Chapter 41: Haggling

  News had already been received that Wang Lingji was being detained, the 1st Division surrounded the Model Division, and the vicinity of the Daxunfu was heavily guarded. Now there were sentries every three steps and patrols every five steps.

  After hearing of Wang Lingji's split failure, Hu Jingyi was about to convene a military meeting, gathering the First and Fourth Divisions near Chengdu to discuss the solution to the Model Division problem when he suddenly heard that Yang Xing had requested an audience.

  He was startled at first, then smiled and ordered his deputy to bring Yang Xing to the Grand Commander's chamber.

  Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yang Xing quickly arrived at the office. When Yin Changheng was the Grand Governor, as a deputy officer and confidant, Yang Xing would come to report on his work every now and then. Who would have thought that after just a few days, everything had changed, and the one in charge of Sichuan was now Hu Jingyi, the Nursing Grand Governor.

  As soon as he saw Yang Xing, Hu Jingyi scolded him loudly: "Yang Xing, Yang Zhengdong, the Grand Commander has just left Chengdu, and you have turned against the heavens. You actually detained Wang Lingji, the commander of the Wang camp. Don't you know that Old Wang was once your instructor? Is this the appearance of respecting one's teacher and following the Tao? Do you want to rebel? In your eyes, is there still a protector like me, or is there still a king's law?"

  Yang Xing was taken aback, then understood what had happened. After Hu Jingyi finished shouting with his head covered, he calmly said: "Report to the Nursing Commander-in-Chief, I understand that the Nursing Commander-in-Chief and the Commander-in-Chief are old friends of ten years. And I have been promoted all the way, if it weren't for the Commander-in-Chief and the Nursing Commander-in-Chief's promotion and recognition, Xing wouldn't be able to establish any military achievements, let alone become the deputy commander of the model regiment. So the Nursing Commander-in-Chief and the Commander-in-Chief are both Xing's patrons, and Xing will never forget their kindness."

  Hu Jingyi heard this and thought that Yang Xing was actually comparing him to Yin Changheng. He immediately thought that although Yang Xing knew how to fight, he was only in his early twenties, so how could he know about the open and secret struggles of officialdom? He had secretly manipulated things, and yet he still thought that he and Yin Changheng were on the same side, which made him feel quite pleased with himself.

  "Ah, Zhen Dong, I also know you're a rare and fierce general. Take the Western Expedition for example, if it wasn't for you leading the charge and making the Tibetan Lamas surrender so quickly, who knows how long it would've taken? You're not only Chang Heng's favorite general, but also mine, Hu Jingyi's. How could you do something like this? When Chang Heng left Sichuan and was at a low point, you detained Wang Lingji, the camp commander, causing internal strife within the army. Isn't that a joy for our enemies and a pain for those close to us?"

  As soon as he heard this, Yang Xing hastily stood up and said: "General Commander, the matter is suspicious. Today during training, someone suddenly came to report that the second battalion had received orders to set out. The company commanders and platoon leaders at the time thought, 'How could our model regiment, which is under your direct command, General Commander, suddenly set out without reason?' They immediately rushed to the campsite and stopped the action. But what everyone least expected was that a copy of the General Commander's orders was found on these two traitors' bodies. We were shocked and specially came to see you, General Commander, to request your instructions."

  Hu Jingyi immediately understood that the matter had been exposed, and asked in surprise: "The search for the Grand Commandery's order has come out, how is this possible? You, Zhen Dong, are also a deputy officer of the Grand Commandery, do you know how this could happen?"

  As soon as Hu Jingyi opened his mouth, he immediately followed the original intention and said: "Your subordinate also feels puzzled. Now that the Grand Governor has just left Sichuan, what is needed is stability. How can such a problem arise? Therefore, I specially came to see the Grand Governor."

  Hu Jingyi let out a long sigh and said, "Exactly, the Grand Commander has just left Sichuan, what is needed now is stability, how can there be any problems at this critical juncture? This matter is of great importance, that grand commander's order, hand it over to the governor immediately, to thoroughly investigate without leniency."

  Yang Xing's face turned red with embarrassment as he said, "Great Commander, I was momentarily impulsive and burned the note to show my absolute trust in you."

  After a long while, Hu Jingyi finally came back to his senses and said: "Just burn it away, just burn it away, never let the Chuan army have internal conflicts."

