Chapter 68

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After a few roosters crowed in the distance, the rooster at Donggouzi’s house also began to crow in response.

Dawn was approaching, and Liu Jun put on his clothes and walked out of the courtyard. The night sky before dawn seemed even darker. A few shadows were jumping around. As Liu Jun took a few steps closer, he realized it was Donggouzi and Gousheng leading a group of young men practicing their marching.

Donggouzi had a bit of a drill instructor's air about him. He was bare-armed, standing in the courtyard, moving nimbly with standard steps and strong legs. Liu Jun watched, feeling very pleased.

In recent days, Donggouzi had become a celebrity in Taiping Township. Villagers from nearby villages all knew about the young man named Donggouzi from Shiling Zhang Village who had joined the county militia two months ago, achieved great merit, received a large sum of money as a reward, and even been promoted to the position of squad leader.

Many people came to see this young man from the mountains and how he had become successful, wondering what made him different. Seeing the various new and interesting items Donggouzi had brought back, everyone believed the rumors. Indeed, he had become successful. Otherwise, how could there be so much white rice piled up like a small mountain, filling several baskets, and even several bolts of silk?

Donggouzi’s attire, with his long robe and boots, made him look completely like a city dweller, his face glowing with health.

Then, even more people came. All of Zhang’s relatives from the three major and eight minor branches of the family came to visit, and matchmakers from the township also rushed over, almost wearing out the threshold of the Zhang household. They had been commissioned by families with marriageable daughters to propose to the Zhangs, offering many good conditions, even waiving the dowry, just hoping to marry their daughters into the Zhang family for a better life, where they could eat white rice and wear silk.

Seeing Zhang Donggou’s popularity, some people turned to his younger brother, asking matchmakers to propose to him, or even to Zhang Donggou’s sisters.

For several days, the remote Zhang Village was bustling with visitors, and the Zhang household was constantly receiving guests.

This scene made Old Zhang feel very honored. He warmly welcomed everyone who came. In the past, he had rarely eaten white rice or drunk good wine, but now he generously used the tea, sugar, rice, and wine that Donggouzi had brought back to entertain guests.

Besides those who came to propose, many others brought their own young men, hoping their children could join the militia like Donggouzi and earn a living.

Liu Jun did not completely reject these people’s expectations.

He had come to recruit new soldiers, and he carefully examined and selected the young men who had come. He chose three young men, including Ergou, from Zhang Village, and then went to Gousheng’s house, bringing back several more suitable young men.

Liu Jun then set up a recruitment banner in Zhang Village, with the help of over a dozen brothers including Zhang Shan, Donggouzi, and Gousheng. The recruitment went smoothly. Initially, he only planned to recruit two or three dozen men, but unexpectedly, he found many young men in this poor mountain village of Taiping Township who met the conditions.

Although these young men were from poor families, many of them were strong and had good physical strength. Some were also skilled with bows. For example, Ergou, who was tall, was good at archery but excelled in wielding two large axes. The reason was that he had been chopping wood for many years, splitting logs to sell, and had been doing it since he was a child. After years of practice, he could wield the axes as easily as a kitchen knife. Such a person would be perfect as a front-line soldier.

After careful selection, Liu Jun finally recruited 120 new soldiers. He had thought it through: since he was recruiting new soldiers, it didn’t matter where he recruited them from. Although all the new soldiers were from Taiping Township, they might form a clique in the future. However, in the short term, recruiting from the same area would help them adapt to the new team more quickly. In the future, when the team expanded, he would try to recruit fewer soldiers from Taiping Township.

It was still the holiday, and after recruiting 120 soldiers, Liu Jun originally intended to let them return home and report to the Queen City a few days later, where they would receive their settlement silver and uniforms. However, these new soldiers were so excited that they refused to go home and stayed in Zhang Village.

Liu Jun had no choice but to let them stay. He took out some money and asked the Zhang family to help provide their meals and arrange for them to sleep in villagers' homes at night.

Liu Jun did not arrange any training, but Donggouzi and Gousheng started exercising early every morning, and the new soldiers followed them. Eventually, Donggouzi and Gousheng took on the role of drill instructors, teaching the new soldiers what they had learned during their recent training.

Liu Jun was pleasantly surprised by this. At first, he didn’t think much of it, but in just a few days, Donggouzi and Gousheng, who were still new to the role, had actually trained the 120 new soldiers to some extent.

At least, they could turn left and right without getting confused, and even march in step quite neatly.

"These new soldiers are good," Zhang Shan said, joining Liu Jun.

