1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 33

But how can we reclaim the lost national sovereignty, such as the concessions, customs, and taxation? And how can we abolish those humiliating treaties that ceded sovereignty?

Negotiation? Redemption? Compromise? None of these are of any use, because the stakes are too high. Even if you kneel down, the foreigners won't give it back to you. It's impossible to win them over with words.

Zhao Yan racked his brains, and in the end, he could only think of one solution: war! These sovereignty issues could only be reclaimed through war; there was no other way.

Zhao Yan had previously thought of delaying and putting things aside for the time being, waiting until after World War I when the country had reaped the full benefits of the war and developed before turning back to solve these problems.

But reality told him that it was simply not feasible. Without reaching that level, he couldn't understand many problems. When he was almost at the top, Zhao Yan turned around and found that he had no choice but to grit his teeth and do many things.

Individual will is utterly insignificant in the face of national interests. To get to that position, there are many things that cannot be avoided and can only be tackled head-on.

"Chongshan, come for a walk with me!"

"No problem, Your Excellency!"

With too many things on his mind, Zhao Yan couldn't sit still. He took Wang Chongshan and a group of guards and left the headquarters to take a walk in a safe place behind the defense line.

Wang Chongshan noticed Zhao Yan's worry, took out a cigarette and lit it for him. What do you do when a man is unhappy? Of course, you serve him cigarettes and alcohol! You certainly can't drink on the front lines, so smoking is the only way to relieve the stress.

Zhao Yan did not refuse, took the cigarette and took a deep drag, thinking about things as he smoked.

The soldiers along the way immediately recognized Zhao Yan and stood up to salute, their military posture even more perfect than that of the recruits.

Throughout the entire front line, there was only one person who could serve Major General Wang Chongshan while he was in civilian clothes and smoking: the Führer!

Although Zhao Yan had always led a large army in battle, he himself did not have any military rank and never wore a military uniform.

"Your Excellency, what are you so worried about? I admit the Beiyang Army is very powerful, but is it really necessary to be so troubled?" Wang Chongshan couldn't help but ask.

Zhao Yan glanced at Wang Chongshan, his eyes filled with envy. Sometimes being a pure soldier is quite comfortable; at least you don't have to worry like him.

Zhao Yan took a deep drag of his cigarette: "Regarding the war with the Beiyang Army and the Qing Dynasty, victory is only a matter of time. This is not something that will be decided on the front lines, but rather an outcome that was already predetermined in the rear."

The Qing army at that time was nothing more than a stitch-on-a-stitched monster formed by the compromise between the Manchu forces of the Qing court and the Beiyang Yuan Shikai forces. This was the last hurrah for the Qing dynasty.

The outcome between the two sides was already decided in the rear; the war on the front lines was merely the process of realizing that result.

The failure of the Qing Dynasty was inevitable. This is not some historical proof or prophecy, but something Zhao Yan witnessed firsthand. How can a force that cannot even unify the will of its leaders and whose lower ranks are a disorganized mess succeed? To put it bluntly, the Qing Dynasty's cohesion is even weaker than that of Chiang Kai-shek in 1949.

At least in the end, President Chiang still had millions of people willing to go on Boom Beach with him; the boat and plane tickets to Taiwan were more expensive than gold.

But as for the Manchus, if you ask them now, how many people would be willing to go to the Northeast with them? If you ask them, how many Han Chinese would still be willing to serve as their slaves?

Before the uprising, it was one thing, but after the Changsha Uprising, the whole world saw the weakness and incompetence of the Qing Dynasty. Would you be willing to continue to be their slave?

The Qing army opposite Zhao Yan is still resisting, the only reason being that the Beiyang Group is still holding on. In fact, the battle on the Central Plains battlefield has been going on for a month, from the moment the Qing army could not defeat the Northern Expeditionary Army.

The whole world clearly understands that the revolutionary trend is unstoppable, and the downfall of the Qing Dynasty is only a matter of time. The Han people have seen this clearly, and the Manchus have also understood it.

