Chapter 239: Forming and Cultivating a New Army, Huizhou Qingxiang

The great alliance of revolutionary groups such as the Tokyo League and the Liberation Society with the Renaissance Society brought about tremendous changes in the revolutionary situation in the whole of China. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

It is not that the hard power of these revolutionary groups is strong, but that the members they have developed are all over the country, and there are even students who have already mixed in or will be mixed into the Qing army as officials. For example, Huang X, whose historical vision is very accessible, developed dozens of army non-commissioned officers and students who studied in Japan when he presided over the work of the League in Japan.

At the same time, Huang X also instructed the members of the League among the army students not to go back and forth at the headquarters of the League, and the army students' party membership cards were also kept by him alone. He also suggested that the army students should select a group of loyal and reliable comrades from among the members of the League to form another group, called the "Husband Group," and take Mencius's saying that "the rich and the noble cannot be lewd, the poor and the lowly cannot be moved, and the mighty cannot be bent" as the moral qualities that the members should have.

Although these secret members of the League have not yet played a role, they are equivalent to bombs planted in the Qing army, and when the time comes, or at a critical moment, they are likely to cause significant impact.

Revolutionary groups such as the Liberation Society also have members who have been mixed into the army, which is the new term "soft power" that Chen Wenqiang said. If it doesn't break out, it's enough, and once it is launched, it often plays an unexpected role.

Through the Revolutionary United Front, the Renaissance Association can be said to have added a pool of available military talent. Some of these talents have graduated and returned to China to serve in the Qing army and the revolutionary army, and some are about to graduate and are waiting to be recruited by all sides.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of the alliance, the Fuxing Society regained control of and contacted the officers of various groups who had infiltrated the Qing army, and recruited a group of talented people to serve under Wu Luzhen, so as to control the army more effectively in the name of training the new army.

First of all, Wang Xiaozhen, a member of the Revival Association who graduated from the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer Academy, and his grandfather worked as a secretary of the Ministry of Industry. My father used to be the Sichuan Grain Road, and in the eyes of the Qing court and the government, such a "child of the family" is the most reliable! Wang Xiaozhen came to Guangdong at the order of the organization, Chen Wenqiang and Wu Luzhen exercised in it, and Yuan Shuxun was also quite relieved of this "child of the family", and soon appointed him as the assistant of the Guangxi New Army Supervision and Training Office.

There is Chen Wenqiang, the new army superintendent. With Wu Luzhen, the land governor, and Wang Xiaozhen, the assistant of the supervision and training office, the members of the Revival Association, the Alliance Association, and the Guangfu Association came to Guangdong one after another and entered the army. Among them are Japanese students such as Zhao Hengti and Yin Changheng, as well as Geng Yi and He Sui of Baoding Military Academy.

At this point, Wu Luzhen can start training the Guangdong New Army with relative confidence. To put it bluntly, the new army, which was financed and trained by the Qing court and the Guangdong government, was not only not a force that the Qing court could rely on, but would also be the gravedigger of the feudal dynasty.

In fact. The Qing court organized and trained the new army throughout the country, because it felt bitterly that "the old army was incompetent" and wanted to train reliable force for the imperial court. However, the Qing court obviously did not know that in the process of modernization, the later it started, the more difficult it became, the more complicated the situation became, and any manipulation that went beyond its own foundation. will all go to the opposite of good intentions.

In the social background of that time and the tide of the times, almost no one knew such a fact: if the Qing Dynasty fell. The problem is not that you are going too slowly, but that you are walking too fast. In the eyes of foreign commentators, the nine-year preparatory period for the constitution was "surprisingly optimistic," but some people thought that such a short-lived plan for rapid progress could not be more radical than it could be. Even the mildest gentry could not wait.

The same approach has been seen in the nationwide training of the new army. In order to complete the training plan of the new army in 36 towns across the country, the Qing court had no choice but to be lenient in employing people. As a result, a large number of young officers who were inclined to revolution entered the New Army and held various military positions, which became a destabilizing factor that shook the Qing court.

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There were more people on the street, and most of them were hurrying in the same direction, agitated. It's like a festival. From time to time, the crowd shouted, "Kill the head!" Decollation! Decollation! ”

The execution ground is a square piece of land outside the city of Huizhou, from which the surrounding fields and many intersecting rivers stretch into the distance. About half a mile away, along a dirt road, there is a sturdy temple and several cottages made of stone.

The area was already crowded with people, they were standing, their necks stretched out, some shouting, some talking and laughing. Hawkers peddle their wares in elongated tones and sing mountain songs, people push and crowd to get to the front, and children climb trees and stone walls to fight for a clear spot.

This is the execution ground of the Huizhou Camp Office, and people seem to have become accustomed to Chen Zhaotang's constant "rectification on the spot", or they are born to love to watch the excitement, and watching the killing of the head is like a festival.

