Chapter 510: Dull and Boring

Once June passed, this view finally began to shift. Everywhere in the Zhao Character Camp, anyone could see how much importance Zhao Jin placed on this Student Squad. No matter how busy he was each day, he would always set aside a full two-hour period to come here, to teach and supervise.

This Student Squad was indeed different from the other squads. In the Zhao Character Camp, apart from the archers, the cavalry, and the jianghu men of the Inner Guard, everyone else's weapon was the long spear. And the weapon was genuinely useful, too. Some who knew a little but pretended to know a lot would say that the spear and lance were the kings of all weapons, and that a hero like Master Jin naturally knew to choose them.

Besides the long spear, the Student Squad used one other weapon. It looked like a xuanhua axe — it had an axe blade, with spikes and a barbed hook on the back of the axe head, and then a spear tip as well. It was about two feet shorter than the long spear. Everyone thought it was a xuanhua axe, but Zhao Jin called this thing a long halberd, and he specially hired a master who understood the long halberd to come and teach.

However, he had discussed it with that master for a long time beforehand. The forms taught were all very simple, similar in use to the long spear, with a few added routines for chopping, slashing, and hooking.

Then there were the Student Squad retainers who had a foundation in archery — mainly those Mongol youths, along with some sons of Xuzhou's local gentry families who had received some training. These youths were taught archery by Dong Bingfeng. And then everyone also had to learn how to load and fire bird guns.

The Xu family still remembered that Zhao Jin was very interested in firearms. But even though the two families had joined through marriage, up until now, Zhao Jin had not turned his attention to this matter. It was only when the Student Squad was formed that he specifically had the Xu family forge a batch of bird guns and send them over.

The young retainers of the Student Squad loaded and fired with meticulous care, not daring to miss a single step or make an error, nor daring to speed up or slow down. Whoever failed to follow the rules set by Master Jin would immediately face military punishment by whip or rod.

Yet the youths also found learning to fire these firearms dull. Because there was no gunpowder, every day they just held an iron thing, lifting it up and putting it down. They also had to take an iron rod and poke it into the bird gun's barrel, and then use a wooden stand to prop it up. It was truly a great deal of trouble.

For these youths, that was not even the dullest part. Even those who had once been orphans or disaster victims were now well-fed and warmly clothed in this Student Squad, full of energy, and all willing to be active outdoors. Yet every day they still had to read and learn characters. This gave many youths headaches and head-swelling frustration, but under the coercion of military law, they could only obey.

Occasionally, someone who heard of Zhao Jin's arrangement would think it was quite good, believing it was a long-term plan for the children. But after learning the details, they realized something was off. As it turned out, the teachers instructing them were not proper scholars like xiucai or juren degree-holders, but rather clerks and minor officials from the yamen. These people spent their days engaged in swindling and deceitful tricks — what could they possibly teach? And besides, those yamen posts were all inherited from father to son; even if one learned the skills, they would be useless in the future.

Yet strange as it was, since Zhao Jin had made the decision, everyone could only go along with it.

Zhao Jin and a few others stood inside a wooden pavilion, watching the Student Squad retainers in the distance, who were continuously lifting and lowering, loading step by step, and then simulating firing.

"Big Brother, though gunpowder and saltpeter are hard to get, Sister-in-law's family should still have some. Bringing it over and letting the kids fire a few real shots would be better than doing this," Liu Yong said with a smile.

Zhao Jin shook his head and replied with a laugh, "No rush. This batch of bird guns is just for them to handle. What they'll use in the future is different from these. If they train with these now, they'll train themselves wrong."

Everyone nodded thoughtfully. Liu Yong smiled and said, "Big Brother, the Cheng family of Pizhou and five other families have together contributed two hundred and ten men, forty of them mounted. The various families of Suining County have also contributed one hundred and twenty men. They are all willing to follow our deployment. Should we arrange them nearby at those two refugee stockades in the Grass Hollow?"

There were now two stockades over in the Wild Grass Flats. However, since there was no threat there at the moment, not everyone lived inside the stockades. Many of the refugees who arrived later simply built shacks on the outskirts and reclaimed farmland.

"The men from Pizhou will go to the estate in Suzhou. The ones from Suining will be assigned to the Kong Family Estate. Don't let them stay too close to their own homes, lest there be trouble. The Grass Hollow and Wild Flats are unclaimed land. Just because we occupy them now doesn't mean others can't. Keep them as far away as possible," Zhao Jin said.

Liu Yong nodded in agreement. Still, the submission and obedience of the local gentry from Pizhou and Suining County was ultimately good news, and everyone's mood was quite high. Liu Yong then remembered another matter and said with a smile, "I heard from the brothers who went back to Yutou Town that they saw Yang Zhongping in town. He's working as a bookkeeper at a shipping firm."

Everyone paused for a moment before the name clicked. Yang the Juren, one of Cloud Mountain Temple's representatives in Xuzhou city. After the authorities stripped him of his degree, he had vanished without a trace. No one expected him to turn up in Yutou Town. And this man, who in Xuzhou had used borrowed authority to bully and oppress the innocent with his black-hearted schemes — everyone had thought that without his degree he would fall into ruin and die in misery. No one expected he could still earn his own living.

Thinking of this, everyone felt a touch of emotion. Zhao Jin shook his head and said, "That grudge is settled. As long as he doesn't court death himself, we have no need to bother with him."

"I only mentioned it as idle talk," Liu Yong answered with a smile.

"Dalin has really slimmed down. Look at him — what a big, strapping fellow!" Wang Zhaojing pointed at Sun Dalin, who was not far away, and said to Chen Sheng with a laugh.

