After announcing the title and treatment of the ' Yi Province Martyr ', Wu Shuangren suddenly gave an order:
"Everyone, take off your helmets and headscarves!"
Upon hearing his order, the militiamen of Bo County Militia did as he commanded without hesitation.
The other militia members looked around and, following the orders of their leaders, did the same.
Amidst the massive formation of ten thousand, the clanging of armor plates echoed continuously as everyone removed their helmets or headscarves.
Wu Shuangren turned to face the more than one hundred militiamen who were standing in a row, each holding an urn of ashes:
"Everyone, bow your heads and observe one hundred breaths in silence for the martyrs!"
After saying that, he lowered his head first.
The crowd stirred again, and the militiamen from Bo County Militia were also surprised, but they still lowered their heads and did as they were told.
The others hesitated for a moment; some lowered their heads along with the others, while others looked around in the queue.
As time passed, this solemn atmosphere gradually infected more and more people.
The wind blew from the north, stirring up fine dust, yet the nearly 10,000-strong formation remained completely silent.
'If I could receive such treatment after death, if so many people could bow their heads in silent mourning for me, I would die content!'
At this moment, not only the militia of Bo County Militia, but also the local militias and local braves from other places had similar thoughts.
'No wonder he was able to defeat Mist Hidden Temple...'
The local leaders and powerful figures were all deeply moved, feeling that they had broadened their horizons today.
They couldn't understand where Wu Shuangren, who was only eighteen years old, had learned these methods of winning people over.
One hundred breaths later, Wu Shuangren turned around, and everyone looked up at him.
He took another roster and read out another string of names.
But this time, he read out names of living people:
"Zhao Shitou, for beheading three and wounding nine enemy soldiers in the ambush on the official road, is awarded a third-class military merit and rewarded with twenty mu of land!"
"..."
In addition to being named a ' Yi Province Martyr,' Wu Shuangren also took this opportunity to promote his long-planned 'military merit system.'
The lowest level of military merit is the third-class merit, and the highest level is the special-class merit.
Unlike receiving extra rewards, military merits can also be earned by acquiring land and property.
In addition, most of the militiamen who earned military merit were promoted; some were promoted to captain, some to platoon leader, and two were promoted to battalion commander.
When Guo Jiwang first met Wu Shuangren, he told him that when the time was right, he could be granted land based on his military merits.
Only in this way can we truly capture people's hearts!
Now is the time that Wu Shuangren feels is right.
He cleared out Mist Hidden Temple, acquired tens of thousands of acres of farmland and a large number of properties inside and outside Yi Prefecture City, at the foot of Mist Hidden Mountain, and had ample capital to distribute land and houses!
As Wu Shuangren read out one name after another and distributed land and property, the eyes of the other militiamen and village guards around him were practically green with envy.
They now wish they were born in Bo County, and could have been members of the Bo County Militia, soldiers under Wu Shuangren!
Both are risking their lives, but the treatment they receive is worlds apart from that of someone else and someone else from Militia Commander Wu!
After announcing the names of all those who had rendered meritorious service, Wu Shuangren's eyes suddenly turned cold:
"In several battles, some became martyrs, some made military achievements, but some deserted and violated military law!"
After he finished speaking, the seven militiamen were escorted from the back of the line to the front.
Wu Shuangren looked at these people and said coldly:
"In the battle at the North Gate of Yi Province, you disregarded military orders, deserted your ranks during engagement, and fled, thus violating military law!"
Seven militiamen knelt in a row, their bodies trembling, all weeping.
In several battles, either Wu Shuangren led a small number of elite troops into battle, or the battles were fought with great success, and there were no deserters.
Only in the battle outside the north gate of Yi Province, when Ciwen led dozens of heavily armored warrior monks to attack, did they successively defeat three hundred-man squads.
Among those three groups of a hundred men, some chose to flee at that moment!
Following this, Chen Tie and Xu Jing led the remaining battalions to continue the attack. Some men in the ranks, too afraid to fight, turned and fled.
