Shi Shigege ignored all the looks around him, playing with a pen in his right hand and holding a document in his left hand, and read expressionlessly:
"In December 1935, before Guangwu came to power, the prices of officers at all levels in the Qing army had generally increased. The overall average price increased by 15% compared with the same period in 1934... Among them, the price of officers at the middle and lower levels increased the most.
Obviously. The one with the biggest increase was the battalion commander. In December 1934, he wanted to be a battalion commander.
The average cost of long-term employment was 3,000 oceans, which rose to 3,800 oceans in December 2035, an increase of 27%... Correspondingly, the price increase of the upper-level shortages was more moderate. For example, the price of a brigade commander was 22,000 oceans.
, only increased by 9% compared with the same period in 2034...
"But by the end of 1935, when the Guangwu coup came to power and the war mobilization was announced, the price of officers at all levels in the Qing army suddenly dropped sharply. The average price of a battalion commander was only 1,500 oceans, and the price of a brigade commander was only 18,000 oceans... In this way, my lords
It can be seen that the prices of middle and lower-level officers in the Qing army were most affected by war factors and were the most sensitive to fluctuations...while the prices of upper-level officers were relatively stable, with little increase in peacetime and not much decline in the face of war..."
Most of the ministers in the venue were confused by Shi Shigege's numbing instructions. Xiang Xiaoqiang could hardly stand hearing this, and thought to himself, sister, have you ever been a securities analyst before?
…
"Ahem..." Xiang Xiaoqiang coughed dryly and interrupted with a smile, "Your Highness Princess... Because although you all understand the situation of buying and selling officials in the Qing army, they are not always comprehensive. Well, do you want to come first?
A general introduction?"
"Hmm."
Shi Shigege glanced at Xiaoqiang, then raised her eyes to peek at the other ministers, coughed, lowered her head and stammered, thinking and saying:
"Hmm... well... that's it... well, the Qing army is basically... actually, it has always been... different from the Ming Dynasty..."
The "buzzing" sound came up again in the hall, and many ministers were dissatisfied and began to whisper to each other. Many people glanced at Fourteenth Gege with contempt, their eyes full of superiority.
...Oh, it turns out that this is Princess Liaoyang! It turns out that this is the leader of the Manchu and Qing spies who shocked the factory guards of the Ming Dynasty! It’s nothing more than that!
But this is the Princess of the Ming Dynasty after all. Even if the ministers were dissatisfied, they still adhered to the courteous etiquette and no one interrupted her.
Zhu Yourong sat at the front seat, looking at Shi Shige Ge with worry and sympathy, and quietly took a sip of tea to hide his anxiety.
Xiang Xiaoqiang also lowered his head and said nothing. He knew that Shi Shige Ge was different from Zhu Yourong. Unlike Zhu Yourong, who had lived under the spotlight and camera since he was a child. Moreover, there was also a reason for Shi Shige Ge's own personality. She came
Before the Ming Dynasty, even though we had mastered
Although he has great power, he is always used to hiding himself and living in the "shadows". He neither appears in newspapers nor appears in public. His whereabouts are secretive and he comes and goes without a trace. Even if there are meetings inside the sticky bar,
They're just a bunch of old acquaintances.
Her poor performance at the Fengtian Palace press conference last time showed that the Fourteenth Princess was not suitable for public occasions. Especially today, in the last hall, all the top military and political officials of the Ming Dynasty gathered together, casually
The actual status of a person is higher than hers... In addition, what she is asked to talk about now is her "motherland", the dark facts of her nation... Although the purpose is not to humiliate her, in public,
This undoubtedly aggravated her inferiority complex.
…
Xiang Xiaoqiang quietly stretched out a hand under the table and gently placed it on Shi Shigege's thigh. However, he did not take the opportunity to touch it, but patted it twice in relief.
Fourteen's hesitating voice suddenly froze, and he suddenly raised his head, and the tension in his body immediately transferred from the top of the table to the bottom of the table. His thighs became stiff, and his mind went blank, but his mouth started to talk endlessly without consciousness.
:
"... Your Excellencies all know that in the Qing army, just as in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, selling officials and titles was also very popular. But you may only know that this is very popular, but you don't know to what extent it is prevalent. In fact, the degree of selling officials and titles in the official circles of the Qing government is much higher.
It surpassed the army, but it did not form a price trend similar to that of the stock market. Because the situation of local government officials was so complicated
There are many, and the benefits of being an official in different places will be very different. Moreover, there are many types of officials in the Qing government, unlike the army, which only has several main levels: army, division, brigade, regiment, battalion, and company. Moreover,
The differences in oil and water among the garrisons in various regions are not as big as the differences among the government offices in various regions, so the 'price' of official positions in the army is easier to unify, and it is easier for us to make statistics.
