Chapter three hundred and sixty-eight of the peace descended
On July 21, 1881, Ma Ronghe, the admiral of Fujian Zuolu Green Camp, obtained permission from Li Henian, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, to set up recruitment points in Changle County, Minhou County, Houguan County and other places in Fuzhou to recruit new soldiers.
"The Green Camp on the left is recruiting recruits. Anyone who is over sixteen years old and in good health can be recruited! Everyone, please open your eyes and watch carefully!
Recruiting 600 infantrymen, the monthly salary of the infantry leader is 4 taels and 5 cents, and the monthly salary of the regular soldiers is 3 taels and 5 cents.
Recruiting 100 artillerymen, the artillery chief will be paid 5 taels per month, and the regular soldiers will be paid 4 taels per month.
Recruitment project, logistics soldiers 300, regular soldiers 3 taels and 1 yuan per month!......"
A group of twenty or thirty green battalion infantrymen looked at the gong and encouraged loudly, "Serve the imperial court as a soldier, and you will make great contributions in the future. The imperial court and the admiral will definitely reward you. Everyone, hurry up and sign up to join the army. Don't miss the opportunity."
I regret it."
"My lord, a few years ago when Commander-in-Chief Zuo recruited soldiers, the military pay he set was only 4 taels and 5 taels of silver per month for each regular soldier. Recently, the price of rice, noodles and food has increased. 3 taels and 5 taels of silver can't feed a family of four.
, what’s the point of serving as a soldier under you!”
"The Admiral is too stingy. The infantry and artillery are only given three or four taels of silver a month. If you become Lord Ma's soldiers, your brothers will not be able to drink the northwest wind!"
Several soldiers wearing uniforms and mixed in the crowd shouted.
"Bold! Your Majesty, the Admiral, is recruiting new soldiers under the orders of the Governor-General. How can there be a few idiots who want to cause trouble? If you dare to act like this again, I will take you down immediately for questioning!"
"Haha, a small boss may not have a big official but a small power. I'm still standing here. What can you do to me!"
A green battalion officer carrying a knife walked out of the crowd, looked at the chief officer in front of him, and said in an arrogant tone.
"Sir, please calm down. The person opposite is General Wang Qian of Jianning Town. He has one or two hundred soldiers under his command. He acts arrogantly and has never been able to deal with our Ma Ziying."
A green battalion officer stood beside the commander and reminded him carefully.
"So what if President Qian of Jianning Town! I'm not an officer or soldier under his name, so what are you afraid of him doing?"
"Our Mazi camp has the support of the admiral, so we are not afraid of their Jianning Town. However, the commander-in-chief of Jianning Town is Marshal Zuo's favorite general. If we offend him, we will be in big trouble."
"Hmph! What kind of bullshit? Others don't know his details. I have been in the army for twenty years and I still don't know the identity of Cai Yuanlong. He is just a traitor general who surrendered. He followed the path of Marshal Zuo and changed his name. Really
Consider yourself a high-ranking general of the imperial court!"
The commander-in-chief was Ma Ronghe's confidant, and he fought with him during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, as a Taiping general who surrendered earlier, he knew more about Cai Yuanlong's true identity than ordinary Qing court officers.
Cai Yuanlong joined the Taiping Army at the age of sixteen. He fought bravely and was resourceful. During the defense battle of Taicang City, he used the means of false surrender to defeat the Qing army led by Li Hongzhang's younger brother Li Hezhang, and thus formed a grudge with the Huai Army faction.
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At the end of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the overall situation was in decline. In order to save his life, Cai Yuanlong chose to surrender to Zuo Zongtang. After Zuo Zongtang accepted Cai Yuanlong, not only did he not kill the surrendered troops, but he also allowed him to command his original subordinates and reduced the surrendered Taiping Army to
There are 4,000 people in the Eighth Battalion, and they are appointed as fourth-grade officials.
After learning that Zuo Zongtang accepted Cai Yuanlong, Li Hongzhang sent General Cheng Xuequi to ask for the person, but Zuo Zongtang refused.
