Lin Shuo made another move that shocked the whole country:
In view of the disputes between the president and the prime minister, the conflicts between the government and the government, and the change of government after the Republic of China, which resulted in the neglect of the country, the president of this country decided to take up the post of prime minister himself and announced the list of cabinet members as follows: Tang Hualong will be the chief minister of the interior, Zhou Xuexi will be the chief finance minister, and Lu Zhengxiang will be the minister of finance. Minister-General of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jianfan is appointed as Army Chief, Li Dingxin is appointed as Navy Chief, Justice Minister Lin Changmin, Agriculture and Commerce Minister Zhang Jian, Transportation Minister Cao Rulin, Education Minister Fan Yuanlian, Secretary-General of the Presidential Palace and Secretary-General of State Zhang Guogan.
In addition, Lin Shuo promised that Liang Qichao would serve as the Speaker of the Senate and ask him to call members of Congress back to Beijing and convene Congress as soon as possible.
As soon as Lin Shuo's appointment to form the cabinet was announced, with the support of the southern warlords, Sun Yat-sen held high the flag of protecting the law, formed the Marshal's Office in Guangzhou, and vowed to send troops to the Northern Expedition.
Lin Shuo called back: Shuo earnestly abides by the "Republic of China Covenant". Why do you protect the law? There are provisions in the "Covenant" that prohibit the president from acting as prime minister. You are just looking for excuses to segregate the regime. Mr. Sun wants to be president, please. Go north quickly, Shuo and others will resign immediately to make way for others, so as not to cause the disaster of war and devastate the people!
Who doesn't know how to start a quarrel? Wait until I have my hands free, and then I'll take care of you all.
Ni Sichong from Anhui also called to oppose it.
Lin Shuo sent him a secret message, which means that regardless of the reputation of the first president, who is also my deceased father-in-law, I will fall out with you immediately. If you continue to argue, do you still want your deposits and stocks in my bank? Already?
Lao Ni immediately shut up. After two days, he still felt uneasy, so he sent another message expressing his support for the president to become prime minister. If anyone dares to object again, I, Lao Ni, will be the first to have trouble with him.
The magnitude of the transformation has astonished the world.
Lin Shuo has no time to pay attention to them now, his goal is Shaanxi.
Normally, Shaanxi should be under the control of his northwest town border envoy, but during Yuan Shikai's era, Lu Jianzhang took advantage of the opportunity to encircle and suppress the "White Wolf" to achieve the position of general of Shaanxi. It was really difficult for everyone in the Beiyang line to start, so they just used some means , took control of Yulin and Yan'an Mansion in northern Shaanxi.
Northern Shaanxi has always been poor, and Lu Jianzhang had no interest in it. He only occupied Xi'an and plundered the people's wealth.
Lu Jianzhang was in charge of Shaanxi and deliberately squeezed out and suppressed the former Shaanxi people's army, but the power he finally obtained was removed by Lu. This behavior of taking away people's jobs naturally aroused the hatred of the Shaanxi people.
After Yuan Shikai's departure, Beiyang's control over the local area was greatly reduced. Seeing that the time was ripe, Shaanxi garrison envoy Chen Shufan announced his rebellion in Sanyuan, claiming to be the commander-in-chief of the Shaanxi French Guard Army, and raised troops to drive away the mainland. Under the instigation of the Kuomintang, the originally frustrated Shaanxi People's Army They joined one after another. Chen Shufan's troops had long been in contact with various militiamen. Chen raised the banner of conquering the mainland, and various places responded. Lu Jianzhang sent his eldest son Lu Chengwu (the leader of the model regiment) to lead his troops to attack Chen. Unexpectedly, in the battle of Fuping, this young master from the mainland unexpectedly Captured alive by Chen Shufan's battalion commander Hu Jingyi, Chen took Lu Chengwu as a hostage and forced Lu Jianzhang to announce his suicide.
Lu Jianzhang was worried about his son's safety, ignored national laws and responsibilities, and actually negotiated peace with Chen Shufan.
On May 15, Chen Shufan led his troops into Xi'an. On May 18, Lu Jianzhang, in the name of the mighty general of Beiyang, shamelessly called and said that in order to eliminate the scourge of war and reduce the damage to Shaanxi, he resigned from the post of general of Shaanxi, and Chen Shufan took over as the governor and civil affairs officer. A long job.
