Chapter 148: The Shattered Gold Army Peasants' Association and Caravan

Upon returning to Broken Gold Town, Li Yi could not spare a moment to rest and instead headed straight for the town's military camp.

Although the imperial court's official rewards and appointments had not yet arrived, Li Yi had already begun the process of expanding the scale of the Broken Gold garrison.

The situation in Shaanxi was growing increasingly chaotic, driven not only by natural disasters and popular uprisings, but now further exacerbated by factional struggles within the officialdom.

He needed to make preparations early.

Upon entering the camp, Li Yi discovered to his surprise that Liu Zongmin and Flying Tiger were both present.

"The two of you are supposed to be recovering from your injuries. What are you doing here?"

Liu Zongmin's saber wound had begun to heal, though his complexion remained somewhat pale.

Seeing Li Yi approach, he hastily bowed and said, "Commander, my injuries are no longer a hindrance."

Flying Tiger appeared much weaker; upon noticing Li Yi's displeasure, he lowered his head and dared not speak.

Gao Jie chuckled nearby and said, "Commander, with the new recruits about to begin training, these two were afraid that Old Wu and I would cherry-pick all the best soldiers."

Li Yi looked at the pair and said, "Your wounds have only just started to improve and require proper care. I will reserve the best soldiers for you both; go back and recuperate."

Flying Tiger opened his mouth as if to say something, but Li Yi sharply interrupted him, "This is an order."

Realizing that Li Yi was angry, Liu Zongmin and Flying Tiger slunk away dejectedly.

Watching their retreating figures, Li Yi turned to Gao Jie and asked, "How are the new recruits settling in?"

Gao Jie quickly replied, "Being in an unfamiliar place, they were uneasy at first. Fortunately, the newly built housing in Broken Gold Town provided accommodations for their families, and once we distributed grain rations, the recruits settled down."

Li Yi nodded. As he led Gao Jie on an inspection of the barracks, he remarked, "That is only human nature. During the upcoming camp inspections, show more concern for their daily lives. There is no need to rush their training for now; we will launch comprehensive joint drills once the subsequent batches of recruits arrive."

"Commander, you intend to recruit even more new troops?" Gao Jie asked in astonishment.

As they spoke, the two entered the central command tent.

Li Yi nodded. "I plan to conscript a portion of the able-bodied men from the local militia."

Gao Lao Shi stepped forward from within the tent and, upon hearing this, spoke up: "Commander, according to the establishment of the border garrisons, even if you are promoted to the rank of Thousand-Man Commander, you are only authorized to command seven or eight hundred soldiers. How do you propose to handle the excess men?"

Li Yi explained, "The regular troops will naturally conform to the border garrison establishment, but I intend to establish an auxiliary corps as well. During peacetime, they will serve as garrison troops to guard the town; in times of war, they can be used to fill vacancies in the regular ranks."

A thought stirred within Gao Lao Shi, and he lowered his voice to ask, "Does the Commander have some deeper purpose in doing this?"

Li Yi pondered for a moment and decided to lay his cards on the table.

"There are deep divisions within the imperial court regarding how to quell the popular uprisings in Shaanxi. Yang鹤, the Viceroy of the Three Borders, wishes to provide disaster relief and offer amnesty to the rebels, while Hong Chengchou strongly advocates for all-around encirclement and suppression, striving to accomplish the entire campaign in a single decisive effort. With the uprisings continuing without end, infighting intensifying among officials, and military officers employing brutal methods against the rebels purely for the sake of earning military merit and rewards, the situation in Shaanxi is unlikely to settle down anytime soon."

"Do you mean that we must train our own troops to ensure self-preservation?" Gao Lao Shi asked.

Li Yi glanced at Gao Lao Shi and nodded. "Therefore, we must expand our strength as much as possible while the situation remains within our grasp. Once changes occur, we will have something dependable to rely upon."

To be frank, although Yang He was a second-rank high official and the Viceroy of the Three Borders, Li Yi doubted he would prove to be a match for Hong Chengchou in their rivalry.

The Great Ming was declining like the sun setting over the western hills, and its administrative capacity was exceedingly feeble—utterly incapable of organizing such massive undertakings as disaster relief for starving peasants and the pacification of rebels.

However, Li Yi even more strongly disagreed with Hong Chengchou's ruthless methods of utilizing slaughter and terror to suppress the populace and maintain autocratic rule.

It seemed he would not be able to remain in the officialdom of the Great Ming for much longer.

Stepping out of the military camp, Li Yi returned to the official yamen.