In fact, after the three hundred-man squads were defeated, many men were too frightened to continue fighting. Wu Shuangren did not reprimand these men.
But he could not tolerate those who deserted the ranks and ran away!
"By turning and running away, you are abandoning yourselves and forsaking your comrades!"
"Didn't you consider that your choice to desert would shake morale and potentially cause the deaths of many soldiers?"
"When you first joined the militia, someone told you—once you're in my unit, don't even think about loafing around! Be prepared to fight and risk your lives at any time!"
"You've joined the regiment and enjoyed the same benefits as the militia members—rewards for merit, but punishments for mistakes! According to military law, anyone who deserts in the face of battle will be publicly flogged fifty times! Guards, carry out the punishment—"
Wu Shuangren said sternly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the seven militiamen who had tried to escape were pinned to a bench, and another militiaman raised a wooden stick and smashed it down hard!
In reality, the number of lashes was just a pretext; if someone really wanted to kill, one lash would be enough. If they didn't want to kill, even a hundred lashes might not kill anyone.
Ultimately, it depends on whether Wu Shuangren wants people to die.
The militiamen carrying out the execution struck the back of the heads of all seven men with their first blow, killing them instantly.
This is Wu Shuangren's attitude!
However, his approach was already considered merciful, sparing the militiamen from further suffering.
Although the first blow killed someone, military law stipulated that the full fifty blows must be delivered, and not a single blow could be missed.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
A series of muffled thuds echoed across the battlefield as the bodies of seven deserters were quickly beaten to a bloody pulp, the stench of blood filling the air.
Everyone watched this scene; some showed fear, while others turned their heads away, unable to bear to look any longer.
First, they distributed the reward money, then honored the martyrs, then awarded land for their military merits, and finally carried out the execution.
Even those outside the Bo County Militia who witnessed this scene didn't think it was wrong, and no one thought Wu Shuangren was cruel.
People would only think that the Bo County Militia was strictly disciplined and that military law could not be violated.
This is the kind of setup you need to accomplish great things!
After the fifty lashes were administered, the seven corpses were dragged away, leaving several long, conspicuous bloodstains on the ground.
Silence reigned before the ten thousand soldiers.
Wu Shuangren then looked at the local militias and village braves throughout Yi Province:
"I said before that everyone who joins the Yi Province Militia will receive a sum of money, and I keep my word!"
Next, the accountant read out the names of the various places in turn:
"The Yi Province Liu County Militia, has arrived with 231 men. Each man will receive 80 coins, totaling 18,480 coins. Please send someone forward to collect the money!"
"One hundred and thirty-six people have arrived from Yi Province Wang Family Village..."
"..."
This time, instead of having people come forward one by one to collect the money, Wu Shuangren eighty coins per person, with the amount increasing as more people came.
Local tyrants sent their men to collect the money, and many regretted not bringing more men.
If I had known Wu Shuangren would be so generous, I should have brought more people to make up the numbers.
Warfare aside, getting the money is more important than anything else!
Wu Shuangren had dozens of boxes brought out, and it looked like the copper coins inside were almost gone.
In just a few hours, he had distributed several thousand strings of cash!
However, Wu Shuangren still had a large surplus.
The money and gifts sent by the wealthy families in the city alone were worth more than 600 strings of cash.
If all the money in that secret room at Mist Hidden Temple were converted into copper coins, it would amount to over 20,000 kan!
That's why Wu Shuangren could distribute several thousand strings of cash without batting an eye.
He discovered that war was indeed the fastest way to make money. If he were still doing business in West River Market, he wouldn't be able to save up so much money and grain, or acquire so much land and property even after several years of hard work.
Not to mention the vast amount of armor, weaponry, and warhorses captured!
War is all about exorbitant profits!
After distributing the money, Wu Shuangren activated his Internal Skill and shouted loudly:
"From now on, we are all militiamen of Yi Province Militia, working together to resist foreign enemies and protect our homeland! As long as you fight bravely and achieve meritorious service, you will all receive rewards, land, and houses!"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the local militia and villagers from all over Yi Province lit up.
