Chapter 936 935 ["Satisfactory Solution"]

The recruitment process was being circumvented at every level, and Chang Kaishen knew he couldn't solve it.

It can be said that from top to bottom in the entire national army, as long as there is an opportunity to make money, there are almost no officers who will not take advantage of it. There may be such honest officers, but they are definitely in the minority, and their lives must be very difficult - because their salaries are not enough.

Before the September 18th Incident, the monthly salary of a general in the National Army was 800 yuan, but in early 1932 it was suddenly reduced to 240 yuan; a second lieutenant in the national army was reduced from 42 yuan to 30 yuan; and a first-class soldier was reduced from 12 yuan to 8.5 yuan. (The above are all basic salaries, the specific salary depends on the position)

Why is this so?

Because the national crisis was at the forefront, soldiers must be considerate of the country's difficulties, so the Nationalist Government promulgated the "National Disaster Pay Regulations." From generals to ordinary soldiers, salaries have been reduced across the board.

Even though military pay was reduced, it was still normal in the early 1930s. The monthly salary of 7 yuan for a private was enough to live a comfortable life - provided that the superior officer did not deduct from it and the government paid the salary on time.

But in the early days of the outbreak of the all-out war of resistance against Japan, military pay remained at the same level as ten years ago, while prices continued to rise, making it difficult for officers at the second lieutenant level to eat.

Under this circumstance, the government first separated food and wages, that is, the soldiers' food was allocated by the government and they no longer needed to pay for it themselves. But it still cannot meet the expenses, firstly because the food in the army is too rubbish, and secondly because other expenses are needed.

Therefore, military pay was increased several times during the Anti-Japanese War, but the increase in wages was a joke compared with the price.

Let us give an example. From 1940 to 1942, the salary of a major in the National Army was only enough to buy the soap and straw sandals he needed. By 1945, the salary of ordinary soldiers had increased to 900 yuan, but it was not enough to buy straw sandals. The situation of officers was not far different.

Even so, many troops are often in arrears with wages, and those who can pay on time must have a backer.

In this case, do you want officers to abide by ethics and avoid corruption?

Dreaming!

Most of those officers who are not greedy have no chance to be greedy and can only live a miserable life eating the army's pig food.

As for corruption, once it happens for the first time, it will inevitably happen a second time, a third time... and the more you become greedy, the more you become more courageous, and your tricks become more and more abundant, and there will never be an end.

The officers' corruption resulted in insufficient recruitment fees, and the young men had to starve and die in large numbers. If you want to prevent military officers from being corrupt, if nothing else, please raise military pay to normal levels, but the government has no money! So there is no way to solve this matter, unless Lao Jiang can conjure money out of thin air.

No matter how much national wealth the four major families have made, even if we ask them to spit out all the money, it will still be far from enough. The country was so impoverished that ordinary people were helpless. Zhou Hexuan understood Chiang Kai-shek's difficulties very well.

Considering that Japan is so developed and has robbed so many supplies from China and Southeast Asia, the people will not have enough to eat in the middle of the war. If we look back and compare it with China, it will be easier to understand.

The Kuomintang cannot do it, and the Communist Party cannot do it either. The all-out war of resistance is a special period, and it is impossible to attack landlords and capitalists on a large scale before victory.

That’s why we call for peace. When war breaks out, it’s the common people who suffer.

All Chang Kaishen can do is crack down on smuggling, especially the smuggling of prohibited items to Japan. As for using young men to smuggle opium, Chiang Kai-shek chose to turn a blind eye. He knew that it was completely impossible to ban this matter.

But you still have to save face.

In early July, He Yingqin held a meeting at the Chongqing Central Training Corps and called nearly 200 officers responsible for recruiting soldiers from various places. Within 20 minutes of the meeting, one deputy commander of the military area, three chief and deputy commanders of the division area, and 19 chief and deputy commanders of the regiment area were dragged away on the spot and handed over to a military court for severe punishment according to law.

This trick of killing chickens and warning monkeys calmed the remaining recruiting officers. He Yingqin took advantage of the situation and emphasized that in the future, if more than 20% of the strong men died on the way, everyone from the commander to the specific personnel would be dealt with accordingly. At the same time, you are not allowed to arrest young men in areas other than your own jurisdiction. Once it is found out, you will be punished!

Moreover, Chang Kaishen personally ordered that the Central Bureau of Statistics send people to inspect various places every month. Whenever a strong man is found to be abused, the superior officer will be suspended without pay and demoted, and the specific personnel will be punished on the spot.

After the meeting, the frightened recruiting commanders gathered together to eat and vomited their bitterness to each other.

"Oh, I can't survive this day."

"Yes, the strong man wants to escape, what can we do? If too many escape on the way, we will be treated as dead, and our wealth and life will not be saved."

"Just take it one step at a time. Be careful and you won't make a big mistake."

"Brother Zhu, how much are you going to cut back on?"

"Be conservative, 30%."

"Thirty percent? That's crazy. I think it should be at least 50%. Fifty percent is enough to allow a strong man to walk to the recruit camp smoothly."

"I'm afraid that if people below me continue to deduct money, it will be difficult to handle if something big happens."

"You are still too cowardly. I don't believe that the Zhongtong people will really come to investigate. Even if they come, if you give me some benefits, the Zhongtong people are also human beings. I don't believe that they won't accept the money."

"I think it's still inappropriate. I heard that President Jiang slapped the table and cursed his mother. It just so happens that everyone is here today. How about we come up with a charter and set the rule of cutting expenditures at 40%? When something happens, we will all work together Don’t worry, we can’t all be punished, then who will recruit troops to fight?”

"Forty percent is a bit low. If I were alone, I wouldn't have to pay a penny and I would sacrifice my family for the country. But my subordinates are still waiting for food, and they need to take care of themselves. If the expenditure is too little, I can't start work at all."

"What Lao Zhang said makes sense. The Ministry of Military and Political Affairs does not have enough food and salary, so we can only find a way on our own. Let's do this, it will be 60%!"

"Where is 60% enough? At least 70% is required."

"Seventy percent? You really want to drive all the strong men to death! No matter how many you detain, I will go back to at most 35%. Saving my life is the most important thing."

"It's about 40%, it's enough, it's enough."

"Four and a half percent, absolutely no less."

"I agree with 45%, let's just say that."

"..."

More than 100 recruiting officers reached a secret agreement that day and would only withhold 45% of their salary from now on, but there were also a few greedy ones who withheld more than 50%.

This approach had some effect before 1942, but after that there was really nothing that could be done. Especially in 1943, prices soared to the sky. Even if the officers did not deduct a penny, it was difficult to ensure that strong men could safely enter the new barracks.

The Central Bureau of Statistics inspectors sent by Chang Kaishen were basically ineffective. Most of them regard inspection work as a means of making money and work with the military recruitment agencies to make money from soldiers. The few inspectors who were dedicated to their duties could only expose some particularly bad situations. Under ordinary circumstances, He Yingqin would be too embarrassed to arrest people.

Even He Yingqin did not dare to investigate too harshly, because once the mortality rate was emphasized, in order to save his own life, the soldiers who sent the soldiers would inevitably become more ferocious and catch strong men on the road to make up for the loss.

The shortcomings of catching young men actually boil down to one word: money!