Chapter Eleven My Wife

  By the afternoon, forty-nine coolies had been selected, mainly from northern provinces such as Shanxi, Henan, North Zhili, Shandong and Liaodong. After Chen Xin's careful arrangement of three rounds of selection, they were unable to form any cliques, with no more than three people from the same prefecture or province. Only one spot remained, and Zhu Guobin looked at several candidates but was not satisfied with any of them. Finally, he chose one, but three small children were blocked by Haigouzai. The people who had been rejected by Haigouzai all cursed him under their breaths. With only one spot left, the coolies no longer cared about queuing and swarmed around Zhu Guobin, asking him to choose them. They surrounded him in layers, three deep inside and three deep outside, leaving the original queue area empty.

  Chen Xin had already chosen a day, and several selected porters brought wooden stools from their homes for people to sit on. Chen Xin had attended many job fairs before, but he had never encountered such enthusiastic applicants. In front of him, a group of people were waving their arms wildly, and Zhu Guobin was nowhere to be seen. Chen Xin shouted an order, and Hai Gouzzi and others started beating the porters with sticks, only then did they hastily make way for a path. Zhu Guobin stumbled out, his clothes torn in several places.

  "Damn it." Zhu Guobin rested for a while before saying a sentence, he was almost suffocated just now. "This thin wife's strength is really not small, Thousand House Lord, still one short, will you recruit?"

  "It's okay." Chen Xinyi pointed at a small, thin woman in front of him, "Little brother, come here."

  That little servant stood at the beginning of the queue, surrounded by people everywhere, and didn't even realize he was being called. Chen Xin had to call him several times before he looked around cautiously and asked Chen Xin, "Is this young master calling me?"

  "Little something, come out quickly, it's you." Chen Xin said impatiently, "Do you want to eat porridge or not? If you do, hurry up."

  That little scamp was overjoyed, and hurried over to kowtow. Chen Xin asked him the usual questions, and he turned out to be a vagabond too, only seventeen years old. He took him in as well. Finally, Chen Xin asked: "What's your name?"

  His name is Zhou Shao'er.

  "Zhou Shao'er, alright, you've been chosen, go eat now."

  That little rickshaw boy was thin and weak, shorter than the average rickshaw boy. After kowtowing, he went to serve the bowl of rice with a timid and fearful attitude, looking at the faces of the people around him before eating carefully.

  Zhu Guobin said in a low voice to Chen Xin, "This Zhou Shao's eyes are wandering and his spirit is not gathered. His movements lack courage, his waist and arms are thin, he may not have much strength, and his use may not be great. Why did the adults choose him?"

  Chen Xindan said faintly, "Just now when everyone rushed up, only he was still honestly queuing. I want to be used to obeying discipline. Although this person doesn't have much strength, that can also be practiced. For the time being, his physical strength is a bit poor, so let's arrange him as a fire soldier first."

  What Chen Xin referred to as "fire soldiers" were not musketeers, but rather the miscellaneous soldiers in the Ming army. In Qi Jiguang's "Yingyang Formation", there was such a role, who served as both the team leader's attendant and the team's odd-job man. During battles, he would hide at the back, not engaging in combat, but only responsible for beheading the dead enemy to record merits. Qi Jiguang also wrote about this "fire soldier" role in his book "Jixiao Xinshu", describing them as suitable for timid and weak-willed individuals, making it the lowest requirement of all soldiers.

  Zhu Guobin agreed straightforwardly, and Chen Xin discovered one of Zhu Guobin's major advantages this time: he never questioned the rationality of orders as long as they were clear, and he never made conditions for executing commands. This man was indeed born to be a soldier.

  A group of chosen people were wolfing down food by the pot, but each person only had two mantou. They had been in a state of hunger recently and it was not suitable to eat too many mantou at once. Congee could be eaten more.

  The surrounding onlookers were all drooling with envy, gazing longingly at the fifty or so people who lingered around, reluctant to disperse. Some latecomers even pounded their chests and stamped their feet, pulling at Zhang's sleeve and begging him to recruit a few more.

  Chen Xin called over Zhu Guobin, Dai Zhenggang and Lu Tuizi, the four of them formed a small circle. Chen Xin said to them: "Let them gather here tomorrow morning, divide them into five groups of ten people each. These fifty people will be led by Zhu Guobin for the time being, with Lu Chuanzong as deputy. After that, Brother Dai will lead the people from Yanggu."

  "I understand, sir." Several people who had followed Chen Xinjing's example now admired Chen Xin even more and changed their way of addressing him to "sir", after all, Chen Xin was already a commander of a thousand households and could no longer be called "brother" or "older brother" as before.

  Chen Xin continued, "Gu Bin and Chuan Zong, after you divide them into groups, each group will be called a small team. Our five people will temporarily lead one small team each. Fifty people will form a large team, with Gu Bin as the team leader and Chuan Zong as the deputy team leader. We must hurry to Tianjin Road, if we're late, the ship might be frozen in place, and it's not easy to arrange for so many people to stay in Tianjin during winter. I also need to rush to Weihai to take office. Also, on the way, we'll teach them to listen to commands and march in formation."

