Under the rule of the corrupt Qing Dynasty, China's mountains and rivers were shattered, its national strength was weak, imperialism was looking at its eagles, and its national crisis was unprecedentedly serious. Many enthusiastic young people and people with lofty ideals www.biquge.info the pen and the fun and the pavilion are in an urgent mood to seek a way to save the country and the people.

At this time, the Qing Dynasty was like a big tree that was crawling with moths and was about to fall down, as the newspaper said: "Private relatives are all planted in the important Jin, and half of the talents are bribes, so the Japanese talk about the discipline and the villain is more wanton, the day is said to be the official and the door is open, the day is to raise the people and only increase the trouble of harshness, the day is to investigate the officials and turn to the habit of greed, the day is to govern the army and the disadvantages of deduction are turned to the green camp, and the wind of squandering the money is invaded by the public treasury." ”

It is undeniable that the so-called late New Deal has made some achievements, but more importantly, it has become a good opportunity for officials at all levels to wantonly seek rents and enrich themselves. In particular, the well-known "Qing Kee" company in history has an outstanding reputation for buying officials and selling hair, clearly marking prices. The Revival Association once spent a huge amount of money to replace all the county officials and county officials around the Hainan base with its own people, so that the base could develop smoothly. Such a court is weak and difficult to return, although it is still in a dying struggle, but it is only a matter of time before it collapses.

In Beijing, Prince Alcohol's Mansion was shrouded in a twilight, and it was about to get dark.

After walking from Qianhai to Houhai for half an hour, the regent Zaifeng's stomach was a mess. It should be his nature to be indecisive and fearful, and he became a regent in a daze, but he was not happy at all. The more I hope for peace in the world, the more things happen, and the little things can be confused, but the rebellion of this revolutionary party is a big thing!

The light in the study of Baoshantang was on, and Zaifeng circled around the room, turned twice, stopped, frowned, and turned again. Looking up at the self-written couplet on the wall: There are books that are really rich and noble, and there are little fairies who have nothing to do. I couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He continued to grind until the steward and eunuch invited him to eat.

Zaifeng had just hastily eaten a few bites of the offering meal in Siqian Hall, and the eunuch came to report: "The Prime Minister, the Minister of Military Aircraft, Yi Kuang, and the Associate Minister Na Tong are waiting in Baoshan Hall. ”

Zaifeng stopped his chopsticks, already upset and lost his appetite. After this disturbance, he didn't want to eat even more, he shook his head, threw down his chopsticks, and said, "Don't eat it!" "Get up and go.

Walking into Baoshan Hall, Zaifeng was not easy to have a fire in his stomach, after all, the person who came was his uncle, and he was an important minister of the court, so he had to politely give up his seat to serve tea.

A few words. Yi Kuang got to the point: "British Minister Zhu Erdian came to me today, saying that the rebellion in the south could not be pacified unless Yuan Shikai could not be pacified, I thought that although Yinchang was the general office of the Beiyang Military Academy, there were many students in the Beiyang Army, but Yinchang had not led troops to fight, and this war was related to the overall situation of the survival of the Qing Dynasty, and I asked the regent to think twice." ”

Zaifeng was silent and did not speak. There was a lot of hatred in my heart, and I hated why I was soft in the first place. left Yuan Shikai with a dog's life, and now he wants to lure the wolf into the house.

There was silence in the Hozen Hall.

Seeing that Zaifeng didn't speak for a long time, Yi Kuang continued: "The Beiyang Army is training for Yuan Shikai, Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang, and Wang Shizhen all hold heavy power, and only Yuan Ma is the first to look forward, and others may be difficult to command. ”

Zaifeng looked at Na Tong. said: "Then the prince, what do you say?" ”

Na Tong straightened his waist and said: "I think what the prime minister said is extremely true, Yuan Gongbao went from guarding North Korea to training troops at a small station to exterminating Changmao, his contribution is indispensable, and his way of using troops is not comparable to Yinchang, and Yuan Gongbao was sent south to suppress it." It must be a sure victory, and the old man is willing to guarantee the life of the whole family. ”

Zaifeng sneered and said: "Yuan Shikai is Sima Zhao's heart, passers-by know it, don't you know, re-recruit Yuan Shikai to quell the chaos, grant military power, and what can you do with him if he is defeated, if he wins, then the Qing Kingdom will probably have the surname Yuan." ”

Na Tong said: "The general trend is already like this, without Yuan Gongbao, the revolutionary and chaotic party will gain power, and the Qing Dynasty will not be safe, with Yuan Gongbao, it may be peaceful." Moreover, Yuan Gong is loyal to the imperial court, and he wants to be a famous minister like Zeng Hu Zuo Li. ”

Hmph, hum, Zaifeng kept sneering, gritted his teeth, his eyes showed a fierce light, stared at Yi Kuang, and asked in a deep voice: "Have you heard of the rumors that have been circulating among the people recently?" ”

Yi Kuang was stunned for a moment, shook his head and said disdainfully: "How can you take it seriously." Moreover, it is likely that the chaotic party deliberately spread rumors, and it must be that Yuan Gongbao is afraid in his heart. ”

