Chapter 289: New Organization

"Let me tell you, that Anqing is a huge place. The city wall is so high, like a mountain. There are no less than eighty thousand, maybe a hundred thousand people inside. If you're not careful walking the streets, you'll step on someone's foot. Stepping on an ordinary family's foot is one thing, but if you step on the foot of a woman from a wealthy household, that's a disaster. Their shoes are all made of Huzhou silk. Tell me, could you lot afford to pay for that?"

A chorus of hissing sounded around her. The group of women on the village threshing ground all sucked in sharp breaths. Wu Dacai's woman stood in the middle, pausing at this point in her story and casually sticking her foot out a little.

"Sister, you're wearing shoes?"

A sharp-eyed woman spotted the shoes and cried out with exaggerated surprise. The other women crowded around, staring enviously at the cloth shoes. Afraid of accidentally stepping on them, they jostled and shoved each other.

Wu Dacai's hometown was on the border between Lujiang and Tongcheng, some distance from the official road. The men had been to Lujiang County town when delivering grain, but the furthest any woman had ever gone was Kongcheng Town. Wu Dacai's sister-in-law had been there when she was nine. Although so many years had passed, in the women's social circle of the village, when it came to breadth of experience, she still firmly held the right to speak — but only until today.

Among the village's previous permanent residents, practically no one wore shoes. In years of good harvest, someone occasionally bought a pair, but it was extremely rare. The only household where everyone had shoes was the Lice. Not only did he have shoes, he also owned a house in Lujiang County town. Last year when the roving bandits came, he happened to be in town, and his whole family was wiped out by the roving thieves. Because the village was not far from the official road, it was also burned and looted by the roving thieves. Only a few families' houses survived. Bold ones like Wu Dacai went to the city, but most people could only stay and guard their land. Their economic situation grew worse and worse; wearing shoes was something they dared not even dream of.

The Wu family woman said offhandedly, "Oh, they're just Songjiang Dun cloth shoes, nothing valuable. I've still got several pairs under that flower pear wood bed at home. I switch between them, wearing one pair on odd days and another on even days."

As she spoke, she lifted her foot higher, revealing the sock on the top of her foot, drawing another round of exclamations from the women. The Wu family woman then displayed a few more items one after another, essentially cementing her status as the top figure in the village fashion circle.

Just as she was feeling thoroughly satisfied, the Song family woman, an old friend, pushed through the crowd and squeezed in. She pulled the Wu family woman's hand and leaned close to her ear. "Sister, you'd better hurry back and take a look. I saw Wang Fendan leading his daughter into your house. I heard his aunt say he wants her to be a concubine for your husband."

The Wu family woman's face changed slightly at these words. She said fiercely through gritted teeth, "That shameless Wang Fendan."

She immediately pushed aside the woman in front of her and hurried home with rapid, thumping steps. The village road was covered everywhere in animal droppings. Walking too hastily, she accidentally stepped in chicken droppings and then dog droppings. In her urgency, the Wu family woman could not even be bothered about her Songjiang Dun cloth shoes.

She rushed to the temporary home of Wu Dacai's elder brother. At the door, a few people were just about to leave. She did not see Wang Fendan; it was two other relatives, who were pulling Wu Dacai aside to talk.

"Dacai, you must take your cousin's enlistment to heart. Once he's in the Anqing Battalion, he'll be one of our own in the future. We can look out for each other, right?"

"Cousin is only thirteen. Let's wait until he's grown a bit taller. You don't understand — loads of people want to join our Garrison Battalion. And the recruiters are other general officers; they might not listen to me."

"Dacai, don't give us empty words. The whole village knows you're about to become a high official in charge of several hundred men. Aren't all yamen the same? Which recruiter wouldn't listen to you? Once he turns fourteen, we'll send him to Anqing to serve under you and draw pay. I heard from his nephew's wife it's three or four taels a month! Tell me, how long would it take to dig that much silver out of the fields..."

The Wu family woman had no interest in listening. Without even greeting the elders, she went straight into the main hall. In the corner of the room, a hen was tied up. Beside it were vegetables and fruit, and a pair of straw sandals was placed on top of the vegetables. She had no idea which family had sent them. She saw no sign of Wang Fendan anywhere. Fuming, the woman turned and went into the room on the right.

The moment she pushed the door open, a dark shadow darted past her feet with a whoosh. The Wu family woman knew it was a rat without looking. She kicked out and happened to hit it squarely. With a shrill squeak of agony, the rat was sent flying into the corner of the wall. The Wu family woman did not look at it, but went and sat down on the bed herself.

The room was pitch-black. The reed mat on the bed was full of holes. A foul smell continuously wafted from the chamber pot beside the bed. Mosquitoes buzzed nearby from time to time. The Wu family woman panted angrily, letting the mosquitoes bite her without lifting a hand to swat them.

