1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 18

Soon, dozens of trainee party representatives were also thrown into the training ground to train with the soldiers.

As a graduate of the Japanese Army Academy, Dai Mingde strongly agreed with President Zhao Yan's theory of training for war. When he was in the Qing army system, the military's training attitude was lax. Some units only had drills every three days, and some even only every seven days. There were even soldiers in the army who smoked opium.

After the Restoration Party seized power and started the revolution, the newly established revolutionary army was immediately transformed. Zhao Yan kept a close eye on the troops' training, and soldiers who smoked opium were expelled from the army immediately. The remaining officers and soldiers were also selected based on merit, with the capable rising and the mediocre falling.

The presence of Party representatives in units at the battalion level and above has a real and effective supervisory effect.

After the Great Purge in Manchuria, the officers and soldiers of the First Division of the Revolutionary Army had all seen blood and were no longer lacking in the courage to face life and death. What they lacked was professional combat skills.

Unfortunately, combat skills can't be bought with money; they can only be honed over time, and that's exactly what the Revolutionary Army needs most right now.

Watching the soldiers on the training ground shouting and training with murderous intent, Major Dai Mingde sighed, "If we could have two more months of training time, the First Division of the Revolutionary Army might very well become a strong army."

With a wave of his hand, Major Dai Mingde led his men back to the division headquarters. Inside the division command post, just after lunch, Dai Mingde immediately regretted missing the opportunity.

The revolutionary army now implements a dual food system for officers and soldiers, which is divided into training meals and non-training meals. Needless to say, front-line combat units participating in training will definitely have three meals of dry rice plus one meal of meat a day.

For non-training units, such as command posts, the meals are simply non-training meals: pickled vegetables and rice or clear noodle soup. There's no way they'd have meat or fish.

Although the provisional government currently has ample funds, those funds are intended for war, so it must be used sparingly and frugally. Zhao Yan personally manages the accounts and supervises every expenditure.

"Director Dai is back? Have you eaten?" Wang Dingyun, the Party representative in the division headquarters, greeted him.

Dai Mingde immediately said, "No, is there any leftover food? Hurry up and give me a bite!"

Wang Dingyun pointed to the basin on the washbasin stand: "There's still some noodles left in the basin, but no vegetables!"

Dai Mingde didn't mind. He took the bowl, wiped his chopsticks under his armpits, and immediately reached into the basin to pick up some plain noodles. Even after picking them all up, there were only three ounces left.

While slurping his noodles, Dai Mingde said, "Representative Wang, there is still a huge shortage of clothing and supplies in the army. Even soldiers like Xu Tusi are still training in thin clothes and straw sandals. This can't go on."

As the Party Representative of the First Division, Wang Dingyun was someone who seemed to care about nothing but was also in charge of everything. He didn't get involved in military professional issues, but he was responsible for all non-military issues within the unit.

Wang Dingyun got up, put down the documents, looked up at the ceiling with his hand on his back, and pondered, "The logistics department has just been established and its work has not yet been sorted out. I have urged them several times already."

A batch is expected to be loaded onto the dock tonight; you can wait for notification to receive it. It's estimated to be around a thousand sets.

Dai Mingde slurped up the last noodle in his bowl and drank all the slightly starchy broth. Still feeling unsatisfied, he turned around to get more broth.

"What can we do? Winter training is no joke. The soldiers can endure the hardships of the cold winter months, but we can't let them suffer indefinitely!"

Wang Dingyun sighed and said, "The provisional government has already urgently increased its procurement efforts from the private sector, but production takes time."

"Here's what I'll do. I'll issue a notice that all personnel in non-training units who are not undertaking training tasks should vacate their winter coats and shoes and give them to the soldiers who are training!"

"Let the soldiers train for half a day, and spend the other half receiving literacy training under the organization of the Party representative. All the cold-weather clothing and shoes will be used in rotation!"

Dai Mingde nodded: "This is a good idea. In the morning, the Party representatives train with the soldiers and learn military skills from them. In the afternoon, the soldiers train with the Party representatives to learn literacy and culture. It's really brilliant!"

As an officer who studied abroad, Dai Mingde insisted that soldiers also needed to be literate. Not to mention ordinary soldiers, at least those sergeants who could serve as squad or platoon leaders had to have a certain level of literacy.

The reality is that the illiteracy rate within the revolutionary army is alarmingly high. Many battalion and company commanders are illiterate. The rapid expansion has resulted in a decline in the quality of personnel.

The revolutionary army's internal solution was to increase literacy training, establish military academies, and vigorously cultivate talented and capable grassroots officers and soldiers.

