The long Hong Kong meeting finally came to an end, and although the results of the meeting basically met the previous expectations, the expressions of everyone still made Yang Rui have another worry. It's easy to fight the world, but it's hard to rule the world, especially now that China still has to look at the faces of foreigners, although it's not Cheng Dù who is shocked when a foreigner sneezes, but after all, they are still very capable of influencing China's political situation.

Sun Wen is a pawn of foreigners playing with China, but Yu Zixun will not be in the future? Zhang Taiyan and Wang Jitong are also full of problems, but when they see that the peasants are suffering losses because of the unified purchase and sale of grain, and they see countless workers dying because of accidents and hard work, what will they think at that time? This still treats them as gentlemen, and everyone is only fighting for the direction of national policy, but what if they become ambitious in the future? With their qualifications, there is really that, that......

On June 23, the Hong Kong meeting ended successfully, but Yang Rui felt that this would be the last great unity of the Renaissance Society. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, we should think about it again with national affairs as the priority, and talk about it from the bottom of our hearts, I am afraid that it will never be possible anymore, these former comrades-in-arms can really care for the rejuvenation of this country with themselves, and they can go to the end, I am afraid that there are not many of them.

After the ship passes through Xiamen, you can see Taiwan, the treasure island under the sky is high and the sea is not conspicuous, Yang Rui standing on the deck does not know how to think of the poem of Yu Youren's later generations: bury me on the high mountain, look at my mainland; The mainland is invisible, only crying; Bury me on the high mountain, look at my hometown; Hometown is not visible, never forget. The sky is vast and the wilderness is vast. On the mountain, the country is dead.

Yang Rui never recited poetry, and Chen Guangshou, who was standing on the side, only heard it strangely. Yang Rui also thought just now that I was afraid that there would be no one to accompany him to the end. Suddenly moved by a kind of desolation, so I unconsciously read it. When he came back to his senses, he was surprised to see Chen Guangshou, so he had to laugh and said: "I heard it before, but now I don't know how to remember it." ”

Yu Youren's national mourning is a lament that the fallen leaves cannot return to the roots, it is said that Yang Rui should be heroic at this time, and I have feelings in the world, no matter how you look at this poem, it is not appropriate. Now I listen to Yang Rui's explanation. But Chen Guangshou still said in his memoirs that this poem was written by Yang Rui, and the reason why he wrote this kind of poem is that he thinks that Mr. is about to succeed. Remembering Chen Ximing, Xu Liezu, Wu Baodi and others who died young, especially the remains of Chen Ximing are still in Tokyo, Japan.

Chen Guangshou nodded, and then said, "Sir, you have been here for more than an hour. It's windy outside. Let's go into the cabin. ”

The mail ship going north was specially requisitioned from the Overseas Chinese Shipping Company, for the safety of Yang Rui, Zhang Taiyan and Xie Zhangtai, and now that the righteousness is imminent, if the leader makes any more trouble, it will be bad if there is any assassination, and it is precisely in this way that Yang Rui can move around on the deck, and his current reward is said to have increased a lot.

"Hmm. Let's go back! "Yang Rui wants to mess up things, but he has been standing here for so long without paying attention." What is Uncle Mei doing? ”

"Mr. Taiyan is reciting poetry. I just bought a few bottles of wine and said I want to be guilty of the same crime as you. Chen Guangshou said with a smile. Knowing that the righteousness was imminent, everyone was happy, and he didn't understand why Yang Rui was still frowning.

"This chapter is crazy!" Yang Rui finally laughed, and then stepped back into the cabin.

A few days later, Yang Rui arrived in Shanghai, but at this time the general headquarters changed to a different place, no longer the previous Catholic church, but in a temple called Guosi Temple, next to the French cemetery (now Huaihai Park), if the memory is correct, the place where this temple is located is the Shuguang Hospital of the later generations.

Mu Xiangyao reported: "Before, because too many Chinese came and went there, I was afraid that I would attract the attention of the concession after a long time, so I made a proposal to change here." There are more houses here than churches, and it is close to the Chinese world......"

Now Liu Boyuan is in charge of the security of the general headquarters, but after all, Tek has been in Shanghai for many years, and the eyeliner bags everywhere are their people, so in Shanghai, Tek's opinion is still very important.

