Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 14 Invitation from the Governor
Seeing Yang Qiu stunned for a while, and then slapped his thigh for no reason, Xiao Anguo's face darkened. Ma Kui beside him saw this and asked hurriedly: "Brother Huzi, please tell me, Brother Xiao is almost worried to death."
Yang Qiu didn't know how to answer. The sudden epiphany made him no longer so confident in his own mind. Compared with those old hands recorded in history, if he tried to play tricks in front of them, he might not even know how he died.
Li Yuanhong and Zhang Biao were both old foxes. They knew that the Kuomintang also looked down on the most useless baggage battalion, so they promoted Xiao Anguo and thought they could control a force that was completely loyal to them. Although the combat effectiveness of the baggage battalion was poor, it was a battalion after all, with hundreds of Han soldiers. When faced with a critical moment, it would definitely be a considerable force!
Once Xiao Anguo's Wanchuwangtai is blocked, it will be impossible for the Kuomintang to win him over due to his identity as Yang Qiuda's traitor!
Now I need a baggage camp, and Chuwangtai would be better as well, but is there enough time? If I want to train an army that can defeat Beiyang in such a short time, isn't this just a foolish dream!
No longer a new time traveler, Yang Qiu, who has figured out the Western calendar, knows very well that in fifty days or so the three towns of Han River will encounter an unprecedented catastrophe. Although he does not know whether the Sichuan Railway Protection Movement, which was the cause, was destroyed by himself, one thing is certain: Wuchang has become a tool that some people are focusing on using. The reason for this is that there is a Nanyang Hubei New Army here that can rival the Beiyang Army, which is known as the best army in the country!
In later generations, this army was not considered outstanding, but in China at that time, such a new army was undoubtedly a tempting piece of fat meat, and everyone wanted to take a bite, which led to the increasingly tense atmosphere here.
Yang Qiu didn't care about revolution or not. The collapse of the Qing Dynasty was a good thing. The people had been exploited too much. Even if there was no Wuchang, there were still Dongchang and Xichang. If there was no second choice, he would try his best to throw himself into the tide of the times. What he was worried about was the arsenal and the three towns of the Han River. He was worried that the best industrial base in China and the most ideal one in his mind would be destroyed.
When people talk about the modern industry in the late Qing Dynasty, they always mention Jiangnan and Mawei. In fact, Hanyang is generally higher than the rest of the country in terms of both technical capabilities and manufacturing levels. Moreover, the Hanyang Arsenal is large in scale, with a total number of workers exceeding 6,000. If the steel mill is included, there are more than 10,000 workers! In addition, the long history and skilled workers make this a valuable asset in a land of China that is seriously lacking in heavy industry!
The Yangxia War in history caused this place to regress ten years, ten years! How much investment is needed to make up for it? Yuan Shikai and even the later Northeast Military Industry were basically founded by the old man from Hanyang who moved there. This is a precious wealth! Thinking of this, Yang Qiu sighed, glanced at Ma Kui and Xiao Anguo, and suddenly went back to the house and took out the two Mauser pistols seized in Guang'an. He handed one to each of them and then slowly said: "Brother Xiao, Brother Ma, I have something to say."
Both of them recognized this new gun, and they also knew that Yang Qiu had cherished it as if it were his life since he seized it. They didn't expect that he would give it to them now. In addition, seeing Yang Qiu's face suddenly become solemn, Ma Kui and Xiao Anguo's hearts skipped a beat, and they hurriedly asked, "Brother, just tell me what you want to say."
"My two brothers, it's all my fault that I harmed you, so I give this to you for self-defense. This gun can hold 10 rounds of bullets at a time, which is much better than the wheel you are using now."
Without waiting for the two to move quickly, Yang Qiu made a gesture to stop them and continued, "You don't have to thank me. I did this just to tell you that maybe soon... the situation will change. With it, you can also protect yourself."
Change!
