1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 21

One tael of silver for a meal, and tomorrow, let alone the Northern Expedition to Wuchang, even if we directly attack the Central Plains and march on Beijing, the soldiers will all follow you!

Chapter 37 The Northern Expedition

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the wind was biting cold.

Although the Spring Festival had arrived, the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1906 was anything but warm.

Although it wasn't snowing, the temperature was only three or four degrees Celsius. Such weather was actually unsuitable for large-scale military operations, and even the Qing court didn't consider going out to fight and quell the rebellion at this time.

But Zhao Yan had no choice. If he stayed in Changsha, the number of people gathering would only increase, especially during the Chinese New Year.

If the New Year is over, and it happens to be the time for people to go out to work, then all those people who have no work, no food, no land will immediately flock here.

Zhao Yan must seize the opportunity to launch a northern expedition. If he doesn't leave soon, his more than 100,000 troops will be eating and drinking in Changsha. Forget about military pay, they'll eat Changsha out of house and home with just three meals a day.

Thus, Zhao Yan, displaying the same spirit as when he first attacked the three dukes at nine o'clock and stormed Guangdong overnight on the first day of the lunar new year, launched the Northern Expedition.

As the army set off, everyone unanimously invited Zhao Yan to say a few words and hold a swearing-in ceremony before the expedition.

Unable to refuse, Zhao Yan climbed the Changsha city wall and, facing the overwhelming army of 100,000, began a brief speech.

"Leaving aside everything else, this Northern Expedition has only one goal: our 100,000-strong army must fight with the spirit of 100,000 men!"

"We will have silver, we will have land, we will have wives, and we will have everything that the Manchus have!"

"If we can't get rich, and if the Manchus are still riding roughshod over us, then this Northern Expedition will never be over!"

"Alright, that's all for now. Everyone, let's get going and celebrate the Lantern Festival in Wuchang! I'll treat you all to tangyuan (sweet rice balls) with red bean paste and white sugar filling!"

"set off!"

Giving speeches to soldiers and commoners is that simple and brutal. They promise everything they need: food, drink, money, local women, and so on. Then they just lead their men to attack.

"Northern Expedition, Northern Expedition!"

"Long live the Führer!"

Sure enough, the army fell for it. They said all those ideologies and ideals were just empty words; they were just desperate to survive and their lives were too hard, which was why they came here to risk their lives.

The poorer we are, the more revolutionary we become; the more bitter the situation, the more determined we are!

The massive army of 100,000 began its northward march, passing through Miluo and then heading to Yueyang. They first attacked Jingzhou, and then stormed into the three towns of Wuhan.

Why attack Jingzhou first? Because Jingzhou has a Manchu city!

Zhao Yan must first satisfy the appetites of his 100,000-strong army before he can attack the three towns of Wuhan. Only in this way can he ensure that the three towns of Wuhan will not be destroyed by war.

With over 100,000 soldiers, their eyes gleaming with greed for silver, land, grain, and women, no matter how eloquent Zhao Yan was, he couldn't guarantee he could keep the situation under control.

It's better for a Manchu to die than for a Han to die, and it's better to destroy a Manchu city than a Han city!

Apart from the First Division of the Revolutionary Army, the rest of the 100,000-strong army could be considered a rabble. At most, Zhao Yan would let the new army serve as the backbone to lead the new recruits. They had the courage and fighting spirit to fight, but their actual combat skills were questionable.

The revolutionary army is now organized into the First Division, and the Provisional Brigades 2 to 7. Apart from the First Division, the other six Provisional Brigades are all large brigades with around 15,000 men.

This large force could have been organized into a division or even a small army, but Zhao Yan insisted on organizing it into brigades against all odds, and each provisional brigade commander was a temporary acting brigade commander with the rank of colonel.

Zhao Yan didn't want to have so many generals and officers leaving before even fighting a single battle. How could someone become a general without winning a single battle? It was only because of the victory of the Changsha Uprising that Wang Chongshan, the commander of the First Division, was awarded the rank of major general.

The rest of you should just go out and fight on the battlefield. If you're capable enough to wipe out the six Beiyang divisions, Zhao Yan won't object to awarding you the rank of marshal.

Zhao Yan would never agree to someone who lacks ability and only tries to take advantage of others to get promoted without any real skills.

The Nationalist government is the most typical example, with a chaotic military rank system, including official ranks, merit ranks, local ranks, and central ranks, resulting in a proliferation of various official positions and military ranks.

In the end, they even produced a colonel in his teens and a general in his early twenties. Can you believe it? Is this the kind of military rank that a normal person in a normal country can achieve at that age?

Therefore, Zhao Yan is now very strict. Apart from the old troops who joined the Changsha Uprising, all the new troops are given temporary ranks. Not only are they low-ranking, but they are also temporary.

