Volume 2: Famous all over the world Chapter 21 Cai Songpo's Gaze
The night attack on Chenjiaao broke the momentum of the Beiyang army, but it could not change the overall situation of Feng Huafu and his 30,000 elite Beiyang troops approaching the border. Just as He Xifan learned that the night attack had begun and led the main force to support, something far-reaching happened in the southwest.
Kunming was in chaos and darkness before dawn. Since the Wuchang Uprising, the city has been in turmoil. Various rumors have been circulating secretly. Some people said that Yang Qiu was a general secretly sent by Sun Yat-sen to study foreign military tactics in the United States and then returned to Hubei to help. He defeated the Beiyang Army and lost tens of thousands of soldiers outside Wusheng Pass! It is also said that he occupied Sichuan, and after Hunan and Jiangxi became independent, they also followed his orders to prepare for the Northern Expedition. Some people also said that the Tongmenghui had notified the whole country that Lianghuai, Huguang, Shanxi, Shandong and even Zhili would all rebel at the same time in the near future. Some people even said that Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing had sent people to Yunnan, and Kunming was already in danger.
These rumors were true or false, and the local officials were in a state of panic. Many people no longer dared to go to the government office to do business, and they stayed at home on sick leave for various reasons. Even more people were vaguely excited, as if they were looking forward to the arrival of a major change.
The barracks of the 37th Brigade of the 19th Regiment of the Yunnan New Army was silent, with only a flickering flame in the generals' dormitory on the left. The soldiers outside the door were armed with live ammunition as if they were facing a powerful enemy, while Cai E, who had not slept all night, was still energetic under the oil lamp inside the door and polished the bullets until they were shiny.
"The pressure on Hubei is increasing. I know Feng Huafu. The defeat at Wusheng Pass was due to the obstruction of the pass, so Yang Qiu led the two armies to catch him off guard. Now that the city gate has been breached, it will be extremely difficult to defeat him again." The speaker was Huang Yuying, a rich kid who went to study in Japan at the age of 18 at his own expense. He studied military affairs at Hongwen College and Dongbin School.
When Huang Keqiang of the Tongmenghui started an uprising in Hekou, he gladly accepted Sun Yat-sen's commission to help. At that time, he was only one month away from graduation. After the failure of the Hekou uprising, he continued to work in western Yunnan in an attempt to start another uprising. He traveled east and west in western Yunnan, experienced hardships, escaped death many times, and turned danger into safety, but he remained the same as before and did not change his original intention. Later, because he was infected with malaria, the Yongchang uprising failed again. He felt the importance of military strength, so he decided to change the way of struggle, and was admitted to the new army and came to the 73rd Battalion as a trainee platoon leader. After Cai E learned about it, he also secretly supported him in his work.
Tang Jiyao and Liu Cunhou, who were sitting next to them, also nodded. Both of them had studied in the Japanese Army Academy for many years. They were not only good friends, but also had a good understanding of the various armies in China. In particular, the Beiyang Army was repeatedly compared with the Yunnan New Army by them. The troops were also imitating the Beiyang Army in their training. Half a month ago, after hearing that the Wuchang Uprising had succeeded, the two wanted to take action immediately, but because of insufficient preparation, they were suppressed by Cai E. Now that they heard that Hubei had reached a critical juncture, they wished they could start an uprising immediately.
"Yesterday, Li Jingxi summoned Jin Yunpeng, Zhong Lin and others for a secret discussion. In the afternoon, they began to strengthen the guards of the four gates of the east, west, south and north, and also transferred the guards there. Now the Governor's Office, the Ordnance Bureau, Wuhua Mountain, and the 19th Town Command all have elite men, and there is also news from the Governor's Office that they will surrender their weapons on the spot and disband the new army! If we don't take action now, I'm afraid we will miss the opportunity." Tang Jiyao was impatient and he rolled up his arm, waiting for Cai E's order.