  Zhu Guobin had seen Dai Zhenggang leading Haigouz and others in training during his previous stay at Zhengdongfang. When the four of them trained together, their movements were very uniform, and Zhu himself followed along for over a dozen days, still finding this kind of training quite novel. Just watching them line up and march was very impressive, and Zhu thought it was very useful. Although the few people wearing military uniforms didn't look as neat as before, they looked even more imposing than the soldiers in the barracks. Later, he heard that it was Chen Xin's creation, and couldn't help but be amazed by his genius, and was eager to personally train these people.

  "Sir, the Mandarin Duck Formation consists of twelve people in a row. Wouldn't it be better to divide them into four rows?" asked Zhu Guobin.

  Chen Xin rubbed his nose, and during this time he was hiding and reading "Ji Xiao Xin Shu" and "Lian Bing Shi Ji". Qi Jiguang's Mandarin Duck Formation had different configurations in the south and north. Chen Xin also hadn't figured out what formation to use for his troops, because he didn't even have an enemy to fight against. Killing Tartars was just something people said, and it wasn't something that could be done immediately.

  "For now, let's arrange it this way, and when we get to Tianjin, see how many people Yanggu can bring, and then reorganize at that time."

  Dai Zhenggang also asked: "What identity will we go with afterwards."

  "When they arrived at Weihaiwei, all of them were organized into military households."

  Lu Zhuzi worried: "I'm afraid many people are unwilling to be military households."

  "Whether you want to or not, you have to." Chen Xin said unequivocally. He spent money to transport people over and it was to restrict the local forces in Weihai. How could he let them be willing or unwilling? Moreover, the common people are also suffering now. As long as they can afford to pay silver, most of them will not resist too much.

  Zhu Guobin and a few others exchanged a quiet glance, Chen Xin now slowly had authority, his tone of voice was also different, several people responded in unison.

  After Chen Xin finished arranging things, he and Song Wenxian returned to Zhangjiawan. Chen Xin is not the kind of person who needs to personally oversee everything, as long as he takes care of the most important parts, that's enough. He was able to do well in his original company, not just because of luck, but also because of his work style and efficiency, which were both very good.

  Song Wenxian walked with him for a while in Zhangjiawan Street and asked Chen Xindao, "Brother Chen, why did you arrange Lu Zizi as the deputy team leader again?"

  "Mr. Song knows, Chuan Zong is now more obedient to me, and Dai Zhenggang is not at all obedient, Zhu Guobin is a down-to-earth person, doing things very well, Lu Ma Zi as deputy is just right."

  Song Wenxian was still satisfied with Chen Xin's personnel arrangement, Lu Lüzǐ was basically Chen Xin's iron rooster, as the deputy position had a future and could keep an eye on Zhu Guobin. Chen Xin was a meticulous person, his face was also thick, these two things Song Wenxian also had, but Chen Xin's courage Song Wenxian admitted he didn't dare to compare, indeed with boundless prospects.

  "Why did Brother Chen go to Zhangjiawan to recruit people? Tianjin also has silk workers."

  "Tianjin has its own silk fabrics, but I'll be coming and going to Tianjin frequently in the future, and also have a shop here, recruiting soldiers locally. If we attract the attention of the Qing military authorities, it won't be so convenient later on."

  Song Wenxian thought for a moment and felt that this way, although it would cost more money, was safer.

  "Chen brothers are meticulous in doing things, but for now, Mr. Zhong's request about the family matter, Chen brothers still need to expedite it, and when they return to Tianjin..."

  Chen Xin interrupted: "What's the point of going back to Tianjin? We're here to take care of this now."

  "Now?" Song Wenxian looked around, the surrounding area was lined with shops, but in the winter there were no boats or goods, everything was desolate and cold. There were few pedestrians on the road, and some people knelt by the side of the road selling their bodies.

  "Isn't Chen Brother's red mate the daughter of which shop owner?"

  "What a precious thing, it's her." Chen Xinyi pointed to a relatively clean woman kneeling on the ground, with a grass sign inserted in her back. The woman was kneeling on the ground, looking around, and an old man was standing behind her.

  "Master Zhong isn't looking for a family, is he? There are many women in Zhangjiawan who sell their bodies to make a living. I can buy one right now and she'll be my family. Brother Song, take a look with me, if you see anyone you like, I'll buy one for you too."

  Song Wenxian was speechless for a moment, then muttered: "You really have no shame."

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  The sky was filled with falling snowflakes, and the ground was covered in a blanket of white. Ten porters were lined up in two rows, walking along the official road according to orders. Haigouzai walked on the left side of this group. Each of these porters had large and small packages on their backs. Although they looked poor, they were actually worth a fortune. They had to move everything, including pots, pans, bedding, and quilts. Chen Xin didn't stop them, letting them carry whatever they wanted. Even those with families had to walk in the procession. Chen Xin hired two large carts, putting ten or so women and children on board, along with some food, but luggage was not allowed on the carts.

