Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 25: Soldiers, should fight!
"Master Guo, you have to make a decision for us. Yang Qiu is just training his troops, which is simply a disgrace to us."
As soon as Yang Qiu left, dozens of bannermen soldiers rushed to Guo Erxing. They had never seen such a thing before. It was common for new officers to start their work, but how could they force them to practice without first appeasing them? And it was a crime of rolling and crawling in the mud for more than a hundred times! So they cried and complained about what had just happened. Although the other Han soldiers did not make a fuss, most of them were so tired that they sat down in the mud and gasped.
Looking at Yang Qiu's departing back, Guo Erxing was so angry that he kicked the soldier next to him away and shouted: "Why are you looking for me? Didn't the commander say? Whoever leaves before tomorrow morning will be paid double the silver, and you can just go!" After that, he walked towards his barracks angrily.
Yue Peng panted heavily, bent over and stood up tremblingly with the support of his knees. He glanced at the soldiers on the parade ground who were either dazed or gritting their teeth, and could not describe his mood .
Zhang Wenjing, who was standing next to him, leaned over and held his back with one hand while bending over and breathing heavily: "Commands and obedience! Haha, it's a bit like the German instructor back then, right? He's a powerful guy! We all underestimated him. Not only does he have the means, but he also knows the bad habits in the army very well." At this point, he smiled and pointed at the officers and soldiers around him: "Did you see that? Do you believe it? Regardless of whether they obey sincerely or not, at least no one dares to be a troublemaker anymore!"
Yue Peng nodded and suddenly smiled: "Let's go, after we finish training Lei Meng, I'll go with you to meet him!"
"Yes, it's that guy Lei Meng. I've disliked him for a long time. Last time, I disobeyed orders and went out for a walk, and when I came back, he extorted a dollar from me! This time I must give him a good beating. Why was he lying on the ground and snoring soundly while we were exhausted just now?" Zhang Wenjing glanced at Yue Peng, whose face was covered in dirty water, and laughed slyly with gritted teeth.
Seeing Zhang Wenjing and Yue Peng, whom he usually trusted, both walking towards him with smirks on their faces, Lei Meng knew that he was in trouble today. Without saying a word, he started to stand at attention and lie down, waiting for the 100 to be completed. He had long lost his original spirit.
"That's all you can do. You're doomed, right? You made me and you get punished. Go to the concession and buy me two bottles of good wine later." Lei Meng, with a dead dog look on his face, was kicked forward by Zhang Wenjing, making the soldiers completely forget what happened before. Seeing that this piece of tough guy was beaten up by the new commander and made him drink mud for a long time, and now he was covering his butt and dared not say a word, the soldiers all laughed.
Around the parade ground was the officers' dormitory. When Zhang Wenjing and Yue Peng walked to the door, they seemed to be back in the school when they were taught by German instructors. Although their clothes were covered in mud, they still shook themselves off before standing at attention and knocking on the door.
"Come in."
In the room, Yang Qiu had already changed his clothes and was cleaning his precious pistol. He saw Zhang Wenjing, with the panting Lei Meng and a handsome but slightly thin young lieutenant, walk in and asked, "Have you finished the 100?"
"The report is finished." After Zhang Wenjing finished his report, he glanced at Yue Peng and said, "Sir, this is Yue Peng." Yue Peng also saluted immediately and said, "Second-level Lieutenant (Staff Officer) Yue Peng of the 42nd Regiment, greets you."
"Second Class Officer, Yue Peng?"
During the late Qing Dynasty, the organization of the new army was in line with international standards. In addition to clerks like Zhang Wenjing, all units from the battalion upwards had a staff department, which consisted of one chief lieutenant, two first-level lieutenants, two second-level lieutenants, and three battalion commanders to form the command center.
As a second-level staff officer, he is already a senior officer in the standard.
"Commander-in-Chief, Yue Peng graduated from the Wugao School four years ago. Later, he was recommended by the German chief instructor to go to the German Army Academy for a year of training." Zhang Wenjing introduced hurriedly.
"Oh? Did you go to Germany for training?"
Yang Qiu raised his eyebrows. Before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, most of the military officers sent abroad went to Germany. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, more of them went to Japan. By the time of the Xinhai Revolution, it was almost all military officers who had studied in Japan that dominated the country. So it became much rarer for them to go to Germany or other European countries.
In his heart, he disliked officers who returned from studying in Japan, because there was a very interesting phenomenon during the Xinhai period, that is, most of those who went to Japan eventually became the backbone of the warlords' melee, while most of those who returned from Europe chose to remain neutral or simply retired, similar to Sa Zhenbing's generation, almost all of them became Yugong, so when he heard that Yue Peng was trained in Germany, he couldn't help but feel closer to him.
"You are very talented to be recommended by the chief instructor to go to Germany for training." Yang Qiu looked at Yue Peng while cleaning the gun. When he unloaded the bullet, his fingers suddenly froze and he said, "But unfortunately, in my eyes, you are not qualified! You are not the person I want."
Not to mention Zhang Wenjing, even the burly man Lei Meng frowned. Yue Peng and Zhang Wenjing were usually loved by the soldiers, and even he was convinced. He didn't expect that this commander-in-chief was so dishonest.
Yue Peng's face turned even paler. He originally thought that Yang Qiu's methods were novel, and the action just now was unexpected. It was vaguely similar to his favorite German army style, so he wanted to test the waters. Unexpectedly, he was rejected before he even opened his mouth, and was told that he was not qualified!
