Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 56: After the Passion Subsides
early morning.
The black smoke over Wuchang gradually dissipated, and people who had been frightened all night began to look out from the cracks in their doors and windows. The dead bodies, blood, and bullet marks on the walls along the street told of the fierce battle last night. The streets were full of corpses, bright red blood continued to spread along the stone slabs, and flies and mosquitoes lingered. The bodies of men and women who were stripped naked in some corners that were usually deserted reminded the world that no matter how just the war was, it was still the ordinary people who suffered.
Teams of soldiers with white towels tied on their arms began to clean up the battlefield. Corpses were buried and ruins were flattened. Everyone was doing their best, but amidst this busyness, a strange atmosphere was quietly spreading.
"Brother, what do you think we should do next?" When the smoke and blood gradually calmed down after a night of excitement, the soldier quietly pushed his comrade, who shook his head and looked up blankly at the eighteen-star flag above the Advisory Council, which seemed a little strange.
Yes, it may sound ridiculous, but all the members of the Democratic Party who participated in the uprising, even the Tongmenghui and the Literary Society who were said to have planned it carefully, found that everything before was centered around the uprising, and when the uprising was actually successful, no one knew what to do next!
The leaders of the two factions are now either dead or sick, and there is no one who can win the support of the people.
Wu Zhaolin walked around the corner and walked into the Advisory Council with a worried look on his face after hearing the soldiers' conversation. As soon as he entered the meeting room, he saw people like Xiong Bingkun and Cai Jimin. Many party members whom he had never met before also came. The meeting room had become a vegetable market.
"Mr. Liu, you are the prime minister elected by everyone. Why don't you become the governor instead?"
"It was agreed that it would be Sun Wu, how can we change him?"
"Sun Wu is in the hospital now, why don't we ask Jiang Yiwu to come."
"I haven't seen Jiang Yiwu all night. Where do you want me to look for him?"
"In my opinion, I should quickly contact Mr. Huang Xing and Mr. Song Jiaoren and invite them to Hubei to take charge of the situation."
"Nonsense, the Manchu army is coming, you're looking for them? When will it arrive? Are we going to fight the Manchu without a commander?" Everyone was arguing about who would be the governor. Seeing Wu Zhaolin come in was like seeing a life saver. Xiong Bingkun even grabbed him and said, "Brother Wei San, you are the commander-in-chief. I think it would be better if you were the Grand Commander."
Wu Zhaolin's face turned pale. He was a small team of officers, but he was able to lead the people to capture the Governor's Mansion and complete the feat of the uprising. It was an extraordinary performance. Now the soldiers have calmed down and started to consider various follow-up matters. It was the time when the army was in the most chaotic state. The operation was so serious that someone must have gone to the concession to inform the north. Once the court mobilized a large army to suppress it, it would involve a war involving tens of thousands of people. How could a person like him win the support of the people? !
Once the army's morale changes, not to mention the Beiyang who might arrive, even the remnants of Zhang Biao who fled to Liujia Temple will fight back, so he resolutely refused: "Everyone, I am just a team officer . Even if I sit in this position, I can't convince the people, so don't mention this matter again!"
"Then according to your opinion, who should be the Grand Commander?"
Wu Zhaolin took a breath. Actually, he had an idea in mind, but he pretended to think for a long time before saying, "The three towns of Wuchang have been a battleground since ancient times. After our rebellion succeeds, the Manchus will surely launch a crazy counterattack. The six towns of Beiyang may be sent. Therefore, if you want to be the commander-in-chief, you need someone who can stabilize the morale of the army and lead everyone to fight against the enemy. From what I have seen, there are only two people, Li Yuanhong, the commander of the Mixed Corps, and Tang Hualong, the director of the Advisory Council."
When they heard that Wu Zhaolin actually nominated a Qing official, there was a clamor of dissatisfaction. Only Cai Jimin quietly exchanged a glance with Wu Zhaolin, stood up and said, "We have won the first battle, we should abandon our prejudices and appoint talented people! Otherwise, we will fall into civil strife without a leader. So I think we should immediately elect a governor, and then announce it to the whole country so that all places can respond! Otherwise, if we, the unknown people, are left to toss around, other provinces may think that we are not capable of accomplishing anything, and then the first uprising to promote the whole country will become an empty talk."
As soon as Cai Jimin said these words, the conference room suddenly became quiet. In fact, the top leaders had discussed letting Li Yuanhong be the governor a long time ago, so when the Literary Society and the Progress Society were competing with each other and couldn't find a suitable candidate, they could only agree with their opinions. Seeing this, the two men smiled at each other.
The director of the Advisory Council, Tang Hualong, was less than 40 years old, a white-skinned scholar, usually capable and experienced, and a leader of the Hubei Constitutionalists, so everyone sent someone to invite him first. Tang's family was not far from the Advisory Council. He was frightened by gunfire all night and his face was a little pale. He arrived at the meeting room quickly, but when he heard that he was going to be elected as the Grand Commander, his white face was painted with oil paint.
Isn't this a life-threatening thing?
The Advisory Council was originally a constitutionalist. Constitutionalism and overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and establishing a republic are two completely different things. Moreover, the current situation is unclear. After these people started the uprising, they had to hastily find a leader. It was obvious that this would not last long. In addition, he did not know how to command troops. The more scholars fought, the more chaotic it would be. In the end, they would lose their lives! Moreover, Tang Xingming was still an officer in the navy. If the uprising was successful and a national ultimatum was issued, everyone would definitely lose their heads. Therefore, he also followed Wu Zhaolin's example and resolutely refused.
