Chapter 166 Test or Ignite

Shangli County, 32 kilometers north of Pingxiang, is located in thousands of mountains and valleys. It has inconvenient transportation and a sparse population. It is not a commercial hub that connects all directions and a place that must be fought for by military strategists. Therefore, it has been unknown for thousands of years. Only the production of fireworks and firecrackers that has been passed down for a hundred years is well-known in Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

Until the establishment of Hanyeping Company, foreign engineers hired by the leader of the Westernization faction Zhang Zhidong, a high salary, discovered huge coal mines and lead mines in Shangli. They were far away from the world. Shangli, which was like a paradise, finally gained fame. The mining of coal, iron and lead and zinc drove Shangli's development and prosperity.

Because local tyrants and officials colluded with each other and monopolized resources, the Shangli people did not gain any benefits. Instead, they became the target of plunder and exploitation by the government and the powerful. The resentment that had been suppressed in the hearts of the people for thousands of years was almost on the verge of an outbreak, but under the bloody and cruel suppression of the ruling class, the entire Shangli territory was still stable.

But the stability over hundreds of years was finally broken on the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the sun was shining brightly, and the humiliation and resentment of the people for thousands of years were also ignited this afternoon.

Yuan Chongxi, the head of the Sichuan Army Quick Training School, stood at the Fozi Ridge east of Shangli City, silently overlooking the small city surrounded by more than 3,600 officers and soldiers of his troops, and said nothing for a long time.

He Yuheng, the deputy of the regiment, also from the Sichuan Army Quick Training School, was quietly waiting in the dilapidated Buddhist temple. A strong soldier kept turning the shaking handle of the generator. Two communication staff members were manipulating the high-power radio station. The "drip" radio wave sound was quickly translated into words and handed to the short and strong He Yuheng.

He Yuheng read the telegram and hurried out, climbed to the Shigang in front of the temple, and handed the telegram to Yuan Chongxi, who was unshaven: "The headquarters re-elected the telegram, asking us to occupy it, strictly discipline it, and wait for the order."

After seeing this, Yuan Chongxi grinned, revealing teeth that were covered with smoke stains, and a helpless look in his deep concave eyes: "It seems that we don't need to go south to Guangdong."

He Yuheng nodded: "We quietly changed our clothes in Daye and immediately went south. We were wandering in the morning and night, turning around. We finally got rid of the tracking of a regiment of the Hubei army and the interception of a brigade of Li Chun's army. When we arrived in Pingxiang, we didn't make any achievements, but on the way south, we suddenly received an order to sneak north to seize Shangli...

"Imagine that the orders from the headquarters in the middle have been changed three times. I think if it weren't for the problem with Chief Liu Zicheng, or the situation in Hunan has changed, we probably won't be able to become Guangdong and we don't have to be a revolutionary party."

"Isn't this better? All brothers were unwilling to go south to Guangdong to support the Revolutionary Party. If it weren't for the sake of Chief Liu Zicheng's face, you and I wouldn't agree to the Commander-in-Chief lead the troops south. Isn't this true for our wishes? I guess the Commander-in-Chief will transfer our lonely army into the battlefield in Hunan in the next step."

After saying that, Yuan Chongxi felt relieved.

He Yuheng pointed to the intersection in the city ahead: "Look, the local snake finally bowed its head."

Yuan Chongxi looked at more than ten gentry escorted ahead and several local officers in blue uniforms, smiling and jumping off Shigang:

"Isn't this good? It saves us from wasting bullets in siege. It seems that the brothers can finally have a good night's sleep tonight."

Half an hour later, the Sichuan Army Training Corps, which had expanded to seven battalions, took over Shangli Defense.

More than a hundred local militia in the city were disarmed, three major mining companies were seized, and the yards of the county magistrate and seven gentry were also blocked. The officers and soldiers of the teaching regiment who had been sleeping in the open for more than 20 days occupied Shangli without bloodshed. Not only did they receive a large amount of military pay and food, but they finally had a place to settle down.

More importantly, this lonely army hidden behind Zhang Jingyao's troops in the Beiyang Army, not only has its whereabouts, but its total strength and weapons and equipment far exceed the understanding of the surrounding armies, and its combat effectiveness is also seriously underestimated. But once the news of Shangli's occupation spread, I'm afraid Zhang Jingyao from Yuezhou and Li Chun from Nanchang will not fall asleep. Who can guarantee that this small Sichuan army unit, which is like a bandit, will not stab him in the back?

......

