Chapter 307: Prelude to Reorganization

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On the twelfth day of the sixth month, the Fujian junk docked at the private port on the west side of the Water City. The small Water City here was still under construction, but the wharf along the coast was already usable. Outside the Water City was also a bustling construction site, where the figures of many women could be seen. The new cigarette factory was mostly completed, and further away stood rows of workers' dormitories.

Chen Xin paused briefly at the construction site, glanced at the layout, and then went directly back to the parade ground. He first went to the civil affairs office. The civil affairs office was temporarily set up on the east side of the parade ground, with a gate opened in the camp wall. The flow of pedestrians in front of the gate was continuous. People arriving from various places to attend the reorganization meeting were checking in at the civil affairs office. Those who saw Chen Xin all saluted and greeted him.

Chen Xin went straight into the rear hall. Liu Minyou was sitting at the table, overwhelmed with work, making final adjustments to the civil affairs structure. Seeing Chen Xin return, his expression relaxed, and he smiled at Chen Xin, "Why did you go for so long this time? Did the Emperor give you so many benefits that you couldn't carry them all back?"

Chen Xin chuckled, poured himself some water from the kettle, and replied, "I got a bunch of titles, and you also got the rank of Advisor Assistant Regional Commander. The actual benefits were only some head bounties, but I used them all up before even leaving the capital. The good news is that our military pay should be roughly enough from now on. Wen Tiren and Wang Tingshi both agreed to give us sixty percent of the total Dengzhou and Laizhou allocation. If Dengzhou and Laizhou have one and a half million this year, we can get nine hundred thousand. After deducting the costs for greasing palms, we can get around five hundred thousand."

Liu Minyou had managed finances for many years. In the past, they could actually only get a little over half of the military pay. However, now that the total amount was larger, he always felt deeply pained at losing four hundred thousand taels at once.

Chen Xin knew what he was thinking. After drinking some water, he smiled and said, "Having five hundred thousand is already good. The Dongjiang Garrison probably can't even get half. After the officers take their cuts, it's good if each soldier gets twenty percent of the original amount."

Liu Minyou sighed, "It's always a pity. Those high officials take so much. Don't they know that when the Tatars come, it will all belong to someone else anyway?"

Chen Xin found a chair and sat down. "The Tatars don't take high officials. They still count on these people to help manage the realm. It's those brothers from Shaanxi who will come to rob. When they extort pay, they really roast people, putting them over a fire like roasting suckling pig until the fat drips out. This time in the capital, I visited the directors of the Ministry of Works and heard them curse the former Minister of Works, Zhang Fengxiang. It was because when this man first took office in the second year of Chongzhen, he reported to the Emperor that out of a budget of one thousand taels, only three hundred reached the workshop. The workshop director would embezzle a bit more, and in the end, only a little over one hundred taels were left for making equipment. For us to get fifty percent is already a huge favor from Grand Secretary Wen."

"Oh, then this Zhang Fengxiang was fairly upright."

"Upright, my foot. He was newly appointed and worried about taking the blame for his predecessor, so as soon as he took office, he exposed all the previous mess to avoid being implicated himself. What he didn't expect was that just a few months later, the Jianzhou Bandits arrived. Several Grand Secretaries personally inspected the city defenses, and not a single piece of equipment was ready. He was still impeached and dismissed."

Liu Minyou shook his head as he listened. The atmosphere in officialdom at the end of the Ming dynasty was thoroughly corrupt. Even if someone wanted to be clean, they would ultimately be squeezed out by others. But no matter how unwilling he was, he knew that once the silver left the capital, he had no control over it whatsoever, so he could only curse under his breath.

After finishing his idle chatter, Chen Xin saw a pile of manuscripts on Liu Minyou's desk. He grabbed one to look at and clicked his tongue in amazement, "Brother Liu, you're really wasteful. How much paper have you used? Didn't we just advocate for frugality?"

Liu Minyou said discontentedly, "This is wasteful? What about Huang Side's training team writing monthly study reflections? Isn't that wasteful?"

Whenever Chen Xin heard Liu Minyou mention Huang Side, he knew nothing good would follow. He quickly changed the subject, "So, Minyou, have you finalized your institutions? The meeting is about to start. If we delay too long, the travel expenses will be considerable."

"Why isn't there an Education Department in the institutions you originally wrote down?"

Chen Xin blinked. "Isn't there a Propaganda and Education Bureau? Just let it manage everything together. It's not like there's any math, physics, or chemistry anyway; it's just learning some characters."

Liu Minyou said firmly, "No, this matter absolutely cannot be handed over to Huang Side. He'll train a bunch of fanatics with no independent thought. I have no idea what these people will ultimately become. Besides, future schools will teach handicrafts, mechanics, science popularization, and military training, not just the simple literacy classes of the past."

