Chapter 7: The Incoming Officer

I see!" Wu Shaoting replied calmly, yet his expression showed no sign of difficulty.

On the morning of April 1st, a minor official from the Army Headquarters was sent to invite Wu Shaoting to take up his post at the Shanzi Camp

In 1921, Deng Keng served as the Chief of Staff of the Guangdong Army and the Commander of the First Division. He was one of the military leaders who steadfastly supported Sun Yat-sen, while Liang Hongkai held the position of Brigade Commander under Deng Keng. In early 1922, Deng Keng was assassinated at the Guangzhou railway station. Subsequently, the First Division of the Guangdong Army elected Liang Hongkai to succeed him as the Commander of the First Division, thus making Liang Hongkai one of the four major warlords of the Guangdong Army.

As for the outer commander mentioned by the minor official, it is precisely the military rank he currently holds as a sentry, which means his annual salary amounts to only fifty taels. He recalls that in ancient times, the value of one tael of silver was quite significant; during the prosperous period of the Song Dynasty, one tael of silver was equivalent to three thousand RMB in the 21st century. Unfortunately, this is the late Qing Dynasty, and the situation is vastly different. It is said that during the late Qing period, one tael of silver was only equivalent to forty-five RMB in 1995

"What are you laughing at?" Wu Shaoting asked in a deep voice, thinking that the other party was laughing at him for being an angry youth

The adult's surname is Li, and his given name is Mingshan. He is actually the nephew of General Huang

The procedure took only a moment. Wu Shaoting walked out from the headquarters, feeling somewhat bewildered. Until now, he did not even know the name of his superior, let alone what to do next!

"Sir Wu, please do not take offense. A person of your experience, like yourself, naturally has his own insights on matters. However, I fear that you may, in the future, find yourself repeating the mistakes of Sir Li," the junior official said with a hint of seriousness.

"Sir Wu, fifty taels of silver may suffice for an ordinary soldier. However, as a person of your stature, not only do you have to provide for your family, but you also need to manage social engagements. This amount of silver is far from sufficient for your expenses" the clerk continued.

Wu Shaoting was somewhat confused and asked, "What does my taking office have to do with him? I have just returned to the country; how could I have inadvertently infringed upon his interests?"

The fire brigade is a large unit, which includes four battalions such as the Mountain Battalion as its subordinate units. The commander of the fire brigade, Huang Shilong, has always found the western suburbs inconvenient, so he stationed his troops in the urban area, and at this time, they were not at the large parade ground in the western suburbs. Therefore, the junior official only took Wu Shaoting to the Mountain Battalion to meet with the captain and discuss some procedural matters.

Two days later, the Army Office sent someone to deliver some official items to Wu Shaoting, including a set of officer's uniforms, a set of formal attire for a seventh-rank military officer, a plain gold cap, a sword, and so on. Upon seeing these items, he felt a mix of amusement and exasperation; what era was it that he still had to wear such outdated military uniforms? Fortunately, there were not many people from the late Qing Dynasty who studied in Germany, and not many books on the subject either. If his classmates saw this, they would probably laugh uproariously.

At the end of March, Wu Shaoting sent someone to deliver a letter to Hu Hanmin at the address left by him, informing Hu Hanmin of his current situation. He even wondered whether, since he had not been assigned to a position in the new army, Hu Hanmin might feel that his value was diminished, leading to a distancing of their relationship

The minor official bowed slightly and replied: "I am Liang Hongkai, courtesy name Jingyun."

The minor official, seeing that Wu Shaoting did not seem angry, boldly said: "Your Excellency may not be aware that the Mountain Character Camp you are affiliated with is a training army, which is different from the new army. The nominal monthly salary for the external officers of the training army is two taels of silver, but the actual amount received is at most one tael and two qian. The remaining eight qian are either fictitious or have been deducted. Over the course of a year, even when accounting for the integrity allowance, it amounts to only a little over fifty taels."

Wu Shaoting suddenly felt that this minor official truly had some audacity, daring to speak to him so directly! He let out a cold laugh and said, "How could you think that I would repeat the same mistake?"

Wu Shaoting was slightly taken aback. Wasn't Liang Hongkai one of the leaders of the four major warlords of the old-style Cantonese army in the future

The minor official glanced around to ensure there were no unnecessary bystanders before speaking: "Lord Wu, you have just returned from abroad and may not be aware of our local customs. The Mountain Character Camp has a total of five posts, and before your arrival, one of the post commanders was vacant. However, the camp receives the full military salary from above each month, which means that the salary for the vacant post is surplus. Naturally, this surplus has ended up in Lord Li's pocket. Do you understand, Lord Wu?"

