The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Manzhen nodded. This was exactly what he had been thinking. Otherwise, the provincial capital would be occupied. How powerful must the rebels be? If there were such a powerful rebel force, they would have exposed the whole thing long ago. It only showed how incompetent the Sichuan Governor was. He was actually deceived by such a small trick.

"Is there any news from Jinyang now?"

"Sir, there's so much news out there, it's hard to tell which is true and which is false."

"Tell me everything."

"Sir, some say that Jinyang has been taken down by these rebels. Some say they're still besieging the city, others say it's just a few bandits who are harming the country folk, and that a large number of refugees are actually gathering at the city gates. There are so many reports, and I don't know which one is true and which one is false, so I can only wait and see. However, Jinyang should be fine, otherwise we would definitely be able to get accurate information here..."

"Sir, this is the best room we have here. Where do you think your subordinates should be arranged?"

Manzhen looked around and found that the environment was indeed very good, but the surroundings were particularly quiet. Manzhen didn't care, after all, this was how the government troops entered the city in the past.

"That's all right. You can put them in these houses outside. Go and get us something to eat and drink."

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away. My lord, would you like me to find a girl to warm your feet?"

Man Frame thought about it for a moment and said, "No, let's get the brothers some food now."

"Okay."

The next day, Xiao Hao came to report to Zhang Yinghao, saying, "Chairman, the Qing army's vanguard troops have been completely eliminated."

Zhang Yinghao replied: "Huh? So sharp? What method did you use? You didn't even hear any sound?"

"Hehe, I just treated these people to a meal of croton. Besides, is this cavalryman without a horse still a cavalryman?"

"Oh, that's a pretty good idea. It's true, even a strong man can't handle three bowels. But, our cavalry may be cavalry, but you can't train them to be weaklings once they're off their horses. If you do that, I'll have to withdraw you. The cavalry I want is mounted infantry. Remember, it's mounted infantry. The horse is just a tool; the key is the strength of the soldiers."

"Yes."

"Okay, we may not be able to get enough horses for a cavalry regiment. But we

Then we can think of a solution from the troops behind. Okay, you will be deployed on the high ground on both sides of Cuiyun Corridor north of Hanyang Town and prepare.

"Chairman, what if the Qing troops don't all enter the ambush circle?" "The encirclement is more than ten kilometers long, so it should be enough. Even if some of the people behind don't enter the encirclement, it doesn't matter. Comrade Chen Linong and Comrade Zhang Jianping should have occupied Jianmen Pass by then. In any case, it's like counting money in a sack. The duck is already in your mouth, so why worry about them escaping?"

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao thought of another problem, and immediately ordered two platoons of communicators to mount their war horses, disguise themselves as the enemy's vanguard, and advance towards Jiange County in order to confuse the enemy.

In fact, upon receiving news that the vanguard had entered Jianmen Pass, Jilongduo ordered a full-speed advance, aiming for Jiange County before camping. Unexpectedly, the two locations, which appeared to be very close on the map, ended up going in circles, and they still hadn't reached them for ages. Furthermore, the road was incredibly difficult to navigate, especially for those carrying baggage, as it was like an ant moving house.

The entire team was filled with complaints, many suffering from back pain and leg cramps. They could only cover a few miles in an hour, and it wasn't until late in the evening that the team reached Jianmen Pass. By then, the sky was clear and rosy with colorful clouds, perfectly fulfilling the saying that a sunset is infinitely beautiful.

Jianshan Mountain, with its 72 peaks, stretches for hundreds of miles. Here, a mountain pass forms, 150 meters high, 100 meters at the top, and just over 50 meters wide at the base. The eastern peak of the pass is Yingpanzui, the western peak is Jincheng Mountain, and the pass itself is known as Jianmen. Jianmen Pass is located at the mouth of the canyon between the cliffs of Yingpanzui and Jincheng Mountain.