  Upon hearing Hu Jingyi's words, Yang Xing immediately stood up and saluted, saying: "Reporting to the Grand Commander, I am willing to follow the orders of both the Grand Commander and the Regent Commander. As long as you two give the order, I will definitely follow without any hesitation, and there will be no internal strife."

  Upon hearing this, Hu Jingyi immediately became disheartened. It seems that Yang Xing is not simple after all; although he's only twenty years old and appears foolish on the surface, in reality, he has prepared everything and even has a sense of knowing what to do at the right time. As soon as Yin Changheng left, he came over to curry favor with him.

  But such a person cannot be allowed to stay by one's side, after all, the model team's combat power is at stake, and if something like a military coup were to happen, it would be difficult to deal with.

  The current plan is to have Yang Xing or the Model Division leave Chengdu, only then can we lift this great worry off our heads. Suddenly, Ji Jing said: "Zhen Dong, at present, the Republic of China has just been established, and bandits are rampant in various parts of Sichuan, people's lives are unbearable. Let the Model Division rest for a month."

  As soon as Hu Jingyi said this, he immediately understood: "The Grand Commander is right. Since the great victory of Kangding in July, the model division has been without a battle for three months."

  Hu Jingyi immediately felt that smart people speak simply, and he happily said: "All departments are suppressing bandits. If the model team is still placed in Chengdu, other troops will say that Governor Hu is biased."

  Hearing Hu Jingyi's words, he couldn't fully follow the other party's meaning. Many things are overpriced and need to be settled on the spot. When Ji Qingyuan spoke willingly, "What do other troops say? What good can they say? The Model Division is the vanguard of the Sichuan Army, established by Commander-in-Chief Yin, and also serves as the personal bodyguard of the Commander-in-Chief. It's understandable that the Model Division would take part in such a major event as pacifying Zangbian. But for a small matter like suppressing bandits, must the Model Division be involved again?"

  As soon as he heard this, Yang Xing felt that he did not want to leave Chengdu. At present, if the model team is still in Chengdu, if one is not careful, his own nursing major general may be dismissed.

  His face sank and he said, "Zhēng Dōng, how can you speak so ignorantly? Don't think that just because you killed a few Tibetan bandits, you can look down on everything. Although the scale of the Sichuan bandits is not as large as that of the Tibetans, they are all old bandits, scattered throughout the territory, and cannot be eradicated, which is why the governor has decided to use this trump card."

  Yang Xing was secretly delighted and immediately said: "The great commander's teachings are correct, I guarantee that I will not disappoint the mission."

  During the Republic of China, bandits were rampant in Sichuan from 1911. At that time, the Railway Protection Movement was unfolding like wildfire in Sichuan Province, and Zhao Erfeng, the Governor of Sichuan known as "Butcher", devoted all his efforts to suppressing this anti-imperialist patriotic mass petition movement. However, bandits took advantage of the situation and rose up everywhere. Soon after, the Wuchang Uprising occurred, and various provinces declared independence one after another. Both the new and old regimes focused their attention on political struggles, leaving no time to deal with the banditry in rural areas, resulting in the bandits becoming more powerful, and cases of robbery and murder were frequently heard.

  The locals called the bandits "Big Stick Lao Er", "Stick Guest" or "Stick Lao Er". Yang Xing knew this term when he was young. It can be explained that during the late Qing and early Republic of China, the bandits did not have guns or bullets, and even lacked knives and spears, so they used a big stick to attack or intimidate lone travelers, and robbed them of their money.

  In the 1920s, in Sichuan, it was even more common for bandits and soldiers to be indistinguishable, with many troops being reorganized from the likes of the Gowned Brothers and local bandits. Some notable examples include people like Fan Shaoren, also known as "Fan Haer".

  Due to the Sichuan warlords' years of infighting, each warlord greatly expanded their armed forces and conscripted soldiers. Although this allowed them to maintain the purity of their troops, the peasants were ultimately too weak. How could they be like those seasoned bandits who, once reorganized, could immediately be sent to the battlefield?

  In the 1920s, they thus entered a strange cycle where bandits were pacified and became regular troops, but after being defeated, they again became bandits.

  As a result, the Sichuan warlord's policy of accepting the surrender of bandits became well-known far and wide. Some bandits from as far away as Henan even planned to flee to Sichuan to accept the regular army's amnesty.

  In the 1920s, in the regular army of Sichuan, bandits actually accounted for more than 70%.

  It can be said that throughout the Republic of China period, Sichuan suffered greatly from banditry.

