Chapter 113: Indoctrination Officer

Dai Zhenggang looked somewhat worried. Facing Chen Xin from across the table, he said, "My lord, that Li Donghua's methods don't treat the soldiers as human. Some soldiers and officers are even preparing to retaliate against him."

Wang Chuanfu beside him also said, "My lord, we truly cannot let Li Donghua run wild any longer. Those soldiers are training listlessly and feebly, and the complaints are enormous."

Chen Xin waved a hand at the two of them. "I know about this. Each month, only ten days are like this; the training intensity is reduced the rest of the time. But it's also time to put some pressure on these soldiers. Otherwise, everyone thinks this place is perfectly peaceful, and daily drill is just monks tolling a bell. My pay and rations aren't so easy to earn."

Besides the two in front of him, Lu Chuanzong was also seated before him. These three newly appointed War Soldier Division chief officers had arranged to come together to lodge a complaint. Li Donghua had been tormenting them for nearly ten days; the intensity was excessive, and some soldiers were already bedridden and unable to rise. Lu Chuanzong had taken a unit out to suppress bandits, so he had managed to avoid it. He had just returned today and was immediately dragged over by Dai Zhenggang and the others. Zhu Guobin's cavalry training was not under Li Donghua's jurisdiction, so he hadn't come to join the excitement.

Lu Chuanzong had originally wanted to speak further, but seeing Chen Xin's attitude, he swallowed his complaints and instead voiced agreement with Chen Xin's opinion. Dai Zhenggang glared fiercely at him. Lu Chuanzong, grinning cheekily, pretended not to see and, after a roundabout turn, still said to Chen Xin, "My lord, our troops are already this strong. Is there really anyone around here who can compare to us? No wonder they're just monks tolling a bell."

Chen Xin stroked his chin. What Lu Chuanzong said was also the truth. Every day was just drill, drill, and drill without knowing who they'd be fighting. Right now, it was the Liaodong refugee soldiers who trained the hardest; even with the current exhaustion, none of them complained. But the Jianzhou Bandits were separated by the vast Liao Sea. Over time, it would be hard to avoid a loss of morale.

Seeing Chen Xin remain silent, Dai Zhenggang continued, "I think Li Donghua is full of pent-up resentment. Unable to find the Jianzhou Bandits, he takes it out on these soldiers. If he pushes these men too hard, who knows what trouble might erupt."

Chen Xin understood their concerns. This year's high-intensity training certainly wouldn't be reduced. He needed to think of some way to alleviate the situation. Seeing the Wendeng Fort School plan on the table, his eyes suddenly lit up. He tugged a rope under the table.

A bell jingled outside the door, and Hai Gouzi pushed the door open and entered.

"Bring the fifteen teachers sent by Mr. Liu here."

"Aye, my lord." Hai Gouzi acknowledged and went out.

Dai Zhenggang stared blankly. Why had the topic suddenly turned to schoolteachers?

Chen Xin swept his gaze over the three men and said flatly, "I've noted the problems you've raised. The training plan will be slightly adjusted. But this year we must be prepared to fight a major battle. Training must be intensified. Go back and keep your respective subordinates under control. I don't want to hear anyone else come complaining about hardship. If anyone dares retaliate against Advisor Li, they will be severely punished according to military law."

Dai Zhenggang asked in surprise, "A major battle?" He was about to say more, but Lu Chuanzong tugged him, smiled at Chen Xin, and said, "I'll heed your orders, my lord. I'll definitely go back and keep those grunts in line." As he spoke, he pulled and dragged Dai Zhenggang out.

For Li Donghua to drive all the infantry unit commanders to come together was quite a feat. Chen Xin didn't think they had formed a united front. His greatest feeling was that his army completely lacked any sense of crisis. After they finished suppressing bandits in Wendeng, there were no more combat objectives around them. Psychologically, they were entirely in peacetime mode. This had to change. Once Mao Wenlong was killed, Chen Xin planned to give these officers a situation analysis lesson to mentally prepare them for war with the Later Jin.

Chen Xin stood by the window. On the parade ground, they were drilling division-level defensive formations. Over a hundred Dongjiang soldiers who could shoot arrows had been temporarily drawn, and they were lobbing modified arrows with cloth heads at the war soldiers arrayed in Mandarin Duck Formation. Zhu Guobin's cavalry was also simulating cavalry-infantry combat against other war soldiers. The sounds of the Bolo horn, drums, gongs, and bugles rang out continuously, interspersed with ghostly wails and wolf-like howls — those were the professional mourners hired from the fort farming households, simulating screams of agony. Chen Xin found it a bit amusing. It was hard on those people, to be able to wail for an entire day.

