Qing Yao

Chapter 358 Even if we're poor, we can't neglect the army.

Zhao An looked exactly like the "old leader" of later generations; the idiom "approachable" was not enough to describe his affability.

They can only be described as born to be officials.

Or rather, Lord Zhao was too great.

Throughout thousands of years, perhaps only that guy who sucked the pus from soldiers can rival him.

The young soldier, who looked only sixteen or seventeen, was clearly not expected that the governor would ask him such a question. He became so nervous that he stammered, "Replying to Your Excellency, my name is Wang Sixi, from Chizhou."

"it is good,"

Zhao An looked at Wang Sixi with a "kind" expression and a friendly smile: "Young man, how many years have you been in the army?"

"It's been 55 years."

While speaking, Wang Sixi secretly glanced at his sentry officer, afraid of saying something wrong and getting beaten by the officer later.

"Five years?"

Zhao An seized on the key question, "How old are you this year?"

Wang Sixi whispered, "Your Excellency, I am seventeen years old this year."

Zhao An said "Oh": "So, you joined the army five years ago when you were only twelve years old?"

Wang Sixi dared not speak, because his age when he joined the army was incorrect, and there were some personal connections and underhanded dealings involved, which were not easy to bring up openly.

Zhao An knew what was going on, and turned to look at Du Dusi, who had already jogged over: "What, in our Qing Dynasty, twelve-year-olds can join the army and get paid?"

Du Man panicked and hurriedly explained that Wang Sixi's ancestors had been soldiers in Fubiao for generations. Wang Sixi's father was a regular soldier serving in Fubiao. According to the Ministry of War's regulations, his son Wang Sixi was a "surplus soldier" in this family. So, after Wang Sixi's father unfortunately died of illness, Wang Sixi took his father's place.

Soldiers and surplus laborers?
Zhao An thought it sounded a bit like the military household system of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, the Qing Dynasty's Green Standard Army was formed by the surrender and reorganization of the former Ming army, so it completely inherited the military household system of the former Ming garrison.

The recruitment of soldiers mainly relied on the hereditary military system, which meant that once a soldier recruited by the Green Standard Army enlisted, his status became a hereditary profession. The soldier's name, place of origin, and family members would be registered in the Ministry of War's roster. His family was then considered a military household, and other male descendants in the family were called "surplus men," which were essentially the Green Standard Army's reserve force.

If the father or elder brother who was serving in the army died, then the remaining male members of the family would take their place in the army. It was not exactly the same as the system of the former Ming Dynasty garrison, but it was almost identical.

As reserve soldiers, the "surviving soldiers" could receive a very meager "nurturing allowance" which was about one-third of the regular soldiers' pay. Nominally, it was for the families of soldiers to support themselves, but in reality, it was a means of binding them to the military.

Since Yu Ding needs to participate in training with the camp, undertake some miscellaneous tasks, and may even be conscripted as auxiliary soldiers when going on expeditions, it is only natural to give him some subsidies.

Only when the household of a soldier has no qualified surplus men will they be selected from the surplus men of other households. If even the surplus men of other households are not suitable candidates, then they will be recruited from able-bodied men in the civilian population.

This system of "father dies, son succeeds; elder brother dies, younger brother succeeds" ensured the stability and seclusion of the Green Standard Army's ranks, but also led to the formation of a complex network of clan and hometown relationships within the army.

Because of this hereditary system, the current DPP has a large number of elderly and infirm members filling positions.

Some military households, in order to allow their children to receive pay early, would have their underage children or elderly and infirm children registered under their names, only needing to give half of the pay to the officers. In addition, the Green Standard Army's pay was already meager, and officers' embezzlement was rampant. Not to mention surplus soldiers, most of the regular soldiers had to find other ways to make a living, such as engaging in small businesses or doing odd jobs. This led to the Green Standard Army's training falling into disarray and its combat effectiveness severely declining.

The elite troops of the provincial capital are somewhat better off, as they can still maintain some semblance of dignity. For the local garrison soldiers, however, being a soldier is more of a side job.

In Zhao An's previous life, during the First Opium War, when Green Standard Army troops from various regions were ordered to be deployed to the coast, an extremely absurd scene unfolded.

The army of countless vendors and artisans did most of their work along the way by doing business with the local people to make money.

This applies to both soldiers and officers.

A province dispatched 1000 battalions of soldiers to Zhejiang, but only 600 actually arrived. The remaining 400 were sold as slaves by the general in charge to landlords and wealthy gentry along the way to work as long-term laborers.

This was still considered good. The soldiers from other provinces who were transferred to Jiangsu as reinforcements were treated as traitors by the Eight Banners generals in Zhenjiang. Before the British army even arrived, they were massacred along with the local Han Chinese civilians by the Eight Banners army, creating a ridiculous situation where the British army broke through the city and acted as saviors of the Han Chinese.