Lu Jianzhang left Shaanxi safely under the escort of Chen Shufan.
Chen Shufan secretly communicated with Duan Qirui, and the old Duan actually admitted that Chen Shufan, who had sent troops to rebel, would succeed as the governor of Shaanxi.
Chen Shufan finally became the military governor, and then he did two very unpopular things.
The first was to squeeze out the militia generals who had joined him in revolting against the mainland. As the saying goes, it is easy to share hardships, and it is difficult to share wealth and honor. It is easy to conquer a country, but it is difficult to sit on it. Chen's actions alienated him and those militia leaders.
Second, Chen cultivated opium extensively in Shaanxi, profited from controlling the sales of opium, and increased land taxes, causing anger and resentment.
Moreover, he expelled Li Gengen, the governor appointed by Beiyang during Zhang Xun's restoration, giving Lin Shuo an excuse to deal with him.
The food must be eaten one bite at a time, and the warlords must clean it up one by one.
Lin Shuan first struck at Chen Shufan, ordering his position as military governor to be revoked and transferred to the Ministry of War. In addition, Jiang Shaowu was sent to lead the 6th Northwest Frontier Division into Shaanxi to escort the former governor Li Gengen back to his post.
Pick the persimmons soft and pinch them.
Chen Shufan only had two brigades of troops at his disposal. How dare he go against the central government? He had no choice but to hand over his military power and go to Beijing with his family.
And "Butcher Lin" is so easy to offend?
Chen Shufan resigned, and Lin Shuo's close confidant Jiang Shaowu led troops into Shaanxi. Even Li Genyuan believed that Jiang Shaowu would become the governor of Shaanxi. As a result, a presidential decree was issued, and Shaanxi tried to abolish the governor, and the governor was solely responsible for government affairs.
Jiang Shaowu was responsible for rectifying the military affairs of Shaanxi. The former Shaanxi Army and Civilian Army and the northern Shaanxi patrol battalions were reorganized into the 7th and 8th Northwest Frontier Divisions, and the establishment was expanded. It turns out that the Jing dynasty people were promoted and made rich, so naturally they did not mention protecting the law.
Life in this world is nothing more than power and money. If you are satisfied with this, you will naturally not rebel again for the time being!
The failure of the Beiyang government lies in its blind rejection of the so-called people's army and revolutionaries. In fact, most of the people in the people's army are the elite of this era, and their ability and destructive power are extraordinary. No one can show their ability or get promoted and make a fortune.
If we try to find a way out, sooner or later we will head towards the path of armed confrontation.
The sea accepts all rivers, and it is vast if it has tolerance.
If a government cannot recruit the vast majority of social elites to serve it, it will not be too far away from the day when a rival regime emerges.
Since the imperial examinations were suspended at the end of the Qing Dynasty, neither the Qing government nor the Republic of China government has found a clear path for scholars to advance in official careers. The only way to gain power is to become a soldier, an officer, and then a warlord.
The army has become the only guarantee for the exercise of power and against being deprived of it.
The use of the army can arbitrarily expel officials appointed by the central government, and the authority of the central government will be quickly lost.
In such an environment, it would be a great miracle if a bunch of warlords, big and small, don't emerge.
In the north, Lin Shuo now controls the political power of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Chahar, Suiyuan, Khovd and most of Zhili. In name, he also commands the army of the whole country. In fact, his orders can only be controlled in the north.
Only in the provinces of Fujian, Wannan, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi in the south will it be thoroughly implemented. In other areas, as long as it touches the interests of local warlords, the decision will definitely be delayed or simply thrown aside.
Lin Shuo wanted to reorganize the country's military. This time he planned to form a National Defense Committee in the manner of later generations to unify the leadership of the country's armed forces. How could there be room for several vice-chairmen and more than a dozen defense committee members?
The big warlord comes in.
If something happens, we all have a meeting and discuss it.
Well, the National Defense Commission...the General Staff Department, the Military Command Department, the General Armament Department, the General Combat Training Department, and the Naval Command...
Lin Shuo was conceiving his plan with a pen in his hand, but there was another local disturbance, this time in Hunan, and the Gui Army and the Guizhou Army also got involved.