Now he had to review every training plan one by one, racking his brains to familiarize these soldiers, who had only ever fought bandits, with the atmosphere of the battlefield. He actually had no confidence whatsoever in the actual combat effectiveness. On the contrary, the soldiers from Dongjiang gave him more peace of mind. These men had no complaints about the training. The situation Lu Chuanzong reported upon returning from bandit suppression was the same. In battle, these Dongjiang soldiers were clearly more composed than the new recruits from Shandong. They truly deserved their reputation, having faced life and death in Liaodong. Even if they had only traveled once through enemy-occupied territory, that state of walking alongside danger, constantly on alert, was a rare form of tempering. Their psychological quality was stronger than the new recruits'. And bandits, after all, were just bandits, completely incapable of giving soldiers that kind of pressure.

After a while, a knock sounded at the door. Hai Gouzi entered and said, "My lord, the fifteen teachers have all been brought."

"Have them come in one by one."

The first teacher, of refined appearance, entered. He looked about eighteen or nineteen. Knowing this was the big boss, he cautiously bowed and stood with his hands drawn in.

"My soldiers find training exhausting. Do you have any method to make them practice willingly?"

"This... this humble one thinks, you could give more silver. As the saying goes, with a heavy reward, there will be brave men. Whenever..."

"Get out!"

The second one entered, in his early twenties, also standing cautiously.

"My soldiers find training exhausting. Do you have any method to make them practice willingly?"

"My lord, this humble one believes that martial men are ultimately a lesser pursuit. Why? Because they only know how to brandish blades and spears, ignorant of the sages' subtle words..."

"Get out!"

The third, the fourth... until Chen Xin had driven out the tenth. He rubbed his temples and silently cursed Liu Minyou. What kind of quality was this?

The eleventh entered. Seeing Chen Xin rubbing his head with a troubled expression, he immediately knelt on the ground and said, his voice choked with emotion, "This humble one, Huang Side, kowtows to Lord Chen. Please, you must take care of your health. Do not overwork yourself. The several thousand people of Weihai and Wendeng all depend on you, my lord."

Chen Xin didn't look up. He had already given up hope. Without even glancing at him, he asked lazily, "My soldiers find training exhausting. Do you have any method to make them practice willingly?"

Huang Side said, "My lord, this humble one finds it strange. How could there be soldiers so ungrateful? Without you, my lord, to lead them, their clothes could not cover their bodies, their food could not fill their bellies. Since you came, my lord, whose household's life hasn't improved? Apart from you, my lord, who else has any hope to strive for? This humble one has set up a longevity tablet for you at home, my lord, and thinks every day that if I could exchange even a single word with you in this lifetime, it would be virtue accumulated from a past life. As long as you give the order, my lord, let alone training, I would go through mountains of blades and seas of fire. If anyone complains, they have forgotten their roots. We should tell them of your grace and virtue, my lord. If they still do not think to repay it, then they are not worth keeping."

Chen Xin finally raised his head and seriously looked at Huang Side kneeling before him. This man had a broad forehead, a prominent nose, and dignified features — a man of fine appearance. There was also a matter-of-fact flavor to his speech. Interesting.

Chen Xin sat up straight and asked him, "What if there are many who do not think to repay it?"

"My lord, this humble one absolutely does not believe such people would be many. Outside, there are countless people waiting to become war soldiers. How could there be a shortage of men with two legs? Even if you are merciful, my lord, this humble one has other methods. All men have a competitive heart. Post the names of the slackers on the main gate, and those men will never be able to hold their heads up before everyone. Each month, eliminate a few from the war soldiers to become farmer-soldiers, starting with those who are not serious and those who speak strange words."

"A bow must be unstrung as well as drawn. If the bowstring is drawn too long, it easily snaps."

"Your words, my lord, are like being enlightened from the crown down. In all my years, this humble one has never heard such profound principles explained so simply. Compared to you, my lord, this humble one is but a grain of rice beside the sun and moon. Then these soldiers should be given opportunities to rest and recover. In fact, those children in the fort kicking a ball is also a form of training. This humble one has tried it too, and so I feel it is not necessary to always force soldiers to run foolishly. This ball-kicking is both training and rest."