Ma Kui and Xiao Anguo even forgot about getting the new guns. They were not fools. Everyone knew about the ups and downs in the new army during this period. Various literary societies and educational societies that sprang up like mushrooms after rain were advocating new learning and revolution, causing panic in the army.
No one likes the Qing Dynasty, and no one likes to wear a long braid all day long. To be honest, if the Qing army really comes to kill them, they will all take up their guns to resist, but this does not mean that everyone is willing to follow those people to make trouble and make the army a mess. But to say that the soldiers can be bribed, they don't quite believe it, and at most they can only sympathize with them.
"Brothers, I know what you are thinking, but the human heart is hard to predict. I just want to tell you that Yang Qiu doesn't like them, and I don't want to be a running dog of the Qing Dynasty. I just want to be a soldier! A soldier who protects my home and my country!" Yang Qiu took a deep breath and slowly stood up from his chair. His eyes suddenly became deep: "I don't care who is in power, but whoever hurts the three towns of Hanjiang and the people here, I will never forgive him!"
There was a mixture of truth and falsehood in what Yang Qiu said. The truth was that he really wanted to change and take another path, but the falsehood was that he was planning to take over the three towns.
"well said!"
After hearing this, Ma Kui slammed the stool hard, as if he had been told something, and clapped his hands with red eyes, saying, "Everyone wants to make trouble, everyone wants it, but who the hell cares about the lives of us, and the lives of those peasants in their mouths! The Manchu Tartars are bad, they should be killed! But look at those people who are clamoring for revolution all day long, who are they? Ruffians, hooligans! Who can clean their asses? From Guangzhou to Huanghuagang, and then to Sichuan, there have been troubles, and the newspapers are promoting it every day, but which one of them cares about the lives of the people? Look at these party members, who didn't go to Japan? They all forgot the shame of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and went to lick the asses of the Japanese, they all deserve to be killed, they deserve to be killed!"
"My two brothers are right. Although Anguo doesn't have any big ambitions, if one day you need me, I will follow you till death!" Xiao Anguo, who was born in the countryside, knew best the sufferings of the lower classes, so he jumped up excitedly by these words.
"Thank you, brothers. Yang Qiu doesn't know what will happen in the future, but I do know one thing. We must protect our soldiers and treat them well. Don't let them be used by those with ulterior motives. If anything changes, the armory... is the key!" Yang Qiu looked at Xiao Anguo and said word by word, "Brother Xiao, you must be more careful!"
"I understand." Xiao Anguo just nodded and was about to speak when a sudden noise was heard in the distance.
"Is Yang Qiu here?"
"Is Yang Qiu here? Ask him to come out and see me."
Yang Qiu turned his head and saw several officers outside the camp gate surrounding a bannerman official with chicken feathers on his head, waving a horsewhip and looking arrogant. Judging from the respectful look of the officers next to him, he should be of high status, but the look he gave the soldiers of the baggage camp was unbearable.
It's like looking at a pile of garbage and feeling full of disdain.
Not to mention that Yang Qiu is now a standard commander, a fifth-rank official, and has been awarded the title of Loyal and Brave Baturu. Just this noisy tone has made many soldiers at the door angry. Yang Qiu sighed secretly. No wonder the soldiers of the new army have complaints about the top leaders, which led to everyone becoming restless when the gunshots rang out in Wuchang. It would be strange if there were no trouble with such an official.
"It's Rui Fang, the supervisor of the Hanchuan Railway. Some say he and Lord Rui Cheng don't get along, while others say he's Rui Cheng's confidant. The relationship between the two is quite complicated." Ma Kui came back to his senses and saw Yang Qiu staring at the other person in a daze, so he walked over to his ear and introduced him.
Is he Ruifang?
He is indeed a short-lived person. Even if this guy is not killed on the way to Sichuan, he will most likely be killed in the uprising.
