Volume 2 King of the Northwest Chapter 16: The Foot of the Wall
Time flies. In a blink of an eye, it has been almost a month since Li Genyuan came to Shaanxi. However, during this month, there was hardly a single day that went smoothly for him.
Not to mention that he was questioned by the provincial council as soon as he entered the city, even his governor's office has not been established in these days.
In the end, it all comes down to two word: "no money". He requested the Provincial Finance Department to allocate funds several times, but was rejected every time. Han Wangchen, his newly appointed Director of the Finance Department, went to inquire about it, and the director took out a stack of files and complained, saying that after Lu Jianzhang and Chen Shufan, Shaanxi's finances were completely dependent on the advance payment of military expenses by the Shaanxi Army. Now, even if the autumn tax revenue has come in, the first thing to do is to repay the Shaanxi Army's military expenses, and then allocate education expenses and other special expenses. The salaries of officials across the province have not yet been paid, and you, the governor, have to wait if you want to build an office, unless you intercept the Shaanxi Army's military expenses and not pay them. But would you dare? Once the soldiers riot, the city of Xi'an will suffer a military disaster.
"Forget it, Brother Wangchen. I've checked the Governor's Mansion and there are still a few houses that can be lived in. I'll send someone to pack up and move in later."
Li Genyuan was different from Dai Jiliang. He used to keep a mustache which was popular at that time. However, he had no intention to take care of it recently and his complexion looked a little gloomy.
"I have to move. I am a senior with high moral integrity. I understand that the Shaanxi Provincial Treasury is empty and I don't want to receive this year's salary. But I can't bear it any longer. If I continue to live here, I will go bankrupt."
This is also where Dai Jiliang's viciousness lies. As the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi Army, he can naturally get a generous salary. But Li Genyuan is different. Without the governor's salary, his team cannot survive.
"Don't persuade me. Although your Han family is a wealthy one, you are not the only one in the family. This little hardship is nothing. How can it be harder than when I was studying at Lu Shi? Senior Dai wants to force me to leave, but I won't leave. I will not let down the hard work of Mr. and Senior Yu Yan."
"Brother Yinquan."
Han Wangchen nodded bitterly.
Ever since he had a falling out with the Kuomintang in northern Shaanxi, he had returned to Xi'an and fought alone with Li Genyuan, and he no longer had the high spirits he had in the past. As a provincial finance director, he could not even mobilize a single subordinate. Of course, this was not the reason why Dai Jiliang had been so successful in his management over a long period of time. It was really that these people had been bought by that industrial plan, and more or less had some shares in their hands. For the sake of Marshal Zhao, they were naturally dissatisfied with a certain group of people who were against Dai Jiliang.
"Oh, right, I have a plan. It's true that Dai Jiliang is the military governor, but doesn't every province have a security commander? We can also come up with one in Shaanxi. I've seen through it. Without military power, you are nothing."
"Security Commander?"
Li Genyuan sighed.
"A penny can make a hero fall. Without money, the position of security commander is meaningless. Forget it. Don't let your imagination run wild. We should still insist on legal struggle. I think when the first batch of machines from Shanghai arrives, we can get rid of the matter of Shanfu Company."
"The shady dealings of Shanfu Company must be exposed, but even if they are, what can Dai Jiliang do to him with his 20,000-man army?"
Han Wangchen has already seen through the reality of this world: without guns, everything is empty.
"I think this security commander not only doesn't spend money, but can also make money."
He explained in detail.
"At present, the local militia does not actually have a corresponding status, and there are a lot of good and bad people. We can find some people who are inclined to revolution and grant them the establishment of security teams. This way, on the one hand, we can obtain some funds, and on the other hand, we can have some strength to compete with Dai Jiliang."
"Oh, let me think about it!"
Li Genyuan sat down and fell into deep thought.
"Brother, this is Director Zhao from the Ministry, this is Section Chief Wang, and this is Manager Zhou from the Bank of Communications, Mr. Zhou Zuomin."
Just when Li Genyuan was trying hard to deal with Dai Jiliang, Dai Jiliang met the bigwigs from the Ministry of Transport in Lintong City.
"Welcome, everyone, welcome to Shaanxi!"
