The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

As a person of nationalism, he has naturally received some knowledge of modern nationalism.

Of course, this is not something that ordinary people can have. The reason why he dared to ask Zhang Yinghao this was,

I really want to know whether Zhang Yinghao and his gang of traitors want to let Guo Mancheng go.

The Manchus inside still deceived them.

"Now you have two paths to choose from. One is a dead end, and that is

If we resist to the end, we can only go to Caishikou.

We don't intend to kill all of you Manchus, so you go to Manchu City.

At the gate of the city, persuade everyone in the city to open the gate and surrender, as long as they are not guilty of serious crimes

We will not pursue this matter any further. After this, the civil servants can send you away by boat.

Sichuan, you can return to Beijing and continue to enjoy your life in the future.

Hold you here with me, and I’ll release you later.”

"You're sending us back?"

Kuijun said in disbelief.

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said: "Although Lord Kuijun is also a military officer,

But we still let you go back. We need you to tell Empress Dowager Cixi a message.

Ah, otherwise, wouldn’t it be an advantage for the foreigners if we kept fighting?”

Of course, Zhang Yinghao had to release Kuijun. After releasing this kind of Manchu trash, he would definitely continue to abuse his power and make money. Of course, Zhang Yinghao had to leave this kind of scourge to the Qing Dynasty. Maybe it was because of people like Kuijun that the liberation of the country came sooner?

"What message do you want me to take?"

"Don't worry, go and persuade the Mancheng to surrender first. You have to understand one thing, our capture of Mancheng is just a matter of orders. You persuaded the Manchus in Mancheng to stop resisting, thus preventing the massacre of tens of thousands of people. You, Kuijun, have done a great deed."

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao didn't care whether Kuijun agreed or not, he just waved his hand and asked the guards to take Kuijun out.

Zhang Yinghao continued, "Take these adults to another place and keep them under guard."

After sending these people out, Zhang Yinghao said, "Everyone, tell me what to do with the people in the city. If you want to kill them, then there's no need to talk about it."

"Chairman, I think the people inside must be moved out. Otherwise, with so many people together, there will definitely be problems."

"Chairman, I think the key is how to arrange for these people. Many of them are not productive, and we can't possibly support them all!"

"Escaping isn't an easy task. There are over 20,000 people in the city. Where can we find the right place to accommodate them?"

"Why do I feel like it's a hassle no matter how I arrange it?"

"Chairman, what should we do?"

Of course, Zhang Yinghao wouldn't say that the land occupied by the Manchus in the city would be worth an unknown amount in the future, and that the cost of relocating these 20,000 people would be a pittance. Furthermore, not all of these 20,000 Manchus were into cockfighting and bird-walking; some still wanted to live a good life. Honestly, the Eight Banners children in the capital were starving, while the Manchus in the lower levels had no trouble learning, and were even more innovative and creative. However, Zhang Yinghao's answer surprised everyone.

"I plan to release Kuijun and Changchun."

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao looked around and saw everyone listening intently, hoping for an answer. Without further ado, Zhang Yinghao continued, "Those Manchus in the city who have difficulty reforming can leave with Kuijun and Changchun if they wish. Even if they don't, we will send them away and allow them to continue to harm the Qing. Of course, they can't take their money with them. If they don't leave, it means they're willing to stay, which will make it much easier for us to arrange for them. Our factories, mines, and now, the bridge and road construction, all require a large number of people. Honestly, even 100,000 or 80,000 people wouldn't be too many."

Everyone laughed when they heard this. Then Zhang Yinghao continued, "They need to be dispersed. Our first priority is land reform. We've seized so much land from landlords, can't we make arrangements for these people? They're not criminals. It's easy to assign two families to each village. We can just let the local villagers supervise them."

When everyone heard what Zhang Yinghao said, they no longer raised any objections and expressed their agreement.

Zhang Yinghao returned to the map, pointed at it, and said, "As long as Chongqing falls into our hands, the entire Sichuan province will be in a state of collapse. The remaining demons and monsters will be nothing to worry about. Let's go into the city and take a look."

