Volume 1 Teacher Chapter 11: Mastery (Part 2)
"I've read your report."
Legend has it that Lu Jianzhang was very kind to his spies. As long as anyone wanted to see him, the door of his office would always be open to them.
If you have any difficulties or are short of money, just find him and he will help you with anything, no matter if it's ten or eight dollars.
However, Lu Jianzhang never seemed to smile at the officers under his command, and he had the same stiff expression when facing Dai Jiliang who was standing upright in front of the table.
"In a word, it's very bold."
"The commander has a keen eye. Zhixiang has made some changes to the Beiyang's usual training system."
Under Lu Jianzhang's gaze, Dai Jiliang continued to answer with dignity.
"But if we want to train an elite army, it will be useless if we don't increase the intensity of training."
Lu Jianzhang had already learned about Dai Jiliang's every move in the past two days from his subordinates. He had just taken office and yet he had caused unrest in the entire camp. It was obviously a bit hasty.
Lu Jianzhang wanted to reject Dai Jiliang's petition, but when he thought about his original purpose of wanting the person, he couldn't help but weigh the pros and cons.
There are many flatterers in the guard army, but there are too few who can do practical work like Dai Jiliang. It is really not advisable to discourage them.
Cao Zhongshan, a cloth merchant, was able to become the commander of the Third Division today. It was Wu Ziyu who helped him train a strong army. To employ people, one must first tolerate them. Dai Jiliang, Dai Zhixiang, will you be my Wu Ziyu? Lu Jianzhang thought about it, looked at Dai Jiliang repeatedly with strange eyes, and finally nodded.
"Go ahead and do it. If you have any worries, I'll take care of them for you."
"Thank you, Commander!"
Dai Jiliang naturally had no idea how many things were going through Lu Jianzhang's mind at this moment, but the other party was very courageous in shielding him from the wind and rain, which naturally made him feel good about him.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Lu, Zhixiang will never let you down..."
"You guys are either officers or sergeants, or at least privates. Do you know why I singled you out?"
With support from above, and having initially straightened out his relationships with several company commanders, Dai Jiliang could finally get down to work.
"Because you all can fucking read!"
Dai Jiliang became furious when he saw only twenty or so people in front of him. Among the five hundred people, only a few of them, including a few second lieutenants, could read and write. It was conceivable how poor the quality of the army was.
"Some people say that only those who can't write and fight are brave. What the hell is that bullshit?"
Dai Jiliang started cursing.
"You are illiterate. Do you know what loyalty, filial piety, reason, and faith are? Do you know who you are fighting for? Do you know how to operate the weapon in your hand?"
The series of questions made many people think deeply.
"I picked you out so that you, the literate ones, can serve as the model soldiers for the whole battalion's training. I will teach you everything I learned in Germany and Japan. If you don't want to, you can say so now and I will immediately let you go back to your company. Is there anyone who doesn't want to do so?"
Dai Jiliang roared.
"Report to the battalion commander, no!"
When they heard Dai Jiliang say that he would teach them the most powerful military skills step by step, everyone straightened their backs and answered loudly.
"I can't hear you, talk like a woman, speak louder, okay?"
Dai Jiliang pressed the question again with full force.
"Report to the battalion commander, no!"
More than twenty people shouted loudly at the same time, and it was like thunder that made the companies that were training normally nearby not know what was happening. They all stretched their necks to look over here.
"very good!"
Dai Jiliang smiled sinisterly with the eyes of a hungry wolf looking at a fat sheep.
"If he wants to quit again, don't blame me for giving him a beating."
Seeing that no one moved, Dai Jiliang nodded.
"Now, everyone is here. Let's begin the 15-kilometer armed cross-country run!"
At Dai Jiliang's command, more than 20 people, led by deputy captain Ma Kang and himself as the leader, ran out of the military camp in an indescribable mighty force...
"Er Gouzi, you are well-informed. Why do these people in the training team work so hard? We do two drills and one training every day, and we are still as tired as dead dogs, but they do three drills and two trainings all day long. Is it because they get more pay than us?"
As for the question raised by a certain private, all the other officers and soldiers in the entire Third Battalion had the same feeling: Are these people just bored?
"You don't know?"
Ergouzi, as the private called him, spoke mysteriously to the curious eyes around him, telling them the half-true and half-false news he had gathered and deliberately spread by Dai Jiliang.
"The people in the training team have three meals a day, either chicken or meat. Do you think they can be the same as us?"
"Really? Eating meat every day? Then when will we have the chance to join the training team?"
The other soldier drooled when he heard this.
"How can it be fake? Don't you know that the battalion has already opened two large pigs in the past few days? Did you eat the pork? No? Let me tell you, it all went into the training team's stomach."
Er Gouzi licked his lips as he spoke.
