Turning the tables

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  What is written in the letter? Sun and Deng explicitly stated only three things in the letter: First, from the beginning of the 8th Company's garrison, Zhao Miao Sheng must unconditionally assist in the preparation, establishment, and supply of the security team; Second, thirty mu of land was allocated in the town as a campsite for the 8th Company, and eighty mu of wasteland was allocated for use by the 8th Company; Third, the town police station was handed over to the 8th Company and Liu Mingjiu to manage, no longer under the control of the town mayor.

  This is equivalent to taking away the military power of the security team, police management and dispatching rights from Zhao Miaosheng's hands. The security team was a local armed force during the Republic of China period, a derivative of the Baojia system, and was established as an important supplement to the police force. On May 20, 1914, the Beiyang government promulgated the "Local Defense Team Regulations" and organized defense teams. The defense team was supervised by the county magistrate, with local gentry and merchants serving as co-managers, and a team department was set up in each county, with one person designated from each household to participate, forming a system of ten households per pai, ten pai per jia, five jia per bao, with pai, jia, and bao leaders, and a team leader. Its responsibilities included assisting the military and police in maintaining local security, with funding provided by local fundraising. The twelve villages under Lingjintang had a total population of over 31,600 and nearly 5,100 households. Before Liu Mingjiu arrived, the security team was always managed by Zhao Miaosheng on behalf of County Magistrate Deng Zhisheng, and local fundraising became an important source of income for Zhao Miaosheng's corruption. Although the police station was a branch of the county police bureau, after arriving in Lingjintang, it also relied on the town head for funding and supplies. The two letters' orders were equivalent to taking away both military power and a significant source of wealth from Zhao Miaosheng's hands.

  Ginger is old spicy, Zhao Miao Sheng in the so-called hundred rich town of Linglong Tower can be the mayor, naturally has long been practicing a strong interpersonal skills: "Director Liu joked, actually this way also good, also save our town government's many things, I can also have more time to do something for fellow villagers."

  "Haha, I'll still have to rely on you a lot in the future, I don't understand anything about this grain collection and protection business." Liu Mingjiu stared at Zhao Miaosheng, whose face had just changed from cloudy to smiling. This old guy was really not ordinary, his facial expressions changing as quickly as flipping through a book, with an extraordinary depth of city governance. In Liu Mingjiu's heart, he began to plan how to deal with this evil tyrant and local despot who might become a traitor in the future.

  Although Zhao Miao Sheng was furious after reading it, he had been through many accidents and couldn't turn his face for the time being. He could only wait until everything was arranged before making a move, so he still smiled at each other. Although they hated each other to the bone, they still had to smile at each other, which is a common strange phenomenon in officialdom.

  The two men talked for more than an hour, each with their own thoughts, before Zhao Miaosheng formally completed the handover of the three powers. The police chief, Mu De, and the security team leader, Han Xinfeng, had already been summoned to the Eighth Company by Liu Mingjiu's people, so everything was handled quickly. After completing the formalities, they chatted for a while before dispersing. However, Police Chief Mu De soon returned to Liu Mingjiu's office.

  "Director Liu, I'll be relying on you for guidance and support from now on. Do you have any plans for my future work?" Mu De was a police officer in his 40s, who had been a county town patrolman during the Qing dynasty and was an old slippery head with much experience in handling affairs. As soon as he saw Liu Mingjiu, he immediately put on a smiling face.

  Liu Mingjiu looked at the sturdy and capable police chief, who had been transferred before Liu had already basically understood the situation of the main officials in the town through Kang Daxuan, Zuo Zhenyuan and others. This police chief was good at flattering and bootlicking, but he was not on the same road as Zhao Miaosheng, and he was only fond of gambling and women, but did not do much evil, so Liu did not dislike him very much either. Without saying a word, he handed over the police chief's training plan book that he had written: "Just follow this and you'll be fine, you're an old policeman too, I don't need to say more, but just one word of advice to you, keep yourself clean, stay away from gambling and women, be strict with discipline, and be fair and honest."

  "This is certain, this is certain. Now let me take a look at your file. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll ask you to explain it in time. Please give me some time," Mu De said and immediately opened the plan book to start reading.

  Half a time later, Mu De raised his head and looked at Liu Mingjiu who was spraying clouds and mist, and asked timidly: "This, Director Liu, your meaning is that in the future, every seven days, police officers must undergo a training session, every half month must conduct a live ammunition shooting exercise, and also eliminate police officers above 50 years old? Is the subordinate's understanding correct?"

  "Ah, that's right. For those police officers over 50 years old, we'll allocate funds from the town government to buy five mu of land for each of them as a retirement plan. We'll hold a martial arts competition once a month, and if someone fails to meet the standards, their salary will be deducted by half for that month. If they fail twice, their entire monthly salary will be deducted. And if they fail three times, they'll be dismissed from the police force. What you should focus on is my 'Eight Articles of Police Enforcement' and 'Eight Articles of Discipline' above." Liu Mingjiu said expressionlessly to Mu De, but in fact, those two sets of eight articles were completely copied from a later era's basic police discipline regulations. After all, Liu Mingjiu's previous unit was also part of the police force, and he had many relatives, friends, and classmates who were police officers, so although he wasn't very familiar with the specific regulations of this profession, he still had a basic understanding of them.

