Volume 2: Famous all over the world Chapter 15 Commander-in-Chief
Someone once said that the year of 1911 was the era with the fastest political changes in Chinese history. The Sichuan Railway Protection Movement led to the gunshot on October 10th. First there was the Three Towns Rebellion, and then they marched northward against the wind. Then Shaanxi, Hunan, and Jiangxi responded one after another. The Qing court issued an edict of repentance. Yuan Shikai finally appeared after much anticipation. The four-nation banking group pressed forward step by step. The ministers of various countries responded coldly. Yunnan started the rebellion, and the Ninth Town planned to attack Nanjing, and so on!
Countless people and countless things have completely stirred up the land of China. There were old revolutionaries who made their calls, there were conservatives who sat firmly on the ground, and there was a new generation who rushed to seize power. But in this year that will go down in history, the most exciting thing was undoubtedly the three towns in Hubei at the center of the vortex!
October 27 in the parallel world was the first day of the official confrontation between the Hubei Civilian Army and the Beiyang Government. However, now... all eyes were focused on the small gate of the Yangxia branch of the military government. There were no crowds of people, no shouting, only the sharp bayonets on the guards' guns emitting a dazzling chill in the sun.
The arrival of carriages and sedan chairs and people sticking their heads out from the corners to inquire about the news made the place even more eerie. In the courtyard, Tang Hualong and Hu Ruilin each held a freshly published copy of the Hubei Daily, with the corners of their mouths almost curved to their ears.
"Brother Zihu, it seems that we really bet on the right horse this time." Tang Hualong narrowed his eyes and laughed: "To be honest, I really couldn't eat or sleep these past two days. Now... hehe."
Hu Ruilin was not as flamboyant as him, but he also smiled and said, "Has Jiwu not understood yet? I'm afraid he had already planned to temporarily avoid the front line!"
"Did you plan this long ago?"
"If he were famous...!" Hu Ruilin glanced at Zhang Wenjing and Xiao Anguo who were discussing something in the distance behind him, and said after getting closer: "Think about the day when Sun Wu used the Liu brothers' matter to pressure him to resign, Ju Zheng and Tan Renfeng did not express their opinions. Why? Because they were also worried about him. Why were they worried? Because he is not a party member, and his fame cannot suppress the north! If he could have as wide a network of contacts as the old fox, do you think Ju Zheng and Tan Renfeng would just watch Sun Wu use the old fox to suppress him? Maybe they would have gotten rid of the old fox long ago."
"That's why he took a step back on purpose!"
"Do you think he is not afraid of death? Doesn't want to stay comfortably in Hanyang? Going to fight is hard, tiring and risky. But he has no choice, because he is not famous enough. So even though so many people died, he still gritted his teeth and stayed at Wusheng Pass and refused to retreat. Why? Isn't it just for fame! The more people died, the greater his fame! Although the frontline officers are all old foxes and Sun Wu's men, what about the soldiers? They have their own standards in their hearts about who is really fighting and who is pretending to fight!" Hu Ruilin shook the newspaper: "Although Wusheng Pass has been lost now, killing 3,000 Beiyang elites in one fell swoop is something that can be done in Hubei, let alone the whole country? Do you think you are the only one with newspapers like us? Let me tell you, the telegraph office told me last night that it has been sent to Shanghai and Jiangsu and Zhejiang. When so many newspapers are published, do you know what the situation will be like?"
Hu Ruilin took a deep breath and slowly uttered eight words: "Glorious achievements! Fame spread all over the world!"
Tang Hualong also put away his smile and said solemnly: "Zi Hu is right. This Yang Qiu is obviously a very ambitious person. We should be careful."
"We must protect the old fox this time." Hu Ruilin looked at Liu Gong and others who were brought out by the military police and took a long breath: "Look... none of Yang Qiu's men have moved yet, but the old fox is very active. These are all soldiers sent by him. He is... trying to protect himself!"
"Now that Yang Qiu's momentum has grown, he has no choice but to temporarily shrink his head and take the lead in detaining Sun Wu and his men as gifts to him... Haha, they acted quickly!" Tang Hualong said, turning his head to look outside the door. Those who were trying to get information outside deliberately avoided his gaze, then hid in the corner and sighed and stamped their feet. These were the people who had given gifts to Liu Gong when he took office, but they didn't expect that it had only been two days... Damn!
Although they didn't bring torture instruments, the two military policemen holding one person clearly told everyone that the Sun Wu faction had completely collapsed! This made them regret it even more... In troubled times, you really can't stand on the wrong side! How about visiting the deputy commander in Hanyang later?
Xiao Anguo certainly didn't know that countless hot eyes were cast on his back outside the door. Seeing Liu Gong's gloomy expression being taken away by the military police, he was still a little sad in his heart. After all, this man spent all his family wealth for the public and was a loyal talent for the country. But as soon as he took a step, he was immediately stopped by Zhang Wenjing: "Commander Xiao, don't be soft-hearted!"
Xiao Anguo moved his lips, but finally sighed and retracted his foot, saying sadly: "Actually, being a baggage handler is pretty comfortable."
