Beiyang reactionaries

Deng Hanxiang was really smart, he immediately understood what Duan Xun was talking about.So Duan Xun continued: "Whether Guangdong, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Fujian are in chaos or not, I don't care because they are too far away. But as long as Hunan and Sichuan are in chaos, my troops will be in the west of Henan. Hurry up. Hunan or Sichuan, as long as there is chaos, the higher-ups will definitely mobilize my troops. And if there is chaos in the south, the president can only invite Chief Duan back. If I make a contribution at that time, maybe I can still get it The position of the local governor. Brother Mingjie, come to drink tea, I hope you will go to Hunan and Sichuan with me."

Deng Hanxiang also showed a smile on his face, then raised his teacup and drank it slowly.

After putting down the teacup, he stood up and patted his clothes. After tidying up his clothes, he bent down to Duan Xun and said, "Ming Jie is lucky to meet General Duan. If the general does not give up, I would like to go to the west of Henan."

Of course, Deng Hanxiang was not overwhelmed by Duan Xun's bullshit, but because Duan Xun could provide Deng Hanxiang with a big stage.Compared with working as a clerk in a nominal presidential palace in Beijing, coming to Duan Xun has a wider room for development.

"Okay, brother Mingjie. You are really like a tiger with wings when you come to me."

37 married 2

"Recruiting?"

Deng Hanxiang was willing to defect to Duan Xun, and his first suggestion to Duan Xun was to recruit troops, and he recruited troops in Yanzhou, recruiting soldiers from Shandong.

"Yes, General."

"Brother Mingjie, I have a lot of people under my command at present. You may not know that I am also the commander of the western Henan militia in western Henan. There are two to 3000 militias in western Henan in total."

"General, if you want to have a place in the future chaos, you must have enough strength. Otherwise, no one will pay attention to you. The establishment of a mixed brigade is about 4000 according to the Ministry of War. At present, most of the Beiyang Army The mixed brigades in China are all about 4000 people, and some powerful mixed brigades, such as Feng Yuxiang’s No.16 mixed brigade, have 6000 people. The mixed brigade specially approved by Prime Minister Duan can have four infantry regiments, one Artillery Regiment, and other miscellaneous things added up, the general's No.20 Nine Mixed Brigade has more than 7000 people."

Deng Hanxiang is in the center.

I am very familiar with the situation of many troops.At present, the mixed brigades of the Beiyang Army, those ordinary mixed brigades with no background, have a staff of about 4000 people.And for those with backgrounds, such as Feng Yuxiang, his mixed brigade has nearly 6000 people.Duan Xun's 29th mixed brigade has a larger establishment, with 7000 people reported by the Ministry of the Army.Of course, he didn't know the specific situation. Deng Hanxiang had only read some materials.

Because of the particularity of the 29th Mixed Brigade, the Ministry of the Army previously issued military salaries to Duan Xun based on the establishment of 7000 people.

"General, there are more than 7000 people. It looks like a lot, but it is not a lot. In a place like Western Henan, the number of people is quite large, but in a big battle, 7000 people are a drop in the bucket. If you want to fight in that kind of war To stand out, you must have at least tens of thousands of troops under your command, that is, you must have a division of troops."

Duan Xun nodded.

If it was during the Revolution of 7000, a mixed brigade with more than 7000 people would be quite powerful. A mixed brigade of 40 people attacked, it was absolutely earth-shattering.However, after the Second Revolution began, the Beiyang Army expanded its army aggressively, and now the Beiyang Army has an army of 60 to [-].With the addition of some local troops, the number of troops controlled by the Beiyang Army is estimated to be around [-] to [-].

7000 people?

too little.

Such a small number of troops can no longer control a war.

"General, you have an advantage over many mixed brigade commanders. The biggest advantage is that you also serve as a patrol envoy in Western Henan. Although Western Henan is poor, it has more than 20 counties. The tax revenue in Western Henan has been well utilized. , this money can support a lot of troops. And this year, the general encircled and suppressed Bailang twice, and he should have gained a lot. Therefore, I judge that the general should be able to expand the army. And there is such a place in the west of Henan, when the army expands, there will be All kinds of names, the higher-ups will not pursue it."

Duan Xun smiled.

Deng Hanxiang mentioned Duan Xun's biggest advantage at present.

There is a piece of land.Many other mixed brigade commanders are just generals of the army and have no independent territory.But Duan Xun is different.Although Western Henan is very poor, it is at least a place.

It is not easy to expand the army privately, because it requires strength, and it is also something that is tabooed by the higher authorities.

