Chapter 33: The Honorable Magistrate

The sun hung high in the sky; it was late September, and the noon heat remained intense.

In Mengji Township, there was a main street running east to west. Every fifth day of the month, villagers from the surrounding areas would come to hold a market.

Two village headmen stood under a tree, fanning themselves with their straw hats and shouting at their subordinates to line up the conscripted able-bodied men.

Beneath the tree, a clerk from the military bureau held a brush, checking these men off one by one against a list. When called, each man would step forward and answer, "Present."

"Fellow villagers, I am a private secretary from the county magistrate's office. His Honor the Magistrate has decreed that anyone selected for the archer battalion will receive three taels of silver as a settlement allowance on the spot, three meals a day, and a monthly military stipend of two taels of silver."

Once the roll call was finished, Wan Zewen, seeking to inspire the listless conscripts, stepped onto a stone roller used for beans and spoke in a loud voice.

Upon hearing Wan Zewen’s words, the men began to whisper among themselves.

"Is this for real? Even those career soldiers don't get such a good deal, do they?"

"In past years, when we were conscripted for labor like digging rivers or building roads, we had to provide our own food, let alone receive a stipend!"

"Three meals a day—even the wealthy landlords wouldn't dare eat like that."

"The village chief said we didn't need to bring our own food this time, but he never mentioned money."

"Two taels of silver a month—by heaven, that's as much as the officials serving at the county office make."

"If they really provide food and pay, I should have let my eldest son come. We’re struggling to even put food on the table at home."

Regardless of whether they believed him or not, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Wan Zewen.

"This stone lock on the ground—anyone who can lift it gets three taels of silver immediately."

Wan Zewen understood the value of establishing trust through action. Without further ado, he pointed to the forty-pound stone lock on the ground.

"I’ll do it!"

Someone immediately stepped out of the ranks.

"Go back! Do not disrupt the formation. I will call the names, one by one!"

The clerk behind the table shouted, ordering the man back into line, and then called out, "Ge Erdan!"

"I'm here!"

A thin, dark-skinned young man of seventeen or eighteen, standing about five-foot-three, ran out.

He gripped the stone lock with both hands. His arms strained until his shoulder blades fluttered like butterfly wings, but with a trembling effort, he managed to lift it.

A few seconds later, the clerk signaled that it was enough. The youth relaxed his grip, letting the stone lock crash to the ground.

"Come here and collect your silver!"

The scribe beside the clerk beckoned to Ge Erdan and handed him the three taels of silver, which had been weighed out on a small scale.

"Thank you, sir!"

Ge Erdan was overcome with excitement.

It wasn't just the joy of receiving the silver; under the gaze of the other conscripts and villagers, he had successfully lifted the stone lock. This feeling of being the center of attention was a moment he had never experienced in his life.

"Xinghua, winter is coming soon. Take this money, buy a few feet of cloth and some cotton, and make some clothes for you and Stone."

Ge Erdan ran over to a woman standing outside, who was carrying a seven- or eight-month-old baby on her back, and handed her all three taels of silver.

Hard currency spoke volumes. With Ge Erdan setting the precedent, the conscripts, who had initially thought they were being drafted for menial labor, were now filled with enthusiasm.

The rest of the process went even more smoothly.

The forty-pound stone lock, roughly equivalent to the weight of a water jug, could be lifted by most men as long as they were in decent health.

Over the course of an hour, as the men took turns, more than 140 of them successfully received their silver.

"A righteous official indeed!"

Many of the men who received the money were moved to tears. In recent years, they had suffered through droughts and floods. For the past two years, the imperial court had been facing powerful enemies in the north, and the neighboring Dongyang Prefecture had been fighting off pirates. The harsh taxes and levies had inflicted deep wounds; many families could not afford to eat, and countless had been forced to sell their children to survive. Regardless of what would happen after becoming soldiers, this three-tael settlement allowance meant that, with careful budgeting, their families could finally survive the winter.

"Landlord Zhang, Landlord Meng, I must thank you both for your hard work and diligence. I shall now return to the city with these men."

Wan Zewen cupped his hands in a formal salute to the two village headmen.

"We are all working for His Honor the Magistrate; it is no hardship at all. We only hope that Secretary Wan will put in a good word for us before His Honor; that would be our great fortune."

The two headmen bowed repeatedly.

