Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 29 Shanghai Incident
At the end of summer and the turn of autumn, rainstorms always visit Shanghai unexpectedly.
Looking out from the third-floor window of the French Concession , there were fewer pedestrians on the street and most of the van drivers were hiding in the street corners to avoid the rain. A few young men were whistling at two female students who were handing out leaflets, while the Indian patrolman with a thick turban turned a blind eye.
As the most modern city in China, Shanghai shines brightly even in the entire Far East. HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citibank, Bank of France and other famous banks in later generations have chosen it as their first stop to enter the Chinese market. The huge population and turbulent environment made bankers from all over the world and the powers behind them cheer. The reputation of Oriental Adventure Park attracted too much attention.
This is a country that must change!
Veins were already showing on the back of Song Jiaoren's hand as he pinched the window sill. There were too many blood-sucking tubes inserted into this country. If nothing could be done to change, then one day even its bone marrow would be drained.
However, after returning from Sichuan, he always felt inexplicably anxious. The four questions that Yang Qiu had when he put the gun to his head kept lingering around him: the Beiyang faction held a large number of troops, Yuan Shikai's unemployed home was not reassuring, there were concessions throughout the country, foreign capital plundering that had penetrated deep into his blood, and the shadow of a civil war if the revolution failed.
How should we go on this road?
"Mr. Song, Mr. Huang and Mr. Chen are here."
Song Jiaoren turned his head and saw Miao Yuan standing behind him. He sighed, "Your sister's..."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Song." Miao Yuan's eyebrows flashed with worry, and he said, "You are doing great things. I will inform the brothers in the gang to look for Miao Luo."
"Okay." Song Jiaoren said, and fearing that Miao Yuan might do something wrong, he warned: "Yang Qiu could have taken our lives that day, but he didn't. This shows that he is not really a running dog of the Qing Dynasty, so if it is not necessary..."
"Don't worry, sir. Miao Yuan knows what to do."
Hearing this, Song Jiaoren felt a little relieved. He walked out of the bedroom and saw Chen Qimei, who was wearing a top hat and holding a cigarette, and looked very young. He was whispering something happily to Huang Xing, who came to Shanghai for treatment of his injuries. The latter was disheartened because of the Huanghuagang incident and had been hiding in Hong Kong under the pretext of healing his injuries. He seemed to be in no mood to speak to Song Jiaoren when he saw him.
Chen Qimei also saw Song Jiaoren, but did not throw away the cigarette. He knew that many people could not stand his hanging out with the Green Gang, going to bathhouses and brothels, saying that he smoked opium and visited prostitutes and did not behave like a revolutionary comrade. But if he did not do this, how could he raise up a group of gang brothers? Without brothers, how could he have his current status!
So he sneered in his heart, put on a smile and said, "Brother Fisherman, you are in a good mood today."
Song Jiaoren clearly didn't have the slightest smile on his face, but he said he was in a good mood. Isn't this just a deliberate loss of face? Miao Yuan's face darkened as he followed behind him. Huang Xing saw this and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Fisherman, I'm going back to Hong Kong tomorrow. Today I'm here to discuss what Sun Wu proposed to launch in Wuchang."
"What? Is Sun Wu really going to start an uprising in Wuchang?" Song Jiaoren didn't want to argue with Chen Qimei, so he turned to Huang Xing and asked, "Wuchang is heavily guarded. Although they said they mobilized a lot of soldiers, the total number is less than a battalion. If we act rashly, I'm afraid..."
Although Song Jiaoren did not continue, everyone knew what he meant. The Battle of Huanghuagang resulted in the loss of all the domestic and foreign elites accumulated by the Tongmenghui over the years, and Dr. Sun Yat-sen was forced to flee overseas. Many comrades were already discouraged, so more people turned their attention to Sichuan, trying to use the Railway Protection Movement to realize the first uprising. However, Sun Wu proposed to start an uprising in Wuchang at this time, which was really worrying.
