The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 489 Making a Wish
Hearing that Teng Yuzhao was going to recommend him as the future Minister of the Army, Xu Shichang could not help but be overjoyed. He had been in the cold and noble position of the seventh rank of Hanlin for a long time.

It was not until this time that he was named by Teng Yuzhao to come to the vanguard army and was promoted to a fourth-rank official. If the rank of the Ministry of Army is equal to that of the Six Ministries in the future, wouldn't he be able to join the ranks of second-rank officials? How could he not be excited?

He was about to bow to Teng Yuzhao to express his gratitude, but when he had raised his hands halfway, he suddenly realized that he had now joined the vanguard army and was still wearing a military uniform, so he quickly lowered his left hand and gave Teng Yuzhao a not-so-standard military salute.

"Thank you, Marshal, for your grace!"

Teng Yuzao smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Juren, don't rush to thank me yet. Whether this task will eventually fall on your head depends on your own efforts."

"You should take advantage of this opportunity to serve as the chief clerk in the army and familiarize yourself with military affairs so that you can prepare for future needs. I will not recommend someone who is unfamiliar with military affairs to take up such an important position."

Now, Xu Shichang served as the chief clerk of the Vanguard Army. All the staff of Yu Lu left behind by Master Qian were now under the management of Xu Shichang. All the correspondence in the army, including the memorials from Teng Yuzhao, were under the responsibility of Xu Shichang.

Xu Shichang nodded repeatedly in agreement to Teng Yuzhao's reminders.

Not only out of gratitude to Teng Yuzhao, but also because he had other thoughts in mind, Xu Shichang suddenly said.

"Marshal, after this great victory, governors and governors from all over the country sent congratulatory telegrams to you. Only Liu Kunyi and Li Zhongtang did not send congratulatory telegrams. What do you think of this matter?"

Teng Yuzao hesitated for a moment before continuing, "They are all the initiators of the Southeast Mutual Protection Movement. They feel that they have lost face in front of the imperial court and the people, so they should still be a little bit reluctant to lower their status. Besides, I am from the Beiyang family. In the eyes of the world, Li Zhongtang is bound to be suspected of not knowing people well."

At this point, Teng Yuzao could not help but sigh, "In order to catch up with the great powers and realize the goal of enriching the country and strengthening the military, Li Zhongtang has worked hard, but first there was the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, and then there was the humiliation in Shimonoseki. Li Zhongtang was criticized by the government and the public. If he sent a congratulatory message at this time, I am afraid that someone would mention the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 again. He is in a dilemma!"

"I understand why Li Zhongtang didn't send a congratulatory message. Besides, Li Zhongtang has already given secret support to the Vanguard Army a long time ago. I still want to appreciate his kindness."

"As for Liu Kunyi, there is no need to blame him too much. Although he is the most staunch supporter of Southeast Mutual Insurance, he still protects my bank and company in Shanghai. This friendship is also important."

Xu Shichang seemed to disagree with Teng Yuzao's statement and said with a frown.

"The Marshal has a broad mind, which is beyond the reach of others. Shichang is deeply impressed!"

"It's just that Marshal Xiang, who is also a frontier official and a supporter and initiator of the Southeast Mutual Protection, was able to send a congratulatory message without caring about his face, and even increased his support for the vanguard army."

Zhang Zhidong no longer needed any weapons and ammunition. Even the bullets and shells that the Hanyang Gun Factory secretly supplied to the vanguard army were only sold at cost price.

When mentioning Zhang Zhidong, Teng Yuzao couldn't help but laugh.

"Xiang Shuai is a bold and unrestrained person, and he is always free and easy. How could he care about such trivial matters?"

Xu Shichang nodded in agreement with Teng Yuzao's fair evaluation of Zhang Zhidong.

"Marshal, Shichang still has something unclear. Please explain it to me."

Teng Yuzhao has always attached great importance to Xu Shichang, who is a capable person. Today, Xu Shichang has been deliberately testing him. It seems that Xu Shichang is ready to see whether he is someone worthy of his allegiance.

Therefore, today Teng Yuzao answered all the questions from Xu Shichang. "Brother Juren, don't hesitate, just ask directly if you have any questions." Teng Yuzao said with a smile.

Xu Shichang asked in confusion, "Since Li Zhongtang has arrived in Baoding, it means that he has listened to the Marshal's advice and will only negotiate in the places we occupy, and will never go to the capital or Tianjin occupied by foreigners to negotiate. But now that he has just arrived in Baoding, why is he in a hurry to let Lianfu come to see the Marshal?"

"Could it be that Li Zhongtang has any other different ideas about the peace talks?"

Xu Shichang then said with some concern, "The Marshal should have seen some of the statements in the newspapers. Some people have already criticized the court for letting Li Zhongtang come to negotiate with the foreigners."

"These people believe that since Li Zhongtang's previous peace talks with foreigners always ended with ceding territory or paying compensation, they are not optimistic about Li Zhongtang's peace talks with foreigners this time."

Teng Yuzao shook his head decisively and said, "

"Marshal, Chief Counselor Yang is back."

Liu Ziwei, the captain of the special guard squadron standing behind Teng Yuzhao, reminded Teng Yuzhao from behind.

Teng Yuzhao then noticed the sound of horse hooves and looked up. He saw a squad of vanguard soldiers and a vanguard officer galloping towards the village entrance. The officer was none other than Yang Shixiang, who was rushing to Wuchang.

Yang Shixiang did not rein in his horse until he arrived at the village entrance. A platoon leader on duty at the entrance checked the documents he produced before letting this small group of mounted soldiers enter the village.

Although the vanguard troops on duty at the entrance of the village were not from the Special Guard Squadron but from the Guard Battalion, they recognized Yang Shixiang and the group of people from the Special Guard Squadron who followed him. However, they still carefully checked Yang Shixiang's documents as required before letting them enter the village. Seeing this scene, Xu Shichang couldn't help but admire it secretly.

Everything should be done according to the rules, this is the style of a strong army.

From a distance, Yang Shixiang saw Teng Yuzhao and Xu Shichang standing on the steps. He knew that Teng Yuzhao had come specially to greet him, and he was deeply moved. Even though he was twenty or thirty meters away, he jumped off his horse and walked quickly towards Teng Yuzhao.

Teng Yuzao also came down the steps and said with a smile on his face, "Lian Mansion, no matter how urgent the matter is, there is no need for you to rush back overnight!"

"You are a Hanlin, can you still bear it?"

Yang Shixiang, with a tired face, did not rush to speak, but first saluted Teng Yuzhao respectfully.

Yang Shixiang's military salute was much more standard than Xu Shichang's. It was obvious that Yang Shixiang must have put a lot of effort into the military salute.

After saluting, Yang Shixiang said with a face full of joy, "The Marshal has annihilated more than 300,000 enemies in one battle, achieving a great victory rarely seen in history. He has long attracted the attention of the Chinese people. How dare Shixiang lag behind? How can I not rush to see the Marshal's style!"

Although Yang Shixiang's words were full of flattery, they still made Teng Yuzhao very happy. Yang Shixiang was now his only confidant, and his sincere compliments made Teng Yuzhao even happier.

Teng Yuzao grabbed Yang Shixiang's hand and said, "You have traveled nearly three hundred miles, you must be very tired, take a rest first, I have prepared a banquet for you, I will welcome you later, we will talk while we eat."

(End of this chapter)