1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 150

Dai Mingde waved his hand: "It wasn't me, I'm still a long way off. It was Yuan Shikai, the former leader of the Beiyang clique. After he was promoted, he submitted a report saying he was sick, and then he was approved to retire. It was definitely a consolation promotion."

After Yuan Shikai retired, the Beiyang clique generals were finally free of any worries about their future. The last major general promoted this time was Duan Qirui, which can be seen as a form of compensation.

Dai Mingde is only thirty-five years old this year. Reaching the rank of major general is already the limit for him. His age is a factor. You should know that Zhao Yan's apprentices only dared to reach the rank of major general and dared not go any higher.

There's no higher he can rise. If a 35-year-old lieutenant general were to suddenly appear, it wouldn't be a good thing for Dai Mingde; it would be a complete disaster.

Dai Mingde should stay at the rank of major general for at least another three to five years. When he is thirty-eight or forty years old, it would be reasonable for him to be promoted to lieutenant general, and he would definitely be a young and promising candidate.

If you linger in the rank of major general for a few years, no one will be watching you much. But once you're promoted, if you stay in the rank of lieutenant general or general for too long, people will definitely start looking for trouble with you.

Dai Mingde is only thirty-five years old now. Normally, he is promoted every five years in civil service. Theoretically, he could be promoted to the rank of general at the age of forty-five. But then what? Can he stay in the rank of general until he retires at the age of sixty?

Who the hell can stay in the position of general for more than ten years? It would be a miracle if they didn't take action against you, unless you retired early.

Staying in your current position for a few more years is essentially extending your active service term, which has only benefits and no drawbacks.

Liu Ting listened for a while but still couldn't understand what was going on. He scratched his head and asked, "Then why is Zheng Shiyan congratulating us?"

Dai Mingde laughed: "Didn't you notice that the Supreme Executive Committee also approved a structural reform of the Ministry of National Defense? And I only mentioned the list of general officers to be promoted; I haven't mentioned the list of field officers yet."

"Zheng Shiyan is right to congratulate me. I have good news, and you have good news too."

"The Ministry of National Defense has undergone structural reforms. In the future, four independent departments will be established, all directly under the Ministry of National Defense: the Joint Logistics Command, the General Staff, the Army, and the Navy."

"The General Staff Department was headed by Lieutenant General Zheng Baiyao, the Chief of the General Staff; the Army Department was headed by Lieutenant General Qin Yong, the former Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Commander of the Northeast Garrison; and the Navy Department was headed by Lieutenant General Sa Zhenbing."

"I'm the last one in the Joint Logistics Command! Of the four major departments, the others are all lieutenant generals, and I'm the only major general. Don't you think Zheng Shiyan should congratulate me?"

Liu Ting suddenly realized, no wonder. The Joint Logistics Command had been separated from the General Staff Department. Before, it was ordered around by others, and anyone could come to the Joint Logistics Command Department and give orders, especially those senior major generals and lieutenant generals. But now it's different. The Joint Logistics Command is only directly under the Ministry of National Defense.

Dai Mingde was nominally a major general, but in reality he was a lieutenant general, which could be described as being at the pinnacle of his abilities. Newly promoted major generals like Zheng Shiyan were a whole level below him.

"And you, your promotion order has been approved by the Civil Service Bureau. From now on, you are an army colonel. Next, work hard and do a good job on the matters concerning the air force and the new naval warships. In two years, I will guarantee you the rank of senior colonel."

"As long as you achieve results, I'll take care of things with the Ministry of National Defense's Civil Service Bureau. Mediocre people only get promoted based on seniority; capable people climb the ladder through merit and achievement!"

"Whether it's peacetime or wartime, whether we're at war or not, our logistics department will never lack work. There will always be plenty of challenges, and if we succeed, we'll be credited!"

Dai Mingde patted Liu Ting on the shoulder and took out a brand-new colonel's rank insignia from his pocket. The three gleaming silver stars represented that Liu Ting had taken another step forward.

