The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Furthermore, when private enterprises increase productivity, the public can only enjoy the benefits of this increase through transactions. However, when the state increases productivity, it can spread the benefits of this productivity to the entire population.

"Chairman, we are now lowering the price of some labor, and making previously sold labor more valuable. When can we lift the restrictions and allow labor to freely demonstrate its value?"

This was a very constructive question. Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment before saying, "Let the labor force freely express their value? That's a good question! It's basically impossible for our generation! Why? Because there are too many illiterate people in our generation, the country is too backward, transportation is too backward, and people can't move freely. Moreover, a large number of people are still in rural areas, and the level of urbanization is too low. Therefore, allowing the labor force to freely express their value will have to wait for at least the next generation, or even the next generation after that. Of course, in order to ensure social fairness and justice and uphold our proletarian revolutionary ideals, the price of labor must be controlled within a foreseeable range. We must carry out secondary distribution through taxation to ensure social fairness."

Zhang Yinghao knew that everyone wanted high wages, but achieving them in China was extremely difficult. This was because China still had vast, economically underdeveloped regions. While people in developed regions enjoyed the same lifestyles as those in developed countries, those in impoverished areas still struggled to make ends meet, and sometimes even toiled hard just to get by. This was a result of China's unique national conditions.

If the wages of all people are raised, it will naturally be no problem for developed areas, but what should be done for those poor areas? How can their income be increased? We can't just give cash to support these people, right?

The right thing to do is to merge villages and allow the people in these areas to move out of the places where they have lived for generations. Only by incorporating the people in these areas into the system of industrial development can the people in these poor areas enjoy the dividends of national development.

Zhang Yinghao wanted to laugh when he thought of this. In his past life, there were always so-called experts who opposed the merger of villages, opposed farmers leaving the countryside, opposed farmers giving up their land, and even wanted to let the countryside return to the era when every family raised pigs. They even promoted the "leisurely" life in the Tao Te Ching where chickens and dogs could hear each other, and people lived in seclusion until they died of old age... This was because they did not understand the general trend of the times, or perhaps these people understood it better than anyone else and just used rural sentiments to gild themselves and gain benefits.

Of course, Zhang Yinghao was also helpless in his previous life. On the one hand, the government even interviewed and restricted companies willing to pay high wages. On the other hand, it created tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of yuan. It gave people the impression that it was allowing a few to become extremely wealthy while preventing the vast majority of ordinary workers from widening the income gap, thus suppressing the masses.

Zhang Yinghao knows that for state-owned enterprises, or even large enterprises, this is true: the more involution there is, the higher the wages and the better the benefits. The truth is simple: the more involution there is, the more everyone becomes like one family. If you don't treat your own family well, who else will you treat well? In the future, most companies will have three, four, or even ten generations. Isn't this involution? Won't such companies be hollowed out sooner or later?

Therefore, for someone who has just entered these places, the most important thing to do is to blend in with the world. It is also because of this that when you fight a tiger, snakes and rats will come out of the same nest, and when you pull out a radish, you will also bring out the mud...

Zhang Yinghao thought about this and suddenly remembered a passage: Someone asked Taizu: "If capitalism is restored, will the proletariat suffer twice as much?"

Taizu said, "You overestimate them. Do they understand what capitalism is? At best, they've regressed to a semi-feudal, semi-colonial society. Capitalism accumulates capital assets by invading and plundering the wealth of other countries. And who dares these revisionist capitalist-roaders invade? They're lucky not to be invaded. They can only ally with imperialist countries. They exploit and oppress the vast majority of their own people, or sell off their own country's resources at a low price to satisfy their insatiable selfish interests. They are weak and compromising externally, but they strike hard at home. Most terrifying of all, it's not just the domestic capitalists who behave this way; the many termites within our ranks act the same way. They collude with each other, becoming one, sucking the very bones out of society."

