With the strength of Fengtian's bombing of Beijing, Duan Qirui publicly declared a rebellion, and Cao Kun, the overseer of Hebei, and Ni Sichong, the overseer of Shandong, also declared their support for the republic, and the situation in China became more and more clear.

On July 4, the sixth year of the Republic of China, at the urging of Qin Yu, the 8th Division temporarily recruited by Duan Qirui, as well as the 14th Mixed Brigade of Feng Yuxiang and the two divisions led by Qin Yu divided into several routes and rushed to Beijing.

Zhang Xun was not willing to be restrained, and the rebel army concentrated on Lugou Bridge on the west road, and marched to Huangcun on the east route to Langfang, and the pigtail army in Fengtai fell into a situation of being attacked by the enemy on their backs. Zhang Xun ordered the Braided Army to destroy the Fengtai Railway to stop the advance of the rebel army, which caused protests from the diplomatic corps, who sent foreign troops to protect the Beijing-Tianjin Railway and restore the rails and reopen to traffic on the grounds that "the Beijing-Tianjin Railway shall not be interrupted" in the Treaty of Xincho. This is very bad for the pigtail army.

Zhang Xun was no longer able to stop the advance of the rebel army. He knew that the strength of the pigtail army was weak, originally less than 7,000 people, and a few days ago it was bombed by the Feng army, killing and wounding hundreds of people, and the strength was only about 6,000 people, which was not enough to hold the city of Beijing.

In order to hide his vulnerability, he had to take the lead with the non-pigtailed army, and the pigtail army postponed the battle. On the 5th, he sent Wu Changzhi's 1st Brigade and Tian Wang's 1st Regiment to Fengtai to rush to help, but the 2nd Battalion of the Braided Army was delayed. As a result, Wu and Tian's troops had not yet reached their destination, so they turned against each other, and the 11th Division Li Kuiyuan Brigade and the 12th Division Liu Peirong Brigade stationed in Nanyuan also took advantage of the situation to point their guns at the pigtail army, and the Nanyuan plane flew to Fengtai to drop bombs on the positions of the pigtail army, and at the same time dropped bombs on the Qianqing Hall and Zhongzheng Hall of the Qing Palace.

The bombing killed a man and a dog in the palace. Under such circumstances, the pigtailed army scattered in all directions, and fled. Chen Guangyuan, the commander of the 12th Division, rushed to Fengtai from Nanyuan, and the rebel armies from the east and west met at Fengtai. The pigtailed army retreating from the front line retreated outside the Yongding Gate in Beijing, and Jiang Chaozong ordered the city gate to be closed. The stragglers were not allowed to enter the city, Zhang Xun was furious when he heard this, and pressed Jiang Kaicheng to let the pigtailed soldiers go.

This was the first battle of the rebels, but it was only a small contact, and there was no big battle at all, because under artillery fire. The train is still running. In this war, the Braided Army was defeated by the Beiyang Army, and turned against him, so it was defeated without a formal battle.

Zhang Xun panicked at this time, and he hurriedly sent a telegram to the provincial warlords attending the Xuzhou Conference, asking them to fulfill their promises, sponsor the restoration, and stop the attack.

The telegram said a lot, which was nothing more than a request for the Beiyang armies to stop their offensive and not to violate the agreement reached under the Xuzhou Conference, but at this juncture. Who is willing to abide by the previous agreement, the wall falling down and the crowd is not a phenomenon that only exists in ancient times.

The rebel army effortlessly conquered the corridor house in one battle, fought again and met Fengtai, and fought three times and the army came to the city of Beijing.