"Twenty-four days to go!" Yang Rui did not express his opinion on the location of the change of headquarters, but said to Liu Boyuan and Mu Xiangyao with a stern expression, "If there is something wrong, then I have to ask the two of you." ”

"Yes!" Liu Boyuan and Mu Xiangyao immediately stood on the right path. They understand the importance of these two or four days, and if they really go on a business trip, it is not a pity that the two of them will die.

After Yang Rui finished explaining, Mu Xiangyao went out, and the heads of various departments invited by Chen Guangshou at this time had already arrived. Fan of the General Political Department, Pei Shoutong and Xu Jingxi of the General Staff Department, Zhu Luhe of the General Logistics Department, Wang Xiaolin of the Propaganda Department, Liu Boyuan of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and Xie Zhangtai, who was in charge of foreign affairs, crowded the small room.

The first to report to Yang Rui was Bei Shoutong of the General Staff Headquarters, who first introduced the enemy situation: "Now the troop movements in various parts of the Manchu Qing Dynasty are in line with our previous expectations, and there are not many changes in the troops everywhere. Their strength is still twelve towns on the Yanzhou side, two towns in Yizhou and one mixed association, there are three towns near the capital in addition to the Praetorian Guard, and finally there are two towns near Tonghua. Apart from these build-up forces, the new armies elsewhere are scattered and not to be feared. ”

"And our troops, Yanzhou base did not lose much in the last battle, but also incorporated some officers and soldiers of the 25th and 26th towns, the strength of nearly 80,000 troops, and the South African 4th Army is now also returning to the country one after another, now there are 8,000 people, all arranged on land, disguised as workers, the rest of the troops and guns have been on the ship, the guns will arrive at the end, and the artillery will be captured from the Jiangnan Bureau, the total strength of the Yanzhou side will reach 120,000, and there is no difficulty in solving the new army on the Yanzhou side;

Yizhou has already trained two divisions according to the plan, which is enough to hold the 3rd and 4th towns of Beiyang, as well as the 30,000 people of the Shandong Mixed Association; On the side of the capital, all the personnel of the 2nd Army have arrived, and the two divisions of the Mentougou Coal Mine and one division of Ulzhou, plus the 2,000 people who have infiltrated the capital, are close to 40,000. ”

After Bei Shoutong finished talking about the troop arrangement, he was about to elaborate on other things, but Yang Rui interjected: "Not to mention the 4th South African Army, what happened to the 2nd Army's arms transportation plan?" Without a gun, that qiē is all a bubble. ”

"It's already done!" Zhu Luhe, the general queen, immediately stood up. "All airships are now being overhauled in Tonghua to ensure that there is no breakdown in the event of an uprising. The end is ...... Even if it falls, it is necessary to send the arms to the comrades of the 2nd Army! There are also bullets, grenades, and mortar shells needed for the uprising. The amount of production in Mentougou in the past two years is enough for one division. ”

Zhu Luhe said resolutely, and even shouted the word falling, Yang Rui is not surprised, although the capital side has to rely on seizure to obtain guns and artillery, but before the night attack, it must not be less than the armament of one division. Twelve thousand rifles are forty-eight tons, or half of the entire tonnage, but fortunately, bullets, grenades, and mortar shells are already secretly produced in the mines. Otherwise, a hundred tons of transportation would not be enough for a division.

"That's good!" Yang Rui nodded and asked again. "Is it shipped from Tonghua or from Linxi?"

"It will be shipped from Linxi. It is 400 kilometers less than Tonghua from the capital. Zhu Luhe said, "Lin Xi has opened up an airship landing ground in the mountain forest. All munitions will be transported to Linxi in several times, and then from Linxi to Mentougou during the uprising. ”

Zhu Luhe is very unaccustomed to what he said, and now it is the General Staff Officers who are introducing the situation, and it is not very good for the General Staff to interject and speak. And the whole transportation plan is extremely tight. If you want to introduce it comprehensively, it will not be able to finish in a while.

"Good! Ji Mei, let's talk about it. I'm always worried that the arms won't be delivered. Yang Rui said.

Zhu Luhe sat down, and Pei Shoutong stood up, he also understood the importance of arms transportation, which was not surprising. The specific order of the uprisings was finally adjusted, and Beijing and other provinces launched at the same time, the most important of which were Beijing, Fengtian, Jilin, Qiqihar, Taiyuan, Wuchang, Jiangning, Anqing, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Xi'an, Kunming, and Guizhou, all of which were to be launched and occupied on the night of 28 June. This day happens to be Guangxu's birthday. The civil and military officials of all provinces have to go to the imperial palace in the provincial capital to pay their respects, and we can just catch them all.

