Insufficient balance

  An Hualin replied, "The provincial treasury doesn't have much, only around 100,000 to 200,000 yuan. The governor's office and other government offices add up to several hundred thousand yuan as well. The Qing Bank has a lot of silver deposits, totaling over 16 million yuan, but most of it belongs to depositors and cannot be easily used. What's left is only around 4 million yuan, which is this year's tax revenue that was transferred."

  The Qing Bank, although a government bank, also had ordinary depositors and merchants who kept their money there for loans and other business purposes, so it was impossible to let Chen Jingyun take the silver stored inside without any compensation.

  "So, now we can only use more than 40 million taels!" Chen Jingyun was somewhat unhappy when he heard this number. He didn't think that the provincial capital of a province would have only collected more than 40 million silver coins. He had known that Fujian was poor before, but he hadn't thought it would be so poor.

  With this amount of money, without considering other government expenses, just talking about military spending, it won't even last a few months!

  "Is there anything else?" Chen Jingyun continued to ask.

  Although An Hualin looks young, he is indeed capable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have understood the current financial situation so clearly in just one night. With a bitter face, he said: "This number shouldn't change much, but I heard that the Guard Corps and the Constabulary are searching for remnants of the former Qing dynasty within the city. This aspect should bring in several hundred thousand floating assets. If we sell off the immovable properties, calligraphy, paintings, antiques, and other items, it's possible to gain another three or four million!"

  What An Hualin said, Chen Jingyun was very clear that this matter was still his personal order to Lin Chengkun. Before the search, the remaining wealth is not on the person, but in the house search, the house search is naturally for money and property, the specific results are not yet known, but it is estimated that there will be more than 10 million.

  "Moreover! On the way, we met Commander Xiao and several other officers, saying that they wanted military pay!" An Hualin continued: "And the amount is not small, starting with 500,000!"

  After listening, Chen Jingyun felt a surge of anger in his heart. He had already felt somewhat stifled when An Hualin said that the money from the property was so little, and now hearing that the Tongmenghui people were coming to ask for more money made him even angrier. Because previously they had agreed in their meeting that each household would donate tens of thousands, but up until now, they hadn't taken out a single cent, on the contrary, Chen Jingyun himself had advanced several tens of thousands, which was the silver he had prepared earlier.

  Chen Jingyun thought for a moment and said, "Separation of military and political affairs, you are the Minister of Finance, but don't manage specific military salaries. From now on, all kinds of military expenses will be handled by this command department. If they want military salaries, let them come to me!"

  After that, he tapped his hand on the table and said after a while: "You first sort out the current financial situation, then go find Lin Chengkun, let the people in the Ministry of Finance cooperate with the house search, and all the proceeds will be returned to the Ministry of Finance."

  Then there were many people who asked to see him, Chen Jingyun's mind was all on finance and military affairs, and he didn't have much thought to spare for them, so he hastily dealt with them and then took the guards to the military camp.

  After the battle ended yesterday, Chen Jingyun made an excuse to defend Changle County against Qin Yuanyear's troops and left Lin Wenyin's second regiment and Li Jimin's fourth regiment, as well as Yuan Fang's fifth regiment stationed outside the city. As for Chen Jingyun's open and honest order, others did not have much opinion, only mentioning that they need to replenish ammunition.

  Chen Jingyun also couldn't afford too much, and could only allocate a batch of bullets to them, as well as send over a batch of miscellaneous rifles and corresponding bullets.

  At this time, the South Campus was stationed with the First Regiment and Xiao Qibin's Artillery Regiment. The newly established Third Regiment was still an empty shell, and the Guard Battalion was stationed at the Command Center, which was scattered throughout the city with the Constabulary Regiment at this time.

  Upon arrival at the South Campus, Chen Jingyun immediately summoned Ma Cheng and other military officers to the conference room to understand the situation. Although the First Regiment had a solid foundation with the Second Battalion, there were too many surrendered Qing soldiers who joined in the past two days, making stability an issue. Therefore, Chen Jingyun instructed: "Quickly replenish new recruits, disperse and mix them up, and thoroughly integrate them!"

  "I understand!" Ma replied immediately.

  Even if the first battalion has various problems, it is already a first-rate force in the Fuzhou area. The old soldiers of the second battalion, the newly joined Qing army soldiers, these people are all veterans, no need to train can fight, this thousand or so old soldiers plus some new recruits, a battalion can quickly form combat effectiveness.

  Later, Chen Jingyun and other military officers arrived at the school field. After the soldiers gathered, Chen Jingyun distributed the military pay and rewards he had promised the day before. Finally, he also announced on the spot that the consolation money for the fallen soldiers would be handed over to their relatives. This is a naked attempt to buy the hearts of the soldiers.

  The effect is very good! The soldiers are all holding silver coins with a smile on their faces, and a few people are even proud: they are indeed the general's soldiers, not only living in the barracks, but also receiving this pay so quickly. It is said that the second battalion is still stationed outside the city now, and until now, not a single dollar has been issued.

  Chen Jingyun wanted exactly this effect. Otherwise, how can the two words "imperial" be demonstrated? Without these differences, how can people let Chen Mouren sacrifice for him?

  As for faith, for the country and the people and so on, Chen Jingyun also wants to learn from later generations, using faith as military pay. That way, it can save more than 80% of military expenditure, which can be converted into weapons. It is necessary to know that in today's military expenditure, personnel salaries account for more than 80%. Otherwise, the Qing dynasty's new army would have established 180 towns long ago, and it wouldn't take ten or twenty years to come up with just over a dozen towns.

  Nowadays, being a soldier is a profession that can support one's family, not an obligation!