Zhang Yinghao thought about the various situations in his past life and suddenly felt a chill. He recalled a joke about a family of four generations of doctors: four generations of quack doctors. The first generation treated the symptoms of a headache and the foot pain. Although they couldn't get rid of the root cause of the disease, they could at least alleviate the symptoms and make you think you were cured. The second generation treated the face of a headache and the foot pain. For them, whether the treatment was effective or not was irrelevant, as long as the complexion looked good. The third generation was even more bizarre. They blocked their mouths when they had a headache and blocked their mouths when they had a foot pain. As long as the patient didn't scream, they considered the disease cured. The fourth generation was even more bizarre. They didn't even block their mouths or their faces. The doctors simply covered their ears. If they couldn't hear the screams, they considered the disease cured! From then on, there was harmony, and everyone lived like lambs...

Just as Zhang Yinghao was giving a training session, his secretary suddenly entered with a telegram and handed it to him. Zhang Yinghao stopped talking and began to read. He understood that the secretary wouldn't bother him at this time unless there was something important he needed to attend to.

After reading the telegram, Zhang Yinghao sighed and said, "Send a telegram to the Fifth Field Army and ask them if there is any chance to seize Shanhaiguan..."

Looking at the secretary's departing back, Zhang Yinghao knew that the day of the Qing Dynasty's demise was not far away.

What was in the telegram?

It turned out that under pressure from the liberated areas, the Qing Dynasty recruited a lot of troops. Although it lost some in the conflict with the People's Liberation Army, in order to fight against the liberated areas, the Qing Dynasty even believed that the People's Liberation Army would attack the capital in one breath after leaving Hubei, so it never stopped recruiting soldiers. It was not until the People's Liberation Army stopped moving that the Qing Dynasty realized that it had recruited a lot of soldiers but had no money.

The Qing court's soldiers were not the politically minded Liberation Army. Many of them continued to serve at this time simply because they could not survive. They served solely for food. Without food and wages, it was impossible to expect these soldiers to fight for the Qing Dynasty. As a result, the Qing Dynasty could not even afford the "deployment fees" to send troops. Since the Liberation Army did not move, the Qing Dynasty naturally did not dare to move.

Fortunately, the People's Liberation Army acted quickly and quickly occupied several provinces. Otherwise, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would have resorted to the same tactics against the militia. Soon after, the Qing Dynasty issued a proclamation to suppress bandits, allowing each province to organize its own militia to eliminate the Red Bandits and other local rebel groups.

This further weakened the Manchus' ability to control the local areas. Currently, they only had control over Zhili and a small part of Shandong, leaving Jiangsu south of them completely out of reach. Due to the Russo-Japanese War and the attacks led by Comrade Liu Wenxiu, the Manchu court, which already had a limited presence, became even weaker.

Yuan Datou sighed as he looked at the officers. He didn't know what to do now. The Forward Party had taken over the three towns of Wuhan, and they were even richer, more armed, and more powerful than they had been in Sichuan. Was he really going to give up the foundation he had worked so hard to build? Yuan Datou was unwilling to do so. He had been constantly seeking negotiations and loans from the foreign powers, but so far, the results were still very limited.

After the meeting, Yuan Datou was about to tell everyone to keep an eye on the soldiers and prevent any trouble when he suddenly heard gunfire in the distance. The officers were all military veterans, so they could easily distinguish between gunfire and firecrackers. Duan Qirui and the others immediately stood up, wanting to go outside to see what was going on. Before they could leave, someone came running in breathlessly, reporting that a mutiny had occurred in the Beiyang New Army.

It was really too sudden. The mutiny caught the Qing court and Yuan Shikai, the actual controllers of the Beiyang New Army, off guard. The foreigners were even more shocked by this and immediately blocked the streets and became alert.

In fact, it was understandable that the Beiyang New Army mutinied. After all, prices in the capital were soaring, and the military salaries had not been paid yet. They could barely survive. What else could they do but mutiniate? Of course, there might also be the shadow of the Forward Party, but mutiny and looting were indeed what these new troops wanted to do most.

The Beiyang New Army mutinied. They first looted small stalls and shops outside the city, then joined forces with the mutinous soldiers inside the city gates and went their separate ways to plunder. They looted every gold and silver shop, jewelry store, restaurant, and foreign grocery store, and burned down the Dong'an Market and the Dongsi Archway. The looting lasted for three days.

Tie Liang and others convened a high-level military and political meeting at the Ministry of the Army, but they argued endlessly and finally decided to take immediate action to stop the spread of the rebellion. In addition to paying the arrears of wages to the non-mutinous troops according to regulations, they also ordered the Beiyang First Regiment, composed of bannermen who were still under their control, to suppress the rebellion everywhere. Any rebellious soldiers who were found looting at will would be killed immediately.

