Volume 1 Teacher Chapter 27 Inspection
After walking out of the gate of the Governor's Mansion and being blown by the cold wind outside, Dai Jiliang finally came to his senses.
Oh no, I was fooled by Lu Jianzhang.
Is it possible that the Independent Regiment, with only a nominal post as the Guanzhong Garrison Commander, is going to fight the Shaanxi Army's Third Brigade, which is stronger than itself? Isn't this just like driving away the wolf and swallowing the tiger? Could it be that Lu Jianzhang has his nephew's 14th Brigade in his hands and has begun to recklessly cut down the troops that are not his own?
This is also unlikely. After all, the Independent Regiment is the foundation of the old guard army. How could Lu Jianzhang be so stupid?
Dai Jiliang was worried about the outcome, but the words had already been spoken, so it was impossible for him to go back and reject Lu Jianzhang. What should he do? Dai Jiliang was at a loss.
"Firstly, the division commander personally gave the order, and secondly, the president is keeping an eye on it."
As soon as Dai Jiliang returned to the regiment headquarters, he invited Zhang Binnan and Zhang Zilii over and told them the whole process, then he opened his heart.
"Although I was confused for a moment, but now that things have come to this, do you have any good ideas?"
Garrison commander? The two Zhangs' eyes lit up when they heard this. You have to know that this garrison commander has his own territory and is in charge of the army and the people. He is much stronger than the generals of the Qing Dynasty.
However, even if Dai Jiliang messed up this task, it would not be his turn. It would be better for him to assist the captain in front of him wholeheartedly so that he could also benefit from it.
"I have an idea."
To Dai Jiliang's surprise, the rough and uncouth Zhang Binnan came up with a solution in a blink of an eye. This shows that one cannot judge a book by its cover.
"Brother Binnan, please speak."
Dai Jiliang stared into the other person's eyes, and one could see that he was nervous. But honestly, how could he not be nervous? Although this might be a trap set by Lu Jianzhang, who could say that Lu Jianzhang would break his promise? This might be a leap into the dragon gate.
"It's nothing, really. Two words: inspection."
A word of advice could wake a dreamer. Dai Jiliang stood up suddenly and paced in the conference room with big strides. Gradually his pace slowed down and a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Brother Binnan is indeed worthy of being called an old Beiyang."
Dai Jiliang praised his deputy, but then changed the subject.
"I will go to see the governor again and ask for a written order. Brother Park Chu, contact the governor's office and the armory and prepare to change clothes immediately."
As he said this, he gestured for the two men to come closer and whispered a few words. The two men looked different, but finally nodded. Thus, without telling their superiors or their subordinates, the three commanders of the independent regiments intercepted nearly 200 old and miscellaneous guns.
On May 30, 1914, after completing the re-equipment, the Independent Regiment of the Seventh Division under Dai Jiliang arrived at the ancient Chencang on the banks of the Wei River, a key location on the Shaanxi-Gansu border.
"Baoji, Baoji is a golden rooster!"
Zhang Zilii looked at the end of the 800-li Qinchuan Plain, which was surrounded by three mountains and a river, and couldn't help but sigh.
"This place has mountains, water, and plains. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. There is the Zhuge Liang Temple in Wuzhangyuan, the Diaoyutai where Jiang Ziya lived and fished in seclusion, the Zhougong Temple, the Royal Hot Springs of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the Tangyu Hot Springs. Captain, we must take a good look when we have time!"
"What's there to see?"
Zhang Binnan responded nonchalantly.
"If you ask me, this place controls the trade route in and out of Gansu. We can't afford a hundred thousand a year, but we should have at least 700,000 or 800,000. Although the division commander will definitely take a portion of it, the 200,000 or 300,000 that ends up in our brothers' pockets is not much. If we really have to defend here for two years, we won't do this business that could get us killed."
"Okay, don't say that anymore."
Dai Jiliang frowned, then relaxed.
"The Shaanxi Army has sent people over. Speak less. Too much talk will lead to mistakes."
Having said that, Dai Jiliang straightened his somewhat loose military uniform and rode his horse to meet them.
"Oh, why is it Brother Shijie who came to greet you personally? Zhixiang is your subordinate, I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it!"
"Hey, Zhixiang is a favorite of Governor Lu, how dare I neglect him, brother?"
Liu Shijie was one of the heroes of the 1911 Revolution in Shaanxi who participated in the Xi'an Uprising together with Jing Wumu, Jing Xiuyue, Zhang Fenghui, Qian Ding, Zhang Xun, Wan Bingnan, Zhang Yunshan, Ma Yugui and others. Because the Kuomintang was powerful in Shaanxi, Yuan Shikai used a tactic of killing three men with two peaches, forcing Zhang Fenghui, the then governor of Shaanxi, to reduce his troops to the size of a mixed brigade on the pretext that Zhang Fenghui was a member of a secret society. It is said that Liu Shijie and Zhang Fenghui had a falling out over this.
