Chapter 76

Book Three: Shunxiang Fort Garrison Commander, Chapter Seventy-Six: Law and Sentiment

For these four hundred thirty-seven able-bodied men, Wang Dou filled all officer positions with the original veterans from Jingbian Fort, organizing them according to the current battalion troop structure.

Eleven men formed one squad, with two squad leaders — one commanding a firelock soldier file and one a spearman file — plus one squad commander.

Five squads formed one company, with one company commander.

Four companies formed one platoon, with one Squad Commander.

Two platoons formed one battalion, with one battalion commander.

The baggage company, artillery company, and cavalry company would be formed later. If troop strength increased, the platoon and battalion units could be expanded. Additionally, each squad had one small unit banner, each company one medium unit banner, each platoon one large unit banner, and the battalion commander also had a battalion banner. Wang Dou greatly simplified the previously complex array of military flags and signals.

Each company commander had two guards, one banner bearer, and one drummer.

Each Squad Commander had four guards, two banner bearers, and two drummers.

The battalion commander had eight guards, four banner bearers, and four drummers. There was also one military discipline officer, leading five discipline soldiers.

According to Wang Dou's regulations, Han Chao and Han Zhong each commanded one platoon of troops, with Wang Dou personally serving as battalion commander. The garrison provost Chi Dacheng served as the military discipline officer. Henceforth, all military disputes and legal matters would be adjudicated by the discipline officer; officers were forbidden to privately punish soldiers — though beatings with the staff during training were excepted.

The guards assigned to each officer were all dispatched by headquarters. Officers were not permitted to privately add guards. If additional guards were needed, they had to report to Wang Dou for approval — effectively cutting off the officers' future path of building up personal retainers.

The newly formed army consisted entirely of combat troops. Adding the officers' guards, banner bearers, drummers, and others, the new army totaled over five hundred men. Together with the able-bodied men of Shunxiang Fort and the veterans brought from Jingbian Fort, they were just enough to form one new army unit. Wang Dou named it the Shunxiang Army — a resounding name.

As for the original Shunxiang Fort old army of over one hundred men, they were left to maintain their existing state.

Watching the lively formation of the new army over there, the retainers of those old-army officers took it all in, and it left a sour taste in their mouths.

…

After the new army was organized into squads, companies, platoons, and battalions, every soldier received an identification tablet. In particular, each squad commander's tablet recorded the names of all soldiers in his squad. Henceforth, who in the squad was poor and who was rich, who was strong and who was weak — the squad commander had to know them all by name when called upon.

All of this was compiled and laid before Wang Dou as the Shunxiang New Army's troop register.

Looking at this new army before him, Wang Dou, Han Chao, Han Zhong, and the others felt deeply stirred. This army would be their capital for survival in the coming chaotic times.

After the organization was complete, the two newly appointed platoon commanders, Han Chao and Han Zhong, addressed the troops. Wang Dou personally bestowed banners upon each squad commander and company commander. These former Jingbian Fort soldiers, every one promoted to officer, were naturally excited and stirred. They declared to Wang Dou that henceforth, as long as the banner stood, they would stand; if the banner fell, they would fall.

Strict organization and discipline were the foremost requirements for becoming a strong army. After the organization, Wang Dou distributed to all officers the regulations and military rules previously summarized at Jingbian Fort. Every soldier had to memorize them thoroughly within three months. Spot checks would follow: any soldier who recited a single rule incorrectly would receive five strokes of the staff; any officer who did so would receive double the punishment.

For officers and soldiers who were illiterate, Wang Dou arranged for civilian clerks to teach them in the afternoons or evenings. In any case, they had to memorize everything by heart.

Beyond this, Wang Dou also planned to follow the approach of later generations' Beiyang "Soldier's Exhortation Song" and the "Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention," adapting local folk tunes and ballads to compose a "Soldier's Exhortation Song" of his own, subtly instilling concepts of military discipline into the soldiers.