Zhang Wenjing was anxious. He didn't know how capable Yue Peng was, but as a good friend, he knew very well that there were only a handful of officers in the entire Hubei New Army who could match him, let alone the 42nd Battalion. If he hadn't been so talented and didn't like to flatter, how could he still be mixed up in the bottom? So he couldn't help but have a hint of anger in his words and asked, " Your Excellency new here, how can you humiliate me like this?"
"Do you feel insulted?" Yang Qiu seemed not to notice the angry looks of the three men. He reloaded his pistol with a few clicks before standing up and walking in front of Yue Peng. Due to his tall stature, standing in front of him often gives people a sense of oppression, but Yue Peng seemed fearless. He looked up and looked at him without moving his waist.
"Fortunately, at least you are still strong." Yang Qiu said, and his smile suddenly turned cold: "Graduating from the Wugao Academy proves that you have learned more than them. Being able to go to Germany shows that you are capable. But tell me, why are you still a small second-level staff officer in the past few years?"
"Don't tell me that the higher-ups don't know how to identify talent, and don't tell me that they don't know how to lead troops in battle." Yang Qiu didn't give the other party a chance to speak, and continued coldly: "In my opinion, the problem is not the higher-ups, but you!"
Zhang Wenjing had heard this strange theory for the first time and asked, "Why do you say that, sir?"
Yang Qiu was amused. Do you even need to guess? Those "returnees" in the parallel world who are arrogant and always speak in foreign languages are not like this. He deliberately asked back, "I guess you were praised by the instructors in school. After seeing the first-class European army, you always felt that the new army was full of holes. In addition, the internal personnel were complicated, and there were not many people who really worked for the country and the people. You wanted to change at first, but you were powerless in the face of the complex network of relationships. So you gradually disliked communicating with your colleagues. When doing things, you already had a conclusion in your heart, but you just watched and didn't say anything. Is that wrong?"
Yue Peng's face turned red and blue as he listened, because these words directly touched his heart, and the look he showed towards Yang Qiu became less confident.
"What's that? In my opinion, this is the right thing to do. Do we have to be running dogs for those Manchu Tartars?" Lei Meng, who was standing next to him, was an impatient person. As soon as he opened his mouth, he scared Zhang Wenjing so much that he quickly covered his mouth. You have to know that the commander in front of him is "Loyal and Brave Baturu", the number one "hero" of the Qing Dynasty in the newspapers recently. Such words are taboo!
Lei Meng also realized that he had said the wrong thing, and his expression changed immediately. Yang Qiu saw him like this and unexpectedly scratched his ears: "What were you mumbling about just now? You interrupted the commander without reporting to him. Zhang Wenjing, supervise him to do 100 push-ups after we go out. If he slacks off, he will be punished according to military law."
It's so loud that you can't hear it?
Even Lei Meng knew that Yang Qiu was protecting him, and for the first time, he felt grateful in his heart. Zhang Wenjing and Yue Peng also looked at each other in surprise. Wasn't the commander-in-chief "Zhongyong Baturu"?
"I say you are unqualified, not because you have no talent, but because you don't know what the army is." Yang Qiu seemed to have forgotten what happened just now, and continued to say to Yue Peng: "If you were in other places, you might be praised for being indifferent to fame and fortune and not panicking, but this is the army!"
His voice was already a little harsh as he scolded, "What is the army? It is a place of great struggle! Soldiers on the battlefield fight for survival, and generals fight for victory. When you are at a disadvantage, you have to fight for victory. When you are in a desperate situation, you have to fight for a glimmer of hope. Even if you win the battle, you have to fight for future advantages!"
"But you? You seem indifferent but you actually don't compete. You are aloof but you are actually frivolous! What's the use of an officer who doesn't even dare to compete for victory? If I were Lord Li, I would have asked you to go home and feed your children long ago!" These thought-provoking and novel remarks made Yue Peng and Zhang Wenjing suddenly realize that the two had been frustrated for many years because they did not compete.
"Let's go. Once you've figured it out, come to training tomorrow morning. I'll give you a chance." Yang Qiu raised a finger and looked at Yue Peng: "As I said before, a soldier should fight for his life, for his enemy, and for the heavens! If you can't even do this, then... retire."
The words "A soldier should fight against his life, against his enemy and against heaven" hit the two men's hearts like a heavy hammer. Thinking back on their experiences over the years and looking at Yang Qiu who was younger than them, they felt that they had worn the military uniform for so many years in vain.
Although Yang Qiu spoke harshly, he was actually very happy in his heart. If these three people could really become the left and right protectors of his commander without troops, today's efforts would not be in vain. So he turned his head and looked at Zhang Wenjing: "You are the secretary of the regiment. I will give you three days. After three days, I want a detailed information about the daily work of the 42 regiment and every soldier and officer!"
Zhang Wenjing just agreed, Yang Qiu turned to Lei Meng again: "I'm short of a stable boy, do you want to do it?"
Aide-de-camp?
Yue Peng and Zhang Wenjing smiled knowingly. This commander-in-chief was really powerful. He first defeated the enemy with one move and knocked off the arrogance of this tough guy. Then he made a hundred of them stand at attention and lie down to remove his arrogance. Finally, when he was at his weakest, he suddenly promoted him to the position of his trusted horseman. This meant that those people outside didn't understand what was going on yet, but the one hundred veterans of the 42nd Battalion's elite law enforcement team, who were usually fearless and followed Lei Meng's lead, had become the trump cards in the commander-in-chief's hand.
The stubborn Lei Meng couldn't even close his mouth . He was promoted directly from the head of the law enforcement team to the horseman of the standard commander. How many levels is this? This doesn't seem to be much worse than the one in front of him who was promoted from a baggage soldier to a standard commander overnight, right?
Lei Meng couldn't count them all with his fingers.
