Volume 2: Famous Chapter 22: Towards the Warlords
The sun is shining brightly, and the steps are brisk.
At the same time as Wuchang welcomed the secret envoy from the north, the soldiers who participated in the night attack also returned to Weidian with their heads held high. At the cost of less than fifty people, they killed 500 enemies, seized six cannons, two machine guns, and dozens of carts of ammunition and food. The result was nothing in a big war, but at this moment it was a resounding victory. So as soon as they entered the camp, they were stopped by their comrades who had been waiting for a long time and asked in detail. Especially when the cannons and ammunition were dragged back, cheers rang out throughout Weidian and even the entire Xiaogan front.
Most of the brigade commanders of each division who received the order came. The First Division was represented by Wu Zhaolin and Shi Xiaolou because Yue Peng was personally training troops in Tianmen area. All the members of the Second Division came, and except for some people who had not returned yet, all the rest of the Third Division also came here, immediately filling up the small Weidian command room.
Yang Qiu habitually took off his hat and hooked it on his fingers. Looking at his bloodshot eyes, several division and brigade commanders felt a little sad. They knew why this young commander wanted to attack Chenjiaao at night as soon as he arrived, and they also saw that he was really sincere in fighting this war, so they would rather take risks and try to appease the front line with victory.
"Commander, you have shown your prowess, but we were worried all night. Last night, Deputy Commander Xiao even called us and scolded us." He Xi is an old man of the Right Route Army. He smiled and started the conversation first.
Wu Zhaolin was really ready to follow Yang Qiu, so he said in a reproachful tone: "Commander, don't take risks next time. You are the commander, responsible for the overall situation. If something goes wrong... we will still be the ones to suffer the loss."
After the two of them spoke, Cai Jimin and others also expressed that he should not fight desperately next time, which made the atmosphere in the command room much better. Yang Qiu also knew that he should not go into battle personally. After all, he was commanding an army instead of a company. He nodded and said, "I know what to do, don't worry." After that, he changed the topic to the current situation: "Which Beiyang group is going south? Have you found out?"
"It's the 11th Mixed Brigade, led by Li Chun, with two infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, two artillery battalions, and some baggage and engineering battalions. The 13th Battalion has already joined them after fleeing north last night, and should be able to return to Chenjiaao this afternoon." Cai Jimin is now a staff officer, so he walked to the map and introduced everyone without any hesitation: "In addition to the 11th Brigade, a fast horse came this morning to report that Wang Yujia of the Fourth Town has already led the 7th Brigade, the cavalry battalion, and the engineering battalion across Guangshui, and will be here by tomorrow at the latest."
"We are going to have a tough battle! Two regiments are basically a complete town except for one artillery battalion, and we have a slight advantage in cavalry..." Zhang Tingfu took a deep breath after listening and analyzed the enemy's strength: "We have one division and three brigades, and Beiyang has one town and two regiments. We have the advantage in numbers but slightly inferior artillery. We should still be able to stop them. Now Wang Zhanyuan's troops have been defeated, and Feng Huafu has ordered him to garrison Wushengguan and no longer move south. Henan's 29th Mixed Brigade is not as strong as our old 8th Town, so the most important thing is the main three regiments behind Feng Huafu. There are two artillery battalions and 24 machine gun teams in these three regiments. I think the 3rd Division must be pulled to Xiaogan immediately just in case."
"Eighty percent of the Third Division's soldiers are new recruits, and they are not worth using. In my opinion, it would be better to transfer the Third Division to Qingshan to guard the navy, and transfer the Third Brigade of the First Division. Cheng Bingrong already has two thousand of our old brothers, and it would be a waste to waste them on monitoring the navy."
"The navy's guns are too powerful, as evidenced by the shelling of Qingshan the day before yesterday. If they go upstream to Wuchang, it will be difficult to stop them even with the Guishan Fort. I think Cheng Bingrong should not move."
