The situation in Jiangsu Province is now relatively clear. Southern Jiangsu is closer to Shanghai, and the infiltration of the Hui Party is relatively serious. The 23rd Mixed Brigade of the New Army has many members of the Hui Party and ideological radicals, and an uprising may occur at any time.

And now Northern Jiangsu and Central Jiangsu, whether it is the old army or the new army, are currently under the control of the Qing government, especially Northern Jiangsu, which has always been controlled by the Beiyang Clan.

It is also a coincidence that after Regent Zaifeng dismissed Yuan Gongbao from his post, he purged his Beiyang faction. One of Yuan's confidants, Duan Qirui, the commander of the 6th Town Division of the Beiyang Army, was transferred to Qingjiangpu in northern Jiangsu and served as the admiral of Jiangbei.

This was obviously a demotion and transfer, so Duan Qirui had no choice but to obey and stay dormant before talking.

Duan Qirui was not idle this year. He took the opportunity to transform the 13th mixed brigade guarding northern Jiangsu into the Beiyang Department. He transferred Jiang Yanxing, a graduate of the Beiyang Arms Academy and the general counselor of the Jiangbei Supervisory Training Office, into the 3rd Brigade.

Thirteen were mixed into a brigade and served as brigade commander.

Jiang Yanxing, who is now thirty-four years old, is very grateful to this senior. Being a brigade commander is a real military power.

Yuan Gongbao came out of Xinyang as an imperial minister, and his first order was to transfer Duan Qirui to the position of President of the Second Army.

Before leaving, Duan told Jiang Yanxing to guard Jiangbei no matter what.

Therefore, so far, the passage from Jiangning Mansion to Jiangbei is relatively smooth.

"Okay, Mr. Tie, regarding military supplies, guns and ammunition, I am responsible for communicating with Mr. Yuan. However, I would like to ask the Admiral to pay more attention to the defense of Jiangning City, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou and other places." Zhang Renjun said.

He did not refuse, knowing that it was impossible for Tie Liang to open this conversation with Mr. Yuan. Even if he did, he would probably not get a good reply, but it would be very different if he took action on his own.

However, he was quite polite to Tie Liang. After all, he was originally a cabinet minister and minister of the Ministry of War, which was more noble than him, a foreign minister. Although he was devalued now, Zhang Renjun deeply sympathized with him and did not treat him as a subordinate.

.

Moreover, in the face of a critical situation, a general like Tie Liang who is both knowledgeable about military affairs and good at leading troops into battle is extremely valuable, and of course he should be treated with courtesy.

"Mr. Governor, please rest assured that Zhang Xun, the admiral of the Jiang Defense Army, and Wang Youhong, the commander of the patrol battalion, are both very reliable, loyal to the royal family, loyal to the emperor and patriotic. The commander of the new army, Xu Liangzhen, was promoted personally when he was the minister of the Ministry of War.

, Although the revolutionaries in the New Army are ready to move, he is not willing to follow the trend and be threatened by the revolutionaries." Tie Liang stood up to express his position.

"That's good. I'll leave it to you, Lord Tie, in terms of military matters. As long as you defend Jiangsu, I will naturally give you a good word in front of Lord Yuan."

"Thank you, Lord Governor." Tie Liang bowed his hands and expressed his gratitude.

But he was not overjoyed, because he believed from the bottom of his heart that Yuan Gongbao, who stole the position of prime minister and held the emperor hostage to order the princes, was definitely a traitor, and one day, this guy would replace him as the emperor.

…

Zhenjiang, as its name implies, means guarding the Yangtze River.

It is the intersection of the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River because of the mountain as a barrier and the river as a mirror. Many ships traveling from north to south have to berth and transfer here. They are diverted from the Grand Canal to the Yangtze River south, or the Yangtze River is diverted to the Grand Canal.

The canal goes north.

It is also the first gateway to Jiangning Prefecture. There are fortresses and forts built in Jiaoshan, Beigushan, East Wharf and other places. Once Zhenjiang is lost, Jiangning will be in danger.

