1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 149

Their King-class ships only have an advantage when they shoot with their tails facing outwards, but what good is the efficiency advantage of shooting with the tail outwards? Is it just for escaping?

The German multi-turret design lengthened the armor belt and increased the vulnerable areas, and also greatly limited the firing arc. After thinking it over, I still feel that the Republic's design is superior.

This has already been proven on the Xingxiu Qinglong-class destroyers. In the eyes of the Germans, the Xingxiu-class destroyers built by the Republic were not much worse than cruisers in every aspect except for their poor protection.

The Germans also planned to copy the Republic's Star-class design and build Pilau-class light cruisers.

The only exception is the current aircraft carrier program. The Germans have heard some rumors about it and roughly know what the Chinese are building, but they dare not copy it because it is too radical and risky.

Every ton of displacement in the High Seas Fleet is precious. The Germans don't have Zhao Yan's boldness to use 30,000 tons to build a fragile toy transport aircraft.

But it's better not to participate. The Republic has no intention of involving the Germans in aircraft carriers anyway. These Germans may look honest and kind, but they're actually full of bad intentions.

Every day they wished war would break out in the Far East, and every day they hoped that their allies and the British would perish together in the Pacific. The central government of the Republic really didn't know what to say about this ally's thoughts!

Chapter 246 Human Relationships

"Director Liu, thank you for your hard work this time. This is just a small token of my appreciation!"

"And General Zheng, you've also gone through a lot!"

On the dock, the officials from the Jiangnan Gun and Cannon Bureau who were responsible for seeing them off very enthusiastically handed over two briefcases, but no one knew what was inside.

This was the first time Liu Ting had ever seen anything like this in his travels. He immediately waved his hands like palm-leaf fans and said, "No, this is absolutely unacceptable! Isn't this forcing me to make a mistake?"

Zheng Shiyan looked unsurprised: "Director Liu, they've only offered a small gift, please accept it, there's nothing wrong with it."

Even Zheng Shiyan, the Chief of Naval Equipment, couldn't help but speak up: "If you, Liu Ting, don't accept it, how can I accept it?"

When it comes to these kinds of social gifts, people won't feel at ease if you don't accept them, but everyone will be happy if you do.

Liu Tingyi was still a little uneasy: "I've visited so many enterprises and military factories, and I've never received any gifts before. This is really unexpected. Please forgive me for not being able to accept them."

After listening, Zheng Shiyan laughed and said, "Times have changed, Director Liu. There will be many more such cases in the future. Take this and give it to Dai Mingde when you get back. He will tell you how to handle it."

"Yes, Director Liu, take it back first. If the officers of the Joint Logistics Department are not satisfied, they can send it back again. We won't mind."

The officials from the Gun and Cannon Bureau who came to see him off also spoke very understandingly, implying that Liu Ting should accept the money first.

Liu Ting wasn't stupid; he immediately understood that the gift wasn't for him personally, but for the Joint Logistics Department. In other words, Liu Ting could accept it for himself; there was little difference between the two for the gift giver.

If the Joint Logistics Department accepts the offer, then the Joint Logistics Department will have to give them some face in the future; if Liu Ting accepts the offer, then Liu Ting will have to take good care of them in the future.

As for which companies and military factories didn't give gifts in the past, that's because the Joint Logistics Department was too poor back then. They couldn't even afford to spend money on purchasing rifles. Manufacturers would be too rich to give you gifts.

But things are different now. In Zheng Shiyan's words, times have changed. The military has begun to have capital, and with the arms race underway, the military's future procurement budget will continue to rise.

If you don't give gifts to build a relationship at this point, then the manufacturer is being unreasonable. They're afraid of the risks of starting a cold business, but if you don't start a business when it's clearly a hot business, then you're being foolish.

Liu Ting eventually accepted the briefcase and, with his orderly, boarded a passenger ship to return north to the capital.

Wang Xiaoman pretended not to see her superiors accepting gifts, never asking questions or interjecting.

Zheng Shiyan also traveled back to the capital by boat with Liu Ting. After boarding the boat, he opened his briefcase. There was no cash inside, only some shopping receipts, all of which had already been paid for. All he needed to do was contact the sellers and get a delivery address.

Four or five bus tickets, plus some VIP cards for chain hotels and shopping mall vouchers.

Zheng Shiyan accepted it without any pressure. Since the other party gave it to him openly, he could accept it openly. Afterwards, he could distribute it as a welfare benefit when he returned to his unit. There was almost no risk involved.

Liu Ting dared not open the briefcase. He felt he was not qualified to open it and that it was best to take it back and hand it over to his superior, Dai Mingde, for him to handle.