On July 6, the pigtail army received Zhang Xun's order to retreat into the inner city of Beijing, concentrating on the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, and the three areas of Zhangzhai along the Nanhe River. Ordered the infantry to lead the Jiang Dynasty sect to send troops to defend the city gates. Zhang Xiyuan, the first brigade of the first division originally stationed outside Beijing, took advantage of the situation to attack Chaoyangmen. As a result, street fighting may break out in Beijing, and the situation will suddenly become tense. Wu Bingxiang, the chief of the Beijing police, hurriedly called on Zhang Xiyuan. Zhang Xiyuan's brigade was demanded to withdraw on the grounds that the gates of Beijing had been taken over by a neutral infantry commander. After the pigtail army originally from Zhang Xun retreated into the inner city, Beijing became a three-fold force range, and the pigtailed soldiers stationed in the inner city still hung the five-clawed yellow dragon flag. In the middle, there is a "neutral zone" without flags, and Jiang Chaozong's troops are stationed at each city gate. Jiang Chaozong still used the pseudonym of the Admiral of the Nine Gates after the restoration to issue a proclamation to the people. It is neither called the "Republic of China" nor the "Qing Empire", and the proclamation is followed by two kinds of calendars. Outside the city were rebel armies, flying the five-color republican flag.

"It's really disappointing, this pigtail army is too ineffective." Hu Chaoyong, commander of the 17th Brigade of the 9th Division, looked at the city of Beijing, which was already close under his nose. "This road is like a march, and I thought that this time I was going south to make a big move."

"Don't pull your eggs, the ancient city of Beijing can't be easily destroyed by artillery fire, otherwise it will wait until today to get to the city? It has already entered the city of Beijing. The city of Beijing was damaged, and the marshal did not want to see this situation. Gao Weiyue scolded with a smile.

"I originally thought that there was something to do in the south, but I didn't expect it to be like this, the pigtail army is so incompetent, it is too much to transfer one division, and the two divisions have the feeling of cannons fighting mosquitoes." Hu Chaoyong yawned, not showing the slightest interest in the city of Beijing in front of him.

"This Zhang Xun is really funny, don't look at how far he is from President Yuan, President Yuan can retire and become president, he is a Yangtze River patrol envoy who has done this kind of foolish thing, and he also wants to follow the example of the original president to retire and then become a patrol envoy?" Qin Yu crumpled the telegram sent by Zhang Xun again and threw it into the garbage basket next to him.

"Great Marshal, Duan Hefei wants to convene a meeting of the leaders of all the troops in the capital and influential ministers. In addition, President Lebanon wants to meet with the marshal. "When I arrived in Beijing, there were more people to meet, and several people have been pushed off today, but some of them can't be pushed off after all. Wang Yuhai took a list to Qin Yu, who was the person Duan Qirui summoned today.

"Foresight President Li, we are not going south this time to build momentum for Duan Hefei. You take a team of soldiers to pick up President Li out of the city, and the president of our Republic of China cannot rely on the Japanese consulate for shelter. Qin Yu made a decision without thinking too much, the first few times to build momentum, it was nothing more than to raise Li Yuanhong, Li Yuanhong was helpless in Beijing, the Northeast can become his support, and he will naturally have a place in Beijing in the future.

"Yes, Marshal." Wang Yuhai took the order and left.

In order to build momentum for Li Yuanhong, Wang Yuhai took a battalion of soldiers to rush directly to the city, at this time the outer city has been controlled by Jiang Chaozong, but in the face of Qin Yu's adjutant, Jiang Chaozong, the commander of the Beijing infantry, did not dare to hold on, Wang Yuhai said that after a while, he directly let it go, looking at the Northeast Army's momentum, it is to support President Li Da, the restoration is difficult to succeed, and President Li Da will immediately make a comeback. He, an infantry commander guarding Beijing, could not afford to offend the president.

"President, it's too late." Traveling with Wang Yuhai was Zhang Guogan, and when he arrived at the Japanese consulate, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, and by now, the situation was already under control.

"The wind knows the grass. After a long time, you still never give up when I am in the most crisis, and I will remember this affection. Li Yuanhong said quite emotionally.

