Wu Shuangren ordered all the captured members of the Zhang Clan to be released and left with Zhang Tong.
"After the Zhang Clan family leaves, you go and arrange for our men to ask the surrendered soldiers in the village. Tell those who aren't closely related to the Zhang Clan that they can stay and continue as militia members, with the same treatment as our local militia. Those who don't want to stay should be sent back to farm."
Wu Shuangren said to Bai Jinhuan.
Bai Jinhuan the order and left.
More than an hour later, he returned to the council hall, his face showing some excitement:
"Commander, there are over four hundred surrendered soldiers in the village. After removing the hundred or so who are closely related to the Zhang Clan, almost all of the remaining three hundred are willing to stay!"
Wu Shuangren nodded, not surprised by this.
These people would just end up as tenant farmers anyway if they went back, while his local militia receives better treatment. What reason do they have not to stay?
Compared to the new recruits in West River Market, the more than 300 militiamen who surrendered here have all undergone some training, and many of them have some combat experience and can be used directly.
So Wu Shuangren summoned several battalion commanders and all company commanders to discuss the reorganization.
"My personal guard has been expanded to one hundred men, selected from outstanding veterans in various battalions. The guards receive a monthly wage of two hundred coins, and the reward for each battle is even higher."
Wu Shuangren first set out a plan to expand his personal guard.
His initial idea was to make his personal guard the most powerful force under his command, and in the future, he could demote some loyal and talented guards to serve as battalion commanders or company commanders, which would further strengthen his control over the army.
In addition, he now has more than ninety warhorses at his disposal. Apart from those used for messengers, he plans to concentrate all the rest of the warhorses on his personal guard.
From now on, his personal guard will be his first cavalry unit!
"In addition, three new battalions will be added, numbered the 13th, 14th, and 15th Battalions. The commanders of these three battalions will be selected from the existing company commanders."
After Wu Shuangren finished speaking, all the squadron leaders who came to the meeting in the hall had their eyes light up and looked on with anticipation.
At Wu Shuangren's request, the wages and benefits of ordinary militia members at different levels—captain, company commander, and battalion commander—have been clearly differentiated.
This made everyone even more eager for a promotion!
"In addition to the three new battalions here, ten more new recruit battalions will be added in West River Market, for a total of thirteen battalion commander positions. I plan to select the thirteen battalion commanders through a public competition."
Wu Shuangren said.
"How does the group leader plan to hold the public martial arts competition? Will it be a one-on-one duel in the ring?"
Bai Jinhuan asked.
Wu Shuangren shook his head. "It's not a one-on-one duel in the arena. You are all commanders now, leading troops into battle. On the battlefield, it's not about individual bravery, but teamwork!"
"The public competition format is that each company commander leads his fifty men against another company of fifty men in a battle. The company that wins the battle is the company commander of the winning company."
Wu Shuangren shared her thoughts.
As for the specific details of the competition, we still need to discuss them with the captains and squadron leaders present.
116 Fiendish God!
After discussing the details of the competition with the battalion commander and company commanders, it was already evening.
As the crowd dispersed, Wu Shuangren had just picked up his teacup and taken a sip when a guard entered and whispered, "Commander, the person you requested has arrived."
Wu Shuangren put down his teacup and gestured to bring the person in.
Soon, three people were brought in: an elderly man with gray hair, a burly man in his early forties, and a young man in his early twenties.
The three men, dressed in coarse cloth shorts, with calluses and burn scars on their hands, looked uneasy.
They were blacksmiths in West River County.
When Wu Shuangren first saw the armor Zhang He was wearing, he suspected it was privately made. Later, after taking Zhang Clan Village and seizing five more sets of similar armor, he became even more convinced of this idea.
So he had Bai Jinhuan interrogate the Zhang Clan, and sure enough, they found out where they came from—
In a blacksmith shop in West River County, three generations of a family, a grandfather, and his grandson, were forced by the Zhang Clan to secretly forge these armors.
"Sit down and let's talk."
Wu Shuangren said politely.
The old man quickly bowed and said, "No, no, Master Wu, please don't hesitate to give your orders."
Wu Shuangren didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "How long does it take you to forge one set of the full suit of iron armor that the Zhang Clan asked you to make?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into an eerie silence.
The faces of the three generations of the family turned deathly pale. The old man knelt down first, followed by his son and grandson.
Forging iron armor privately is a capital offense. They were forced into this deadly business by the Zhang Clan. They thought the matter would be over once the Zhang Clan fell, but they didn't expect Wu Shuangren to ask about this as soon as he opened his mouth.
The old man's voice trembled. "Uncle Wu, my whole family was forced into this! The Zhang Clan held knives to our throats; if we didn't forge the goods, they would be beheaded..."
Wu Shuangren stood up, walked to the three men, bent down to help the old man up, and then helped the other two up as well. "You don't need to be afraid. I called you here not to punish you."
His attitude was gentle and he didn't have the airs of a big shot at all, which made the three of them less nervous.
"Tell me, how long would it take to forge such a suit of armor?"
Wu Shuangren asked again.
The old man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said cautiously, "The Zhang Clan wants a complete set of iron armor, from helmet to shoulder guards, arm guards, chest guards, and skirt armor—everything is required. Even if the three of us, grandfather, grandson, and granddaughter, work together, it will take at least a month to forge one set."
How much does a suit of armor cost?
"A single suit of armor requires over a hundred kilograms of iron ore."
As the old man spoke of his trade, his words became increasingly fluent. "Our Xi Province produces iron ore, and the price of iron is cheaper than in other places. A pound of iron ore costs about twelve copper coins. In addition, there are the cowhide ropes used to connect the armor plates, the cotton cloth and leather lining of the armor, and the charcoal used in the forging process... All in all, the material cost of a suit of armor is about two thousand four hundred copper coins."
