The reversal of the battle situation was so sudden, Zhang Renjun and Li Zhun's arrangement and adjustment had just begun, and one after another bad news came, making the two of them dizzy, as if they had fallen into an abyss. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Nearly 2,000 Qing soldiers from Nanning and reinforcing Qinzhou were ambushed and besieged by the rebel army in Datang Town, Qin Bingzhi was killed, Guo Renzhang was wounded and captured, and the Qing soldiers were almost completely annihilated; Subsequently, the rebel party pretended to withdraw the siege from Qinzhou, disguised as the rebel party who rushed to reinforce the patrol battalion to win the city gate, and rushed in, Qinzhou was lost, and only more than 300 people of the new army defending the city fled and returned......

Shocked, panicked, confused, sorrowful...... Zhang Renjun and Li Zhun, who were shrouded in complex emotions, would definitely not have thought that this series of failures was not a crime of war. Guo Renzhang secretly communicated the news in advance and surrendered first when he was ambushed, which led to Qin Bingzhi's troops fighting alone and the army's morale was in turmoil, and then he led people to earn the city, which can be described as the director and actor of this fiasco.

Although Guo Renzhang made a lot of contributions this time, his revolutionary will was also criticized by others, and he was destined not to be reused in the revolutionary army in the future. For example, under the pretext of not implicating his family, he did not lead his troops to fight anyway, but passively fought ineffectively, and announced it to the public in the name of being wounded and captured; For example, when he earned the city, he signed up for Qin Bingzhi, and used Qin Bingzhi's seal letter to gain the trust of the defenders, and did not dare to reveal his true identity......

Abandoning one's family and career and not fearing sacrifice was the belief held by the revolutionaries at that time, otherwise they could not prove their firmness and express their selfless pursuit of the revolutionary cause. Guo Renzhang's behavior in this way will naturally make people despise and make people doubt his loyalty to the revolution.

In the special period of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, there were not many special figures like Guo Renzhang, and there was some meaning of "mixed world". Its contradictory behavior in different periods, if you have to find an explanation, I am afraid it should be an opportunity to bet. Constantly estimate the odds of success before making a choice.

Therefore, it is impossible for a person like Guo Renzhang to become a loyal eagle dog of the Qing court, nor to become a revolutionary without hesitation. Snobbish, wall-to-wall, capricious. Venture...... These words are also apt to describe it.

No matter how deceitful Guo Renzhang is, it is an undoubted fact that the Qing army suffered another heavy defeat in the southwest battlefield, and the consequences are very serious.

First of all, the large encirclement arranged by the Qing army was pierced by the revolutionary army, and if the revolutionary army continued to advance eastward, it could enter Guangdong for a long time; Secondly, the Qing army stationed in Nanning suffered a great loss of troops, not only was it unable to counterattack to recapture Qinzhou and Fangcheng, but even it was facing a serious threat; In the end, it is the future and net worth of Zhang Renjun and Li Zhun, and the crime of losing the city and land. They are to blame.

Zhang Renjun was already over 60 years old, and the war in the southwest had exhausted him, and he suffered another fiasco, knowing that the post of governor could not be guaranteed, he took the initiative to plead guilty. At the same time, he gave Li Zhun an order to abandon Nanning and withdraw his troops to eastern Guangdong. Organize a new line of defense with the New Army to stop the rebel party from attacking the hinterland of Guangdong.

In the middle of the recital. Zhang Renjun explained the reason for abandoning Nanning, took the initiative to take responsibility for the defeat, and asked the court to condemn him. He exonerated Li Zhun as the commander of the Navy Division and Lu Zhanfei as his director; It was suggested that the imperial court should reinstate a land governor in Guangdong, and recommended Wu Luzhen, a military commander from Qiongya, to serve in this position. and transferred the Qiongzhou patrol battalion to participate in the war in Guangdong; He also suggested that the imperial court reuse Chen Wenqiang, "to pacify the rebellious party, suppress the bandits and clear the township, and organize and train the new army, which costs a lot of money.

Apparently. Except for the fact that Zhang Renjun did not expect Chen Wenqiang and Wu Luzhen to be revolutionary parties, he was very thoughtful in other aspects.

The reason why Wu Luzhen was recommended to be the land commander was to excuse Li Zhun as the commander of the navy on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was also convenient to mobilize the soldiers and horses of Qiongzhou. The original candidate for the governor Qin Bingzhi is finished, and Zhang Renjun can also see clearly that the soldiers and horses in Qiongzhou are trained by Wu Luzhen, and Chen Wenqiang invests in equipment, and the main role is to maintain public order in Qiongzhou and protect Chen Wenqiang's many industries. It wasn't that he hadn't ordered the transfer before, but he was perfunctory and delayed by Wu Luzhen and Chen Wenqiang with various excuses.

