Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 46: The Day of Rise (I)
The knock on the door stopped Yang Qiu, who was looking at the map on the second floor. He turned around and saw Bingwen, Hu Laosan and Lei Meng had already walked in. When he saw him, Bingwen immediately said, "Sir, Brother Xiao sent someone to deliver a message. Something happened in Xiaochao Street last night. The patrol camp raided the place based on the confession of a captured man named Liu Tong. Ruicheng executed four of them this morning. The Jiang Yiwu you mentioned is said to have escaped."
Liu Tong! Yang Qiu felt sorry for the young man: "They are all generous people, but it's a pity..."
"Don't think about it, sir. Let's kill a few more Manchus and that will be our revenge." Seeing Bingwen so optimistic, Yang Qiu shook his head and said seriously, "Don't think that if we rebel, they will believe us so easily. It's better to keep a little bit of caution."
Hu Laosan added: "I don't like them. They have no military discipline at all. It's better for us to rely on our brothers."
Lei Meng even said that he might as well do it himself, but was glared at by Yang Qiu. He did not continue the topic, but took out the hidden bullets from the cabinet and began to distribute them. Due to the detailed drawings, Su Hongsheng privately made 10 M1911s and 8 Mausers in the past month. 4 M1911s were given to Yue Peng and Zhang Wenjing, who kept one each and gave the others to their trusted horsemen. The three people in front of him also got two each. As for the 8 Mausers, they were also distributed to Xiao Anguo, Ma Kui and Manager Dong.
Although they had guns, bullets were still a big problem. Even though Yang Qiu had ordered some specifically before, there were only 200 bullets left, so each person only got 40 bullets.
"Your Excellency is really capable. You locked up Qiu Wenbin and his gang without making any fuss. Now no one can say anything. It's their fault for violating military orders." Lei Meng kept flattering him while pushing bullets into the magazine.
Bingwen also smiled and said, "Just now, Lord Yue and Lord Zhang from the Second and Third Battalions sent a letter saying that your method is really effective. A total of 87 people from their side have been isolated and confined for using guns in violation of orders. When we take action tonight, we don't have to worry about being shot in the back or having a second voice!"
"Gorxing and Chen Shanyou didn't take this opportunity to make things difficult for me, did they?"
"Guo Erxing wanted to hand him over to the military police, but was stopped by Lord Yue. Chen Shanyou did not make any trouble."
"Your Excellency is very smart. You solved the problem so easily. Unlike that old dog Ruicheng who is still groping in the dark." Hu Laosan and Lei Meng both laughed. The three of them had become Yang Qiu's confidants, so Yang Qiu also told them what to do today a few days ago.
After all the bullets were loaded into the magazine, the three of them became a little nervous. Hu Laosan, knowing the importance of bullets, hurriedly asked, "Sir, the bullets we have are not enough."
Yang Qiu didn't know that bullets had become a big problem, and he was already extremely anxious. Shen Shukai, who he originally thought was the safest choice, was six days late and there has been no news since then.
Although Chuwangtai has an insider, Xiao Anguo, and the management is not as strict as in later generations, getting bullets should not be a problem. However, in order to safely enter the ammunition depot, they must wait until gunshots are heard from the engineering camp, and then pretend to be an uprising army and rush all the way to Xunsi River to cross the river. It will take at least half an hour.
As for the third source of ammunition replenishment, it was also quite tricky. According to later records, after the military government was established and controlled the gun factory, 60 field mountain cannons, more than 100 other cannons, tens of thousands of artillery shells, 100,000 Hanyang-made guns, and more than 3 million bullets were discovered here.
But after secret investigations during this period, he found that this number was greatly inflated. It was very likely that the Kuomintang said this in order to stabilize the morale of the army when the Beiyang government was under pressure. The biggest evidence of this was that after the armistice, the Kuomintang sent Zhang Zhenwu with a huge sum of money to Shanghai to purchase weapons from foreigners. If they had so much ammunition, why would they seek foreign aid?
Moreover, according to Su Hongsheng, the artillery factory was shut down a few years ago due to insufficient funding, and no cannon has been produced in several years. The few 75mm Krupp field mountain guns in the new army all came from the Jiangnan Factory, and the rest were 57mm mountain guns imitated in the early years. As for guns and ammunition, there should not be so many. With Ruicheng and Zhang Biao's management methods, they would never leave such a large "arsenal" outside easily, otherwise the rebels might as well rob the arsenal directly, why bother going to the dangerous Chuwangtai.
However, there should be some guns and ammunition, but their whereabouts are still unknown. After the incident at the artillery camp, Rui Cheng sent the patrol camp to collect the bullets and guns produced every day and took them away. He said that they were sent to Chuwangtai, but he paid close attention and found that the so-called transport ship had a shallow draft, so it was certain that it was still in Hanyang. The most important thing was that the battle had not started yet, so we couldn't blatantly arrest the gun factory and the bannermen who handled it, so bullets really became a big problem.
