In the conference room of the Beiyang Military Reform Commission in Hankou, all the senior military staff who are still in Hankou are now gathered here. However, these people are not as relaxed as before. During the meeting, they were just looking around, smoking, and echoing a few words.
With a sentence and a nod, the meeting is over. Even if very critical news has been spread in Xiaogan a few days ago, as long as the enemy has not beaten them to death, they can continue to sit back and relax.
It’s just that the situation today is very different. The western defense line, known as the strongest, was originally expected to last for at least three months, but now it completely collapsed in just two months. What’s even more frightening is that,
The entire collapse process was by no means what they expected before the war. The defeated troops on the Xiaogan Defense Line could still retreat from their positions, even if they retreated half way. Now the Guards broke through the flank positions and then spread to the rear.
The strategic interception not only destroyed the position, but also directly surrounded the main force and successfully captured more than half of the defenders.
According to the plan laid out earlier, the retreating troops from the Xiaogan defense line returned to Hankou, and they could quickly form a new defense line with the troops left behind in Hankou. After the battle of Xiaogan, the Guards must have been seriously injured. If they want to be in a hurry again
Attacking Hankou will definitely lead to a stalemate. This is one of the reasons why everyone can sit back and relax every day. The fall of Xiaogan is inevitable anyway. The key is to delay it for enough time.
But now part of Xiaogan's main force has been killed, some have been captured, lost or escaped, and less than 5,000 people have actually withdrawn to Hankou. The remaining troops in Hankou are only about 10,000, and most of them are still soldiers.
Wang Zhanyuan's troops, that is to say, Cao Kun's direct troops, are not many in Hankou anymore.
A few minutes later, Cao Kun walked into the conference room with heavy steps, followed by a group of staff, all of whom looked very unhappy.
Everyone who had been waiting in the conference room stood up one after another. After seeing Cao Kun's face, the atmosphere became increasingly heavy.
Cao Kun didn't bother to say hello anymore, he sat down and said directly: "The confirmation telegram has been sent back, Xiaogan is really finished. The vanguard of the Guards is moving along the official road to Huangpi.
Huangpi will be captured either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
There was a buzzing discussion in the conference room, and everyone felt that this was a dangerous signal.
The war has spread to their rear areas. What could be more troublesome than this? If Hankou falls, the entire Beiyang Military Reform Commission will be completely finished. Where will they go? Political life will be truly over.
.Maybe even my own life will not be guaranteed to survive.
"What should we do now?" Wang Zhanyuan asked very annoyed.
"Yes, I know you are all panicking now. The Xiaogan defense line was previously expected to last for at least three months, but now it has been breached by the Guards in just two months. It is indeed unexpected. But we succeeded at least.
It has been delayed for two months. Now the momentum in the country can be said to have been completely fixed on the issue of opposing the monarchy." Cao Kun said solemnly.
"Even so, so what? Yes, people have been clamoring all day long to oppose the monarchy, but the National Guards still stand still. There is no news from Shaanxi and Jiangxi provinces. Now the Guards have reached Hankou
, What’s the use of just creating momentum, in the end we’re just making wedding dresses for others?” Another officer said with a sigh.
These words immediately resonated with many people. What Cao Kun said before was indeed very good. As long as time can be delayed, the final victory will be achieved. The Beiyang Military Reform Commission has been delayed for seven times since the beginning of the year.
Months of time, two months of fighting alone, but what is the final result? Those in the south are still watching from the other side, and other forces in Beiyang also make nice words, but none of them have taken actual actions.
Apart from the loud shouting, does the momentum we have created have any other meaning?
In fact, Cao Kun was also very angry about this matter. On the one hand, he couldn't figure it out, and on the other hand, the matter was imminent. If there was no improvement, everything he had done would be completely in vain. But now, he has nothing but
What else can you do if you continue to suffer? You must know that if you let go now, you will have nothing. Even the last glimmer of hope will be completely destroyed. Not only that, you will also bear the infamy that you will never be able to escape.
