Since the head of state of the Chinese nation took his army to Europe to fight the Franco-Prussian War, there has been a brief period of peace and tranquility in Asia. All the great powers have restrained themselves, and the mobilization of the armies of various countries has also been reduced.
Asia has a rare opportunity for peaceful development, especially in the South China Sea, where the Qing Dynasty has not received emergency reports for a long time!
The sudden news immediately alerted Ma Ming and others. Although they didn't know what happened, they also knew that today's chaos must be put down.
Ma Ming jumped to the wooden watchtower on duty at the entrance of the camp and shouted loudly, "Brothers, I, Ma Ming, have made a promise to everyone. I will raise a batch of food in three days to distribute to everyone..."
"You are not an only son, but you still have food to eat at home. I will keep accounts for you first and not give you anything. You won't be hungry in the camp anyway..."
"The limited food, we can first share it with those brothers who have family difficulties...I guarantee that each person will have at least a bag of rice, ten pounds of bacon, and a pot of oil..."
"After today's breakup, we will make statistics as a class as a group. We will discuss with each other to see whose family is really unable to keep the pot. Let's give some of the remaining rations to these brothers first..."
"Don't be anxious... The emperor is coming back soon... The military pay issue is easy to handle and easy to solve! Brothers, do you believe me? I, Ma Ming, am also a good man with a running horse on my arm, and I also have a family business in Sijiucheng!"
"If I don't get the military salary, I can make up for the shortfall of my brothers by selling my family's property... Do you believe me?"
These soldiers were selected bit by bit from the 300 emperor's personal guards and trained bit by bit. They have no imprint from other troops. These people are their direct commanders.
Having said this, the troublemaker really can't continue to make trouble. Other comrades with better family conditions also said, "That's it, it's almost done. We'll have a meeting in class, and we'll get some for you. It's the end of the year." It’s okay to live with the sadness…”
The commander promised, his comrades persuaded him, and the grassroots squad and platoon leaders came forward to coordinate. This minor dispute over unpaid wages was finally suppressed.
When the gates of the camp gradually began to disperse, the Three Treasures spoke, "You are all members of the Emperor's Imperial Guard, and you all understand that military law is as great as the sky..."
"You violated military regulations by making a fuss today. Fortunately, you didn't get any blood, otherwise you would have been shot!"
"What's wrong? You just want to take the food and leave?"
The platoon leader who started the trouble immediately turned around and stood at attention and saluted, "Sir! We remember the military regulations in our hearts and never forget them... The military regulations of the Emperor's Guards stipulate that those who make trouble and make noise will be punished with twenty lashes for the first offense and will be confined for three days... ...If you commit another crime, you will be dismissed from the military camp!”
"Brothers, we had no choice but to make such a big fuss just for my mother's morsel of food! But the military law cannot be abolished. Since the commander promised to provide food... then come out and receive the punishment!"
"Yes!" There was a thunder on the ground, and the three to four hundred soldiers who had just blocked the door roared in unison, stood at attention and saluted, then turned around and took off their military uniforms.
Four hundred tough mountain men, with bronze tendons all over their bodies like iron lumps, stood in a square formation in the military camp and received their punishment collectively!
In this era, corporal punishment was still very popular in the military. Whether it was the Chinese New Army or the Prussian Iron Army, in fact all armies including Britain, France and the United States had corporal punishment.
Whipping was a very common type, but four hundred people were beaten together at once. It was so spectacular. There was a commotion in the Mawei Shipyard in the distance, and many foreign engineers looked unbearable.
"Oh, God! Those soldiers just want their own military pay, and they are not rebelling. Isn't it too harsh to be beaten like this..."
"This is the army of the Qing Dynasty? Why is it so different from what is advertised... neat, rigorous, and sloppy at all..."
"Oh George, you have to know that these are the emperor's own imperial guards and they are newly trained...different from the local beggar-like soldiers..."
"Execution!" Sanbao, the commander of the First Infantry Brigade of the Second Division, roared angrily, and the other four hundred soldiers stood behind their comrades and twirled their braids.
The cowhide whip is a common corporal punishment tool in the military camp. The whipping makes a whining sound in the air, and... when it hits the spine, there is a blood-red mark.
Not a single one of the four hundred soldiers who endured the torture said a word. All of them had their braids tied up and bit the end of their hair in their mouths. Even the muscles on their faces were throbbing in pain, but they endured without saying a word.
Twenty lashes may not sound like a lot, but those who have actually been whipped know the pain. Cowhide whips are not something children play with by whipping them with willow branches. Once the whip is struck, you can see the flesh and bones directly, and the strength is obvious. Down to the guts.
Even a soldier in good health would have to lie in bed and rest for four or five days before going to the ground after being whipped twenty times.
The atmosphere suddenly became serious. No one dared to speak or laugh. They looked at the tortured brothers with unbearable expressions.
But no one dares to plead for mercy. If you plead for mercy, you will only be punished with a heavier punishment!
"One, two, three...nine, ten, eleven..." The sound of counting struck everyone's heart, and the first one who couldn't stand it was the civil servant Shen Baozhen.
"That's enough... That's enough... Okay, I beg you, let this matter go away... If it doesn't work, I'll have to punish you next time!"
Although Shen Baozhen knew that this matter was not his main responsibility, soldiers often couldn't understand the deeper struggles in the court. They would naturally think that the civil servants were causing trouble!
The soldiers did not understand that the royal court should actually be responsible for the payment of the Imperial Guards. Fujian Province was not obliged to raise funds, at least not in full.
Now the problem of unpaid wages for the 30,000 new Imperial Guards still lies with the imperial court. The Ministry of Revenue has no money, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has no money, and the emperor has no personal treasury.
At present, Zuo Zongtang ordered Fujian to prepare 1 million silver dollars for the entire military expenditure for the establishment of the army. In fact, all of this money was to equal the military expenditure of Xinjiang. Zuo Zongtang squeezed it out of his own pocket.
The rest was the military expenses that Hu Xueyan raised privately for the emperor from Jiangnan, totaling more than 3 million silver dollars, and of course the more than 200,000 taels of silver raised by the two queen mothers.
That's all. Four million seems like a lot of money, but the New Yulin Army is a purely Western-style army! You can't afford it just by buying some rice, flour and meat for the soldiers.
How to pay for equipment? Even if the minimum number of 30,000 people is equipped with 300 field cannons, it will cost 5 to 6 million yuan. Even if the British give the emperor the cost price, a cannon with 30 rounds of shells, 20,000 silver dollars is not expensive for you. Bar?
Ten doors is two hundred thousand, one hundred doors is two million!
The remaining military uniforms, rifles, leather boots, standard equipment, bullets, artillery shells... all require money. To be honest, a modern army of 30,000 people is not enough without spending 10 million silver dollars!
But the soldiers didn't understand the twists and turns. They just knew that today's beating had something to do with you, Shen Baozhen, so the knot was tied firmly!