However, Liu's Shaanxi Second Brigade is said to be a mixed brigade, but its total size is only three regiments, eight battalions and twenty-eight companies. In addition, each company is a standard company of 120 people, and heavy firepower is extremely scarce. Not only does the entire brigade not have a single machine gun, but the artillery is just a company of four two-pound guns.
Therefore, when he saw Dai Jiliang's independent regiment armed to the teeth, no matter how reluctant he was in his heart, he had to smile on his face.
"The city has already set up a welcoming banquet. How about it? Please come and have a look, brother!"
Dai Jiliang looked at the other party's gangster-like demeanor and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
"It is better to obey than to be respectful!"
Dai Jiliang looked at the two Zhangs beside him, and the two Zhangs nodded in understanding. So Dai Jiliang only took two horsemen and followed Brigade Commander Liu straight into the city.
"This is President Li of the Chamber of Commerce, and this is Boss Zou, the largest grain merchant in the area."
Arriving at the county government office which had been converted into a tavern, Liu Shijie pointed out the people who had been waiting for a long time and introduced them to Dai Jiliang.
"This is our parent official, County Magistrate Zhou, and these are the captains under my command."
"Nice to meet you!"
Dai Jiliang seemed to be looking at everyone casually, but in fact, except for a few of Liu's men, he didn't care about anyone else.
"Zhixiang is late, sorry, I'll have to drink a glass first."
Dai Jiliang greeted everyone and the atmosphere soon became lively.
"Commander Dai, this is just a small gift from the people of Baoji. I hope you will accept it."
After three rounds of drinks, Liu Shijie gave a look and President Li of the Chamber of Commerce clapped his hands. A heavy box was brought over. When it was opened, golden light flashed under the rolls of silver dollars.
"What does this mean?"
Dai Jiliang looked at the other party coldly. If he had not taken into consideration that he would most likely be stationed here for a long time in the future and had to establish good relations with these local tyrants, he might even have overturned the plates in front of him. It was too blatant to bribe in public.
"Commander, you led the troops to wipe out Bai Lang, which is to eliminate harm for the people. We admire you very much. We would like to reward the soldiers of the independent regiment with a small gift."
Obviously, Chairman Li and others have seen a lot of Dai Jiliang's behavior. There is no cat that doesn't like fish. He is just being a whore and wanting to be a virtuous woman. It has been like this since ancient times.
"How many are there in total?"
Dai Jiliang touched the rolls of silver dollars that were packed in packages of 100 yuan each, then looked at the neatly stacked gold and silver ingots and asked the other party calmly.
"Ten thousand Guangyang is just a small amount, not enough to show respect."
Chairman Li and others were not afraid that Dai Jiliang would accept it, but they were afraid that Dai Jiliang would not want it. You have to know that if he didn't want 10,000 yuan, he might be prepared to ask for 50,000 or 100,000 yuan, so they were very cautious when answering.
"It's a reward for the hard work of the brothers in the independent group."
As soon as Dai Jiliang opened his mouth, President Li nodded vigorously.
"It seems that you are all scared about the task of supporting the Yi Army and the Zhensong Army when they pass through the border. Well, I will accept it on behalf of my brothers."
After these words were spoken, President Li looked at Liu Shijie as if carrying a heavy burden, then stepped back, and the banquet continued.
Everyone was toasting each other when suddenly an officer dressed in the uniform of the Third Brigade stumbled in. Before Liu Shijie could change his expression, he rushed over and whispered a few words into the ear of Brigade Commander Liu, who immediately turned pale.
"boom!"
Liu Shijie smashed the wine glass to the ground and at the same time stretched out his hand and took the gun in his hand.
"Dai, I have no grudge against you. What does it mean that your independent regiment surrounded my Third Brigade with full weapons?"
As he spoke, he pointed the gun at Dai Jiliang's forehead, as if he was ready to attack if they disagreed.
Everyone attending the banquet was in a panic. Upon hearing this, several commanders of Liu's brigade drew their guns. Only Dai Jiliang glanced at the guards behind him, continued to drink his wine calmly, and then put down his glass.
"Brother Shijie, put down your gun and be careful of accidental discharge. If that happens, you will never be able to wash yourself clean even if you jump into the Yellow River."
As Dai Jiliang spoke, he spread his hands, and a groom took out a lambskin briefcase that Dai Jiliang had custom-made in the capital.
"Brother Shijie, do you want to open it and read it yourself, or do you want me to read it to you?"
