Wang Huaiqing, the new governor of Shandong, brought a whole platoon of guards and two copywriters to Jinan, indicating that he estimated the difficulty of taking over. But at the beginning of his tenure, because of a governor's palace, he hit a big nail. made Wang Huaiqing feel that the future was bleak in addition to his anger.

When Wang Huaiqing came to Jinan, he was greeted by a banquet, and Yang Shixiang hosted a banquet to welcome him, and Ning Shijun, commander of the Shandong Patrol Battalion, and Zhang Yulin, chief of staff, greeted him at the State Guest House and brought him rich gifts, including a red envelope stuffed into a dress -- inside was a 1,000 silver dollar deposit certificate of Shandong Commercial Bank with his name written on it. All this satisfied Wang Huaiqing.

The admiral was the commander of the provincial military district in later generations, who theoretically managed the military affairs of a province and had direct leadership responsibility for the defense, public order, and suppression of bandits in the province. The patrol battalion, which was reorganized from the Green Battalion, should be under its command. The exception to this was the Forces nouvelles, which were not under the jurisdiction of the Admiralty. For example, Long Qian, the appointment given to him by the imperial court always did not forget to add the title of the fifth town commander in addition to the commander.

Wang Huaiqing had already learned the basic situation of the Shandong patrol battalion from Tie Liang, and unlike Zhili, almost all of the patrol battalions in Zhili had been incorporated into the new army, and the new army in several towns was stationed, and the patrol battalion was not to bomb the localities. Shandong is also different from other provinces, the training and equipment of the Shandong patrol battalion are the best, and the commander of the patrol battalion, Ning Shijun, was born in the fifth town of the new army and was the second person in the fifth town.

Wang Huaiqing believes that he must hold this Ning Shijun, who looks a little bookish, otherwise he will not be able to take over the patrol battalion. This person actually wears short-sighted glasses and speaks slowly, not like a soldier. It's that Zhang Yulin. It also looks polite and lacks the temperament of a soldier.

And taking over the patrol battalion is not only his own necessity, but also Tieliang's requirement. Therefore, after accepting Ning Shijun's gift at the State Guest House, he made an official tone and asked Ning Shijun to report the basic situation of the Shandong patrol battalion. Wang Junmen had just arrived, and the carriage was tired. Let's rest for a few days.

This attitude made Wang Huaiqing dissatisfied. Day 2. He inquired about the address of the patrol battalion headquarters and went with his guards. The neat and beautiful street scene of Jinan Mansion was not appreciated, but the grandeur of the patrol battalion headquarters shocked him, which was a gray three-story building. It has a spacious front yard. The gate is made of granite. The top of the pillar is also equipped with a Western lampshade, and a large sign with black letters on a white background is hung on the pillar: Shandong Patrol Army Headquarters.

Two heavily loaded sentries dressed in different uniforms from the Beiyang New Army stood solemnly on both sides of the gate.

This is much more magnificent than the First Town Command! Compared with other people, the first town of Fengshan is simply a bun. Wang Huaiqing thought. But these are not the most important things, the important thing is that the gate guard does not let him in at all, "How do I know that you are the new admiral?" Even if it is an admiral, you can only enter it with an order from the headquarters.

Wang Huaiqing didn't take him with him, and he really couldn't prove his identity. This is an embarrassing thing he has never encountered, before he gets angry, his guard captain Ge Shimin scolded, without waiting for Ge Shimin to make further moves, the sentry pulled down the gun, loaded it with a bang, and aimed the muzzle of the gun at Wang Huaiqing and his party, "Leave the headquarters immediately, otherwise we will shoot!" ”

"You're going to hit me in the head if you fucking struck, you're not afraid to shoot with a thousand fucking cuts!" Ge Shimin, who was born as a bandit, is ruthless.

But Wang Huaiqing didn't dare to take the risk, "Immediately give Lao Tzu and ask you Ning to come out!" ”

As soon as there was a mess at the door, the officers on duty of the guard battalion immediately rushed over, stopped the sentry who was raising their guns and aiming, and entered the wooden post behind the pillar to make a phone call, and Zhang Yulin, the chief of staff of the patrol army with a neat appearance, immediately came, "I'm sorry Admiral Wang, I was derelict in my duty and didn't give a clear explanation to the below." He saluted Wang Huaiqing, "Please." ”

"I didn't expect you to be so strict in governing the army, even your own commander dared to stop you," Wang Huaiqing suppressed his anger, "Reward each of these two soldiers who don't know how to be humble with twenty military sticks to set an example." ”

"There's no reason for this," Zhang Yulin still said slowly, "They stand guard seriously, and they have no fault." If someone pretends to be the Admiral and breaks into the headquarters, won't it be ridiculous? ”

"This is my order, don't you obey?" The anger that Wang Huaiqing had been desperately suppressing just now came out again.

