Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 146 Who is the Boss?

"Maybe everyone is curious about what brought everyone together during their busy work?" Zheng Guohui said loudly.

He raised his hand to signal for the interpreter to translate his words to the group of white American technicians, and then continued;

"Now we must clarify an important question: you white engineers come here to install and debug machinery and equipment. Who are the real bosses?"

Zheng Guohui turned his gaze towards Flecken-Green and began to question in English;

"Who pays your salary? Who hired you to work here? Who is the real boss? Answer me now."

"Dear Marshal, I'm afraid we still have some differences in understanding. I personally cannot fully agree with your understanding, and this may require further communication." Flecken-Green hesitated slightly, but still objected.

Zheng Guohui simply waved his hand and said, "Well, I don't think you are qualified for this managerial position, so you are fired now."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?" Flecken-Green was confused by this sudden change and couldn't help but ask again.

Zheng Guohui said impatiently;
"You're fired. Now you can go to Joe Johnson and confirm it. But before that, pack your bags and get out!"

Seeing Flecken-Green dumbfounded, Zheng Guohui didn't want to waste any more time on him, and instead sternly reprimanded the group of white people in front of him;

"Think about it with your stupid heads. Who hired you to come all the way from North America? You're responsible for installing the equipment and training the operators.

Now open your eyes and look... It's me, I am your boss, the one who can decide your fate.

I can decide whether you can comfortably take the money you earn and return to North America to live a comfortable life.

Or die alone in a grave in the wild like a stray dog.

Your life and death, honor and disgrace all depend on my thoughts. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zheng Guohui looked at the group of white people in front of him with an extremely oppressive gaze. Most of the white people were in an unfavorable situation and chose to bow their heads and acquiesce.

But there were still a few troublemakers who stood out with their necks stiffened and discontented. The middle-aged white man who led them said:
"Excuse me, sir, we are legal workers from America, not your slaves. Your coercive words are of no use to us. We have the right to refuse any unreasonable demands."

"What's your name?"

"Sir, my name is Ramiro, and I'm a senior technician."

"Very good, you are fired. From today on you will not receive a single cent of salary. You can try to swim back to North America. You can get out now."

"Oh, God, you can't do this." Ramiro screamed in fear, his face turning pale.

These American workers had signed employment contracts with the Wan Guo Tong Bao Trading Company for more than three years, and the other party promised them generous salaries equivalent to 1.5 times the salary in North America.

With such a long sea transportation distance, it is impossible to install the equipment and then go home.

After the factory equipment is installed, these American workers still need to maintain and train the local Chinese workers, and teach them how to use it, which takes time.

I was fired less than a month after arriving here. Could anything be more devastating than this?
Zheng Guohui ignored him and turned his gaze to the white people behind Remiro and asked, "Are you guys here together?"

"Oh, no, no, sir..."

The white people who were questioned were so scared that they stepped back one after another. The courage they had just shown up disappeared in an instant, and they lowered their heads in humility.

"Boss, we support all your decisions. You are the boss, and we will serve you unconditionally."

Zheng Guohui looked at the large group of white people behind him and asked, "What about you?"

"You are the boss, sir, we will do our job well."

"Boss, no one here wants to cause trouble. We just want to make some money and take it back. No offense intended."

"Yes, that's right. We'll do whatever you say."

Zheng Guohui nodded in satisfaction, looked around at everyone and said;

"You have been hired and have come all the way here, so just do your job honestly.

According to the requirements of the contract

Responsible for installing and debugging these machines and equipment, ensuring that they can operate efficiently and without problems, imparting the knowledge that should be taught to apprentices, and doing their own part well.

Then you can be sure
You will be able to get the salary promised in the contract, and after the expiration of the contract, you can return to North America on a favorable ship.

But first, you must correct your perceptions and abandon your condescending and arrogant attitude. You are not allowed to treat apprentices roughly, swear, or insult them."

Zheng Guohui said this, then turned around and told Zamboanga Governor Dong Yannian:

"You arrange for these interpreters to keep an eye on them. If they violate this Marshal's rules, they will be deducted from their wages. Each time they make a mistake, they will be deducted two dollars from their wages.

Those who commit the same offense three times in a row and refuse to change will be punished twice as severely.

If the money is deducted, let them swim back by themselves.

We must make these foreigners realize that the Chinese are the masters of this island and they are just hired workers. They must behave properly.

"I will follow the commander's orders and keep a close eye on them." A layer of cold sweat appeared on Dong Yannian's forehead. He cursed these white guys in his heart for causing trouble for him.

After this lecture, these white people were obviously much more obedient. Zheng Guohui waved his hand to dismiss them and let them continue to work.

Standing aside, the Cao brothers, along with Fan Zhicheng, Kang Ning, Zhang Jinxiu, and others, carefully pondered the Marshal's style of action and felt they had learned something. As the saying goes, you get what you play with.

Zheng Guohui's tough and straightforward style of doing things undoubtedly has a great influence on his subordinate officials. After careful consideration, they will inevitably follow his example.

This is the effect of teaching by example, and it is also the main purpose of Zheng Guohui bringing them around.

On Mindanao

The old court style of courtesy, frugality, courtesy and harmony among the bureaucracy does not work here.

Zheng Guohui works in a prompt and efficient manner. He makes decisions immediately upon any report and assigns people to carry it out immediately without any delay.

