By the end of the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty's ruling order in Guangdong was already facing serious challenges, and the prominent problem of banditry was one of the main manifestations. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

"There are many thieves in all countries on the earth, with China as the most; There are many thieves in China, and Guangdong is the most ......" Although this remark is exaggerated, it reflects the tendency of public opinion on the seriousness of the bandit problem in Guangdong in the late Qing Dynasty.

And the official does not shy away from the fact that there are many thieves in Guangdong, and exaggerates it in many ways. "The mountains and seas in eastern Guangdong are intertwined, the people are fierce, and the bandits are blazing, and they are in other provinces", "Guangdong is known as many thieves, and it has become increasingly intensified in recent years."

So to what extent did the banditry in Guangdong reach in the late Qing Dynasty? It is said that from the 21st year (1895) to the 30th year (1904) of Guangxu, "there were dozens of bandits, and the number of people was thousands." In the last decade or so of the Qing Dynasty, public order deteriorated even more, and there were more than 3,000 cases of robbery and murder in one year, among which there were countless people who could not afford to accept the rules and regulations or were afraid of the bandits seeking revenge and did not dare to report the cases.

Therefore, Guangdong may not be the province with the most bandits, but at the end of the Qing Dynasty, Guangdong was undoubtedly one of the most serious areas with the problem of banditry. Although there has not been a situation in which tens of thousands of bandit armies have been fighting on a large scale, attacking cities and plundering land, and sweeping through urban and rural areas on a large scale, there are many bandits and gangs in various parts of Guangdong, but this has created a situation in which "bandits are everywhere."

Moreover, because the Guangdong bandits had a lot of weapons in their hands, and there was no shortage of new sharp weapons, it was even more difficult for the bandits to deal with. Some public opinion said: "Why are the thieves in Guangdong unscrupulous? The pirates of Guangdong also have arms, which is enough to compete with the official army! ”

Chen Wenqiang carefully read the information, and it was indeed shocking, but he was not ready to give up. Guangdong will be the base of the revolution, and public order will be calmed down sooner or later. Besides, he saw something else in it. also understood why Wu Luzhen was dismissed from suspicion and regarded as a loyal servant of the imperial court.

Deviations in ideology and deviation in action have caused the revolutionary groups, mainly the League, to regard the Party as an important force to rely on. However, what is presented between the Guangdong Hui Party and the bandits is a complex situation of "you have me, I have you". The mobilization of the Hui Party inevitably involved some bandits in the revolutionary movement.

For example, in the Guangzhou Uprising planned in 1895, Liang Cannon, a famous thief in the Beijiang area, called on the Beijiang Hui Party to participate; Year 1900. The Xingzhong Society once again launched an uprising in Guangdong, and made an appointment with the eastern, western, and northern rivers to meet with the thieves such as Wang Hai and Ou Xin; It is the recent Qinuhu Uprising, Deng Ziyu is to launch Chen Chun, Lin Wang, Sun Wen and other green forests, Hui Party uprising, among which Sun Wen is "a thief who robs on weekdays, and the township suffers from it one after another, and women and children know about it".

In this way, the party and the bandits were almost equated with the revolutionary party. The first to attach to the revolutionaries was proud of the Revolutionary Party, and those who were not attached to the Revolutionary Party also risked the Revolutionary Party to intimidate each other. Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Liangguang, said to the imperial court: "Guangdong is blazing in other provinces, and the party is disposed of weapons. significant counterconspiracy"; Zhang Renjun also pointed out that "thieves and bandits are rampant in Guangdong, colluding with the Revolutionary Party, secretly setting up divisions, and making appointments to start incidents."

It is precisely for this reason that when Wu Luzhen cracked down on the Hui Party and exterminated the bandits in Qiongzhou, he would be regarded as an enemy of the Revolutionary Party and hated the revolutionary Party.

After coming to this conclusion, Chen Wenqiang did not hesitate at all. It even strengthened his determination. If robbing homes and robbing houses and killing people for money and thieves can also put on the cloak of revolution, then it is really an insult to the revolution. Attacks from public opinion are inevitable. But does he care? The praise received by the people is the majority, although the common people do not have the right to speak.

There is a lot of information, but it is still sparse, mainly about the methods and measures of how to eliminate bandits. Although the scale and momentum of the Qingxiang taken by the government before, the effect was obviously not ideal.

Chen Wenqiang didn't want to bother with it. Although he also had some ideas of his own, he still handed over the work to the General Staff and asked them to study and work out a plan that could be put into practice. This plan can be sketched out and then adjusted according to the actual situation.

……………

Off the coast of Macau.

The wind is not strong and the water is slightly dark green. It seems that what is unfolding in front of people's eyes is the endless verdant grassland. There are silvery white waves rippling on the surface of the water, petrels fly low against the surface of the water to feed, and jellyfish float like a meat umbrella in the water......