"Yes, I plan to reorganize the Nine-Headed Bird Team after the break. The current front and rear flags will be incorporated into the central command, and we will add a new central flag. All three flags will be fully equipped with cavalry. Additionally, we will form an infantry division with three infantry flags. This way, we will have a three-division structure."

"Such a large scale?" Zhang Shan was surprised.

Liu Jun whispered to him, "I have something to tell you. Gong Ji may leave the Nine-Headed Bird Team after returning home. In the future, it will be just us. Moreover, the bandits are resurfacing in various places. I am certain that this time, the bandits are not just minor troublemakers. The court may not be able to suppress them. Our area in Eastern Hubei will not remain peaceful. In the future, we will face not just small bandits but possibly fierce and powerful outlaws. We now have money and supplies, and the support of the Li and Mei families. This is the perfect time to strengthen the Nine-Headed Bird Team."

"Then what?" Zhang Shan asked. He was not surprised that Li Chunjiang might leave, but he was puzzled by Liu Jun’s determination to expand the Nine-Headed Bird Team. What would they do after expanding?

"Suppress the bandits, protect the country, and defend our homes," Liu Jun said, using eight words. He actually wanted to say, "Fully strengthen ourselves to prepare for the Manchu invasion in a few years." However, even if he said this, Zhang Shan and the local gentry would likely not believe that the Manchu could overthrow the Ming Dynasty in a few years.

To many gentry, the Manchu were too distant, and the threat from nearby bandits seemed more immediate. They were generous in providing money to the local militia but unwilling to support the court’s military campaigns in Liaodong, believing that the Manchu were still far away and that Beijing, Hebei, and Shandong would bear the brunt if the sky fell.

Zhang Shan was silent, feeling unable to follow his brother’s thinking.

At that moment, a voice suddenly called out from outside, "Where is the captain of the Nine-Headed Bird Team?"

"Who is it?"

Outside, Donggouzi shouted, leading a group of new soldiers to form a line and stop a rider who was galloping towards them.

Liu Jun looked up and saw a rider galloping in the dawn light, with the horse covered in sweat and the rider’s clothes drenched.

"Who are you?" Liu Jun shouted.

The rider was stopped and rolled off the horse, panting heavily, "I am looking for the captain of the Nine-Headed Bird Team. There is an emergency."

"Let him through," Liu Jun shouted, stepping forward.

The rider was exhausted, and Donggouzi and Gousheng helped him to Liu Jun.

Liu Jun examined the man, who seemed to be a postman.

"I am the deputy captain of the Nine-Headed Bird Team, Liu Jun. What is the emergency?"

"I am a postman from Taiping Post, sent by Inspector Zhao of Hu Tou Pass. He has sent me here to request assistance. Bandits have surrounded Inspector Zhao and his archers, and they are in grave danger. Please, Captain Liu, come to their aid quickly," the postman panted.

Donggouzi whispered to Liu Jun, "Taiping Post is not far from here and is under the jurisdiction of the Hu Tou Pass Inspectorate. Inspector Zhao is the inspector of the Hu Tou Pass Inspectorate, with twenty archers under his command. He not only guards Hu Tou Pass but also oversees the entire Taiping Township."

The Dabie Mountains have thirteen major passes, with five of them in the northern part of Macheng.

Liu Jun knew something about the Inspectorate. In the fourth year of the Hongwu era, the court established an Inspectorate at Hu Tou Pass.

According to Ming regulations, Inspectorates were typically set up at key passes and important locations. The inspector, along with his armed guards, was responsible for checking travelers, combating smuggling, and apprehending bandits to ensure the safety of merchants. The Hu Tou Pass Inspectorate also oversaw Taiping Post.

The Inspectorate was somewhat like a police station but with more power, serving as an important outpost of the government at the township level below the county. Not all counties had an Inspectorate, but where they were established, it was always at a key location, either a border defense point or an important inland route.

The Hu Tou Pass Inspectorate was located 70 li north of the county, manned by a ninth-rank inspector, with a staff that included a clerk, a scribe, and twenty archers.

Their primary tasks were to apprehend bandits and smugglers and to check travelers.

There were over a thousand such Inspectorates in the Ming Dynasty, and although the inspector was a ninth-rank official, his responsibilities were significant.

Hu Tou Pass was an important passage between Huangzhou in Huguang and Guangzhou in Henan, controlling the Guanghuang Road.

Liu Jun did not expect the inspector of Hu Tou Pass to send someone to seek his help.

"Bring this brother some water," Liu Jun called. Water was brought, and the postman drank several mouthfuls, finally feeling better.

"Take your time and tell me what happened," Liu Jun asked.

...

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