Volume 1 Jiangdong Fengyun Chapter 35 I rely on my sincerity
What does it take to subdue famous generals?
Of course it’s a sincere heart!
There are many things in Bai Tu’s hard drive, such as Shu brocade embroidery craftsmanship, but these are not the point.
"My lord, I have eight hundred Jinfan bandits under my command, who can help you accomplish your goal!" With Bai Tu's sincerity, Gan Ning not only swore obeisance to the lord, but also brought his own troops.
But regarding the Jinfan bandits, Bai Tu asked very cautiously: "Although I have heard before that the Jinfan bandits would not easily kill people, but... our army is a benevolent and righteous army, and the laws have always been strict. The past can be ignored, but if there are any acts that disturb the people in the future, military law will not show mercy! Xingba, how many people do you think can withstand this military law?"
Gan Ning thought for a moment and said, "I can control the hundred men I trust...but the rest of you can be placed in any place in Jing or Yang, and they are more than capable of being squad leaders or personal guards."
The sergeant is already the lowest-ranking officer, and at most he commands seven or eight "soldiers". He can be said to be the lowest-ranking officer and the lowest rank among all real soldiers in the army.
As for the personal guards, they are considered a special case in the army. They can often be served by real people and are bound to be the most loyal soldiers!
These pirates don't have any strange concubines, so they are naturally real people.
"It is easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it is difficult to win the hearts of the people. This is not negotiable." Bai Tu shook his head.
Bai Tu believed what Gan Ning
"If my lord insists, I can choose the ones myself," said Gan Ning.
"How much is the severance pay? You have to tell them that after they return home... that's all! In short, tell them that if they want to join the invaders again, we will show no mercy when we meet on the battlefield someday! If they don't know what to do after they return home, they can wait. When we take control of Jiangdong in the future, we will recruit them to do other work." Bai Tu was still thinking about paying some severance pay.
Although Bai Tu has no money, his godfather... no, stepfather still has some family assets, which should be enough to dismiss a few hundred people.
"Hehe, my lord, please don't forget what I do. There is naturally a need to disband the soldiers in the water fort... I can also provide you with some military expenses!" Gan Ning was straightforward enough to even bring his own military pay.
"No, if there are still some left... There seem to be quite a few pirates in the Yangtze River? Xingba, help me identify one or two, select loyal and righteous men to speak for me, and tell them that I, Bai Tu, do not look at their background, but only their ability and merit. However, if they join me, they must agree to three rules and not do anything that disrupts military discipline." Bai Tu said.
"I know what's going on." Gan Ning nodded.
"As for the expenses, just pay from your funding!" Bai Tu said.
Gan Ning: ...
Gan Ning looked at the white map speechlessly, then said "yes".
"My Lord, you promised me..."
"When I arrive in Qu'a, I will definitely start with the confrontation with Yuan Shu. However... as long as I have some free time, this new brocade will be the key to my raising funds! And I promise you, any style of new brocade or new satin, the first one will always be yours!" Bai Tu agreed.
Gan Ning then smiled - just using the "precious" Shu brocade to show off was no longer enough to satisfy Gan Ning, from now on... he would use limited edition Shu brocade!
In fact, if someone else said that he had improved Shu brocade, Gan Ning would not believe it at all. However, for Bai Tu, who improved the papermaking technique and invented printing, the impact was naturally much greater. Moreover, Bai Tu also vaguely suggested a general direction for improvement to Gan Ning.
As a Shu brocade fan who came from a Shu County noble family, Gan Ning had also seen the production process of Shu brocade. What Bai Tu said... sounds like it makes sense!
"Don't be so narrow-minded. Follow me and you will have many good things to show off in the future!" said Bai Tu.
Gan Ning simply curled his lips at this and thought to himself: Is there anything better than Shu brocade?
Kong Rong had just been held back by Chen Gong and was unable to come in with Gan Ning and Taishi Ci at the first opportunity. When Kong Rong entered the cabin, he saw Gan Ning and Taishi Ci had already paid their respects to the lord. He couldn't help but sigh that Mr. Bai was indeed an extraordinary person.
After Chen Gong followed in, he also showed a relieved look - he had deliberately restrained Kong Rong to give Bai Tu time.
Chen Gong thought that recruiting brave generals must involve looking to the future, and Kong Rong was a Confucian scholar who naturally leaned towards the Han Dynasty. Some promises and prospects were not suitable to be mentioned in front of him.
Now it seems that Bai Tu did not disappoint him, which is a good thing for Lu Bu and Chen Gong himself!
However, he didn't know that Bai Tu didn't mention any prospects at all. He did have promises for them, but they were not quite the same as what Chen Gong thought.
As for empty talk about conferring titles of nobility, appointing generals, ennobling wives and granting privileges to children, Bai Tu was somewhat reluctant to talk about it.
He could only promise what he could do, such as not harming the people and improving Shu brocade... There was no reason why Bai Tu couldn't do these.
Even if one day Bai Tu was surrounded by enemies and in danger, he could leave the craftsmanship of improving Shu brocade to Gan Ning as a will!
It is easier to promise someone a bright future than to improve Shu brocade. After all, a goal that is too ambitious is equivalent to having no goal at all. But... what if the bright future goes against the faith and integrity that you uphold in your heart?
Bai Tu has been suffering from insomnia and nightmares recently - the matters of getting married and becoming a godfather have been lingering in his mind.
It’s not that he regretted anything, but this incident made Bai Tu clearly realize that the values of this world are incompatible with Bai Tu’s “modern” values of the past twenty years.
Bai Tu understood that it was impossible for him to make the world completely change to suit his own needs, so he did not directly write the primer into elementary school ideology and morality teaching materials. He had to acknowledge that values and moral concepts were specific to the times.
But at the same time, Bai Tu was still struggling in his heart, and he did not think that it was his fault for being out of tune with the times...
At least Bai Tu does not want to abandon the most core things, but he cannot completely compromise with the times.
Before thinking all these things through clearly, Bai Tu could not honestly say what he really wanted, and he could not accept in his heart that he was forming an interest group by promising others a so-called "future".
But no matter what, Bai Tu has already used his "sincere heart" to gain the loyalty of Taishi Ci and Gan Ning.
Afterwards, Taishi Ci temporarily served as the captain, in charge of Bai Tu's guards, while Gan Ning went to dismiss his old subordinates first - the way of identification was very simple, Gan Ning told everyone that they could choose their own future, either take the money and food in the water fort, return to Jiangdong to live a comfortable life, and wait for Gan Ning to find them in the future, or continue to follow Gan Ning!
Even without asking for money, they were willing to follow Gan Ning's confidants, as Gan Ning believed that they would not violate military discipline.
Gan Ning did not go with Bai Tu, but took people to recruit other Yangtze River pirates for Bai Tu. Bai Tu had also told him that he could eliminate the truly vicious pirates who refused to surrender or disband...
