Chapter 444: Talent

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"If this keeps up, we'll have nothing to eat next year. I'll have to leave tomorrow, follow the Great Khan to fight the Tatars. Otherwise, we'll have no food next year."

Zhang Zhongqi walked into the courtyard through the snowflakes, set down the small grain sack on his shoulder in the main room, and spoke to the bondservant before him, who was also his father-in-law. He mentioned food twice in a row.

When they attacked Lushun this year, the Banner imposed an additional grain tax. After the mixed wheat harvest, the Banner took most of it. When Zhang Zhongqi retreated into central Liaodong, his heart was full of resentment toward Huang Taiji. The gratitude he had felt in previous years after seizing goods had vanished. His Niru belonged to Manggūltai's personal Niru. That Niru Ejen was lucky to have survived several battles with the Dengzhou garrison. Apart from being shot by an arrow in Luanzhou, he had not been wounded since.

This Niru Ejen was a grateful man. He never forgot Zhang Zhongqi's life-saving grace and always privately gave Zhang Zhongqi some benefits to help him get by. With this Niru master's care, Zhang Zhongqi could possibly survive this cold and hungry winter. But no matter how poor, one must celebrate the New Year. Today he had gone to trade for some grain, preparing to have a proper New Year.

"Then you must be careful. So many people in the Niru have died this year." His father-in-law brushed the snowflakes from Zhang Zhongqi's body. "Go quickly and see the baby."

Zhang Zhongqi had eaten only half a coarse-grain cake all day. When he stood up, his head felt dizzy. At that moment, the sound of a baby wailing came from inside the room. A smile rose on Zhang Zhongqi's gaunt, thin face. He hurriedly said to his father-in-law, "You must hide this grain well. Eat sparingly. We only have a few dozen taels of silver left under the manger. And hide those twenty jin of salt well too. When the time comes, trade it for grain to eat."

After speaking, he hurried into the room. The baby's crying had stopped again. A brazier burned in the main room, making it a little warmer than outside. Zhang Zhongqi closed the door and leaned over the bed to look. A wrinkled-faced infant was suckling at the mute woman's breast.

Zhang Zhongqi's face was full of tender affection. He crouched by the bedside, watching the infant's face. The mute woman looked up at Zhang Zhongqi, grinning.

The infant sucked a few times, then opened its mouth and began wailing again. Zhang Zhongqi said anxiously, "Why is there no milk again? I told you to eat the cake. Did you not eat it?"

The mute woman timidly fumbled out a blackened cake from under the pillow and held it out to Zhang Zhongqi. Zhang Zhongqi suddenly stood up and said angrily, "How can you not eat? What will my son eat then? I've told you so many times, eat everything given to you. Why is it so much trouble?"

The mute woman's hand with the cake hung in mid-air. Seeing Zhang Zhongqi angry, she carefully brought it to her mouth and took a bite. Then she offered it to Zhang Zhongqi again.

Zhang Zhongqi sat down on the head of the bed and slowly exhaled. "I've already eaten. This was all left for you. You don't need to save it for me. Our baby still needs milk. If you don't eat, where will the milk come from? Eat quickly."

The mute woman reached out a hand and grasped Zhang Zhongqi's withered, thin hand, sobbing soundlessly.

"Don't cry, don't cry. We still have food, don't we? The grain harvest was small this year, and the Banner took so much. You know, it's just as well that Huang Shan died in Lushun. Otherwise, here, he would have starved to death too." Zhang Zhongqi wiped the mute woman's tears. "Our family is doing well compared to others. At the east end of the village... they're burning corpses again. Two today."

The mute woman broke the cake apart and gave half to Zhang Zhongqi. Zhang Zhongqi did not take it. Instead, he stood up and went outside. A moment later, he brought in that small sack of grain and said to the mute woman, "See, we still have grain. I just went and bought it today. I won't go hungry. You eat quickly."

Only then did the mute woman show a hint of a smile. She bit into that blackened cake in small, tiny bites.

Zhang Zhongqi set the grain sack on the floor and watched the mute woman finish eating bit by bit, secretly swallowing his saliva dozens of times. They had been dragged down by the Lushun campaign this year. Not only did they not seize anything, they also suffered a huge loss. In previous years, there was grain imported from the Liaodong Sea, but this year it had drastically decreased because Chen Xin, in cooperation with Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi, imposed strict inspections across the Liaodong Sea.

