The civil war in China after the fall of the Manchus had only just begun.

Song Biao did not have the strength to defeat the various miscellaneous armies at this time, his problems were just like Yuan Shikai and Jiang Zhongzheng back then, first of all, the war-weary psychology after the overthrow of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in the whole country, the people called for peace, hoping that life would return to its original calm as soon as possible, and the economy, commerce and agricultural production would be re-stabilized; The second is that there have been uprisings in various places, and even Zhao Erfeng, the governor of Sichuan, has announced an uprising, and he no longer recognizes the Qing Dynasty, and he will always find a new reason to fight again.

Finally, there is the question of the emperor.

The authority and establishment of the emperor came from two forces, one was the idea that the feudal theocracy was entrusted to heaven and God, and the other was the customary surname of tradition and history.

Song Biao is neither.

The Guangfu Society believes that the emperor is needed, in addition to the traditional customary surname, it also believes that China needs an enlightened [***], and needs powerful people to command the whole country, at this point, the Guangfu Association led by Cai Yuanpei, Zhang Binglin, Tao Chengzhang and others can reach an agreement with Liang Qichao's Restoration Society and Zhang Jian's Constitutional Council, and "Song Aurora" is the only candidate they can recognize.

The politics of the late Qing Dynasty were by no means so simple, the League was an extremely scattered revolutionary organization, and the institutions in the provinces were different, and the Guangfu Society was relatively a relatively close political organization, but there were also large political differences between the provincial branches and general associations.

The Restoration and Progressive Association, the Constituent Assembly, and the New Politics and Powerful Nation Association are all equally scattered organizations, and each province has a different organizational form and purpose, and the mainstream social strata of each province is the local gentry and celebrities, as well as the various local armed forces such as regimental training, physical fitness associations, patrol battalions, security forces, etc., which led by them, and it was these organizations and armed forces that joined the revolutionary tide of overthrowing the Manchu Qing and finally made the Manchu Qing completely destroyed.

These people may or may not belong to different organizations such as the Liberation Society, the Restoration Society, the Constituent Assembly, the Qiangguo Association, the Gongjin Association, etc., but in the province, they are generally biased towards local autonomy, distrust of the central government, and the desire to control the province, coupled with the gathering of various armed forces, so that after the fall of the Manchu Dynasty, the political situation in each province of China is extremely complicated.

The Baochuan Society established by Zhao Erfeng in Sichuan relied on the rich gentry and celebrities in the province and scattered rebel armies from all walks of life to establish a political alliance and control the military and political power in Sichuan Province in the name of Sichuan autonomy.

If Song Biao just wants to deal with these people, it would be simple, but there is also the-stirring stick of the alliance.

The strength of the League is not strong, although the Gongjin Association in Hubei belongs to the League, it still has big political differences with Sun Yat-sen, Huang Xing and others, even in Guangdong and Guangxi, the military strength and social influence of the League are not the largest.

The problem is that the Confederate is really a-stirring stick.

The political goal of the Liberation Society was to demand the establishment of a centralized Chinese empire, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the establishment of a powerful new empire.

In such an environment, the League's promotion of provincial Mingzhuo autonomy and American-style republican federalism just hit the soft underbelly of the Liberation Society, and the cooperation between the League and the provincial advisory bureaus has become a general trend, as if overnight, everyone is talking about the republic.

Since they did not have a military advantage, the League and the provincial "revolutionary" political axes demanded an end to the civil war, and united with various local forces to preach federal self-government.

In addition to the great controversy throughout the country, there were also constant entanglements between the League, the Liberation Society, and the local factions within the local provinces, and the armed struggle between the new army, the local revolutionary army, and other military forces in the localities was also intensifying.

Therefore, the Chinese civil war after the fall of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was actually just beginning.

In order to deal with the current situation, Song Biao's strategy is to abandon the small in the United Nations General Assembly, unite the big forces, and give up the small forces, he has the funds, the military strength, the solid territory of the three eastern provinces and the abundant tax support, what is he afraid of?

After reaching a reconciliation with the Beiyang Army, Song Biao actively reorganized the Beiyang Army into the Fifth Army of the Chinese Revolutionary Army, while constantly mobilizing troops to prepare for the attack on Wuchang, and at the same time through the temporary cabinet political axe, the three eastern provinces, Zhili, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Hunan were included in the scope of the permanent governance, the original provincial advisory bureaus were banned, and the provincial councils were established. After the officers from the Northeast Army were transferred to these provinces to organize the patrol forces of the provinces, and after controlling the main railways and the two major fleets in the country, the stockpiled firearms and ammunition began to be transported to various places through the railways and waterways.

