Chapter 116: The people above and below share the same desire, and people can die and live for it

Chapter 116: The people above and below share the same desire, and people can die and live for it

Chapter 116: The people above and below share the same desire, and people can die and live for it
Shao Quanzhong took great pains to secretly send the Taiping surrendered soldiers to the United States as mercenaries, and Tian Xing was very satisfied.

This shows that the second brother has not forgotten the original intention when he became sworn brothers with me, and he has been promoted to higher and higher positions in the Tartar court, and has not devoted himself to being a running dog of the Tartars.

However, he was really worried about Zhang Zhidong, a guy who was only interested in passing the imperial examination and entering the central government. He hoped that he would not inform on the matter to the Qing court and harm his second brother.

Shao Quanzhong smiled mysteriously, "Brother, your concerns are reasonable, but you don't know Zhang Zhidong as well as I do. This guy is extremely smart, but he has a flexible bottom line. He will rely on whoever has the strength. As long as our Huai Army does not fall, he will never betray us."

"You mean-"

"That's right. He is just like Lord Wu and Magistrate You. He is a man who will bet on both sides. Although he will be called a famous minister in the future, he is completely different from Zuo Zongtang, the hot-tempered and honest cannon. He says whatever the Empress Dowager likes to hear and never goes against the will of his superiors. It is impossible to expect him to be loyal to the court."

Tian Xing understood. Even if Zhang Zhidong only considered the interests, he would not betray the Huai Army, not to mention Zhang Siwen. As a smart man, he would definitely think of being a loyal minister once the Huai Army took control of the world.

Zhang Zhidong's bottom line is flexible. After all, he still has a bottom line. At least he is still doing his best to make China strong.

His habit of being flexible in his bottom line was passed down to his sons, who became even more flexible. Later, two of his thirteen sons actively participated in "saving the country by taking a roundabout way"...

Of course, with Shao Quanzhong in this world, those who might want to save the country in a roundabout way will have no chance, as they will have no way to sell out the country.

Tian Xing suddenly had a question, "Who is Lao Foye?"

"You'll know in a few months."

"By the way, are those two foreigners very capable? We Chinese are so weak, can they stay here?"

"Of course. Our Qing Dynasty is also a great power now, not much worse than the United States, at least the number one in Asia. Don't mention the fact that we were beaten to a pulp by Britain and France. Britain and France are first-rate powers, and it's not shameful to lose to them. The United States doesn't dare to provoke them either. At least we are still a second-rate power. Americans are very proud to be officials here."

Tian Xing was a very loyal elder brother who only wanted to help him achieve his goal. In the Wuwei battle, Tian Xing persuaded Yang Fuqing to surrender, and his contribution was second only to Zhang Zhidong, who was in charge of the overall situation.

But he refused to report the credit to himself, and gave the fabricated credit of "killing the auxiliary king with cannon fire" to Liao Rong.

Obviously, all the heroes who reported to the court this time will be given official titles. Liao Rong, Zhang Zhidong and You Sihai mentioned in the battle report are not his confidants, so they need to be won over to increase the stability of the team.

The confidants wanted to achieve long-term success, so they made temporary sacrifices, especially the bald Le Sen, who really needed military merits...

When Shao Quanzhong returned to the camp, the first thing he did not do was to go to Xiaoxiang Cliff or go home to see his wife. Instead, the first thing he did was to gather the team and distribute rewards.

This is what a warlord should always be aware of. There is no loyalty without reason. If you don't pay in time, who will fight for you?

In this battle, there were not many casualties. Most of them were killed by muskets when they emerged from the trenches during the three charges by Yang Fuqing's troops against Tian Xing's troops. The pensions and rewards for the wounded were basically given to the three battalions on the right wing of the infantry.

This time, not only were there infantry combat achievements, but there were also several foreign gunners from the Haichang who were temporarily brought here to receive their rewards.

The intelligence department played an indispensable role in accurately intercepting the enemy and attacking them halfway across the river. Jiang Chunlin, the chief of the intelligence section of the Intelligence Department, also came forward to collect the generous reward for the brothel intelligence personnel who had devoted themselves to the Taiping Army's low-level military academies.

Other chief officers might embezzle the rewards from their subordinates, but Jiang Dacai would never do that. He was a model of sympathy for women. As an ambassador of the eighth-rank salt field, he should not be greedy or short of money. How did he become so poor? It had a lot to do with his open spending in the brothel.

There is no big reward for ordinary soldiers who lie in the trenches and shoot, but there is an average reward. The battlefield is the best training place. After this battle, everyone has gained experience and will not be afraid to go to the battlefield again.

The heavy rewards and pensions were distributed personally by Shao Quanzhong, who distributed them equally to his subordinates. Shao Quanzhong, with his hands behind his back, personally supervised and watched his subordinates distribute the rewards to every soldier.

Grant and Emery were very moved as they watched piles of silver ingots being distributed. It was doubtful whether the Qing Dynasty was still a great power. This was a lot of money. It was indeed the richest country in the world that could attract the British and French to join forces to rob it.

