The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Zhang Yinghao adhered to an assembly line-like work process here. Building a few thatched huts is a simple task, isn't it? Especially when a group of young men work together, they finish the work in a cheerful atmosphere, and the huts are built in no time.

After such a long time in the mountains, everyone was very happy and felt at ease back home. However, Zhang Yinghao still found that the warm moments he and his mother shared were not without envy and bitterness on the faces of Zhang Feng and the others.

Everyone was tired after a long day, and Zhang Yinghao didn't plan to take any immediate action. He let everyone go to bed early at night.

But Zhang Yinghao couldn't sleep. He was already feeling the pressure. The world is bustling with people, all driven by profit. If he didn't give these people a future now, Zhang Yinghao believed they would eventually disband. They might not realize it now, but food, clothing, and shelter were huge problems. Without capital, nothing could be accomplished. And Zhang Yinghao knew that without his own territory, he still couldn't accomplish anything.

Zhang Yinghao knew that he did not have the ability to make some products and sell them for money, so he could only rely on the abilities of others. If he wanted to recruit such people, he had to have his own golden phoenix, otherwise the golden phoenix would not settle down, and even if it settled temporarily, it would fly away.

Thinking of these problems, Zhang Yinghao became even more worried about how he should start, and he couldn't fall asleep until the middle of the night.

Suddenly, Zhang Yinghao heard a sound outside. It was someone stepping on a dead branch, and after a few sounds, it died down. Since the newly built house had no doors, the sound was particularly clear, and Zhang Yinghao immediately became alert.

His mother coming out of the room must have made the sound of the door opening, but Zhang Yinghao hadn't heard any sound from beginning to end. So Zhang Yinghao immediately concluded that someone might be watching his house or eavesdropping on him.

what's the situation?

Bandits entering the village?

Is there a thief?

Could it be that my return made someone suspicious?

Zhang Yinghao's mind raced, but he couldn't make sense of it. There was no point in overthinking it; all he needed to do was catch the person. Zhang Yinghao gently woke the people on either side. They were Li Erzhu and Li Tong, who had also been in special training for so long and were very alert. Zhang Yinghao patted them twice, and they woke up immediately. They immediately woke the people next to them.

Zhang Yinghao quietly explained the situation and concluded with "Silently capture him alive." Then, crouching low and tiptoeing, he ran out in a tactical pace, with the others following closely behind him.

Zhang Yinghao walked around to where the noise had just come from and saw a man huddled in a corner, listening intently. Zhang Yinghao and his men continued to approach quickly, and before the man could react, he had already been tackled to the ground and had covered his mouth. Everyone rushed forward and carried the eavesdropper away. They soon brought the eavesdropper to a location not far from where the gun was hidden.

"Second beggar, what are you listening to in the corner of my house? I'm not getting married today."

Zhang Yinghao knew this man as a close confidant of the village landlord's eldest son. After Zhang Yinghao saw him clearly, he had a rough idea of ​​what he meant. The landlord might suspect Zhang Yinghao of colluding with bandits, but it wasn't really suspicion; curiosity had driven them to eavesdrop. Furthermore, it was a year of disaster, and anyone who posed a threat to the landlords was a target of their wariness. Naturally, a large group of young people was a natural target of their attention.

For Zhang Yinghao, this was like a dream come true. Fighting the local tyrants and dividing their land was necessary, politically correct. Since a local tyrant was offering himself, he naturally didn't hesitate to eat his flesh. Although the conflict hadn't yet reached a life-or-death stage, Zhang Yinghao intended to hasten the fruit's ripening.

Now that he had figured out the whole story, Zhang Yinghao said calmly, "Young Master, just come and ask what you're worried about. It's a bad year now, and I came back to see my mother because I'm worried about her. I'm going out to study and brought some friends back to play for a few days. We'll be leaving in a few days."

