"A good soldier trained by Long Zhentai." At the banquet at noon, Yi Kuang, whose face was flushed, said loudly to Long Qian.

"The prince praised it falsely." Long Qian had a humble smile on his face.

"You don't have to be humble when you think back. The imperial court has such a strong army, why worry about those who oppose the party and thieves! Yi Kuang stared at Long Qian, "I hope you don't forget the Queen Mother's trust in you, so that the Fifth Town will become a real pillar of the imperial court." The old prince deliberately accentuated the real words, he hoped that Long Qian could understand what he meant.

"The queen mother's kindness, Weichen dare not forget it. Please return to the Queen Mother, the court can rest assured, the fifth town will definitely obey the Queen Mother's dispatch, where the Queen Mother points, the fifth town will kill. Long Qian stood up and replied solemnly.

"Yes, very good. Sit, sit down and talk. Prince Qing, who was hunched over, stroked his gray beard and nodded with satisfaction.

"Xiaguan salutes the prince with a cup. The prince is loyal to the king, and he is really a model for my generation. Long Qian touted sensibly.

"Hehe, when I came, the Queen Mother asked me to tell you that Shandong is adjacent to the heart of Gyeonggi and the sea, so you should be calm in everything and don't easily cause trouble to the outside world."

"Wechen wrote it down." Long Qian leaned over and whispered, "Lord Wang, my subordinates have prepared a little gadget, and I have sent someone to send it to the post house, and I hope that the prince will say a lot of kind words in front of the Queen Mother." ”

"It's time to retreat." Yi Kuang, who is extremely greedy in his bones, can't remember the first time he received bribes from Long Qian, and Geng Zinian suffered a family disaster, and he was even more desperate for the loss of gold, silver and jewelry. However, what he never expected was that the person who single-handedly directed the robbery of Qingwangfu was the young military general in front of him, who became more and more pleasing to the eye.

Eligible to attend the luncheon banquet were the "inspection group" from Beijing and three German officers. There are also officers above the standard level of the fifth town who rushed to Jinan, and the Xianlaiju restaurant that was chartered is closed to the public today. Seeing Long Qian start to toast, Ning Shijun, who was still nominally the chief of staff of the Fifth Town, got up and walked towards the main table.

Long Qian, who had paid homage to King Qing, had already come to Tie Liang's side with a wine glass, "Xiaguan respects Lord with a glass." My lord is my pillar stone, and I am a senior in the military world, and I hope that my lord will give me more guidance. ”

Tie Liang was still bitter about his winter melon face, "Hmm," he casually touched the cup with Long Qian and licked it gently. But he didn't drink it. The banquet was rich enough. But he couldn't eat it.

"Isn't it wrong for adults?" Long Qian was still standing.

"Well, no, the dish is very well done. The wine was good too. However...... "Murcha with a standard winter melon face. Tie Liang looked at Long Qian with a critical gaze.

"What advice do you have?"

"A good soldier trained by the dragon commander." Tie Liang praised. Originally, Long Qian also arranged a drill performance, but it was canceled by Tie Liang. "Admiral Dragon. There are a few things that the official does not know. I also hope that Admiral Long will solve the doubts of the official. ”

"Your Excellency, please speak."

"The fifth town of Beiyang is a soldier of the Qing Dynasty, why don't you respect the ancestral system?" Tie Liang's voice froze.

It turned out to be braids. This is also a controversy in advance, and Meng Shanjun has already cut the debate. First of all, voluntary. But under the leadership of high-ranking officers, more and more people cut arguments, and braided hair became a laughing stock. What's more, intense training is not suitable, with a pig's tail dragging behind his head, and he has no chance of winning when he is caught in hand-to-hand combat. When the Fifth Town was formed, the new military uniform was changed again, the hat was changed from the original soft-brimmed cylindrical type to a hard-brimmed hat, and the head was braided, which was so ugly that the officers of the various departments simply ordered all the defenses to be cut.

If in the civil society, such an order is difficult to execute. It was as difficult as Dorgon had ordered his hair to be shaved and braided. Habits become culture. But in the Mengshan army, the resistance to cutting arguments was surprisingly small.

Before accepting the imperial court's inspection, Ning Shijun suggested making a batch of fake braids to fool around. But Long Qian decided to follow the reality. The soldiers will block the water and cover the earth, they don't say anything, if they are investigated, I will deal with it.

Now, Tie Liang finally has trouble with braids.

