When the advance of the Protector Army arrived in the area of Lantian Dam on the other side of Luzhou, the Wu Peifu Brigade of the Beiyang Army led by Zhang Jingyao and Li Bing of the Sichuan Army had already entered Luzhou first. In this way, together with the original Xiong Xiangsheng Brigade of the Sichuan Army in Luzhou, the total strength of Yuan's army in Luzhou reached three brigades, as many as 15,000 people, and its equipment was excellent and its combat effectiveness was strong.

The main army of the middle route led by Cai Yi was only more than 3,000 people, plus Liu Cunhou's Sichuan army of about 1,500 people, and the Sichuan Volunteer Army of about 900 people, the total number was only more than 5,000 people. Among these more than 5,000 people, only 3,000 people of the Dian army had strong combat effectiveness. It is clear that there is a huge disparity in the strength of the enemy and us.

As a result, on 8 February, as soon as the battle for Luzhou began, the Protector Army was in an extremely disadvantageous position.

Relying on superior forces and early preparations, Yuan's army not only effectively blocked the flank attack of Dong Hongxun's detachment, but also sent troops to smuggle across the Yangtze River at night on the night of 9 February and raid Moon Rock.

Chen Limen's regiment, which had just turned against the water, was defeated by the attack due to sloppy military discipline, and retreated in panic. Moon Rock and Lantian Dam were lost one after another, and the head of the regiment, Chen Limen, committed suicide in shame.

Dong Hongxun's detachment was isolated in the north of the river, and there was no reinforcement behind it, and there was a risk of being surrounded and annihilated by the enemy at any time. On 11 February, we had to withdraw to Naxi by the same route. In this way, the plan of the Protector Army to attack Luzhou for the first time failed.

After Cai Ye led the General Headquarters of the First Army of the Protectorate Army into Yongning on 5 February, he paid great attention to the situation of the attack on Lu, but he never received a report on the battle. Later, Liu Cunhou called and knew that the reinforcements from Shoulu had arrived.

Cai Yi analyzed that after the enemy's reinforcements arrived, "there was a huge difference in the strength of the enemy." And the Sichuan army that assists may not be as brave as our army, which is very dangerous."

Immediately, he ordered the accompanying artillery company, guard company, and machine gun platoon to march to the aid of Dong Hongxun's department, and ordered the follow-up troops He Haiqing detachment and Zhu De's detachment to quickly come to Yongning to assemble and stand by. Despite this, it did not save the defeat.

On the 12th, Yuan Jun saw that the strength of the Protector Army was weak, so he dispatched troops to cross the river to attack Naxi, and surrounded Dong Hongxun and Liu Cunhou in a corner of Anfu Street in Naxi, in a vain attempt to annihilate the Protector Army in one fell swoop. On the one hand, Dong and Liu struggled to resist, and on the other hand, they urgently telegraphed Cai Ye to send the main force to reinforce.

The first attack on Luzhou by the Protector Army failed, and Cai Yi was planning to mobilize troops and attack Luzhou again. After receiving the rescue call from Naxi, he urgently ordered Liu Yunfeng to dispatch the elite Li Wenhan battalion from Xufu down the river to support Naxi. At the same time, he also ordered Zhao Youxin, the commander of the second echelon, to lead the He Haiqing detachment and the Lu Guofan detachment, and Luo Peijin, the chief of the general staff, and Gu Pinzhen, the commander of the third echelon, to lead the Zhu De detachment to urgently reinforce Naxi. A battle to defend Naxi began.

On the evening of the 13th, Li Wenhan's battalion, He Haiqing's detachment, and Luguofan's detachment rushed to Naxi one after another, broke through the enemy's encirclement, and rescued Dong and Liu's two units. On the 17th, the commander of the sixth detachment of the third echelon regiment, Zhu . De was ordered to lead a team from Yongning to the battlefield of Cotton Slope (now Cotton Slope Town, Naxi District) east of Naxi after two days of rapid marching, and joined the defense of Naxi.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, Cai Yi led the headquarters of the First Army to Naxi in the face of illness, set up a headquarters on Anfu Street, and personally commanded the battle. After that, the main force of the Central Route Army of the Protectorate Army and the Yuan Army, which was several times its size, launched a tug-of-war in Naxi on the south bank of Luzhou and its surrounding Mianpo, Water Chestnut Pond, Lantian Dam, Shuanghechang and other places, and "all southern Sichuan turned into a battlefield".