They had thought that only the militia members of the Bo County Militia received those benefits, but they never expected that they would have such an opportunity as well, and their hearts were filled with excitement!
Meanwhile, the local militia leaders and powerful clan chiefs were beginning to feel worried. Initially, they weren't concerned that Wu Shuangren would take away their soldiers, but now they had to be.
No one expected that Wu Shuangren would treat everyone equally, giving the same treatment to the militia and local militia from other places.
Of course, some quick-thinking people see this as a good opportunity and begin to contemplate their future.
After everything was finished, it was nearly noon, and Wu Shuangren ordered everyone to disperse. They returned to the camp and began to cook.
During this period, the food for nearly 10,000 people outside the city will be mostly provided by government offices and wealthy families within the city, with the remaining portion provided by Wu Shuangren.
In fact, Wu Shuangren could have had the people in the city provide all the food, since they were gathered together to help protect Yi Prefecture City and ensure the safety of its inhabitants.
But if the city were to provide all the food, the other side would definitely be stingy, and those outside the city might not be able to eat well afterward.
Therefore, Wu Shuangren used his own money and grain to improve the meals for the nearly 10,000 people outside the city.
He did this not only to win people's hearts, but also to boost morale and better prepare for the upcoming war.
If we save money and supplies now, but are later defeated by the Mount Liang army, then all that money and supplies we saved will just benefit the enemy.
War is incredibly profitable, but it's also incredibly expensive!
Fortunately, when Ciwen and the Mount Liang people returned to Mist Hidden Temple, although they took away a large amount of food and weapons, some food was still left behind.
The grain was stored in two villages at the foot of the mountain and some surrounding villages. In addition, Wu Shuangren had previously led his troops to ambush the 6,000 men of Mount Liang, and finally seized the grain and supplies of these 6,000 men and brought them back.
Now, Wu Shuangren has enough grain to feed 10,000 people for more than two months.
He simply improved everyone's meals, ensuring they were well-fed, and the food he had would last at least six months.
After everyone had eaten and rested for half an hour, Wu Shuangren once again had everyone leave the camp and line up to begin reorganizing them.
More than two thousand Rong Province Militia were organized into two separate Rong Province Battalion, and these people were not included in the Yi Province Militia's organization.
Wu Shuangren had a temporary platform erected, stood on it, and announced to the public:
"Starting today, the Yi Province Militia will be divided into five ranks from bottom to top."
All ordinary militia members are uniformly divided into Militia Private, and above them are Militia Soldier, Militia Officer, Militia Colonel, and Militia General.
Militia Private receives 120 cash per month, Militia Soldier 200 cash per month, Junior Militia Officer 300 cash per month, Senior Militia Officer 400 cash per month, Junior Militia Colonel 800 cash per month, and Senior Militia Colonel 1 string of cash per month!
Wu Shuangren first announced the five levels, and then the corresponding benefits. Everyone watched him intently, listening carefully, afraid of missing a single word.
"A team consists of ten people, led by a captain whose rank is Militia Soldier."
The company commander led five squads and held the rank of Junior Militia Officer.
The battalion commander led two companies, holding the rank of Senior Militia Officer.
The battalion commander leads ten battalions. The deputy battalion commander's rank is Junior Militia Colonel, and the battalion commander's rank is Senior Militia Colonel.
All members of the Royal Guard were Militia Soldier; the captain of the Royal Guard was Junior Militia Officer, the platoon leader of the Royal Guard was Senior Militia Officer, and the battalion commander of the Royal Guard was Junior Militia Colonel.
Wu Shuangren matched all the existing positions in the Bo County Militia with their military ranks in one go.
But that wasn't all; he continued:
Starting today, the Yi Province Militia will form a cavalry battalion!
All cavalrymen were Militia Soldier, cavalry captains were Junior Militia Officer, cavalry company commanders were Senior Militia Officer, and cavalry battalion commanders were Junior Militia Colonel.