Chapter 43: Peace

What great undertaking?

Naturally, the great undertaking of plundering the rich households and sweeping up the remaining commoners of the city.

The more commoners we sweep up, the more able-bodied men we'll have to use!

It was not that Zhou Shixiang did not want to act at once, but those refugees had only just been recruited today, and those able-bodied men had only just changed into military uniforms.

Likely they did not even know one another's names, and most of them were surely still frightened. In such a state, if they were sent to surround the gentry and wealthy households they had always respected, what would they think?

Moreover, plundering the rich households was not the main objective. Thoroughly sweeping up every commoner in the city was Zhou Shixiang's ultimate goal.

Those who have property have constancy of purpose. So long as the commoners who had not suffered disaster could keep their own households going, it would be very hard for them to abandon everything and set out on the road to joining the army with their whole families.

Therefore they could not be stirred up and enticed the way the refugees, who owned nothing at all, could. The only means was force.

What Zhou Shixiang lacked most was precisely force. Even if he now had a few hundred loyal soldiers under him, he could absolutely and effortlessly sweep away every resident of Luoding. Unfortunately, he did not, so he could only proceed step by step.

The most important matters over these two days were to give those three hundred-odd able-bodied men preliminary training, and to properly settle the old, weak, women, and children, so that these people could develop a sense of collective belonging in the shortest possible time.

Only then could they defend this group's interests.

After Zhou Shixiang explained his thinking to everyone, they all agreed. For now, they first had to grip the hilt of the blade firmly. Otherwise, the business of plundering the rich households and sweeping up the remaining commoners could not be done.

Training troops was no great trouble. Whether Boss Hu or Zhao Sihai, among this crowd of men there were at least seven or eight who had served in the army, so they knew how to train soldiers. It was nothing more than beating and cursing.

Zhou Shixiang naturally favored the training methods of later ages, but time was too pressing, and he only needed those able-bodied men to obey orders two days from now.

He did not expect them to go into battle and kill the enemy immediately, so he did not voice any opinion on how to train them. Compared with the training methods of later ages, beating and cursing might actually be more effective, because the audience was different.

While the old brothers were basically all present, Song Xianggong felt that some matters should be settled. Nothing can be accomplished without norms and standards.

Since everyone approved of establishing a public treasury, then from now on all money and grain would be kept uniformly by the public treasury, and then distributed uniformly by the public treasury to each unit.

Zhou Shixiang added a few words. He said that not only money and grain must go into the public treasury, but in the future all captured weapons, warhorses, and livestock must also all be handed over to the public treasury.

No unit might keep them privately. If anyone dared to hide things and not hand them over, he would be punished.

Otherwise, how could the other brothers be convinced?

What punishment? Naturally, military law — off with his head!

The order to cut off heads came from Boss Hu personally. He understood that only by upholding the authority of the public treasury could he uphold his own authority. If these subordinates got good things and did not hand them over, then he could not go on being the leader.

Nip it in the bud. Set the rules in advance, and they will be easy to enforce later. If you wait until trouble happens and then set the rules, the effect will be greatly diminished.

Zhou Shixiang agreed with Boss Hu's punishment. The public treasury had been his proposal, so in public and in private he had to absolutely defend the authority of the public treasury.

Otherwise, what was the public treasury for? In chaotic times, use harsh laws.

Break the rules, and off with your head!

No one had any objection to this. Zhou Shixiang had made it clear to them that the things in the public treasury were in fact all theirs, these old brothers', so how could they tolerate anyone stealing and hiding things without handing them over?

"If anyone dares to hide or conceal anything, before the Big Brother even speaks, I'll cut his head off myself!"

Ge Wu cursed viciously. He was a genuine bandit, and several of the men present had been his former subordinates. Hearing these words, they naturally shivered.

Since no one objected, Song Xianggong then mentioned that those six households had already delivered seventy dan of grain to the yamen today, and the remaining fifty dan would be gathered and delivered before sunset tomorrow.

Boss Hu struck while the iron was hot, asking Song Xianggong to take sole charge of the public treasury from now on, and for all money and grain to begin entering the treasury immediately.