"Commanders should take the lead in enforcing military law, punishing soldiers for no reason will not work with us."

"You're going to fight, aren't you? I remove you immediately! Let your commanders come out to me. Why is he hiding from me? ”

Zhang Yulin smiled, "Commander Ning is not in the headquarters now, my appointment is under Commander Long, I'm afraid you won't be able to remove me." ”

Wang Huaiqing was finally furious. He didn't expect to encounter this situation on his first day in office, and he wanted to order Zhang Yulin to be arrested, but seeing more and more soldiers with loaded guns and ammunition in the courtyard, he suppressed this thought, and he had a hunch that if he ordered the arrest, the other party might really disobey by force. After holding back for a moment, "I am the governor of Shandong appointed by the imperial court, and I am the master of this courtyard, and I will immediately vacate this courtyard for me, and all the irrelevant personnel will move out." Even if you run errands in this building, you will get rid of me without my consent. ”

Zhang Yulin smiled gloomily, "Commander Long's family lives in the backyard, do they also want to move out?" ”

"Of course. Long Qian is no longer the governor of Shandong, and his family must move out. ”

"What the fuck do you say again?" Guan Xingshun, the commander of the guard battalion, had already come to the scene, and was furious when he heard this, "Don't say that you are a bullshit admiral, even the emperor Lao Tzu himself came, and don't want the commander's family to move away!" ”

"You're going to rebel," Wang Huaiqing was dizzy, waved his hand at Ge Shimin, pointed at Guan Xingshun and said, "Arrest him for Lao Tzu." ”

Ge Shimin pushed Zhang Yulin away and stepped forward to catch Guan Xingshun, and a soldier flashed next to him, twisting Ge Shimin's outstretched arm...... In the midst of the screams, Ge Shimin was torsioned by a strong martial arts opponent and broke his arm.

The armed confrontation in front of the gate of the Mengshan Army Headquarters attracted a group of spectators, including a reporter from Lu Bao, who witnessed the whole process, and after interviewing the citizens and the people in the guard camp, he concocted an article with obvious tendencies and published it on the front page of Lu Bao that day, which aroused Wang Huaiqing's anger. It also sparked a debate over press regulation, but that's for another time.

Wang Huaiqing did not enter the headquarters building in the end, he wisely chose to retreat - in fact, Ning Shijun was not ready to let him settle in this building at all, even if he only took money and did nothing, Ning Shijun would not let him be a nominal commander in the building. That was the core of the Shandong Column of the Mengshan Army, the General Staff Office, the Military Justice Office, the Logistics Office, the Medical Office, and the Equipment Office—the leadership and service agencies established in the Fifth Town, except for the Intelligence Department, were all in this building, and there were too many secrets, and of course Ning Shijun did not allow others to get involved in them.

To say that the conflict was designed by Ning Shijun, he was wronged. The scene in front of the gates of the headquarters was accidental. But there are also inevitables. The remaining troops of the Mengshan Army had long gathered strong resentment against the imperial court for removing Long Qian, the governor of Shandong, and sending others to Shandong to command the military.

Wang Huaiqing returned to the guest house and asked his staff to immediately impeach Ning Shijun. Staff suggested. Ning Shijun is just the commander of the patrol battalion - the official of Sesame. And it's your old man's subordinate, isn't this a bit of a discount? It's better to give Lord Shangshu a report and point the finger at Long Qian. Wang Huaiqing calmed down a little. Agreed.

Impeachment is a means of officialdom, and civilian officials are more skillful in using it, and military generals are less likely to use it. Most of the targets of impeachment are superiors and colleagues, and it is rare to initiate impeachment against subordinates, because it indicates the impeacher's incompetence.

Wang Huaiqing felt the strong hostility of the patrol battalion, and his only reinforcement and backer could only be Governor Yang Shixiang, and there was no one else. Therefore, Wang Huaiqing immediately went to the governor's yamen and selectively reported the scene in the morning to Yang Shixiang, but he didn't expect that Yang Shixiang had already received Ning Shijun's "report" on the phone.