Before he could even step inside, Li Guo trotted up to greet him with a smile. "Master, Wang Wu's silver has been distributed. Right in time for the meal, Gao Xiaojia has prepared a banquet at the tavern, and the members of our Youth Brigade would like to invite you to share a cup of wine."

Looking at Li Guo, who was growing increasingly mature, Li Yi smiled and said, "You lads still show a sense of filial piety. Lead the way."

As the two walked along, Li Yi observed the newly constructed houses on either side of the street and the peasants bustling away with bustling vigor, prompting him to let out a slight sigh.

"Master, what are you sighing about?" Li Guo asked.

"Along the route of our military expedition, towns were dilapidated and starving refugees filled the roads everywhere. Only here in Broken Gold Town does one find this thriving, vibrant atmosphere."

Li Guo gave a cheeky laugh and said, "That's for sure. Ever since you set the new tax rates, caravan merchants all love stopping to rest in Broken Gold Town. With all the people and horses to feed, our Youth Brigade has opened numerous transport agencies, and Gao Xiaojia's tavern is doing a roaring business."

"Oh?"

Li Yi was somewhat surprised; he had not expected Li Guo and the others to actually achieve such results.

"It seems your Youth Brigade hasn't been idle either."

Puffing out his chest with pride, Li Guo replied, "Of course not. Everything throughout the entire Broken Gold Town is managed by us. Silver pours in by the coin-load every day, and Gao Xiaojia has even opened a branch of the tavern all the way in Yulin."

At this point, he raised his head to glance at Li Yi and added, "It's just that we were short-handed, so we recruited some more people."

"Recruited people? How many do you have now?"

Li Guo said sheepishly, "Not that many, really. We have over two hundred people now."

More than two hundred?

He had to remember that when he left, the Youth Brigade had only numbered twenty or thirty; in one stroke, their numbers had expanded tenfold.

Li Yi planted a swift kick on Li Guo's backside and scolded, "You stinky brat, without my command, who authorized you to expand your numbers at will? Tell me quickly, where did Broken Gold Town find all these youths, enough to expand to over two hundred?"

Rubbing his backside, Li Guo retreated a safe distance and hurriedly protested, "Master, don't be angry. I was doing a good deed, too."

"A good deed? It looks to me like your skin is itching."

"It really is a good deed! Gao Xiaojia, are you motherfuckers just going to stand there and watch me take kicks alone? Get the people out here right now!"

Li Yi looked down the street and saw dozens of youths suddenly emerge from both sides, among them the chubby Gao Xiaojia.

The moment Gao Xiaojia caught sight of Li Yi looking over, he immediately clapped a hand to his backside and adopted a ingratiating expression.

"Master, I know I was wrong. We truly took them in because we saw how utterly pitiful they were."

With that, he kicked one of the lads in the backside and shouted, "Hurry up and come out to pay respects to our Master!"

Dozens of emaciated youths emerged timidly, dropping to their knees on the street as if about to kowtow to Li Yi.

Gazing at the youths kneeling on the ground, Li Yi fell silent.

"Li Guo, get your ass over here."

Rubbing his backside, Li Guo inched his way over step by step.

"Explain what is going on, and make it clear, or I will punish you by making you copy the literacy primer ten times."

Shuddering, Li Guo hastily stammered, "Master, these lads were all passing through while fleeing from the disaster. They lost their fathers, mothers, and family members, and fleeing through the wilderness alone meant certain death. So Gao Xiaojia and I discussed it and took them in to do odd jobs."

Hearing that this was the reason, Li Yi's expression softened considerably.

The road of flight from famine was arduous, and the vast majority of those who collapsed and starved along the way were the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children.

Without family members to care for them, lads around ten years of age like these would likely not even make it out of Yanan Prefecture before starving to death on the road, devoured by wild dogs in the fields.

"Master, we know we were wrong. In the future, we will definitely report such matters to you beforehand," Gao Xiaojia offered with an ingratiating smile.

Li Yi cast a cold look at him and Li Guo, then declared sternly, "Since you know you were wrong, there must be a punishment. Each of you will copy the literacy primer three times and hand it in to me in two days."

"Ah?!"

Hearing that they had to copy books, Li Guo and Gao Xiaojia felt as though the sky had fallen in, and both looked as if they were on the verge of tears.

"What? Three times is not enough? Then make it five."

"Three times! Three times! Three times is enough!" Li Guo blurted out hastily.

