is very grateful to him. Therefore, no matter what, there will always be a place for him in the Hexi Camp.

Horsemanship, archery, martial arts, artillery, etc.

The guards can all learn from this.

However, they lacked the knowledge to become officers.

Zhao Yong was a soldier in the Southern Army.

Zhang Can was a cavalryman in the border army.

Apart from these two former military officers, most of the others were trained by the officers themselves.

Compared to Yan Zhongzheng's comprehensiveness, Zhao Yong and Zhang Can seem rather one-dimensional.

Wang Xin no longer concealed anything and asked directly, "I want you to become a military instructor in the personal guard battalion, responsible for training them to become officers."

There was a pause.

Wang Xin then said, "If you are unwilling and still want to lead troops, I will support you."

Everyone has different ideas.

Try to respect other people's needs instead of imposing your own ideas on them.

Yan Zhongzheng hesitated.

"Not urgent."

Seeing that Yan Zhongzheng remained silent for a long time, Wang Xin smiled and said, "I'll give you a few days. You can wander around and think it over before you tell me."

Yan Zhongzheng hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

General Wang clearly wanted him to be an instructor.

Firstly, he was unwilling to hand over his skills to others for nothing. Secondly, although the Imperial Guard was close to General Wang, it was difficult for him to make merits. Since he had followed General Wang to the border, he naturally wanted to make more contributions and strive for a better future for his descendants.

However, even though General Wang has a good temper, he cannot be careless if he refuses.

If General Wang is dissatisfied with me, I might die at the border one day, and my body might never be found.

"Do not worry."

Wang Xin knew what Yan Zhongzheng was worried about.

These days, there's no such thing as never giving up; backstabbing is the norm.

“You are someone I brought here, so you should trust my character. There’s no point in overthinking it. You might as well go out and see for yourself.” Yan Zhongzheng no longer hesitated.

"Here."

He bowed and accepted the order.

After Yan Zhongzheng left, Wang Xin glanced at the panel.

"I'd be happy to support you."

Yan Zhongzheng's attitude was not bad.

In the past, when I was of low status and the people I led were of even lower status, their attitudes were easily elevated.

Now that I have a high status and the people I'm trying to win over also have high status, it's not easy for their attitudes to change.

I can't possibly train every soldier one by one from the bottom up.

The Royal Guard battalion is enough.

I don't have the energy to train them one by one from scratch; even if I worked myself to death, I wouldn't be able to train many generals.

Moreover, as a general's rank rises and he experiences more, things become more complicated, no longer simply a matter of emotion, and interests inevitably become a factor.

You can't expect your subordinates to be so loyal to you that they'd abandon their wives and children, can you?
I didn't want it to be like this either.

It’s too late.

Subordinates are loyal to you because of feelings and trust.

This is what true comrades-in-arms are like.

"If you want to eat, come with us."

A steward arrived at the dilapidated temple with two assistants.

During the coldest time, every day at dawn, there would be disaster victims freezing to death on the streets of the city. The laborers would carry the frozen corpses out of the streets and bury them in mass graves.

I don’t know when it started.

The business has quietly started recruiting again.

A few months ago, the trading company recruited a group of disaster victims from various places, saying they would go to the area outside the Great Wall to graze livestock.

Is that a place people go?
The Hu people were ruthless, killing anyone they saw. Many were captured and enslaved, reduced to inhuman beings, their lives ruined.

No one would be willing to go if there were any other way to make a living.

At that time, many disaster victims were desperate and the local government could not provide food relief. They could only take it one step at a time. Many disaster victims were attracted there and, as expected, never returned.

Some say they're living a good life over there.

They also said that they had been killed by the Hu people long ago, and their whole family had died a terrible death.

Some even say they owe debts that would take generations to repay.

There are various versions of the story.

Many people believed the latter explanation: how could there be a good outcome in such a treacherous place as the area beyond the Great Wall?

Unexpectedly, after the autumn harvest in the second half of the year, the disaster situation was not alleviated. Instead, many places suffered no harvest, and the number of disaster victims was even greater than during the lean season in April and May. Various places began to expel disaster victims.

It's too cold.

A dilapidated temple was the best place to stay.

