Chapter 182: Expulsion

Wang Dou returned to Baoanzhou City. Time entered the ninth month of the tenth year of Chongzhen; everything was going smoothly, and he could develop his forces again.

It was now the farming off-season. Following the old custom, Wang Dou prepared to recruit and train several thousand more troops to strengthen his ranks.

First, there was a problem that needed to be solved.

"My lord, you mean we are to prepare five thousand sets of padded jackets and distribute them to the soldiers?"

Wang Dou had gathered his close officers, high and low, at the garrison commander's residence to discuss matters. Lin Daofu asked Wang Dou in surprise.

"Exactly."

Wang Dou nodded. When he inspected Shunxiang Fort in July and saw the cold, deserted clothing factory, this problem had come to mind.

The Great Ming soldiers' mandarin-duck battle jackets, also called padded jackets, were supposed to be issued by the Ministry of Works once every three years. But by now, the uniforms of Ming soldiers were often issued only once every five or even ten years. The guard battalion soldiers everywhere wore tattered rags, and the soldiers of Baoanzhou were no exception.

Because of money and provisions, although many of Wang Dou's troops wore armor in battle, in peacetime they all dressed like beggars — hardly the appearance of soldiers. Wang Dou currently had only a little over seven hundred sets of mandarin-duck battle jackets, which had been allocated to him last September when, due to Grand Coordinator Lu Xiangsheng's high regard for Wang Dou, the Huailong Military Defense Circuit's Ji Shiwei issued a batch of uniforms based on the troop register submitted by Shunxiang Fort.

Among so many guard battalions on the Eastern Route, only Wang Dou enjoyed this treatment, and behind his back, who knew how many people envied and resented him. Wang Dou also knew he could no longer count on the higher-ups to allocate uniforms, so making his own military clothing was imperative. His finances were finally somewhat ample, giving him the capital to do so.

Sewing padded jackets for the soldiers was a good thing — which officer would not be willing? Han Zhong, Wen Fangliang, Sun Sanjie, Gao Shiyin, and the others present all beamed with joy. Only Lin Daofu hesitated a moment and said, "Sewing five thousand sets of padded jackets will likely cost a great deal of money and provisions."

The Great Ming's mandarin-duck battle jacket had an outer coat about four chi six cun long, stuffed with two jin of cotton, made of fine, dense, wide white cotton cloth, dyed on the outside in the four colors of red, purple, cyan, and yellow. The lower-body trousers were stuffed with half a jin of cotton, also made of fine, dense, wide white cotton cloth, dyed on the outside in the three colors of cyan, red, and green. There were also leather shoes, made to regulation standards, requiring dense stitching, sturdiness, and durability. After the uniforms were made, each garment had to have written inside it the name of the supervising official, the name of the tailor, the cost, length, width, and so on, and be stamped with a seal.

Like military equipment, each Regional Military Commission and guard battalion in the Great Ming had a fixed quota of uniforms to produce, ranging from 1,700 sets to 5,700 sets per commission, to be delivered before the seventh month each year. This was later commuted to silver, with each uniform set commuted at one tael five qian of silver.

For Wang Dou to sew five thousand sets of padded jackets, although Shunxiang Fort's production methods could greatly save money and provisions, the overall cost would still be considerable.

Lin Daofu said, "My lord, on the market today, a bolt of white cloth costs over three qian of silver, a jin of cotton costs eight fen of silver, and we also need leather hides and iron mesh. Five thousand sets of uniforms — if we calculate this…"

During the Wanli reign, a bolt of white cloth cost no more than two qian of silver, and a jin of cotton no more than six fen. By this Chongzhen era, prices had already risen considerably. Moreover, soldiers needed more than just mandarin-duck battle jackets. The Nine Frontier Garrisons of the Great Ming were bitterly cold in winter; in winter, they also needed leather coats and leather hats. In battle, they could not wear only leather shoes but had to wear iron-mesh boots.

Calculating the total cost, one set of military attire from Shunxiang Fort was estimated to reach one tael of silver.

Wang Dou pondered and said, "For the padded jackets of my Baoanzhou soldiers, there is no need to add iron mesh inside. In battle, let them wear armor."

The Great Ming soldiers' mandarin-duck battle jackets had a layer of iron mesh inside. For junior officers' mandarin-duck battle jackets, there were even two layers of iron mesh inside, with a sleeveless single-layer iron-leaf outer covering reaching to the waist, plus front and back heart-protecting mirrors. But for Wang Dou, since his soldiers would all have armor to wear in future battles, there was no need to add iron mesh inside the clothing.

"As for the money and provisions the uniforms will cost, Sir Lin need not worry about this matter. You send men to purchase cloth and furs, and devote your efforts to sewing the padded jackets well."

Seeing Wang Dou speak thus, Lin Daofu bowed deeply and sat down. As Wang Dou's chief steward, he had fulfilled his duty to caution.

The officers in the hall, seeing Lin Daofu speak out of turn, had originally worried that the Garrison Commander might cancel the sewing of the uniforms. Hearing Wang Dou make the final decision, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As for money and provisions, they were not worried at all — the Garrison Commander would surely have a way.

Afterward, everyone discussed the sewing of this batch of uniforms. The style would of course remain the same as the Great Ming's standard mandarin-duck battle jacket. Wang Dou would not dare, even with the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard, to casually alter the appearance of the uniforms. Henceforth, the uniform equipment of Baoanzhou soldiers would be: in peacetime, wear pure-cloth mandarin-duck battle jackets, red felt military caps on their heads, and leather-and-cloth shoes on their feet; in winter, each man would additionally be issued a leather coat, leather hat, and leather boots. In battle, each man would then don a full suit of armor and wear iron-mesh boots.