General Qian delegated all matters related to the procedures to a subordinate who was sitting on the porch of the barracks, crossing his legs, holding a purple clay teapot, sipping tea, and squinting in the sunlight.

Wu Shaoting followed the clerk to the headquarters of the Mountain Character Camp, where he met the camp's chief officer.

The minor official suddenly covered his mouth and began to chuckle.

Wu Shaoting slowly nodded, then suddenly asked: "May I ask your esteemed surname and given name, brother?"

Wu Shaoting had previously read historical books on this subject and was aware that after the Jiaqing period, the national strength of the Qing Dynasty declined year by year. Ordinary officials could hardly support a family of three solely on their salaries. Thus, during the Xianfeng era, the court began to restore the system of integrity allowances, with the annual distribution of these allowances to officials at all levels often exceeding their annual salaries. Over time, integrity allowances gradually became the primary source of income for officials, while the original salaries were merely pocket change

This supervisor has a thin and emaciated figure, with a sallow complexion, as if he has been indulging in opium for a long time. He presents a nonchalant demeanor and is extremely indifferent towards Wu Shaoting, even omitting self-introduction.

Wu Shaoting suddenly realized that this must be the result of a vacancy. He had now filled the position of the mountain camp officer at www.hetushu.com, which meant that Li Mingshan would receive less silver each month. It was only natural for him to feel displeased about this.

He felt that this minor official truly possessed some spirit; not only was he knowledgeable, but he also had considerable courage. Although the other party was just a minor official, he did not exhibit any deliberate obsequiousness. More importantly, he had a friendly demeanor, much like Ni Duan, which made people feel no sense of repulsion upon meeting him

Does Lord Li really think that his uncle is the commander of the fire brigade, treating everyone with such indifference? Wu Shaoting does not care at all about the identity and background of General Li Qian; in a few years, the bureaucratic landscape will undergo significant changes, and it is possible that this person named Li could be killed by his subordinates in the chaos

In response, Wu Shaoting was quite moved, realizing that not every revolutionary treats the revolutionary cause as the entirety of their life. It is evident that Hu Hanmin still possesses a human side. However, as he is about to assume office in a few days and has many matters to prepare, he cannot spare the time to attend Hu Hanmin's celebratory banquet and can only reply with a letter expressing his appreciation for the kind gesture

This is truly an old and outdated practice! He originally intended to scold Li Mingshan for being petty, but then he thought that since this minor official was not his trusted confidant, how could he casually complain about his superior in front of outsiders

The small official from the army office who accompanied him noticed Wu Shaoting's expression and, out of goodwill, asked with a smile: "Lord Wu, do you have any concerns in your heart?"

For him, the relationship with Hu Hanmin, a significant figure in the literary world, cannot be easily severed

Why is this Lord Qian so indifferent? I don't even know his full name; how will we work together in the future?" Wu Shaoting said with a cold expression.

This is not the issue; the key point is that after you, Lord Wu, took office, it directly affected Lord Li's interests, which is why Lord Li has expressed some dissatisfaction towards you. However, as time passes, this matter will fade away. After all, you, Lord Wu, were appointed to fill this position by the General himself, and Lord Li would not dare to complain too much about it. The young official spoke in a friendly manner, conveying this with ease. However, as time passes, this matter will fade away. After all, you, Lord Wu, were appointed to fill this position by the General himself, and Lord Li would not dare to complain too much about it. The young official spoke in a friendly manner, conveying this with ease.

The same night, Hu Hanmin sent someone to reply, first extending his congratulations on Wu Shaoting's upcoming appointment, and also inquiring when Wu Shaoting would be available, as he intended to host a banquet in celebration.

The formal establishment of the Guangdong Army dates back to the time when Chen Jiongming organized the Guangdong militia to campaign against Fujian. During this period, the nominal highest leader of the Guangdong Army was solely Chen Jiongming. However, around 1922, the internal divisions within the Guangdong Army became increasingly severe. Following Chen Jiongming's bombardment of the Marshal's Office and his "betrayal of the revolution," the Guangdong Army suddenly split into four factions, namely Chen Jiongming, Xu Chongzhi, Deng Keng (Liang Hongkai), and Li Fulin. Around 1922, the internal divisions within the Guangdong Army became increasingly severe, culminating in Chen Jiongming's bombardment of the Marshal's Office and his "betrayal of the revolution," which led to the sudden division of the Guangdong Army into four factions: Chen Jiongming, Xu Chongzhi, Deng Keng (Liang Hongkai), and Li Fulin.

Hehe, fortunately, there are still more than forty vacancies under Lord Wu's command. In the future, when Lord Wu takes office, these vacancies will all be his subsidies

However, there is no other choice; at least I now have a stable job, which has finally resolved the issue of making a living