For Wang Sixi, officially taking over his deceased father's military service and receiving a salary at the age of twelve was certainly against regulations, but for the Green Standard Army now, the regulations were no different from those of a turtle-button.

Soldiers benefit, officers benefit, and it also earns them favors—why not?

Zhao An looked at the ranks behind him and found that they were indeed filled with a large number of underage child soldiers, as well as some "veterans" who looked about the same age as Lao Ding. If one did not look closely into the ranks, one would not notice them at all.

Privately, it was estimated that of the elite troops under the governor's command, the Fu Biao force could only have a maximum of a thousand men who could be called brave soldiers, and those who could be called the most courageous, that is, those two hundred or so cavalrymen, were probably the only ones who dared to charge into battle.

As for the rest, firing three shots in battle would be enough to honor the Qing Dynasty.

If the Fubiao (a military unit) is in such a state, one can easily guess the true situation of the Green Standard Army in the two garrisons of Anhui.

It seems that the mobilization of the army is imminent and must be carried out.

But Zhao An still didn't show any dissatisfaction, and asked Wang Sixi in an extremely friendly manner, "Who else is in your family?"

"Replying to you, sir, I also have a mother and two younger sisters at home."

Perhaps it was Zhao An's affability that worked, or perhaps it was because Du Dusi was nearby, but Wang Sixi's voice became slightly more stable.

"Serving in the army and getting paid is good. You can serve the court and support your family. Hmm, young man, do a good job."

As they were talking, Zhao An suddenly reached out and gently patted Wang Sixi's shoulder, then frowned slightly: "Why is your uniform so thin? Aren't you cold?"

That's a rhetorical question. Didn't you see that Sisi's child's lips were so cold they turned purple?

The tenth month of the lunar calendar is equivalent to November in the Gregorian calendar. The weather during this period is either late autumn or early winter. Although Anqing is located south of the Huai River and in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the weather is already cold.

According to Zhao An's calculations, the temperature should be around 7 or 8 degrees Celsius at this time. Wearing such a thin cotton-padded coat would definitely make one feel cold.

"Cold? Little one." Wang Sixi lowered his head, not daring to answer, truly not daring to answer.

Zhao An didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he walked over to the other soldiers who looked equally thin. He pinched their sleeves or patted their backs and found that the cotton inside was pitifully little. On the contrary, the uniforms worn by the "show-offs" lined up at the front were quite thick.

Du Sidu Man, who was standing nearby, realized something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to explain, "Sir, it's this year's winter clothing."

Before he could explain, Zhao An raised his hand to interrupt him. Then, with a pair of guilty eyes, he swept over the group of thinly dressed soldiers in front of him and said to Du Man with great heartache, "Winter is coming soon, yet our Fubiao soldiers are still wearing such thin cotton clothes. Whose fault is this!"

"."

Du Man was so frightened that he didn't dare to utter a sound. Actually, it wasn't his fault, but rather the fault of the deputy general and the brigade general above him.

Stuffing only half or a third of a prison uniform with cotton was a way to make money.

Zhao An knew, of course, that the profits from "logistics and equipment" had little to do with Du Man, so he didn't make things difficult for Du Man. He turned to Wang Sixi again and asked, "Are you able to get enough to eat in the camp?"

Wang Sixi hesitated for a moment, glanced at the sentry who dared not raise his head, and then at the commander who stood in front of the governor and did not dare to breathe loudly. He then whispered, "Your Excellency, porridge can fill you up."

Can porridge fill you up?

Zhao An glanced at the other "old and weak" soldiers without making a sound, and found that although these old and weak soldiers dared not speak, the expressions on their faces proved that what Wang Sixi said was true.

It seems that in the Green Standard Army, only the generals' "household servants" were able to eat and dress well, while the other soldiers, like the former Ming garrison soldiers, could only barely make ends meet.

Because of the military households, the soldiers could not leave the Green Standard Army and could only silently endure all kinds of oppression and exploitation. Over time, the Green Standard Army, which helped the Qing Dynasty quell the Southern Ming, defeat the Three Feudatories, and defeat the Dzungars, naturally deteriorated to its current state.

Even the provincial governor's model soldiers were no exception.

He shook his head slightly and asked Wang Sixi whether they would receive their full pay, but the answer was no.

Ordinary soldiers only received half of their pay, and some didn't even receive half, as officers deducted it for various reasons.

Wang Sixi's truth made Du Man and other officers turn deathly pale instantly.

Zhao An's expression also became very serious. He patted Wang Sixi's shoulder again and nodded, saying, "Young man, you're not bad. You're an honest soldier. Don't worry, I won't let an honest man suffer. Just be a good soldier. If anyone dares to make things difficult for you, then they are making things difficult for me."

Having said that, he looked around and suddenly raised his voice, saying, "It is a disgrace for me, the acting governor, to let my brothers go hungry and cold!"

