Chapter 72: Nomination

Thanks to the strong support of the Mazi Dun villagers, three shacks were set up before dark. Those who couldn't adjust after the boat ride could finally sleep off the boats, but the ground was too hard to dig pit shelters, and the shacks leaked wind on all sides. Liu Minyou had no choice but to have people light campfires for warmth; the others still slept on the boats. Thus they got through the first night.

The next day, the enthusiastic people of Mazi Dun came again to see what else they needed to buy. When Chen Xin departed Tianjin, he had purchased a hundred dan of grain as ballast. They set up a large pot in front of the shacks to cook porridge and announced that anyone who worked could have a meal. That day, over a hundred more Mazi Dun villagers came to help. Over two hundred people worked together and, in a single day, put up more than twenty shacks, also moving some stones around them as windbreaks. Each of the five combat squads got one large shack; those with families got one small shack each. Liu Minyou and Chen Xin each had a small shack, while Song Wenxian preferred to stay on the boat.

Liu Minyou specifically requested that the largest shack be built to serve as a schoolroom where children and soldiers could learn to read. He had the artisan households make some thick wooden planks arranged as long tables, giving a rudimentary form to a peasant-worker kindergarten.

The shacks could only serve as temporary shelter. Chen Xin's plan was to build brick and tile houses, with a fort wall outside. Liu Minyou visited Mazi Dun to observe and learn. Among the hundred-plus households inside, only one had a brick house; the rest were thatched huts with mud-plastered walls. In fact, most dwellings in the north during the Ming Dynasty were thatched huts, and even the capital, Jingshi, still had many. The places both men had visited, like Jizhou and Tianjin, were considered cities, yet still had a mix of thatched huts and tiled houses. Once a fire broke out, the losses would be severe. Therefore, Chen Xin insisted on building brick and tile houses, believing that good housing conditions were also part of a sense of honor.

In a rural place like Weihai, only inside the garrison town were there a few brick and tile houses. In Mazi Dun, only one household had a tiled house, and that belonged to Wang Yuanzheng's father-in-law. The environment inside the village was unimaginably filthy and chaotic. After his visit, Liu Minyou was greatly disappointed; it held no reference value for his town planning.

He had to base his design on a cross-street layout and drew a map himself. Early on the third day, he took the logistics team and a few artisans to the garrison town. They needed to purchase many things: grain, salt, bricks and tiles, kitchenware, beds, blacksmithing tools, and so on. It was ten li from Mazi Dun to the garrison town; the round trip plus purchasing would take at least a day.

Chen Xin slept a night in the wheat-straw pile inside a shack, covered by two quilts. Although he wasn't cold, the straw made his neck terribly itchy, and it was too soft as a mattress. He woke up with a sore back, saw Liu Minyou off, and then led the five combat squads in formation running. The large area of abandoned land, uncultivated for years, was quite flat and perfect for use as a training ground. Mazi Dun over there was quiet; with nothing to do in winter, no one got up this early.

"Bowl is left, chopsticks are right!"

"Bowl is left, chopsticks are right!"

"Left foot first, then right!"

As they ran, Zhu Guobin shouted the cadence. It was their first time running in formation, and everyone's steps were out of sync, but they could maintain the twelve-man squad formation without breaking apart, demonstrating the trackers' excellent sense of organization.

Chen Xin, leading Hai Gouzi and the other three personal guards, ran ahead to the side of the main group. Everyone could see that the Battalion Commander was also participating in the training. After shouting cadences for a while, the duty was switched to Dai Zhenggang. Zhu Guobin ran over to Chen Xin's side, able to talk to him even while running.

"My lord, these squads still have no squad leaders or corporals. Should we decide on them first?"

Chen Xin's stamina was not as good as Zhu Guobin's. Under his Battalion Commander's uniform, he wore a thick padded jacket, and he was already a bit out of breath. He just nodded and forced out the words, "Fine. Today... today we'll... settle it."

Zhu Guobin replied, "In the squad I lead, I think Jiang..."

"No, let's not decide first. Let them choose first."

"Choose?" A large question mark appeared over Zhu Guobin's head.

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After running about two kilometers, most of the trackers had no major issues. Chen Xin, however, was utterly exhausted. He still had to act as if nothing was wrong. He had the three officers lead the troops to line up in front of the shack area. The sound of their running and cadence shouting had already woken the family members in the shacks, who all came out to watch curiously.

After arriving at Weihai, all the combat soldiers wore their padded coats with the red side out. Looking over, it was a sea of fiery red, but they had no hats, just hairnets on their heads. In Tianjin, Chen Xin hadn't thought to equip each man with a hat, and in Dengzhou, he'd also forgotten to ask for helmets. Now, the overall effect was somewhat lacking.