"Why are you panicking? I have been in contact with Jiangxi and Shaanxi provinces in the past few days. Although there is no definite news from Shaanxi yet, General Li from Nanchang responded to the message yesterday and he has promised to arrange a response as soon as possible.
"Cao Kun emphasized his tone and said solemnly to everyone present.
"Is this... is this true? How will General Li arrange a response?" Everyone quickly asked. If Shaanxi or Jiangxi provinces can respond at this time, the Beiyang Military Reform Commission will not only improve its authority, but also
can reverse the current critical situation.
"General Li has decided to dispatch the navy from Jiujiang to Hankou within three days, and will also gradually dispatch some supplies to support our side. As for sending troops, although the agenda has not been determined yet, I believe it will not take long.
In short, General Li has made a statement now, and we don’t need to say anything that has no effect at all." Cao Kun said emphatically.
Everyone looked at each other, each still feeling sad to varying degrees.
Even if Li Chun has made these statements, as long as he refuses to send troops, there will be no certainty.
Now it can only be said that there is some hope. After all, Li Chun is willing to mobilize the navy and materials to support Hankou, which is more or less a statement of his personal position. If Li Chun was really motionless, he would not see this in Hankou.
If you are in a critical situation, you still need to send some assistance, which is equivalent to pushing yourself into suspicion. Since there is already suspicion, it is natural to fight to the end. If Hankou is finished, Jiangxi will definitely become the next target.
"In short, we must now urge the Jiangxi side to take action as soon as possible, even if it is just to raise a banner. We must not neglect the liaison. We must let Li Chun know that our Hankou side is already very dangerous... No, no, it cannot be said to be very dangerous.
If the situation on our side is made too serious, I'm afraid it will make them lose confidence. If you have to say yes... just say that we have tried our best and we have done everything we should do. Yes, that's it." Wang Zhanyuan
He said quickly.
"That's right, that's the arrangement. I will send another telegram to Nanchang this afternoon." Cao Kun nodded and said.
The conference room calmed down for a while. Although there seemed to be some hope and solutions now, the atmosphere was still low and lacked energy. Everyone still looked bad.
"Now we must strengthen the defense of Hankou. We suffered a lot in the battle of Xiaogan, but the Guards will obviously not have it easy either. So I guess they won't be able to come to Hankou immediately. We
I still have some left to arrange the defense work." After a pause, Cao Kun broke the silence and turned the topic to business.
"But, Chairman, we don't have many troops in Hankou right now, and a war is going on in Wuchang right now. I'm afraid the next deployment won't be that easy," said an officer.
"How many weapons are there in the arsenal that can be dispatched?" Cao Kun asked.
"There may be several thousand rifles left. There may be two to three thousand rifles in Hanyang Arsenal." The officer in charge of logistics said quickly.
"Gather all the weapons and recruit local strong men from Wuhan to join the team from now on. Whether they are in the city or outside the city, all the people who can be recruited are recruited. We will first recruit 10,000 people." Cao Kun decisively issued the order.
Order.
"What? Recruit local strong men in Wuhan? This..." Xu Liangji suddenly showed a melancholy expression.
"Chairman, the recruitment of strong men a while ago has caused widespread resentment among the people. Now we have to recruit local Wuhan people. I am afraid that the big families in the city will object first, and other ordinary people will also cause trouble. This is not a good idea.
What an idea." The officer from before said worriedly.
"Yes, if the people don't spread chaos inside, we won't be able to control it at that time." Wang Zhanyuan also sighed.
"In short, now is a moment of crisis, and extraordinary measures must be taken. No matter what, we must hold on to Hankou until Jiangxi and Shaanxi provinces are willing to send troops. When life and death are at stake, why do you care so much? Don't fight.
This time, we have completely lost the game!" Cao Kun said loudly, appearing to be decisive.
