The tragedy outside Yongxing Gate in Guangzhou continues to unfold. Not only outside the city, but also within the city, people came to petition in front of the governor and the state government office.
Everything seems reasonable and there seems to be another hand controlling everything behind the scenes.
There is a wall between the South City and the North City. To the north of the wall are the government offices, residences of dignitaries and Manchus. To the south of the wall are the settlements of ordinary Han people.
There are many poorer people who can only live outside the city walls.
A large group of men gathered in a courtyard in Nancheng. The leader was a middle-aged man with a Chinese character face, raised eyebrows, thick lips and a wide nose, which made him quite dignified.
If anyone was involved in gangs in Shanghai two years ago, he would definitely know this person.
By the way, this person is none other than Liu Lichuan, who was preparing for an uprising in Shanghai two years ago.
After Shanghai received a sum of money and supplies from Huai Haijun to stop the uprising, Liu Lichuan headed south.
He originally wanted to return to his hometown in Fujian to start an uprising, but the Xiaodaohui uprising in Fujian had already begun, and the governor of Fujian had noticed it and began to suppress it in an orderly manner.
Therefore, if he starts another uprising in Fujian, he will quickly become the target of extermination by officers and soldiers, and will not be able to gather enough strength at all.
So Liu Lichuan ran to Guangdong. At that time, the Tiandihui uprising in Guangdong had just been suppressed by the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Everything was calm in Guangzhou, and Liu Lichuan was dormant in Guangzhou, secretly developing manpower and accumulating strength in Guangzhou.
Later, the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi established a new army and recruited poor people to join the army.
Liu Lichuan saw the opportunity and sent a large number of congregants to join the new army.
Liu Lichuan had a sum of money in his hand, which was the compensation Dong Shuheng gave him when he asked him to leave Shanghai.
He used this money to help a large number of poor people, and was originally planning to help them when the uprising broke out.
Now Liu Lichuan has changed his mind. Although he looks rough and wild, he is careful and resourceful.
He used a trick to let these people join the new army.
There was another organization that also had the same idea as him, and that was the Intelligence Department of the Huai Navy at that time.
The Huaihai Navy's Intelligence Department and the Renaissance branches in various places are also actively infiltrating the new armies established in various places.
When two families are doing the same thing, intersections will inevitably occur.
For example, a certain young man was both a poor man supported by Liu Lichuan and a spy of the Ministry of Intelligence.
Through these intersections, the two sides are connected again.
At present, there are four new army towns in Guangdong and Guangxi. They are the earliest and most effective in building new armies in various places.
Among them, the first town of the New Army suppressed bandits in Guangxi. Five years after Xianfeng, the Taiping Army was already at a disadvantage against the Guangdong New Army, and the armies of Guangdong and Guangxi had already advanced to Guilin.
Shi Dakai began to transfer his power to the southwest of Guangxi. Not only Guilin's wealth, but also Guilin's population were moved to the southwest by Shi Dakai.
Fortunately, Chen Yucheng attacked the city and captured territory along the way, opening up strategic depth for the Taiping Army.
It also greatly increased the strength of the Taiping Army. Although the Taiping Army was about to lose Guilin, it gained Liuzhou, Qingyuan, Sien, and Zhen'an, and established contact with the Renaissance Army of the Guangnan Uprising.
After the two got in touch, they cooperated to defeat Yunnan's reinforcements sent to Guangxi.
The Second Town of the Guangdong New Army was stationed in Shaozhou and Chaozhou to guard against the Huaihai Navy's attack.
The Huaihai Navy put great pressure on Guangdong from both Fujian and Jiangxi directions.
Governor Ye Mingchen deployed all the main forces of the army to defend the northern border.
It would be difficult for the Huai Navy to break through from the north and enter Guangdong. It would be impossible to capture the heavily fortified cities in Guangdong without paying a price.
Currently, only the Third Town of the Guangdong New Army is stationed inside and outside Guangzhou.
The fourth town is stationed in Foshan. Both towns are new troops, and they are training while stationed.
The new army in these two towns had just been established. One town was stationed inside the city, and the other town was stationed outside the city.
At the same time, these two towns were established in a hurry and were the most severely infiltrated.
Wu Jianzhang only controlled senior officers in the army.
He does not have that many people to serve as middle- and lower-level officers, so he can only win over middle- and lower-level officers through senior officers. This leaves a big loophole.
Back in the courtyard in Nancheng, Liu Lichuan was discussing with his subordinates the recent public petitions in Guangzhou City.
