Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 43 Liu Tong
Beside the Han River, teams of soldiers lined up in neat rows waiting to board the ship.
After nearly two months of training that was both arduous and full of freshness and laughter, the 42nd Battalion of the 21st Mixed Brigade of the Hubei New Army began to accept deployment tasks again. Those leaving were the 2nd and 3rd Battalions that were about to be deployed to Hankou and Liujiamiao Station.
Zhang Wenjing and Yue Peng both had the Browning M1911 rifles that Su Hongsheng had delivered yesterday on their waists. They were dressed in military uniforms, their leather boots were polished to a shine, and they looked incredibly energetic.
"When you hear the sound of artillery fire, Wen Jing, you should immediately lead your troops back to Hankou to meet Yue Peng. Yue Peng, you should also be careful. If Wuchang is really in chaos, there must be people causing trouble in Hankou as well. Those who take advantage of the fire to rob..." Yang Qiu raised his eyebrows.
The later Hankou Chronicles recorded in detail that from the night of the Wuchang Uprising to the next night, the local hooligans and gangsters in Hankou also gathered after hearing the news, and took the opportunity to commit atrocities, killing and injuring nearly a thousand people, robbing hundreds of shops and banks, and losing more than several million in cash. What is even more strange is that after the Wuchang army crossed the river, they only arrested a dozen people, only two were shot, and the rest were all released, and the money disappeared, which shows that there was a lot of water involved.
But he was not worried about this now. Yue Peng was a smart man and immediately understood what he meant. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will let them understand the difference between regular troops !"
The two wise men, who both knew the truth, smiled at each other, and Yang Qiu continued, "We are now on duty, but each of us only has three bullets. We must save them unless necessary. I will send someone to deliver the bullets to you immediately after Brother Xiao and the others succeed. If the baggage battalion can get here, I will also increase your troops. As for Chen Shanyou and Guo Erxing..."
"Don't worry, sir. Although Wen Jing spends more time with a pen than a gun, he will never be so pedantic as to allow others to bully him..." Zhang Wenjing smiled and said, "I think the Liu Family Temple is too important. I should be allowed to stay there to guard it."
Yang Qiu knew very well that Liujia Temple was important, but it was too dangerous. Historically, after Zhang Biao escaped, he set up a large camp there and persisted until Yinchang arrived. It would not be a problem for Zhang Wenjing to deal with Chen Shanyou, but it was too dangerous to deal with him, so he could not take the risk of putting the entire camp under this man's mouth.
"Come back if you want. Liujia Temple is the first stop when entering the three towns. Once there is a change, the army from the north will surely come overnight. Even a single battalion of yours cannot stop them. Retreating to Hankou and relying on it is your only hope of winning." Yue Peng straightened his back and looked at the river to analyze the gains and losses.
Zhang Wenjing laughed: "Zi'an, you haven't made such an analysis for a long time. It seems that our top student is back."
"Hold on tight. Just bear with whatever happens for a few days. I don't want to ask Chen Shanyou to take your head back."
"Go to hell! I'm telling you, if he doesn't obey, I'll kill him and spread the word that it was you, Yue Peng, who did it. Then you can just wait for his concubines to come and warm your bed..."
"Ha ha……"
After all the soldiers boarded the ship with their empty ammunition belts, Yang Qiu immediately stepped forward and raised his arm to see them off with military etiquette. It was the first time for everyone to see the commander send off these soldiers so solemnly, and they all perked up.
Such a scene made Yue Peng and Zhang Wenjing smile at each other. Although the training time was not long, the outlook of this troop has changed greatly through the unexpected training and intensive ideological indoctrination. More importantly, the soldiers still don't know that they have been branded by that man unknowingly!
The departure of the two camps was like releasing two carrier pigeons. Will they be able to return safely after five days?
Yang Qiu didn't know , he really didn't know. There were too many variables beneath the turbid surface of the river. Rebellion and peace were commonplace. No matter how much he talked, Xiao Anguo and others were always separated from him. Even if they were really convinced by him, the fact that Shen Shukai had not been heard from until now had cast a gray shadow on the future.
Millions of dollars and a shipload of munitions would be an enviable fortune in any era. Was it greed? Or was it discovered? When the sun went down, the "Ship of Hope" that was supposed to arrive still...did not dock.
After putting away the old pocket watch, Yang Qiu put aside all bad thoughts and walked towards the still bustling camp with Bingwen. The departure of the second and third battalions did not make the place empty. The security team and the mixed baggage and engineering teams assigned to him by Li Yuanhong, totaling more than 500 people, filled the place again.
Hope...is still there!
…
Three days have passed since the Mid-Autumn Festival, but traces of the festival can still be seen on Xinsheng Road in Hankou, with heavy traffic and bustling activity. The tense atmosphere in Wuchang seems to have been blocked by the Yangtze River. It has even become more prosperous after a large number of businessmen, officials and their families crossed the river to take shelter.
Liu Tong stood at the door of the photo studio, staring at the photos of the modern girl with makeup on for a long time, especially the pair of breasts that seemed to be about to burst out. His mouth felt a little dry and itchy. He touched his pocket and found that the cigarette was finished, so he had to walk into the photo studio.
He didn't come here to take pictures, but Mr. and Mrs. Liu took refuge here temporarily after the incident in Nanhu. For safety reasons, the couple dared not go out again, and all daily interactions were left to him.
