RPAGF Chapter 95 The Militia Forms an Army
Chapter 95 The Militia Forms an Army
Outside Jinan city, Lu's Manor.
The early winter morning was bitterly cold.
A thin layer of frost covered the wheat stubble in the fields, shimmering in the morning sun. The distant woods were bare, with only black branches remaining, like withered hands reaching towards the sky.
But inside the manor, there was a bustling and lively scene.
"One, two, one! One, two, one!"
On the training ground, more than two hundred young men stood in neat rows, marching forward in unison to commands. They wore uniform gray cloth short coats, carried wooden rifles, and moved in perfect unison.
Zhao Changying stood at the front of the group, his eyes wide open, his voice booming.
"Straighten your backs! Take bigger steps! You're a troupe, not beggars!"
"One more time! One—two—one!"
Lu Yan stood on a small earthen slope beside the training ground, silently watching all of this.
Beside him, Fan Fu held up an oil-paper umbrella to shield him from the rising sun.
"Master, this is the third batch," Fan Fu said in a low voice. "Including the previous two batches, the total number of militia members has reached two hundred and ten."
"Um."
Lu Yan nodded, his gaze fixed on the team on the training field.
Most of these people were refugees gathered after the White Lotus Rebellion. Some were farmers fleeing from disaster, some were scattered garrison soldiers, and others were White Lotus Rebellion soldiers who had been coerced into joining the rebellion.
They come from different places and have different experiences, but at this moment, they are all wearing the same clothes, shouting the same slogans, and doing the same actions.
This is the power of organization.
"Where is the guard?"
"The guard consists of 150 men, all handpicked elites," Fan Fu replied. "Fifty of them are equipped with flintlock muskets, thirty with crossbows, and the rest with swords and spears."
"What about firearms?"
"One hundred flintlock muskets, four breech-loading cannons. In addition, there are eight hundred catties of gunpowder and two thousand lead bullets."
Lu Yan was silently calculating.
The guards numbered 150, and the militia numbered 210, totaling 360.
This number is nothing in official circles. A garrison has a staff of 5,600 people, and a thousand-household garrison has 1,120 people.
But Lu Yan knew that the numbers on paper were one thing, and actual combat strength was another.
The Ming Dynasty's garrison troops were utterly corrupt. They were paid for doing nothing and exploited the soldiers; very few were actually capable of fighting. On paper, a thousand-household garrison had 1,120 men, but in reality, they were lucky to muster three or four hundred.
His 360 men were all carefully selected experts, well-equipped, and highly trained.
If a real fight breaks out, they might not be any worse than a commander of a thousand households.
"Boss, Captain Zhao is here."
Fan Fu's voice interrupted Lu Yan's thoughts.
Lu Yan looked up and saw Zhao Changying striding over, covered in sweat but full of energy.
"Boss!"
"You've worked hard." Lu Yan patted him on the shoulder. "How's the training going?"
"Not bad." Zhao Changying grinned. "This batch is much better than the last. Some of them are veterans from the garrison; they have a good foundation and pick things up very quickly."
"Are there any troublemakers?"
"There are a few." Zhao Changying's smile faded slightly. "There's one named Li Daniu, from Yuncheng. He used to be a minor leader in the White Lotus Sect. He's quite capable, but also cunning, always stirring up trouble and spreading rumors."
"What strange talk?"
"They'd say things like, 'We work our lives away for the boss, and the boss will give us something in return.'"
Lu Yan frowned slightly.
"This kind of person cannot be allowed to live."
"That's what I think too," Zhao Changying nodded. "But this person has some influence; if we act rashly against him, it might provoke discontent among others."
Lu Yan pondered for a moment.
"Don't touch him yet. Have Shen Qing's men keep an eye on him and see who else he's associating with. Once we have a clear picture, then we'll take them all down at once."
"clear."
"Furthermore," Lu Yan lowered his voice, "pick a few clever ones from this group and plant them around Li Daniu. Have them pretend to be close to Li Daniu, but in reality, they'll be our spies."
Zhao Changying's eyes lit up: "Master is brilliant!"
"Go on, keep practicing."
Lu Yan waved his hand, turned around and walked down the earthen slope.
……
In the afternoon, Lu Yan received several visitors in his study at the manor.
The first was a gentryman from Jinan Prefecture, surnamed Zhou, who was a well-known local landowner. During the White Lotus Rebellion, his estate was looted by the rebel army, and more than a dozen members of his family died, severely damaging his fortune.
"Lord Lu," Zhou Shishen said with a beaming smile, "I have long admired your reputation. I've heard you command an elite force, renowned for its bravery and skill in battle. I wonder if you could...?"
"Please speak frankly, Master Zhou."
"It's like this," Zhou Shishen rubbed his hands together. "My estate is thirty li south of the city, a remote place that the government can't easily reach. Although the White Lotus Rebellion has been quelled, there are still some bandits in the mountains who come down to plunder from time to time. I'd like to ask you, sir, to send a few men to my estate to help guard it."