After the First Beiyang Regiment's expedition, the mutiny seemed to have been contained in Beijing. However, the mutiny subsequently spread from Beijing to Tianjin, Baoding, and Fengtai. The looting in Tianjin was even more brutal than in Beijing.

Faced with this sudden mutiny, European and American powers saw that the Qing Dynasty could no longer control its own troops, and now naturally believed that the Qing Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. It all depended on when the Progressive Party would send troops. Now it seemed that even if the Progressive Party did not send troops, the Qing Dynasty would collapse sooner or later.

Sa Daoyi took a sip of black tea from his cup and asked the counselor: "If we lend money to the Qing Dynasty, is it possible for the Forward Party to recognize it?"

The British counselor smiled bitterly and said, "The Progressive Party is an anti-government armed group. How could they possibly recognize the Qing Dynasty's loans? Doesn't the Progressive Party now even refuse to recognize the treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty?"

Sa Daoyi completely agreed with the counselor's words, so he remained silent. After a long pause, Sa Daoyi continued, "If we want to maintain the existence of the Qing Dynasty, we must provide them with a loan. Otherwise, given the current situation, the Qing Dynasty will soon be in internal strife without the need for the Progressive Party to attack, and will undoubtedly collapse, ultimately benefiting the Progressive Party. We must keep the Far East divided. Only in this way can the interests of the British Empire be served."

This statement captures the essence of the British Empire's troublemaking. Continental balance is crucial for maritime nations. If the continent were unified or coordinated in its external actions, it would be a headache, even a disaster, for maritime nations. If a conflict were to occur, the trouble for maritime nations would be far greater.

The British counselor nodded and said, "The Qing Dynasty is now of little value. I believe we must immediately support Yuan Shikai and get him into action. He is the true leader of the Beiyang New Army and has sufficient military power. If the Forward Party wants to unify the country, then in the Far East, perhaps the only force that can compete with the Forward Party is the Beiyang New Army led by Yuan Shikai."

"The problem is that the Qing Dynasty and Yuan Datou have nothing to mortgage. Even if we provide a loan to Yuan Datou, the Progressive Party will not recognize it." After saying this, the meaning is very clear.

The question of whether Britain would agree to a loan to Yuan Datou and the Progressive Party might seem unrelated, but the counselor fully understood. Currently, all China could pledge was customs duties and salt taxes. The Progressive Party currently only had a short stretch of coastline in Qinzhou, Guangxi. While this short stretch was suitable for salt drying, salt and other supplies should have been in short supply in such a vast liberated area.

Originally, the British believed that the Forward Party would be restricted by salt-producing regions, and that salt supply would be a problem in many areas. However, the Forward Party improved its salt mining technology, vigorously developed salt mines, and after processing, sold fine salt. This salt was completely ground into powder, and the quality was so high that even the chefs at foreign embassies in the capital chose to use the Forward Party's salt, after all, salt powder was very convenient to use. Not only did the salt-producing regions in various places fail to strangle the Forward Party, but the Forward Party even dumped its salt at low prices in various provinces, and even launched a counterattack against salt-producing regions. The Qing government's salt tax suffered an unprecedented blow, and its value as collateral was greatly reduced.

As for tariffs, the Qing dynasty's tariffs were already controlled by the British, and Britain's current trade with the Qing dynasty was less than 30% of its trade with the Liberated Areas. Unless Britain offered the Qing dynasty a separate loan to keep it afloat, given its current situation, it wouldn't even be able to repay the loan under a normal loan agreement.

"Can't we persuade the Qing government to negotiate with the Forward Party? Or form a coalition government directly?"

The counselor asked, "Even if the Forward Party gains control of some central government power, it wouldn't be a big deal, right? I see that the Forward Party has incorporated the Manchus in the provinces they conquered into their rule and hasn't carried out massacres."

Sa Daoyi thought for a moment before answering, "China has had emperors since ancient times. China has always been an absolute monarchy. A mere title without corresponding power is unacceptable to a Chinese emperor. The higher the position, the more unacceptable it is. This is a mentality of a great power, a self-centered mindset. Cixi must have been like this. The Forward Party's reluctance to communicate with the Qing Dynasty may have been motivated by this same motive: they all wanted to hold power firmly in their own hands."