At the main table, Yi Kuang, Zhou Fu, Shandong Fantai, Gao Si and several other people sat down, and when they heard Tie Liang's question, everyone calmed down and watched how Long Qian answered. Yi Kuang and Zhou Fu both know the situation, but they are considered Long Qian's allies in a sense, so naturally they will not mention this matter.

"My lord, cutting arguments is an order from a lower official. It is not to disrespect the ancestral system, but to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops. ”

"Nonsense!" Tie Liang's voice grew louder. Ning Shijun, Situ Jun, Wu Luzhen, Xu Shuzheng, Major Meier and others sitting at the side table all stopped looking at each other.

"Your Excellency, let the officials be careful." Long Qian didn't care about Tie Liang's attitude at all, "As early as the year of Gengzi, the subordinate officials were ordered to be the king of Qin, and fought a bloody battle with the coalition army in Xigu, and most of his subordinates died because their braids were caught by foreign soldiers, which is very regrettable. Afterwards, he reported to Lord Ronglu and suggested that he should be cut in the army. Lord Ronglu thinks that it is okay to acquiesce, but it is not allowed to advocate it. Over the years, the lower officials have done exactly what Lord Ronglu has instructed them to do, and they have never given an order to cut the argument. As for the ancestral system, the Qing Dynasty used bows and horses to determine the world, and who still practices bows and arrows now? What military uniforms did Eight Banners wear in the past? What kind of clothes is the current Beiyang New Army wearing? Xia Guan thinks that this is like the Queen Mother's vigorous advocacy of the New Deal is a truth, and the New Deal has never been done in the past. Its purpose is not to change the ancestral system, but to enhance the strength of the imperial court, so that the Qing Dynasty will last for thousands of years. The same is true of this debate, not to change the ancestral system, but to improve the military strength and live up to the emperor's order. ”

Xu Shuzheng and Wu Luzhen glanced at each other, and they both felt that Long Qian's words were very reasonable.

But Tie Liang will not stop there, "What a sharp mouth!" Lord Ronglu has passed away, and what you said, I'm afraid there is no proof of death......"

"I've heard about it, too. Zhonghua (Rong Lu character) once mentioned to this king that the army can be a special case. "I didn't expect that the old man Yi Kuang would blatantly commit perjury.

In fact, except for the first town, the other four towns have the sound of cutting arguments, and they are not small. Tie Liang, as the de facto second-in-command of the training department, is well aware of this situation. However, Yuan Shikai was different from Long Qian, and suppressed those voices.

Yi Kuang opened his mouth, and Tie Liang was not good enough to continue to investigate. It's not 250 years ago, and you can't be executed as a thief just because you cut the argument. The "Ta Kung Pao" published in Tianjin also openly solicited essays on the debate and was easy to convinc.

"Since King Qing testified, this official will put this matter aside for the time being. But after returning to Beijing. When you report to the Queen Mother truthfully, please ask the Queen Mother to decide. ”

"Thank you for your open-mindedness." Long Qian smiled slightly. He has already made up his mind to pay attention, and in the future, he will at least listen to the court and not listen to the announcement, and in another two years, when the foundation of Shandong is completed, the court is afraid that it can only coax itself.

"What does it mean to be enlightened? Is it not enlightened to observe the ancestral system? Tie Liang snorted, "The dragon is in control, and the Kanto region is fighting." What do you think of this battle? If the imperial court transfers the fifth town out of the customs, can you be sure? Tie Liang suddenly changed the subject.

Long Qian remained silent, but his mind was nervously analyzing Tie Liang's words. "I don't know who I'm going to fight?" His poor knowledge of history simply did not have this man. Among the Manchurian magnates in the late sunshine, he only remembered one Zaifeng.

"Hey! Look at what you're saying! With the Russians, of course. If they dominate the land of their ancestors' dragon and don't leave, will they still help them fight Japan? ”

"The Japanese are afraid that they don't have any good intentions, they are afraid that they will reject the tiger at the front door and enter the wolf at the back door." From after the Russo-Japanese War. The Manchu center rose up in person. Whether it is the revolutionary party of Sun Wen and Huang Xing. Both Kangliang's royalists and the Manchu court saw Japan as an object of study and a friend to rely on......

"This is not for you to think about! You haven't answered the question I just asked you. ”

Long Qian scolded secretly. "If logistics can be effectively helped, this town can send troops. But ......"

"But what?"

