Volume 2: Famous all over the world Chapter 3: Blood and Fire Wusheng Pass (Part 1)
In Yangshou Garden in Huanshang Village, Zhangde Prefecture, Yuan Shikai took the ginseng tea handed to him by a servant. The negotiations with the north in the past few days made him a little tired. He had no idea when to take action and what conditions he would force the court to offer. He was particularly distressed and needed some tonic to boost his energy.
The aroma of ginseng tea seemed to restore his energy. He handed the telegram he had just received to Yang Shiqi, sighed, stood up and walked to the map. His fingers circled along the Yangtze River and the Han River, and he said, "Look! Yichang, Jingshan, Zhongxiang, Tianmen... At this rate, Hubei will be gone in ten days."
Yang Shiqi took the telegram and glanced at it. He had been following the leader closely since he retired to Zhangde. He was considered to be the leader's confidant. Therefore, he knew that he was afraid that Hubei would be too corrupt and involve Huguang and even Jiangxi and Huaihe River downstream, which would eventually lead to the expansion would be disadvantageous for future bargaining. Therefore, he was undecided about whether to take Wusheng Pass first to put some pressure on them. He said, "The rebels' move is not too unexpected. It is inevitable to purge the four fields before the war. They first attacked Zhang Biao and then occupied Wusheng Pass. They sent troops north at this moment, which must be because they are afraid that we will break through the pass and be caught in a dilemma."
Yuan Shikai nodded in agreement, but his brows were still furrowed. "If all these were written by Li Songqing, I wouldn't be surprised, but the telegram shows that they were all written by Yang Qiu! What does Xingcheng think of this person?"
"He is a man who knows about military affairs, but unfortunately he has little experience. The previous incidents have made the party members always wary of him. If there is any mistake, they will definitely try their best to contain him. Although he has a gun factory, most of the Hubei Army's military equipment is stored in Wuchang Chuwangtai, and he can't get much in a hurry. But if he really wants to join forces with Li Songqing, it will take some effort."
"That has to be connected." Yang Shiqi was about to speak when he heard this from behind. Not many people could enter and leave Yuan's residence without reporting at this moment, so he turned his head and saw Yuan Keding walking in with a 30-year-old man with a slender figure and elegant appearance. After seeing him, Yuan Shikai immediately stood up to greet him and laughed, "Brother Xizi, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
The visitor was Yang Du, who had a great favor with Yuan Shikai. After hearing about the Wuchang riot, he immediately resigned from his idle position in the cabinet statistics bureau, packed his bags and rushed here. Seeing that Yuan Shikai seemed to have gained some weight, he smiled and said, "Gong Bao is too polite. I have nothing to do in Beijing every day. I heard that you often have fresh fish here, so I came to chat with you for a few days."
"Not only are there fish, but there are also fine wines and good friends. I'm just worried that you, Xizi, can't get used to this kind of leisurely life."
"Are you used to Gong Bao?"
Both of them were very smart. After they exchanged a smile, Yuan Shikai immediately ordered Yuan Keding beside him: "Hurry up and ask the kitchen to prepare it. It has been a while since my Yangshou Garden has been so lively."
Yang Du smiled and said without hesitation. He walked to the map and saw the marks made by fingernails all around the three towns. He said, "Is Gong Bao worried that Hubei will be completely ruined and cannot be cleaned up?"
"Xizi is really meticulous." Yuan Shikai nodded, narrowed his eyes and pretended to be worried, "Yesterday Bu Wu (Xu Shichang's pen name) came to see me and said that Yinchang had been unable to take Wusheng Pass. Seeing that Hubei was in a state of disarray, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were also very anxious. They were planning to replace me with a general and let me serve as the Governor of Huguang. However, my leg disease has not been cured, and I don't know when I can get on the horse and fight the enemy again. I am afraid that by the time I leave the mountain, the south will be... Alas."
These words made Yang Du's teeth ache. The man in front of him was a truly talented and ambitious man. He had been training troops at Xiaozhan and had been steady and steady. The Beiyang faction was now flourishing and had formed its own power. It was many times better than the scattered party members. However, after so many years, and with no outsiders present, he still liked to act pretentiously. It was a bad habit! After saying a few sinister words, he put aside his thoughts for the time being and returned to the previous topic: "Hubei's corruption is a foregone conclusion, but I don't think it is possible to unite as one and work together."
"Xizi, are you talking about... the right wing army?"
Yang Du nodded and said, "The party members lacked organization and were unable to quickly control the situation after the uprising, which led to Yang Qiu's self-proclaimed Right Route Army expanding rapidly. In the end, he had no choice but to admit it. But can they really accommodate him? Now Wuchang and Yangxia seem to be one family, but in fact they are two factions. Yang Qiu has a geographical advantage, and 90% of Hubei is on the Yangxia side! Wuchang has many soldiers and generals, sufficient weapons, and the party members' righteousness as a backing. During this period, they frequently sent telegrams to the whole country in the name of the central government, and they have the posture of leading the heroes. How can they tolerate a person who they don't know about their background around them?"
