The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 437 Flustered
Taiyuan.

There is a place in the neighborhood east of the City God Temple where the Taiyuan Army was once stationed. After reorganization, many soldiers were demobilized.

"Wang Hao."

"On March 12th, you ate someone's noodles without paying and punched them twice. On the same day, you took a bag of dates from someone else's stall. Since it wasn't weighed, the vendor said it was about ten pounds. The cost of those ten pounds of dates, along with the cost of the noodles you ate, the medicine you gave the vendor for the injuries, and lost wages, will be paid to them by the inspection team first. If the facts are verified later, any overpayment will be refunded and any underpayment will be collected."

In a room in the camp, three members of the inspection team sat facing an officer.

The area around the house was packed with people.

Wang Hao was filled with shame and anger, having lost face in front of his colleagues. He remained silent with a cold expression.

“If you don’t explain yourself, it will be very difficult for us. We will have to rely on the victims’ statements, which will be even more disadvantageous for you. I hope you can take the initiative to explain yourself clearly.” Xu Ning said calmly.

He didn't care whether Wang Hao spoke up or admitted his mistake.

“I didn’t. Let them come and tell me in person.” Wang Hao’s words were full of threat.

The three inspectors were not angry; instead, they looked mocking.

They've seen plenty of people like that.

In their eyes, accepting bribes and kickbacks is a matter of course; everyone does it.

"In that case, let's wait and see how it goes."

Xu Ning said no more.

Their inspection team was only responsible for inspection and submitting factual evidence. The final decision was made by the Jiedushi's office, and everything was based on the Great Zhou Code, although some adjustments had been made to the Great Zhou Code.

"head."

After the inspection team left, Wang Hao approached the company commander with a wronged expression, "Are we soldiers just going to be bullied like this?"

"Yes, that's really unfair."

"We soldiers risked our lives for the imperial court, and this is how we are treated? It's heartbreaking."

"Who will be willing to fight and risk their lives in the future?"

The group of sentry officers and captains who followed were also indignant.

Surrounded by his men, Wang Hailong felt rather uncomfortable, but he dared not oppose the military governor's office, much less cause trouble. He deflected the issue by saying, "If you have any complaints, you can go and complain to the military governor. He's back in Taiyuan now."

“He doesn’t treat us like family, so why would he help us?”

"The common people are more important to him than us soldiers. It's disheartening for us brothers to risk our lives for such a person."

Everyone said something to me.

at this time.

An officer rushed in and shouted, "The emergency funds from the Jiedushi's office have arrived, and the people have come. They want to see the captain to check the list."

"Emergency funds?"

Some people were baffled, while others figured it out.

The imperial court had been in arrears with military payments for more than a year and a half. Many soldiers were so poor that they had to sell their underwear, and some soldiers' families had become homeless and displaced. Since the military governor's office took over, the military pay has been paid on time every month for two consecutive months.

This is also why everyone lacks confidence; no matter how much dissatisfaction they have, they dare not directly overturn the table.

They really do give money to the soldiers.

It doesn't stop there.

The military governor's office was certainly unable to make up for the arrears owed by the imperial court to the soldiers, but it could not turn a blind eye to some of the soldiers' pressing problems, so it provided emergency funds.

The interest rate is very low, which acts more like a threshold to prevent unnecessary soldiers from applying.

Paying future military salaries in advance.

Many soldiers applied, not believing that the military governor's office would renege on its promise, but everyone thought it would take at least six months to hear back. Unexpectedly, it was almost time to receive the payment in less than a month.

"I gonna go see."

Wang Hailong's tone was complex, and his gaze toward his subordinates was also quite meaningful.

Everyone was speechless.

Although the Datong Army paid its soldiers on time and never delayed, and the pay was quite high, its military discipline was too strict. They would relentlessly pursue even minor matters like not paying for noodles.

Everyone goes through this in normal times. Everyone who knows them envies the officers, who always call them "sir." But now that they've become part of the Datong Army, they have to act like grandsons.

"Oh~"

Haha.

Cheers soon erupted outside. Many soldiers who had applied for emergency medical funds were overjoyed to learn that they would receive money, and the rest of the soldiers also had smiles on their faces, their mouths agape.

Although they don't need it, it's still a form of protection for them, so they're happy about it.

"Is the morale of the troops below stable?"

Upon returning to Taiyuan and leaving the governor's office, Wang Xin inquired about the situation with General Zhao Yong.

Taiyuan needs a great general to be stationed there.

The Datong Army originally had three generals, one of whom was Zhou Wen, who was later promoted to the Taiyuan Garrison Commander. In fact, he returned to the Datong Army after many twists and turns, only this time he changed from a general to a commander.

However, whether it's the position of General or the position of Admiral, they are all empty titles.

The other two are Zhao Yong and Tang Ping.

Zhao Yong was chosen to be stationed in Taiyuan.

"There are some minor conflicts, but nothing serious." Zhao Yong didn't hide anything and told the truth, "It's mainly a matter of habit."

Wang Xin understood perfectly.

Even when companies undergo drastic changes, many long-term employees struggle to adapt; how much more so with the current military reforms?

There was no buffer.

It's a one-size-fits-all approach.

No old bad habits or practices should be brought to the Datong Army. This was Wang Xin's bottom line. He sighed, "Although I'm not afraid of trouble, it would be best if nothing happened."

"There's trouble in Liaodong." Zhao Yong scoffed, "The military garrisons in Shaanxi are even more ridiculous. They were defeated by the refugee army. Now that the situation has changed drastically, they all know they can't rely on the court, at least not in the short term. How dare they be restless?"

"We must not be careless."

Wang Xin waved his hand, "We were defeated by the refugee army because the soldiers were angry. Similarly, whether we can quickly win back the hearts of the Taiyuan army depends on whether the soldiers are willing to listen to us."

The 30,000-strong Taiyuan Army after reorganization.

If they were willing to obey the orders of the military governor's office, then the military governor's office would have 85,000 troops at its disposal.

However, these 30,000 Taiyuan soldiers were unwilling to obey the orders of the military governor's office, so the military governor's office had to withdraw most of its troops to guard against them. In the end, the military governor's office could actually mobilize less than 30,000 troops.

Eighty-five thousand versus thirty thousand.

A world of difference.

"They're spending money like water." As the commander-in-chief, Zhao Yong knew about the current difficulties of the military governor's office and couldn't stop worrying about it.

He and the military governor's office share both glory and ruin.

Moreover, once he reached his position, he wouldn't be alone; he would have a group of people around him, and under that group, there would be another group of people. Too many people's futures were tied to the Jiedushi Mansion. Zhao Yong asked curiously, "I heard that Miss Xue is going to Datong?"

Wang Xin gave a wry smile.

Xue Baochai hadn't even arrived in Datong yet, but the news had already spread like wildfire.

This is no coincidence.

"I heard that Miss Xue brought 500,000 taels of silver with her." Zhao Yong sighed, "The Xue family is too rich, and Miss Xue is so sincere. Moreover, the Jiedushi Mansion needs the Xue family. Why don't you be generous this time, General?"

The more the Xue family invested in Datong, the faster it developed.

Its momentum has long surpassed that of Juzhongchang.

Juzhongchang was a business jointly established by local forces in Datong under the promotion of Wang Xin. It also absorbed a lot of capital and channels from merchants from other places. It was a behemoth from the beginning, but was overtaken by the Xue family.

Everyone who knows about Miss Xue's abilities is convinced.

The military governor's office has been severely short of money for years, and the people there are very anxious about it.

(End of this chapter)