"The fees are negotiable."
Lu Yan picked up the teacup and took a small sip.
"I understand what Master Zhou means."
He put down his teacup and said slowly:
"However, my militia is a local militia; they farm during the week and train during the off-season, not specifically for guarding homes and property."
Zhou Shishen's expression changed slightly.
"Of course," Lu Yan changed the subject, "if Master Zhou is willing to contribute to support our militia's daily expenses, that's a different story."
"What does Your Excellency mean?"
"It's very simple." Lu Yan held up one finger. "One hundred taels of silver per month, and I'll send twenty men to your estate on rotation. They'll look after the estate normally, and be there whenever needed."
Zhou Shishen considered it for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Deal!"
……
The second visitor was a merchant from Linqing surnamed Sun, who was in the cloth business.
"Lord Lu," Merchant Sun said with a worried expression, "this batch of goods is to be transported to Dezhou, but the canal is not safe. A ship was hijacked a few days ago. I would like to ask your men to escort it, but I don't know..."
"Escorting is possible," Lu Yan said bluntly. "The fee will be one-tenth of the value of the goods."
"Ten percent?" Merchant Sun gasped. "That's too much..."
"Too expensive?" Lu Yan said calmly. "Then find someone from the government to escort you. But let me warn you, government officials aren't always reliable."
After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Sun finally nodded.
"Okay, we'll do as the adults say."
……
The third visitor was a minor official in Jinan Prefecture, surnamed Qian, who was a clerk in the prefectural office.
"Lord Lu," the clerk said in a low, secretive voice, "I have some news, I wonder if you'd be interested."
"What news?"
"It's about the transfer of royal timber next year."
Lu Yan's eyes lit up slightly.
"Tell me about it."
"I've heard that Eunuch Wei is undertaking a major renovation of the palace and urgently needs imperial timber. This timber, transported from Sichuan and Huguang, will transit through Shandong. This is a crucial task; completing it successfully will be a great achievement."
"Where did you hear this news?"
"It's rumored in the government office." Clerk Qian leaned closer. "It's said that the garrison eunuch, Eunuch Liu, is looking everywhere for help. Your Excellency has connections with Eunuch Liu; if you could get this job..."
Lu Yan nodded, took out a silver ingot from his sleeve, and stuffed it into the clerk's hand.
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Qian. This information is very useful."
The clerk, Qian, beamed with joy, thanked him repeatedly, and took his leave.
……
After seeing off the last visitor, Lu Yan sat alone in his study, lost in thought.
These three visitors today represent three different forces.
Zhou Shishen represented the local gentry. They owned land and property, but lacked military protection. The White Lotus Rebellion had shown them the cruelty of a chaotic world, and they desperately needed a powerful patron.
The Sun merchants represent the merchant class. They have money and goods, but the transportation process is fraught with risks. They need a reliable armed force to protect their goods.
The clerks represent the lowly figures in officialdom. They are well-informed but lack real power. They need to curry favor with a promising patron in exchange for benefits.
And Lu Yan is just the right person to meet the needs of these three types of people.
He has military power and can protect the gentry's estates.
He had a transportation network that could escort merchants' goods.
He had connections as a eunuch, which allowed him to provide opportunities for lower-ranking officials to advance in their careers.
Each gets what they need and they make use of each other.
This is the foundation upon which he established himself in this chaotic world.
"Master."
Fan Fu's voice came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Fan Fu pushed open the door and entered, holding a list in his hand.
"This is today's income. Master Zhou prepaid three months' worth of guard fees, three hundred taels. Merchant Sun's escort fee, calculated at one-tenth of the goods' value, is one hundred and twenty taels. There are also a few smaller payments, totaling about fifty taels."
"Four hundred and seventy taels in just one day?"
Lu Yan raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Fan Fu nodded. "At this rate, the income from guards and escorts alone will amount to tens of thousands of taels a month."
Lu Yan leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The formation of local militias was not only an accumulation of military strength, but also an expansion of financial resources.
With this income, he can support more soldiers, buy more firearms, and recruit more talented people.
Like a snowball, it gets bigger and bigger.
"Keep an eye on things," he said. "Report to me immediately if anything happens."
"yes."
Fan Fu bowed and withdrew.
Lu Yan sat alone in the study, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken.
The second year of the Tianqi reign was almost over.
That year, he went from being a heavily indebted scholar to a high-ranking official of the imperial court, holding the rank of eighth grade.
He now has his own armed forces, his own territory, and his own power.
The government was wary of him, the gentry depended on him, and the merchants needed him.
He is no longer that insignificant person who can be easily bullied.
But this is not enough.
Even a magistrate of the eighth rank still has little influence in officialdom.
He needs a higher official position, greater power, and a broader stage.
And that opportunity is coming soon.
Royal timber transfer.
A glint of light flashed in Lu Yan's eyes.