Volume 2: Famous all over the world Chapter 19 Huang Xing Arrives
In the middle of the bend of the Yangtze River downstream of Qingshan in Wuchang, there is a huge reef lying across the river, separating the river into two left and right channels.
Downstream of Chenjiaji, the sailors on the deck of were still basking in the sun leisurely, as if they didn't notice the ups and downs in front of them. Only when they occasionally looked towards the direction of Xiaogan, would a trace of confusion appear in their eyes.
Inside the bridge, the telegraph officer hurried out, took a quick glance and stood behind the gray-haired Sa Zhenbing beside the porthole. Although his hair was gradually turning white and his back was becoming more bent day by day, this man was still the backbone of the navy. No one knew what would become of the navy once he was gone.
"Yuruo, another telegram from the court?" Sa Zhenbing turned half his body when he heard the footsteps. The telegraph officer had been following him since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, so he didn't laugh it off. He shook his head and said directly, "We just intercepted a plaintext telegram from Xiaogan. The Beiyang... arrived at the outskirts of Xiaochang this morning and had a fierce exchange of fire with them."
Sa Zhenbing frowned. "A plaintext telegram? Are you sure it was sent from Xiaogan? Do you have the call code for Chu Yu and the others?"
"No! Everyone is also wondering, if Hubei is the only one with wireless telegraph except the foreigners, then if it was sent by the Chuyu three ships, there would be a call code anyway. Now it seems that Yang Qiu may have bought the telegraph from other channels." The duty officer was also confused. The news that the three Chuyu gunboats were incorporated by Yang Qiu was already known to everyone, but the navy radio stations all had call codes, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell which ship sent it. (It was later learned that the backup radio operator of the Chuyu ship left by Yang Qiu in Xiaogan made a mistake and sent the telegram in plain text.)
"This Yang Qiu is really capable." Sa Zhenbing laughed and had no doubt that Yang Qiu could buy a radio. After all, his army was the only one in the country equipped with the same Maxim machine guns and Krupp Seventh Field Artillery as the Beiyang Army. It seemed possible to have a few more radios.
Xichang came over immediately after hearing this. He was a Manchu and the captain of the Hai Rong ship. If Sa Zhenbing hadn't been there, he would have wanted to attack Wuchang a long time ago. Now that he finally found the opportunity, he hurriedly asked, "General Sa, the Beiyang has entered the pass, are we?"
"Yes, we are still flying the flag of the Qing Dynasty, and the ships have rested enough." Sa Zhenbing looked at Xichang meaningfully, and after a pause, he ordered: "The leader of the Hai Rong ship, Hai Chen, Jian An, Jian Wei, Yu Zhang, weigh anchor immediately... Hai Chou and the remaining ships stand by."
"Our goal is...?" Xichang rubbed his hands, but before he could be happy, he saw Sa Zhenbing walk up to the map and look at it again and again.
Sa Zhenbing certainly knew what the Manchu officers in Xichang were thinking, but he just wanted to deal with them for a while, so it was difficult to choose a target. The three towns of Wuchang could not be attacked anyway. Liujia Temple was originally a good target, but now that it has become the hub of the Hubei Army, it must be avoided. As for Xiaogan, it is too far away, so... Finally, he pointed to Qingshan, drew a circle by the river, and smiled slightly: "I heard that Song Qing and Yang Qiu set up an army here to block the Yangtze River. Let's attack here. Send orders to all ships! We must show the power of our navy."
Seeing the circle drawn by his finger, Xichang almost cried. The old man's finger was still several miles away from the rebel army! Is this called showing the power of the navy? But the arm cannot twist the thigh. Although the old man is old, even those Fujian barbarians who are huddled together dare not say a word. Now the ship is full of Han troops, he should hide on the side to cool off. As for the Qing Dynasty... Queen Mother, Emperor! Xichang is incompetent!
Xichang muttered a few words and walked out of the bridge. He saw a riverboat of the British Jardine Matheson Company passing by. The deck was full of young men and women wearing clothes with the Red Cross emblem. He knew that it must be going to support the Wuchang rebels again. He really wanted to take up the cannon and sink it immediately.
Fortunately, he was just thinking about it. Let's not talk about how big a deal it would be to sink a British company's riverboat. If he really did sink it, maybe he could really become a hero of the court! Because standing on the opposite deck at this moment were Huang Keqiang and Song Dunchu, who were wearing makeup.
Seeing that the Hairong ship had already torn off its gun covers, and the water splashing from the bow was getting bigger and bigger, and in the blink of an eye it passed him and led four warships towards Chenjiaji, Huang Keqiang's face turned black. "This Sa Zhenbing, could it be that he really disregards the relationship between teacher and student and wants to go against the righteousness of the world?"
He spoke loudly and immediately attracted the attention of several British sailors. Song Jiaoren quickly grabbed him and said, "Keqiang, keep your voice down. We are still on a British ship!" Huang Keqiang also knew that he could not reveal his identity yet. After all, he was wanted, and the British were no more polite to them than the Qing Dynasty. Even if they didn't catch him, it would be terrible if they took him back to Shanghai. So he simply turned a blind eye and went back to the cabin.