"real or fake?"

What benefit would I gain from lying to you?

The manager, familiar with the process, spoke fluently.

Many of the disaster victims who gathered in the temple for warmth did not refute the argument.

Some people followed along on their own initiative.

Some people stayed where they were.

Although begging is difficult, it can at least fill my stomach for now. Who knows what the outcome will be if I go there? These days, people are being harmed everywhere, and you could lose your life if you're not careful.

Are you willing to fight?

Upon arriving at a certain place, they brought over a dozen or so disaster victims.

"Huh? Aren't you working for the caravan?" The disaster victims were shocked, their faces turning pale with fright.

"Oh my God!"

"He was tricked again and forced into becoming a conscript."

Some disaster victims wept bitterly.

It's better to starve to death in a dilapidated temple than to be tricked into becoming a conscript.

Being a conscript also means death.

Even before they die, they still have to work hard and risk their lives.

It's better to stay in the dilapidated temple.

The border is too cruel to the militia. Everyone knows that going to the border to be a soldier is a life-or-death situation, and it is much more comfortable to be a beggar.

"Let's eat first."

"Let's make a decision after we've had a meal."

The person in charge remained completely calm.

The disaster victims were stunned.

"Have a meal?"

"There will still be food to eat."

"It's another scam, isn't it?"

The manager pointed to the shed at the foot of the hill in the distance, "There, do you see it?"

If a soup kitchen were set up in the city, it would attract countless disaster victims in less than a day, which would not only affect the recruitment of soldiers, but also cause trouble. Therefore, a place that was neither too close nor too far outside the city was chosen.

First, bring the initially selected disaster victims out of the city.

If you'd like, that would be great.

If you don't want to, it's not considered deception. After the meal, you go back to where you came from, and no one loses out.

Everyone swallowed hard.

Half-believing, half-doubting, the two waiters followed the manager over, too lazy to utter a sound, seeing no need to waste their energy.

Upon closer inspection, I indeed saw that they were cooking porridge.

The disaster victims were overjoyed.

Today's meal is settled.

"Everyone gets one, don't fight over it."

Shortly after.

The manager smiled.

After the disaster victims finished eating, the person in charge asked them again if they were willing to join the army.

this time.

Many disaster victims no longer resisted, but instead inquired earnestly.

The steward did not reveal the specific details, only saying that they were going to fight outside the Great Wall, and that they would be provided with food and a military salary of eight qian of silver per month.

I had a hearty meal.

Having established initial trust, most of the disaster victims had no choice, and many were willing to risk their lives.

They provide food and drink, and there's an extra eight qian of silver every month.

Enough to feed the wives and children.

But fear still can't be suppressed. Some people are afraid, yet want to go; others want to go, yet worry about being scammed.

One or two months later.

More and more news spread that the merchant guild was recruiting people to fight.

Daizhou.

Judge Zeng Quan rushed to the county government office and, upon seeing Prefect Wu Hong, asked anxiously, "Sir, have you heard the news outside?"

"what news?"

Wu Hong asked curiously.

Zeng Quan told Wu Hong everything he knew.

After hearing this, Wu Hong's expression also became tense.

The current situation is already delicate.

Someone is actually recruiting disaster victims in private; this is outrageous!

Wu Hong dared not delay and immediately sent his constables to investigate.

The squad leaders investigated for several days, and the information they received was varied. However, those who recruited people had not appeared for a long time, and no one knew their origins. Some people said it was Juzhongchang, but there was no evidence.

"Gathering the masses brings prosperity?"

Wu Hong repeated it; it sounded somewhat familiar.

"It's from over there."

Zeng Quan pointed to the north.

Wu Hong suddenly realized.

Juzhongchang is a trading company that opened last year. Although it is a newly opened trading company, it has a lot of influence.

Behind them are the wealthy families of Datong. Would the wealthy families rebel? Impossible. Who knows what kind of underhanded tricks they're up to? Wu Hong didn't want to cause trouble, so he told Zeng Quan to stop investigating.

Zeng Quan didn't dare to investigate.

Offending powerful figures for the sake of public affairs is something only a madman would do.

(End of this chapter)