Song Biao's plan was to set up ten patrol armies and corps in the ten provinces he already controlled, with 12,500 men in each army, equivalent to the town-level establishment of a new army.

As a result, the temporary political axe will suspend the payment of military salaries to the new army controlled by the Alliance.

No matter how attractive the ideas that the League will promote, one of their shortcomings is extremely difficult to solve, that is, without money, without money, there will be no military pay, and without military pay, can the revolutionary army still rob it?

Song Biao's move was extremely sharp, and under the pressure of military salaries, the 27th Town stationed in Chengde officially recognized the temporary political axe, transferred out of Chengde, and went north to Shenyang by railway to accept the reorganization, and was organized into the 27th Division of the Fourth Army.

Sun Daoren, the general manager of the 10th Town, who joined the League after the uprising, changed his original intention to join the Guangfu Society under the persuasion of Cheng Biguang and his subordinate Wang Qi, and announced that Fujian Province would abolish the reading power and accept the rule of the provisional cabinet political axe.

After receiving Sun Daoren's telegram, Song Biao was very happy, and he immediately called the Second Staff Bureau and asked Li Xuanqi, a second-class staff officer from Fuzhou, to come over.

Song Biao is still very familiar with these staff officers of the Second Staff Bureau, and Li Xuanqi's level is not very special, not high, but not low, and he is relatively careful.

Song Biao planned to send him to Fujian to preside over the patrol army, which was so important to the Provisional Cabinet that Song Biao could only restore the prosperity of China's tea and porcelain trade, and only then could he have the Fuzhou Ship Master School and a ready-made military port in the south.

After Li Xuanqi heard the order, he quickly hurried to the commander-in-chief's office, and when he entered the door, he stood up and saluted: "Second staff officer Li Xuanqi has come to report." ”

He was glad that this was the first time he had been summoned by the Governor alone.

Oh, it's supposed to be the emperor now.

He thought so.

When Song Biao saw him come in, he beckoned him to come over and sit on the chair in front of the desk, and said, "You came just in time, the Tenth Town has announced that it will accept the temporary political axe, you are from Fuzhou, I plan to send you over to be the chief captain of the Fujian Provincial Patrol Army." ”

Li Xuanqi was greatly surprised, and his direct promotion from a second-class staff officer to the commander-in-chief of a provincial patrol force was tantamount to being promoted from battalion commander to division commander.

Seeing that he was a little surprised and a little difficult to accept, Song Biao reassured: "You don't have to worry, all aspects of work have been arranged, as long as you get in touch with the Liberation Society in Fujian in the past, you can gradually open up the work situation later, and the guns and ammunition will be transported from the navy." ”

Li Xuanqi came to his senses and immediately replied: "Thank you...... No, thank you for the promotion, subordinates...... Humble duties must be the work of dogs and horses. ”

This is the only time Li Xuanqi has met the new emperor alone in recent years, and it is really normal to say a little messy, especially in the title of the person who is extremely confused.

Song Biao has never been very mindful of this matter, anyway, it is still unknown whether he can sit on the throne of the emperor, and he has not officially announced his ascension to the throne and become the emperor, he still beckoned Li Xuanqi to sit down, and said: "I called you over, and I also want to ask your own opinion, I don't know if there is a suitable candidate for the head of the teaching committee on your side?" ”

Li Xuanqi thought for a while and said: "My classmate Xu Zhuo is a suitable candidate, he has always been accomplished in the use of soldiers, and he is also a member of the Liberation Association very early, Cheng Shouzhen is more suitable, but he shouldn't be able to move, right?" ”

"Oh!"

Song Biao said with a smile: "Cheng Shouzhen must not be able to be transferred, his task on the side of the Second Staff Bureau is very heavy, during this time, I am planning to transfer him to the Second Army as the instructor." ”

Li Xuanqi said: "That's Xu Zhuo, it's still very good, it's much better than me anyway." ”

Song Biao smiled, he wanted to say something like "You are self-aware", but he didn't say it, after all, this is also something that everyone knows, Li Xuanqi's ability is average, and the reason why he was sent to Fuzhou to serve as the chief of the Fujian Provincial Patrol Army is nothing more than the relationship between Fuzhou people.

At this time, Jiang Zhengyuan suddenly hurried in with a nervous expression, and only saluted when he arrived at Song Biao's side, handed over the telegram book marked with a purple sign to Song Biao, and said: "Your Majesty, Sun Daoren was assassinated by his subordinate Xu Chongzhi, the twentieth co-ordinator, and it is expected that Xu Chongzhi will cancel Fujian's plan to give up the autonomy of reading power." ”

Song Biao was greatly surprised, and hurriedly opened the telegram book to browse, the telegram was urgently sent back by the intelligence bureau in Fuzhou, that is, the telegram sent only a few minutes ago.