On the second day after the Shunxiang Army was established, Wang Dou had the soldiers do some light sweeping and repairs to their barracks. Most importantly, he purchased coal and such supplies so that when they returned, they would have a warm and comfortable environment.

Starting on the third day, Wang Dou began a month-long period of systematic, rigorous training. During this month, they would learn how to stand in formation, how to march in step to the drumbeat, and other formation drills.

Like the soldiers at Jingbian Fort, these able-bodied men of Shunxiang Fort initially had no basic concept of formation. Although each company had Jingbian Fort veterans to guide them, they still stood crooked and slanted, unable to tell left from right.

Only those Shunxiang Fort old-army soldiers fared somewhat better.

Wang Dou and the others had long experience with this situation. They tied ropes to each soldier's right foot, and only then did things improve somewhat.

During formation training, however, Wang Dou and the others showed no leniency. Whenever any soldier's formation line was even slightly crooked, the officers would swing their staffs and strike. After one morning, the new recruits were a chorus of wailing and howling.

The company commanders in particular — all originally squad leaders and company commanders from the Jingbian Fort soldiers — had two guards beside them who were likewise brothers from their original squads and companies. These veterans had been drilled mercilessly back at Jingbian Fort. Now, like long-suffering daughters-in-law who had finally become mothers-in-law, how could they show any mercy? The staffs in their hands whistled through the air with every swing, a sight that chilled men to the bone.

As for the original Shunxiang Fort old army, they were monitored by the eight guards at Wang Dou's side. These men were all veterans from the old Jingbian Fort, every one tall and powerfully built. Whenever those old-army formations were not neat and orderly, the staffs came cracking down just the same, beating those retainers until they howled like ghosts and wailed like wolves — furious, but not daring to voice it.

…

Lin Daofu, having heard today that Wang Dou had begun drilling the troops, hurried over. He was very curious how Wang Dou had trained soldiers back at Jingbian Fort and was determined to see for himself. Now, witnessing this training scene, his face could not help but turn pale. He said to Wang Dou, "My lord, is this drilling not excessively harsh on the officers and men?"

Wang Dou sighed and said, "Men's hearts are all made of flesh. When the soldiers suffer, how could my heart not ache? But in military affairs, formation and discipline are the foremost essentials. Only a righteous and upright army can advance everywhere without hindrance! Without rigorous drilling, how can a strong army be forged? My Jingbian Fort army was trained in exactly this way."

"However, our army has already abolished all forms of corporal punishment. When soldiers violate drill regulations, they are only punished with the staff. That already counts as showing consideration for the troops!"

Lin Daofu nodded and said no more. After that, he watched very carefully, his gaze fixed on Han Zhong and the others roaring ceaselessly below the platform, silently committing it all to memory.

The garrison provost Chi Dacheng stood behind Wang Dou the entire time, his face stern and silent. The five discipline soldiers behind him were likewise all tall and stalwart — veterans handpicked from the Jingbian Fort army. They all stood with hands clasped behind their backs in solemn silence behind him.

After the morning drill ended, when the mess hall — staffed by some of the fort's women and elderly or frail men — delivered the food, only then did the soldiers break into beaming smiles. Large buckets of rice, large buckets of meat soup, and a bucket of mutton and pork, their rich aroma wafting into the nose — when could they ordinarily eat such things? Even for those Shunxiang Fort old-army retainers, meat was probably something they only tasted during New Year festivals.

Before this morning's drill, everyone had eaten their fill of mixed-grain rice, which had already made them very happy. They never expected there would be meat at noon as well. For a time, everyone laughed and chatted merrily, having long forgotten the earlier hardships of drill, and simply lined up to receive their meals.

Lining up to receive meals was also one of the army regulations, and even the officers were no exception. A few old-army company officers and some sturdy retainers wanted to cut in line, but when they saw that Wang Dou, Han Chao, and Han Zhong were all lining up the same way, how could they dare cut in? They could only obediently line up with everyone else, craning their necks and swallowing their saliva, hoping their turn would come sooner.