"Head of the meeting, please rebel. This is the best time. Sixty or seventy thousand young people from inside and outside Chengdu have gathered. This is a huge force."
"The people won't wait too long. They still have to eat, so they will disperse soon."
Liu Lichuan's subordinates were all trying to persuade him.
But Liu Lichuan knew very well that relying on large numbers of people alone was not enough.
Now that the Guangdong government is colluding with foreigners, he must find foreign help.
Liu Lichuan discussed with everyone for a while and asked them to go back and prepare.
On the one hand, he deployed people among the people who were petitioning, and on the other hand, he sent people to various parts of Guangzhou to encourage more people to come to Guangzhou city.
That night, Liu Lichuan found a young man named Hu Xiaofan.
This young man was an unattractive young man, and he was one of Liu Lichuan's subordinates after he arrived in Guangzhou.
Now he no longer regards the other party as his subordinate. Because suddenly one day, this person became Huai Haijun's contact person with him.
At that time, Liu Lichuan was still surprised that someone from Huai Haijun suddenly appeared next to him.
However, he remembered that when he was in Shanghai, Huai Haijun had grasped all the plans before he started the uprising, and he understood in his heart.
Compared with himself, Huai Haijun is like a behemoth that cannot be matched.
In the fourth year of Xianfeng, the Huai Navy occupied Fujian and Zhejiang almost without any blood.
At that time, Liu Lichuan already knew that the south would definitely be dominated by the Huai Navy, and perhaps they would soon overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
So now I have only two options to choose from. One is to rise up and occupy Guangdong Province, then slowly expand, and finally compete with the Huai Navy.
Now it seems that it is not feasible. In the south, only Guangdong and Guangxi are left, and the Taiping Army is still there in Guangxi. The situation is too complicated.
The strength of the Qing army in Guangdong is not weak, and it cannot be taken down by itself at once. Moreover, the Huaihai Navy is eyeing the north and can move south at any time.
By then, I might still be fighting with the Qing army, but the Huaihai navy would have already attacked.
There is a second way, which is to join the Huai Navy and take advantage of the uprising in Guangzhou to cooperate with the Huai Navy internally and externally to capture Guangdong.
Then, using the military exploits you have achieved in Guangdong this time, you can find a position for yourself in the Huai Navy.
Obviously, Liu Lichuan has now chosen the latter path. It is foolish to continue to take it even though he knows it is a dead end.
"Brother Hu, you already know the situation outside. The Guangdong government is unpopular now. My brothers all think that we should start an uprising now. I wonder what Brother Hu thinks?" Liu Lichuan came to Hu Xiaofan to find out from him.
Let’s talk about Huai Haijun’s plan.
"You're welcome, Mr. Liu. Since Mr. Liu calls me brother, Xiaofan will never hide from you, Mr. Hui."
"Our Huaihai Navy has been reorganized into the Renaissance Army, and on February 20th, we vowed to fight against the Qing Dynasty. It is now the fifth day of March, and the official news has not reached Guangdong yet."
"Brother Hu is serious about what he said." Liu Lichuan's eyes widened in surprise. Even when he occupied Zhejiang and Fujian last time, Huai Haijun made excuses and did not openly rebel.
So why are they rebelling in a big way now?
Could it be because they are completely prepared.
"Liu Huishou, this is of course true. Our latest news is that both Shandong and Hubei have joined the Renaissance Army. The president is preparing to send troops from Shandong to the capital to destroy the Manchu Qing Dynasty in one fell swoop."
What Hu Xiaofan said was calm and clear, but Liu Lichuan's heart was turned upside down after hearing it.
Hubei and Shandong joined the Huaihai Navy. How did they join? Hu Xiaofan did not explain clearly. There must be some unknown secret in it.
Liu Lichuan believed that Hu Xiaofan was not lying to him. There was no need for it. Then Huai Haijun was too powerful.
Liu Lichuan has been plotting rebellion, so he naturally knows the importance of Shandong. After passing Shandong, it is a smooth river to the capital.
The north and the south are too far apart and the news spread is delayed. Perhaps it will not be surprising to hear the news tomorrow that Dong Shuheng proclaimed himself emperor in the capital.
"Brother Hu, Liu admires President Dong the most. The person who can save China is none other than President Dong." Liu Lichuan is well versed in the ways of the world, so he should insert a paragraph of praise at this time.
"Brother Hu, what do you say about what I just asked?"
Hu Xiaofan knew that Liu Lichuan was talking about the uprising. "President Liu, I was going to tell you that we can start the uprising."
