The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Zhang Yinghao, riding on his horse, had already spotted a handsome young man on the stage. He frowned. He remembered that Chen Tianhua was supposed to be studying in Hunan. How could he have ended up in the Sichuan base? But none of this mattered anymore. Zhang Yinghao still knew Chen Tianhua. In his previous life, his books were very inspiring. He could be said to be a natural propagandist and agitator. He just didn't know if Chen Tianhua's current thoughts had taken shape.

Zhang Yinghao immediately dismounted and planned to go over to listen to Chen Tianhua's sermon. He then heard Chen Tianhua continue, "…Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! All the money and property our compatriots have worked so hard to accumulate will be taken away by the foreigners; our loving wives, children, and elders will be torn apart by the foreigners; men and women, fathers and sons, brothers, husbands and wives, and children will all be killed and raped by the foreigners…"

"Chairman, you are here."

"Oh, Comrade Weiqiang, you are here too?"

Previously, due to the many shortcomings of the comrades, Zhang Yinghao had too much work to take care of and did not have enough time to be in charge of the propaganda department, so Zhang Yinghao asked Zhang Weiqiang to be in charge of the propaganda department temporarily. He did not expect that Zhang Weiqiang would be here.

"Yes, I'll lead them in a show and see how it goes. Chairman, what do you think of Comrade Chen Tianhua on the stage?"

Zhang Yinghao didn't answer, but instead asked, "When did Chen Tianhua come to the Propaganda Department? How come I didn't know?"

"He arrived not long ago. I thought he was suitable for publicity, so I asked him to come over."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "He's a very good comrade. Judging from his accent, he's from Hunan, right?"

"Yes, they are comrades sent here by the Hunan comrades."

"Well, Hunan is a great place for revolution, with so many talented people." "Chairman, what do you think?"

Zhang Yinghao chuckled and said, "Back when the Taiping Rebellion was suppressed, there were many Hunanese among the Xiang and Chu armies. These people returned home and became landlords. With so many landlords, conflicts in Hunan are now particularly acute. You can train Chen Tianhua well, but once this critical period of propaganda is over, you should send him to the grassroots level to gain some training. He'll understand what labor really means and stop living in a dream."

Zhang Weiqiang nodded thoughtfully and replied, "Okay."

"...Our compatriots' path to survival will cease from now on; our compatriots' descendants will be cut off forever. This will mean the extinction of our entire lineage. Gunfire and cannonballs will be the final scene for our compatriots; dark prisons will be their refuge. Our great country has been turned into a world of dogs and sheep; our noble descendants have been reduced to the lowest of slaves. Alas! How heartbreaking! If we want to resist the foreigners, we can only talk about revolution and independence..."

When Zhang Yinghao saw that Chen Tianhua had finished his speech, he planned to leave immediately, but suddenly the "March of the Chinese Nation" which Zhang Yinghao had just written was sung on the stage. Zhang Yinghao immediately stopped and listened quietly.

Rise up! People who refuse to be slaves!

Let us use our flesh and blood to build our new Great Wall!

The Chinese nation has reached its most dangerous moment, and everyone is forced to let out their final roar!

Get up! Get up! Get up!

We are united as one. Braving the enemy's fire, we advance! Braving the enemy's fire, we advance! Forward! Forward! Forward!!

Zhang Yinghao arrived at the barracks and held a brief meeting to learn about the troops' preparations. After all departments had reported, Zhang Yinghao gave the order and the troops set out for Chengdu.

All soldiers carried three days' worth of dry rations, and secret warehouses had been established along the route, as planned. The logistics department also prepared a week's supply of compressed biscuits and canned food, just in case. Since it was autumn and the weather was dry, the troops didn't need to carry thick quilts. Each person only needed a thin blanket and some sun protection, making the journey light and concise, and significantly reducing the burden.

All weapons and ammunition were transported by horse-drawn carriages modified from rubber-wheeled carts, which greatly saved manpower and material resources and greatly accelerated the march.

Niu Erxiao was an ordinary farmer in the base area. When the base area was divided up the land from the local tyrants, his family benefited from it. His family of six was evenly divided, and each person was given three mu of land, including mountain and paddy fields. So the family could make ends meet. His wife and eldest daughter now work in a factory, earning a good income. After his eldest son joined the army, he had to pay significantly less grain, so he could now buy meat more often.

