Chapter 163: Rejected

"Picking squad leaders is easy — anyone who's defended a city, step forward." Yao Dongshan sat himself down in front of the barracks with an air of absolute authority. "Ten men. Pang Ding, come help me check the roster. Call out the names of the veterans."

Listlessly, Pang Ding flipped through the pages, using a brush to tick marks after the names. Back before Pang Yu had undergone Spirit Awakening, the Pang family patriarch had Pang Ding sorting medicinal powders, and later helping with the account books, so he could more or less read. When recruiting the Guard, Pang Yu had insisted he write it himself, so he could basically recognize everything in this register.

"Your company has eleven veterans."

"Damn his granny, how come there's exactly one extra." Yao Dongshan scratched his head.

Yao Dongshan's voice boomed. The soldiers of the Hundredth Chief Bureau were forming up nearby, all carrying their own baggage. Though not everyone had arrived yet, there were already twenty-some men.

Pang Ding lifted his head to glance around and said, "Constable Yao, maybe we should move farther away to talk. It's not good if everyone here overhears."

"Where's the trouble in that? Back when I hauled stone, I told whoever to do whatever, told 'em where to carry it and they carried it there. Hurry up and say it — I still have to split them into Squads and lead them to clean the barracks. Tell me, what's the point of a bunch of grunts making things so clean?"

Pang Ding coughed once and said, "Lord Pang already said we're not grunts, we're enlisted in the army. Of course we need to be cleaner. Anyway, the young master said that from now on, every day we have to keep things tidy."

Yao Dongshan glared. "Little Brother Pang, we really have to do this damned stuff every day from now on?"

"The young master said it: if you're not clean, you get sick easily. No matter how well-trained the troops are, if they're sick, they're useless."

"Washing clean and you won't get sick?"

Pang Ding said impatiently, "Constable Yao, are you picking or not? The other companies are all waiting for me."

"Picking, picking! Read the names out once."

Pang Ding read all eleven veteran names off the roster. Yao Dongshan frowned and thought for a long while. "How come most of 'em aren't from my old Squadron? I don't know a lot of these bastards well."

"But you've still heard of them, haven't you? Besides, the young master never said they had to be veterans. If a new recruit is suitable, you can put his name forward too."

"How can it not be a veteran? You think I'd pick someone who's never fought?" Yao Dongshan suddenly slammed the table. "Except for Dong Mingyuan, put them all forward."

"Constable Yao, how come you've settled on not picking Dong Mingyuan?"

"What do you mean how come? I know Dong Mingyuan. He was in the company that defended Zilai Bridge. Only two men from that whole Squad ran back, and he was one of 'em. The kind of goods that just turns tail and runs — what kind of squad leader would that make? He's the one!"

Some of those standing nearby had overheard and began a Low Murmur of discussion. Yao Dongshan shot them a glare, then casually called over a veteran to direct the formation.

Wu Dacai carried a cotton quilt on his back, a Javelin in his right hand, and a wooden basin in his left — these were all his worldly possessions. His house had been burned down, and when he saw the Zhuang Squad recruiting, he came. His wife and child were temporarily living in this large residence too, but in a different courtyard. When discipline wasn't strict, he could still go back and see them after training.

Because it was a new Military Camp, the ranks needed to be rearranged. The veteran had them line up by height. Wu Dacai was tall and sturdy, so he stood second from the right — just close enough to catch those few sentences from Yao Dongshan.

The veteran directing the formation went to the rear, and for a moment no one was watching them. Wu Dacai looked left and right. The even taller, burly man on his left seemed a bit dull, not easy to talk to, so he turned to the man on his right and said, "Brother, which company were you in before?"

The man paused a moment before answering, "Right now, the Fourth Squadron. Before that, I wasn't."

Wu Dacai had only spoken to strike up a conversation; which squadron it was didn't really matter. From now on, they'd all be in the Hundredth Chief Bureau anyway. He felt he needed to make more friends.