Promotion of officers at the rank of colonel only requires approval from the Ministry of National Defense. Even promotions of officers below the rank of lieutenant colonel can be decided by the army group or garrison district. Sending the list to the Ministry of National Defense is just a formality.

Only the promotion of officers to colonel or senior colonel requires review and approval by the Ministry of National Defense. For promotions of senior colonel and above to major general, or junior officers to lieutenant general, the Ministry of National Defense only has the right to recommend, and the final review authority rests with the Supreme Executive Committee. For promotions of lieutenant general to general, it all depends on the Imperial Study.

After receiving his new military rank, Liu Ting was overjoyed, much happier than when he received a briefcase. This was a legitimate and aboveboard reward, the result of his three years of hard work.

An ordinary lieutenant colonel without combat merits would have to patiently wait at least four or five years for a promotion opportunity, and even then, there's no guarantee of promotion. But Liu Ting started as a lieutenant colonel after being transferred from a civil service position to the military system, and in just three years, he was promoted. That's ability.

"Are you happy? I haven't even been promoted yet, and you've been promoted first."

"You'd better treat me to a good meal this time. Set up a table at Juxianlou's 188 Imperial Feast and let me try it out."

Dai Mingde joked, staring at Liu Ting with a mischievous smile.

After hearing this, Liu Ting's face immediately turned bitter. He wished he could return his new military rank. What a joke! A banquet at Juxianlou costs at least 188 yuan per table, not including drinks, service fees, and entertainment fees.

If you really include everything, a full meal would cost at least three hundred yuan, which would be half a year's salary for Liu Ting.

"Just kidding, don't take it seriously." Dai Mingde laughed.

Liu Ting, who had narrowly escaped death, said: "Minister, please don't scare me like that."

Dai Mingde's reputation for being a glutton was universally acknowledged throughout the army and even among the civilian officials. After all, when dining with the head of state, Zhao Yan hadn't even touched his chopsticks yet, but Dai Mingde dared to push the food in front of him, pour wine only for himself, and drink the first cup of wine without showing any respect to the head of state. Only Dai Mingde was such a bold person!

Liu Ting would believe jokes about other things, but when it came to food, Dai Mingde never joked; he only took it seriously.

Sure enough, Dai Mingde continued: "Don't go anywhere tomorrow afternoon. Come with me to Juxianlou on an empty stomach. Someone is treating us, and there's no way to avoid it."

Liu Ting asked, "Who's so generous as to host a dinner party at a place like that?"

Dai Mingde raised an eyebrow and said, "I am the Minister of the Joint Logistics Department, a major general of the Party and the State! Do you think someone would invite me to eat braised pork offal at a roadside stall?"

"Only a grand palace banquet is up to my standards. Even then, I'd have to see who's inviting me. I wouldn't go to just anyone!"

Liu Ting is often away on business trips. Otherwise, if he, as the director of the Technical Equipment Bureau, were in Beijing, people would be eager to curry favor with him, and he would be invited to banquets of this caliber.

Liu Ting didn't think much of himself, but in other people's eyes, his military rank and position were highly coveted, making him a big shot.

As for Dai Mingde, he was an even bigger figure, someone qualified to enter the Imperial Study. He was just very restrained. If he really let loose, there would be plenty of people willing to invite him to a meal that would cost hundreds of dollars. Dai Mingde would eat eight meals a day without stopping, and he could eat until he was stuffed.

As the Minister of the Joint Logistics Department, he has to worry about the food, clothing, housing, transportation, guns, and ships of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the National Defense Force. The Joint Logistics Department has the right to inquire about, even interfere with, and make decisions on anything that the military spends money on. This right is already very high in the Republic.

Without his signature, even if the shipyard builds the main warships and aircraft carriers, or the military factories produce tanks and artillery, the military will not be able to obtain them, and the manufacturers will not be able to get paid.

His position as Minister of the Joint Logistics Command was personally appointed by Zhao Yan, an honor that represented complete trust.

