On the west bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, in an open space outside the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau of Gaochang Temple, two or three fast horses galloped. In the cold winter wind, several officers on the horse were all in straight uniforms, and the first two were wearing black tweed cavalry cloaks, which looked very imposing.

Those two people are Chang Ruiqing and Lu Yongxiang, who are here today to inspect the new factory area of the Shanghai Arsenal of the China ** Industry Group, which is on this vacant land next to the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. The recruitment of commercial shares of the China ** Industrial Group has been basically completed, and Changrui Qingtong Guò Bank of China has invested 3 million, using the secret funds of the Red Brigade. The Bank of China also invested 5 million yuan in Bank of China banknotes...... In these troubled times, arms trading is not only a lucrative business, but also the best way to make friends with warlords! How could the chaebols of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, who were involved in the operation and management of the Bank of China, miss such an opportunity?

In addition, the gangster leader of Shanghai Tang, Huang Jinrong, also gave out two million under the persuasion of his apprentice Chang Ruiyuan! Don't look at this big boss Huang is just a chief inspector and underworld leader, but his wealth is far more than many big bosses on the beach! His business, whether it is a casino, opium, or a dance hall, is a book of great profits and a lot of money!

With this capital of 10 million yuan, coupled with the support of the three major warlords of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, as well as the local snakes of the Shanghai Tang Green Gang, as well as the 20 million yuan credit line of the Bank of China, the pace of expansion of this military industrial enterprise with the name of China is naturally very rapid.

Shanghai and Fujian at the same time there are eight branches to start construction, Shanghai Gaochang Temple here is a small special steel plant, a power plant, a gun factory, a mortar factory; At Hongshan Bridge in Fujian Province, an explosives factory, a gunpowder factory, a machine gun factory, and an ammunition factory are under construction. According to the plan, in the future, the arsenal in Shanghai will be mainly responsible for the production of artillery, guns, sticks and steel. And rifles. In addition to a rifle factory, the Fujian factory is mainly responsible for the production of machine guns, ammunition and grenades.

Chang Ruiqing jumped off the horse, touched the tall horse of the Western breed with pity, and said to Lu Yongxiang with a smile: "This big horse is good, but it is too delicate, and the cost of raising a horse is worth a few soldiers!" And our territory is in the south, there is really no place to build a military horse farm! Jia Shuai. Why don't we buy some Mongolian horses from Mongolia in the future? ”

Listening to his tone, the three armies of Fujian, Zhejiang and Shanghai seem to be really one.

Lu Yongxiang smiled faintly and looked at the land in front of him that had just been leveled. said to Chang Ruiqing: "Yaoru, what a big stroke!" More than half of the 30 million investment was invested in my territory. Aren't you worried about what happens? ”

Chang Ruiqing turned his head and glanced at Lu Yongxiang, and said with a smile: "Jiashuai, if you want to say that I'm not worried about it at all, it's fake, but I'm not worried about Jiashuai, nor Brigade Commander He, but them!" As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the warships of various colors flying on the surface of the Huangpu River.

Lu Yongxiang nodded, and his tone was a little solemn: "Our national conditions are like this, foreign devils are freer on our land than they are there, and they can go wherever they want...... But what's the solution? The enemy is strong and I am weak, I should endure it or bear it! ”

Chang Ruiqing smiled bitterly: "But now they are deceiving people too much!" ”

Lu Yongxiang pulled Chang Ruiqing. said in a low voice: "Yaoru, do you really want to do it?" That's the British Empire! ”

A sneer of contempt flashed on Chang Ruiqing's face: "What about the British Empire?" A European war has long been a big injury! Let's take advantage of this Red Brigade troublemaker to take back a little bit of national power from them! ”

Lu Yongxiang shook his head slightly, and muttered: "I know that you are doing this now because of Elder Duan Zhi's intention, to make some trouble for the British, and let them know that China cannot do without us." But you can't offend Britain to death. Our biggest enemy of China is not Britain, but Japan! ”

