After resting in Tongzhou City for a night, when the city gate was opened in the morning, Wu Shigong left Tongzhou City and returned to his military camp. And those people had already sorted out their bags, and they were waiting for Wu Shigong to come back, so that he could go home after receiving two buckets of grain.

Wu Shigong called Zhou Xun, He Fei and other officers over, and asked them to announce among the people: As long as these people are willing to stay with Wu Shigong, Wu Shigong will pay three taels of silver for each of them. In addition, arrange for them to serve as auxiliaries in the Runing Battalion, receive 30% of the military salary, and after passing the training, they can also be transferred to regular soldiers and receive full military salaries.

To be honest, Wu Shigong's conditions are indeed quite attractive to these people. However, they were reluctant to leave their hometowns, and secondly, the reputation of the Ming Dynasty's officers and soldiers was simply too stinky, even if they had personal experience in Wu Shigong's camp and knew that Wu Shigong's army did not deduct military salaries and could eat enough every day, but there were still few people who were willing to stay.

Zuihou, there are only about 60 people who have no family members and have nothing to worry about, and they are willing to follow Wu Shigong to Runing Mansion. Wu Shigong was also a little helpless about this situation.

Wu Shigong's current domestic slaves and military households in Qianhusu, in fact, the population ratio is very uncoordinated. There are fewer young and strong men, and more women and children are old and weak. In the process of transferring soldiers in the past, Wu Shigong even transferred a large part of the military households in the Thousand Households. Therefore, now those who work in the farmland of the thousand households even use some strong women.

In the process of expanding the army this time, Wu Shigong did not want to recruit more locals from Henan. Because, after all, Wu Shigong was an outsider, and when there were few people at that time, he could still hold down the guards he brought from the capital. But if there are too many locals, Wu Shigong is afraid that they will form a group in the future and form a big tail. So, Wu Shigong set his sights on the refugees outside Tongzhou.

When Wu Shigong arranged articulate calligraphy and ink and led people to recruit refugees in the refugee group, the whole refugee group was boiling. If it weren't for the hundreds of soldiers guarding Shumo, they might have been trampled into pulp by those refugees.

Wu Shigong's explanation to Shumo is very simple, as long as there are refugees with skills, Wu Shigong needs them. As long as they can read and settle accounts; There is a craft, and there is a carpenter and blacksmith to work; those who can raise horses and ride horses; will know how to use a few tricks...... Even if he knows some fur, Wu Shigong has to take it down.

What Wu Shigong didn't expect was that his standards had been lowered so low, and when he arrived in Zuihou, among the tens of thousands of refugees, he only recruited more than 200 people. Including their families, there are only more than 500 people. What Wu Shigong didn't know was that some craftsmen could have found a job in Tongzhou City a long time ago and could support their families, who would still be mixed up in the shack? The only thing the remaining refugees will do is to farm.

There was no way, after thinking about it, Wu Shigong asked the soldiers to move a big stone weighing more than fifty catties, and asked Shumo to announce that as long as someone could lift the stone, Wu Shigong could still recruit him. However, the number of places is limited, and Wu Shigong only recruits 500 people.

The news immediately confused the somewhat disappointed refugees. They all scrambled to push forward. If Wu Shigong hadn't mobilized soldiers later, punched and kicked the refugees, and announced that if he didn't line up properly, he would have disqualified the refugees. Then there is no way for Wu Shigong's recruitment work to be launched.

Although this big stone weighs only about 50 pounds, it is indeed a hurdle for those refugees who are semi-starving. Only nearly a third of the refugees were able to lift it without any problems.

Wu Shigong smiled and looked at the refugees who were tested in front of Shumo, and thought to himself: "These refugees who can pass without a full meal must have no major problems with their physical condition." As long as you practice well, you will become a haode soldier. ”

Chi Erwa is only 11 years old this year and lives in a village near Tongzhou. This time the Tartar came, Chi Erwa fled with her parents and a seven-year-old sister, and was separated from her parents on the way to escape. He could only take his sister to the outside of Tongzhou with the flow of refugees.

After that, Chi Erwa and her sister mixed into a group of little beggars, they went around asking for food every day, plus doing some petty theft, Chi Erwa and her sister barely survived.

