Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Hero of 1911

Text Chapter 358 Formation of the West Route Army

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    Chapter 358 Formation of the West Route Army

    Entering June, the weather in Henan suddenly becomes hot and dry.

    Strangely enough, at the beginning of the year of 1911, the weather was good throughout the country. Even though wars continued, news of a good harvest came from various places. Especially in the two lakes and Sichuan, there were harvest scenes rarely seen in history. In Henan alone, last year, the Yellow River burst its banks and flooded.  Then there was a severe drought that was rare in a century, resulting in no harvest and a locust plague.  It was difficult to survive until this year, but because this place has become the center of the confrontation between the north and the south, and Beiyang's excessive conquests to support the army, the already serious banditry has become more and more rampant.

    After the Yellow River Bridge in Zhengzhou was cut off, soldiers with extremely poor discipline took off their uniforms and ran away with their weapons. Since the National Defense Force blocked the main roads and ferries first, it was very troublesome to take away the guns and weapons. Many people simply sold their weapons to local bandits and then  Take money and run away.

    So as soon as he entered the border of Henan, Cai E immediately frowned. Not to mention anything else, just the compacted loess bunkers and shooting holes showed that the banditry here had reached a very serious level.  Although there are currently three divisions of the National Defense Force stationed in Henan and nearly 100,000 Beiyang troops are being reorganized, it is currently in the transformation period of the National Defense Force and it is impossible to make major moves before the reorganization is completed. As for the National Guard, which was originally supposed to undertake such tasks  The number is seriously insufficient. Guangdong, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian in the south alone have exhausted all the guards in the two lakes and southwest.

    It can be seen from this that the Northern Expedition was definitely a desperate gamble. The National Defense Forces did not have the strength to sweep across the north. If it had not been for the Ni Sichong incident that led to the collapse of Ni's army, and if it had not been for the magic stroke of armored vehicles, there would never have been what we are today.  This situation emerged. Fortunately, Yang Qiu won and took advantage of the transition between the old and the new in Beiyang to complete the unification.

    The forcibly kneaded unity is still very fragile. The northwest is uneasy. Manchuria and Mongolia are relying on Russia and Japan to support the rebellion.  , Japan is holding back its energy to prepare for revenge, so if there is a slight mistake, it will end in irremediable separatism.

    In addition to several staff officers such as Li Shucheng and Jiang Zuobin, he was accompanied by Yang Du. Yang Qiu was extremely cautious in appointing the advisers around Yuan Shikai. While devouring the best of the Beiyang army, he only agreed to allow Liang Shiyi to continue to serve as the president of the Bank of Communications.  Xu Shichang was appointed as the governor of Shandong Province and Yang Shiqi was appointed as the postal minister. No arrangements were made for the rest.

    So when I saw Yang Du being absent-minded, I suspected that he was here to run for office.

    Yang Du had actually noticed Cai E's eyes long ago, and he was still a little resentful about Yang Qiu not arranging him to take any official position. Apart from anything else, if he hadn't persuaded Yuan Shikai at the last moment, the National Defense Forces might not have been able to safely take the opportunity to support him.  Dongying pushed to the wall in one fell swoop, but compared to ordinary people, his greatest ability was to endure, and he also believed that Yang Qiu definitely needed him.

    "Xizi seems a little absent-minded. Is there something on your mind?"

    Many people in the outside world say that Cai E joined Yang Qiu because he had no other choice, but Yang Du doesn't think so. The purge at the last moment when he was in Yunnan was enough to show that he was ready to hand over power, otherwise Yang Qiu would not have immediately  Arranging for him to serve as the deputy chief of staff, appointing so many Yunnan generals, and not trusting him to hand over the power of commanding the southern line, he smiled and said: "What are you worried about? The country is unified and peaceful, and we live by our words."  It¡¯s time for people to cultivate their moral character.¡±

    The reluctance in his words made Cai E chuckle. He didn't want to talk more about Yang Qiu's handling of Beiyang officials. He turned to look at the earthen castle in the distance and asked: "It is said that Xizi has the talent to manage the world. Now the war in the Central Plains is raging.  Although it has subsided, the people will never be at peace until the banditry is eliminated. I wonder if Xizi has a clever plan?"