Chen Xin found a leftover log to stand on. Song Wenxian and Chen Xin's four personal guards stood behind him. Facing the combat troops, Chen Xin cleared his throat and began to speak: "Soldiers, starting today, you are military households of Weihai Garrison, and also combat soldiers of Weihai Garrison. You left your homes and came to this strange place. You have no worries about food or clothing, you receive monthly pay, and Mr. Liu is even preparing to teach your children to read. Does anyone know why?"

Silence filled the ranks. The trackers were very satisfied with their current life: no danger, food and clothing provided, and they didn't even have to farm. They didn't know what Chen Xin meant by this question. After a long while, a hand went up at the end of the first squad. These trackers had taken quite a few beatings on the road before they learned to raise their hands to speak.

Chen Xin looked and saw it was the thinnest and weakest one, Zhou Shao'er. He nodded encouragingly and said to him, "Zhou Shao'er may speak."

Zhou Shao'er lowered his hand. He was full of gratitude toward Chen Xin, his benefactor, but speaking in front of so many people still made him stumble. "This, because my lord is a good man. Other, I, I can't say it well."

Chen Xin smiled, then his expression slowly turned stern. "Zhou Shao'er is right. I am a good man. But you are not here to enjoy a life of leisure. You all came here because you couldn't survive in your hometowns. Why were you displaced and homeless?"

Huang Yuan was a tenant farmer from Yanggu, even more miserable than a yeoman farmer. Hearing this, he raised his hand. After Chen Xin gave permission, he cried out loudly, "Because the landlord masters wouldn't let us live! The profiteering merchants in the grain shops wouldn't let us live!"

Huang Yuan's crying struck a chord with the others. With the first person speaking up, those behind grew bolder and raised their hands to speak one after another, all denouncing the local officials, gentry, and merchants. Many of them were bachelors, the sole survivors of their entire families. Everyone had a tale of blood and tears. As sobs rose from the ranks, the family members watching were also affected and began weeping at the sidelines.

Chen Xin saw that everyone's emotions had been stirred, essentially achieving the effect of a grievance meeting. Words spoken at such a time were most easily accepted by them. When they had finished, Chen Xin said loudly: "We are all people of bitter fate, harmed by gentry, profiteering merchants, bandits—each for different reasons. But I tell you, there is only one reason for your suffering..." Chen Xin slowly swept his gaze across the entire assembly, and everyone's eyes focused on him.

"Because you had no power, so they could bully you at will. But today, you are different. You are no longer peasants, no longer trackers. You are combat soldiers of Weihai Garrison. You are no longer alone. Every comrade here is your backing, myself included. We are each other's support. From now on, if anyone wants to bully you, they make an enemy of me, Chen Xin, and an enemy of everyone here."

Lu Lvzi and the other veteran followers listened with surging emotions. They had followed Chen Xin the longest and had the deepest feelings for him. Moreover, ever since following this man, they had never been bullied. Their fates had all changed greatly because of him.

Chen Xin's voice continued: "But this is not enough. You must have even greater strength, so that anyone who wants to bully you will retreat in the face of difficulty. This strength will not come on its own; you must strive for it yourselves, obtain it on the training ground, obtain it on the battlefield. Therefore..."….

Chen Xin paused again, letting everyone digest his previous words before continuing: "On the training ground and on the battlefield, I will be the strictest person. I recognize only military discipline. Any of you who violate military discipline will not be let off. All who shrink back on the training ground and battlefield will be severely punished and left to fend for themselves. There is no place here for cowards. Likewise, all the merits you earn will not be overlooked. You can become corporals, squad leaders, platoon leaders, company commanders, battalion commanders. I, too, will not remain a battalion commander forever. If you are afraid to die and willing to live a life of being bullied, you may still leave now. If you are willing to follow me, Chen Xin, to risk your lives for a title and honor, to live with dignity, then stay."

Lu Lvzi had weighed his options repeatedly before deciding to follow Chen Xin. In just a few short months, he had witnessed him progress step by step. Now, he was completely transformed—not only had he become a Battalion Commander, but his name was known throughout the capital, and his future was limitless. He had been right to follow him. Looking at this elder brother with whom he had shared life and death, his emotions surged. He abruptly knelt and shouted, "Willing to die for my lord!"

With the first person taking the lead, the others knelt one after another. In the entire assembly, only Song Wenxian remained standing. This was the effect Chen Xin wanted. These people didn't understand talk of nation or race, but their own tragic fates moved them the most. They cared most about their own immediate interests. As long as their immediate interests were linked to this collective, their collective spirit could be subconsciously strengthened. On the foundation of collective spirit, paired with comradeship, martial valor, and a soldier's sense of honor, then his small army would, in terms of spiritual strength, at least far surpass the armies of this era.