Looking up from the bottom of the pass, under the illumination of the colorful clouds, you can see the mountain peaks like swords, and the stone walls on both sides are as sharp as knives and axes, facing each other like a door. It is really "two cliffs face each other to face the sky, and when you look up you can only see a line of sky", "the chaotic rocks embrace the dark sky of Shu, and the two swords form a gate among the peaks".

The three-story Jianmen Pass Tower stands majestically amidst the sheer cliffs. Anyone entering Sichuan from Shaanxi or leaving Sichuan for Shaanxi must pass through the gate below the tower. Securing this pass is equivalent to securing the gateway to Sichuan and Shaanxi.

Therefore, after Zhang Yinghao voluntarily abandoned this place, the Sichuan rebels were no longer in Jilongduo's sight. Defeating such a group of rebels with no military knowledge should be a piece of cake. This place could be very well defended with very few men. A row of men stood atop the gate tower, staring vigilantly at the Jiange Road outside the pass. A battalion of troops could be stationed on each side of the mountain, and everything would be fine.

Jilongduo's heart was suddenly filled with heroic spirit. It was time for him to make great achievements. As he reached Jianmen Pass, Jilongduo was even more possessed by the immortal poet. With great heroic spirit, he recited Li Bai's "The Difficult Road to Shu" in his Mandarin:

Oh, how high and dangerous it is!

Jiange is a steep and rugged fortress; a single man guarding the fortress can hold ten thousand men back. Those guarding it are often not relatives, but wolves and jackals.

In the morning, I avoid fierce tigers; in the evening, I avoid long snakes; I grind my teeth and suck blood, killing people like flies. Although the brocade city is said to be fun, it is better to return home early.

The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky. I look westward and sigh deeply.

After the recitation, Jilongduo burst into laughter, suddenly filled with heroic spirit. He waved his hand and said, regardless of the soldiers' fatigue: "Leave one hundred men behind, and the rest of the troops will set off. We will spend the night in Jiange County tonight and march to Mianyang tomorrow!"

Surrounded by guards, the group left the inner gate tower of Jianmen Pass, mounted their horses and headed down the mountain.

Chapter 185:

Ever since Zhuge Liang established Jianmen Pass, it has been garrisoned by troops throughout the dynasties. After Man-frame, the vanguard, captured the pass, he left behind ammunition and provisions, along with a hundred men to garrison. Ji Longduo, recognizing the importance of Jianmen Pass, also left behind a hundred men. Given Jianmen Pass's strategic location, where a single man could hold a thousand at bay, a garrison of two hundred men would normally be impossible to capture from outside. Ji Longduo believed that anyone attempting to capture Jianmen Pass would need wings.

After the Jilongduo tribe had all passed Jianmen Pass, the Qing soldiers defending Jianmen Pass immediately relaxed their vigilance. They had been marching for a whole day and were exhausted. Now that their superiors had left, they naturally began to slack off.

Unfortunately, Jilongduo didn't know that this was not an ordinary situation, and the revolutionary army was not an ordinary team attacking Jianmen Pass.

Chen Linong and Zhang Jianping led their team to hide well in the jungle on the south slope of Jianmen Pass and were not discovered by the Qing army. They watched Ji Longduo, who they had been waiting for for a long time, pass through Jianmen Pass. The two of them met eyes and decided to act immediately.

Chen Linong made a gesture, and the three companies immediately prepared to move forward. Chen Linong led one company to attack Yingpanzui, Zhang Jianping led another company to attack Jinchengshan, and the remaining three companies attacked Guanlou.

Dajian Mountain was dark at night, and serene beneath the moonlight. Tonight, the minor Green Camp officer in charge of the southern outpost at Jianmen Pass was named Mu Longtai. Mu Longtai was a man of many evil deeds. While his superiors were around, he was fine. When they weren't around, he bullied and harassed anyone who didn't align with him.

Mulongtai looked at the sky and immediately arranged for those he disliked to keep watch. He and a few of his closest associates were about to go to bed. Suddenly, one of them shouted, "Why do you get to rest?"

Mulongtai turned around, took a quick glance, and knew who had said it. He snorted coldly: "Say it again!"

