Chapter 19: Xu's Rise to Prominence (2)

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  "Uncle, Mr. Hu," Xu Shao suddenly spoke up, "Actually, you don't have to worry about us like this. If we insist on staying in Beijing, we will inevitably be ostracized and neglected. It's better for us to be assigned to a local position."

  "Assigned to a local area?" Xu Shichang fell into a moment of contemplation. He knew that even if Xu Shaowen and Li Zening were assigned to the Ministry of War or the General Staff, they would not be reused. But being assigned to a local area was a big deal, would Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui agree?

  Hu Mingyu smiled coldly and said to Xu Shao Wen, "Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui don't even trust you enough to put you by their side, how can they be willing to transfer you to a local position?"

  Xu Shaowen smiled warmly and said, "If we were to be transferred to places like Jiangxi or Jiangsu, I would indeed be worried. But if we were to be transferred to Shanghai, that would be a different story."

  Xu Shichang and Hu Mingyu exchanged a glance, both of them revealing a thoughtful expression.

  "General Li and General Duan are now trying to expand their own sphere of influence, but no matter how much they expand, they will not be so bold as to openly encroach on President Yuan's territory," Xu Shaowen continued slowly after seeing that Xu Shichang and Hu Mingyu understood his meaning. "Shanghai is a very complicated place, which is why President Yuan has never underestimated it. The Shanghai Garrison Commander, Zheng Rucheng, is one of President Yuan's most trusted confidants. If General Li and General Duan were to send their own people over, Zheng would definitely not submit. Moreover, General Li and General Duan are not foolish enough to give up on other places and instead try to take Shanghai, which is a hot potato."

  Xu Shichang nodded thoughtfully and said, "Wenyuan, what you said makes sense. If Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui send someone over, they will definitely be excluded, but if it's someone appointed by the President, that's a different story."

  Hu Mingyu suddenly thought of something, immediately lifted his spirits, and a look of excitement appeared on his face. He said: "Recently, the Shanghai Garrison Command has heard about the major actions in the south and is constantly urging Beijing to increase its garrison troops. We can use this reason to persuade the President to send Wen Yuan and Wen Han to lead troops to Shanghai."

  "Hu Lao Ge, this method of yours is not bad," Xu Shichang said, but his face was still tense. "However, Shanghai is a place that requires careful consideration. Even if President Yuan agrees to increase the troops, he won't let Wen Yuan and Wen Han, two people who have never led soldiers before, take command. Moreover, increasing troops in Shanghai isn't something that can be done overnight. If President Yuan had troops to spare, he wouldn't have waited until today."

  "Xu Lao said that Jiangxi and Hubei provinces are also tightly controlled, and it's impossible to withdraw troops." Hu Mingyu also furrowed his brow, and the excited look on his face suddenly disappeared. He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up again, "However, we can let President Yuan appoint Xu Shao-wen and Li Zhen-ning to go to Shanghai to supervise the new army, this is also a decent job, anyway, it's impossible to increase troops in Shanghai for the time being, so it's better to recruit local soldiers."

  On the side, Xu Shao-wen was waiting for Hu Ming-yu to say this sentence. Whether it's military pay or equipment, he has a way to easily solve it, as long as the president gives himself a title to supervise the new army, everything will be easy.

  "Ah, this plan will do," Xu Shichang's face finally relaxed, but he still sighed and looked at Xu Shaowen, "Wenyuan, I'll go with Hu Lao to visit Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui soon. No matter what, the General Staff and the Ministry of War should give you a title. Tomorrow, I'll do my best in front of the President to get you assigned to Shanghai." He paused for a moment, seemingly hesitant about something, then continued, "As for the military pay for the new army, it's likely to be a bit strained, but I'll try my best to fight for it on your behalf."

  Xu Shaowen smiled, the military salary and equipment were not in his eyes, his own 500 million stocks plus a bank, can afford to support an army group is no problem. But on the surface, he still said politely: "Uncle, then I'll trouble you to worry about it. For these two months of attachment duty, Shaowen has listened to your teachings in Shanghai and also got acquainted with many famous people, believing that it will be helpful for Shaowen's development in Shanghai."

  "That's the best it can be. Wen Yuan, since I've acknowledged you as my nephew, I hope you understand that we are all Xu family members." Xu Shichang said with profound meaning.

  Xu Shaowen knew that his uncle Xu Shichang hoped he would stand on his side in the future, and of course, he was not an ungrateful person. He would definitely remember Xu Shichang's care and concern for him.