Everyone present could only sigh. As Cao Kun said, things have reached this stage, so what worries can there be? The biggest worry at the moment is losing Hankou. In the rush, there is no chance to escape.
"Oh, that's right, now it's really time to not care so much anymore." Wang Zhanyuan said, shaking his head.
"In short, let's do it like this first. Then we will strengthen the defense line in the north of Hankou. All available materials will be mobilized. Each person who goes to the battlefield will be given ten yuan a day. Anyone who retreats without permission will be shot on the spot. Hankou can no longer retreat.
It's over! We can never retreat any further." Cao Kun said very decisively.
Although these words were not an encouragement, they still boosted morale for a moment. But no matter how intense it was, it only happened for a moment. For everyone, they still felt confused.
At the same time, when news of the breakthrough in Xiaogan reached Beijing, it somewhat stabilized the political situation in Xinhua Palace.
But even so, the internal conflicts among the top leaders have not been alleviated. This is not only the anti-imperialist Beiyang bureaucrats who were under house arrest in Yingtai, but also the Prime Minister faction headed by Duan Qirui, and the Huangzong faction headed by Yuan Shikai
The struggle. This struggle has been hidden in the dark from beginning to end. Even though the Prime Minister faction has been aggressive and noisy, Yuan Shikai still did not dare to show his face and confront Duan Qirui.
The theme of the dispute between the Prime Minister faction and the Imperial Sect faction is naturally the conflict between the imperial system and the abolition of the imperial system.
As early as May, Duan Qirui planned to officially announce the abolition of the monarchy on the 27th, and even arranged the details of the press conference, as well as the invitations to witness the seasons, social sages, etc., etc., all in place. However, Yuan Shikai announced in the summer
Under Shoukang's suggestion, he suddenly pretended to be ill and became bedridden on the 25th. Naturally, the medical office had been arranged long ago. After the so-called diagnosis and certificate, it was indeed that his condition was unstable.
Can't get out of bed and walk around easily.
When Duan Qirui came to visit Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai pretended to hold Duan Qirui's hand and asked Duan Qirui to arrange the ceremony to abolish the monarchy, and said that even if he could not go there in person, he could still preside over it.
In fact, Duan Qirui did have this plan. Anyway, the press conference was just an opportunity to announce the news to the outside world. He first stated the position of the Beiyang government. However, a group of military officers led by the Military Council and the Secretariat kept talking to Duan Qirui from time to time.
Rui and other prime ministers told him that if they did such a thing when Yuan Shikai was so critically ill, they were afraid that Yuan Shikai would be emotionally unstable and unable to survive.
In any case, even if there are careerists who want to fight for power and profit among the Prime Minister faction, Yuan Shikai, as the founder of the modern Beiyang Military Group, cannot easily overcome the old feelings. Chinese society is originally a human society, and Yuan Shikai's body
My condition is no longer a secret. I am dragging my feet and hanging on for half of my life. I rely entirely on a large amount of Chinese and Western medicine every day to survive.
Someone had inquired and investigated privately earlier. According to the amount of medicine Yuan Shikai was taking every day, even if he could barely control his previous symptoms, sooner or later the toxicity of these medicines would slowly accumulate, making it impossible for the body to recover.
To put it simply, Yuan Shikai is just extending his short life, which will soon come to an end.
Because of this, when the officials of the Huangzong faction spread these pessimistic remarks everywhere, Duan Qirui would feel hesitant. After all, imperialism was Yuan Shikai's long-cherished wish, although this was not a good thing, and it also led to Beiyang's development.
We have taken an extremely dangerous road, but people are about to die, so why do we care about it? It is better to let Yuan Shikai walk in peace and at least wear a dragon robe. For him, it can be regarded as "a beginning and an end."
.
Because of this, Duan Qirui finally canceled the arrangements for the 27th.
In the following months, as Yuan Shikai showed procrastination and uncooperation at every turn, Duan Qirui gradually realized that all this was false. As a result, the overt and covert fighting between Duan Qirui and Yuan Shikai intensified.