“Sir, how could I be in the mood for a holiday right now?”
Han Feng asked, “The selection has been paused for a few days. Can we start it again?”
Jin Feng did not answer directly. Instead, he tapped the table thoughtfully for a long while before nodding and saying, “Yes, we can start, but pay close attention to the girls’ state of mind. If any problems arise, deal with them quickly.”
What had to be faced must be faced eventually. He had done everything he could for now, and dragging it out further was not a solution.
From the people’s reactions today, their mood seemed good enough. It should be possible to try resuming the selection.
“I understand. I’ll meet with Dazhuang later to discuss it.” Han Feng nodded.
“You’re really not taking a holiday?” Jin Feng said, “If your bride complains later, don’t blame me for not giving you time off.”
“Sir, it was Lingyun who urged me to come.” Han Feng said, “She even said she wants to help me comfort the girls.”
“Old Han, you’ve certainly married the right wife.”
Jin Feng smiled and said, “Tell your sister-in-law that if this matter is handled well, I’ll record a great merit for her.”
“You must keep your word, sir.”
Han Feng smiled in agreement, then turned and left.
That same morning, the selection, paused for several days, resumed.
It must be said that Shi Lingyun was indeed very skilled at comforting the people. Combined with Jin Feng’s previous efforts, the girls’ state of mind had improved greatly.
The selection went extremely smoothly. What was originally planned to take three days was completed in just two.
When announcing the results, Han Feng and Dazhuang were still a bit worried about trouble, but the girls were calmer than they had imagined.
With no more discrimination from the people, many girls had untied the knots in their hearts.
Even those who had not fully resolved their inner struggles knew that if they failed the escort selection, they could still follow Jin Feng back to Xihe Bay, to a place called Tieguan Mountain.
There, no one would bully them. They could work there to earn money and support their parents and families.
So after the results were announced, not a single girl chose to take her own life.
Instead, many girls asked when they could go to Tieguan Mountain.
This matter involved the overall arrangements, so Han Feng did not dare answer lightly and went to consult Jin Feng.
Although the fighting had ended, the escorts had also suffered heavy losses. If too many were sent to escort the girls back to Xihe Bay, there would not be enough hands left here to train the new recruits.
But if too few were sent, Jin Feng worried about accidents.
After much thought, Jin Feng decided to wait a little longer.
“Tell them that the new soldiers need organising and training, so let them settle in the main camp for now.”
Jin Feng arranged, “When the new soldier training is finished, we will all return to Xihe Bay together. This will also give them time to think carefully about whether they really want to go.”
“Yes!”
Han Feng returned to the selection camp and made arrangements according to Jin Feng’s instructions.
Though the girls were a little disappointed, they were still cooperative.
The camp left by Danzhu was divided into two parts that day.
One part was converted into a new recruit camp, while the other housed the girls who had not been selected.
The refugees selected as escorts were sent to the new recruit camp that very night, and training began early the next morning.
Apei was responsible for the girls, and Dazhuang for the men.
This speed astonished not only the old general Meng Tianhai, but even the Ninth Princess and Qing Xinyao found it unbelievable.
Little did they know that Jin Feng had begun preparing for this day as early as when he first recruited the old soldiers.
From the very first batch, daily training had focused not only on building the escorts’ physical fitness and coordinated combat abilities, but also on developing their leadership skills.
After the escort agency was established, Jin Feng required deputy positions to rotate.
For example, a squad leader was fixed, but the deputy squad leader rotated among the other escorts in the squad.
If the squad leader met with an accident, the deputy would immediately take over.
The same applied to deputy platoon leaders, deputy company commanders, deputy battalion commanders, all the way up to deputy regimental commander.
With the exception of a few naturally dull individuals, almost all escorts possessed basic troop-leading ability.
The escorts who had come with Jin Feng this time were the elite of the agency.
Though not every one could match Zhang Liang, leading a squad of new recruits posed no problem.
In ordinary armies, after recruiting new soldiers, training could not begin for ten days or half a month.
But the people were full of gratitude towards Jin Feng and cherished this chance to join the Zhenyuan Army. They were also completely convinced of the escorts’ fighting prowess, so there were virtually no troublemakers.
Thus, the Zhenyuan Army not only began training the very next day, but everything proceeded in perfect order.
“Her Highness said Mr Jin has the power to turn the rotten into the miraculous. How accurate that is.”
Meng Tianhai, standing with a group of captains at the top of Great Python Slope, sighed, “These are new recruits starting training only today, yet their discipline is already better than our Weisheng Army!”
“Alas, I used to think the Iron Tiger Battalion had good discipline. Now I realise how arrogant I was!”
Chen Fengzhi also lamented, “I’ve been hanging around military camps since I was small, following my father, yet I can’t lead troops as well as Mr Jin, a scholar who took it up halfway. I’m truly ashamed!”
“Her Highness has said that Mr Jin is a great talent who appears only once in a thousand years. Trying to compare yourself to him is just asking for trouble.”
Meng Tianhai glanced at Chen Fengzhi.
“Of course I wouldn’t be so overconfident as to compare myself to Mr Jin. I only take him as a model to learn from.” Chen Fengzhi said.
“At least you have some self-awareness.”
Meng Tianhai said, “All of you, study this well. When we return, we’ll sort out our own discipline.”
“Yes!”
The captains nodded one after another.
Jin Feng’s method of training new recruits was something they had never seen before.
In ordinary Great Kang armies, when new soldiers were recruited, they were treated much like new brides entering the family. The old soldiers would find all sorts of excuses to make them do hard and tiring work, exhausting the recruits half to death before letting up.
But the Zhenyuan Army was different. The escorts did not bully the new recruits at all.
The first day’s training content was also very simple: just practising standing at attention and turning left and right.
Though the captains did not understand it, none questioned Jin Feng.
They all resolved in their hearts to try this method when they returned.
…
Down below Great Python Slope, Jin Feng was also paying close attention to the new recruit training.
Learning that everything was proceeding in order, he finally felt at ease.
That afternoon, Jin Feng took his personal guards into Xichuan city, heading straight for the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce branch.
The tasks at Great Python Slope were essentially complete. Jin Feng could finally begin the savings business he had been longing for.
New recruit training would take some time, and Jin Feng decided to use this period to pilot his idea at the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce in Xichuan city, to see if it would work.
If it proved feasible, he could then roll it out in the capital, Jiangnan, and across the entire Sichuan-Shu region.
At that point, Jin Feng would never worry about money again.
And this was only one of the benefits of the money house.
What Jin Feng sought was not merely wealth.
