Chapter 157: The South Sea Army

The restructuring of the South Sea Gang into a local militia proceeded remarkably smoothly. To everyone's surprise, Military Commissioner Li Tiao even ordered the armory to be opened, distributing eight hundred sets of armor and weaponry to the newly reorganized militia in three separate batches. Naturally, this decision faced strong opposition from Censor Cao Zheng and Superintendent of Merchant Shipping Tian Gaolang. Li Tiao countered by stating that he had already memorialized the imperial court on the matter and applied for official military banners, determined to expand the South Sea Gang into a formidable force tasked with protecting Guangzhou Prefecture and the Fuxu Port of the South Sea.

When Cao Zheng and Tian Gaolang questioned why the Chaozhou Gang—which had organized its militia earlier—was bypassed, Li Tiao replied that the reputation of the South Sea Gang among the common folk of Guangzhou was simply incomparable to that of the Chaozhou Gang. Nevertheless, to appease Cao Zheng, Li Tiao had to agree to his demand to equip the Chaozhou Gang's militia with three hundred sets of standard-issue gear. Of course, Cao Zheng would undoubtedly fleece a hefty sum of silver from the pockets of Third Master Liu of the Chaozhou Gang for these three hundred sets of equipment. Whether those items were genuinely issued or forcefully sold off was something Li Tiao couldn't be bothered to inquire about, so long as they stopped pestering him regarding the South Sea Gang.

The establishment of the South Sea Gang proceeded at a rapid pace, and its overall expansion far exceeded expectations. Bolstered by favorable policies that modeled the militia expansion on a strict reserve army framework, the registered militia numbers swelled to over five thousand within a mere ten days. According to Xu Hong, who was responsible for compiling these statistics, many recruits had traveled all the way from the Fuxu Town area, with even more arriving in Guangzhou Prefecture after settling their family affairs.

No one knew what Zhang Kuang and Yang Ruo had actually said to Li Tiao, but the couriers dispatched by Li Tiao managed to make the round trip between Guangzhou Prefecture and the capital of Chang'an in less than twenty days, reportedly traversing the ancient litchi trade route established during the flourishing Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. None of that mattered now; what thrilled the entire South Sea Gang was that the imperial court had approved the military banners requested by Li Tiao. The courier reported that the imperial envoy delegation would arrive in Guangzhou Prefecture in about ten days, bringing along the command pennants and related insignia, while orally granting the South Sea Gang its new banner: the South Sea Army.

The South Sea Army would consist of one commanding general, one chief clerk, three deputy generals, seven stray generals, and four fully established regiments under their command. Each regiment would comprise two hundred men and be led by a captain. A regiment would be divided into two platoons of one hundred men each, commanded by a lieutenant. Each platoon would comprise two squads of fifty men, led by a sergeant. Finally, each squad would be subdivided into five messes of ten men, each headed by a corporal.

Although the officially appointed imperial envoy delegation had not yet arrived, the military hierarchy was already clearly delineated and structured around the eight hundred sets of standard equipment distributed by Li Tiao. Anyone with eyes could instantly grasp Li Tiao's underlying intention: he clearly meant to absorb the South Sea Army into his own personal vanguard garrison.

This, however, presented Ding Li with a severe predicament. First and foremost, he had never formally commanded such a large body of men. Secondly, while the official authorized establishment capped the force at eight hundred men, the number of applicants flocking to the South Sea Army had surpassed eight thousand in just a few short days—outnumbering the entire garrison force of Guangzhou Prefecture purely in terms of headcount.

This was hardly an auspicious sign. Even for a newly raised army lacking formal training, such explosive growth would inevitably make them the target of public envy and suspicion. Inside the temporary administrative office of the South Sea Army, almost every hour brought a fresh report to Ding Li's desk, detailing how members of the South Sea Army—whether officially enlisted or not—had accidentally clashed with some faction in the city, or inadvertently offended some powerful noble family.