"Just tell me. Don't you know I've been on guard all day? Why do you want me to stand guard at night?"

"Oh, oh, you're right. Others either give me opium paste or silver as a gift, but you're nothing. If I don't ask you to stand guard, who else should I ask?"

Mulongtai walked over and kicked the man who was talking in the abdomen, saying, "You think you are right? Here you have to listen to me. What's the point of being right..."

The fallen soldier was quite tough. He held his stomach and didn't make a sound. After a while, he really couldn't make any sound anymore.

The soldier on guard felt the man's breath and heard a strange cry of "Oh my god!", followed by repeated "Someone's dead, someone's dead."

Mulongtai stopped, walked over, and slapped the man who was shouting, saying, "What are you yelling about? He deserves to be beaten to death in my presence. How dare you talk back to me? You'll throw him into the ravine and let the wolves and dogs eat him up. Do you hear me?"

The person who was shouting suddenly felt as if his neck was being strangled. He dared not make a sound and looked at Mulongtai in horror.

Mulontai said in a louder voice: "Did you hear that?"

The man who was shouting seemed to have just woken up from a dream. He immediately knelt down, kowtowed and said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, I will do it right away."

Mulongtai heard this and waved his hands, his interest immediately waning. He turned and planned to go back to rest. To him, killing a man was easier than killing a dog. Before leaving, he casually glanced down at the gatehouse. What he saw shocked him! Oh my god! There seemed to be someone down there. Just as he opened his mouth to scream, he heard a whoosh and a small arrow lodged in his throat. He immediately grabbed his throat with both hands, but blood gushed out of his mouth. He collapsed to the ground with his eyes wide open, his eyes still open.

Several soldiers standing on the gate tower were surprised to see Mulongtai fall backwards. He was just beating someone, how could he die suddenly? Could it be that God really had eyes and Mulongtai died suddenly? Just as they were hesitating whether to go and take a look, several more small arrows flew over, and several soldiers fell to the ground with horrified eyes.

Seeing that he had dealt with the sentry on the gate tower, he raised his hand and with a "grab" sound,

The small iron claws were firmly clasped on the guardrail of the gatehouse. They exerted strength with their hands and jumped up to the gatehouse with a few steps.

The soldiers of the third company surged up the stairs to the gate tower. The sentry standing guard at the front of the gate tower was killed before he could even utter a word. The Qing soldiers sleeping in the gate tower could never have imagined that they would be captured without hearing a single gunshot.

Yingpanzui has been a strategic position for defending Jianmen Pass since ancient times. Starting with Jiang Wei in the Three Kingdoms period, Yingpanzui served as a natural garrison for garrisons. The hilltop is relatively open and covered with thorny bushes, making it a convenient place to conceal fortifications. It borders the Jianmen cliffs to the north, the Jianmen Pass to the west, and the Houguan Gate to the east. It enjoys a strategic position on three sides, with only the southern slope gently sloping, connecting to Jianmen Field, making it suitable for garrisoning large forces.

After Chen Linong led the soldiers to the camp, they happened to encounter the enemy checking the sentry in the fortifications. The soldiers got out of the bushes and rushed forward with bayonets.

There were bursts of "puff, puff" sounds, and all the enemies in the fortifications went to my grandmother's house.

After Chen Linong captured the enemy commander, he simply cut a small wound on the enemy's hand with a dagger, and the guy obediently took him to his battalion headquarters.

When they arrived at the enemy camp, the sentry on guard was pinned to the ground by Chen Cong, who had just captured him. The Qing army commander standing behind him was stunned. Oh my God, there is such a way to kill people!

After being captured, the enemy battalion commander, under Chen Linong's coercion, told Chen Linong everything he knew about the deployment of troops near Jianmen Pass. Even after finishing his confession, the enemy battalion commander trembled in fear, fearing that this killer would perform a personal autopsy on him.

The garrison at Jincheng Mountain was composed of similar people. At this time, except for the sentries, all the other soldiers were asleep in the fortifications. When Zhang Jianping led his troops to the fortifications, all the sentries were looking at the front of Jianmen Pass, and no one paid attention to the back.

