Soon after the establishment of the Beiyang Navy, there was a problem of full capacity, and even overstaffing, many Green Battalion soldiers, even the eight flags, have asked to become the Beiyang Navy. In order to enter the naval system, some people do not hesitate to smash pots and sell iron, invite guests and give gifts, which is very bloody.
However, a mere Beiyang Navy can actually attract so many sources of soldiers, including many high-ranking cadres, and this answer may only be explained by Li Hongzhang himself - the Beiyang Navy's salary is high.
Li Hongzhang's work efficiency is very high, it took only 3 years, the Beiyang Marine Division was established, in the year of the formation of the army, China's naval strength jumped to the seventh place in the world and the first in Asia. The reason why there have been such great results is because Li Hongzhang has extremely high requirements for the soldiers who join the Beiyang Marine Division.
Not only to be able to read and write, but also to master the knowledge of ships, but also to have certain combat skills, can be described as able to write and fight.
The salary of the Beiyang Fleet comes from three parts, namely the basic salary, the dividend at the end of the year and the travel allowance. Putting this all together, the income of the personnel at all levels of the fleet is considerable compared to other units.
The specific income is as follows: nearly 8500 silver a year for the governor, 4000 silver for the general soldiers a year, and 3200 and 2600 for the deputy general and the staff general, respectively. This is the annual income of the leadership level, which is three or four times the income of other services of the same rank.
In addition, as an officer of the Great Qing Dynasty, how can you take your official position without fishing some oil and water? For example, there is a "ship fee" every month, mainly some maintenance materials and man-hours, which is determined by the size of the tonnage of the ship, and the larger the tonnage, the more the cost.
As for the soldiers of the lowest level of the Beiyang Marine Division, the minimum annual salary is 36 taels of silver, do not think that 36 taels of silver is less, this is already the ordinary Jiupin official's fenglu. In addition, their living conditions are also much higher than those of other armies, and bread, meat, and vegetables are daily meals.
Beiyang Marine Division such a high treatment and welfare, naturally attracted countless people to participate, they took a generous treatment, did not give Chinese shame, although in the Sino-Japanese Naval Battle defeat, but many soldiers committed suicide and martyrdom, patriotic spirit is admirable, just by virtue of this, they deserve this treatment.