If you don't fight a battle to fully prove your ability, who knows if you're worthy of it? After the battle, if nothing goes wrong, you'll be demoted and promoted to a permanent position; if something goes wrong, you'll be stripped of your rank. Those who have made contributions will be promoted to their original rank, and only those who have made great contributions will be promoted to a permanent position.

Those who newly joined the revolutionary army had no objections, because Zhao Yan's rank directly affected their treatment. He paid them real military pay without deducting any expenses for clothing or food. The amount stipulated was exactly what they would receive, and if they were short even a penny, they could complain to the party representative.

Before setting off, the 100,000-strong army received three months' worth of pay in advance according to their rank and seniority. They only set off after receiving the money. The troops who had participated in the Changsha Uprising received six months' worth of pay directly.

Zhao Yan poured all the money—more than 1.4 million yuan that Little Fatty Liu Shangsheng had raised from Songhu in Jiangnan, plus money from the Changsha treasury—into the project, leaving only 1 million yuan as a last-ditch effort to save the provisional government that remained in Changsha.

Zhao Yan has no habit of hiding things; wealth disperses and people gather, wealth gathers and people scatter—this is Zhao Yan's principle.

When you're out risking your life, what's the point of saving money? Just go all in, make your underlings scream with excitement, and without any worries, you can fight with peace of mind.

Zhao Yan kept his word, and no one doubted him anymore. The war hadn't even started yet, and everyone was already close to getting their hands on the burial money. Even if they died, they wouldn't lose money.

As for whether Zhao Yan would continue to share the money after winning the fight, no one had any doubts. They had already started sharing the money before the fight even started, so there was no need to doubt it after the fight was over.

Zhao Yan was also learning from a certain president who was in charge of air transport. Before taking action, he made sure to give the soldiers enough "red envelopes" (bribes) so that they would have the strength to fire their guns and knives.

The vast majority of the soldiers who received their pay mailed it home through the provisional government. The provisional government, in the name of the revolution, guaranteed that the money would be delivered safely and in full to the homes of every soldier.

Therefore, even though it was freezing cold and many soldiers were only wearing thin clothes and straw sandals, the revolutionary spirit of fearlessness was inspiring everyone, and there was not a single coward in the army.

Last night was the last chance to withdraw. Zhao Yan felt there were too many people and they were difficult to manage, so he said he would persuade some to leave, as he felt that a motley crew would not be very effective.

All the party representatives in the army talked themselves hoarse, and their travel expenses were doubled, but not a single person chose to quit. They all chose to take their military pay and bonuses and go to the front lines to risk their lives.

Now Zhao Yan has promised a real future and wealth, and no one complains of hardship or fatigue.

After the Northern Expeditionary Army set off, the three armies formed a long procession and marched along the predetermined route. The hot breath exhaled by the army directly countered the cold wind blowing in the sky.

Every soldier's eyes gleamed with hunger as they looked north, wishing they could teleport to Beijing right now for a decisive battle.

Zhao Yan, who was personally leading the army into battle, felt something was off about the troops' morale as he rode on his horse, so he asked.

"Commander Wang, why is the troop movement so quiet? It's a bit eerie. You're an expert, what's going on?"

Wang Chongshan swallowed hard and said, "Sir, this isn't quiet, this is murderous! I've been leading troops for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."

The army of 100,000 set off, and without any order, the ranks fell silent. Look at these soldiers, they practically flew past, their heads bowed, just rushing on.

Zhao Yan was still a little confused: "So, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

Wang Chongshan stammered, "Your Excellency, I feel that you have gone a bit too far in inciting them. This pack of hungry wolves hasn't even hunted yet, and you've already let them taste meat."

Now their eyes are all green with envy. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm a little scared.

"You're scared? But I'm not? I'm scared too!" Zhao Yan muttered to himself, feeling that things had indeed gone a bit too far.

It's a life-or-death situation, with an uncertain future and unpredictable outcome, so we paid out the wages in advance. Otherwise, if we're about to lose halfway through the game, the money will just go to someone else anyway, so it's better to give it to our own men.

Even if the company goes bankrupt in the end, at least these employees won't be left with nothing.

But Zhao Yan didn't know what it meant to receive his salary in advance. In those days, although the Chinese people were ignorant, they were still simple-minded. They would risk their lives for others' money.

All the new soldiers received ten taels of silver, the veteran soldiers of the uprising received more than twenty taels, the new officers received thirty taels, and the officers of the uprising received one hundred taels.

This money could be used to hire someone to commit murder, let alone when 100,000 men go out with guns and knives. Every soldier who takes the silver wants to kill an enemy, otherwise they'd feel bad taking the silver.

The reason Zhao Yan was puzzled was that this was a common practice for others. In the late Qing Dynasty, when large armies went on expeditions, they were given a departure allowance. The Qing government would always pay for it, so how could he not pay?