Zhang Yinghao walked slowly, talking to his comrades: "If we can gain a firm foothold in Chengdu this time, the situation across the country will change dramatically. I think the foreigners will come looking for us soon. But whether we can stand firm and withstand the pressure depends on how quickly our Party members and cadres can make progress."

"Chairman, I believe we will be able to gain a firm foothold."

"Ha, I hope so. Otherwise, let's continue to go into the ravine. We don't have enough strength now, so let's go. It's okay. We can fight back when we have enough strength."

"That's true, but it hurts morale!"

"How can this hurt morale? It seems some comrades are getting too proud. After the Qing Dynasty mobilized, their strength was undeniable. It would be very difficult for a single province to fight against the entire nation."

"Chairman, we have you! Besides, it's not easy for the Qing Dynasty to mobilize so many forces."

"Haha, you. Yeah, you're right, it's not easy."

As he spoke, Zhang Yinghao had already reached the city gate. It was wide open, and the revolutionary army was conducting a simple checkpoint. Citizens were already entering and leaving. Gunshots could be heard from within the city. Zhang Yinghao knew they were the result of the killing of the robbers who had taken advantage of the situation and the soldiers who were still besieging the city.

Of course, according to the plan, the city was not to be taken by force, but the consequences of such an attack would be too great. Therefore, no explosives or other means had been used until now, and the offensive posture was simply maintained to increase the pressure.

Zhang Yinghao glanced up at the city wall. Haha, those gate cannons were practically useless. From the moment the gunfire sounded to the moment they breached the gate, it took almost no time at all. Even if someone wanted to fire, they probably wouldn't have even had time to reload the gunpowder and shells. Zhang Yinghao was actually most worried about those cannons. Once they fired, casualties were inevitable.

Zhang Yinghao now understood one thing: if everything went according to plan, the General Staff and other departments might be very busy before the battle, but when the fighting actually started, these departments would become very idle. This was because the situation after the battle was beyond the control of the General Staff. The real force was the grassroots commanders on the front line, who had to be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

So when hundreds of thousands of troops are engaged in a real battle, with both sides crisscrossing the battlefield, what else can we rely on besides the grassroots? Unless we reach the information age, where headquarters can even contact every individual and know their exact location, then there's no need for hundreds of thousands of troops to fight each other; missiles can simply be used to sweep the ground and the situation is resolved.

Chapter 157:

Zhang Yinghao and his men reached the front lines, the site of the standoff between the revolutionary army and the inhabitants of the Manchu city walls. Along the way, Zhang Yinghao discovered a problem: many of the Manchu soldiers had no idea when they fired their weapons; they simply fired indiscriminately, almost shooting into the air. Most importantly, they looked around before firing. At first, Zhang Yinghao didn't understand why, until he saw the man next to him being shot dead, then he dropped his gun and ran away.

Only then did Zhang Yinghao realize that these soldiers no longer had the desire to kill the enemy, but were only thinking about how to save their lives. How could they possibly hold their guns properly and shoot if they didn't even dare to show their heads? How could someone who was always thinking about escaping have the mind to aim and shoot?

Zhang Yinghao nodded at the two snipers, who immediately retreated from the crowd and disappeared. Zhang Yinghao then came to Kui Jun and said, "Have you thought it through? If you tell them to surrender now, not only will you two not die, but those people won't die either. If they continue to resist, they'll have no way out and will inevitably die. Once they're dead, you'll be of no use."

"You really don't intend to kill us?"

"Would I be able to eat your meat if I killed you? It would only take a word for us to attack. I simply don't want to cause any more bloodshed. There are over 20,000 people in the city. I know you're not afraid of death, but you should also think about the people inside, right?"

Kuijun complained in his heart, "I'm scared to death," but he still said, "What do you want me to do?"

So he said to the people around him: "Cease fire first."

No one fired here, and immediately no one in the city fired. Then he said to Kui Jun: "Look, the people inside also know that the situation is hopeless. Now it's up to you. Tell them to surrender, and I will guarantee their safety."

Then he took a loudspeaker-shaped microphone from the person behind him who was responsible for persuading the surrender and handed it to Kuijun.