Later, in order to reduce trouble, Zuo Zongtang changed Cai Yuanlong's name to Cai Yuanji, and his wife Li's surname was changed to Yang. From then on, Cai Yuanlong's true identity was gradually concealed. After more than ten years, only a few parties knew about it.
Ordinary officers of the Qing court in Fujian only knew that Cai had a close relationship with Zuo Zongtang, but they did not know the reason for it.
Resigning a general from Taiping was a taboo thing in the Qing army. His own chief officer had the status of a general from Taiping. Even if the commander-in-chief knew Cai Yuanlong's true identity, he could only vent a few words in front of his subordinates and did not dare to say it in public.
I watched several Jianning Town officers and soldiers gradually stop at the recruitment point.
The chief officer summoned three or four of his subordinates and said, "Today is the first day we put up flags to recruit troops. The dogs from Jianning Town came over to cause trouble. They obviously have trouble with Ma Ziying. You guys will wait until they leave."
Follow behind quietly to see if they have done anything out of the ordinary. If you discover anything, come back and report it immediately, so that you can seize some clues and confront them in front of the Governor!"
"I understand. There are rumors in the camp that the officers and soldiers of Jianning Town are colluding with Jianghu gangs and local militia groups. A lot of the money in the breech of the Fuzhou militia comes from Jianning Town. If I find out about them this time,
I promise to report the evidence of smuggling imperial weapons immediately."
"The smuggling of arms and the buying and selling of ammunition and weapons are done secretly by the green camps on the left and right sides of Fujian, and the patrol battalions. It would not be good for everyone if the matter becomes public, but as long as we have the evidence of their smuggling of arms, we can hand over the evidence
Giving it to the Admiral will also make them suffer a little."
"Yes, little one, please follow your instructions."......
"Admiral, please taste the finest Wuyi Mountain rock tea."
At the Lvying Admiral's Yamen on Fujian Zuo Road, a businessman in brocade clothes chatted with Ma Ronghe.
"Yes, the aroma is fragrant and the aftertaste is long. It is indeed a good tea."
"It's fine if you like it. There happens to be a batch of newly picked tea leaves in Liu's shop. I'll send them to you right away."
"I appreciate Shopkeeper Liu's kindness. Forget about the tea. If you have any questions, Shopkeeper Liu can just tell you directly. There is no need to be polite to me."
"I can't hide it from your sharp eyes. Liu came to visit you this time because he really has something to ask for."
Liu Yiguang put down his tea cup and said respectfully, "Fujian is a small and densely populated area with a shortage of local supplies. We, the people in the coastal areas, are just relying on God's face to earn some hard money at sea. Isn't this because I heard that General Ma was appointed as the admiral of the Zuolu Green Camp?
The jurisdiction happens to include Jinjiang County, so Liu and the squires and elders of Jinjiang County specially sent some gifts to express their feelings, and I hope you will not dislike it."
After Liu Yiguang finished speaking, the servant beside him immediately presented a square brocade box and placed it on the table.
"One hundred taels of gold can be used as a gift to celebrate your inauguration. As for the hard-earned money of the military men, Liu will send someone to deliver it to your residence every month from now on."
"Master Zhongtang presides over the Westernization Movement and supports the establishment of industry and the development of overseas trade. Although I am a military attache, I still support the business and trade within my jurisdiction."
Ma Ronghe said with a gentle expression, "Shopkeeper Liu Da takes it very seriously. As long as the goods traded by the Jinjiang gentry meet the requirements of the court, the officers and soldiers of the Green Camp on the left guarantee that they will not embarrass you."
"We, the people of Fujian, are all law-abiding subjects of the imperial court. We will definitely not do anything that would make things difficult for you. It's just that sometimes the merchant gangs transport some special commodities, which are not convenient for passing through the coastal ports. At that time, we have to bother your men.
The officials help me."
"It's easy to talk about. Shopkeeper Liu said hello in advance at that time, so there won't be any trouble when the goods leave the port."
Ma Ronghe waved his hand magnanimously, full of joy, taking charge of a party, holding thousands of soldiers and horses in his hands, and the way to make money was delivered to his door without having to find it by himself. Isn't it much better than sitting on the bench?