    "It depends on what the vice president wants. Since ancient times, there have only been two ways to deal with bandits and bandits. One is to suppress, and the other is to pacify. The former can prevent future troubles but is very costly, and the areas where the fierce battles took place will not be restored for ten years. The latter is a soft knife that cuts flesh.  It is difficult to eradicate." Yang Du's eyes flickered, as if he was calculating what methods Yang Qiu would use: "Henan is now different from the three provinces in the past. The clans in the Central Plains have lasted for thousands of years, and there are countless people who have connections in the country. A rash war will inevitably cause unrest across the country, and at present  Our country is not free from foreign aggression. Japan's close neighbors are eyeing it, and Manchuria and Mongolia are always a serious threat. The collection of rogue bandits is different from regular warfare. Henan is located in the central strategic point. Once the army cannot form an encirclement, it will definitely be trapped and exhausted In that case, the Yellow River will also  You may not be able to control it!¡±

    Others may think his words are a bit alarmist, but Cai E strongly agrees. The bandits must be beaten, and Henan must be stabilized as soon as possible. The Central Plains is restless and the world is uneasy. If you want the Republic of China to be prosperous, you must first ensure stability.  The Central Plains land.

    After the two chatted for a few more words, the train slowly entered Xuchang Station. As soon as Cai E got off the train, he saw Yang Qiu and Song Ziqing waiting on the platform.He hurriedly walked over and saluted: "Cai E has met the commander-in-chief and the chief of staff."

    "Brother Songpo, thank you for your hard work." After exchanging a few words with Cai Songpo, Yang Qiu turned to Yang Du and blinked deliberately: "Brother Xizi, how many times has this been the first time we have met?"

    Yang Du laughed: "Du is also thinking that every time you meet the vice president, you will be promoted a step higher. Why don't you just go to the United States and Europe this time and come back?" Cai E and others rolled their eyes and secretly thought that he really knows how to do it.  You are flattering, and now you are the Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and Land Forces. If you go out for a while and come backwhere else can you get promoted to that position?

    Yang Qiu smiled slightly and disagreed. In fact, he really didn't want to sit in that seat too early. Unless the current state system could be changed, there would definitely be a fight between the government and the court after he got up, and even his freedom was restricted, so he still had the time to do it.  It¡¯s better to lay down the foundation first and then talk about it.

    Several Ford cars quickly arrived at the temporary headquarters in Xuchang, and there was a burst of excitement after seeing Feng Guozhang, Chen Huan and others who had arrived in advance. Except for Cai Jimin who was in charge in Guangdong, Sa Zhenbing in Shanghai and Xiao in Wuchang.  Outside Angou, the general staff was basically gathered. Except for Yang Du and Cai Gongshi, who were in casual clothes, the generals gathered together illuminated the conference room in a dazzling way.

    "The 1st Brigade and the 3rd Brigade have already entered Fengtian in batches. The 2nd Brigade has temporarily taken over the defense tasks in the Tianjin and Beijing areas. The original Beiyang 20th Division has entered Fengtian from Chengde and will be reorganized into the 14th Infantry Division with Fengjun there."

    Song Ziqing stood in front of the map, holding a pointer to introduce it to everyone.  As the Chief of General Staff, he may not be the most conspicuous person here, but he is definitely the most important. He is an important assistant to Yang Qiu in controlling the army.  Xiao Anguo, who initially controlled the National Guard and recruit training, has actually become two important pillars.