Kuijun glanced at Zhang Yinghao, who remained silent, then took the microphone and slowly walked out, shouting, "Don't shoot, don't shoot. I am Kuijun, the Governor of Sichuan. Don't shoot. We are surrounded. Everyone, stop resisting. Lay down your weapons and surrender. Ensure your safety. No one will kill you. We all need to think about the women and children at home..."

Zhang Yinghao heard Governor Kuijun speak so fluently, as if he had said it several times before. Perhaps he had rehearsed it many times in his mind on the way here.

Zhang Yinghao said to the comrade who was holding the bullhorn: "Have you tried to persuade them to surrender before?"

"Chairman, we have already persuaded them to surrender according to the plan, and the content was also prepared in advance." Group number of this book: 775111838

Zhang Yinghao smiled, knowing that what he meant by "training" was to divide and disintegrate the people inside and let them hide back home when the city was broken.

“How’s the effect?”

"The effect is not good, Chairman. In fact, it is very easy for us to just attack directly. The Manchus inside are completely unprepared."

Zhang Yinghao smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he looked up at Kuijun's back, thinking he might be able to use him in the future. If the opportunity arose, he might even do business with him. He turned and said, "Kuijun is a man who values ​​his life. We might need him after we return to Beijing. Let's investigate whether he's committed massacres or other murders. If not, we'll detain him. Do you have any objections?"

"No." "No."

Zhang Yinghao was still watching the entire city, thinking about how to blast it in the fastest way. After all, if the people inside didn't surrender, there was no way the entire city would remain here, so blasting it was the best option.

Suddenly, a man on the city wall stood up and shouted loudly: "Don't believe them, these Han dogs..."

Before he could finish his words, a gunshot rang out, and the Manchu who had shouted fell. Zhang Yinghao knew it was the sniper's masterpiece, but he had no desire to praise him now. He suddenly realized a serious problem. This was not the Xinhai Revolution, and the revolutionary wave had not yet begun. These Manchus, due to long-term isolation, had lost trust in the Han people. The Manchus among them would never surrender. It seemed that they had taken things for granted. Without investigation, they had no right to speak. Since persuasion to surrender was unsuccessful, it seemed that a strong attack was the only option. Now he had Kui Jun, who could be used. After the conquest, he would leave the task of appeasement to him.

Zhang Yinghao no longer hesitated and said to the frontline commander: "Can our artillery blow up that door?"

"can."

"Is the tunnel finished?" "It's already under the wall." "Is the ladder ready?" "Yes."

Zhang Yinghao took two steps forward, pulled Kuijun in and said, "It seems that we can only

After the storm, immediately give the order to blow up the gate immediately. "Then the fire will extend inside. If the gate is not blocked by stones, blow the charge horn after two rounds. It is best to take it down in one go. If it is blocked,

"If you open the gate, blast the wall immediately. If that doesn't work, use a ladder to rush in."

"Yes."

Zhang Yinghao said three plans in one breath, and sure enough, he saw two cannons fired, and the city gate shattered. But the inside was full of stones, and there was no way

Then there was a shout of detonation, and a moment later, there was a loud bang, and the whole city wall was like a monster suddenly lifted up from the ground.

The city wall was as fragile as a piece of tofu and was directly lifted into the sky.

A gap about ten meters wide appeared before Zhang Yinghao's eyes. The shockwave made him feel like vomiting. Zhang Yinghao suppressed the urge to vomit and shouted to the bugler: "Blow the charge."

The charge horn blared, and the revolutionary soldiers rushed through the gap like tigers out of a cage. Zhang Yinghao no longer had any interest in this low-intensity battle; the outcome was already determined. Zhang Yinghao had recovered by now, but his ears were still ringing. He walked over and pulled Kui Jun, who was pretending to be dead on the ground, to his feet.

"You go in now and appease the Manchus inside. Do you understand?" "Yes, yes, yes, I'll go right away."

As he was about to run inside, Zhang Yinghao thought Kuijun was probably still stunned by the explosion and hadn't recovered yet. He quickly grabbed him, bent down, picked up the speaker from the ground and handed it to Kuijun.

"Go ahead, I'll send you off when you're done." "Yes, yes, I'll definitely do it."

