Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 1: Stories on the Shu Road
Disclaimer: This is a rhapsody that takes place in a parallel dimension and is purely fictional!
…
"One."
In front of the Wuhan Red Building Memorial Hall, the tall Yang Qiu stood out among the people queuing for tickets with a backpack on his back. Several older girls from the tour group next to him kept moving towards him.
After some squeezing and commotion, he finally entered the Memorial Hall of the Xinhai Revolution.
Old photos and yellowed documents flash before my eyes and are engraved in my mind, silently narrating the courage and pioneering spirit of the revolutionary pioneers during that vicissitudes of life.
It is undeniable that their idea of transplanting political power from overseas was too simplistic. Due to the lack of long-term ruling experience and the constraints of the strength at hand at the time, the revolutionary achievements were gradually stolen by warlords. From the Railway Protection Movement to the first shot in Wuchang, the Qing Dynasty was overthrown and the country was plunged into a quagmire. The Beiyang regime was in chaos, and the Nanyang regime was in chaos. The two major groups hindered each other, and the powers such as Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom rushed over one after another, which eventually led to the disintegration and chaos.
It was a fascinating era, an era of change that had not happened in China for three thousand years. It was filled with too many bizarre things, and people in the new society would never be able to understand what was happening beneath that turbulent tide.
After shaking his head and getting rid of these distracting thoughts, Yang Qiu was suddenly attracted by two old guns in a window in the distance.
"Browning M1911!"
As a retired soldier, Yang Qiu's love for guns cannot be described in words, so he immediately savored the essence of the wars of that era. The old gun seemed to come alive, narrating to his ears the wars it had experienced.
"Young man, do you like it?"
Suddenly, a voice sounded from the side. Yang Qiu turned his head and saw a middle-aged man wearing a black top hat who had come to his side at some point. The exaggerated and retro hat made him look a little funny.
"Yeah." Yang Qiu nodded without disguising. As long as they were military fans, no one would give a second answer.
"Young man, are you here alone?"
"Yes, coming with a tour group is called traveling, coming alone is called worshipping."
"Worship! Good, a good worship, but it's a pity that not many people are willing to come now." The man laughed and suddenly waved his hands. Yang Qiu felt that the world in front of him suddenly spun, and then he lost all consciousness.
…
"Wake up, wake up!"
Under the scorching sun, more than a dozen large horse-drawn carriages were lined up on the official road from Hubei to Guang'an. The carriages were tightly wrapped in oilcloth, and one could only tell from their appearance that they were mostly long boxes .
There were no markings on the carriage, and most of the people escorting the carriage were wearing single shirts, looking more like the escort agency's porters. The only difference was that these "escorts" all carried long spears, had long braids wrapped around their necks, had solid builds, and bright eyes, and looked quite elite.
In the middle of the motorcade, more than a dozen "escorts" gathered in a group, some fanning, some bringing water, and protecting the young people in the middle of the circle who were dressed in the same way. Even with such an unexpected situation, these "escorts" did not panic at all, saving those who saved others and taking care of those who took care of others, and it was obvious that they were well-trained.
Yang Qiu only felt that someone seemed to be shouting next to his ear, but the dialect sounded vague. He thought he had arrived at the Naihe Bridge. He tried hard to open his eyes, but found that there was a group of big men with spears on their backs gathered in front of him. What was even more strange was that these people were holding whips!
This scene surprised him greatly. Could it be that a film crew was filming in the Wuhan Red Building's Xinhai Revolution Museum?
"Huzi, you are too weak. You can't even stand this little bit of sunlight. I don't know how you got into our new army."
"Silence!"
A bearded man just started to talk nonsense, but a strong man next to him stopped him, looked around nervously, and when he found that there was no outsider, he scolded: "Stop talking nonsense, help him up."
The big men helped Yang Qiu up. After drinking two gulps of water, he finally felt a little stronger. He looked around at the mountains and asked gratefully, "Thank you, brothers. What kind of movie are you shooting? Where is this?"
"Filming..."
Yang Qiu's question left the surrounding burly men completely bewildered. They stared at each other in amazement. After a while, the burly man who seemed to be the leader of the team asked nervously, "Huzi, what's wrong with you? Did you hit your head when you fell just now?"
"Come on, help him over and take a rest. We are not in a hurry now."
Yang Qiu felt a little depressed. What was going on? But at this moment, he just felt dry mouth and was anxious and couldn't speak. He could only point to the water bowl in the hand of the baby-faced boy next to him.
"Brother Yang, drink slowly." The baby-faced young man hurriedly handed over the water bowl. Yang Qiu took it and was about to drink the water when he suddenly found a strange face in the clear water. The man looked to be about 21 or 22 years old and had a heroic look, but he was wearing the same military uniform, and around his neck... there was a big shiny braid!
"What's going on? Who am I..."
