Chapter 104: Police Recruitment

Li Ziyu said, “Of course I’m going. Many people from the military households are going to apply. Serving the Great Ming is a job, and serving the Australians is also a job. At least the Australians don’t withhold pay.”

His enthusiasm wasn’t due to a sudden change of heart or a newfound appreciation for the Senate’s progressiveness. It was simply a matter of survival. His father had previously held a position in the garrison thanks to his uncle’s influence, and besides his military pay, he had some “extra income,” making for a comfortable life. Now that the garrison had been completely disbanded, his family had lost all means of livelihood. He no longer had the air of a “commander’s son” and urgently needed to find a job to get by.

“You have to shave your head,” Zeng Juan hesitated for a long time. “This is a big deal. I have to discuss it with my family. Besides, it’s still a question whether they’ll even want us. A constable needs to be strong and powerful. Would they even look at scholars like us?”

“Shaving your head isn’t losing your head. What’s there to be afraid of?” Li Ziyu said nonchalantly. “Besides, we’re scholars. How many scholars are there in Guangzhou? There will be no problem applying.”

Zeng Juan nodded with mixed feelings. He was still very hesitant about shaving his head. “Our bodies, hair, and skin are received from our parents.” Moreover, shaving one’s head was an Australian custom, unheard of in China since ancient times. If he shaved his head and became an Australian police officer, a “fake Kun,” he didn’t know what his teachers, classmates, and friends would think of him. Li Ziyu, being from a military family, didn’t care. As he was hesitating, he suddenly saw an item in the recruitment requirements and cried out, “It’s no good! They only want people over eighteen. I’m not even seventeen yet.”

“Oh, my dear young master. How old you are is up to you to say, isn’t it? Do you think the Australians will go to your house and check your birth date? What’s the big deal about being a year or two younger? When the Australians see scholars like us coming to join them, they’ll be overjoyed. Why would they be so picky about such details!”

Li Ziyu’s words helped him make up his mind. This was indeed the only way out for him now. He nodded. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.” He then asked Zhang Yu, “Are you going? Being an Australian police officer will surely be a better future than making walnut crisps.”

Zhang Yu hesitated and nodded. “To be honest, I want to go too, but I have to discuss it with my parents first.”

Looking at the qualification requirements in the newspaper, there was nothing special. Applicants had to have household registration in the Nanhai or Panyu districts of Guangzhou Special Municipality, be in good health, and free from serious diseases or venereal diseases. There were no restrictions on gender or literacy. Moreover, no shop guarantee was required. A “certificate of good character” from the head of the local jia, certifying that the person was a good and upright citizen within the jia, was sufficient. The requirements were extremely lenient.

They saw that the registration date on the newspaper was March 19, 1635. They knew this was the Australian calendar—as soon as they entered the city, they had issued a notice for the whole city to use the “Gregorian calendar,” also called the “solar calendar.” This calendar was very different from the “Great Ming calendar” they had been using. To help the people adapt, besides distributing free “Gregorian calendar papers” to every household during the household survey, they also distributed large “wall calendars” to the merchants. These “wall calendars,” like the “Gregorian calendar papers” distributed during the household census, were printed on cardboard and featured propaganda posters in the style of “Huxian peasant paintings” celebrating the “New Australia, New Life.” But they were much larger. The jia leaders notified all the shops that they had to hang these “wall calendars” in a conspicuous place in their shops.

To help the people adapt to the new calendar, not only were Chinese numerals provided below the Arabic numerals, but the days of the week were also arranged. During the typesetting, they had originally planned to add the reign title “Chongzhen Eighth Year,” but it was rejected. This reign title was considered orthodox in the minds of the ancients, and if their “new calendar book” continued to use the Chongzhen reign title, it would be tantamount to admitting that they were not the legitimate authority.

The registration for the “police recruitment” in the “Yangcheng Express” would begin the next day, which was March 18, 1635, according to the Australian calendar.

“March 18th,” Zeng Juan said. “Isn’t that tomorrow?”

Li Ziyu nodded. “That’s right. I plan to go to the Provincial Surveillance Commission yamen to register first thing in the morning. Let’s meet at the entrance of Granny Qian’s teahouse.”

The Great Ming Guangdong Provincial Surveillance Commission yamen was now the Guangzhou Special Municipal Police Department. Granny Qian’s teahouse was just a stone’s throw away.

Zeng Juan suddenly hesitated. Shaving his head to join the Kun! This was too big a matter. He hesitated, “Do we have to go so early? I see the registration lasts until the 25th.”

Li Ziyu said, “It’s true that it lasts until the 25th, but there’s also a line that says ‘registration will stop when the quota is full.’ Many people from our area are planning to apply for the police. How can we not hurry?”

The various garrisons in Guangzhou where Li Ziyu belonged had been unofficially disbanded. Some people had already been recruited into the National Army. The rest who were unwilling to be soldiers and fight had no means of livelihood. Being a police officer in Guangzhou was a pretty good choice. At least their families would have food to eat.

“Better early than late!”