Today, I heard that an adult was going to recruit refugees, and Chi Erwa also brought her sister over. Relying on their small stature, Chi Erwa and her sister passed through the gap in the crowd and squeezed into the front row.

But when the refugees were recruited, Chi Erwa found that it was impossible to meet such a request. Looking at her yellow-skinned sister beside her, Chi Erwa suddenly became impulsive. He saw the adult standing behind the refugee booth. Suddenly, he let go of his sister's hand, and suddenly ran from among the soldiers who were maintaining order to the adult.

The guards beside Wu Shigong suddenly saw a little beggar running towards Wu Shigong, and they immediately pounced on it and pressed the little beggar to the ground. Some of the guards drew their knives and put them on the little beggar's neck.

Chi Erwa felt the knife on his neck, and felt terrified in his heart, and he cried hoarsely: "My lord, you can do it." Take in our brothers and sisters, and we will make you a cow and a horse for a lifetime. ”

Wu Shigong looked at the appearance of the little beggar and felt that a teenager should not pose any threat to him. So he asked the guards to put away their knives. Although Wu Shigong looked at this little beggar and felt a little pitiful, the little beggar should also be very clever. But Wu Shigong definitely couldn't agree to this little beggar on the spot, that is, to throw sparks in the powder keg of refugees.

So, Wu Shigong pointed at the little beggar and shouted: "Dare to rush into this official and arrest him and his sister to the barracks." After receiving the order, the guards immediately dragged Chi Erwa and his crying sister away.

By dusk, Shumo had finally enrolled five hundred people. The jubilation of the enrollments of the refugees and the frustration of those who were not were were in stark contrast.

After Wu Shigong announced the completion of the team, those refugees who were not recruited let out a deafening cry. Wu Shigong is indifferent to this, it's not that he is hard-hearted, he just doesn't have the ability to fully alleviate these refugees.

In fact, the refugees who were recruited did not get any haode conditions. Except that they all had to be transferred to the status of Wu Shigong's family slaves, they only provided them and their families with enough food for half a year, and had no income. After half a year, they will be able to get a small amount of remuneration based on their performance. However, it is good that these refugees, who are struggling to die of starvation, can be recruited as domestic slaves.

After returning to the camp, Shumo came over and asked, "Young master, what should I do with those two little beggars?" ”

Wu Shigong glanced at Shumo angrily and said, "What can I do?" Do you want to kill them? Master, I'm not a butcher. Two children, and it doesn't cost much food, just raise them. ”

"Alas!" Shumo smiled and agreed.

Wu Shigong then instructed: "Tomorrow you go again, bring 200 stone of grain, boil some gruel and give alms." Then go and recruit some male orphans who have no parents and are between the ages of 10 and 15. Remember, how many are enrolled. ”

Shumo asked Wu Shigong with some puzzlement: "Young master, what's the use of recruiting some children?" ”

"You know. You can understand my thoughts, young master, so how should I mix up, young master? Wu Shigong smiled and scolded Shumo away.

In the process of Wu Shigong's reign of Qinwang, there was an incident of soldiers fleeing. In the final analysis, it is that those soldiers are not loyal enough to Wu Shigong.

And when Wu Shigong was in Guide Mansion, he found that in addition to the guards he brought out of the capital, the most loyal to him were the dozens of orphans led by his apprentice Tao Xin.

After Wu Shigong saw this little beggar today, he suddenly thought of recruiting such a group of orphans. Although it may not be useful for a while, in a few years, when those orphans grow up, they will become the most loyal to themselves. And what Wu Shigong has to pay is just to feed and clothe those orphans in the past few years.

Wu Shigong did not feel guilty at all about recruiting child laborers and scouts. As long as it's good for you, to hell with those morals.

When he arrived in Zuihou, Wu Shigong recruited a total of more than 260 refugees with a skill, as well as 500 refugees who were physically strong. Including their families, there are more than 2,200 people in total.

In total, Shumo enrolled more than 600 male orphans. And it's a sigh of goodness. Among them, more than 300 are not orphans, they were all given to Wu Shigong because their families could not support them.

After doing all this, Tang Liu also sent someone to inform Wu Shigong that their fleet was about to arrive at Tongzhou Wharf. Wu Shigong immediately asked He Fei to lead 300 soldiers as an advance to receive these ships. He led the brigade and drove to Tongzhou Wharf.