"What an incredible idea," the counselor sighed. He understood the mentality, but faced with such a dangerous situation, Empress Dowager Cixi clung to power, causing great damage to British interests.

Sa Daoyi said slowly, "The Qing government won't be able to hold out for much longer. If the current situation continues, the power disparity between the Qing and the Progressive Party will become increasingly pronounced. The Far East will no longer be balanced, with the Progressive Party dominating. If war breaks out again, we will likely lose control of the Far East, which will seriously threaten the interests of the British Empire in the Far East."

"Isn't the Forward Party constantly preparing for war now? They suddenly launched an attack and drove the Japanese out of the Northeast. That was a victory that Japan won at the cost of countless soldiers' deaths, but in the end, the Forward Party took advantage of it. I think their next war target will be either the Qing Dynasty or Tsarist Russia, right?" the counselor replied immediately.

The counselor understood Sa Daoyi's intentions better than anyone else. The existence of the Qing Dynasty wasn't paramount, nor was the number of Chinese casualties. The British Empire's interests in China were paramount. Currently, it wasn't just the Qing Dynasty that could maintain this core; the local government of the Progressive Party played a far greater role in safeguarding British interests in China. However, the Progressive Party's performance to date proved it would never voluntarily surrender to Britain, nor would it compromise with the British Empire. If the Progressive Party were willing to surrender to Britain or compromise, Britain might have already established the Progressive Party regime as the ruler of China.

"Is it better to let the Chinese fight among themselves? We should encourage Yuan Shikai to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and let powerful groups in various places rise up in arms immediately. This will surely cause rivers of blood to flow in China. When they have almost finished fighting, we will come out to clean up the mess." The counselor finally expressed his thoughts.

"No, fighting is not in the interests of the British Empire. Mutual restraint is what best serves the interests of the British Empire."

After Sa Daoyi finished speaking, he pondered for a moment and continued, "Don't rush now. We might as well negotiate with the Qing Dynasty again and see what solutions they have in mind to resolve the current situation. If the Qing Dynasty truly cannot resolve the situation, we can have Yuan Shikai immediately launch an uprising to overthrow the Qing court. Furthermore, if the Beiyang government and the Red Bandits can coexist peacefully and check and balance each other, that would be the best situation. Regarding the situation on the mainland, I still advocate maintaining a balance. Only mutual check and balance can fundamentally guarantee our greatest benefits."

Playing with the balance of power on the continent is Britain's most adept tactic. If the Qing Dynasty were to fall now, Britain's interests in China would inevitably be greatly damaged. An even more dangerous situation would be if such a huge country as China fell into the hands of a powerful force. In that case, the special interests of the British Empire would be completely unprotected.

Chapter 603:

Britain has faced continental Europe for centuries and millennia, and the unification of a single continent is something Britain inevitably opposes. British politicians fear a united Europe above all else. A unified, powerful European nation would be the mortal enemy of an island nation like Britain, a nightmare. This isn't a matter of personal preference; it's an inevitable reality. Even after the establishment of the European Union, despite numerous reasons, Britain ultimately left the bloc.

Thus, Britain fought against the Holy Roman Empire, against Napoleon in France, and against Tsarist Russia. Any nation with the potential to become a regional hegemon was considered an enemy. Even if a power had been an ally not long ago, Britain would not hesitate to suppress the emerging power, as is the case with Germany and the United States today. For such nations, the question of whether Britain could suppress them was not a matter of whether or not to do so.

Of course, in later generations, the United States also used the same routine. Countries that could challenge the United States' world hegemony and countries that could become regional powers were all targets of suppression by the United States. This was an inevitable conflict of interests.

This is Britain's current attitude towards the Far East. It formed a military alliance with Japan to limit Russian and American expansion in the Far East. While suppressing Russia in the Far East, Britain also sought to co-opt Russia to suppress Germany in Europe. This demonstrates the diversity of interests and conflicts. Facing China's two most powerful political and military forces, the British also maintain this attitude, striving to maintain a balance between them.

The counselor certainly supported this line of thought, but he frowned slightly. "Sir, I've always had a bad feeling. Does the Progressive Party have other plans? Or can they predict the future?"

