Chapter 5: Self-Recommendation

The highest organizational structure of its land forces is the army, which consists of five divisions: front, rear, left, right, and center. These five divisions are overseen by a senior military officer known as the Governor of the Five Armies, who is responsible for military affairs. Each division is further divided into a commander, a chief supervisor, and two assistant supervisors for specific troop command. Below the army level are the towns, which include several differently named towns such as Wuchang Town, Wubing Town, Wuxing Town, Wuyuan Town, Wuchong Town, and Wuxuan Town. Each town is staffed with a town commander, a supervisor, a camp supervisor, a formation supervisor, and a military officer. Below the town level are the brigades, with each town having five brigades named front, rear, left, right, and center, led by a brigade commander. Each brigade oversees five chief sergeants, who in turn supervise two deputy sergeants. The deputy sergeants oversee one squad leader and one charge officer each. Each squad leader and charge officer is responsible for five soldiers. With this structure, a brigade consists of approximately 200 personnel, and a town should have no fewer than 1,000 troops. However, due to the Zheng army's numerous battles and the loss of its mainland recruitment sources, there are significant shortages, often resulting in numbers falling to around half of the expected strength. With this structure, a brigade consists of approximately 200 personnel, and a town should have no fewer than 1,000 troops. However, due to the Zheng army's numerous battles and the loss of its mainland recruitment sources, there are significant shortages, often resulting in numbers falling to around half of the expected strength

The final results were announced, and the five boys who were not selected suddenly burst into tears

"Returning to the eldest son, no, to the officer. " This boy was clearly two years older than the few beside him, thus quite astute. Having been the first to take advantage of the situation earlier, he now noticed that Zheng Kezang showed no interest in the title of 'eldest son' and immediately changed his words. "I am Hong Hui, my father is Hong Lei, and I am fourteen years old this year"

"Oh, the son of Hong Bingguan." Zheng Kezang looked at him unexpectedly, said nothing more, and directly appointed him. "You were the first to step forward just now, and you did very well, so I appoint you as the class leader of the first class." The other children looked at him with envy, and Zheng Kezang noticed their expressions, smiling slightly, pleased that he had successfully stirred their competitive spirit. "I will also select eight class leaders from among you, following the old rules. Line up, and let the others vote. The top four will be directly elected, and the remaining four will be selected in a second round."

Although you have been selected as class leaders and charge officers this time, whether you can continue in these roles will depend on the performance of your respective teams. The principle is that those who are capable will rise, while those who are not will fall. Of course, there is no need to say too much today; you will understand this better as you carry out your duties in the future

Yu forgot which book he had read a saying from: "A soldier who does not aspire to be a general is not a good soldier." The troops were somewhat restless, but the recent experience of those who had just been punished with the switch was still fresh in their minds, so despite the commotion, no one dared to speak up. "Do you see the white line on the ground? Good, now those who wish to be charge officers or squad leaders, step forward to the white line."

When everyone had finished selecting, only three people remained alone on the field. At this moment, Zheng Kezang summoned Sun Youlao: "Lord Sun, have you prepared the candidates for the team leader as instructed?"

"Don't cry anymore." It was unclear when Zheng Kezang had stepped down from the stage and made his way to the center of the candidates. Upon hearing his admonition, two of the five unsuccessful candidates managed to stifle their tears, while the other three continued to wipe their eyes. "Real men bleed but do not cry. With this attitude, do you still aspire to be squad leaders?"

"Very well, do not speak; I will not give you the opportunity," Zheng Kezang pointed at the two who were not crying. "Sun Youlao, take those two back to the ranks. You three, from now on, will be counted as my personal guards in the central army."

You are bad, why does no one choose us?

Zheng Kezang's purpose in organizing the Boy Scouts is to have a force that can provide close protection for themselves. However, he also hopes to one day expand this nascent small army into the main force of the Ming Zheng. Therefore, the structure and regulations he has drafted for the Boy Scouts have undergone significant changes compared to the current system of the Zheng army.

