Many people may be thrilled by the goodwill and good words expressed by the United States, but Chen Wenqiang has other plans in mind.

Yes, now the United States should be a country worth wooing and relying on, but imperialism is imperialism, and when it is not strong, it may shout moving slogans, and when it is strong, it should have a different face. Between countries, interests come first, and morality and justice are only superficial fig leafs.

China must be independent and must not allow others to control its lifeline. Attracting foreign investment is one thing, regulation and self-protection are essential.

"I am preparing to meet with the ministers of the United States and Germany in the near future." Chen Wenqiang said: "I hope that the United States and Germany can persuade and mediate so that the other powers will also remain neutral, but what I am most worried about is that Japan and Russia will take the opportunity to intervene or make small moves in the northeast." ”

"Japan must have supported the Chinese revolution, right?" Li Xiehe suddenly interjected.

Chen Wenqiang was slightly stunned, and immediately became vigilant, there were many students studying in Japan in the revolutionary ranks, and they had a favorable impression of Japan, and it was not until Japan put forward the "21 Articles" that they really realized that Japan had the intention of destroying China, and even so, there were still quite a few pro-Japanese factions.

Sooner or later, there will be a war between China and Japan, and there can only be one hegemon in Asia, and Japan has risen by drinking the blood of China, and similarly, China's rejuvenation must also step on Japan's corpse to ascend to the throne. To take precautions, it is necessary to clear the pro-Japanese mentality now, so that everyone can be sufficiently vigilant against this seemingly friendly evil wolf, and there must be no more luck mentality. After all, the threat from the United States is still far away, but Japan is imminent.

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The Shanghai head office of Daqing Bank issued an announcement announcing that it would disassociate itself from the Qing court and officially change its name to Bank of China. Subsequently, the joint venture bank announced a strategic partnership with Bank of China. It also provided guarantees for and underwrote 2 million of the 5 million recovering bonds issued by the Bank of China.

This is again sensational news, which means that the Guangzhou military government has its own financing channels, has a strong economic backing, and has the support of most wealthy businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. As soon as this weather vane is erected, more people who are still waiting and watching should make a choice.

Several gunboats anchored on the river downstream of the Jinjipo Fortress, and the dragon flags on the masts fluttered gently in the wind.

The situation is moving too fast. After the recovery of Wuchang, Jiujiang, which was the closest to it, was the first to respond. The Jiujiang merchant group persuaded Chen Tingxun, the 53rd standard, to launch an uprising. The guards of the Provincial Administration in Jiujiang City lit a fire and opened the city gate. Jiujiang Daotai Baoheng hurriedly hid in the concession and fled for his life, and then fled to Shanghai. At midnight, the revolutionary army surrounded the Jiujiang Prefecture Office, and the Jiujiang prefect Puliang was captured.

Jiujiang was recovered, and the Jinjipo Fort fell into the hands of the revolutionary army, posing a threat to the Beiyang Fleet, which was ordered to come to crusade. The navy is lonely, and it does not dare to act independently. Right now. The uprising of the navy stationed in Shanghai gave them another blow to the head, and the various ship management bands talked about it, and the morale of the military was already unstable.

After receiving Brother Nai's letter, Tang Xiangming's heart was already shaken, but the situation was not clear, so he stopped the ship and waited and saw the situation. But now. He knew it was time to raise the flag.

Since Gengzi, the dynasty has been sluggish and people's hearts have gradually changed. Most of the officers in the navy have stayed in the ocean and have seen the world, and the ships with the character "Chu" that he is now leading have been stationed in Wuhan for many years, and many of the crew members are of Hubei nationality, so the military spirit is the most easily shaken. Now the situation is becoming more and more unfavorable, and Shanghai, Jiujiang, and Wuchang have all fallen into the hands of the revolutionary army. The supply of food and coal to the fleet was in danger of being interrupted. Coupled with the growing momentum of development shown by the revolutionary army, the ships and the leaders wanted to leave more way back, and resolutely refused to take risks in battle.

"The court has no way to employ people, and the Manchu relatives and nobles are all incompetent, so there is today's disaster." Tang Xiangming shook his head slightly. Threw the latest newspaper on the table.

Just as he was making the last ideological struggle, there was a sudden commotion outside, Tang Xiangming was already upset, and at this time he was furious, got up and opened the cabin door, and shouted: "What are you shouting and screaming? Have you forgotten all the regulations in the army? ”

"My lord, I am about to call you!" An officer hurriedly took two steps and pointed into the air, "Look, airship." ”

Tang Xiangming raised his head suspiciously, and couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.

The sky was a brilliant blue, with only a few tulle-like light clouds sticking to the air, and three airships were slowly coming along the river, and the sailors on the ships had never seen this thing, so they pointed and shouted in surprise.

Tang Xiangming blinked in a daze, turned around and ran back to the cabin, and then ran out again, with an extra telescope in his hand, and raised his head to watch carefully.

The graceful lines, the huge size, and the characteristic "hum" sound of the high-horsepower engine push the lines of the airship through the sky, attracting all the eyeballs. A huge six-star flag was hung under the big airship, and two small airships were hung with banners reading "The revolution will win" and the other with the slogan "The Manchu Qing Dynasty will die."