Then Zhang Yinghao pointed at Zhang Feng and said, "Look, this is the young master from Chongqing, my new good brother. The others are his personal soldiers, protecting him. If you eavesdrop, they will kill you and you won't have any recourse. We're just here to have fun for two days. Go back and tell your eldest young master that we're leaving in two days."

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao let Erlaizi go back.

Originally, Zhang Yinghao wanted to force the two to explain the situation at the landlord Zhang's house and then decide whether to kill or release them. However, he realized that there was no consensus on his side, and if the two beggars didn't go back to reply, the landlord Zhang's family might become wary, which would be even worse. So Zhang Yinghao explained and released them to avoid alerting the enemy.

When the lackey walked away, Zhang Yinghao and his men secretly took out their guns and returned home under the cover of night. As soon as they returned to their residence, Wang Daniu immediately lost his temper and said anxiously: "Brother Hao, the landlords in your village are also so arrogant..."

Then he opened his mouth but stopped talking. Perhaps it was because Wang Daniu didn't know the relationship between Zhang Yinghao and Zhang Dadizhu's family, and he was afraid that saying something wrong would ruin the relationship between his brothers.

When Zhang Yinghao heard Wang Daniu say this, he suddenly realized that these men had been bullied before because they were powerless and dared not complain. Now they had guns and had killed people before, so they were no longer lambs to be slaughtered. Their ambitions were slowly growing, but they might not even realize it yet. Therefore, if Zhang Yinghao could not meet the psychological needs of these brothers, the team would fall apart. If these details were not handled well, a gap would appear between them.

Zhang Yinghao immediately understood these people's needs. They were all born into the lower classes, and to rise up and take charge, they had to cut off their past. So, Zhang Yinghao immediately said, "Daniu, you're right. This landlord family is not a good landlord. My family has quite a bit of land that's now his. We've been together for so long, don't you know me? I'm irreconcilable with the landlord class. And don't worry, I've remembered all your family grudges. When the time comes, we'll seek revenge together..."

Zhang Feng excitedly took over and said, "Brother Hao, what do you say we should do? I'll do whatever you say."

Zhang Yinghao walked out the door and looked around. After confirming that no one was around, he came back and whispered, "Brothers, come over here. I want to tell you something..."

Zhang Yinghao hadn't anticipated this development, but he had also considered the situation he would face, so he immediately adjusted his mindset and began to describe the situation he faced. First, how to raise money, second, how to get food, third, how to get weapons, and fourth, how to recruit more people.

Then Zhang Yinghao said, "This is the situation now. We have been together for such a long time, and everyone knows what kind of person I am. Although I deceived you all to go up the mountain, I never regret doing so. I will not lead you to become bandits, nor will I lead you to gather together like the heroes of Liangshan. That will not benefit anyone..."

Zhang Yinghao was speaking very seriously, and everyone gathered around him and listened attentively.

Zhang Yinghao continued, "We heard about this when we passed through Xi'an on our way to Dunhuang. The foreigners have already attacked and occupied the emperor's residence. On our way to Dunhuang and back, we all saw people starving everywhere. I also told you some history during training. These people have no choice but to rob food. Even if it rains right away, it's impossible for food to grow in the fields immediately.

This means that someone is about to rebel against the imperial court. You may have heard that we often hear news of riots and rebellions in Sichuan. Brothers, if someone comes to rob us, can we agree? We now have some skills and guns, we will not starve anymore. If anyone wants to attack me, I will talk to him with a gun. Brothers, what about you?"

Everyone agreed. After all, they had all been through battle and understood something. Zhang Yinghao's eyes sparkled as he spoke. Later in life, Zhang Feng recalled that the Chairman's eyes shone brightly during his speech. And after Zhang Yinghao's speech, the seeds of ambition had already been sown in everyone's hearts.

Zhang Yinghao had never said these words during his training in the mountains, because he knew that the revolution needed to be kept secret, and the more secret the better. He couldn't talk about the revolution now, because it was useless, and the more he talked about it, the more confused these people would become.