"Huh? Why?" Sa Daoyi was a little surprised.

The counselor sorted out his thoughts and continued slowly, "It started with the Forward Party sending troops to Xinjiang, then our shelling of the Wanxian area, and then the conflict on the Myanmar border. The Forward Party kept saying they wanted to maintain the status quo. It seemed as if as long as we didn't provoke them, they would not interfere with us.

This allowed the Forward Party to continue avoiding direct conflict with the British Empire. A conflict with the British Empire would have been doomed to fail. Yet, without a word, the Forward Party immediately dispatched troops to capture Mongolia, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Anhui. And during the Russo-Japanese War, the Forward Party quietly deployed forces, launching a sudden attack when both Japan and Russia were exhausted and the war was nearing its end, driving Japan out of Manchuria. If the Forward Party had made such diplomatic preparations from the outset...

Sa Daoyi had this thought, but it was only an occasional thought. The British Empire had already thoroughly investigated the background of Zhang Yinghao, the chairman of the Progressive Party. He was a native Sichuanese who had never been abroad, had no experience studying abroad, and even had no outstanding achievements. For such a person to suddenly rise in Sichuan was truly astonishing, or even miraculous.

To describe it, that is to say, he is the illegitimate son of God Jehovah and some people believe it. However, when you think about the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it swept across half of the Qing Dynasty in a short time.

Moreover, the Eight-Nation Alliance had only a few people, but they were able to beat the Qing Dynasty to a pulp, and then they felt that the Qing Dynasty was indeed rubbish.

After a while, Sa Daoyi finally replied, "There's no time to make such assumptions now. Regardless of the Forward Party's plans, we must support a force to counter them. For now, let's try providing loans to the Qing as our primary means. If that doesn't work, we can consider other options."

While the British envoy was analyzing the situation in China and deciding how to deal with the problem, Yuan Shikai was also discussing current countermeasures with Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, Cao Yin and others.

This mutiny of the Beiyang New Army really annoyed Yuan Shikai, and beneath his anger was a deep fear. The Beiyang Army was the only force Yuan Shikai could rely on and the cornerstone of his power. He could never have imagined that the first to rebel would be the Beiyang Army he had painstakingly built.

"Zhiquan, have all the rebels been suppressed now?" Yuan Datou asked Duan Qirui fiercely. Because without the fierce tone, Yuan Datou's tone might have trembled.

The most devastated person in the country at this time would be Yuan Datou. The Qing Dynasty was already on its last legs, and almost everyone was starting to think about their own future. It was common sense that the Qing Dynasty, faced with such a crisis, would have united and overcome the difficulties together.

But reality is often stranger than fiction, and the internal struggle for power within the Qing Dynasty was even more intense. In particular, the struggle for military power between Tieliang and Yuan Shikai was nearing its end. If it were the original history, Cixi would have been able to maintain order, but by then, she was buried up to her neck in the earth and no longer had the strength to do anything.

The Qing Dynasty was naturally aware of the concept of the Chinese nation that the Progressive Party vigorously promoted, but expecting the Qing imperial family to relinquish power was absolutely impossible. As long as the People's Liberation Army did not attack Beijing, they would continue to hold power. At this point, the question of saving China or the Qing Dynasty was no longer a matter of concern; being able to prolong the Qing Dynasty's life was a blessing.

At this time, the Manchu officials in the court naturally wanted to completely control the military power in their own hands. Only in this way could they preserve their wealth and glory at a critical moment. At this time, all the Han ministers were asking the same question in their hearts: what to do? Many officials had even jumped off the Qing ship.

The current problems with the Qing Dynasty weren't just with its officials; the army itself was also experiencing problems. As an army built on wealth, the Qing Dynasty, in its current state of decline, couldn't afford to support so many soldiers. But the army couldn't be disbanded simply. It's easier to go from simple to luxurious than from luxurious to simple. When these soldiers ran out of money, the guns they held were no match for firewood.

Meanwhile, a storm was brewing not just in Beijing but from north to south. Zhang Yinghao received a telegram while en route to Wuhan, announcing that revolutionary parties in Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang were collaborating and preparing for an uprising. Zhang Yinghao smiled and put the news aside.

