Chapter 71: Rapid Expansion (Middle)

  "Brother Fang, do you believe what they said? Can we really kill over a thousand Tartars?"

  Fang Jianming shook his head: "Brother Liu, I don't know what's true or false either. But with the Tartars entering the pass, it's probably not a lie."

  "Brother Fang, what are you going to do?"

  Fang Jianming gritted his teeth and said: "I want to join the army, wield a three-foot sword, and make achievements on the battlefield!"

  "This is absurd! How can a scholar like you become a common soldier? It's simply humiliating and unbecoming."

  "Liu brother, I'm well aware of my own strengths and weaknesses. The eight-legged essay is really not my forte, being able to pass the Imperial Examination and become a scholar-official is already a great fortune; if I want to go further, I must resort to unorthodox methods!"

  In the crowd, people were chatting in twos and threes, all whispering and discussing.

  Gu Zhenhua's gaze swept across the crowd, then he said loudly: "Fellow countrymen, I have received the will of Emperor Chongzhen, to lead brave warriors, sweep away the smoke and dust, defend China, and fight to the death with the Tartars. I hope everyone can enthusiastically join the Anguo Army, together defend our homes and country. All young and strong men who sign up for the selection can receive ten kilograms of salt."

  Others might just sound good, but ten kilograms of salt is almost enough for one person to eat for a year. The people present all had their eyes gleaming with green light, like hungry wolves, eager to pounce.

  Ever since the salt and iron monopoly, salt has been a lucrative industry. The common people have to bear extremely high salt prices, and almost all their annual savings are given to the salt merchants, it's simply unbearable.

  So when he heard that he was going to be given food salt, it was like a pie falling from the sky. Looking at Gu Zhenhua again, he suddenly felt that this official was much more likable. Of course, for Gu Zhenhua, Tianjin had the Changlu Salt Field, and taking out some salt was not a big deal; what he was most anxious about was recruiting enough qualified soldiers.

  "Brave and ambitious young men who want to participate in the selection, you not only can get rich military pay, but also have a precious opportunity, that is, you can personally behead traitors and national thieves!"

  The soldiers brought Yu Rongzong and Lao Guangxian up, pushing them to kneel on the high platform, with a sea of dark civilians below. Yu Rongzong had already gone limp, but Lao Guangxian, being a military general, summoned his courage to lift his head, yet he was also frightened by the countless eyes filled with hatred and contempt.

  After Gu Zhenhua captured them, he immediately searched their mansion and found many letters exchanged with the Qing government. Moreover, a note from grain merchant Wu Shizhen was also found on Yuan Yuzong's body, thoroughly confirming their betrayal of the country.

  When they were brought up, the evidence was also presented. One look at the iron-clad evidence and the common people were instantly boiling with rage. Traitors to the Han Chinese and the country, no matter what happens afterwards, are always going to be infamous on the streets. Especially since they planned to surrender Tianjin to the Qing army, isn't this putting these ordinary people in a desperate situation?!

  "Betrayer of your own kind, do you still have a conscience? Grandfather will strangle you to death!"

  Zhao, the butcher who slaughtered pigs, was normally hot-tempered. When he saw them, he immediately lost control and rushed up to the high platform in three or two steps, wanting to kill Yuan Yu-zong. With someone taking the lead, everyone shouted and rushed forward together.

  "Flay them, a thousand cuts!"

  "Right, don't underestimate these two!"

  ……

  As everyone rushed onto the stage, Gu Zhenhua frowned and said loudly: "Everyone calm down, they can't escape."

  As Gu Zhenhua's loud shout came to an end, several musketeers fired their guns into the air one after another, and the scene finally calmed down, with all eyes falling on Gu Zhenhua.

  "Everyone listen, the traitors who sell out our country are not just them. There are also people in the city who secretly collaborate with the Qing dynasty and have sold grain, salt, raw iron, medicine and other supplies to the Tartars. As a result, the Tartars eat their fill, sharpen their swords, and turn around to slaughter Han people. These treacherous merchants will not be spared, they all deserve to die!"

  "That's right, we all support the grown-ups, kill the traitorous merchants!"

  "Kill the traitorous merchant!"

  At one call, hundreds responded. The slogans grew louder and louder, and more and more Tianjin citizens rushed to the scene, packed like sardines in a can, their eyes wide with excitement, their fists clenched tightly.

  "Fellow villagers, the traitorous Bao Jun is being investigated and will be brought over soon. We can both eliminate the traitors and recruit soldiers without any mistakes. The first batch of selected soldiers will have the opportunity to personally wield the Ghost Head Knife and cut down the traitors. What do you all think?"

  "Great, too good!"

  "Come on, let's get started already! We can't wait any longer!"

  Gu Zhenhua immediately ordered the selection of a vacant lot near the dock, and set up a selection site. Facing the site, several hundred wooden stakes were erected, and Yuan Yu, Lou Guangxian, and those captives were all tied to them.

  "The lord has given the order, everyone can use stinky eggs, rotten vegetable leaves, broken shoe soles, even feces and urine, but they are not allowed to use stones. If someone is beaten to death, it would be a bargain for them!"

  The soldiers announced Gu Zhenhua's order, and the onlookers couldn't help but burst out laughing. This lord was indeed open-minded. With the order given, everyone stopped being polite.

  At that moment, all sorts of things came crashing down, and a stinky egg happened to hit his eyes. Suddenly, the foul smell flowed out, and Yu Zong's mouth opened in disgust and he vomited.