Soldiers or officers with good literacy skills in basic literacy training will be recommended to enter the division's military academy to continue their advanced studies under the guidance of professional officers.

"Alright, I have to go to the presidential palace to give a report. You and your men must continue to keep a close eye on the training. I'm leaving now!" Wang Dingyun took the documents, took off his cotton-padded coat and military boots and left them on his desk, then left the division headquarters wearing a pair of straw sandals that no one knew who had been wearing them.

As the Party representative of the First Division, he had to implement the decisions he made himself, and he had a lot of things to do.

The first priority was to find Zhao Yan every day without fail and report on military affairs. Zhao Yan didn't have time to keep a close eye on the troops, so he could only keep track of the situation by having party representatives at all levels report and summarize the situation.

Looking at the cotton-padded coat and boots on the desk in his office, Dai Mingde sighed with emotion. No wonder the revolutionaries were able to succeed; their style of doing what they said was truly impressive!

On his way to the Prime Minister's Office, Wang Dingyun encountered Wu Zifu, Zhang Xinghua, Liu Shangsheng, and others who had just completed their formalities. They had all arrived in Changsha yesterday and wanted to go to the Presidential Palace, but they did not have the necessary paperwork and could only wait until today to complete the procedures before they could see Zhao Yan.

The group of people walked together in high spirits. When they saw Wang Dingyun wearing only a thin shirt and straw sandals, they were puzzled. But when Wang Dingyun explained the reason, they were full of admiration.

Chapter 32 Zhao Yan Loses His Temper

Inside the presidential palace, Zhao Yan was holding a routine high-level meeting.

Zhang Mingqi, Lu Zhaoxuan, Wang Chongshan, and other high-ranking military and political officials attended the meeting. Such meetings were held almost every two days.

Zhao Yan is constantly busy with paperwork and meetings, either reviewing documents or holding meetings. In his spare time, he also has to pay attention to the development of Party members. He can only sleep for a maximum of six hours a day.

Zhao Yan used to hate the endless meetings and paperwork that were so formalistic, but now he himself has become the very thing he used to hate.

Because you can't do without meetings. If you don't keep an eye on these people below, they'll immediately start messing things up. This group of old bureaucrats is still used to the old Qing Dynasty's way of doing things. How can such an administrative style be used to carry out the revolutionary cause?

Following the Changsha Uprising, within just ten days, not to mention other places, at least the entire military and political system in the Changsha area was completely transformed, with efficiency and work style improving dramatically.

Was it because the officials changed after the revolution? Of course not, it was all because Zhao Yan was keeping a close eye on things behind the scenes.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! I asked you to organize the military and procure supplies, and what did you do?"

"I was wondering why the expenditures hadn't increased much these past few days, but the procurement of supplies had been slowly growing. I thought you were driving down the purchase price by bidding high."

"I didn't expect you to still be using the same old tricks, relentlessly exploiting the people. I clearly told you to buy and procure, not to impose quotas or levies!"

"There's so much silver piled up in the national treasury, don't you know how to use it? Are you expecting it to breed more children? Once the money is brought back, it's meant to be used. The only value of currency is exchange, not just keeping it in a cellar and glancing at it every day."

Lu Zhaoxuan said somewhat aggrievedly, "Your Majesty, this is how it has always been done when we need to fight a war. There is no reason for the government to keep paying for everything without levying taxes on the people. Just look at the national treasury, which currently has more than five million taels of silver. The food and supplies for people and horses alone amount to tens of thousands of taels a month. And when the cannons fire, it's worth tens of thousands of taels of gold."

There are also the salaries of local officials, relief for the poor who are displaced in winter, and schools for children. All these things cost money.

"Relying solely on our government... oh no, I mean the government's money, we probably won't last until the summer harvest; we'll be in debt!"

Other officials shared the same view: they would avoid touching the national treasury's money if possible, and instead allocate funds to the people first, saving as much as they could.

Zhao Yan became even more furious: "Can a system of assigning tasks be efficient? Can you get good things without spending money?"

"You want to see results without spending money? That's outrageous! If you keep doing this, how are we any different from the Qing Dynasty? Remember, we are a new government, a revolutionary new army!"

"Look at the mess you've made! I issued the order to reorganize military supplies and prepare for battle almost ten days ago, and what's the result? Now, not even a single revolutionary soldier has a gun, a cotton-padded coat, or a pair of shoes!"

"A Northern Expedition? An Eradication of the Manchus? Dream on! Everyone, wash your necks clean and get ready to be escorted to the capital to be skinned alive by that old witch, Empress Dowager Cixi!"