Naturally, given Ding Li's temperament, such trivial matters did not concern him in the least. At first, he had bothered to open and read them, occasionally even inquiring into the causes out of idle curiosity. Within a single day, however, Ding Li simply instructed his personal guards to bundle up similar reports and pile them aside on the desk, ceasing to review the contents altogether. By the time he left the office in the afternoon, two towering stacks of documents detailing identical conflict incidents already blanketed his desk.

"Take these to the kitchen and burn them!" Before stepping out, Ding Li glanced back at the massive stack of reports, tossing a casual nod to his personal guard with an utterly indifferent expression.

Ding Li's response was exceptionally wise. If he attempted to resolve each of those numerous disputes one by one, he probably wouldn't finish even by the end of the year, to say nothing of the continuous stream of fresh incidents bound to follow.

Just the following day, a formal memorial from the South Sea Army was submitted to the Regional Commissioner's Mansion. Though concise, Li Tiao perused it for half the morning before finally nodding to the garrison guards waiting nearby and quietly granting the request contained within.

That very afternoon, the entire contingent of eight hundred soldiers officially enrolled in the South Sea Army relocated en masse, marching some fifteen li outside the city of Guangzhou to establish a garrison in a town called Yangjiao. Pitching camp and constructing fortifications was hardly unfamiliar territory for Ding Li, but Yang Hongwan very promptly brought men to lend a hand, and by nightfall, the outline of the South Sea Army's camp had already taken shape.

The predecessor of the South Sea Army was the South Sea Gang, whose reputation around Guangzhou Prefecture was genuinely favorable. That very evening, ordinary townsfolk from Yangjiao even delivered prepared food to the South Sea Army, and several local wealthy gentry paid personal visits to Ding Li, persistently trying to force gifts of money and valuables upon him just to secure a place for their sons and grandsons by Ding Li's side, hoping they might one day achieve distinction and rise in prominence through military merit.

Ding Li adhered to strict principles regarding such matters: he would not take so much as a single thread or needle from the common people, let alone money or grain. After politely declining them one by one, Ding Li did, however, accept a young man named Zhang Han into his retinue. This was partly because the youth's elderly grandfather had pleaded with utmost earnestness, and partly because Ding Li had personally inspected Zhang Han. Though the lad did not quite look like a martial hero destined for immediate battlefield glory, his bright, piercing gaze convinced Ding Li that keeping him close as a personal guard would be a useful arrangement—someone to run errands, deliver messages, and help organize documents.

In truth, Ding Li's acceptance of Zhang Han was somewhat out of necessity. The people of Yangjiao were simply too hospitable; had he rejected their goodwill entirely, Ding Li worried it might wound their feelings. Accepting Zhang Han offered a glimmer of hope to the others, signaling that perhaps next year or at some opportune moment, they might find a way to send their own kin into the South Sea Army.

Nonetheless, Ding Li did not reject the fine wine and food brought by the Yangjiao townsfolk. Instead, he had Xu Hong, the officer in charge of finances and provisions, compensate the locals in full at market prices, thereby upholding the principle of never taking anything for free from the common folk. Of course, this was largely because the camp had just been established, and Ding Li was well aware that leading his men out of Guangzhou Prefecture to Yangjiao was hardly a glorious affair.

To the residents of Yangjiao, however, it was a blessing. With the South Sea Army stationed there, the town would become considerably safer. Any bandits or roving outlaws attempting to raid and plunder Yangjiao would first have to weigh the strength of eight hundred South Sea soldiers. Even as a newly formed army, the combat power afforded by one-third of their ranks being equipped with short crossbows was not something ordinary outlaws could withstand; hundreds of crossbow bolts flying in unison would resolve a battle long before the two sides ever closed for hand-to-hand combat.

Yet that was merely what the villagers of Yangjiao perceived. Ding Li and all eight hundred soldiers of the South Sea Army knew full well that they had been forced or driven out of Guangzhou Prefecture—meaning that within the sprawling expanse of Guangzhou, there was quite literally no place for these eight hundred men to remain.

Therefore, Ding Li urgently needed to take action to steady the morale of his troops. With such an enthusiastic new army, striking while the iron was hot would make training twice as effective with half the effort. Conversely, if the men's hearts grew cold, even an extra hour of daily drill would leave them a weak force three months down the line.