Ignoring them, Li Yi looked down at the youths and said, "All of you, stand up. Since you have joined the Youth Brigade, this place will be your home from now on. You must do your daily chores, but you must also attend the literacy and arithmetic classes for lessons. Anyone who dares to slack off can pack up and get lost."

The youths assented fearfully.

Turning back to Li Guo, Li Yi instructed, "Arrange proper lodging for them, and have someone make a batch of new clothes for them to change into. Since they are at the age where they are growing rapidly, they are to have meat every three days, with the expenses drawn from the Farmers' Association treasury."

Li Guo hastily agreed.

The group entered the tavern. The ground floor was packed with various trade caravans partaking of their meals; the din of voices filled the air, and business was indeed thriving.

Ascending to the second floor, they pushed open the door to a private room. Inside, a middle-aged shopkeeper hastily rose to his feet, bowed, and said, "Milord, you have arrived."

Li Yi stepped forward with a smile to steady him and said, "Shopkeeper Fan, so you are here as well."

The middle-aged shopkeeper was none other than Fan Yongnian, whom Li Yi had previously co-opted.

He no longer engaged in standard caravan trading and instead specialized in peddling illicit salt on Li Yi's behalf.

After the group took their seats, Gao Xiaojia went downstairs to hurry along the food and wine.

Fan Yongnian respectfully poured wine for Li Yi and smiled, saying, "Milord, you went out on a bandit suppression campaign and returned with a sweeping victory; no doubt a promotion is within your grasp. This humble subordinate proposes a toast to the Milord."

Li Yi smiled faintly and downed the wine.

After exchanging a few casual pleasantries, Fan Yongnian took the initiative to report, "This month, the illicit salt business has grown considerably more prosperous. We have opened up sales markets not only in Mizhi and Suide, but also across Yanan Prefecture and the various counties of Yulin. After deducting costs, the profits amount to approximately twenty-eight hundred taels."

Twenty-eight hundred taels in a single month meant over thirty thousand taels a year—a formidable margin of profit.

One had to realize that even a prominent Yansui family like the Ai clan, possessing tens of thousands of mu of land and holding shares in Shanxi merchant dividends, at most brought in an annual income of twenty thousand taels, and even that was not net profit.

The more than sixty thousand taels of silver Li Yi had plundered from the Ai clan previously represented five years of dividend payouts from the Shanxi merchants.

Li Yi issued his instructions: "For now, keep the illicit salt trade restricted to Yansui. There are salt ponds to the west in Qingyang, and the relationships in Xi'an Prefecture to the south are complicated; we must not touch those areas for the time being."

Fan Yongnian let out a long breath of relief. His purpose in coming today was twofold: first, to make his report, and second, to advise Li Yi to suspend further expansion.

As he well knew, conflicts over interests were always matters of life and death, and he felt considerable apprehension regarding any attempt to muscle in on the illicit salt markets of Qingyang and Xi'an Prefecture.

"Milord, there is one more matter. This sum of profit silver has been kept continuously in the caravan's treasury; combined with the revenues from other businesses, it has now accumulated to over ten thousand taels. Although it is safely within Broken Gold Town, this humble subordinate still feels somewhat uneasy in his mind."

Understanding Fan Yongnian's underlying concern, Li Yi pondered for a moment before replying, "Very well, the production of illicit salt has always been handled by the Farmers' Association. Now that the Farmers' Association has established its general branch in Broken Gold Town, I will set up an association treasury. In the future, whenever the caravan treasury exceeds twelve thousand taels, you are to retain two thousand taels for working capital and transport the remaining ten thousand taels to the Farmers' Association treasury."

This effectively meant turning over the profits of the illicit salt trade to the administration of the Farmers' Association.

At this point, Li Yi turned his gaze toward Li Guo at his side and said, "With the membership of the Youth Brigade now exceeding two hundred, it is no longer appropriate for them to remain attached to the Broken Gold garrison. The Youth Brigade will likewise be placed under the administration of the Farmers' Association, and you shall take up a managerial post there."

Following the establishment of the Farmers' Association general assembly, internal structural reforms had also been implemented.

Li Yi himself served as the Prime Director, while Elder Gao, Great-Grandfather, Yun Niang, and Li Zijing all held managerial positions.

Below them were directors and stewards, forming a rigorous and tight-knit organization.

Looking somewhat reluctant, Li Guo muttered, "Master, I want to follow you onto the battlefield in the future; I don't want to stay behind in the Farmers' Association."

Li Yi smiled and asked, "Who says staying in the Farmers' Association means you cannot go to the battlefield?"

