Chapter 62 Pulling over Meng Enyuan
Zhao Dongyun did not know that the competition for the right leader of the horse team is much more fierce than the recent competition for the commander of the horse team, and the reason is also simple, because the right horse team is assigned to the right town of the Beiyang Standing Army in the future, which also means that it is involved in the competition for the position of the right wing commander of the Beiyang Standing Army in the future.
Several factions came and went, and in the end, no one refused to fall behind, and almost fell into the same situation as the fifth and sixth standards of the Third Association at the end of last year.
Last year, when facing major factions competing for the position of the fifth and sixth standard, even Yuan Shikai felt a headache. Finally, he gave the fifth standard to Chen Guangyuan, who jointly launched by Wang Yingkai, Feng Guozhang and others, and at the same time let Zhao Dongyun serve as the sixth standard, which calmed down the debate. .
So far, the sixth standard of the Third Association is still Zhao Dongyun himself
Now the same situation appears in the competition for the position of the right standard of the horse team. Looking at the struggle for many of his subordinates, and before there is a result, Yuan Shikai also feels impatient. Over the debate between Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang, Wang Yingkai and others, he directly appointed Meng Enyuan as the right leader of the horse team.
Meng Enyuan, a Beiyang officer from the Laohuai Army. Like many middle and high-level officers in Beiyang, he was also an old man in the new army period. He served as the leader of the right team of the new army horse team. After Geng Zi, Yuan Shikai's Beiyang New Army expanded greatly. Most of the Beiyang's direct line continued to serve in the new army. However, as one of the few cavalry generals under Yuan Shikai, Meng Enyuan was transferred by Yuan Shikai to the Baoyang training cavalry team.
Because the cavalry of the Beiyang New Army was limited before and after Gengzi, it needed the cavalry force in the old army system to strategically cooperate with the Beiyang New Army, and Yuan Shikai was naturally worried about these cavalry troops used to cooperate with the Beiyang New Army in the hands of those old-style officers, so he sent Meng Enyuan to Baoyang Horse Team.
Now that the Beiyang New Army has trained cavalry, the Baoyang Horse Team has completed its historical mission. In this case, it is natural to transfer Meng Enyuan to the right of the horse team.
However, because Meng Enyuan was born in the old Huai army and is relatively old, he is naturally not a descendant of Duan Qirui or Wang Yingkai, so this person is actually a neutral person without faction.
It's just that he is not at the core of the North Sea like Wu Changchun and Liu Yongqing. He is just a middle-level officer, and there is no one at the top who can help him, so naturally no one mentioned him when he fought for the right standard of the horse team.
However, it is also his luck. Duan Qirui, Wang Yingkai and others have been bored with Yuan Shikai. In addition, although Meng En has not defected to Duan Qirui and others, no matter what he is, he is an old man in the training period of the new station. Yuan Shikai naturally trusts him in the legitimate Beiyang New Army, so he is crossing After the others, Yuan Shikai transferred Meng Enyuan to the right leader of the horse team.
"Brother Meng, you are here!" Zhao Dongyun smiled and strode out to welcome Meng Enyuan. At the same time, he said, "You don't know. I've been worried about my gray hair for this right mark in the past half month!"
Meng Enyuan looked at the young and excessive Zhao Dongyun in front of him and felt a little strange. He was 47 years old. Although he said that he had joined the army late, it was not too slow to be one of the only two horse brigades in the Beiyang Standing Army at this age.
However, Zhao Dongyun in front of him, if Meng Enyuan is not wrong, he is 24 years old, and his son is older than Zhao Dongyun! At the age of 24, he is already the leader of the association, and the most important thing is his immediate superior, which makes Meng Enyuan feel embarrassed!
Although the Beiyang New Army has always been known for its youth, the main generals in the army, including Yuan Shikai, Duan Qirui and others, are all around 40 years old, while middle-level officers are mainly between 30 and 40 years old. Cao Kun, Wang Zhanyuan and Lin Yongquan under Zhao Dongyun are all like this.
As for those under 30 years old, most of them are mixed below the tube belt. Only a few lucky people can break through the restrictions of the tube belt and become unified or equivalent positions. Last year's Zhao Dongyun was one of them. Li Zejun, who had just returned from studying abroad, was also counted as one, and then returned to China one after two years. Excellent among the non-commissioned officers studying in Japan.
Although it is surprising to become a leader under the age of 30, it is not uncommon in the Beiyang New Army. Although there are not many similar people, it cannot be said to be less.
However, Zhao Dongyun is not even one of the few who became the leader of the Association at the age of 24, because there is no second one except Zhao Dongyun.
Maybe in two or three years, with the continued expansion of the Beiyang New Army, there will be many co-leaders, wing commanders or controls under the age of 30, and this is true in history.
However, at the beginning of 1903, Zhao Dongyun is still the only leader of the 24-year-old association!
In fact, it is precisely because Zhao Dongyun served as the leader of the third association that he was regarded as the leader of the second echelon of Beiyang, otherwise he could only be compared with Cao Kun and Wang Zhanyuan.