Zhu De, the commander of the third detachment who had participated in this battle, later recalled with deep understanding: "I still learned to fight a big battle at that time. ”

The fierce battle continued until the beginning of March, but due to the continuous increase of Yuan's army, and the fact that the Protector Army had no reinforcements available, and lacked weapons and ammunition to replenish, the troops were also fighting continuously, and they were extremely tired. In order to preserve his strength, Cai had no choice but to accept the advice of Luo Peijin, Liu Cunhou and others, and on March 4, he ordered all detachments to withdraw from Naxi and its surrounding areas, and slowly retreated in the direction of Yongning.

The order was orderly, and the Yuan army was afraid of the prestige of the Yunnan army, and did not dare to send a chasing army.

Yuan Jun Feng Yuxiang's brigade entered Naxi first. Feng Yuxiang originally wanted to withdraw his troops to Shaanxi, but he had not yet moved, just in time for the Protector Army to withdraw from Naxi, so he took the opportunity to attack. In this way, Feng Yuxiang has made great contributions.

On March 7, Yuan Shikai made Feng Yuxiang a third-class baron because of this, and praised Feng Shi in the edict: "Loyal and courageous, extremely commendable." ”

On the same day, Zhang Jingyao was awarded the rank of three army generals, brigade commanders Xiong Xiangsheng, Wu Peifu, and Wu Xintian were all promoted to lieutenant generals, and Liu Xiang, head of Xiong Xiangsheng's department, was also awarded five medals and major generals.

This period can be regarded as the bleakest period of the Protector Army, and at the same time as the Yuan army captured Naxi, the right wing of the Protector Army withdrew from the Qijiang River. On the Guangxi side, the Longjingguang army captured the Pass, and on the Hunan side, Yuan's Zhou Wenbing division captured Mayang on March 13.

Emperor Yuan Shikai received all the good news at this time, and what excited him the most was that Yang Qiyuan, the commander of the Sichuan army, called from Ningyuan.

Yang Qiyuan telegraphed: On 13 February, he led his troops to smuggle across the Jinsha River and attacked Moyu at night.

Yuan Shikai issued an order praising him: "Win by surprise, go deep into the Yunnan realm, occupy the key passes, and be brave." "Bestow five honors on him.

This is the most proud period of Emperor Yuan after Hong Xian became emperor, and it can also be said to be the reflection of Yuan Shikai.

Yuan Jun's good news was frequent, and Emperor Yuan was in a state of excitement for several days.

In order to encourage the morale of the front, Yuan Zheng. The government procured a large number of corned beef, salted pork, canned food, Shaoxing wine, colored satin, tribute silk, gold and silver utensils, clocks, clothes and hats, swords, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, tablets, photographs, magnets, etc., and sent them to the front line to comfort the soldiers respectively.

Meritorious generals are awarded the Order of Glory and Glory of the First to Fifth Ranks, and those who receive the medals may receive 3,000 yuan, 2,000 yuan, 1,000 yuan, 500 yuan, and 250 yuan respectively each year, according to the rank of the medal.

At the same time, the government bonds of the first year of Hong Xian were issued to cover the war expenses.

After the Protector Army withdrew from Naxi, Yuan's army did not have the courage to pursue. After only 10 days of rectification, the Protectorate made a comeback on 17 March.

Within a few days, the Protector Army had regained Jiang'an, Nanchuan, Naxi, Pengshui, Qijiang and other counties. Zhang Jingyao fled back to Luzhou with his head in his arms.

Zhang Jingyao was Yuan Shikai's sworn friend when he became emperor, and he worked hard for Yuan Shikai the most, and it was his seventh division that ravaged the people the most.

Cai Yi once wrote a letter to condemn Zhang Jingyao, saying: "Before the imperial system is completed, the people are slaughtered first, how can it be a country?" There is only one person under the feet, and he is already guilty of not allowing death, and if he abuses my compatriots again, he will not eat meat."

Cai Ye also publicly telegraphed to depict the various atrocities of Yuan Jun:

Electric One: "...... Thousands of rebel troops were based in Youluoping, and after being attacked by our army for several days, they gradually collapsed, and the rest could not be ambushed. In the middle of the night on the 7th, most of the people of Youluoping suddenly crossed the river one after another, and the head of the regiment, Bao Zheng, was also among them, according to his oral account: After the northern army occupied Youluoping, it plundered at 12 o'clock yesterday afternoon, loaded 27 boats of property, each boat could accommodate 100 people, and marched to the Qijiang River through Sanxi. should be against the army again. Lewd, dozens of women died by throwing themselves into the water.