Hearing this, Chang Ruiqing couldn't help but be stunned, he didn't expect that a warlord like Lu Yongxiang actually knew where China's great enemy was. He smiled bitterly: "I know that Japan is a great enemy, but the great powers that are bullying us at the moment are led by Britain, so I won't fight them." We will not be able to fight for our national power, and those unequal treaties will tie us up like chains, waiting for the Japanese and Russians to come and slaughter us! ”

Lu Yongxiang sighed softly: "Don't you understand the truth of long-distance friendship and close attack?" Now we need Britain and the United States to lead Japan and Russia, even if we are a little wronged, we are helpless. ”

Chang Ruiqing laughed and said to Lu Yongxiang: "Jiashuai, just see what the British can do with me this time!" If they can't even deal with me, how can they lead Japan and Russia? In my opinion, if we China want to protect itself, we still have to rely on ourselves, even if it is like the Red Brigade, it is better than relying on Britain and the United States! ”

……

At this time, in the Generalissimo's Mansion in Guangzhou, Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary forerunner, was flipping through the "Army Regulations of the Protector Army" compiled by Jiang Jshi based on the "Fujian Army Regulations". To tell the truth, this Generalissimo Sun is now more and more inclined to dictatorship! Originally, there was still a Chen Jiongming beside him who kept admonishing, but now the former commander-in-chief of the Guangdong Army, who was obsessed with local autonomy and inter-provincial autonomy, has resigned and quit...... This time, Sun Yat-sen was left with only Hu Hanmin, Xu Chongzhi, Jiang Jishi and others, and only Sun Yat-sen's orders were followed.

And Jiang, who was good at figuring out the thoughts of Generalissimo Sun, presented the "Protector Army Regulations" and the school plan of the Protector Army Army Military Academy at the first time.

According to Jiang Jshi's thoughts, the Guangdong Army is now only a grass creation, the factions in the army have not yet been formed, and the ability of military leaders at all levels to control the army is also limited. This is the time to establish rules, and if the Guangdong Army can be strictly managed according to the model of the Fujian Army, the Guangdong Army will be able to turn the Guangdong Army into a strong and reliable revolutionary armed force in the future, or a private army loyal to Sun Yat-sen!

There was a gentle knock on the door of Generalissimo Sun's office, and Sun Yat-sen put down the text in his hand and shouted, "Come in." I saw Hu Hanmin and Xie Zhi walking in.

"Sir, what do you want us to do?" Hu Hanmin and Xie Zhi each found a chair and sat down. Then he asked.

Sun Yat-sen smiled and pushed the "Statutes of the Army of the Protector Army" on the table in front of Hu Hanmin: "Zhantang, I plan to reorganize the Guangdong Army into the Protector Army, and all the rules and regulations refer to Chang Ruiqing's Fujian Army, what do you think?" ”

Hu Hanmin smiled and nodded: "Sir, I completely agree, how can there be no Protector Army under the Protector Military Government?" So be it. ”

There is no overseer in Guangdong now, and Hu Hanmin is the governor of Guangdong Province. In charge of civil affairs. However, the Cantonese army was now theoretically still owned by Guangdong Province, so Sun Yat-sen symbolically consulted Hu Hanmin before changing the Cantonese army into a protector army.

And Hu Hanmin naturally didn't dare to object, if it was Chen Jiongming. At this time, most of them have already raised the Guangdong Provincial Council to boycott this matter...... This Cantonese army is all supported by local taxes in Guangdong Province!

Oh, and by the way, after Sun Yat-sen ruled most of Guangdong. Most of Guangdong's tax revenue has already been paid to the Ministry of Finance of the Protector Military Government.

Sun Yat-sen nodded with satisfaction, and asked Xie Zhi again: "Huisheng, have you talked to Chen Jingcun?" Did he agree to be the head of the military department of the reorganized Kuomintang? ”

Xie Zhi shook his head, he was now in charge of reorganizing the Kuomintang and the Revolutionary Party into a new Kuomintang, and Sun Yat-sen also wanted to take this opportunity to reconcile with Chen Jiongming, and wanted Chen Jiongming to serve as the military minister of the new Kuomintang, but Chen Jiongming's thoughts were always not with Sun Yat-sen.