The meeting with Huang Xing, the No. 2 person in the Alliance, was on a ship moored in the open sea, and Chen Wenqiang was still dressed up. It's not that Thaksin doesn't trust Huang Xing, it's that the work he is going to carry out will deal a blow to revolutionary groups such as the League and invite scolding, so it is better not to expose it too early.

It is not known whether the handshake between the two No. 2 figures, or rather the meeting of the two practitioners, was of historical significance, but the initial chill was harmonious and peaceful. They are all quality people, and even if they are dissatisfied, they must maintain a superficial politeness. It's just that this peaceful atmosphere becomes tense as the conversation unfolds and deepens.

"Although there are some internal disputes in the Alliance, the overall situation is still stable, and your Association proposes to unite at this time, but in essence it is annexation. Could it be that they are the same revolutionary groups, but they have to fight each other? Huang Xing's face darkened, and he was obviously very dissatisfied with Chen Wenqiang's proposal.

"When I talk about union, and when you talk about annexation, I just look at the problem from a different angle." Chen Wenqiang said lightly: "When the alliance was established, was the Xingzhong Association and the Huaxing Association united, or annexed? I don't think there is anything wrong with the in-depth development of the revolution led by the Revival Society, the integration of the revolutionary forces of all parties, and the unity of revolutionary comrades from all sides. If Mr. Huang insists on saying that it is a dump, it can only show that Mr. Huang is not loyal to the revolution, but narrowly loyal to an individual or a group. ”

"The revival will launch a revolution, and the results achieved are remarkable and admirable." Huang Xing softened his tone and said, "But if it is a union, your association should discuss with Mr. Sun, and it is very inappropriate to contact Huang in private. ”

"Mr. Sun is a member of the Chinese Revolutionary Party, and I'm talking about the Tokyo League." Chen Wenqiang smiled slightly and said: "Of course, the great alliance of revolutionaries in the future is inevitable, but the time is not yet ripe. ”

"Mr. Sun is still the prime minister of the League." Huang Xing's face sank again, "Avoiding Mr. Sun to talk about alliance is infighting and rebellion." ”

"It turns out that Mr. Huang is loyal to Mr. Sun, not to revolutionary ideals." The corners of Chen Wenqiang's mouth pursed up, slightly mocking, "It seems that there is no provision in the constitution of the alliance that members are not allowed to withdraw, so the rebellion that Mr. Huang said cannot be established." I met with Mr. Huang today with the intention of uniting revolutionary comrades. Advance the revolutionary process. If Mr. Wong is attached to a small group and loyal to a certain leader, then the matter is abandoned. The revolution is not impossible unless you do, you will reform yours, and I will reform ours. Hey. If you want me to see it, the hope of the success of our revolution is much greater than yours! ”

"The Revival Society is very powerful, is this what you rely on to dig into the walls of other revolutionary groups?" Huang Xing replied coldly.

"Digging into the wall?" Chen Wenqiang shook his head with a smile and said: "No, we don't have money to buy us, and we don't need to be lured by high-ranking officials, we just provide revolutionaries with opportunities to realize their ideals." They were willing to throw themselves into it, they were willing to fight for the revolution, they were willing to fight for the overthrow of the Qing court. Not like you. Under the guise of loyalty, in fact, it is wasting the years. If you don't say it well, you can say it better than you sing it, but you can't do anything in practice. ”

Huang Xing was a little enraged, and his eyes narrowed to argue and refute, but Chen Wenqiang interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Selfish, that's all I can say about you." Chen Wenqiang stretched out his hand and pointed at it from afar. "The revolutionary army led by the Revival Society is fighting bloodily to overthrow the Qing court and is shedding blood and sacrifice to achieve the common goal of revolutionaries. What about you. If you don't want to devote yourself to it, you have to prevent others from contributing their blood and lives to the revolution. I am here today to discuss with you, not because I ask you, and it is not because you cannot succeed because of the revolution. Instead, we invite you to participate in a warm mood and provide you with the opportunity to realize your dreams. Let's be honest. I have ordered the Tokyo branch of the Association to inject 20,000 yuan into Minpao and to send an invitation to the members of the Tokyo Alliance, hoping that those who are interested in the revolution will join the Renaissance Association and strive for the realization of their revolutionary ideals. ”

"It's not just your Alliance, it's also the Restoration Society that has been separated." Chen Wenqiang stood up from his chair. The tall figure coupled with his firm voice gave people a sense of coercion, "We sincerely invite them to discuss the revolutionary plan, and even more welcome them to go to the revolutionary base area and contribute to the revolution." ”

Huang Xing's brows furrowed tightly, he knew the chaos of the Tokyo League at this time, as well as the embarrassment of the "Minbao" and the anger of the editor-in-chief Zhang Binglin.