"This is a matter of humble duty, and I dare not take credit. This is Wang Yuhai, Yushuai's confidant adjutant, who came to take the president out of the city. Yu Shuai has personally led tens of thousands of troops to the city, and there will be no recurrence of the Beijing incident this time. Zhang Guogan said.

"Wang Yuhai sees this great president." Wang Yuhai bowed, looked at Li Yuanhong, who had a round and bald head in front of him, and secretly said that there was nothing strange about this big president. It's not as good as being handsome.

"Okay, okay, get out of the city immediately, I also want to see the first hero of this rebellion as soon as possible." Li Yuanhong was in a good mood, and although the people at the Japanese consulate were not rude to him, he was a great president who wanted to take refuge in the Japanese in the midst of danger, and it was inevitable that he would feel guilty.

Li Yuanhong was in the city of Beijing, except for a few secretaries. There was no other entourage, all the way. did not encounter obstacles, and when they got out of the city, they saw the Northeast Army at its peak, and they couldn't help but be amazed.

"It is worthy of its name, it is the same number of the most descendant members of the central government, and its prestige is not as good as that of the Northeast Army."

"Qin Yu is late. Let the president be commissioned. Qin Yu was waiting less than two miles from the city. Seeing Li Yuanhong from a distance, he greeted him.

"It's not late, it's not late, Yuchen, you came just right, this time you can calm Zhang Xun's disaster, Yuchen, your credit should be brilliant!" Li Yuanhong said in an affirmative tone.

"Yes. The road is Duan Hefei several times, Yu Shuai was not moved at all, this time to capture Beijing City, Yu Shuai's Northeast Army also played a vital role. Ha Han Zhang said.

"Needless to say politely, Duan Hefei convened a meeting of the ministers to discuss how to deal with the Beijing issue, and I also received an invitation, this matter cannot let Duan Hefei take the initiative, but the current situation is precious, and before Zhang Xun is peaceful, it is not appropriate to have an unpleasant relationship with Duan Hefei. In the name of the president, the president might as well have a conversation with Duan Hefei, how about holding a conference together in Fengtai today? Qin Yu suggested.

"Yuchen is thoughtful, this matter is done." Li Yuanhong has gone through the aggressiveness of Duan Qirui and Xu Shuzheng in the past, and only learned that Qin Yu had to listen a lot to what he said. Although it was also Qin Yu who took the idea, but when he said it in Qin Yu's mouth, he was asking for his opinion, if Xu Shuzheng was replaced, I am afraid the result would be completely different.

After Duan Qirui knew Qin Yu's reaction, his face suddenly became cloudy, and he invited Qin Yu just to gain the initiative in the meeting. Qin Yu was the first to stand up against Zhang Xun, and of course the credit was great. However, Qin Yu is a relatively unfamiliar figure to the Beiyang generals after all, and Duan Qirui is confident that he can take the initiative with his connections and past status in the meeting.

I didn't expect Qin Yu to carry Li Yuanhong out, Li Yuanhong was not good before, but he was the legitimate president and nominally the chief executive of the Republic of China. The reason why he didn't give strength in the past was nothing more than that he didn't have strong strength to support him, but now Qin Yu is standing behind Li Yuanhong, and Li Yuanhong's only shortcoming no longer exists.

Many people came to the Fengtai meeting this time, and only generals at the division commander level in the army were qualified to sit at the table. Infantry commanders Jiang Chaofu, Chen Guangyuan, Li Jincai, Duan Qirui, Duan Zhigui, Xu Shuzheng, Li Changtai, Navy Chief Cheng Biguang, Hebei Overseer Cao Kun, and Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang attended the meeting. Among these people, only Cheng Biguang used to be Li Yuanhong's old boss, and he had a close relationship with Li Yuanhong. It can be seen how thin Li Yuanhong's strength in Beijing was before, but the other generals were close to Duan Qirui except for Duan Zhigui. The others are not Duan Qirui's diehards. Otherwise, when Zhang Xun was restored, Duan Qirui would not be limited to the dilemma of having no soldiers to adjust.