"Let's go. We just took Chengdu, and now there are so many things to deal with. Let's go to the government office first and sort out the information inside, so that we won't be in the dark about the future work here."

"Walk."

"it is good."

Zhang Yinghao had little hope for the other things in Chengdu; they were mostly things from the past. However, there were two things that Zhang Yinghao cared about most. The first was silver. Not just the silver in the warehouses, but also the silver hidden in the homes of high-ranking Qing officials. All of this needed to be confiscated. Foreign trade now depended on Zhang Yinghao's actual gold and silver. Without silver, Zhang Yinghao's trade would decline.

Sichuan, including Chongqing, was a large province during this era, with an annual fiscal revenue of over 10 million taels. This was no small sum for Zhang Yinghao. Of course, there wasn't much cash in the treasury right now, as tax collection hadn't really arrived yet. However, Zhang Yinghao felt that if not hundreds of thousands of taels, there must be at least hundreds of thousands.

Sure enough, in the end, only a little over 400,000 taels of silver were found in the treasury. However, Zhang Yinghao was not discouraged at all. He arrested all the officials in Chengdu and easily confiscated millions of taels of silver from their homes, not including antiques, calligraphy and paintings.

After hearing this, Zhang Yinghao was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. No wonder Li Zicheng was so popular when he arrived in the capital. These officials were really too fat.

However, Zhang Yinghao didn't even bother to look at the money. It was pointless; it would eventually end up in someone else's hands. Zhang Yinghao was only happy for a moment before saying calmly, "Just register it and give me a total account at the end."

The seizures did not end there. According to information provided by the Intelligence Bureau, Zhang Yinghao and his team finally seized a batch of silver dollars and machines from the Sichuan Silver Dollar Bureau.

In June of the 22nd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Sichuan Governor Lu Chuanlin requested to purchase machinery and set up a factory to mint silver coins, citing a shortage of minted coins and low silver prices in Sichuan. He used the vacant land of the Sichuan Machinery Bureau to establish the Silver Dollar Bureau.

In April of the 24th year of the Guangxu reign, the machines were gradually delivered and installed, and minting began in July. In the 25th year, the imperial court ordered that the minting of silver dollars in various provinces be transferred to Hubei and Guangdong, and thus the minting was suspended. After Kui Jun took office, he re-established the Silver Dollar Bureau and minted silver dollars on behalf of Yunnan, as Sichuan was remote and difficult to access.

The second place that Zhang Yinghao paid attention to was the Sichuan Machinery Bureau. The Sichuan Silver Dollar Bureau and the Sichuan Machinery Bureau were representatives of Sichuan's modern finance and industry. Kui Jun expanded the Sichuan Machinery Bureau on the basis of the original one and bought a lot of machines.

Zhang Yinghao immediately ordered Deng Haidong, an overseas student invited by Chen Yiwei, to take over and said, "The Machinery Bureau must begin production soon. The key is ammunition. Also, find all the workers in the Machinery Manufacturing Bureau, especially the skilled workers, and go door to door to invite them back to the factory immediately. Also, modernize the Machinery Bureau and remove all supervisors and those who are just sitting there doing nothing. We must increase production efficiency."

"Yes."

Zhang Yinghao was well aware that factories in this era were bound to have a large number of people with connections. These people were incompetent at work, but they enjoyed a life of idleness. If these people were not cleared out, it would definitely be a serious blow to morale.

The Qing dynasty's urban institutions were remarkably comprehensive; otherwise, they wouldn't have ruled China for nearly three centuries. However, the Qing dynasty also suffered from numerous feudal flaws, such as a lack of clear separation of powers and responsibilities, and a chaotic system that needs to be addressed. Another major issue within the feudal system was that imperial authority did not extend beyond the county level. While county magistrates could be replaced by the imperial court, the lower-level officials, while officially subject to replacement, were often hereditary.

The original meaning of "officials" refers to officials who manage state affairs, but over time, the two gradually separated, forming a situation where officials were superior and clerks were inferior. By the Qing Dynasty, the status of clerks was even lower, and if they were not in the ninth rank or eighteenth grade, they were not even considered to be in the official ranks.