Dai Mingde himself worked diligently and conscientiously, never messed around, and never took sides or chose a position. He always remained neutral. Everyone wanted to win him over, but no one could.

This time, Dai Mingde only went to the banquet because he couldn't refuse, and he even had to bring someone with him, since there would be no one-on-one private talks.

"You've met the person who hosted the dinner, he's in Shanghai! He even helped you once when you didn't have enough money to buy artillery, so you ate at that big spender's place," Dai Mingde remarked.

Liu Ting immediately recalled: "You mean General Zhu Jing?"

Dai Mingde nodded: "Yes, it's him. He's been promoted to lieutenant general now and said he was going to host a dinner party. He hosted one before and invited several people, all from his faction. I didn't go."

"He still wouldn't give up this time, and he specifically invited me alone, so I couldn't refuse. After all, I still owe him a favor from last time."

"But don't even think about hiding. You're involved in this too, so you have to come with me."

"Alright, Minister! But I'll only be responsible for eating and drinking. As for the rest, you know my brain can't handle it." Liu Ting really didn't want to go, but in the world of business, you can't always escape certain things.

"How much alcohol do you drink?" Dai Mingde asked.

Liu Ting shook his head: "I don't know. When I was studying in the United States, I often drank rum. I could drink three or four bottles by myself. That stuff was cheaper than bread. In the winter, it was so cold that I relied on drinking to keep warm."

"I haven't drunk any since I returned to China. I don't know how much Chinese liquor I can drink."

Dai Mingde came from a poor family. His parents were sold to the United States as "coolies" after the failure of the Taiping Rebellion. He grew up in Chinatown and relied entirely on his own efforts to get into university.

His father passed away from illness while he was in college, and he supported his mother by doing odd jobs and finding part-time work in various companies so that he could complete his studies.

During the most difficult times, he and his mother slept in the basement and almost froze to death in the winter. They relied on a part-time job at a nearby rum distillery, where he would take dozens of kilograms of rum residue home every day to burn for warmth and fill their stomachs with rum, because bread had to be saved for his mother.

After graduating, Liu Ting faced discrimination and setbacks everywhere. He was able to earn money but often suffered injustice. When he heard that China had undergone tremendous changes, he immediately took his mother back to China.

People who have suffered hardship and come from impoverished backgrounds generally have a good tolerance for alcohol, because alcohol is a good medicine for healing suffering.

"Very good, as long as you can hold your liquor!"

"Tomorrow at the dinner table, if Zhu Jing starts saying anything nonsensical, just pour a glass of water down his throat!"

"If we get him drunk, there won't be any trouble!"

Dai Mingde was increasingly satisfied with Liu Ting. He was capable, knowledgeable, and most importantly, had a high alcohol tolerance. He was honest, incorruptible, and didn't take advantage of others. This kind of person couldn't be considered a subordinate; he should be considered a true brother!

Chapter 248 Don't wander around aimlessly

The next day, Liu Ting slept until 10:30 a.m. before getting up. His home was right next to the Forbidden City, only about 800 meters away from Tiananmen Square.

A courtyard house covering half an acre, which was also the most common type of house in this era, cost him two years' worth of savings to buy, for a fixed price of over eight hundred yuan.

This price was a discounted price for military personnel, equivalent to half price, and there were not many slots available. Dai Mingde helped him get it through connections.

This place was originally acquired during the Great Purge after the Northern Expeditionary Army entered Beijing. The previous owner was a Manchu, and he is now probably buried under some railway sleepers in Northeast China.

In the past two years, in order to support hundreds of thousands of troops, the military has not been able to make ends meet by relying solely on government funding. They have had to start selling off their existing resources to raise cash to support the army.

Military personnel have many preferential procurement slots, which are welfare houses sold at half price. Although a courtyard house covering half an acre is not large, it is located under the emperor's nose and would cost at least two or three thousand yuan. However, Liu Ting only spent eight hundred and fifty yuan to get it.