  Arriving at the edge of the map, Hu Jingyi pointed to the map on the wall and said: "The conquest of the East is now underway. In northern Sichuan and eastern Sichuan, bandits are rampant, using Mount Hua and Mount Ba as their base, seriously disrupting local order. The governor just told Commander Zhou to inform you that he has decided to dispatch you to command the 1st and 3rd battalions of the Model Brigade, along with an artillery company, to northern Sichuan to assist Mr. Zhang Lan in annihilating the bandits. I wonder if this brave general dares to go?"

  Yang Xing listened and immediately replied: "Director Hu, you know that to annihilate the bandits, we need artillery support. If there is not enough firepower support, it may lead to an unfavorable outcome in the suppression of the bandits. This is one point."

  Secondly, the model regiment is a complete organization. If it lacks two battalions and four companies, the soldiers below will not obey orders.

  Hú Jǐngyī was furious: "Zhēng Dōng, you know that the Model Division is the elite force of the Sichuan Army. After the Model Division is deployed, we must leave a force to guard the safety of Chengdu and the safety of the Grand Governor's Mansion. Therefore, I plan to divide the Model Division into two parts. You will lead the 1st and 3rd Battalions to Shùnqìng to maintain local order. Note that you are only acting as the Division Commander now. I have decided to let you use the 1st and 3rd Battalions as the backbone to form an independent division, and leave the 2nd and 4th Battalions and the Artillery Battalion behind to reorganize into the Model Division."

  Upon seeing this, Hu Jingyi persuaded: Zheng Dong, look at it this way. The Independent Regiment's formation is still 5 battalions, including one artillery battalion and four infantry battalions. With the artillery battalion, the 1st Battalion, and the 3rd Battalion as the backbone, they will be expanded. As for the newly established Model Regiment, with the 3rd Artillery Company, the 2nd Battalion, and the 4th Battalion as the backbone, it will be reorganized into the Model Regiment. You see if this is okay? Remember, you are only the acting commander of the Model Regiment. Generally, the Model Regiment directly belongs to the Metropolitan Governor's Office.

  Yang Xing replied, "Commander Hu, even if I agree to this, the soldiers under my command won't obey. So, for the Model Division, at most the 2nd Regiment will stay behind, while the other regiments can follow me to suppress the bandits."

  Hu Jingyi secretly thought about it and felt that leaving only the second battalion would also be a loss, so he immediately expressed his disagreement.

  He immediately tempted him: Conquer the East, if you leave the 2nd and 4th camps behind, I will appoint you as the commander of an independent regiment, no longer acting as the commander.

  Yang Xing shook his head and refused, saying: "Commander Hu, this is not a question of whether I will agree or not, but whether I can agree or not. If I agree to leave the 2nd and 4th battalions behind, how will my brothers look at me? More importantly, if a disheartened and disloyal army goes to the front line, how can we fight against the bandits? Commander Hu, you should know that the Model Division has always been the backbone of the Sichuan Army. If the Model Division is defeated, what will other divisions think?"

  Hu Jingyi listened and also thought so, immediately laughing: "Zheng Dong, if only the second battalion of Wang Lingji is left behind, the strength is still a bit lacking. How about this? Leave one artillery company and two infantry companies, which will leave more than 600 people to facilitate Wang Lingji's formation of a new model regiment."

  Yang Xing pondered silently, after the reorganization, although his strength would be weakened, he could also use the reorganization as an excuse to reorganize the independent regiment and establish a completely loyal armed force.

  Yang Xing immediately said: "To go to northern Sichuan to suppress bandits, I have no problem with it. Does everyone else agree?"

  Hu Jingyi immediately became furious and said: "You are the captain, and whether or not the brothers below dare to do it depends on your efforts. If you can't convince the brothers below to do what you want, I will send two armed regiments before we set out."

  Yang Xing was immediately frightened when he heard that Hu Jingyi had changed his words, and could only say with a look of discontent: "The Grand Commander's teachings are correct."

  Hu Jingyi also looked at Yang Xing's dying expression and said, "As long as you do a good job, the governor will not treat you unfairly. I have already said that you are also the governor's beloved general. However, the model regiment has always been directly under the command of the Grand Governor, you can't take them all away to suppress bandits."

  Yang Xing, upon hearing this, since the mutiny was so easily handled and had already reached his expectations, immediately discussed with Hu Jingyi about providing supplies, garrison issues, military pay issues, and overall army affairs. After that, he took a copy of the deployment order and hurried back to the military camp.