Therefore, Zhenjiang was not only one of the bases of the Yangtze River Fleet in the late Qing Dynasty, but also the location of the yamen of the Ninth Town Division of the Qing Dynasty Army. This shows the importance of Zhenjiang's military status in the country.

In late December, it was only eight days before New Year's Day in 1910. According to local people's customs, this day was also the 12th day of the 11th month of the lunar calendar, and it had entered the cold winter season.

The Zhenjiang base of the Yangtze River Fleet of the Qing Dynasty is not far from the famous ancient temple in the south of the Yangtze River - Jinshan Temple. In the evening, the wind on the river is freezing, and the biting cold wind specially penetrates into people's necks.

Luo Changgui, the commander of the base, rode a horse and walked to his house in Jingkou Town, surrounded by two guards.

The Qing government had clear laws that stipulated that military attachés were not allowed to ride in sedan chairs, and military commanders like Luo Changgui were not allowed to ride in carriages and had to ride horses.

It was not a big deal for the military attache to ride a horse, but in the cold winter months, riding a horse was really unbearable, especially when I had just left the brazier and walked on the empty riverside post road, my body would tremble a few times inadvertently.

After passing an intersection, the river breeze blew from the alley, and suddenly got into Luo Changgui's neck, "Ma, the wind is biting and cold today, let's go quickly."

He snorted, tucked his neck into the fur collar of his fur robe, and waved his whip to make the horse run.

After a while, I arrived at the mansion, threw the reins of the horse to Ma Bian, put my hands into the sleeves of my leather robe, and entered the main hall of the second entrance hall with a hiss.

There is a brazier in the main room, which feels like a warm current.

"Sir, you are back. Go and make a fire. Dinner will be served later." The second lady came over and diligently took off his leather robe and hung it on the coat rack.

Luo Changgui rubbed his hands and walked towards the main hall. He was riding a horse just now, his hands were exposed and he was a little stiff with the cold.

When he just stepped into the inner threshold, he looked up and saw a strange man sitting in the room, standing up and smiling at him.

Now is an extraordinary period. Luo Changgui was taken aback and instinctively backed away while shouting: "Who is this...person?"

The second lady who was following behind quickly blocked it with her hand and said: "This gentleman claims to be Master Yu's subordinate. He came from Chongming specifically to visit Master Yu on Master Yu's order."

"Sir... Yu?" Luo Changgui was stunned for two seconds, "Could it be that you are a subordinate of Lord Yu Dapeng, the commander of the East China Sea Fleet?"

"Exactly, the young man's name is Wang Qichen, and he is the deacon and adjutant beside Lord Yu. Here is a letter written by Commander Yu." The man took out a letter from his underwear pocket and handed it over with both hands.

"Oh, Mr. Yu is Luo's mentor. I haven't seen him for a few years. I was honored to receive his teachings and benefited a lot!" Luo Changgui seemed a little excited. He took the letter with both hands and sat on the chair to open it.

The letter is sealed with wax and stamped, making it appear very confidential. This is a common method for delivering confidential official letters in the military.

Luo Changgui graduated from the Fujian Naval Academy, and Yu Dapeng graduated from the Fujian Naval Academy. He first joined the Beiyang Navy of the Qing Dynasty. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1891-1891, he returned to Fujian and worked as an instructor at the Fujian Naval Academy for three years. He was Luo Changgui's class teacher.

Instructors, the friendship between teachers and students is very strong.

He asked the maid to get a pair of scissors, cut the seal, opened the letter and read it.

As he read, Luo Changgui's expression gradually changed, from joy to severity, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

This is a passionate letter, both a consent and a persuasion letter. He hopes that Luo Changgui will abandon the secret and turn to the bright side, and try to get the naval base to revolt on the eve of the Chinese Revolutionary Army's attack. Mainly the warships parked in the port and the officers and soldiers on board can also
Chapter completed!