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Text Chapter 179 The Eve of Rebellion

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    Chapter 179 The Eve of Rebellion

    Chongqing, official residence of the municipal government.  In the study of Chongqing Mayor Liu Wenlong, two middle-aged men were sitting across from each other drinking.  There were several plates of exquisite side dishes on the table, but neither of them used their chopsticks, but drank one glass after another.  These two middle-aged men are high-level officials of the Western Sichuan government and military. They are Liu Xiang, commander of the Second Division of the Western Sichuan Army, with the rank of major general, and Liu Wenlong, mayor of Chongqing.  Even in the entire western Sichuan, both of them are absolutely high-ranking officials.  However, neither of them look good now.  Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t drink too much.

    In a corner of the table, there is a thin piece of white paper.  That was an order issued by the cabinet and the General Staff Headquarters, requiring the two of them to rush to Chengdu before August 30 to attend the memorial ceremony for Marshal Wang Xiao.

    "Liu Xiang, what do you think we should do now? Should we go to Chengdu?" Although Liu Wenlong was older, he was a little younger. After drinking a few glasses of wine, he lost his temper.

    "Can we not go? The Prime Minister of the Cabinet and the Chief of Staff personally issued the order. If we don't go, then I'm afraid there is only one way!" Liu Xiang took a sip of the wine in the glass and said bitterly.

    "But if we go, the old guys in the Cabinet and General Staff Headquarters, as well as the little brat who is about to take over, will definitely not let us go. If we go, it will be like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth!"  Liu Wenlong said with some worry.  Their two uncles and nephews have worked in Chongqing for many years and have already run the place like an iron barrel.  When Wang Xiao was alive, he didn't pay much attention to it.  But now that the young commander has succeeded to the throne, how can he allow such a situation to happen.  Therefore, if possible, their two uncles and nephews will be operated on.

    "Then we have no choice but to rebel. However, Western Sichuan is different now from two years ago. Two years ago, there were only three provinces in Western Sichuan. What now? Western Sichuan already has Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Plateau, Sichuan, and Shaanxi  , Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi have ten provinces, and the territory has expanded several times. The army has expanded from the previous two divisions and ten brigades to the current fifteen divisions, eight brigades and two cavalry corps.  If we had gone against it two years ago, there would still be a certain chance of success. But now, there is basically no chance!" Liu Xiang looked bitter.  Although his second division is a veteran unit in western Sichuan and the elite among the elite, there is only one division after all!  Whether it is Chengdu in the west or Hubei in the east, there are heavy military concentrations in Western Sichuan. If a rebellion breaks out in Chongqing, troops will be dispatched quickly to suppress it.  When the time comes, how can one of his second divisions resist?

    "But handing over the power like this? Are you willing? Anyway, I am not willing to do it. I have to fight no matter what!" A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Liu Wenlong's eyes.  He is only thirty-seven years old this year, and he has already become the mayor of an important city like Chongqing. In the eyes of others, he is already a very powerful person.  However, Liu Wenlong was not satisfied.  As early as when the cabinet was established, he was looking forward to entering the cabinet and becoming the minister of a department. Even if he didn't succeed, he would become the deputy provincial leader of Sichuan Province, right?  However, when the cabinet was finally established and the deputy governor and governor of Sichuan Province were also adjusted, there was no place for him at all.  This made Liu Wenlong very dissatisfied.  You know, Chongqing¡¯s status is second only to Chengdu.  As the mayor of Chongqing, he is fully qualified to be a deputy governor or even a governor of other provinces.

    Liu Xiang¡¯s eyes also flashed with anger.  As a veteran of the Western Sichuan Army, although he is slightly younger compared to others.  But his qualifications are very old.  Moreover, in last year's war against the Manchus, his second division also made many extraordinary achievements.  In the end, he only received some financial rewards, but there was no change in military rank and official position.  This made Liu Xiang very unwilling.  In his opinion, with his qualifications, there is no problem at all if he can be promoted to a lieutenant general and then be fully responsible for the defense of several divisions in Hubei!  However, the General Staff Headquarters ignored him again, which made him very dissatisfied.  The ambitions that were originally extinguished due to the growing strength of Western Sichuan have also expanded again.

    "I can guarantee that as long as we go to Chengdu, we will definitely be arrested. Even if it won't kill us, we will be relieved of our duties. He has just taken charge of power in western Sichuan, and he hopes that western Sichuan can remain stable. We,  The restless factor must be the first thing he needs to deal with." Liu Wenlong said angrily.

    "So, uncle, are you ready? If our rebellion fails, there will be only death. That little bastard Wang Yuze is even more ruthless than his father!" Liu Xiang said.  Two years ago, he had been in contact with Zhang Zhidong, the Manchu governor of Huguang.  But last year, Huguang Governor Zhang Zhidong was defeated and demoted by the Manchus. Naturally, he lost contact with the Manchus.  He had to go into hibernation. Now it seems that Liu Wenlong has developed a relationship with him.