After this mobilization, he had further secured the loyalty of this army. Some who had previously addressed him as a friend, like Dai Zhenggang and Zhou Shifa, had now formally become subordinates in mindset. In his speech just now, Chen Xin had placed himself within the concept of the collective. The comradeship he advocated was also slowly being accepted by the officers and soldiers. Once such an atmosphere was formed, it would be easier in the future to assimilate newly joined members.

After asking everyone to rise, Chen Xin said loudly: "Thank you all for trusting me, Chen Xin. But I must still say, on the battlefield and training ground, I will not show any favoritism. Every clause of military discipline and training is not meant to punish you. All the punishments you receive on the training ground are ultimately so that you can survive on the battlefield. A soldier's bounden duty is to obey orders. All military orders and discipline must be carried out to the letter, even if you believe they are wrong."

This time, Zhang Da took the lead in shouting: "We strictly obey my lord's military orders!"

After finishing his speech on the importance of discipline, Chen Xin immediately issued his first formal order: "Now, each squad will nominate three candidates for squad leader on its own. Remember one thing: the ones you choose will be the ones leading you on the battlefield. If you want to survive on the battlefield, choose the people you consider most reliable."

Once the order was given, everyone was somewhat dumbfounded. They had never heard of an election and didn't know how to proceed. Chen Xin called over Zhu Guobin, Dai Zhenggang, and Lu Lvzi.

Zhu Guobin asked in a low voice, "My lord, this... how do we nominate?"

"How to nominate?" Chen Xin then remembered that most of these soldiers couldn't write. "Find a shack. You three and I will sit inside. They'll come in one by one, say who they want to choose, and you'll write the names. The three most nominated in each squad will become the candidates for squad leader. Then I will select the formal squad leader from the three, and the remaining two will be corporals."

Zhu Guobin and the other two exchanged glances. This Lord Chen always came up with completely different ideas. But Chen Xin had just said a soldier's bounden duty is to obey orders, so the few of them had to hurry off to arrange a shack. The military households standing below were also looking at each other in bewilderment. They were all accustomed to being assigned roles and had never thought of choosing their own officers.

Chen Xin jumped down from the log. Song Wenxian walked over and asked urgently in a low voice: "Battalion Commander, why do you let these soldiers choose their own squad leaders? If you do this, where is your authority?"

Chen Xin replied unhurriedly, "They are only choosing three candidates. The final decision on who becomes squad leader still rests with me."

Song Wenxian was still somewhat unwilling to accept this. Personnel appointments were the most important power, and he truly didn't understand why Chen Xin would relinquish it to these military households. "Battalion Commander, forgive my outspokenness, but this is truly... truly..."

He said "truly" for a long time without finishing, feeling in general that it was inappropriate. Chen Xin smiled and said, "Mr. Song need not worry about this matter. When these people were organized into squads, they were completely mixed up and separated by native place. There are almost no fellow townsmen in any squad. If they want to survive on the battlefield, they should know how to choose."

"Ah." Song Wenxian couldn't say anything for the moment.

Chen Xin naturally had his reasons. The military is actually the least democratic place, always a top-down power structure. The power of a subordinate must come from a superior, and conversely, the superior's power is supported by the power of subordinate officers. But allowing soldiers to nominate candidates for junior officers at the lowest level could allow more talent to emerge. He also retained the final appointing power, which still ensured his authority. The inspiration for the nomination came from the French army during the 1792 Revolution, where among the junior officers nominated by soldiers, nine later became marshals.

Although these trackers lacked the revolutionary and free spirit of the French soldiers, within a team where each soldier's background was roughly equal, and after his own incitement just now, Chen Xin believed they could use this power correctly and choose the people they trusted. What he wanted to build was a completely new army. That was why he hadn't designated squad leaders from the very start, but instead arranged for them to collectively complete tasks during the journey. In the process, capable individuals would demonstrate their talent and naturally earn the trust of others. Forming a system and atmosphere where talent was fully utilized would give this army a stronger ability to absorb new strength and expand.

Amidst Song Wenxian's worries, Chen Xin led the three officers into a shack. The four personal guards stood watch outside the door. The combat soldiers entered one at a time.

The first to enter was Wang Zhangfu from the first squad. He was also the first to sign up at Zhangjiawan, hence designated as Number One.

"My lord, I nominate myself. I'm strong, my word counts. When we hauled boats before, I was the one shouting the cadences. These fellows all listen to me."

Chen Xin said flatly, "You need to say three people's names."

"Mm, also Huang Yuan, Zheng Sanhu. Huang Yuan is steady, I trust him. Zheng Sanhu has killed pigs with a knife, so he can kill people too..."