A prisoner knelt in a clearing, shirtless. One of the men standing next to him twisted his hind arms back, and the other pulled him forward with his long braids. This gesture is like a fight, to be precise, the two people standing are using the kneeling person as a rope in tug-of-war.

A fourth man appeared, holding a heavy knife in both hands, and the sunlight shone on the blade, and the cold light was overwhelming.

The crowd held their breath as if frozen, and even the baby did not dare to make a sound. In this deathly silence, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the people in the field, kneeling criminals, grim-faced, sculptural executioners.

The executioner slowly raised his arms, gripped the hilt with both hands, and the sharp blade cut an arc in the air and slashed down. The skull rolled off, the body fell to the ground, crimson blood spurting out of the neck like a spring. The headless body lay on the ground and spasmed and twitched, like a fish struggling desperately on the shore.

At this moment, the crowd erupted into a deep, contented roar. Not far away, there were seven or eight prisoners awaiting execution, with signs on their backs, which would make the crowd roar like this several times.

The soldiers began to deliver the second prisoner to the executioner, and the crowd rang out with nervous whispers. The prisoner limped and dragged step by step. A soldier nudged him, not too violently, but even such a gentle push was enough to make him fall.

The prisoner fell face to face in front of the executioner, unable to stand upright because his hands were tied behind his back. Amid a small burst of giggles from the crowd, two soldiers set him up and dragged him to his knees in front of the executioner. The prisoner knelt silently, with his head bowed, as if he did not have the courage to look up at the executioner.

The executioner instructed his assistant to come forward and grab the prisoner's braids. Forcefully drag the prisoner's head forward. Suddenly, the prisoner struggled to his feet, screaming hoarsely, and his braid jerked out of his assistant's hand, and he leaned out and screamed even louder.

"Wronged. Wronged! ”

Mournful cries echoed over the execution ground, and the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Two soldiers stepped forward and grabbed the prisoner's tied hands and pulled them back, the assistant grabbed the prisoner's braid again, the executioner hurriedly raised the big knife, and several people panicked, nervous, and uneasy.

"Bah, bah, bah!" The gunshots rang out, getting closer and closer, attracting everyone's attention.

Several fast horses galloped out of the city. Galloping towards the execution ground, firing shots into the air as he ran, attracting everyone's attention and preventing the executioner from continuing the execution.

In the crowded passageway, several knights rushed in and directly entered the execution ground. One of the knights, neatly dressed and grim-faced, shouted loudly, "Moratorium." Mr. Chen, the head office of Qingxiang, ordered the prisoners to be taken back to prison. Retrial. ”

After a moment of silence, the soldiers obeyed the order, gathered the prisoners together, shouted and cursed, and walked towards the city.

The crowd dispersed, talking, unhappy that they hadn't seen more killings today.

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Sichuan bandits. Guangxi crackdown on bandits, Guangdong crackdown on bandits, Chen Zhaotang went from a literati to a military attachΓ©, it can be said that he was promoted step by step because of the bandits, and naturally he has confidence in his own methods and abilities. There is great resistance to Chen Wenqiang's seizure of power and accusations.

"In any month, more than 1,000 people were killed, whether it was a severe punishment to complete the law, or a reckless disregard for human life, the official did not dare to make a judgment, but he must always make a decision after verifying the facts." Chen Wenqiang still admires Chen Zhaotang's incorruptibility, in the corrupt officialdom of the late Qing Dynasty, there are too few such officials, but this does not mean that he will agree with Chen Zhaotang's methods of suppressing bandits.

"The mountains and seas in eastern Guangdong are intertwined, the people are fierce, and the thieves are blazing, and they are in other provinces. This official re-enforces the chaos and the banditry situation in Huizhou has improved greatly, so why do you say that you are careless about human life? Chen Zhaotang covered his face with frost and defended unhappily.

"The people who were killed were not wronged?" Chen Wenqiang retorted unceremoniously, "Is the name of Chen Shou's indiscriminate killing all rumors?" If the people are innocent and suffer such a tragic viciousness, Lord Chen will have no guilt? ”

"Then the people killed by Lord Chen Qingxiang are all deserved for their crimes, and there is no injustice?" Chen Zhaotang pursed the corners of his mouth, and shouted with a slight sneer: "Overkill must be overdone, chaos must be punished, and the official has a clear conscience." ”

"Whether you are ashamed or not, let's talk about it later!" Chen Wenqiang didn't want to bother to talk anymore, let's talk about the facts, he groaned for a while, and said without any room for turn: "Guangdong Qingxiang is fully responsible for this official, and from today on, the Huizhou camp office will be taken over by this official, and it will not take much trouble for Lord Chen to suppress bandits and clear the township." As the prefect of Huizhou, Mr. Chen should concentrate on civil affairs! ”

Chen Zhaotang's eyes narrowed, and he snorted in his nose, Chen Wenqiang deprived him of the official position of the camp office and relieved him of military power, but as the general office of Qingxiang, Chen Wenqiang does have this power. Even Chen Wenqiang can withdraw from the Qingxiangying business in Huizhou.