Seeing everyone's opinions, Wu Zhaolin reminded them, "We still have two brigades in the First Division. The first brigade is in Tianmen, and the second brigade is in Yingcheng. They are backed by the natural barrier of Dahong Mountain. Feng Huafu is an experienced general and he certainly wouldn't dare to concentrate all his troops on the front. I think we should be able to hold on."
Yang Qiu did not interfere with the discussion in the command room. The approaching troops were a good opportunity to test them, so he just pricked up his ears and listened. As for how to fight, he already had some ideas in his mind. Shi Xiaolou saw that he had not spoken, and just when he was about to ask, Chen Guofu suddenly walked in and said, "Commander, Liu Chengen from the 29th Mixed Brigade of Henan is here and wants to see you."
Liu Chengen?! Everyone was just saying that Henan 29th Association was not a big deal, but they didn't expect that the leader would show up at the door. Although everyone wanted to know what he was doing, he specifically asked to see Yang Qiu, so everyone stood up and prepared to avoid him.
"Everyone, please sit down." Yang Qiu naturally knew why Liu Chengen came. He asked everyone to sit down and said, "There is nothing to hide. We are a revolutionary army. There is no need to hide anything. Bring him in."
Chen Guofu immediately brought Liu Chengen in. He was nearly fifty years old and was stunned to see so many people in the command room, but he was not a young man who could not keep his composure. When he saw Yang Qiu sitting in the middle, he immediately guessed his identity and said, "Liu Chengen greets Commander Yang."
"Mr. Haochun, you are too polite. I am just a junior to you." Yang Qiu smiled slightly, stood up and asked him to sit down, then asked, "Why did you suddenly come to me? You and I are still rivals now. Is the 29th Association preparing to start a rebellion? If so, please feel free to speak up if you need my help."
Liu Cheng'en is almost fifty years old. In his early years, he was addicted to gambling and hung out on the streets. Later, due to the pressure of life, he was admitted to the Beixiang Military Academy and was recruited by Yuan Shikai to become an aide. So he is also a person with rich experience, but this is the first time he has seen such a straightforward person! He couldn't help but secretly look at Yang Qiu. He would definitely not believe that this young commander was a fool. How could a person who could beat almost sick be stupid? He must be deliberately losing face! You must know that he was in charge of the 29th Mixed Brigade entirely because of Yuan Shikai's push behind him, so everyone has always regarded this unit as a Beiyang faction. How could it be possible to rebel against Beiyang? He immediately frowned and said, "Everyone says that Chen Hua is straightforward. It is true when I see him today."
"Haha, as a soldier, you don't have to be so evasive. Sir, why don't you just tell me your purpose directly?"
"Chen Hua is a man of few words, so I won't try to hide it." Liu Chengen said immediately, "Chen Hua's reputation is now known to the whole country, and the Hubei Army is even more powerful. Do you really think so?"
Liu Chengen said calmly: "Although Wushengguan was severely damaged and Chenjiaao also suffered heavy casualties, Chenhua should know that these losses are only superficial to the Beiyang. Now the court has issued an order that the government ministers, including Prince Qing and Natong, have been dismissed, and Yuan Gongbao has been appointed as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. He is also preparing to hold a cabinet election next year, which shows his determination to establish a constitution! The diplomatic corps of various countries have expressed their support, and Gongbao does not want the two armies to continue fighting and cause great suffering. After all, we are all Han people, and the loss of Hubei is also our money, so Liu was specially sent to persuade Chenhua to give up resistance. As long as Chenhua agrees, Gongbao promises to guarantee you the position of Minister of the Army, and give you the real power of one army and three towns, to protect the peace of Hubei for us Han people forever."
Minister of the Army! The real power of one army and three towns!
The command room was buzzing with discussion. Wu Zhaolin and the others had not expected Yuan Shikai to pay such a high price. If it were them, they would probably be tempted. However, Yang Qiu knew who Yuan Shikai was. He smiled and said, "Please ask Mr. Haochun to take me to thank Gong Bao for his kindness, but please also say a few words for me."
