As soon as the gendarmes over there opened fire, all the gangs of underworld thugs here fell to the ground. The rest of the people also ran to the back of the bus, hiding and not daring to show their heads.

The leader of this "People's Guard" is Xiang Xiaoqiang. The elite under his command who could really fight were the dozen or so commandos who followed him to the Qing Dynasty. Xiang Xiaoqiang dispersed them into the "People's Guard" of each group as the backbone, and each important target had one or two commandos as the commando. And the radio station is the top priority, Xiang Xiaoqiang took the snail and personally led the team.

Xiang Xiaoqiang also knew that the name of the improvised "People's Guard" was good, but it was actually a rabble. If you want to succeed, you need to be short, flat and fast, and you must not provoke a neutral army, otherwise the game will be over.

Xiang Xiaoqiang lay on the ground and hugged his head and shouted:

"Don't shoot, don't bleed! You only have two guns, and we have more than fifty of them, each with twenty box guns! You will surely die if you fight! ”

In fact, he is bluffing, and the box gun is just the backbone of the leader. But as soon as he shouted like this, the people on his side also gained some courage and shouted along. Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly felt a little relieved, after all, they are all underworlds who have cut people and seen blood, not sheep. It was just the first time I faced a gun, and I was just scared.

The two gendarmes on the opposite side obviously hesitated, and one shouted:

"What are you going to do?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang knelt down on one knee, took out the envelope from his arms, and held it high:

"Your Majesty's edict, the People's Guard of the Ming Empire will be established on the same day and take over the capital radio! Any unit or person who violently obstructs the empire so that it cannot quickly restore order and mobilize to resist the southern invasion of the Qing Dynasty will be sent to a military court for trial for treason with the enemy! Hey, come here! ”

Zhu Yourong wrote dozens of edicts this afternoon, which was used at this time. Distributed to Xiaoqiang to various groups of people's guards. The difference is that this one is "taking over the Capital Radio", while the others are "taking over the telephone and telegraph office", "taking over the police station", "taking over the residence of the first assistant", "taking over the propaganda department", "taking over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs", and so on. As for places like the Capital Garrison Headquarters and the Army and Navy General Staff, he did not dare to "take over," nor did he dare to ask Zhu Yourong to write an edict. On the one hand, as long as the army remains neutral, it is enough that he does not have to force the door, on the other hand, he really wants to take over the army, even if Zhu Yourong is not aware of it, Shen Rongxuan and Zheng Gongyin will also regard Xiang Xiaoqiang as a careerist.

These dozens of edicts were used in telegraph and telephone offices, radio stations, government offices, and other important places where there were few soldiers to guard them.

The two gendarmes took the edict, read it respectfully, and looked at each other in a daze. When they grew so big, it was the first time they saw the edict of the Son of Heaven and the first time they touched the handwriting of Her Majesty the Empress.

However, they have military orders in their bodies, and they must guard the capital radio station. The two gendarmes clutched the edict, their faces flushed with excitement and hesitated.

Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't delay any longer, so he shouted:

"What's your name?"

"Me?" A gendarme subconsciously said, "My name is Zhang Fusheng." ”

"Zhang Fusheng, how did you take the oath when you joined the army? Does it mean to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty and His Majesty? Or is it allegiance to the governor and the cabinet? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know how the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty took an oath when they enlisted, and even whether they wanted to take an oath. He just thought that he would probably go like this as usual, swearing loyalty to the monarch and patriotism or something.

Zhang Fusheng immediately recalled the collective oath he took when he enlisted in the army and awarded the title, and there was really "loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and loyalty to the saint", and there was absolutely no such thing as "loyalty to the chief and loyalty to the cabinet". In fact, there is still the phrase "obedience to orders as a vocation" in the oath, but he has now been brought to the word "allegiance" by Xiang Xiaoqiang.

He looked at these "thugs" armed with sticks and armbands, and knew that it was wrong, but with the edict written by His Majesty in his hand, and then recalling the oath he had taken, he couldn't say a word for a long time.

In this case, the combination of imperial mandate and violence can be most effective. In the past, Zhu Yourong's imperial orders were often ignored, and that was because there was no violence to accompany them. But if there is no violence from the imperial order, then a few random police gendarmes can put this gang of gangs to peace. But now that they have the edict of the Son of Heaven in their hands, anyone who wants to embarrass them must weigh it, and don't stand on the wrong side.

