Chapter 6: The General Summons

  Although Comrade Chen, the officer in charge of the military department, did indeed deliver Wu Shaotong's dossier and resume to the Governor's office the next day, it wasn't until four days later that Wu Shaotong received an summons from Fu Qi, the Governor of Guangzhou and concurrently the General of Guangzhou.

  The day before, Wu Shaozhong specially tidied up his hair, and had to endure the pain of shaving off the hair on his forehead, and re-washing and re-braiding the queue at the back of his head. The time for the meeting with the Governor was noon, so early in the morning he put on that clean German military uniform, and immediately looked refreshed and revitalized, his spirits lifted greatly.

  He came to the army yamen again, and when he saw the little officials in front of the hall, these people all nodded and bowed to fawn on him, fully embodying the idiom "judging people by their appearance".

  The Army Ministry's Office of the Commander-in-Chief was just a nominal existence, as the Army Ministry in the suburbs was very inconvenient. Fu Qi was mostly working at the General's Mansion in the city. This is also why after the Military Officer Department sent Wu Shaotong's file over, it took several days to get a result.

  After waiting for a moment in the corridor outside the office, Fu Qi had his secretary ask Wu Shaotong to come in.

  Fu Qi's full name is Xilin Jueluo Fuqi, a Manchu of the Plain Blue Banner. He is now over 40 years old. As a Manchu, he has naturally been subject to criticism in an era where Han Chinese resentment towards Manchus is increasingly severe. However, historical records show that he was not a conservative person. Since becoming the Guangzhou General, he has devoted himself to educational reform, rectifying primary and secondary schools within his jurisdiction, and often exhorted his Manchu compatriots to become enlightened and educated.

  Wu Shaotong walked into the office and steeled himself to perform a ritual of apology.

  Fu Qi saw Wu Shaotong wearing a Western-style military uniform, the stiff jacket would be inconvenient for bowing, so he smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying: "No need to bow."

  "Thank you, sir." Wu Shaotong finally breathed a sigh of relief. In his past life, he had never knelt down to anyone before, and if he really did kneel down now, he was afraid that it would leave a psychological shadow on him in the future.

  "What, not even a decent set of clothes? Elegant and refined, do you think the things from our own Qing dynasty are no good?" Fu Qi sat behind the large desk, his previous smile gone without a trace, his face showing no ripples.

  "Your Excellency, I haven't washed my clothes during the entire journey back to our country. A few days ago, I washed all of them, but they haven't dried yet, so I have no choice but to meet you in this attire." Wu Shaotong replied.

  "Oh? I thought you were going to deliberately show off that you've been abroad!" Fu Qi said with a hint of teasing laughter.

  "It's not like that at all. With an adult's wisdom, one can tell the difference between a capable person and an ordinary person at a glance. A single piece of clothing is not enough to deceive an adult." Wu Shaotong said calmly.

  Fu Qi raised an eyebrow and smiled: "You really know how to talk."

  Wu Shaotong maintained a stern military demeanor, without showing any fawning or flattering attitude.

  Fu Qi picked up a document on the table in front of him and took a look, then said: "The officer at the Military Office added some notes to your resume, it seems that you have no complaints about being assigned to the old army?"

  Wu Shaotong felt a bit depressed, what did this Chen Daren mean? At the time, he didn't express his opinion, but that didn't mean he had no complaints. Letting an officer who studied modern military tactics lead soldiers armed with cold weapons wasn't a blatant waste of human resources? However, Fu Qi had already spoken out, so he could only admit defeat.

  "The country has nurtured me, and it is for me to work hard to repay the country, not to haggle over prices. Therefore, I absolutely obey the arrangements of the government, wherever they need me, I will go." He said resolutely, with a serious expression, trying his best to leave a good impression on Fu Qi's eyes.

  Fu Qi nodded his head in agreement, revealing a look of admiration, and said: "Very good, the imperial court needs people like you who don't forget their roots despite being overseas talents."

  He paused, and then changed to a tone of regret: "A surname Xu, a returned overseas military officer from Japan two months ago, because the position assigned by the government was too small, actually ran to Fujian. Such people are not wanted, nor do they think about who paid for their years of studying abroad."

  Wu Shaotong knew that Fu Qi was talking about Xu Chongzhi, and he didn't care about other people's business now.

  "When can I take up my post?" he asked.

  "Hmm, you have a positive attitude, that's good. Actually, Guangzhou is not just short of one officer in the Fire Brigade, the 24th Regiment of the New Army has recently formed a new infantry battalion, and this battalion's commander has not been chosen yet." Fu Qi said mysteriously.

  Wu Shaotong was taken aback, the position of battalion commander is equivalent to a regimental commander, which is not a small official. In the 21st century, the average age of a regimental commander is around 40 years old, and it can be imagined how many years of experience are needed in the army to become a regimental commander. He knew that as a newly graduated military academy officer, he could not rise to prominence overnight, so he did not have too much fantasy.

  "Excuse me, sir, what's this......"

  "I have a good impression of you. But I didn't recognize your true abilities at first glance as you said. The reason I told you that there is still one vacancy in the 24th town is that I hope you can perform well and convince me with actions. Don't worry, I am not a mediocre person, the army is the key to national defense, and officers are the backbone of the army, so I will naturally attach importance to it." Fu Qi said seriously.

  "I understand now, I will definitely live up to your expectations." Wu Shaotong said solemnly, puffing out his chest.

  Fu Qi looked at Wu Shao Ting's momentum and was very satisfied, saying: "Good. Next month you will take office in Shan Ziying, other things will be arranged by Chen Zhuji of the Military Officer Department."

  Wu Shaotong replied: "I understand."

  Fu Qi nodded and said, "Alright, you can withdraw first."

  Wu Shaotong bowed and backed out.

  Fu Qi gazed at Wu Shao Ting's back, his expression gradually becoming more solemn. The situation across the country was increasingly unsettling, and he didn't know how much longer the Manchu regime could hold on! He was well aware of the situation within the Guangzhou New Army, where revolutionary ideas had already infiltrated many low-ranking soldiers; if they didn't take sufficient countermeasures, it would eventually become uncontrollable.

  At present, in the new army, capable people are suspected of being party members. Apart from this, only those donated officers and mediocre people who muddle along and wait for death are left. Once something goes wrong, he really doesn't know who else he can call on!

  Although overseas students are suspected of being contaminated with the "revolution", it is said that Japan and Nanyang are high-risk areas for such rebellion. After all, Wu Shaozhong was far away in Germany, which is currently an imperial power (actually a dual monarchy constitutional system), and would not tolerate the occurrence of such "republican" or "democratic" evil thoughts.

  He sighed and thought to himself: Although Wu Shaotong is the grandson of Wu Changqing, it's been a long time, and I don't know if he can be trusted or not!