Cai E's position in the Yunnan New Army is like that of Li Yuanhong in Hubei. His military talent is far beyond the latter's. In addition, he is the highest-ranking officer in the Tongmenghui and has always believed that it is better to carry out revolution in the southwest than in the Central Plains and Jiangnan. So the three of them looked at him, waiting for a decision.
"Yang Qiu..." Cai E loaded the last bullet into his revolver and placed it beside him. He picked up the "Letter to Persuade Yuan Shikai" that Yang Qiu had sent two days ago and the telegram to the whole nation on his election as the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Army, and asked with a frown, "Has anyone heard of this person?"
Tang Jiyao and Liu Cunhou immediately went to see Huang Yuying. After all, he had more connections in the party than the other two. Unfortunately, Huang Yuying was also puzzled by the name and shook his head, saying, "I've been to Hubei a few times, and I know people from the Tongjin Society and the Literary Society, but Yang Qiu... I'm really unfamiliar with him!"
Liu Cunhou thought of the recent rumors and asked in surprise, "Could it be that he really was sent by Mr. Sun to study in the United States and then returned?"
"Everyone still says that Sun Wu is Mr. Sun Wen's younger brother?! In my opinion, no matter who he is, at least he is honest in fighting the Tartars, which is better than many of our people." Tang Jiyao said.
Cai E didn't say anything, but quietly looked out the window. In fact, he didn't really want to know who Yang Qiu was. Throughout the past thousand years, during the turbulent years of dynasty change, there were many heroes who rose from nowhere. He was just a little surprised by the rumor that Yang Qiu occupied Sichuan. Since ancient times, there is no smoke without fire. Regardless of whether Yang Qiu entered Sichuan or not, it at least shows that this person has ambitions for Sichuan. His vision is much sharper than that of ordinary people. Sichuan is the center of the entire southwest, and it is also the most important cornerstone for whether the southwest can be rapidly expanded after the success of the uprising. Therefore, he had previously deduced that after the uprising, he would quickly send troops to Sichuan to occupy the richest plains in western Sichuan, use the richness of western Sichuan to support the army, and then quickly advance to Huguang to complete the great cause . But he didn't expect that the first to start was Hubei, and the person who commanded the troops had never heard of it, so would continuing to implement the original plan conflict with him? Moreover, this person is neither a party member nor a child of aristocratic family. He rose from the ground almost by his own strength. Will he become a big worry for people like him in the future?
Forget it, it's too far-fetched to think about these things now, let's stabilize Yunnan first. Thinking of this, Cai E grabbed the gun and put it into the holster: "Thank you for your respect, I will do my best, but the Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Li Jingxi, is the nephew of Mr. Li Hongzhang, and he has done me a favor, I think..."
"Songpo, there is no need to talk about it. We are not ignorant of the world. No matter what, Lord Li did some good things for the country in the past. As long as Li Jingxi does not obstruct the revolution, you have the final say on such trivial matters."
"Okay, I'll send him a letter of divorce and ask him to go to the French Concession for shelter. After he leaves, I'll lead my men to attack the southeast gate. Liu Xianye at the northwest gate is a coward, so Li Genyuan will lead the students of the Military Academy to attack!" Cai E suddenly made up his mind: "Drive out the barbarians, restore our Han Dynasty, and before the Double Ninth Festival... we must take Kunming!"
"Okay!" Tang Jiyao excitedly grabbed his hat and went to organize the troops. The other two also went out to prepare. After the three left, Cai E turned his head again and looked towards the direction of Sichuan... After the uprising was successful, should he retreat bravely or send troops to Sichuan?
Amid the mysterious and unpredictable smoke of the Xinhai Revolution, no one knew that the two most outstanding figures in the revolutionary army of that era had actually looked beyond the vortex and into Sichuan, which was still in chaos.
…
At the same moment when the wind and clouds suddenly rose in the southwest, the sun also rose slowly from the Hubei Plain. The warm sunshine blew away the chill of the night. In the Liujia Garden on Xinsheng Road, which was temporarily used as a field hospital, Miao Luo, wearing a white nurse's coat, worked with everyone to stretch out pieces of bed sheets that still had blood stains on them on bamboo poles to dry.