  Apart from the Second Division, Chen Jingyun also met with the artillery regiment soldiers and distributed the previously promised military pay and rewards. As for this artillery regiment, Chen Jingyun was somewhat conflicted. On the one hand, the artillery regiment's Xiao Qibin was a core member of the Tongmenghui, just like Lin Wenying, who appeared to be friendly on the surface but could turn against him at any moment. On the other hand, the artillery regiment was too important, so much so that Chen Jingyun had to personally win them over.

  In this era, having strong firepower support and not having it is a world of difference. Moreover, artillery belongs to technical troops, without long-term training, it's impossible to cultivate them. This has determined that Chen Jingyun cannot treat the artillery regiment as his second regiment. Even Chen Jingyun thought that if he could win over Xiao Qibin, it would be best; if not, he had to keep the artillerymen in the artillery regiment.

  Then, Chen Jingyun watched the coordinated exercise of infantry and artillery for a while, which was normal and nothing special. However, this also proved that after this turmoil, the artillery regiment and the first battalion still maintained their combat effectiveness.

  In the afternoon, Li Lianyang found Chen Jingyun!

  "Commander!" Li Lianyang stepped forward and saluted before saying: "The third battalion has been formed, but we lack both military equipment and supplies!"

  Chen Jingyun was somewhat surprised, he remembered that it was only yesterday that Li Lianyang had just set up a third battalion, and now in just one day's time, Li Lianyang had already pulled out the framework of a regiment: "You've pulled out a whole regiment?"

  Li Lianyang chuckled: "No way, it's not a single unit, but three brigades!"

  It's just three days, which is enough to surprise Chen Jingyun. This has only been one day's work. Where did he get so many people from? Before Chen Jingyun could ask, Li Lianyang began to explain himself: "After receiving the order yesterday, I took nearly a hundred new soldiers from Feng Canmou, and then dug up some surrendered Qing soldiers from Ma Cheng. This morning, I went out of the city myself and recruited some peasant men, and finally gathered about 400 people!"

  "Good!" Chen Jingyun was somewhat impressed by Li Lianyang's skills, having pulled in 400 people from all sides in just one day. Not bad!

  "Since the people are here, let's set up a framework first. We'll train as many as we have. As for military supplies and rations, just come find me!" Chen Jingyun thought for a moment before saying: "Later I'll write you a note, then you go find Lin Chengkun and ask him to give you 500 Han Yang rifles and corresponding other military equipment. As for the military pay, I'll let Feng's adjutant arrange for someone to distribute it! The heads of each department don't need to intervene!"

  "Von Consultant!" Chen Jingyun shouted, and Feng Qin, who had been following behind, immediately came up: "Yes!"

  "What I just said, did you all hear it?!" Chen Jingyun said: "From now on, each department will follow this procedure. The soldiers' military pay will be issued by the personnel under the command of the headquarters staff department. Heads of various departments are not allowed to intervene!"

  Everyone present was intelligent, and upon hearing Chen Jingyun's words, they immediately guessed his intention. Apart from avoiding corruption among the heads of various departments, he also relied on the silver to concentrate military power, preventing the heads of various departments from treating the army as their private forces.

  Li Lianyang took the order and went to find Lin Chengkun, taking out a warrant for his arrest. Lin Chengkun was now holding multiple positions, on one hand he was the commander of the guard battalion, responsible for confiscating the property of the former Qing dynasty remnants, on the other hand, he had also received orders to guard key locations within the city, such as the telegraph office and the arsenal.

  "Five hundred Han Yang troops! Brother, what a huge appetite!" Lin Chengkun took one look at the tally in Li Lianyang's hand and immediately scowled: "I say, Commander Li, just one day's work and you've already pulled together five hundred men to fill out the Third Regiment?"

  "This isn't something I got by begging with a humble face, I went back and forth to Feng Qin and Ma Cheng's place several times before I finally managed to get them on board!" Li Lianyang anxiously asked about the guns: "Never mind the rest, what about the guns? Don't tell me you don't have any!"

  Lin Chengkun smiled and said: "How could that be? Other things may not have any, but this gun, at least there's some!"

  Lin Chengkun said this with confidence, as the arsenal originally had over a thousand brand new Hanyang-made guns and over two thousand second-hand Hanyang-made guns. The new ones didn't need to be mentioned, but the second-hand ones, although old, were well-maintained and at least usable. In addition to the original stockpile, they also captured many guns from the defeated Qing army, most of which were also Hanyang-made. Except for those taken away by the Second Regiment on the battlefield yesterday, all the others were in Lin Chengkun's hands. So now he had nearly six thousand Hanyang-made guns, and other imported Mauser, Japanese-made, Mannlicher, and "water pearl" rifles were not few either, with a total of nearly three thousand branches. It can be said that among them, the imported Mauser and Japanese-made rifles were much better than the Hanyang-made ones, but there were too few of them. According to Chen Jingyun's requirement for unified equipment, these small quantities of guns were not equipped by themselves. So in the afternoon, Lin Chengkun sent a batch of supplementary guns to the Second Regiment, Li Jimin's Fourth Regiment, and Yuan Fang's Fifth Regiment, which were stationed outside the city, all of which were miscellaneous guns.

  As for the Hanyang-made rifle that seemed to have low performance and was not very advanced, it was left to its own First Regiment, Third Regiment, and Guard Battalion.

  According to Chen Jingyun's idea, for the time being, without considering what will happen in the future, with the 6,000 Hanyang-made rifles already in stock and the nearly 2,000 Hanyang-made rifles that have been equipped, it is possible to form a unified brigade equipped with Hanyang-made rifles. The benefits of uniform equipment for logistics are self-evident.