[The great change is about to begin, and this book will also enter a magnificent chapter. Please collect and recommend and support me, brothers! Thank you!]

In late August, a class strike initiated by the "Lu Guardian Comrades Association", the strike and (travel) petition had already spread throughout Sichuan. The turmoil lasted for more than two months caused all industries to stagnate and administration to be paralyzed. Sichuan's acting governor Wang Renwen was at a loss and could only write a letter to plead for mercy, but was dismissed by the Qing court. The last hope of all sectors of Sichuan was also shattered.

On August 24, the shareholders' meeting of Sichuan-Han Railway Company was held again. Pu Dianjun and others on the stage cried before speaking. Thousands of people under the stage were sad, angry and helpless, and tears continued to flow. Soon tears were like rain, and the crying vibrated the whole city.

The next day, the leaflets distributed by the railway shareholders' meeting were sent to all parts of Sichuan, calling on people across the province to unite to fight against donations and taxes. Tongmenghui in various places responded to the news. Riots in various places in Bashu suddenly escalated. Except for Chengdu Prefecture, countless people in Sichuan counties rushed to the police stations, snatched weapons, and set fire to county government tax offices. The trend of anti-donation and taxes spread rapidly, and the nature and means of the struggle also changed.

Just when chaos arose and revolution was about to break out, Zhao Erfeng, who was urgently appointed as the acting governor of Sichuan by the Qing court, rushed back to Chengdu from the Kangzang area. After a battalion of border troops entered Chengdu, he began to take over the city defense. He acted vigorously and had no room for negotiation.

The leaders of all walks of life in Sichuan who gathered in Chengdu were shocked and quickly ordered the stop of all actions. The members of the Tongmenghui who were extremely active in leading the direction of the struggle quickly moved underground.

During the Kangzang-Tang war in several years, Zhao Erfeng was known for his iron blood. From Xichuan to Lhasa, rebellion groups were wiped out one by one. The three words Zhao Erfeng could stop the night crying of Tibetan children. The border troops he led were brave and fierce, and were invincible. Even the British who were bewitching and instigating behind their backs had to persuade the rebels to withdraw from India to avoid their edge. How could such a decisive and fierce man not panic and fear the forces of all parties?

What's even more terrible is that various movements were launched to protect the railway all day long. Sichuan forces, who were busy all over the country, suddenly discovered that the desolate Northern School Farm had been completely renewed and were on high alert. The fiery red flag embroidered with golden flying leopards on the "Zhenzi Camp" of the army under Zhao Erxun's command had been raised high. Two battalions of nearly a thousand well-equipped elite soldiers suddenly appeared in the camp. There are rumors that 18 Krupp artillery and a large number of guns and ammunition were transported back to Chengdu from the Fifteen-mile Wharf in the eastern suburbs, and now all have been stockpiled in the Zhenzi Camp.

The generals and schoolmen at all levels of the new army who had all joined the Tongmenghui suddenly discovered that the abandoned North School Field had become a strong fortress that could not be attacked. Even if the Zhenziying leader who supported the road protection movement, Zhao Erfeng's closed disciple Xiao Yimin did not rebel against the revolution. Zhao Erfeng only had to remove Xiao Yimin and replace him with a confidant general to take over the Zhenziying, which would pose a serious threat to the new army units inside and outside the city.

The leaders of the railway company and the Comrade Baolu Association were all over the place and secretly contacted Xiao Yimin, but Xiao Yimin was always kept by Zhao Erfeng.

Xiao Yimin, who received the order a week ago, hurriedly left Chengdu and rushed to Ya'an. According to the practice, Zhao Erfeng, the Minister of Jingbian and the new governor of Sichuan, returned to Chengdu. After just returning to Chengdu, he encountered the chaotic and severe situation in the province. How could Zhao Erfeng, who was determined to stabilize the situation in the province, let his confidant disciples who were familiar with Chengdu and had close ties to all walks of life leave their side?

