Chapter 16 Cold Stove

Chapter 16 Cold Stove

Chapter 16 Cold Stove
It was quite rare to see a scholar in the village.

The position of the regiment is a militia organization, a cannon fodder unit, and all of them are rough men. The whole regiment of 600 people combined cannot even find a single student.

The group leader Shao Quanzhong was the only one in the group who had received a proper education. He only attended a private school for two years - and that was in his previous life.

Shao Quanzhong stood up to greet him and bowed in return, "Rare guest, rare guest. It's not easy for a scholar to come to my home, a rough man like me. Wenwen, serve tea!"

All of Yang Yong's servants in the house have been dismissed, and now only Shao Quanzhong and Zhang Siwen live there.

The two brothers were not like Yang Yong who liked to be extravagant and treated their home as a military camp. They ate in the kitchen and never hired anyone to take care of the house.

Who knew there would be another distinguished guest in the village? Zhang Siwen boiled water while rummaging around to find the tea that Yang Yong had left behind. Who knows when the tea will be ready.

Shao Quanzhong personally guided Le Xiucai to sit down, and looked at this scholar who was more handsome and taller than himself with a smile, "Mr. Le, what advice do you have for me?"

Le Xiucai did not answer immediately, but looked Shao Quanzhong up and down carefully.

He was not tall and had a handsome appearance. His speech and behavior were completely free of Yang Yong's banditry, nor did he have the lowly and mean appearance of a yamen runner.

It was such a harmless and delicate young man of twenty years old who dared to kill the notorious bully Yang Yong in the street, and was able to do the heroic act of crossing the rebel-controlled area and sending Wenxiu thousands of miles away. It really shows that one cannot judge a person by his appearance.

The other party was not a bandit, Le Xiucai gained a lot of confidence in his decision, and bowed, "Master Shao, I am here to make trouble for you."

Shao Quanzhong's expression remained unchanged, staring at Le Xiucai with great interest, "I am just a newly appointed head of the militia. How could I be favored by Mr. Le, a talented scholar with a great reputation, and waste my youth to place my bet on me?"

Le Xiucai chuckled and said, "That's why I said that I'm cooking a cold stove.

If the head of the regiment were to reach the level of Governor Zeng, with many successful candidates flocking to him, there would be no room for students around him.

The group leader sent Miss Wen away for free and beheaded Yang Yong in anger. These were all done by gangsters. They are not reasons for me to vote for you.

However, he spared no expense in recruiting men of good families and training a standing army, which was in line with the example of Qi Shaobao and Governor Zeng.

Nowadays, the Taiping Rebellion and the Nian Rebellion are rampant, causing great suffering to the people, but it is also a time for heroes to show their skills.

The official system of our Qing Dynasty... ahem, our Qing Dynasty appointed more than 200 ministers of militia training, but only the Hunan Army was successfully trained. The militias in other places were basically just decorations like Yang Yong, who plundered the people's wealth and wasted donations from the gentry.

General Shao, you live a simple life and don't even have servants, but you are willing to spend huge sums of money to train elite soldiers. This is a reflection of your lofty ambitions.

You are lucky to meet Mr. Wu, an honest official who is willing to help you. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that another Governor Zeng is about to emerge. If you don't surrender now, when will you surrender?"

Is Lord Wu an honest official? Not only is he an honest official, he is also a capable person.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he promised the 20,000 taels of silver obtained from the confiscation of Yang Yong's house to Shao Quanzhong to organize militia. Looking throughout the Qing Dynasty, there were few such good officials who were truly dedicated to their work.

If other ministers of militia were to encounter such a situation, would they have leaked even a penny of the 20,000 taels? They would have certainly taken all of it.

Of course, Madam Wen's recommendation played a role here, but it is also true that Lord Wu sincerely serves the court.

As for Lord Wu helping with logistics... don't worry about those details, the honest officials' work is what makes the difference.

If he was completely clear as water and as bright as a mirror, he would definitely be excluded by the officialdom. It would be impossible for Lord Wu to retire peacefully as a prefect. Objectively, he would not be able to serve the Qing Dynasty more...

Shao Quanzhong's question just now was not a random one. He was trying to test Le Xiucai's knowledge.

When he was commenting on the Nian Army with Tian Xing, he said that the biggest shortcoming of the Nian Army was that there were no educated people in the army.

He himself is not a scholar, but he knows the importance of scholars.

However, he was planning to recruit talents when the situation was better in the future. Which scholar with great ability would support a militia leader who was in charge of 600 people?

But things in the world are so unpredictable. There actually is a scholar who comes to surrender, and he seems to be quite smart.

"Mr. Le, you are too kind. I am just a warrior, and it is an honor for me to be noticed by Mr. Le.

