Chapter 205: Recruiting Soldiers
As soon as the Pei Family Army arrived, they killed magnates and confiscated their homes. Boxes of gold and silver jade ware and bags of grain were continuously transported to the vacant Beiping Army Camp.
Pei Family Army soldiers wearing gray military uniforms moved in groups of ten through the streets and alleys of Beiping Commandery. The common people feared the soldiers gripping long sabers, either shutting their doors and staying indoors or lowering their heads in evasion. Occasionally, some bold ones would watch from afar.
It was common for soldiers to swagger around robbing things, and harming young misses and wives was not rare. But the Pei Family Army was truly different; they were very disciplined during patrols and never robbed vendors. For several consecutive days, there had been no incidents of them bursting into homes to bully women.
Even more amazing was that there were many female soldiers in the Pei Family Army. These female soldiers varied in age and appearance, but they all shared one common trait: bright eyes, heads held high, and full of spirit.
“General Pei is a woman herself, so there are so many female soldiers in the Pei Family Army.”
“I heard General Pei has started posting notices to recruit soldiers in Beiping Commandery. Both men and women can sign up. If selected, they won’t have to worry about food and clothing afterward.”
Those with surplus grain at home who could survive took a cautious attitude and watched the Pei Family Army’s recruitment. Some poor common people, who were already barely surviving, rushed to sign up upon hearing about the recruitment.
Joining the Pei Family Army to follow General Pei for a way to survive was far better than being sold to a brokerage with an unknown fate and at the mercy of others.
The Pei Family Army’s recruitment was also different from other armies. Not only did they not forcibly conscript able-bodied men, but they also registered each applicant one by one, verified their innocent backgrounds, and conducted assessments.
Those with criminal records were rejected, as were only sons. Priority was given to those who were tall, strong, and literate.
Pei Qinghe personally oversaw it, and in just a few days, she recruited five hundred new recruits.
After recruiting the new recruits, they were sent to the barracks, where they first ate their fill for a few days, memorized military discipline, and then gradually began training. These were all routine matters. Pei Qinghe had Gu Lian train troops, while Pei Yun stayed in Beiping Commandery to familiarize herself with the situation and take charge of city defense.
“What about Prefect Shen?” Pei Qinghe asked Pei Yun. “Should we replace the prefect?”
Pei Yun gave a candid evaluation: “Loves money, greedy, weak, afraid of death. Average capability, no great ambition. Keep him for now, train him a bit, and he can barely be used.”
Pei Qinghe nodded slightly: “Very well. For now, maintain stability in Beiping Commandery; training troops is the top priority. With the Pei Family Army watching, Prefect Shen won’t dare oppress the common people at will. The magnates have been bled dry and must be watched too. If anyone acts suspiciously, no need to be polite—just wipe them out.”
Yan Prefecture was the Pei Family Army’s territory and foundation. As long as the magnates were sensible and offered money and grain for military expenses, she would let them live steadily.
The magnates of Beiping Commandery could not expect such good treatment. Killing and robbing magnates was the most common method armies used to sustain themselves. Whoever was not compliant would be exterminated directly.
The Pei Family Army’s blades had always been very sharp.
Pei Yun nodded in agreement.
Pei Qinghe smiled again: “I originally planned to recruit one thousand new recruits. Now it seems this number is a bit conservative. Recruitment is going smoothly here in Beiping Commandery, so we can recruit more new recruits.”
Mainly because they had killed several magnates upon arrival, making military expenses very ample.
Pei Yun was equally ambitious and smiled lowly: “Then let’s recruit two thousand new recruits. Adding the new recruits I brought, we can sustain three thousand elite soldiers.”
A glint flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes: “The Pei Family Army side also needs to replenish troop strength.”
In short, recruit and train soldiers was the current top priority. They needed to take advantage of the rebel army and Bohai Navy fighting fiercely with no time to attend to the Pei Family Army to rapidly expand troop strength.
With one commandery’s taxes and wealth, supporting around five thousand elite soldiers was the limit.
The Liaoxi Army was too greedy, continuously forcibly conscripting able-bodied men. Vast areas of good farmland lay fallow with no one to farm them. Even with silver, they couldn’t buy enough military rations. Then they had to continue killing and robbing grain. With no way to survive for the common people, they had to abandon homes and flee. This vicious cycle led to more and more refugees in Liaoxi Commandery day by day, and more and more wasteland.
Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs was truly unacceptable. Although the Pei Family Army expanded troop strength much more slowly, it was steady and secure step by step.
After handing recruitment to Pei Yun, Pei Qinghe went to the barracks again.
This barracks had been the Beiping Army’s old nest, built over several years by General Meng when he was alive. The barracks were neatly constructed, the training ground spacious, the stables sufficient for over a thousand horses, and the storerooms filled with money and grain offered by the magnates.
Wang Erhe was leading several literate and quick-witted female soldiers to inventory and organize the storeroom.
“General,” Wang Erhe, busy to the point of exhaustion, sighed with a bitter face: “I really overestimated myself. Clearing up these account books is no easy task. I’ve been busy for so many days and only sorted a small half. There are still several storerooms unsorted. The account books are a mess.”
“How about we send a letter back and ask Steward Shi to come?”
Managing money and grain accounts was inherently meticulous and trivial work. It couldn’t be done just with talk.
Pei Qinghe thought for a moment: “Steward Shi must stay with the Pei Family Army. Have one of the Dong Brothers come. He will stay here long-term to manage the accounts.”
Wang Erhe let out a long sigh of relief and wiped sweat with his sleeve: “That’s great.”
Pei Qinghe immediately wrote a letter and had it sent back to Yan Prefecture by fast horse.
Six days later, Dong Dalang rode a fast horse to the barracks.
Dong Dalang was steady-tempered and efficient, Shi Yan’s right-hand man. Now entrusted with the heavy responsibility to take charge of a sector managing money and grain, he was neither daunted nor panicked. He first went to see Pei Qinghe: “General, Steward Shi sent me to the barracks.”
Pei Qinghe looked at Dong Dalang: “From now on, you stay at the barracks. All the accounts here are yours to manage.”
Dong Dalang was mentally prepared and cupped his hands to accept the order.
Pei Qinghe called Wang Erhe over. Wang Erhe came hugging a stack of account books, joyfully presenting them to Dong Dalang.
Dong Dalang had the same temper as his master; he casually took out an abacus and, in front of Pei Qinghe, opened the account books.
Though Dong Dalang was usually not talkative, he was full of wits. This was deliberately done for her to see, to show his wholehearted devotion to the Pei Family Army.
A smile flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes, and she patiently watched for half a day.
Dong Dalang calculated accounts while asking questions, making sweat bead on Wang Erhe’s forehead.
Wang Erhe hadn’t dared to pilfer gold and silver jewelry from the storeroom; it was just that the accounts were a mess and completely unsorted. He had only started reading and writing after joining the Pei Family Army, not even five full years. Usually following Feng Chang, he could barely manage provisions for three or four hundred men. With so many storerooms and so much money and grain, he truly lacked the capability to sort the accounts.
Pei Qinghe smiled at Dong Dalang: “Alright, redo the accounts yourself!”
That was exactly what Dong Dalang was waiting for; he nodded in agreement.