Because Zhili was home to a large number of new troops, it was relatively peaceful, save for occasional disturbances by ruffians. Shandong, with the exception of the Yimeng Mountains, which was controlled by the Forward Party, was also in turmoil. However, Zhili's tranquility was short-lived. The Qing court needed food and shelter, but they only had a few provinces to exploit.

Coupled with the land distribution policy of the Forward Party, a large number of landlords and gentry flocked to the coastal areas of Zhili with their families. Because these people brought huge amounts of gold and silver, these places suddenly became prosperous. However, behind this prosperity were soaring prices and the escape of ordinary people.

At that moment, at Yuan Shikai's residence, a large group of people sat together, discussing countermeasures. Duan Qirui, Cao, and others were prominently present. After discussing for a while, they still came to no conclusion and could only look at each other in bewilderment.

Facing Yuan Datou's almost gnashing teeth question about the rebels, Duan Qirui immediately replied: "Except for a few rebels who fled to remote areas, the rest have been captured and executed."

After hearing this answer, Yuan Datou nodded and said: "All soldiers and officers who participated in the mutiny and those who are missing must be traced back to their homes. Once found, they must be arrested immediately. Those who resist arrest can be executed on the spot."

This type of order is familiar to everyone. It was the same tactic used by the Beiyang Army during the massacre of the Boxers in Shandong. Perhaps it was precisely this drastic measure that provoked further resistance in Zhili and Shandong. Later, Zhao Sanduo, under the slogan "Help the Qing and Destroy the Foreigners," rallied 50,000 to 60,000 men. They repeatedly attacked churches and subsequently engaged in fierce battles with Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army. Soon after, Jing Tingbin in Hebei, under the pretext of "resisting foreign donations," rallied hundreds of thousands of rebels. The two forces then joined forces, under the slogan "Sweep Away the Qing and Destroy the Foreigners," engaging in hundreds of battles, both large and small. It was only with the addition of foreign troops that the Beiyang Army finally crushed the rebels, leaving a trail of corpses strewn across the land. Zhao Sanduo, captured, starved himself to death. Jing Tingbin, also captured, was executed by the Beiyang Army by slow slicing. The remaining troops fled to Shaanxi, marking the final annihilation of the Boxers.

Even then, Yuan Datou's face did not show such hatred. Facing the Beiyang rebels, Yuan Datou had a strong urge to execute them personally, and he wanted to kill them all.

"Juren, what do you think we should do now?"

Xu Shichang was once Yuan Shikai's advisor. At this time, he had been transferred to the capital and served as the Minister of Military Affairs in the Ministry of the Army. This was the result of Zhang Yinghao's change of history. Due to the pressure from the People's Liberation Army, the Ministry of War and the Training Department of the Qing Dynasty were merged into the Ministry of the Army early on. Although many things in the Qing Dynasty had changed, some things were only brought forward and did not disappear. At this time, Yuan Shikai asked Xu Shichang for a countermeasure. Xu Shichang was silent for a long time and said: "We must hold the military power in our hands."

This sentence touched upon the crux of the matter. Without military power, those present were nothing. With military power, no matter who ruled, they would have to yield. However, Xu Shichang was considered a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty, so naturally, he wouldn't propose overthrowing the Qing just yet.

In fact, even Yuan Shikai knew at this time that he could not overthrow the Qing Dynasty. If they dared to overthrow the Qing Dynasty now, they would immediately become Dong Zhuo-like figures and be jointly attacked by powerful officials all over the world.

At this time, Cao Yin said: "I think we still need to continue recruiting soldiers. Right now, our troops are obviously not as many as the Red Bandits. With the few troops we have now, we are not enough to defend ourselves, let alone attack."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent again. Recruiting soldiers, everyone knew they needed to, but now they were almost unable to support the few soldiers they had. Would they just end up starving if they recruited more?

"The Kadima Party has at least a million troops now, right? How can they afford so many soldiers?"

"Hehe, the Forward Party confiscated the property of all the landlords in their jurisdiction, so they can afford to support so many soldiers."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent again. The largest landlords were naturally the countless imperial estates near the capital. When the Manchus entered the country, they were scrambling to grab land. If these people's property was confiscated, it would be easy to support several more military garrisons. And which of these high-ranking officials wasn't a landlord? Even accumulating a fortune was considered insufficient. Naturally, they opposed the idea of ​​​​crackdowns on the local tyrants and dividing up their land.

