Republic of China: My great warlord, many children, many blessings.

Division commanders of the Central Army usually served as the top local official or concurrently as military governors, while brigade commanders would concurrently serve as local garrison commanders.

In other words, once someone becomes a division commander, he's definitely not far from becoming a military governor.

After Yuan Shikai took office this year, on September 15, he announced that the Beiyang government would change the towns into divisions and the commanders into "division commanders".

In other words, the position of division commander during the Beiyang period was equivalent to the general of the Qing Dynasty.

In the early years of the Republic of China, there were only 11 central army divisions in the country. At that time, the Beiyang government controlled 11 central army divisions, while each region could form a local division.

Later, to consolidate his rule, Yuan Shikai reorganized the 11 Central Army Divisions into larger divisions, bringing the total number of Central Army Divisions at the height of the Beiyang Army's power to 33.

Therefore, if you control a division, it is equivalent to controlling 1/11 of the Central Army's military power, and that power is real power.

Although there are armies within the division structure, most armies are temporary units.

There are no real rights.

The organizational structure of a Central Army division during the Beiyang period: A division consisted of two infantry brigades, each brigade comprising two infantry regiments. The division's directly subordinate units included: an artillery regiment, an engineer regiment, a supply regiment, and a cavalry regiment.

In this era, the position of a division commander carried great weight. One could choose not to be a military governor or a provincial governor, but one could not choose not to be a division commander.

Warlords who served as military governors in local areas also held the position of division commander.

The military operation system in the early Republic of China was as follows: one Central Army Division was stationed in one province, and the commander of the Central Army Division also served as the military governor of the province.

The warlord could command a central army division and a local army division.

Because the Central Army Division could be transferred to other places at any time.

Later, the positions of military governor and division commander of the Central Army Division had to be separated, meaning that the military governor could not concurrently serve as the division commander of the Central Army Division.

Because both the military governor and the garrison commander could concurrently manage the local security forces, and everyone knew that there was a lot of money to be made in the security forces, the positions of military governor and garrison commander were fiercely contested.

As long as the Central Army makes cross-regional deployments, a war will definitely break out.

Therefore, the fundamental problem in the warlord conflicts of the Beiyang period was still the problem of money.

The division commander of the Beiyang Army was originally entitled to concurrently serve as a local military governor, but after being given the choice between the military governor and the division commander, the military governor gave up the position of division commander and appointed his confidant as the division commander.

However, the newly appointed division commander also wanted to become the military governor. Although he couldn't fall out with his old leader, he could be transferred to another position to take someone else's place, which naturally led to a chaotic situation.

So in wars, everyone assumes that each person has their own role; if you can win, it's yours; if you can't, you deserve it.

So once Shen Hao gets the position of commander of the Central Army Division, the next step will be to become the military governor.

When the time came for the warlord and the division commander to separate, Shen Hao directly appointed Li Yunlong as the division commander, essentially making him still the commander of his own troops.

Moreover, the central government provides for the salaries and equipment of the central divisions, while the military governors are responsible for the finances of the local divisions.

108. It was worth it; I am deeply grateful!

Only by becoming a military governor can one truly expand the army.

Generally, military governors can control troops, whose numbers range from ten thousand to one hundred thousand.

Only by becoming a military governor could one have enough tax revenue to support so many soldiers; otherwise, one or two cities simply could not support so many soldiers.

Of course, nowadays the military governor is not called a military governor, but a governor-general.

Only after Yuan Shikai died would he be renamed "Military Governor".

The era of military governors was also a period of warlord infighting; only those with an army could be good commanders.

A key factor is having a lot of money to support an army and maintain good relationships.

The military governor held military power over a province, while the provincial governor held political power. However, political power comes from the barrel of a gun, so the provincial governor was actually a marginal figure. The military governor was the real leader and had the final say.

However, many of these military governors were merely figureheads, lacking real power.

Most warlords appeared powerful on the surface, but their actual abilities were like "paper tigers," unable to withstand a fight.

They are enemies, using the guise of raising troops to embezzle private funds.

For example, a force of 10,000 soldiers might actually only have a few thousand, and they would embezzle the funds meant for the soldiers.

It is all about money; it has no real army, let alone any imposing or terrifying force.

Later, their defeat at the hands of the Northern Expeditionary Army proved this point. However, a very small number of warlords were still able to "make their presence felt," not only because their troops were numerous but also because they had strong combat capabilities, such as Yan Xishan in western Shanxi and Zhang Zuolin in Fengtian.

The warlords of the Republic of China appeared before the world with great fanfare; some were genuinely powerful, while others were merely putting on airs. Only those involved truly knew the real story—in this world, real ability was what mattered.

Due to differences in financial strength, the military strength of various warlords varied.