Chen Xin asked in surprise, "Do you have that many teachers for mechanics?"

"Of course I do. The science and technology class has already had two cohorts of over a hundred people. I'll only keep thirty. All the others who have studied science and basic mechanics will go to the schools. I've already thought out the education system. Fortress schools will train children over eleven and adults, only teaching literacy, arithmetic, and military training. After one year, they take an exam for vocational schools, which offer skills like accounting and mechanics. After another year, they take the university exam. Those who don't pass continue studying part-time for another year, and then they graduate and receive a diploma."

"There's even a university?" Chen Xin rubbed his nose. "How much funding will this cost?"

"One vocational school each in Wendeng, Laiyang, and Pingdu. The university will be in Wendeng, just one. It's an expansion of the science and technology class, offering courses in science popularization, mechanical principles, water conservancy, and so on. Do you think Huang Side's Propaganda and Education Bureau could handle this well?"

"It couldn't. Then you should set up an Education Department. The Propaganda Department can just send propagandists to do some publicity and such. But don't spend too much on education funding. Don't pay wages at the vocational schools; best to have them bring their own food..."

Liu Minyou interrupted, "The vocational schools will be set up right next to the workshops and mines. They can work and study part-time in the second year, but they need to be supported in the first year. Why is it that whenever it comes to education, you suddenly care about the silver? Making them know why they fight is far more effective than having a few extra sets of armor."

Chen Xin coughed dryly. "Then we'll do as you say. But in this critical period, the annual cost for education must not exceed one hundred thousand taels. Students at the fortresses must also bring their own meals from home. Save wherever we can." After speaking, Chen Xin's eyes darted around, and he pulled out a booklet to hand to Liu Minyou. "Brother Liu, look. The military organization is just this much. The cost isn't that much either. If we save in other areas, it'll balance out."

Liu Minyou took it and looked. He immediately jumped up. "Five battalions. Each battalion nearly 4,900 men. Plus ten first-level mobilization headquarters and twenty second-level mobilization headquarters. That's too many! The annual military pay of six hundred thousand we receive won't even cover your personnel costs."

Chen Xin spread his hands. "Didn't we agree to focus on the military?"

Liu Minyou said angrily, "This isn't focusing on the military. Doing it this way leaves us no spare capacity to develop anything else. If you expand the army like this, adding up the costs for barracks, weapons, gunpowder, cannons, and training, the average cost per soldier is at least twenty taels of silver. According to your organization, each infantry battalion has several hundred horses. If we also fully equip the soldiers with armor, the average cost per soldier will be forty to fifty taels. The extra fifteen thousand men means over seven hundred thousand taels. Then there's the funding for your battalion management structures, another tens of thousands. Add the annual pay of seven hundred thousand. Right, and there are also the training costs for reserves and militia. That adds up to one million seven or eight hundred thousand taels for the land forces! Our goal this year is to take in over two hundred thousand refugees. You have to reduce the organization and save some money, otherwise where will you get the soldiers to expand the army?"

"Didn't we get quite a lot of silver in Dengzhou? Why is there a financial crisis again?"

Liu Minyou threw out a ledger. "Where do we have that much silver? We got a total of over three million taels of silver in Dengzhou. The bank needs at least over one million in capital. The trading company needs five hundred thousand. Dozens of fortresses need to be built. Hundreds of li of roads need to be built. Expand the cigarette factory, expand the workshops. The new refugees are increasing by over a thousand people every day, and the daily grain consumption is astronomical. Add your plan here, nearly two million with the navy, plus the wages for the civil affairs management structure, and our hands are empty again."

Chen Xin rubbed his chin and flipped through the general ledger Liu Minyou had thrown at him. Seeing Liu Minyou's strong reaction, he had to take out another document. "Alright, here's a streamlined version. Brother Liu, take a look."

Liu Minyou took it and looked. Inside, the full-strength battalion was 4,200 men. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Xin said from the side, "We can do it in phases. This organization doesn't have to be at full strength. Later, when we have more silver, we can just add people directly into it. But the organization shouldn't be changed back and forth. Every adjustment in the army is a major move that requires a long time to mesh before combat power is restored."

Liu Minyou grabbed a piece of scrap paper and started calculating. Chen Xin watched him with some amusement. After a good while, Liu Minyou finally looked up. "Convert one Company Commander department per battalion into a skeleton unit."

Chen Xin frowned. "That would reduce it by a third. Five battalions would be less than twenty thousand men."

"What you originally said was twenty thousand men. Besides these five battalions, there's also an independent Company Commander department in Jimo, and the separate Lvshun Garrison. If you add your Regional Commander headquarters, Central Army department, military academy, mobilization headquarters, and other direct subordinate units, it's well over twenty-five thousand."