"Now that they have blocked Wusheng Pass ahead of time, they can safely wipe out the private four-way command of the heroes. But if Wusheng Pass is broken, what will happen if the imperial army rushes into Hubei? The party members have been traveling overseas for many years and lack a foundation. At the last moment, they had no choice but to support Li Songqing. Now those who control the Hubei army are all former military officials such as the chief officers and captains. They have gone from leading dozens or hundreds of soldiers to thousands of flag officers and assistants. Just the coordination alone is enough to make them worry to death, how can they fight!"
Yang Shiqi didn't like Yang Du very much, thinking that this man had too many tricks in his mind, but he still agreed with these words and said, "Xizi is right. Yang Qiu only has three or four battalions of soldiers who can fight. He has recruited four or five thousand new soldiers, but they are short of weapons and lack training. The party members are probably eager to use us to get rid of him. So as long as the left and right armies cannot coordinate, Hubei will be in disarray. At this moment, Gong Bao wants to release Lianghuai and Nanjing."
"Brother Xingcheng is very shrewd, I admire you." Yang Du said, and suddenly pointed his finger at Sichuan: "My biggest worry now is that Yang Qiu will go west to Sichuan!"
"Sichuan?!"
Yuan Shikai's eyes, which were a little blurry just now, suddenly flashed with a gleam of brilliance. Yang Shiqi shook his head and said, "Xizi, are you worrying too much? He can hardly keep himself safe at the moment, how can he enter Sichuan?"
"Not touching it now doesn't mean not touching it in the future. Brother Xingcheng, you may have forgotten that he is currently gathering veterans in the name of advancing northward, and a battalion of soldiers has already reached Yichang. In addition, Wusheng Pass is locked, and the imperial army is nowhere to be seen. The gentry of Hubei have changed their flags one after another, and Badong is just around the corner! Taking Badong will open up the way to Sichuan. If Wuchang pushes him into a corner, he may turn around and enter Sichuan."
Yuan Shikai was also secretly concerned about Yang Du's analysis and asked, "According to Xizi's words, should Huafu help Yinwulou take Wusheng Pass immediately?"
Yang Du nodded. "Now the party members are taking advantage of Wuchang's momentum and repeatedly sending telegrams to the whole country in the name of Wuchang Central Government. If this continues, the whole country will forget who is the real leader! I think Hubei is exactly where Gong Bao and Beiyang can establish their power! Don't worry about Wuchang or Yangxia. If you take down Wushengguan, they won't be able to spread to the four fields. Gong Bao, you can also use this to put pressure on Li Songqing . Only when they are hurt and scared, some people will give up."
Yang Shiqi said: "But Gong Bao has already told Hua Fu to take his time. Besides, once the barrier is broken, the one who will be most happy will definitely be the North. At that time..."
"Haha..." Yang Du laughed wildly, "Brother Xingcheng is too obsessed. How can one city or one place influence the overall situation? The party members have failed in their uprisings many times. Now they finally succeeded in Wuchang and took this opportunity to control the elite Hubei Army. How could they be content with fighting us to the death in one place? They will definitely mobilize all their forces to rebel everywhere! So there will still be chaos in the south. The most important Lianghuai and Nanjing have not made any movement yet. When they respond... Gong Bao, even if you propose to take control of the cabinet, Zaifeng will not dare to refuse."
"I just want you to find a way to quell the rebellion as soon as possible, what nonsense are you talking about..." Yuan Shikai narrowed his eyes and interrupted the two of them, saying with a smile: "The battle between the two armies will surely cause great suffering to the people, and I don't want us Han people to fight each other first, so I have summoned Liu Chengen to meet Song Qing. You can tell him to meet Yang Qiu on the way. I am also very curious about this young hero."
"Since Bu Wudu has come to plead for me, and asked me to be the Governor-General of Huguang, I can't just do nothing." Yuan Shikai said, picked up a pen and paper, and patted his knees: "Xingcheng, please help me draft a memorial."
"Why not let Du write?" Yang Du volunteered to grind the ink. Yuan Shikai remembered that he also wrote well in Yan style calligraphy, and said with a smile: "Look at my memory, you and Tan Weisan from Hunan are both masters of Yan style calligraphy."
"Du's calligraphy cannot be compared with Mr. Wei San's. He is the real master."
Yang Du was rarely humble and focused on grinding ink. When he was ready, Yuan Shikai immediately straightened up and said, "The war in Hubei is not going well, all because of the poor railway and insufficient soldiers. Therefore, Cou requests that Vice Governor Wang Shizhen be transferred to assist in Hubei military affairs. Duan Zhigui, alternate governor of Zhili, and Lu Jin and Yuan Naikuan, non-commissioned officers and councilors of Shandong, be transferred to the front line to wait for orders. As for the front-line soldiers and weapons, Cou requests that 12,500 able-bodied men be recruited from Shandong, Zhili, and Henan to form 25 battalions of Hubei patrol troops for use, and quickly contact various countries to purchase weapons to supplement the front line."