"What is that? Come here, open it!"
To be on the safe side, Liu Shijie asked Dai Jiliang to take out the contents. It was very simple, just a thin piece of paper. Liu Shijie grabbed it and scanned it. His mouth suddenly opened wide and his gun dropped involuntarily.
"How is Brother Shijie?"
Dai Jiliang is sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai.
"The governor ordered me to inspect your brigade. Brother Shijie was not careful enough. How could someone report that you colluded with Bai Lang's bandits and recruited them into the camp? You also traded arms with Bai Lang. This is terrible. If any of these is true, you are guilty of capital punishment. And you falsely reported the number of soldiers. Don't you know what the division commander used to do? This is what he hates the most. What can you do?"
Dai Jiliang said as he looked at the pale-faced officers of the Third Brigade, shook his head, and turned to the local gentry of Baoji and said, "Okay, everyone, the following is a military secret, please go back. County Magistrate, I'm sorry, please step aside for a moment."
All of a sudden, everyone wanted to scatter like birds and beasts, but Dai Jiliang stopped one of them.
"Chairman Li, please stay for a moment. I'll return the money to you. You definitely don't dare to take it. Let's treat it as my deposit. You can prepare some chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep for me. Cook them outside Brigade Commander Liu . After the inspection is completed, give everyone a meal. This is my apology to the Third Brigade."
Looking at the timid President Li, Dai Jiliang made a gesture and the groom behind him immediately stuffed a plate of money into his hands.
"Here's the deposit, you can go now."
"Brother Zhixiang, no, Captain Dai, you have to lend a hand to your brothers!"
Everyone around had gone away, leaving only Liu Shijie and a few of his men. At this time, the brigade commander actually knelt down to Dai Jiliang.
"Brother has been framed. If Brother Zhixiang doesn't help, brother will be wronged."
Liu Shijie thought very clearly that the so-called collusion with Bai Lang and reselling arms were just false accusations. It was obvious that Lu Jianzhang was going to attack him. There were only two ways to go now. One was to start a rebellion immediately, but this would also confirm the fact that he had colluded with Bai Lang. Secondly, Dai Jiliang had less than 3,000 men under his command, but their marching momentum and equipment showed that they were capable of fighting. It was still unclear whether his Third Brigade could win. Besides, if Dai Jiliang was defeated, there would be tens of thousands of Beiyang troops around him suppressing bandits. By that time, if they returned, wouldn't his thousands of men be wiped out in the blink of an eye?
The second one bowed his head and tried to find a way to go to Xi'an to surrender.
But if he wanted to go to Xi'an, he had to get through Dai Jiliang first. Liu Shijie had also emerged from a sea of blood and swords. After a brief consideration, the current astonishing scene took place.
"Let's check it first. Brother Shijie, should we send someone to calm them down? It would be bad if they really start to make a scene."
Dai Jiliang watched Liu's performance with a smile, and it took him a long time to speak up. Of course, the first thing he did was to ask the other party to obey.
"Look at me confused!"
Liu Shijie was indeed a tough guy. Having been in the underworld for so many years, he always had responsibilities. He just knelt down and gave the order. Several commanders of Liu's brigade tactfully retreated with Dai Jiliang's groomsmen.
"How can I help?"
Looking at the empty house, Dai Jiliang nodded with satisfaction.
"Let me deceive the teacher? Is that possible?"
“Yes, yes!”
Liu Shijie stared into Dai Jiliang's eyes, and when he saw the smile in them, he immediately became alert.
"Captain Dai, tell me a number. I'll take any amount as long as it helps my brothers pass this time!"
"Since Brigadier General Liu is so confident."
Dai Jiliang slowly stretched out five fingers and turned them over.
"One hundred thousand!"
Liu Shijie's face changed drastically. He didn't expect that Dai Jiliang, who had just pretended to be sincere for ten thousand yuan, would actually ask for such a high price. You know, the monthly military expenditure of the Beiyang's most elite Third Division is only 157,000 yuan, but Dai Jiliang asked for three months' military salary from him.
But how could one not bow his head under the eaves? After a brief hesitation, the leader of the Hongmen clan nodded decisively.
"Yes! One hundred thousand is one hundred thousand!"
"For this amount, I can only say something nice for you in front of the teacher."
Dai Jiliang hit him with the stick again, and this time Brigade Commander Liu's face became even more interesting.
Dai Jiliang shook his head, smiled and helped Liu Shijie, who was still lying on the ground.
"The key to this matter depends on your own performance. It is said that Bai Lang suffered a great loss in Taozhou and wants to flee back to western Henan. Brother Shijie, you have to think about what to do."
"I……"
