Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 17 Banquet Tan Yankai
In the Huguang Governor's Mansion, drums and music were set up early, and the servants and maids were busy as a whirlwind, hating the "great hero" whom they had not met yet. If it weren't for the baggage "coach" who appeared out of nowhere, would they have been so busy?
"Hey, isn't this Lord Guo? I heard you're going to be promoted to commander? Hey, don't pull me, what are you doing?"
"You idiot, you only know how to drink and have sex all day long. Didn't you see that Lord Guo looked unhappy today?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nonsense! It's all because of the job of the commander! Yang Qiu is now the 42nd commander."
"What, that lackey?"
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm Baturu."
"Bullshit, he's just a baggage driver. When he comes, I'll spit in his face."
There were groups of curious people on the street, pointing and talking about the officials and gentry coming in and out. There were not many envious eyes, but more curiosity and hatred, because since Rui Cheng came, the Huguang Governor's Office became a gathering place for banner officials. Moreover, he changed the idea of his predecessor Zhang Zhidong, and arbitrarily increased taxes under various pretexts in order to supply the Qing Dynasty, which was about to collapse. Together with the foreigners in the concessions, he exploited the two places.
Suddenly, the crowd became agitated. From afar, they saw two officers wearing brand new general uniforms and shiny boots walking towards them. The one on the left, in particular, looked to be in his early twenties, with a slender figure and a heroic face. He walked with his back straight, giving people a sharp feeling like a sword unsheathed.
"I'm Zhang Meisheng, the advisor of the Governor's Office. Nice to meet Commander Yang Biao and Captain Xiao." Zhang Meisheng was entertaining guests. When he saw the two men, his eyes lit up and he ran over quickly. The curious people nearby were also suddenly excited. They didn't expect that this young man was Yang Qiu, the new commander of the 42nd Battalion, who was just conferred the title "Loyal and Brave Baturu" by the emperor.
"Bah! Pretty boy, without any dick or balls, working for the Tartars!" The person who cursed felt very happy.
"A handsome man." The praiser only found one advantage.
"Wow, he's so handsome." This is a nymphomaniac.
As soon as Yang Qiu and Xiao Anguo entered the door, before they had time to "appreciate" the scenery inside the Governor's Mansion, they saw Rui Cheng, accompanied by a woman and a large group of gentry and officials, personally walking out of the hall to greet them. They immediately knelt on one knee to salute and greet them.
"Your subordinate Yang Qiu (Xiao Anguo) is here to see His Excellency the Governor."
"Get up, get up quickly." Rui Cheng quickly helped them up and said with a smile, "Tonight is a family dinner to celebrate your success. No need to be polite."
"Without the recommendation of the Governor, there would be no Yang Qiu and An Guo today." Xiao An Guo said, took out a small brocade box from his arms, handed it to Zhang Meisheng beside him and said with a smile: "This is some gifts , I hope you will accept it."
"Haha, you guys..." Rui Cheng pretended to sigh, opened the box and saw a three-inch tall pure gold smiling Maitreya. Immediately, his smile widened and he said, "It's not easy to save some money by serving as a soldier. Don't do that next time." After that, he returned the box to Zhang Meisheng and deliberately said in a heavy tone, "Go, put it on my desk."
After Zhang Meisheng left, Rui Cheng held the two of them affectionately and began to introduce the guests to them: "This is my wife, and this is..."
When introducing Ruicheng's wife Liao Keyu, Yang Qiu secretly took a closer look at her. It was not because this lady was so beautiful, but many people in later generations said that the success of Wuchang was due to this lady, because she persuaded Ruicheng to leave early, which led to the army's lack of command. Some people also said that she was a spy planted by the Kuomintang for many years. I don't know if this is really the case.
"This is..." Rui Cheng pulled him to the door of a 40-something officer with a haughty face, "Guo Erxing is the current commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 42nd Regiment. From tomorrow on, he will be Chen Hua's colleague. You should get closer to him later."
"Captain Guo, nice to meet you." Yang Qiu saluted while muttering in his heart, because most of the people who had something to do with the army along the way were from the Patrol City Battalion, which showed how strict Zhang Biao's control over the new army was. He didn't expect to meet one of them in the end, and he was his subordinate!
"Thank you for your courtesy, Lord Biaotong. I hope you can take care of me in the future." Guo Erxing looked arrogant. After saying this, he simply sat down next to him to drink.