Thinking of this, Yang Qiu got a headache and said immediately, "I asked the gun factory before, and they said that Ruicheng and Zhang Biao have been very strict during this period. They will send someone to take away the daily output and transport it back to Chuwangtai. But I always feel something is wrong. There are not many ships coming and going these days, so the weapons must still be in Hanyang. Lei Meng, you must find a way to investigate again immediately. If we still can't get the bullets after an hour of fighting in Wuchang, we must cancel all plans!"
"Hu Laosan, I'm leaving the task of taking care of Qiu Wenbin and the others to you. No matter what happens in the next two days, you must not let them come out and cause trouble for us!"
"Bingwen, you should go to Hankou as soon as possible and confirm the action plan with the Second and Third Battalions. Then ask Manager Dong if he has contacted Shen Shukai. We can't wait any longer." Bingwen knew that Shen Shukai had lost his appetite and sleep in the past few days because of bullets and ammunition, so he went out without delay.
Looking at the backs of the people leaving one by one, Yang Qiu took a deep breath. He had finally waited for this day! This meant that he could finally put aside all the caution, prudence and even chaos he had to take because of the fear of being attacked from both sides by Ruicheng and the Democratic Party!
I can finally step onto the stage of the times in a legitimate way!
…
"Yes, yes, please tell Lord Yang that we have contacted him and he will be here in two days at most!" After Manager Dong bent down to see Bingwen off, Shen Shukai walked out of the inner room, sighed, and sat on the chair.
"Manager, are you so…" Shopkeeper Dong smiled bitterly when he saw him. If Yang Qiu knew that the rented American ship was actually parked ten miles away, he didn't know what kind of trouble would happen. Shen Shukai also sighed, raised his head and said, "Shopkeeper Dong, I don't mean to make things difficult for him or swallow up this money, but…"
"I know."
Manager Dong was an experienced man, so how could he not understand why Shen Shukai was reluctant to hand over the weapons to Yang Qiu? He said, "Manager, you have a heavy responsibility. Thousands of people in Heshengyuan cannot stand the turmoil. If Yang Qiu takes up arms to rebel, I'm afraid we can't escape either. It's just that..." He gritted his teeth and continued, "Have you ever thought about it? Yang Qiu's army is guarding the gun factory, so there must be some guns and weapons left there. If he occupies it and accomplishes his goal, won't we be in trouble?"
Shen Shukai also sighed. His thoughts were indeed revealed by Manager Dong. He was indeed afraid of implicating Heshengyuan, so he had been holding back the arms and not handing them over to Yang Qiu. After all, the lives and property of thousands of people depended on his thoughts, so he didn't dare to reveal his cards easily. But what if Manager Dong was right and he succeeded? Wouldn't he have offended someone?
So after thinking about it, he said, "Seeing how anxious he is, it will probably be within the next two days. If things really change in Wuchang within three days, I will go there in person to apologize. If that doesn't work, I will have to offend him."
Seeing that Shen Shukai had made up his mind, Manager Dong could no longer ask any more questions and had to say goodbye and go see Miao Luo. However, as soon as he reached the door, he saw the bodyguard sent to protect him running in with his head covered.
"Manager Dong, that...that girl...she knocked me out and ran away!"
"What!"
Manager Dong sat down on the ground, his eyes rolled back and he almost fainted. It was already this late, and this lady was really going to kill them! Shen Shukai also stood up suddenly in panic. This was no small matter. If Yang Qiu came to ask for the people and failed to hand them over in a few days, he would be held accountable for the delay in the arms delivery...
This is really the end.
Miao Luo didn't know how much trouble she had caused. At this moment, she was walking on the Chinese dock of Hankou Wharf. Hundreds of porters were traveling between the warehouse and the cargo ship. As the atmosphere in the three towns became increasingly tense, more and more military police patrolled the streets. She quietly dropped her veil and slipped into an alley. After walking about a hundred meters along the narrow alley, her steps suddenly stopped because she found that there were hundreds of members of the Yangtze River Gang in black silk clothes crowded in front of her.
This was not her first time to come to the Changjiang Gang. She had been living here during the period when she was looking for an opportunity to assassinate Yang Qiu. According to seniority, the current gang leader Rui Yao was still her senior sister. However, when she saw that most of these people were holding knives and guns and looked ferocious, including two Japanese ronin, she frowned suddenly and quietly pulled out her pistol.
There was a table in the warehouse behind the gang. In front of the table, Jin Lai Li was smoking a cigarette and fiddling with two revolvers. A dozen big men behind him also had double guns in their hands. They stared at the people opposite with a fierce look. From time to time, their eyes slipped over a curvy woman in the middle and finally stopped on her plump buttocks that could not even be covered by the wide silk pants.
The woman was about 25 or 26 years old, with her hair tied up in a bun, and a light blue outfit. A revolver was stuck on her wide belt, and her chest was bulging even more after her waist was tightened. But she didn't seem to notice the evil eyes on the other side. She stared at Jin Lai Li with her eyes like cold stars, and her eyebrows were almost twisted into a "川" shape. She scolded: "Jin Mingsheng, what on earth do you want to do? Gathering so many gang members?"