Zhang Wenjing understood what he meant. This scene made the honest deputy commander who had never been involved in politics feel a little heavy. But politics is politics. It is uglier than the battlefield! Even more dirty! Either you are ready to go, or you fight to the death. There is no other way. So he thought about it and comforted him: "Commander Xiao, don't take it to heart. The commander has always separated the military and the government, so I'm afraid you can't separate yourself from those new recruits. But I..."
"Haha... So, these important matters still depend on you. I'd better go back and chat with the soldiers." Xiao Anguo laughed and turned his head to see Ma Kui jogging towards him. Seeing that he was grinning from ear to ear, he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Ma Kui didn't say anything, but put the telegram in his hand into his hand and said with a smile: "Read it yourself."
Xiao Anguo almost jumped up after taking the telegram and taking a glance at it. Zhang Wenjing was also surprised after reading it and said excitedly: "Good job, Ziqing, he really got it done!"
"Chongqing, Guang'an...haha." Ma Kui said proudly: "Let's see who can touch us this time!"
The laughter of the three also alarmed Tang Hualong and Hu Ruilin who were far away. They hurried over and asked, "Deputy Commander, Director Zhang, what are you so happy about? Telling them will make us happy and boost our morale."
Xiao Anguo quickly stuffed the telegram into his pocket, deliberately looked at his watch and smiled: "Minister Tang, Director Hu, you are joking. We don't have anything happy to say, it's just that... the commander will be back soon."
"Oh? Chen Hua is coming back?"
"The telegram said that Xiaogan is temporarily stable. The 10 a.m. train is about to arrive. The two of you..."
"When Chen Hua comes back, we will naturally welcome him in person."
…
Yang Qiu is back! ! This news spread like a whirlwind in the three towns, but when everyone rushed to the train station, they found that except for the wounded soldiers getting off the train, this young general who was at the peak of his career had already quietly taken a ferry and arrived at the Advisory Council under the heavy protection of the guard company.
All the military government officials were present in the Advisory Council's conference room, but many seats that should have been filled were empty.
In the morning, after the news of the Wusheng Pass counterattack and the Xiaogan Incident came back one after another, it immediately triggered the most intense turmoil in the military government. What no one expected was that Li Yuanhong took the lead in taking action before Hanyang took action. He attacked Sun Wu's faction on several charges of unfavorable recommendation, destroying unity, and forming a clique for personal gain. Not only was Sun Wu himself detained, but also more than 60 members of the Tongmenghui of Sun Wu's faction, including Zhang Zhenwu, Liu Gong, Li Xiping, Tang Zihong, etc., were detained for investigation.
Although everyone knew that this was the old fox's self-preservation strategy to send a big gift to Yang Qiu before he returned, as Zhang Wenjing said, political struggles were extremely cruel. Although they were all revolutionary comrades, the Literature Society not only did not help this time, but instead watched coldly out of resentment at the previous monopoly of power by the Tongmenghui. Military government officials such as Ju Zheng and Cai Jimin and prestigious party officers in the army were unwilling to offend Yang Qiu at this time, which ultimately led to the Sun Wu faction's influence in the military government being immediately wiped out, leaving a lot of chairs empty in the conference room.
No one sat on them because everyone knew who they were reserved for. Even the old fox had no idea of taking these chairs at this moment.
Yang Qiu arrived at the conference room in this atmosphere, wearing a new military uniform, shiny boots, and a straight posture. He also had the spirit of a bloody six-day battle, killing 3,000 Beiyang soldiers in one go! Everyone secretly swallowed their saliva. When he walked towards Li Yuanhong, even Zhang Wenjing behind him had sweaty palms, and Ju Zheng was waiting with a pale face...
Li Yuanhong is still the same, with a short and fat figure and small eyes, looking honest and simple. In the past, when Yang Qiu saw the words "Governor" under the bed, he looked down on him, but this time, the means he used to protect himself and deal with Sun Wu proved that Li the Butcher might be more suitable for him than Li Bodhisattva.
The two of them approached slowly, their eyes met, and neither of them opened their mouths first or second. When the atmosphere became increasingly tense, Yang Qiu suddenly stopped and saluted with his legs together: "Chen Hua greets Governor Li."
The word "Li Du" made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. The fat on Li Yuanhong's face piled up instantly. He held Yang Qiu's hand and said kindly: "Chen Hua, you are finally back. It must have been hard to defend Wusheng Pass these days. Good job! Kill 3,000 Beiyang. From now on, the Northern Army will never dare to laugh at my Southern Army for having no one!"
Li Yuanhong laughed heartily, as if Yang Qiu was a pearl he had discovered, which gave goose bumps to officers like Cai Jimin who were already disappointed with politics. Ju Zheng also quickly agreed: "What Governor Li said is very true. In a few days, Chen Hua's reputation will surely spread throughout the world."