Niu Erxiao had never dreamed of such a life before, so when the village chief said that the army needed people who knew how to drive a horse-drawn carriage to transport supplies, Niu Erxiao signed up without hesitation. This journey made Niu Erxiao realize how much better the world in the base had become. Niu Erxiao felt this very clearly when he drove the cart not far from the base.

Many roads within the base were already paved with cement, and those that weren't had at least been repaired, but the atmosphere outside the base was completely different. Niu Erxiao knew that when the roads were being built, many outsiders came to work when the main roads were recruiting workers.

Niu Erxiao initially avoided the main road project because his own village needed to build water conservancy projects and roads. However, Niu Erxiao knew that the outsiders would be paid handsomely for the road construction, and that they would be provided with sickles, hoes, and kitchen knives. The villagers were very angry at the outsiders for taking away all their valuables.

Niu Erxiao scoffed inwardly. He knew these grumblers just couldn't stand seeing other people's lives going their way. They'd be dawdling when asked to work, but they wouldn't let go of any benefits. They'd think they were the best performers when doing a little work, and they'd throw tantrums when they were wronged. The village water conservancy project was built for them, yet they were still expecting benefits? Who would give them benefits? They were building roads for the village, so they had to walk on them themselves, and they didn't even have to provide their own tools, yet these people were still not satisfied. They'd claim some usable tools were broken and secretly take them home, thinking no one knew.

At this time, all the rice paddies with water in the base area were planted with rice, and those without water were planted with drought-resistant crops such as sweet potatoes and sorghum. Niu Erxiao also responded to the call and, under the organization of local cadres, carried water to fight the drought, saving the crops that were about to die from drought, which had never happened before.

Now that he had left the base, Niu Erxiao finally believed what the people inside had said about the situation outside. Entire fields were barren and withered, with no harvest. People were lying on the roadside, and the trees on both sides of the road had practically been stripped of their bark.

Niu Erxiao thought about his past and present life again, and felt that these people outside were just as pitiful as he was in the past. When he thought about some rumors he had heard recently, Niu Erxiao suddenly felt sacred in his heart. A force instantly emerged from his body, and his shouting became much lighter.

"Little Brother, why are the people here so stupid? Don't they know how to dig wells? Don't they know how to carry water to fight drought?"

Niu Erxiao looked at his fellow villager with disdain and said unhappily, "Without the Progressive Party, we wouldn't be much better off than the people here."

“Why is there no Progressive Party here?”

Niu Erxiao didn't want to answer such an idiotic question, but when he thought about the news his son had told him, he said patiently: "Only in Guang'an is there a Progressive Party. Here, there is no Progressive Party yet."

Have. "

"Oh."

Seeing the fellow villager nodded, Niu Erxiao didn't care whether he really understood or pretended to understand, and quickly shouted "Go" and asked the horse to move forward two steps. Niu Erxiao knew that the fellow villager came because of the reward given by the Progressive Party, and this time

The remuneration is not low. Not only is food and accommodation provided, but also farm tools such as kitchen knives and hoes are given, and you can also ask for supplies such as salt.

Before the main force officially set out on its journey, scouts and smaller units were already scouting the path ahead. Behind these vanguards came a group of troops dressed in Qing Dynasty uniforms, disguising themselves as Qing troops and clearing the way. Following these disguised Qing troops were the engineering corps, tasked with emergency road repairs, ensuring the roads were passable by horse-drawn carriages. Following the engineering corps were the transport and logistics personnel, along with the soldiers protecting them.

The marching of a large army is different from that of a small team. A small team can march at any time, while it is common for a large army to stretch for more than ten kilometers. If they do not camp on the spot but gather together, the troops in front may have walked for half the morning while the troops behind may not have set off yet.

Therefore, when a large army is marching, it is necessary to avoid pauses and disconnections as much as possible, and to reduce interference with the army's march as much as possible. For the purpose of concealment, all people encountered on the road are temporarily detained and released when the time is almost up.

