Chapter 24: The Beginnings of the Militia

As he was explaining how to harness core strength, Li Zijing led a group of men to the gate.

“Yi, the able-bodied men from the villages have arrived,” he announced.

Li Yi looked over and counted thirty-four robust young men. They wore tattered jackets, their skin was dark and tinged with red, and their faces bore the pallor of poverty. Their expressions varied—some were curious, some honest and reserved, others sly and cunning. There were certainly more strong men in the villages, but most were unwilling to leave their work and families behind. Among the thirty-four, ten came from Li Family Village, seven from Gao Family Village—Li Yi’s reputation was strongest in these two, and both Elder Gao and Great-Grandfather supported him wholeheartedly. The other villages sent men only out of obligation, reluctant to participate.

Li Yi spotted a familiar face in the crowd—Gao Honest, father of Gao Little Jia.

“Brother Gao, weren’t you heading to Chai Mountain to burn charcoal?” Li Yi asked.

Gao Honest scratched his head and replied, “The village chief said you’re organizing group drills and need people, so I came to help.”

Li Yi felt a surge of warmth—Elder Gao was truly generous toward him. Smiling, he led the men into the courtyard. “You’ve arrived just in time for a meal—everyone, have a bowl of porridge to warm yourselves.”

“After yesterday’s meal, I didn’t need to eat all day,” someone remarked.

“No need to be polite, Yi—grain is precious now, and we’re many,” others chimed in, waving away the offer.

But Li Yi insisted, directing Yun Niang and Li Guo to bring hot porridge. The young men smiled sheepishly, but when the bowls arrived, they eagerly took them, gulping down the porridge. They scraped every grain with their fingers, leaving nothing to waste.

Having eaten, their attitude toward Li Yi softened further. Gao Honest grinned, “Yi, we all know each other from group drills—just tell us what to do.”

Mizhi County sits on the frontier, often threatened by Mongol raids. Whenever danger loomed, the Ai family would organize group drills, urging villagers to build fortifications and train for battle. In critical times, the people of Ganquan County would flee with their families to the official stronghold, relying on its towers to repel the Mongols. These young men had participated in drills before and possessed basic training.

“If that’s the case, I won’t waste words,” Li Yi said, carefully observing them.

“This time, the drills will be different. Previously, we trained every five days; now it will be every three days, and for the next half month, we’ll train daily—practice battle formations, martial skills, and weaponry. By the end, I hope everyone will be ready to fight.”

Hearing about daily training, the men grumbled.

A short, thin fellow protested, “Yi, there’s no farm work now, but we can’t stay here every day!”

“Exactly, drills are for show anyway. Why bother?” others complained.

Li Yi let them vent, silently watching. His calm demeanor inspired respect, and gradually the complaints ceased.

“The drills are voluntary. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time—you won’t be allowed to rejoin later,” Li Yi declared.

The short man immediately said, “I have too much to do at home, can’t manage the drills.”

“Me too,” another added.

Five men withdrew. The rest stayed, motivated by respect and gratitude for Li Yi, though some hesitated.

Li Yi advised, “Once you commit to the drills, everything follows military discipline—those who withdraw later will be held accountable. This is your last chance to leave without consequence.”

The short man couldn’t help but retort, “It’s cold and miserable here—wouldn’t it be better to warm ourselves at home?”

His words prompted five more to step aside.

Gao Honest’s face flushed with anger. “Lin Two Dog, Yi is skilled and capable—he’s organizing drills to protect us all, and you speak so callously? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?”

Lin Two Dog, embarrassed and resentful, replied, “When bandits come, you lot are useless. I won’t risk my life for this.”

Gao Honest, enraged, raised his fist, but Lin Two Dog hid behind his fellow villagers.

Li Yi stepped in, smiling, “Everyone has their own path—no need to force anyone.”

Gao Honest reluctantly backed down.

Li Yi looked at the twenty-four remaining men. This was better than he’d expected. He had insisted on intensive training both to quickly build fighting strength and to select those who were steadfast and loyal—a core group to cultivate. Those who left were indecisive, selfish, and cunning—the kind who would undermine any army.

With the troublemakers gone, it was time to offer incentives so the remaining men could train wholeheartedly.

A smile spread across Li Yi’s face. He announced loudly, “According to drill regulations, the twenty-four remaining will form a single squad. I will serve as squad leader. We’ll divide into two platoons, each with two squads of six men. Training will be tough, but for the next half month, you’ll have three meals a day, and at the end, each will receive a hundred copper coins. How does that sound?”

Under the recruitment system, frontier troops were organized in squads of five, twenty-five men to a team, five teams to a post, three posts to a command under a captain. Li Yi’s arrangement created platoons of twelve within this structure.

In previous drills, the military structure was adopted, with fortress commanders (overall leaders), financial officers, and team leaders (battle leaders). But participants had to bring their own food and build fortifications. The young men never expected Li Yi’s drills would offer three meals a day and money. Even hard labor like charcoal-burning didn’t earn fifty coins in half a month.

At this news, the remaining men grinned, energized and eager. Those who had withdrawn were crestfallen, filled with regret.

“Yi, we were misled by Lin Two Dog—we’d like to join the drills,” pleaded one.

Li Yi’s tone was calm. “As I said, those who leave cannot rejoin.”

A few tried to appeal again, but seeing Li Yi’s gaze grow cold, they fell silent.

To practice martial arts under Li Yi, earn a hundred coins, and eat three meals a day—such an opportunity was gone.

Thinking this, the men who had followed Lin Two Dog glared at him fiercely, wishing they could devour him whole. Lin Two Dog’s face turned pale, and he quickly slipped away.

Next, Li Yi asked An Niang to bring paper and brush to register the participants.

Li Yi was fully responsible for the drills. He assigned ten men from Li Family Village to one platoon, seven from Gao Family Village to another, and distributed the rest among the two platoons. This ensured support from both Li and Gao families, preventing trouble from the others.

As for platoon leaders, Li Yi had already arranged with Li Zijing. Li Zijing would lead the first platoon and serve as squad leader for the first squad; Gao Honest, reliable and upright, would lead the second platoon and the first squad of that platoon. The remaining squad leaders would be chosen during training, based on merit.

After consideration, Li Yi had Li Guo and his young friends form a third platoon. Li Guo would serve as platoon leader and squad leader; Gao Little Jia would lead the second squad of the third platoon.

Thus, the organizational structure of the Ganquan drills was clear. But structure alone was not enough—equipment, weapons, banners, and drums were still lacking, and solutions would need to be found.