"After the uprising, our goal is to capture the city of Guangzhou and attract the troops from Guangdong. When the time comes, our Renaissance Army will take advantage of the situation and invade Guangdong."
"I understand, Brother Hu, let me tell you the truth. Brother, I have more than 2,000 gang brothers in Guangzhou City. I also have some brothers in the New Army. By then, I will be able to instigate at least two rebels."
"Our biggest reliance is the tens of thousands of passionate Guangzhou people inside and outside the city. If we can mobilize them, we will suddenly have tens of thousands more troops. Maybe these people are not strong in combat effectiveness, but they are better in numbers." Liu Lichuan
Analyze.
Hu Xiaofan pondered for a while and said: "That should be enough. But I still need to report this matter to the webmaster. It would be best to integrate the manpower of both of us. This way we have a greater chance of winning."
"Well, Brother Hu, we must hurry up. This opportunity must not be missed, and it will never come back." Liu Lichuan said.
After leaving Liu Lichuan's stronghold, Hu Xiaofan returned to the headquarters of the Guangzhou Station of the Intelligence Department and reported Liu Lichuan's plan to the station chief.
The Guangzhou Station attaches great importance to Liu Lichuan. If Liu Lichuan's uprising in Guangzhou can succeed, it will undoubtedly be much easier for the Fuxing Army's South Route Army to occupy Guangdong.
The webmaster immediately asked Hu Xiaofan to continue to contact Liu Lichuan to share information and refine the details of the uprising.
The action team here at Guangzhou Station and the manpower deployed in the New Army will also take action at the same time.
At the same time, someone was sent to deliver the news to Yang Bingchun of the Southern Route Army as quickly as possible.
The key to this plan is whether the main force can reach Guangzhou City as quickly as possible. After the fall of Guangzhou, regardless of whether Ye Mingchen is captured or not, Guangdong's new army will fight back, and even foreigners will intervene.
Guangzhou is located on the riverside, and enemy naval guns can blast it in many places. It is very disadvantageous for defense.
As of March 10, Shandong's two divisions had completed preparations, and the Seventh Division and the First Division of the Central Theater were preparing to attack Henan together.
The Third Division started to move north. The Taihang Column was organized into the 17th Division and the 18th Division of the Renaissance Army. They are still preparing to attack. They are the chess pieces placed in the darkest place. Dong Shuheng is not prepared to fight them out from the beginning.
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Peng Yulin advanced into Changsha and completed the encirclement of Changsha. He defeated the newly established Hunan Navy in the battle of Dongting Lake. The Yangtze River Navy gunboats showed their power and hoisted the wooden ships of the Hunan Navy.
At the last moment, under Peng Yulin's persuasion, Luo Zenan ordered the navy to surrender and committed suicide by jumping into the lake. However, he was rescued by soldiers.
Peng Yulin dismissed the Hunan Navy and took over the Hunan warships for his own use.
The Hunan Navy, which Zeng Guofan had placed high hopes on, failed to play any role.
Knowing that the Huaihai Navy was attacking from two sides, Zeng Guofan built three lines of defense outside Changsha City, dug deep trenches, and built towers. He then sent people to various prefectures to mobilize troops, vowing to fight to the death with the Huaihai Navy in Changsha.
The Taiping Army failed to capture Changsha after several attacks. Zeng Guofan believed that Changsha would be able to hold on this time. He wanted to hold off Huai Haijun in Changsha to give the court time to react.
Of course, this is because he does not understand the current situation of the outside world.
At this time, Senggelinqin's army marched south from Zhili to Hunan, making great fanfare along the way, hoping to attract the attention of the Huaihai pirates.
All the 20,000 new troops from the Fengtai Camp have arrived in Tianjin. Tianjin began to build city defenses, and the Dagukou Fort also increased its garrison to guard against the warships of the Huai pirates.
The new city of Tianjin, which is located on the seaside, is completely blocked. Four thousand defenders of the new city, adapted from the original caravan corps, have built two lines of defense outside the city. A large number of ships have been prepared at the dock, ready to escape from the sea at any time.
Under the leadership of Zuo Jigao, the West Route Army marched down the three riverside cities of Kuizhou Fucheng, Yunyang, and Wanxian County. It was overwhelming all the way and was unable to defeat the Sichuan local government. At this time, the news had not yet reached Chengdu.
Compared with other routes, the South Route Army has been quiet. On the one hand, Yang Bingchun has mostly new soldiers. On the other hand, Guangdong has already organized a defense against the Huaihai Navy in the north, leaving Yang Bingchun with nowhere to start.
