Building a Team

"Young Master, this man's name is Wu Tiehu. He's a tenant farmer on the estate, but he's lazy and fond of waving knives and sticks around, neglecting his fields and home. He still hasn't married and lives all alone. He once joined the Village Militia, and his scores in every part of training were first-rate. But later, he became unruly, took to drinking and causing trouble, and beat a man so badly he was locked up. Somehow, he's been released now..."

A servant immediately leaned over and explained to Wu Ming.

At the sight of Wu Tiehu, the Village Militia shrank back one after another. A few, however, hurried forward with delighted expressions, calling him Big Brother.

He's got a bit of a savage streak. With a build like that, even in prison he'd have been one of the top dogs!

Wu Ming's thoughts stirred.

In peaceful times, a man like this could only end up under the law's blade, beheaded in the marketplace. But things were different now!

Besides, though the Village Militia had passed their training, they had never faced blood and fire. At a critical moment, they lacked the courage to smash through everything and hold the law in contempt.

In other words, these men would dutifully defend their homes and guard the estate, but they lacked the nerve to be sent out to fight outsiders. If he raised a banner in rebellion against the imperial court, they'd scatter at once.

Wu Tiehu's arrival was a real boon.

Wu Ming felt tempted, but showed not the slightest hint of it.

"Well? Young Master Ming, do I qualify?"

Wu Tiehu came closer, his fierce bearing all the more imposing. He casually cupped his hands and grinned.

"Since I set no restrictions, of course you can!"

Wu Ming smiled. "But you came a quarter-hour late. Do you know your offense? By my family's rules, a first-time offense for being late to roll call warrants ten lashes, as a warning to the others!"

"Hm?"

Wu Tiehu's eyes bulged, and he looked just like a tiger. A nearby servant boy turned deathly pale with fright and toppled over, but Wu Ming's expression didn't change.

If Wu Tiehu still refused to comply, then he wouldn't be joining Wu Ming's ranks or submitting to his command. What use was a thorn who wouldn't obey? With that temperament, he'd be better off dead sooner rather than later.

Though he was powerfully built, he'd only learned some rudimentary martial arts. At most, he was on par with Wu Ming when he'd first crossed over: a man at the Fourth Layer, Inner Strength, of the Body Refinement Realm. Wu Ming could handle him with one hand, without needing Feng Han to step in.

"Fair enough. I broke the rules, so I'll take my punishment!"

Wu Tiehu stared at Wu Ming, then burst out laughing and suddenly dropped to one knee. "Come on!"

"Do it!"

Wu Ming nodded. A man beside him stepped forward with a leather whip.

Crack!

The whip fell. Wu Tiehu grunted, and a red welt rose across his back.

The whip was made of cured bullhide and soaked in salt water to prevent infection, but it still hurt like hell when it struck.

Crack! Crack!

Ten lashes passed in the blink of an eye in the cold wind. A servant reported, "Young Master, the punishment is complete!"

Wu Tiehu was a true tough man. Without uttering a sound, he rose, rolled his shoulders, then glanced at the servant who'd whipped him with disdain. "Heh... Yan San, you sure didn't put your back into it. Did you use up all your strength on the women last night?"

"That's enough!"

Wu Ming furrowed his brow, and Wu Tiehu immediately fell silent.

"You've taken your punishment, and you haven't been expelled from the Village Militia. Go on and compete in the martial arts contest."

"Thank you, Young Master!"

With a loud shout, Wu Tiehu charged into the ring, swaggering like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. "Who'll fight me?"

"Congratulations, Young Master. You've gained a capable man!"

After Wu Tiehu entered the contest and showed off his skills, Feng Han nodded slightly and offered Wu Ming his congratulations.

"He's no capable man, just a bit of a brave brute!"

Wu Ming's expression remained unchanged. "I'll make use of him for now and reward him generously. If he still refuses to submit to my rules in the end, then I'll have no choice but to kill him!"

After experiencing two reincarnation missions, Wu Ming's outlook had changed. He didn't treat human lives like grass, but he was well on his way to becoming a Great Vessel. Hearing him decide a man's fate so casually, Feng Han was inwardly alarmed.

"Roar! Roar..."

Just then, Wu Tiehu defeated his final opponent and let out a triumphant roar...

"Master Feng Han, thanks for your hard work. Come have a bowl of ginger tea!"

After a morning of martial arts contests, Wu Ming and Feng Han returned to the fort together and sat down for breakfast. The kitchen had already prepared steaming ginger tea. It was amber-red, fiery and fragrant, and warmed the body as soon as it went down, bringing a light sweat and driving away the chill.

"Not bad!"

Wu Ming drank a bowl too. "Tell the kitchen to give two bowls to each of the Village Militia who came today. And... hand out five buns and a piece of meat to every man."

Feng Han recalled what had happened earlier.

Wu Tiehu had taken the lead in the Village Militia contest, but he lacked support and lost the vote. In the end, Zhao Song became Township Inspector, while Wu Tiehu was only assigned as a militia laborer. Still, the Young Master rewarded him with ten taels of silver. A blow, then a pull—balancing one against the other. He truly understands the art of political maneuvering. I wonder if that wisdom was heaven-sent or learned somewhere else...

"The Township Inspector's office seems to overlap with the Village Militia's duties, but it still carries a measure of official status, which can be useful..."