Zhang Fusheng was stunned for a moment, then looked at the two box guns facing the two of them, and the rifle in his hand was also dragged over. Then the gang of "thugs" rushed in.

In the building of the radio station, the announcers of several radio companies in Nanjing are reciting news in their respective channels, and the assistants in the back are preparing manuscripts.

Suddenly, the sound of chaotic footsteps, screams and exclamations from far and near, and a clear voice in the middle:

"Don't be afraid, we are the People's Guard of the Ming Empire, in order to restore order and defend the motherland, we take over the capital radio station in the name of the people and Your Majesty! Now please interrupt the various channels and broadcast our manuscripts immediately! ”

The radio station was successfully occupied.

……

After the war mobilization in the past few days, all military and political departments in the capital of Daming worked overtime all night. At this time, in the capital garrison headquarters on Changping Road, the commander of the garrison stood at the window facing the street, holding a teacup in his hand, looking at the "People's Guard" cars whizzing by on the road below, frowning, and sipping tea.

"Sir," the secretary behind him anxiously urged, "you...... Are you really just looking at it? ”

The commander didn't look back, stared at the road below, spit out a sip of tea, and said slowly:

"We are soldiers...... It is the duty of a soldier to obey orders. Now I haven't received an order from the first minister, they are just burning the city, and we don't care. ”

The secretary was anxious:

"Sir, we know that the phone at the Shoufu Mansion can't be connected!"

The commander sighed and said in a long voice:

"Well, that'...... I can't take care of it. Soldiers, it is their duty to obey orders...... Besides, now that the war is imminent, the duty of a soldier is to defend the country, not to maintain local law and order...... There are police to maintain law and order, so it's not our turn to take care of it......"

He was calm on the surface, but he kept beating the drum in his heart: there is no doubt that His Majesty has engaged in private arming...... It seems that the momentum is not small, and they are still doing it like that. I'm afraid that the ministers in the cabinet will be arrested...... The phone at the police station is also unreachable, and it is estimated that it has also been taken down now...... I have not been disturbed here, firstly, because they dare not come, and secondly, I am afraid that this is also the intention of His Majesty...... Your Majesty is suggesting that I don't want to be on the wrong side...... Yes, as long as I hold my ground, my Majesty's side will have the upper hand tonight. Just how long can it be occupied? Your Majesty's pampered little girl, who has never been in power for a day, is this piece of material?

The secretary pondered what he meant, and asked tentatively:

"So, should we give orders to the gendarmes in the city and let them cooperate with that...... And what about the actions of the People's Guard? ”

The commander chewed on the tea stalk and said slowly between his teeth:

"I don't give any orders. Gendarmes...... Hmph, they'll make the right judgment based on common sense. What about me...... I didn't give any orders. ”

……

Although Xiang Xiaoqiang estimated that the police department also wanted to ride the wall, after all, the police agency is not a relatively independent organization like the army, it is too dependent on the government, and it is easy to be called out and suppressed by a certain department or official in the cabinet.

Therefore, the strongest "People's Guard" was assigned to occupy the police headquarters. Although it was night and there should not be a few people in the police station, Xiang Xiaoqiang still arranged more than seventy people for this team, equipped with two Thomson submachine guns and more than a dozen box guns.

After Xiang Xiaoqiang led his team to successfully occupy the radio station, he left his most trusted snail to lead his subordinates to guard it, and he took a car to the telephone and telegraph office to establish a general headquarters here.

At present, the telephones of the police station, the residence of the chief assistant, the propaganda department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, and other government departments have been cut off, and they cannot communicate horizontally with each other, but they can still make calls to the telegraph and telephone office. Soon, in the police headquarters, Li Gensheng called, the police headquarters had been successfully occupied, more than a dozen policemen surrendered their guns, the gun depot was opened, and the seized long and short guns were being shipped out one after another and distributed to the people's guard forces, constantly strengthening their strength.

Soon, calls were also made from various police stations and the occupation was successful.

"Good!"

Xiang Xiaoqiang was very satisfied and encouraged them. He secretly said in his heart: As expected, the police are not like soldiers, and they have no awareness of risking their lives at all.

