It was 11:30 that night on March 4, a few hours after Mu Hu took over Beijing.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was sleeping with Qiu Qiu in his arms, and he was woken up by Xiu Xiu as soon as he fell asleep. Xiang Xiaoqiang liked to arrange Xiu Xiu to work the night shift, and let Qiu Qiu, like himself, work during the day and sleep at night. This
It's not that he prefers Qiu Qiu, but that he feels that Xiu Xiu is better able to stand alone than Qiu Qiu.
Xiang Xiaoqiang went out to answer the phone. It was Shi Shigege calling from Nanjing.
This time, Shishi Gege did not flirt with him, but went straight to the point and said:
"Xiaoqiang, a coup has begun in Beijing."
"?!"
Give Xiaoqiang a jolt and all his sleepiness disappears.
"What?!" He stood up and shouted loudly, "Has it started? Guang...ahem, is he...is he dead?"
"I don't know," Shi Shigege said calmly, "but it's strange that this news comes from Beijing's intelligence network, not directly from the coup group. So far, I haven't received any telegram from Mu Hu. The person who provided the information
He's an old subordinate of mine at Sticky Rod who was just developed into our spy last spring."
Xiang Xiaoqiang slowly sat down, touched his forehead, slowly exhaled and said:
"Oh... what is going on? Calm down, don't be anxious, and tell me slowly... when did it happen? What is the situation in Beijing now?"
It was more like what he said to himself, because it was he who needed to "calm down" at the moment.
Fourteen Gege said:
"The coup was launched at around six o'clock tonight. It's hard for him to say that it has reached that stage now. Because the Imperial Guard is arresting people in Sticky Stick on the street right now, and he happens not to be at home tonight, but at
He was drinking at a friend's house, so he hid there. He was very clever and immediately ran to find his handler. There were guards running all over the street.
He moved, kept arresting people, and surrounded the house. He was almost caught. But he knew that the coup might be supported by us. At this time, only our intelligence network could protect him. Now all the phone calls in Beijing are blocked.
That is to say, the Praetorian Guards have at least occupied the telegraph and telephone office. He reported to me using his hidden radio station."
"Oh... the telegraph and telephone office was occupied, and people were arrested all over the streets... that means that the coup has gone to a considerable extent... Where are the Guangwu people? Are they still in the palace?"
"It shouldn't be in the palace. This morning, Guangwu took a special train to Yanshan Garrison and Zhangjiakou to inspect. They obviously took advantage of Guangwu's departure from Beijing to launch the attack."
Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded:
"Well, this is really a good opportunity... But in this way, it will be difficult to catch Guangwu. Next, he will either gather strength to counterattack and eliminate the coup, or he will go into exile directly."
Fourteen Gege also pondered for a moment and said:
"Xiaoqiang, now is a good time to quickly invade Beijing. There is no one to command the Qing army around Beijing now."
He nodded to Xiaoqiang, but still held the microphone and thought, as if something always made him feel wrong.
"Xiaoqiang? What do you think?" Shi Shigege urged, "Without further delay, we have to make a decision soon."
Xiang Xiaoqiang frowned and said hesitantly:
"Fourteen, why don't Muhu and the others contact us?"
"Maybe I can't take care of it right now," Shi Shigege said. "Anyway, let's prepare separately. You are in charge of military affairs and have your armored divisions ready to march to Beijing at any time. In addition, let the two armies in the north join forces as soon as possible.
Seal Guangwu’s land escape route; I, the person in charge of intelligence, will pay close attention to the situation in Beijing, continue to collect other intelligence, and at the same time take the initiative to contact Mu Hu and the others."
He nodded to Xiaoqiang and said:
"Very good, let's do it... By the way, does Your Majesty know?"
"Your Majesty is resting, so we don't know yet," said Fourteenth Gege. "Do you think I should inform the cabinet? Or wait until the situation becomes clearer before informing me?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang hesitated and said:
"Notify now."
…
Beijing, Imperial Guard Headquarters.