Zheng Shiyan dared to open the package because he was a big shot, the Chief of Naval Equipment, a major general. This kind of stuff was nothing to him.

Four days later, the passenger ship docked at Tianjin Port. When Zheng Shiyan disembarked, the navy had already sent a special car to pick him up, and Liu Ting also got a ride.

"Director Liu, thank you for your contributions to the development of the Navy during this trip to Shanghai. We in the Navy attach great importance to the many professional opinions and ideas you put forward."

"This trip has taken so much time and must have exhausted you. Get some rest when you get back."

"I will send a letter to the Joint Logistics Command on behalf of the Office of the Director General of Naval Equipment to express my sincere gratitude for your contributions."

Zheng Shiyan and Liu Ting sat in the back seat of the car. Zheng Shiyan expressed his gratitude to Liu Ting very politely and said that he would send a letter to the Joint Logistics Department to commend Liu Ting for his contribution.

Liu Ting was delighted after hearing this: "General Zheng is too kind. It is all for the sake of serving the country, and it is our duty!"

Zheng Shiyan was very polite, but Liu Ting dared not be arrogant about his achievements. Military officers are different from civil officials. For civil officials, the position is considered first and then the rank. Sometimes the position is even more important than the rank.

Among civil servants, even deputy heads or vice-ministers of departments, or those at the rank of section chief, are not as prestigious as ministerial-level officials like provincial governors. The value of their positions is completely different.

In the military, it's the opposite: rank comes first, then position. If someone's rank is one level higher than yours, they are undoubtedly your superior. If a lieutenant colonel from the Ministry of National Defense goes to a local area and sees a colonel stationed there, he has to respectfully salute first. The hierarchy must be clear before the difference in function is considered.

Of course, the SS were an exception. Privates in the Wehrmacht would not salute SS generals first, and conversely, SS corporals did not show much respect to the Minister of Defense.

Zheng Shiyan's rank of Rear Admiral is evident. Even if Liu Ting is not under Zheng Shiyan's jurisdiction, he must still respect the golden star on Zheng Shiyan's shoulder. Otherwise, he would be disrespectful and Zheng Shiyan could deal with him in a heartbeat, leaving Liu Ting with no recourse.

"When you get back, please give my regards to Minister Dai Mingde. There will be more and more cooperation between the Navy and the Joint Logistics Department in the future, and I hope that your Joint Logistics Department will also provide more cooperation and support."

"Of course, of course! I will convey General Zheng's words to Commander Dai truthfully."

Zheng Shiyan nodded, then lowered his voice and said with a mysterious smile, "Congratulations in advance, and to Minister Dai as well!"

Liu Ting was somewhat stunned: "Congratulations on what? General Zheng, I don't quite understand what you're saying."

Zheng Shiyan didn't say anything more and sat back down by the window: "You'll know when we get back."

Two hours later, the car arrived at the gate of the Forbidden City. Liu Ting and Zheng Shiyan got out of the car and walked into the palace, parting ways at the entrance of the Ministry of Defense in the Hall of Central Harmony.

After returning to the Joint Logistics Department office, Liu Ting settled the orderly Wang Xiaoman in, and then hurried off with his briefcase to report to Dai Mingde.

Dai Mingde happened to be sitting in his office and was very happy to see Liu Ting return.

"Liu Ting, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, the department would have almost forgotten you existed."

"Come, come, sit down quickly, have a cup of tea first."

Major General Dai Mingde stood up warmly and, facing his subordinate whom he hadn't seen for many days, took the initiative to pick up the thermos and pour Liu Ting a cup of tea.

Liu Ting quickly stood up and took the teacup with both hands. As he sat down, he said, "Minister, let me tell you about the work first. There were too many things to do this time. If we don't hurry, I'm afraid we won't be able to finish reporting by the time we get off work."

"You're still the same as always, always thinking about work, always so tense, aren't you tired?" Dai Mingde pointed to Liu Ting's dusty military uniform jacket and laughed, "Those who know your identity are fine, but those who don't might think you're a regimental commander who ran away from the training ground."

Liu Ting said somewhat embarrassedly, "I've been too busy. I'm either on the road or in meetings and inspecting sites. I haven't washed these clothes for almost a month. I'll wash them when I get home after get off work today."

Dai Mingde turned to his secretary and said, "Xiao Wu, go and tell the canteen to send two lunches to my office. Director Liu and I will eat and chat."

Dai Mingde knew that if Liu Ting didn't finish his work, the guy would probably be thinking about it even while sleeping tonight.

