Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

(From now on, ancient people will only be referred to by their given names, not their courtesy names.)

Yang Xuedong returned to a small house in the city somewhat absentmindedly; he hadn't been back there for over a year.

After much difficulty, I finally opened the lock, which was covered in verdigris. Pushing the door open, I found it filled with dust, and cobwebs covered the doors, windows, and ceiling.

This was a property he purchased in the city when he was serving as a registrar. After hearing the news of Emperor Chongzhen's death and seeing what the Zheng family had done in Xinzhou Prefecture, he became disheartened, resigned from his post as a judge, and returned to his hometown.

After resigning from his official post, Yang Xuedong had been living in seclusion in his hometown. Not long ago, he heard that the Zheng family army in Xinzhou City had been driven away, and the new master of Xinzhou City was the Xingfu Army, which he had never heard of before.

After the Xingfu Army entered the city, they did not harm the people in any way, abolished the harsh policies and evil policies originally established by the Zheng family army, and implemented a policy of light taxes, which gave Xinzhou City a brand-new look.

In particular, the fact that the Xingfu Army launched a proactive attack outside Xinzhou City a few days ago and annihilated Zheng's 5,000 elite troops with a smaller force has deeply shocked Yang Xuedong.

Having been unemployed for a long time, Yang Xuedong's desire for officialdom began to stir again.

Upon returning to Xinzhou Prefecture, Yang Xuedong witnessed firsthand the city's long-lost vitality, which further strengthened his resolve to seek an official position.

Yang Xuedong was very self-aware. He was only a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the metropolitan civil service examination), so he could only serve as a Tuiguan (a minor official). He would be lucky to become a county magistrate before retiring.

Upon learning that no scholars had yet come to join the Restoration Army, he hurriedly came to seek an official position.

Among all the factions, the Restoration Army has the shallowest foundation and the weakest strength. This is both a disadvantage and an advantage if one wants to join them.

The downside is that if you're weak, you might be gone one day.

The advantage is that if I pledge allegiance to you when you are weak, you will surely value me when you become powerful.

Although Yang Xuedong was an official-minded man, he also had principles. He was unwilling to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, especially after learning that serving the Qing would require him to shave his head and change his clothes.

All the civil and military officials in Jiangxi had already surrendered to the Qing, so they could not rely on the forces in Jiangxi.

The Zheng family controls the Longwu court in Fujian. They treat ordinary people badly, but they treat scholars even worse. Yang Xuedong has already been disgusted once in Xinzhou and doesn't want to be disgusted a second time.

It was even more impossible for him to join Li Zicheng or Zhang Xianzhong, firstly because they were too far away, and secondly because he looked down on peasant armies.

Therefore, joining Xingfu Army was Yang Xuedong's only option.

But Yang Xuedong never expected that Li Chengming would give him such a big "surprise" as soon as they met, asking him to survey the land and implement a tax system that was many times more radical than the "Single Whip Law" that combined the taxation of scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants!

Isn't this asking Yang Xuedong to revolutionize himself? You have to understand that Yang Xuedong himself owns a lot of mountains, forests and farmland in his hometown. If the tax reduction policy for scholars is really not implemented, paying taxes based on the actual acreage will directly reduce his income by more than 50%.

Moreover, if Yang Xuedong were to promote the unified taxation of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, he would be condemned and cursed by countless intellectuals.

Sitting in his filthy courtyard, Yang Xuedong was torn. He wanted to leave, but he was unwilling to give up this opportunity. If he did, he felt he would never amount to anything. He was unwilling to spend his life as a small landlord collecting rent!

Meanwhile, all the supplies that Li Chengming purchased from Manager Huang of the Jiangyou Merchant Guild have been delivered.

Five thousand shi of grain were transported via the Xinjiang River, filling eight boats. Countless other items, including copper, iron, sulfur, saltpeter, salt, and medicinal herbs, were also transported.

Both the buyer and seller were satisfied with this transaction.

When Manager Huang learned that Li Chengming had annihilated Zheng's 5,000 elite troops at the gates of Xinzhou, he congratulated him, saying, "General Li's Restoration Army is as formidable as Qi Jiguang's army back in the day! With the Restoration Army here, Xinzhou will surely be impregnable!"

Li Chengming smiled, extended his hand to Manager Huang, and said, "We are both very satisfied with this transaction. It was a pleasure doing business with you!"

Manager Huang looked at the hand outstretched to Li Chengming with a blank expression, but seeing that Li Chengming did not retract his hand, he also extended his hand in imitation of Li Chengming.

Li Chengming grasped Manager Huang's outstretched hand, shook it gently twice, and then let go.

Li Chengming explained, "This is a friendly gesture from our Restoration Army; during the handshake, both sides are equals!"

Some lifestyle habits don't necessarily require Li Chengming to accommodate people of this era. The commando team members also hope that the good lifestyle habits they bring can influence this era.

For example, Li Chengming abolished the kneeling ceremony in the Xingfu Army, and no one was allowed to kneel. Instead, bowing and cupping hands were used.

To change the world, start by changing the people around you.

After all the purchased supplies were unloaded and moved into the warehouse, Li Chengming gave Manager Huang a list, mainly to continue purchasing saltpeter and cotton. Saltpeter can be used not only to make gunpowder but also to produce nitric acid. Cotton is used to make nitrocellulose, which is used as propellant or explosives for bullets.

In addition to purchasing supplies, Li Chengming also asked Manager Zhao to help find people who could read and do accounting. He would give a commission for each person he introduced, provided that the person was willing to do so.

There was no other way; the Restoration Army was severely lacking in capable personnel.

Everywhere, literate people are needed to participate in and carry out the work.

As for Xinzhou City, it's unclear whether there are simply too few scholars or whether the scholars don't trust the Restoration Army.

After the recruitment notice was posted yesterday, only three students came.

The term "童生" here does not refer to age, but rather to a scholar who has not even passed the county-level imperial examination.

He was at least literate, so he was hired after a simple interview.

After seeing Manager Huang off, Li Chengming called Chen Qiliang over and said, "I asked you to go out and inquire about Yang Xuedong, why are you back so soon?"

Chen Qiliang said, "Many people know Yang Xuedong. I randomly asked a few shopkeepers, and they all gave similar answers: Yang Xuedong is indeed from Xinzhou Prefecture. He was a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examinations) but failed the metropolitan examinations several times. He was still taking the exams until he resigned from his official post."

Li Chengming nodded: "Have you inquired about what kind of person he is?"

Chen Qiliang said, "The shopkeepers said he was a good person and didn't have any airs of authority. Basically, he would help if you paid him."

Li Chengming was speechless. He said, "Isn't he a corrupt official? How can he be a decent person?"

Chen Qiliang said, "I don't know either, so I asked a few more questions. The shopkeepers said that if you ask other officials for favors, you have to give them more money, and there's no guarantee of success. But Magistrate Yang is different. If you're in the right, you only need to give him a small amount of money and he'll help you. If he can't help you, he'll even refund your money."

Li Chengming understood then: to blend in with the world, but not to completely conform to its corrupt ways.

Yang Xuedong is quite an interesting person.

So he casually asked, "Do you have any way to get Yang Xuedong to willingly join us?"

Li Chengming was just asking casually, not expecting Chen Qiliang to be able to answer the question.

Chen Qiliang scratched the back of his head and stammered, "I don't know either, but he wants to become an official. I've heard that officials are very concerned about their future..."

"Future prospects?" Li Chengming's eyes lit up. If that's the case, then there's a way!