On the morning of August 29, Zhao Erfeng urgently summoned the Speaker of the Advisory Bureau Pu Dianjun, Deputy Speaker Luo Lun, New Army Commander Zhu Qinglan, Yin Changheng and other generals, as well as representatives of the Sichuan-Hanzhou Railway Company, listened to opinions from all walks of life and asked about the situation in various places. Finally, he said very sternly: Everything can be discussed, but all violent actions must be stopped, and Sichuan must not be in chaos!

As the leader of Zhenying, Xiao Yimin, who attended the meeting, stood behind Zhao Erfeng from beginning to end. Facing Luo Lun and others' inquiry eyes, he just nodded slightly to indicate that he was not easy to speak at this time.

Seeing that Xiao Yimin did not change his attitude, Luo Lun and others were relieved and went back to convene a core meeting. After fierce debate, they barely reached an agreement: temporarily stop all military actions and continue to put pressure on Zhao Erfeng in the form of peaceful demonstrations (travels) petitions and other forms!

However, how could Tongmenghui and gang organizations in various places, which had already been red-eyed, stop there?

Two-thirds of Sichuan's counties have been completely paralyzed. The green forest tyrants who occupy the mountains and become kings have taken the opportunity to go out, fishing everywhere, burning, killing, looting, countless grain warehouses and civilian houses have been burned down, and the unarmed people in each county have lost all their money, and they have suffered heavy casualties. The "Guolu Comrade Army" who have driven away the troops in various counties have become so overwhelming. Under the strong demands of the people from all over the country, they can only fight against the bandits who have become more crazy. As a result, the situation in various parts of the province has suddenly changed. Whether it is the Tongmenghui or the Baolu Comrade Association that launched this movement, they are powerless in the face of a completely out of control.

Xiao Yimin, who was forcibly pulled to the Advisory Bureau for a secret meeting, was heartbroken by this and was deeply disappointed at the Sichuan Baolu Association who had always claimed to be peaceful demonstrations.

In front of many representatives of various forces who asked him to make his position, Xiao Yimin wrote an article on the spot, and read it with a wave of ease. He was anxious about the chaos that swept across Sichuan and the severe situation of continuous heavy casualties. He called on all parties to remain rational and seek a final solution in the form of dialogue and consultation. At the same time, he also issued a severe condemnation and warning to bandits in Sichuan, calling on people from all over Sichuan to take up weapons and unite to defend their homes.

Before leaving, Xiao Yimin quietly suggested to Pu Dianchen, Luo Lun, Yang Shukan and Zhu Qinglan who were seeing him off:

"I have an idea. After I say it, I must keep it confidential: I think it is possible to find a way to intercept the taxes paid by Sichuan from the Qing Dynasty to make up for all losses, but the situation in the province must first stabilize, otherwise everything will be empty talk."

Pu Dianjun and others suddenly realized and immediately held a core meeting. The participants were already anxious in the face of the out-of-control situation and an unknown future. They learned that this wonderful method was full of energy. They should know that Sichuan pays more than 40 million yuan in annual fiscal and taxes, and so much money can be built, and the matter has become so decayed. What's more, what's there to be scary? If the court really forces everyone to have no way out, at least they can unite and fight with the court!

Several heads of the Tongmenghui went back to close the door and swear to the court. The slogan of defending the interests of the Sichuan people was to intercept the taxes of the Qing court. This was the best revolutionary action, and it would definitely gain the support of the general public more than a mere railway. In this way, wouldn’t it be equivalent to allowing all the military and civilians in Sichuan to unite and break with the court? Isn’t it the best fighting strategy to mobilize the entire Sichuan to resist donations and taxes and then complete the revolutionary cause?

Yang Shukang was so excited that he "screamed" that Xiao Yimin was insidious and cunning. Then he immediately drafted a telegram with his comrades, reporting the latest situation and Xiao Yimin's suggestions to the Tongmenghui headquarters.