……

In the meeting room of the Prime Minister's residence, several core members of the cabinet were meeting to discuss the current use of the student movement and the imperial standoff, the possibility of a real attack by the Northern Qing Dynasty, and the respective attitudes of Britain and Japan to avoid war.

But just now the secretary rushed in and asked them to listen to the radio. Now they were listening blankly to the male voice of the announcer in the corner of the corner radio mixed with sizzling sounds. The announcer, who had been broadcasting the news every night, was now reading in an emotionless tone:

“…… Therefore, the People's Guard Corps of the Ming Empire requires all the people to keep a cool head at this time of life and death, assist us in restoring national order, assist our heroic army in recruiting and preparing for war, and defend our Ming Dynasty and our great motherland. We are to unite closely around Your Majesty, who we trust will be able to lead us through difficult times, out of darkness, until victory, until peace and happiness come again...... His Majesty calls on us to obey and assist our army in this critical moment. Your Majesty also believes in the loyalty of our army, in their sacred oath, and in the traditional character of loyalty and patriotism of the Ming army...... Your Majesty is proud that she has such a loyal army......"

Several ministers listened blankly, and even the secretary who rushed in to report to them stood at the door, listening to the announcement, and analyzing the meaning of the sentences.

Fang Hongru, the first minister, took a sip of tea tremblingly, and the tea spilled on his pants. But he didn't care, and said in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty...... His Majesty is courting the army...... She...... She's gossiping to those hills...... How unreasonable! …… Can't get in touch with the garrison command yet? ”

The secretary said with a bitter face:

"It hasn't worked, probably the telephone bureau has fallen into their hands."

Sizzling on the radio, it continued to be an emotionless male voice:

“…… But for the small group of diehards and careerists who defy the Constitution, the people and your Majesty as nothing, our fearless People's Guard has arrested them and they will be court-martialed and severely punished...... As for some people who still have illusions, we advise them to see clearly the general trend and the strength of the people, and never stand in opposition to the people, and that they will never end well if they are enemies of the people...... Now we, the fearless People's Guard, have taken over the capital on behalf of the people and on behalf of Your Majesty, and now the capital no longer belongs to that handful of diehards and careerists, but is back in the hands of the people......"

"It's over......"

Fang Hongru sat down on the sofa, his face like ashes.

Foreign Minister Xu Yuanzhen gritted her teeth, stood up and said:

"I don't believe a bunch of scoundrels and rabbles can do so beautifully! If the phone can't get through, then prepare the car, won't we go in person? ”

Fang Hongru sighed:

"Forget it, don't be delusional. Now that the radio station and telephone bureau are occupied, and this kind of thing is already being broadcast, will you still drive around? I'm sure there's someone blocking the door now......"

Suddenly, another secretary ran in, panting and said:

"They...... They're already in! It's already on the second floor! ”

……

In the courtyard of the Shousuke Mansion and in the hall on the first floor, there was already a large group of people wearing large-brimmed hats and holding their hands high. These are the Ministry of the Interior police, who, unlike ordinary police, are responsible for defending important government institutions, equivalent to the armed police internal security forces of later generations. But now they are all disarmed without exception, and not even a single one of them resists. The radio in the hall was still broadcasting the speeches of the People's Guard. Before that, these Ministry of Internal Affairs policemen had been gathered here to listen for a while, and now they had come to their own judgment and all made a wise choice.

Corridor on the second floor.

Messy footsteps echoed in the corridor, dozens of People's Guards wearing bright yellow armbands and armed with box guns strode forward, and the officials, secretaries, and guards in the corridor flashed on both sides with frightened expressions on their faces.

The voices of questioning in the corridor were heard one after another:

"Do you support Your Majesty or the Cabinet? Say it! ”

"I ...... I support Your Majesty......"

"Okay, stand downstairs! Do you support His Majesty or the Cabinet? ”

"Support Your Majesty!"

"Stand downstairs! Do you support His Majesty or the Cabinet? ”

"Champion...... Support Your Majesty......"

"Go downstairs and stand up! Do you support His Majesty or the Cabinet? ”

"Phew! Soldiers can be killed but not humiliated, I, the ancient scholar of China, rule the world with the Son of Heaven, you fascists ......"