Rear.

So Zhang Jianping used his flying knife, each knife was fatal. After quickly dealing with the sentry,

The troops dispersed and captured prisoners in the fortifications. After capturing the prisoners, the careful Zhang Jianping counted the number of people and only after he was sure that the number was correct did he send a signal to indicate that the battle was over.

complete.

The recovery of Jianmen Pass also meant that the final strategy of closing the gate and beating the dog had reached its final stage. Although Zhang Yinghao did not know that Jianmen Pass had been taken, he knew that even if it was not taken, the fate of these Qing soldiers was almost certain.

The canyon from Jianmen Pass to Cuiyun Corridor was restricted by the terrain, and at dusk, there was only one path from beginning to end, making it difficult to see the road. Furthermore, Jilongduo, feeling arrogant and eager to spend the night in Jiange County, had not sent out any search forces and simply charged straight into the encirclement.

Zhang Yinghao watched from afar as the Qing troops charged headfirst into the encirclement, breathing a sigh of relief. He knew the trouble in Shaanxi was almost over. With these horses, next time, it wouldn't be the Qing troops attacking him, but he could take the initiative and sweep across the northwest.

Just as the entire Qing army entered the encirclement, a red firework suddenly shot into the sky with a resounding explosion. Several flares were then launched into the sky, and the previously dark world suddenly became incredibly bright. The Qing troops, still unsure of what was happening, paused, each looking in the direction of the fireworks. Then, one after another, booming explosions echoed from the front and back. These were the detonations of several explosive packs planted on either side, almost instantly cutting off their retreat and forward routes.

At this time, even the dumbest person would know what was going on. They had been ambushed. The Qing army was in an instant of chaos. Jilongduo had no way to control his soldiers because they had no idea what was going on. The Qing army's command system had completely failed.

At this point, Jilongduo finally came to his senses. He realized that he had been arrogant and underestimated the enemy, and had been advancing rashly. This was a life-or-death situation. Regardless of how many troops he could still control, Jilongduo immediately gave orders to those around him: "The front team will charge forward, and the rear team will turn and break out towards Jianmen Pass."

At this time, the Gansu-Shaanxi Green Camp's bloodlust was fully aroused due to the harsh living environment they had faced year after year. It was then that Zhang Yinghao realized that these Gansu-Shaanxi Green Camp cavalry rarely used guns, and most of them only had sabers. When they charged, brandishing sabers, they were truly imposing.

Seeing this, Zhang Yinghao knew it was all due to his preconceived notions from his time travel. He'd assumed the Gansu and Shaanxi Green Camp were tough, and so he'd treated them with great respect. They were certainly tough; these men could easily roam the vast Northwest, wielding a saber with ease. But in the age of firearms, this so-called bravery was foolishness.

At this time, the more stupid the enemy is, the better it is for you. At this time, Zhang Yinghao also had no mercy, and the bullets from the rifle kept banging out. The man in front was killed, and the horse was still running. In the end, the horse was also killed on the way to the charge. It wasn't long before the cavalry was getting closer and closer to the gap. When it was about to break through, two tongues of fire suddenly shot out from both sides. This was the crossfire of heavy machine guns. The bullets fired in an instant were completely beyond the reach of infantry. In a short while, the bullets fired by the machine guns exceeded the total bullets fired by the rifles. The entire road was unbearable to ride, and the corpses piled up to form a wall of corpses.

At this point, some Qing troops dismounted and began climbing the hills to either side, preparing to break out and escape. They no longer had any desire to loot. It was truly terrifying. The Sichuan rebels were truly terrifying. These Shaanxi-Gansu Green Camp troops had never seen such a battle before; it was a one-sided massacre. Suddenly, countless torches lit up on both sides. After two rounds of gunfire, it was unknown how many people were killed. Then, the revolutionary army began shouting words of surrender.

"Listen up, Qing troops below! We are the glorious People's Revolutionary Army. Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately, or we will open fire."

After he finished speaking, he heard several gunshots, and the shells exploded immediately in the crowd after they hit the ground.