"Still trying to explain to me? You want me to explain? Who am I supposed to explain to?"

Zhang Mingqi coughed and then said, "Your Excellency, just tell us what to do, and we'll follow your orders, won't we?"

Zhao Yan was utterly helpless upon hearing this: "Sigh, you guys are all like spinning tops, you only move when I whip you, you have brains but don't know how to use them."

Now that the government has money, it can directly put out tenders, listing all the military supplies and equipment needed, including the types and quantities required, and then posting notices!

You can put up notices, right? After you put them up, advertise to the public, especially merchants, and let them come to you with their prices and samples. We'll buy from whoever has the best product and the lowest price.

No apportionment, no requisitioning. You must receive real money, cash, and payment upon delivery. Understand?

"Understood, Your Majesty!" The officials present all stood up to receive the order.

Zhao Yan sat helplessly in his seat, feeling utterly exhausted. Other leaders only needed to give general orders, but as the leader, he had to personally teach his subordinates what to do.

This is just one division, one province. If the territory expands and the population grows in the future, even a similar force like Zhao Yan won't be able to handle it.

Turning his head, Zhao Yan saw the division commanders and brigade commanders of the First Division grinning with their big white teeth, and Zhao Yan's anger was reignited.

"What's wrong with your First Division? You still have the nerve to laugh here? You think you've done a great job, don't you?"

"Go down there and take a look. Your soldiers are training there in straw sandals and thin clothes. Go see what their food is like. They only get one bowl of meat soup a day, and that's considered a meat dish!"

And those new recruits, they've only been in the army for ten days, and there are already hundreds of deserters. In the final trial, it wasn't that they couldn't endure hardship, but that the officers didn't treat them like human beings!

I've said it at major conferences, at smaller meetings, and in public speeches: everyone is equal. Have you stuffed pig bristles in your ears?

"You just finished killing the Manchus, and you're already rushing back to become Manchus again?"

Wang Chongshan, whose name was called, immediately stopped smiling and stood up tremblingly. He dared not put on airs in front of this head of state.

"Your Excellency, the soldiers' winter uniforms and military boots are all handled by the government officials. We just need to receive them. Don't blame us; our lads have never slacked off in training!"

Before the other party could continue, Zhao Yan interrupted him directly, saying, "Hehe, it's the government's business. The government buys you military uniforms and shoes, so does it have to continue buying you guns and cannons, then continue recruiting soldiers, then help you train them, and finally lead them to the Northern Expedition to overthrow the Qing Dynasty?"

What are you all good for? The Logistics Department of the Revolutionary Army Headquarters has been established for five full days, but we haven't received a single piece of feedback or application from the military!

"All you officers know is drills and fighting, and you leave everything else to me, right?"

"I've already set up the stage for you all and invited you to perform, and this is the result?"

Wang Chongshan and all the officers stood up, sweating profusely as they endured Zhao Yan's scolding.

Zhao Yan showed no mercy: "There's also the issue of soldiers' food. I heard that you officers are all complaining that you can only eat pickled vegetables and drink plain noodle soup every day, while the peasant soldiers can eat dry rice and have meat every day."

"You like to complain, huh? Take off your ranks, all of you, and go to the training ground. Swap places with those soldiers and see if they can handle pickled vegetables and plain noodle soup. I also want to see just how much you like eating meat and rice."

"Don't try to apply the Qing army's methods to my revolutionary army. Those who are afraid of death should not enter this door. If you want to get promoted and make money, go somewhere else!"

"You all better think this through, use your pig brains. When war breaks out, it will be the soldiers risking their lives on the front lines, while you sit in the command post issuing orders. Isn't that tiring?"

"Think about it: in war, who dies the most – soldiers or officers? Who needs the most nutrition and strength – officers or soldiers?"

"If they win, you can keep your pig heads. If they lose on an empty stomach, even if I give you three stews of meat a day, you won't have anything to eat!"

"And what about those officers who exploit and bully new recruits? How dare they make the country's revolutionary soldiers help their families unclog toilets and do chores in the dead of winter, without providing them with meals, and even demanding that the soldiers hand over their bonuses and pay?"

"Who were they? How were they dealt with?"

Wang Chongshan was covered in sweat, his lips trembling uncontrollably: "Sir, it was a battalion commander, two company commanders, and five platoon leaders from the 13th Brigade who did this. They figured that since it was the dead of winter and they were just sitting around doing nothing, they let the soldiers go home and do some chores."

Zhao Yan interrupted directly: "I'm asking you how you handled it?"