Important people always have to appear at the back, and Qin Yu appeared half a step behind Li Yuan, causing a small shock in the venue.

"President, you're finally here, if you don't come, this meeting doesn't have a backbone." Cheng Biguang stood on Li Yuanhong's side with a clear banner.

"I'm afraid that it may not be, the president summoned Zhang Xun to Beijing, causing today's disaster. It is difficult to escape the blame, and with the mistakes he has committed, it is difficult to rule the central government and set an example for a country. Of course, Xu Shuzheng couldn't let Li Yuanhong dominate the meeting as soon as he came, "The biggest contributor to quelling the rebellion this time is Premier Duan and Yu Shuai, the envoy of the three eastern provinces. If you want to talk about the backbone, it should also be played by Premier Duan and Yu Shuai. ”

Before Zhang Xun entered Beijing to control the telegraph office in Beijing, Li Yuanhong's confidant Jin Yongyan sent the telegram to Shanghai. Among them, a telegram about the revival of Duan Qirui was finally sent. Originally, Duan Qirui was still pondering whether to hesitate, but Qin Yu's sideways attack made Duan Qirui feel that if he didn't seize this opportunity, it would be difficult to become the prime minister again in the future.

"There is also a reason why Zhang Xun entered Beijing, the previous dispute between the State Council and the Presidential Office is a thing of the past, and it is impossible to say who is right and who is wrong. However, after all, the dispute between the government and the court is the root cause of Zhang Xun's entry into Beijing, and I think this matter can be let go, and it will be a troublesome matter to pursue it. It is not a good thing that Zhang Xun went to Beijing to be unpaid. Some of the restorationists who still reminisced about the previous dynasty were removed from Beiyang, and the hidden dangers in the future were also eliminated. Qin Yu said slowly next to Li Yuanhong. If someone has to come out to take this responsibility, anyway, now that Zhang Xun is about to lose power, let him take care of it a little more. ”

Originally, Duan Zhigui still wanted to speak out against Li Yuanhong, but as soon as Qin Yu spoke at this time, the little thing in Duan Zhigui's stomach was swallowed back. In the past, he and Qin Yu had a scolding war on the telegram, and he was still a little weak-hearted, especially when he saw Qin Yu's strength when he first came to Beijing. There is also the surging morale of the Northeast Army.

"Yes, those who stand here are all heroes of the Republic of China after all. Let's let all the previous unpleasantness pass. Cao Kun made peace, "Now that Zhang Xun is still entrenched in the inner city, his attitude is quite resolute, everyone should discuss how to solve Zhang Xun's problem as soon as possible." ”

"There are so many of us, and the army gathered outside Beijing has several divisions, nearly 100,000 people. Zhang Xun can't fly out of the Forbidden City even if he has wings, so he might as well leave a way back for him, so as to avoid Zhang Xun's dog jumping off the wall in a hurry. Wu Tingfang said.

"Yes, Beijing is the capital of the Republic of China, and it is not a last resort. It is not allowed to be destroyed, if we press Zhang Xun too hard, he insists on trapping the inner city, and a forced attack can certainly attack the city, but this ancient city will inevitably be destroyed. Duan Zhigui said, but he said a nonsense, everyone understands this truth.

"I don't think it's useful for him to take this life, and his personal property will not be touched. It's good to be able to do that. As he said, where I am going, where am I going, it is impossible to go back to Xuzhou to be his commander. Qin Yu sat down, Li Yuanhong sat at the top of the conference table as the president, and Qin Yu and Duan Qirui sat opposite the table.

"Yes, if there is no punishment for doing something wrong, won't everyone be able to restore it in the future." Cao Kun sat down arrogantly, Zhang Xun didn't forget about the restoration, and he made himself such a big official, so he was named the governor of Hebei. Although it didn't work, Zhang Xun's stinginess really made Cao Kun not have a good impression of him.