As he thought about it, an unprecedented pain suddenly hit him. Yang Qiu felt as if a string of firecrackers were lit in his head, exploding all over, and he wanted to jump off the cliff not far away immediately.
"Tiger, Tiger!"
Just when Yang Qiu felt his eyes go dark and countless strange messages came pouring in, he heard bursts of nervous shouting in his ears, and then he lost consciousness again.
The mountain road is long and the night breeze is blowing.
Yang Qiu and the baby-faced soldier sat by the campfire with a dazed look on their faces.
Traveled through time!
This is really weird!
He only remembered that he was on a business trip to Wuhan and on a whim he went to visit the Red Building Museum of the 1911 Revolution. He met a middle-aged man and asked him why he came alone to visit.
He said that if he came with a tour group, it was tourism, but if he came alone, it was worship! The middle-aged man was very happy and said that Yang Qiu was a rare young man who could spontaneously come to worship the martyrs in this materialistic age, and then he forgot everything.
When he woke up again, he found himself on the Shu Road.
Yang Qiu is still Yang Qiu, but his identity has become a soldier in the baggage battalion of the Eighth Regiment of the Hubei New Army. It is a typical case of time travel, but the question is, what is the point of coming to this era?
Just knowing a little about modern military affairs can help you handle the Republic of China? No kidding!
"Huzi, eat something."
At noon, the noisy bearded man came over and interrupted Yang Qiu's thoughts. He handed him and the baby-faced man two pieces of hot, dark steamed buns, then sat down beside him and said with a laugh, "What's wrong? You've changed after falling down. Are you missing your wife?"
The bearded man is Ma Kui, Yang Qiu's comrade in this life. The dark-faced strong man is the leader of the group, Xiao Anguo, the commander of the baggage battalion. The baby-faced man next to him is Bingwen, only 17 years old. He joined the army in the same year as Yang Qiu. The two are best buddies in the army. But what is strange is that Ma Kui, a Hebei native, actually went to Hubei to serve in the army, and joined the Hubei New Army, which has a higher level of knowledge than the current Chinese army.
"Thank you, Brother Ma."
"What are you thanking me for? You just had a serious illness a few days ago and didn't rest. You also ran around with us rough guys for three days and three nights. You must be tired." Ma Kui made a few jokes and consoled her, "Have a good sleep. You'll be fine. I, Ma Kui, don't have much else, but I have plenty of strength. At worst, I can carry you to Chengdu."
"Chengdu? Are we going to Chengdu?"
"Brother Yang, what's wrong with you..." The baby-faced Bingwen's hands trembled, and he looked at Yang Qiu in surprise. Yang Qiu quickly pretended to have a headache and pointed at his forehead: "I hit my head when I fell to the ground just now. It hurts so much that I can't remember some things for a while."
"Then forget it, I tell you."
Bingwen and Yang Qiu joined the army in the same year. Because of his young age, he was usually taken care of by Yang Qiu, so he was even more nervous when he heard it, and he always felt that something was wrong. But Ma Kui was straightforward and not as meticulous as Bingwen, so he did not doubt it. After all, he was too familiar with Yang Qiu in front of him, so he patiently explained.
Amid the nagging of the bearded Ma Kui, Yang Qiu only felt that the mountain wind around him was getting colder and colder. It turned out that he had guessed it right. The grand Sichuan Railway Protection Movement had begun!
Two months ago, after the Qing government ordered the nationalization of the Hanchuan Railway, large-scale protests broke out in Sichuan. With the instigation of the revolutionary party, the flames of protest have become a prairie fire. Ten days ago, the railway shareholders' meeting clamored for armed resistance. The new Sichuan governor Zhao Erfeng urgently asked the court for help. Upon hearing the news, the court immediately ordered the Hubei New Army to escort 1,000 Hanyang-made rifles into Sichuan.
Counting on my fingers, there is still nearly a month before the Railway Protection Movement evolves into an armed conflict, and more than two months before the Wuchang Uprising of 1911. But who could understand the current situation better than Yang Qiu, who had just visited the Memorial Hall of the Revolution of 1911 in his previous life? The Railway Protection Movement is already in full swing, Sichuan is on the verge of chaos, and the Wuchang Uprising is also imminent!
If he escorted guns and ammunition into Sichuan now, wouldn't he become Zhao Erfeng's accomplice and a running dog of the Qing Dynasty? ! Yang Qiu certainly didn't want to go. He was not afraid of being a running dog for a while, but he was afraid that Sichuan was in chaos now. With only two platoons of the baggage battalion escorting the team, there would definitely be many crises along the way.