After distributing the rewards, it was already dark, and Shao Quanzhong announced another three-day holiday. After fighting a battle, the soldiers could take the reward money and go home to reunite with their families.

Shao Quanzhong did not go home, but immediately went to the military camp to visit the soldiers who were wounded in the battle.

Shao Quanzhong met Wu Anye, another miracle doctor in Hailing City, in the wounded soldiers' camp.

Mr. Wu is massaging, acupressure and bone setting for a soldier who accidentally fell and was injured while marching in the swamp by the river. God bless Taizhou, the top two miracle doctors of this era are both in Taizhou.

The first one, Fei Boxiong, lived in Wuxu, Taixing, which belonged to Tongzhou at that time, but was much closer to Hailing than Tongzhou. He was an imperial physician, a man of great medical knowledge, and had treated many celebrities. Now, he was personally invited by Wenxiu to see patients at Wen's Qingyutang Pharmacy.

Wu Anye, who lives in Hailing City, ranks second. He is five years younger than Mr. Fei. He is a doctor who is determined to serve the working people.

There are few local medicinal materials in Taizhou, and purchasing them from outside would require additional shipping costs, so poor people could not afford them. Therefore, Dr. Wu specialized in studying the "external treatment method" of traditional Chinese medicine.

He is best at applying plasters on people, and is assisted by a dozen other methods such as applying, ironing, fumigating, soaking, rubbing, sitting, sneezing, binding, scraping, cupping, massage, and so on. He can be said to be a master of both traditional Chinese and external treatments.

These treatments require less medication and save money. Doctor Wu has a very good reputation among the people of Taizhou.

After giving the soldier a massage, Doctor Wu applied his unique plaster, washed and rubbed his hands in lime water, and when he looked up he saw Shao Quanzhong coming in.

Shao Quanzhong bowed deeply to Doctor Wu and said, "Thank you, Dr. Wu, for coming to help."

Doctor Wu did not panic when he saw the important person, he just bowed to Shao Quanzhong in return. This man had been a deputy county magistrate and had been in the officialdom, so he did not need to kowtow when meeting an official.

"Since Lord Shao came to Taizhou, there has been no more bandits in Taizhou, no one picks up things on the road, and no one locks their doors at night. It has become a pure land in the troubled times. As a citizen of Taizhou, I enjoy the peaceful days given by Lord Shao, and I should serve you."

Professionals are not likely to curry favor with high-ranking officials. After saying hello, they will go to treat the next soldier who was shot.

The bullet was removed surgically, bandaged, and he was instructed again, "Take another pill of the Eight Treasures Pills that your Huai Army prepared, and you will be able to grow new flesh and recover."

Shao Quanzhong turned around and asked Zhang Siwen, "Do our Huai Army also provide soldiers with Eight Treasure Pills?"

Zhang Siwen opened his backpack. "Not only are there Eight Treasure Pills, but there are also Marching Powder and Plague-avoiding Pills. In this hot summer, if there were no Marching Powder, many soldiers would have suffered from heatstroke."

Doctor Wu turned around and explained, "This is a method that one of the shopkeepers of Qing Yu Tang, Shao Yuan, learned from Hu Xueyan. Although the pills are simple in configuration, they are very practical and very good."

Wow, Shao Quanzhong had almost forgotten about his relative Shao Yigu who came to him for a job more than a month ago. He didn't expect that this cheap nephew is so capable.

Shao Quanzhong visited all the wounded one by one and inquired about their injuries one by one. Grant and Emery followed behind him and observed the new boss, and Grant kept nodding.

After coming out of the wounded camp, Grant gave Shao Quanzhong a thumbs-up and said, "Sir, you came back without seeing your superiors first, without going home, and giving rewards to the soldiers first. You are still visiting the wounded so late at night. Your army will definitely fight for you."

Shao Quanzhong sighed, "I also started from the bottom. This is not just a show to make the soldiers grateful. I really feel that it is not easy for these brothers who fought with me."

Grant nodded. "I see. I can't learn your way. This reminds me of a comrade I met in the Mexican-American War, Thomas Jackson. He also shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. His soldiers were particularly good at fighting. Therefore, I am very optimistic about your future."

"Okay, Lao Ge, you've been walking with me for so long, you should come home with me."

When Grant came, he brought a family of ten with him. At that time, the resettlement allowance had not yet been paid, so they had no place to live.

Rong Hui came forward and asked them to stay in the Shao family's guest room temporarily, and he waited for Shao Quanzhong to go home together.

"Xiao Ai, don't stay in the barracks today. Come back with me. I will treat you two who have come from afar to a meal."

When the three men and the guards returned to Shao's residence in Gulou Lane, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. The lights were on in Shao's residence, and he was still awake, obviously waiting for Shao Quanzhong and the guests to come back.

As soon as he walked to the door, he heard Rong Hui's giggles. It seemed that after a month or two of pregnancy, when it was easy to miscarry, Hui Er became active again. Shao Quanzhong showed a rare warm smile on his face.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light in the house, followed by a "bang". Shao Quanzhong's heart rose to his throat, and he rushed in with big strides.

(End of this chapter)