Dai Jiliang greeted everyone enthusiastically.
"Shaanxi is not comparable to Beijing. You all have come from afar, and I appreciate your kindness."
"You're too polite, Overseer."
Obviously, this team is led by Director Zhao.
"We came to Shaanxi for official business, not for eating, drinking and having fun."
As soon as these words came out, Dai Jiliang's eyes suddenly condensed. What does this mean? Is it openly asking for bribes? Dai Jiliang thought unhappily, but his face did not show any expression.
"Okay , okay, okay, the director is right. Come on, everyone, please! Shaanxi may not have anything else to offer, but it does have Xifeng wine and mutton. You are all tired from riding, so use them first."
As he spoke, Dai Jiliang asked Wang Danping to accompany him, and he pulled Zeng Zhisheng aside to chat. The people in the department knew that Dai Jiliang wanted to find out the inside story, so they smiled at each other and went to their seats.
"Zhisheng, what exactly does the ministry mean by this?"
"The ministry's opinion is that, first, Shaanxi can build its own railway."
The Transportation Department would naturally be happy to see the country build its own railway without spending a penny.
"Second, the right of way must be state-owned or owned by Shaanxi itself. As for the guarantee of foreign debt, the central government cannot come forward. Shaanxi must solve it itself."
Zeng Zhisheng found a flat stone and sat down, not caring that the suit he was wearing cost more than 40 yuan.
"Third, the railway must be managed by someone sent by the ministry, and the revenue from the railway must first be transferred to the ministry and then transferred back to Shaanxi through the Bank of Communications. Fourth, the construction funds must be accounted for by the Bank of Communications' Xi'an branch."
“The conditions are very harsh.”
Dai Jiliang interrupted Zeng Zhisheng and said, "No matter what the fifth or sixth one is, it's better not to build this railway. Asking for help from a bunch of bosses will make anyone feel unhappy."
"Okay, I get it. Anyway, the foreign merchants willing to invest in Changqing have not yet been confirmed, so let's leave them alone for a few days."
Dai Jiliang thought about it.
"But we need to hurry up with the line survey. How about you do the preliminary work?"
"Sure. What I learned in Europe is a little rusty after all these years of non-use. It's a good opportunity to practice. But I can't do it alone!"
Zeng Zhisheng was full of passion. You know, building a railway for the country was his long-cherished wish when he was studying in Europe. Now that it finally came to fruition, how could he not devote himself to it?
"Well, I will assign all the staff members of the Surveying and Mapping Section of the Shaanxi Army General Staff Office to you. In addition, I will give you a platoon of my guards, and you can use the militia and police from various counties. Is this all right?"
Dai Jiliang made a great determination. The Shaanxi Army had few surveying and mapping talents to begin with, and he had finally recruited several frustrated military academy students from surrounding provinces. Now he gave all of them to Zeng Zhisheng, and he felt very painful.
"Okay, I'll do it! When does it start?"
Zeng Zhisheng nodded. He understood Dai Jiliang's difficulties and did not bargain any more.
"Don't worry. You have come from a long distance. Rest for two days. I will redeploy some personnel. Then you can go to the Shaanxi Army Headquarters to pick up the people the day after tomorrow."
Dai Jiliang patted Zeng Zhisheng on the shoulder.
"Let's go and have some food and drinks with the masters."
Naturally, Wang Danping and his team were leading the negotiation with the Ministry of Transport. Dai Jiliang's side was also not idle, as E Tao was back, and not only him but also many people were behind him.
"Brother Zhi, I finally got you back. What are these?"
“Marshal, let me introduce them. This is Pei Mo and Pei Ziqing, and these others are all top students from Baoding.
These two are the ones I poached from the Third Division, Captain Li Shuchun from the first term in Baoding, and Captain Zhang Yueting, both of them are from the Infantry Department. This one is Li Bifan and Li Ziqi from the first term in the Engineering Department, both of them are from Hunan.
This is Li Xingzhong, Li Shifu, from the first artillery class. The central government is looking for him. "
E Tao pointed at everyone . It seemed that the harvest this time was extremely rich.
"This is Yu Qipeng from Baoding Phase II. This Marshal's fellow countryman is Zhu Tang, also from Baoding Phase II."