The original plan was to hide during the day and move at night, but after much thought, Zhang Yinghao felt that this was completely unnecessary. He only needed to have some soldiers dressed in the uniforms of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty to lead the way. These people only needed to shout loudly, and wherever they passed, the people in the villages would be scared and close their doors. And these soldiers disguised as Qing soldiers did not disappoint Zhang Yinghao. Although they had only received simple training, they still managed to open one city gate after another.

Every time Zhang Yinghao passed through a county, he would capture the local Qing court officials and throw them into the prison. These battles were far from easy, which is why the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was able to fight all the way from Guangxi to Nanjing. Thinking back to the so-called uprisings before the Xinhai Revolution, each one ended in tragic failure. This was simply unimaginable to Zhang Yinghao.

Chapter 153:

This also fully demonstrates the unreliability of the members of the secret societies and the impatience and naivety of the revolutionaries. Before each uprising, they would swear an oath and drink the magic water, which was known to the world. How many people would actually participate in the uprising?

Following, these organizers themselves did not know, it was completely random. From the later generations, Zhang Yinghao was used to having a certain plan for everything he did.

What they did was really just hysterical. It gave people the impression that they didn't care about anything else, they just wanted to revolt, and if the Qing wanted to kill them, then let them kill them. People would wake up, and their death would be worth it.

Zhang Yinghao followed the large group forward. Apart from the orders of a few officers, there was only the sound of shallow footsteps.

The method has been taught long ago, it is actually very simple. Just don't think about anything, just use your thighs to move your legs forward, this will prevent blisters on the soles of your feet and

Unable to keep up with the team's pace.

When the troops were about to arrive at their destination, the logistics department would prepare meals. They would roll the rice into balls and mix the vegetables into them. Each person could receive two and eat as they marched, without stopping. Zhang Yinghao had a single requirement for the army's meals: if circumstances permitted, it didn't matter if the food wasn't delicious, but they had to eat their fill and not waste anything.

The sight of the rice balls reminded Zhang Yinghao of soldiers training, when some left their steamed buns uneaten. While many comrades were frugal and knew not to waste food, there would still be a few white flour buns in the canteen's water bucket. Coming from a later era, Zhang Yinghao was quite open-minded about this, considering the countless instances of food waste in later generations.

But in this day and age, Zhang Yinghao is very angry about the waste of food, because in this day and age, there are so many people starving to death.

On the edge of the world, and these people sitting in their own cafeterias have only had a few days of full meals? Have they already learned to waste food?

Seeing this waste of food, Zhang Jianmeng also made some extra steamed buns that morning, even deliberately taking a break from work. After breakfast, they immediately gathered together to eat. When Zhu Youcheng's water bucket was brought out, it was covered with large, overcrowded steamed buns. The steamed buns made in that era were not the small, "big" steamed buns of later generations. Zhang Yinghao could only eat two of them even if he risked his life.

When Shao Shui was brought out, many people knew what was going to happen. Zhang Yinghao cursed people one by one this morning, starting with the political commissar and the instructor.

He scolded the military officers, saying they hadn't properly educated the soldiers. He then scolded the military commanders, saying they hadn't properly trained the soldiers, and had even allowed them to believe they could persist in training without eating more. Zhang Yinghao didn't scold the soldiers, but the soldiers he'd criticized were all red-faced. That was the most satisfying time Zhang Yinghao had ever cursed someone in his two lives.

Finally, Zhang Yinghao took the lead and ate a steamed bun from the bucket in order from top to bottom. Then the officers took the lead and ate a steamed bun from top to bottom. From then on, there was no more steamed bun in the disinfection bucket in the cafeteria.

There were steamed buns, and even if they couldn't finish them, the soldiers would divide them up and put them in their pockets. Of course, the Tang soldiers had the most training, and even the emergency assemblies at night were more organized than the other soldiers.

Much.

Zhang Yinghao took a rice ball and ate it while walking. In his previous life, if he ate while walking, he would often experience pain in his ribs. However, if he sat down and ate and then walked again, the pain would disappear. This life was different. The military must train students to eat while walking, or even while running. In emergencies, soldiers have no time to rest. They must be trained to eat immediately after strenuous exercise, and then continue their activities immediately after eating. As a result, many soldiers have contracted appendicitis and enteritis.