He sighed: "Sir, Jingcun is still obsessed with his theory of inter-provincial autonomy. He believes that the crisis facing the Beijing government shows that the original centralized central government can no longer be sustained. The time has come to establish a central government with limited powers and to achieve local autonomy. The best time to organize a federal state by organizing a joint provincial parliament ......"

Sun Yat-sen shook his head. Sun Yat-sen said: "This Chen Jingcun is really confused...... Okay, okay, let's leave him alone, let's talk about the crisis of the Beijing government. What do you think we should do? ”

Hu Hanmin and Xie Zhi glanced at each other. They exchanged glances and asked, "Sir, do you mean to go north?" ”

Sun Yat-sen's fingers unconsciously tapped on the tabletop, and he said with a stern expression: "It's not going north, what are you going north for?" Is it going to be the prime minister of this angry bag for Duan Qirui? Hmph, this Beijing government is actually what Chen Jingcun called the limited power of the central government, and the local warlords are divided. The central government lacks financial resources and troops, so it points to a little surplus and salt tax to live, and now the British have deducted the surplus and refused to give it! Who can do this prime minister? ”

Hu Hanmin looked at Sun Yat-sen with a solemn face: "Sir, don't you want the Northern Expedition?" ”

Sun Yat-sen shook his head: "The time is not ripe for the Northern Expedition, our Protector Army has not yet been established, and the two Guangxi have not been unified. Moreover, now the public opinion of the whole country is anti-imperialist, and Feng Guozhang also issued an armistice order to the Beiyang Army in Hunan, wanting to negotiate peaceful reunification with us. At this time, if we provoke a civil war, I am afraid that it will become the target of public criticism. His gaze deepened: "My idea is still to be anti-imperialist!" This banner cannot be carried by the GCD and the Red Brigade, otherwise we will lose our appeal to the youth! ”

Before Sun Yat-sen's words were finished, Hu Hanmin raised his voice and said, "Sir! You have to be careful! Imperialism is bad, but their strength is not something we can fight against! ”

Sun Yat-sen waved his hand: "Anti!" Must be reversed! He took a deep breath: "No, there is no way out!" How much income does Guangdong province have now? How many soldiers can you raise? Can it support our future Northern Expedition to unify China? ”

Hu Hanmin and Xie Zhi were stunned for a moment, thinking that this Generalissimo Sun wanted to oppose imperialism or make money?

Sun Yat-sen touched his mustache and smiled: "Guangdong actually still has a lot of money that has not been caught in our hands, and it is Guangdong Customs!" Guangdong Customs is one of the three largest customs in China, with an annual income of more than 15 million in customs duties! If we can snatch the Guangdong Customs, we can raise at least five divisions! Then there would be hope for the Northern Expedition. And now the British are holding the customs and oppressing the Beijing government, and we are anti-imperialist to seize the Guangdong customs at this time! It can also occupy the commanding heights of public opinion. ”

Listening to Sun Yat-sen's words, Hu Hanmin and Xie Zhi both opened their mouths wide, not knowing what to say. The person in front of them was originally a rebel and the kind of bold and reckless character, but no one thought that he would actually hit the idea of making a fortune to the customs controlled by the British Empire! Will this lead to a war between China and Britain?

Note: Historically, Sun Yat-sen really did this, but it was in 1923. It also triggered the blockade of Guangdong by the British fleet, but the final result was that the British gave in and handed over the customs balance to Sun Yat-sen.

……

Of course, Chang Ruiqing did not expect that due to his butterfly effect, the revolutionary pioneer in Guangdong also began to play the idea of customs duties. He spent a few days in Shanghai with Lu Yongxiang and Tou Shanman, and after attending the wedding of his brother and Miss Lu Si, he hurried back to Fujian.

As soon as he returned to the office of the superintendent in Fuzhou, he ordered Chen Duxiu, Zhang Junmao, Pan Yucheng, and Song Yuanyuan to be invited to his office. plus a Li Dazhao who went south with him, and the five of them held a secret meeting.