Chapter 8: Rebel revolutionaries must distinguish

3681 words

When someone obeys you, don't think there's anything special about it, but rather that you have something they need. — Quotes from Zhang Yinghao

Guiguzi said, "Speaking is about persuading others, and persuading others is about providing support." This means that speaking is about persuading others, and the way to persuade others is to make your words helpful and consistent with their values. If you can't get to the point or if your words are nonsense, it's better not to say anything. And what is the purpose of speaking? To get others to take action.

"Zhang Yinghao, are you planning a rebellion?"

Suddenly, a very discordant voice came out of Taoist Wang's mouth. Zhang Yinghao's face changed and his face suddenly became ugly. He didn't expect that Taoist Wang could pierce the window paper so easily. Zhang Yinghao was even more annoyed at how careless he was. There was actually someone in the room who was not his own.

At this point, Zhang Yinghao couldn't deny it outright. With a roll of his eyes, he said, "King Wen was in Feng. He summoned Tai Gong and said, 'Alas, the King of Shang is extremely cruel, killing innocent people. You still help me. How are you concerned about the people?'"

Zhang Yinghao knew that Taoist Wang could read and write, but he didn't know whether Taoist Wang had read the chapter "Six Strategies. Inspiration". However, Zhang Yinghao recited it directly to see Taoist Wang's reaction.

Sure enough, Taoist Wang's face turned dark and he stopped talking immediately.

Zhang Feng saw that Taoist Wang was silent. He didn't know what Zhang Yinghao meant, so he asked directly, "Brother Hao, what do you mean?"

"Have you ever heard of the name Jiang Ziya?"

"I heard."

"No."

......

Jiang Ziya was a prime minister during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. When the Shang dynasty was about to fall, the Zhou dynasty had not yet risen. The Zhou emperor asked Jiang Ziya, "King Zhou of Shang is extremely tyrannical, slaughtering innocent people at will. Please assist him." Jiang Ziya replied, "A monarch should cultivate virtue, respect the virtuous and humble, and show kindness to the people in order to observe the good and bad fortune of Heaven. When there are no signs of disaster from Heaven, one should not advocate a war. When there are no human disasters, one should not plan a war. One must see both natural and man-made disasters before planning a war."

"In the Shang Dynasty, rumors are rampant, and society is in turmoil, yet King Zhou remains unbridled and debauched. This is a sign of the nation's downfall. I observe their fields: weeds overwhelm the crops; I observe their ministers: treacherous ones outnumber the loyal; I observe their officials: they are tyrannical and cruel, breaking the law and disciplining the government. Despite this, the court remains stubbornly stubborn. It is time for destruction."

At this point, Zhang Yinghao changed the subject and said, "We all come from poor backgrounds, and our families have been destroyed by landlords, bandits and bullies. But when you come to my house, you see people outside who can't even eat. What would they do if they couldn't survive? You all know it without me saying it."

Zhang Yinghao gave everyone time to recall the past.

Zhang Yinghao added, "There will only be more and more people like you who are starving and unable to wear warm clothes. There will be no place to eat or live. We've all been hungry before and know what it's like to die of starvation. So, to protect ourselves and survive in the future, I want to make sure you all get married. We need more people to unite and fight together. Do you agree?"

"agree!"

"Brother Hao, I agree too."

......

After Zhang Feng and everyone else expressed their agreement.

Zhang Yinghao then continued, "I've already said that the most important thing for us now is to get food. Otherwise, we won't have anything to eat, and the people we find will starve to death. Then they naturally won't follow us. We also need money. Others have families to support. We can't just recruit bachelors, and we can't do it without paying them."

Seeing them all nod, Zhang Yinghao finally said what he had been holding back in his heart. He took a long breath and finally said, "Rebellion, what rebellion? Brothers, the chaotic world is really coming, and none of us can escape it, so we must have our own army. Just like the last time we encountered bandits, if we hadn't attacked them by surprise, but they attacked us by surprise, we might not be alive here, but lying in the ravine like that bandit. So we must have the power to protect ourselves. We now have more than ten guns, but the bullets are the hundreds of rounds of bullets we seized, so getting bullets next is one of our most important tasks."