When I went upstairs, I saw my eldest brother facing the window, fiddling with the telescope he brought back from England. I went over to him and asked, "Brother, what's interesting? Let me take a look."
Li Shuqing, who was folding the quilt, smiled and said, "Uncle, stop messing around. Your brother is watching the soldiers' daily patrol routes."
"Patrol route? What's so interesting about it?" Liu Tong curled his lips, opened the drawer and found that there was not a single cigarette. He licked his lips and said, "Besides, didn't Brother Sun Wu and the others tell you not to worry about it? You are not in good health, so just take a good rest. Why worry about it for nothing?"
"Nonsense, what's more important, health or revolution? Liu Fuqi and his men are preparing to start a rebellion with their lives on the line, but I'm just sitting there doing nothing every day... Really, oh!" Hearing the sigh, Li Shuqing hurriedly comforted him, "Don't be so sad all day long. People are different and things are different. If you hadn't tricked your family into raising money, they wouldn't even be able to raise enough money now."
"Oh, right." Li Shuqing suddenly remembered something and asked, "Yang Yuru and his men took the money to go to Shanghai to buy guns, why haven't they come back yet? It's already three days since the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they've been delaying the uprising. Did something happen to them?"
Mr. Liu sighed, "Nothing has happened yet. The explosives were shipped back a few days ago, but the guns I asked Chen Qimei to buy have not been collected yet. He originally promised to keep them for himself, so that's why it's been delayed."
"Why is he interfering again when everything is going well?" Li Shuqing didn't like Chen Qimei. When she heard that he was holding up the key gun, she said angrily, "This guy is not good. He smokes opium and visits prostitutes all day long. I heard that he has contracted syphilis. I don't know why he was allowed to manage Shanghai."
"He's in contact with gang members, after all..." Just as Liu Gong was about to say a few good words for Chen Qimei, Li Shuqing waved her hand impatiently: "Stop talking, this is your man's business, I don't like to hear it."
Seeing that his wife didn't want to listen, Mr. Liu could only laugh dryly. Liu Tong was too lazy to stay any longer, so he spread his hands and said, "Brother, give me a dollar."
"Why do you need money again?" Mr. Liu frowned. After handing over the daily expenses and purchasing matters to Liu Tong, he spent money like water, which made him a little unhappy.
Liu Tong was not embarrassed at all and said, "I'm going to buy a pack of cigarettes. I've been busy with many social events lately, so I have to smoke a few cigarettes."
Seeing that Mr. Liu was unhappy, Li Shuqing came over and took out a dollar and handed it to Liu Tong: "Your brother's money has been used for support recently. We are not well off, so you should save some money. By the way, you should smoke less, don't hurt yourself like your brother."
"Sister-in-law is still good to me." Liu Tong said with a smile: "Rui Cheng, that old dog, embezzled millions of taels. Next time I raid his house, I will let you and brother live the life of a Shanghai tycoon."
"Nonsense! Even if their property is confiscated, the money will be used by the party. How can they embezzle it privately? How is this different from the Manchu Tartars?" When Mr. Liu heard this, he was so angry that he started coughing.
"You, Liu Tong is just a child, he just said that." Li Shuqing hurried over to give him a back massage. Seeing that his brother was really angry, Liu Tong did not dare to stay any longer and quickly ran downstairs.
Looking at Liu Tong's figure through the window, Mr. Liu sighed and picked up the telescope again.
After Liu Tong went out, he bought a pack of cigarettes. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw Jin Lai Li talking to a few young hooligans from the Yangtze River Gang. But when he passed by, Jin Lai Li stopped talking and said with a smile: "Hey, isn't this Brother Liu Tong? You're already smoking a cigarette, have one."
Liu Tong was young and liked to read biographies of knights, so he always envied people like Jin Lai Li. After handing a few cigarettes to Jin Lai Li and his gang members, he asked with a smile: "Brother Jin, what are you talking about? Are you discussing something good behind my back?"
"That's not a good thing." Jin Lai Li rolled his eyes and said seriously, "It seems that a rebellion is about to happen. Discuss with the brothers what to do."
"Haha, Brother Jin is still chivalrous." Liu Tong said after chatting for a few words: "Come on, Brother Jin, you guys are busy. I'll go to Baoshanli to take a look. I heard that there are many new things here."
"Then go quickly, don't let your brother down." After Jin Lai Li sent Liu Tong away, the corners of his mouth suddenly curved, and he turned his head and said, "The explosives arrived a few days ago, and they are rushing to make them overnight, so in my opinion, this should happen in a day or two. You should immediately notify the brothers to get ready and take out all the stuff we have hidden. Don't hide it now! Humph... We have been hiding and hiding for several years, and it's time to get some and enjoy a good life!"
"Brother, Gang Leader Rui's place..."
"Who cares! A woman has been occupying that position for several years. When we succeed, I want to taste her delicate skin and tender flesh!"
"Hehe..." Several hooligans laughed obscenely at the same time and said, "Then can we have some soup too..."
"Let's put the soup aside for now. Chang Si is not someone you'll want to mess with." Jin Lai Li finished speaking, flicked away the cigarette butt with his fingers, glanced greedily at the busy street, and said fiercely, "Prepare some more white towels... Tie them around your arms when the time comes, and we'll have a good revolution!"