Zaifeng slapped the table heavily and said loudly, "Isn't Yin Chang recommended by you?" The army has just moved south, how do you know it's going to be defeated? One Yuan Shikai on the left and one Yuan Gongbao, are all the people in the Great Qing Kingdom dead? Why don't you, Minister of War and Aircraft, take your troops to war? You, Associate Minister, is your family's life important, or is it important for the Qing Dynasty? ”

Yi Kuang and Na Tong had never seen this timid and docile regent have such a demeanor, they couldn't help but feel furious in their hearts, looking at each other, Yi Kuang stood up, pointed his finger and said: "You are the regent, and the Great Qing Kingdom has the final say on you alone?" Leave! ”

Zaifeng felt a burst of joy, after this unlucky regent, he accepted it, this fire was suffocated, and today he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He spat heavily on the ground at the backs of Yi Kuang and Na Tong, and scolded: "Two old dogs who feed Yuan Shikai!" After scolding, he felt a little hungry, and shouted again: "Pass the meal!" ”

The next morning, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and Minister of Military Aircraft Yi Kuang said that he was sick and took leave, and the Associate Minister Na Tong folded and resigned. The imperial court issued several decrees: crowned Yuan Shikai as a first-class marquis, an assistant minister, and immediately entered Beijing. He was also promoted to Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang to the third baron, and sent the Manchu pro-Gui Liangbi to replace Yinchang, and went south to supervise the division with a large amount of money to attack the rebellious party.

At the same time, the Qing court had already understood that it was more clever to replace the bloody repression with the means of moderation and deception, and issued an edict to the governors of the provinces to convey to the military and the people: "Those who follow the rebellion are not to blame, and if the list is found, it should be destroyed immediately", dreaming of using soft power to ease the expansion of the revolutionary forces.

Zhangde, Henan. Yuan Shikai angrily smashed the teacup and buried his body in the big sofa, Tie Qing's face was angry and hateful, unpredictable.

The reason why Yuan Shikai refused the call of the imperial court was that he naturally felt that he was fearless and wanted to reap greater benefits. The original abacus was very fine, and he also thought that the imperial court would give in again and make him get his wish, but a sudden wave of public opinion and rumors made the imperial court, which was already suspicious of him, even more wary. So much so that the regent Zaifeng didn't know which master he had listened to, and he would give Yuan Shikai another official and knight, wanting to transfer him to Beijing, and use Liangbi, who was known as the cadre of the Qing Dynasty, to supervise Beiyang.

"The capable minister who rules the world, the traitor of the troubled times", "Heaven and man return." Yellow robe plus body", "I want to open my huge mouth to the sky and swallow Hu Tianjiao in one bite!" ", "Just wait for the plump feathers to fly down for nine days to save the glory"...... Thinking of these gossips, Yuan Shikai was a little frightened. The crooked poems he made when he was young were all brought in by others, and he was evaluated with ulterior motives, and he was actually a dangerous person who had the ambition to fill the ranks when he was young, and when the opportunity came, he would seek to usurp the throne and become a dangerous person of Cao Cao.

Of course, I can't say what I can do, even if I have this thought, it is also a very depressing thing to be uncovered by others. And. In China, rumors have always been more and more true, and Yuan Shikai wanted to defend himself, but he was afraid of falling deeper.

What to do? Beijing is absolutely not allowed to go, and no matter how big an official is, he cannot withstand a holy decree to kill his head. can pretend to be sick and continue to do nothing, and Yuan Shikai is not at ease. He treats his subordinates to grasp people's hearts, but he doesn't believe in people, and he is quite suspicious of people, which is also closely related to the old-fashioned methods of employing people that he has learned from his ears and eyes. Liangbi went south to supervise the division. Yuan Shikai is very wary of this.

Although Liangbi is a flag man, he is upright and arrogant. Known as a great ambition, he was the leader of the flag officers in the late Qing Dynasty, not only a "brand-new military talent, but also an outstanding talent" among the banner people, and participated in a series of military activities in the late Qing Dynasty to revitalize the military and strive for strength, "changing the military system." Training the new army, establishing military studies, and mastering the good ones."

Particular attention was paid to recruiting military talents, such as Ha Hanzhang, Shen Shangqian, Lu Jingyuan, Zhang Dijun, Chen Qicai, Feng Gengguang, and so on, all of whom were recruited and had some prestige in the Beiyang Army. And Liangbi also graduated from the Japanese non-commissioned officer school. is one of the very few people who know the soldiers among the banner people, and Feng Guozhang's tricks to fool the civil official Yin Chang are okay, but he can't hide from Liangbi's eyes. Besides, Liangbi went south to supervise the teacher, can he be empty-handed, and as soon as money and high-ranking officials are motivated, will the old man of his small station change his position.

Encourage Duan Qirui or Feng Guozhang to kill Liangbi? This is like rebellion, difficult, difficult. Don't look at the old people of Xiaozhan who are willing to do their best to make a comeback, but they are not thinking about their own interests in the small group of Beiyang, and they don't know their true thoughts.