Then the revolutionary army shouted: "Everyone put down your weapons, hold your hands

Head out to the sides, don't hold any weapons, or you will be shot immediately."

Zhang Yinghao listened for a moment, then turned back to the headquarters. He could still hear faint wailing behind him. Since he had come here, Zhang Yinghao couldn't just leave. He had to establish a grassroots government here before leaving. Shortly after returning to the headquarters, Hu Songhui came in and said, "Chairman, the remaining Qing troops have all surrendered."

"Okay, I see. Songhui, what do you think is the key to controlling the Northwest?"

"Does the Chairman mean to send troops to the northwest?"

"Send troops? No rush. We still have so much to do in Sichuan! Why go out? But if you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. Sooner or later, we will have to leave the Northwest."

Hu Songhui said without hesitation: "Tongguan." "That's right and that's not right."

"How do you say this?"

"Haha, controlling Tongguan practically cuts off the Qing dynasty's main connection with the Northwest. Or rather, it's a geographical connection, so Tongguan is extremely important. However, at any time, the key is people. If we can't bring a better life to the people of the Northwest, then occupying any place is meaningless. It doesn't matter who occupies it. The Northwest might just become a huge burden. Just like the Qing dynasty, what else is the Northwest if not a burden?"

"Chairman, do you mean the prisoners outside?"

"Haha, it's easy to talk to smart people. The Qing army is actually a place full of oppression. If you investigate, you will know that in the Qing army, if a leader beats a subordinate to death, it's fine. So as long as we do a good job of eliminating counter-revolutionaries in the Qing army, we will be able to easily control this army. Although the people of the Northwest are brave, they are more likely to obey power. We will eliminate those ruffians and bullies in the Qing army through the anti-revolutionary campaign and reform them. After all, the future liberation of the Northwest cannot be achieved without people like them."

"it is good."

"This isn't your business. This is for the comrades in the political department. Look."

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao pointed to a young comrade who was taking notes at the back. Hu Songhui knew that many of Zhang Yinghao's orders were given orally by him, and then sorted out by the secretariat and sent to various units, so he didn't take it seriously and continued to listen to Zhang Yinghao's speech.

Chapter 186: Thanks for the tip and more chapters!

"Comrade Zhao Liang, who was previously sent to Shaanxi, sent a report that shows that things are going well there, as well as in the Dabie Mountains. This proves that the Qing Dynasty's rule is like a sieve, full of holes."

Zhang Yinghao pointed at the Qing map and said, "With such a vast area, if we only send troops from Sichuan, reaching all parts of the country will be difficult. Transportation and logistics issues aside, as outsiders, we'll undoubtedly be unfamiliar with the local conditions upon arrival. The language barrier is also a major issue, and conflicts with the locals are inevitable. How do you think this problem can be resolved?"

"Chairman, let's not talk about other provinces. Even in Sichuan alone, many places don't speak the same language. It's like a chicken speaking to a duck. How can we get work done like that? Even if we could communicate through language, all the places that have made progress have only improved after developing local Party members and cadres."

"Haha, you hit the nail on the head. Without developing local Party members and cadres, our work will be twice as effective for half the results. And local cadres can achieve twice the result with half the effort. What do you think we should do?"

"Does the Chairman want to send a large number of Party members and cadres out of Sichuan?"

"You got the answer right, but there's no prize. There's no rush for this. We can slowly send Party members from all over the country to work. But for now, let's focus on doing a good job in Sichuan and here."

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao pointed at Tongguan and said, "However, please pay more attention to Tongguan. We will definitely need your 007 here. Our first stop after leaving Sichuan must be to control this place. Whether we can close the door and beat the dog again depends on whether we can take Tongguan."

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao clapped his hands hard on Shaanxi's position. "Yes."

"Now let's talk about the bandit suppression in Guangyuan. How about it? Have you ever visited Jianmen Pass?"

"Going there really opened my eyes. It's a great place where one man can hold his own against ten thousand."