Although Zhang Yinghao could ride a horse, he chose not to, instead giving his horses to those who had fallen behind. Throughout the journey, Zhang Yinghao had gone from gritting his teeth and persevering to adapting. This was Zhang Yinghao's first time leading so many people on a long march. Initially, he couldn't eat well, and the pressure was too great, so he couldn't sleep well. This also made Zhang Yinghao truly experience what it means to work day and night, forgetting to eat or sleep, and truly exhausted himself and endured the pain.

Zhang Yinghao even vomited after drinking some cold water after eating rice. If it weren't for the morale issue, Zhang Yinghao would have just laid down and stopped walking, but in the end, Zhang Yinghao still persevered. This also made Zhang Yinghao understand a saying: One person can walk fast, but a group of people can go far.

Although very tired, the journey was well planned and no major mistakes occurred. Chengdu still has not received any news about the revolutionary army's long-distance surprise attack. If there are any accidents, there are only a little over a hundred soldiers suffering from heatstroke and a few soldiers spraining their ankles. When Zhang Yinghao saw the Chengdu city wall from a distance, he took out his pocket watch to check the time. It was only ten o'clock in the morning, half a day ahead of schedule. Zhang Yinghao didn't know what the situation in Chengdu was like, and he didn't know if he had been exposed. If so, how much was he exposed?

"Chairman, our escort is here." "Okay, please come over here."

"Hello, Chairman, and hello, leaders." After saying this, the intelligence officer immediately saluted.

Zhang Yinghao asked: "How is it? Has the current situation changed in the past few days?"

"Reporting to the Chairman, apart from the transfer of two patrols of Qing soldiers from Ya'an and the formation of 400 new militia in Xindu, there are no changes."

Zhang Yinghao came to the front of the map, found the location of Xindu, and said, "Where are these two Qing soldiers?"

"Also entered the new capital."

Zhang Yinghao paused to think for a moment, then decided that there would be no immediate impact, so he said, "Thank you for your hard work. The attack plan can remain unchanged. Order the entire army to rest for half an hour to eat, drink water, and use the restroom. After half an hour, we will force a march and launch a direct attack in battle formation."

The order was that the pseudo-Qing camp should immediately go to the Chengdu city gate to negotiate and see if there was a chance to control the city gate. If not, try to delay the time to give the main force time to prepare.

Order all battalion-level officers to attack according to the original plan in half an hour, strive to capture the city gate tower as soon as possible, and capture Chengdu City in one fell swoop."

After giving the three orders, Zhang Yinghao immediately took out the remaining compressed biscuits and started eating them. Perhaps it was because of the excessive secretion of adrenaline after seeing Chengdu, Zhang Yinghao didn't want to eat after a few bites, but he still forced himself to chew the biscuits slowly and swallow them with salt water.

"Report to the Chairman, the soldiers at the Chengdu city gate saw the army approaching and closed the gate. We were unable to open the gate."

"Continue to negotiate with the people at the city gate to buy time. We will take action soon."

Ten minutes passed in a flash, and Zhang Yinghao immediately stood up and headed towards Chengdu City. Suddenly, Zhang Yinghao felt a bit like he was running for his life. The city wall was clearly there, but it felt like he had been walking for ages and still hadn't reached it. After about twenty minutes, Zhang Yinghao felt there was no need to go any further. What was left was to see how the soldiers fought and how the commander would perform on the spot.

Zhang Yinghao immediately stood up and crouched to survey his surroundings, searching for the most suitable location for a temporary headquarters. Although he already had a map of Chengdu, the actual situation was still quite different. Most importantly, the siege plan would have to change. Arriving early, it wasn't late afternoon, and daylight wasn't the blazing darkness of night. Many things couldn't be done as planned.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and the entire army froze in place, as if under a spell. Zhang Yinghao, upon hearing the gunfire, knew they could no longer remain hidden. He immediately declared, "Order the troops to fire signal flares immediately, notifying those ambushed within the city to take immediate action. Order the troops to deploy swiftly, advance at top speed, and capture Chengdu in one fell swoop."