After bidding farewell to Mengji Township, Wan Zewen let out a sigh of relief.

This was the final stop for the recruitment.

Ever since the official document arrived in the township a few days ago, he had been coordinating with every village. Over the past two days, he had been hands-on, rushing from place to place. He had essentially completed the task assigned by the Magistrate, having successfully recruited over 340 strong and able-bodied archers.

*Chirp, chirp.*

Outside the west parlor of the county office, birds played on the flowering branches.

Qin Shiyue sat gracefully, her posture upright and her carriage elegant, possessing a beauty that one could not bear to look away from.

She had removed the veil from her face, and An Xin finally understood why she had so many admirers among the literati.

Just as An Xin had complimented her when they first met, her presence made the parlor seem brighter, as if it were illuminated by her beauty.

"This peach blossom pastry is a specialty of Wuren County. Please, Lady Qin, have a taste."

An Xin enjoyed the company of this stunning woman.

What made it particularly pleasant was that she was not only emotionally intelligent but also possessed a sharp mind. Conversing with her allowed An Xin to feel at ease; even when he let slip some habitual modern terms, Qin Shiyue would often grasp their meaning after a brief moment of thought and quickly apply them herself.

This was something he never experienced when dealing with others.

Outside the parlor, in the back garden, Hu Changshan, who had just returned from the training grounds, was devouring the manual on military training in his hands.

Beside him, a middle-aged man was studying the garden’s landscaping, along with the female bodyguard of Qin Shiyue whom he had met once before. She glanced at the book in Hu Changshan’s hands and was immediately captivated by its contents.

"Brother, would you mind letting me take a look at that book in your hands?"

The female bodyguard asked, leaning in closer.

Hu Changshan looked up at the girl with the high ponytail. Her pupils were as black as ink and sharp as lightning; her spirit was focused and resilient. She was clearly a master of internal martial arts.

She carried a long sword on her back in a shark-skin scabbard, the hilt wrapped in black cloth, concealing its true appearance.

Hu Changshan closed the book and pondered for a moment before saying, "This was compiled by my master. If you wish to read it, you must have his permission."

The female bodyguard was surprised and turned to look toward the parlor. She never expected that the young magistrate would possess such remarkable talents!

But she had just caught a glimpse of the text: "An army’s strength lies not in numbers, but in quality; training lies not in duration, but in method. I use 'Three Speeds and Five Realities' as the framework: Rapid Selection, Rapid Training, Rapid Combat; Real Pay, Real Equipment, Real Discipline, Real Merit, Real Rewards. A brave force can be forged in a hundred days. With sturdy armor and sharp spears, strict formations and fierce firepower, even if a myriad of bandits stand before us, they can be crushed in a single charge..."

The profound wisdom within the text made her heart itch with curiosity.

After a moment of hesitation, she walked toward the parlor on tiptoe.

"What is it?"

As she reached the doorway, she saw the master look over.

Their eyes met. She bowed and pleaded, "Master, I just caught a glimpse of the military manual written by the County Magistrate, and I could not resist my desire to read it. I beg the Magistrate to allow me a look."

"My bodyguard, though a woman, has been obsessed with martial arts and the strategies of warfare since childhood. I hope you will not take offense, sir," Qin Shiyue said to An Xin.

"It is no matter. It is merely a military manual that I, An, have compiled for this campaign against the bandits. Changshan."

An Xin called out toward the outside.

Hu Changshan entered the room and bowed to An Xin.

"Give the Manual on Military Training to Lady Qin to look over."

Hu Changshan complied, handing the book to Qin Shiyue with both hands.

She took it, but instead of giving it to her bodyguard, she began to flip through it herself. At first, she read quickly, but as she turned the pages, she slowed down. She became completely immersed, and the more she read, the more astonished she became. Within the sections on organization, training, and logistics, she found insights that even transcended the limitations of traditional military strategy, offering many refreshing and highly practical ideas.

Fortunately, she remembered the occasion. When she finally looked up, her beautiful eyes were sparkling, and the look of admiration she directed toward An Xin was filled with a deeper, more sincere affection.

The weight of this man in her heart had risen once again.

She bowed deeply and said, "Sir, your talent is immense! To call you a master who breathes new life into the art of war would not be an exaggeration! I wonder if you would be willing to join the Xilin Society? I would be honored to introduce you."