After the first uprising, the military government blocked the river and ordered all ships in the three towns to be under martial law, which made the Yangtze River Gang lose their livelihood all of a sudden. So she, who had nothing to do, simply joined the medical team. Because she had practiced martial arts since she was a child and grew up in the United States, she knew more about medical care than ordinary people, so she was immediately recruited and came here. Due to the lack of doctors and medicines, the conditions in the hospital have been very difficult. Fortunately, after Zhang Zhujun and others who came from Shanghai yesterday joined, the situation finally looked better.
The ups and downs outside could not bypass this place. From the large number of wounded soldiers sent in every day, she also learned about the killing of the Liu brothers during the northward advance, the fierce battle of Wusheng Pass, and then the resignation of Sun Wu and others in the Xiaogan incident. That man suddenly became the commander-in-chief, which gave her a palpitating and confused feeling.
If there is anyone who understands Yang Qiu's rise, she is definitely one of them. The first encounter in Sichuan, the assassination on the streets of Wuchang, the transaction with Heshengyuan, the passionate speech at the oath-taking ceremony, etc., all make her unable to tell what kind of man this is!
On the one hand, he was determined to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, but on the other hand, he was incompatible with Mr. Song and others. What would his future be like? Just as she was thinking about it, there was a sudden rush of shouting in the front yard. Dozens of stretchers were carried in by soldiers, and groans and screams suddenly covered the place again.
"Where was it sent from?" After arriving, Zhang Zhujun quickly became one of the councillors' supervisors. When he saw the wounded soldiers, he immediately asked for details.
"We are here from Weidian. Yesterday, the bastards from the Beiyang 13th Regiment attacked us and killed more than a hundred of our brothers. They are all seriously injured and we have no way to treat them." The second lieutenant who brought the wounded here had red eyes: "Doctor, they are in your hands. Try to save them! Now the commander is personally leading his men to attack the Beiyang Division in Chenjiaao! He said that the enemy's large force will definitely arrive this afternoon , and there will be a big battle tomorrow at the latest. We must rush back immediately! He also asked me to tell you that you must be prepared for the arrival of a large number of wounded soldiers."
"The commander personally led the troops to attack Chenjiaao?" Miao Luo quickly caught on to this sentence, and for some reason her heart suddenly tightened. He was already the commander-in-chief, why did he go to the front line just after coming down from Wusheng Pass? In a hurry, she didn't have time to think about it, and asked hurriedly: "You said Yang Qiu went to the front line again?"
The second lieutenant was a little upset when he saw this beautiful nurse calling Yang Qiu by her name, but she was a doctor and the lives of his brothers were in her hands, so he nodded and said, "Yes, we set out at midnight last night and led a battalion to fight a battle! Now... it should be over."
One battalion fighting one target?! Miao Luo felt faint. Was he crazy? Just when she wanted to ask more questions, a big hand suddenly grabbed her.
"elder brother?!"
Miao Yuan, with a full beard, hurriedly took Miao Luo across the river to meet Song Jiaoren. When they were about to ask about Yang Qiu, an urgent telegram was quickly delivered to the small meeting room of the Advisory Council. When Sun Wu was in charge of the military power, this was the General Staff Headquarters. Now, because Yang Qiu moved the headquarters and the General Staff Headquarters to Hankou, it suddenly became deserted.
"Great! Great!"
"Keqiang, good news! Last night, the front line attacked Chenjiaao, killing hundreds of Beiyang soldiers, and seized two machine guns, six cannons, and countless food, fodder and weapons!" Tian Tong excitedly rushed into the meeting room waving a telegram. As soon as he entered the room, he saw that in addition to Li Yuanhong and Huang Song, there was another man in military uniform. Khaki cloth with gold trim, isn't this the attire of Beiyang officers?
"Ziqin, let me introduce you. This is Brother Xiaoyuan. He just rushed to Wuchang from the north to join in the celebration." Huang Keqiang's introduction immediately reminded Tian Tong of a person, Li Shucheng, the military advisor of the Qing court.