Huang Xing also knew it was difficult. If Sun Wu failed again, the last elite Kuomintang troops in China would also be destroyed. They might have to live in seclusion overseas. So he took out the telegram sent by Sun Wu and introduced the preparations. He said, "Sun Wu means that his comrades are ready to take on the important task of the first uprising, and there are many of our people in the army. The biggest problem at present is munitions and explosives. Although Zhang Biao and Rui Cheng are not in harmony, they are very strict on this matter. Now we only have some pistols and basically no long guns. Recently, the commander of Chuwangtai has been replaced, and the management is more strict. I am afraid it will be troublesome to get enough guns before the first uprising."
"We in the Green Gang still have some arms. We should be able to buy some by contacting the Japanese, but the quantity is not much. If Wuchang starts an uprising, all places will surely follow suit. I'm afraid we won't be able to spare that much." Chen Qimei bit his cigarette and shook his fingers: "In my opinion, Li Keqiang, you should send a telegram to tell Sun Wu and his men to stop messing around. Sichuan is the most important thing right now."
After the failure in Guangzhou, Huang Xing had been waiting for an opportunity to clear his name, so he also thought about starting the uprising in Wuchang. However, Wuchang was too difficult. When Chen Qimei disagreed, he did not want to dampen the enthusiasm of his subordinates, so he thought about it and said, "Wuchang is not impossible, but it is too dangerous. If we had more guns, it might be better."
"Wuchang is divided into three towns, separated by the Yangtze River and the Han River, so the army cannot be mobilized that quickly. So as long as we can gather a batch of guns and quickly destroy the governor and the admiral's office and seize the arsenal, there should be hope. However, I still prefer to strengthen Sichuan and try to open up the situation there." Huang Xing did not dare to guarantee it. His tone became lower and lower, as if his spirit had been exhausted in Huanghuagang. Song Jiaoren sighed secretly and asked, "By the way, have they contacted the new captain of Chuwangtai?"
"That man is Xiao Anguo, an accomplice of Yang Qiu. Sun Wu and his gang don't dare to contact him rashly." As soon as Huang Xing finished speaking, Chen Qimei became unhappy. He took out his second cigarette, lit it, pointed at Huang Xing and said, "What are you afraid of? If he wants money, give him money. If he wants women, I'll give him women. If he wants to smoke opium, I'll ask the brothers in the gang to give him more. If all else fails, just kidnap Yang Qiu's uncle and talk to him again."
"Yingshi, we are discussing serious matters here." Song Jiaoren became more and more annoyed as he listened, and interrupted, "Don't bring your gang stuff in here."
Chen Qimei was unhappy when he heard this. He glared and said, "What's wrong with the gang? How many people in Shanghai are members of the gang? If there were no gangs to protect you, how could you be so leisurely in Shanghai, fisherman?"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. We are all comrades, and we all want to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. It doesn't matter if we use different methods, as long as we have the same goal." Huang Xing also knew that Chen Qimei and Song Jiaoren had never gotten along well, so he quickly said, "Don't be angry, fisherman. Although Yingshi's words were a bit rough, they were not without reason. Corrupting Qing officers and officials is also a means."
Seeing that Huang Xingquan was defending Chen Qimei, Song Jiaoren was unwilling to break off relations and said, "I have no other intentions, but we must be careful with this man. If we fail to bribe him and he instead informs us, then the promotion of the Wuchang Uprising will be in jeopardy."
"If you're afraid of being informed, why do you want us to hold off on killing Yang Qiu and his accomplices?" Chen Qimei said angrily, "In my opinion, sending someone to kill that traitor is the only way to solve the problem once and for all."
Song Jiaoren didn't expect Chen Qimei to bring up this matter, but it was indeed his instruction not to move Yang Qiu for the time being. He was so angry that his eyebrows jumped. Just as he was about to refute Huang Xing, he said, "Yingshi, Yang Qiu is now the commander of the 42nd Battalion. The unauthorized actions of Jiang Yiwu and others a few days ago have caused an uproar. Even Miss Miao's life and death are unknown. Fortunately, it did not affect the comrades in the army. Now that Sun Wu is determined to start a rebellion, I think it is right not to move him for the time being, so as not to alert the enemy."
