Chapter 133 Horrible Hell

No one knew what Shao Quanzhong was thinking as he looked at Song Qing walking away.

In his previous life, he joined the army at the age of nineteen and joined the Yi Army stationed in Yingkou at that time. Because he was handsome and capable, he became Song Qing’s personal soldier.

Later, he was promoted to cavalry sentry and followed Song Qing to participate in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. With the war experience, it was natural for him to return to his hometown to organize an insurance team.

He learned his superb riding skills from Song Qing, his old superior who had helped him.

Being grateful and repaying kindness has been Mr. Shao’s principle for two lifetimes, but old sir, you and I are not in the same camp, which is a problem.

Thanks to the help of the resourceful Zhang Zhidong, he went to great lengths to bring his old superior to his side.

Even though the Yi Army is gone because of this, and you have been demoted to the lowest level, follow me, and I promise that you will be better off than in your previous life. As for the reason, you can just keep it a secret.

“Shao Quanzhong, Emery, and Le Sen received the order.”

Shao Quanzhong and Le Sen knelt down, and Emery stood there hesitantly, “I am not a citizen of your country, I cannot kneel before your emperor.”

Shao Quanzhong knew Xiao Ai. “Xiao Ai, this is the official title that the Qing Emperor wants to confer upon you. If you kneel down to accept the decree, it will be assumed that you have become a Qing citizen. At the same time, you will receive an extra high salary.”

When Emery heard the word high salary, he knelt down without hesitation.

America allows dual citizenship. Frederick Wall, the leader of the foreign rifle team, has become a naturalized citizen of the Qing Dynasty. I have no psychological barriers to becoming a naturalized citizen of the Qing Dynasty. You would be a bastard if you don’t make money.

Compared with the previous two times, this achievement is not earth-shattering enough.

Shao Quanzhong’s two superiors, Lord Qiao and Yuan Jiasan, were already high-ranking officials in the imperial court. Like Zeng Guofan, they received an annual salary and year-end bonuses. They had not been promoted because of their contribution.

Shao Quanzhong was not promoted either, but was given the title of fourth-rank cavalry commander. His father Shao Shucai was also given the title of cavalry commander, and his mother and two wives were promoted to fourth-rank ladies.

There was a reason why Shao Quanzhong was given the title of Cavalry Commandant. The Manchu title was based on the Yunqiwei, and two Yunqiwei titles made up one Cavalry Commandant.

The meaning of this addition is that the rank of Cavalry Commander is added separately. Now the full title of Shao Quanzhong is “Cavalry Commander and Cloud Cavalry Commander”, with an annual salary of 185 taels. Although the rank of this newly added Cavalry Commander is high, it will be downgraded after it is inherited.

If we add another Yunqiwei in the future, we will have two cavalry captains, which can be converted into a third-class light chariot captain.

What Shao Quanzhong added was glory, and his two subordinates were actually promoted.

Emery was appointed as the garrison commander of Bozhou for killing Miao Peilin with a cannon. The salary of a garrison commander of the fifth rank was 90 taels of silver, 12 taels of silver for vegetables and candles, 12 taels of silver for lanterns and paper, plus 200 taels of silver for maintaining integrity, totaling 314 taels of silver.

With this promotion, Emery didn’t have to do anything extra and his annual income increased by 62,000. He was extremely happy and kowtowed sincerely.

Le Sen’s contribution was only to contact the Yi Army. In fact, anyone could have gone. Shao Quanzhong promoted him intentionally because he saw that he was loyal and hardworking and was anxious to get married.

Well, Scholar Le was granted the status of a juren and was promoted to the magistrate of Fengyang County. For a failed scholar, this was considered a quick rise to fame.

Unfortunately, his ambition was too high. Wu Wenxi’s daughter, a genuine scholar, was eligible to seek marriage, but no one was granted. In the eyes of those who had served as prefects, the county magistrate was also a seventh-rank official. Le Xiucai still needed to work hard, and his bald head could not be restored for a while.

The real core heroes of this battle, Zhang Zhidong and Tian Xing, were not mentioned by Shao Quanzhong in the victory report. Tian Xing did not intend to be promoted, and Zhang Zhidong was already a prefect, so he could not be promoted even with this little contribution.

There is an unspoken rule as to the number of subordinates who can be promoted for a victory report, depending on the size of their merits, and Shao Quanzhong’s cronies have to take turns.

Shao Quanzhong knew An Dehai too well. This guy was greedy and didn’t do anything. He just gave him 1,000 taels of silver according to the rules and didn’t give more. Lu Laifu accepted money to do things, and he was a man of integrity. An Dehai would not do anything no matter how much money you gave him. He was an ungrateful person. Just don’t offend him.

An Dehai took money but did not do his job, which violated the unspoken rules of the Qing Dynasty officialdom. Sooner or later, someone will deal with him, and I don’t have to do it myself.

Before leaving, An Dehai stared at Shao Quanzhong for a long time, which made Shao Quanzhong terrified. What, you damn eunuch, you want to say bad things about me because you think Cheng Yi is too young? I am not afraid of you. I curse that the next time you leave the palace, you will run into Ding Baozhen, who is so stupid that he will be stabbed.

Shao Quanzhong had wronged Eunuch An. One thousand taels of silver was the current price, just right, not more or less. Eunuch An did not argue with him.

An Dehai was shocked. How come this guy looked so much like my brother? Could he be having an affair with the master? No wonder he was given the title of prefect and a noble title at such a young age.

Before leaving, he flattered Shao Quanzhong, which made Shao Quanzhong stunned.

Such a smart person couldn’t even guess what medicine Eunuch An had taken wrong.

…………

The Miao bandit captives were very sad. After having eaten full meals for more than ten days, it seemed that they could not eat anymore.

The Huai Army barracks was completed. In the past two days, they worked on a final strange project. They dug a huge basement on a dry high ground and also dug a big pit outside the barracks. I don’t know what they were used for.

Among tens of thousands of people, there must be someone who knows how to build or work as a carpenter. This basement is built very solidly. The wooden pillars and beams are made of solid materials. They were all cut down by the captives from the vicinity of the Chanku Temple, sixty miles southeast of Fengyang.

Before covering the roof with soil, the captives carried the rows of wooden racks that they had been ordered to make into the basement. Was this where the prefect planned to hide the stolen gold and pearls?
Once this work is finished, there will be no more projects to do.

In the morning, the 1,500 Nian bandit prisoners had been taken away, and they must have been released.

Alas, the good days are coming to an end, and we will have to go hungry again.

What? The prefect and his godfather, the governor, are good at governing the local area, and as long as they work hard, they can have enough food?

We have been following Boss Miao for so long that we have been robbing and killing people. Who would be willing to work honestly? Unless we eat as well as we do in the prisoner camp.

Soon, the prisoners were happy because there was wine and meat in the meal.

Hahaha, didn’t your 1,500 people leave too early?
“Have you all enjoyed your meals? It’s time to send you off. Team One will leave first.”

The prisoners were called out one by one in groups of hundreds.

When the last team left, it was already dark. I looked back at the empty prisoner camp, feeling nostalgic.

The days when more than 30,000 people ate together are really nostalgic. Will these brothers ever get together again?
The prisoners disappeared, and a group of logistics soldiers walked into the huge basement dug by the prisoners.

They also ate meat today, but no wine. It wasn’t to celebrate anything, but because they had to work overtime and do a lot more work.

Hundreds of large wooden basins were carried into the basement, and saltpeter was filled with water. White smoke soon rose and ice began to form, and the temperature in the basement dropped rapidly.

The big basin needs to be changed constantly, and this place will become a big ice cellar.

(End of this chapter)