A moment later, rumbling sounds of artillery were heard from the front. Five naval warships began to bombard the Qingshan coast. The power of the naval guns was far inferior to that of the army's guns. Even the city of Wuchang was alarmed. Li Yuanhong and Tang Hualong were so anxious that they quickly sent people to contact Yang Qiu to find a way to contain the navy.
The rapid explosions made Huang Keqiang look very unhappy. He wanted to fly to the Hai Rong ship to question Sa Zhenbing. Song Jiaoren was also very uneasy. He looked out the window filled with smoke and turned his head and said, "Two towns and three associations, more than 30,000 Beiyang elites! There are also navy troops to help. The pressure on Hubei is too great! Keqiang, you see..." Although he was worried, he didn't understand military affairs, so he could only ask the "God of War" for advice on this matter: "Can we hold it? If this time... we really have to go overseas."
"If an enemy comes, we will stop him. If a flood comes, we will block it with earth. We are not pushovers. Hunan and Shaanxi are now independent, and Jiangxi will be independent in the next two days. Once we reach Wuchang, we will immediately mobilize troops from all over the country to come to our aid. There is still a fight to be fought." Huang Keqiang has a straightforward temper and says whatever he wants: "The most important thing now is to find out what happened in the past few days! Why was Sun Wu demoted and Yang Qiu became the commander-in-chief? What are Ju Zheng and Tan Renfeng doing? And what's going on with the Liu brothers!"
Song Jiaoren was not as optimistic as he was. Let's not talk about whether the so-called national troops would come. Wuchang alone was a mess. At first, they were divided into two armies. They finally blocked the Beiyang outside Wusheng Pass and recovered the whole territory. But before everyone could cheer, they lost it again. But before everyone could get discouraged, they heard that they had retreated voluntarily, and 3,000 Beiyang elites were killed in the bombing. If they had a different heart, they would have been finished first after such a toss.
However, all this was not over yet. As soon as the ship arrived in Jiujiang, it was heard that a mutiny had occurred in Xiaogan, and then Sun Wu was demoted. Yang Qiu took over the position of commander-in-chief of the National Defense Army at the age of 22! Finally, a telegram was sent to the whole country to persuade Yuan Shikai to withdraw his troops as the Grand Marshal of the Army. What exactly is Yang Qiu planning? Thinking of this, Song Jiaoren immediately glanced at Miao Yuan behind him. The latter knew what he was thinking and said in a low voice: "Don't worry, sir, I will go to Luo'er to ask clearly when I arrive in Wuchang."
"Keqiang, Dunchu, something bad has happened!" The two were talking when Tian Tong suddenly came in and shouted, "The Beiyang... the Beiyang is attacking Xiaochang."
Tian Tong and Song Jiaoren were classmates. Tian Tong was also a famous scholar in the Tongmenghui. He had been working as a secretary before. In recent years, he had engaged in a massive war of words with the monarchists in the dispute over constitutionalism and republicanism. He was very famous among literati and poets. When he heard that the revolution had succeeded, he immediately followed the two to Wuchang.
Huang Keqiang stood up immediately upon hearing this, grabbed his arm and asked, "Ziqin (Tian Tong's pen name)! Where did you hear that?"
Tian Tong pointed at the British sailors outside and said, "I overheard from the British that they just received a clear-text telegram from Xiaogan, which said that a Beiyang infantry and a cavalry brigade arrived in Xiaochang and immediately launched an attack! In my opinion, they must have received a hint from Yuan Shikai to show their loyalty to the north."
"Does Yuan Gongbao really want to die with the Qing Dynasty?" Huang Keqiang slapped his thigh angrily and said angrily, "We are all Han people. Do we have to fight to the death and end up benefiting the Manchus?"
"Where is Yang Qiu? What are they doing?" Song Jiaoren was also anxious. Xiaogan was not like Wushengguan. The terrain was flat and there was no strategic location to defend. The only barrier was Shuangfeng Mountain to the north of Xiaogan, but this geographical advantage was not that great compared to Wushengguan.
Tian Tong shook his head: "Yuan Shikai may not be sincerely helping the Qing Dynasty. In my opinion, he is still waiting for a good price! But now he is forced to kill our prestige first. If Hubei..." He didn't finish his words, but everyone knew that if such a good situation was strangled, then they would have to prepare to flee overseas and become exiles.
"No! It definitely won't happen. Hunan is mobilizing troops to support us. We must hold on this time!" Huang Keqiang clenched his fists and turned his eyes to Liujia Temple. He saw a train spewing black smoke and rushing north.
On the train, Yang Qiu didn't know that Huang Keqiang had passed him by. Although he knew that the two important figures would arrive in the next few days, he had forgotten the specific date. But even if he remembered, he probably wouldn't be in the mood to receive them at this moment. Compared with the military situation on the front line in Xiaogan, they... might just be passers-by in life.
But for some people, these two have become life-saving straws.
