Chapter 366: Not Failing the People

Zhou Xuezhi, who had been waiting below with a face full of anxiety, trembled and hurried toward the wooden platform. In his excitement and haste, he even stumbled on the steps.

"Mister Zhou, you must walk steadily from now on; don't trip every time," Zhao Jin teased with a smile as Zhou Xuezhi bowed.

Zhou Xuezhi's eyes were red-rimmed, and he merely bowed deeply. By now, the guests watching from various spots below were paying little attention—what was an accountant worth? The position was ranked high, but its authority was only so much.

Just as Zhou Xuezhi was about to withdraw like the others before him, Zhao Jin grabbed hold of him and declared loudly, "From now on, all of Zhao's various enterprises shall be consolidated under the Xu'an Trading House—the distillery, the farms, and so on. In addition, Cloud Mountain Temple's Cloud Mountain Trading, Cloud Mountain Tower, and all associated businesses will also be entrusted to the Xu'an Trading House for management. Zhao is busy with many affairs, so I must trouble Steward Zhou to handle things diligently!"

Only after saying this did Zhao Jin release Zhou Xuezhi to step down. The guests below who had previously paid little attention immediately erupted, their gazes toward Zhou Xuezhi now blazing with intensity. This man was a living god of wealth!

Hanjing Fine Liquor, farms everywhere—what enormous enterprises these were—and on top of that, all the businesses of Cloud Mountain Temple. If one wanted to get rich, this gentleman could not be slighted.

As Zhou Xuezhi walked down over there, some among the guests began nodding and cupping their hands in salute with smiles, forcing Zhou Xuezhi to return the gestures repeatedly. This made Ruhui, who was waiting off to the side, unable to suppress a laugh; he was the most relaxed one here.

The drum sounded again, and everyone habitually quieted down, knowing more words were to come. At this moment, several sturdy men in their thirties or forties carried chests and cases onto the wooden platform. Liu Yong opened the chests there, and those with sharp eyes could see stacks of clothing placed inside.

"Lu Da, come up!" Zhao Jin called out with a smile.

Lu Da had been standing in the first row on the right side of the formation, holding the Zhao Camp banner the entire time. He paid no attention to these proceedings, wholly focused on gripping the flagpole. Hearing the summons, his body jolted. He wanted to hand the banner to someone else, but there was no one to hand it to. After a moment's thought, he simply marched swiftly onto the platform with the banner still in hand.

Good-natured chuckles rose from the ranks, while the guests burst into laughter. When he reached Zhao Jin, Zhao Jin smiled and handed the banner to Chen Sheng behind him, then announced loudly, "Company Commander of the First Company, Personal Guard Unit: Lu Da!"

Lu Da froze for a moment before reacting, then stood at attention and bellowed, "Orders received!"

His voice was so thunderous it instantly silenced the venue. The family soldiers in the Zhao Camp ranks watched him with eyes full of extreme envy. Such a reckless brute—he had stuck close when Master Jin encountered desperate bandits in the southern part of the city, and had followed bearing the bloodied banner on the battlefield. Now he had actually become the Company Commander of the First Company. His luck was truly remarkable, and it proved one thing: if you have the courage to follow, rewards will come!

Liu Yong handed Zhao Jin a blue short robe. Zhao Jin passed it to Lu Da, who then took back his banner and strode back into the formation. The expressions of the family soldiers in every unit of Zhao Camp grew even more excited and expectant; they did not know what positions they would receive.

"Company Commander of the First Company, First Regiment: Zhang Hubin!"

A young man standing in the ranks shuddered and hurried forward. Everyone looked over. Outsiders might have been puzzled, but the family soldiers of Zhao Camp knew the reason. Back when they were ambushed near Gao Family Village, Sun Dalei had died in battle, and of the family soldiers taken there, only this Zhang Hubin had survived. Moreover, Zhang Hubin had also earned merit while guarding the distillery. It was perfectly normal for someone like that to be promoted.

Compared to the oblivious Lu Da, Zhang Hubin, though excited, did not lose his composure. He first saluted in thanks, then accepted the blue short robe Zhao Jin handed over. By now, everyone understood: this blue short robe clearly represented rank, likely the Battalion Commander level. Now everyone was eager to wear that blue robe!

"Company Commander of the First Company, Second Regiment: Li Wu!"

Li Wu was also a veteran, always charging at the front and never falling a step behind. For him to serve as this First Company Commander was only natural. Some even guessed that the Deputy Regiment Commander position, which was held by a Battalion Commander, would probably go to the commander of this First Company. If the position weren't important, why would Master Jin personally announce it? Over there, Li Wu beamed, accepted the blue robe, and walked down.

"Archery Unit Commander: Zhuang Liu!"

The positions for Zhao Jin and his companions had naturally been decided in advance, but these Battalion Commander-level positions below them were not notified to each person beforehand. Those called were all pleasantly surprised, yet no one found any of the names called unexpected, because they all deserved these positions. This Zhuang Liu had excellent martial skills and superb archery, and had killed many enemies. Although he was recruited in the third batch, he surpassed many of the old family soldiers.

However, Zhuang Liu himself did not show much joy on his face, though his etiquette was impeccable. As he accepted the short robe, he said in a low voice, "Master, this humble one wishes to go to the various companies. If I cannot be a Company Commander, being a Squad Commander would also do."

"The Archery Unit Commander is equal to a Company Commander. Did you not hear that?" Zhao Jin asked, puzzled.