"I'm afraid that investing in one or two towns will not help, and it will cheapen the Japanese for nothing." Long Qian replied without humility. The imperial court has declared partial neutrality, and it is impossible to send troops out of the customs to help Japan, what does Tie Liang mean by this dog thing? Long Qian decided to bring out the best side of the Fifth Town, so he made full preparations. Now that the reserve has not been trained, the main force of the Mengshan Army will never leave Shandong! If the court is bad, he does not hesitate to create a mutiny to threaten the court.

"The court has made up its mind." Tie Liang changed his tone, "But the Fifth Town, both in terms of weapons and uniforms, is completely different from the other Five Towns, I'm afraid this won't work." ”

"My lord sees it. Xia Guan also felt that the fifth town seemed to be raised by his mother. The lower officials also want to be on par with the elite soldiers of Zhili, so why don't the center give money. The lower officials received the queen mother's kindness, and they did not dare to forget the queen mother's advice, so they did not hesitate to deduct military salaries and save money to buy weapons from foreigners. It is my one-town system, and my monthly military salary is only fifteen yuan, and my family drinks gruel every meal. If the center treats everyone equally, why should the lower officials suffer like this? Long Qian stiffly pushed back.

Zhou Fu sighed in his heart. It was a foregone conclusion that he would go to Liangjiang to serve as governor, and he only waited for the decree to be issued. He was replaced by Yuan Shikai's henchman Yang Shixiang. However, he didn't tell Long Qian. Yang Shixiang came to Shandong to take charge of the government, I am afraid that Long Qian's life will be sad.

Tie Liang didn't expect Long Qian to be so strong! It's certain that the military salary will be deducted, but only fifteen silver dollars a month? The devil believes in you! The anger in the iron conscience rose, but he couldn't find an outlet to vent. Cixi praised this person more than once for being able to do things, and even said when discussing the soldiers in the court, if the soldiers outside are like Long Qian, why should I worry?

Why didn't the shrewd Queen Mother see that this kid was even more dangerous than Yuan Shikai?

"Dragon Rule," Tie Liang spoke, "this official has been ordered to inspect the Fifth Town, and the king's order is with him, so he dare not be negligent." We can't just look at the representative troops that have been dispatched, and we will go to the various departments to check them next. You don't have to go, just send a few people who are familiar with the situation to accompany you. ”

"Oh, is the prince personally leading the team?" Long Qian looked at Yi Kuang.

"How can such a trivial matter work the Prince? You should take care of the prince. ”

"Yes." Long Qian said lightly, "Deputy Chief of Staff Situ accompanies the adults, okay?" ”

"Just get the picture straight." Tie Liangpi doesn't smile at the meat.

The atmosphere cooled down, and at this moment, Wu Luzhen, who was sitting at another table, came over with a wine bowl, "Lord Long! A bowl of humble respect to you! Today's exercise of your army is really an eye-opener for the lowly position, even the Japanese can't play the tricks of the fifth town! ”

Long Qian smiled bitterly in his heart, this is the level of graduates of the non-commissioned officer school? "Don't dare, Staff Officer Wu is well-informed, and I hope to give me more advice. Well, change the bowl! Long is a rough man, but he doesn't want people to say that this official is bullying! ”

Wu Luzhen sighed in her heart, this is a public scolding of Tie Liang, "Okay, Lord Long is refreshing enough." No wonder they can train such a strong soldier! ”

A waiter had already served a wine bowl, Long Qian smiled, and drank it all after touching Wu Luzhen.

"Lord Long, please take your humble position another day, and I hope to give you face." Wu Luzhen said with a smile.

"Well said. Say. Long Qian lit up the bottom of the sea, and Ha Lu Ha Da smiled.

After Wu Luzhen came over, Xu Shuzheng had to come over. However, Xu Shuzheng didn't use a bowl, but came over with a wine jug in one hand and a wine glass in the other, "Humble Xu Shuzheng, the staff officer of the third town, borrow Lord Long's wine to toast Lord Long." ”

"What is the name of Staff Officer Xu?" Long Qian took the opportunity to leave the main table, "I was about to toast you." Let's talk here. ”

"Don't dare. The word "lowly and solemn" is also true. ”

"In terms of age, how many years older is Long, and he is an old brother, he has long heard that the third town is a first-class elite in Beiyang. But I didn't have the opportunity to see it. Brother can't hide his secrets. See the shortcomings of our department. Hurry up and point it out. To be honest, the queue drill is not the main thing, whether it is good or not, you have to see the real chapter on the battlefield. We are all soldiers. It is the blessing of the country to protect the family and defend the country, and all ministries communicate with each other and improve together. ”

"That's great. After watching the procession drill in Fifth Town, he knew that other aspects were just as good. Lord Long trained his troops well, and he was deeply admired for his humble position. Xu Shuzheng's words were sincere. He understands soldiers, and the drill does not represent the real strength of the troops, but without strict training, he will definitely not be able to achieve the level of the drill in the fifth town.