Three days later, the news that more than a thousand Sichuan troops who left Daye occupied Shangli finally reached Li Chun. The shocked Li Chun looked at the map for a long time. At the suggestion of the division and adjutant, he repeatedly weighed the pros and cons, and finally decisively sent the information to Zhang Jingyao, who was in charge of the Hunan army, and reported the situation to Duan Qirui in Beijing. Then he ordered the Third Brigade of the Gan Army stationed in Pingxiang to quell the rebellion. He just needed to closely monitor Shangli and block Shangli from Wanzai to Yichun's traffic road. Do not actively attack the Sichuan Army who occupied Shangli.

Zhang Jingyao was greeting Cao Kun and others who led his troops to Yuezhou. After receiving a notice from Li Chun, he was shocked and was no longer in the mood to drink and eat meat.

Cao Kun didn't dare to be arrogant after reading the telegram. After all, 70 miles north of Shangli was Liuyang, with empty troops, and 80 miles southwest was Liling, which had already fallen into the hands of Tan Yankai's third division of the Hunan Army. The sudden appearance of this Sichuan army immediately made the situation in Hunan full of variables.

Recalling the stern warning of Xiao Yimin, commander-in-chief of the Sichuan Army before leaving Wuhan to lead his troops into Hunan, Cao Kun and Zhang Jingyao began to have a headache. Li Chun specifically reminded him on the call:

The Sichuan Army seized all the weapons of the Pingxiang Garrison through a sudden attack and sent unknown weapons to the Pingxiang miners who were bewitched by the rebellion. They provoked a strike and robbed the public treasury. Before the Gan Army's rebellion arrived, they brought countless rebel miners away. Until Shangli was occupied, they still could not find out the specific number of people and weapons and equipment of the department.

The quiet and vast Dongting scenery under the moonlight was no longer attractive. Cao Kun and Zhang Jingyao discussed for a brief discussion and ended the banquet, and returned to the city yamen to discuss urgently.

After carefully checking the map and confirming the location of the Sichuan Army and the possible route of the march, Zhang Jingyao solemnly asked Cao Kun's opinion: "What should I do? You can't leave this nail there and ignore it, right?"

Cao Kun still didn't think it clearly. Under the gaze of Zhang Jingyao and the generals of the Hall, he had to express his opinion:

"We definitely can't stay, but it's very troublesome to fight. Who can I send to fight? How many people can I be sure of it? We don't know anything about the sudden appearance of Sichuan Army, but this Sichuan Army knows us, and I'm sure this must be a deliberate move by Xiao Yimin."

Speaking of this, Cao Kun's heart suddenly became bright. He pulled the map on the table, stretched out his thick fingers, and knocked on Liling:

"Please see, the newly formed Li Zhonglin Division of the Hunan Army is stationed in Liling. This Sichuan Army can attack Liuyang, which is stationed in our army. If you retreat, you can retreat to Liling and join forces with Li Zhonglin to make plans again. However, as long as they stay away for a day, they will always threaten the battlefield east of me.

"However, it is difficult to eliminate this elusive Sichuan Army by ourselves alone. We cannot even guarantee that this elusive Sichuan Army is still in Shangli at this moment. Only by asking Li Xiushan from Nanchang to cooperate. After all, this entrenched Sichuan Army in Li Xiushan's defense zone, no matter how unwilling he is to send troops, he cannot take down the responsibility he is on."

Zhang Jingyao felt upset.

Cao Kun and Li Chun have a good relationship. Both of them are Zhili generals. Now Cao Kun leads two main troops to spread wildly, but he puts the responsibility of eliminating the Sichuan Army on himself and Li Chun. The last few words clearly show the attitude of standing by. This abnormal behavior has to make Zhang Jingyao, who is seeing that the military power is in danger, is vigilant.

Another thing is that Li Chun was the first to discover the Sichuan Army. He ignored it himself and instead called Duan Qirui, the old commander of the Anhui clan, to decide whether there would be any conspiracy here?

Zhang Jingyao, whose brain was rotating rapidly, stared at the map with a frown. He didn't say a word. Cao Kun and his chief of staff Xiong Bingqi looked at each other and could only shake their heads helplessly.

Finally, Zhang Jingyao also came with a Tai Chi pusher, and the excuse of sending personnel to investigate to confirm the whereabouts and number of the Sichuan Army before making a decision, he ended his first meeting with Cao Kun.

Zhang Jingyao, who returned to his mansion, quietly issued an order to ask a regiment stationed in Liuyang to retreat northwards to avoid the Sichuan army's possible sneak attack at any time.

However, this order was still too late. Just when Zhang Jingyao gave the oral telegram, more than 3,000 Sichuan troops had quietly arrived outside Liuyang City.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ps: The emperor writes slowly, everyone reads slowly, and they are in poor health, so they can only try to keep up and update!

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