Chen Xin smiled, paused for a moment, then said, "Everything you've said addresses only the symptoms. The root of this matter lies in the soldiers' minds. They believe there is no enemy, nor have they witnessed the enemy's brutality."

Huang Side's eyes darted about. "This humble one believes the Jianzhou Bandits are the enemy of the Wendeng Battalion."

"The Jianzhou Bandits swimming across the Liao Sea? Can you even believe that yourself?"

"Believe it. If I don't believe it myself, how can the soldiers believe it? Your discernment is clear, my lord. Whether the Jianzhou Bandits can build ships or not, this humble one does not know, and therefore those soldiers also do not know. Just say the Jianzhou Bandits have built many ships, that's all."

Chen Xin pressed, "What if some truly do not believe?"

"My lord, three men make a tiger. If it is said every day, said constantly, naturally they will believe it."

Chen Xin smiled. "What did you do before?"

"This humble one originally apprenticed to learn storytelling, but before I finished learning, my master died. Also because I could speak well, I was selected by Mr. Liu."

"No wonder. Then it's settled. Select ten men from among the teachers to form an Indoctrination Unit. You will serve as Chief Indoctrination Officer, with a monthly salary of three taels, reporting directly to me. Assign one Indoctrination Officer for every two units. These men are responsible only to you and are not under the management of the army's commanding officers. Your authority allows you to assess twenty percent of a soldier's score. Beyond what we've just discussed, you must find your own ways to make the soldiers accept you. Talk with them often, understand their mindset and trends, ease their anxiety and resentment. Report developments to me promptly. You may dismiss and replace unqualified Indoctrination Officers, but if after three months you fail to meet my requirements, you will be replaced."

Huang Side kowtowed. "Yes, my lord. This subordinate knows how to proceed. I will tell those teachers what to say and what to teach."

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

In late May, Song Wenxian returned to Mazigang with two seagoing vessels. He was startled by the scene at Mazidun before him, thinking it had been overrun by refugees.

Even more people fleeing from Dongjiang had arrived. Liu Minyou continuously sent those who had recovered to the Wendeng Battalion to avoid attracting the attention of Dengzhou. In truth, many people from Dongjiang were also coming ashore near Dengzhou. Wang Tingshi had no energy to concern himself with Weihaiwei, since, after all, he still collected some silver from Chen Xin every year.

In May, the situation in Dongjiang worsened. Seizing boats became rampant. Some people, fearing the sea route to Shandong was too long, simply went ashore and surrendered to the Later Jin. Judging from the people arriving at Mazidun, the later they came, the worse their physical condition.

Chen Xin did not plan to replenish the war soldiers for the time being. He would let them recuperate first and start as farmer-soldiers. The power of the Mandarin Duck Formation required skilled squad coordination. The local militia and the over five hundred Dongjiang troops who had come earlier were all treated as war soldiers, receiving the same monthly pay and the same training. Although nominally over a thousand men were still local militia, there would be no more major personnel adjustments now. After a few more months of training, these men would be his main force for dealing with this year's military situation.

After hearing that Song Wenxian and the others had returned, Chen Xin rushed to Mazidun, pulled Song Wenxian into the office, and asked about Li Guozhu's situation.

"Li Guozhu has some trouble. The Shogunate now forbids the Dutch from entering Nagasaki. His Southeast Asian goods route is mostly cut off. I heard others talking about it in the taverns of his town. There are far fewer ships this year."

Chen Xin asked, puzzled, "Why is the Shogunate doing this?"

"There's a man called something like Hamada Yahyoe. He wanted the Dutch to hand over Fort Zeelandia. He brought several ships of men, planning to drive out the Dutch. But as soon as his ships arrived, the Dutch seized the initiative instead, detaining both men and ships. Then this Japanese man found an opportunity and kidnapped the Dutch Governor in Tayouan on Little Liuqiu. Later, to extricate themselves, the two sides exchanged hostages. Even the nephew of the Nagasaki Daikan was left in Tayouan. Hamada Yahyoe returned to Japan with the Dutch Governor's son. The two sides are at an impasse. I heard that the Nagasaki Daikan completely ignored his own nephew and directly threw the Dutch Governor's son into prison. Moreover, the Dutch clashed with Zheng Yiguan and were defeated by Zheng Yiguan. Now the Dutch have lost their routes on both ends. This path is probably impassable for him."

