The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 531: Death without surprising words

Teng Yuzao looked at Xu Shichang again, "What do you think of this matter, Juren?"

"Marshal, I have the same idea as the Lian Mansion. It is better not to accept it. We should not even recommend this candidate for governor."

Teng Yuzao looked at Zhou Xuexi again. Zhou Xuexi hesitated and said, "General, I agree with Juren's opinion. Not only will there be no garrison, but even the governor is not recommended. Whoever is willing to go can be the governor, so as not to cause foreign-related incidents. From Zeng Wenzhenggong to Li Zhongtang's time, Tianjin and Shandong were both places where religious incidents frequently occurred. Over the years, there has never been peace."

“Anyone who becomes the governor will be walking on thin ice.”

Regarding such a matter concerning government affairs, Teng Yuzao did not seek the opinions of Ning Xingpu and others, but nodded and spoke to Yang Shixiang.

"Lian Fu, please continue."

Yang Shixiang nodded and said thoughtfully, "As for the Ministry of War, I heard that at the beginning, few officials responded. But recently, the establishment of the Ministry of War has not only been brought up again, but it was Ronglu who advocated it. I'm afraid the Empress Dowager was behind this."

"In theory, the only general who is most familiar with Western military affairs and can be called a famous general is the Marshal. However, the rank of the Army Department is too low, and it is not easy for the Marshal to leave the Vanguard Army and Zhili for a moment, so he needs the governor to recommend him."

"There's nothing much to say about this matter. No wonder the imperial court was frightened by the governors and governors-general who participated in the Southeast Mutual Protection. They are thinking of using the Ministry of the Army to have a certain degree of control over the armies of various provinces, and are beginning to test the possibility of confiscating the military power of local governors and governors-general."

"Moreover, regarding the matter of the Army Department, Ronglu also called Li Zhongtang and asked for his opinion. Li Zhongtang also agreed to establish an Army Department modeled after the Western ones."

"It's just that this matter is easier said than done. It's definitely not as simple as the court imagines. Li Zhongtang believes that whether the Ministry of the Army can help improve the domestic military strength depends mainly on whether the first Minister and Deputy Minister of the Army are capable and whether they will work together."

Yang Shixiang looked at Teng Yuzao and said a little embarrassedly, "When I came here, Li Zhongtang did mention this matter to me, but before I had the chance to say it, the Marshal said it first."

Teng Yuzao believed what Yang Shixiang said before he could finish speaking. It should be that Yang Shixiang wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Teng Yuzao alone about this matter.

Teng Yuzao smiled and said, "Mr. Lian, it's not too late to speak now. Regarding the matter of the Army Department, does Li Zhongtang have anything else to say?"

Yang Shixiang's eyes drifted slightly inadvertently, passing over Zhou Xuexi, and then quickly turned back to Teng Yuzhao's face. After seeing Teng Yuzhao nodded to indicate that he could continue, Yang Shixiang spoke carefully.

"Li Zhongtang thought that the court must have thought about this matter carefully, so they set up one chief and two vice-chiefs. They must have considered that whether the Ministry of the Army can operate well depends on whether the Marshal and Yuan Shikai will cooperate. Therefore, among the three candidates for the chief and vice-chief, there must be people recognized by the Marshal and Yuan Shikai. As for the third person, the court should choose someone they trust."

"In a word, the imperial court will never allow any one party to control the Army Department alone. These three people must cooperate with each other and check and balance each other. The person must not only be familiar with military affairs, but also have outstanding abilities to be qualified for the position."

"Li Zhongtang asked me to tell the Marshal that he is old and the commander of a defeated army. He has no suitable candidate to recommend for military affairs. He trusts the Marshal's vision. If the Marshal has a suitable candidate, he is willing to jointly recommend him to the court with the Marshal."

"it is good!"

"Lian Fu, when you return to Baoding, please thank Li Zhongtang for me."

With Li Hongzhang's support, Teng Yuzhao felt more confident.

Teng Yuzao laughed and said, "It's a good thing to establish a Ministry of Army. The army is the most important weapon of the country. The provinces in the country should not have their own armed forces. All armies should be under the unified leadership of the state. Otherwise, it will not only be detrimental to the unified equipment system and standards of the army, but also in wartime, each army will act on its own and will not be able to form an effective command and achieve the goal of being able to act like an arm." "So, I firmly support the establishment of a Ministry of Army. I even think that just a Ministry of Army is not enough. We should also follow the example of the Germans and establish a Ministry of Navy and a General Staff. But this is up to the court, and I don't want to worry about it for the time being."

"As for recommending a candidate, the Vanguard Army is currently the largest and most combat-capable army in the country. I should be the one to recommend the candidate for the Minister of the Army, so I will take on the responsibility of being the Minister."

"I plan to recommend Ju Ren to be the first Army Minister. I have already discussed this with Zhang Xiangtao, and Zhang Xiangtao has agreed to co-sign with me to recommend Ju Ren. Now that Li Zhongtang has promised, Ju Ren's appointment is 90% certain."

As soon as Teng Yuzhao finished speaking, everyone couldn't help but look at Xu Shichang with envy. Xu Shichang had only been in the Vanguard Army for a few days, but he had been promoted from a seventh-rank Hanlin to a minister. He was a dignified first-rank official!
Yang Shixiang was delighted when he heard this and said, "The Marshal is wise. It will be hard for anyone in the court to oppose Ju Ren as the Minister of the Army. And with the three of you, Marshal, Li Zhongtang, and Xiang Marshal jointly recommending him, there will be no problem. This is not 90% sure, this is 100% sure. The court will definitely not offend you three."

Xu Shichang also hurriedly stood up and was about to thank Teng Yuzhao, but was pulled back to his seat by Teng Yuzhao.

Recommending Xu Shichang to be the Minister of the Army was a promise Teng Yuzhao had made long ago, and he had to fulfill this promise, otherwise it would be difficult to guarantee that Xu Shichang would not become alienated from him.

Moreover, the imperial court would easily accept Xu Shichang as a Hanlin and would be willing to give the Ministry of Army greater power, which he was happy to see.

"Kikuto."

Teng Yuzao held Xu Shichang's hand and said, "Don't worry, you can do whatever you want in the Army Department. As long as it is beneficial to the national army construction, I will fully support you."

"Also, if you encounter any difficulties in the Army Department or even the Imperial Court, please tell me immediately. I will help you resolve them and even stand up for your Army Department and fight them."

This was Teng Yuzhao's clear instructions to him, that he would not only help him get on the horse, but also escort him for the journey!

Xu Shichang, who was wearing the uniform of the Vanguard Army, flexibly broke free from Teng Yuzhao's hand and stood up. He saluted Teng Yuzhao respectfully and then spoke sincerely.

"Shichang will never forget the Marshal's kindness!"

Teng Yuzao waved his hand, "Juren, sit down quickly, we still need to continue discussing matters."

Then, Teng Yuzao said to Yang Shixiang, "Lianfu, go on."

Yang Shixiang organized his thoughts and continued to analyze the national policies that the court was about to promulgate.

"The third and fourth things the Marshal mentioned can be summed up as one thing. Although it is inevitable for the court to train new troops and disband the old troops, the court's arrangement is to disband the old troops and train new troops, but in fact it is all aimed at the Marshal and the vanguard army."

Yang Shixiang was determined to shock people today, and the following sentence made everyone shocked.

Zhou Xuexi said doubtfully, "Although our Vanguard Army is responsible for nine provinces, most of the provinces allocated to us are rich provinces. How can it be said that it is targeting the Marshal and the Vanguard Army?"

(End of this chapter)