Chapter 64: My Wife

By afternoon, forty-nine trackers had been selected. These forty-nine men came mainly from various northern regions — Shanxi, Henan, Northern Zhili, Shandong, Liaodong. Through the three-tier selection Chen Xin had carefully arranged, they were completely unable to form any clique; no more than three men from the same prefecture or department. Only one slot remained. Zhu Guobin looked over several more men, none meeting the requirements. Finally he spotted one, but the man had three children with him, and Hai Gouzi blocked him and sent him back. Every single person Hai Gouzi turned away cursed him under their breath. Seeing that only the last slot was left, the trackers abandoned all pretense of queuing and swarmed around Zhu Guobin, demanding he pick them, surrounding him layer upon layer until the original queue area stood empty.

Chen Xin had been selecting all day. A few of the chosen trackers had brought wooden stools from home for them to sit on. Chen Xin had attended plenty of recruitment fairs before, but he had never encountered applicants this fervent. Before him, a sea of arms waved; Zhu Guobin had long since vanished from sight. Chen Xin called out, and Hai Gouzi and the others grabbed clubs and struck out wildly. Only then did the trackers hurriedly clear a path. Zhu Guobin stumbled out in a daze — even with his decent martial skill, he was no match for so many trackers. His clothes were torn in several places.

"His mother's," Zhu Guobin cursed after resting a long while before he could speak. He had nearly been squeezed breathless. "These trackers are damn strong. Battalion Commander, we're still one short. Keep recruiting or not?"

"No need." Chen Xin pointed at a small-framed tracker ahead. "Little brother, come here."

That young tracker was standing where the queue had originally formed, surrounded by people everywhere, and had no idea he was being called. Only after Chen Xin called several times did he look left and right, then cautiously ask Chen Xin, "Is this young master calling this humble one?"

"Humble what? Get out here, it's you." Chen Xin said impatiently. "Do you want congee or not? If you do, hurry up."

The young tracker was overjoyed and hurried over to kowtow. Chen Xin asked him the same old questions — also a bachelor, only seventeen. He took him on the spot. Chen Xin asked finally, "What's your name?"

"This humble one is called Zhou Shao'er."

"Zhou Shao'er, all right, you're selected. Go eat."

The young tracker was thin and frail, shorter than the average tracker. After kowtowing again, he timidly went to get a bowl of rice, glanced at the faces of those around him, and only then began eating with extreme caution.

Zhu Guobin said quietly to Chen Xin, "This Zhou Shao'er has a shifty gaze, his eyes don't focus, his bearing and movements lack courage, his waist and arms are thin — he probably has little strength and won't be of much use. Why did you pick him, my lord?"

Chen Xin said flatly, "Just now when everyone was shoving forward, he was the only one still honestly queuing. I want men accustomed to obeying discipline. Though this man lacks strength, that can be trained. For now, since his stamina is poor, assign him first as a fire soldier."

The fire soldier Chen Xin referred to was not a firearms soldier, but the kind of menial soldier in the Ming army. In Qi Jiguang's Mandarin Duck Formation, there was such a role — he served as both the squad leader's orderly and the squad's general laborer. In battle, he hid at the very rear, did no killing, and was only responsible for cutting off dead enemies' heads to record merit. In his New Book of Effective Discipline, Qi Jiguang wrote that this fire soldier role could be filled by the cowardly and timid — it was considered the troop type with the lowest requirements.

Zhu Guobin agreed crisply. On this trip, Chen Xin had discovered one of Zhu Guobin's great strengths: he never set conditions when carrying out orders. As long as an order was clear, he never questioned its reasonableness. This man was truly a born soldier.

The group of selected men wolfed down food by the cauldron, but each man got only two steamed buns. They had all been in a state of starvation lately and it wasn't suitable for them to eat too many buns at once. They could, however, have a bit more congee.

The surrounding trackers all drooled, watching these fifty-odd men with envy, lingering around them and refusing to disperse for a long time. Some who had arrived too late beat their chests and stamped their feet, pulling at Zhang Da and begging him to recruit a few more.

Chen Xin called over Zhu Guobin, Dai Zhenggang, Lu Lvzi, and the others. The four formed a small circle. Chen Xin said to them, "Have them assemble here tomorrow morning. Divide them into five groups, ten men per group. These fifty men will temporarily be led by Zhu Guobin, with Lu Chuanzong as deputy. Brother Dai will lead the men from Yanggu from now on."

"Understood, my lord." After their trip to Jingshi with Chen Xin, the several men admired him even more, and the form of address they used had changed to my lord. After all, Chen Xin was now a Battalion Commander and could no longer be casually called brother or big brother as before.

Chen Xin continued, "Guobin and Chuanzong, after you divide them into groups, call each group a squad. For now, our five men will each temporarily lead one squad. Fifty men make one large company, with Guobin as company commander and Chuanzong as deputy. We need to move quickly on the road to Tianjin. If we're late, the ships might get frozen in, and it won't be easy to arrange for so many people to stay in Tianjin through winter. I also need to hurry to Weihai to take up my post. Also, on the road we must teach them to follow commands and march in step formation."