"Mr. Yuan, the Forward Party has a million soldiers, and we only have this many. If we don't expand our forces, how can we win against so many enemies? We will be even more helpless."

Duan Qirui raised his eyelids after hearing this, but finally suppressed the sarcasm that was about to come out of his mouth. He just said: "Now that the mutiny is caused by the money problem, how can we recruit soldiers?"

If you really ask him, he would like to ask whether he can defeat the People's Liberation Army even in a one-on-one fight. He is one of the few high-ranking Beiyang Army officers who have fought against the People's Liberation Army that marched into Shanxi. Naturally, he knows how powerful the People's Liberation Army is. The People's Liberation Army is no worse than their well-trained Beiyang New Army, and their individual combat effectiveness may even be stronger.

Moreover, after so much time, the Beiyang Army's combat effectiveness has declined in Duan Qirui's view, because the traditional Beiyang Six Regiments are simply unable to fight against the People's Liberation Army. Faced with this situation, the Qing Dynasty expanded its army very rapidly. In this era, as long as you have money, you don't have to worry about not having soldiers. As a last resort, Yuan Shikai was forced to formulate a military plan to establish 18 regiments, with a total strength of 40 Beiyang New Army. So far, only 10 regiments have been established. The newly built 10 regiments are all new troops. How much combat effectiveness can they have?

The Qing Dynasty's finances were already severely strained, and the new ten regiments would require even greater investment. Consequently, the Beiyang Army's salaries could only be temporarily reduced. It's easy to go from thrifty to extravagant, but difficult to return to thrifty. The veteran Beiyang troops, accustomed to high salaries, could not accept such treatment, and their morale was greatly shaken. There were even rumors that the Beiyang Army was planning a major reduction in its forces, with many units to be cut. Reduced pay was already a significant incentive for these soldiers, and the news of a reduction in military pay was unbearable for these soldiers.

This is just the surface problem. The Qing Dynasty's massive military expansion was intended to counter the impending arrival of the People's Liberation Army, but the PLA suddenly halted its military operations, or rather, halted its large-scale military operations. Meanwhile, the Qing court lacked the courage to proactively attack the Forward Party's territory. With so many people suddenly added, they needed food, drink, and money, and now the Qing court couldn't even afford the expenses for the expedition.

Duan Qirui and others also saw more profound problems, that is, the soldiers eating food and

The problem of revolutionary ideas. At present, the revolutionary party is promoting revolutionary ideas everywhere. As long as these soldiers are not deaf or blind, they have heard and seen these propaganda things and know that

The Dao Revolutionary Party is now so powerful that fighting them would be like committing suicide. The people are very discerning and know that the Qing Dynasty is doomed. Naturally, they don't want to be buried with it. Now these soldiers are only there to eat food; their ability to fight has become a question.

The mutinous 12th Regiment was reorganized from a unit originally stationed in Northeast China. During the Russo-Japanese War, these troops were forced to leave the region and subsequently attacked along the way by an unknown force, now known as the Fifth Field Army. They had finally escaped to Shanhaiguan and were originally headed to the capital to receive military training and weapons.

The military discipline of this unit was already quite poor on ordinary days, and after arriving in the capital, it deteriorated even further. The officers recruited soldiers privately, gambled openly, indulged in debauchery, and completely neglected training.

The 12th Regiment was like this, and the rest of the garrisons in the capital area were all like this. The commanders were reckless, and the soldiers followed suit, while the commanders turned a blind eye. It was as if they believed that the world was about to fall, and they could do whatever they wanted, without any constraints. With the military pay not arriving, and no money left, the mutiny was natural.

However, during this period, the People's Liberation Army was fighting in the south and the north. Therefore, by comparing the two, Duan Qirui knew that the combat effectiveness of the People's Liberation Army must have improved.

Soldiers must continue to be recruited, but no one can solve the problem of money. This silence is extremely painful for a hero like Yuan Shikai.

Chapter 604:

Silence, at this point, could no longer resolve anything. Everyone knew that if they didn't react, they would either die in silence. As the Minister of War and a counselor, Xu Shichang was well-informed, yet he was powerless to do anything about it. He was distraught as he watched the situation continue to deteriorate.