Only after a long while did she hear Wu Dacai and his brother bidding that person farewell. Then Wu Dacai's footsteps came all the way over. As soon as he entered the room, he closed the door behind him. He came over, pointed at the woman, and cursed in a low voice, "Who the hell told you to go around blabbing everywhere? What 'three or four taels for soldiering'? Three batches of relatives have come to borrow silver. Two families want to enlist, and another wants to enlist and borrow money. The Central Army handles all the recruiting. When they're sent to Anqing, who's going to feed them? How much silver does our family have? What are you doing!"

The woman jumped up and started grappling with Wu Dacai. "You've got plenty of silver, enough to keep a concubine. Don't think I don't know. Wang Fendan has five daughters, two left unmarried. Does he want to give them to you as concubines?"

Wu Dacai was caught off guard and beaten back repeatedly. Only after being clawed several times did he wave his arms to push her away. "So what if I take a concubine? Our Second Division has Banner Commanders who've taken two. Hit me again and I'll divorce you!"

"Divorce me? Let's see you try." The woman grew angrier as she spoke, continuously clawing at Wu Dacai's arm. "Have you no shame? You made me buy five or six taels' worth of things for that woman surnamed Zhou, saying there was silver at Beixia Pass. Where's the silver?"

Mindful that his sister-in-law might be eavesdropping outside, neither dared to speak loudly. Wu Dacai suppressed his voice and cursed, "It was clearly hidden well in the river. Who knew some damned thief would steal it? If you want to blame someone, blame that bandit spawn!"

The woman swung two fierce punches, both blocked by Wu Dacai. She ended up with her hair in disarray, but she still cursed recklessly, heedless of everything. "Who doesn't know so many people were killed at Beixia Pass? Everyone was waiting to scavenge things. You thought it could stay hidden in the river? Those people at Beixia Pass searched that river who knows how many times, even turning the stones onto the bank. How could you have hidden it? Do you have any brains? Hiding it in the river — a flood would've washed it away too."

"How was I supposed to know those people would search so thoroughly? Besides, there's no big river outside our home. Where would I have seen a flood?"

"You dare say you've never seen one." The woman cursed and came at him to grapple again. "Pay me back my six taels of silver! For New Year's, I couldn't even bear to make a new padded jacket for the second child, just saying we were saving silver to buy a house inside the city wall. Last month we got that kill-enemy reward silver from Jiangnan, and it looked like we'd have enough. A few days ago you insisted on giving a gift to Advisor Hou. That used up eleven taels in one go. Then another six taels for that woman surnamed Zhou. When you came back, you gave your parents two taels and your brother one tael. Twenty taels, all gone. Just divorce me and be done with it." The woman suddenly crouched on the ground and began to sob.

Wu Dacai stood there awkwardly for a moment, then straightened his clothes and said resentfully, "I didn't agree to Wang Fendan. Taking a concubine won't be this year either. We can't afford Sheng-Tang Gate or Zongyang Gate, so what's wrong with buying at Jixian Gate?"

The woman just kept crying on the ground. Wu Dacai stretched out a leg and kicked her, cursing, "What the hell are you crying about? It's just a few taels of silver. When Lord Pang promotes me soon, it'll be four or five taels a month. If some blind roving bandits come again, chopping down a few more for the kill-reward will be enough."

The woman looked up at him. "Can you actually get promoted or not? It's been two or three months and I haven't seen anything."

Wu Dacai said with full confidence, "This month when the new organization is issued, Lord Pang will decide on officer promotions. I heard Wang Zenglu is going to the Central Army for a post. I've got merit as big as Fierce Tiger Bridge. Becoming a Centurion goes without saying. Maybe I'll even make Deputy Battalion Commander. Five taels of silver is a low estimate."

"As approved by Lord Pang, our Garrison Battalion shall organize and train its forces according to the following structure. The smallest unit in the battalion is the Squad of Five, consisting of five men including the squad leader. Two squads form a Team, totaling eleven men including the team leader. Three teams form a Banner, totaling thirty-four men including the Banner Commander. Three banners form a Company. Each company directly commands eleven Mobile Infantry and eleven Logistics Fire Soldiers. The officers of each company shall consist of one Centurion, one Garrison Inspector, one Clerk, and one Deputy Centurion. The Centurion leads one Flag Bearer. The Garrison Inspector leads two Military Police. The Clerk leads one copyist. Each infantry company totals one hundred thirty-one men. Four companies form a Division. The officers of each division shall consist of one Company Commander, one Garrison Inspector Officer, one Clerk, and one Deputy Battalion Commander, along with three advisors. Division Headquarters directly commands a Mobile Infantry Banner Team, a Scout Cavalry Banner, an Artillery Banner Team, and a Logistics Banner Team. The Company Commander directly leads five Flag Guards. The Garrison Inspector Officer leads a Garrison Squad. The Deputy Battalion Commander leads two Flag Guards. The Clerk Officer leads three copyists, three blacksmiths, three carpenters, three tailors, two veterinarians, and two military medics. Each infantry division totals seven hundred one men. After this month's replenishment with new recruits, the First Division currently has five hundred ninety-four men, the Second Division has five hundred twenty-three men, the Third Division after replenishment has five hundred fifty-one men, and the Personal Guard Division has three hundred three men."