With these two factors combined, the grain price in Liaodong had soared to ten taels per shi. Silver was plentiful but grain was scarce. The powerful masters were still hoarding, and fewer and fewer people were willing to sell grain. Often, even with silver in hand, one might not be able to buy any.

Prices in Liaodong were skyrocketing, including other consumer goods. Jindeng cigarettes produced in Denglai were now selling for one tael of silver per pack. Tea, silk, and other items had more than doubled in price compared to before. Although Huang Taiji issued repeated orders, the Banner Lords and nobles below remained keen on smuggling. The winter routes were mainly through Joseon and Mongolia, and most of the Mongol trade goods came from Xuanfu.

Zhang Zhongqi burrowed under the covers, lovingly took the infant, and wrapped it in the blackened quilt. He made funny faces at the infant. The infant watched Zhang Zhongqi's face with rapt attention and cooed a few times.

After playing for a while, Zhang Zhongqi said to the mute woman, "I have to follow them to Xuanfu again. This time I'll seize more things and capture a few more bondservants."

The mute woman began to sob soundlessly. In a moment, she was crying like a person made of tears. The last time Zhang Zhongqi went to attack Lushun, he said it would be very easy. But when he returned, nearly all the bondservants in the Niru were dead, including their family's bondservant Huang Shan.

Zhang Zhongqi patted the mute woman's shoulder. "This time going to Xuanfu, your homeland, the Tatar army there is truly very poor. No need to worry at all." He immediately added, "As long as that Dengzhou army doesn't come, it will be fine. The Great Khan... should have planned everything well."

Zhang Zhongqi finished speaking with some hesitation. In truth, he now lacked confidence in Huang Taiji. But worrying was useless. He pressed his forehead against his son's face, feeling the warmth from that tiny body. "Wait for your father. I will definitely bring something back for you."

On the shooting range in Lin County, the crack of gunfire rang out in a continuous volley.

Guan Dadi was sweating profusely as he operated a flintlock. He had envied the detached troops during the night raid on Zijinliang. Now that he actually held one in his hands, operating it was extremely difficult.

"Guan Dadi, you stupid egg, get the hell out of here! You're ten times stupider than a Guandi Temple! Look at the way you hold that gun! Did a rock hit your mother's belly when she was giving birth to you!"

Zhong Laosi raged like thunder beside him, his stick striking Guan Dadi again and again.

"And you're supposed to be an NCO! Look at the recruit next to you, several years younger than you. He fires two shots for every one of yours. He's killed one more person than you, you know that? For every one less you kill, one more comrade dies. This is murdering your comrades... Son of a bitch, you didn't even remove the ramrod, and you dared to pull the lock to firing position!"

Zhong Laosi rushed forward, punching and kicking. Guan Dadi frantically fumbled to remove the ramrod. Before his hand could even touch it, Zhong Laosi was beating him wildly again. "You son of a bitch, don't you want your hands anymore?! Shake it out downwards!"

Under Zhong Laosi's beating, Guan Dadi finally completed one shot. The recruit next to him had already fired three shots.

Zhou Shao'er was also on the other side, hitting and cursing several slow soldiers. The entire training ground echoed with thunderous curses.

Liu Minyou had just left when a new batch of firearms arrived. This shipment of arms was transported by the trading company's armed escort service, mixed with some martial academy NCOs. After they arrived, Zhong Laosi began the training he was best at. Every soldier had to complete five live-fire exercises and two hundred dry-fire drills daily.

Although Guan Dadi had formidable physical strength and had undergone basic training, his reactions and reflexes were both average, and his finger dexterity was also somewhat lacking. He fundamentally could not keep up with the others' pace. First, the squad leader trained him alone, then the company commander, and finally the battalion headquarters' sergeant major. After becoming the slowest to improve, he had now finally drawn Zhong Laosi's personal beating.

After the afternoon's one hundred dry-fire drills ended, the bugler sounded assembly. The exhausted soldiers gathered one after another, converging beneath that small review platform.

Zhong Laosi stood on the platform, flanked by the vice battalion commander, the battalion headquarters' military judge, and the training officer. He roared at the men below, "Among the four companies, only twenty squads are fully qualified. And don't think you're qualified—that's only the Ordnance Department's standard. My battalion must exceed the Ordnance Department's standard. Anyone who hasn't fired three full shots by the time the hourglass runs out will do an extra fifty drills after night training. The squad with the lowest total shots in each company will do an extra hundred drills, run five penalty laps around the parade ground, and each man will do two hundred arm supports."

