Chapter 96

Chapter 97: Recruiting People

After the four or five years of management, the several estates of the Zhao family could be said to have changed for the better every year, with life improving steadily. Although the rent for the leased land was not much different from that of neighboring estates, there were no endless taxes and levies here, no oppression or bullying from the government, and no harassment from corrupt officials. Compared to people in other places, they could be said to be living in a "news broadcast." With well-developed water conservancy facilities and the priority use of various advanced agricultural machinery, farming was less labor-intensive and more productive. The elderly and children could also help out, and families with more members could raise some poultry to supplement their income. Most of the men worked in various workshops in the estate, receiving substantial wages every month. Even when someone proposed a marriage, mentioning that they were from Zhao Estate would already mean the match was half done!

Everyone had a scale in their heart, and they all knew that the good life they enjoyed was due to the protection and care of the prince. However, the prince never made any unreasonable demands, and even when labor was requisitioned, he paid the fair price. The estate's managers and servants never bullied people, treating everyone kindly. When there were emergencies at home, the estate would send people to assist. Even the imperial physicians who treated the prince would treat anyone with an emergency, regardless of the time.

Zhao Cheng's plan was to establish a Thousand Riders Society focused on archery and a Heroic Society focused on martial arts. He convened several meetings with the heads of the estates, the village chiefs, and the group leaders, and everyone agreed. Heart for heart, when the estate called, everyone responded, unlike the past few years when no one dared to go even with payment. Now, the old and new tenants of the four estates of the Zhao family, plus the two newly acquired estates, were eager to join the societies funded by the prince to protect their homes. This was a good thing for themselves, and they were all eager to contribute to the prince.

The two societies chose a good day to open, accepting new members on-site. However, not everyone was qualified to join; there were strict criteria, and only those with real skills were accepted. Zhao Cheng knew that in this era, literature was valued over martial arts, which might lead to a decline in martial spirit. He was worried about not recruiting enough qualified people and had already prepared to use his authority to relax the standards, as having too few people would go against his original intentions.

However, the results were unexpected. The registration site was extremely popular, and the few clerks of the societies were overwhelmed, forcing them to temporarily call in several managers from the estate to help. They were not shy and wrote their names down first. Zhao Cheng then realized that what Huang Jingchen said was true. Although the Baojia system was nominally defunct, it had sparked a growing martial spirit among the people. To encourage martial arts, it was explicitly stated that those skilled in martial arts could be promoted to official positions, with the highest rank being a commander. At the time, people saw this as a path to advancement, a silver lining amidst the dark clouds.

The Heroic Society had four hundred slots, which Zhao Cheng thought was already a lot, but the number of applicants was even greater. In the end, demonstrations of martial skills alone were not enough to decide, and several rounds of sparring matches had to be arranged to complete the selection. In contrast, the Thousand Riders Society was a bit quieter. After all, the Song Dynasty had lost its natural horse pastures and had been plagued by a lack of horses for over a hundred years. After the abolition of the horse protection law, few people in the countryside were willing to raise horses. Compared to oxen, horses were not only more expensive but also had a worse temper, making it less practical to raise them. Without horses, there were naturally fewer people who could ride.

After several years of Zhao Cheng's efforts, the estate had only about a hundred horses that met the standards for warhorses. The Thousand Riders Society, therefore, should have been called the Hundred Riders Society. Despite this, over two hundred people applied, and after selection, more than a hundred were chosen, with over a third being from the estate. A few individuals caught Zhao Cheng's attention. These people had poor reputations among the tenants, similar to what we now call "idle rich children." Like Shi Jin from "Water Margin," they came from relatively well-off families, did not work or farm, and specialized in martial arts. They were skilled in both ground and horseback combat and had received some education, making them both literate and martially talented.

The young prince, who contributed the most funds, naturally became the honorary head of both societies. Meng Tao and Zhang Feng were selected as the vice heads of the two societies. The estate's guards joined the two societies based on their specialties, and Zhao Cheng, through his agents, firmly held the leadership in his hands.

With the teams established, the remaining tasks were left to others. At this point, everyone discovered a secret: the four estates and the workshops that the prince had chosen to build were all surrounded by canals or close to riverbanks. The wide canals were difficult for even the fastest horses to leap over. By converting the wooden bridges connecting the two sides into drawbridges, a natural barrier was formed. Guarding the bridges, even a hundred people would find it hard to pass easily. If a large group of bandits attacked, the scattered members of the societies and the cavalry could quickly gather through the main roads to drive them away. The two newly acquired estates would need to build gates and encircle them with fences.