"Speaking of joining the training team, you can do it with your ability? Come on, even a man hasn't joined. You know, to join the training team you have to be literate, and then the battalion commander will teach you real kung fu, and he guarantees that you will learn it."
"Is it the real kung fu moves that the battalion commander used to knock Captain Ding to the ground?"
People are curious, so the truth gets distorted when passed on by word of mouth.
"Not only that, I also taught the battalion commander all the tricks he showed on the day he took office."
It turns out that this guy is also from Beijing, so he can talk endlessly.
"You know, in the past, if you wanted to learn real kung fu, you had to serve the master first. Only if you could serve him well, he would give you a little bit of his knowledge. Real kung fu is passed down to sons, not daughters, so forget it."
"Will the battalion commander give us this skill?"
A few soldiers got together and started fantasizing.
"If we can learn half of the battalion commander's skills, we can show off."
“It’s possible.”
Er Gouzi analyzed it seriously.
"It has been passed down for more than 20 people. Maybe we can appoint a senior disciple and let them pass it down to the next generation. Then we will be the generation of disciples and grandchildren."
"Zhang Er Gouzi, what nonsense are you talking about?"
As he was speaking, the squad leader came back, and he was a hairy chestnut.
"Get out of the way!"
Looking at Ergouzi who gave up his seat with a smirk, the squad leader sat down without any hesitation.
"You just watch them enjoy the good life, but do you know what kind of suffering the training team endures? You have to run from Xizhimen to Tongzhou, back and forth every day. Can you bear it? Three exercises and two trainings, are they in vain? Not to mention anything else, it takes an hour and a half every day just to study the battalion regulations and the individual soldier manual, and we have to discuss them. Do you have the ability to do that? No, you crawl on the ground every day, and there are two or three ways to crawl on the ground. There are thorns scattered all over the place less than a foot high, and you are asked to crawl under them. If you lift your body, there will be two more bloody holes on your back. Can you bear all this?"
"Then according to what you said, squad leader, isn't it a living hell to be in the training team?"
Er Gouzi moved closer to the squad leader.
"Then why are these grandsons so excited?"
"You don't know this, do you?"
In that era, foreign cigarettes were still very expensive, so the squad leader rummaged around for a long time before taking out a half-smoked cigarette. He carefully took out a match to light it, took a deep puff, and then let out a sigh of satisfaction.
"These guys will be of great use in the future."
The squad leader pointed.
“When the training team is disbanded, everyone will return to their original units to serve as instructors.
Except for the commander of the army, the rest are one level higher than the officials. That's really great, because they will be the first to be promoted in the future.
It's a pity that I can't read, otherwise, I could be transferred in to get some experience, and when I come out, I won't even be able to be a platoon leader, but at least I can't escape being a sergeant."
"So, Captain Ma will be the deputy battalion commander in the future?"
Ergouzi may not be good at other things, but he is quick-witted in this area. This is also because Beijing is located at the foot of the imperial city, and everyone in it can figure out politics.
"What about Deputy Battalion Commander E? Is Battalion Commander Dai trying to exclude him?"
"Exclusion, the iron-clad crops are gone in an instant, what's the point of exclusion? A higher-ranking official can crush a person to death. "
Er Gouzi's doubts also existed in E Tao's mind. Look, Dai Jiliang made things happen at will. Several people around him were either bribed or voluntarily sided with the other side. Although Dai Jiliang still let him be in charge of camp affairs and defense, the feeling of being insecure made him so depressed that he could only drink to relieve his sorrow.
"The deputy captain still has more than thirty dollars a month. If he loses it, you may not feel bad, but I do."
The person in the conversation was E Tao's woman. The Manchu woman was in charge of the inner house. In those days, every family had relatives and friends. The little money E Tao brought back was not only used to cover his own expenses, but also to support many relatives and friends. If he was really short of this, I'm afraid several families would starve to death.
"Okay, drink less, man, don't you think of some ways to find a way out? When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head."
"Are you annoying? Old women always talk too much."
Seeing that he was getting drunk, E Tao might as well take it out on his wife.
At this moment, there was a loud knock on the door outside the yard.
"Who is it? I'm so annoyed. I can't find any happiness."
E Tao pushed aside his military uniform, walked out of the house with his bare chest, a gun in one hand, ready to give the tactless knocker a good beating.
"Hey, Brother Zhi, what are you doing?"
The door opened, and Dai Jiliang's smiling face appeared in front of him.
"Your place is not easy to find. I even bought pickles from Liubiju and pork head from the foreign meat cart Yao San, and this is how you welcome me?"
"Captain Dai, I thought the guy next door was just messing around."
Although E Tao's tongue was enlarged, he suddenly woke up.
"Come in, come in, come in, serve tea in the room, good tea."
Dai Jiliang chuckled, and he couldn't help but think of the couplet "Sit, please sit, please sit down, tea, serve tea, serve good tea".