"The airship of the revolutionary army?" Tang Xiangming incredulously moved the telescope upwards, and on the white airship in the shape of a spindle-shaped rugby, the striking red characters "China" were printed.

Tang Xiangming held the telescope in one hand, scratched his head vigorously with the other, suddenly put down the telescope, and exclaimed, "I remember, I remember, two months ago, many newspapers published news that the airship 'China' designed and manufactured by the Chinese themselves successfully flew test, as if it was a guy from Hong Kong, surnamed Xie." ”

That's right, Xie Zhangtai, a famous designer and manufacturer of Chinese airships, did not sink in the vast history because of the ignorance of the Qing court, the lack of funds, and no one paid attention to it. Thanks to Chen Wenqiang's insight and great investment, the airship jointly built by Xie Jintai and German technicians has become more advanced, and finally ushered in a glorious moment and appeared on the battlefield of the rejuvenation of the motherland.

Undoubtedly, the demonstration, which doubled as a show-style flight, caused a huge sensation, and was watched by a huge crowd of spectators under the deliberate organization of the Hubei Military Government and the Hunan Military Government. Soaring in the territorial airspace of the motherland, the new-type "China" airship developed by China into the sky flew rapidly and steadily, and the six-star red flag was waving in the wind, which greatly made the Chinese people, who were poor and weak, and who had suffered a great deal of disaster, feel a sense of pride in raising their eyebrows and exhaling their faces. The crowd was shocked and rejoiced, and under the guidance of the military government functionaries, they constantly raised their arms and shouted "The revolution will win!" Long live China!".

Boost people's morale and make people more confident in the revolution, although the use of airships in combat is still too reluctant. But it's a good idea.

Many Chinese and foreign ships and people on the shore of the river stopped to watch this spectacle, and the three airships hovered high in the air, proud and majestic. Then, fluttering, a burst of "snow" fell in the air, and the three airships raised their heads. He left here with disdain and flew in the direction of Wuchang, leaving a stunned crowd all the way and countless topics to talk about.

"It's useless." The officer smiled and said, "If you can throw bombs, it will be amazing." ”

Tang Xiangming glanced at this officer, and let out a long sigh, his morale was already very low, and he was by an airship like this, alas! He was about to speak. A piece of paper floated in front of his eyes, and he grabbed it casually and unfolded it to look at it closely.

"The Manchu Qing Dynasty lived in China for more than 200 years, corrupt and mediocre, tyrannical and cruel, so that the people were miserable, the heavens were angry and the people were resentful, and the revolutionary army hanged the people for crimes. The ultimate goal is to rejuvenate China. All the officers and men of the navy have the ambition to serve the country and become strong. Who has no heart and liver, who has no blood sincerity, who is not the descendants of Yan and Huang, how can they be willing to be slaves and mutilate their compatriots? Fellow citizens, please do not hesitate. Immediately act righteously and contribute to the prosperity and strength of the establishment of New China......"

Tang Xiangming crumpled the leaflet into a ball, threw it into the river, and looked up to see that many officers and men on the ship were also reading. Three or five in groups, head to ear.

"My lord, please immediately order the officers of all ships to search for leaflets, and not to poison them and listen to their rebellious words." Seeing Tang Xiangming's ugly face, an officer stepped forward and said flatteringly.

Tang Xiangming pursed the corners of his mouth, glanced at the officer with some disdain, turned his gaze to the river bank, and was silent, not knowing what he was thinking. After a long time, he shook his head, and said with some discouragement: "The people's hearts are scattered, and this soldier is not easy to lead!" They all have eyes and ears, and they will see and hear if they will, and let them go. If you use your life strongly, I am afraid that you and I will die without a place to be buried. With that, he staggered into the cabin, the door slamming shut......

The earth's fire, which had been running and clashing under the rocks, had been suppressed for too long, and the time had finally come for the impulsive eruption to be released.

On the eighth day after the restoration of Wuchang, Li Zhun led the former Guangzhou naval division and troop transport merchant ships to suddenly appear in Fuzhou, and Xu Chongzhi, a member of the Fuzhou New Army Association and a member of the Fuxing Association, took advantage of the situation to declare an uprising, and set up a former enemy headquarters in the Shandashi Palace, and joined forces with the landing Guangzhou Revolutionary Army to attack the Fuzhou General Office and its streets.

The governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, Song Shou, and the general of Fuzhou refused to surrender, and led the Eight Banners Jiesheng Battalion and the "Han Killing Team" organized by Wen Kai, a high-ranking Manchu official, with the Fujian School of Law and Politics as the center, desperately and stubbornly resisted. In the early morning, the revolutionary army attacked the total governor's office, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, Songshou, committed suicide by swallowing gold, the Fuzhou general Pu Shou was captured, and the deputy capital of the Jiesheng battalion, Shengsi, was captured at the same time, and the bannermen of Guanxiang and Jiuquting raised white flags and surrendered, and Fuzhou was declared recovered.