Seeing the bitter smiles on the faces of several people, Zhang Yinghao also knew that it was difficult for them. After all, these people used to be honest and good people. They had no connections, no connections, and no experience. They had never seen or even heard of or thought about these things.

Zhang Yinghao immediately realized that it was pointless to talk too much, so he said, "There are 23 of us now. Let's organize it according to the military method. Let's start with a smaller platoon. The platoon leader will manage the squad leaders under him. The squad leaders will manage the soldiers under them."

Zhang Yinghao then went to the kitchen and brought back a dozen or so black charcoal heads. He handed each of them a piece of straw paper and said, "From now on, we'll all be eating from the same pot. We're all good brothers, so there's no distinction between superiors and inferiors. The platoon leaders and squad leaders will have to take responsibility within our ranks. For example, if bandits come, the platoon leaders and squad leaders will be the first to rush in. Everyone, write down your names as platoon leaders and squad leaders. Does anyone here not want to be a platoon leader or squad leader?"

At this time, Wang Daniu said: "Brother Hao, no need to choose, we will choose you as the platoon leader!"

Zhang Yinghao immediately said, "Daniel, from now on, our managers will be elected from below. What if we have more people and we haven't even heard of many of them, but they're one of us? What if they suddenly take over and become our leader? What if some people get upset? For example, if someone says they don't want to build this thatched house before it's even started, and then they start arguing about it, we'd have to sleep outside now. So, don't say such things in the future."

"What if some people are still dissatisfied after the vote?" Bao Shilin interrupted!

Zhang Yinghao immediately said in a low voice: "This is the discipline issue I will talk about next. That is, before we do anything, we let those who support and oppose fully express their opinions. That is, everyone should have the right to speak. Then vote. Now everyone is familiar with it, so there is no need to express opinions. But after the vote, we must act according to the voting results and correct any problems. Instead of making strange remarks when problems arise, saying things like I told you this wouldn't work.

We had all just come down from the mountains. Initially, we tried the food ourselves, but we decided that wasn't working. So, we decided to use small animals for our food tastings, which resulted in quite a few animals being killed. Also, when we first arrived in the mountains, we barely trained at all. We were just looking for food. Once we had food, our training wasn't very intense. Later, we discussed splitting up the training sessions to focus on different areas. After we got used to it, we realized it wasn't very targeted, so we split into groups for more targeted training. Then, once we got guns, we modified the training to suit their specific characteristics.

Judging from the final training, our previous training was almost useless. So once we make a decision, we should stick with it. It's better than arguing with everyone. If we make mistakes or encounter problems along the way, we can adjust. As long as we recognize our mistakes and make adjustments, we will always succeed. Isn't that what happened when we went to Dunhuang? We took so many wrong turns, but in the end, we still made it to Dunhuang by constantly correcting them.

When talking about the trip to Dunhuang, everyone sighed, thinking of the hardships on the way and the many wrong turns they had taken. In their hearts, they suddenly understood what Zhang Yinghao had just said.

Zhang Yinghao would report the positions and tasks required, and everyone would write down the names of those they thought were suitable. Zhang Feng and his group only had a Qing Dynasty-era concept of the military, not even a specific concept. They would just write down whatever Zhang Yinghao said and do as they were told.

After a vote, Zhang Yinghao was undoubtedly appointed platoon leader, chief instructor, and instructor. Zhang Feng became deputy platoon leader, Ouyang Jun became deputy chief instructor, Zhang Jianping, Luo Zelin, and Li Tong became squad leaders. Bao Shilin, at Zhang Yinghao's suggestion, became logistics manager. Hu Songhui was nominated as medical team leader. Yuan Kesheng, Ouyang Jun, and Liu Xinsheng became deputy squad leaders. Wang Daniu became the guard team leader.