He inquired with Wang Chongshan and learned that the Qing dynasty usually gave at least 500,000 taels of silver for a 100,000-strong army. Zhao Yan felt he couldn't be stingier than the Qing dynasty, so he gave more than 3 million taels directly.

Moreover, this money was given under the guise of advance salary payments, and there would be no military pay for at least the next three months, while the Qing Dynasty's advance payment was calculated separately.

Upon closer examination, Zhao Yan felt he had actually made a profit, much like the story of feeding a monkey three times in the morning and four times in the evening.

However, Wang Chongshan did not elaborate on some things, namely that the Qing Dynasty's mobilization funds were never given to ordinary soldiers or even ordinary officers, but to those big shots who actually controlled the military. This money was rarely distributed!

Moreover, when setting the military pay standard, Wang Chongshan said it would be three to four and a half taels of silver per month (for ordinary grassroots soldiers), but Zhao Yan took a middle value and directly set it at three and a half taels.

However, the Qing army rarely paid actual wages. Even the new army, which was paid 4.5 taels of silver, would only receive 3 taels after deducting food and clothing expenses. But there were still superiors who would exploit the soldiers and collect their wages without actually paying them. In the end, it was considered a blessing if they received 1.5 taels of silver in actual wages.

But Zhao Yan has now distributed the money in a real way, giving it all to the soldiers. Previously, he executed a battalion commander and more than a dozen company and platoon leaders, and Wang Chongshan, the division commander, apologized to them in person.

From then on, no officer dared to receive a salary without working and exploit soldiers. Party representatives, with red eyes, stared intently at every officer, fearing for their party membership.

This resulted in 99 percent of the money being allocated according to the roster and staffing list, and all military pay being handled by party representatives with their signatures!

Wearing a fur-trimmed coat, Zhao Yan stood on a high slope on his horse, watching the rolling northward tide, and a feeling called ambition inexplicably ignited in his heart.

"Could it be that I really have the chance to sit on the throne of this world?"

Chapter 38: Drawing my sword, I look around, my heart filled with confusion!

Finally, the Nian beasts were driven away. After the city of Changsha saw off the army of 100,000 Nian beasts, the entire city breathed a sigh of relief.

No one knows what the legendary Nian beast looks like, but everyone in Changsha knows exactly what the Nian beast looks like after the revolution. They've never seen such a menacing army before.

When the army set out, every soldier's eyes were devoid of any other thoughts, filled only with desire and killing intent.

Fortunately, the Nian beasts finally headed north to wreak havoc on others; otherwise, Changsha would have really been unable to withstand the chaos. Pigs, cattle, chickens, sheep, and even dogs within a hundred miles of Changsha all perished. The only edible things left were the corpses of the Manchus in the mass graves and the living people in Changsha.

For nearly a month since the uprising began, Changsha has been living in fear, experiencing both pain and joy.

The pain was the severe loss of supplies and the staggering cost of maintaining the army. But the joy was that they had a new government that was willing to spend money and provide real funding. No matter what they sold, as long as it was something needed for military preparation, the government would provide the money.

The area around Changsha transitioned from a feudal peasant economy to a market economy in almost a month, and various merchants and landlords who owned goods made a lot of money.

Not only before, but even now that the army has left, various procurements continue to pour in. The provisional government pays for everything needed for the war.

On January 26, the day after the Northern Expeditionary Army set out, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan declared their independence from the Qing government and pledged allegiance to the Provisional Government of the revolutionary regime.

On January 27th, while the Northern Expeditionary Army was still en route to Miluo, Hubei declared an uprising and joined the revolutionary army. The three towns of Wuhan hung up revolutionary flags that were half red and half black, begging the 100,000-strong army not to attack them, saying that they could talk things over!

Then, from January 28th to February 3rd, Guizhou, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces announced their secession from the Qing government and joined the revolutionary provisional government.

Nobody's stupid; everyone received the news. Zhao Yan's northern expedition was not a secret at all; he sent a telegram to the whole country. At first, he said there would be 100,000 troops, and everyone thought it was a bluff. How could there be 100,000 troops so quickly? Have your troops even started planting crops yet? Spring plowing hasn't even begun!

Later, Zhao Yan began issuing telegrams, instructing the provinces to control the emotions and the flow of people, and to stop the massive influx of people seeking refuge. He said there were enough people, and they didn't need so many for the time being.

After the Northern Expeditionary Army set off, it snowballed and quickly grew to over 100,000 men. Zhao Yan panicked. What was the point of having so many troops? The Beiyang Six Divisions hadn't even marched south yet, and they already wanted to bankrupt him?

None of the provinces are stupid, especially the southern provinces that are close by. Those officials may not know about other things, but they know everything about the war and disaster that has struck their borders.