Liu Ting didn't continue with polite small talk. It was his own territory, and he was facing his superior, so there was no need for formalities. He quickly got down to business.

Liu Ting began to recount in detail his business trip over the past two or three months, explaining it to Dai Mingde patiently as he spoke, taking out various documents and acceptance papers from his briefcase.

Both of them ate lunch in the office, giving reports while eating.

"Feng Ru has completed the procedures for joining the army. His current position is lieutenant colonel in the naval aviation force, and he also serves as the vice president of the Changsha Military Flight Academy and an aviation consultant for the Shanghai Songjiang Naval Design Bureau."

I've already made preliminary arrangements with the Military Flight Academy and the Songjiang Design Bureau; the subsequent specific work is up to Feng Ru to handle."

"Lieutenant Colonel Feng is a very capable and ambitious person, and his attitude toward aviation affairs can be described as fanatical."

At the end of his report, Liu Ting emphasized Feng Ru's existence to Dai Mingde.

After listening, Dai Mingde nodded: "Why does it sound like someone like you?"

"We only play a leading role in matters concerning the air force; the subsequent matters are the responsibility of the army and navy. We are only responsible for equipment procurement and review."

"You did a great job this time. You visited several domestic aircraft manufacturers, and the Ministry has already sent people to Zhuzhou Machinery and Guangzhou Lingfei Aviation Company for follow-up negotiations."

The preliminary work you did was very thorough and comprehensive, which saved us a lot of trouble.

"The central government's development of aviation power far exceeds our imagination. The Ministry of National Defense has discussed several meetings on whether to establish a separate air force branch, but the aviation force has become an independent service branch."

"Huh? It's only just been established and it's already set up its own business? That's impossible!" Liu Ting was surprised. He could only hear about this kind of news from Dai Mingde. The threshold for attending high-level meetings was at least the rank of major general.

Dai Mingde explained, "Originally, there was no room for discussion on this issue, but it was the idea proposed by the head of state. The head of state wanted to establish a separate air force branch."

"But after research and discussion by the Ministry of National Defense, it was found that it was still not feasible. The air force currently has no one capable of leading the charge; at most, there are only a dozen or so specially recruited officers."

When a new branch of service is established, it needs at least one general to represent it. It's possible to recruit a dozen or so field officers through special recruitment, but recruiting a general through special recruitment is completely impossible.

If a new air force is established, and an army general is appointed as its minister, the navy will definitely object, but if a navy general is appointed as its minister, the army will object.

The argument has dragged on for over half a month without a resolution, so in the end, the only solution is for the army and navy to each develop their own air forces, with no one interfering.

Liu Ting nodded and said, "That's one way too. The current air force is still too weak to support the structure of a branch of the military."

"Oh right, I almost forgot!" Liu Ting suddenly remembered something, quickly took out the unopened briefcase, and handed it to Dai Mingde.

"Minister, these are gifts from the officials of the Jiangnan Gun and Cannon Bureau. I didn't want to accept them at the time, but they told me to take them back and bring them back for you to decide."

Dai Mingde looked at the briefcase handed to him, then at the serious expression on Liu Ting's face, and was almost speechless. He could only sigh deeply: "You kid, should I praise you or scold you?"

Dai Mingde took the bag, opened it without hesitation, and looked at the various shopping receipts, vouchers, and VIP cards inside: "These corrupt officials of state-owned enterprises are really stingy!"

"You're using this little thing to test officers?"

"The department happens to be short of a few official vehicles. I've taken the vehicle purchase vouchers; you can keep the rest yourself!" Dai Mingde only took the five most valuable vehicle purchase vouchers and gave the rest back to Liu Ting.

Liu Ting quickly declined, saying, "How can this be? This is bribery!"

Dai Mingde insisted, "This is what you deserve!"

“You’ve generated orders worth millions or even tens of millions for them. This little bit of stuff is just a drop in the ocean compared to their profits. I’d even like to call them stingy!”

"If you had just given them a little push, this briefcase would have been several times thicker!"

Liu Ting shook his head and said, "We should handle this officially. Why should we hold them back if there's no problem?"

"That's right!" Dai Mingde patted the table and said, "Since it's official business, you can rest assured to accept it. I'll cover for you if anyone dares to cause you trouble. You can rest assured."

"You've been traveling all over the place for business these past few years, and you've spent a lot of your own money. Everyone else is making all sorts of excuses to claim poverty and over-report their expenses, but you're the only one who's been desperately paying out of your own pocket. This gift is something you deserve, don't be afraid!"

"Accepting gifts without creating value is called corruption and bribery, but accepting gifts that create value is a well-deserved reward!"