I am willing to keep you. Wouldn't Mr. Coke's family object to you becoming a group leader?"

Scholar Le sighed, "Although the Le family is well-known in the village, they passed away before they were married. They were all alone and helpless, and had to rely on their eldest brother for food. I am proud of my talent, but unfortunately I am not suitable for the imperial examination. I passed the examination at the age of fifteen, but failed the provincial examination twice in a row."

"Sir, you are still young. You can take the exam again next year."

"The head of the group doesn't understand the importance of us scholars. Since ancient times, talented people have emerged from youth. If you don't become a national player by the age of 20, you will have no hope in your life.

Fan Jin's success in the imperial examination is just a fiction. Students read too many idle books, which conflict with the eight-legged essay. In this life, there is no hope for them to experience the elegance of standing on the Xianyang Bridge and seeing red sleeves waving in the building. "

It turns out that this scholar is the only one who has the final say. Since he wants to work now and doesn't want to pursue further studies, he should stay. At least he won't have to worry about posting notices and calculating taxes in the future.

"Mr. Le, unfortunately my temple is small, I am not an official, and there are no civilian positions in the regiment. You should just be a deputy regiment commander first."

Le Xiucai stood up and bowed, "Le Sen greets the lord."

This time Shao Quanzhong did not return the greeting, nor did he mention the concept of brotherhood.

Le Sen did not make it to the early days of the business, so it was impossible for him to be as close to Shao Quanzhong as the other three brothers.

"Sit down, sit down. Brother Le, you are now the deputy regiment commander. Is there anything you can teach me about the future development of our regiment?"

This is to further examine Le Sen's ability, whether he can just be an accountant and legal advisor in charge of logistics, or he can be of other great use and help Shao Quanzhong to take a general view of the overall situation or take on relevant responsibilities in the future.

Le Sen was of course well aware of the situation and smiled, "The first step is of course to recruit and train elite troops. You are already doing that, and it is not something a weak scholar like me can interfere with.

As for future developments, I believe you have an idea in mind. I have prepared three strategies for your reference."

Scholars are all so particular, but Le Sen did not position himself as Zhuge Liang, nor did he act like he was the only one who could do it. His choice of words was relatively low-key, which was not bad.

Le Sen cleared his throat and said, “Today, Zeng Bohan is actually appointed as the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and supervises the military affairs of Jiangnan as the Minister of War and Imperial Commissioner.

If the regiment commander has connections and is introduced by someone, he can join Marshal Zeng's team, lead a battalion and make meritorious contributions in suppressing the Guangdong bandits. This would be the best strategy.

The court had promised that whoever conquered Nanjing would be crowned a king, and those who followed General Zeng and made meritorious contributions on the battlefield would have the best chance of being crowned a marquis.

Ahem, if I could have voted for Zeng Guofan, I would have done so long ago. Unfortunately, I know him but he doesn’t know me, so how could I have that kind of connection?

"I have seen General Zeng's followers. Zuo Jigao and Li Jianfu are his right-hand men and will surely be of great use in the future.

If the lord can train elite soldiers, take the initiative to attack, and perform outstandingly in the war, and then have them as his disciples, his future will be limitless. This is the strategy.

If the combat power of the active attacking troops does not allow it, we should first clear out the bandits in Tongtai and Taizhou, protect the territory and the people, select and train elite troops, strengthen our strength, and wait for the right time. This is the worst option. "

Shao Quanzhong laughed loudly, stood up and patted Le Sen on the shoulder, "Brother Le, your opinion is brilliant, I think the same as you.

Unfortunately, I started late and don’t have Zeng Guofan’s connections, so the best strategy won’t work.

But don't worry, the soldiers I train must be able to fight.

Let's try both the middle and the worst strategies. I want them all. Brother Le, please give me more advice in the future."

"Report, there are a large number of volunteers outside who are coming to surrender with guarantees from the village head and the village head."

Le Sen took the initiative to ask, "Can I go and help?"

Shao Quanzhong waved his hand and said, "I'll let Tian Xing and Hai Qing go in selecting soldiers. You don't have to get involved. I guess there will be a suitable job for you in a while."

Le Sen blinked his eyes, unable to figure out Shao Quanzhong's thoughts. Is this something that can be guessed?
"Mr. Le, have some tea."

Zhang Siwen was busy for a long time, Shao Quanzhong and Le Sen chatted for a long time, and they were all thirsty, so the tea finally came.

Le Sen had no expectation of tea brewed by a strong man like Zhang Ershazi. He picked up the teacup and took a sip politely. Suddenly he stood up and bowed to Zhang Ershazi, "Excuse me, my dear brother, where are you from? How did you end up with Shao Tuanzong?"

(End of this chapter)