"Gong Bao, Wusheng Pass..." When Yang Shiqi finished writing the memorial and was about to ask Wusheng Pass whether to fight or not, he heard another round of hurried footsteps behind him. Yuan Keding had already walked in, waving a telegram and reported: "Father, it's not good! Hunan just sent a telegram that Changsha party members Jiao Dafeng and Chen Zuoxin incited the new army to riot and have already entered Changsha City!"
Just now Yang Du said that the trouble in the south was not over yet, but before he finished speaking, news of the incident in Hunan came. Yuan Shikai and Yang Shiqi couldn't help but look at each other. The latter smiled slightly and sat down quietly: "It has just begun."
Yuan Shikai took a deep breath and put the teacup heavily on the desk: "Hua Fu arrived in Xinyang yesterday. Tell him to let the old guys move! We should also shake up our spirits and not let others laugh at us for having no one in the Northern Army."
The sound of the cup bottom hitting the table in Yangshou Garden was particularly crisp, just like a chess piece falling! It indicated that the largest battle in the Xinhai Year had officially begun.
"Faster, faster!"
In front of Wusheng Pass, several artillery officers kept checking the preparations in front of the positions. The masters hired from the local area transported boxes of Japanese-made artillery shells from the train to the positions and placed them there. The loaders began to install fuses for these deadly big guys.
Unlike the bunkers dug by Jiang Tai at Liujia Temple before, these Beiyang artillerymen did not prepare any bunkers at all. They just leveled the gun positions and left it at that. It was not that they were lazy, but at this distance, Krupp's seven-barrel five-barrel recoil gun did not have to worry about the few recoil guns at Wusheng Pass.
The muzzle began to rise little by little, reflecting a hint of cold light.
"Remember all of this!" The Beiyang grassroots officer spoke crudely, but with an overwhelming sense of arrogance: "The court has appointed you as the governor of Huguang! Huguang will belong to us Beiyang from now on! Now those rebels in the south want to take advantage of this opportunity to gain independence and drive you away! Can we agree to this? No! This war is for the emperor, and also for you! Do you understand?"
Seeing these Beiyang soldiers calling him "sir", Yinchang, the supervisor of the war, was very upset, but who could blame him? Hunan was already in turmoil, and his position as an imperial envoy might end in a few days, so he simply turned a blind eye. Yuan Gongbao would not do anything to him anyway. As for the Qing Dynasty... Let's talk about it later, I don't have that much ability.
"Load the shells!"
Amid the sharp sound of copper whistles, 36 Krupp 7-gun and 5-gun cannons from the two Beiyang artillery battalions were loaded simultaneously. After the ten-jin shells filled with Japanese Shimase gunpowder were stuffed into the gun barrels, Wang Zhanyuan and Li Chun, who were assigned to be the vanguards, smiled at each other.
"Three rounds to check! The front battlements... fire rapidly." The accurate command showed the quality of the Beiyang artillery. As soon as the words were spoken, the first round of artillery was fired.
The caliber of 7.5mm can only be considered as light artillery in Europe, but in China it is already a real heavy artillery. Except for the 15mm field artillery used for river defense and decoration in the Forbidden City, this caliber is already the best among all.
Balls of flames expanded, and before the image of the neat and uniform artillery fire disappeared from the retina, the sound of explosions had already sounded in various places in Wusheng Pass, and strange yellow smoke rose into the sky from the three passes at the same time.
The 3rd Beiyang Mixed Brigade and the 11th Beiyang Mixed Brigade, two artillery battalions trained entirely by German instructors, made full use of this German export-type barreled field gun. After three rounds of calibration firing and slight adjustments, the artillery fired shells at a rate of six rounds per minute to three kilometers away. The control of the landing point of the shells was also very precise, and even several foreign observers praised it.
The Japanese artillery shells loaded with Shimose gunpowder are also much more powerful than the Hanyang-made black powder shells of the same caliber. The explosion will produce a completely different yellow toxic smoke, which can provide very clear coordinates for the artillery, and the flames will not go out quickly.
In an instant, "dry thunder" rolled over Wusheng Pass! Every shell brought up countless rubble. In just a few minutes, the pass was covered with poisonous yellow flames and smoke. Large chunks of the city wall were pierced by shells. Debris and corpses kept rolling down the cliff. Shrapnel whizzing past threw the unsuspecting soldiers away. The roar of the explosion drowned out the shouts of the officers in the pass. Even the sharp copper whistles pale in comparison. For the first time, the soldiers of the National Defense Army understood what the real Beiyang Army was!
On the afternoon of November 22, when the turmoil in Changsha had not yet subsided and South China was still unaware of the changes, the battle for Wusheng Pass officially began! However, Yang Qiu was very clear that the battle after he was hit in the waist had just begun...