However, just when everyone was silent, a piece of news came that really chilled everyone's heart, and chilled them to the bone. Because the waiter who suddenly ran in from outside shouted the news: "Shanhai Pass has fallen..."

Hearing this, everyone, including Yuan Datou, murmured to themselves: "Shanhai Pass has fallen?"

"Shanhai Pass has fallen!"

After a long pause, Yuan Datou suddenly came to his senses and stared at the waiter who came in to report, shouting, "Has the Fifth Field Army outside the Great Wall entered the Great Wall?"

"Um, not yet. We just captured Shanhaiguan, and there's been no movement now."

"It's like this again! The Red Bandits are slowly tightening the shackles around the neck of the imperial court. They will naturally strangle the Qing court with ease in the end. We must act now and not sit idly by..."

The Fifth Field Army had never stopped its military operation to seize Shanhaiguan, and it even accelerated its pace after driving out the Japanese. With such a large force in the Northeast, the Fifth Field Army naturally would not think about sharing the interests of the Northeast with the Qing Dynasty. Blocking Shanhaiguan was naturally a very good choice.

After liberating Shenyang, the Forward Party, with its large number of railway workers, immediately and tirelessly began constructing the Beijing-Fengtian Railway. It could be argued that the comrades in the Northeast had long been building railways and knew how to use them to transport troops. Upon receiving Zhang Yinghao's order, the main force of a reinforced division of the Fifth Field Army suddenly appeared at the Shanhaiguan line, seemingly from the ground, and without stopping, they launched a fierce attack on Shanhaiguan.

Shanhaiguan is not a single fortress, but rather a collection of passes stretching 26 kilometers from Laolongkou in the south to Jiumenkou in the east. Ten passes—Nanshanhaiguan, Nanshuiguan, Shanhaiguan, Beishuiguan, Hanshuiguan, Jiaoshanguan, Sandaoguan, Lanshuiguan, Sieryuguan, and Jiumenkouguan—are located along this short 26-kilometer stretch of the Great Wall, controlling the vital connection between Northeast China and North China.

Shanhaiguan, with its city within a city, a city outside a city, and a series of passes, is connected by the Great Wall. With its strong defenses, Shanhaiguan is exceptionally strong and majestic. It is known as "the unrivaled key to the two capitals and the first pass of the Great Wall."

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, chaos reigned. After Li Zicheng captured the capital, he led his army to attack Shanhaiguan, where he engaged Wu Sangui's Guanning cavalry. At Yipanshi, the two sides engaged in fierce fighting. In the final moments of their battle, the Qing cavalry, commanded by Prince Rui Dorgon, who had secured Wu Sangui's surrender, entered the fray through Shanhaiguan and defeated Li Zicheng's army, laying the foundation for the Qing dynasty's two-hundred-year rule. This also ushered in two centuries of humiliation for China, where the choice between keeping one's hair and losing one's head was crucial.

The Manchu Qing dynasty's establishment of its rule in the Central Plains was, in reality, a historical regression in which backwardness triumphed over advancement, and barbarism triumphed over civilization. Of course, history has its inevitability and contingency, and from the moment Li Zicheng entered the capital and relaxed military discipline, his defeat seemed inevitable.

Shanhaiguan, nestled between mountains and the sea, holds a crucial strategic position. Though known as "the foremost pass in the land," "the throat of the frontier counties, the safeguard of the capital," it effectively lost its military defensive function after the Qing Dynasty took control of the Central Plains. However, it remained a crucial transportation hub between Northeast China and North China. With the invasions of foreign enemies in the late Qing Dynasty, its military importance was reaffirmed.

However, no matter how strong and majestic a pass is, its guarding still depends on people. After all, there has never been an unbreakable fortress! Especially today when heavy firepower is increasingly important.

On August 15, 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing. Subsequently, the coalition forces gradually increased to 100,000. Commander-in-Chief Waldersee withdrew some of his troops and ordered them to march from Beijing and Tianjin, splitting into three routes: one to invade Shanxi, one to invade Baoding, and one to invade Shanhaiguan. Russia also mobilized 170,000 troops, dividing them into six routes to invade Northeast China.