"Yes, but the bandits in this area are not ordinary. At the junction of three provinces, the terrain is too complex, and many places are easy to defend but difficult to attack. If a few dozen people hide there, many people will not be able to find them! Therefore, the bandit suppression work here still cannot do without you, 007."

"Haha, no problem, just treat it as training."

At the time, Xufu, later known as Yibin, was a major city in southern Sichuan, close to Yunnan and Guizhou, and a thriving commercial and trade hub. Consequently, it was home to numerous banks and money houses, relatively primitive financial institutions responsible for settlement and exchange. These banks occupied a crucial position in Qing Dynasty society, with numerous large banks operating throughout the country and generating substantial profits.

In Zhang Yinghao's view, there's a fundamental difference between money houses and banks. Banks must provide profits to depositors, and they themselves also need to earn profits, so they inevitably seek development to promote social progress. However, money houses are different. While they also pursue profits, depositors who deposit money with them not only receive no interest but also pay a storage fee. In other words, money houses are simply large vaults; even if society stagnates, they still generate income.

The arrival of the revolutionary army in southern Sichuan completely disrupted the existing local environment, triggering a massive run on banks and bill shops. With the impending arrival of the revolutionary army, landlords, gentry, Manchu bureaucrats, wealthy individuals, and well-informed individuals naturally became aware of the revolutionary army's policies and sought to withdraw their deposits and flee. Due to the staggering wealth accumulated within the banks, the initial run was averted. However, upon hearing the news, ordinary people also flocked to the banks and bill shops to withdraw their money, leading to a run on the banks. Many weaker banks were forced to close due to the run, further exacerbating the public's panic and causing a rush to withdraw their funds.

When Ouyang Jun arrived in Xu Prefecture, he was faced with such a chaotic situation. Ouyang Jun had attended Zhang Yinghao's lectures and had a general idea of ​​what a money bank or bill exchange was.

Upon arriving in Xu Prefecture, Ouyang Jun immediately convened a meeting of the bankers and money houses to discuss how to address the surge in withdrawals. This surge in withdrawals naturally indicated a loss of confidence in the banks and money houses. To maintain stability in Xu Prefecture and boost public confidence, Ouyang Jun immediately announced that he would deposit the one million taels of silver he had brought with him into the bank and money houses. He then proceeded to transport cartloads of silver to the banks and money houses in front of the entire city.

After this propaganda, the people's mood soon stabilized, and the financial system of Xuzhou was also stabilized. The people of Xuzhou and these merchants immediately developed a favorable impression of the revolutionary army.

For the banks, as long as they could stabilize the public's confidence and prevent bank runs, they could be considered to have passed this crisis. For the common people, even the newly arrived troops were depositing cartloads of money into the banks, so how could they lose their own money? So they simply stopped withdrawing money. Consequently, more than half of the banks in Xu Prefecture survived this crisis.

Ouyang Jun arrived in Xu Prefecture and quickly resolved the crisis facing the banks. However, he also understood the base's financial policies and the need for the Forward Party to establish a unified financial market. These banks and money houses might soon be completely eliminated, and all public and private financial institutions would be brought under a unified financial system. The owners of these banks and money houses might no longer be able to obtain banking licenses, their banks and money houses failing to compete with the base's banks and ultimately going bankrupt.

While the Ouyang Army's propaganda about transporting silver was true, the silver was still under the Revolutionary Army's custody, and at most, they were using their warehouses to store it. Just kidding, wouldn't it be foolish of them to deposit their own money in these banks? At this moment, the Ouyang Army only wanted temporary stability in Xuzhou. As for the fate of these banks and bill exchanges, the Ouyang Army didn't care at all.

After stabilizing order in Xu Prefecture, Ouyang Jun turned his attention to the local landlords, bandits, and bullies. He first dispatched troops to publicly bring to justice those landlords, bandits, and bullies who had caused widespread public outrage and had not yet fled, according to intelligence gathered by the military. Just as he was about to crack down on the bandits and implement land reform, news arrived that troops had been dispatched from Yunnan and Guizhou.