After receiving their meals, everyone sat together in small groups of three or five. While wolfing down their food, they teased each other about how many staff strokes the other had received, while boasting that they themselves had taken fewer. The drill ground was filled with laughter and shouting.

Wang Dou sat together with Han Chao, Han Zhong, Xie Yike, Lin Daofu, Chi Dacheng, and the others. Xu Lu also came running over, clutching his rice bowl. Sitting together, they all ate with great relish. Although Lin Daofu held the rank of Vice Battalion Commander, even he rarely got to eat meat in ordinary times, so now he seized the chance to eat his fill. Xu Lu ate until his mouth was streaming with grease. Only Chi Dacheng's eating manners were somewhat better — just like the way he conducted himself, he ate one steady mouthful at a time.

Xu Lu noticed Xie Yike sitting beside Wang Dou and was somewhat curious who this young man was. After quietly inquiring with Han Chao, he learned that this was actually Wang Dou's brother-in-law. Earlier, Xie Yike had stood in formation just like everyone else, and because his stance was not straight, he too had received quite a few staff strokes on his body. Even his own brother-in-law got beaten — this greatly shocked Xu Lu at Wang Dou's utter impartiality.

Xie Yike overheard Xu Lu's voice. He was completely unconcerned and declared, "As long as there's meat to eat, what do a few staff strokes matter?"

At this, everyone burst out laughing.

As for Wang Dou providing the soldiers with such abundant meals, Lin Daofu actually harbored inner worries. If this continued, the cost of maintaining the troops would become enormous. But since he had now hitched his wagon to Wang Dou, the matter of provisions and pay would be left for Wang Dou to resolve.

In truth, Wang Dou knew his own hardships best. Although he had three thousand taels of silver in the Jingbian Fort treasury, he did not know if, at this rate, it could only last until early next year. The matter of provisions and pay had been deeply troubling him all along. In front of everyone, he could only maintain an appearance of being composed and confident, as if he had everything well in hand.

…

Going too far is as bad as not going far enough — especially with the current cold weather. In the afternoons, Wang Dou did not conduct drills but only organized the soldiers to study the military discipline regulations.

This made those Shunxiang new army soldiers complain bitterly. They were all illiterate; making them study and learn characters was worse than making them drill and take staff beatings. But this was Wang Dou's regulation, so they could only furrow their brows and listen to those dry and tasteless military discipline rules.

Day after day of training continued. After ten days, when the men stood in formation, they had already begun to look somewhat presentable, and the number of those who could not tell left from right had greatly decreased. However, as the intensity of training deepened, even though they could eat their fill and have meat every day, the soldiers' dread of training was also deepening. In the freezing cold, it was truly too bitter.

But before the drills began, Wang Dou had made it clear: anyone who dared to desert — once captured and brought back, not only would they be severely punished with the staff, but their families would also immediately have their land allocations revoked, and their entire families might even be expelled from Shunxiang Fort. With this in mind, the new army soldiers could only grit their teeth and persevere.

Yet not everyone could endure. Fifteen days later, Han Zhong came to report to Wang Dou in a fury: the previous day, three soldiers from his platoon had secretly slipped out of the barracks and fled home. Now they had been captured and brought back, awaiting Wang Dou's judgment!

Wang Dou could not help but fly into a great rage!

…

The bone-piercing wind howled, and snowflakes swirled chaotically. On the Shunxiang Fort drill ground, the two platoons of the new army, along with those Shunxiang Fort old-army soldiers, were all arrayed in formation, standing silently on the field. Each man held a long spear in his hands. Although they had not yet begun to learn spear-fighting techniques, they had already practiced how to hold their spears and form ranks. Several hundred long spears thrust outward, their points a forest of blades!

Before the assembled troops, the sound of flesh being struck — *pap pap* — rang out continuously. Garrison Provost Chi Dacheng had sentenced these three deserters to thirty strokes of the staff each.