"Where is Yang Qiu? Go and report to him quickly and ask him to come to see me as soon as possible." Seeing that the soldier did not respond, Rui Fang was very angry. It was already a great concession for him, a second-rank official, to come to this unwanted baggage camp and submit a letter to a fifth-rank official. He did not expect that he did not see anyone after waiting for a long time. He was furious and swung the horse whip fiercely.
The whip swept across the soldier on duty. The weather was hot and he was only wearing thin clothes, so the whip left a purple-red mark.
"stop."
Seeing that the soldiers were surrounding them to judge the situation, Xiao Anguo was afraid that things would get out of hand and hurried over to try to stop the fight. However, Yang Qiu thought about it, bit Ma Kui's ear, and suddenly turned around and walked into the house.
"Are you Xiao Anguo, the commander of the baggage camp?"
"My Lord Rui, I am now the commander of the garrison camp, but I have not yet taken up my post. If you have anything to say, please feel free to tell me." Xiao Anguo suppressed his anger and replied with his head lowered. Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, Rui Fang hurriedly shouted, "Go and ask Yang Qiu to come see me."
"Sir, Commander Yang Biao has been whipped by the Admiral and is resting in bed in the camp and cannot get up to greet you. If you want to see him, please dismount and move." Before Xiao Anguo could say anything, Ma Kui suddenly ran over, and the soldiers beside him were even more puzzled. Wasn't he fine just now? Why couldn't he get out of bed suddenly?
Rui Fang's face turned blue and red instantly. The news that Yang Qiu was whipped and executed had already spread throughout the New Army and the officialdom of the three towns. Everyone knew what the whipping was all about. But this guy was trying to fool him with this matter when he saw him. It was obvious that he wanted to get back face for these peasant soldiers. His crime was unforgivable!
Rui Fang wanted to turn hostile on the spot, but he still had to deliver the Governor's letter. If he delayed the important matter, Rui Cheng, the old fox, would not let him go first. So he gritted his teeth, threw away the whip, dismounted said, "Lead the way."
Seeing that the usually domineering Rui Fang had actually lost his whip, the soldiers nearby realized that Yang Qiu was trying to get back their face, and they were secretly grateful in their hearts.
Soon, Rui Fang saw Yang Qiu lying on the bed with a pale face. When he saw him coming in, Yang Qiu hurriedly pretended to get up with difficulty and said, "Yang Qiu greets you, sir. I can't go to the camp gate to greet you in person. Please forgive me, sir."
Just pretend!
Rui Fang gritted his teeth and said nothing more. He took out his name card and said coldly, "By order of the Governor-General of Huguang, Lord Rui, I invite the loyal and brave Baturu, the new commander of the 42nd Battalion of the Mixed Brigade, Yang Qiu, and the new commander of the Chuwangtai Pingku, Xiao Anguo, to come to your residence in three days. The Governor-General wants to invite the gentry of the three towns to come and ask for merits for the two of you."
"This is a name card. Lord Yang, please keep it well." Rui Fang glanced at Yang Qiu intentionally or unintentionally: "By the way, I wonder if General Yang Biao is seriously injured? Will he be unable to come in three days? If that happens, the Governor-General will be very unhappy."
"Governor?" Yang Qiu glanced at Xiao Anguo, whose face was not very good either, because everyone in the army knew that Zhang Biao and Rui Cheng were not on good terms. If he attended the celebration party held by the Governor, wouldn't it be a clear disrespect to the Admiral?
But if he refused at this moment, it would be perfunctory and he would offend the governor, so after thinking about it, Yang Qiu said first: "Please rest assured, sir, I will definitely go to the mansion with Sir Xiao in three days to listen to the governor's teachings."
"That's good. I'll be leaving first. Lord Yang, you should take good care of your injuries in the next few days." Hearing that Yang Qiu actually agreed, Rui Fang seemed very proud and left the camp in an official manner. Only Xiao Anguo and Yang Qiu were left holding the business card. They both felt that this thin thing was really prickly to the touch.
"No, Brother Xiao, we must go see the Admiral immediately."