Jin Lai Li had just loaded the bullets with a few clicks when a man in his forties, wearing a green shirt and looking gentle, behind the woman saw this and quickly pulled out his pistol to be on guard. The warehouse was suddenly filled with the smell of gunpowder.
"Hey, isn't this our Gang Leader Rui? Are you so anxious to find a man that you've lost your mind? Don't you know what I want to do?" Jin Lai Li looked at the woman and smiled coldly: "I am responding to the order of the Hongmen General Hall, preparing to enforce justice and kill the Tartars to start a revolution. The rebellion is about to begin, and there is chaos and chaos. If something happens to you, how can I explain to the old gang leader? I think it's better for you to just follow me. When I become a high-ranking official, you can be his wife, and you won't have to go out in the wind and rain all day long."
"Asshole!" The man in green was so angry when he heard Jin Lai Li's foul language that he slammed the table fiercely. However, the woman quickly stopped him and said, "Uncle Chang, don't argue with him."
After the woman finished speaking, she glanced at Jin Lai Li and said, "Don't think I don't know what you are up to. For so many years, the Yangtze River Gang has relied on the words trust and loyalty to keep the Yangtze River open. We will never do unfair business!"
"What an unfair deal!" Jin Lai Li was touched in the sore spot. He stood up suddenly, put one foot on the table, pointed at her nose and cursed: "Rui Yao, you stinky bitch, I only give you the face to call you the leader because of your dead father. Today I am going to make a revolution. What's wrong with robbing those Manchu landlords? Besides, so many brothers in the gang need food and drink? How are you going to feed them? Are you going to let them... drink your milk?"
"Ha ha……"
Jin Lai Li's dirty talk made the accomplices behind him burst into laughter, and they all stared at the pair of firm breasts. Rui Yao couldn't help but get a little nervous. But thinking that she was the leader of a gang, she gritted her teeth and pretended not to see it, and angrily shouted: "Although my Changjiang Gang has separated from the Hongmen and established its own sect, it is still a family of brothers. When the Hongmen ordered to kill the Tartars, it is natural that we will not lag behind. But what about you now? You are thinking about unjust actions all day long. What is your intention?"
"Fuck you, my intention is just to sleep with you, so what?!" Jin Lai Li slammed the table fiercely and cursed, "You stinky bitch, I have something important to do today, I don't want to waste my time with you, you'd better go back and clean your ass, and when I succeed and become a high-ranking official, I will carry you to my house in a sedan chair!"
After Jin Lai Li finished speaking, he waved his hand and ran out with his gang members. Seeing that they were so disrespectful to their leader, Rui Yao suddenly gritted her teeth and turned her head to ask, "Uncle Chang, how many of us do we have?"
Uncle Chang's name is Chang Si. He is Rui Yao's father and the former gang leader's confidant. He has always treated her as his own daughter. Seeing that she wanted to fight to the death, he quickly dissuaded her: "There are still some people, but..."
Following Chang Si's gaze, Rui Yao saw those so-called people, old and young, none of them could compare to Jin Lai Li's men. Her eyes suddenly turned red and she almost cried.
Chang Si sighed, put away his gun and said, "Boss, Jin Lai Li has relied on those party members over the years, and he has a military rank, so I think you should just be patient."
This sentence made Rui Yao, who was struggling to carry on her father's ambition, shed tears. She sniffed and said, "I don't care about Jin Lai Li. I'm just worried about the gang members who went out with him. If they are caught this time, I'm afraid their lives will be in danger."
"The leader is righteous, but..." Chang Si glanced at the gang members who were gradually leaving and shook his head, "I'm afraid you can't do anything about it. I heard that Mr. Sun's brother came to Wuchang. The incidents in the concession yesterday and in Wuchang this morning show that they will take action within the next few days. Now the army is full of Jin Lai Li's accomplices. As long as he doesn't cause trouble for the foreigners, no one will care if he turns Hankou upside down. What's more, he has the right to kill the Tartars. Those people are probably eager for him to get some money to subsidize their needs. So in my opinion... you should go to Shanghai, so that he won't come back and suffer losses."
When Rui Yao heard Chang Si say this, she hated him even more and scolded him, "What's wrong with the party members? I don't believe they dare to go against us. We, the Hongmen and the Yangtze River Gang, have helped them over the years..."
"Boss, stop talking nonsense. In this world...what can we take seriously?" Chang Si had seen through it long ago, and interrupted, "Haven't you seen through Jin Lai Li's character yet? Even if we overthrow the Tartars, these people will probably not end up well. I think you should leave first and stay out of the spotlight."
"I won't leave! I promised my dad that I would protect the gang. If they want to rob, let them do it. At worst, I'll go and rob for fun!" Rui Yao was young after all. When she saw that everyone had left, her wildness suddenly came up. She grabbed the cup and was about to smash it.
Before she let go of the cup, she suddenly felt her eyes blurred. Then she saw a familiar figure walking in. Her beautiful eyes suddenly widened.
"Senior Sister Rui, who are you going to rob?"
"Sister Luo...you are not dead?"