"I have heard of Brother Tian Tong's name for a long time. It is a great honor to meet him today." Li Shucheng laughed. He was also a graduate of the Japanese Army Academy. In 1905, at the founding meeting of the Tongmenghui held at Sakamoto Kinmiya's home in Akasaka District, Tokyo, he signed the covenant under the pseudonym Li Tang because he was worried about being investigated. After returning to China, he stayed in Guilin for a while and was later transferred to the Beijing Military Advisory Office. The Tongmenghui has always believed that he is a senior military talent on par with Cai Songpo.
After the Wuchang Uprising, he and Huang Fu were sent by Zaitao to assist Yinchang, but they said goodbye to the Qing Dynasty as soon as they left. Huang Fu went to Shanghai to assist Chen Qimei. He heard that the Beiyang army was attacking Wuchang, so he took a detour through Anhui and arrived last night.
Li Yuanhong was thinking about how to win over Huang Keqiang and weaken Yang Qiu, so he immediately changed the subject and asked, "What did Ziqin say just now about killing hundreds of people? But there is good news from the front line?"
"Yes." Tian Tong immediately took out the telegram and said with a smile: "After Commander Yang arrived at Weidian last night, he immediately led a battalion to attack Chenjiaao at night, and drove back the 13th Battalion of the Fourth Beiyang Regiment for more than 20 miles, killing and wounding more than 500 people, capturing 300, and seizing a large amount of military equipment."
Li Shucheng had just heard about the situation, so he quickly took the telegram and read it carefully, then walked to the map and studied it carefully. After a moment, he clapped his hands and said, "Great! It's really great! Commander Yang is indeed a man who knows military affairs. Although the night attack was hasty, it broke the spirit of the Beiyang army and regained its morale. In this way, even if Feng Huafu's army arrives, Xiaogan can hold out for a few days."
"Shucheng really thinks Yang Qiu is a man who knows military affairs?" Song Jiaoren frowned and glanced at Li Yuanhong who looked unhappy. This was what he was most worried about. The continuous good news from the front line was a good thing. At least it showed that the revolutionary forces were getting stronger day by day. But until today, Yang Qiu was still unclear about the enemy and us. Especially his birth and the fact that he had no party background made people very worried. They were afraid that he would seize power and cause the revolution to become internal consumption in the end.
"Of course." Li Shucheng didn't notice the expressions of the others and smiled, "On the way here yesterday, I heard about the Xiaogan Incident and the change of commanders at the last minute and I was very worried. Both of these are taboos in wartime! So I was thinking that I should launch a counterattack as soon as possible to stabilize the morale of the army. I didn't expect Commander Yang to do it first, and he also took advantage of the 13th Battalion's unstable foothold to launch a night attack and win. He is much smarter than me."
Li Shucheng continued, "But you still have to be prepared. I have come into contact with people like Feng Huafu in the past two years at the Military Advisory Office. If the Beiyang government really bites the bullet and fights this war, I am afraid we will still have more defeats than victories, so I hope you can make plans early."
Huang Keqiang was also worried about this. Although the revolution was spreading like wildfire, except for Hubei, the man in the north had not really taken action. He asked, "Yang Qiu had called Yuan Shikai the day before yesterday to persuade him to withdraw his troops and offered him the position of Grand Marshal of the Army, but what he got was his cannon! In Xiaoyuan's opinion, what should we do?"
"Grand Marshal of the Army... Hehe." Li Shucheng laughed: "Li Du, Keqiang, I'm not trying to boost their ambitions, but I'm afraid that Yuan Gongbao won't take this empty position seriously. In my opinion..."
He did not continue speaking, but the three of them understood his meaning, especially Li Yuanhong and Song Jiaoren, who had previously thought of giving up the position to win over Yuan Shikai. Only Huang Keqiang did not express his opinion immediately. To be honest, he was unwilling to do so, but if the fighting continued, the Qing government would probably benefit.
Just as he was about to speak, Wang Anlan suddenly came to report: "Director Li, Mr. Huang...someone has been sent from the north."