"Okay, the People's Guard arrests you now, hands up! Do you support His Majesty or the Cabinet? ”

"I support Your Majesty'......"

……

"Bang!"

The door to the conference room at the end of the corridor opened, and several cabinet ministers sat calmly inside, drinking tea. More than a dozen "People's Guards" swarmed in.

Fang Hongru, the first minister, took a sip of tea and said lightly:

"What's the difference between you doing this and the Qing captive?"

More than a dozen people haven't opened their mouths yet, and they are all stunned.

Fang Hongru put down the teacup heavily and shouted in a deep voice:

"This minister asks you, if you do this kind of thing today, what is the difference between our Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty from now on? What is the difference between her Zhu Yourong and the pseudo-Qing Guangwu Emperor! …… A few of us old guys are old, and it doesn't matter if we die a day early, but what will she Zhu Yourong look like in the future to see the emperor of the Ming Dynasty! ”

"Lord Fang, let me tell you the difference!" A voice came in from outside, and then everyone got out of the way, and a young man came in, it was Xiang Xiaoqiang, "If it is a pseudo-Qing, several elders will be arrested and imprisoned now, the bosses' property will be confiscated, and their wives, sons, grandchildren, and clansmen will also be arrested and killed." As for a few adults, they will be served in a few days, and then their heads will be hung on the city walls of Beijing! But here's Daming! Your Majesty is also a generous and benevolent king. Your Majesty's own generation, several elders have worked hard for the Ming Dynasty for half their lives, and they have worked hard, and now they are old, it is time to return to their hometowns and enjoy their peaceful old age. His Majesty will give a few elders a generous gift, so that they can return to their hometown in style and enjoy prosperity. As for the future of the Ming Dynasty, let's ask the elders to see what the young people do. ”

After saying this, several ministers looked at each other, and slowly their faces returned to blood. They thought that His Majesty had carried out this coup d'état so badly, and that a few people, as the losing party, had no way out. A few old Donglin parties are preparing to send out the bookseller anger they have accumulated all their lives at once, treating death as home, and denouncing treachery. Who knew that Zhu Yourong was not only not ready to take their lives, but also left them a peaceful and wealthy old age. For a while, several old men were so full of thoughts in their chests that they couldn't speak.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at them and thought: That's fine, now that the war clouds are thick, these old and twilight Donglin Party is definitely not suitable. I wonder how Zhu Yourong will arrange the next cabinet? One thing is certain, in the face of the oppressive Northern Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty needs a hawkish cabinet.

……

Well, the official residence of the Prime Minister, the most important and final target in the entire capital, has been mastered. Xiang Xiaoqiang ordered the "People's Guard" to escort several ministers home and strictly "protect" them, and then, pushing open the window, took a deep breath of cold air.

Now, the capital of the Ming Dynasty is in my hands.

Xiang Xiaoqiang pressed his chest, there was a check in it, 1 million Mingyang, Zhu Yourong personally wrote it to him, it was the empress's own bank account. Of the 1 million, 500,000 went to Xiaoqiang himself, and 500,000 was given to him to form the People's Guard.

In other words, he now has a huge sum of 500,000 Mingyang at the same time, and a very naïve but promising political armed force that has just been formed.

500,000 Mingyang, if you use gold as the conversion medium, is equivalent to 62 million yuan in later generations. That's a real lot of money for one person.

He looked out the window at the city with the lights on it, and his heart suddenly seemed to be dissatisfied with such a small amount of money. Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly had a very crazy idea: I don't want to hand over this city anymore. The feeling of being in control is wonderful.

But in just a few seconds he was awake. There are so many policemen, gendarmes, and even the People's Guards, and their allegiance is not to me Xiang Xiaoqiang, but to Zhu Yourong, the son of the big tomorrow. In addition, there are Dongchang in Nanjing, as well as the General Staff of the Navy and Army, as well as the Jinyi Guard, and the air defense units that hold on to the artillery positions...... There were also 100,000 garrisons around Nanjing. Now, they are all loyal to Zhu Yourong.

Unfortunately, only temporary control.

Xiang Xiaoqiang closed his eyes and inhaled the cold air deeply, indulging in this temporary sense of control.

At least, at this moment, Nanjing is in my hands.