"That Dong Mingyuan must be a cowardly sort. I heard that company defending Zilai Bridge ran without even fighting, and in the end not many of them lived. Tell me, how come they didn't think it through?"

The man turned his head and shot him a glance. "The Roving Bandits launched a sudden raid. No company would have fared any better."

"A raid, huh." Wu Dacai clicked his tongue in a sigh. "Then Xiangyang Gate was a raid too. Why did Constable Yao, Centurion Yao, hold it then? It still comes down to a lack of guts. Don't you think so?"

The man turned his head away and did not pick up Wu Dacai's thread.

Wu Dacai asked again, "Brother, am I right or not? Those Roving Bandits aren't unkillable. Didn't we kill over two thousand of them later? I heard that one company didn't kill a single one — that's just cowardice. If Dong Mingyuan could flee for his life, he must have been the first to run, the biggest coward of all."

The man couldn't help but retort, "Those two thousand included men and women, old and young. The ones who raided were all fierce bandits. If you don't understand Battle, don't talk nonsense."

Wu Dacai didn't get angry. He looked the man over carefully and said, "What do you mean I don't understand? If I'd been defending the city and met those Roving Bandits, I'd have skewered every last one of them with this Javelin."

As he spoke, he brandished the Javelin in his hand. "See this spear tip? How sharp it is. It'll punch through anything."

The man tilted his head to one side. Seeing he had no interest in this topic, Wu Dacai nudged his arm and said, "Brother, let me tell you, some of these wing-rooms are divided into inner and outer rooms. The outer room used to be where the Maids slept — narrow and cramped, not to mention the chamber pot sits there at night, noisy and stinking. The inner room is where the young lady slept, spacious and warm. When they assign the barracks in a bit, you gotta run fast and grab a bunk in the inner room."

The man still didn't respond. Wu Dacai was about to say more when a sudden bellow rang out. Over there, Yao Dongshan had already stood up. Wu Dacai hastily shut his mouth and stood at attention.

"This barracks at the head here is the First Squad. The two wing-rooms next to it are Squads Two and Three. Over on the east wing, the first room up top is mine, plus the flag. The two rooms behind are Squads Four and Five. When your name's called, go stand by the door yourself so I can get a headcount." Yao Dongshan pointed at the left-side wing-rooms, strode to the head of the formation, and jabbed a finger at the dull-looking burly man. "Flag Bearer!"

Then he walked right past Wu Dacai and jabbed twice in quick succession. "First Squad, First Squad!"

Wu Dacai hurriedly picked up his baggage and went to stand in front of the door of the westernmost wing-room. The man followed him over, walking with a slight limp. Once the man was in place, Wu Dacai lowered his voice and said, "Brother, your leg's hurt. When we rush to grab bunks, I'll help you carry your stuff in first. Just toss your baggage onto a bed and it's claimed."

Only after a pause did the man say, "Thanks, then."

Yao Dongshan walked all the way down, ceaselessly counting off, dividing the fifty-some men among the doorways of six rooms. The First Squad now had eleven men, standing in a row along the front of the door.

The moment Yao Dongshan shouted dismiss, Wu Dacai snatched up the two bundles of baggage from the ground with lightning speed, planted one foot in the doorway to block the people behind him, and smoothly became the first to Rush into the barracks, tossing the two bundles onto two adjacent bunks in the inner room.

The people behind him poured in, and in an instant the six bunks in the inner room were completely divided up. The rest had no choice but to stay in the outer room.

That man came in last, sat down on the bunk his baggage had claimed, and remained silent and sullen.

Wu Dacai began chatting up the other men in the inner room. They were all busy arranging their cotton quilts and no one paid him any attention for the moment. Turning his head, he saw that the man hadn't moved, so he came over warmly and said, "Brother, from now on we're what you call comrades-in-arms. What's your name?"

The man tilted his head to look at him and said in a low, deep tone, "I am Dong Mingyuan."

