Introduction: General Feng Yuxiang was born from a soldier, so he was well aware of the suffering of soldiers, so he not only ruled the army strictly, but also loved the soldiers very much. He forbade the officer to infringe on the interests of the soldiers, and demanded that the officer and the soldier share the hardships. Moreover, General Feng has always had some new ideas and civilian styles, such as strict smoking bans in his army, prohibition of gambling and prostitution, etc., which are very different from many other warlords, and are also "disgusted" by other warlords, such as Wu Pei said that he was very disgusted by these measures of General Feng, and once reprimanded him for being "red". In fact, there are still many "strange tricks" for him to govern the army.
General Feng Yuxiang stills (picture from the network)
Prepare only the superior to invite the subordinate to eat
In General Feng Yuxiang's army, there is such a strict rule: Only superiors are allowed to invite subordinates to dinner, subordinates are not allowed to invite superiors to eat, only superiors are allowed to give gifts to subordinates, and subordinates are not allowed to give gifts to superiors. Feng Yuxiang and the subordinate officers were very familiar, not only could they call out their names, but also remembered the nicknames of many people. He often mingled with the soldiers, without a leader's shelf. As an army inspector, he personally donated blood to a soldier suffering from sepsis, which is probably unique among modern warlords. From the point of view of loving soldiers like sons, Feng Yuxiang is indeed an outlier among the warlords.
Ji Hongchang stills (picture from the network)
Disturbing the people will die
Feng Yuxiang asked the troops to love the common people, and he ordered the soldiers to wear white cloth and blue armbands with the words "do not disturb the people, truly love the people, and swear to die to save the country" on their left arms. He also personally compiled the "Song of Love for the People" and ordered the troops to sing it. His punishment for officers and soldiers who harmed the people and disturbed the people was quite severe. In General Feng's troops, there was a company commander who forced the people to change horses, and a native soldier who ate the people's watermelon and did not give money, and as a result, the company commander and the soldiers were shot. Once, Feng Jun's march passed through Huairou and dense clouds, and the jujube trees on both sides of the road were hung with bright red dates, and three brigades drove past, but none of them went to pick dates.
General of the Northwest Army (picture from the network)
Recruit as long as the children of peasants
General Feng Yuxiang's recruitment criteria are also very strange, he only accepts simple and strong young people in the countryside, and he does not want any "veteran oil" who has been a soldier. At that time, many people, including some of his cronies, tried to persuade him to change this standard, but he was unmoved and always adhered to this standard. As a result, his army was not only strong in combat effectiveness, but also cultivated a large number of famous futures from the children of peasants who would influence Chinese history.
For example, among the recruits recruited in 1911, a large number of famous generals such as Sun Liangcheng, Liu Ruming, Tong Linge, Feng Zhi'an, and Guo Zhigang were out. Recruits recruited in Henan in 1913 included Jinkai, Ji Hongchang, Liang Guanying, Li Mingzhong, and Han Fuyu, who later became the backbone of the Northwest Army.
"General Christ"
When General Feng Yuxiang was the commander of the Jingwei Army in Beijing, he often went to Chongwenmen Church to listen to the preaching of the priest, became deeply interested in Christianity, and was baptized by the pastor Liu Fangshi that year and officially became a Christian. Later, he was so brain-opened that he decided to rule the army with Christian righteousness. Since then, all officers and men of General Feng have been baptized, and a chapel has been set up in the barracks, and every Sunday he will ask the pastor to preach the doctrine to all the officers and men. Therefore, at that time people called him "General Christ".
Northwest Army Stills (from the Internet)
Conclusion:
Because General Feng Yuxiang treated the soldiers with affinity and concern, and attached great importance to military discipline constraints, his troop style was quite different from the fierce and brutal warlord troops at that time, the military-civilian relationship was relatively harmonious, and the combat effectiveness was also very strong, which was a unique army among the warlords at that time. What do you think of General Feng?