"Mao Xuan, you Meng Lang is in charge of this matter." Yang Shixiang's face was gloomy, due to the hot weather, this Lord Futai did not wear the official mansion, but wore a white cloth short coat with braids on his head, "How can you let Chen Chao's family move?" Why was Chen Chao able to rise to prominence as a political envoy with a cloth cloth, you haven't thought about it? If you go to Beijing, you may also be summoned by the Queen Mother. When the time comes, he accuses you of bullying your colleagues, how can you defend yourself? ”

Because of Yuan Shikai's relationship, Wang Huaiqing knew Yang Shixiang, but the relationship was average. He always felt that Yang Shixiang and himself were in the same boat, but he didn't expect that Yang Shixiang had already had two hearts for Yuan Shikai after assessing Long Qian's strength. Hearing Yang Shixiang's rebuke, Wang Huaiqing immediately shouted, "Lord Futai, they deceive people too much. Not to me, but to despise the court. I'm not going to give up. ”

Yang Shixiang sneered in his heart, what can he do if he is not good at giving up? Could it be that because you were humiliated, you sent troops to Shandong? If you want to send troops, it will come a long time ago, why reuse Chen Chao and An Longqian's heart? "Mao Xuan! They went too far in this matter. In this case, I will call Commander Ning and ask him to apologize to you. As for the wounded, they were properly treated and comforted. ”

"Lord Futai, forgive the officials for not being able to do so, and the perpetrators must be severely punished and the relevant officials must be dismissed, otherwise how can I act?"

"Mao Xuan! My brother asked you to bring a letter to me, saying that I had a long talk with you before leaving Beijing, but I didn't expect you to know his intentions! This matter has already been heard, you exercise your authority is good, but it should not involve the Chen family, Chen Chao is Long Huisi's father-in-law, and the patrol battalion is a soldier trained by Long Moure. Imagine if someone offends the Weiting family, how will the Beiyang soldiers be treated? Investigate? Even if you cut them down, it will only intensify the contradiction between the patrol battalion and the elder brother, and if you provoke a mutiny, will the court blame you? Listen to me and calm down. ”

"Lord Yang, if this matter is over, how can I, the Admiral, be able to do it? How to be worthy of the imperial court? Wang Huaiqing was anxious, he never expected Yang Shixiang to have this attitude.

"How can you not be? Where the responsibilities are, you can naturally ask. Ben Fu didn't believe that Ning Shijun was so strong! Mao Xuan, calm down, go back and think about how to do it. I'll talk to Commander Ning first, of course I have to give you an explanation for this matter. After that, he picked up the tea bowl and sent it off.

Wang Huaiqing held his breath again, so he could only leave in a huff. He originally liked to ride a horse, but now he can only sit in a sedan chair, and the palace staff he brought from Beijing was recommended to him by Yang Shiqi, and he came to the governor's yamen with him, but he failed to enter Yang Shixiang's office. Master Gong asked him where he was going, and Wang Huaiqing said angrily, where can he go? Get back.

Of course, it's back to the State Guest House, otherwise can you go back to Beijing? Wouldn't that become a joke to coax the Jingshi? Master Gong thought that he had to enlighten his new master. It seems that the position of the governor of Shandong is even more difficult to sit in than imagined.

The group returned to the State Guest House, not far from the governor's yamen, Wang Huaiqing felt that the sedan chair had just started, and he heard someone shouting in front of him, followed by a gunshot. He was suddenly taken aback, "Who put the gun?" He thought it was his guard who had gone wrong.

"Junmen, there's an accident ahead." Master Gong ordered the sedan chair to stop, Wang Huaiqing was born as a military general, and he was on the battle array, so he immediately got out of the sedan chair. A dozen guards held him tightly in the middle. Between them, a soldier ran from the direction of the patrol battalion headquarters, shouting for help while running wildly in the direction of the guest house. There were three men in civilian clothes chasing after him, chasing each other. A warning shot was fired. "Stand still. Run again and kill you. ”

The pedestrians on the street watched this scene blankly, and when they heard the gunshots ring out again, they shouted and ran in all directions.

I saw the man in front rushing to the guest house guarded by guards. One of the chasing men shouted, "Kill him!" "The two guns opened fire at the same time, and in the deafening sound of gunfire, the man in front was shot, staggered two steps and fell in front of the door of the guest house, and the sentry standing guard was stunned, holding the gun in his hand, and pushing the bullet to load, but the person who caught up shouted something, and the sentry did not move. Then, the man in charge ran over and leaned over to inspect the fugitive who had fallen to the ground, and with a wave of his hand, two men in civilian clothes came up and lifted the man up, followed by a black car, and they shoved the man who had been shot into the car, followed into the car, and immediately drove away.

"Who are they?" Master Gong took a few steps, stepped over the puddle of blood under his feet, and asked the sentry.