"Li" (li) was originally a term for officials. In ancient times, including the Qin and Han dynasties, li was actually considered an official, and this concept persisted into the Ming and Qing dynasties. For example, the department responsible for selecting and promoting civil servants was called the "Ministry of Personnel." Local governors were also called "Fengjiang Dali," and officials with talent and achievements were called "Xunli." However, these conceptual terms were used only in specific contexts; generally, the distinction between officials and li was clear.

Although the status of clerks was not high, they were a group that constantly influenced the government affairs in the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Jiaqing once said that "this dynasty and the clerks share the world". In fact, many affairs of the local and even central governments were nominally led by officials, but in reality, they were all carried out by clerks.

Work.

The situation Zhang Yinghao is facing now is still the problem of these officials. When he was in Guang'an, those officials could be employed after re-education, but now in Chengdu, if there is no cooperation from these officials, then Zhang Yinghao will be in trouble.

The work has to start all over again. Because a lot of information is not recorded in writing, it is in the minds of these clerks, and these clerks are through

This is how we monopolize the job.

Zhang Yinghao had the courage to change course, but doing so would inevitably impact many aspects of his work. Therefore, he had no choice but to compromise, maintaining everything as it was, with reforms to come later. This was a pragmatic approach; it wasn't that Zhang Yinghao intentionally let these officials off the hook, but rather that he employed different strategies for each situation. Of course, Zhang Yinghao wouldn't let these officials go unchecked; he would definitely conduct a thorough review and investigation.

Zhang Yinghao has taken Chengdu now, but he is not going to start construction immediately. His goal is still the same, to temporarily feed the countryside through the city. Even if Zhang Yinghao gives up Chengdu, he will not give up the countryside.

Zhang Yinghao fully understood where his strength came from, so he personally led his team to Chengdu. With no industry to speak of, agriculture was his top priority, and it couldn't be emphasized enough. As for Chengdu's urban problems, Zhang Yinghao had no specific plans for action; he simply needed to maintain the status quo. Faced with a talent shortage, Zhang Yinghao could only focus on the city's primary contradictions.

Chapter 158:

After the city walls were breached, the defenders immediately fled, hiding in their homes. Because the attack was so swift, those attempting to set fires or loot were executed by the revolutionary army. Furthermore, the Qing army was completely unprepared, advancing at breakneck speed, and little street fighting occurred. Zhang Yinghao observed Chengdu from within, and found that the battle had caused no significant damage to the city.

Zhang Yinghao immediately issued a notice and sent relevant personnel to announce that the shops would be open as usual and that the Qing officials would report to the relevant locations immediately.

One thing is most important. As the saying goes: firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea. Man is iron and rice is steel; if you skip a meal, you'll be hungry. Zhang Yinghao immediately sent comrades to the stores selling grain, oil, and other daily necessities to warn them not to raise prices.

While Chengdu was busy sorting out the situation, Zhang Feng, anxiously waiting, finally received the news from Zhang Yinghao.

News. In the past few days, Zhang Feng and Liu Xinsheng have met many times and have made sufficient preparations. The troops have also been secretly moved into place. At the same time, a large amount of arms have been secretly transported into Chongqing to arm the party members who are ready to act together. Zhang Feng and Liu Xinsheng both believe that Chongqing only needs to bring a team.

It was flattened as soon as you walked on it.

Zhang Feng put away the telegram and looked up at the sky. It was noon. He couldn't help laughing three times and said, "God is really helping me."

The signalman was immediately ordered to send a signal. When the red and green flares shot up and exploded, countless people looked up at the sky, wondering why someone would set off fireworks in the daytime, and these fireworks were colorful and truly beautiful. The moment the revolutionary army saw the signal, two thousand well-prepared troops rushed directly to the arsenal. Other troops also marched towards their own targets. The comrades in Chongqing took the opportunity to occupy the government treasury and government offices.

Liu Xinsheng was filled with pride. This time, they were so thoroughly prepared. Although many of his Chongqing comrades had never seen blood, he still had full confidence in his comrades. Liu Xinsheng had already explored these areas many times and knew the situation inside very well. Furthermore, the Qing forces in Chongqing were completely defenseless, so he could wipe out the reactionary forces today.