Chapter 114: Can

Word from the yamen came out just as fast — something about a gang of desperate bandits, the Man-Eating Leopards, taking advantage of the constables leaving the city on a case and the city being empty to attempt a raid. They never expected that a runner named Zhao Jin would act out of righteous courage, slay the bandits, and render great merit.

The moment this news spread, those who had gone home lost every last shred of wishful thinking. After mulling it over, the only option was to return the money and beg forgiveness. Some didn't even dare come alone; their parents accompanied them, trembling with fear.

They didn't even dare go near the registration table. From far off they dropped to their knees and kowtowed, raising the silver and cash in both hands, their mouths babbling that they deserved to die.

Zhao Jin didn't hold it against them. He simply took back the copper coins and sent them on their way. His indifferent attitude let those terrified young men and their families breathe a sigh of relief, yet as they turned to leave, regret set in. A few days ago, they had dismissed Zhao Jin as nothing more than brute courage, but today's events proved that his ferocity was no fleeting hot-blooded impulse — it was true strength. Following a man like that and fighting alongside him, one's future was bound to be bright. Those who had run back early could at least say that, but the ones who had followed Zhao Jin the whole way and only backed out right before returning — they were the ones filled with regret, feeling that an incomparably precious opportunity had slipped through their fingers.

Compared to their anxious calculations, the young men who hadn't yet signed up reacted in different ways. Some thought it over and turned to leave. Some, after deep reflection, stepped forward with resolve. And some had been wildly excited from the very start.

This time, before the recruitment began, it was stated outright: they were being recruited as Zhao Jin's household slaves, not as assistants for the Xu'an Trading Company as previously announced. When everyone heard this, they were stunned for a moment. A few signed up without much hesitation, while others turned and left.

"... Once you miss it, regret will be too late. If I weren't so old, I'd want to work for Young Master Jin myself..." Ye Wenshu and the others were pitching hard.

But being an assistant meant working for someone; becoming a household slave meant belonging to another family. That was a decision one could only make after discussing it with the family.

After about half a shichen, many of those who had left earlier came back and signed their names with Ye Wenshu.

Ji Xiang and Shi Manqiang's families arrived carrying what little belongings they had. Their faces were full of fear and alarm. When they saw Zhao Jin, their postures became extremely deferential. Zhao Jin could only console them gently. After the battle that morning, such a reaction was only natural.

The Sun family had bought up practically this entire goods yard and warehouse. The place was huge; a little tidying up and it was fit to live in. Ji Xiang's father and Shi Manqiang's father were still fairly composed. After settling their families, they came out and busied themselves with the work left unfinished from the morning.

Zhao Jin, meanwhile, assembled the sixteen household retainers. The situation was now mostly stable, and it was time to start drilling these men.

The retainers were a bit surprised. They had assumed that after charging into a fight that morning and being made retainers, Master Zhao Jin would let them rest and reward them with a few extra meals. They hadn't expected not a moment's rest.

"Watch what I do. Whatever I shout, I will do. Watch carefully. Later, whatever I shout, you will do the same," Zhao Jin said, standing in the courtyard.

The retainers nodded repeatedly. Zhao Jin said sternly, "From now on, when I tell you to do something, you need only stand straight and answer 'Yes.' Understood?"

"Got it, Master!" "Yes." The replies were ragged and uneven. Chen Sheng and the others, sitting in the back, burst out laughing. Zhao Jin turned his head and said, "You lot better watch carefully too. You'll be doing the same thing later."

They had been about to laugh again, but seeing how serious Zhao Jin was, everyone quickly straightened their faces and nodded.

"Attention!" "At ease!" "Right face!" "Left face!" "Dress ranks..." With every command Zhao Jin gave, he performed the action himself.

This wasn't military training. In truth, it was just the formation drills he'd learned in school PE class. Back when he was standing in line and marching in step, Zhao Jin had also found it boring and useless. Later, while chatting idly with a friend from his sickbed, the friend had explained it to him: these drills were a holdover from military training, meant to cultivate discipline and a sense of collectivity. In the early modern era, these student activities had been the drill content for soldiers. As for those sports, they were basic techniques for strengthening military physical fitness.

He was recruiting these men to fight. How could he turn them into a usable unit, rather than a bunch of brutes relying on sheer hot-blooded courage? Zhao Jin had thought of these methods. In fact, it was the only method he could think of.

"Lu Da, attention! The rest of you, line up from tallest to shortest!" After explaining, Zhao Jin gave the order.

The retainers didn't react immediately. They looked at each other, then hurriedly began to move. They only found it amusing, comparing heights with one another before lining up, laughing and joking all the while.

Zhao Jin said nothing. He simply walked to the side, picked up a wooden stick, and shook it in his hand. The retainers were happily lining up; no one noticed this. Two of them were shoving each other, tangled up in an argument. Zhao Jin raised the stick and brought it straight down. The two cried out in pain. Seeing Zhao Jin's cold expression, they dared not speak and quickly stood properly.

"During training, my word is an order. Disobedience means punishment and a beating. When we go out to fight, if you disobey my orders, I'll take your lives!" Zhao Jin said coldly.