Huang Xing finished speaking, and when he saw that the two had stopped arguing, he asked, "By the way, I heard that Yang Qiu grew up in Shanghai. Yingshi, have you checked his background?"
"The brothers in the gang have already checked it out." Chen Qimei said bitterly, "After Yang Qiu's parents came to Shanghai ten years ago, they have been doing kerosene business with the Italian Masonte Company. After they passed away five years ago, the business was transferred to their sworn brother, who is now the uncle of the red man. Yang Qiu himself has always been taken care of by him. His uncle originally wanted him to study in France, but after finishing his studies in the German Concession, he returned to Hubei alone to join the army. Even his uncle only found out about this recently."
"That's strange. Since he studied Western learning, why did he become a running dog of the Qing court?" Huang Xing looked at Chen Qimei in surprise. Chen Qimei curled his lips and sneered, "A red man is a red man. What's so hard to understand? He can become our comrade just by studying Western learning? Look at how successful he is now, with money and power in his hands, and you can tell his character!"
Huang Xing slammed the table and said, "No matter what, this man has become a stumbling block for us. When the overall situation is settled, Sun Wu and his men must find a way to get rid of him. In addition, Wu Yuzhang has sent me a telegram saying that Chengdu has stabilized and they are ready to start over. This fire must be stoked."
"I think we should not only burn it, but also set the whole prairie on fire." Chen Qimei said proudly, "Don't do anything about Wuchang. What can those peasants in the literature club do? It's totally unrealistic. We should focus all our efforts on supporting Sichuan. Only in this way can we shake the foundation of the Qing Dynasty."
Song Jiaoren rolled his eyes at Chen Qimei and said, "It's not that simple. Sichuan is just in the northwest border, and the roads leading into Sichuan are controlled by the Manchus. Unless Sichuan establishes an independent government first, otherwise..."
"The fisherman is right. I have called Wu Yuzhang back and asked them to find a way to create chaos and then fight for independence! As long as the banner of independence is raised and the whole country is mobilized, everything will be fine."
"Li Keqiang, you return to Hong Kong immediately to make arrangements for Guangzhou. If Sichuan can become independent first, you must start the movement immediately. I will go back and find someone to send some explosives to Sun Wu." After everyone had discussed and made some arrangements for the uprising, Chen Qimei didn't want to see Song Jiaoren again, so he clasped his fists and prepared to leave. When he opened the door, he saw a man rushing into the room.
Chen Qimei recognized this man. He was a reporter for the Democracy Daily and one of Song Jiaoren's liaisons. Seeing his hurried steps, he temporarily gave up the idea of leaving immediately and asked, "What happened?"
"Mr. Song, Chief Editor Yu asked me to tell you that our reporter in Sichuan sent a telegram saying that Zhao Erfeng, that old dog, arrested Pu Dianjun and others from the Railway Protection Society and massacred dozens of protesting citizens in the street. Now the whole of Chengdu is in chaos. The Gelaohui has surrounded the city and is attacking it!"
"Great!" Huang Xing jumped up happily like a child. He didn't expect that when he came to Shanghai for a follow-up check on his hand injury, he would receive such great news from Sichuan! As long as Sichuan takes the lead in independence, it will surely lead the whole country!
Song Jiaoren was also very happy and immediately said: "Keqiang, Yingshi, you should contact all places as soon as possible, and ship the explosives and guns as soon as possible. Also, find a way to tell Sun Wu that our focus is on Sichuan during this period. We can only get some guns and explosives for him first, and tell them to be careful..."
Chen Qimei curled his lips. Why did he manage the overall situation and act as if he was superior to others, while he had to run around all day and still not get any thanks? So, he slammed the door and walked out without saying a word.
The slamming of the door made Song Jiaoren scratch his head secretly. He looked at Huang Xing who was in high spirits, and suddenly thought of the four questions. Could it be that what Yang Qiu said was true, that the incomplete revolution would lead to warlord separatism and frequent civil wars?