Problems discovered during factory inspections were pointed out and corrected immediately instead of being glossed over, thus maintaining harmony among all employees.

Achievements should be praised and shortcomings should be pointed out.

These accompanying officials are all smart people. They understand many things at a glance and there is no need to say them openly. They naturally know what to do.

Without this bit of spirituality, your career would be over.

Fan Zhicheng and others secretly realized the situation and followed the Marshal to inspect several factories. They found some shortcomings and pointed them out and corrected them on the spot.

At night
Zheng Guohui declined the invitation to dinner from the prefect Dong Yannian, and took his entourage to a restaurant in the city to have a simple bowl of noodles, and then let everyone go.

The purpose of doing this is to encourage officials to develop a frugal administrative style and not develop the bad habit of extravagance and comparison.

Where does the money come from when officials entertain you and him?

Return to the Marshal's Mansion
Not long after taking a sip of tea, he was informed that the First Division Commander Qian Jiang, Deputy Division Commander Huang Shan, and Zhou Laonian had come to pay a visit, so he arranged to meet him in the study.

Qian Jiang and others mainly came to report on the replacement of equipment. The Chu Army's First Expeditionary Division was fully equipped with American flintlock rifles, individual equipment, and the current training progress.

Zheng Guohui placed an order for a large number of weapons. The first batch included 3.8 American rifles and enough cowhide individual equipment for 5 soldiers, including cowhide belts, cowhide magazines, shoulder straps, bayonets and scabbards, etc., but did not include used leather boots and military uniforms.

Officers such as Qian Jiang were also equipped with the equipment. The cowhide belts were worn over the officers' uniforms and matched with the leather boots on their feet, which looked very good.

The soldiers were not treated so well. They normally wore leggings and straw sandals, which made climbing mountains and crossing ditches convenient and flexible.

According to military discipline requirements
In addition to the pair on their feet, each soldier had to make at least two pairs of straw sandals as backup.

Making straw sandals is a traditional skill. Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms period was good at it. Almost everyone in the Taiping Rebellion and the Nian Bandits knew how to make straw sandals, and officers and soldiers were no exception.

It is true that marching and fighting these days wears out shoes too much. A long march of dozens of kilometers, climbing mountains and crossing rivers, will ruin your feet if you wear new cloth shoes, so no one is willing to give them up.

Zheng Guohui had no intention of changing this situation. He thought it was fine to let the soldiers wear straw sandals, and there was no need to change it for at least the next twenty years.

As for leather boots, don't joke about it. Zheng Guohui has never thought of equipping his soldiers with them.

The officers bought their leather boots with their own money. Senior officers like Qian Jiang often captured some items while commanding raids. Their salaries were also high, so they could naturally afford expensive leather boots.

Zheng Guohui reached out and tugged at their belts, feeling the tightness was just right. He nodded and said, "With the new equipment, we can now carry our ammunition in magazines. This makes it easier to access during combat, much better than keeping it in a cloth bag."

"Marshal, the soldiers all like the new individual equipment. It is impressive and convenient to wear. Especially this cowhide belt, which can be used to tie the pants so that they don't fall down." Qian Jiang replied with a smile.

"Now that we have good equipment, we need to adapt to American-made firearms as quickly as possible. Are there any difficulties in this regard?"

"Reporting to the commander, there are only slight differences between American and British firearms. The steps for loading and firing are the same. After the training, the officers and soldiers have been able to adapt well."

"Yes, we need to organize soldiers to practice repeatedly and organize live-fire exercises every month to test the results of the training. We can't be careless in this regard."

"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the First Expeditionary Division resolutely follows your instructions and organizes training to test the results."

"Okay, sit down and talk."

Zheng Guohui invited the three officers to sit down, and his personal guards brought freshly brewed hot tea and gave each of the three senior generals a cup.

Sitting on the stools, the division commander Qian Jiang and the deputy division commander Huang Shan, Zhou Laonian stood with his back straight, his hands on his knees, looking like a serious soldier.

A look of approval flashed in Zheng Guohui's eyes. He picked up the teacup and took a sip. After putting it down, he said:
"The entire army is training and preparing for the upcoming all-out war. This is a direct confrontation with the foreigners, a different enemy from the past.

The battle may be cruel and bloody, so try to consider the difficulties as much as possible.

When you were in the mainland, you also fought alongside the foreign rifle corps and observed their combat methods closely, which were no different from our army's volley gun attack tactics.

This kind of face-to-face combat tests the courage of officers and soldiers and whether they have a resolute spirit of sacrifice.

When two armies meet, the braver one wins. This principle must be made clear so that officers from top to bottom can deeply understand it.

When facing the foreign army head-on, we must show that we are invincible. The foreign army dares to fight and kill. Are the soldiers of our Chu army weak and cowardly?
The ideological education of officers and soldiers must be based on loyalty, supplemented by fearless bravery, so as to forge the iron-blooded military spirit of our Great Chu Army.

This is the key point for you to train your troops when you return. As long as you do this, you will be able to be victorious wherever your troops are ordered to go."

"I will always bear in mind the Marshal's teachings. The First Expeditionary Division will resolutely follow the Marshal's orders and forge an iron-blooded military spirit."

Division Commander Qian Jiang, Deputy Division Commander Huang Shan, and Zhou Laonian all stood up, saluted solemnly, and replied.

(End of this chapter)