The Fengtian clique warlords possessed substantial economic power and were able to simultaneously command the army, navy, and air force.

With over 200 aircraft, dozens of warships, seven army groups, and a force of over 500,000, along with a series of military industrial enterprises, it is well-equipped and can be considered the strongest army.

Unfortunately, the veteran general refused to yield an inch of ground to the young general and wouldn't fire a single shot.

At its peak, the Yunnan warlords ruled over southern Yunnan, Guizhou, and parts of Sichuan, but their military strength was only 15, far fewer than that of the Fengtian warlords.

Furthermore, the military equipment of the same warlord varied greatly at different times.

For example, the Zhili clique, at its peak, possessed 18 divisions and 18 independent brigades, 14 ships, and a total military strength of 60.

But by the later stages, only 6 ships remained.

Yan Xishan is considered relatively stable, having held the top position in western Shanxi for decades without anyone being able to challenge him.

At this moment, Shen Hao even fantasized about making a fortune after becoming the warlord.

Seeing Shen Hao's grinning face, Cao Yuanzheng immediately laughed and said, "Brother Shen, you haven't even gotten your wife yet, look how happy you are."

But let me tell you, you have competitors too.

Shen Hao asked, "Oh, who is it?"

Cao Yuanzheng said, "Yin Tiege is the son of Yin Chang, a powerful Manchu nobleman."

Shen Hao smiled and said, "I don't know much about Yuan Fuzhen and Yin Tiege. I'll have to trouble Brother Cao to tell me more about them so I can understand them better."

This is the only way to achieve a surprising victory.

Cao Yuanzheng laughed and said, "This Yin Tiege is a playboy who often has affairs outside and has started living with his new lover outside."

His father, Yin Chang, was a minister in the Qing Dynasty and had previously been a diplomat.

In March of the first year of the Republic of China (1912), after President Yuan took office as President of the Republic of China, Yin Chang quickly pledged his allegiance to President Yuan.

Now he is the Chief Military Attaché of the Presidential Palace and the Chief of the Military Affairs Department, serving as a bodyguard for President Yuan.

Although he was just a guard, he was still a close minister of the emperor. Even the prime minister had a seventh-rank official in front of him, let alone the president.

You agree, right?

Shen Hao nodded, and he understood as well.

"But you don't need to worry, the key is still the opinion of the President's seventh daughter, Yuan Fuzhen."

"Brother Cao's intelligence is really timely," Shen Hao said sincerely.

Cao Yuanzheng put his arm around Shen Hao's shoulder and said, "There's no need to be so polite among brothers. Of course, I hope you can become President Yuan's son-in-law."

Compared to that spoiled brat, you are far more outstanding.

Another point is that you hold a much higher place in President Yuan's heart than that spoiled brat, even his father, Yin Chang, cannot compare.

Hearing Cao Yuanzheng say that, Shen Hao felt quite relieved.

"Don't worry, Brother Cao, as long as I have food to eat, you'll definitely get your share."

"Haha, no problem, no problem, we're brothers, aren't we?"

"I might not be able to make a living in the future, and I'll have to rely on you."

"What are you saying? Brother Cao will definitely rise through the ranks. I'm even counting on Brother Cao to give me a hand," Shen Hao said with a smile.

"Haha, Brother Shen, you really know how to talk!"

After Cao Yuanzheng finished speaking, he changed the subject again and said, "Brother Shen, although President Yuan had 17 sons, only his eldest son Yuan Keding is a direct descendant who is currently involved in politics."

What use are the other 16, who are all born out of wedlock?

However, the eldest son, Yuan Keding, is really mediocre and will not achieve anything in the future.

If you were to become President Yuan's son-in-law, your political career would certainly be very smooth.

Upon hearing this, Shen Hao nodded.

Shen Hao knew that Yuan Keding, the eldest son, was like Li Shimin's crown prince, having become lame after falling off a horse.

However, it seems he is not lame yet.

Mediocre abilities are mostly related to family upbringing.

Yuan Shikai was always busy with military and political affairs, fighting to the death, and had no time to educate his children.

Although Yuan Keding's birth mother, Madam Yu, was the daughter of a wealthy landowner, she had a very low level of education and little worldly experience; she was practically equivalent to a village woman.

Yuan Keding was a staunch advocate of the imperial system, and his purpose in doing so was, of course, to succeed to the throne.

Fortunately, Yuan Shikai wasn't out of his mind and didn't choose him at all; otherwise, he would have been met with bullets instead of the throne.

Yuan Keding is a guy with no real skills, but he's arrogant and extravagant.

When Shen Hao was the branch chief, most of the profits from the gambling dens and opium dens that Shen Hao raided were taken by Yuan Keding to cover his expenses.