In the Second Hall of the Anqing Garrison Command, Pang Yu sat high in the seat of honor. Below him sat officers clad in red uniforms. Although some officers had received court appointment certificates after the Jiangnan campaign, the Garrison Battalion's military law required them to wear military uniforms, not official robes, making this assembly markedly different from a typical Ming Army general officer gathering.

Advisor Hou, who was reading the organization aloud, paused here. The Personal Guard Division had performed poorly in Jiangnan, especially collapsing instantly during the cavalry raid by Cao Cao's forces. Pang Yu was extremely dissatisfied with this. This time it was confirmed to be reorganized into Heavy Infantry, with the highest physical requirements for replacement troops, hence the slowest replenishment speed. The Company Commander had also not been decided. Advisor Hou thought Pang Yu would say a few words about the replenishment situation, but seeing that Pang Yu had no such intention, he continued reading.

"The Cavalry Banner Team organization is the same as the infantry. Each company adds two veterinarians, totaling one hundred thirty-three men. The Cavalry Division organization totals seven hundred nine men. Currently, it has two hundred seventy-one men, six hundred fifty warhorses, two hundred ten packhorses, and seventy-three carriages."

A slight murmur of discussion arose from below the hall, which had been quiet just moments before. The Garrison Inspector soldiers on duty around the room stole glances at Pang Yu. The Garrison Battalion's assembly discipline was growing stricter and stricter; any sound could result in punishment. Many soldiers and officers even had to suppress sneezes. But today, the assembly hall was full of officers; discipline could not be enforced as it was for common soldiers. As long as Lord Pang did not get angry, minor flaws could be overlooked.

Pang Yu picked up his tea and took a sip. The cavalry currently had more horses than men. The previous cavalry had suffered heavy losses in the Jiangnan campaign. Quite a few horse soldiers from the roving bandits had been captured, but almost none were usable. Most of these men had been captured alone, without family dependents or assets to serve as leverage. If they were allowed to be cavalry again, combat effectiveness aside, the greatest likelihood was that they would run off with both men and horses.

Therefore, the Garrison Battalion was currently recruiting in the prefectures of Anqing, Chizhou, and Luzhou, mainly seeking experienced people like relay couriers and postal runners. But to truly reach a state of cavalry combat readiness, even one year might not be enough.

Next came the Marine Corps with four hundred twenty-five men. The Marine Corps was similar to the cavalry; its previous base was very small. This time it had performed excellently in Jiangnan and was expanded into a division, still positioned as Boat Infantry. Recruiting Marine Corps troops along the river was much easier. The banks of the nearby Great River were full of trackers, porters, and boatmen, nearly all of whom knew how to handle themselves in water. Pang Yu had ample room to be selective, and the expansion speed was the fastest.

"The Garrison Central Command directly controls the Personal Guard Division, Cavalry Division, Artillery Division, Logistics Division, and Garrison Inspector Dui. The administrative office establishes the Military Office, Advisory Room, Household Office, Punishment Office, Works Office, Document Receiving Office, and Archive Repository. The Military Office establishes the Cavalry Office, Artillery Office, Infantry Office, Naval Office, and Reserve Office. The Clerk is temporarily vacant. Before the Clerk takes office, the Chief Clerk of the Document Forwarding Office shall temporarily head the Military Office. The Advisory Room establishes the Operations Office, Reconnaissance Office, and Survey Office. All training, mobilization, and combat orders for the War Soldiers shall not pass through the Document Receiving Office but shall issue only from the Advisory Room. Military order documents' numbering, seals, graphic ciphers, and cipher text rules shall be issued separately in a manual to the clerks of each division. Advisory Room Clerk: Yang Xueshi. Training Office Clerk: Guo Fengyou. Reconnaissance Office Clerk: temporarily vacant. Survey Office Clerk: Xie Zhaofa. The Household Office establishes the Population Office, Accounts Office, and Disbursement Office. All soldier pay shall be directly issued by the Household Office to the soldiers' and officers' silver bank accounts. No officer of any rank shall handle it. Clerk: temporarily vacant..."

The large number of vacant positions in the administrative offices caused waves of murmuring below the hall again. The organization had been circulating among the troops earlier, and everyone knew the most important were the Advisory Room, Military Office, and Household Office. Rumors had said Yao Dongshan and Wang Zenglu would take posts in the Advisory Room and Military Office; that was now clearly false. Instead, Yang Xueshi had gone to the most important Advisory Room. The officers in the hall turned their heads one after another to look at Chen Rulie, clearly indicating he would become the Cavalry Company Commander.

Advisor Hou heard the noise growing rather loud. Seeing that neither Pang Yu nor Jiang Guoyong was intervening, he had no choice but to cough and say, "Below are the officer appointments for Centurion and above in each division..."