Feng Jishan smiled and said: "These things are exactly what our army needs. To me, this is the second time you have provided help in times of need. Thank you so much. Drive the carriage in!"
A sentry said: "Batalion Commander! The things on the carriage haven't been checked yet!"
Feng Jishan was stunned, and then said to Di Xiong: "I'm sorry! This is the rule of our military camp. Any goods entering the camp must be checked for contraband. I can't break this rule, let them check it!"
Di Xiong smiled and said: "This is what it should be. My eldest brother is really strict in running the army and will never act for selfish ends. Only an army trained under such military discipline can become a strong army in the world."
The sentry carefully inspected the three carriages before letting them go. After Di Xiong and Wu Chunfeng entered the military camp, they saw soldiers training on the playground. Although their clothes were shabby and their faces were disheveled, their morale was high and their movements were neat and coordinated. It was obvious at a glance that they were elite soldiers. The reception room at the battalion headquarters was very simple, with only a few shabby tables and chairs. A guard poured three cups of tea and handed it to the three people. It was said to be tea, but it was actually boiled water without even a trace of tea leaves.
Feng Jishan invited Di Xiong and Wu Chunfeng to sit down and took a sip of tea: "I heard that you became the boss of the company, and even General Lu's seventh concubine was attracted by you to become a shareholder. Are there still British people in the company as shareholders? "
Di Xiong said: "There is an Englishman Sean in the company. He is said to be a shareholder and general manager, but he is actually a handyman. He is given ten yuan a month. As soon as the company was established, many government departments asked us for money. , the tax the tax police set for us was too high. If we paid honestly, the company would close down immediately, and thousands of people in the company would have nothing to eat. So we had to hire a British tramp as a fake general manager. In this way, it will be considered a joint venture. If Sean can negotiate and argue, a lot of money will not have to be paid, and the taxes will be reduced a lot. This was General Lu's seventh aunt's idea. There was no other way. For the sake of the voice of thousands of people in the company, This is the only way to eat."
Feng Jishan said: "I have always had a very bad impression of the British, not to mention the burning, killing and looting in China by the British, French and Eight-Power Allied Forces. Two months ago, when Song Zheyuan and I took a train to Jingxian County to recruit troops, a group of more than ten people went to Jing County to recruit troops. Fengtai Station was searched by British soldiers, who refused to allow us to get on the train because we were carrying firearms, as if this was British land. After repeated negotiations with the interpreter, we were allowed to pass. Later I learned that due to the January Mutiny, , the British garrison expanded the protected area to Fengtai Station on the grounds of protecting expatriates, and most of the ticket revenue was taken away by them, and they refused to evacuate. The government authorities only focused on internal fighting, but did not dare to fight against foreigners. In fact, So incompetent.”
Di Xiong said: "I have no choice but to use the British. As long as he dares to mess around or the company becomes stronger, he will be fired immediately. As for Fengtai Station, I believe that one day my eldest brother will take it back."
Di Xiong knew from the history books he had read in his previous life that Fengtai Station was recovered by Feng Jishan. After Feng Jishan launched the "Capital Revolution" in 1924, while expelling Puyi, he sent Zhang Zizhong to pay homage first and then to attack the station, and regained Fengtai Station by force. After the soldiers were killed and wounded more than a hundred Indian soldiers, they retreated to the civilian alleys in the eastern suburbs, not even daring to fart. As a result, Feng Jishan became the first Chinese soldier to go to war with the British army during the Republic of China. Even the Guangdong revolutionary government could not compare with him. When the British soldiers caused the "Shaji tragedy" in Guangdong, the Guangdong government headed by Chang Kaishen only They can swallow their anger even though they shout "Down with the Great Powers" every day.
It was lunch time during the conversation. Feng Jishan stayed with them for lunch and called Wu Chunlei to accompany him. Wu Chunfeng was very surprised to see his brother, and the two brothers talked endlessly together. The lunch course consisted of two dishes and one soup: cabbage stewed with tofu, lamb stew, and vegetable soup. There was no wine, and each person had a bowl of brown rice. Among them, the mutton was brought by Di Xiong, and the fat pig had not had time to be killed. It seems that Wu Chunlei is right, life in the military camp is indeed very difficult. There were three accompanying guests. In addition to Wu Chunlei, there were two officers Di Xiong whom he did not recognize. Feng Jishan introduced them: one was Song Zheyuan and the other was Li Mingzhong, both of whom were currently captain and company commander. Di Xiong was surprised and happy when he heard that these two were both one of the future five tiger generals of the Northwest Army!
Wu Chunlei looks a little thinner than before, but his body is stronger. A month of training has really paid off. Di Xiong said to Feng Yuxiang: "My brother Wu Chunlei has caused trouble for my elder brother here. He didn't make any mistakes. If there is any violation of military regulations, just teach him a lesson!"
Feng Jishan said: "Wu Chunlei is a good young man because he has practiced martial arts since he was a child and has solid basic skills. He also does not have the bad habit of gambling that ordinary recruits have, nor does he smoke or drink. He can get along well with other soldiers. He is the squad leader based on his ability. I didn't take special care of him when he was appointed. His various military skills ranked among the top in the battalion. Song Zheyuan is his company commander and knows him best."