"Chayou Luoping is a natural hazard in Sichuan, surrounded by walls, in the middle of the plain, around eighty or ninety kilometers. The rebellion of Zhang Xianzhong was not ravaged. Since the month before last, most of the wealthy households in Qijiang have migrated in, and their belongings are no less than millions. It is a rebel army like a thief, and a captive at will; Rob. Traitor. fornication, should be asked to declare its offense nationwide, etc. Investigating the places where our army went this time, all the people who were tragically ravaged by the rebel army in all kinds wept before complaining to the army, interrogated the prisoners, and confessed, and captured the officers and commanders of the rebel army, and found Yuan's false edict on his body, and the evidence was conclusive, and the current military hole was urgent, and it could not be uncovered one by one...... If the reverse situation is like this, is humanity safe? All our citizens should be angry and rush to the crown, and rise up quickly and punish this fang. ……”

Electricity 2: "...... The rebel army is in Sichuan, raping and plundering, doing all kinds of evil, as far as those who have witnessed it are concerned, after the defeat of the rebel army, its scattered trenches, the people's bedding, women's clothes and hakama, all over the ground. His abandoned corpses, rings, bracelets and hands are full of splendor. It's not a man or a woman, it's weird. Whenever the return attack is urgent, or when the retreat is carried out, arson and destruction of houses have become a rule. Since the beginning of the day, nearly 1,000 houses have been burned in various places in Niubeishi, Shuanghechang and Naxi Fuguo. Sometimes false revelations are issued, and it is still said that the Yunnan army set fires, harmed the people, and begged for special funds for relief. The tyranny is extreme, and the people have witnessed it with their own eyes, and the title is piercing. Therefore, the rebel army arrived, and the migration was empty. Its sentry was routed, and it was often attacked by the people and sent to its own army. ……”

Completely different from the Beiyang Army, the Protector Army is highly disciplined. As a result, the First Army led by Cai Yi fought against Yuan's army in southern Sichuan, southeastern Sichuan, and western Hunan Province, and won the support of the broad masses of the people.

After the outbreak of the Protectorate War, Yunnan set off an upsurge of people enthusiastically joining the army, enthusiastically losing generals, and enthusiastically donating money, food, and materials. The places where the Protector Army passed through also undertook the task of supplying the army.

On the front line in Sichuan, wherever the Protector Army went, the local people were even more "full of food to welcome".

Cai Yi once said with infinite emotion: "The peasants were armed and attacked the enemy's transports, and they transferred food and ammunition to us. The boatmen propped up and fed us, ferried our troops across the river, and carried the wounded up from the battlefield. …… Wherever the rebels came, (the people) migrated. Its sentry posts and routs are often attacked by the people and sent to their own army. There are more than ten people who speak Beiyin, and they dare not go to the township. Wherever our army went, the people danced to welcome them, the women and children who fled returned home, and the market trade flourished. Even within the line of fire, there are often people who carry the canopy for feeding. The old village ladies of the wild fields recklessly satirized the scriptures all night long, wishing the victory of the Dian army. Therefore, the prisoner's confession said: The time and place are favorable, and all of them are occupied by the Dian army, and the northern army has no reason to win. ”

The news of the successive victories of the Protector Army led by Cai Ye in southern Sichuan, southeastern Sichuan, and western Hunan greatly boosted the anti-Yuan fighting spirit of the people throughout the country and promoted the development of anti-Yuan struggles in various localities.

The battle of the Protector Army against Yuan can completely prove that victory is not based on troops, financial resources and weapons alone. As long as justice is in me and the division is strong, we will win the final victory.

Cai's army had no food for the night, and no clothes to rest on, so Cai relied on Cai to send telegrams everywhere to ask for loans and borrow money from local people at high interest rates, and it was simply a day before they could think about the next day. This kind of war cannot be fought at all from a modern point of view, but Cai and other protectors of the country fought very well.

Compared with the suppression of the second revolution, the same Beiyang Army, the same equipment, combat strength and morale are very different. It shows that Yuan Shikai is the emperor, and it is unpopular to engage in restoration and regression. Even if they are Beiyang soldiers, they may not have their own thoughts and opinions in their hearts; How many people are willing to die for the Yuan dynasty?