Xinhua Palace, the upper study room of Guozheng Palace.
Although it is already midnight, the upper study room is still brightly lit. Outside the study is the attendant's room. More than a dozen attendants are busy coming and going, either drafting letters from the secretariat, or waiting for translation at the communications office.
Telegrams, and several specialized personnel were always on standby in the tea room and kitchen, ready to prepare refreshments and supper for the officials working in the study.
After Yuan Shikai listened to Secretary Xia Shoukang read the third telegram, his originally silent expression could no longer bear it. He instantly changed to a look of anger and said coldly: "What does Chen Er'an mean? I gave it to him."
With his 20,000 troops, plus Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji’s men, even if he can’t defeat Chengdu if he attacks it, why did he lose Luzhou and retreat to Chongqing? What does this mean?”
Sichuan is the main battlefield for the battle between the National Defense Army and the Beiyang Army. It has been open fire for less than half a month today.
At the beginning, the Beiyang Army had a complete advantage. Whether it was troops, weapons, equipment or corresponding combat plans, it was far stronger than the Protecting Army. The first and second echelons of the Protecting Army were still waiting to be transferred to Yunnan.
Only Xiong Kewu's third echelon remained in Sichuan. In the messages sent back to Beijing by Chen Huan and Wu Guangxin, both of them kept saying that they were very good. While the main force of the National Defense Army was still stagnant in Yunnan, they would be able to defeat the enemy within seven days.
Defeat the rabble that Xiong defeated Wu.
As a result, they fought for seven days in the suburbs of Chengdu. Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji retreated for various reasons. They were even caught off guard by the Yunnan and Guizhou troops coming from Zigong and Leshan. In this way, a force of 20,000 was defeated by less than 10,000.
The National Guard Army was defeated. Seeing that Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji were at a disadvantage in the battle, the 15th Division of the Central Army had just set off. Not long after the troops had not even seen Chengdu, they fled back to Chongqing with the remnants of Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji.
As a result, Luzhou, which was originally the garrison area of the Central Army, fell overnight. What is even more shameful is that the troops that raided Luzhou were only more than 200 cavalry sent by Luo Peijin to investigate the news.
According to the latest information sent the day before yesterday, the first and second echelons of the National Guard Army led by Cai E and Wang Wenhua have arrived in Sichuan and are currently gathering in Luzhou and Chengdu. As of today, most of the troops have successfully completed the rendezvous.
, just waiting to gather the main force and force into Chongqing in one go.
The officers of the Military Council standing aside all looked extremely embarrassed. According to the budget they had made before, there was no suspense about this war. Chen Huan and Wu Guangxin were both highly educated and experienced in actual combat.
An experienced commander, the Central Army under his command was all built according to the original scale. Even if Chen Huan and Wu Guangxin were incompetent, as long as they ordered the entire army to concentrate on attacking Chengdu, they would be able to win the battle within seven days in exchange for their heads.
Go to Chengdu.
But what surprised everyone was that it took nearly ten days for the 15th Division of the Central Army from receiving the order to receiving the emergency telegram from Chongqing a few days ago, and it had not yet started its operation within ten days.
Arriving at the outskirts of Chengdu, such marching speed and efficiency are really unflattering.
Everyone originally wanted to shift the blame to Chen Huan and Wu Guangxin. Such a simple combat mission could not be completed. If not these two people, who else could be blamed? But considering that Chen Huan is like Yuan Shikai's godson, since then
After Yuan Shikai began to care about Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang, the right-hand men of the older generation, Chen Huan was the most trusted and respected among the younger generation, even more than his nephew Yuan Su, who had been in the limelight before.
Precisely because they were concerned about human relations, everyone could only remain silent.
After a while, Xia Shoukang could only step forward to comfort him and said: "Your Majesty, there may be some misunderstandings, or maybe the frontline soldiers made a mistake. In short, the National Protectorate Army only got a temporary advantage, and they have completely wiped out their family assets.
You just fought with us, but at least we still have a lot of hands left behind, so it doesn’t matter.”
The more Yuan Shikai thought about it, the more angry he became, and he said angrily: "It doesn't matter? The Central Army retreated from the front line without a fight. After taking advantage of all kinds of advantages, it was forced back to Chongqing and besieged by a ragtag group of rebels. How does the country view this?