The southern provinces all submitted and were won over. Zhao Yan held off the Qing court's last trump card, the Beiyang Six Divisions, in the Central Plains. To put it bluntly, even if he had lost, Zhao Yan would have had the resources to launch a second or third Northern Expedition.

Even if the Northern Expeditionary Army were completely wiped out in the Central Plains, as long as Zhao Yan escaped, it would still end up like the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It's unrealistic to say that the revolutionary forces were completely destroyed. Zhao Yan had thoroughly ignited the ambitions of the Han people. Even without Zhao Yan and the Northern Expeditionary Army, there would still be Li Yan and Zhang Yan, and the Northern Expeditionary Army would still continue to be formed.

This is an obsession that has been deeply ingrained in the Han civilization since its inception. From the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor fighting Chiyou, through the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, then the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, through the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, through countless divisions and reunifications, through countless times being on the verge of extinction, but in the end, it was still that same obsession: even if everyone else died, China must be unified!

The current Qing high command was actually planning to retreat to the area outside the Great Wall, but Yuan Shikai and the Beiyang Army disagreed, the foreign powers disagreed even more, and the Manchus themselves disagreed as well. They had been living in the beautiful world inside the Great Wall for nearly three hundred years, who the hell wanted to go to the white mountains and black waters outside the Great Wall to become savages?

The great powers' current target of support has shifted from the Manchus to Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Six Divisions. Although the Qing Dynasty still exists in name and has not been completely defeated, the Northern Expeditionary Army, the Beiyang Army, and the great powers have all tacitly relegated the Qing Dynasty to the loser group; they are merely the spoils of war for the final victor.

Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu can no longer even leave the palace. Military power in Beijing is in the hands of the Beiyang clique, and with the support of foreign powers, they have long since stopped being the dogs of the Manchus.

The Qing Dynasty had become a trophy, a trophy to prove the glory of the ultimate victor. Whoever won, got it—it was that simple.

Yuan Shikai and his six Beiyang divisions are still holding on to the battlefield, their confidence stemming partly from the support of foreign powers and partly from their ambition to seize control of the Central Plains.

You, Zhao Yan, want to be the boss, but so do we in the Beiyang government! Yuan Shikai also longed to be crowned emperor!

Zhao Yan didn't take Beiyang's ambitions seriously at all. It was a force destined to be eliminated. As the old saying goes, the victory was already decided in the rear.

Zhao Yan has already won the battle, and the provinces in the rear have submitted and pledged their allegiance. The entire southern forces are desperately supporting the Northern Expeditionary Army on the Central Plains battlefield. Even Jiangnan has been pacified by Zhu Jing leading the Second Division. The Nanjing Arsenal and the Jiangnan Arsenal have begun supplying military supplies to the Northern Expeditionary Army.

Zhao Yan only needs to win the decisive battle in the Central Plains to secure the pacification of the North; this is the overwhelming trend of the times!

As for the Beiyang Army, it still doesn't have a legitimate cause of action and is still operating under the name of the Qing army. Even if you were lucky enough to win the decisive battle in the Central Plains, you still wouldn't be able to take control of the South.

Next, you'll need to rely on a lot of luck, fighting your way through like the Qing Dynasty did, and ultimately ensuring your own stability so that you can unify China and change dynasties.

In this situation, if you were a local official or an ordinary citizen, which side would you choose to support? Certainly not the side of justice! Of course, you'd support whoever is stronger! Whoever wins, I'll support them!

Zhao Yan is definitely a local faction member. He relied entirely on the support of his own people to advance, and in the end, he will definitely distribute the spoils to his own people.

You, Yuan Shikai, and the Beiyang faction are all backed by foreigners. You conquered the country, but in the end, all the spoils went to the foreigners. It's obvious that you have no future. I support you like a fool!

Chapter 60 A Letter to the Beiyang Army

With the situation on the front lines stabilized, many in the rear surrendered.

Zhao Yan, however, was extremely uneasy. Despite having a firm grasp on the situation and knowing that victory was assured, he remained constantly frowning, which made everyone else in the command headquarters feel uncertain as well.

