The defeat of the Qing army once again caused shocks at home and abroad, and the failure of the Qing army's arrangement, the incompetence of the officers and men in fear of war, the enhancement of the combat strength of the revolutionary army, and the upsurge of the spiritual will of the revolutionary officers and men were all the reasons for the victory and defeat. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

If the previous siege of the Qing army showed some confrontation and balance, this counteroffensive has convinced many people that the revolutionary army is not lacking in strength, but is deliberately slowing down the military offensive in order to improve the political structure in terms of government and economy.

Based on the results of this counteroffensive, many commentators believe that the revolutionary army was fully capable of defeating the old Qing army by three to four times, or even more. Even in the face of the new army, the revolutionary army, which has actual combat experience, will have a certain advantage in the same number of battles.

"It is clear that the government forces in the south are no longer able to suppress or destroy the revolutionary party forces, the difference in weapons and equipment is almost non-existent, and the key to the victory or defeat of the war is the will and spirit of the officers and men. At this point, the old army was completely inferior, and the small number of new troops could not play their due role. If the Qing government wants to completely extinguish the revolutionary party, it can only hope for victory by mobilizing China's most elite Beiyang New Army......"

Chen Wenqiang put down the newspaper, touched his chin, and fell into deep thought.

This foreign devil said it very objectively, and there was no big mistake in his judgment. The speed of the growth of the revolutionary army is indeed amazing, its own funding is very important, and the courage of the Guangxi soldiers is also the key, and the determined and fearless revolutionaries who are full of it play a key role.

So far, looking at the whole country, it is true that only the Beiyang New Army can pose a threat to the revolutionary army. Of course, if the Qing court mobilized all the new troops in the south, it would also be able to cobble together a force that could fight the revolutionary army, but this was only in terms of numbers and equipment.

War is never such a simple numbers game, and it is necessary to take into account various complex factors such as time, place, people, etc.

In this respect, the new army elsewhere in the South. Or if the Beiyang Army goes south, the revolutionary army will still have the advantage of fighting at home. The climate, water, soil, topography, and topography were all favorable to the revolution, and the new army that came from afar might not be able to take advantage of it.

If the enemy can be severely defeated in the southwest, it will have a great impact on the revolutionary situation in the future. Perhaps, this will be a very good opportunity to create good conditions for the peaceful transition of the revolution.

For Chen Wenqiang's consistent revolutionary thinking, even if he temporarily compromises and retreats. It is also a strategy to avoid large-scale civil wars as much as possible and to move into relatively peaceful nation-building as quickly as possible.

Let the enemy know the strength and strength of the revolutionary army, and only then will it be possible to sit down at the negotiating table in the future. If you don't have the strength, who will bargain with you and just sweep it out by force.

The odds are stacked! Chen Wenqiang calculated the current strength of the revolutionary army, as well as Wu Luzhen and the soldiers and horses in his hands, if there were no more than two towns of the Beiyang Army, the revolutionary army would be able to resist it; If more than two towns. Then it would be necessary for him and Wu Luzhen to suddenly attack the unsuspecting Beiyang Army. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn up the corners of his mouth and show a sly smile.

Although there is no need to worry too much about the Qing army's re-attack, Chen Wenqiang still has to contribute to the strength of the revolutionary army. The weakness of the revolutionary army was also obvious, that is, the small number of artillery. This was not obvious when fighting against the old Qing army and the new army in Hubei, which also had little artillery, but it had to be compensated for in order to compete with the Beiyang army.

Originally, Chen Wenqiang was a little worried that the revolutionary army would be replenished too quickly, which would easily attract suspicion. But now his power is solid. There is also a way to cover it up, regardless of whether the Qing court believes it or not. Anyway, he definitely doesn't dare to touch him easily at the moment.

As a local powerhouse, Chen Wenqiang's ability to get to this point was all due to the Qing court's own miscalculations, or a forced path. After the Taiping Rebellion, the Qing government's efforts to loosen financial power made local dignitaries vested interests, although the Qing government later made several efforts. But it is difficult to reclaim this right.

An important reason for the development and maintenance of the Westernization Movement was due to the change in the original power structure of the Qing court. At that time, it was still some local officials who actually ran foreign affairs, such as Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, and so on. It is also because of the extreme expansion of local power that began in the 50s of the 19th century, and the decentralization of central power allowed local officials with real power to use their power and prestige to realize their own ideas.

After the Gengzi Incident, the state of local independence and self-preservation made China clearly divided into spheres of influence headed by a local magistrate, with separate fiscal revenues and military power under their own control, and they could hardly ignore the central government, especially when the government's orders eroded local interests.

Although Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong and other local officials held real power at that time, because they believed in the Gangchang Famous Teaching, they did not express their arrogance towards the Qing Dynasty. However, later, with the absolute weakening of the power of the central government and the loss of the idea of loyalty to the monarch in the imperial era, the local government gradually became arrogant and uncontrolled by the central government, and finally developed into a situation of warlord secession.

Although it has not yet reached such a serious level, signs are becoming increasingly apparent, and conflicts between local governors and the central government are occurring from time to time. Conflicts over money, taxes, customs duties, military spending, and so on, become intense when the central government's actions infringe on the financial resources of local authorities and the interests of local dignitaries.

Taking advantage of the influence of the war in the southwest, Chen Wenqiang grasped the military power, and continued to recruit troops and horses, although he was not a governor, but he set up and held the governor Yuan Shuxun hostage, and his attitude towards the Qing court was also the most domineering. Not only that, but his influence also exerted influence in Hunan and Hubei provinces, and through the formation and training of new armies, it became bigger and bigger.

But Chen Wenqiang is very different from Li Hongzhang and other local powerhouses, the difference is that the narrow-mindedness and selfishness of Li Hongzhang and other local powerhouses have not weakened with their rising status, and they are "mainly concerned with making his regional power base superior to any potential adversary, maintaining a strong enough power to stand up to the weak central government, and at the same time rejoicing in being the most honorable minister of this government." ”

This has led to the independence of local self-preservation, which they can completely ignore unless their own vital interests are involved. For example, in the First Sino-Japanese War, which changed the international pattern between China and Japan, the First Sino-Japanese War became a battle to defend a province due to the self-preservation of local officials. By the time of the Gengzi Incident, this attitude and behavior intensified, and finally came to the fore.

………… (To be continued.) )