Volume 2 King of the Northwest Chapter 23 New Appointment
"Marshal, this year's financial situation is not optimistic."
The person who reported to Dai Jiliang was Wang Shifeng, the deputy director of the Provincial Finance Department, an old bureaucrat who had served in Shaanxi since the Qing Dynasty. Logically, after Lu Jianzhang's private servants were driven away, the position of director should have been his, but Li Genyuan intervened and shattered his dream. As a result, his relationship with Dai Jiliang became closer, and Dai Jiliang also relied on him to sideline Han Wangchen and gain real power in the Finance Department.
"The unpaid taxes in northern Shaanxi have caused a considerable shortage. In addition, the war at the beginning of this year has caused poor harvests in many places. Although the taxes have not been reduced, tax evasion and tax resistance occur from time to time. The situation of local tax concealment is also very serious. I am afraid that the report you made to the provincial council will not be achieved."
"so serious?"
Dai Jiliang was immediately startled, "Come, sit down and talk!"
Dai Jiliang flipped through the written report brought by Wang Shifeng, and the long paragraphs of figures made him dizzy.
"Well, tell me, how big is the gap now?"
"Not counting the spring tax and the lijin collected every month, the education fee for next year, the special fee for water conservancy and forestry, the poor relief home and disaster reserve fund, the special expenses for the military governor and the governor, and other reserve funds cannot be used. After all these deductions, this amount of money cannot support the collection of the spring tax next year, let alone repaying the military expenses of the Shaanxi Army."
But this was not the end. Although the Shaanxi Army of nearly 20,000 people was barely supported by more than 200,000 lijin per month, in addition to the salaries of officials and parliamentarians and office expenses, an additional 500,000 yuan had to be allocated to make up for the shortfall in military and police expenses. The remaining less than one million was not enough to guarantee the operation of a province. What should be done? Dai Jiliang was also at a loss, not to mention that the more than 2.7 million military funds he had previously advanced were his last resort for expanding the army and preparing for war, and he absolutely had to get them back.
"Director Wang, do you have any suggestions?"
It’s better to consult a professional.
"Marshal, I think there is only one solution for now."
Wang Shifeng rolled his eyes and prescribed a strong medicine.
"Debts are in arrears."
Seeing that Dai Jiliang seemed to understand but not quite, he explained in more detail.
"Shouldn't we hand over more than 3 million yuan in ministry funds to the Beijing Ministry of Finance this fall? In one word, we are delaying! If we can't delay any longer, we will owe it. In other words, we are refusing to pay!"
"That makes sense, but if we don't pay, the Prime Minister won't let us off."
Dai Jiliang thought about it and adopted part of it.
"First, deduct 2 million and transfer it to the Shaanxi Army's account. As for the rest, calculate how much money we still need and deduct that as well. The rest should be paid to the Ministry. Don't let people say that we in Shaanxi didn't pay a penny!"
"yes!"
Wang Shifeng smiled silently. According to Dai Jiliang's calculation, he could only pay three or five hundred thousand this time. It would be better not to pay anything. However, the other party was the supreme ruler of Shaanxi, so he naturally did not dare to be presumptuous in front of him.
"By the way, Director Wang, I heard that you have a niece who is only 28 years old and is naturally beautiful. I wonder if you can help me with this!"
The first thing to do when being an official in China is nepotism, and the second is nepotism. The Provincial Finance Department is a key point, so Dai Jiliang naturally wants to keep it in the hands of his own people.
"Ah, Marshal, this?"
Wang Shifeng was shocked. He understood what Dai Jiliang meant, but Dai Jiliang already had four wives and concubines, and his sister had only this one daughter . It would be really unfair to her brother if she became someone else's fifth child.
But if he doesn't agree, he probably won't have a chance to become the director of the Finance Department, let alone the deputy director.
What should I do? Wang Shifeng was speechless.
"Don't worry, go back and think about it carefully."
Dai Jiliang smiled and sent Wang Shifeng out the door. The marriage seemed boring, but Dai Jiliang was short of people at his disposal, so this was a helpless move.
"By the way, remember, even if there is money in the Finance Department's account, you have to help me keep a tight eye on the salaries of public officials at all levels in the province. Pay them two months and owe them one month. In short, we can't let Governor Li and Director Han live too comfortably."
"Hey Zhixiang, please reply to what I told you last time!"
As soon as Wang Shifeng left, Wang Danping rushed in and closed the door immediately.
"My family is still waiting."
"What's up?"
Dai Jiliang has a good memory. He said this just because he hasn't thought it through yet.
"What else could it be? The matter with the Qian County magistrate is already several months old. If we delay any further, it will be too late. "
It's not that Wang Danping is anxious, it's her family who are urging her to do so. It is a Chinese tradition to execute people after they have retired, and if she delays any further, the opportunity will be lost.
"I'm not free these few days. Let's wait a few more days. I have to see what the girl looks like, right?"
Dai Jiliang still gave an ambiguous answer.
"Wait a few days?"
This time, Wang Danping must ask Dai Jiliang to give her an accurate timetable.
"I'll let my family prepare it."
"Three days, three days!"
Dai Jiliang shook his head. What the hell was this?
"Okay, brother-in-law, I have something else to do, let's talk later!"