Zhang Yinghao saw that everyone was an official, which was going to cause big problems, so he immediately appointed Zhang Weiqiang, Li Erzhu, and Zhang Kai as instructors, and the eight people who came in later were students.

Although the eight people who came in later, they were also people who had truly experienced life and death, and they were very smart. They were also precious talents for Zhang Yinghao, who was currently short of manpower. Moreover, they were not locals, so Zhang Yinghao could use them more easily. He did not need to be tied down by the relationship of fellow townsmen like the locals.

Foreign monks' ability to chant doesn't mean they're superior to the locals, but rather that they must wage an uncompromising struggle. In the ancient world, when productivity was low, survival in a new place was impossible without struggle. Only by daring to struggle could one gain a foothold among the vast crowd of locals. Locals, burdened by concerns and bound by ties of fellow townspeople, were hesitant to confront the struggle head-on, compromising at crucial moments or feeling embarrassed to put up a fight.

Wisdom comes from being outside the situation, and intelligence comes from being outside the situation. People who are in the situation cannot see the true nature of things, but outsiders who have no vested interests in the situation can see the vested interests at a glance.

As the story goes: A hunter had a hound and always blamed it for not catching prey. The hound was certainly aggrieved, for he had indeed done his best. He was just trying to make ends meet, while the rabbit was a matter of life and death.

Different attitudes towards problems will definitely lead to different outcomes. Just like the book says: A wolf's teaching is that if you can't catch up with the slowest sheep in the flock, you will starve to death. A mother sheep's teaching is that if you can't outrun the fastest wolf, you will be eaten. Another saying is that if you can't outrun the slowest sheep, you will be eaten.

Regardless of the idea, it all points to a fundamental principle: there's a minimum standard. A wolf's minimum standard is to outrun the slowest sheep, or face a life-or-death crisis. The same goes for other small animals. So what did Zhang Yinghao think of as his own minimum standard? Leading everyone to survive, of course.

In these chaotic times, which are about to enter even greater ones, countless heroes and brave men have been buried in mass graves. Thinking of this, Zhang Yinghao felt a heavy heart. He saw these vibrant lives before him, perhaps lost to the world after a single battle. And yet, seeing their excited faces now, Zhang Yinghao knew that someone had to sacrifice, someone had to fight. If he could develop now, China would surely suffer fewer decades of hardship in the future.

The road ahead is inevitably paved with corpses, and the road back is an endless sea of ​​blood. The only way forward is to step on the corpses. Of course, Zhang Yinghao does not think of himself as a savior at all. Shouting "I die and the country lives" is simply to regard himself as a savior, which is too high a view of himself.

Zhang Yinghao knew that even if he died suddenly, China would at most suffer more, but would never be completely destroyed. Unless the West completely condoned the Japanese genocide against China decades later, or the West completely lost its mind and carried out a genocide against China, or the West and the Japanese joined forces to carry out a genocide, the situation would only be the same as the Japanese invasion of China.

Of course, if there are other time travelers, anything can happen and we will not discuss it here.

Chapter 9: Recruiting soldiers and managing logistics

3703 words

When unexpected events occur, the executor needs to be resolute. — Quotes from Zhang Yinghao

Lu Xun wrote in his essays: "Since ancient times, we have had those who work diligently, those who work tirelessly, those who plead for the people, those who sacrifice their lives for the truth... They are the backbone of China." And now, leading these people, if he doesn't do well enough, Zhang Yinghao feels that it's not an external problem, but a problem of his own thinking. It's a flawed ideology that prevents Zhang Yinghao from realizing his progressive nature, or perhaps it's Zhang Yinghao's own selfishness that's at work. Let history prove it all!

Finally, Zhang Yinghao said earnestly and meaningfully, "Now that we're all officials, we're planning to start hiring people, but we don't have any territory right now, so everyone, think about what to do next. It's almost dawn, so let's hurry up and get some sleep."