After the recovery of Jiujiang, the Jiangxi military government sent three battalions of soldiers into Anhui, and Hu Wantai, Wu Yanggu and others of the Anhui Rejuvenation Association instigated an uprising of the new army artillery battalion in Anqing, and after a night of fierce fighting, Anqing was recovered, and the whole army attacked the provincial capital. In a panic, the Provincial Consultative Bureau hurriedly convened a meeting, declared the independence of Anhui on the 24th, and elected Zhu Jiabao, the former governor, as the governor.

Guangfu, Guangfu, and both are Guangfu, and they all shout for revolutionary independence, but the names of the bureaucratic systems are different, the composition is different, and the goals are different. Among them, there are those who want to climb to the sky in one step, those who want to fish in troubled waters, and those who want to take advantage of the chaos. It can be said that the rivers flow into the sea, and the sediment is all under it, all kinds of colors, and it is complicated.

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The revival will exert its strength, and just when the Beiyang Army, which was fighting in the south, because Feng Guozhang adhered to Yuan Shikai's intention to "go slowly, wait and see", another wave of independence hit the crumbling Qing court, shaking the edifice that was about to collapse.

"Launched in many places to distract the attention of the imperial court, so that the Hubei military government will not bear the fierce suppression of the Beiyang Army alone." Yuan Shikai stared at the map and nodded slightly, "The revival meeting has indeed been planned for a long time, not only well-arranged, but also orderly. Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei are now connected, which can be attacked and defended; As soon as Jiujiang was over, the imperial navy did not dare to cooperate deeply; The recovery of Shanghai shook the wealth of the southeast. It seems that I really underestimated the strength of this revival society. ”

"And that's just the military aspect." Yang Du frowned and patted the newspaper, "The Guangdong military government has successively issued decrees to abolish bowing, remove checkpoints and remove money, issue preferential laws for investment promotion, promulgate the "Industrial and Commercial Law", "Labor Law" and "Labor Protection Law", and establish an independent court; In order to celebrate the liberation of Guangzhou, the Guangdong military government refused to accept the gentry's salary, but agreed with the gentry that the land rent of the tenants would be halved this year, in order to show that they would enjoy themselves with the people. Look, this trick to buy people's hearts is endless, and it is breathtaking. ”

"And for the protection of all the peoples and property of all the nations that reside in the territory occupied by the junta; The treaties made by the Qing government with other countries, the rights promised, and the national debts borrowed by the Qing government were not recognized by the military government if they were established after this declaration; Outsiders who help the Qing government to obstruct the military government will be hostile to it; Any outsider who receives articles that the Qing government thinks can be used for war will be seized and confiscated. With this move, the Revival Society has minimized the interference of the great powers, which is really clever! ”

Although these diplomatic principles are vague on certain issues, such as unequal treaties and reparations, it is true, as the history books have commented, that the bourgeoisie did not put forward a thorough opposition to imperialism and feudalism because of its compromise and weakness. But at this time, it is clearly anti-imperialist, doesn't that provide a reason for the great powers to intervene? Is it really necessary to believe in the masses with the fearless spirit of a proletarian revolutionary, mobilize the masses, and overthrow the paper tigers of Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia...... Forget it, standing and talking doesn't hurt your back, the situation is stronger than people!

"Yes, there are some characters in the Revival Society." Yuan Shikai nodded in agreement, rolled his eyes, and said to Yang Du: "Sun, the **** suggested that I force the imperial court to establish a constitution and open a congress, I thought about it again and again, and I felt very reasonable. However, it is incomprehensible whether they can change their course and support a constitutional monarchy. In this way, I should go out of the mountain and urge the court, then the disaster of war can be eliminated, and the people can be solved. ”

"What's so hard about that?" As soon as Yang Du heard that Yuan Shikai agreed with his suggestion, he immediately stood up and said very sincerely: "Du Bucai, I am willing to share my worries with Yuan Gong, and I will go to Guangzhou today, and with my tongue, I will persuade them to abandon the republic and respect the monarch's constitution." ”

"In this way, there will be a laborer." Yuan Shikai pretended to be grateful, took Yang Du's hand, and gave him a detailed instruction before sending Yang Du away.

Yuan Shikai returned to the house, his face had become serious and solemn, and he stared at the map for a long time in thought.

Another tide of independence, there are joys and worries for him, the good news is that the imperial court has loosened somewhat, appointed him as the governor of Huguang, and at the same time to deal with the pacification matters. But according to this order, it is equivalent to Yin Chang's deputy, and he is not particularly satisfied. However, he wanted to continue to drag on, to demand more concessions from the Qing court, and he was worried that the revolutionary army would take the opportunity to grow bigger, and then he would really become a problem for his henchmen. If you can't raise a tiger, you will suffer from it, and he is very worried about this.

After thinking about it, Yuan Shikai decided to delay it a little longer, and asked his old friend Xu Shichang to bring his conditions to test the Qing court. In his mind, if the Hubei Revolutionary Army advanced further north, the Qing court would definitely panic, and his conditions would be nothing. (To be continued.) )