Zhang Yinghao knew that at this point, many things would have to be done with brute force, without any room for trickery. After giving the order, Zhang Yinghao immediately began to search for his command position again. In fact, it wasn't just Zhang Yinghao who was selecting a position; the medical staff and logistics personnel were also selecting their positions.

What is the situation in Chengdu now? Sichuan Governor Kui Jun,

Deputy Governor Changchun and his men still didn't know that Chengdu was under siege. No one in the capital's army thought that someone would be so crazy as to travel thousands of miles.

To attack Chengdu, or even the boldest person would not have such an idea.

So why were the gates of Chengdu closed? It was because a group of unknown soldiers came outside the city gate. The gate officer stopped them, thinking that it would be right to stop them, but it would be a big mistake not to stop them. But that was it. These soldiers did not think that they were coming to attack Chengdu, because Kuijun had been recruiting troops recently, so it was not surprising to see troops coming occasionally. They were still wondering why the Qing army came to Chengdu. After all, these Eight Banners soldiers were not easy to deal with. If they entered the city and caused trouble, those who let them in might become scapegoats.

Because these people didn't know the identity of the pseudo-Qing camp below, they wanted to find out clearly before reporting. In fact, it was Zhang Yinghao himself who had no experience. Otherwise, there would be absolutely no problem in sending a small horse to control the city gate when entering the city. These two 1S people were not a few. Without formal documents or the consent of the superiors, how could the city gate officials dare to let them in easily? After all, this is just a small county town like ours. Letting people in casually is not like letting an old man in the city.

Damn, do you think life is too long?

In a hidden place not far from the city gate, there are the vanguard scouts. When they reach the bottom of the city, these scouts can only hide early.

If these scouts were also wearing the uniforms of the Qing army, then they might have

Now there are still many people outside the city. Because when the fake palace was passing the rice, some people rushed into the city, which was equivalent to reporting to the people guarding the city gate.

Believe it.

The city gates were closed, and no more civilians could enter. That was because all those who tried to enter had already been stopped by Zhang Yinghao and his troops. It was now 10:00 p.m., and while few people were entering the city, many were leaving. People like those selling vegetables, eggs, and grain usually left at this time.

Originally, this stalemate wasn't a problem; all that was needed was for the gatekeepers to report to their superiors. The city gates would definitely be opened, but the Qing soldiers might not be allowed in, instead being stationed outside. After all, the pseudo-Qing camp had made considerable preparations, disguising themselves as troops arriving on orders. Therefore, the Qing soldiers guarding the city immediately sent someone to report to their superiors while they continued to engage with the outsiders. But would it be easy to find someone inside Chengdu at this point? It wasn't easy, as the commander guarding the city gates had already been taken out for drinks by intelligence agents.

The stalemate at the city gate continued, but the pseudo-Qing army did not dare to get too close to the city gate, so time passed quietly in the irrelevant conversation between the two sides. When the Qing army at the city gate felt that something was wrong and was about to report to their superiors, they suddenly heard a gunshot from below the city.

The pseudo-Qing soldiers below quickly lay down, their own side's guns accidentally discharged. Those on the tower, seeing how well-trained the men below were, were even more afraid to open the gates. Soon, the sound of rifles rang out from above and below the city walls.

Suddenly, a red flare rose into the sky, and then a flare was also raised in the city. Then the sound of firecrackers rang out everywhere in the city. This was also a small trick prepared by Hu Songhui to confuse the audience.

When the pseudo-Qing camp and the Qing troops at the city gate were in a stalemate, the soldiers who had been ambushed not far from the city gate immediately launched an attack on the city gate. The sound of dense pistol shooting rang out from inside the city gate. Soon, the city gate was opened. It was 007 who suddenly attacked the Qing troops guarding the city with a pistol and opened the city gate.

Chapter 154:

At this time, Zhang Yinghao was looking at a map of Chengdu and saying, "When the Qing army occupied Chengdu in 1647, it was already a ruin. Nine out of ten houses were empty. It was like a doomsday scene, with weeds growing everywhere and no one was seen."

