General Meng En-yuan
孟恩遠字曙村
General Meng En-yuan was born at Tientsin, in 1855. In his youth he was very poor and was an ordinary trader. He had no opportunity of receiving any education. He is illiterate and used very often to tell his friends that he only learned four Chinese characters in his life-time, namely Meng, En, Yuan (His name) and Hu (Tiger). Whenever there was any official document for his signature, he simply signed on it the word “Hu." In consequence he has been called by his friends "Hu Chiang-chun" or Tiger General. At the age of about twenty, tired of his un-interesting life, General Meng enlisted himself in the army and well liked his new career. Gradual promotions followed. In a few years he was appointed Commander of a Section of the Patrol Force of Chihli. Later he became Commander of a Company of the Force and finally was promoted to be Commander of the Force. In 1908 General Meng became director of the