Song Zheyuan said: "His marksmanship is very accurate, ranking first in my company. At present, there are insufficient firearms in the army. There are more than 600 people in the whole battalion. Excluding various servants, there are more than 400 regular soldiers, but only Among the two hundred old guns that have been eliminated, there are only 80 breech-loading guns. The rest are muzzle-loading guns and muskets. Some of them are damaged beyond repair. We only have thirty usable rifles in the company. I still give them to Wu. The squad leader was issued a breech-loading rifle.”
Feng Jishan said: "Speaking of the issue of guns, I have already reported it to General Lu. He said that many machines in the arsenal under the Ordnance Bureau are damaged and there is insufficient work capacity. Soldiers who currently do not have guns will have to purchase broadswords at public expense from the battalion headquarters. Each person is given a knife to use first. If Brother Di knows the owner of the blacksmith shop, please help find out the price. It would be better if you can buy a batch for me."
Di Xiong said: "No problem, I'll cover the amount you want. I'm about to open an ironworks factory in Nankou Town. I'm recruiting workers and buying machines. However, the Beiyang reserve army lacks guns and can only use broadswords. It's really ridiculous. , especially the elite troops trained by my eldest brother."
Li Mingzhong said: "Our battalion is considered good. It is protected by General Lu and has at least two hundred guns. Some battalions don't even have a gun and can only train with wooden sticks. How can such an army suppress bandits?" ?I heard that the weapons of the bandit Sun Kuai in Motian Ridge are all new-style repeating rifles, which are much stronger than us."
Feng Jishan said: "We are not the direct troops of Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang. It is normal to lack firearms and supplies. My battalion cannot be said to be elite. The two companies of Song Zheyuan and Li Mingzhong are better, and the two company commanders Yang Guisheng and Yang Shaoxu The soldiers under his command are simply garbage soldiers. These two guys, like the battalion deputy Yang Guitang, are Duan Zhigui's cronies forced in. General Lu couldn't save his face, so he wrote a note asking me to accept them as company commanders. They couldn't even shout "Cao". If you don't, how can you train good soldiers? As soon as you punish them, you immediately go to General Lu to complain."
Feng Jishan probably had nowhere to talk to others, but he actually poured bitterness on Di Xiong for a long time at the dinner table. Di Xiong had no choice but to sigh along with him. After dinner, when Di Xiong was about to say goodbye, Feng Jishan stopped him and said, "You haven't paid for the things you sent, so why did you leave? And I haven't paid you back the two yuan I lent you last time. Tell me! How much is the total?"
Di Xiong said: "Didn't I say I don't want any money? If I say this again, I'll be disobedient."
Feng Jishan lowered his face and said: "You must accept this money. I am very grateful to you for sending us the things we urgently need. However, these materials are worth several hundred yuan, which is not a small amount. Even brothers have to pay for it." Let’s settle the accounts clearly. I know that merchants from other battalions also give things to them, but that’s because the officers resell military supplies to them, buy their things at high prices, and get kickbacks from them. I never do this kind of thing. If you give me things for free, That would be a big loss. I don’t want to be suspected of taking bribes, as long as you don’t sell it at a high price. If you don’t accept the money, then take the thing back.”
Di Xiong sighed and said: "Eldest brother is indeed an honest and honest official. In fact, earmuffs and gloves are produced by our company's textile factory. Since eldest brother must give them, let's give them 200 yuan at the ex-factory price. "
Feng Jishan looked a little ugly. He smiled bitterly and said: "It is indeed much cheaper than the market, but I really can't afford two hundred yuan at the moment. My monthly salary is only thirty yuan now, and I will give you one hundred yuan for public expenses. One hundred and thirty yuan, and IOU for the rest, okay?"
Di Xiong said: "Of course there is no problem with me. Brother, you don't have to take the IOU too seriously. If you have money, you will pay it back. If you don't have money, you will owe it. My brother will never come to ask for it."
When Di Xiong left, Feng Jishan and Song Zheyuan arrived at the camp gate. Looking at his leaving figure, Song Zheyuan couldn't help but said to Feng Jishan: "The battalion commander gave all this month's salary to Boss Di, Kanggezhuang." What about your sister-in-law and children? You send them ten yuan from your salary every month for living expenses. You are a good person, but you are too noble. Boss Di originally gave it as a gift, so why do you have to give money? But I don’t have any money, isn’t this just trying to make someone look fat?”
Feng Jishan smiled bitterly and said, "You didn't mention the living expenses. I really forgot. I have to borrow this month's living expenses from you."
Wu Chunlei sent them five miles away. When they were about to leave, Di Xiong asked, "What's your impression of Battalion Commander Feng?"
Wu Chunlei said: "He is a very good officer. He goes out with us every day. He is somewhat similar to his eldest brother. He does not smoke, drink, gamble or go to whoring. However, he treats his subordinates much harsher than his eldest brother. He requires his subordinates to strictly prohibit smoking and drinking like him. For prostitution and gambling, the punishment for violating the regulations is very severe: whipping, confinement, fasting, and kneeling for a night. In addition to training in the military camp, you only have to listen to classes and study. Life is very boring, and the monthly allowance is only one yuan and fifty cents. I heard that Battalion Commander Feng’s camp It has the strictest military discipline among all the reservist armies. My eldest brother sent me here, which is considered to have caused me a lot of harm."
