Chapter 75: The Debut

The horse galloped like a dragon, and the warrior was as fierce as a tiger!

Wang Qianian performed a beautiful trick on horseback, reining in his steed with the front hooves raised, stopping the horse in its tracks.

"Are you Captain Lu Cheng from the Southern Directly Ruled Region?" he called out from atop his horse, his imposing presence overwhelming Captain Lu Cheng, the commander of the Ming regular army. Seeing the rolling ranks behind him, he wondered which unit of the Dengzhou army this was, with such peculiar attire.

"I am indeed Lu Cheng, ordered to escort a group of craftsmen here to hand them over to Mr. Qian."

To Wang Qianian, the soldiers from the Southern Directly Ruled Region were a bunch of useless mud. Only this captain looked somewhat decent, while the others were all slouching, barely able to intimidate the craftsmen. It was reasonable for Wang Qianian to look down on these soldiers from the Southern Directly Ruled Region, as the elite troops of the Ming were stationed at the nine borders.

"Have your men stop and rest on the spot. I'll go back and report." Wang Qianian didn't waste words, turned his horse, and galloped away. In a moment, he was a hundred meters away, and the carriages and the accompanying servants had already stopped.

"Sir, I've found out. They are soldiers and craftsmen from the Southern Directly Ruled Region." Wang Qianian reported without dismounting. Qian Buduo glanced at Chen Xie opposite him, finding that the "miracle doctor" had no temper at all.

"Old Qian, you've worked hard. Tell them to hand over the craftsmen to me. The captain leading them will receive 50 taels of silver, the squad leaders 30 taels, the platoon leaders 20 taels, the team leaders 10 taels, and each soldier 5 taels of silver. I won't be involved in any other matters."

Qian Buduo quickly agreed. He hadn't handled this matter properly, not because he was afraid of Chen Xie, but because the stakes were too high. No one would refuse silver, especially since Chen Xie was also trying to help everyone earn more.

Qian Buduo dismounted and walked over with a few assistants. Seeing Captain Lu, he said, "I am Qian Buduo. Leave the craftsmen here, take your reward, and you can go." This was said rather rudely, but when two servants carried a wooden chest full of silver and announced the distribution, the hundred or so soldiers cheered.

Don't underestimate the 5 taels of silver per soldier. For an ordinary family, one tael of silver could last a month, and a good one at that. The officers were also satisfied, as this mission had little profit, and they had to follow orders. The journey to Dengzhou would have been impossible without Qian Buduo providing half a month's rations. This reward was indeed generous.

Chen Xie wasn't being overly generous. This was the Ming Dynasty, and the distance from Nanjing to Shandong was considerable. Although the Grand Canal could be used for travel, traveling long distances was never easy. Arriving in half a month was truly worthy of a good reward.

The整齐 footsteps interrupted the cheers and laughter. Heavy boots marched in unison, making the ground tremble. The soldiers from the Southern Directly Ruled Region soon stood in awe.

There weren't many, just four formations of a hundred or so people. Each formation was led by an officer with a sword. Every soldier stood tall and marched confidently, as if they would charge forward even through a mountain of blades and a sea of fire.

This troop was truly strange, with peculiar uniforms, hats, and shoes. The strangest of all was that each soldier carried a strange musket with a straight handle.

This strange troop made the soldiers from the Southern Directly Ruled Region lower their heads in shame, quickly collecting their rewards from Qian Buduo and standing aside, afraid to block the path of this troop.

"First and second squads, provide security. Third and fourth squads, maintain order."

The order was given, and the soldiers from the first two formations quickly moved past the long line of craftsmen. The remaining two formations spread out, taking over the duties of the Southern Directly Ruled Region soldiers. They stood a few meters apart on both sides of the road, their muskets equipped with black, shiny bayonets.

The craftsmen's group was initially restless but quickly calmed down. The soldiers, with their stern faces and cold eyes, intimidated them. Chen Xie, who had just dismounted from the carriage, looked at his troops with satisfaction, knowing that they were still just for show. They could scare people, but without combat experience, they couldn't be considered qualified soldiers. For now, they followed orders strictly under strict military discipline. For a group of new recruits, this level of discipline was impressive.