The soldiers below stood ramrod straight, numbly listening to this loud voice's roar.

"The very last place in the entire battalion is that Guan Dadi, the first man to receive the First-Class Bayonet Assault Medal. His squad's daily punishment is doubled. His platoon's punishment is increased by fifty percent, until Guan Dadi meets my standards. Company Commander Zhou Shao'er is punished with two shifts of gate guard duty at the camp entrance tonight."

A chorus of hissing intakes of breath came from the First Company's formation. Guan Dadi hung his head. Zhou Shao'er was right beside him. Guan Dadi lowered his head and stole a glance. He saw Zhou Shao'er's face was expressionless, only his lips moving slightly. He didn't know if he was cursing Zhong Laosi or cursing him.

"Company commanders, lead your troops back to camp for dinner. Assemble for night training one quarter-hour after dinner. Dismissed!"

"Hu!" After a unified shout from everyone, the day's training finally ended.

"Open the cock to loading position."

"Open the priming pan!"

"Take cartridge!"

"Reverse cartridge!"

"Pinch powder with fingers!"

"Bite open cartridge!"

"Prime the pan!"

"Close the frizzen!"

"Vertical gun!"

"Load powder!"

"Load ball!"

"Insert paper wadding!"

"Take ramrod!"

In the middle of the night on the parade ground, Zhou Shao'er's voice still echoed. A lantern hung nearby, swaying and casting a dim yellow light.

Guan Dadi operated step by step with the commands, like a robot moving to orders.

After shouting ten repetitions, Zhou Shao'er's voice was already hoarse. He had been shouting all day; his throat felt like it was smoking. Guan Dadi then shouted the commands himself, with Zhou Shao'er prompting him when he forgot.

They kept drilling for fifty more repetitions. Guan Dadi's limbs had gone soft and he had to stop. He had lost count of how many times he had done this today. After the whole squad's collective punishment ended that evening, Zhou Shao'er was still giving him extra one-on-one training.

Zhou Shao'er beckoned Guan Dadi over to the lantern and held his hands over it to warm them.

"Dadi, don't hold a grudge against Zhong Laosi. He's doing this for everyone, and also so you can stay alive. He always remembers what happened at the Guandi Temple. Guandi Temple was usually the cook. Back then, Zhong Laosi didn't train him hard enough and often helped cover for him."

Guan Dadi had not spoken of this younger brother for a long time. After listening, he asked quietly, "Back then, my brother was in the same squad as you. Did you train like this then too?"

Zhou Shao'er tilted his head slightly to look at the pitch-black night sky and said, somewhat lost in thought, "Back when he was still squad leader, I was the Corporal under him. Guandi Temple was our squad's cook. The training advisor was Li Donghua, the current Director of the Military Affairs Bureau. Do you think he would have let us off? Back then, Li Donghua was just as ruthless as Zhong Laosi is now. At the time, Zhong Laosi cursed Li Donghua more fiercely than any of us. Later we understood that although Li Donghua was harsh in peacetime, he really did help many men survive on the battlefield."

Guan Dadi lowered his head and said, "I don't blame Company Commander Zhong. I took the silver, so of course I should train. It's just my own fault for being a bit slow, and I dragged the whole platoon into punishment with me. Maybe I just don't have the talent to be a musketeer."

Zhou Shao'er laughed loudly and clapped him on the shoulder. "You think Zhong Laosi had that talent? Bullshit. He got beaten the most when he was a new recruit. I was in the same file as him, standing right in front of me — no one knows better than me. The ones leading the training back then were Dai Zhenggang, Zhu Daihun, Lu Chuanzong, and those guys. Zhong Laosi was way dumber than me. It took him forever to learn to march in step. This musket is just like using a hoe to farm back home — do it enough and you'll get it. We're a bit slower, so we just train more. I guarantee you'll end up firing faster than that son of a bitch Zhong Laosi."

Guan Dadi grinned. He said to Zhou Shao'er, "Company Commander, let me stand the night sentry at the camp gate for you."

Zhou Shao'er yawned and waved his hand. "That dog Zhong Laosi assigned this punishment to me. If you go and he catches you on patrol, I'll get it even worse. Damn that Zhong Laosi. Next time I drink with him, I swear I'll drink him under the table. Remember to back me up."

"Aye, I'll back you up." Guan Dadi chuckled foolishly.

Zhou Shao'er jumped in place twice and said, "Come on, twenty more times, then you report back to the barracks and rest."

"No, I'll drill fifty more times."

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