Chen Xin grabbed the paper and calculated for a while himself, then looked up. "Then my Guard Battalion needs to be at full strength. The First and Second Battalions will each convert one Company Commander department to a skeleton unit. The Third Battalion will convert two to skeleton units. The Fourth Battalion is a mixed battalion and is over in Lvshun, so it must be kept at full strength. The mountain battalion is very expensive, so we'll put that on hold for now. But this is only for now. If we have enough silver later, I will gradually expand to full strength step by step."

Liu Minyou calculated. First setting up the skeleton and then expanding in phases was something he could barely accept. He finally nodded. Chen Xin also breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally reached a result everyone could accept... Inside a large residence beside the official road outside the Sheng Gate, several tables of food and drink were set up in the courtyard of the third entrance. A group of people with Linqing accents were toasting each other, drinking very boisterously. This was the newly purchased residence of Lu Chuanzong. He was entertaining fellow townsmen from Yanggu, including the earliest arrivals like Dai Zhenggang, Xu Yuanhua, Huang Yuan, and others.

His residence was a luxurious mansion with gardens on both sides, originally the home of a wealthy merchant. When Kong Youde and his men came, that family hid in the city and never returned. Lu Chuanzong publicly claimed he bought it, but in reality, he had simply moved in directly. No one came to contest it. He planned to find that Penglai County Magistrate to get the deed for the house processed as well.

"Er Tun, from now on, just stay in Dengzhou. This time, you have to listen to your Brother Lu. If you hadn't gone back to Yanggu back then, you'd be at least a Squad Commander or higher by now." Lu Chuanzong's face was flushed from drinking.

Er Tun was one of those who had pulled boats with them in Tianjin back then. Later, he listened to Dai Zhenggang and returned to Yanggu, continuing to work as a tenant farmer. Later, when he heard that Lu Chuanzong and the others had made it big, he moved his entire family to Dengzhou and Laizhou this year and was waiting to be allocated land.

Er Tun glanced at Dai Zhenggang. In his heart, Er Tun actually somewhat blamed Dai Zhenggang. If it hadn't been for his request back then, he wouldn't have returned to Yanggu. Later, when Dai Zhenggang came to recruit people, Er Tun had a large family and wasn't a bachelor like Huang Yuan. So he didn't follow them to Weihai. Now Huang Yuan was about to be promoted to Company Commander, had an orderly following him, had bought a large residence in Wendeng, had three wives and concubines, and had even bought a maidservant. Compared to them, he was far behind. He truly held some resentment towards Dai Zhenggang in his heart.

Dai Zhenggang, built like an iron tower, was gnawing on a pig's trotter. He didn't feel he was in the wrong, and said to Er Tun, "You have a whole family. What we do is a beheading trade. Who knows if we'll go out on a campaign one day and never return. Back then, over twenty brothers came to Weihai together. Now only nineteen remain."

Er Tun lowered his head. "I'm willing to risk my life. These past few years in Yanggu, your relatives have been supported by you all, and their lives have gotten better. Our family has too many people. Last year, we had to sell another younger brother..."

Seeing Er Tun's low spirits, Lu Chuanzong slapped him on the head. "Now that you're in Dengzhou, what's there to fear? Once you get your land, it'll be fine. Here, we only collect two dou per mu. There are no usury loans and no false scales. It's enough for a family to eat. If anything happens, just come find me and Brother Dai. No one can bully you."

"It's just that I just arrived. The Jia head says I can't get land yet."

Lu Chuanzong pointed to the side. "Find Xu Yuanhua. He manages the fortresses. He'll definitely allocate land to you first."

Xu Yuanhua said discontentedly, "Are you afraid I wasn't criticized enough last time? The year before last, I was pestered by my cousin and got him a government shop in Wendeng. Lord Liu criticized me for a long time. Besides, I don't manage the fortresses anymore."

Dai Zhenggang and Lu Chuanzong asked in unison, "Why?"

"Lord Liu talked to me. He wants me to manage the Industry and Commerce Department. The fortresses are now under the overall management of Mo Huaiwen." Xu Yuanhua tilted his head back and downed a cup of wine. "If it weren't for that incident in Wendeng back then, how would the fortresses have fallen to Mo Huaiwen? He drifted here in the second year of Chongzhen and only joined the literacy class because he knew a few characters. He's a full two years behind me. Everyone knows the fortresses hold the most power..."

After speaking, Xu Yuanhua sullenly ate his meat. Lu Chuanzong cursed, "You've been managing the fortresses all along. How did it go to Mo Huaiwen? What can the Industry and Commerce Department manage? The cigarette factories and workshops below all have their own supervisors. The silver doesn't even pass through the Industry and Commerce Department."

Dai Zhenggang slammed his cup on the table and glared at Xu Yuanhua and Lu Chuanzong. "Are you two blaming Mr. Liu? If Mr. Liu hadn't taught you hand in hand, could you, Xu Yuanhua, read and do math? Back in the village, you couldn't even get a wife. Now you can manage so many people and so many affairs. What is there to be dissatisfied about? Do you even know how to be a proper person anymore?"