Although he was the governor of Liangguang, he was short of money and few soldiers, and he was unwilling to easily agree to the conditions of Chen and Wu, so Zhang Renjun really had no good way. Now, the situation in the southwest has been reversed, Chen Wenqiang's suppression of bandits and clearing of townships, and Wu Luzhen's recklessness in Qiongzhou's crackdown on the Hui Party, basically dispelled Zhang Renjun's concerns. Looking at Guangdong, only the patrol battalion in Qiongzhou still maintains a complete structure and has good combat effectiveness. If you count Chen Wenqiang's police force, it is also a fairly strong force.

No matter what method is used to maintain or reverse the situation in the southwest, money and food are the most fundamental conditions. Although Guangdong was rich, the burden of the imperial court was also heavy. With the war in the southwest, the troops were mobilized and the financial difficulties were increasing.

However, the Qing court was constantly urging and did not consider the difficulties of Guangdong at all. For example, in the organization and training of the new army, Guangdong has played the War Department that "if the War Department trains two towns in five years, it will definitely not be within the reach of Guangdong's financial resources." It demanded that the mixed army be restored first and then gradually expanded. The War Department replied that "Guangdong Province is known for its wealth, and that the training of the new army in the second town is actually a very small minority, and it is not difficult to set up a plan for the salary of only one town." It also ordered that "the new army of one town will be fully organized within the year, and the remaining town will continue to recruit and train the new army, and there must be no further delay in preventing the long-term emptiness of defense." It also sent Zhang Huaizhi south to supervise the training of the new army.

In this way, Zhang Renjun felt that he was unable to complete the hard targets set by the imperial court, and it was a matter of time before he left his post. When Chen Wenqiang took over the task of clearing the township and suppressing bandits, not only did he not have to pay from the government, but he also achieved quite a lot of results, and even won some surplus.

What is talent, a period has a period of standards. At present, Chen Wenqiang is good at dancing with long sleeves, good at making money, and good at fundraising, which is the most suitable talent.

Since he is a talent, Zhang Renjun naturally wants to recommend it, firstly, because he still holds the concept of loyalty to the monarch and protecting the country, and secondly, he does not have the idea of marrying Chen Wenqiang and planning for his future. Chen Wenqiang's future, he is extremely optimistic, he is young, and given time, it is limitless!

Based on such considerations, Zhang Renjun not only praised Chen Wenqiang's ability in the recital, but also urgently summoned Chen Wenqiang back to Guangzhou to discuss, and even Chen Wenqiang did not care about some domineering and overstepping his authority when exterminating pirates.

After Chen Wenqiang was decisive in killing and destroying the pirates of Nanao and Raoping one after another, he led his troops to Shantou, and took down Chen Tingxiong, the commander of the patrol battalion, at a reception banquet set up by local officials, and sent troops to surround the patrol battalion station with lightning speed, and disarmed all the officers and men of the patrol battalion.

The purge was swift and severe. After interrogation and screening, Chen Tingxiong was corrected on the spot and his family property was confiscated; The officers and men of the patrol battalion were killed if they should be killed, those who should be detained, the old and the weak were eliminated, and all of them were relocated to Qiongzhou for resettlement. So far. The maritime trade routes were basically peaceful, and Shantou and Nanao basically fell into the hands of Chen Wenqiang.

Despite being busy outside, Chen Wenqiang kept in touch with the Qiongzhou headquarters through the ship's radio station, keeping an eye on the development of the war in the southwest.

Fangcheng was recovered, and the materials were successfully delivered, and Chen Wenqiang breathed a big sigh of relief. Although the war continued, the revolutionary army was at least invincible with a huge amount of supplies. With the patrol battalion of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, there was also a new army with little training. As long as the Beiyang Army did not go south, Chen Wenqiang was still very confident in the continuous growth of the revolutionary army.

However, the revolutionary army recovered Qinzhou and forced Li Zhun to retreat from Nanning, which did surprise Chen Wenqiang. After receiving Zhang Renjun's urgent call, he thought about it for a long time, handed over the aftermath to his subordinates, and hurried back to Guangzhou. Before returning to Guangzhou, he took a boat to Qiongya. It is necessary to discuss the next strategy with Wu Luzhen and others.

Concerns arose about Chen Wenqiang's sudden return and the actions of the revolutionary army. Wu Luzhen and Wan Fuhua were surprised. But after Chen Wenqiang's careful analysis, he also felt that there seemed to be some truth.