"This humble one heard it!"

"The Archery Unit does not need to fight directly in the battle line, and its treatment is even better than the companies. Yet you want to come to the companies?" Zhao Jin asked again.

"Yes. This humble one knows this is impertinent and presumptuous, but I beg Master to agree." Zhuang Liu spoke with great determination.

Zhao Jin paused again, but a smile surfaced on his face. He nodded and said, "Take the short robe back first. I will consider it!"

Zhuang Liu loudly acknowledged the order, turned, and returned to the ranks. The people below did not hear this brief exchange and assumed it was just words of encouragement. But the few people beside Zhao Jin heard it very clearly. As soon as this man stepped down, several of them looked over. Zhao Jin said nothing more, only uttering a single smiling remark: "He has ambition!"

"Commander of the Second Detachment, Cavalry Unit: Qi San!" Zhao Jin announced.

Everyone paused. Even many of the family soldiers did not know this name. After it was called out, no one below responded. Zhao Jin glanced at Liu Yong with a smile. Liu Yong hurried to the edge of the wooden platform and called out to someone, and a person ran out at a dash.

Before long, a man in his early twenties was seen running over quickly. Most in Zhao Camp were under twenty, making this man stand out conspicuously.

This appointment was rather strange. Previously, all had been the first company or first squad of their respective units, but this one was the second detachment, and everyone found him so unfamiliar.

Qi San clearly did not know the protocol from earlier. As he ran onto the platform, he stumbled and ended up kneeling right at the steps. He proceeded to shuffle forward on his knees all the way to Zhao Jin and kowtowed with thud after thud. The family soldiers below looked at each other, and the observing guests also found it odd, but then all nodded. This was more like it. Zhao Jin was promoting his family soldiers and giving them such benefits—a grand kneeling kowtow of thanks was only proper.

"You've fought tooth and nail for Zhao Camp; I have seen it all. This position is what you deserve. Stand up and speak. The men of our Zhao Camp must show some backbone!" Zhao Jin said with a smile.

When Qi San stood up, his face was streaming with tears, nearly a mess, and he kept wiping at them helplessly with his hand. Choking with emotion, he said, "I beg Master Jin to show mercy and let my two elder brothers join as well."

"Qi Da and Qi Er are diligent in their work, but they are too old to join. It wouldn't be suitable. Rest assured, I won't treat them poorly; there are other arrangements." Zhao Jin offered a couple of words of comfort. In truth, Qi Da and Qi Er were not yet forty, a prime age for wielding blade and spear, but in Zhao Camp, that was considered old.

Everyone thought Zhao Jin would finish announcing all the Battalion Commander-level personnel. Unexpectedly, after saying these, Zhao Jin smiled and took a step back. Chen Sheng then stepped forward and loudly read out the names of the Company Commanders of the First Regiment. One by one, people went up, received their robes, and stepped down. Shi Manqiang then stepped forward, though he was very emotional when speaking and mispronounced a few names, drawing good-natured laughter from everyone. The third was Dong Bingfeng, the fourth was Ji Xiang. The Company Commanders who came up later were not nearly as composed as the first few; some had faces full of excitement, others were streaming with tears.

Compared to when Zhao Jin was making the announcements, the guests were now far more interested. The scenes of comedy on stage made it seem like watching a play.

However, some noticed that Liu Yong did not read out the names of the Internal Guard Unit members. Everyone only knew of the unit's name so far; its structure and everything else were unknown to all.

Every other Battalion Commander-level unit commander and squad commander was worthy of the title, all being the most outstanding among the family soldiers or those who had rendered meritorious service, earning wholehearted approval.

Then came the roster for the Soldier rank. Zhao Jin did not participate in this item either; it was all loudly read out by his companions, ten names at a time. Those who went up received gray short robes. This item likewise had nothing to do with Liu Yong's Internal Guard Unit. Liu Yong just stood on the platform smiling broadly, handing out clothes and helping, showing no sign of discomfort whatsoever.

Once all this was done, more than half of the family soldiers below had been called up. Those holding or carrying short robes were either emotional or elated. By now, everyone knew these robes represented rank and status. As for the others, they could not help but feel disheartened, and some even had indignation on their faces.

The area around the wooden platform had grown noisy and restless, filled with a low buzz of discussion. Zhao Jin raised his hand again. The drum sounded, and the scene quieted once more.

"Look at those around you. Were those who became Company Commanders and Squad Commanders not outstanding in their usual performance? When the monk soldiers attacked, did they not charge to the very front? Beneath the walls of Xuzhou, did they not stand in the front ranks the entire time? When killing the enemy, was their blood not shed before them? Think of others, then think of yourselves. Think of why others were promoted, and think of why you were not." Zhao Jin's voice rang out clearly. The scene fell into utter silence. Many of those indignant family soldiers had already lowered their heads in shame.

After saying this, Zhao Jin smiled and spoke gently, "Those not promoted this time, do not be disheartened. You are far luckier than the new recruits about to enter camp. As long as you are diligent, as long as you earn merit, you will be promoted and given important roles sooner than they will. Those who have been promoted, do not become complacent. If your performance is poor, if you violate the rules, you will just as easily lose your positions and be replaced by others. My word has always counted; you know this."

The faces of the promoted grew solemn, while the unpromoted showed renewed determination. Zhao Jin smiled and declared loudly, "I will not fail you!"