Xu Yuanhua quickly waved his hand. "Brother Dai, no, how would I dare blame Mr. Liu? I just can't stand seeing Mo Huaiwen, that petty man, acting smug after getting his way."

Lu Chuanzong said nonchalantly, "If Lord Liu's arrangements are unfair, why can't we say so?"

Dai Zhenggang said angrily, "That matter with the Wendeng shop, Xu Yuanhua handled it improperly. If a person acts with integrity, why fear others talking? Er Tun, you'll get your land when it's time. There's no reason that everyone else has to build roads to earn their qualifications while you get good fields as soon as you arrive. If word gets out, how will others view us Yanggu people? Mr. Liu's arrangements have his own reasoning. You still feel it's unfair? Mr. Liu manages the livelihoods of a hundred thousand people, with countless funds and grain in his hands. When have you ever seen him put anything into his own pocket? Mo Huaiwen has done well in Pingdu. His ability isn't necessarily worse than yours."

Xu Yuanhua's face reddened. He stopped talking to Dai Zhenggang. Lu Chuanzong also lowered his head and said nothing, though he didn't think Dai Zhenggang was right. Over on the other side, seeing Dai Zhenggang's anger, Huang Yuan quickly raised his cup to urge them to drink. Dai Zhenggang, still fuming, drained his cup in one gulp.

Huang Yuan cautiously said to Xu Yuanhua, "There's no use talking about this here. Whatever the lord arranges, we just do it. Like me, wasn't I also transferred to the Third Battalion? The battalion commander is Zheng Sanhu. Where am I worse than him? Several other old brothers have also changed battalions. Two are going to Lvshun, transferred to Zhu Guobin's command."

Lu Chuanzong chimed in, "They were all old brothers originally, staying well in my battalion. But they insist on transferring them to other battalions. I heard this reorganization plan was made by Liu Pojun. That man is truly detestable."

Dai Zhenggang rapped on the table and said loudly, "Lord Chen talked to you and me separately about this matter on the ship. This adjustment means everyone will be reorganized. It's not targeted at any one person. Our Wendeng tactics have been constantly improving. It's not certain we won't be transferred elsewhere in the future. Lord Chen has said countless times that a soldier's duty is to obey orders. Have you all become crafty old soldiers and forgotten? Could it be that you're even blaming Lord Chen?"

Dai Zhenggang's voice was a little too loud, and people at the other tables turned to look. Lu Chuanzong ducked his head and quickly leaned close to Dai Zhenggang's ear, whispering urgently, "Brother Dai, are you trying to get me killed? How many guts do I have to dare grumble about Lord Chen? If anyone overheard and thought I really had complaints, it'd be huge trouble if it reached the ears of those bastards Huang Side, Nie Hong, and Zhou Shifa."

Dai Zhenggang realized he had been too loud. Holding it in only made him more irritated, so he stood up and said to the few of them, "We're all officers now, commanding so many men. We always demand they obey our military orders, yet here we are grumbling in private — that's not right. Think it over yourselves." With that, he strode toward the door.

Lu Chuanzong hurried after him and grabbed Dai Zhenggang to explain, but Dai Zhenggang directly waved his hand to stop him from speaking. Then, with a stern face, he lowered his voice and said, "Lu Lvzi, you know what Huang Side and Zhou Shifa are like, especially that Zhou Shifa. A lot of what they do is done in secret. The Intelligence Bureau may look like a tiny operation, but its people are spread all over Dengzhou and Laizhou — can't you use your head and think about that? Besides, if it weren't for Lord Chen and Mr. Liu, you'd still be out somewhere eating chaff and scraps. They've shown you the greatest kindness. What Lord Chen arranges is a military order. We can't handle much else, so if we're going to lead troops, we should lead them well. Grumbling in private doesn't help anything. Complaining here about Lord Chen and Mr. Liu only brings you a lot more trouble. Whether you agree or not, once the general assembly opens tomorrow, if they demote you to a common soldier, what could you do about it? Don't look at how Xu Yuanhua and Huang Yuan are complaining now — when the time comes, they won't dare let out a single fart. You, on the other hand, have gotten a bit too carried away with yourself."

Lu Chuanzong lowered his head and was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Brother Dai is right. I'll be more careful from now on."

Dai Zhenggang's expression softened. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's good that you've thought it through. You never know how expensive firewood is until you run a household. In the old days, when I led you twenty-some men in Tianjin, I already found it exhausting. The two lords have to manage the livelihood of over a hundred thousand people — that hardship is beyond what we can imagine. If the two of us were put in their place, we'd be thrown out by the men below within a month. Let's not add to their troubles." (To be continued.)