"The revolutionary army's offensive against Guangdong can be slowed down, or the direction of the attack can be changed." Along the way, Chen Wenqiang's thinking was already clear, and he thought that attacking Guangdong prematurely would do more harm than good. Lao Wu was promoted to the rank of land commander and was to be sent to lead troops into Guangdong, which meant that Guangdong no longer posed a threat to the revolutionary army. If we continue to attack Guangdong and turn the rich land into a battlefield, I don't think it will be the most favorable outcome. Now there is an outlet to the sea. The threat from the east can be ignored, and the revolutionary army should concentrate on expanding to the north and west, with Yunnan and Guizhou as the main battlefields. ”

"Wen Qiang, are you worried that the revolutionary army will attack Guangdong, but it will not be able to hold it firmly, and in the tug-of-war, it will destroy the rich land of Guangdong?" Wan Fuhua asked with some doubts: "Or do you think that Lao Wu served as the land governor of Guangdong and mastered the military power of Guangdong, so Guangdong can go down without a fight in the future?" ”

"It's entirely possible to go down without a fight." Chen Wenqiang pondered for a moment and said: "Guangdong's patrol battalions and the new army have been transferred one after another, and the police force will become the force that all localities in Guangdong rely on. Lao Wu gradually controlled the army, and after mastering the military power, as long as he acted in coordination with the revolutionary army, he would not have to spend too much cost, and he would be able to drive in and recover Guangdong. ”

"Guangdong's position is very important, and the influence is too great, and until the strength of the revolutionary army reaches a certain level, Wen Qiang's concerns are justified." Wu Luzhen looked at the map, drew a line with his finger in eastern Guangdong, and said: "I think we can use this line as a boundary for the time being, not only to maintain pressure on Guangdong on the surface, but also to mobilize troops to concentrate on attacking the Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guizhou regions, and gradually eliminate the threat from the north and west." After all, there are still tens of thousands of Qing troops there, and if they are not annihilated or weakened, they will have to fight again and again after conquering Guangdong. ”

"yes, that's what I meant." Chen Wenqiang nodded again and again and said: "In the current military operation, I think that the destruction of the enemy should be put in the first place, and the occupation of territory should be considered secondary. Moreover, based on one or two provinces, try not to have too much influence on a province like Guangdong. The local soldiers in Guangxi have proved their excellence, so they should focus on consolidating their foundations, recruiting troops here, and expanding their strength. ”

"Fangcheng and Qinzhou have been recovered, and the passage to the outside world has been opened, and the strategic intent of the General Staff has actually been achieved." Wu Luzhen's tone indicated that he could agree with Chen Wenqiang's opinion, after all, the situation had been reversed, and with his appointment, with the military power of the Qing army in Guangdong in his hands, there was really hope that he would be ripe and take it without a fight.

From a military point of view, although the revolutionary army is now able to recover a large area by attacking Guangdong, it is suspected of thinning its forces. Before the Qing army in the north and northwest was severely damaged, the larger the territory recovered, the more troops needed to be defended, which had an impact on the tactical principle of concentrating superior forces and defeating the Qing army one by one.

"Will the postponement of the attack on Guangdong delay the fighters?" Wan Fuhua still had a doubt, and asked with a slight frown: "If Guangdong takes the opportunity to vigorously organize and train a new army, will it pose a threat to our army?" ”

"It takes money to train the new army, it needs weapons and equipment, where is it so easy." Chen Wenqiang pursed his lips slightly sarcastically, "Zhang Renjun has already revealed the matter of promoting me to the Qing court, and the reason is very simple, because I can hold money and have an arsenal in hand." He's thinking beautifully, but will I spend money to train an army that could become an enemy? Lao Wan, you can rest assured, I will only pay for the training of the new army if it is beneficial to us or if we can effectively control it. ”

"With Wenqiang's means, the new army that has been formed and trained will also be a reserve revolutionary army." Wu Luzhen was more relieved, patted Chen Wenqiang's shoulder and smiled: "Zhang Renjun, you have a wishful thinking, but you can't count you, right?" ”

"The country needs a new type of army, and even after the success of the revolution, it is our constant goal to enrich the country and strengthen the army." Chen Wenqiang smiled faintly and said: "Since the task of organizing and training the new army has been entrusted to us, the Qing court should not expect that the new army trained will be the force for them to maintain their rule. ”

"Since you're so sure, then I'm not against it." Wan Fuhua thought for a while and said: "From Qiongzhou to Guangdong, such development is of course a victory. Lao Wu served as the land commander, and Wen Qiang controlled the provincial police, which Guangdong was almost in the bag, and it didn't matter much if he took it later. ”

"It has always been my principle to win the greatest victory at the lowest cost." Chen Wenqiang paused and said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid this is contrary to the vigorous and earth-shattering expectations of many people, but the country is poor and weak, and the people are living in poverty, so it's better to have less turmoil!" ”

"After so long together, we still don't understand your thoughts?" Wu Luzhen nodded and said comfortingly: "If you can pay so much and push the revolution to this extent, who dares to say that you are not loyal enough to the revolution?" Well, the order will be issued in the name of the General Staff immediately, and the specific plan will also be communicated to Mr. Song by secret telegram. And it will show that this is the result of our collective deliberation. ”

"Yes, it's not your personal opinion, it's the crystallization of collective wisdom." Wan Fuhua also smiled and agreed: "Although the Revolutionary United Front will set up a committee, the military command is still in charge of the General Staff!" ”

………… (To be continued.) )