Wu Ming picked up a pastry and asked, as if casually, "Last time, Master Feng, you looked into the Zhou family and somehow came back with information about several trade routes. Where did you get it?"

"Some old brothers looked after me before... I have a few connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world..."

Feng Han spoke vaguely, but Wu Ming understood at once.

The more unsettled the times, the more bandits there were.

There were also outlaws who, having read too many novels and storybooks, liked to stake out mountain strongholds and claim they put loyalty first, while carrying out deeds in the name of Heaven.

Most were minor nuisances, easily wiped out by the troops. Those who survived had enough sense to become lackeys to powerful officials and wealthy families.

Feng Han had wandered for years before. Perhaps he had connections of that sort.

Wu Ming waved for the other people to leave, then explained his plan. "Our Township Inspector's office is already responsible for catching bandits, and it gives us a legitimate reason to train. We'll use it to drill our men first. Spread the word and goad a few bandit groups into attacking the Zhou family's trade routes. Then I'll wipe them all out in one sweep and give the Zhou family a small lesson!"

"This... this would be..."

Feng Han was aghast. "Impossible... Not one of the three families and eighteen strongholds would dare make a move..."

"If they won't make a move, can't we force them to?"

Wu Ming sneered. "Besides... even if they tuck tail and hide, we can go in ourselves and wipe out one stronghold afterward. That'll do, won't it?"

Feng Han was visibly shaken.

The blood-and-fire air about Wu Ming made him seem less like a young master from a great clan and more like a hard-bitten general. He hesitated, then said, "Still... we might have plausible deniability officially, but in private, this means declaring war on the Zhou family. It'll be a fight to the death!"

"A fight to the death?"

Wu Ming scoffed. "When the Zhou family went after me—the Wu family's only heir and its current head—weren't our families already locked in a fight to the death?"

"It's almost New Year's. The Zhou family's businesses will surely be transporting silver and gifts back to the county. If we cut off and seize all of it, then no matter how large the Zhou family's holdings are, their expenses are just as vast. Let's see how long they can last..."

That hit the heart of the matter.

The Zhou family owned fifty qing of land, but had more than a thousand clan members to support, along with two officials. Their expenses were as vast as the mountains and seas.

By contrast, the Wu family had twenty qing of land and only had to support Wu Qing and Wu Ming, with the occasional bit of aid for their clan. The difference between them was beyond measure.

What's more, it reflected badly on officials' families to engage in trade, so they could only open small businesses under the names of their household servants. That made all the difference.

"If so... the Zhou family will be beside themselves!"

Feng Han thought it over. "It would certainly be like pulling the firewood out from under the cauldron, but if the Zhou family retaliates..."

"I only hope they come!"

Wu Ming sneered. "Then we can wipe them all out in one net!"

A thread of killing intent rose, making Feng Han shiver.

Over the next few days, the county remained calm and peaceful.

Even regarding what had happened in Qingshi Village, the yamen merely sent someone to take a cursory look at the ashes and the zombie before hastily closing the case.

The Zhou family made no move at all. They even voluntarily stripped Yu Cheng of his steward's position, acting as though they were swallowing their anger and seeking to make peace.

Wu Ming made no complaint. Every day, he focused on his training, mingling with the dozen or so men from the Township Inspector's office and the Village Militia, displaying his abilities and building his prestige.

The two families seemed calm on the surface, but in truth, both were lying low with their claws tucked away. Their silence was merely a way to gather strength, each waiting to strike like thunder!

Before anyone knew it, the Laba Festival had arrived.

In the depths of winter, every household gathered millet, red dates, longan, lotus seeds, mung beans, and other ingredients to cook Laba porridge. Its fragrance filled the air.

Feng Han, who had been gone for some time, returned and reported to Wu Ming. "Everything's been arranged. Word of the Zhou family's caravan has been spread. I didn't contact the mountain strongholds directly, in case it left evidence, but I've delivered the route map!"

"Excellent! We're getting ready for New Year, and the bandits need to go on a spree too, so they can enjoy a prosperous year!"

Wu Ming blew on his porridge. "My family went to so much trouble to get this information, and now we've leaked all of it to them. It's like setting a piece of fat meat right in front of them. How could they possibly resist?"

"Even if they can, it doesn't matter anymore!"

After finishing his porridge, Wu Ming took Feng Han to the martial arts ground.

The wind was bitterly cold, but more than a dozen men from the Township Inspector's office were drilling with perfect discipline under Zhao Song and Wu Tiehu's command. A carefully selected group of Village Militia stood nearby as well.

When they saw Wu Ming, they all shouted, "Greetings, Young Master!"

Compared to before, they now carried a far more solemn, military bearing.

"At ease!"

Over the past few days, Wu Ming had gotten to know his subordinates. Among the Township Inspectors, Zhao Song was taciturn, dependable, literate, and highly respected. Wu Tiehu was a skilled martial artist with a few underlings of his own.

Of course, for now, they all served under Wu Ming.

"Put on this equipment!"

Wu Ming waved a hand. Two servants carried out several large chests and set them down with a heavy thud.

"What's this...?"

Wu Tiehu opened one and saw that it was full of leather armor, all in excellent condition. Two pieces even had iron plates riveted onto them to protect vital spots such as the chest. They offered fairly good defense.

Another chest held fine Hundred Refinements Steel Sabers, their edges glinting coldly. There were also strong bows and crossbows. All were fine equipment taken from the Armory.