No one knew what the Führer was worried about. The staff officers analyzed the map over and over again, racking their brains but still couldn't figure out how they could lose this battle, or why the Führer was so frowning.

While everyone else was focused on the war at hand, Zhao Yan was already starting to worry about the war that was yet to happen but was destined to happen.

The younger brother can live for the moment, but the boss must think three steps ahead before taking any action, otherwise what if he leads everyone into a pit?

The unification war against the Qing Dynasty and the Beiyang Army is a foregone conclusion, so there is no need to worry about it. Therefore, Zhao Yan is worried about the war to reclaim sovereignty and abolish unequal treaties after unification, which is a war against the great powers!

Without fighting, you can't get these things back just by talking. If you don't get these things back, you'll never be able to control this country.

Politics dictates military strategy; this battle is unavoidable.

Zhao Yan sometimes felt that he had transmigrated too early. If only he had waited until after World War I, when the great powers were weak, then it would have been much better to make his move.

Now we are facing the colonial superpowers at their peak, before World War I. None of them are easy to deal with, let alone taking them all at once.

Zhao Yan was deeply engrossed in the future, but none of his subordinates knew about it. In the end, it was Zhao Hao, that reckless man, who came over to ask Zhao Yan what was wrong. No one else dared to ask too much. Even Wang Chongshan, who was accompanying him on a walk, only dared to probe slightly. Zhao Yan refused to speak, and Wang Chongshan didn't have the guts to continue asking.

But Zhao Hao was different. He was a trusted confidant and a hothead who had been with him all along. He dared to do what others didn't.

Zhao Yan was reserved with others, but he was completely open with this group of naive young men who had been fooled by him in the Shanghai tavern.

Zhao Yan didn't tell Wang Chongshan and the others because he was afraid of affecting morale. After all, they were in the midst of a major battle. If they were to finish this battle and then have to continue fighting the foreign powers without taking a break, anyone would waver. Zhao Yan himself was so hesitant, let alone his men.

Zhao Yan confided his concerns to Zhao Hao, and just as Zhao Yan had guessed, Zhao Hao was determined to fight after hearing the story!

There was absolutely no option not to fight, and there was no talk of compromise or postponement; it was a must-fight!

Zhao Hao's view can be said to represent the opinion of the vast majority of people. Revolution is not only internal but also external. Before the revolution, it was a semi-colonial feudal country. After the revolution, it became a semi-colonial republic. Wasn't the revolution a waste? It was just a change of name, but the same thing in a different guise.

The Restoration Party will not accept such an outcome, the Revolutionary Army will not accept it, and neither will the country and the people.

The revolutionary program and purpose are known to all, but in the end only half of it was accomplished. Are you, Zhao Yan, going to imitate Sun Yat-sen and say, "The revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to work hard"?

Helpless, Zhao Yan asked Zhao Hao with a try-it-and-see attitude, "Do you think we can defeat the great powers and reclaim our sovereignty?"

Zhao Hao answered without hesitation: "Not us, but the entire country, the 400 million people of the whole nation!"

"Just as you said, this is a just war that must be fought. Our revolution is not only to eliminate the Qing Dynasty, but also to expel the foreign powers!"

“We are not invading the great powers, nor are we eliminating them. We are simply driving them out and taking back what rightfully belongs to us. You have 400 million people behind you, as well as the revolutionary army and the Restoration Party. What is there to fear?”

Zhao Yan sighed helplessly, "But many people will die."

Zhao Yan is straying further and further from his original intentions. He only wanted to swindle some money and live a carefree life, but he never expected to end up like this, completely unable to control his own destiny.

It's not like you can just scam people now. If you fail at scamming, you might just run away or get caught and imprisoned. But if a revolution fails, a lot of people will die.

Zhao Yan's decision will affect the lives and deaths of countless people in the future, not just thousands or tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Zhao Hao, with his single-minded thinking, quickly provided an answer: "Your Majesty, who doesn't die? If someone doesn't die, are they still human? They're gods!"

