Chapter 55: Picking Servants (III)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The shopkeeper recommended a man who was heavily built, but Jiang Pengji could tell right away that the slave was weak. He had the appearance of strength, but this may have just been a characteristic that he had inherited from his parents. Jiang Pengji could easily defeat two men like him.

A two-year famine in his hometown had not left many calluses on his fingers or tanned skin on his arms. He did not have the marks of diligent farming or hunting, so Jiang Pengji guessed that he was selling himself to the slave market for money to bury his dead parents.

The moment she made her assumption, the man looked at her with shock and fear.

The old woman didn’t know how Jiang Pengji knew the man’s history, but she was embarrassed. She could not afford to ruin the reputation of her business. She thought she could gain the Langjun’s trust by recommending a strong slave, but she had not expected that the young master would reject her recommendation so directly.

“This one, too, is out of question. Even I do not frequent wine stores, brothels, or gambling houses the way he does. I doubt he will work at all.”

The shopkeeper nearly tore her handkerchief. That slave had been her second choice. He was a 21-year-old man, and he was healthy, literate, smart, and observant of the masters’ moods. The old woman thought he would be an ideal servant. How did the Langjun draw his conclusions? The shopkeeper herself did not know about the slave’s habits!

Jiang Pengji continued, “This one has a bad ankle. It is evident when he walks fast. He cannot be our guard.”

The old woman became even more confused. She had made sure that the slaves had no diseases or disabilities. That had been her first priority. But she noticed that the man was diverting his gaze, so she believed that what Jiang Pengji had said was true.

“And this one likes to sexually harass little boys. We do not want such filth in our house.”

Jiang Pengji continued to disqualify several other candidates for various reasons. Everyone listened to her with widened eyes and open mouths.

After that, Jiang Pengji observed those who stayed and ordered, “Show me your right hand.”

People from this era were generally malnourished and unhealthy. She could not be too demanding. She must adjust her high standards and choose the least undesirable candidates from the group. She had just removed the problematic candidates in the first round, and she would use the second round to find those who had the most potential.

Shuibian Sanguo Nanshen: “Host, you can tell by feeling their bones?”

It was common in novels for masters to check the servants’ bones to determine their health. But how did it work?

Jiang Pengji didn’t know how to do this, but she could roughly discern the slaves’ bone structures by looking at their arms. In fact, her mind could analyze every living creature as a skeleton if she wanted to.

Host V: “I cannot. Although one’s physical structure is an important factor, it is not the only one. And these people are in different stages of puberty, so their bodies and bones are still growing. That will affect my judgment. Apart from their physical potential, it is more important for warriors to have mental strength, which can sometimes bring about miracles.”

Shuibian Sanguo Nanshen: “I see. How many of them will you choose?”

Host V: “I value quality over quantity. I plan to nurture only a few guards. We can take our time and do this step by step.”

She had been reading Strategies in War and other books about the battlefield, and she had also asked Liu She about some details. Now she had a better understanding of wars in this period.

Suppose there was a battle between two parties. Party A had an army with 200,000 soldiers, while Party B had 150,000 soldiers. If military strength was the only factor, most people would think Party A was more likely to win.

In fact, a large army was not necessarily an advantage. Though there would be 350,000 men participating in the fight in total, in reality, only 50,000 soldiers would really make a difference.

On the battlefield, the elite troops were the key to victory. Other soldiers were only there to make the scene grander. They simply held sharpened branches in their hands for weapons and wore rough, thin clothes to cover their bodies. But not even those who were lucky enough to wear leather would be protected against their opponents’ attacks.

Once an elite troop gained half the victory, the other soldiers of the winning party would then charge to their equally weak enemies. Panicked, their opponents would run away, dissolving their orderly arrangement, and they would be defeated.

In history, there were a number of instances when a smaller army won against the larger one.

Jiang Pengji decided to make her troops elite, although their power and ability would be far from satisfactory according to the standards from her era.

“This, this, and this. Mark their names on the sheet.”

Finally, she picked 15 people. The majority were under the age of 15, and the rest were young men.

“Are these all I can get?” Jiang Pengji seemed displeased and turned to the shopkeeper. “I need more boys.”

The housekeeper was relieved that Jiang Pengji had selected the servants with such strict standards. He could see Master Liu’s traits in the Langjun.

Meanwhile, the old woman hesitated. In her eyes, the little master was too mysterious.

“You may pick from the others, but they may not suit your requirements. Some of them have committed crimes before…”

The slave market obtained its supply from numerous sources: those from a clean background who sold themselves to traders, those who were sold by relatives, servants who had been cast away by their original masters… and criminals who had been condemned to become slaves as punishment.

“So there are criminals?” Jiang Pengji thought for a while. She had stated that she didn’t want criminals, but after viewing the disappointing selection in front of her, she wanted more options.

“Show them to me.”

This vexed the housekeeper. He must stop his Langjun from admitting dangerous people into the family mansion!

Before he spoke, Jiang Pengji consoled him. “I will just take a look. They may not be chosen in the end.”