"Great! Our Shaanxi Army needs talents like you!"
Dai Jiliang laughed loudly, shook hands with everyone, and looking at their faces full of hope and vitality, Dai Jiliang made the decision on the spot.
"Shuchun and Yueting are the elites of the Third Division, so you have to bear the insignia of major for now. I have seen that Chen Youliang's Fourth Regiment and Wang Baoyuan's Eighth Regiment are still a little short of training, so you two should go there and serve as deputy regiment commanders first. However, the system of our Shaanxi Army is different from others, so I don't know if you two are willing to do so!"
"Report to the Marshal, I am willing!"
Nonsense, he was promoted to major right after he arrived, who wouldn't be willing? Besides, although the commander of the Shaanxi Army is not as good as that of the Third Division, it is still higher than the battalion commander, right? Now he is a deputy position, which is both an appreciation and a test. If there is still room for promotion in the Shaanxi Army, then the commander of the regiment is just around the corner. How can Li Shuchun and Zhang Yueting not be willing?
"Ziqi, our Shaanxi Army's engineering corps is weak, why don't you take up the position of Chief Engineer first? By the way, the Shaanxi Army's school is just being established, so you can come over and serve as an engineer instructor."
Dai Jiliang then looked at Li Bifan, a native of Hunan.
"You're not afraid of spicy food, but are you afraid of this?"
"Report to the Marshal, of course I'm not afraid!"
Li Bifan laughed. This leader was really interesting. It seemed that the future would be bright if he followed him.
"Zi Qi must do his best to get the Shaanxi Army's engineering work back on track."
"It is not enough to get them on the right track, we must also actively learn advanced civil engineering from the West."
When it comes to business, Dai Jiliang's face becomes stern.
"The trench warfare in Europe is now littered with corpses. We must track this, learn from it, and transform it into a warfare method suitable for Shaanxi and even China. If you don't think about the future, you will worry about the present!"
"Yes, Ziqi understands!"
Li Bifan had heard everything E Tao said about this commander along the way, and now it seemed that he was indeed a strong man.
"We will definitely live up to the Marshal's trust and bring out modern Shaanxi engineers."
"Okay, Ziqi, you can wear the lieutenant colonel badge first!"
As soon as this was said, others looked at Li Ziqi with envy. Of course, this was as it should be, because he was the director. However, he could not escape this treat.
"Qi Peng and Zhu Tang should go to the General Staff Headquarters and work there for two days!"
Dai Jiliang thought that the General Staff still needed to be strengthened, so he started to make arrangements.
"First get promoted to captain, then do your job well."
"Yes, sir!"
The two men saluted Dai Jiliang together. They had also heard from E Tao on the way about the importance the Shaanxi Army attached to its staff. A senior staff officer could directly become the chief officer of a faction, which was currently unique in China. Therefore, they had no objection to Dai Jiliang's arrangement.
"Ziqing, don't look at them!"
Dai Jiliang turned to Pei Mo and punched his chest.
"I'll give you the new regiment."
Pei Mo's eyes suddenly lit up. "Captain, you should know that although there is only one word difference between deputy commander and commander, the power and status in the Shaanxi Army are definitely very different."
"From now on, all new recruits for the Shaanxi Army will be transferred from the new recruits regiment!"
Dai Jiliang has completely blocked the path for the following to form their own system.
"Ziqing, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. I'm going to have to work hard for you."
"Don't worry, Senior! Ziqing is also from Shaanxi, so he should serve his hometown."
Peimo stood upright.
"I will never forget the kindness that you have shown me, Senior. I will do my best to show my loyalty to you."
"You don't have to risk your life for this. You have a senior who is doing great things in Xi'an. I hope you understand and don't choose the wrong path."
Dai Jiliang gave earnest advice.
"Ziqing understands!"
"And Shifu, why don't you go to the First Artillery Regiment and help Director Deng? Major, deputy regiment commander, what do you think?"
"Xingzhong will definitely live up to the Marshal's trust."
The heroic young soldier stood straight.
"Great! With the participation of Baoding students like you, our Shaanxi Army will surely prosper."
As if he anticipated that he would have millions of soldiers under his command in the future, Dai Jiliang couldn't help laughing.