The more eager Wang Danping was, the more indifferent Dai Jiliang was. "Adjutant, go get Song Cheng for me."
Wang Danping retreated awkwardly. Of course, he knew in his heart that he was obsessed, but since Dai Jiliang was willing to go, the matter was half done. He didn't believe that Dai Jiliang, a sex-hungry ghost, would look down on someone else's girl.
"Report!"
Not long after Wang Danping went out, Song Cheng rushed over with a pile of documents in his hand. It seemed that he thought Dai Jiliang wanted to ask him about the secret code.
"Zegang, sit down!"
Dai Jiliang tidied up the table, stuffed some documents into the drawer, then looked leisurely at the dashing young soldier opposite him. As expected, he asked about the secret code first.
"Have you figured out that thing?"
"Reporting to the Marshal, a preliminary plan has been drawn up."
As he spoke, Song Cheng handed the document in his hand to Dai Jiliang.
"Marshal, look, this is the most preliminary secret code."
"I won't watch it anymore. Tell me about it."
Dai Jiliang naturally disdained the idea of there being any advanced codes in the early 20th century. However, what he valued were people and talents, so he gave Song Cheng such an opportunity to perform.
"yes!"
Song Cheng naturally didn't know what was in Dai Jiliang's mind, so he tried hard to explain.
"My initial plan is this: use the same book, or several books, and use numbers to represent the book number, page number, row number, and font size. Generally, four numbers represent one word. As long as the other party does not have the exact same book as ours, the message cannot be deciphered."
It's very primitive, but it was not easy to think of this before the four-corner number came out.
"Have you taught them this method?"
Dai Jiliang nodded, affirming Song Cheng's achievement.
“I have taught you everything.”
Song Cheng patted his chest and promised.
"I have now divided the brothers who are participating in the study into two groups, one for receiving and the other for translating. There will definitely be no problems."
"Very good, there should be another group of people to specialize in repairs."
Dai Jiliang was very satisfied with Song Cheng's performance, so he asked casually.
"By the way, Ze Gang, can you tell me which of your subordinates has performed outstandingly?"
"Staff Officer Shen from the Second Brigade and Warrant Officer Yue from the Eighth Regiment are both the best at translation and interpretation."
Song Cheng didn't know Dai Jiliang's intention, so he answered honestly.
"Shen Qianxuan of the Second Brigade is the lieutenant of the third term of Baoding, from Zhuji, Zhejiang."
Dai Jiliang nodded, took out a letter of authorization, and wrote a few words on it.
"Ze Gang, I am now appointing him as the chief of the telecommunications department of the Shaanxi Army Headquarters. Do you have any objection?"
Chief of Telecommunications! Song Cheng's face turned pale. Isn't this the seat he reserved? But now he was in Dai Jiliang's office. He didn't dare to jump up and explode, so he had to endure it.
"Of course there is no problem with the Marshal's appointment."
Having said that, the dissatisfaction in his tone was obvious.
"Why, do you feel uncomfortable because someone else took your place?"
Dai Jiliang certainly understood what Song Cheng was thinking, so he smiled.
"Ze Gang, you should have a broader vision. He is just a small section chief, don't be so petty. By the way, are you still interested in the intelligence work you told me about last time?"
"Yes, of course!"
Song Cheng perked up and answered eagerly.
"Well, I'll give you the position of Chief of the Intelligence Section of the General Staff Office."
Dai Jiliang took out another letter of authorization, wrote a few lines on it, and handed it to Song Cheng again.
"Ze Gang, your mission is to infiltrate our possible enemies and try every possible means to obtain their intelligence. Of course, it doesn't have to be military intelligence. You can also collect information about prices, personnel, and everything else."
Dai Jiliang looked at Song Cheng, who was a little overwhelmed by the sudden change from great sorrow to great joy, and gave him some advice.
"You also need to set up an intelligence analysis room. All kinds of bits and pieces of intelligence can be used to infer the movements of our opponents."
"Ze Gang understands, and he will definitely live up to the Marshal's trust."
Nonsense. Compared with the chief of telecommunications, the chief of intelligence has the same status but has more power and a bright future. Song Cheng is so smart that he certainly can see the difference.
"Very good, but don't show your loyalty too much."
Dai Jiliang stood up and pointed to the map of the Republic of China hanging on one side.
"Our first goal is to unify Shaanxi. You have to hurry up in northern Shaanxi. By the way, I will send someone to give you the files of the leaders of the militia in northern Shaanxi. Take a look and see where to start. In addition, there are several opium trades in Sichuan and gun sales. You should also send people to participate in them."
Dai Jiliang's words were full of profound meaning, but Song Cheng was very talented and understood it immediately. This was a good opportunity to infiltrate various forces, so he nodded frequently.
"Okay, that's all for now. Go to Director E to get your rank of major and set up the intelligence department."
Dai Jiliang thought about it.
"That's Le Yi from the 8th Regiment, right? Promote him to second lieutenant and let him go with you. If you need any other personnel, go find Chief of Staff Zhang and he will help you make adjustments with the Military and Political Affairs Department."
"yes!"
Song Cheng stood up, saluted, and then walked out.
“Do it well!”
Dai Jiliang looked at his back and nodded, then took out Song Cheng's questionnaire that was originally hidden in the drawer and looked at it again. Then he stood up and found the most secret cabinet and locked it in.