Mr. Liu was in poor health, Sun Wu was in the hospital, Jiang Yiwu was dead and no one knew if he had deserted the battlefield. Tang Hualong firmly believed that it would be bad for a scholar to lead the troops, which made everyone dumbfounded.
At this time, Ma Rong walked into the conference room and saw the quiet and solemn atmosphere inside. He did not dare to stay any longer and quickly pulled Xiong Bingkun out: "We found Li Yuanhong!"
"What!"
Wu Zhaolin, who was leaning against the door, heard the conversation and curled the corners of his mouth.
…
"My Lord, my Lord."
At Huangtupo's home, Liu Wenzhi opened the door and saw Li Yuanhong standing at the window looking north. He hurried over and said, "Sir, the soldier who delivered the letter is back. He said Wu Zhaolin has received the letter and asked him to bring a message to you."
The sound of gunfire that had been ringing in Wuchang City all night had already made Li Yuanhong feel heartbroken. After learning that Chuwangtai was quickly occupied, he knew that this time it was going to be bad, so he sent a note to the commander-in-chief Wu Zhaolin there. This note was his only hope to be able to go with the flow, so after hearing it, he asked, "What did you say?"
"Wu Zhaolin said that he knows your virtue and prestige." As soon as Liu Wenzhi finished speaking, Li Yuanhong felt as if something had fallen from his chest. After taking a long breath, he continued to ask without changing his expression, "What's the situation outside now?"
Liu Wenzhi said, "I just heard from a few family members who reported that the Governor's Mansion was breached not long after you left last night. Lord Zhang held the Governor's Mansion and fought the rebels at Wangjiang Gate all night. He was defeated and left at dawn. He led the escaped Li Xianglin's troops, the patrol camp, the remaining troops of Ma Biao, and more than a thousand personal guards across the river to the Liujia Temple ."
"Liujia Temple? He's heading north?"
Liujiamiao Railway Station is an important land route connecting the three towns to Henan, the capital and other places, so when Li Yuanhong heard this, he thought Zhang Biao was going to escape. Liu Wenzhi quickly said, "He didn't escape, but set up a camp there, saying that he would wait for reinforcements to arrive before coming back to kill him."
"That's not right." Li Yuanhong patted his forehead. "Isn't Yang Qiu's Second Battalion stationed there? Could it be that they were also recruited by Zhang Biao?"
"I don't know that either. I just heard that there were gunshots in Hanyang and Hankou last night. The two cities have been sealed off and no one is allowed to enter or leave. In the morning, I sent someone to contact Yang Qiu to send soldiers to protect you, but before the ship even reached the dock, they fired warning shots not to get close. The phone calls from Wuchang to that place were also cut off. I don't know what happened."
"Could it be that the 42nd Regiment has also rebelled?" Li Yuanhong's heart sank. Yang Qiu's phone call last night made him feel a little relieved. He thought that with Yang Qiu's 42nd Regiment as external support, and the control of the two battalions of the 41st Regiment in Yichang, and the support of Wu Zhaolin and other old men inside, his life would be saved for sure. But now that the 42nd Regiment has problems and the greatest external force is gone, he has too few cards in his hand.
The more Li Yuanhong thought about it, the more he felt that it was too dangerous to stay here, so he immediately asked Liu Wenzhi to find some clothes to change into and prepare to leave. Unexpectedly, before he could put his clothes in order, he heard shouting outside the gate.
Liu Wenzhi hurried out and took Wang Anlan to see the situation. After going out, he found that it was actually a large group of party soldiers wearing white towels. His face suddenly changed. Ma Rong, the team leader, saw the panicked look of the two and immediately rushed in.
Li Yuanhong, who had already seen it from behind the door, was terrified. He had just learned that there was a problem with the 42nd mark, and Wu Zhaolin had just responded, and the soldiers came. What if these soldiers didn't know the truth... wouldn't they be him? ! Before he could escape, Ma Rong had already rushed in with his men. Seeing that he was disheveled, he smiled disdainfully and said, "Master Li, you are not scared to get under the bed, are you? Haha... Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are ordered to invite Master Li to the Advisory Council for a meeting."
With a fierce look in his eyes, Li Yuanhong turned to the soldier next to him and said, "I have treated you well in normal times. Now that I have given up my military power and am at home, why do you still want to harm me?"
Many soldiers from the 41st Battalion were naturally timid when they saw Li Yuanhong, and hurriedly said, "Sir, we really came to invite you to discuss matters. We all elected you as the Grand Commander."
"Grand Commander!"
This is a life-threatening situation! His original intention was to continue to lead troops and live a carefree life as an official, but how could Wu Zhaolin push him directly to the position of Grand Commander? ! He was so scared that he quickly refused: "Your party members are full of talents. Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren are more virtuous and respected than me. Why do you need me to be the Grand Commander?"
Seeing that he had been making excuses for a long time, Ma Rong became furious, pulled out his pistol and shouted, "If you obey, you will live, otherwise you will die! Commander, please make your own choice."
Li Yuanhong looked at Ma Rong angrily, knowing that he would not be able to pass this hurdle, so he gritted his teeth, changed into a long blue robe, put on a melon-shaped hat, put on an appearance of a free and easy wanderer, and then went out to the Advisory Council.