"Chen Hua, don't take this reckless man to heart."
"How could that be possible? I'm new here and don't know anything. I'll need Lord Guo's help in the future." Hearing the protective tone in Rui Cheng's words, Yang Qiu understood a little. This Guo Erxing must be someone Rui Cheng had inserted into the army. If it weren't for his estimation, he should be the new commander of the 42nd Battalion.
No wonder people are rude, they are blocking the way.
After introducing the guests, Ruicheng was about to invite everyone to take their seats when a hearty laugh suddenly came from the doorway: "What day is today? It's so lively."
Yang Qiu turned his head and saw a man in his thirties wearing a thin green shirt, with thick eyebrows, big eyes and a small mustache walking in. After seeing the man, Rui Cheng also laughed: "I was wondering who came to the door, it turned out to be Zuan."
Zaun? It's him!
Tan Yankai, the first champion of Hunan, was a man of distinguished family background and the son of Tan Zhonglin, the former governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, who was known as a master of Yan style calligraphy! When Yang Qiu heard this name, he immediately thought of the old photos he had seen in the Memorial Hall of the Revolution of 1911. When he thought of this person, it was no wonder that even Ruicheng, the governor of Huguang, was polite to him.
Seeing Ruicheng coming to greet him personally, Tan Yankai hurriedly saluted and said, "Hunan Advisor Tan Yankai greets the Governor."
"Zuan, you're too polite." Rui Cheng helped Tan Yankai up and asked, "Zuan, why are you here this time..."
"Your Excellency, I came to Wuchang this time to pick up the firearms that the new army ordered from Hanyang." Tan Yankai bowed and said, "There have been many bandit problems in Hunan recently, so the new army is in urgent need of firearms to suppress them. I hope Your Excellency will..."
"I have heard about this matter. Please wait for a few days. In a few days, a batch of guns will be available from Hanyang. You can go and receive them then."
"Thank you, Governor." After thanking him, Tan Yankai saw that Yang Qiu and Xiao Anguo were unfamiliar faces and asked, "Who are these two..."
Rui Cheng chuckled, patted his head pretendingly, and said with a smile: "Look at my memory, Zuan is better off arriving at the right time than arriving early today. Come, let me introduce you, this is Yang Qiu, who has made great contributions in killing enemies in Sichuan, and was awarded the title of 'Loyal and Brave Baturu' by the emperor. He is the new commander of the 42nd Battalion of the 21st Mixed Brigade of the Hubei Army. You will need him to lead the way when you go to Hanyang to pick up the gun in a few days."
Tan Yankai had also heard of Yang Qiu's "good name" before he came, but he didn't expect that he was such a handsome young man. He smiled and said, "So it's Yang Biaotong, who is famous in Huguang. I have heard of him for a long time."
It is true that bad news spreads far and wide!
Yang Qiu smiled bitterly in his heart, but he still admired Tan Yankai. At least his handwriting was good, right? He quickly said politely, "Master Tan, you are too polite. Chen Hua is just a rough man in the army. How can you compare with Master Tan, who has a literary talent and good handwriting?"
Being tickled about the proudest thing in his life, Tan Yankai also looked at Yang Qiu twice and said with a smile: "At the young age, he fought on the battlefield and made great achievements. He was awarded the title of loyal and brave Baturu and the emperor also bestowed a yellow vest. Such achievements are rare. Yankai really admires him."
"Haha, you two, one literary and one martial, are having a lively conversation. My food and wine are getting cold." Rui Cheng smiled and pulled the two back to their seats. He also specially pulled Tan Yankai to his side and asked him for some advice on calligraphy.
After Tan Yankai toasted Yang Qiu and Xiao Anguo a few times, he suddenly smiled and asked, "I heard that Yang Biaotong had been studying at the Shanghai Ocean Academy. How did he think of returning to Hubei?"
Not to mention other people, even Rui Cheng pricked up his ears when he asked this question. Yang Qiu also knew that his background must have been dug up several times. He thought twice and said, "Doesn't Lord Tan know that Chen Hua is from Hubei?"
"Since I was born in Hubei, no matter where I go, I will always be nurtured by the Han River, so after finishing my studies, I came back to join the new army. I dare not say that I have served the country, but I have never given up the obsession of protecting my home."
"Well said." Rui Fang slapped the table and nodded, "If everyone had Chen Hua's heart to protect the country and the family, there would be no trouble, sir, don't you think so?"
