Chapter 94: Section Two

"Your subordinate obeys." Zhao Manxiong immediately answered loudly upon hearing the order, bowed and retreated several steps before turning and hurrying away.

Huang Shi's personal guards had already handed him tea. This tea set and tea table were unique on Changsheng Island, both bestowed by Mao Wenlong; the tea leaves Huang Shi had brought back from Shanhai Pass. On this barren island, this was truly a rare pleasure.

As for future prospects, Huang Shi did have a long-term plan in mind — covering Changsheng Island with factories, with large numbers of seagoing vessels bringing in various raw materials, processing them and selling them back to the interior, revitalizing industry, supplementing it with science and education, and forming commercial capital to harvest the surrounding economic zones. Thus achieving industrial modernization, export-oriented commerce, and grain importation...

Well, Huang Shi's current policy was still "agriculture as the foundation, grain as the key link." Compared to the long-term plan above, this backward thinking was as different as a single-celled organism is from a primate of the genus Homo.

And the social model Huang Shi intended to implement on Changsheng Island for the time being was also far from democracy — it was roughly at the late stage of slavery. Just as civil officials regarded military officers as slaves, military officers likewise regarded military households that way.

There was an analogy that seemed to aptly illustrate why slavery was the necessary path for Changsheng Island's development: just as a human embryo, from fertilized egg to infant, always recapitulates the entire evolutionary process. So Huang Shi felt there was nothing to be embarrassed about in implementing military-household slavery on Changsheng Island — after all, one cannot sprint directly into capitalism.

As for the military system, he also had to set aside the superior mercenary system for now, and the even more superior conscription system was out of the question. The economic base determines the superstructure; at present, Huang Shi could only start with the guard-battalion farmer-soldier system.

A successful guard-battalion military town required not only excellent generals but also talented people in various fields skilled in management. This was also the opposite of what a mercenary army demanded — a professional, full-time army needed only professional officers. But on Changsheng Island, which Huang Shi now possessed, if he could not unearth a large number of people talented in farming, fishing, and hunting, the entire army would soon starve to death.

In the past, this problem was generally handed over to the civil officials serving as army supervisors, whose administrative experience was relatively rich, thus ensuring the professionalization of the officers in the guard-battalion military town. But since Huang Shi was determined to break free from civil official control, he had to find a way himself.

From Zhao Manxiong's tone, this Bao Jiusun seemed like a very fine talent, with considerable expertise in farming. Zhao Manxiong had not given him many hands, yet he had already reclaimed over a thousand mu of land and planted it all with sesame.

After Zhao Manxiong left, Jin Qiude began signaling with his eyes.

"All of you, withdraw." Only Zhang Pan and Hong Antong, the two guards flanking Huang Shi, remained in the room.

Seeing that Jin Qiude still would not speak, Huang Shi dismissed the two personal guards as well.

"This subordinate believes that my lord need not promote them immediately." Jin Qiude had switched back to the form of address from his personal guard days. Although Huang Shi also felt this address seemed more intimate, that did not seem to be the point; he sensed Jin Qiude was also taking the opportunity to hint at certain issues.

The tea was very hot. Without raising his head, Huang Shi asked while blowing on it: "You fear they are Mao Wenlong's planted agents?"

"My lord is perceptive. These two Squad Commanders both followed Mao Wenlong out to sea from Sanchahe."

Huang Shi casually mentioned Hong Antong's experience: "He did too."

"Hong the personal guard was merely a sailor, and he is a personal guard promoted by my lord — they cannot be lumped together." Jin Qiude paused briefly: "This subordinate believes they cannot be left unused, but cannot be used in major roles either."

The implication was to treat these people as figureheads and never let them participate in the core.

It felt like a very tempting but also very dangerous trap. Huang Shi likewise instinctively wanted to use his own trusted followers. From a certain angle, the trusted followers cultivated by Huang Shi's trusted followers, though separated by one layer of relationship, were still his trusted followers. Whether in personal sentiment or reliability, officers always gave priority consideration to their own trusted subordinates.

"I understand." Huang Shi gave no clear opinion, signaling Jin Qiude to say no more.

In a flash, countless thoughts had raced through Huang Shi's mind. Was loyalty more important, or was talent more important? This was a very difficult trade-off.

"Meritocracy" — the phrase sounded very fine, but Huang Shi was no mind-reader; he could not see through people's hearts, and his experiences during this period had made him place great weight on loyalty.

"Cronyism" — he had originally detested this sort of thing, but now he was beginning to see some sense in it.

Carried to its later stages, this kind of behavior would probably create a feudal army of low efficiency. Given time, subordinates would begin cultivating and fostering their own trusted followers, and would squeeze each other out. Fulfill the tasks assigned by the superior, build a trusted inner circle as capital, thereby continuously raising one's own status; qualify for more important work; accomplish tasks even better, and ultimately gain more room to develop and expand one's own domain.

But what if, just temporarily, he used them for a while? After all, quantity could compensate for efficiency, as long as no single faction became dominant. Once the army grew large, could he not correct it then?

— This process of military feudalization would take a very long time, and perhaps it was not irreversible.

— Having finally obtained an army not yet set in its ways, it would be a pity to destroy it for the sake of momentary convenience.

Under the pretense of drinking tea, Huang Shi had been weighing the pros and cons in his mind all along.

"Your subordinate pays respects to my lord." Bao Jiusun had arrived.

"Dispense with the formalities. Company Commander Zhao mentioned you to me; he says you have done very well."

As Huang Shi spoke, he did not forget Zhao Manxiong standing to the side, who was waiting for this credit.

Bao Jiusun separately expressed gratitude for Huang Shi's grace in recognizing his talent and Zhao Manxiong's grace in recommending him. Huang Shi gained a talented man, and Zhao Manxiong gained a personal favor — the fairest transaction model of this era. If a man does not act for himself, who would rise early? Without following this rule, Huang Shi could forget about anyone ever recommending talent again.

"Your subordinate is a native of Beizhili, Zhending Prefecture, from a family that farms and studies..."

Through several generations of hard work farming, the Bao family had saved a little money. By the time of Bao Jiusun's father's generation, they had taken advantage of natural disasters to buy over a hundred mu of good land, and were considered a respectable family in the village.

"Your subordinate began his schooling as a youth..."

The old man had only gotten Bao Jiusun, his sole son, at the age of thirty, and had always doted on him beyond measure, wholeheartedly wanting Bao Jiusun to study hard and gain an official degree, thus bringing glory to the Bao family ancestors.

"Your subordinate was expelled from the school..."

This fellow was too wild by nature, spending all day playing and causing trouble with the village children. At seventeen, he even burned off half of his teacher's beard.

"Your subordinate returned home to farm..."

Though heartbroken, Father Bao could not bear to scold Bao Jiusun, so he simply brought him back to the countryside to farm, planning to find him a wife from a good family and have some grandsons, and leave it at that.

"Your subordinate wounded a man and crippled him, and was exiled to Liaodong..."

The Great Ming army really is a concentration camp for scum, Huang Shi thought, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.