  It just so happened that at this time, a half-grown child picked up a piece of Chinese cabbage leaf, wrapped in a pile of pig dung, and hit it right on Yuan Yu-zong's mouth and nose. Yuan Yu-zong was almost fainting with disgust, but the common people still didn't let him go, and all sorts of things came down like hail, almost burying him alive.

  In the end, the soldiers had no choice but to come out and stop them, or else they would have been afraid of suffocating the guy to death!

  The people on this side are enthusiastic about the fight, and the assessment of new recruits has also begun. The Tianjin people are exceptionally active, and the team is lined up for a long time, almost out of sight.

  "Get out, all of you!"

  Zhou Yingjie was inspecting the people in line, and his eyebrows furrowed instantly. He pointed at a few of them with his whip and said gruffly, "Your hair is all white, what are you pretending to be young for?"

  "Sir, I'm a young man with a few white hairs, but I look old. However, I'm only thirty and very strong. My one and only thought is to serve the country. If you really won't agree, just give me ten catties of salt and I'll leave immediately!"

  The several smooth-talking guys around also smiled sycophantically, nodding and bowing, repeatedly making obeisance: "Sir, just by looking at you I can tell you're a great good person, spare us a glance. I have a 90-year-old mother above me, and below me I have children who can't even walk..."

  "What a big nerve you have! Do you think recruiting soldiers is a joke?"

  Zhou Yingjie drew his waist knife, ready to chop down this thing that was talking nonsense with its eyes open. At this moment, Li Xu happened to walk over and suddenly laughed: "Ninth brother, don't get angry, I've seen a lot of this kind of rubbish."

  Li Xu smiled and said: "You all listen to me, this time the upper limit for recruitment is 20 years old, the lower limit is 15 years old. The requirements are a clean family background, good physical health, and no bad habits. Only those who meet these conditions can pass the initial test and get ten kilograms of salt. As for those who want to cheat and get salt by being mischievous or pretending to be a local tyrant, that's just wishful thinking!"

  "Sir, I didn't know, please forgive me!"

  These guys also saw Zhou Yingjie's young and tender face, so they deliberately bullied him, wanting to take advantage of him. However, they encountered Li Xu, who was as fierce as a demon, and they were all trembling with fear, their hearts racing.

  "Too late!" Li Xu sneered: "Take them all away, my dad's side is short of laborers to move things, let them go and work. Dare to be lazy, tie them up with those traitors!"

  Li Xu finished speaking, the soldiers dragged away those who had been caught. The others were also frightened and many of them quietly slipped away from the team, fearing they would be arrested too. Suddenly, the entire team was shortened by more than half, leaving only young and strong men.

  "Second brother, these people are shameless and daring, just punishing them with hard labor is letting them off easy!"

  Li Xu sighed: "Ninth brother, a good man shouldn't be a soldier, especially in these chaotic times. In the past, when recruiting soldiers from various places, there were quite a few local rascals who mixed in, and even forcibly conscripted strong young men. These guys probably heard that there was salt to be had, so they thought of taking advantage."

  "Hmph, wishful thinking! The standards that Seventh Brother has set this time are quite strict, and it's not just anyone who can get in."

  "Yes." Li Xu also smiled and said: "Just being stuck at the age of 20, actually it's not bad to be a bit older!"

  Li Xu certainly did not understand Gu Zhenhua's mind, he wanted to train a new-style army and give soldiers a whole new thing, the younger they were, the faster they learned.

  So Gu Zhenhua limited the upper age to 20 years old, and those who were 15 or 16 years old would be enrolled in a youth camp. Gu Zhenhua planned to personally teach them cultural knowledge, reconnaissance, mapping, commanding, training, and other subjects. In short, they were being trained as future military officers. This recruitment was just like what Gu Zhenhua said: it's better to have fewer but better soldiers, each one is a seed that can support the expansion of the army on a larger scale.

  "Your Lordship, over 1,300 people have passed the initial test, what should we do next?"

  Gu Zhenhua nodded and came to the front of these young people, this group of young men were all puffed up with their chests held high, full of energy.

  Gu Zhenhua nodded in satisfaction: "Everyone has passed the preliminary selection, and I will not go back on my word. Each of you can receive ten kilograms of salt. Of course, you must be able to pass the subsequent tests and enter the army to get more."

  "Alright, you two form a team and carry those wooden stakes over there. Run thirty laps around the school field, and if you complete it smoothly, you'll move on to the next round!"

  These young people are all from farming families and are not afraid of hard work. They quickly picked up the wooden stakes and took off running, like rabbits.

  "Hey, slow down a bit, or you'll be out of breath in no time!" Hu Shan reminded him from the side, he had learned his lesson since being punished by Gu Zhenhua and knew that those with slightly weaker physical strength and willpower couldn't keep up with running.

  After running for more than a dozen laps, some people couldn't take it anymore. Their legs were like lead, the wooden stakes on their shoulders were heavier than mountains, and they were gasping for breath. The ones who couldn't take it simply threw down the stakes and slipped away quietly.

  Gu Zhenhua's gaze was fixed tightly on the whole scene, when suddenly two partners carrying wooden stakes appeared, one of them threw down the stake and took off running.

  "Soul's gone! I can do it alone!" Kang Dali was dragged down to the ground, his eyes wide with fear, but he suddenly picked up the wooden stake again and took off running.

  Finally, the 30 laps came to an end, and one by one they returned to the starting point. Kang Dali stumbled and staggered over the last step, and with a thud, fell to the ground, his sweat soaking the floor.

  "Good boy, you're doing well." Gu Zhenhua said with a smile.

  Kang Dali said reluctantly: "Sir, I've finished running, can you give me a little more salt?"