Suddenly, Yuan Shikai realized that he seemed to be in a puzzle, and let Liangbi command Feng Guozhang and Duan Qirui's two armies to fight to the death with the revolutionary party, and win and defeat were not good for him, because what he lost was the strength he relied on for survival and security.

If the battle is won, the imperial court will only reward Duan and Feng to make them centrifuge from themselves, and when the time comes, they will still not let themselves go; defeated, he has no military strength to rely on, and he has become meat to be slaughtered on the chopping board. The Praetorian Guards stationed in Gyeonggi are hard to gnaw, and then there is the revolutionary army in the south, and the four towns of Beiyang have become a force sandwiched in the middle, and neither side is waiting to see each other.

Yuan Shikai fell into deep thought, and it took a long time to summon someone and say, "Please Mr. Lu." ”

……………

The collapse of a government that could not even control the army was imminent, and the Manchurian aristocracy had lost or was losing the loyalty of the army, especially the Han Chinese officers. And Yuan Shikai's half-heartedness and self-respecting psychology also gave the Hubei Revolutionary Army an opportunity to adjust and grow.

Wu Luzhen and his staff officers did not stop in Wuchang for long, so they rushed to the front line of Wushengguan to inspect. Standing on a small dirt hill and looking around with a telescope, there are now two trenches dug and stretched out on the ground like a giant python.

According to the plan, a trench system consisting of three parallel trenches, connected by a number of communication trenches, was supposed to be built. The point of connection between the communication trenches and the front trenches was crucial, and it was common to have strong fortifications built here. There were only a small number of guarding troops in the front trenches, which entered the trenches only in the early morning and late afternoon. Seventy to a hundred meters later there are support trenches (or diversion trenches), where the troops inside can be withdrawn when the front trenches are shelled. After three hundred to five hundred meters there is the reserve trench, in which there is another force that can counterattack and recapture the front trench after it has been captured.

The abandonment of the tactic of hoarding heavy troops on the front line was not without opposition in the revolutionary army, and even within the General Staff there were different views on this tactic. However, this is a practice that has had successful experiences in the southwest, and the majority still approve of it.

"Hehe, it must be a complaint to let the soldiers pick up shovels and pickaxes as farmers, right?" Wu Luzhen put down the binoculars and said to several senior officers with a smile.

He Sui said: "The military government does not owe salaries, and the revolutionary army has nothing to withhold, although the soldiers have some complaints, but their enthusiasm is very high, and they will not be able to stir up major changes." ”

"If you can't even control the army, I won't be here." Wu Luzhen put away her smile and said solemnly: "It's good that the soldiers are enthusiastic and not afraid of sacrifice." However, as a commander, you must not conduct military operations with enthusiasm and emotion. Have you read the materials of the Beiyang Army? What is known about the combat effectiveness of the enemy? How many centaurs do we have now? How many are worthy of a war? ”

After a pause, Li Yuanhong spoke: "The Beiyang Army has about 12,500 people per town, and the First Army of the Qing Army has two towns and two mixed associations, with a total of about 30,000 people; The main force of our army has about six mixed associations, and the Hunan army and the Jiangxi army have come to the aid of Hubei troops, with a total of about seven associations, which are basically the same as those in Beiyang. I heard from the commander-in-chief that there will be troops arriving in Guangdong one after another, and in this case, the strength should be superior. ”

The four mixed associations that have been tested in actual combat in the southwest, one mixed association of the Guangdong New Army, and one mixed association in Hubei can be regarded as the main force, and Wu Luzhen is relatively relieved. The two standards of Hunan and Jiangxi are also regular troops, not comparable to the people's army.

With such a force and the advantage of defense, Wu Luzhen thought that he could fight a battle with the Beiyang Army.

"The enemy is strong, but not invincible, and we don't have to be afraid." Wu Luzhen smiled faintly: "It is the duty of your officers to analyze the troops, equipment, and morale of both the enemy and us in detail and objectively, to make the battle plan that is most beneficial to our army, and to let the soldiers of the revolutionary army shed as little blood as possible. ”

After a pause, Wu Luzhen continued: "The enemy has strong firepower, is well trained, and relies on trenches to block the enemy, although it is very stupid, but it is a good way to offset the enemy's artillery fire and reduce the losses of our army. Such a trench system makes it difficult for the enemy's attacks to break through all at once, even if they are effective. And the two armies were entangled in the battle for trenches, and the artillery and machine guns of the Beiyang Army could not exert their power. ”

"This battle is not about destroying the Beiyang Army, and we really don't have the strength to do that now. In this battle, we must play the momentum of the revolutionary army and let the Beiyang Army know that we are not easy to mess with; Second, it is necessary to try to gain time and create favorable opportunities for the independence of other provinces; Third, it is necessary to train troops through war. Because, the revolutionary army will fight more and more, and its strength will become bigger and bigger. ”

Everyone nodded one after another as if they didn't understand, and it can be seen from Wu Luzhen's final conclusion that although he attaches great importance to the Beiyang Army, he is not afraid, but quite confident. (To be continued.) )