The three soldiers were named Jiao Jiugao, Chen Chenzhong, and Han Wenhuan. All three were pinned to the ground as the discipline soldiers beside Provost Chi Dacheng carried out the punishment one by one. Those tall, powerfully built discipline soldiers held the staffs in their hands and brought them down fiercely upon the three men's buttocks.

Miserable howls rang out continuously, turning the faces of the assembled troops on the field deathly pale. After the thirty strokes were completed, the three men's buttocks were a bloody, mangled mess.

Chi Dacheng's expression remained unchanged. When the punishment was complete, he cupped his hands toward Wang Dou and said, "My lord, the soldiers who violated discipline have been punished. I await your instructions."

Wang Dou stood silent and still. Behind him, the eight burly veteran guards from the former Jingbian Fort also stood solemnly with cold faces, hands on their blades!

After a long moment, Wang Dou said, "Registrar Chi, remember I said that anyone who dares to desert — he and his family shall all be expelled from Shunxiang Fort!"

Even with Chi Dacheng's rigid and stiff nature, he could not help being moved. To drive their entire families out of Shunxiang Fort in this bitter winter cold, this…

He hesitated and said, "My lord, the law shows them no mercy, but their circumstances may be forgiven. In this subordinate's view, perhaps it is better to…"

Lin Daofu stood beside Wang Dou at that moment. His heart could not bear it, and he too wished to plead.

Wang Dou suddenly rose to his feet, his armor plates clanging sharply. He shouted sternly, "In my Shunxiang army, military discipline and law come first! If we do not correct transgressions of duty, duty may still stand — but if we do not correct transgressions of law, then how can law survive? If every man's circumstances could be forgiven, how could Shunxiang Fort maintain an army?"

He said coldly, "Expel them!"

Those three soldiers had been lying prone on the ground. Now, hearing Wang Dou's words, every one of them struggled and pleaded, eyes full of tears: "My lord, we know we were wrong. We beg my lord to spare us this once!"

Wang Dou kept a stern face and said nothing. At that moment, several sturdy guards emerged from behind Wang Dou and, like eagles seizing chicks, marched them out of the parade ground. From far away, the three men's wails and cries still carried back: "…My lord, spare us…"

The field fell so silent one could hear a pin drop. Even the old Shunxiang Fort troops turned deathly pale. Amid the stillness, Han Chao's roar and bellow rang out: "This old man's army has no use for weaklings! Anyone who wants to be a coward, just say the word, and you can get lost — just like them!"

Everyone stood in silence. No one knew how much time passed before a clamor of voices rose from the road beside the parade ground. All turned their heads to look. It was the three soldiers and their dozen-odd family members, all driven out of Shunxiang Fort. Among them were old and young, carrying simple bundles. Several young women held infants in their arms.

In the cold wind, the infants wailed without cease. The women wept constantly as they tried to soothe them. Some of the elders nearby glared furiously at the three soldiers, cursing them for their disgrace and lack of spirit, for dragging their families into suffering. Their households could have been allotted farmland and lived good lives — now it was all ruined.

The three soldiers all limped along, faces crumpled in misery, heads hanging low, overcome with regret.

The group walked along the road. Off at a distance, some Shunxiang Fort commoners gathered, pointing at them, watching them with contemptuous eyes. Under the gaze of the crowd, the group was even more overwhelmed with shame!

Hearing the infants' cries grow ever more urgent, and the women's weeping carry from afar, Wang Dou let out a long sigh. His heart was still not hard enough.

He said to Lin Daofu, "Magistrate Lin, take some men to the storehouse, draw some silver and grain, and catch up with them. Give each household two taels of silver and two dou of rice and wheat. Though they can no longer remain inside Shunxiang Fort, with that silver and grain their days will be somewhat easier. As for what becomes of them hereafter, that depends on their own fortune."