This matter? How does the international community evaluate this matter? It took a lot of effort for the Central Army to establish its prestige, but it was completely defeated in this battle. It is simply unreasonable."
Xia Shoukang said helplessly: "What has happened now is nothing more than a loss. As long as we continue to send more troops to Sichuan, we will be able to reverse the situation quickly. Why should we be angry about temporary gains and losses?"
Of course Yuan Shikai knew that he had only lost by 1% now, not the whole game, but he was vaguely aware that there was something wrong with this matter. With his understanding of Chen Huan and Wu Guangxin, how could it be possible because of a momentary mistake?
And missed the fighter plane for more than ten days? In the messages sent back from the front line, both Chen Huan and Wu Guangxin unanimously shifted the responsibility to Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji.
Yes, to deal with the local warlords in Sichuan, it is right to adopt the strategy of using local warlords to suppress local warlords. Let Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji serve as the vanguard, and first go to consume some strength with Xiong Kewu, and the Central Army will follow closely to clean up the mess.
This was obviously Chen Huan's original plan.
Ever since Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji chose to attach themselves to the Beiyang government, the Beiyang government has indeed given them a lot of benefits. As the saying goes, it takes a thousand days to raise an army, but it takes a while. Even if Liu Cunhou and Wang Lingji did not use all their strength to attack Chengdu in order to preserve their strength, in the suburbs of Chengdu
It is not difficult to confront Xiong Kewu's troops.
But nearly 20,000 troops were suddenly turned from the attacking side to the defensive side. It can only be described as unbelievable. Even if the Sichuan army's combat effectiveness is poor, they should still fight against Xiong Kewu, who was born in the Sichuan army at the same time.
It's a tie. Not to mention that the Beiyang government has given a lot of funding in recent years. No matter how corrupt it is, it can still purchase more new weapons or heavy weapons such as heavy machine guns and artillery.
"Send a message to Chongqing and tell Chen Er'an that I will not pursue the issue of the previous defeat in the battle. If he can't even defend Chongqing, then let him die to apologize. In addition, what is the situation of the reserve forces in Hubei and Hunan?
, whose troops can immediately set off for Sichuan?" After thinking about it, Yuan Shikai vaguely felt that there must be something inside about this matter, but the additional problem was that he could not easily doubt Chen Huan at this time. The only way was to continue
Send an additional person to Sichuan to coordinate the situation in Sichuan while keeping an eye on Chen Huan.
Deep in his heart, he had to worry a little bit. If even Chen Huan couldn't be trusted, who else could he trust?
Furthermore, now that the imperial system has obviously been implemented very smoothly, everything has fallen into place, and only those small-minded people in the south are left who are afraid that the world will not be chaotic. At this time, why did Chen Huan deliberately do some small tricks? This has great consequences for Chen Huan himself.
What's the meaning?
It was precisely because of this consideration that he was unwilling to point the finger at Chen Huan. He only speculated that some people under the 15th Division of the Central Army were causing trouble, which led to the failure of the entire strategic deployment. Perhaps this was self-consolation.
, but I still can’t figure it out. I can only try my best to think about the good side.
"On the Hubei side, there are Wang Zhanyuan's six Hubei military brigades, as well as Cao Kun's 22nd Division and 26th Division. Although there is no battle report on the Hunan side so far, it is at the intersection of Sichuan and Guangdong. The central
I'm afraid the Twelfth Division cannot be moved." An officer from the Military Council replied.
"Cao Kun? Isn't he still in Beijing these days?" Yuan Shikai then thought of Cao Kun, an old minister from Beiyang. It had to be said that he had been very busy in the past few months for the enthronement ceremony. In addition,
My physical condition is getting worse than before, and I cannot remember many things clearly in my mind. I am really an old man, and I have more than enough energy but not enough energy.
It was only when he sat on the emperor's throne that he truly understood and understood why so many emperors throughout the ages had extravagantly sought the art of immortality. Although it was ultimately in vain, at least they had a sustenance in their hearts.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Mr. Cao was invited to the capital to attend the grand ceremony. He stayed in the capital after the grand ceremony. I heard that during this period he often held large banquets and interacted with old friends and even His Royal Highness. There was really no banquet.
Not happy." Xia Shoukang said with a smile.
After Yuan Shikai ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, Cao Kun was awarded the title of first-class uncle. Wouldn't it be said that he was far behind Yuan Su, Feng Guozhang, Zhang Xun, Long Jiguang and others, and even compared to Tang Xiangming and Li Chun who were far inferior in qualifications?