Li Guo looked somewhat uncomprehending.

"The Broken Gold garrison is an imperial military force and operates strictly by regular rules. But the Farmers' Association leads the common people in their struggles against officials and wealthy gentry; it stands in even greater need of armed protection. My leaving you in the Farmers' Association serves two purposes: first, to take in youths and guide them through their studies and training; and second, to assist your mistress, Elder Gao, Great-Grandfather, and the others in protecting our fellow villagers. Can you really say that is unimportant?"

Upon hearing these words, Li Guo thumped his chest and declared excitedly, "Master, you can rest assured; I will definitely protect them well."

Fan Yongnian interjected suddenly, "Milord, Gao Xiaojia has a fine aptitude for commerce. Might he be permitted to remain within the caravan to assist this humble subordinate?"

Li Yi nodded and said, "The various commercial ventures in Broken Gold Town certainly require capable hands to manage them. Let him remain with you, and do instruct him well."

Delighted, Fan Yongnian responded, "This humble subordinate will certainly not辜负 the trust placed in him by the Milord."

"Shopkeeper Fan, the Broken Gold garrison is on the verge of expanding its forces, yet our weaponry is subpar. I intend to construct iron furnaces to smelt iron and forge weapons. Might you be able to find artisans capable of building such iron furnaces?"

After a moment's thought, Fan Yongnian replied, "There are no shortage of artisans among the border garrisons, and their lives are wretched in the extreme. This humble subordinate can attempt to see if we can recruit a batch."

A gleam appeared in Li Yi's eyes as he lowered his voice to ask, "Are there any artisans capable of manufacturing firearms and cannon?"

"This—"

Fan Yongnian hesitated. Noticing the eager expression on Li Yi's face, he said gravely, "Such artisans do exist, but the border garrisons keep a strict watch over them. I fear they cannot easily slip away from the fortified towns on their own authority."

Li Yi felt a touch of disappointment. During the battle of Longmen Town, he had witnessed the devastating effectiveness of massed firelock volleys and was deeply eager to build a dedicated firearm unit.

Seeing this, Fan Yongnian hardened his resolve and said, "If the Milord is willing to provide settlements for their families, this humble subordinate can smuggle them out to Broken Gold Town. The artisans live in poverty, so they will certainly be willing."

Hearing this, Li Yi struck the table and declared, "Go ahead and do it; all expenses will be covered by the military treasury. If you succeed, I shall record it as a major merit of yours."

With official business concluded, Gao Xiaojia led the members of the Youth Brigade back into the room.

After three rounds of wine, the initial stiffness among the group vanished entirely. Stirred by youthful high spirits, cups were exchanged amid rising laughter, and the atmosphere instantly grew much warmer.

It was not until night was falling that Li Yi, supported by Buyan, returned to his quarters.

Having dealt with numerous affairs today, the various sources of power at his disposal had become much clearer.

First was the Farmers' Association, responsible for organizing and managing the populace; second was the Broken Gold garrison, tasked with troop training and military campaigns.

Finally, there was the commercial caravan managed by Fan Yongnian and Gao Xiaojia.

These three spheres operated independently of one another yet remained interconnected, collectively forming the three pillars of Li Yi's power base: human resources, military force, and financial assets.

For the upcoming period, Li Yi intended to capitalize on the time spent training new recruits by establishing a firearm unit, along with setting up an optimized logistical supply system.

Naturally, such endeavors would require the expenditure of massive amounts of silver.

Li Yi had calculated during this period that the funds used within the Broken Gold garrison to subsidize officers and men amounted to just under twenty thousand taels.

This constituted the public accounts, utilized for the distribution of military pay. All officers and men of the Broken Gold garrison could draw a monthly stipend based on their rank, length of service, and contributions.

Then there was the military treasury, which, augmented by the latest haul of seized goods, held over fifty thousand taels.

These funds were primarily applied toward purchasing military provisions, forging weaponry, expanding troop strengths, and distributing reward silver and death benefits.

Apart from the public accounts and the military treasury, Li Yi actually retained a portion of the silver from every campaign.

This portion formed his private treasury—a fund that was half-public and half-private, amounting to roughly seven or eight thousand taels.

The uses for these funds were more miscellaneous; for instance, the antiques used as bribes for Yang He on this occasion were drawn from the private treasury.

Finally, there was Li Yi's own personal money chest.

This chest contained over three hundred taels of gold, which, combined with his individual reward money, military pay, official stipends, and business dividends, brought his total to between five and six thousand taels of silver.