However, regarding the soldiers' armor, Wang Dou had a different view. The iron armor currently produced at Shunxiang Fort was made by forging iron material into plates, then drilling holes in each plate, and then stacking several iron plates together and linking them with leather straps. It was simple and practical, and the speed of making and repairing the armor was very fast — full-body armor or breastplates were both possible.

A full set of Shunxiang Fort iron armor weighed about thirty-plus jin in total. Although lighter than the iron armor used in the Ming army, it was still somewhat heavy. Now that Wang Dou had new-formula gunpowder, the range and power of his firelocks had greatly increased, so there seemed to be no need to use such heavy armor.

After hearing Wang Dou's words, Han Chao said, "My lord, this subordinate believes that our army's cannoneers, night scouts, and firelock soldiers can use breastplates and helmets, allowing them to move more quickly and nimbly. However, for the army's pikemen, who fight the enemy in close combat, this subordinate believes it is better for them to wear full-body armor."

Everyone in the hall was discussing animatedly. Wen Fangliang also said, "My lord, this subordinate believes our Baoanzhou soldiers can use the eight-petal iron-tipped helmet. Combined with each squad's sword-and-shield men, this can effectively protect against the slave rebels' arrows."

Wang Dou nodded. The eight-petal iron-tipped helmet was also a standard helmet type in the Ming army, but with a wider brim, it was more effective at blocking arrows than the phoenix-wing helmet. If soldiers uniformly used this helmet in battle, in close combat, each squad's sword-and-shield men could protect against the Qing troops' close-range shots. As for the Qing troops' volley fire, with breastplates and this eight-petal iron-tipped helmet, vital areas could be well protected. As for injuries to other parts, there were always pros and cons — to improve soldiers' mobility, one had to accept this.

The matter was thus decided. Wang Dou assigned Lin Daofu to oversee the sewing of the five thousand padded jackets and to contact merchants to purchase cloth, cotton, and leather materials. As for the management of the Shunxiang Fort clothing factory, Wang Dou designated Yang Tong's wife, Madam Wang, to be in charge.

…

Wang Dou was already well-versed in training new troops. He planned to select three thousand able-bodied young men from the military households of Baoanzhou. After three months of training, based on their performance, he would decide whether to assign them to the combat troops or the logistics troops.

Apart from Shunxiang Fort, there were now over three thousand military households across Baoanzhou. Since the beginning of the year, nearly four thousand refugees had also flowed into Baoanzhou. Selecting three thousand able-bodied young men should still be feasible. He ordered Clerk Feng Dachang and Judicial Commissioner Chi Dacheng to work together to tally the able-bodied young men in each fort and determine the suitable males for training in each household.

In Wang Dou's plan, except for the retainers of the fort officers, which would remain untouched for the time being, all other military household males determined suitable for training were to be selected into the new army — even the soldiers originally under each officer were no exception. The new army roster would prioritize selection from the military households of Baoanzhou.

Chi Dacheng and Feng Dachang were already very experienced in this matter. They immediately set to work with vigorous efficiency. The life of Shunxiang Fort soldiers had long exerted a powerful attraction on many Baoanzhou military households: eating their fill every day, having meat every day, and receiving generous post-battle rewards — who did not yearn for such a life?

The propaganda during the selection of able-bodied young men was also well-phrased: the training of the prefectural city's soldiers was related to the city's safety and defense. In these chaotic times, with the Tartars raiding the borders year after year, if one did not train martial skills well, how could one protect home and family, protect one's brothers and sisters? Many able-bodied young men of the prefectural city had long envied those spirited, heroic Shunxiang Fort soldiers within the city. Now that the opportunity arose, how could they not eagerly step forward?

Thus, the tallying of military household males suitable for training across the prefecture proceeded smoothly. Yet there was also discord. According to Feng Dachang's report to Wang Dou, within the prefectural city alone, there were over a dozen military households where the males were clearly strong and robust, with excellent qualities in every respect, yet they stubbornly refused to come out and join the military training.

Hearing this news, Wang Dou gave a cold laugh: "When it comes to picking up their bowls to eat meat, they are willing. But when asked to serve, they are unwilling. Ungrateful wretches are never in short supply. The prefecture gave them land and fields, let them live good lives, and this is how they behave."

Wang Dou's voice turned stern: "This is truly a time of national peril and crisis. No one can stand apart. If they are unwilling to contribute, then they are useless! Pass down the order: confiscate all the land of their households, and expel their entire families from Baoanzhou. Let others see what fate awaits those unwilling to serve the nation!"

Everyone in the hall drew a sharp breath. Only Han Zhong and Wen Fangliang exchanged knowing smiles.

Feng Dachang's face was somewhat pale. He said, "My lord, this matter…"

Wang Dou said to Judicial Commissioner Chi Dacheng, "Commissioner Chi, you are responsible for carrying this out."

Chi Dacheng, his face cold, cupped his hands in acknowledgment.

Wang Dou thought for a moment, then said to Han Chao, "Right, summon Shopkeeper Xie from the Jade Emperor Pavilion in Shunxiang Fort to the prefectural city. Have his theater troupe do more to publicize to the military households the necessity of joining the army and training."

…

Very quickly, to the shock of the entire city's populace, the military households in the prefectural city whose males had been tallied as qualified but were unwilling to come out for military training had all their land confiscated, and their entire families were driven out of Baoanzhou. On the day they were expelled, the whole city was packed with crowds of onlookers.

Wailing and crying, they were escorted out of the city. Amid the pointing and whispering of the crowd, they were filled with regret, but there was no room for reversal.

Through this incident, the military households of the prefectural city came to recognize Wang Dou's benevolent side, as well as his decisive and ruthless side. This matter filled the entire city with awe, and afterward, the tallying of military households proceeded very smoothly.