Chapter 36: Recruiting Beggars

After the doctor examined Pang Yueting, he prescribed some medicine for her. She had been suffering from a high fever, a cough, and a stomach ailment recently, so the doctor advised her to dress warmly. He recommended a light, nutritious diet and asked her to return for a follow-up visit in a few days. The total cost for the treatment was six hundred and fifty wen. Jiang Yi paid the medical expenses, planning to take the siblings to the Qian Family Silk Shop later to buy them some clothes.

"Captain Qin, is your wife feeling unwell?" Jiang Yi asked quietly. There were too many people around to ask about the situation in the city.

"My wife has been a bit under the weather lately, so I brought her to see the doctor today. He told us she is pregnant." Qin Lu’s anxious heart finally settled, and a look of excited joy appeared on his face.

"Congratulations on the coming addition to your family!" Jiang Yi said.

"Thank you! When will you be delivering the soap and perfume?" Ever since Qian Muyun began collaborating with Jiang Yi, she had made a great deal of money. The supplies Jiang Yi provided were in high demand, and because he hadn't delivered any in the last few days, the shop was running low on stock.

"I might not be able to make any deliveries for the next few days. You know how things are lately." Both Qin Lu and Qian Muyun were aware that the Fire Lotus Sect was causing chaos, leading many shops to close their doors. The Qian Family Silk Shop would also be closing in two days, as the city’s residents were busy hoarding grain and daily necessities.

As they walked and talked, they arrived at the silk shop. "Once the imperial army suppresses the Fire Lotus Sect and Hanzhou returns to peace, I will be able to resume supplying soap and perfume." Jiang Yi planned to move the villagers into the mountains upon his return and organize the young men for training. He could not rely entirely on the imperial troops; the Fire Lotus Sect had turned every county in Hanzhou upside down, yet the local garrisons had failed to eliminate or expel them, much to the disappointment of the people. Hanzhou Governor Ma Xu had already petitioned the imperial court, hoping for reinforcements to suppress the sect.

"You should prepare as many daily necessities as you can before you leave. Starting tomorrow, no one will be allowed in or out of the city," Qin Lu warned. The people in the city were panicking, and prices were continuing to rise. Qin Lu shared this news to ensure Jiang Yi could prepare in advance. The governor and the prefect had already issued an order to seal the city gates starting the next day.

"Thank you for the warning; I will buy what I need before I head back." Jiang Yi bought several sets of clothes for the Pang siblings and purchased all the remaining linen and hemp cloth in the shop. Before leaving Hanyang, he decided to recruit some young, able-bodied beggars from the West City to serve as guards. He bid farewell to the Qin couple, gifting Qian Muyun two gold leaves as a present for her unborn child.

Qian Muyun accepted them with a smile, knowing they were a gesture of Jiang Yi’s kindness. Jiang Yi had his servants follow his shopping list, and after the purchases were made, they headed to the West City. This area, home to many beggars and the impoverished, was dilapidated; aside from the main road, the paths were either muddy or riddled with potholes. Those who were better off lived in the south and east of the city, while the Hanyang government office was in the center. Wu Shimiao was shocked by the squalor of the homes, which stood in stark contrast to the prosperous areas they had passed through. Most of the beggars lived in a ruined temple, their only shelter.

Pang Xiong went ahead to speak with the beggars, telling them that if they chose to follow Jiang Yi, they would have food, new clothes, and wages. Jiang Yi intended to recruit them as guards and put them through military training. He was no longer short on funds, and he planned to set up tents in the mountains on the outskirts of Niutou Mountain. Jiang Yi specified that any beggar between the ages of sixteen and thirty could join him. The women could handle laundry, cooking, and other chores.

A moment later, over sixty beggars stood before Jiang Yi. They were disheveled and unkempt, some even lacking shoes. They were thin and truly pitiful. "Pang Xiong told you, didn't he? As long as you are willing to follow me, you will have food, clothes, and wages." Pang Xiong had indeed told them everything, and upon hearing the promise of food and money, they were ecstatic. Usually, they survived on scraps—a buckwheat cake or half a bowl of millet porridge on a lucky day.

"You aren't tricking us, are you? People have played us for fools before," one beggar asked, though he hoped Jiang Yi was telling the truth so he would never have to go hungry again.

"I am not lying to you, but I must be clear: if you want these things, you must obey my orders."

"As long as you give us food, we will listen to you, as long as it isn't anything illegal." The beggars were still law-abiding; their only wish was to eat their fill.

"I will not ask you to do anything illegal. Each of you will receive a set of clothes and shoes. Go to the bathhouse; I will pay for you to wash up." Jiang Yi had bought every piece of adult civilian clothing from the silk shop, at sixty wen per set including shoes. He waited for them there, giving the money to Pang Xiong along with several bars of soap for them to use.

He had considered hiring servants from an employment agency, but upon inquiry, he found they had none available. "Are you not worried about recruiting these beggars?" Wu Shimiao asked, concerned that they might be unreliable, as they had lost their homes and families for various reasons.

"It is difficult to hire people right now, and these beggars meet my requirements," Jiang Yi replied. He had made it clear to them that to have food and clothing, they must obey him. They would surely comply, as they never wanted to live a life of hunger and cold again.

After a long while, Pang Xiong returned with the group. Having bathed and changed into clean clothes, they looked refreshed. "These new clothes are so comfortable! We will listen to you from now on. If anyone disobeys, we'll deal with them!"

"Good. As long as you work hard, I will never treat you unfairly." There were fifty able-bodied men and fifteen young women. Jiang Yi recruited them, believing they could handle logistics. The ox carts and mule carts he had borrowed were packed with supplies, so everyone else had to walk back to Funiu Village.

More than an hour later, they arrived at the village. The villagers watched as the carts, loaded with goods, pulled up with a large group of people. Shen Rong came out to greet them: "Husband, you're back. Why have you brought so many people?"

"These are the people I recruited. Over the next few days, take the women in the village and have them make more clothes; we will need them later." With the chaos caused by the Fire Lotus Sect, this was a perfect opportunity for Jiang Yi to establish a small private militia. Since wealthy merchants all had dozens or hundreds of guards, his actions were reasonable and legal.

"If the village women are to make clothes, we must pay them."

"That’s fine. Pay them forty wen a day." Jiang Yi was no longer short of money.

"At the hour of the sheep this afternoon, Butler Zhao sent some bows, spears, swords, and axes. He said they were lent to us to deal with the Fire Lotus Sect, and we are to return them once the sect is destroyed." Shen Rong told Jiang Yi about Zhao Tuo’s visit, and the weapons had already been placed inside. Jiang Yi had been worried about the lack of weaponry during the journey and had even considered trying to buy some from the Zhao family.

"The Zhao family is being too kind to us. What is their motive?" Shen Rong was somewhat worried; the Zhao family would not help them without a reason.

"The Zhao family wants to use our strength to wipe out the Fire Lotus Sect. Don't worry too much. Since they gave them to us, we will accept them." Jiang Yi suspected that the weapons might have been provided by the Zhang family, who stood behind the Zhao family; they certainly didn't want him dying at the hands of the Fire Lotus Sect.