Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 29 Recruiting troops
Zhu Cilang needed to prove he was the true crown prince, as long as he could reach Nanjing before Prince Fu ascended the throne. With Li Banghua, that was enough. But if he wanted to truly control the Nanjing court and suppress the several military leaders in Jiangbei, as well as Zuo Liangyu, Zheng Zhilong, and others, he also had to control a disciplined army.

Now, he has less than a hundred cavalrymen and more than three hundred young and strong soldiers from Linjiazhai under his command. This number of troops is far from enough to reach Nanjing, and he must also form a team on the way.

In this situation, the hardworking, strong and highly organized trackers along the canal were his best choice.

Of course, the time for heading south was still tight, and Zhu Cilang could not spare time to train his troops. All he could do was search the arsenals of various prefectures along the way to see if he could get some swords, guns, sticks, and clubs that were decent enough. As for armor, bows and crossbows, muskets, and horses, there was no need to even think about them.

However, before the Qing army moved south, he only needed to suppress the military leaders in Jiangbei. The nearly 100 cavalrymen under his command and two or three thousand boatmen armed with swords, guns, sticks and clubs were enough.

If these troops can't deal with the Tartars, how can they defeat your few defeated soldiers?

Moreover, he now has enough horses, armor, swords and guns to equip more than a hundred cavalrymen.

Although large-scale military training was impossible on the way south, it was entirely feasible to select more than a hundred elite soldiers from the two or three thousand trackers, equip them with armor, and rehearse formations on the decks of the twenty or so large ships.

The four most powerful military leaders in Jiangbei only had a few hundred elite soldiers under their command, and their equipment was not as good as the guards under Zhu Cilang. The rest were almost all soldiers who lacked weapons and equipment, and even had insufficient food, or were young and strong men who were forced to join forces. Their combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of these boatmen who were originally from the same hometown and were extremely well organized.

As long as he had this army, all the military leaders, including Zuo Liangyu, would no longer dare to act arrogantly and domineeringly. They had no intention of rebelling in the first place. What Zhu Cilang had to do was to use the army and power in his hands to unify them one by one based on the Nanjing Jingying, or to split them up and make them irrelevant.

Outside Linqing City, on the open space next to the canal dock, nearly a hundred women from Linjiazhai were working hard to make a fire. More than fifty large pots were bubbling and spewing out white mist. Golden flames under the pots kept coming out from the cracks of the makeshift earthen stoves, and the aroma of porridge in the pots wafted out in waves.

Soon, the aroma of porridge drifted into the nearby shacks, and countless hungry boys, girls and children rushed out frantically as if the pot had exploded. They heard that the imperial envoy would give out porridge tonight and confirm the recruitment matters, so they were all waiting, and the little rations left in their pockets were not touched at all.

Zhu Cilang naturally did not use the title of Crown Prince Nan Xing as it would have been too ostentatious. For ordinary people, the name of Li Banghua was enough.

Separated by more than a hundred armored soldiers and Linjiazhai guards, these people had walked hundreds of miles at the longest and fifty or sixty miles at the shortest. At this time, the ragged, disheveled men and women, as well as the children who were huddled behind their waists, surrounded the big pot directly. Looking at the big pot with fragrant smell, they kept swallowing their saliva.

On the side, Li Banghua and Zhou Shixian, following Zhu Cilang's instructions and with the assistance of Lin Yongan, gathered together more than 40 small leaders who led more than 1,000 young and strong trackers.

In order to avoid being bullied when they go out and to successfully ask for their wages, the trackers along the canal often distinguish between relatives based on their different regions and stick together for warmth.

There are as many as a hundred of them and as few as twenty or thirty of them, and they all have a common leader. Usually, the negotiation of towing prices is presided over by this leader, and when there are disputes with other towing teams, this leader will take the lead in resolving them.

If Zhu Cilang wanted to control these over a thousand trackers and their nearly three thousand family members, he had to first control the people who had the final say. Otherwise, with only a few hundred soldiers under his command, he would have to travel thousands of miles south. By the time he reached Xuzhou, he would probably have lost half of the troops he had recruited.

Moreover, this is only the first batch. Once he arrives in Dongchang Prefecture and Jining Prefecture, he will start the second and third recruitments, using the elite selected from the first batch and the local officials who are still loyal to the Ming Dynasty and those gathered along the way to manage the people.