The remaining ten provinces are Rehe, Henan, Gansu, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Lhasa, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, and Guangdong. Because it can't be arranged for a while, it can only be taken in the next few days; And Hebei, Shandong, and Zhejiang, these three places, will only be captured after our decisive battle with the main force of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. At present, the most unstable are the four towns of Beiyang No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 27 in Shandong and Hebei, as well as the Shandong Mixed Association, which are difficult for us to penetrate, and they have not been consumed by the Great War in recent years, and their combat effectiveness is stronger than that of the new army in Yanzhou. It is good that they will have a decisive battle with our army, but if they do not fight a decisive battle with us, it will be a big trouble to flee to the Tianjin concession, or Weihai and Qingdao.

However, if these four towns and one association, together with the first town of Beiyang, and the Janissaries who escaped from the capital, counterattack Beijing, then the second army will be more dangerous, even if the third and fourth towns, and the Shandong mixed association are dragged by the two divisions of Yizhou, but the 2nd, 27th, and 1st towns, plus the patrol police patrol in Tianjin, and the rout of the capital, there are nearly 50,000 people, if the armies of various countries in Tianjin are also with them, then it will be more difficult to fight in the capital.

Once the war began, the Qing army had the upper hand in artillery fire, and with the artillery that could be used in Tianjin, the Qing army was estimated to be able to gather 200 cannons. Although the 2nd Army was able to capture the 36 150mm howitzers of the Manchu Janissaries, the number of shells for this cannon was still too small, at that time only 500 rounds per gun were bought, and after years of training, the shell reserve was basically less than 300 rounds, and the gun was inconvenient to move, and the firing range was only more than 7,000 meters, which was not much farther than the 75 field artillery. In addition, there are eighty-nine cannons that can be collected in the capital. However, according to intelligence, the shells of other artillery guns have been stored for a long time, and it is not yet certain how many shells will be used. ”

Whether the shells can be used is a new question, so after Bei Shoutong briefly introduced the situation, he expressed his concerns, and Yang Rui asked Liu Boyuan, "What about the shells in the arsenal in the capital?" Can the quantity be determined? ”

"I have sent people to investigate the arsenals all over the capital, and I have also obtained the numbers on the books, and each cannon has more than 600 rounds of ammunition, but the real number is how much, I am afraid that it is impossible to determine if I don't count it; There is also whether those shells can be used, according to the inventory management of the Qing army, it is really only known after trying it. This time, it was also our people who heard the artillery of the Qing army say that during the training, many shells could not fire, so I informed the general staff. Liu Boyuan saw that Bei Shoutong was talking about cannonballs, and he felt aggrieved in his heart. He had checked all the numbers, but who would have thought that the Manchu inventory management would be so bad. The shells in the ammunition depot were all silent.

"It's good to be able to spot this problem in advance!" Yang Rui is not to blame. "But it's a big problem whether there are guns or no bullets. Whistling Mountain, can the logistics side send out some artillery shells to support the 2nd Army! ”

Again, the problem goes around to the logistical side. Zhu Luhe said: "Sir, this is difficult. There were not enough rifles in the Sekinai, half of the rifles of the 1st Army were transferred to the Sekinai, and the shortage could not be made up by the military factories alone, and the rest could only be replenished by capture. The same is true of the shells, where all the shells that can be used in the pass have been transferred to the gate. The artillery shells needed by the army could only be replenished by the output of the military factories this month, as well as the captured Qing army. ”

This is a war with limited ammunition. Many troops had to rely on capture to meet their operational needs, but once the captured materials could not be used, the matter would be severe.

I can see Yang Rui's worries. Zhu Luhe said: "Sir, mortar shells and grenades are sufficient. In addition, the number of machine guns will also exceed 200, plus the captured, I am afraid it can exceed 300 machine guns. After the second replenishment is completed. Airship units can join the battle. ”

"Six hundred kilometers away. It takes 30 hours to go back and forth plus loading and unloading, and this is still not a problem at all. When I came back after unloading the second batch of supplies, it should be seventy hours later. That is, it will be three full days before you can reach the battlefield again. Of course, even if you leave two airships to drop bombs over the battlefield the second time, it won't be of much use under high altitude. Yang Rui silently calculated the delivery time of the airship, and only felt that he really had to fight a decisive battle with those towns of the Manchu Dynasty, and the airship did not say that it could be rushed or not, and even if it arrived, it would not have any effect. The first town is in Jinzhou. The second town is in Machang, the 27th town is in Baoding, and the first town is far away, and I am afraid that I will not be able to arrive in three days. But Baoding and Machang are only 150 kilometers away from Beijing, and both have railways......