Chang Ruiqing glanced at a few people in the room, and said in a solemn tone: "Everyone." During this time, there were some turmoil in Beijing and Tianjin, and our Chinese central government was forced to step down by imperialism! Moreover, the imperialists also withheld tariffs that belonged to China in the first place, and they also used our tariffs to form a merchant group of all nations to defend the concession. This kind of behavior is really too deceitful, and it may be the prelude to the destruction of China! So this time we have to fight back! ”

"Supervisor, I'm afraid this matter is not so strict, right? The British detained us because the Red Brigade was making too much trouble...... In fact, the British are not unreasonable at all, and we can find a mutually acceptable solution through negotiations. If we blindly provoke conflicts, we are afraid that the situation will further deteriorate, and if we do not do it, we will cause war! ”

It was Zhang Junmai who spoke, although he was a person in Chang Ruiqing's inner circle, but he didn't know that Chang Ruiqing was Zuomin, and he was also very disgusted by the terrorist attack of the Red Brigade. In his view, the conflict between the New Testament and the Chinese government and the legation could be resolved through negotiations. Violence should not be used at every turn to move the situation towards full-blown confrontation.

Chang Ruiqing waved his hand and interrupted Zhang Junmai: "Mr. Zhang, I understand, I understand...... We resist and resist, and the truth must also be taught! So be it. Mr. Zhang is responsible for reasoning. You immediately leave for Shanghai to contact well-known Western legal professionals and reporters from major Western newspapers. In the next struggle, we must not let the British have the right to speak, and we must win public opinion, including Western public opinion, to our side! That's right, Mr. Junmai. I remember that many Western journalists in China were willing to report from an impartial standpoint, right? ”

Zhang Junmai hesitated for a moment, nodded and said: "There are some such people, such as Mr. Morrison, the Beijing correspondent of the Times, Mr. Duanna, a reporter of the Daily Telegraph and the Herald, Mr. Moore, a reporter of the Associated Press, Mr. Guilles of the Chicago Daily News, and others, all of whom have upheld a fair position in this crisis of the Beijing government and have written articles in foreign newspapers criticizing the arrogance of the Beijing Legation. In fact, during this time, mainstream Western newspapers criticized the legation's detention of Chinese customs customs remainders, arguing that it was no different from banditry, and did nothing but anger the Chinese and let the situation get out of control. ”

Chang Ruiqing smiled slightly: "Yes!" Chinese was enraged...... Mr. Junmai, you served as an adviser to the Presidential Office in Beijing, and you must be very familiar with these Western journalists...... This reason can bring them in, right? ”

Zhang Junmai thought for a moment and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll give it a try." Maybe they're not too interested in the countryside, but they have a lot of interest in you, the young warlord, and if the Governor can be interviewed by them, some of them will come. ”

"Okay, that's it." Chang Ruiqing smiled and nodded: "Next is the lawyer, I need a few famous foreign lawyers to witness our struggle...... I think their testimonies and the reports of Western tablators will plunge our opponents into a chorus of international condemnation, right? Mr. Junmai, it would be better to hire American lawyers, whose position should be more neutral, right? ”

"Got it." Zhang Junmai promised happily on his lips, but he beat the drum in his heart, he knew that he must be playing some bad idea as a Shangguan! These foreign journalists and foreign lawyers are probably part of the conspiracy, right?

Chang Ruiqing paused slightly, and then said: "By the way, there are also church people, I will write to ask Bishop Du Paul of the Catholic Church to come to Fuzhou." Do any of you know a foreign priest from the American-Israeli Congress? ”

"Superintendent, I know a few priests from the American-Israeli Association, and I can invite them to Fuzhou." Song Yuanyuan took over this task, he was a figure on the other side of the revolutionary party, and naturally he had many friends in the American church.

Chang Ruiqing smiled and nodded: "Very good, so that the witnesses are enough." Saying that, he said to Chen Duxiu and Pan Yucheng: "Mr. Chen, Mr. Pan, the task of mobilizing the peasants will be entrusted to you, and I will mobilize 10,000 people to Fuzhou and 30,000 to Xiamen before December 20!"

On December 21, Fuzhou and Xiamen launched at the same time, and the protesters stormed the Mawei Customs House and the British Concession in Xiamen. ”

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