    "Because Germany objects to our garrison in Jinan, the 103rd Brigade is currently stationed in Jiyang, north of Jinan, the 101st Brigade is temporarily stationed in Baoding, the 9th Division is temporarily stationed in Xuzhou, the 10th Division is already on its way to Rehe, and the 12th Division is currently in Huaiyin  The rest is expected to go north to Changchun in October. The 3rd Division will move from Guangdong to Zhejiang next month, the 5th Division will be stationed in Kunming and Nanning, the 16th Brigade will be stationed in Xikang, the 17th Brigade will be stationed in Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan, the 18th Brigade will be stationed in Sichuan, and the 7th Division will be stationed in Guangdong  All the former Beiyang ministries have been concentrated in Xuchang, and 15 to 18 infantry divisions will be formed from among them, and 10 guard brigades will also be selected"

    After some introductions, the newly arrived Feng Guozhang had a general understanding of the current deployment of each division, and agreed with Yang Qiu that he would gather all Beiyang in Xuchang for adaptation. Although this would cost more, it would be faster and easier to manage, but for him only  He was not satisfied with the establishment of the four Beiyang divisions and said: "Chen Hua, are there too few 22 divisions in the country? Moreover, the current deployment is all concentrated in Guan Nei and Northeast China, Chahar, Suiyuan, Gansu and Ningxia.  It is seriously insufficient and I think it is necessary to add two more infantry divisions."

    When Feng Guozhang combined infantry and artillery in Hubei Province, Yang Qiu was deeply impressed by his textbook style of clearing blind spots and advancing layer by layer, so he had long thought about inviting him to come out. Moreover, among the three heroes of Beiyang, he also had the highest tactical literacy and sufficient prestige.  , so as long as you hold him, you can ensure that the people in Beiyang are temporarily suppressed and give yourself time to digest and fuse them, so on the first day you came here, you visited in person and insisted that he call you by your name.

    Everyone knows Feng Guozhang's thoughts. It's not that Yang Qiu doesn't want Beiyang. In any case, Beiyang is also a group of elites who once stood at the top of this country, so he specifically asked to appease and leave all the troops including artillery, machine gunners, engineers, and surveying and mapping.  If the technical arms can eliminate internal cancers and use training and learning to make them understand the responsibilities of soldiers, re-establish the concept of command and obedience, and reshape the military soul, this army will still be worth looking forward to. Therefore, before the Northern Expedition, he discussed with Song Ziqing to recruit them all and form them.  700,000 and 30 division plans, but had to succumb to real financial pressure.

    So he shook his head and said: "Why don't I want to keep more troops, but it doesn't matter what I said. The Ministry of Finance has repeatedly requested to reduce the number of troops and reduce expenditures. Therefore, the army has 22 divisions, 3 ** brigades and national troops.  The 21 Guard brigades, plus logistics and other military personnel totaling 400,000 are the maximum number that can be maintained at present."

    Feng Guozhang moved his lips. He originally wanted to say that the Ministry of Finance is in your hands. Why not let it slip through your fingers?  A US$100 million loan was spent more than US$70 million in one day without blinking an eye!  But he suppressed these words again. He also knew the current situation in the country. When the United States provided loans, there was an agreement, half of which would be spent on the United States, not to mention that there was a navy to support.

    Cai E didn't even care about Beiyang's desire to keep more troops. As long as the system of the National Defense Force persists, no one can return to the days when they were self-proclaimed kings. Instead, he was more concerned about Feng Guozhang saying that there were too few troops stationed in the northwest, and said: "Hua  General Fu is right. We have too few deployments in the northwest.There are almost no troops stationed in Seoul, Suiyuan, Gansu, Ningxia and Xinjiang. If left unchecked for a long time, it will only lead to regional chaos. I think it is necessary to send troops in as soon as possible.  "

    "Everyone is gathered together today, and I just want to ask for your opinions on the Northwest." Yang Qiu clasped his hands, leaned forward and his eyes became solemn, and said word by word: "I am going toform the Northwest  military."

    !#

    {Piaotia Literature www.piaotia.com thanks all book friends for their support, your support is our greatest motivation}
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report