Chapter 172: Huai Disciples Fill Tianshan
Chapter 172: The Young Men of Lianghuai Fill Tianshan
Most of the people present knew about the dispute between Le Xiucai and the Wu family.
Le Xiucai fainted, which looked very dangerous, but in fact, he was too young to be in any serious trouble. He was just too happy.
Wu Ziyi helped lay Le Xiucai flat on the ground and gave him first aid. Xiucai breathed a sigh of relief and recovered.
Wu Ziyi teased him, "Brother Le, you are very emotional right now and you may lose your mind easily. You need a butcher like Hu to slap you in the face to wake you up."
Hu the butcher didn't have one, but Shao the butcher did. Seeing Le Sen sitting up by himself, Shao Quanzhong bent down and patted him on the shoulder.
"Brother Le, why don't you go back and change your clothes? You can't wear a military uniform to the banquet at Zheyuan. You have to show off your elegant demeanor. Do you have a fourth-rank official uniform? I can lend you mine first."
Well, Shao Quanzhong's fourth-rank official uniform should be a bit tight, but the fourth-rank official hat can be borrowed. An Dehai came in a hurry, and there were too many officials to be awarded this time, so he didn't bring any hats with him, so they had to be sent later.
The governor of Shaanxi appointed by Shao Quanzhong was of the second rank, and even with the additional title of vice minister of the Ministry of War, he was only of the second rank. However, the right deputy censor-in-chief of the Censorate was of the first rank, and he could already wear a first rank hat.
Moreover, the earl is a super-grade title. Next to Shao Quanzhong's ruby hat, he can have one more oriental pearl than ordinary first-rank officials.
The second-rank hat he wore when he was the governor of Anhui, the third-rank hat he wore when he was the provincial judge of Anhui, and the fourth-rank hat he wore when he was the governor of northern Anhui and the prefect of Fengyang are no longer of any use and can only be kept as a commemoration.
Upon hearing this, Le Sen immediately jumped up and ran away.
He is in charge of logistics. If he arranges for a few skillful women in Hailing City to make a suitable fourth-rank official uniform as soon as possible, it should be completed before dark.
Everyone burst into laughter when they saw Le Xiucai, a weak scholar, running at the speed of Skywalker.
At the same time, they all secretly sighed that they were all on the same boat as Shao Quanzhong. Following Shao Quanzhong, the speed of promotion was as fast as riding a Hale rocket.
In just four years, Le Sen transformed himself from a down-and-out failed scholar into a fourth-rank official of the imperial court stationed in Xi'an.
I am still young, but I have been promoted. My long-cherished wish has come true. It is really important to follow the right person. The scenery here in Huaijun is unique.
…………
When Shao Quanzhong returned to the Shao Mansion, he no longer had the heart to play tricks in the swimming pool.
Although the clothes bestowed upon the lady of the first rank had to be sent later, the news had already spread.
Rong Hui was not very interested in the first-rank imperial edict and continued to wear the school uniform designed by Shao Quanzhong. Wen Xiu, however, was extremely excited.
Being a lady of the first rank with clouds on her shoulders is almost the highest honor that a Han woman can achieve.
But Wenxiu was still not satisfied. Humph, the court is now ruled by two Empress Dowagers, with Cixi and Ci'an ruling at the same time. Can't my sister Hui'er and I have two Empresses ruling at the same time?
Humph, Ji Ming En was promoted to the position of Light Cavalry Commander, and Hui Er is so happy? Oh, I really regret it...
Rong Hui didn't know much about the Qing Dynasty official system. After listening to Shao Quanzhong's long list of titles, she tilted her head and said, "Brother Shao, you are now a commander-in-chief and can manage a lot of soldiers. From now on, you can be called 'General Shao', right?"
Wen Xiu curled her lips, what a country bumpkin, "Admiral is just a military title that allows Brother Shao to govern the Green Camp. What's so good about it? Right Vice-Chief Censor is the highest civil official title. From now on, Brother Shao can call himself 'this court', and people will respectfully address him as 'Lord Zhongcheng'. Of course, the most honorable title is Lord Earl."
"I think that 'Zhongtang' seems to be a higher official than 'Zhongcheng'."
"Tsk, even Master Qiao is not even a prime minister yet, so Brother Shao still has a long way to go before he can become a prime minister."