  "You young people must grasp the opportunity well, when you are in Shanghai, we old folks can't take care of you, you have to work hard." Hu Mingyu looked at Xu Shao Wen and then at Li Zhenning, saying with deep concern.

  Four people chatted again in the villa living room, and Xu Shichang and Hu Mingyu bid farewell. After leaving the villa, they rushed to Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong's mansion without stopping.

  When Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong heard that Xu Shichang and Hu Mingyu were going to appoint Li Zhenning and Xu Shaowen to Shanghai to supervise the new army, both of them thought that Xu and Hu were retreating. Shanghai is a place where winds and waves are high, if the Southern Revolutionary Party starts a war, it will be the first to bear the brunt, now being transferred there is really looking for trouble.

  On the other hand, Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong both knew that Shanghai was not a place where they could exert their influence, in other words, Shanghai was also not a territory they wanted to compete for. Since Xu Shaozhen and Li Zening were willing to go, let them go.

  In addition, Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong were also at ease with Xu Shaozhen and Li Zhenning going to Shanghai, because Xu Shaozhen and Li Zhenning were under the name of directing the new army, but the military pay and equipment had always been firmly controlled by the Ministry of War and the General Staff. Once these two young men did something wrong, they could also be restrained.

  Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong both readily agreed to Xu Shuzheng and Hu Mingyu, agreeing to let Xu Shaowen hold a title in the General Staff Headquarters and Li Zhenning hold a title in the Ministry of War. In order to please Xu Shuzheng and Hu Mingyu, they sold these two old guys a favor, and this nominal title was not small. Xu Shaowen was appointed as the senior deputy officer of the General Staff Headquarters, with the rank of Colonel in the Army, while Li Zhenning promised to serve as an official in the Ministry of War, also with the rank of Colonel in the Army.

  Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong both agreed that at the presidential palace ceremony tomorrow, they would publicly announce the appointments of Xu Shaozhen and Li Zening, and also support Xu Shichang and Hu Mingyu in persuading the president to transfer the two to Shanghai to supervise the new army.

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  The next day, at the Presidential Palace in Xinhua Gate, Xu Shao-wen and Li Zhen-ning met with President Yuan Shikai of the Republic of China. Yuan Shikai was very enthusiastic and encouraging to the two young men, thanks to his old friend Xu Shi-chang. The Ministry of Army and General Staff had already prepared the documents for their appointments, and even sent over their military uniforms with the rank of colonel.

  After the ceremony, Xu Shichang, Hu Mingyu, Duan Qirui and Li Yuanhong all gathered around Yuan Shikai, urging that the situation in Shanghai could not be delayed, and that there was no extra military force to reinforce it. This would not work out in the end, so it was better to immediately recruit new soldiers to consolidate the urgent situation in Shanghai. Yuan Shikai had actually been worried about this matter all along, and when he heard his four trusted subordinates say this, he agreed without much consideration.

  Yuan Shikai had the Presidential Palace Secretariat draft a decree appointing Xu Shaozhen as Shanghai Garrison Commander, Li Zening as Shanghai Frontier Defense Supervisor, to go to Shanghai to handle new military matters. However, in the last paragraph of the appointment letter, Yuan Shikai still emphasized "except for special circumstances that can be handled at will, all are subject to the command of Shanghai Garrison Commander Zheng Jucheng".

  It is said that "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal". Although Xu Shichang was a good friend and supporter of Yuan Shikai, Xu Shaowen was after all not his own confidant. Yuan Shikai still had reservations on this point, Shanghai was an important place, an important maritime route connecting the north and south, and it was not a place that could be lost.

  Xu Shaowen felt very happy, in fact, once he returned to Shanghai, Zheng Rucheng couldn't control himself at all. With his own connections in Shanghai, Zheng Rucheng would even come to curry favor with him. He was very clear that as long as he didn't overdo things, Zheng Rucheng absolutely wouldn't interfere with him casually.

  Moreover, the Shanghai Garrison Commander was a military officer position that usually managed provincial military affairs. It's just that Shanghai was a special place and Yuan Shikai couldn't think of any suitable official position, so he let Xu Shaozhen become the Garrison Commander. In terms of official rank and salary grade division, the Garrison Commander was still above the Defender-in-Chief.

  Li Zhenning's border defense supervisor was a temporary military position, similar to the inspector of the army, but with less prestige. After all, Xu Shichang was Yuan Shikai's sworn brother, and Yuan Shikai would naturally lean towards Xu Shichang more.

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