Zhang Yinghao pointed at the map and continued, "Some say it was the result of Zhang Xianzhong's defeat and the massacre of Sichuan, while others say it was the result of the Qing Dynasty's massacre in Sichuan. I say, is such a simple matter worth studying? Those researchers simply don't conduct their research from the perspective of the ruling class. Zhang Xianzhong led a large army into Sichuan, and his subordinates were from Shaanxi. They entered Sichuan because of a disaster in Shaanxi. Zhang Xianzhong must have needed land to appease and accept the troops! Those rebellious peasants suddenly came from the barren Shaanxi to the land of abundance in Sichuan. Seeing such vast and fertile land, they must have gone crazy. Is there any gentle reason to seize land? They must have killed everyone first to seize the land."

Seeing everyone nodding, Zhang Yinghao continued: "Most of the land in the late Ming Dynasty was in the hands of Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants, princes and landlords. And Zhang Xianzhong and his actions were actually a disguised completion of a land reform in that era. Comrades also know that people in our country love land, so who exactly massacred Sichuan? In fact, it was Zhang Xianzhong who massacred and completed a land reform in the feudal era. In order to protect the fruits of their victory, or to protect their own land, these people must be willing to fight a bloody battle with the Qing Dynasty, so the resistance must have been extremely fierce. With the nature of the Qing court at that time, Sichuan was naturally massacred by the Qing government again.

But what we should know is that Zhang Xianzhong certainly could not have massacred

Why? Because the people brought in by Zhang Xianzhong were also landlords in Shulan, so they had to have someone to farm for them. Therefore, their only purpose was to grab the land, and that was it.

But the Qing Dynasty was determined to massacre the people of Sichuan. Why? Just refer to the peasants and people who were given land in our base area.

If we fail, can the Qing Dynasty continue to rule over the people who have been given land?

The people's minds have changed. They will no longer be willing to accept the endless exploitation of the people, and will no longer be willing to live in the dark days of the past. In the simplest terms, in Shunqing area, "the grass must be burned, the white must be cut, and the people must be replaced." So the same reason, the Qing Dynasty did not kill the people.

Jing can't rule Sichuan at all."

After Zhang Yinghao finished his idle talk, he pointed to the wall of Chengdu and said: "Let's take a look at the wall of Chengdu. In the fourth year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1665), Chengdu began to rebuild the city wall.

In the fifty-seventh year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1718), the Qing government mobilized all prefectures, counties, and districts in Sichuan to subcontract and speed up the construction of Chengdu's city walls and streets.

The city of Chengdu was basically completed.

In the 48th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1783), under the leadership of Fu Kang'an, the Governor of Sichuan, the whole of Sichuan Province worked together to carry out a complete reconstruction using bricks and stones. This was also the last and most important reconstruction of Chengdu City. Since then, the layout of Chengdu City's walls, streets, bridges and major buildings has basically been maintained to the present day.

in.

The biggest difference between the Chengdu City built by the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the cities of previous dynasties is that the Qing Dynasty built a Manchu city in the west of Chengdu to serve as the Manchu and Mongolian

The residence of the Eight Banners officers and soldiers and their families."

After that, Zhang Yinghao pointed to the Manchu city on the map and said: "At that time, there were Eight Banner Qing soldiers stationed in Chengdu. Nian Gengyao, the then Sichuan governor, petitioned the Qing court to station troops in Chengdu.

A new city was built in the city, specifically for the Eight Banners officers and soldiers to live in. This city within the city was started in the 60th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign and took more than 20 years to complete.

The circumference of the city wall is about 2.7 kilometers. There are eight official streets for the Eight Banners, 42 streets for military garrisons, and five passages in the city.

Some claim that after the Manchus came to power in China, they gradually assimilated into Han Chinese society. However, in reality, while Manchu rule in China didn't categorize people into four classes like the Yuan Dynasty, the Bannermen still enjoyed privileges over the Han Chinese. They didn't equate themselves with the Han Chinese, nor did they grant Han Chinese the same rights as the Bannermen. This is evident in the Manchu cities that existed throughout the country during the Qing Dynasty. Furthermore, Manchus and Han Chinese were prohibited from intermarriage, and a policy of ethnic segregation was implemented.