Chapter 81: Military-Style Management

Unconsciously, an entire hour had slipped by. During this waiting period, not many people arrived with their packs, prepared to follow Chu Yun westward. Clearly, those truly intent on following him had already gathered here early.

Chu Yun decided there was no need to wait any longer. He asked Huang Daniu to help him lift the jar, then used it as a makeshift megaphone to call out, "Alright, we won't wait any longer. Let's set off. We'll go ahead, and everyone can follow at a brisk pace. Let's try to cover thirty li before the sun is at its peak, then find a grove to make a fire and cook."

Calculating the time, he reasoned it was not yet nine o’clock. There were still over three hours before noon, so covering thirty li should be manageable.

With those words, Chu Yun headed west. The others quickly followed.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, they had traveled more than thirty li, and conveniently, a grove lay ahead, offering a place to rest in the shade.

Chu Yun had everyone halt, then used the jar to amplify his voice: "Everyone, rest where you are for now. I’ll count heads before we start the fire and cook, lest we prepare too much food and waste it."

Upon hearing this, the crowd sat down where they stood.

Chu Yun approached Bai Hao and said, "Sir Bai, I’ll have to trouble your men to help with the headcount."

Bai Hao replied, "No trouble at all, my lord."

Chu Yun continued, "When you count, do it by household. For every three households, select one clever and reliable person to act as a small household leader. Then, for every three of these units, choose a middle household leader, and so on—upwards to large household leaders, squad leaders, platoon leaders, and company leaders."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Bai Hao smiled, "My lord, it’s quite simple—we understand. I truly admire you. To think you could apply military management here! In the army, it’s ten-man, hundred-man, and thousand-man leaders, with ten as the base unit. Considering each household has several members, your use of three as a unit is quite flexible. Impressive!"

Chu Yun smiled faintly. In truth, he hadn’t originally intended for Bai Hao’s cavalry to handle the count; he’d meant for Chen Ping and Chen Jun to do it. But he realized Bai Hao would likely report back to Prince Qi regardless. Rather than conceal his methods, it was better to have Bai Hao carry them out himself. This way, even if reports were made, it wouldn’t seem as though he was estranged from Bai Hao. Growing familiar was the first step to drawing Bai Hao into his own circle.

Bai Hao promptly ordered his cavalry squad to begin the count. The first tally was slow, as it involved selecting small and middle household leaders and other administrators. It took nearly another hour before they finished.

In the end, the tally showed there were sixty-nine households, with a total of 326 people, including Chu Yun, Chen Ping’s family, and the cavalry squad. This number was within Chu Yun’s expectations.

Sixty-nine households meant twenty-three small household leaders, from whom eight middle household leaders were chosen, then three large household leaders were selected from among them.

Once the cavalry finished their report, Chu Yun said to Bai Hao, "Captain Bai, please call over the twenty-three leaders for me."

"Understood, my lord," Bai Hao replied, soon gathering them.

To Chu Yun’s surprise, Yang Hong—the notorious street rogue—had joined them, his head now shaven, and had even become a small household leader.

Yang Hong, noticing Chu Yun’s gaze, hurriedly said with a grin, "My lord, I may have been a scoundrel before, but I’ve changed. I want to learn from you and be a good man. I hope you won’t hold my past against me and will give me this chance."

Chu Yun nodded slightly, patting his shoulder. "Very well, I believe in you."

"Thank you, thank you, my lord!" Yang Hong exclaimed, delighted. "Haha, who would have thought that I, Yang Hong, would see the day I became an official!"

Hearing this, Chu Yun snorted, "Yang Hong, don’t abuse the little authority you’ve been given."

"I wouldn’t dare, my lord!" Yang Hong replied, startled, hastily dropping to his knees.

Chu Yun nodded, "Stand up. I said I trust you."

He then looked around at the twenty-three managers and addressed them: "I trust you all as well. No matter who you were before or what you may have done, I choose to put my faith in you. I hope you’ll do your jobs well and not let me down. If you perform admirably, there will be rewards."

Hearing talk of rewards, the group smiled with increasing enthusiasm. They knew Chu Yun was not a miser; taking up these management roles was sure to bring profit.

"Rest assured, my lord! I’ll do my best to serve and not disappoint you."

"Whatever you require of us, we shall do."

"From now on, we belong to you, my lord..."

Each responded eagerly, brimming with motivation.

Chu Yun nodded, smiling. "Good. I believe in you. Which three of you are the large household leaders? Step forward."

Three people stepped out, all of whom Chu Yun recognized.

The man on the far left was Chu Wencai, a scholar who taught in Chu Family Town. Chu Yun was pleasantly surprised, for in this culturally backward place, a man who could read and write was a rare and valuable talent.

In the center stood a young man called Chu Lefu, short and plump—resembling a winter melon and even nicknamed as such. Despite being under twenty-five, he was versatile: woodworking, blacksmithing, weaving, hunting, and even sewing and kitchen work were within his abilities. Though not an expert in any, he was competent at all, and in such an environment, could be called a prodigy—his ambitions likely drove him to leave Chu Family Town and seek his fortune alongside Chu Yun.

On the right was a tall, powerfully built woman, her muscles pronounced—a veritable Amazon. Her name was Chu Cuihua, the town’s butcher, fierce and fiery, feared by many. That a woman could become a large household leader did not surprise Chu Yun. Here, though women ranked below men, their numbers were overwhelming—of the 326 people, 190 were women—so they shouldered much of the work. Having a woman as a manager was practical, and of the twenty-three managers, eleven were women. Moreover, Chu Cuihua was exceptional; even many men dared not defy her.