"They're from the Intelligence Service, they're catching fugitives."

"Intelligence Division? Fugitive? Master Gong's face changed greatly, and he hurried back to Wang Huaiqing, "Junmen, you can't stay in the guest house, let's go back to Futai Yamen." ”

Wang Huaiqing turned back to the governor's yamen, Yang Shixiang had already heard about what had just happened, and was loudly instructing his subordinates, "Mao Xuan!" Did you see that? ”

"Lord Yang! What intelligence service? Dare to kill people in the street! Is it aimed at me? It's worth it, it's worth it! Isn't this a rebellion? ”

"Don't worry, Ning Shijun will come right away. Let's ask him about it! Yang Shixiang's face was gloomy.

Ning Shijun was fast, and in less than half an hour, he rushed to Yang Shixiang's signing room, and when he saw Wang Huaiqing, he immediately hugged his fists and gave his hands, "Wang Junmen, today's incident has frightened you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." ”

"Commander Ning, what happened just now? Why shoot people in the street? ”

"Just as I was about to enlighten my lord, a bastard in the logistics department embezzled military salaries, and after being exposed, he absconded in fear of crime, this kind of person is simply innocent." Ning Shijun obviously knew about this.

"Corruption? What kind of corruption are the people in the Intelligence Department responsible for? ”

"What kind of intelligence department, that's the Judge Advocate General's Department arresting people." Ning Shijun replied lightly.

"Judge Advocate General? You don't have to shoot a gun. If you block the gates, where can he escape? ”

"The Judge Advocate General's Office is afraid that he will rush into the State Guest House and hurt Wang Junmen. He's got a gun on him. ”

"What about people?"

"Dead. Sent to the hospital and died. ”

Wang Huaiqing didn't understand the difference between the Intelligence Department and the Military Justice Department, although he was greedy, he was not stupid, he felt that this matter was very strange, he turned his eyes to look at Yang Shixiang, and saw Yang Shixiang looking pensive, so he didn't open his mouth to ask.

"Commander Ning," Yang Shixiang pondered for a moment and said sharply, "The dignified provincial government, or in front of the Futai Yamen, there is such a huge case!" How do you let the people see? What do foreigners think? Isn't this plastering Ben Fu's face? You have to give me and Wang Junmen a clear explanation of this matter! ”

"Obey the order, wait for the lower officials to clear the case, and report to the two adults." Ning Shijun hated Jiang Yun very much in his heart, what is this called? Catch three people and let one escape! I almost escaped into the State Guest House! Luckily, they beat the spy to death. Otherwise, how can it be good? Thinking that the headquarters was really lurking with the spies of the imperial court, Ning Shijun's heart was heavy and abnormal.

Arrested and fled, proving his identity once and for all. Now I don't know if the other two are innocent......

"Ning Tong, where are you today? Why was Wang Junmen not allowed to enter the patrol headquarters? You have to give Wang Junmen an explanation for this. Yang Shixiang changed the subject.

If it weren't for the bloody scene just now, Wang Huaiqing would have severely reprimanded the commander of the patrol battalion with glasses in front of him, but the scene just now was so terrible that they dared to commit murder in front of him!

"Replying to Lord Futai's words. I have earnestly reprimanded the officers and men involved in the guard battalion, and in accordance with military law, those who engage in private brawls in the army will be fined for one month and locked up for one day. ”

"That's it?" Wang Huaiqing suddenly jumped up, pointed at Ning Shijun's nose and scolded, "The surname is Ning!" You are showing Lao Tzu to get off the horse, let me ask you, what is the crime of despising Shangguan? ”

Of course Ning Shijun didn't eat this, "Wang Junmen, if you have something to say." Why the curse? Since I am asked about the punishment of crimes, I might as well tell you that the Shandong New Army has its own military discipline, but it does not despise the laws of superiors. Even Commander Long is there, and if the soldiers are not satisfied, they can also argue with him, and he has never been punished for the crime of contempt of the superiors. ”

"Don't say anything about Long Qian! The Admiral of Shandong is me! ”

"Mao Xuan is angry." Yang Shixiang thought for a while, and had a plan, "Let's talk about it after the punishment, anyway, the monk can't run away from the temple." However, the fault of lax management of the army cannot be argued. Set up a table of wine and feast, and suppress the shock of Lord Wang. Ben Fu is accompanied, Shandong military affairs, and the two of you want to cooperate sincerely. Let's talk about it at the banquet. ”

"This is natural. This is arranged. Ning Shijun saluted Yang Shixiang and turned to leave. (To be continued......)