"Then the official will wait and see, seeing Lord Chen so clear the township and suppress the bandits." Chen Zhaotang got up and hurriedly bowed his hand, "I am busy with official business, so I have left." ”

"No." Chen Wenqiang sat firmly and just raised his hand.

Don't want money, don't be favoritism, don't be capricious, self-discipline and conceit, Chen Wenqiang is not good at evaluating this Chen Zhaotang. However, he knew that Chen Zhaotang's so-called "successful experience" was problematic, otherwise he would not have been "popular, benefiting people, and being able to say goodbye" after the indiscriminate killing.

So what is Chen Wenqiang's successful experience? It is a lot to say, but in order to succeed in clearing the countryside and suppressing bandits, there must be a prerequisite, or a foundation, that is, a well-disciplined army that is accustomed to war. If the suppression of bandits and the clearing of the countryside is compared to surgery, a clean scalpel is necessary to remove rotten flesh and sores. If the scalpel is full of bacteria, then the old meat will be cut off and new sores will be born.

Therefore, after taking over the Huizhou Qingxiang Camp Office, the first task Chen Wenqiang did was to screen and screen the officials of the camp office, and re-interrogate the criminals who had been sentenced to justice.

No matter how dissatisfied Chen Zhaotang was, Chen Wenqiang's takeover of Qingxiang was justified and showed results at an astonishing pace.

"Investigate the farmer Robin Er, who went back and forth to Shangyi Ruins to make a living doing small business, and was robbed and kidnapped by the bandit Wu Huoguang. After Luo Guozan, the father of Robin II, went to the county government to report the case, the Qingxiang Camp Office arrested Robin II and the bandits together. Unexpectedly, the bandits actually bribed Camp Benhu Youde and others, and falsely accused Robin 2 of being kidnappers, causing Robin 2 to be sentenced to justice. Now that the case has been cleared, Robin 2 was acquitted and compensated 20 yuan for his injuries and medicines, Hu Youde and others bent the law for bribes and endangered innocent people, that is, they corrected the law on the spot, confiscated their family property, and the offender was exiled......"

"Dozens of officers and soldiers such as Zhang Laoguang and other officers and soldiers of the Qingxiang camp in Huizhou Province looted and fertilized themselves when they cleared the township, causing the people's resentment to boil. They are called officers and soldiers, but they are actually bandits, that is, they are punished on the spot, their family property is confiscated, and the offender is exiled......"

"Investigate the inferior gentry Li Guangyao, Ni Fugui, etc., shelter the bandits and stolen goods, sit on the ground and distribute fertilizer, and the evidence is conclusive. That is, to correct the law on the spot, confiscate the family property, and the offender is exiled......"

"Investigate the robbers Wu Wenyuan and others, kill people and goods, kidnap and kidnap tickets, and do all kinds of evil. That is, to correct the law on the spot, confiscate the family property, and the offender is exiled......"

The same thirst for killing, but there is a basis for killing. Chen Wenqiang first went inside and then outside, starting with the purge of the officials of the camp office, then to the inferior gentry who controlled the militia and the township regiment, and then to the detention of prisoners awaiting execution. Those who should be released are released, those who should be compensated are compensated, those who should be killed are killed, and those who should be copied are copied, but in just one week, the camp office was basically cleaned up, and the accumulated criminals were all tried and judged.

Subsequently, in accordance with the strategy of clearing the townships that had already taken shape, the militia and township groups were rectified, police stations and offices were set up, civilian guns were confiscated, rewards were offered for the arrest of famous bandits, the population and household registration were checked, local ruffians and hooligans were imprisoned and interrogated, and the halls of the party were destroyed......

The vigorous and resolute Qingxiang has eye-popping results, even Chen Zhaotang, who is dissatisfied in his heart, has to secretly admire. It's just that he and many people are puzzled, they don't know where Chen Wenqiang got so many clues, and they don't know how he quickly and accurately arrested the officials who were corrupt and harmed the people, the inferior gentry who sheltered the bandits, and the bandits who were hiding.

Killing, grabbing, copying and moving, Chen Wenqiang's four-plate axe is full of power. In less than a month, Huizhou's public security has improved greatly. Not only did the gentry and ruffians who harbored their crimes come out to bundle them up one after another, in order to get rid of their crimes; Even the bandits were intimidated and subdued, either surrendering themselves or fleeing from danger.

…………… (To be continued.) )