Yang Qiu stood up and walked to the door. He looked at the soldiers outside who were looking in this way and said slowly, "Gong Bao was doing well as the Governor of Zhili before. Why was he dismissed? Now there is a riot and they asked Gong Bao to come out again. If they really want to fight, why don't they ask the Manchus to bring the First Town? This shows that the Bannermen have treacherous intentions. The world is in turmoil, and it is our chance to make achievements. If we don't overthrow the Qing Dynasty at this time, do we have to wait until they recover to kill us? As for the constitutional election... forget it! After the Gengzi Year, the Qing Dynasty was already rotten to the roots. If we continue to have a Manchu Tartar emperor sitting on our heads, how can Yang face his dead brothers!"
"If Gong Bao really wants to, then please ask him to immediately withdraw the Beiyang Army from Hubei. As long as the troops retreat to Wusheng Pass, what Yang Qiu said will still be valid. Not only will he be supported to serve as the Grand Marshal of the Army, but Yang can also swear here that the day Gong Bao agrees will be the day Yang retires!"
His generous words, especially his final statement that he would rather retire in exchange for peace, made everyone secretly admire him, but Liu Chengen was not moved by him. He deliberately sighed and said, "Hey! Chen Hua, you don't know, Gong Bao also wants a republic, but the republic is not mature yet, and there is no conclusion on who will be the ruler after the republic, so..."
Want to test my cards? Yang Qiu smiled coldly in his heart. He had already thought about this matter, so he waved his hand immediately: "There is no need to discuss this! Sir Liu can ask everyone here! Why do we want to revolt? The Qing Dynasty was unjust, and we rose up because of Mr. Sun Yat-sen's call, so I personally support Mr. Sun to be the president! Marshal and vice president... Yang is still willing to support Gong Bao to take the position!"
"right!"
"Mr. Sun is my revolutionary mentor. Who else can rule the country?"
"Yes, Gong Bao will be the Vice President and the Marshal of the Army, and Mr. Sun will be the President. This will surely quickly stabilize the country and revive the Han Dynasty."
Back then, Ju Zheng was acting like a bully, and today, Yang Qiu did the same. It seems that Mr. Sun's name is still very useful. Even the most conservative military officers stood up and expressed their support for Sun Yat-sen to be the president and Yuan Shikai to be the vice president.
But for some reason, looking at the excited crowd, he felt a little guilty.
He did take advantage of the enthusiasm of the revolution and everyone's expectation that Sun Yat-sen would become the president and realize the republic. But he knew very well that unless he could achieve the Northern Expedition, Sun Yat-sen would not be able to become the president. When Sun Yat-sen resigned, these people would definitely feel betrayed, and then they would accelerate their efforts to get closer to him! Was it too cruel to just use the lives of tens of thousands of people as bargaining chips?
Was he heading towards a warlord, or was he helping the country? At that moment, he felt somewhat uneasy. Liu Chengen certainly didn't know what he was thinking. When he heard the answer, his expression suddenly became unnatural, and he said coldly: "It seems that Chen Hua is unwilling to compromise."
"Yang Qiu is where he is today because of the love of the soldiers. They trusted him with their lives! Brothers should not let them down, and should not destroy everyone's ideals for their own selfish desires! Please tell Gong Bao that Yang is just a soldier! Please don't talk about constitutionalism anymore, as for the republic..." Yang Qiu took a breath, put aside his distracting thoughts and glanced at everyone: "Everything will be discussed after Mr. Sun returns home!"
Liu Chengen left. This result was obviously not what he and the person behind him wanted, so Li Chun's 11th regiment rushed over in the afternoon. By the evening, the first shell landed on Weidian Town. After the defense of Wushengguan, the largest-scale, most manpower-intensive, and most tragic Xiaogan defense battle in the Xinhai year began.