Yang Qiu was not afraid of fighting. Instead, he felt an inexplicable familiarity and excitement in his heart after touching the gun, because he had been a soldier in his previous life, and he was in the frontline border reconnaissance force. He had been stationed in the dangerous Karakoram Mountains, caught drug lords in the Burmese rainforest, and fought on the Sino-Afghan border. Later, he was injured in the leg during the operation to eliminate separatists and had to be demobilized. Fortunately, with the personal care of the division commander, he was awarded the title of combat hero. After he recovered from his injury, he was assigned to the Shanghai Volkswagen Automobile Factory as a middle-level manager according to the treatment of professional officers.
But the problem is, there were neither Kevlar bulletproof vests nor advanced communication equipment, and even no helmets in those days. In summer, people only had a single layer of clothing on their bodies. A group of fifty people who could barely be considered militiamen rushed into the mud pit of Chengdu, which was full of militia groups, with at least several thousand guns and the support of Tibetan chieftains. What was the difference between this and seeking death?
Yang Qiu was very angry. If no one had said that, he would have jumped up and cursed! It's fine if you, Zhao Erfeng, can't handle Sichuan. It's fine if you want to take credit and ask the new Hubei army to take action! But why should I, a time traveler who doesn't even know the year, month and day of the Western calendar, go into this cesspool with a big bag of "explosives"?
Moreover, Xiao Anguo, who had a dark face, was also confused. Wouldn't it be easy for you to just pull out a full-strength battalion, with Maxim machine guns leading the way and mountain artillery escorting on both sides? Why did you have to do something like escorting incognito? Is this called escorting military supplies? It's almost the same as the underground party.
Talking about the current situation in Sichuan, Ma Kui's face was full of nervousness. Although this bearded man looked excited and talked eloquently, Yang Qiu, who had been a scout and was very meticulous, could easily see that every time this guy talked about the revolutionaries and militia over there, his thumbs would unconsciously retract.
It’s no wonder that the Hubei New Army finally surrendered to the Kuomintang. Even the Swedish side was slaughtered by the soldiers. They were surrounded by thousands of guns and tens of thousands of Kuomintang and militia. It was a fool’s errand to try to be a hero!
Rebel, rebel immediately, join the Revolutionary Party! Wait...it seems that the Democratic Party has no future!
This is a life-threatening situation!
As the night fell, Yang Qiu was in a state of confusion. If the escort was fine, it would be fine. But what if something went wrong? A thousand Mausers plus bullets would be a bundle of fuses to ignite the Sichuan gunpowder barrel. If the Kuomintang knew about it, they would probably be surrounded by thousands of people tomorrow morning. At that time he abandon the dark and join the revolutionary torrent, or bite the bullet and become a running dog of the Qing Dynasty?
"Well, that's all."
The bearded Ma Kui stood up and patted Yang Qiu and Bingwen on the shoulders: "One of you came back from the foreign school in the Shanghai Concession, and the other is a new student. You both still don't know what's going on in the outside world, so do n't think that we have a few guns. If we really enter Sichuan, we won't be enough to feed others!"
"By the way, change your clothes before you set off tomorrow morning. Don't let others see that we are new soldiers. Otherwise... we will all be doomed." The bearded man patted his butt and left. Looking at the thin figure in the reflection of the firelight, Yang Qiu and Bingwen looked at each other and were shocked for no reason. From the last few words, it can be heard that Ma Kui and these new army soldiers actually knew very well what was going to happen.
Bingwen lost interest in talking after handing the kettle to Yang Qiu. He leaned against the stone wall holding his Mauser. Yang Qiu was holding the burnt bun and found it hard to swallow. Tomorrow...
"Is it the birth of a group of anti-Qing heroes, or the death of a group of Qing cannon fodder on the streets of Chengdu?!" With confused thoughts, Yang Qiu slowly leaned back. Suddenly, he felt as if his butt was hit by something hard, and he grabbed it with his right hand.
I was stunned for a moment.
This is a yellowed marching bag. Of course, it is not the double-shoulder type in later generations. It is more like a single-shoulder cloth schoolbag with a red five-pointed star on it in the 1950s and 1960s. Every soldier in the new army was issued one, which can be used to carry personal belongings during marches.
The key point is not the marching bag, but the things in the bag are so surprising. According to old Yang Qiu's memory, there were only a few sets of clothes in the bag when he set out, but now there are not only two Colt M1911 A1 and several magazines, but also something like a PDA handheld computer.
How is this going?
Seeing that everyone was asleep, Yang Qiu immediately quietly opened his PDA, and a line of small words appeared on the screen after a flash. "Young man, I hope this is useful to you." This sentence reminded him of the middle-aged man with the funny hat, and he immediately read it carefully.
After the handwriting, there was a series of instructions for use, and then one miniature drawing after another, ranging from ordinary revolvers to battleships and aircraft carriers.
But this advanced gadget, which claimed that it could be used just by exposing it to the sun and could withstand close-range bullets, not only did not make Yang Qiu happy, but made him furious!
Why don't you just give me the equipment and manpower to make them!
