Chapter 5 Deputy Commander

  Wu Jie is a scholar, a big man in Wujiacun, and a banner of Wujiacun. With the elimination of thieves, his prestige has reached an unprecedented level, once he solved Ding Zhuang's worries, they are willing to attach themselves to Wu Jie's high branch.

  What Wu Jie did, each and every one of them left a deep impression on them. The giant bear that no one could hunt down was hunted down by Wu Jie. When the county of Guixian fell into extreme danger, Wu Jie turned the situation around. Following Wu Jie meant boundless prospects and a bright future.

  Who would be unwilling? Everyone's eyes were wide with excitement, staring intently at Wu Ji, very tense, as if they were afraid that Wu Ji wouldn't want them.

  "Third Uncle, what's all the commotion about? Look at you, at your age!" Wu Jie couldn't help but chuckle, and Wu Qing also came over to join in.

  "Ji'er, San Shu is not just joining in the fun, he's serious! He's serious!"

  Wu Qing's face turned serious, and he said solemnly: "Ji'er, let me tell you the truth. Although the bandits are detestable and oppress the common people, their military pay is very generous. Receiving one share of military pay can support a whole family! But their military pay has been embezzled. Ji'er, you wouldn't do such a thing. Following you, our wives and children will all have food to eat and clothes to wear!"

  The Song Dynasty was a severely deformed dynasty, failing to establish strong martial arts, yet its military expenditure was the highest among all dynasties, accounting for 60-70% of the Song Dynasty's financial expenditure. The soldiers' pay was extremely generous.

  If they are not corrupt and do not deduct, the soldiers can get enough to support a family, and a family can live a "moderately prosperous life".

  It's precisely because of the extreme corruption and embezzlement that has become a habit, deducting military pay, soldiers not only don't receive their pay, but also have to serve as cattle and sheep, and even let their families suffer from oppression.

  This led to the fact that the Song Dynasty had a lot of deserters, and soldiers mutinied, which was a common occurrence. The reason is simple: they couldn't open the pot, so they had to make a fuss.

  With Wu Ji's character, he would never do such a thing. Once he received his full military pay, that was it, and the whole family could live a pretty good life.

  Such a good thing is really rare, and it's impossible for a group of strong men to squeeze in without cutting off their heads.

  Wu Ji's gaze swept over the crowd of young men, each with a tense expression, full of anticipation. In the end, Wu Ji chose twenty people, with Wu Jian as the team leader and Wu Xing as the deputy team leader.

  These twenty men were Wu's personal soldiers, and their military pay was even more generous. They received the highest of the five grades of silver pay, one tael per month. One tael of silver in Wu's village could support a family for a year, and a year's military pay could support a family for twelve years. Needless to say, the personal soldiers were overjoyed, and their cheers filled the air.

  One or two taels of silver per month, this is the military salary that only the best soldiers in the Imperial Guard can have, not something that the troops stationed in Guishen can enjoy. However, Wu Ji would not let his own soldiers lose out, and using the power in his hands, he slightly facilitated things for them.

  This convenience is much better than corruption and embezzlement of military pay, it can be said to be at the level of a sage.

  There is a personal soldier, and one deputy commander is missing. The deputy commander is Wu Ji's assistant, must be someone Wu Ji trusts, and also needs to be able to give Wu Ji great help.

  Training troops is something Wu Ji has never done before, and it's not that easy to get the hang of it. It takes some time to learn. If there was a reliable assistant, things would be much simpler.

  "Who would be suitable as a deputy commander?" Wu Ji furrowed his brow, scanning through the people he knew in his mind, and only one person was suitable: "Found him!"

  "Wu Jian, go and invite Lord Huangfu for me!" Wu Ji ordered.

  This was the first time Wu Jie gave orders to his personal soldiers, Wu Jian was exceptionally excited, he raised his head, puffed out his chest, and responded loudly, like a crowing rooster, before turning around and leaving.

  "I didn't dare to have a banquet for Master Wu, and it just so happens that you arrived at the right time!" Wu Jian hadn't taken a few steps when he heard Huang Fu's voice, and the man had already entered.