Although there were tens of thousands of trackers along the canal in northern Zhili and Shandong, less than one in ten were willing and able to move south.

Although Zhu Cilang wanted to bring more people south, he lacked the strength and could only distribute the excess food and fodder collected from the treasuries of various prefectures and counties along the way.

In fact, he knew very well that a considerable number of trackers would not risk going south after receiving rations, and trust was not so easy to build.

After all, although the north-south barrier and shipping were blocked, making life very difficult for them, the journey south was a long journey and full of dangers. Especially since many people still hoped that after the water level rose, the fleet from the south would sail north as in previous years. And the banner of the imperial envoy was no longer so effective.

As for those who followed all the way south, they basically had no choice. What's more, they were supported by Linjiazhai's reputation on the canal.

Li Banghua and Zhou Shixian were standing in a makeshift shed, with several serious-looking soldiers in armor behind them.

After they looked around at the forty or so small leaders who had gathered in front of them, Zhou Shixian, at Li Banghua's nod, walked directly forward and shouted loudly to these frightened-looking boat trackers' leaders:

"Listen up, everyone. I am the Imperial Consort Commander, a Captain of the Imperial Guard, appointed personally by His Majesty. This is the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Imperial Court, a Second Rank Minister. I summoned you here today for no other reason than to give you an opportunity to serve the Emperor and your country, bringing honor to your family."

Zhou Shixian, Chen Fu and Chang Denggui were all different. Born into a family of officials, he was very tactful and experienced in his dealings. He knew how to intimidate the experienced boat trackers who dealt with all kinds of people along the canal.

Seeing that the boat track leaders were all stunned, he immediately changed his tone and said in a gentle voice:

"The General Secretary is here. As long as you are willing to follow me, you will naturally have military pay and food. It is natural for soldiers to eat food. After you arrive in Nanjing, each of you will receive a monthly salary of one tael and five cents of silver. In addition, you will also receive three to seven dou of rice each month, depending on whether you have a family or not. If it is cold in winter, you will also be given cotton clothes. I guarantee that you will not starve or freeze.

But if you want to eat this meal and wear this dress, you have to join the army, follow the chief justice to Nanjing, and serve the court. Otherwise, get out of here right now! "

As soon as these words were spoken, the forty or so boat trackers' leaders immediately became agitated and started to talk among themselves. Not to mention this condition, even if they were only given a meal that would not starve them to death, they would be willing to follow.

You have to know that the monthly salary of one tael and five cents, plus three to seven dou of grain per month depending on the number of people in the family, is enough to keep a family of three well fed and clothed if there is no deduction.

Zhou Shixian saw these leaders whispering to each other, and kept glancing at him and Li Banghua secretly. He knew that they all had strong intentions, and then he said:

"Remember, this is only the minimum monthly salary. You leaders, based on the number of young and strong men under your command, will receive an extra 1 tael of silver per 20 men. The same goes for your trusted men: 5 cents more for those with 10 men, and 1 tael more for those with 20 men.

Anyone who can ride a horse will receive a minimum monthly salary of three taels of silver. As for the family members you bring with you, as long as they decide to join the army and serve the court, they will be immediately placed on the ship. They will not only be safe, but will also have no worries about food and clothing.

Think about it, what kind of place is Nanjing? What kind of danger could there be? At most, you're just going to suppress bandits. This is such a great opportunity, it's hard to come by again. If you've encountered it, it's a blessing you've earned in eight lifetimes!"

After Zhou Shixian finished speaking, the crowd began to whisper again, creating a cacophony of noise. One of the boat trackers' leaders hesitated for a moment, then finally poked his head out and asked in a trembling voice:
"Master, you, you really didn't lie to us? How did such a great thing happen to us?"

"Damn it, I tricked you. Look at how poor you are. What's there to be tricked about? The rations I gave you a few days ago were worth more than your lives. Even if I tricked you into killing you and selling you as human meat buns, I would still think you didn't have any meat on you."

After hearing this, Zhou Shixian raised his finger and pointed at the leader of the boatmen, shouting:

"I'm putting this out here today. Anyone who wants to stay and follow the General Secretary, come get your badge now, then go back and take your men to register, and then you can have porridge.

Otherwise, get out of here now, as far away as you can, or I'll use the knife in my hand to kill you! If I really want to cheat you, how can I not separate you fellow countrymen?"

(End of this chapter)