Shao Quanzhong smiled and said, "Not far, not far. Once we pacify Shaanxi and Gansu, it will be even closer." Wenxiu shook her head, "Even if we pacify the rebellion in Shaanxi and Gansu, it won't be such a big achievement, right?"
Shao Quanzhong looked to the northwest. "My adoptive father's governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu is not only in charge of Shaanxi and Gansu. The imperial court is about to sign the bullshit 'Sino-Russian Northwest Boundary Treaty' with the Russians. The Russians are going to take away more than 400,000 square kilometers of our territory from Yili Province."
What? Neither of the two ladies knew about this. "Will the imperial court sign such a humiliating treaty?"
Shao Quanzhong sneered, "Humph, the court is run by old ladies, they are used to kneeling, and they have no backbone. I tell you, I will never allow you two to interfere in politics in the future."
The two ladies nodded. Rong Hui's dream is to be a great educator. She is currently a middle school principal and wants to be a university president in the future.
Wenxiu was satisfied with the phoenix crown and red robe, and she had absolutely no ambition to be the queen mother and rule the country from behind the curtain. Wouldn't it be good for the husband to live longer? It's not a good thing to call yourself "Ai Jia".
Shao Quanzhong put his hand on the handle of his command knife, with a murderous look on his face.
"I'm too late to stop the re-demarcation of the Northwest, but after I pacify Shaanxi and Gansu, I must continue to pacify Ili Province. This time I have to fight the Russians and tell them that China is no longer easy to bully with me, Shao Quanzhong. Spit out what I ate!"
Wenxiu understood, "Brother Shao, if you can expand the territory and regain 400,000 square kilometers of land for China, it will indeed be a huge achievement. However, can our Huai Army defeat the Russians?"
"I have to fight even if I can't win. Damn it, I've been bullied by the Russians for a long time. This time I'm going to get revenge."
Shao Quanzhong stood up and raised his voice, "Sixth Lady, go inform Wu Ziyi and tell him not to rest and to recruit soldiers to expand the army! This time when we enter Shaanxi, the Huai Army will expand to 40,000. When we take over Gansu and Shaanxi and send troops to Yili Province, we will expand to 80,000."
Hu Liuniang ran away to convey Shao Quanzhong's latest instructions to Wu Ziyi.
Wu Ziyi took action immediately and sent his personal soldiers everywhere. The order was quickly conveyed to the Jiangning Provincial Government, Anhui and the southeast corner of Henan, and all places where there were insurance teams.
The young men of Lianghuai were extremely excited. The Hunan Army was about to downsize, while the Huai Army was thriving. Everyone wanted to follow Shao Quanzhong to make achievements, get promoted, and make a fortune.
When Tian Xing heard about Wu Ziyi's big move, he ran to Shao's house to persuade Shao Quanzhong.
"Second brother, why are we expanding the army so much all of a sudden? Don't we need training? Do we have that much money?"
Shao Quanzhong sneered, "Of course the money is paid by the court. If we want to pacify Shaanxi and Gansu, how can we do it without paying money?"
"The imperial court will certainly support you in pacifying Shaanxi and Gansu, but if you want to send troops to Yili, the imperial court may not agree."
"Whether the court agrees or not, let your adoptive father argue with them. I don't believe that any military minister would dare to disagree and bear the infamy of losing Ili Province."
"But, if we don't have tens of millions of silver to invest in an army of 80,000, don't even think about it. Even if we have money, we can't spend it all at once."
"This is the court's business, how can we spend our own money? I am also the Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs. When the time comes, I will be able to borrow tens of millions of taels from foreigners by mortgaging the tariffs. There is another advantage of borrowing from the British. If they invest money in us, they will not be able to support Yakub Beg..."
Well, the one who owes money is the boss, and it’s the same in this era.
"We have been relying on Zhang Zhidong's strategies to help us fight the Taiping Army, and the Huai Army has never experienced a real bloody battle. In this battle in the northwest, we must prepare for the death of many people. Without blood, how can we face the foreigners with pride?"
Tian Xing looked excited, but he was quite reluctant to fight against the Taiping and Nian armies.
This time Shao Quanzhong planned to start a national war, and he was willing to risk his life for it. "Don't worry, my second brother, I will be at the forefront when we fight the Russians in the future."
Shao Quanzhong drew out his command knife and looked at the sharp blade. "Brother, let's all be ready to sacrifice. Even if the Lianghuai disciples are all over Tianshan, I will fight for China."
(End of this chapter)