  "Quickly! Quickly!" Wu Ji came up with a smile on his face.

  "Lord Wu, please!" Huang Fu also had a good impression of Wu Ji, and the two could be said to have gone through a life-and-death ordeal together, which was not bad.

  Wu Ji led Huang Fu to the living room, asking him to sit down. Wu Xing hurriedly served tea, and Huang Fu drank it with a smile, saying: "Is Lord Wu ready to take office?"

  "It's almost done! I've already formed my personal troops." Wu Ji smiled and said, "However, I'm still short of a deputy commander."

  "Ah!" Huang Fu Cong was somewhat curious, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he smiled and asked: "I wonder if Lord Wu has found a suitable candidate?"

  "This commander's position, not only must be trusted, but also skilled in martial arts, able to train the army. I'm like this, Lord Huangfu is aware of it, without military experience, need to learn for a while, I don't want to hinder the army's training." Wu Ji did not hide his concerns and spoke out what was on his mind.

  "Haha!" Huang Fu's eyes sparkled: "What if we made a mistake? The Song Dynasty army has made many mistakes! The sixteen states of Yan and Yun are right in front of us, but they have not been recovered. Ganliang and other places have also not been recovered!"

  This statement is somewhat similar to Zheng Ta, Wu Ji's eyebrows rose, and he smiled: "This is the border, the Liao dog will come at any time, I don't want to resist with a group of mobs, it's better to seize the time to train."

  "Hmm! Lord Wu is loyal to the king's affairs, it's a joyous occasion." Huangfu Song was quite approving.

  "I need a deputy commander who can assist me, and among the people I know, only you, Lord Huangfu, are the most suitable. I wonder if Lord Huangfu is willing to take on the role of deputy commander?" Wu Ji looked at Huangfu Song and formally extended the invitation.

  Huang Fu Su had many secrets, which was fine as long as he didn't have any ill intentions towards Wu Ji. This point made Wu Ji feel at ease.

  "Huh?" Huang Fu Cong was somewhat surprised, his eyebrows raised in surprise: "Lord Wu, you wouldn't be trying to find out my secret, would you?"

  "Haha! You're overthinking! I don't care about your secrets, as long as you won't harm me, that's fine!" Wu Ji also didn't hide anything.

  "Thank you! It feels great to be trusted! I can swear that I will never do anything detrimental to you!" Huang Fu sighed and said: "Since Wu has shown me favor, I am grateful. However, my age is a bit advanced, being in my 40s or 50s!"

  "Great? Can you surpass Jiang Taigong? Jiang Taigong was seventy years old and still useful to King Wen." Wu Ji said with a smile.

  "Haha! Haha!" This metaphor made Huangfu Song extremely delighted, he raised his head to the sky and laughed uncontrollably.

  Huang Fu Su was the chief clerk, and his transfer required Zheng Tai's consent. Wu Ji went to discuss it with him, and Zheng Tai readily agreed, as he had great confidence in Wu Ji.

  By now, Wu Ji's team has basically been formed. As for the five department heads and five deputy department heads, there are no suitable candidates at present, so they can only be selected from the military and appointed.

  The team was formed and Wu Ji immediately set off with Huang Fu and his personal soldiers towards the military camp.

  The barracks are located in the northwest of Guishen City, covering a large area with many houses, but some of them are old and dilapidated.

  Wu Jie quickly arrived and saw from a distance that the camp gate was unguarded, which surprised him greatly. This was too careless; if it were on the battlefield, the enemy would have already invaded the camp without anyone knowing.

  "Director Wu, no need to get angry! The garrison has encountered such a great change, without a commander, without a leader, no one is in charge, they are used to being lax, if not, it would be out of place." Huang Fu Song comforted Wu Ji.

  This time, the mutiny of Song Jun's army was quelled, but all capable officers were gone. Under no management, it was only natural that they became undisciplined and disorderly without any military discipline.

  Wu Jia's heart was relieved, and he led his men into the military camp. As soon as they rushed in, their eyes widened involuntarily, and their eyeballs almost fell to the ground.