"Compared with the price trend in the thirty-seven years since the Reform Movement of 1898, the official positions of the Qing Dynasty first experienced a brief decline. Then there was an upward trend year by year. The brief decline meant that after the Reform Movement of 1898 in the Guangxu Dynasty, the officialdom of the Northern Qing Dynasty experienced a brief period of being cleaner.
stage. This is also the time when various construction projects in Beiqing are developing best and fastest.
During the period, the phenomenon of selling officials and conferring titles had been restrained to a certain extent, so the overall market price of official positions in the army also declined. However, in the middle and late Xuantong Dynasty, various reforms stalled and retrogressed, and the civil service in the Northern Qing Dynasty began to deteriorate rapidly, even more than before the Restoration.
Therefore, the actual shortage prices at all levels in the government and the military have also been rising.
"There is a characteristic of the prices of military positions in the Qing Dynasty, which is that they continue to rise during peacetime, but will fall sharply once there is a war. For example, before the war between the Ming and Qing Dynasties at the end of last year, when the situation was tense. Because those who want to buy officials are prepared to make a fortune, not
Prepare to really go to the battlefield and die. Once there is a war, everyone will
You no longer want to be an officer. Especially for the positions below the brigade commander, the market has plummeted. Because officers below the brigade commander generally have to go to the front line in person, which puts their lives at risk. But officers above the brigade commander do not need to go to the front line.
On the front line, at least there is no danger to life when fighting a war, so the market decline is not too severe.
"In addition to this reason, it is also because in the Qing army, middle and lower-level officers such as company commanders and platoon commanders are easier to be employed. After all, senior officers such as brigade commanders and division commanders do not need systematic military knowledge. Army, division, and brigade levels
Not everyone can get paid to be an officer. Generally speaking, one has to be from a regular military academy and have strong skills.
Nepotism, that is, backstage. The stronger the backstage, the less money you have to pay. Some with strong connections can even work for free. But the middle and lower-level officers are different. Except for some who are from military schools, many are
The children of local wealthy people didn't even go to military school, so they just bought it with money.
"For example, Zhang San opens a restaurant. Generally speaking, if he wants to open a restaurant, Zhang San must first feed the local government and garrison, and secondly feed the local civilian bullies. But if Zhang San spends two to three thousand dollars, he can garrison the local army.
If he buys a battalion commander for his son, then his son will have hundreds of brothers, and the local bullies will at least not dare to take the initiative to bully... Although two to three thousand oceans is a lot of money,
but
It's because you invested in a battalion commander. Although you will have to feed the government in the future, you will save money on the civilian bullies, because the garrison is the most powerful bully in the local area, even more powerful than the government. But if the other party's backstage is bigger, then
Sanjiu still needs to be filial. But because his son is the commander of the army battalion, the other party knows it well and will give him face. The money collected from Zhangsan will be much less than that of other businesses. In this way, investing in the military officer is worth it.
"
…
In the main hall, the ministers sighed. Beiqing is a very closed country. It is difficult for outsiders to see such specific examples through newspapers. This is the first time the ministers have heard what Shi Shigege said.
.In fact, not only the ministers, but also the Ming Dynasty’s intelligence agency, relevant information
It is not so comprehensive. They can collect for a long time through spies and agents, and finally piece together an incomplete general appearance. But because Shi Shigege has been in charge of the Beiqing's own intelligence network, she goes far beyond understanding the "general appearance". She even
Detailed price trend charts can be drawn.
Fourteen Gege breathed a sigh of relief, completely letting go of her nervousness, smiled, and continued:
"At the beginning of this year, after the ceasefire between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the price of Qing army officers began to rise again. Now, the average price of a battalion commander has risen to 4,700 yuan. Less than half a year after the truce, it has increased by 23% compared with last year before the war. 34
From the end of 1935 to the end of 1935, in one year, the Qing army battalion commander
The price has only increased by 27%, but now in half a year, the price of the Battalion Commander has increased by 23%, which can be said to have nearly doubled. This also proves that the domestic situation in Beiqing became even worse in the first half of the post-war period. I bought it ten years ago
Most people who get an official position do so to make money, but after ten years, most people who buy an official position do so for self-protection.
"Because in recent years, a faster and more direct way to make money has become popular among the officials in various parts of the Northern Qing Dynasty, which is to have the police arrest people on the street, throw them in jails and slap them with any crime, and then ask the family to pay for redemption.