……

"Greetings, Lord Pang."

Inside the Duty Room of the Ye Family Old Residence, Pang Yu looked up at Jiang Guoyong kneeling before him and said with a slight smile, "Guoyong, please rise."

After speaking, he adjusted his sitting posture. He still wasn't quite used to people kneeling to him — not that he disliked it, it just felt a bit strange. Beside him, Pang Ding kept sneaking glances over, apparently also not yet accustomed to Pang Yu being an official.

Once Jiang Guoyong had risen, Pang Yu asked gently, "Guoyong, you came seeking an audience with this official — is there an urgent matter?"

Jiang Guoyong kept his head lowered. "This humble one should not be disturbing you, my lord, but… during today's squad assignments, this humble one had signed up to enlist, yet in the end was not placed in any squad. This humble one wishes to inquire as to the reason."

"So it is about this matter. The reason Guoyong was not assigned to the Chief Bureau is that this official has other arrangements for you. You will know when the time comes."

After he finished, Pang Yu looked at Jiang Guoyong. "Guoyong is from the county seat. Most of those in the Zhuang Squad with this situation chose to remain in Tongcheng. Yet Guoyong is willing to follow this official to Anqing. This official also wishes to know what considerations lie behind this."

Jiang Guoyong hesitated a moment, then said, "I wish both to serve the country by enlisting, and to earn silver. I have an elderly mother at home to support. If I do not follow you, my lord, as a soldier, I would not be able to earn much silver in Tongcheng either."

"A man's ambition should reach the four corners of the world. In this way, you can both provide for your esteemed mother and pursue a future — it is precisely the best path forward." Pang Yu stood, offering a slight smile. "There are few in the army who can read. The yamen has its clerks, but those men entering the army is no good thing. Guoyong, you once served as a scribe in the Punishment Office. The army happens to lack such a person. Therefore, you will serve in the Central Army staff, assisting this official in handling internal and external Official Documents."

"But this humble one also wishes to kill bandits. When the Roving Bandits were killing people outside the city that day, this humble one witnessed it with his own eyes."

Pang Yu waved his hand. "An army should be a precision instrument of killing, requiring the coordination of various components to function. Not everyone can be the blade's edge. Guoyong's most suitable position at present is within the Central Army."

Jiang Guoyong raised his head. "This humble one is not very willing to work alongside some of those clerks again…"

"This official has said you need only do two things. The first is to obey Military Law, and the first article of Military Law is unconditional obedience to orders."

Jiang Guoyong was stunned for a moment. If he thought about it the way Pang Yu put it, it was far more than just two things — obeying Military Law alone could be broken down into countless tasks. At this moment, Pang Yu's attitude was resolute and did not look open to negotiation.

He could only cup his hands and say, "Yes, my lord."

After Jiang Guoyong left, Pang Yu picked up the roster Pang Ding had returned and read through it carefully.

Pang Ding asked in a low voice, "Every team has exactly eleven veterans, and you're selecting ten Squad Leader Candidates — was the young master doing that on purpose?"

Pang Yu looked at the roster. The Zhuang Squad's veterans totalled just over seventy in all. The current recommended list was exactly as he had expected — all veterans, not a single one of the new Guards.

"From the ten recommended men, I will select five Squad Leaders. The rest will be Leaders of Five. That leaves five Leader of Five slots for the new recruits. Half old, half new is a suitable balance. Later, when we've recruited a full five hundred men, we'll select new Squad Leaders from among the Leaders of Five. The outstanding newcomers will then have a chance to rise."

Pang Ding's eyes shifted. "Then the one leftover veteran in each team will just serve as a common Soldier? If so, they're bound to harbour some resentment."

Pang Yu smiled. "Any resentment will be directed at the respective Centurions. Every veteran is valuable — of course they won't just serve as common Soldiers. They'll receive formal appointments once we reach Anqing. The one who isn't selected will become the Military Judge for each Hundred-Company Commander's Bureau."