Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 147 Su's Thigh Returns Home

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Zuo Wuwei reminded him, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since it's now called the Artillery Company here, let's not use the old name. A battalion has ten companies, and one of them is an Artillery Company, which shows that the artillery is very important. Don't hold a grudge about this position. As long as you do a good job, you'll be able to return to the position of Thousand-Man in the future when the organization expands."

Li Mo didn't believe it: "He's just a military commander, and he has a maximum of two thousand men. How much more can he expand? Would the imperial court pay for any more?"

"You need to use your brain. If we still have to rely on the imperial court to support these soldiers, how did he manage to defeat more than 10,000 of our troops before the pacification? Didn't you hear what this Lieutenant General Liu said? The pay is generous, officers receive additional subsidies, and the wounded and disabled are cared for by the army. Can the imperial court really do all that with just a few dollars?"

As the two were discussing this, a second list was posted by a soldier.

Zuo Wuwei stepped forward curiously to take a look, but the list was about allowances for positions and ranks.

他一边看一边出声念道：“月饷列兵1两，二等兵2两，一等兵3两；下士4两、中士5两，上士6两；少尉8两、中尉10两、上尉12两；少校15两、中校20两、上校25两……我滴个乖乖！”

Zuo Wuwei and Li Mo exchanged bewildered glances after reading half of the list, utterly incredulous. This military commander was far too generous. Guangdong soldiers typically received 2 taels of silver per month, but this was often embezzled, with only a portion received during battles. Overall, it was much better than the garrison households, but compared to the contents of this list, it was utterly insignificant. Not only were the soldiers' pay higher than ordinary soldiers, but the officers' pay was even more astonishing to them, even those from the garrison. According to what they had learned in their training course, officers started as second lieutenants, typically platoon leaders; lieutenants were usually deputy company commanders; and captains were company commanders. Didn't that mean the two of them could receive 12 taels per month, totaling 144 taels per year?

If it were truly as Liu Ye assured them there would be no skimming, then the two of them could earn over a hundred taels of silver a year. In the town's artillery battalion, the Left Guard was already a garrison commander, but his pay was pitifully low; let alone a hundred taels, he'd be lucky to get forty or fifty taels a year. Of course, as the battalion commander, he could tamper with the procurement of equipment, overreporting gunpowder and bullet losses, and get a few hundred taels in hand, but that wasn't the proper way.

"The captain here is almost as powerful as the garrison commander of the town. Damn, this Liu guy is really rich!" Li Mo exclaimed. "If I could become a captain again, 25 taels a month... my goodness, that would be a steady 300 taels a year, without having to resort to any tricks or underhanded tactics!"

Zuo Wuwei laughed and said, "Didn't you suspect that General Liu was secretly switching the camp troops with his own private army, and that he had ulterior motives?"

Li Mo spat out: "Damn it, they're giving me so much pay, I don't care if he's a private soldier or not! Besides, General Liu accepted the offer voluntarily, and these soldiers were originally his private soldiers."

The two were discussing in hushed tones, while the others were already in an uproar.