During the days when Zhu Guobin was hiding in Zhengdong Ward, he had watched Dai Zhenggang training Hai Gouzi and the others. When those four trained together, their movements were extremely uniform. He himself had also followed along and learned for about ten days. He found this kind of training very novel. Just looking at the way they formed up and marched was very imposing. Zhu Guobin thought it was very useful. Although the few men were not wearing military uniforms, they looked more disciplined than the former combat battalions. Later, when he heard it was a method created by Chen Xin, he couldn't help but be awestruck, and he was eager to personally train these men.

Zhu Guobin asked, "My lord, the Mandarin Duck Formation uses twelve men per squad. Wouldn't it be better to divide them into four squads?"

Chen Xin touched his nose. During this period while in hiding, he had also been reading the New Book of Effective Discipline and the True Record of Troop Training. Qi Jiguang's Mandarin Duck Formation had different configurations in the south and the north. Chen Xin hadn't yet decided what organization to use for the army, because he didn't even have a combat opponent. Killing Tatars was, for now, just talk — he wouldn't be killing any for a while yet.

"For now, organize them this way. When we reach Tianjin, we'll see how many men can come from Yanggu, then reorganize at that time."

Dai Zhenggang also asked, "Under what designation will we go after we arrive?"

"Once at Weihai Guard, all will be registered en masse as military households."

Lu Lvzi said worriedly, "I'm afraid many people won't want to become military households."

"They'll have to whether they want to or not," Chen Xin said, brooking no doubt. He had spent capital to transport these people over precisely to check the local powers in Weihai. How could he allow them to choose? Besides, civilian households were suffering just as much now. As long as he could pay out silver, the vast majority wouldn't resist too strongly.

Zhu Guobin and the others exchanged quiet glances. Chen Xin was gradually developing authority now, and his tone of speech had changed. The several men assented in unison.

After arranging matters, Chen Xin returned to Zhangjiawan with Song Wenxian. Chen Xin was not the type to personally oversee every little thing; it was enough to manage the most important parts well. The reason he had done so well at his former company wasn't just opportunism — his work methods and efficiency were both quite excellent.

Song Wenxian walked with him for a while along the streets of Zhangjiawan and said to Chen Xin, "Brother Chen, why did you arrange for Lu Lvzi to be deputy company commander again?"

"Mr. Song knows well enough — for now, Chuanzong listens to me more. He doesn't follow Dai Zhenggang's every word. Zhu Guobin is a steady man who does things very well. Lu Lvzi as his deputy is just right."

Song Wenxian was quite convinced by Chen Xin's personnel arrangements. Lu Lvzi was basically one of Chen Xin's diehard loyalists. Serving as deputy gave him both prospects and a way to keep an eye on Zhu Guobin. Chen Xin was meticulous and thick-skinned — Song Wenxian possessed these two traits as well — but when it came to courage, Song Wenxian admitted he dared not compare. Chen Xin truly had boundless prospects.

"Then why did Brother Chen come to Zhangjiawan to recruit? Tianjin has trackers too."

"Tianjin does have trackers, but I'll be traveling back and forth to Tianjin often in the future, and I'm keeping the commercial shop there. If I recruit troops locally, in case it draws the attention of the Qingjun Office, things won't be so convenient later."

Song Wenxian thought about it and agreed. Though this cost a bit more silver, it was safer.

"Brother Chen is always meticulous. However, regarding the matter of family dependents that Lord Zhong requires, Brother Chen must attend to it quickly. Once we return to Tianjin..."

Chen Xin cut him off. "Why wait until we return to Tianjin? I'm here now precisely to handle this matter."

"Now?" Song Wenxian looked around. The surroundings were some commercial shops. In winter, with no boats or goods, everything was desolate and quiet. Pedestrians were sparse on the road. By the roadside knelt some people selling themselves.

"Could it be that Brother Chen's lady love is the daughter of some shop proprietor?"

"What lady love? It's her." Chen Xin pointed at a relatively clean-looking woman kneeling on the ground. The woman knelt there, a grass marker stuck on her person, looking around idly. Behind her stood an old man.

"Doesn't Lord Zhong want family dependents? In Zhangjiawan, women selling themselves with grass markers are as numerous as ox hairs. I'll buy one right now — she'll be my family dependent. Brother Song, take a look too. If any catch your eye, I'll buy one for you as well."

Song Wenxian was speechless. Stunned for a long moment, he finally muttered, "Truly shameless."

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

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky one after another, blanketing the earth in white. Ten trackers marched in two columns along the official road, moving to verbal commands. Hai Gouzi walked on the left side of this column. Every one of these trackers carried bundles large and small on their backs. Don't look down on these people just because they were dirt poor — a poor household's possessions are worth a fortune. Pots, bowls, ladles, basins, cotton quilts, bed sheets — they all had to be moved. Chen Xin did not stop them, letting them carry it all. Those with families also had to march in the column. Chen Xin had hired two large carts and placed the dozen or so women and children on them, along with some food, but no luggage was allowed on the carts.