The first measure Ding Li implemented was a grand celebration for the entire army. The ostensible justification, of course, was the completion of their new encampment—they now possessed a military base truly belonging to the South Sea Army, a rationale that held persuasive weight no matter who questioned it.

However, after Ding Li voiced his underlying concerns inside the commander's tent, Gouzi—whose capacity for liquor was mediocre yet who always grew eager to down a few extra bowls when in high spirits—waved a dismissive hand to interrupt him. "Brother Li! I think you're overthinking it! How does that saying go again? Something about a strong general, a strong general's subordinates..."

"A strong general has no weak subordinates!" Xiaolizi reached out to shove Gouzi, stepping in to finish the sentence before yanking him back by the sleeve with a displeased scowl. "If you can't hold your liquor, drink less! Can't you see Brother Li is discussing serious matters? If you're drunk, keep your mouth shut and just listen! If you can't manage that, go back to your tent and sleep it off instead of spouting nonsense here!"

"You—I—why shouldn't I be allowed to speak!" Gouzi thrust out his neck in defiant grievance, but meeting the stern expressions of everyone else in the tent, he ultimately pouted, shook his head, and forced his torso upright.

"What Gouzi said isn't entirely wrong, though he only hit the mark halfway!" Seeing this, Ding Li waved his hand to signal it was of no consequence. He first offered a smile toward Gouzi, then swept his gaze across the assembled men as his tone suddenly turned solemn. "A strong general has no weak subordinates. By 'strong general,' it doesn't refer to me alone—it includes all of you, everyone present here must be counted into that! Only when every single one of us is strong can the brothers beneath us avoid being weak!"

Mid-sentence, a thought suddenly struck Ding Li. He turned his gaze toward Xu Hong and said, "Xu Hong, the organizational structure of our South Sea Army is still incomplete! At present, we practically lack any civilian administrative staff in the military. I've given it thought: the post of Quartermaster and Military Advisor suits you best! Though it's only a minor ninth-rank official post, it concerns the grain and provisions of our entire South Sea Army. As for your stipend, ninth-rank civil officials don't draw much, but you needn't worry—we still have the South Sea Gang's revenues from the docks. We'll calculate your pay based on the original salary plus an additional thirty percent. How does that sound?"

"Brother Li! Benefactor! You are truly the rebirth of my parents, Xu Hong!" Hearing this, Xu Hong trembled violently and tumbled straight off his stool. Too flustered to even rise and straighten his robes, he threw himself flat on the ground before Ding Li's main desk, bowing deeply. His voice choked with sudden emotion before devolving into open sobbing. "For ten years, I, Xu Hong, pored over books solely for the day I might attain official recognition! I never imagined treacherous villains would dominate the court, leading me to almost abandon all aspirations of entering officialdom! I never dreamed fate would allow me to cross paths with Brother Li, let alone permit me to follow at your side and offer my utmost loyalty! In just a few months, I've even been granted a ninth-rank official cap! Such kindness is beyond repayment; I am willing to serve you unto death!"

With that, Xu Hong seemed to be awaiting Ding Li's directive; not only did he remain prostrate on the floor, weeping intermittently, but he also repeatedly used his sleeve to wipe away tears.

Aside from Xu Hong, none of those present had ever pursued scholarly studies or civil service examinations. Heizi had been raised since childhood by Madam Zhang, to the point where even his very person belonged to her, so a scholarly future was naturally furthest from his thoughts. Gouzi, Xiaolizi, and the brothers Wang Huan and Wang De hailed from dock laborer backgrounds and could hardly fathom the profound aspirations Xu Hong held as a scholar. Even the newly joined Wang Ling, though possessing a certain scholarly refinement, had no actual connection to the literati class—at best, he merely recognized a few more characters than the likes of Gouzi.

The only person among them who could truly empathize with Xu Hong's sentiments was Ding Li himself. In his past life, Ding Li had witnessed countless similar scenarios: men who toiled over books for more than a decade driven by the exact same dream as Xu Hong—to pass the imperial examinations, enter the state apparatus to draw a salary, fulfill their lifelong ambition, and desire nothing more.