There is still one less level. To say that Yuan Su claims to be a member of the imperial family and is not willing to be just a second-class prince, then Cao Kun has been serving in the Beiyang Army since he was training at the station. After so many years of stumble, he has become what he is today.
Status, no credit, but hard work, but when it comes to awarding rewards, a few younger people get ahead of them. I'm afraid there will be some resentment in my heart.
However, during this period, Cao Kun hosted a banquet every few days. At each banquet, he must be cheerful and cheerful. Instead of showing any dissatisfaction, he seemed to be very satisfied with being awarded the title of first-class marquis. After inviting Yuan Keding to the banquet,
In those few days, Cao Kun really said some nice things in front of Yuan Keding and spared no effort to express his feelings at this moment.
"Now he is the only one who can still be idle. So, let him lead the war in Sichuan, first relieve the siege of Chongqing, and then march westward to completely defeat these rebellious officials and traitors." After thinking for a while, Yuan Shikai said unhurriedly
The decision was made unhurriedly.
"Your Majesty, if you let Cao Kun go to Sichuan, you will have to prepare the funds first. Everyone outside knows that Cao Laosan's troops are the best at paying, and they are afraid that the march will be delayed due to funding issues." Xia Shoukang reminded.
said.
"The money that should be paid is not less than a penny. Look at our Beiyang Army. What future does it have today?" Yuan Shikai said meaningfully. In order to strictly enforce military discipline, he made great efforts in military pay. Every time
When the pay is distributed at the beginning of the month, I will personally be there to supervise it, so that no penny will be missed.
This was originally a good habit, but after years of development, it gradually went out of style, and it became that the army would not set off unless it received pay. So those old-style Beiyang armies added a departure fee, and now no matter whether it is a departure fee
It is still salary, and it is still difficult to avoid being embezzled by corruption.
"Then the Secretariat will draft the order later." Xia Shoukang was not in a position to accept Yuan Shikai's words, so he just responded in a business-like manner.
"Okay, let Gong Fu draft it and send it out directly. There is no need to give it to me for review." Yuan Shikai ordered smoothly.
However, after hearing Yuan Shikai's words, everyone around them had strange expressions on their faces, looked at each other and sighed secretly. After waiting for a while, everyone saw that Yuan Shikai had not yet reacted, so they felt a little embarrassed and anxious.
Finally, Xia Shoukang reminded him with a look of helplessness: "Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang submitted his resignation letter more than a month ago, and you mentioned this a while ago."
Yuan Shikai suddenly realized this, and then his face showed a strong look of sadness. After sighing for a long time, he said in panic: "Oh, I have been busy these days, and I forgot about this matter again.
I have no choice. Gong Fu has been following me for more than 20 years. Before, no matter how big or small, he was at the helm of all copywriting work and everything was organized in an orderly manner. Now that he has left me like this, it makes me feel extremely sad."
What he said didn't sound very serious, it was nothing more than a sentiment for an old friend.
However, recalling Zhang Yichen's resignation again at this time, there is still a slight chill deep in my heart. Even if the voice of the north supporting the monarchy is in full swing, there are still some people who stubbornly believe that the monarchy is a scourge, and some stand on the Beiyang standpoint.
, some are standing in the spirit of democracy, and others are naturally afraid that the situation will get out of control. However, these people who oppose the imperial system were once his right-hand assistants.
One or two may be acceptable, but almost all the people he expected to support him in proclaiming the emperor chose to go in the opposite direction in the end. What is the profound meaning of this? Or is the monarchy really true?
Will he be at the end of his rope and suffer many disasters?
Although Xia Shoukang did not follow Yuan Shikai for more than 20 years like Zhang Yichen, he had also spent several years in the presidential palace. He knew that Zhang Yichen's resignation was not as simple as the departure of an old friend.
Just as people like Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang stood up to oppose the imperial system, Zhang Yichen's resignation was also a blockbuster.
"In that case, let me draft the paperwork first." He hoped that Yuan Shikai would continue to worry about this matter, and he didn't want to get involved himself, so he quickly changed the subject.
"You go ahead." Yuan Shikai waved his hand slowly.
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[It’s my first time to buy a genuine game, so I feel a bit disappointed. Readers, I’m so sorry!]