He waved his hand and said, "Come on, don't embarrass my sister-in-law. I saw it when I came over. You're not in such a good condition. We can just drink your lousy wine and chat for a while outside."
"Okay."
Since Dai Jiliang said this, E Tao could no longer be pretentious.
"There is no food. I am sorry to have neglected the battalion commander!"
“Isn’t this a dish?”
Dai Jiliang raised what he was holding.
"Give the pickles to my sister-in-law, and keep half of the pork head."
Having said that, he unceremoniously found a small stool and sat down in front of the low table.
"Brother, this couldn't have been taken down from your kang, why is it so short? Oh, there are also fried peanuts, which are great and go great with wine."
"Captain, you didn't lead the team for training today?"
E Tao came out of the room with a set of bowls and chopsticks in his hand, placed them in front of Dai Jiliang, filled his cup with wine, and sat down himself.
"We can't keep tense all the time. Let these monkeys go for a day and let them relax."
Dai Jiliang didn't use chopsticks. He picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth to chew.
"I just went to sit with Chief Duan. Chief Xu was also there. We talked about the story of Japan and Germany. Although he is not your direct superior, you can't just cross the river and burn the bridge, right?"
Dai Jiliang said this to warn E Tao, and I'm sure E Tao understood it.
"I thought about it before I went out. If we were brothers, I wouldn't be able to lead the team if I'm not familiar with you. So I came here knowing you were at home. I'm here as a guest, so I won't disturb you, right?"
"How can the battalion commander come to our humble home to bring honor to us?"
E Tao responded perfunctorily.
"Brother, this is my situation. I'm sorry to have embarrassed the battalion commander."
"Why call him battalion commander? Just call him Zhixiang."
Dai Jiliang shook his head and corrected E Tao's address.
"But that's impossible. You are a major after all, and you make about thirty dollars a month. With your current situation, Brother Zhi is not going to gamble, is he?"
"gamble?"
E Tao smiled bitterly.
"I still need the money."
Although many of the Eight Banners descendants indulged in drinking, whoring and gambling, there were always a few who kept themselves clean.
"The Qing Dynasty is gone, the iron-clad crops are gone, and the elderly and young people can't survive. I still have a meal in the Guards Army, so I have to help a few people. It's just a gesture. Who says we are Manchus? If we don't help ourselves, we are still waiting for the president's grace!"
Dai Jiliang sneered in his heart. Although the Qing Dynasty, which lasted for more than 200 years, left China with a lot of territories that did not exist in the previous Ming Dynasty, it also committed more sins. It is not that the time has not come yet, but once the time comes, everything will be repaid. However, he could not say that.
"Think positively. There is no empire that will last forever. If we always dwell on the past, how can this people and this country move forward?"
Speaking of this, Dai Jiliang asked E Tao.
"What is your background, brother? How did you end up in the Guards?"
"I am not as good as you, Zhixiang. You are a top student in both countries. My family used their connections to get me into the Army Academy for Nobles. I originally thought that I would be assigned to the First Town after graduation. I would have a good career after more than ten years. I didn't expect that the situation would change so quickly. Now a phoenix without feathers is no better than a chicken!"
"Is there anyone else at home?"
Since it was a home visit, Dai Jiliang had to get to the bottom of it.
"My father and mother have returned to Fengtian. We still have some property there, so we can still make ends meet. I still have a few relatives and friends in Beijing who need my care, otherwise I would have returned to Fengtian. As for this house, there are only me and the two people in it."
E Tao knew what Dai Jiliang wanted to know, and he told him everything.
"It's better if the relationship is simple, otherwise."
Dai Jiliang pointed upwards.
"I still say this. From now on, we will eat rice from the same ladle, and I need you to lend me a hand."
Dai Jiliang tried to stop E Tao from speaking.
"Listen to me first. Boss Lu is keeping a close eye on it, so I'm sure the camp won't have too many deficits. This is good. I don't want anyone to tamper with public funds.
I won't, and I hope you won't either.
But I can't ignore Brother Zhi's situation. I have already allocated the company and battalion office expenses and special expenses to cover the expenses of providing extra meals for the brothers in the future. There won't be much left for welcoming and seeing off guests. So you can take ten yuan from it every month, which is also a little gift from Zhixiang."
"this?"
"What's this? I'm still the battalion commander, I have the final say!"
Dai Jiliang's decision was final.
"Then I'd rather obey you than be disrespectful."
E Tao gritted his teeth. The money was hot, but he had to take it.
Forget it, just go for it. At worst I can just be an obedient puppet, E Tao thought, and nodded heavily.
"From now on, if the battalion commander tells me to go east, I will never go west."
"Hey, Brother Zhi, why do you say that? Zhixiang didn't mean that. Okay, let's not talk about this for now. I still have a lot of things to discuss with Brother Zhi. Let's drink first and then we can talk slowly."