Although the Beiyang government controls most of China, due to the many internal conflicts, it is naturally beyond its reach to the remote southwest. The southwest warlords implemented separatist rule in the name of protecting the law. The Yunnan Army sent troops to Sichuan in the name of protecting the law. Sichuan governor Chen Huan was
He was forced to resign, but the Yunnan and Guizhou armies that entered Sichuan stayed in Sichuan. Tang Jiyao's cronies, it turned out that Yunnan Civil Affairs Chief Luo Peijin was the governor of Sichuan, Dai Kan of the Guizhou Army was the governor, and the commander of the Sichuan First Army was Liu Cunhou.
There were many internal conflicts in Sichuan, but war broke out in Hunan.
During Duan Qirui's administration, the Hunan people drove away the Hunan governor Tang Xiangming under the pretext of "Hunan people governing Hunan". Tan Yankai, who had been the governor of Hunan in 1911, returned to the provincial governor and governor. Under the pretext of "separation of military and political affairs", Lao Duan sent
His close disciple Fu Liangzuo became the governor of Hunan.
"Grandma Tan" had no soldiers, so she reluctantly gave up the position of military governor to Xiao Fu.
Fu Liangzuo was the governor of Hunan, and Duan still appointed Tan Yankai as the governor of Hunan. He also stated that although Fu Liangzuo was in charge of Hunan, he would not lead northern troops into Hunan. When Fu accepted his new appointment, he also issued the "three major policies for governing Hunan": (1) Governance by Hunan people
Hunan; (2) Separate military and civilian rule; (3) Do not bring northern troops into Hunan.
Fu Liangzuo's ancestral home is from Gancheng, Hunan, but his relationship with Hunan is too shallow. He has always followed Duan Qirui. He grew up and worked in the north, so to Hunan people, he does not count as a Hunanese at all. As for Duan Qirui's assurance
It is hard to believe that he did not bring the Northern troops into Hunan. When Duan and Fu Liangzuo both swore to heaven that they would not bring the Northern troops into Hunan, the 20th Division stationed in Baoding (division commander Fan Guozhang) had been ordered to transfer defenses to Yuezhou.
Lu Tingrong of Guangxi was a little anxious, because he would face a direct threat from the Beiyang Army, so he sent a telegram to Duan to ask Duan to withdraw his order, and advocated declaring Hunan as a buffer zone between the northern and southern armies to maintain the status quo in Hunan to ensure peace.
After Lu Rongting received the "official" telegram replied by Duan Qirui in the name of the State Council, he knew that he could not be emotionally intelligent, so he signaled Hunan to use force to resist and expressed his willingness to support with strength. Tan Tingkai convened a secret military meeting to prepare for resistance to the Northern Army, and at the same time called
The provinces quickly dispatched troops to "aid Hunan". Yunnan Governor Tang Jiyao immediately responded to the call and suggested sending Yunnan troops stationed in Guangdong and march into Hunan. Lu Rongting agreed and sent a telegram to the southwestern provinces on August 16 saying: "The governor of Hunan has changed people, and the north
My suspicion of the Southwest has become clear, my lips are numb and my teeth are cold, I have to try to deal with it urgently, and the Yunnan Army stationed in Guangdong is sent to assist, and I express my disdainful approval."
The Yunnan Army stationed in Guangdong was led by Li Liejun. At the request of the Generalissimo's Office, it came to Guangdong and Guangxi to prepare for the Northern Expedition through Hunan.
The Yunnan Army led by Li Liejun was stationed on the Beijiang River in Guangdong. At that time, Guangdong was under the influence of the Guangxi Clan. Of course, they did not want the Yunnan Army to stay. However, they only wanted the Yunnan Army to leave Guangdong and assist Hunan in the fight against the North. It was Zhengli's ideal, but when Tan Yankai
When they desperately asked Guangdong Governor Chen Bingkun (Guangxi clique) to urge the Yunnan army to set off quickly, the Guangxi clique refused to give the Yunnan army the military expenses and ammunition necessary for combat, and the Yunnan army was unwilling to lead the battle, so it was nothing more than a bluff.
, and no actual action was taken.
