At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there was no value in things like rank. One could buy one with some money, and it was called donating an official position. The more money they gave, the higher their rank would be, but they were basically empty positions without any actual positions.
The military ranks were similar. Although they did not reach the level of overabundance like ranks, there were still many who occupied high positions.
For example, the few green camp commanders sitting here were basically vice generals, assistant generals, and so on. Even Tashan was an assistant general.
Only Li Donghan had the lowest military rank. He was just a general, but in the army, military ranks were not the only thing that mattered.
It depended more on the amount of power and strength. Li Donghan, who held the elite new army, was also ranked at the forefront among these people.
Of course, Li Donghan was not arrogant because of this. He treated those Green Camp 'seniors' humbly. Even when he spoke to Ta Shan, it was as if there was no unpleasantness from before.
However, Li Donghan felt that the man who came last was not ordinary. First, he had the military uniform of the new army and the title of deputy general. This was something that only the town commander could equip in the new army!
That showed the status of this person, and Li Donghan could vaguely guess who this person was!
Soon, Fengshan also confirmed Li Donghan's guess. He nodded gently and said to the man,"If there's nothing else, Zi Chen can sit down first!"
Then, he introduced to everyone," Let me introduce everyone first. This is the new commander of the twenty-six towns, Long Jiguang. He will be everyone's colleague in the future! Let's get to know each other!"
Hearing this, Li Donghan thought to himself that indeed, the twenty-five towns of the new army in eastern Guangdong had been abolished. It was impossible for anyone to control them, so there was only one person left in Guangdong and Guangxi.
Long Jiguang, a native of Mengzi in southern Yunnan, had stood out in the process of suppressing peasant uprisings many times. He was appreciated by Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi at that time, and promoted to the commander of the brave camp.
And this year, his subordinates were reorganized into the new army's 26 towns. They were under his control and should be stationed in Wuzhou now!
He did not expect that the military meeting this time would also attract him. It seemed that the 49 associations were a hot potato!
Even though Long Jiguang was already in control of twenty-six towns, he still wanted to fight for his subordinates!
However, Li Donghan did pay a little attention to the 26 towns. Although they were stationed in Wuzhou, if there was any change in Huacheng, it would be enough for them to rush over within ten days.
Although it was an old army that had just been formed and was only slightly stronger than the other patrol battalions, its number was four times that of the ninety-eight units.
As a result, Li Donghan was even more determined to win the 49 associations. If he had a mixed association in hand, Li Donghan was completely confident that he could defeat the 26 towns.
The 98th mark was Li Donghan's strategy based on the Delizhi Army, combined with the training of the army in his previous life. Its level of elite was even stronger than the Beiyang Army!
Now, the only thing that restrained Li Donghan was the number of new soldiers. He had to take down the 49 associations and double the number of troops in his hands. More importantly, he had long coveted the cannon emblems in the mixed association!
Fengshan had even personally introduced Li Donghan to Long Jiguang, which showed how much he valued Li Donghan.
"This is my 98th bid leader, Li Donghan. He may be young, but he studied in Delizhi. 98th bid is managed in an orderly manner in his hands. He is a rare talent in our Qing Dynasty!”
Hearing Feng Shan's admiration, Li Donghan quickly said humbly that he did not dare, but it aroused Long Jiguang's interest.
"I've long heard that Lord Li's 98th mark is an army that is comparable to the Beiyang army.”
"The twenty-six towns have just formed an army, and most of them are inherited from the old army. I hope that Lord Li can be generous and give me more guidance!”Long Jiguang said straightforwardly.
"I wouldn't dare. Lord Long is a senior in my army. Donghan should learn more. I wouldn't dare to give Lord Long advice!”Li Donghan said lightly.
Feng Shan said," The two of you should stop flattering each other. Just learn from each other. The prosperity of the Qing Dynasty still needs the hard work of loyal officials like you!"”
Feng Shan did not have the arrogance that was common among the Manchu generals. He was a more pragmatic person, but his fundamental goal was to continue the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Li Donghan naturally agreed on the surface. After everyone sat down, Li Donghan recalled some of the details.
Although Long Jiguang appeared to be very close to him on the surface, he inadvertently revealed some vigilance. Long Jiguang wanted to bring this newly established 49 associations into his rule.
Li Donghan was the biggest obstacle to their plan. As for Ta Shan and the other Green Camp commanders, Li Donghan and Long Jiguang did not take them to heart.
They were each other's biggest competitors. Although Long Jiguang controlled the twenty-six towns, he had Li Zhun's support. Moreover, Li Donghan, who had a lot of connections in the officialdom, had the most competitive advantage.
For this reason, Long Jiguang did not hesitate to come all the way from Wuzhou, which showed how important this position was to him.
With the 49 associations, Long Jiguang could be said to have become the largest military force in Guangdong and Guangxi. Such temptation could not calm him down.
After they sat down, Feng Shan said some boring things. It was like stepping up the alert to prevent the revolutionary party from taking advantage of the chaos.
Once the revolutionary party was discovered, they would be killed without mercy! Those who dare to shield the revolutionary party will be punished with the same crime!
It could be seen that the Qing Dynasty, especially the Banner People, had reached a state of nervousness. There were continuous riots and uprisings in various places.
Everyone could feel the aura of someone in his twilight years. No matter what Fengshan arranged, it was just a last-ditch struggle.
At the end, Feng Shan suddenly said,""The memorial that was sent to the training center last month has been approved. The imperial court has agreed to the establishment of the 49 Mixed Associations in Eastern Guangdong! Among them, there were the 97th, 98th, and 25th cannon targets!”
"98 of them have been completed. Next, we will prepare 97 of them and the cannon. I will discuss with the governor about the various officers! Go back first!"
After saying that, Feng Shan directly left the hall, leaving behind the eyes of the others. The position of 49-year-old assistant chief was really too tempting.
It wasn't just Li Donghan and Long Jiguang who were tempted. Even Ta Shan and the other old commanders were eager to try.
Li Donghan and Long Jiguang's eyes inadvertently met, and they tacitly looked away. After everyone left, Li Donghan also got up and left!
He still had things to do in the afternoon!
(To be continued)
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