At this point, Zheng Kezang, regardless of whether they could comprehend his true intentions, proceeded to make a distribution on his own. He assigned the twenty-seven assault officers to each squad leader in order, deliberately disrupting the hierarchy in the process. He arranged for the children of the privileged to have commoners as assault officers under their command, and vice versa. Once the distribution was completed, he then instructed the scouts below to address the assault officers.

"I am Zheng Keshuang, the eldest son of the king and your camp officer," a murmur of whispers and the sound of instructors reprimanding echoed from below the reviewing stand, clearly indicating that this was not yet a disciplined army. "Now that we have formed the army, we shall officially begin our training," Zheng Keshuang continued once the noise subsided to a whisper. "However, before we proceed, there is one more task to accomplish," Zheng Keshuang paused. "That is to appoint three team leaders, nine squad leaders, and twenty-seven charge officers from among you."

Everyone has finally gathered, and this youth camp can be considered officially established.

It is now a selection of 10 out of 15, and those who have not been chosen are feeling even more anxious

The voting process was slow, yet the results came out quickly. The reason is simple and clear: there are only twenty-five bowls with beans. Naturally, these individuals were in high spirits, but there are still ten positions that require a re-election.

Not all of the Zheng army is severely understaffed; at least the Five Guards Cavalry, personally overseen by Zhu Jin, is largely at full strength. The Five Guards Cavalry refers to the Left Martial Guard Town, which is reorganized from the Personal Troops Town, the Left and Right Rongqi Towns, and the Left and Right Wuxiang Towns, as well as the Right Martial Guard Town, the Left Tiger Guard Town, which is reorganized from the Left and Right Xiaoqi Towns, and the specially organized Luanyi Guard Town, which oversees the five battalions of personal attendants on the front, back, left, and right. To distinguish them from ordinary towns, each town in the Five Guards Cavalry is assigned a general and a library, signifying their esteemed status. The Right Tiger Guard Town, reorganized from the Left and Right Xiaoqi Towns, and the specially organized Luanyi Guard Town, which oversees the five battalions of personal attendants on the front, back, left, and right, are also included. To distinguish them from ordinary towns, each town in the Five Guards Cavalry is assigned a general and a library, signifying their esteemed status.

After this unforgettable election, the selection of the nine class leaders has finally come to a conclusion. Among these nine individuals, in addition to Hong Hui, five are descendants of the Zheng family veterans, namely: Wang Ying, the youngest son of the former governor and military affairs officer Wang Xiuqi, who is fourteen years old; Yang Long, the grandson of the former left vanguard Yang Zu, who is thirteen years old; Lin Kang, the younger nephew of the former military officer Lin Ji, who is fourteen years old; and Liu Wenlai, the grandson of the former town commander Liu Jun, who is twelve years old

The current system of Zheng Jun was established by Zhu Chenggong before his expedition to Taiwan, implementing a system of fifty-fifty distribution

"Why not?" one of the chubby boys said while wiping his nose with his sleeve. "I don't believe it; those who got elected can't be stronger than me or run faster than me."

As Zheng Kezang's words came to an end, the anticipated scene of eager competition did not unfold. Although the young boys were somewhat restless, they observed that those around them remained still, and one by one, they restrained themselves, preparing to follow the crowd.

Upon witnessing this scene, Zheng Kezang let out a cold smile and took out a glass hourglass sent by an English merchant: "If you cannot step forward before the sand runs out, then I will assume that you have given up this opportunity on your own. Do not lament your fate at that time."

As for you few," Zheng Kezang pointed to the thirty-six victorious individuals. "You, the first to step forward, what is your name

A group of five individuals, with the squad leader overseeing four members. The performance of the soldiers will be evaluated based on their relationships within each group. You will take turns selecting individuals, with each round allowing for one selection per person, to prevent unfair distribution and potential disputes in the future

Upon hearing this, the little chubby boy stopped crying and happily ran to stand behind Zheng Kezang, dragging along the two who remained. In contrast, the two left behind wore expressions of sorrow. Zheng Kezang did not pay them any attention, as everyone knew that the child who cried would be rewarded with milk from the picture books. Among a group of young boys, they had neither popularity nor the opportunity to complain in front of the officer, so naturally, they would have to endure their share of hardships.