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night. The offices are brightly lit, and there are people everywhere, and the voices of telephones and transmitters are ringing one after another. The Guards are very excited from top to bottom, and almost everyone is holding a cigarette in their mouth and puffing on it.
Yun puffed out mist while staring with red eyes as he devoted himself to the work of "writing history and creating a future for himself".
Mu Hu now simply regards himself as a hero. He has never felt so good about himself since he was born. When Xiang Xiaoqiang took over Nanjing in a coup, he had the same feeling for a moment, that is: the entire city is now
It's so cool that I have it under my control, and I don't even want to hand it over.
He paced back and forth in the large commander's office with his hands behind his back, dictating orders to several adjutants and secretaries at the same time. Almost every few seconds, an officer would come over and ask him to sign documents or give orders. Mu Hu
Holding a pipe in his mouth, he squinted his eyes for a few glances, and then signed his name gracefully. Each signature was more graceful than the last one. At the same time, calls continued to be transferred in, and Mu Hu also kept calling from time to time.
He ordered into the phone:
"...Yes, arrest them all!"
"...shoot them!"
"...all will be confiscated!"
"...No one is allowed to come out!"
"...requisition them all!"
"...surround!"
"... Just say this is an order from the chairman of the Beijing Military Control Commission!... What, who is the chairman? The chairman is me, bastard!"
On the sofa next to him, the obese Mr. Guadexin was sitting awkwardly, wiping his sweat constantly. He finally saw an opportunity, stood up and walked over and said:
"Master Mu..."
"Wait a minute," Mu Hu took another order, glanced at it a few times, and immediately yelled at the officer below, "What is this? Ah? What is this? Is that what I said?"
Guadexin sat back on the sofa nonchalantly, still wiping his sweat.
Finally, the officer below withdrew. He seized the opportunity again and jumped up:
"Master Mu, shouldn't we contact the Nanjing authorities..."
The phone rang again, Mu Hu grabbed the phone and said majestically:
"Military Control Commission, I am Chairman Mu."
…
One o'clock at night.
A communications soldier came in and handed Mu Hu a telegram. Mu Hu was holding the phone and assigning tasks. He took it and glanced at it, put it on the table, and then continued to call.
Naturally, this action did not escape Guade Xin's eyes. In more than two hours, this was the third telegram that Mu Hu had withheld in this way.
Guade Xin boldly stood up and walked over, picked up the telegram and read it. Mu Hu glanced at him while making the phone call, but did not stop him.
Sure enough, this was an inquiry telegram from Nanjing. Judging from the wording, Nanjing was already quite anxious.
"Master Mu!" Gua Dexin couldn't care about anything else. He knocked on the telegram and asked Mu Hu, "Since Nanjing has called twice and three times to inquire, why don't we call back? There are hundreds of thousands of Eight Banners around Beijing.
Legion, what we need most at this time is the support of the Ming army! Otherwise..."
"Otherwise, what will happen?" Mu Hu put down the phone and said with a smile, "Master Gua, don't even think about it. Now that the emperor is gone, what can the Eight Banners Army do? Can they still come to attack us? Now the fourteenth princess is married.
Xiang Xiaoqiang, the Ming Army sends leaflets here every day. Those guys in the Eight Banners Division are almost unwilling to fight the Ming Army, but they are still willing to fight us? I have already issued an order to the Eight Banners Army in the name of the Holy Saint to put them on the spot.
Stand guard and wait for the next order."
Guadexin was stunned and immediately said:
"Master Mu, what order are you waiting for? Since you can issue an order in the name of the emperor, why don't you let them lay down their weapons and surrender, but instead let them garrison on the spot? Waiting for the next order? What order is the next?"
Mu Hu chuckled and said:
"Surrender to the Ming army is certain...but not now. Now, we must seize the opportunity to let the Ming army know that without Emperor Guangwu, the Qing Dynasty will no longer be the Qing Dynasty. In the past, the Ming army wanted to negotiate,
They have to talk to Emperor Guangwu, and now, they have to talk to me."