Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 79 Enticing them with benefits, showing them opportunities

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment, but still decided to give this nobleman of the Ming Dynasty a chance.

If they are truly incapable of contributing anything, then it would be reasonable for them not to be present when the ships of the New World set sail.

Zhu Youjian spoke again, but his tone was much more casual.

"You may convey another oral decree to him on my behalf."

"I've been finding it rather boring to read and practice martial arts all by myself every day. I'd like to invite some sons of noble families to the palace every day to exchange literary and martial arts skills, which would make things a bit more lively."

"I have been living in the deep palace for a long time and do not know which family in the capital has a son who can be of great use. Let him find one for me."

Upon hearing this, Gao Shiming's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and bowed his head to accept the order.

"Sir, obey the order."

Zhu Youjian said nothing more, but took a deep look at the Duke of England's mansion on the other side of the river.

Duke of England, oh Duke of England, I must emulate the Zhengde Emperor.

But I don't know if you are truly worthy of my trust and courage.

He withdrew his gaze, handed the bow to Xu Yingyuan, and turned to walk towards the drill ground.

"Let's go and determine today's rankings."

"After the evaluation, we will provide extra food according to the rankings, as we discussed last time."

……

On the parade ground, a dozen large, steaming pots were lined up in a row.

The rich aroma of meat and millet mingled together, filling the air and making the soldiers, who had been training for two hours, swallow their saliva incessantly.

Zhu Youjian walked up to a pot, and all eyes immediately focused on him.

He took the large ladle from the cook, stirred the pot carefully a few times, flipped the millet rice at the bottom to the top, and then looked at the well-cooked pork in the pot next to him. After confirming that there was no problem, he nodded to Xu Yingyuan.

"Say the names."

"Here!"

Xu Yingyuan cleared his throat, and a high-pitched eunuch next to him immediately started shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Today's drill evaluation: First place goes to Sun Yingyuan's team!"

"Second place: Chen Qiliu's team!"

Third place: Wu Jisi's team!

……

As names were called out one by one, there was a slight commotion in almost every line that was called, with everyone standing tall and proud as they stepped forward to receive their meals first.

They not only get a full bowl of millet rice, but also an extra spoonful of tenderly stewed pork.

But as the rankings continued to drop, the cheers of the teams that left the field gradually subsided, and most teams seemed to slowly get used to it.

Zhu Youjian frowned, turned to Xu Yingyuan, and instructed, "Starting tomorrow, you will refine the rewards. The first place winner will receive five taels of pork per meal, and the remaining winners will receive rewards according to different tiers. Do you understand?"

Xu Yingyuan thought for a moment and asked, "Is Your Majesty worried that the teams with average rankings won't work hard enough?"

Zhu Youjian smiled slightly, not expecting that this guy would have such an unusual breakthrough today.

He nodded without saying a word and turned his head straight to look at the drill ground.

Unleashing human potential is also a science, albeit a social science.

You need to give them enough desire to climb higher, but at the same time, you also need to give them enough hope.

They lure people with benefits and offer them opportunities; it's all just empty talk.

Soon, only five teams remained standing on the training ground, and their faces immediately turned ashen.

Just then, the young eunuch who was announcing the names suddenly changed his tone, drawing out his voice as he called out:
"Fifth from the bottom: Li Baotian's team!" ...

Upon hearing this, a burst of unrestrained laughter erupted from the line of people eating on the training ground.

The laughter was filled with schadenfreude and disdain.

Zhu Youjian raised his eyebrows and glanced at Xu Yingyuan beside him with interest.

Xu Yingyuan immediately approached and said with a fawning smile, "Your Majesty, I was thinking last night that your move was to encourage the teams to compete for the lead."

"If there are rewards, there should also be punishments, so that they will feel ashamed and then strive to do better."

"This servant took the liberty of coming up with this method. If... if it is not suitable, this servant will change it tomorrow."

Zhu Youjian nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and simply said, "It's a good thing that you take the initiative to do things well. I'll remember your thoughtfulness."

Upon receiving the praise, Xu Yingyuan was overjoyed and bowed even lower.

The last few teams whose names were called blushed deeply amidst the laughter and boos of the crowd, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

They silently stepped forward and received only millet rice; there was not a single piece of pork.

A few soldiers who looked a bit simple-minded lingered over the scraps of meat left in the pot next to them, constantly looking back, and were only reluctantly dragged back to their ranks by their teammates.

Seeing this, Zhu Youjian nodded to himself.

It seems that linking rewards and punishments directly to face and benefits is indeed a timeless and highly compatible method.

However, being overly strict is not enough.

You can't have a stick without a carrot.

After some time, we need to find a pretext to hold a large-scale army-wide feast that has nothing to do with competition, so that everyone can eat meat and drink wine.

By combining kindness and severity, and clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments, and by providing both the carrot and the stick, a truly good horse can be gradually tamed.

When that time comes, if they are punished, they will immediately reflect on whether they did not do well enough, rather than blaming their master for their resentment.

After the last group had finished receiving this "extra meal" amidst deafening boos, Zhu Youjian finally mounted his horse with satisfaction.

"Gao Banban, let's go back to Qianqing Palace and check today's schedule together."

The group rode away on horseback and soon left the noisy training ground.

However, they had not gone far from the camp when they suddenly heard a faint commotion behind them, mixed with angry shouts and curses.

Zhu Youjian reined in his horse and stopped, his brows furrowing slightly.

Gao Shiming dared not delay and immediately dispatched a young eunuch who was accompanying him: "Go and find out what happened!"

The young eunuch accepted the order and rode back as fast as he could.

He returned in a hurry not long after, but he didn't seem too anxious.

“Your Majesty! It was a few squad leaders from Wu Fangrui’s team who were resentful during the meal. They said that the team leader was lazy and didn’t train hard enough, which caused the whole team to suffer this humiliation.”

"After a few words of argument, they almost came to blows! But they were pulled apart by the crowd, and several corporals were taken down on the spot."

A playful smile appeared on Zhu Youjian's face.

It seems that this effect was a bit too strong for these simple and honest ancient people.

However, this is exactly what he wanted to see.

If there is resentment, then there is the motivation to change the status quo, which is a good thing.

"Let Xu Yingyuan be dealt with according to military law."

Zhu Youjian was not angry. He simply left a sentence and then spurred the reins, galloping towards the Qianqing Palace.

(End of this chapter)