"Thank you Mr. Li Duhe for your compliment. Yang Qiu now only wants to defeat the Beiyang government and overthrow the Qing Dynasty as soon as possible to realize the republic!" Yang Qiu smiled slightly, took off his hat and held it in his hand. Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly found that there were many empty seats. He deliberately asked, "Minister Sun and others..."
"Zhang Jingliang betrayed the revolution, was not recommended by Sun Wu, and was dismissed by Governor Li for forming a clique for personal gain." Wang Anlan had completely put aside his contempt for him and immediately told him about Li Yuanhong's investigation of Sun Wu. Yang Qiu showed no expression after listening to him and said calmly, "Governor Li, Zhang Jingliang and his accomplices are outside. Do you think it's possible..."
"Bring Zhang Jingliang!" Li Yuanhong was anxious to settle the matter as soon as possible, so he quickly summoned people. Zhang Jingliang was really as stubborn as recorded in later generations. He kept cursing and shouting, making everyone's face change slightly in anger. Even those who had sympathized with Sun Wu before gave up their thoughts.
In fact, the subsequent trial was unnecessary. Zhang Jingliang admitted to assassinating Yang Qiu and burning grain and fodder. Finally, Li Yuanhong made the decision to immediately behead all the people involved. The dozens of bloody heads made people see the direction of the wind. Tang Hualong and other constitutionalists were even more eager to take advantage of the situation and were ready to kill the Sun Wu faction as well. Since the old fox did not express his position on the matter, everyone's attention was finally focused on Yang Qiu.
"Announce the whole country, expel the revolutionary team, send them back to their hometowns, and study hard to educate people." With Yang Qiu's light wave of his hand, the Sun Wu faction, which was still a few months away from collapse in the parallel world, disappeared from then on. Ju Zheng and Cai Jimin were also relieved by this decision. After all, Sun Wu and others had made great contributions in the early days of the revolution. Killing them would only hurt the party members themselves.
After resolving this matter, Cai Jimin took the lead in asking, "Commander Yang, how is the situation in Xiaogan?"
"I have temporarily stabilized the morale of the army. The fleeing scattered soldiers have been blocked by our army in the Xingou area. Now it is jointly managed by He Xi, Zhang Tingfu and He Xifan. However, the food and fodder losses are serious and the weapons are insufficient. I estimate that the Beiyang vanguard will arrive in Xiaochang in three days at the latest, so..." Yang Qiu glanced at everyone and stopped his gaze on Li Yuanhong's face: "I also ask Governor Li to decide on the commander as soon as possible to control the two armies to fight the enemy together!"
Hearing this, Tang Hualong and others who had already had secret contact immediately supported Yang Qiu to be the commander-in-chief. Li Yuanhong anxiously looked at Ju Zheng. In fact, Ju Zheng did not want all the military power to be monopolized by Yang Qiu, but the problem was that he could not come up with any candidate at the moment, so he had to look at Cai Jimin.
Yang Qiu had already seen the three people's every move, and knew that Li Yuanhong still wanted to struggle one last time, so he winked at Zhang Wenjing, who immediately stood up and said, "Li Du, before deciding on the candidate to lead the troops, I have another important announcement to make."
"Oh? What's that?"
Li Yuanhong glanced at Yang Qiu who was sitting still, then turned to Zhang Wenjing and asked with a smile: "It is said that Wenjing is brave and resourceful. I wonder what good news he has brought us this time?"
Zhang Wenjing directly blocked out this kind of double-entendre words and slowly took out the telegram from his pocket: "I just received a telegram. Yesterday afternoon, two of our troops had already captured Chongqing and Guang'an."
"Chongqing? Guang'an!"
Just a few words seemed to drain all of Li Yuanhong's strength, and the conference room exploded again. No one expected that Yang Qiu would quietly send troops into Sichuan and take Chongqing and Guang'an! This means that Sichuan has been gradually incorporated into the Hubei Military Government... No! Incorporated into the system of the Right Route Army! Once they continue to go deeper, with the current chaos in Sichuan... Who can stop them? !
The happiest people were undoubtedly Tang Hualong and his men. If the civil power in Sichuan was also under their control... wouldn't it be! Excitement and ambition were all aroused by this unexpected news. Only Li Yuanhong remained silent. There was no change in his round and simple face. But in fact, he knew better than anyone that he had lost miserably this time! Because after taking Chongqing and Guang'an, Yang Qiu could completely leave him behind, and the right-wing army could also go north without any scruples in the name of supporting Sichuan.
He didn't mention this news before, but brought it out at the most critical moment of the struggle for military power. He was undoubtedly reminding himself not to push him too far! So, now is the time to compromise... Thinking of this, Li Yuanhong moved closer and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "It is said that young people can become heroes. Today, I finally saw one. Chen Hua... good tricks!"
"Director Li, you are not the same either, right?" Yang Qiu smiled slightly and put on his military cap again.
On the evening of October 27, in the conference room of the Hubei Advisory Council, Li Yuanhong, in front of nearly a hundred military government officials and reporters, formally appointed Yang Qiu as the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Army in the name of the Hubei Military Government and the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the First Uprising!
Electrify the whole country...