"But now that Zhang Xun is entrenched in the inner city, who has a way to recover the inner city without blood? You can't hit the inner city without artillery, and if you use cannons, I'm afraid foreigners won't allow it. Xu Shuzheng couldn't help but ask, Zhang Xun's restoration should not be investigated too deeply, otherwise he would not be able to escape the involvement.

"The fighting spirit of the pigtail army is not high, there are enemies on all sides at the moment, Zhang Xun is nothing more than Xuzhou and its more than 20,000 troops, I heard that Zhang Wensheng can do some homework, but if he can't do it, he will end Zhang Xun's old suppression. A few divisions, using a few cannons, first firing a few live ammunition, and the empty ammunition in the back is enough to scare them half to death, tomorrow I will let the plane drop some letters of persuasion from the air, and those who abandon the city and surrender will not be held accountable for the past, and those who resist will be held accountable to the end. Zhang Xun is now slapping his swollen face and becoming fat, I don't believe that the pigtail army under his hand is all of the same heart as him. In addition to dropping bombs from the air, Mukden's planes could also use machine guns to strafe the lower part of the plane. It can avoid the destruction of the city of Beijing as much as possible. "Qin Yu is calm and calm." Just a few shells, the powers have no reason not to agree. ”

Although Zhang Xun is domineering and good at accumulating money, he has invested in some industries in the past two years, with Zhang Xun's status, there is almost no loss in investment industry, plus the collection of the jurisdiction, the accumulation of wealth is more than 30 million, such a large amount of money, it must be false to say that he is not moved, but if even Zhang Xun's family property is moved, it is too ugly to eat.

Speaking of airplanes, everyone here was a little drumming in their hearts, Qin Yu's bombing of Beijing before was too impressive.

"I think this method is good, first build up the momentum, feint for a while, and the pigtail army will always be soft." Li Jincai slapped his thigh, he didn't deliberately flatter Qin Yu, he was secretly controlled by Zhang Xun before, and Li Jincai didn't have a good impression of Zhang Xun.

After some deliberation, everyone finally decided on the strategy against Zhang Xun Zhang Xun thought to himself at this time, he had some overseers of the Xuzhou Conference in his hands, as well as the signatures of the overseers' representatives, Duan Qirui and others did not dare to be ruthless, but they were a little worried about Qin Yu. When Zhang Xun was suffering from gains and losses, Wu Tingfang had already contacted the legations of the great powers and conveyed the opinions of the Republic of China, and the legations of the great powers agreed to mediate. Inform Zhang Xun of the agreed results of Duan Qirui, Qin Yu and others.

For such a result, Zhang Xun of course refused to accept it, and lost his army and power, which was tantamount to his life for him. Zhang Xun's refusal left the rebels with no choice but to attack the next day.

On the evening of the 7th, the rebel army decided on the battle plan, attacked Chaoyangmen with the first division, and after entering the city, it continued to attack Zhangzhai along the Nanhe River. The 8th, 11th, and 12th divisions attacked the Temple of Heaven from Yongdingmen and Guang'anmen, and the 3rd Division attacked the Temple of Heaven and Zhonghua Gate from Zhangyimen.

At dawn on the 8th, the second division attacked the Temple of Heaven, and about 3,000 pigtailed troops guarding the Temple of Heaven hung up the five-color flag to express their surrender. A small group of pigtailed troops who refused to surrender retreated to Zhang Xun's house in Nanchizi. On the same day, Zhang Xun's righteous son Zhang Wensheng led more than 60 battalions of the Xuzhou Dingwu Army to announce their support for the republic, which was a bolt from the blue for Zhang Xun.

Zhang Xun was forcibly carried to the Dutch Legation by two Dutchmen and escaped prosecution. This farce lasted only eight days before it was declared a failure, and the war with the Braided Army seemed to be huge, but in fact, in addition to the bombing ordered by Qin Yu, the total number of dead in the Braided Army did not exceed one hundred and fifty, and this war was more like a large armed parade. (To be continued......)