Song Biao was quite puzzled, didn't he just announce the autonomy of Reading Power?

He thought about it carefully, and said to Jiang Zhengyuan: "Send a telegram to the liaison officers of the Fujian Restoration Society and the Tenth Town Restoration Society, asking them to withdraw from the Tenth Town immediately, and if the other party blocks it, they can shoot back." Send a telegram to Cheng Biguang and ask the cruiser to send ships south, has the 3rd Infantry Division arrived in Hanyang? ”

Jiang Zhengyuan said: "Yesterday, I arrived in Hanyang. ”

Song Biao said: "Send a telegram to Chen Wu and Xiao Xingheng, and order the Third Infantry Division of the First Army and the 21st Infantry Division of the Second Army to prepare for the south...... For the time being, Xiao Xingheng will not be given electricity, and there are also many members of the 21st Infantry Division's internal alliance, so that Chen Wu will secretly prepare to go south, and let the shipping bureau and the navy prepare for pick-up. Since the other party gave us this opportunity, then we can't miss it. Let the members of the Restoration Society of the Wuchang New Army step up the evacuation of the Eighth Town and the 21st Mixed Association, form the Hubei Patrol Army, and make preparations to cooperate with the 1st Infantry Division and the 2nd Infantry Division to storm Wuchang. ”

Jiang Zhengyuan said yes at first, and wanted to say something, but he didn't say it, so he turned around and left the office.

Jiang Zhengyuan knew in his heart that although he didn't think it was good, a big civil war within the revolutionary army was inevitable, and such a radical act of the alliance would really kill itself, giving people a handle, you must know that Song Biao has been waiting for such a good opportunity.

After Jiang Zhengyuan left, Song Biao called Tang Shaoyi, the prime minister of the provisional cabinet, and Cai Yuanpei of the Guangfu Society, and asked them to collectively send a message to condemn the League, and completely put on a posture of rupture.

Song Biao did not deny it at all, he had been waiting for the split for a long time.

The Alliance does often engage in assassinations, and regards this as a magic weapon for its survival, but they don't know that although the Restoration Society disdains this, it is definitely dozens of times more powerful than them if it really wants to retaliate.

Song Biao just disdained to do so.

Although Fujian Province failed to officially join the camp of the Chinese Empire and the Restoration Society, Song Biao still asked Li Xuanqi to prepare and secretly went to Fujian in advance to form a patrol army, responsible for receiving the southward movement of the Third Infantry Division.

Song Biaozheng didn't know how to find an opportunity to place his ace troops in the south, and now that he had an opportunity, how could he miss it?

In fact, it is not the first time that the Alliance and the Restoration Society have assassinated each other's competitors, but this time the level is particularly high, and the commander of a new army has been killed.

Judging from the map, as long as Song Biao formally finalizes the three provinces of Jiangxi, Anhui, and Hubei, the territory of the Chinese Empire will cover the entire Northeast, North China, Central China, and East China.

Song Biao went on like this, replacing the provincial legislators under his control with members of the Liberation Association and the Restoration Association, and relying on the League and the autonomy faction alone could not set off a big storm.

His steady arrangement must have caused the alliance to be frightened, and overreaction was almost unavoidable.

On the second day of Sun Daoren's assassination, a newspaper suddenly claimed that the Liberation Society sent someone to murder Sun Daoren, the facts are very clear, Sun Daoren has decided to announce the revocation of the autonomy of Reading Power, why did Song Biao kill him?

The League could publish news in the newspaper to justify it, but in Fuzhou, the eyes of the officers and soldiers of the 10th Town were bright.

When the officers and soldiers of the Liberation Society, who were originally in a weak position, withdrew from the 10th Town, they received the support of many officers and soldiers because of the killing of Sun Daoren, and had a fierce military conflict with Xu Chongzhi, and the two sides fired at each other intensively in the suburbs of Fuzhou, causing many casualties.

Just when the 3rd Infantry Division received Song Biao's telegram and prepared to sail south to Fujian, Xu Chongzhi himself was killed by his subordinates, and Wang Qi, the 19th Mixed Association Commander, led the Guangfu faction to capture more than 400 officers and soldiers of the Alliance faction, ending the civil strife in the 10th Town, and on the morning of August 22, it was once again announced that Fujian Province would revoke the autonomy of Reading Li and accept the control of the Imperial Provisional Cabinet.

(To be continued)