Major Meyer stood up with Major Werner and toasted Long Qian. What they wanted was wine, which Long Qian specially prepared for them, authentic French goods. Major Meyer, a staff officer of the German Qingdao garrison, spoke Chinese very well, and there was no need for an interpreter, "Your Excellency General! Salute to the level of training shown by the troops under your command! As peers, we have deep admiration. Especially that military song, it's really good. Who composed the tune? Can you give us the score? Major Werner thinks this is the real military song! ”

Situ Jun interjected with a smile, "Major, the author of the score is right in front of you. ”

"Ah, that's amazing! General, you are an amazing person. You must know that a good military song is immeasurable for the improvement of morale. Major Werner exclaimed in German.

Situ Jun immediately translated this sentence.

"General, I convey to you the greetings of His Excellency Governor Tolpar and Colonel Strauss. They expressed their satisfaction with the previous cooperation between our two sides in various fields and hoped to further strengthen the cooperation. Colonel Strauss has a proposal," said Major Meyer, "and in due course we can hold a joint exercise, what do you think?" ”

"Very gratifying. I myself have a lot of respect for the great German army. In the military field, your country is at the forefront of the world's leading circles. Long Qian smiled. This is from the heart, the Germans are indeed remarkable, both their military theory and the constantly integrated and improved system of the General Staff are a miracle in military history. Under this ideology and system, the German commanders had almost the same mindset that ensured the basis for their subsequent crossover of Europe.

"Thank you. What do you think about the ongoing Russo-Japanese War? Do you think Japan will prevail over Russia? Meyer continued.

"This, I'm afraid only God knows."

"Ha hah......," laughed as if no one was around.

He came to observe the drill in the fifth town this time, bringing an important mission. He had heard that Long Qian's military factory had developed a new weapon, an infantry close-range suppression artillery that was extremely easy to carry and operate. Previously, light machine guns and grenades from the Fifth Town's military factories had received the attention of the Headquarters, which led to cooperation with Fifth Town on a larger range of weapons. As Governor Tolpar's trusted staff officer, Major Werner knew that the Germans had regarded General Long Qian as a rising power in China, and instructed Thornpal, the governor of Qingdao, to strengthen the encirclement of the Fifth Town, increase the Fifth Town's dependence on the German side in terms of weapons, and thus cultivate a pro-German force. But what I didn't expect was that General Long Qian's military factory was quite powerful, and he actually came up with a new type of artillery......

"General, I heard that you have developed a new small artillery?"

"Oh," Long Qian pretended to be surprised, "when did you send a spy to me?" That's not very friendly. ”

"The general is really joking. We're allies, aren't we? ”

"I want to be a true ally. If you have time, I invite you to stay in Jinan for a few more days. After I send them away," Long Qian turned his head and glanced in the direction of the main table, "I'll ask you to see the actual effect." ”

"Thank you very much. Gladly so. Major Meyer said with a smile.

Duan Yongqing, who was sitting at this table, had been watching Long Qian and listening to Long Qian's conversation with others. Tie Liang is here with the purpose of provoking, I hope that I can learn Tie Liang's intentions and spread the news in time, which will be my first valuable information.

Duan Yongqing's gaze scanned his surroundings, unconsciously pausing for an extra second or two as he slid across the faces of his respected superiors. Chief of Staff Ning and Deputy Chief of Staff Situ, who were sitting at the same table, didn't know if they didn't know themselves or out of protection for themselves, except for two joint toasts, they didn't even say a word to him. Wu Luzhen and Xu Shuzheng got up to toast Commander Long, and he also wanted to take the opportunity to toast the commander he had sworn allegiance to, but discipline told him that it was dangerous to do so. Therefore, from beginning to end, Duan Yongqing sat firmly in his seat and did not move. During his stay in Jinan, Duan Yongqing strictly adhered to the discipline of secret work, did not contact anyone to come to the door (during the three days he was stranded in Jinan, no colleagues from the intelligence department appeared), he never went out of the post house, never went out with Wu Luzhen and others to drink and prostitutes, and only buried himself in his room every day to study. All this was naturally seen by the shrewd and meticulous Tie Liang. (To be continued......)