Wang Chongshan said, "They are all veteran officers of the former New Army Mixed Brigade. They are very capable. I put them in solitary confinement so that they can atone for their crimes through meritorious service."

Zhao Yan laughed, a chilling laugh: "Then what about them taking away the soldiers' pay and bonuses?"

Wang Chongshan said, "It seems that the soldiers gave it to the officers on their own initiative, saying that they wanted to pay their respects to the officers."

Zhao Yan continued, "What about the party representative of that battalion? Did he participate?"

Wang Chongshan: "No, the Party representative was unaware of this!"

Zhao Yan: "What happened to the 112 new recruits who escaped?"

Wang Chongshan said, "He was severely punished with fifty lashes in front of the entire regiment, then tied to a pillar and left to freeze for an hour."

Zhao Yan laughed loudly: "Good, good! This is my revolutionary army! This is the revolutionary armed force that will overthrow the Qing Dynasty in the future!"

"I see you don't want to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, but rather to become the Qing Dynasty yourselves. No need for all this trouble. Now find a knife and cut off my head, Zhao Yan's head, and you can take it to Beijing to collect your reward!"

"Who knows, the Empress Dowager might even bestow a few more titles of nobility upon you. Come on, let's just chop you up!"

"Please spare my life, Your Excellency! Please give me your instructions!" Wang Chongshan couldn't withstand Zhao Yan's hysterical aura any longer, and his legs went weak, causing him to kneel down. The other officers also knelt down one after another.

When the civil officials heard that Zhao Yan wanted them to cut off his head and go to Beijing to claim the reward, they couldn't sit still and immediately knelt down.

Seeing this, Zhao Yan became even more enraged: "All of you, stand up! If you're wrong, admit it; if you're going to be beaten, stand at attention! Who told you to kneel down!"

Everyone stood up, only then realizing that Zhao Yan wasn't the emperor, but the aura emanating from him was even more intimidating than that of an emperor.

Zhao Yan didn't want to waste any more time and simply waved his hand to give the order.

"Pass on my order: all officers involved in the exploitation and humiliation of new recruits shall be executed in front of the entire division. Execute immediately!"

"That battalion's party representative should be dismissed, expelled from the party, placed on probation within the party for one year, and demoted to the rank of private!"

"The 112 new recruits who ran away, return all their military pay and bonuses. You, Wang Chongshan, on behalf of the Revolutionary Army Headquarters, apologize to them in person! Those who wish to remain in the army afterward may continue to serve."

Those who do not wish to remain in the military will receive one year's salary as compensation for this incident, and their discharge procedures will be processed!

"This matter has been communicated to the entire army and the Prime Minister's Office. All military and political officials must study it and submit a 5,000-word reflection to my office!"

"Meeting adjourned. Get to work right now!"

Chapter 33 Night Class

After the meeting, Zhao Yan returned to his office and instructed his servants to continue brewing a few more bowls of ginseng soup. He said that if he didn't drink a few bowls of ginseng soup every day to keep himself going, his spirits would have collapsed long ago.

Still seething with anger, Zhao Yan slumped over his desk, awkwardly using a calligraphy brush to write documents. His handwriting was extremely ugly, but barely legible. Of course, no one dared to laugh at Zhao Yan's ugly handwriting.

Zhao Yan is copying the systems of the companies and governments from before his transmigration and writing them into the revolutionary army's own institutional documents. He has simply reached his limit with the messes that the military and political leaders are making now.

The reason for this was that the provisional government did not implement its own new system and structure. Since the revolution, the military and political institutions had only changed their names and titles. The mixed brigade was changed into a reorganized division, and the governor's office was changed into the provisional government.

This superficial change means that the current revolutionary regime still retains a lingering Manchu flavor.

Zhao Yan was determined to reorganize the military and political institutions and change the government system, fundamentally transforming this nascent regime.

Now Zhao Yan has no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end. There is no possibility of him hiding his identity anymore. He is already bound to the revolution. If the revolution succeeds, Zhao Yan will live; if the revolution fails, Zhao Yan will die!

Even Sun Dapao could escape overseas when he saw things were going wrong, but it was impossible for Zhao Yan to do so.

Because the revolutionary aim of the Revival Party was "to eliminate the Manchus, revive China, and expel the foreign powers, thus achieving national independence!"

Domestically, it nearly destroyed the very foundation of the Qing dynasty, and internationally, it deeply offended the foreign powers. After all, no one likes a rising power that drives them out. Compared to the revolutionaries, the foreign powers preferred the Qing dynasty, which could easily produce silver after a few battles.

"President, we're here!"