Chapter 58: Daily Trifles 3

Hu Zhongnan's knuckles whitened as he clenched the telegram, then he slammed the paper onto the table, making the tea cups clatter. "Governor, these Local Warlords actually dared to send a petition to Jinling!" His chest heaved violently, clearly very angry, "We clearly cut off their Financial Channel, and now they want to use the principal's hand to pressure people!"

Li Yuxuan was calmly polishing a captured Mauser pistol. In the afternoon sun the barrel glowed with a faint blue chill; he examined every component, not overlooking even the trigger gap. "As expected." He didn't lift his head, his voice as steady as if discussing the weather, "These people are used to the Turkish emperor; now someone is taking away their authority, and it would be odd if they didn't stumble a few times."

He swiftly loaded the assembled pistol, a crisp 'click' echoing. "In a few days, you'll go to each county yourself." He stood, straightening the lower hem of his Zhongshan suit, "Tell those gentlemen, if they keep trying to fool us with watered‑down sincerity—" He tapped the stack of files on the table that recorded the concealed tax silver and secret checkpoints across the regions, "I'll settle this account with them personally."

"Understood!" Hu Zhongnan's eyes flashed with sharp light; he had long wanted to deal with those old foxes.

"After this is settled, come with me to the camp for a walk." Li Yuxuan fastened his disciplinary buckle, "It's been a long time since I inspected training; I should see the brothers."

The troops were stationed in a mountain hollow outside Badong city, and the orderly chant could be heard from afar. Li Yuxuan walked along the dirt road inward, seeing a sea of soldiers on the training ground practicing thrust attacks, the "bang‑bang" of wooden spears striking rising and falling, shaking the very air.

"Soldiers, you've worked hard!" he shouted from the high platform, his voice carried far by the wind.

The soldiers halted in unison, turned and saluted, responding together, "No hardship, Governor!" Their shouts slammed against the mountain wall, echoing for several rounds.

Li Yuxuan descended the platform and inspected each soldier. Many uniforms still bore patches, their palms callused into thick calluses, yet each stood upright with strikingly bright eyes. He stopped, patted a young soldier on the shoulder, "If you have any requests, bring them to me; anything I can fulfill, I will see to it."

The soldier hesitated, his dark face flushing, scratched his head, and after a long pause whispered, "Governor, when will the army receive its pay?"

"???" Li Yuxuan's smile froze; he turned to look at Huang Wei standing behind him, his brows knitting, "What's the situation?"

Huang Wei's heart lurched, and he hurried forward to explain, "Governor, our army has always been paid in rations, not money; that's a long‑standing rule, there's no precedent for cash. The troops of the various warlords do it the same way…"

"Has it always been like this, and that's right?" Li Yuxuan's voice rose sharply, his gaze sweeping the soldiers, "They will soon go to the front lines to risk their lives, to fight for the nation's peace! How can they be denied even a full meal or a bit of pay?"

He turned to all the soldiers, proclaiming, "Starting this month, you'll receive a monthly allowance! First-class soldier gets 4 yuan a month, Non‑commissioned officer double that! I, Li Yuxuan, guarantee here that as long as I have a mouth to eat with, I will never shortchange my brothers!"

"Thank you, Governor!" The soldiers were momentarily stunned, then erupted in deafening cheers; someone's eyes reddened with excitement as they lifted their wooden spears overhead and shook them, the echo in the hollow louder than the earlier chants.

Li Yuxuan signaled for quiet, stepped before Huang Wei, his tone softening, "Alright, I won't scold you for this. But Huang Wei, remember, another's army is another's army; this is the old unit we brought out from Yangcheng, the brothers who marched with us in the Eastern Expedition and Northern Expedition. We can't let the old unit's men lose heart."

"Yes! Understood!" Huang Wei's forehead broke into sweat, he responded quickly, though in his mind he was calculating the shortfall in pay—over 80,000 men, amounting to several hundred thousand yuan each month; where would that money come from?

While he was pondering, a short soldier suddenly darted out of the ranks, craning his neck, "Governor, Governor! Um… I want meat!"

The surrounding soldiers burst into laughter, but the soldier's face flushed red as he added, "Governor, it's not that I'm greedy! The training is too harsh; we drill before dawn and keep at it until sunset. The meals only have a few bits of meat fat, and at night the brothers lie down with stomachs growling…"

Li Yuxuan's smile vanished completely; he turned to Huang Wei, his eyes blazing, "How have you been handling the work?"

Huang Wei's face went pale instantly, and he hurried to explain, "Chairman, the main issue is lack of funds! Most of our military budget has gone to buying equipment—Germany's Mauser rifles, United States' Heavy Machine Guns—everything costs money. The arsenal's expansion also needs funds; in many places we have to save wherever possible…"

"Governor?" Li Yuxuan cut him off, his voice firm beyond doubt, "Other places can save, but the brothers' stomachs cannot be skimped! I'm not like those warlords who deduct soldiers' pay and line their own pockets! These troops will soon go to the front, shielding us from bullets; if they can't even get meat, how can they have the strength to fight?"

He surveyed the crowd and announced loudly, "From today onward, the troops' meals are changed! Meat once every three days, every meal will be filling! Rice will be ample, and the vegetables must have oil!"

"Thank you, Governor!" The soldiers cheered again, this time even the veterans' eyes reddened—after so many years of service, it was the first time they'd seen an officer truly care about the soldiers' stomachs.

Huang Wei stood aside, both moved and anxious; once the cheers subsided a bit, he whispered, "Yes, Governor! But… how will we handle this money? The current funds on the account probably won't last through this month."

"If the money's short, I'll find a way." Li Yuxuan declared resolutely, his gaze fixed toward the distant Badong county town, "Those warlords love filing complaints, right? Perfect—I've been worried about having no reason to audit their accounts. The tax silver they embezzle and the disaster relief funds they deduct are enough for the brothers to eat meat for half a year, with surplus!"

He patted Huang Wei's shoulder, "Training is already harsh; we can't let the brothers suffer further. Remember, morale is more important than anything. No matter how good the equipment, if the brothers are seething inside, no one will fight to the death on the battlefield."

"Yes! Understood!" Huang Wei truly submitted this time; he had always thought war relied on equipment and tactics, but now he realized that Li Yuxuan grasped the core—brothers are willing to die for you not because of your rank, but because you treat them as humans.

The setting sun slipped westward, dyeing the training ground a golden‑red. Li Yuxuan watched the soldiers throw themselves back into drills, the wooden spears' clatter louder than before, the chants now charged with vigor. He knew that fixing pay and meals was only the first step. Yet he was confident: as long as he could warm these brothers' hearts, this unit would become the sharpest blade, able to stand up to Badong's warlords or any future, more perilous battlefields.

The evening breeze drifted by, carrying the scent of food— the mess hall had already slaughtered dozens of pigs bought from the county town, and tonight the brothers would have a decent meat meal. Li Yuxuan gazed toward the rising cooking smoke, a faint smile curling his lips. The art of commanding troops, in the end, is simply three words: "no shortchanging."