Standing on the reviewing platform constructed with the help of the young boys, Zheng Kezang, clad in a small-sized armor, presented a formidable appearance

The hourglass began to time, and the atmosphere in the team was oppressive. However, how much self-control can children in their teens really have? After waiting for a while, someone finally succumbed to temptation, slowly stepping out of the line and standing before the designated white line. Once one person took the lead, a second followed, and soon, a third and fourth also dashed out from the ranks. Before long, the area in front of the white line was crowded with heads of varying heights.

The sound of the waves rose again, accompanied by the crack of the instructors' whips striking the students and the pained cries of the young boys. Zheng Kezang continued to wait until the place fell utterly silent.

The boy holding the mung beans passed by the candidates in turn, casually tossing the beans to the ones he favored. The candidates, scratching their heads and feeling anxious, were eager to know if they had received any votes. However, in front of them stood an instructor wielding a switch, watching them closely. With no way out, they could only endure the torment of standing there.

Sun Youlao responded with a sound, waved his hand, and three soldiers stepped forward

Zheng Kezang had only 150 soldiers, thus he could only organize them into groups of five, with one squad leader assigned to each group. Three groups formed a squad, which also included a squad leader, totaling sixteen individuals. Three squads made a team, and each team had a leader and a messenger, bringing the total to fifty individuals. Consequently, three teams combined to form a battalion, with the position of battalion commander held by Zheng Kezang himself

Liu Wen, at the age of twelve, being elected as class monitor surprised Zheng Kezang greatly; however, this was not of primary concern to him. What truly worried him was that most of the class monitors came from prominent families. Although Zheng Kezang speculated that some influential families were trying to curry favor with him, speculation does not always reflect reality. This raised his concerns about the control over the youth organization, as, before the concept of the nation-state had deeply rooted itself in people's hearts, family loyalty was the primary allegiance for many. Fortunately, three commoners—Ma Ying, a fisherman’s son; An Long, a descendant of Minbei immigrants; and Li Shun, a Hakka descendant—were also elected as class monitors, which allowed him to breathe a little easier.

Zheng Kezang led the newly appointed class leaders and charge officers onto the reviewing stand, introducing each of them to the scouts below, and then solemnly admonished them

There are three remaining young soldiers, each person selects one to serve as a messenger. Since they are all leftovers, the soldiers did not have much to complain about; they casually divided them, and it was considered done. Upon seeing this, Zheng Kezang signaled for the squad leaders to return to their teams. Once all groups, squads, and teams were lined up in order, Zheng Kezang shouted, "Now we will present the flag, Team A's leader, come forward to receive the flag..."

"Instructors, stop the remaining individuals," Zheng Kezang commanded loudly, and thus the hesitant youths could only watch enviously as those who had touched the line moved forward. "Sun Youlao, please count the number of people in front of the white line." The numbers were quickly reported: there were 41 candidates for 36 available spots. "Very well," Zheng Kezang nodded in satisfaction. "Except for the first one who stepped forward, the remaining 40 turned their backs." Following his command, 40 bowls were placed behind the 40 candidates, and the others also received mung beans in their hands. "Although it is too late to think about becoming a charge officer or class leader now, I will give you an opportunity to select from these 40 pre-selected candidates whom you believe would be suitable for the roles of charge officer or class leader." The children facing away from the group were still somewhat confused, but the others began to whisper among themselves. "You only have one chance," Zheng Kezang's voice drowned out the murmurs of conversation. "Although it is too late to think about becoming a charge officer or class leader now, I will give you an opportunity to select from these 40 pre-selected candidates whom you believe would be suitable for the roles of charge officer or class leader." The children facing away from the group were still somewhat confused, but the others began to whisper among themselves. "You only have one chance," Zheng Kezang's voice drowned out the murmurs of conversation. "Once you cast your vote, you cannot change your mind..."