Stretching and walking out the door, Liu Ting went to the tap to wash up. As the capital, Beijing had been carrying out large-scale construction in the past two years, especially focusing on the construction of sewers and underground pipe networks. Tap water was no longer a rarity in the capital. As long as you paid, you could get water. However, water was not cheap, costing at least two or three yuan a month, which ordinary people were reluctant to spend.

"I've told you so many times, use the water in the tank to wash your face and brush your teeth, don't turn on the tap, it costs a penny every time you turn it on!"

"You're not some rich kid who spends money recklessly all the time!"

"And the kitchen light was on until 10 p.m. last night. If I hadn't gotten up to see it, it probably would have stayed on all night! Does electricity cost nothing?"

While Liu Ting was brushing her teeth, her mother, Liu Zhangshi, started nagging and nagging incessantly, her mouth like a machine gun, never stopping.

But Liu Ting wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled as he washed his face: "Mom, my salary went up last year. It's over fifty yuan a month. With bonuses and benefits, it's at least eighty yuan a month. It's not a big deal."

After hearing this, Liu's mother became even angrier: "You don't know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt when you're not in charge of the household! You're always out of sight, either in the south or the north, busier than the emperor!"

“I don’t worry about things at home. Your money has been squandered long ago. You’ve been an official for several years now, and I haven’t seen you save up a penny for a wife.”

“You’re thirty-six this year and still a bachelor. Your mother is sixty. Everyone else is a great-grandmother, but I haven’t even seen a grandson.”

"If I go to the underworld and meet your short-lived father, how will I have the face to do so!"

Liu Tingyi still had a big smile on his face, and his attitude was sincere and unwavering. He was happy to hear the old lady's strong voice, even if she was scolding him. As long as his mother was energetic and healthy, that was better than anything else.

"What should I eat for breakfast? I've been so bored from traveling for the past few months, I've been craving my mom's cooking every day!"

When Liu's mother heard that her son was hungry, she didn't have time to scold him and quickly went to prepare breakfast.

After finishing breakfast, Liu Ting went out full of energy. Before leaving, he told his mother not to save him dinner for dinner, as he would eat out.

There was no need to take a taxi after leaving the house; it was only a few hundred meters to the Forbidden City. Liu Ting took a quick look around along the way. In the three or four months he had been away from the capital, the city had changed a lot. Several main roads in the core area had been paved with asphalt, and there were quite a few cars on the road.

In the past, it was rare to see a car, but now there are cars everywhere on the road. Of course, the most common mode of transportation is still the bicycle, which is the most accessible means of transportation for ordinary people.

Even rickshaws have changed from being pulled to being pedaled. The two-wheeled rickshaws of the past have now become tricycles with a carriage that has a folding canopy, which can carry both passengers and goods.

Large numbers of workers were arguing heatedly on both sides of the road. If it weren't for the police watching around, they probably would have already started a brawl.

It appears to be a construction dispute. The workers laying sewers and the workers burying utility poles have run into each other. Neither side is willing to back down, and it looks like a fight is about to break out.

Beijing's infrastructure has developed rapidly in the past two years, especially in electrical infrastructure and water network construction. Four large thermal power plants have been built in the suburbs of Beijing to ensure the electricity supply for the city's residents and industries.

Apart from the capital, other provinces and localities are also vigorously promoting the construction of power grids and various water supply projects. These are basically mandatory courses for municipal systems, and the whole country has to do them.

Even the central government has spoken out, saying that cities without electricity and water cannot be considered qualified.

Liu Ting is on leave today. Apart from having to accompany his superior to a business dinner, he has free time. His orderly, Wang Xiaoman, has been sent to the department to stand guard. He has no work to worry about and enjoys taking in the details of the city.

Liu Ting, who had been squatting by the roadside watching for almost an hour, was disappointed when the two groups of workers finally dispersed, presumably to have lunch.