He then returned to the high platform amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, raising his right hand: "Brothers, you serve in the army to protect your country, but after looking around, I found that you are not only starving and poorly clothed, but also underpaid. This is not only a disgrace to me, but also a disgrace to those corrupt officials who embezzle military pay and exploit soldiers! Fortunately, these people have been apprehended, and I believe the court will punish them severely!"

After a slight pause, as if making a decision, he continued, "I have decided that tomorrow the provincial treasury will allocate special funds to make up for the year's back pay owed to the officers and soldiers of the Fu Biao Army!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the drill ground erupted in a commotion. "Supplementary pay?"
And this is such a wonderful thing!

The soldiers' faces were filled with unbelievable joy.

To the soldiers' surprise, the governor had more good news to announce.

"That's not all! Starting next month, the daily food allowance for all officers and soldiers will be increased! Rice will be provided in abundance, and meat must be served at least once every three days! I will send people to conduct random checks at any time, and anyone who fails to comply will be severely punished, no matter who they are!"

Zhao An's decision was beyond question; how could an army be expected to fight if it couldn't even solve its basic needs for food and clothing?

Of course, having fish and meat at every meal is unrealistic; eating meat once every three days is more sensible.

It wasn't that he was reluctant to give up his key support to Fubiao, but rather that he needed to reorganize the Green Standard Army in the entire Anhui province. With over 10,000 people on staff, they were provided with fish and meat at every meal, and he simply couldn't supply them with that right now.

We can only take it slowly. We have already vigorously developed industry and commerce. With the economy growing, how can we worry about not having enough money to support the army?

This moved not only the soldiers but also the officers: Lord Zhao truly loves his soldiers like his own children!
Unexpectedly, Lord Zhao had an even better "benefit" to announce. He loudly proclaimed, "It's not enough to just give the brothers a pay raise and improve their food standards. To prevent anyone from embezzling or misappropriating the brothers' pay in the future, I have decided!"

What decision?
Zhao An surveyed the entire room and said, word by word, "From this day forward, not only your Fubiao, but all the officers and soldiers of the Anhui Green Standard Army will no longer have their salaries distributed through layers of officers, but will be directly allocated from the provincial treasury to the Xianfeng Bank."

Each officer and soldier could open a personal account at any of the Xianfeng Bank's branches by presenting their identification badge. Their monthly pay would be directly transferred from the provincial treasury to each officer's account, which they could then withdraw upon presentation of a receipt. In this way, no one could possibly embezzle a single copper coin from the officers and soldiers!

This decision caused another uproar at the drill ground. Not to mention the soldiers' excitement, even the officers, including Du Man, were stunned by Zhao An's bold and "innovative" method of paying wages.

If everything follows the Xianfeng Emperor's example, how can they drink the soldiers' blood?
The soldiers didn't care what the officers thought; they only knew that following Lord Zhao's decision meant they would receive their hard-earned money on time and in full from now on.

This tactic was more effective than Zhao An personally distributing wages to the troops in person each time, since he didn't have that much time and energy to personally review the salaries of the entire Anhui Green Standard Army.

The financial innovation of using money shops as intermediaries not only allowed the governor's love for his soldiers to reach every soldier, preventing officers from exploiting them, but also bound the more than 10,000 officers and soldiers of the Anhui Green Standard Army to the governor. In addition, it also allowed the Xianfeng Bank, a financial tool for rebellion, to be fully infiltrated into the military, political, commercial and civilian systems of Anhui.

Whether it's a work unit or the military, "paying back wages + providing benefits + no delays" has always been the best way to win people's hearts.

The cheers of the soldiers on the parade ground proved the effectiveness of this tactic.

It's a good thing that the provincial governor is giving benefits to the soldiers. All the accompanying officials will surely admire him sincerely. However, the person in charge of the provincial treasury had to remind Zhao An: "Your Excellency is wise! But this will increase the expenses. If it's only the Fubiao area, the provincial treasury can still maintain it. But if the Green Standard Army in the whole province follows your method, I'm worried that the provincial treasury will not be able to bear it."

"I will figure out the solution to the silver issue, and the provincial treasury can proceed as I say. In the end, we cannot skimp on the army, no matter how poor we are; otherwise, the silver we save today may have to be given to the rebels in double the amount tomorrow."

Zhao An will definitely take full responsibility for the money, not only because industry and commerce are making great strides in the direction he has set, but also because his good brother "Si Fu'er's" two million taels loan will arrive soon.

Zhao An hadn't expected Si Fu to be so generous. When he heard the news, he was completely bewildered and then realized that Si Fu was treating him like a long-term ATM.

At 1.5 percent, two million taels would require paying 300,000 taels in interest to Fu Chang'an in one year, and 900,000 taels in three years.

It's a lot of pressure.

But it doesn't matter, it's money from selling credit reports anyway.

With his credit score gone, whether Fu Chang'an tries to negotiate installment payments or only repay the principal depends on whether Zhao An is willing to answer his calls.

(End of this chapter)