Yang Rui thought about the Beiyang Army in these towns, and then saw everyone looking at him, and immediately understood what they meant, and said with a smile: "You don't want me to agree to blow up the Guanwai Railway and the Jinghan Railway, right?" ”

Pei Shoutong and Xu Jingxi suddenly turned red when they heard this, and Xu Jingxi said, "Sir, it's true. In July, when the river was swollen, the uprising sent people to blow up the bridges along the two railways that night, which could delay the arrival of Manchu reinforcements. ”

"That's right. Even if the 27th town of Baoding and the 2nd town of Machang forced their way in, only 30,000 people arrived in Beijing with troops from all over the country. Pei Shoutong continued.

"The journey of one hundred and fifty kilometers, plus the time for assembly, will take at least four days to reach Beijing, and seven or eight days to wait for the first town outside the Guan, which is enough for the airship to replenish ammunition." Zhu Luhe also said.

"The Military Intelligence Bureau has also made a plan to blow up the railways along the line before, and now there are more than 20 days before the uprising, and there is enough time to arrange it." The last to speak was Liu Boyuan, afraid that he came up with this idea.

"You guys!" Yang Rui suddenly laughed. The railway connecting Tianjin inside and outside the Guanxi is an explicit provision in Article 9 of the Xinchou Treaty that "all countries ... It is determined that troops should be stationed in several places to ensure that there is no severance from the passage from the Beijing division to the sea; On the contrary, the northern section of the Jinghan Railway, which connects Baoding, was built by the Manchus themselves at their own expense, but the staff officers sitting there do not seem to know this.

Yang Rui smiled, and Xie Zhangtai next to him said: "The section from Lugou Bridge to Baoding of the Beijing-Hanzhou Railway is a Chinese railway, and the Xinchou Treaty only stipulates that the traffic from Beijing to Tianjin should be guaranteed, but it does not say that the traffic from Tianjin to Shanhaiguan should be smooth. ”

The current China is obviously its own country, but it is really infuriating to avoid those large and small treaties when doing things. But at this critical moment, I have to look ahead and beware of foreigners taking advantage of the opportunity to make trouble. After listening to Xie Zhangtai's explanation, Pei Shoutong patted his head and said, "Then the matter is settled, just keep the Beijing-Tianjin Railway, and blow up the other railways." In this way, the second town of Machang will not dare to venture into the second town of his own, and when Baoding meets him in Tianjin, I am afraid that it will be three or four days later. ”

After Bei Shoutong finished speaking, Yang Rui didn't have time to bother with the bombing of the railway, the Military Intelligence Bureau knew the proportions completely, the railway was ultimately its own, and it would have to be repaired if it was to be bombed, and it didn't need to be completely destroyed, and it could delay the Qing army for four or five days. After determining the matter of bombing the railway, several more issues were discussed, and everyone dispersed, leaving only Liu Boyuan to report on the situation in various places during this period.

"The petition organized by Yang Du failed again, and a few days ago he was imprisoned by Manchu Qing, and after being released on bail, he was forcibly sent back to his hometown, and he was arrested along with Lei Fen and several parliamentarians; And a few days ago, Guangxu announced the cabinet list. There were thirteen people in total, and seven were Manchus, of which four were from the royal family. And the key positions are all occupied by people. Now all the major newspapers call it the Imperial Cabinet. Liu Boyuan was the first to talk about the situation in Beijing.

"Did Wang Xiaolin do it?" Yang Rui asked with a smile.

"It was planned by the Propaganda Department, but now the newspapers are resentful of Guangxu's deprivation of the power of the Congress, so as soon as the tabloids of our accusation are published, the big newspapers everywhere will immediately republish the word. Sir, now Guangxu's public opinion is already very low. Liu Boyuan said.