Lin Daofu bowed deeply and said with solemn respect, "This subordinate obeys!"

After walking a few steps, the tall, middle-aged military officer turned his head back: "My lord governs the army with strict discipline, yet bears a merciful heart. This subordinate is full of admiration!"

With that, he hurried off.

……

When Lin Daofu returned, his face was full of sighs and deep emotion. He said, "When those households received the grain, they all wept bitter tears. The three soldiers wept even more bitterly, overcome with regret beyond remedy. They all said they were still members of the Shunxiang army, and hoped for the day they could return to Shunxiang Fort!"

Wang Dou sighed deeply and said, "Continue the drill!"

Han Chao's eyes glared wide, and he bellowed, "Form ranks!"

Instantly, with a great "Hua!", every soldier on the parade ground straightened his frame. Every man's expression was stern and solemn, and they held their long spears braced against their shoulders. Not a single man failed to take it seriously! Every column and every file was arrayed in perfect order — even those old Shunxiang Fort troops were no exception.

Long spears like a forest, a murderous, lethal aura spread outward.

"Advance!"

Several hundred long-spear soldiers marched forward. They raised their arms and swung them in unison, their movements uniform. Their feet stamped the ground with a single, synchronized boom!

"Advance!"

The Shunxiang troops advanced in formation, their momentum pressing forward irresistibly!

Lin Daofu watched, utterly entranced. He exhaled a long breath: "A strong army can be forged!"

……

The training thereafter remained bitterly hard. Some soldiers still wept secretly at night, but everyone persevered.

As the training progressed, their bearing also transformed at a rapid pace. Each man exuded a soldier's heroic spirit, their eyes brimming with sharp intensity!

In the Shunxiang army, there was one rest day every fifteen days, two days off each month. Whenever these men returned home, people always clicked their tongues in wonder. Since when had the young lads of their own households become so heroic? As the saying goes — stand like a pine, sit like a bell, walk like the wind, lie like a bow. To describe their own sons and husbands, those words were truly fitting.

The Shunxiang troops moved in pairs, formed up in threes. Walking the streets, each man kept his back ramrod straight, his gaze fixed forward without glancing aside. Every gesture and motion fully displayed a martial bearing, drawing astonished looks from many men and women. Was this still the Ming army everyone remembered — undisciplined and slack, sallow and emaciated, numb and apathetic?

Seeing their own men so full of heroic spirit, and with the reclamation of wasteland inside the fort now proceeding smoothly, many households had the chance to live good lives. Every family exhorted their men to train well, to have some pride, and not to be driven out of Shunxiang Fort like those three households before. They could not bear such disgrace.

After the Shunxiang army had drilled for one month, in the early twelfth month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, Wang Dou brought a few attendants and entered the city of Baoanzhou.

※※※

Old White Ox:

Reply to the book friend Guanshan Muxue:

In the late Ming, the battalion system and the guard-battalion system were essentially merged. Nine out of ten frontier officers were battalion officers by day and guard-battalion officers by night. Thus, a guard city often housed both a Guard Command and a Garrison Commander's office.

However, guard-battalion officers were of little value, especially in the various Nine Frontier Garrisons. Sometimes a single Battalion Commander post had three or four full Battalion Commanders and seven or eight Vice Battalion Commanders. In particular, substantive posts were scarce. A mere Garrison Commander's appointed duty required selection at minimum from among Guard Commanders or Assistant Regional Military Commissioners. A Vice Regional Commander was already a hereditary guard-battalion officer of the Regional Military Commission. A Regional Commander could only be appointed after being commissioned as an Assistant Commissioner-in-Chief in the Chief Military Commission.

According to the Xuanfu Garrison gazetteer, in the late Ming the Xuan Garrison had only 1,035 unit officers, all selected from among Battalion Commanders and Company Commanders. "Garrison Commander" was in fact an abbreviation for Defense Squad Commander or Defense Company Commander. "Discipline Officer" was an abbreviation for Discipline Command.