Wu Shuangren nodded. The material cost was around 2,400 coins. If you add the three people's monthly wages, the cost of a suit of armor would definitely exceed 3,000 coins.
He had already seen the iron armor forged by the Zhang Clan, and its protective power was far inferior to that of the infantry armor. The infantry armor used composite armor plates made of thousands of fine iron scales, with layers upon layers of plates, inner and outer, so that ordinary swords and blades could not even leave a mark when cut by it. But the iron armor of the Zhang Clan was just a single iron plate, and his Mo Dao could cut a crack in it with a single strike.
Based on this comparison, Wu Shuangren felt that the cost of a single set of infantry armor was probably over thirty strings of cash!
This is just the cost price; who knows how much Mist Hidden Temple paid for a set of armor elsewhere?
"How many sets of armor did you make for the Zhang Clan in total?"
Wu Shuangren asked.
"Sixth mate."
The old man answered cautiously.
Firstly, the cost of casting iron armor is too high and the process takes too long.
Secondly, privately forging iron armor is too taboo, and the Zhang Clan only dared to secretly forge a few sets. Zhang Clan didn't have the guts or the ambition to forge more.
Wu Shuangren laughed. The Zhang Clan might not have the guts, but he did!
He has ambitions that the Zhang Clan lacks!
The Mist Hidden Temple is already secretly buying infantry armor; what's so special about me just forging some iron armor?
Wu Shuangren looked at the three of them and said seriously, "I would like to ask the three of you to move to West River Market. I will give you a large mansion there. From now on, you will forge iron armor for me, and each of you will be paid one string of cash per month. At the end of each year, you will receive an additional bonus. The more iron armor you forge, the more bonus you will receive."
The three people—grandfather, grandson, and granddaughter—looked at each other.
One string of cash a month is considered an extremely high wage in the blacksmith's trade, not to mention that a large mansion is also included.
All three knew the prices of the large houses in West River Market.
As for forging iron armor, forging one suit meant execution, and forging a hundred suits also meant execution, so it made no difference to the three of them.
Anyway, the crime has already been committed and can't be washed away.
Besides, if they didn't agree now, weren't they afraid of being killed on the spot by this Master Wu?
This is a big shot who came all the way from West River Market and subdued the Zhang Clan!
The old man took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "Master Wu thinks highly of us; we are willing to serve you!"
"Good."
Wu Shuangren smiled and patted the old man on the shoulder, then instructed someone to arrange for the three of them to go and rest.
After returning to West River Market, he planned to gather all the blacksmiths in West River Market to specialize in forging armor and weapons!
Xi Province has no shortage of iron ore; as long as there are blacksmiths with the relevant skills, it is not difficult to forge simple iron armor.
On the contrary, leather armor is difficult to forge without the raw materials.
In the past, the leather armor of the major powers in West River Market was purchased from other states via the Grand Canal at high prices. A complete set of leather armor would cost at least ten strings of cash, which was very expensive!
Wu Shuangren currently only has a little over three hundred sets of leather armor. He had already instructed Luo Heng to send people from the Flying Feather Hall to contact people who buy and sell leather armor, preparing to buy leather armor at a high price.
Although we can now build armor, the process is too slow, so we need to take a two-pronged approach.
The next morning, Wu Shuangren led all the militiamen back to West River Market from Zhang Clan Village.
Five battalions, along with more than three hundred surrendered militiamen, were all taken away.
That afternoon, a temporary grandstand was erected on the drill ground. Wu Shuangren sat in the center of the grandstand, flanked by Bai Jinhuan, Mo Zhengxing, Luo Heng, and the captains of each brigade.
The drill ground was crowded with militiamen.
Wu Shuangren's rules for the grand competition have been announced.
The ten newly recruited battalions and the three surrendered battalions will not participate in this competition. The remaining twelve battalions will be divided into twenty-four companies, and they will be drawn into pairs to compete against each other.
Each squadron consists of fifty men, clad in full leather armor, carrying spears with the tips removed and heads wrapped in cotton cloth, and armed with wooden swords and round shields. The two squads line up and fight within a designated area; whichever squad's formation collapses first loses.
The winning team's squad leader is directly promoted to battalion commander, and everyone in the team receives a bonus!
After the news of the grand competition spread, all the captains of each brigade solemnly instructed their team members to perform well in front of the regimental commander!
This competition, which may seem like just a selection process for thirteen battalion commanders, is actually also a test for the current twelve battalion commanders.
Wu Shuangren would definitely notice which brigade's members performed well.
Therefore, every brigade took it very seriously!
"Match 1: 1st Company of 2nd Battalion vs. 2nd Company of 5th Battalion!"
Bai Jinhuan activated his Internal Skill, his voice resounding throughout the entire training ground.
Two squadrons entered the field from both sides, fifty men lined up in five rows of ten men each.
The ranks on both sides were very orderly, with people in the front holding shields and those in the back holding spears, which were sticking out from the gaps and pointing straight ahead.
On the training ground, they looked like two hedgehogs facing off.
Everyone looked serious!
The gong sounded, and the competition began.
The two formations moved forward almost simultaneously, their steps perfectly synchronized, with the company commanders shouting slogans.
"One two one!"
"One two one!"
"..."
The two sides were ten paces apart.
"Prepare!"
"Prick--!"
The militiamen in the front row raised their shields high, while those in the back row thrust their spears forward with all their might.
The spearheads, wrapped in cotton cloth, pounded into shields and leather armor with dull thuds. Many spears were tangled together, making them difficult to pull out.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
The team leaders were shouting slogans to urge their team members to work together.
Some were forced back by the stab, while others gritted their teeth and held on.
As the distance between the two sides further compressed, the front row of the formation inevitably began to deform, which in turn affected the back row.