The reinforcements from the southwest were still discussed on paper, but the Northern Army's entry into Hunan was approaching at dawn and dusk. The Hunan Army was naturally unable to resist alone, so the Hunan Army itself became divided. Chen Fuchu, commander of the Second Division of the Hunan Army, and the Fourth Brigade of the Second Division
Commander Zhu Zehuang and Commander Li Youwen of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division expressed a cold attitude towards resisting the Northern Army at the military meeting. Chen Fuchu had already been attracted by Duan, so Tan could control less than half of the Hunan Army. Of course,
Even more unable to resist.
Under such circumstances, Tan had no choice but to show no resistance to the order to mobilize the governor, and sent Lingling garrison envoy Wang Yunting to Beijing to welcome the new governor to take office as soon as possible so that he could hand over his duties as soon as possible.
However, he still left a backup force and sent Liu Jianfan to act as the garrison envoy to Lingling. At the same time, he transferred Lin Xiumei, commander of the 1st Division and 2nd Brigade, to defend Hengshan to show that Changsha would not be defended, and the implication was to concentrate his forces and retreat.
Southern Hunan is waiting for reinforcements from Guangdong and Guangxi.
Fu Liangzuo brought his guard battalion to Changsha and took office. At that time, the Hunan army was divided, and half of the army expressed obedience to the central government, which made him feel that Hunan Province could be conquered in one go. When he became the new official, Fu Liangzuo wanted to give Hunan the power to disobey.
The small warlords came to show their power. He first removed Lin Xiuhai, the brigade commander of the second brigade, and appointed his own follower Zou Xubin as the commander. Then, he transferred Liu Jianfan to other provinces and changed Chen Suizhang to be the garrison envoy of Lingling.
Lin Xiuhai and Liu Jianfan were also small warlords with guns in their hands. How could they just surrender and buy it easily? Then these two announced their rebellion in Hengyang and Lingling at the same time. From this, the war broke out.
Fu Liangzuo had already expected and planned the attack between Lin and Liu, and then asked the 20th Division of the Beiyang Army to go to the clearing. Because the Hunan Army was thin and weak, the Beiyang Army basically did not encounter any big attacks.
After resisting, they successively captured Hengshan, Baoqing and other places.
In view of the serious situation in Hunan, the Hunan Army of the Guangxi Clique was unable to resist the Northern Army alone. If the Northern Army occupied all of Hunan, the second step would naturally be Guangdong and Guangxi. Therefore, Lu Rongting convened a military meeting in Nanning. Chen Bingkun, the Guangdong Governor of the Guangxi Clique, was ordered to invite the French Protector Army.
The government's chief of navy, Cheng Biguang, went to Nanning to discuss with Lu Rongting the issue of sending troops to aid Hunan.
At the opening of the Nanning Military Conference on September 2, Lu Rongting spoke generously, denounced Lin Shuo for launching a civil war and taking the opportunity to annex Shaanxi, and called on all attendees to sign an oath to express their determination to resist the Beiyang warlords. The meeting decided that the Guangdong and Guangxi authorities Chen Bingkun, Tan Haoming, Cheng Biguang,
Li Yaohan jointly sent a telegram and proposed: (1) welcoming the reinstatement of President Li, (2) restoring Congress, (3) removing Lin Shuo, and (4) withdrawing the appointment of Hunan Governor Fu Liangzuo.
Finally, it was deduced that the governor of Guangxi, Tan Haoming, was the commander-in-chief of the Guangdong and Guangxi defense forces. Guangxi sent 45 battalions and Guangdong sent 35 battalions to form the Fifth Route Army to massively assist Hunan. Lu Yuguang was the commander of the first army, Lin Junting was the commander of the second army, and Wei
Rongchang is the commander of the Third Army, Ma Ji is the commander of the Fourth Army, and Lin Hu is the commander of the Fifth Army.
Yunnan also sent Cheng Qian, the former division commander of the Hunan Army, with a detachment to "borrow" Guizhou back to the province.
On September 20, Tan Haoming received a telegram to assume the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces, and pledged to aid Hunan. As a result, the Hunan issue evolved into the Civil War, which was also called the "War to Protect the Law."
The Gui army invaded Hunan in large numbers, and Tan Haoming made it clear that he was aiming for the position of governor of Hunan.