Anyway, it was impossible to launch a surprise attack, so Yang Bingchun waited for the opportunity and at the same time trained his troops well.
Finally, Guangdong's breakthrough came. This breakthrough was not at the junction with Fujian and Jiangxi in the north, nor on the sea in the south.
I never expected that it would be in Guangzhou.
On March 10, the Guangzhou local government announced the results of the Yongxingmen massacre.
All the gang members who demolished the houses that day were arrested and sentenced to beheading. In addition, each victim's family will receive twenty taels of silver as compensation.
As soon as the results came out, instead of easing the tense situation inside and outside Guangzhou, it actually made the situation progress.
Because it does not involve the treatment of foreigners.
Patrolling New Army troops can now be seen everywhere on the streets of Guangzhou.
The number of people gathered outside the city increased, and the prefect of Guangzhou had to order the city gates to be closed.
On the night of March 10th, countless propaganda notices appeared in Guangzhou overnight.
The announcement mainly covers the following aspects:
The first was the Renaissance Army's declaration of crusade against the Manchus. Only then did the people of Guangzhou know that the original Huaihai Navy had begun to fight against the Qing Dynasty. This was a major force that occupied the five provinces south of the Yangtze River.
The second is the results of the Renaissance Army. Even ordinary people, looking at these results, know that the Qing Dynasty is about to end. Guangdong is now in a corner of peace and has been surrounded by the Renaissance Army.
The third is to accuse the Guangdong local government of treason and make public the loan agreements signed by the Governor's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi with various countries.
The next day, people took to the streets and saw notices everywhere. The news spread and people were excited. Even if the Yamen sent people to clear all the notices, it would have no effect.
Ye Mingchen once again convened the officials to discuss countermeasures. In the end, he only made one decision, which was to arrest spies in Guangzhou city. For a while, the prisons in Guangzhou were overcrowded.
In fact, the only thing that can suppress the situation now is to arrest the US military responsible for the incident, but the Guangdong government cannot do that. There are American instructors in the new army. American warships are also parked at the pier on the Pearl River as usual.
Tan Jie was originally a local scholar in Guangzhou. He was smart and studious when he was young, but his family was not well-off. He passed the county examination very early and became a scholar, but failed repeatedly in the provincial examination.
In order to support his family, Tan Jie gave up his exams and worked in a commercial bank to help people. He saw the abnormal prosperity of Guangzhou city due to the opium trade.
I saw foreigners becoming more and more unscrupulous in Guangzhou and openly smuggling opium.
The street seems bustling, but most of them are smoke shops. There is an endless stream of people coming and going, and it is very lively, but most of them are smokers.
Thinking of the anti-smoking campaign that happened in Guangzhou, Tan Jie couldn't help but sigh. What caused today's situation? Tan Jie was puzzled.
Once at a friend's gathering, Tan Jie met Mei Huayuan, who was ten years older than him. He seemed to be an elegant scholar with extraordinary conversation and unique insights.
Chatting with him always makes you feel enlightened.
Gradually, Tan Jie became a confidant of Mei Huayuan, and the two often talked about the shortcomings of the Manchu court.
Under Mei Huayuan's introduction, Tan Jie became a member of the Guangdong Revival Association. They met regularly on a boat on the Pearl River.
When the New Army was established in Guangdong at the beginning of the year, Tan Jie joined the Guangdong New Army as a scholar and was ordered to infiltrate the New Army.
The story of a man of letters joining the army has been regarded as a good story since ancient times.
After Tan Jie joined the army, because of his outstanding performance and profound cultural foundation, plus his ability to communicate with foreign instructors in foreign languages, he quickly became a deputy commander of the New Army's Third Town Infantry Association.
Xietong is a son of the Wu family and is just a loser. Tan Jie usually handles all matters in Xiezhong.
Wu Jianzhang aggressively placed people in the army. There were no talents in the family, so he had to put these mediocre people in.
This also gave Tan Jie an opportunity.
Tan Jie used his authority to talk to junior officers, reason with them, present facts, and arouse their patriotism. At the same time, he used the intelligence department to provide daily help to their families.
Through a multi-pronged approach, he successfully won over the lower-level bidders, battalion and team officers, developed more than a dozen members of the Renaissance Association, and gradually took control of the new army.
ps: During the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, there was no shortage of patriotic people in China, but very few were truly awakened. Maybe with a simple guidance, they would go on their own.