He stopped talking and went to his sleeping spot and fell asleep. The others were very uncomfortable with this sudden situation. They were all so passionate, how could it suddenly come to an end? They looked at each other in confusion. Finally, Zhang Feng said, "Everyone, think about it and go to sleep!"

Zhang Yinghao was shouting in his heart: It’s finally started.

This meeting is known in history as the Starting Point Meeting. It was a group of fighters that Zhang Yinghao, relying on his own prestige, simply rallied. Countless subsequent studies of Zhang Yinghao acknowledge this meeting as a significant beginning. This meeting marked the beginning of Zhang Yinghao's legendary life, but for him, it was simply a repetition of history.

Although Zhang Yinghao told Zhang Feng and the others to go to sleep, it was actually to let everyone know that the passion had cooled down, and also to give Zhang Yinghao more time to think. Zhang Yinghao just closed his eyes and thought about some things that had to be dealt with next.

As the old saying goes, "Preparation is the key to success, while lack of preparation leads to failure." Sun Tzu's Art of War also states that those who plan more often will win more, while those who plan less will win less. How much more so, those who plan less will win less. Zhang Yinghao must think carefully about the potential problems he might encounter at the beginning. Otherwise, a mishap could be fatal...

As someone who came from the modern world, even if Zhang Yinghao was from the countryside, he lived after the landlords were eliminated. He had no idea what landlords were like. However, after six months of contact, Zhang Yinghao now had some understanding. As the representative of China's most conservative and stubborn forces, reconciliation was impossible without overthrowing the landlord class. But Zhang Yinghao had no idea how to do that.

But since we're recruiting, we need to include local young people, and we also need to recruit some outsiders, otherwise things will go wrong. Most importantly, we need to establish schools. Taizu once said, "An army without culture is a foolish army." Without a foundation of education, it's like a castle on the sand. It will achieve half the result with twice the effort, and it can easily develop into a feudal army or warlord. This is something Zhang Yinghao absolutely cannot accept.

Zhang Yinghao could accept the death of anyone, and he could accept military failure. But he could not accept ideological and political failure, and he could not repeat the saying, "The people can be led astray, but they cannot be made to understand." Of course, Zhang Yinghao didn't know if he understood this statement correctly, but that was the meaning. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao's ultimate goal wasn't to dominate his own country; his true goal was certainly external, not internal. Externally, if the army lacked initiative and a spirit of sacrifice, it would be no match for the well-armed imperialist forces.

Zhang Yinghao shuttled between the modern times and the late Qing Dynasty, reality and illusion, and fell asleep in a daze while thinking.

The next day, after washing up, Zhang Yinghao found Bao Shilin and asked, "Shilin, how much money do we have now?"

Bao Shilin replied, "Not much. There are still 126 taels. Most of it was found from those Qing soldiers. There are still quite a few copper coins, but they have not been recorded yet."

Zhang Yinghao felt a bit speechless when he thought about the Qing soldiers he had killed. He couldn't carry his gun all the time on the way to Dunhuang, so he bought a chicken cart and put firewood on it. Anyone with a bit of wisdom would have seen that this group of people was not normal. More than a dozen people were walking around a broken cart. But these Qing soldiers just surrounded them and wanted to check them out. Perhaps they also thought these people were not normal, or more likely they thought they were fat sheep.

These Qing soldiers came over to search with guns in hand. Zhang Yinghao didn't even need to think about it, because there were no bullets in these guns. Seeing the Qing soldiers coming, Zhang Yinghao made a few gestures. It meant to find a good position and attack together. The result was that without exception, they all met their end within seconds after Zhang Yinghao took action. After Zhang Yinghao and his men got the Qing soldiers' clothes, they began to march in such a swagger.

Zhang Yinghao feels sad when he thinks about it now. Such unscrupulous behavior will only occur when troubled times come. The fall of the violent machine is the beginning of troubled times.