It turned out that Wang Jingwei came to Tokyo from Nanyang on the order of Beichen, completely put aside Zhang Taiyan and secretly prepared for the resumption of the "Minbao", and edited and published an issue of "Minbao" on his own. On the one hand, Sun Yat-sen was extremely indifferent to Zhang Taiyan's request for assistance to "Minbao", and on the other hand, he repeatedly came forward to raise funds for the "Zhongxing Daily" initiated by Singapore, and indeed had the intention of replacing "Minbao" with "Zhongxing Daily". It can be seen that Beichen has subjectively shifted its attention to the South Seas.

Hearing these news, Zhang Taiyan was furious. In particular, Wang Qingwei's "Minbao" in Tokyo stimulated him even more. At the instigation of Tao Chengzhang, he wrote an official letter to the Americas, Nanyang, and other places, directly titled "False (Minbao) Complaint", and printed it as a leaflet, sent people to distribute it everywhere, and also exposed it in Tokyo's "Nikhua Shimbun".

Subsequently, as a counterattack, a wave of attacks suddenly rose. Hong Kong's "China Daily" published a series of articles condemning Zhang Taiyan. Wu Zhihui also began to make waves, and he wrote a series of articles in the Paris "New Century" to attack Zhang Taiyan and Tao Chengzhang.

For a time, big hats such as "Manchurian Eagle Dog", "Betraying the Revolution", "Sinner of the Chinese Revolutionary Party", and "Sinner of "Minbao" all fell on Zhang Taiyan's head. Zhang Taiyan's revolutionary experience in the past and his achievements as editor-in-chief of the "Minbao" were completely denied in a quick counterattack that was only for a moment.

Both sides used extremely sharp and harsh and sad language, and both sides splashed sewage all over their opponents' heads. In fact, the Confederacy's organizational split is irretrievable.

At this time, the revival society took the initiative and the name was to unite and unite the revolutionary aspirants, and with the sensational influence of the Southwest Uprising, it was to be expected that some or even most of the members of the Tokyo League would turn to other people.

"Is it irretrievable?" Huang Xing stood up and said coldly: "Now that you have already started to act, this negotiation is meaningless. ”

"Makes sense." Chen Wenqiang turned to Huang Xing and said sincerely: "The split of the League is due to the view of the door, and we in the Revival Association invite Mr. Huang and all the revolutionary comrades, but we don't want to do this. Mr. Huang can think carefully about it, from the point of view of the goals and purposes of the revolution, there are not too many differences between the revolutionary groups, and it should be everyone's hope to seek common ground while reserving differences, to unite sincerely, and to promote the success of the revolution at an early date. You believe that there should not be the slightest selfish intention, private opinion, private interest, or private intention in the revolutionary cause" and named yourself 'Zhen', which Chen deeply admired. ”

Huang Xing was stunned for a moment, then understood, and said with a wry smile: "It's Bluffy Chu, right?" ”

"Mr. Song is personally directing the revolution in the southwest base area." Chen Wenqiang smiled and nodded, took out a letter from his pocket, and said, "This is written to you by Mr. Song, and he earnestly hopes to fight side by side with you. Isn't it a good story that the old comrades-in-arms of the revolution have come to the same end on different paths? ”

Huang Xing hesitated to take the letter, but did not open it immediately, obviously thinking.

"If Mr. Huang wants to go to the revolutionary base area and take a look, we will make proper arrangements to ensure that you can come and go freely and without hindrance." Chen Wenqiang continued: "In the revolutionary army, there are many revolutionary comrades of the former League, who either lead troops to fight wars or manage government affairs. ”

"Is it really irreparable?" Huang Xing raised his head and asked again heavily.

Chen Wenqiang lowered his eyelids, pondered for a moment, and said, "My order has not yet been given, but it will be tomorrow at the latest. If you tell you the truth, you won't have to worry about sending a telegram to Tokyo. You know exactly what the situation of the Tokyo Alliance is now. Therefore, I still hope that you will accept my proposal, so that the Tokyo League will not be divided, and the comrades will not turn against each other, and finally realize the union with this association. ”

"Tomorrow!" Huang Xing sighed softly and said, "Thank you for giving me a day." What a powerful method you have used to revive the Society! Let me consider it, and give you an answer by tomorrow morning at the latest, can you grant me this request? ”

"Absolutely." Chen Wenqiang nodded confidently and said with a smile: "Mr. Song said that you are a generous gentleman, determined to love yourself, and all the thoughts of seeking profit, fighting for power, being incorruptible and shameful, and despicable thieves, do not wait for the ban, and can already cut yourself off." When I saw it today, Chen thought it was true, how could he dare to have half a point of unbelief? ”

"Blunt--that-is." Huang Xing sighed and stretched out his hand, shook Chen Wenqiang tightly, turned around and walked towards the side of the boat.

.............. (To be continued.) )