Money is needed, and then name is needed.And Duan Xun has them all.After all, there are still many ways to control a place and make money.And in name too.What militia, bandit suppression force, police force, all kinds of names can expand the army.And the other mixed brigade commanders, even some division commanders who don't have a territory, are not as convenient as Duan Xun if they want to expand their army.

So Duan Xun looked at Deng Hanxiang and said, "Brother Mingjie, I'm not boasting. Since I came to the west of Henan, I do have a lot of money. And I didn't put any money in my pocket, I used all of it." In terms of army building. I still have some property in western Henan, and I have some money in my hands. It is not difficult to expand the army by several thousand people."

"That's right. General, I judged in Beijing that the president's actions are becoming more and more obvious. Within a year or two, the president will definitely be in that position. Expanding the military now can handle many things in the future."

"But I have expanded my army a lot in western Henan."

"That's different."

Deng Hanxiang smiled and said: "General, most of your troops are from Henan, and they are all from Western Henan. This is not very beneficial to the general. If the general's troops have too many people in one place, maybe outsiders will say that you are The troops are troops from western Henan, so say your troops are troops from Henan. Wherever you go in the future, they may reject you. In addition, there are too many people in one place, and it is easy to form cliques, which is not good for the general to lead the troops. .And general, you are from Shandong, so it is beneficial for you to recruit some Shandong soldiers."

"This……"

Duan Xun didn't know what to say.

Unexpectedly, Deng Hanxiang even thought of this.But some things are true.That is, Duan Xun, as a native of Shandong, has the loyalty of recruiting soldiers from Shandong.Maybe this is ridiculous, but it is true in this era.

Fellowship is a very important relationship in this era.Almost as close as teachers, students and classmates.Many generals in the Beiyang Army lead troops, and their favorite subordinates are classmates and fellow villagers.

Recruiting some Shandong people as soldiers can dilute the situation that our troops are all Henan people.

"General, soldiers in Shandong have always been known for their ability to endure hardship."

"The army expands too fast, lacks officers, and combat effectiveness will decline."

"General, even if the combat effectiveness is reduced, the expansion of the army has the benefits of expanding the army. As the saying goes, ants kill elephants. Even if there is a shortage of officers, as long as these troops receive training, they will be better than what happens in the future, at least better than temporary recruits. .”

Duan Xun was silent for a while.

Deng Hanxiang is right.There is only a little more than a year left before the War to Protect the Country.Compared with the time to expand the army in a hurry, recruit new soldiers now and let them receive training, and they will definitely be able to fight by then.

Compared with recruits, soldiers who have been trained for one year must have more combat effectiveness.

"it is good."

Duan Xun finally made up his mind.

"Recruitment. Brother Mingjie, you see that I am getting married now, so you can help me take care of this matter. Put up my flag, and we will recruit troops in Yanzhou. Recruit 600 people, not too many. When I transfer to Baoding, Another five hundred people will be recruited there. By the way, be careful when recruiting troops. I only want some honest farmers, and some educated and literate people."

"Yes. General, recruiting troops in Shandong also has advantages in this respect. In terms of reading and literacy, Shandong is definitely far ahead of Henan. Recruiting troops here will definitely recruit many educated people."

"Correct."

The education in Shandong far exceeds that in Henan.In this regard, Yuan Shikai has contributed a lot.Because Yuan Shikai's troops were stationed in Shandong, Shandong has always been the territory of the Beiyang Army.

The Beiyang Army built many schools in Shandong.

In addition, there is still German influence in Shandong, and Shandong's economy is not too bad, so the proportion of educated people in Shandong far exceeds that in Henan.

"General, I seem to be delaying your marriage. There are so many guests waiting for you outside."

"Business matters."

"General, marriage is also a business."

"Okay. Little Six—"

"General."

While Duan Xun was talking with Deng Hanxiang, Li Hong was guarding outside.Hearing Duan Xun calling himself, he immediately ran in.Duan Xun said to Li Hong: "Xiao Liu, this is Deng Hanxiang, General Deng. He will recruit troops in Yanzhou. You and Min Yu (Tao Zhiyue) will cooperate with him."

"Yes."

"Brother Ming Jie, then I will take care of everything."

If it weren't for Duan Xun's current status, some clan elders would have come out to criticize Duan Xun severely.After all, it was the wedding day, so Duan Xun ignored these guests and talked with others.

Fortunately, they all knew that Deng Hanxiang who came to find Duan Xun was the representative of Duan Qirui's faction.