  "This, this, if it's done your way, I'm afraid we'll have to lay off thirteen of the twenty-four police officers, and there won't be enough to make ends meet. It's probably not good for recruiting new people either!" Mu De expressed his own concerns, after all, he thought he still had a say in these matters in front of the young official.

  Liu Mingjiu also clearly understood Mu De's rich experience, so he smiled; "So you old man looked at it clearly, didn't I write it clearly in the end? Recruit a corresponding number of probationary police officers, and after mutual transfer of those old police officers who are on the list of elimination, bring out these new police officers one by one, and then issue them to them. And also don't say this is elimination outside, the army has retired, the police call it retirement."

  "Retire?" Mu De was shocked when he heard Liu Mingjiu say this new word, and he didn't know what it meant. This was the first time he had ever heard of this fresh word from a later era.

  "Yes, retirement. Policemen have always been like constables, neither officials nor soldiers, so let's use this term to ask them to rest." Liu Mingjiu of course knew that in this era, not only in China but also in the West, retirement was a word that existed in only a few countries.

  Mu De nodded and quickly expressed his gratitude: "I'd like to thank Director Liu on behalf of the old comrades in the police station. Some of them have been working as police officers since the Qing dynasty, with over 30 years of service. Your solution has allowed them to truly retire in peace."

  "Heh heh, no need to thank me, this is what they deserve. Not only will I give them land, but when they formally retire, I'll also give each of them a retirement pension based on their years of service, six taels per year. That thirty-year veteran police officer you mentioned, as long as he can prove it, I'll give him two hundred taels at once. You policemen have also contributed greatly to the safety of our side, naturally we cannot treat you unfairly." Liu Mingjiu said with a smile, looking at Mu De.

  "What? And a pension? Two hundred taels?" Mu De was shocked again by Liu Mingjiu's words, and after a while, he came back to his senses and bowed to Liu Mingjiu: "Director Liu, you are truly the great benefactor of us police officers. Only you can treat us so generously, us people who have been scolded as 'running dogs' by our fellow villagers." After finishing speaking, he actually burst into tears.

  Liu Mingjiu walked out from behind his desk, helping Mu De who was bowing and scraping: "Of course, I treat you this way not without demands. In fact, the demand is very simple, only sixteen characters: 'Uphold integrity, enforce laws faithfully, love the people like one's own children, be strict with oneself'."

  "You've been so kind to us, you can rest assured, we don't need to do anything inhumane anymore." Mu De's eyes were already brimming with tears.

  The next day, a recruitment notice for police officers was posted in front of the town police station, and the "Police Retirement Benefits Regulations", "Linglong Tower Police Station Enforcement Eight Disciplines", "Linglong Tower Police Station Police Discipline Eight Articles" and "Letter to All Town Citizens" were also publicly displayed. It was officially confirmed that Liu Mingjiu would take over the police station and supervise the police station, and 21 new police officers would be recruited. What attracted the townspeople's attention was the retirement benefits regulations. Many old police officers saw it and shouted "Long live Director Liu!" one after another. Many townspeople also rushed to the police station with their sons who were of age to sign up, eager to become the "dog legs" they used to look down on and dare not provoke. Zhao Miaosheng was shocked when he heard the news, and ran to the county town that night to see Deng Zisheng.

  At the same time as the police station's regulations, rules and retirement methods were announced, Liu Mingjiu also brought Luo Xiliang, Wu Tongjin, Han Xinfeng, Jiang Chunxiao and others to select soldiers from among more than 3,000 security team members to supplement the Eighth Company.

  "County Head Deng, this little official is stealing the show! He's already taken over all the power in the town, what am I supposed to do as the town head from now on?" Zhao Miao Sheng rushed into County Head Deng Zhi Sui's office early next morning, crying and sniffling as he complained.

  Deng Zhiyong had already learned from Sun Congzhou that Zhao Miaosheng was secretly colluding with Wang Xiaotou when Liu Mingjiu was transferred to Linglong Tower, but there was no conclusive evidence. The eldest daughter of the Zhao family was also a guard platoon leader next to Jiang Guidi, the Hot Spring Governor and Yi Army Commander-in-Chief, so it was not possible to directly investigate and punish him. This led to the two letters jointly authorized by the military and political leaders to Liu Mingjiu. Zhao Miaosheng had also given Deng Zhiyong many gifts in the past, and his ability to sit stably as the town head for eight years was due to the gold and silver paving the way. He thought that Deng Zhiyong did not know that he had successfully deceived him, but Sun Congzhou's transfer of the 8th Regiment to Linglong Tower was actually aimed at him, so when he saw Deng Zhiyong, he began to cry and complain.