After the wooden buckets were all set down, those boys stood around the buckets, holding wooden sticks in their hands to ensure that no one could come and snatch them away.
Zhu Ci watched them and nodded with satisfaction.
Once these boys were fed and housed, their heights shot up rapidly, changing day by day. Combined with their studies and martial arts training, they truly seemed to be undergoing a complete transformation.
Zhu Ci glanced at those retainers. With the deterrence provided by the patrol teams and these adolescents, although the retainers craned their necks to look into the wooden barrels and tried to get closer, not a single one dared to step up and snatch anything.
He nodded in satisfaction; killing a chicken to warn the monkeys was indeed effective.
“You probably won't listen to anything I say right now. Just eat first, we'll talk after you're done!”
With a wave of his hand, Zhu Ci had the patrol team organize the distribution of rations.
Everyone gets a fixed ration; there is no more.
Zhu Ci took Xi Zhenliu to the "office" to wait.
It was called an office, but in reality, it was just a mud hut. Aside from a table and a makeshift wooden bed, there was nothing else inside.
Xi Zhenliu entered and asked hesitantly, "Young Master, you intend to stay here?"
Zhu Ci replied, "That's right."
Xi Zhenliu pursed his lips. "This.. this is far too dilapidated."
It didn't look much better than his home—oh, by "his home," I mean the old house where his parents used to live; it's certainly different now, as that place is now a West Ladies' Courtyard.
Zhu Ci looked indifferent. "It's alright. It's good enough to have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, even if it was put together in such a hurry."
Even this was built with temporary help from the villagers.
The two of them were talking when one of those boys ran over and said, "Young Master, those people are clamoring that they aren't full and want more."
“Tell them there is none left, if they keep making a scene, they will all be kicked out!”
Zhu Ci had long expected this and spoke without changing his expression.
Xi Zhenliu asked curiously, "Young Master, why not let them eat their fill?"
Zhu Ci shook his head and said, "It's not that they aren't full, but rather they are worried they won't be able to eat this in the future, so they want to eat more, until they can't eat anymore."
Besides that, there was another point: Zhu Ci wanted to screen people layer by layer. He wasn't afraid of troublemakers, but he hated people who were merely unreasonable and difficult.
However, after his order was issued, it seemed that instead of becoming quiet, it actually became even more boisterous outside.
Xi Zhenliu peered over the windowsill and said with some panic, "Young Master, they.. they seem to have started fighting.."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: You can't use traitors and minors for something as important as robbery! The Great Cat King is personally recruiting. jpg
Next update at 12:00 PM~
Chapter 51
Zhu Ci naturally saw it as well, but he did not move, instead assessing the situation.
That group of adolescents certainly wasn't a match for these retainers in terms of height or physique.
Zhu Ci wasn't recruiting retainers for charity, so he naturally had to select those with large builds. Even if being large didn't necessarily mean they could fight, the requirements for group combat weren't that high for an individual, it wasn't as if he was training special forces.
At least not while training them now.
However, this group of boys had an advantage: they had been raised well by Zhu Ci, whereas the opposition consisted of a crowd of people who had only just eaten their first full meal.
Moreover, not all of those retainers were joining in the commotion; most were standing aside as cold bystanders, there were only five or six real troublemakers.
After the boys gave those five or six troublemakers a beating, one of them, Jiang Quan, stepped forward and said, "The Young Master said that anyone who doesn't listen should be kicked out!"
After hearing that, the five or six troublemakers who had been beaten immediately began looking for Zhu Ci, but after seeing Zhu Ci standing in the earthen house without making any move, they felt a bit panicked.
One of them immediately said, "I.. I just finished my meal, I still owe the Young Master a meal. I must repay it before I leave."
Jiang Quan laughed out of sheer anger upon hearing this: "Repay? With what are you going to repay? You plan to stay here, keep eating, keep owing, then never leave, right? The Young Master's word is law. Get lost now, before we have to lay a hand on you."
As he spoke, he stole a glance at Zhu Ci, seeing that the Young Master did not object, he straightened his back even more.
Hiss, these bastards are truly ruthless. Considering the injuries his brothers sustained today, these people cannot be allowed to stay!
In the end, this group of people was still driven away.
Xi Zhenliu said indignantly, "They were let them eat a meal for nothing."
Zhu Ci patted his head without saying a word. It was just a meal; it wasn't as if he couldn't afford it, so he might as well just support these people.
Seeing that the situation had been brought under control, Zhu Ci finally walked out and said, "From now on, I only need you to remember four words: Order and Discipline."
He looked down at Xi Zhenliu and asked, "Do you know the meaning of these four words?"
Xi Zhenliu nodded and said, "It means that whatever the Young Master orders must be done immediately, whatever he orders must not be done."
Zhu Ci looked at those retainers and asked, "Do you understand?"
The retainers nodded honestly, though several were driven out in a row; they had no choice but to be obedient.
Zhu Ci said, "Starting tomorrow, you will officially enter the training phase. Under my command, you only need to be obedient. You won't need to worry about clothing, food, or money; as long as you perform well, I can't promise meat every single day, but I can at least guarantee it once every five days."
The retainers' eyes instantly lit up. Once every five days.. in their eyes, that was a life only wealthy landlords and masters could afford.
Could what this Young Master said be true?
They stole a glance at those adolescents; each had full cheeks and was brimming with energy. They didn't look like retainers at all; if sent out, people would likely mistake them for young masters from some family.
