Chapter 11: Rising Through the Ranks and Getting Rich (Part 2)
The first telegram received by Gao Shiying was a commendation telegram and an order to promote all surviving and deceased officers and soldiers of Cheng Jiaqi's brigade one rank, which was the highest reward that Cheng Jiaqi's brigade could receive after this battle. Although this telegram used many flattering words to describe the bloody battle of Cheng Jiaqi's brigade, it seemed very lively with commendations and promotions. However, except for Qiu Shaoyan, who was inexperienced and excited, the faces of Cheng Jiaqi and Gao Shiying had returned to their usual calm demeanor. Both Cheng Jiaqi and Gao Shiying knew that the promotion and commendation were just official formalities. After such a big victory, with so many deaths, the highest military authority in Wuhan did not mention anything about upgrading the troops' equipment or personnel, or providing any substantial rewards, but only made some empty promises at the end of the telegram, leaving it to the Fifth War Zone to decide how to allocate the rewards. In short, the highest military authority was unwilling to provide any real benefits, and this behavior left Cheng Jiaqi and Gao Shiying feeling cold and disappointed.
It was in the second telegram that the head of the war zone, Li, was more realistic. Perhaps it was because he and the temporary 16th army belonged to the same local military system, or perhaps it was because Xu, the chief of staff, had spoken highly of Cheng's brigade in a phone call to Li. In any case, this telegram was more substantial than the first one. Except for a few sentences of official encouragement at the beginning, the rest of the telegram dealt with important matters such as troop reinforcements and compensation for the families of fallen soldiers. Finally, Li also approved a special allowance of 5,000 yuan to reward meritorious officers and men. This telegram from the war zone was much shorter than the previous one in terms of text length, and its language was not as colorful or passionate. In fact, it seemed a bit cold due to the lack of emotional tone. However, considering its practicality, Cheng and his colleagues felt grateful for Li's kindness and generosity, even if they didn't express it openly.
Especially when Director Li promised to supplement three new infantry battalions with nearly 400 new soldiers for the Cheng branch, it made people like Cheng Jiaji, who had almost no soldiers at the time, feel extremely grateful. In the subsequent war against the Japanese pirates, Cheng Jiaji's troops always had a good impression of the Guangxi clique and actively lent a helping hand many times, which actually originated from the good deed done by this Guangxi big shot at that moment.
The third telegram was sent by Xia Weimin, the brother-in-law of Cheng Jiaji, who had become a military commander seven years later. In the telegram, he first praised Cheng Jiaji highly, saying that this battle greatly enhanced the prestige of the 16th Temporary Division and made the various armies in the Fifth War Zone dare not underestimate its strength. Then he told his younger brother-in-law that he had already set out with his troops to Xuzhou and would arrive soon, asking Cheng Jiaji's detachment to retreat to Xuzhou for a rest. This matter has been reported to the war zone headquarters and approved. At the end of the telegram, Xia Weimin also asked Cheng Jiaji to choose whether his detachment should be reorganized into an independent regiment directly under the military department or continue to serve as deputy commander of that division.
After waving his hand to let Qiu Shaoyan retreat, Cheng Jiaji first drank a mouthful of strong tea to refresh his mind, and then asked Gao Shiying who was waiting for him: "Efficient brother, what do you think the military seat means? Let me lead the troops to form another army, or return to the original unit. Which one is the military seat inclined to in these two proposals?"
As for Xia Weimin's plan in his heart, Cheng Jiaji also guessed about 70 or 80%, but out of insurance considerations, he still felt that he should listen to Gao Shiying's opinion, this old military man.
"Deputy commander, in my opinion, the military seat is still inclined towards the former. Although our detachment has suffered heavy losses, we have also established a strong military presence through this battle. Such an elite army is naturally something that the military seat wants to keep by their side. As for the vacancies in Chang's troops, I'm sure the military seat will make arrangements." When Gao Shiying said the word "arrangements", his tone was slightly different from the other words.
Gao Shiying's words only said half of it. Xia Weimin had always been distrustful of Chang Jing, even if Chang Jing was a good person, he would still be a sand grain brought in by the Central Plains. Last time, Xia Weimin reluctantly let Chang Jing become a brigade commander with some real power due to the old official's face, but he was still uneasy about it and didn't want to change him suddenly. This time, taking advantage of the opportunity to transfer Cheng Zhiqiang's troops out of Chang's brigade and adding several of Xia Weimin's trusted troops, they could thoroughly undermine Chang Jing. Moreover, Cheng Zhiqiang's team was led by Xia Weimin's brother-in-law, and being under Xia Weimin's eyes, he wasn't afraid of any unusual movements from the Central Army soldiers in Cheng Zhiqiang's team. By solving the internal worry of Chang Jing, they could also use Cheng Zhiqiang's old soldiers, truly a clever move that kills two birds with one stone. The reason for letting Cheng Jiaxuan choose himself was just to avoid suspicion and criticism, which is what people like Xia Weimin would do when doing something not quite right.
Gao Shiying was old and worldly, so although he saw through Xia Weimin's intentions at a glance, he didn't dare to point it out directly. He could only make veiled hints in his words about Cheng Jiaji, his superior. After these days of interaction, he believed that as long as he gave a slight hint, Cheng Jiaji would understand the implicit meaning with his intelligence.
As expected, Cheng Jiaji listened to Gao Shiying's words and understood his meaning after a brief moment of contemplation. He secretly praised Gao in his heart, thinking that although this efficient commoner hadn't read any books or attended a regular military academy, he was surprisingly clear about the intricacies of officialdom and the military. It seemed that this person was indeed a capable individual.
Cheng Jiaji also had the intention of leading this team to become a separate force, and since no one in the 16th Army dared to cut off their own troops' food and supplies, and with Xia Weimin's backing, they could directly belong to the Military Department. This way, he could take a break for a few days and nurse back the vitality of his first team.
The two men consulted and decided to immediately send a telegram to the military department, stating that the original organization of the Chengzhi detachment had been damaged and could no longer be reorganized, hoping that the military department would understand the situation and allow it to supplement new soldiers and form a new regiment.
After dealing with all these things, Cheng Jiaji didn't have time to take a nap until almost noon. He slept for less than an hour before Ma Sanbao woke him up from his good dream. For a moment, he was so annoyed that he almost wanted to hit this annoying guy a few times first. Fortunately, reason finally prevailed, and Cheng Jiaji reluctantly got out of bed, asking gruffly: "What's the big deal now? Why did you have to wake me up at this hour?"