Seeing Ruicheng didn't respond, Tan Yankai continued to ask with a smile while holding his wine glass: "Yankai is a weak man, but seeing the unstable situation, he is extremely anxious. After thinking about it, he feels that the root of the problem is the dispute between Western learning and Chinese learning. Biaotong is a student of Western learning and has a heart to serve the country. I wonder what your opinion is?"
Didn't Tan Yankai come here on purpose to embarrass Lord Benbiao? Was it not a coincidence, but was it deliberately arranged by the old fox Rui? Yang Qiu was treacherous, and when he saw Rui Cheng stroking his beard and waiting, he didn't think there was anything hidden between the two.
But this question is really difficult to answer. Although Tan Yankai is a constitutionalist, he sympathized with the party before the Xinhai Revolution. Ruicheng is a well-known conservative, so he hesitated for a while before saying: "At the beginning of the Westernization Movement, Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong advocated opening the country to the outside world and learning from the West. Their original intention was to obtain the essence to supplement our country. However, some people used the name of Westernization Movement to not learn the essence of Western machinery forging, but were obsessed with the way of deception and wanted to copy the Westerners' stuff."
"But they forget that water has different tastes, and countries have different tastes. Simply copying them will only make people more confused. If the people are in chaos, the country will be in chaos, and if the country is in chaos, the people will be even more confused. That's why the foreigners are bullying us more and more . If this goes on, Yang Qiu won't be able to see clearly. I hope Mr. Tan can give me some advice."
"Haha... When the people are in turmoil, the country will be in turmoil, and when the country is in turmoil, the people will be in turmoil even more! Those rebels are really abominable. Instead of seeking to repay their loyalty, they learn the Western ways of deception to disrupt the foundation of our Qing Dynasty. They deserve to be killed!" Rui Cheng laughed and slapped the table, saying, "After listening to Chen Hua's words today, this governor has suddenly become enlightened. Come here..."
Zhang Meisheng, who had been standing nearby, heard the call and quickly took out two prepared boxes from his arms and handed them to Yang Qiu and Xiao Anguo: "My lords, this is a small gift from the gentry to congratulate you for your patriotism and loyalty to the emperor."
"Bribery? Is there such a good thing?" Yang Qiu glanced at Tan Yankai opposite him and saw that he looked a little unhappy, as if he was not very satisfied with Rui Cheng's blatant bribery. Then he thought that the silver was really hard to handle. If he took it, it would be difficult to deal with Zhang Biao if he questioned him. So he wanted to refuse.
Rui Cheng saw that Yang Qiu was slow to speak, and knew that he was afraid of Zhang Biao. He snorted and said, "This is a good intention from everyone, just accept it. I will explain it to Lord Zhang."
Since Rui Cheng said so, Yang Qiu could only grit his teeth and quietly kick Xiao Anguo, then he picked up the wine glass and stood up to thank him: "Yang Qiu and Lord Xiao are both rough soldiers and don't know etiquette. I shouldn't accept this money, but since it is the kindness of the Governor and everyone, I will take the liberty to accept it. By the way, I would like to offer a toast to the Governor and everyone. If you need anything in the future, just come to me."
When Tan Yankai saw that Yang Qiu accepted the bribe , he felt unhappy. He originally thought that Yang Qiu was worthy of friendship after hearing what he said just now, but he didn't expect that he would get together with Rui Cheng at the beginning of taking office, so he stopped talking.
Seeing Yang Qiu accept the money, Rui Cheng smiled even more happily, clapped his hands and said, "Go, bring the singer to entertain everyone."
After a while, a group of singers in gauze came in. Their singing and dancing finally eased the atmosphere in the room. Yang Qiu had no interest in these women with bound feet and faces as white as cardboard. He quietly opened the box when no one was paying attention and was shocked by the amount of money inside.
As expected of the governor, he was very generous and gave a full ten thousand!
Yang Qiu regretted accepting the money. He was just a small commander, so why did he deserve such a big gift? Just when he was wondering what Rui Cheng was up to, Rui Fang came over under the cover of singing and dancing and whispered, "Master Yang, the people in Wuchang are unstable now. The governor has been concerned about the safety of Hanyang. Since the 42nd Battalion is responsible for protecting Hanyang, you must pay more attention to this matter."
"Arsenal!" A cold light suddenly flashed in Yang Qiu's eyes.