From this, it is evident that what this Young Master said must be true; at the very least, he is certainly not short on money.
In fact, Zhu Ci was extremely short on money, but maintaining an army required spending, one could not skimp in that regard.
Yes, these people are called Retainers, but in reality, they are private armed forces.
This thing did not just appear recently; it had already begun during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor.
The fundamental reason lies in the collapse and disintegration of the Garrison system; land annexation has meant that military colonies can no longer provide sufficient security for soldiers, leading to a severe desertion rate among military households.
When people can barely survive, who would want to join the army?
The imperial court wanted to use the recruitment system, but the Ministry of Revenue had no money, so they were constantly in arrears, which naturally rendered the recruitment system a mere formality.
Without soldiers and facing immense pressure on the borders, the border generals had no choice but to cultivate private armed forces.
Under normal circumstances, private armed forces must be suppressed; however, the imperial court neither suppressed them nor, in fact, even recognized and promoted them.
Of course, it cannot be said that this policy was entirely due to the Emperor being muddled or the officials acting out of desperation, because there was no better way besides this.
At first, retainers were only popular among frontier generals, but once the imperial court began to recognize and promote them, the practice of raising retainers gradually spread. Eventually, as long as one could afford them, they would recruit retainers.
Of course, all of this was not something Zhu Ci learned from books; after all, he had only read the first half of that book, he learned the later plot through spoilers.
He saw these things when he was in the Eastern Palace.
Anyway, knowing these things wouldn't help with rebellion, so the profligate Zhu Yousong had no defenses against him at all.
When Zhu Ci saw these things back then, he thought that if he had the opportunity, he could also maintain some Retainers.
The reason it has been delayed until now is that he does not have that much income; retainers are a double-edged sword.
If it were a great family or a wealthy household of many years, the retainers in those homes would all be born into the household, ensuring their loyalty. However, the retainers he recruited were originally refugees, some might even be desperate outlaws who could turn on him at any moment; he had to make sure these people knew that following him would lead to a good life.
Among the retainers Zhu Ci recruited, there were already very few troublemakers, or rather, the remaining troublemakers were all quite smart.
When Zhu Ci wanted to train them, it wasn't that they didn't have objections, but since the Young Master trained with them every single day, what else could they say?
“Young Master, the conditions here are far too poor. There is no need for you to suffer here; you might as well just choose someone to come and keep an eye on things for you.” Fu Qiulu looked at Zhu Ci, who had lost a noticeable amount of weight in just half a month, couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache for him.
She knew the Young Master did not trust them, but she still could not help but offer a word of advice.
Although Zhu Ci had grown thinner, his spirits were high. He smiled slightly after hearing this and said, "It doesn't matter. Bringing in someone else might not necessarily make them so well-behaved. Dealing with them would be a waste of time; it's not worth it."
Of course, the main reason was that he just happened to find an excuse to train. In these chaotic times, possessing the power to protect oneself is the most important thing; this self-preservation power is both an armed force and personal combat prowess.
Anyway, he was not used to being like a weakling, unable to do anything.
Fu Qiulu saw his enthusiastic expression and sighed, saying, "Then Young Master should also return home from time to time; everyone at home misses you very much."
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "I will be away for a while, ten days at the shortest and half a month at the longest. I will certainly return to visit when the time comes."
Fu Qiulu originally wanted to ask, but she kept her mouth shut.
So, on a pitch-black night, Zhu Ci led his retainers and secretly left the garrison.
They traveled south, heading straight for a bandit stronghold.
It might not be quite accurate to call them mountain bandits; there are very few mountains in Jiading, even those that exist are mostly quite low, so in geographical terms, they should probably be called hills.
However, the vegetation here is dense, so even in hilly areas, people can easily turn to banditry. It is difficult for the government to suppress bandits because it would require mobilizing too many soldiers and spending too much money.
Moreover, soldiers are already scarce, most are merely private retainers. Why would they want to use their own people and wealth to suppress bandits?
Therefore, as long as these mountain bandits did not cause particularly heavy losses or casualties, the locals would turn a blind eye.
Zhu Ci had brought everyone out this time, leaving no one behind in the camp. After approaching the vicinity of the bandits, he ordered everyone to stop, then turned to look at the retainers who were eager to take action and said, "I hope you have all memorized the discipline I assigned you these past few days. Moving forward, I expect you to keep my words firmly in mind when you strike. Anyone who violates discipline will be dealt with according to military law!"
The light from the torches reflected on Zhu Ci's face, the retainers all saw his serious and determined gaze, causing their expressions to instantly turn solemn.
Less than half a month was not enough time to turn them into elite troops, but it was enough to let them figure out this Young Master's temperament.
If you listen to his words, it is naturally for the best; he is kind and gentle, providing food and clothing while also caring for your inner confusion and needs.
But if you don't behave, then I'm sorry, he has plenty of ways to punish people, not just physically, but through psychological torture. Several people who had been locked in dark rooms had already started reciting the rules and regulations the Young Master had set.
After Zhu Ci finished speaking, he waved his hand directly. "Just like the previous training, enter the forest!"
After he finished speaking, more than fifty retainers immediately split into three groups and entered the mountain forest from different directions, while he personally led the middle group.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: There's no time left, let's use combat as training. An evil kitty putting on a mask. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 52