So, Zhang Yinghao called everyone over and made the arrangements directly: "Luo Zelin and Bao Shilin take a few people to Guang'anzhou City to recruit people and buy daily necessities. Recruit a hundred people, and recruit those who look stronger. The treatment is the same as what we gave you before, including food and accommodation, and three hundred coins per month." After Zhang Yinghao finished speaking, everyone laughed.

Then Zhang Yinghao continued, "We'll go visit Landlord Zhang's house and check out the area. At the same time, we'll go to the village and recruit people under the guise of bodyguards. Farmers are generally more reliable. As for the others, we'll go up the mountain to chop firewood and hunt."

Zhang Yinghao, Li Tong, and Zhang Feng, who was pretending to be a young master, went out. Because of Zhang Yinghao's father, almost all the children in the village knew a few words, and Zhang Yinghao visited anyone with children, including girls. Thinking that girls also needed education, Zhang Yinghao immediately pulled his fiancée, Xiaoxue, over. Just kidding, if we don't start training and learning now, how will we communicate in the future?

Zhang Yinghao didn't really reject the engagement. After all, he had no experience in starting a family. It was better to have a wife that he had trained himself than to find one later. Besides, he had no interest in female tractor drivers or women with bound feet.

Zhang Yinghao still felt that Plato's words were true: if you take a fancy to a bunch of wheat, you should cherish it well. If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again. In the future, if a gay man and woman get married, they will be subject to political review. Confirming the relationship now will save them trouble.

Zhang Yinghao, along with Zhang Feng and Xue'er, visited each household, telling them about the job openings and the reopening of classes at his home. By the end of the visit, most families were willing to entrust their children to Zhang Yinghao, even if they had to travel as far as Chongqing, thanks to his demonstrations and the severe drought.

Zhang Yinghao also accepted everyone who came to him. Although he felt that it was a bit despicable to use deception to deceive other people, Zhang Yinghao knew better what the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China would be like. Sichuan further proved the saying "The world has not yet been in chaos, but Sichuan has been in chaos first; the world has been pacified, but Sichuan has not been pacified yet." Therefore, Zhang Yinghao decided to take these people forward no matter how cruel it was.

Zhang Yinghao gradually understood why warlords in the Republic of China period quickly rose to power after being overthrown. By raising a recruitment banner, those who couldn't survive would join the army and seek food. So Zhang Yinghao went to several nearby villages to recruit soldiers. He didn't take anyone to the landlord's house. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable reluctance to go there.

By the next morning, nearly 180 children from nearby villages had arrived, and 60 had been recruited from Guang'an Prefecture. Sixty of them were girls. (In fact, foot binding was relatively rare in rural southern China, as rural women also had to work in the fields and go up the mountains to chop firewood. These women were generally found among the more sophisticated scholars or those from wealthy families.)

After registering these young people, simple training began. Many people from the village came to watch the fun, thinking it was very interesting. At the beginning, the training content was standing at attention, at ease, at attention, and so on.

These children were all from rural areas, and aside from being unfamiliar with these things, they didn't find it difficult. However, the simple fact of turning left or right annoyed Zhang Yinghao to death, and he could understand this. After all, he himself couldn't tell left from right until junior high school. Without a clear understanding of direction, it was truly difficult to teach. Zhang Yinghao saw this and realized that without academic subjects, it was completely impossible.

Gradually, everyone realized that Master Zhang Feng might be recruiting soldiers, otherwise he wouldn't be training them this way. So, more than a dozen people chose to leave that day. Zhang Yinghao also sent these people away, allowing them to come and go freely, and gave each of them two kilograms of sweet potatoes. There was nothing he could do, as Zhang Yinghao wasn't rich at the moment. That day, Zhang Yinghao was really busy, looking for food, negotiating with the villagers to arrange accommodation, and now the simple training was handed over to Zhang Feng.