Song Xianggong did not decline the duty, but said he would need men under him. Otherwise, how could it be guarded?

The public treasury now held everyone's entire fortune, so of course trusted brothers had to lead troops to watch over it. When Boss Hu asked Zhou Shixiang and Song Xianggong who should lead the troops guarding the treasury, Zhao Sihai volunteered.

Zhao Sihai was meticulous by nature, clearly more reassuring than Ge Wu and the others. Song Xianggong had no objection, and Zhou Shixiang did not oppose it either. Boss Hu settled it on the spot: from now on, Zhao Sihai's unit would be solely responsible for guarding the public treasury.

Zhou Shixiang then asked Song Xianggong to take charge of settling the old, weak, women, and children.

Song Xianggong thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, suggesting that from now on the public treasury and the old, weak, women, and children be kept together, so that when the time came to distribute grain it would be more convenient.

Everyone said that would do.

Baldy suddenly spoke up and asked, "Then what camp name shall we use from now on?"

Camp name?

Zhou Shixiang was taken aback, not understanding what this was. Song Xianggong explained it for him.

A so-called camp name was the designation of a military force. Right now the Ming army in Guangdong had many camp names.

For example, the troops under the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Lian Chengbi, besides the Governor-General's Standard Camp, also included the Loyal and Brave Camp, the Loyal and Righteous Camp, and the Naval Main Camp.

The forces under the Governor of the Four Prefectures, Zhang Xiaoqi, were called the "Righteous and Brave Camp." In short, a camp name had to sound imposing.

It absolutely could not be given some cat-and-dog name. Not only would that sound unimpressive, it would also demoralize one's own soldiers.

"Right. We are not greenwood heroes who have taken to the hills as bandits. We need a proper camp name, so that others will remember we are soldiers of the Great Ming, not a gang of robbers and bandits."

Boss Hu could not forget that his current status was Assistant Regional Commander of Luoding in the Great Ming. As an assistant regional commander of a department, he naturally hoped his troops would have a resounding camp name.

If in the future they really carved out a situation for themselves, then he, Hu Quan, would become famous far and wide.

Song Xianggong pondered for a moment, then said that since they were resisting the Qing in Luoding, they should call it the Luoding Camp. At a single hearing, people would understand whose troops they were.

"No, absolutely not. What Luoding Camp? It doesn't sound imposing at all!" Ge Wu shook his head violently, thoroughly dissatisfied with the camp name Song Xianggong had proposed.

Song Xianggong shot him a glare. "Then what do you say it should be called?"

"If you ask me, the name must not only be imposing, it must also show the brotherhood of us men!" Ge Wu had no idea how to come up with a camp name, but he did put forward his own view: the camp name absolutely had to display the word "righteousness"!

"Right, it must show righteousness! We brothers risk our heads to do great things — what do we rely on if not righteousness!"

"Mister Song, think hard for everyone along the lines of Brother Ge's idea!"

Ge Wu's opinion won unanimous support from the crowd.

"It must show righteousness?"

Song Xianggong closed his eyes in thought. A moment later he opened them, having found it. "Then call it the Righteous Harmony Camp."

"The Righteous Harmony Camp?"

Zhou Shixiang, who had just picked up a bowl to drink a mouthful of water to moisten his throat, nearly sprayed that mouthful of water all over Song Xianggong's face upon hearing those three words.

Zhou Shixiang's reaction surprised Song Xianggong. "What? Brother Zhou thinks the name is no good?"

"It's not that it's no good, it's just..."

Zhou Shixiang forced the words "Righteous Harmony Society" to the back of his mind, thought carefully for a while, then said to everyone, "I say this: our camp name need not be too imposing. If it is too imposing, it will draw hatred.

Think about it — once the Qing army hears our camp name is so resounding, won't they come straight for us? So the camp name must not be too loud.

In my opinion, call it the Taiping Camp. The word 'Taiping' shows that we brothers fight to bring peace to all under heaven.

That way, it won't sound hateful, and the commoners will understand what we are about."

"The Taiping Camp?" Boss Hu savored the name carefully, a smile spreading across his lips. "Good, good. Taiping is good. Taiping is good indeed. From now on, we shall be called the Taiping Camp!"