Under Li Ziyu’s strong persuasion, the three good friends decided to go and register first thing the next morning.

When Zeng Juan returned home and spoke of his plan to “apply for the police,” his mother hesitated and said, “In that case, wouldn’t your studies have been in vain?”

Zeng Juan’s father sighed. “I don’t think it matters if he doesn’t study. A-Juan is not cut out for studying anyway. Last time I went to the community school to give a festival gift to the teacher, the teacher said that A-Juan would probably not succeed in the imperial examinations and that we should find something for him to do early on so as not to waste his time. Applying for the police is a good opportunity—it’s better than making candles at home!”

“But he has to shave his head…”

“Let him shave it. What’s there for us poor people to be particular about?” his father said, scratching his oily and dirty head from not washing it for a long time. “I think it would be more refreshing if he shaved it.”

The next day, the three of them went to the Municipal Police Department together. The “sea of people” that Li Ziyu had boasted about was not there, but there were still quite a few people. The police department gate had not yet opened, but the entrance was already full of people.

Looking at the people, there were all sorts. Zeng Juan had originally thought he was young enough at sixteen, but he saw teenagers who looked to be only thirteen or fourteen, and old men who were clearly over forty—they had probably dyed their hair with ink. Their old faces paired with unnaturally black hair looked very strange.

The applicants were a motley crew. Li Ziyu, however, knew many of them. Many of the people there were from the military households of the various garrisons in Guangzhou or were scattered soldiers.

Two police officers in black uniforms, holding batons, stood at the entrance of the Municipal Police Department, their legs apart, looking as fierce as two door gods. Li Ziyu was well-connected and recognized these two as former “bailiffs” from the Nanhai County yamen. They used to stand guard and clear the way for the county magistrate in Nanhai County. Now, with a turn of events, they were standing guard for the Australians.

As he was feeling emotional, the bell tower suddenly struck the bell seven times in a row—the bell and drum towers in Guangzhou now followed the Australians’ rules. The gate of the police department slowly opened, and a police officer in a black uniform came out, holding a large tin megaphone:

“Those applying for the patrol police, this way. Line up one by one. Anyone who jumps the queue or disturbs the order will be immediately expelled!”

As soon as the applicants entered the gate, they underwent a physical examination. For this recruitment of patrol police, the minimum height requirement was 1.55 meters for male police and 1.50 meters for female police. There were also corresponding weight requirements. Liu San was not worried about too many people being overweight; rather, many were underweight. Chronic malnutrition was a common situation.

Being underweight could still be remedied, but chronic malnutrition brought many health problems, especially tuberculosis. The police department obviously could not recruit a batch of tuberculosis patients as patrol officers.

As for those who were obviously too old or too young, they were naturally eliminated.

Then came the physical examination. Besides basic vision and hearing tests, there was also a naked visual inspection to check for skin diseases, parasites, and venereal diseases. Except for venereal diseases, the conditions for the first two were relatively lenient. As long as they were treatable, they were considered qualified.

Just this health check alone eliminated a quarter of the people. The number of various diseases suffered by the lower classes far exceeded his estimation.

The people of this time were indeed “hard-working and able to endure hardship,” but in reality, it was at the cost of their health.

Finally, there was the physical fitness test. Running one thousand meters within five minutes was considered a pass. There were also tests for standing long jump, grip strength, and weightlifting. Even more people were eliminated in this stage. Many people, although their height and weight were considered qualified, had low lung capacity and muscle strength. Zeng Juan was eliminated in this stage.

Li Ziyu and Zhang Yu passed the physical examination, but at the qualification review stage, Zhang Yu was also eliminated for misrepresenting his age. Because the household census had already been conducted, Zhang Yu’s date of birth was clearly registered in the household registration book, and there was no possibility of faking it.

In the end, only Li Ziyu passed all the reviews and received a “preliminary qualification notice.”

“Come to the bureau in a week with this notice for a second review,” the police officer who gave him the notice said. “If there are no problems, you will be officially accepted.”

“Officer…”

“Don’t call me officer. Call me comrade.”

“Yes, police—comrade. This, this, my two good brothers, although they are a year or two younger, are both scholars! The community school praises them for writing good essays,” Li Ziyu began to boast. “They are proficient in poetry and prose. If it weren’t for… if it weren’t for… the Heavenly Army entering the city, they would have definitely passed the xiucai examination this year. Do you think you could make an exception and give them another chance…”

The police officer laughed. “I don’t have that authority! The chief has to decide. We do need scholars, but as patrol officers, they have to go out on the streets to work immediately. What’s the use of just being able to write essays and poems? Our police department doesn’t catch thieves by writing essays.”

“Yes, yes, you are right…” Seeing that the other party had no intention of “valuing scholars,” Li Ziyu was a little disappointed. Just as he was about to leave, the police officer called him back. “Since they are scholars who can read and write, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. We are in great need of people now, and all government agencies will be holding recruitment examinations. Tell them to pay more attention to the news in the ‘Yangcheng Express.’”