With over 100,000 soldiers, anyone would know that your revolutionary army simply couldn't support them; they could only sustain themselves through war. If you didn't join the revolutionary ranks at this point, were you just waiting to be slaughtered by the revolutionary army? Everyone knows what happened to Mancheng.

The North isn't in a hurry, but the South is right under the noses of the revolutionary army. The starving revolutionaries can come and rob them at any time, with ready-made reasons: because you haven't joined the revolution and are still loyal to the Qing Dynasty, you are the enemy.

The revolutionary army did not have the concept of neutrality; they either joined the revolution or pledged allegiance to the Qing government.

Zhao Yan, you say you have over 100,000 troops to attack the three towns of Wuhan? Who would believe that? Do you really need over 100,000 troops to attack Wuhan? That's enough to attack Beijing!

Nobody wants a large army causing chaos, so let's just join the revolution! If you attack Hubei, you can't attack us, okay?

Even Hubei, the first target of the Northern Expeditionary Army, surrendered voluntarily, lying very flat and in the right position, making Zhao Yan feel embarrassed to fight them.

In Wuhan, a large number of ships and laborers were actively recruited and sent to work on the riverbank. A large group of guides were assigned to lead the way to Jingzhou, specifically to direct you to find Mancheng in Jingzhou.

The three towns of Wuhan originally only had the Eighth Division of the New Army in Wuchang. After the Eighth Division of the New Army revolted, killed its commander, and went south to Changsha, it led the way back to its hometown.

The Governor-General of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong, kept cursing. It was one thing to join the revolution, but his first battle was to lead the revolutionaries to attack his own countrymen. He was simply inhuman!

Wuhan was home to a large number of enterprises, including ironworks and arsenals, all of which were the fruits of Zhang Zhidong's life's work. How could he allow them to be destroyed by war? Zhang Zhidong no longer cared about saving face and, before the army crossed the river, quickly announced his uprising and pledged allegiance to the revolution.

"This is outrageous! We were originally going to divide our forces into three routes and head straight for Jingchu. What are we going to do now? Are we going to send all 150,000 troops to Jingzhou?"

Zhao Yan was getting desperate. His men were growing larger and larger. They were on the march the whole time, not fighting. Where could he make money? Where could he deliver on his promises to the soldiers about land, silver, grain, and women?

Sitting in the command post, Zhao Yan was extremely anxious. He had been getting more and more agitated these past few days, and his whole body was almost numb. His mouth was covered with blisters from the fever.

He had been fantasizing about the aftermath of the Northern Expedition, with soldiers fighting valiantly, charging forward, and falling one after another under the enemy's guns.

But the reality was that less than a week into the Northern Expedition, neighboring provinces declared uprisings and switched sides, leaving Zhao Yan with nothing but a bewildered look around, sword in hand.

Zhao Yan harbored a very wicked thought: he hoped to use fierce warfare to eliminate some of the unqualified rabble, allowing the fittest to survive, leaving behind only an elite and loyal revolutionary army.

100,000 people is too many to support. After a few tough battles, or even defeats, half of them will be eliminated, making it much easier to support them.

But the reality was that there was no consumption, only endless growth. In less than a week, the army not only increased but also decreased. The revolutionary army ate, drank and used up everything in the prefectures and counties along the way!

The people even called the revolutionary army the "Three Alls Army" (a derogatory term for the revolutionary army). Fortunately, they had paid some money, so there was no large-scale looting. Small groups of soldiers who caused trouble were immediately suppressed and executed, and military discipline was barely maintained.

"Get people together! Call a meeting! Everyone with three stars or higher on their shoulders, come to the meeting!"

Zhao Yan was furious for a moment, but then calmed down and started the meeting.

The officers, including brigade commanders and above, rushed to the headquarters. Before entering, everyone was in high spirits. The Northern Expedition was going too smoothly. It was like a whirlwind, with the army advancing and winning the battle as soon as the order was given. Wherever the army went, they were welcomed with food and drink.

But as soon as they entered, seeing Zhao Yan's anxious and agitated expression, as well as his unfriendly gaze, the officers immediately turned into quails, putting away their smugness and obediently finding places to stand, not daring to sit down.

Party representative Wang Dingyun mustered his courage and stepped forward to report that everyone had arrived and asked if the meeting should begin immediately.

"Hmm," Zhao Yan nodded, walked to the main seat and sat on the large chair covered with a whole piece of white tiger skin, then scanned everyone present with his sharp eyes.

"Sit down, everyone. What are you standing for? We called you here for a meeting, not to be punished by standing!"

Everyone sat down obediently, placing their hands on their knees, heads held high, and eyes straight ahead, because everyone knew that the head of state preferred this posture during meetings.

"Major General Wang Chongshan!" Zhao Yan called out calmly.