Chapter 363: Aid Pours In From All Sides

Beyond this, at Zhao Jin's insistence, the young men arriving from all over were divided into camps by their place of origin. Each person's guarantor document was inspected beforehand; anyone without one was driven away at once. There were indeed a handful of reckless, hotheaded characters who tried to slip in and fish in troubled waters, and these were filtered out in advance.

Once the camps were set up, simple lean-tos were erected first, then latrines were dug — no one was allowed to do as they pleased. Most of the young bravos penned up in the camp thought nothing of it, but digging latrines baffled them. Some even fumed, "I came here to learn martial arts and sell my life, not to do filthy, degrading work like this!"

They had no choice, however. Clubs and whips drove them straight to the task. A few who truly couldn't bear it slipped away in secret, and the Zhao camp did nothing to stop them. But those who ran off would find no camp to take them in thereafter, and anyone shut out of the camp had no right to enter the Zhao camp at all.

"Relieving oneself wherever one pleases is not only filthy and foul-smelling, it breeds pestilence. Besides, if you look around your camp and see nothing but those disgusting yellow-and-white messes everywhere, who would still have any morale? This rule must become a habit." This was what Zhao Jin and his companions laid down.

Those with knowledge recognized it and praised it as the method used by great armies, the regulation of Old Master Qi. The Jixiao Xinshu states it very clearly: when pitching camp, one must arrange designated places for urination and defecation. Hearing this assessment, Zhao Jin felt deeply ashamed and resolved to put reading Qi Jiguang's military treatises on his agenda. The reason he had done it this way was that building dedicated latrines in military encampments had been one of the major military innovations of the Western Middle Ages.

That matchlock was still stored in the warehouse like a treasure, regularly wiped down by someone and kept ready for testing at any time. More than half of the copied court gazettes sent by the Wang family had already been marked with punctuation, but Zhao Jin had no time to read them, nor time to test the weapon — he was far too busy.

On the second day of the eighth month, Zhao Jin's father Zhao Zhentang, Chen Sheng's father Chen Wu, Dong Bingfeng's father Dong Jike, as well as Xu Bende of the Xu family, all arrived. People came from all six offices of the yamen, and impressively, Head Clerk Ye, the assistant to the Revenue Secretary, also brought a cohort of minor clerks to help. Scholar Cai of Qulipu, You Zhenrong from inside the city, Zhenzhi of Cloud Mountain Temple — every gentry notable and prominent figure with any connection came. And besides themselves, each person brought along their own advisors and idea men. Everyone gathered together in one place.

For once, Zhao Jin did not personally lead the training. His companions also rotated out one person every two-hour period, leaving just that single person to oversee the overall situation outside. At the same time, the punishments for any violation or offense were greatly intensified. Over a dozen young men who couldn't keep their eyes open had already had their legs broken on the spot, and a few petty thieves had simply vanished.

Zhao Jin's usual quarters became a bustling reception hall. The place was sealed off, with household guards posted outside — no one could approach. Cao Ruhui, Zhou Xuezhi, and Liu Yong did not go out either. Their attendants and underlings all waited nearby, ready to act the moment any arrangement was made, whether to gather intelligence or verify figures, then relay the information back. These three men, in turn, reported to Zhao Jin at any moment.

Before the Zhao camp's rise, Zhao Jin had triumphed in battle after bloody battle, and everyone in Xuzhou, regardless of their true opinion of him, was always courteous and polite to his face. By now, that had become genuine awe and deference. Yet here, within this courtyard, everyone turned utterly different. Some shouted at Zhao Jin in loud argument, some cursed him with wild abandon, and still others pleaded bitterly. No one cared a whit for awe or politeness anymore.

In the nights these past few days, the servants attending here were astonished. These figures, normally so meticulous about preserving their health, seemed to have no need for sleep at all. The lamps burned bright all night, every night, and after only a short rest during the day, they were up again at dawn.

On the evening of the third day of the eighth month, the elders of the several families all returned home. The gentry and notables from various places went to reside in the manor houses arranged for them within the village. The militia and village braves from the allied villages and mutual-defense zones, along with the horse teams from various familiar quarters, all arrived here. All equipment was issued. The household troops turned in early to rest, while the villagers and common folk from the allied villages and mutual-defense zones were gathered en masse to work through the night preparing dry rations. Even the well covers in the surrounding area were sealed. Everything was readied for the next day.

By now, all of Xuzhou knew that the Zhao camp was expanding its recruitment today. A grand spectacle was inevitable, and given Zhao Jin's style of doing things, there were bound to be some interesting moments. Quite a few idlers had hurried over early, bivouacking on the outskirts, hoping to catch some excitement.

When they arrived, however, they did not see the anticipated sea of bobbing heads. Instead, they saw young men within designated areas craning their necks in expectation. Horse teams constantly patrolled the edges of these areas, and from time to time someone would come over and call out, whereupon a crowd from one area would gleefully surge forward.

The previous night, Zhao Jin had already dispatched horse teams to deliver the message: the young bravos responding to the recruitment in each area must follow the summons strictly according to their camp divisions. This measure was absolutely necessary. If several thousand young bravos had come surging over in a noisy mob, even though they would begin queuing once they reached the front of He Village, the crush and trampling along the way would have been a disaster.