Dai Mingde took it all in stride. This was nothing in the military, and even among civilian officials, it wouldn't be considered corruption or bribery.

The central government has always been committed to fighting corruption, but this fight is limited and not indiscriminate. Even the central government's inspection teams have to investigate where the money came from before they can arrest corrupt officials.

If you directly use project funds or embezzle money from ordinary people, that's definitely embezzlement and bribery. But if you get things done and it benefits both the country and the people, and you take some things afterward, no one will do anything to you.

Even Zhao Yan had nothing to say about this, let alone dare to expose it.

After all, water that is too clear has no fish. Human nature is what it is, and desires reside in people's hearts. No one can achieve a world completely free of greed, not even a red regime a hundred years from now.

Zhao Yan couldn't offer high-ranking military officers and officials outrageous salaries and benefits. Doing so would be tantamount to creating a special supply system, following the old Soviet path, which would violate the constitution and the spirit of the republic.

However, the current salary system is not aligned with the rank of senior officers and soldiers. Lower-ranking soldiers can make ends meet with a few dozen yuan a month, but for senior officers and soldiers, a few hundred yuan a month is simply not enough. The central government can only tacitly approve some borderline practices, as long as they are not too outrageous.

Simply put, if you get things done, it's fine for you to take a little something; but if you fail to get things done or mess things up and still dare to take something, the central authorities will definitely destroy you.

It's impossible for Zhao Yan to keep an eye on so many civil and military officials across the country. Even as the head of state, he has to make compromises on some matters. Zhao Yan's demands are not high.

If I give you a million, you have to do at least 800,000 worth of work to be considered qualified. If you do 900,000 worth of work, you're excellent. If you do a million worth of work, you're a rising star.

As long as it's not like the Russians, who only do 200,000 to 300,000 worth of work for a million, Zhao Yan can accept it. But he absolutely cannot be like the British a hundred years from now, who give him a million and do absolutely nothing, and then say it's not enough and want more. If that happens, Zhao Yan will go on a killing spree.

Chapter 247 Four Parts Standing Side by Side

"Minister, before we parted, Rear Admiral Zheng Shiyan, the Director of the Navy, asked me to give you my regards and also congratulate you and me in advance. I don't quite understand why he needs to congratulate us on something?" After finishing their business, Liu Ting brought up the thing he couldn't figure out.

After listening, Dai Mingde laughed and said, "This Zheng Shiyan is really well-informed. He knew about the matter in Shanghai not long after the Ministry of National Defense and the Supreme Executive Committee confirmed it."

"It seems this kid slacked off in Shanghai and even had the time to gather information about the capital."

Liu Ting asked curiously, "What exactly is it that made him specifically offer his congratulations?"

"It's nothing much, just some adjustment orders and a list of promotions," Dai Mingde said, taking a sip of his tea.

"The Supreme Executive Committee approved several promotion orders and also reviewed and approved the Ministry of National Defense's restructuring plan."

"A total of two lieutenant generals and four major generals were promoted. Zhu Jing, the commander of the Songhu Garrison and the commander of the Second Army Group whom you met before, was promoted to lieutenant general this time. Wang Dingyun, who was in charge of the Northwest, was also promoted to major general. Qiu Xingxun, the director of the National Security Intelligence Bureau, was promoted from brigadier general to SS major general."

Also, Zhao Hao, commander of the 1st SS Division, was promoted from brigadier general to SS major general. Those were the only promotion orders.

"When Zhu Jing was in the First Division of the Revolutionary Army, he was the chief of staff and my old superior. Later, he was very unhappy with Wu Zifu and was always suppressed by Wu Zifu. He was clearly the second division commander in the entire army, but by the end of the Far East War, he was still only a major general. In terms of seniority, he was more senior than many lieutenant generals."

But who told him to offend Wu Zifu? Now that Wu Zifu is out of the country, Wang Chongshan has stepped in to promote him.

"There's nothing to say about Wang Dingyun's promotion. The title of major general is just an empty name to him. Even without a military rank, he can still govern a region."

Only Qiu Xingxun and Zhao Hao's promotions are interesting. Neither of them are now part of the National Defense Forces; they've both been incorporated into the SS, effectively severing their ties with the military.

Dai Mingde recounted to Liu Ting, without reservation, the power shifts in the capital's upper echelons, especially in the military sphere. Liu Ting was his confidant, and these matters had to be made clear to him to avoid offending anyone unknowingly.

Personnel matters are politics; by observing personnel changes, one can understand many political shifts.

Liu Ting continued, "And what about you? You should be the other candidate for promotion to lieutenant general this time, right?"