  The girl Chen Xin bought was called Xiao Jia Hua, a rustic name that sounded like it had been dropped in the mud. She was seventeen years old this year, with an ordinary appearance, but with a large mole at the corner of her mouth. Originally a maid, she was returned to her original home after the young lady fell ill and died. Her family couldn't afford to raise her, and they hadn't found a husband's family for her yet, so they sold her. The maid heard that the handsome young master in front of her wanted to buy her as a concubine, and she followed him with great enthusiasm. Chen Xin gave ten taels of silver to her family, and her parents didn't show any reluctance. Before leaving, they instructed Xiao Jia Hua to listen to the old master's words, and even if she was driven out again, not to come back home, but to make a living on her own. Xiao Jia Hua repeatedly agreed, without shedding a single tear, and left.

  Xiao Jia Hua looked at her husband, the more she looked, the more she liked him. Not only was he handsome and wealthy, but he also had many subordinates. She felt that heaven had opened its eyes and given her a great gift. Sitting in the donkey cart, she hummed a tuneless song. Several wives of the porters heard that she was the young mistress of the East House and deliberately tried to curry favor with her, flattering her all along the way. Xiao Jia Hua couldn't help but feel even more proud, putting on airs as the young mistress, holding her head high.

  Chen Xin was too lazy to bother with her, he planned to buy a small house for her in Dengzhou and leave her there. He didn't have any rebellious thoughts at the moment, and the Xiao family's influence in Dengzhou wasn't a threat. That Zhong gentleman would be busy saving his own skin soon and wouldn't have time to bother with this so-called hostage, and later he could bring her back to Weihai as a maid.

  Chen Xin didn't ride a donkey cart, but walked with the porters. This group of porters was really hardworking and diligent. Yesterday, they walked 40 miles in one day, and not a single person threw away anything. Today, after walking another 20 miles, two bachelors finally couldn't take it anymore and threw away some bowls and dishes.

  "Guo Bin, how's our troop formation?" Chen Xin asked Zhu Guo Bin with satisfaction, looking at his own troops.

  "These people have been pulling barges on the canal for a long time, they should all be physically strong. If they can eat their fill every day and not carry these tattered clothes, it's no problem to walk 80 or 90 miles a day."

  Chen Xindian nodded, thinking that these soldiers would not be worse than the miners in Yiwu after training. They had the same simplicity and hard work, and might even surpass them in terms of team spirit and discipline. The porters all worked together, taking steps in unison, and were accustomed to hearing slogans every day. After a simple lesson on formation yesterday, they could march in an orderly manner according to command. Although they still couldn't tell left from right, they were much stronger than those simple farmers who came out of the fields.

  He deliberately allowed these people to carry their luggage to test their physical strength. When they arrived in Tianjin, they would not be allowed to bring them on the ship. The quilts were infested with countless lice and fleas, which affected their lives and spread diseases. This march was also a process of elimination. If someone couldn't keep up, Chen Xin wouldn't stop to wait for him.

  Chen Xin was also walking on foot, this was his first team, if he could expand, these people would become officers, the backbone of the army, a very important resource for Chen Xin, he wanted to leave them with the most authoritative and profound impression from the beginning.

  Chen Xin Zheng was thinking about how to quickly win people's hearts, when Zhou Shao Er caught his attention. He was a bachelor, carrying a large bundle on his back, his thin body already bent over, limping along at the very end of the line.

  "Zhou Shao'er, what are you carrying on your back?" Chen Xin asked as he walked up to him.

  Zhou Shao'er hastily stopped and said, "Young master, the porter is carrying a pot." The sedan chair bearers in front heard Chen Xin's question and turned their heads to look.

  Chen Xindao: "Keep walking, we'll talk as we go. You're carrying a huge pot, what's the point of that?" Zhou Shao'er hastily caught up with him and returned to the group, then carefully replied: "Young Master, this pot was originally for our whole family to eat from - my parents, brothers, sisters... now it's just me left, and carrying it is like a keepsake. If Young Master doesn't like it, I can... throw it away."

  "What's wrong with your leg?"

  "A few days ago, I was beaten by a ship owner and didn't break any bones. I'm almost recovered now, I can walk, really." Zhou Shaoyu worried that Chen Xin would reject her because of this, so she quickly straightened up her chest and tried not to shake.

  Chen Xin was silent for a moment, then said to Zhou Shao'er: "Give me the pot."

  Zhou Shaoyou thought he was going to throw it away, and reluctantly handed over the luggage on his back, with tears already welling up in his eyes. Chen Xin took it, contrary to everyone's expectations, and directly put it on his own back. He said: "Since you're injured, I'll help you carry it to Tianjin. You're a good kid, don't forget your roots. Your parents and brothers are all watching over you from above. Follow me and do things well, make something of yourself, become a man who stands tall and proud, and let them be proud of you."

  "Yes, young master..." Zhou Shaoyu choked back a sob, tears welling up in her eyes.