    "Liu Xiang, to tell you the truth, the imperial court sentHe contacted me recently. He is the special envoy of Prince Gong Yixin.  As long as we can surrender to the imperial court, Prince Gong will protect our lifelong prosperity!  Liu Wenlong said.

    "Prince Gong? Does what he says work? Don't forget, we are surrounded by Western Sichuan. Once we rebel, the imperial army will not be able to help us at all. The army in Western Sichuan can quickly pacify us.  "Liu Xiang frowned.  As a senior general of the Western Sichuan Army, he is even more aware of the strength gap between the two sides.

    "Not only Prince Gong, but also foreigners. The British, French, Russians and Asians have all had secret contacts with me. As long as we can hold Chongqing, they will support us in surrendering to the imperial court. When the time comes, the foreigners will naturally  It will put pressure on Western Sichuan. If Chongqing can submit to the imperial court, maybe with the support of foreigners and the imperial court, we can march eastward and acquire Hubei. By then, we will be able to become a force that is not inferior to Western Sichuan!" Liu Wenlong was a little excited.  said.  The title of King of the Lands is very attractive to everyone.

    "Foreigners? They actually intervened? Also, Japanese people? Japanese people are just a small country, they are not reliable at all!" Liu Xiang said doubtfully.  I really can¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on with this small country in Japan?

    "Liu Xiang, Japan, a small country in the East, can be ignored. But the support of Britain, France and Russia is enough to make us invincible. No matter how powerful that little bastard from the Wang family is, does he really dare to go to war with foreigners? Foreigners can't succeed?  They have promised to provide us with 20 million in funding as long as we rebel. If they can hold Chongqing for half a month, then they can put all their efforts on western Sichuan to ensure our success." Liu Wenlong said excitedly.  In his opinion, although this is a bit risky, it undoubtedly has a great possibility of success.

    "You only need to keep it for half a month? It's not impossible." Liu Xiang said secretly.  The terrain of Chongqing is rugged. As long as some dangerous checkpoints are defended, the Western Sichuan Army cannot attack. It is very easy to delay for half a month.  In addition, the Second Division was originally a veteran unit of the Western Sichuan Army, and its combat effectiveness was far from comparable to that of the newly formed units later.  The only thing Liu Xiang is worried about now is whether Western Sichuan will be threatened by foreigners. You know, Western Sichuan just fought a war with the British.  If the foreigners' threats were useless, they would be dead.

    "Liu Xiang, don't hesitate. This is an excellent opportunity for us. Now, the Chongqing police are under my control. If you want your second division to enter the city, then we will  We can control the situation. When the time comes to issue a declaration of submission to the imperial court, the foreigners and the imperial court will launch operations against Western Sichuan. By then, Western Sichuan may not have the courage to go to war with us!" Liu Wenlong urged.

    "Okay! We took this gamble. However, I have to meet the special envoys of the foreigners and negotiate the terms first. So as not to be betrayed by them later!" Liu Xiang said.

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll take you to see them right away!¡± Liu Wenlong said excitedly.  In his opinion, if they convinced Liu Xiang, their work would be half successful.

    Chengdu, inspecting the ambassador¡¯s office.  There was an endless stream of senior officials and generals from western Sichuan who went to visit the embassy to pay their respects.  These officials and generals who came to pay their respects would often express their loyalty in front of Wang Yuze after offering incense to Wang Xiao.  After that, he returned to his residence and waited for Wang Yuze's takeover ceremony after Wang Xiao was buried.  Those who did not have real estate in Chengdu were all accommodated in hotels arranged by the cabinet and the General Staff Headquarters.

    By August 28, most of the officials and generals from western Sichuan had arrived in Chengdu, but only a few were still on the road because the journey was too far.  However, if you arrive before August 30, there will be no problems.

    "Yuze, most of the officials and generals have already arrived after receiving the order. The remaining few will be able to arrive in Chengdu tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!" In a room next to the mourning hall, Wang Yuze,  Cabinet Prime Minister Liang Xingrong and Chief of Staff Xiong Wu are exchanging views on the senior officials from western Sichuan who have come to pay their respects these days.

    "That's good! I don't want chaos to happen either. Now Western Sichuan is developing at a rapid pace, and subsequent turmoil may affect the development of Western Sichuan!" Wang Yuze said.

    "However, it is not that there are people who are ignorant of iconography. Major General Liu Xiang, the commander of the Second Division, and Liu Wenlong, the mayor of Chongqing, their uncles and nephews are all sick and have asked us for leave and cannot come to attend the memorial ceremony of the commander-in-chief."  Xiong Wu said with a dark face.  What does this mean?  Everyone can see it clearly.

    Wang Yuze¡¯s face also darkened. He didn¡¯t expect that someone would dare to jump out. Wasn¡¯t this forcing him to kill the chicken to scare the monkey?

    PS: The first update is here!
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