The news of Huang Keqiang and Song Jiaoren's arrival immediately caused a sensation in Wuchang. In order to welcome the two, Li Yuanhong brought military government officials to the scene. Even Zhang Wenjing and some officers who happened to be in charge of the restructuring of the Hanyang Factory also came to welcome them. In order to show the solemnity, two large flags were erected with three huge characters written on them.
"Huang Xing is here!"
"Keqiang, Dunchu! You are finally here." At the door of the Advisory Council, Ju Zheng immediately stepped forward when he saw the two of them and excitedly shook Huang Keqiang's hand, as if he had seen a savior. The others were also excited, as if the battle would be won as long as he came.
As for Li Yuanhong, he couldn't express his happiness in his heart. Instead, he felt like he had eaten hundreds of dead flies! Because he had just signed the Hanyang Factory Restructuring Order with the condition of taking 10% of the dry shares, and he didn't expect that these two people would come just after he put down the seal. If he could cry, he would definitely cry! If these two people came two days earlier, they would not have been snatched away by Yang Qiu as the commander-in-chief. Even if they came half an hour earlier, he would definitely push back the document for the restructuring of Hanyang Factory! Sun Wu would fall because of recommending Zhang Jingliang, but this person would never fall even if he recommended him eight or ten times. He is the second in command of the Tongmenghui!
"Keqiang (Dunchu) has met with Li Du."
Huang Keqiang didn't know that Li Yuanhong was already upset. He looked at Song Jiaoren and immediately walked towards him. The words "Li Governor" finally made the old fox look better. He narrowed his eyes in joy and held Song Jiaoren's hand with an excited look: "Mr. Ke, you are finally here. It's a blessing for Wuchang, Hubei, and the revolution!"
With Li Yuanhong's words, the cheers were deafening. The cavalry carried two large flags and ran back and forth in Wuchang City to tell others. It didn't take long for the three towns to spread the news of the arrival of the second leader of the Tongmenghui. It seemed that even the sound of artillery in Xiaogan could not be heard. In order to welcome the guests from afar and to boost morale, a grand reception dinner was held in the Advisory Council. Li Yuanhong naturally sat in the middle, with Huang and Song accompanying him on both sides. Tang Hualong sat next to Huang Keqiang, as if to escort him. On the contrary, Zhan Dabei and Yang Wangpeng, who had made great efforts in the uprising, and the literary society members such as Yang Qiu who were getting closer and closer were arranged on the edge.
"By the way, why don't I see... Yang Qiu?" Song Jiaoren was a little surprised that almost all the senior officials of the military government were present but Yang Qiu was missing.
Li Yuanhong coughed lightly and said quickly: "You two may not know that when I heard that the Beiyang had begun to attack Xiaogan this morning, Chen Hua had already gone to the front to command. Alas! I am useless. I can't help but see the Beiyang wreaking havoc here. I am ashamed! I am really ashamed!"
Zhang Wenjing, who was sitting in the corner, sneered. This was not shame at all, but clearly telling Huang Keqiang that he was in danger of being sidelined. However, he did not say anything. Anyway, he had the reform documents in hand, and the military power could not be taken back just because he wanted to, so he was happy to continue watching him act. Sure enough, these words made Huang Keqiang frown slightly, and even Song Jiaoren heard the hidden meaning, but now they could not easily express their opinions, so they took the lead and said: "You are the Grand Commander, how can you easily take risks when you are in charge of the overall situation? It is better to leave this kind of war to the people below."
"Mr. Dunchu is right. Governor Li needs to take charge of the overall situation, and Yang Qiu shoulders the responsibility of commander-in-chief. Now that the Beiyang is urgently attacking Xiaochang, he naturally needs to go there in person to take charge." Tang Hualong laughed quickly. Although he wanted to take advantage of Huang Keqiang's momentum to take another step forward, he and Yang Qiu are still in the same boat after all. What's more, Zhang Wenjing is still sitting below, so he naturally has to say a few good words for him.
Huang Keqiang couldn't keep his words to himself, so he put down his wine glass and asked, "Li Du, Dun Chu and I have been away from home, and we just heard about what happened in Hubei. Can you tell us what happened after the uprising?"
Zhang Wenjing's heart skipped a beat, knowing that Huang Keqiang had heard the hidden meaning. Li Yuanhong was even more delighted, but he also knew that if he continued talking, he might end up making things worse, so he immediately turned the conversation to the current war situation, talking about how powerful the Beiyang government was and how difficult it was to win.
This scene made Zhang Wenjing sigh. He finally understood why Yang Qiu would shake his head every time he talked about these "big men", and commented on them as "heroes with great personalities, a spirit of self-sacrifice, but too idealistic", because they did not understand what politics was. Even if they knew, in front of old foxes like Yuan Shikai and Li Yuanhong... they were just the little mice being played with by their claws!
Now the old fox obviously wants to take over Huang Keqiang to turn the disadvantage back, and Yang Qiu happens to go to the front line. Once they are induced by the old fox to reach a certain agreement, how to resolve it? It is possible to touch Sun Wu, but it is impossible to touch the old fox and these two! And even if these things don't happen, after they control the political discourse, will they waste all the blood and sweat of the soldiers?
The Wehrmacht...shouldn't it be time to start preparing its own political forces?