The woman Chen Xin had bought was called Xiao Jiahua — a name so rustic it shed clods of dirt. She was seventeen this year, average in looks, but with a large mole at the corner of her mouth. She had originally been a maidservant. Her young mistress had fallen ill and died, and the proprietor returned her to her original family. The family couldn't afford to keep her and hadn't found her a husband's family for the time being, so they had no choice but to bring her out to sell. When this maidservant heard that the handsome young master before her wanted to buy her as a concubine, she followed along gleefully. Chen Xin gave ten taels of silver to her family. Her parents showed no reluctance whatsoever. Before she left, they even exhorted Xiao Jiahua that she must obey her master's words, and if she was driven out again, she shouldn't come home — just fend for herself. Xiao Jiahua agreed repeatedly and left without shedding a single tear.

The more Xiao Jiahua looked at this husband of hers, the more she liked him. Handsome and wealthy aside, he also had so many underlings. She felt that Heaven had opened its eyes and given her a great gift. Sitting on the donkey cart, she began humming off-key songs. A few of the trackers' wives, hearing that she was the proprietor's young mistress, deliberately curried favor with her, flattering her all along the way. Xiao Jiahua couldn't help growing even more smug, putting on the airs of a young mistress and tilting her head up high.

Chen Xin couldn't be bothered with her. He planned to buy her a small courtyard once they reached Dengzhou and just leave her in Dengzhou. He had no thoughts of rebellion at present, so this Xiao Jiahua would be in no danger in Dengzhou. In a while, that Lord Zhong would be too busy saving his own skin to have time to worry about this meaningless hostage. When the time came, he'd bring her back to Weihai to serve as a maidservant.

Chen Xin did not ride the donkey cart but walked together with the trackers. He had to say, this group of trackers truly could endure hardship. Yesterday they had walked forty li in a single day, and not a single person had thrown anything away. Today, after walking another twenty li, two bachelors finally couldn't take it anymore and threw away some bowls and ladles.

"Guobin, what do you think of these soldiers on the march?" Chen Xin looked at his unit with satisfaction and asked Zhu Guobin beside him.

"My lord, these men have been towing boats on the Grand Canal for a long time. Their stamina should all be very good. If they could eat their fill every day and weren't carrying this junk, walking eighty or ninety li a day would be no problem."

Chen Xin nodded. He felt that after training, these soldiers would be no worse than the miners of Yiwu — the same simplicity and endurance of hardship. In team spirit and discipline, they might even surpass them. Trackers all had to pull together in unison, their steps synchronized. They were long accustomed to listening to work chants. After just one simple session of formation drill yesterday, they could already march neatly to verbal commands. Though they still couldn't tell left from right, they were far superior to simple farmers straight from the fields.

He had deliberately allowed these men to carry their luggage to test their physical capacity. When they reached Tianjin, he would not let them bring it aboard the ship. Who knew how many lice and fleas were in those bedding rolls — affecting daily life aside, they also spread disease. This march was also a process of elimination. If anyone couldn't keep walking, Chen Xin would not stop and wait for him.

Chen Xin also walked on foot. This was his first unit. If he could grow strong, these men would become officers, the skeleton of his army. They were an extremely important resource to Chen Xin, and he wanted to leave them with the most authoritative and profound impression from the very start.

Just as Chen Xin was pondering how to quickly win their hearts, Zhou Shao'er caught his attention. A bachelor, he too was carrying a large bundle. His thin, small body was already bent over, and he limped along at the very rear of the column.

"Zhou Shao'er, what are you carrying?" Chen Xin walked up beside him and asked.

Zhou Shao'er hurriedly stopped. "Young master, this humble one is carrying a pot." The trackers ahead, hearing Chen Xin's question, all turned their heads to look.

Chen Xin said, "Keep walking. We'll talk as we go. You're a bachelor — do you need such a big pot for cooking?" Zhou Shao'er hurriedly caught up a few steps to rejoin the column, then replied cautiously, "Answering the young master, this... this pot was originally what our whole family ate from. Father, mother, brothers, sisters — now I'm the only one left eating from it. Carrying it... it's like a keepsake. If the young master doesn't like it, I... I can also... throw it away."

"And what happened to your leg?"

"A boat owner beat me a while back. Didn't hurt the bone. It's almost better. I can walk, really." Afraid that Chen Xin might not want him because of this, Zhou Shao'er hurriedly straightened his chest and tried his best not to sway.

Chen Xin was silent for a moment, then said to Zhou Shao'er, "Give me the pot."

Zhou Shao'er thought he meant to throw it away. Reluctantly, she handed over the bundle from her back, tears already welling in her eyes. Chen Xin reached out and took it — and to everyone's surprise, he swung it directly onto his own back, saying, "Since you're injured, I'll carry it for you as far as Tianjin. You've done well. Don't forget your roots. Your parents and brothers are watching you from above. Work hard under me, make something of yourself, become a man who stands tall and proud — let them be proud of you."

"Yes, Young Master…" Zhou Shao'er choked, tears spilling from her eyes.