Soon, watchtowers were erected at key points in each estate, and sentries were posted at major intersections. The members of the societies were divided into teams, with one team on duty every night, patrolling with the assistance of the cavalry. The docks and workshops were especially guarded, with members on duty day and night. To ensure the members' income was not affected, those who participated in training and duty received their regular wages from the workshops, and those without fixed jobs received a daily allowance of 200 coins, with meals provided by Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng watched the training of the members twice. He saw that their physical fitness was excellent, and they had some martial skills, with ordinary people not being able to match them one-on-one. However, their discipline was lacking. Although they could perform their duties diligently, this was only for the simplest tasks. On the battlefield, facing the enemy's cavalry, they might scatter in panic. He understood that they were still just members of the societies, bound by the society's rules, which were much less severe than the strict military regulations that could result in execution.

"A steel army must have iron discipline, and discipline is not something that can be quickly formed. It requires thousands of trials to reach the level of standing firm in the face of death." Zhao Cheng, lost in thought, said to himself.

In the following days, everyone suddenly found that the prince was acting strangely. It was a critical time for planting vegetables in greenhouses, but he called away the experienced servants and even selected over twenty new servants, aged fifteen or sixteen, to take with him. It was already winter, and tasks like chopping wood, making fires, and buying winter vegetables were in full swing, but the prince took everyone away, causing some complaints.

"Prince, are you really moving to the northern estate?" The old man, who was afraid of the cold, had already started the fire in the summer courtyard, and the floor heating made the room warm. Huang Jingchen was now even less willing to leave the room.

"Yes, I will stay there until next spring. You will have to take care of the estate's affairs!" Zhao Cheng said, taking a sip of tea handed to him by Fengxi.

"Such a long time, and it's already cold. Can your body handle it?" Huang Jingchen asked, concerned.

"Sleeping on a cold bed, it's all about having a strong body. After so many years of care, my body is fine!" Zhao Cheng said with a smile.

"Has the prince been taking cold showers every day in the past two winters? Is that why his body is so good?" Fengxi, finding Zhao Cheng's words interesting, couldn't help but interject.

"Of course! Why don't you join me?" Zhao Cheng teased.

"I dare not compare myself to you, Second Master. Just thinking about it makes me cold!" Fengxi said awkwardly, knowing that the prince had come to discuss something with Huang Jingchen, and he smiled as he backed away.

"Who does the prince plan to take with him?" Huang Jingchen asked.

"I plan to take Zhao Ren and the other ten people, plus thirty more from the newly bought servants, and ten more from the young eunuchs, making a total of fifty people!" Zhao Cheng said.

"Those children bought and the young eunuchs sent from the palace last year have been checked by Shunzi. Their families are clean, and they have no connections with the court or the underworld. They can be used!" Huang Jingchen said.

"Is Shunzi still enjoying his job as the innkeeper? This time, he spent quite a bit of money, didn't he?" Zhao Cheng said with a smile.

"Shunzi is so happy that he almost forgets about me. The inn makes a thousand strings of coins a day, so spending a bit of money is nothing. However, the conditions you set were quite high: they must know how to ride, have some martial skills, not be stupid, and not be too old. It took a lot of effort!" Huang Jingchen said with a hint of jealousy.

"How many people did he leave behind?" Zhao Cheng asked, finding Huang Jingchen's expression amusing.

"He left over a hundred people, most of whom were sent to secret locations in the countryside. He kept a few to train himself, as the capital is full of people and the palace has many eyes. We need to be careful with what we are doing!" Huang Jingchen said in a low voice.

"Tomorrow, I will send Lu Da. He is an expert at this, not worse than your previous people. I just don't know how many will be qualified and how many will be left after his training!" Zhao Cheng said.

"Yes, but for the prince's future safety, it is worth it. The eldest prince's coming-of-age ceremony is approaching, and some people are already building momentum to urge the emperor to establish a crown prince. Some have other plans, and the two sides are already starting to clash, which might drag us into the mess!" Huang Jingchen said with a sigh.

"Ha ha, the mess is where the fish can be caught. We should participate appropriately but not get too involved, to avoid being criticized!" Zhao Cheng gave Huang Jingchen a knowing look. "Also, you should smooth things over with the Imperial Medical Bureau and bring in some of the doctors they rejected. Now, Wang Taifu is too busy."

"Who would come to such a remote place?" Huang Jingchen said, somewhat troubled.

"Aren't you familiar with them? We have the banner of the prince's estate. We can pay more, and they can be granted official positions. You should work on it, and they will come!" Zhao Cheng said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll try!" Huang Jingchen reluctantly agreed. "Prince, it's almost the end of the year, and the palace will release people as usual. The palace maids in our estate are getting old and should be replaced. You should make a decision to avoid disturbing your 'seclusion' later."

"Voluntary! Those who want to leave will be given travel expenses, and those who want to marry in the estate will be given a dowry. However, the new people must be thoroughly investigated, and we must not be careless!"

"Ha ha, I don't need to worry about this. The prince is getting older, and the princess will certainly think of it more carefully than I do, ensuring that they are all beautiful and gentle."

"Enough, don't say that. I am still young, and it's too early to consider this. You should tell the princess to handle it for me!" Zhao Cheng left with these words, running away, leaving behind the old man's laughter.

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