In the face of such a young and excessive boss, although Meng Enyuan feels strange, the rank in the army is strict. When he is old, it does not mean that he can be presumptuous in front of Zhao Dongyun.
So Zhao Dongyun can smile and call him Brother Meng with a kind smile, but Meng Enyuan can never reply 'Brother Zhao'. Instead, he raised his head and raised his hand to Zhao Dongyun according to the etiquette of the new army, and also said, "Meng Enyuan, the deputy general, has met the commander!"
As the saying goes, the superior has the position of the superior, and the subordinate has the subordinate position. Meng Enyuan doesn't care what he thinks, but he has to be courteous in front of Zhao Dongyun.
On the contrary, Zhao Dongyun continued to smile, raised a military salute with one hand and said, "This is not outside. You're welcome. Come in. Let me introduce you to our colleagues of the Third Association!"
Zhao Dongyun's kindness and personal introduction also gave Meng Enyuan face, and Zhao Dongyun naturally had his deep meaning to do so.
When he heard that Yuan Shikai directly crossed the recommendation of Duan Qirui and others and directly appointed Meng Enyuan as the right leader of the horse team, he did not pay much attention at first, but when he looked through Meng Enyuan's resume, he found that he did not belong to any of the major factions in Beiyang today.
This is a rare thing. You know, in the Beiyang system, it is almost impossible to maintain independence without investing in any faction. Take Zhao Dongyun himself as an example, although he did not deliberately pursue it, he unconsciously has become a paragraph. The core role in the Qirui faction shows that you may be able to choose which faction to join, but it is impossible to remain neutral.
If you insist on being neutral, you may offend everyone, and this can explain why Meng Enyuan is only 47 years old!
Since this person has no other identity, Zhao Dongyun also feels that if he can be won, even if he is not brought into his own faction, as long as he maintains a friendly and cooperative relationship, it is also of great significance for him to completely control the Third Association.
The Third Association now has three unified positions, but only two of them. Among them, Chen Guangyuan is still Zhao Dongyun's sworn Enyuan. Now there is one more Meng Enyuan. Zhao Dongyun feels that it is necessary to woo him instead of rejecting him aside, and then being pulled over by Chen Guangyuan and others, and finally become his own.
Meng Enyuan, who was cordially brought into the headquarters of the Third Association by Zhao Dongyun, soon saw a group of people inside. The more than a dozen officers in front of him were all battalions and standard belts in the Third Association. Except for a few outside the outside, all the others were here.
Like Zhao Dongyun and others, they are wearing the blue-gray military uniforms of the Beiyang Standing Army. Some people wear traditional old-style horse boots, while others wear shiny black leather shoes.
Originally, during the period of the new army and the Wuwei Right Army, most of the officers wore traditional long horse boots, but after the year of Gengzi, many senior Beiyang officers only changed into long horse boots when training and fighting, and usually changed to black leather shoes, which was also a small change in the comprehensive Germanization of military uniforms.
In fact, after changing into leather shoes and putting on anti-German officer uniforms, these officers of the Beiyang Standing Army already look like modern soldiers from the front. Of course, you can't look from the side or the back, otherwise the swinging braids will make you very depressed.
All present are the core officers of the Third Association. Standing at the forefront and being introduced by Zhao Dongyun is naturally Chen Guangyuan, the fifth target. Chen Guangyuan's position is second only to Zhao Dongyun among the people.
followed by Lin Yongquan beside Zhao Dongyun, and then came by the two gangs, including Pei Lianying. Because Zhao Dongyun is also the leader of the sixth standard, Zhao Dongyun has to be in charge of a big third association, and usually has no energy and time to manage many operations of the sixth standard, so most of the affairs of the sixth standard are settled. On Pei Lianying.
As a result, Pei Lianying became the actual person in charge of the sixth standard, and Kong Jingbei, who was also a gang, was much inferior. Under Chen Guangyuan's control, as the fifth standard group, he had been in a state of no real power for a long time, but even if he had no power, he had to endure it, because he was sent by Zhao Dongyun to contain Chen Guangyuan. Well, if you shout tired if there is something, then you don't have to mix with the Beiyang New Army and go straight home to take the children.
Originally, there was a third gang in the Third Association, that is, the right group of the horse team, but the top has not been appointed for the time being, so it is absent.
Then there are the pipes and belts of each battalion, and the number of people is not large. Six infantry battalions, one machine gun battalion, and four cavalry battalions. These eleven pipe belts are already the core officers of the Third Association. Naturally, it is necessary to focus on introduction.
Next, there were other military seats. Zhao Dongyun did not introduce them one by one. After getting to know each other, everyone divided into three tables to open the banquet, which was a reception for Meng Enyuan.
When the banquet was set, it was Zhao Dongyun, Chen Guangyuan, Meng Enyuan, Lin Yongquan plus two gangs Kong Guanbei and Pei Lianying, and the rest of the pipes and other military seats were divided into two tables.
All present were soldiers, and they were all good drinkers. After the banquet, not only was Meng Enyuan unable to walk, but even Zhao Dongyun couldn't stand the toast of his men. He drank a lot. When he went out, he felt that the surrounding houses were running around.