He didn't know that the group of workers were even more bewildered. They were about to fight, but suddenly they saw a colonel squatting across the street staring straight at them. Who would dare to fight? If the police arrested them, at most they would be taken to the station, fined, and given a lecture, but if they were arrested by a military officer, no one knew what the outcome would be.

Liu Ting strolled leisurely into the Forbidden City. With nowhere else to go, he returned to the Joint Logistics Department. This man, who had traveled all over the country, didn't know where to go when it was time to rest.

His colleagues were unsure how to comment on him, seeing him wandering around the office even during his vacation. Some newcomers even wondered what Liu Ting did for a living and why they had never seen him before.

When Colonel Huang Wengu, the deputy director of the Joint Logistics Department, saw Liu Ting, he said with a helpless expression, "Director Liu, if you have nothing to do, go back to your office and sit for a while, get familiar with things. The deputy director who was just transferred here doesn't even know you yet. He asked me who you were when he passed by."

"If you're really bored, I'll give you a few stacks of documents to review. Just don't wander around, it'll affect morale."

Liu Ting quickly replied, "Deputy Minister, I'm not just here for a quick look."

Colonel Huang Wengu waved his hand: "Go back to your office and see what's going on. You're wandering around making everyone uneasy!"

Liu Ting thought he was invisible, but actually everyone was terrified when they saw him. He was often away on business trips, and many people in the department didn't recognize him. Who wouldn't panic if they bumped into this unfamiliar colonel? People who didn't know the situation would think that the Ministry of National Defense had sent someone to conduct a surprise inspection!

Liu Ting searched for a while before finally finding his office. As soon as he entered, he saw orderly Wang Xiaoman sweeping away spider webs with a broom. There was also a basin of water and a rag on the windowsill.

"Xiao Wang, cleaning?" Liu Ting called out.

Wang Xiaoman quickly stood at attention: "I'm cleaning, please give me your instructions, sir!"

Liu Ting asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly so serious?"

Wang Xiaoman looked aggrieved: "Sir, there are so many rules in this unit. I got a terrible scolding yesterday!"

Wang Xiaoman was often taken away on business trips by Liu Ting, only returning twice a year, at the beginning and end. Being with Liu Ting, he didn't pay much attention to the rules. After returning, as a private first class, Wang Xiaoman certainly didn't have any leave and was assigned to the service company. Because he didn't know the rules, he was severely punished by the officers and sergeants of the service company for a whole night.

Seeing my superior return today, I've finally found someone to rely on.

After listening, Liu Ting didn't think there was anything wrong with it: "Young people should gain more experience. They'll have plenty of time to work in the department later on. There's nothing wrong with learning more."

"By the way, I heard there's a driver training course this month. You should go and participate. You'll be driving a lot in the future, so it's good to learn a skill so you'll have something to rely on when you retire."

Wang Xiaoman stood up straight again: "Yes, sir! Thank you for your guidance!"

Liu Ting laughed: "Not bad, you really know the rules!"

Liu Ting looked at the newly cleaned office and nodded repeatedly. He had only been sitting in his chair for less than two minutes when there was a knock on the office door.

It turned out that the bureau chief, who was rarely seen, had finally returned. His subordinates all came to see him. The first to arrive was the deputy bureau chief, a lieutenant colonel who had been transferred from the Ministry of National Defense two months ago. He had never seen the bureau chief before, so he rushed to pay his respects now that he had the chance.

When Liu Ting was not in the bureau, this deputy director was in charge of the daily work. Everyone below treated him as the director, but he himself dared not think that way.

Now that the top leader is back, he, as the second-in-command, quickly came over to assume his position and report on his work.

Liu Ting quickly sat down and invited the second-in-command to sit down as well. The two began to report on their work. Liu Ting didn't know until he reported that while he was out there, things were not easy at all inside the bureau. Liu Ting was responsible for the preliminary investigation and research as well as the final acceptance and on-site audit.

However, the detailed data, specific procedures, and supporting formalities were all ultimately sent to the Technical Equipment Bureau of the Joint Logistics Support Department for final processing.