Almost all the able-bodied men from Zhang Family Village had come out, each pushing a wheelbarrow. In Zhang Family Village, the "miracle doctor" had great authority. Those who disobeyed would be punished by their own fathers and left at the doctor's doorstep until he decided to take them in.

Over 200 wheelbarrows were pushed forward, and the soldiers, holding their bayonets, looked emotionless and spoke harshly.

"You, take your family and belongings and follow this cart. You..."

The handover was simple and brutal but highly efficient. A wheelbarrow could carry a family's meager belongings, and some items were thrown directly onto the carts. The women, children, and elderly were loaded onto twenty flatbed four-wheeled carts. The entire process was swift and efficient, with no one daring to question the soldiers' bayonets, for fear of being stabbed.

After half an hour, the four-wheeled carts carrying the women, children, and elderly set off first. The elderly and women on the carts clung to their children, looking at the soldiers with fear.

Suddenly, a child, frightened, started crying. The mother quickly covered the child's mouth, and the child's face turned red from the struggle.

A well-dressed young man walked to the first four-wheeled cart, smiled at the child, and offered a paper-wrapped cake. He tore open the paper and handed it to the child, saying, "Eat it! There's enough for everyone."

In this tense atmosphere, the scene seemed absurd. However, when the craftsmen saw the soldiers' expressions soften, everything seemed less real. The young man, carrying a strange-looking bag, took out cakes and gave one to each child. As the carts moved forward, soldiers with water bottles demonstrated how to open them and handed them to the elders, saying, "For the children."

The atmosphere became a bit strange. As each cart passed the young man, the children received cakes and passed the water bottles around. The arduous journey suddenly became less tiring, and people felt more spirited.

Over 500 people, with their families, continued on the road quietly, without any trouble.

Jin Lao, the oldest and most skilled potter among the craftsmen, cautiously asked the driver of the cart in front, "Young man, where are we going?"

The driver, a young man, smiled kindly and replied, "Old master, we're going to Zhang Family Village. You'll see when we get there. The miracle doctor is a living Buddha, and good times are ahead."

Watching the large group disappear down the road, Lu Cheng, holding the document from the Nanjing Ministry of War and the silver in his saddlebag, felt quite pleased. "Brothers, let's go back. With silver in our pockets, we can eat and drink wherever we go!"

The life of a Ming soldier was tough. Even as soldiers from the Southern Directly Ruled Region, they couldn't enter cities above the county level. They could only stay in villages outside the city. With the document from the Nanjing Ministry of War, they had to turn back directly.

Wang Qianian, who was at the rear, called out to Lu Cheng, "Brother, here's some food. Let your men rest and eat something before continuing." He turned his horse and left, and the last group followed.

Left behind were several cardboard boxes. Lu Cheng ordered his men to check them. One soldier cut open a box and exclaimed, "Buns! Hot buns!"

In the carriage, Qian Buduo said to Chen Xie, "A bunch of soldiers, wasting pork-filled buns."

Chen Xie glanced at him and said, "If you don't take good care of your soldiers, when trouble comes, their knives will end up on the heads of the officials."

Qian Buduo shivered. This wasn't just idle talk. During the Xiangjiao Uprising, many Shandong soldiers joined in, breaking into several counties, killing countless wealthy families, and raping their women.

Qian Buduo looked at Chen Xie's "servants" and nodded in agreement, "You're right. No wonder Sihua is training these servants. With the Tiger Guard at his disposal, he has nothing to fear from these ruffians!"

Chen Xie knew his words were wasted, as Qian Buduo had misunderstood. Since they couldn't communicate properly, he decided to give up. He focused on training his militia, hoping they would protect his family and property in the Ming Dynasty.

As his understanding of the Ming deepened, Chen Xie's sense of crisis grew. Not to mention the historical figures like Kong Youde, the Tartar invasion through the Xifeng Pass next year, which directly led to the fall of Beijing and the execution of Yuan Chonghuan, also marked the beginning of the Tartars' free rein in North China. The climax was the fall of Jinan, which completely shattered the facade of the Ming army and instilled a strong confidence in the Tartars.

The column moved forward, and suddenly stopped. Chen Xie asked, and soon someone reported, "Sir, it's the Dengzhou camp."

"Let's go down and see." Chen Xie got off the carriage, and Qian Buduo followed, his belly protruding.

Blocking the way were a dozen riders, led by a stern-faced man. Chen Xie recognized him.