Chen Xin stared at Song Wenxian in astonishment. If Song Wenxian weren't so dead serious, he would almost think it was a fantasy. The Japanese were this weak now, yet they still dared to set their sights on Taiwan. During the Wanli reign, they had also set their sights on Korea. If Wanli hadn't had some ability back then, this era might well have seen its own Sino-Japanese War.

Song Wenxian continued, "Also, I heard that before Zheng Yiguan accepted amnesty, he killed several of the leaders from Yan Siqi's faction."

"Cleaning house. Truly a hardened thug. Then what is Li Guozhu relying on now to get goods?"

"I don't know. But I saw he had a plan well in mind. He probably won't come to Wendeng for maritime trade."

Chen Xin thought it over carefully and smiled. "Now that Zheng Yiguan has accepted amnesty, with his Fujian friends around, he can casually hang some official's title and sail out in a group. Zheng Yiguan won't dare stop them anymore."

Song Wenxian slapped his forehead and cursed.

Then Song Wenxian told Chen Xin about the goods — still over a hundred thousand jin of copper, the rest all silver and some Japanese dried seafood, about the same as last year, but without Sun Guozhen's share.

Chen Xin calculated: he had around one hundred sixty thousand taels on hand this year, plus he could earn over ten thousand more from the copper cash, so at most he could deploy one hundred thousand taels. That should be enough to handle the war situation at year's end. The financial problem was basically solved. More people from Dongjiang would certainly keep arriving, and the resettlement costs would still need careful planning.

Song Wenxian said, "Just in time, now that you're back. Let's go find Mr. Liu and tally the maritime trade silver, so I can hand over my duties properly."

Chen Xin agreed with a smile. He took Song Wenxian out, asked the sentries about Liu Minyou's whereabouts, and learned he had gone to see the newly arrived Dongjiang refugees.

The two walked along the edge of the shack district. Inside the district, several teams of enforcers were patrolling to maintain order. When they found Liu Minyou, he was with a physician brought from Wendeng, prescribing medicine for several Dongjiang refugees.

Chen Xin called Liu Minyou over, and the three of them headed back toward Liu Minyou's office. As they walked, Liu Minyou said, "These past two days I've been hearing rumors from the people coming from Dongjiang. They say Lord Yuan might dismiss Mao Wenlong from his post, or arrest him and take him back to Jingshi."

Song Wenxian asked curiously, "Why would they say that?"

"They say the suspension of Dongjiang's grain and pay is precisely for this reason. Everyone on the islands is panicked and uneasy."

Song Wenxian nodded. "That makes sense." Then he said to the two of them, "Wait here a moment, I'll go fetch Lao Cai as well." With that, he hurried off.

Liu Minyou said to Chen Xin in a low voice, "I remember Mao Wenlong was killed by Yuan Chonghuan."

"Yes."

"There are also rumors among the Dongjiang refugees that Lord Yuan is going to kill him. From the reputation Mao Wenlong has among these Dongjiang commoners, he doesn't seem all that bad. We should warn him."

Chen Xin shook his head. "We're minor officials in Weihai — on what grounds would we know about this? There are plenty of rumors going around now; he's probably heard the whispers too. Even if we went to tell him, he might not believe it. And if Yuan Chonghuan found out, our heads wouldn't be any harder to take than Mao Wenlong's."

"It's just that, if Dongjiang loses him, there's no telling what those people will become."

"What could they become? Traitors. The Three Obedient Kings, the Duke Who Continued Obedience — all men from Dongjiang."

At that moment, Zhu Daichun came hurrying over and reported to Chen Xin, "My lord, a boat just arrived from Changshan. They say Mao Wenlong reached the coast of Lushun today. Lord Yuan has invited him to meet at Shuangdao to discuss the grain and pay matter. Both lords are nearby. Should we halt our purchasing of people for now?"

Chen Xin and Liu Minyou exchanged a glance. With unchanged expressions, Chen Xin said calmly to Zhu Daichun and Liu Pojun beside him, "Halt it. Liu Pojun, go to Wendeng Camp immediately. Take my written order and transfer the Second Company of combat troops here to stand guard."

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Seeking recommendations and bookmarks.