On the open ground east of He Village, ten black battle flags with red borders, the banners of the Zhao camp, stood planted. Beneath each flagpole was a line of men. First, they had to have their guarantor documents inspected by the men led by Head Clerk Ye. Then they underwent tests of physical fitness and various other aspects. After that, they signed the contract documents. No matter what anyone thought, when the officials investigated, all these household troops of the Zhao camp would be Zhao Jin's bondservants under irrevocable death contracts — no one could find any fault with it.

Whenever the selected household troops reached a full hundred, they would be sent to a temporarily designated camp to wait, where food and water would be provided.

Among those who came, there were a few special categories. Those versed in martial skills, who had trained since childhood, formed one category. At Zhao Jin's end, however, they were simply sorted into a few types: whether they could shoot a bow, whether they could handle firearms, whether they could ride a horse. As for martial skills themselves, they were of little use in the Zhao camp's battle formations. Within this category, martial-trained sons of local strongmen and gentry, military household sons from the guard posts, and young men from the outlaw fraternities of the rivers and lakes made up the majority. Awkward as it was to say, this category also included some monk-disciples from Cloud Mountain Temple.

The sons of Xuzhou's various power factions, of great and small landlords and gentry, were another category. Even with the prevailing martial culture, children of wealthy and noble families all preferred a life of ease rather than training in martial arts. But if one wished to signal one's stance toward Zhao Jin, to demonstrate awe and submission to the Zhao camp, the best method was to send a hostage. Brothers, sons, and nephews were sent here to serve and to act as hostages. For this category, even if their physical fitness and skills fell short of the standard, the Zhao camp would still accept them. And the Zhao camp did not only need fighting household troops, after all.

The third category was young children. For instance, Zheng Quan's son and daughter, You Zhenrong's son, and even Chen Wu and Dong Jike sent several of their own family's children. These youths were not very old. Their elders had a very close relationship with Zhao Jin — they were allies or partners and had no need for hostages. In sending the children, they had a far longer-term plan: they hoped Zhao Jin could teach and mold them into capable people.

One point was now universally acknowledged throughout Xuzhou: though Zhao Jin was young, he was very skilled at teaching people. Every one of the household troops under him was outstanding, all looking as if they had come from great and established houses — disciplined and full of drive. Anyone who did not intend to pursue official rank through the examinations wanted to send their children to him.

Everyone was thoroughly pragmatic. Those who could win an official career through the civil service route would certainly not come to a militia. But if one wanted to study the civil classics and take the exams for official rank, Xuzhou's literary culture was in decline. If one wanted to study the martial path, the Xuzhou Guard and Xuzhou Left Guard were right next door, and over the years everyone had seen clearly: unless you had a background of battalion commander or higher, there was simply no hope of rising. After all the bloodshed and struggle, ending up as a squad commander at the very most was considered good luck. To say nothing else, Zhao Jin's second uncle was a living example.

All things considered, Zhao Jin's Zhao camp was the only proper place. If you came, at least you had something to look forward to, and at the very least, you wouldn't have to worry about food and warmth.

The third category, of course, also required no testing of skills. Zhao Jin had long needed a group of youths to serve as his orderlies, to be cultivated as trusted confidants. As for the girls, there was now also a great deal of internal affairs work that needed girls to do. That said, most of those who sent girls here hoped that these girls could go on to serve Zhao Jin personally. No one dared hope for the position of principal wife; becoming a concubine would be a tremendous stroke of fortune. Even without any formal status, just having a connection would be good enough.

Beyond these, there was a fourth kind of person. These people were not even in any of the camps, nor under those five banners. Their movements were furtive, and before the fourth day of the eighth month, they had already begun dealing with the Zhao camp through connections on every side.

Among these people were desperate fugitives with grave crimes on their heads, deserters from Shandong, Henan, and the Jiangbei part of Southern Zhili, escaped slaves from great and powerful households, restless members of bandit gangs, the hucksters and hustlers of the marketplace, and even soldiers and runners from the military camps and yamens. Though they had official pay and rations to collect, they too were looking for something better. Men who harbored such ambitions were often exceptionally bold and well worth recruiting.

Most amusingly, quite a few scattered soldiers and stragglers from under the Kong Village faction also came to offer their allegiance. They brought their own horses and equipment. Courage they might not necessarily have, but experience they did not lack — they were all wily old hands. They bore no particular hatred toward Zhao Jin's side; on the contrary, they were thinking of using the Zhao camp's protection to live a more comfortable life.

The Zhao camp did not shut its doors to these people. Naturally, such men would have no guarantor documents, but that did not mean there was no way to check their backgrounds. Within the outlaw fraternities of the rivers and lakes, though things appeared secretive on the surface, a great deal of information was actually known to outsiders. One only had to ask those with wide-ranging contacts to find out. Moreover, while these men lacked guarantor documents, they could still find some local strongman or fence to step forward and act as a guarantor, which was also worth trusting.

For this type of person, the Zhao camp still had a rule: those of notorious infamy, who had committed crimes against heaven and reason, were not wanted. Those who were utterly depraved and lost to all humanity were not wanted. The Zhao camp certainly had its own principles and convictions, but the real reason for rejecting these people was that they had already lost the capacity to submit to discipline and training. Once humanity is lost, there is no way to control them.

It was Zhao Jin and Liu Yong who received these people. In order to carve out the time, Zhao Jin forced himself through these days, working to the point of exhaustion where he could fall asleep the moment he sat down.