A smile also appeared on Chen Sheng's face. He spoke, "He truly learns with solid dedication. Whatever he's told to practice, he practices. Compared to the others who came with him, he stands out far too much."

Sun Dalin looked tall and brawny, but his age was about the same as those in the Student Squad, so he was directly placed among them. With the connection of Sun Dalei, he naturally received close attention. Zhao Jin also looked over in that direction, a smile appearing on his face, but then he couldn't help yawning several times.

Zhao Jin's energy was not very high. In the past, Zhao Jin was rarely in such a state, but recently it had become quite common.

However, in this pavilion, everyone was a brother of his own, so they spoke more freely. Chen Sheng did not make a sound, but Wang Zhaojing asked with a smile, "Big Brother, did you not sleep well last night?"

"Went to bed at the same hour, didn't even dream, slept very well," Zhao Jin shook his head and said.

A look that was half smile, half smirk appeared on everyone's faces. Zhao Jin naturally knew what his companions were thinking, and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Don't let your imaginations run wild. I just find it dull and boring."

This was the first time anyone had asked the reason, and Zhao Jin's answer was also direct and clear. Hearing these words — "dull and boring" — everyone was taken aback.

Chen Sheng frowned. The smile on Wang Zhaojing's face, however, grew thicker. He walked a few steps to the edge of the pavilion. The Student Squad had already begun forming ranks and running. After a moment of silence, Wang Zhaojing spoke, "Big Brother, the Zhao Character Camp is a grand enterprise, now thriving and rising day by day. How can you find it dull and boring?"

Zhao Jin stretched his limbs inside the pavilion and answered in a muffled voice, "In the past, I didn't know what heights I could reach. Now I know. Everything can be seen, and I even know the future — at least what the next few years will look like. So the drive is gone. Dull and boring."

"You have thousands, tens of thousands of people under you. The lives and deaths of so many are tied to you. How can you say such a thing!" Chen Sheng's expression turned stern.

Zhao Jin coughed twice and said, somewhat embarrassed, "It's only in front of my own brothers that I'm like this. From last year until June, it was non-stop fighting and killing, or else planning and building. But now, there's nothing that requires us to act personally. Every part is operating according to regulations. What we have to do each day is all the same."

The Zhao Character Camp had rules, and the rules were very comprehensive and strict. Over nearly two years, the backbone members of the Zhao Character Camp had familiarized themselves with these regulations and knew to enforce them rigorously.

Now, Zhao Jin and the others hardly needed to worry. This system of the Zhao Character Camp was running on its own, and maintaining the status quo was no problem. This was also the reason why Zhao Jin and his companions could invest so much time in the Student Squad.

As for campaigning, although the Zhao Character Camp had a scale of several thousand men, if they wanted to act outside Xuzhou, deploying five hundred at a time was already the limit. It was not that they couldn't transport them or that provisions couldn't keep up, but rather that they had to consider the sensitivities of the local authorities and the government, and not touch the bottom line. And then again, all parts of Xuzhou had already submitted. In the vast lands north of the Yangtze, everything that should be controlled was already in their hands.

Indeed, the most prosperous and wealthy places north of the Yangtze were those few cities — Qingjiangpu, Yangzhou, and the like. But these were the government's forbidden grounds. The area within the city walls was a place of imperial law, absolutely not to be tainted by local strongmen. Although they could raid the Feng family at night, they could only do so in secret, without leaving a handle for others to grasp.

The key strategic locations that needed to be taken had already been taken, and the strongmen of various places had clearly expressed their submission. For an armed force like the Zhao Character Camp, which was essentially a militia and private army, achieving this much was already the absolute limit.

Training retainers, fighting on all sides, building and accumulating — every single task had either been completed or no longer required excessive toil and worry. Feeling dull and boring was understandable. This Student Squad was made up entirely of children and youths, painting on a blank sheet of paper — perhaps this still held some novelty.

Seeing Chen Sheng's expression soften somewhat, Zhao Jin smiled wryly and said, "You truly are a forthright friend."

After saying this, Zhao Jin stretched out his hand and pointed at the Student Squad training not far away. The youths had already begun formation drills. The company commanders and squad leaders drawn from the Personal Guard and the two regiments were shouting and urging them on with great dedication.

Zhao Jin drew a circle with his hand, as if enclosing the Student Squad within it, and also as if enclosing the entire area of the Zhao Character Camp's barracks. Perhaps the range indicated by this gesture was even larger. He spoke in a clear voice, "As long as we don't act recklessly, next year, the year after, five years, even ten years — it will all be like this. Every time I think of this, I feel there's no drive left. What needed to be done, we have already done!"

By the end, his words carried a helpless, bitter smile. Chen Sheng shook his head, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Wang Zhaojing smiled and picked up the thread, "Big Brother has already started a family. Sister-in-law is with child. With a wife and a child on the way, family matters are also complete. Now that you've established your family and your career, do you feel fully content?"

"That doesn't sound like a compliment, but occasionally I do think that way. Isn't it laughable? I've only just turned eighteen this year, and yet I think like this," Zhao Jin answered with a smile.

Thanks to the three book friends "Book Friend 17666245, Sweet Sugarcane, 123*" for the tips. Book Friend Sweet Sugarcane is now a Helmsman of this book. Thank you all for your monthly tickets and subscriptions. I had thought that in July my ranking could improve a bit, but I didn't expect that by the end of the month, it would return to its normal ranking. Hahaha, actually, this is a bitter laugh.

August has begun, and everyone has monthly tickets in hand again. We can't afford to slack off at the start of the month. Everyone, please cast them for Great Ming Wufu. One of the driving forces that keeps me writing every day now is the monthly ticket ranking. The struggle, the contest — that's what gives me the drive to write, to maintain stability.

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