If he had said these words yesterday, the retainers, who were the same age as Zhao Jin, would certainly have scoffed. But having gone through the morning's battle, when Zhao Jin spoke these words, they couldn't help but shiver and quickly stood straight.

"Dress right!" Zhao Jin shouted again. The moment he shouted, he froze. Of the sixteen men standing in a row, some looked right, some looked left — a chaotic mess.

Behind him, Liu Yong couldn't help but laugh out loud, then immediately covered his mouth, not daring to make a sound. Zhao Jin's brow furrowed. The retainers weren't causing trouble on purpose — he could tell from their frightened expressions. So what was the reason for this mess?

"Right face!" Zhao Jin shouted again. Of the sixteen retainers, only six turned right, seven turned left, and the remaining three clearly couldn't tell the difference. Several pairs bumped heads.

Chen Sheng and the others in the back had been watching with considerable focus, but seeing this scene, they couldn't hold back and burst into roaring laughter, doubling over.

Zhao Jin's frown deepened and deepened, until finally he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh too. When the laughter behind him stopped, Zhao Jin asked, "Can any of you tell left from right?"

After asking this, he simply gave the order: "Raise your right hand."

Much like the right-face turn just now, of the sixteen men, some raised their left hand, some raised their right, and some looked left and right first.

So they really couldn't tell left from right. Zhao Jin strode over. The man directly in front of him flinched backward in fright, thinking Zhao Jin was about to strike him. Instead, Zhao Jin reached out and rolled up the right sleeve and the right pant leg of that man, and did the same for all sixteen. Then he stepped back and said, "Without my order, you will remain like this during training from now on. The rolled-up side is the right side. Understood?"

The training that followed was slightly better, but still a mess. Even with the left-right markers, the reaction was deeply ingrained. The retainers all had to glance at their arms first before reacting. Formations, marching in step — they managed to drill it, barely.

The setting sun was already blocked by the city wall. Ye Wenshu and the other two came in to report. Their attitude was extremely polite, as if facing a superior. There had actually been twenty-one sign-ups that afternoon. They had thought that after the morning's events, and with the announcement about becoming household slaves, the number of applicants would be far lower.

Zhao Jin briefly scanned the contract documents, then directly took out three taels of silver and handed it over. Ye Wenshu didn't take it right away, instead waving his hand and saying, "How can I accept this? It was just a casual favor. How can I let Young Master Jin be so extravagant?"

"This is hard-earned money. If it's yours to take, take it," Zhao Jin said politely. Ye Wenshu accepted the money with both hands. Yesterday, he had felt this money was easy profit; now, it felt like a reward. His attitude was completely different.

After seeing the three off, Zhao Jin came back and said, "Tonight we slaughter a sheep and bake flatbreads. A good reward for you all."

The sixteen retainers, drenched in sweat and grimacing from the training, all cheered at these words. Master Zhao Jin was strict, but he was also very generous.

"After dark, someone must stand watch and patrol every shichen. Groups of three. Shitou, Daxiang, and Xiaoyong, each of you leads a group, rotating as well. The moment anything happens, shout a warning. Everyone else comes to help. I know you're tired, but you absolutely must not slack off. Understood?" Zhao Jin instructed further.

With their families all moved here now, everyone naturally understood the gravity of the situation. They all agreed.

It was getting late. Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng left together. Just as they exited the courtyard, they saw ten men dressed as constables waiting at the intersection of the goods yard. Seeing the two of them, the ten men quickly walked over.

They were all familiar faces — runners who worked under Zhao Zhentang and Chen Wu. When they came up, they greeted them with a smile: "The higher-ups ordered us to escort the two young masters home."

This was also a thorough precaution by their fathers. Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng thanked them, then walked into the middle of the group.

The people in the yamen knew the news of Zhao Jin and his group wiping out the desperate bandits most clearly. These ten men's attitude was also very respectful. Surrounding them, they occasionally cast awed glances their way.

"Zhao Jin, what's the point of all those fancy tricks? Just teach them some crude martial arts — it'd be more effective. Among these sixteen retainers, at least five have a foundation. Teach them martial arts, and they'll be useful very soon," Chen Sheng advised.

Zhao Jin paused for a moment before realizing what "fancy tricks" meant. He laughed and said, "Don't underestimate these fancy tricks. They're the foundation. Once they master these, they'll be even more useful."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng didn't argue. He just nodded and walked on in silence.

It wasn't until they entered the area where their two families lived in the north of the city that Zhao Jin remembered something. Coming back from the south of the city, neither he nor Chen Sheng had changed their clothes. That meant both of them were covered in blood. The bloodstains had now dried completely, a dark purple-black, looking terrible.

The female elders of the two families might not yet know about the events in the south of the city. If they saw this, they would surely make a huge fuss and worry endlessly. So the two simply turned into the courtyard where they usually practiced martial arts, dug out two old outfits, and changed.

The inability to tell left from right is a historical fact. Both in early modern European military drilling and in China's introduction of Western methods, such situations were encountered.