Compared with other chaotic counties, Chengdu, the provincial capital, and more than ten surrounding counties calmed down in a blink of an eye. The students ended the turbulent "holiday" and returned to school to attend classes. Hundreds of teahouses spread all over the city were still booming. Businessmen continued to open their doors to do business. The troops that were seen everywhere in the past returned to the camp to continue training. The police once again wandered around the streets leisurely. Farming where they should farm and doing business. It seemed that nothing had happened.

There were loud trumpets in the North School Field, and more than a thousand workers, shirtless or wearing blue and gray canvas work clothes, were building the final road. One drum-shaped stone piers were thrown high among the sounds of more than ten men, and each time they fell, they made a heavy impact.

A group of generals and guards climbed the newly built fortress in the northern section of the west city wall, looked around and marveled, envious of the brand new camp in front of him.

Zhao Erfeng looked down at the entire well-organized camp, and from time to time he asked Xiao Yimin around him what the novel buildings were? What are their functions? How were they built?

Xiao Yimin reported one by one, presenting in detail the design performance and construction status of the water tower, warning tower, and arsenal, and attributed all the credit to the construction company and German military officer Sharp Le.

Zhao Erfeng nodded frequently, and finally pointed to more than a thousand workers sweating profusely on the main road and asked: "Are these people from West China Company?"

"Nothing can be hidden from the teacher's eyes. These 1,200 people are nominally construction workers of the West China Group Engineering Company. Most of them have undergone basic military training. Once war requires it, they can be used as infantry and engineers if they need it." Xiao Yimin replied with a smile.

Zhao Erfeng was quite comforted: "Yi Ming did a good job. During this turmoil, you are keen and skilled in times of peace, and you are one step ahead of everyone. And you are smart and beautiful. You are very comforted by your teacher. You are also much more at ease. Now the Kangzang war has come to an end for a while. With Zhong Ying leading his troops to guard Lhasa, there will be no more trouble within a few years. The battalions of our border army have returned to the base one after another, and no longer need too much equipment investment. This way, you can stay the Krupp artillery and 10,000 shells in the new arsenal. Take the time to form an artillery battalion and strive to form combat power within half a year. As for those long Mauser rifles, you leave three thousand and all the bullets to prevent the situation in Chengdu suddenly change. The rest will be sent to the "Tai'an Camp" of Ya'an, and Qi Luo will be responsible for sending them to the battalions of the border army. The missing bullets can be purchased at the Ya'an factory."

Xiao Yimin hurriedly thanked: "Thank you, teacher!"

Zhao Erfeng gathered his long white beards that were blown by the wind and asked Xiao Yimin to accompany him on the city wall. A group of generals followed him from afar and looked around and whispered.

When he arrived at the newly built warning castle in the northwest corner, Zhao Erfeng greeted the four sentries who stood and saluted, bent down and crawled into the inside of the hidden castle, looked carefully, and finally touched the spotless German mg08 heavy machine gun, which was very satisfied:

"I didn't expect you to manage the entire camp so tightly. Two thick German-style bastions were arranged in front of the camp. Four fortresses were hidden on the side and behind, one side surrounded by water and two high walls. If you really fight, you may be able to attack with all your might and will not be shaken within three or two days. If you drag the 18 Krupp artillery out, no matter how many enemies come, you will be defeated."

Xiao Yimin smiled, stepped forward to help Zhao Erxun out of the castle, walked up to the north wall to continue introducing the steel mill, power plants and foundry in the north, and then pointed to the south, whispering to the metal products companies, clothing and leather goods factories, hardware factories and other companies that produce rifle parts and assemble pistols.

When the talks were getting louder, the Governor's Office hurriedly reported: "The patrol troops gathered in the East Gate to cause trouble, and the new army commander Zhu Qinglan was mobilizing troops to suppress the troops. Please let the National Taiwan Master make clear the follow-up actions."

Zhao Erfeng suddenly lowered his face, his long eyebrows trembled, and his eyes were like lightning: "Order General Zhu to arrest the troublemakers into the eastern suburb camp. You will take a team of guards to help quickly. If you resist, you will be killed without mercy!"

"yes--"
Chapter completed!