"It's good to be low!" Yang Rui said. "Now many people forget that they are Han Chinese, and only regard the Manchus as their masters. As for us, we will not discredit their masters. They won't give up. Thinking that Guangxu was already a dead tiger, Yang Rui turned his mind and asked, "What has Yuan Shikai been doing lately?" ”

"Still fishing in Anyang as before. However, his staff Yang Shiqi would go to the British Consulate in Tianjin from time to time, and some time ago our people found out that Zhang Yilin actually appeared in Tokyo. "Speaking of Yuan Shikai. Liu Boyuan suddenly remembered an extremely important piece of information.

"Oh! How did he end up in Tokyo? Yang Rui was very surprised, "Could it be that Yuan Shikai wants to ......?"

"If Yuan Shikai wants to cooperate with the Alliance, according to what Sun Wen did before, I'm afraid he can't." Liu Boyuan understood the grievances between Sun Wen and Yuan Shikai. His rumor almost made Yuan Shikai's head fall to the ground. "Still. There's a good chance he'll make a deal with the Alliance. ”

"When was Zhang Yilin in Tokyo?" Yang Rui asked carefully, "I met Song Jiaoren when I first arrived in Hong Kong, and he probably just finished watching Huang Xing and was about to get on the ship to return to Tokyo, will they ......?"

"Sir, this is out of time. That Zhang Yilin returned to Shanghai not long after arriving in Tokyo. If he had an appointment with Song Jiaoren, he would definitely be waiting in Tokyo. Liu Boyuan counted the time in his heart. This possibility is denied. "Now Song Jiaoren has secretly sneaked back to the Hankou Concession, saying that he wants to establish the Central Alliance. But we basically sued him over there, and there were very few people who responded to him, so now he is just running a newspaper. ”

"Oh, the Central Alliance?" Yang Rui remembered that the Central Alliance was going to be held last year, and now it has finally been done, and he said with a smile: "It seems that the Alliance has split." ”

"That's true. Guangzhou failed this time, most of the elite of the League were exhausted, and the overseas Chinese no longer supported them, and now Sun Wen had nowhere to go, so he went to Hongmen to find Huang Sande, and also set up a Hongmen Salary Bureau to raise salaries" Liu Boyuan said. "In addition, there is news from Hongmen that Sun Wen blamed the failure of Guangzhou on our collusion with the Manchus."

"What!" Yang Rui was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then laughed, "He's looking for a step down." In the past, he always said that he had no salary, but the Guangzhou uprising was enough, and he heard that the houses in the Canadian Zhigong Court were mortgaged to the bank by him, if he dared to say that the righteousness failed because of lack of salary, then the people of Hongmen would kill him. Hey, I think that Huang Sande was eaten by Sun Wen, he was really willingly driven. ”

"Sir, don't worry about Hongmen. Sun Wen just made a price all over the sky, and he couldn't cash it out at all. Huang Sande likes to listen to good words, and always thinks that if the revolution succeeds, he can become the governor of Guangdong, and we even have to register Hongmen in the country according to law, so he likes Sun Wen and doesn't like us. Liu Boyuan said.

Huang Sande is just a springboard for the revival in the United States, and now the focus is on Situ Meitang, Yang Rui didn't want to mention this person anymore after saying Huang Sande, but was silent for a while and looked at Liu Boyuan's eyes, and said slowly: "Yuanshi, you have been revolutionizing with me for so many years, do you believe me?" ”

The atmosphere in the room was very relaxed, but Yang Rui's words made the air solemn, Liu Boyuan stood up with a red face when he heard this, and said very firmly: "I... How could I not believe sir?! I...... Bo Yuan swears allegiance to Mr. to the death! ”

"Nope! You don't need to be loyal to me," Yang Rui was both happy and disappointed when he saw his appearance, "What you have to be loyal to is this country, this nation." I just want you to believe me, even if I do something wrong, but many times, this kind of wrong thing is a last resort. Do you understand what I mean? ”

"Understood!" Liu Boyuan replied very neatly, so neatly that Yang Rui didn't know whether it was true or not.

"Yu Zixun's ......" As soon as he heard the name, Liu Boyuan's scalp was numb, and then he listened to Yang Rui say, "Anyway, I feel like he has changed a person, he has been in the United States for six years, and six years is enough time to change a person." Let your people investigate him fully from now on, investigate who he has come into contact with, what he has done, etc. But...... After all, he is a member of the committee, and it is against the rules of the meeting to do so, so your people can't do it too obviously, investigate without being discovered, and would rather be slow than in a hurry! ”

"Understood! Mr. After Yang Rui finished speaking, Liu Boyuan's heart finally let go. (To be continued......)