The amount of money depends on the person's financial resources. If the person does not pay the money, the person who is arrested will soon die in the cell. Often many people are arrested at one time.
Then the government and the police divide the accounts. But if someone in the arrested family is an officer in the local garrison, and the rank is high, the two parties may sit together for a meal. Everyone laughs and says it was a misunderstanding, and the person is released directly. Even if the rank is
If it's relatively low, then the government won't go too far and will give him a big discount, so he won't go bankrupt."
Shi Shigege paused here and picked up the cup to drink tea. The Foreign Secretary took the opportunity to interject:
"Your Highness Princess... I know what you said about the Northern Qing government arresting people and making money, and so on. We, the people of the Ming Dynasty, have always understood it too. But there is a key question. I hope your Highness can clear up my doubts.
."
Fourteen was startled for a moment, then smiled and said:
"Okay, Mr. He, please speak."
He Ziguang said:
"Your Highness, Princess, you said that buying and selling officers is very common in the Qing army, and it is even more common among middle and lower-level officers. I don't know what the specific proportion is? In other words, among the officers at all levels in the Qing army, among them
What percentage of those who were born in a military academy became successful based on their ability? Among them, those who were born in the military
Military Academy, but what percentage of them are those who got into it through nepotism or paying money? Among them, what percentage of them did not go to a military academy at all, but just got into it based on nepotism or paying money? And how was the specific data of His Highness collected?
?...This is a key question, and I hope that His Highness can give me a clear answer.
"Please don't misunderstand, Your Highness. I have no intention of accusing Your Highness of talking nonsense. What I mean is: If the Qing army had never even attended a military academy, and the proportion of officers who had just been bought with money was large, for example, more than half,
Then such an army is just a rabble. Even if the force is large, there is nothing to fear. What reason does the Ming Dynasty have for not to immediately go to the north? I hope that Her Royal Highness can clear up the confusion for the ministers. In addition, this decision is related to the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty. Please provide convincing evidence from Your Highness.
data source."
Fourteen Gege lowered his head again, his eyes were a little scattered, he pondered for a moment and said:
"This... Mr. He, because this data is different from the price... What is the official title and what the price is? This is generally more public and easier to inquire about... As for who is paid for it and who is based on connections... Because
The future and future of too many people are involved.
interests, so even when I was stuck at the stick, the numbers reported below cannot be said to be absolutely reliable... But I can tell you that the first type of officers you mentioned, that is, those who came from a military academy, relied entirely on their ability.
I didn’t become an officer. Not at all.”
In order to achieve the effect, Xiang Xiaoqiang deliberately asked:
"Your Highness, among the more than 10 million troops in the Northern Qing Dynasty, there is not a single officer like this?"
Shishi Gege bit her lip, lowered her head and hesitated, then said:
"This... probably doesn't happen... Even if there are one or two, it's probably due to some kind of mistake or coincidence... and can be ignored."
He Ziguang took it and asked:
"That is to say, all the officers of the Qing army were appointed by relying on their background or money. But the key question is, how many of them came from military schools and knew the military? How many of them did not understand the military? Please clarify your doubts, Your Highness."
Fourteen Gege hesitated again and said:
"I can't say the specific... specific ratio..."
"Your Highness, it's hard to say?"
The Fourteenth Princess was a little flustered, and he hesitated and said:
"Well, there are definitely a lot of people who are not from military schools, but not even half of them..."
"Oh? How much is that? One-third?"
"Hmm..." Shi Shigege said after thinking, "The level of platoon leader should be no less than one-third, but the proportion becomes smaller when going up to company commander level..."
The Foreign Minister shook his head, leaned back in his chair, looked at the people on the left and right, and seemed very dissatisfied. The other ministers also looked at each other, and seemed dissatisfied with this answer.
Seeing this situation, the Lord Admiralty laughed and said:
"Everyone, Her Royal Highness the Princess is right. This kind of data is not easy to collect. Maybe it is not difficult to collect a batch of examples, but it is too difficult to come up with a set of data that is very accurate and can even predict the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, this only represents a widespread phenomenon in the Qing army. Just let us know what is going on inside the Qing army. We can't say that if non-military academy officers account for 55.3%, we will go to the Northern Expedition and 45%.
.6%, we will not conduct the Northern Expedition... After all, this is a discussion about war, not tariff rates and trade deficits. In my opinion, even if 100% of the Qing army officers are from military academies, we still have to resolutely pursue the Northern Expedition. Even officers who are not from military academies
If it only accounts for 10%, that's a very good thing. If it accounts for 20%, it would be even better. Why do we have to ask for a majority?... War is a very serious matter and cannot be left to chance."