“You once told us that a person’s life should be lived in such a way that when he looks back on his life, he will not regret wasting his years, nor be ashamed of having accomplished nothing. In this way, when he is about to die, he can say: I have dedicated my whole life and all my energy to the most magnificent cause in the world!”

"To die in one's bed at home is worse than to die on the battlefield! Everyone is born to die, so it's better to die in a more valuable and meaningful way!"

Zhao Yan secretly admired the kid for having truly mastered his skills, remembering so much.

Zhao Yan continued, “It’s easier said than done. Everyone has the ambition to change the world and believes that victory can only be achieved by paying a price.”

But what if that cost includes you?

Zhao Hao said without hesitation: "No need for 'ifs.' Revolutionaries are the price that must be paid to achieve victory. I believe the entire Revival Party is willing to fight to the death for this country. Even if we are wiped out, there is still the Revolutionary Army. Even if the Revolutionary Army is wiped out, there are still 400 million people!"

In short, we will not kneel down. No matter what, we will fight with everything we have and we will never admit defeat!

Zhao Yan nodded emphatically: "Alright, go ahead and do your thing!"

Zhao Hao was immediately caught in a dilemma, demanding a clear answer on whether he was right or wrong!

Unfortunately, Zhao Yan refused to speak further, and Zhao Hao could only leave sullenly.

In fact, Zhao Yan's attitude had been swayed by Zhao Hao's stubbornness. He had been somewhat wavering, but after Zhao Hao's impulsive words, he suddenly understood.

Yes, everyone is born to die. To put it bluntly, whether ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or even a million die, it's just a number. Neither you nor I can stop it!

It's better to die in a glorious struggle than to be surrounded and slaughtered by the Japanese in the city decades later, isn't it?

Having figured things out, Zhao Yan simply stopped thinking about the future. He had made his decision, so he would just keep going. With 400 million people backing him up, why should he be afraid?

Back at headquarters, Zhao Yan picked up his pen to deal with the current situation. When it came to leading troops into battle, Zhao Yan was actually more skilled at verbal persuasion. Of course, writing down what he wanted to say was also a form of verbal persuasion. Sometimes, using the pen to attack someone's heart was more powerful than using a knife to kill them.

Zhao Yan wrote a lengthy letter of several hundred words entitled "Letter to the Beiyang Army," the gist of which was that you guys are simply born slaves. What future do you have following the Manchus? Before the war, you are lackeys, and even if you win, you will at most be high-ranking lackeys. In any case, you are still lackeys.

Zhao Yan vented all his pent-up anger on paper. The notice was written in a very blunt manner, directly labeling all the Han officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Army as traitors. For the first time, the concept of "traitor" was introduced into the tide of the times, and it was issued to the Beiyang Army for the first time.

The entire proclamation was a stern condemnation of the Beiyang Army, showing no mercy to them. It called them national traitors and disgraceful traitors, accusing them of being Han Chinese who served the Manchus and ultimately fighting against their fellow Han Chinese, truly betraying their ancestors and forgetting their roots!

Zhao Yan handed the newly written notice to everyone in the headquarters for review. Everyone who read it broke out in a cold sweat. If this notice were sent out nationwide, who could withstand it? Luckily, he wasn't the one being criticized. If he were in the list, he would be completely disgraced.

The term "traitor" sent a chill down everyone's spine. As expected of the leader, his words were a fatal blow, far more powerful than cursing. It was tantamount to rejecting the other side at its very root.

If someone is branded a traitor, they won't even be allowed into their ancestral grave. Their name will be removed from the family genealogy overnight, and that page won't even be allowed anymore. Their entire family will be removed along with them.

"Your Majesty, are you planning to send a telegram to the entire country?" Wang Chongshan swallowed hard.

Zhao Yan said, "Whatever. If you think it's suitable, then let's broadcast it nationwide!"

Wang Chongshan quickly said, "Sir, killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, isn't it? The Beiyang Army is quite disciplined. They don't finish off our wounded, and they return the bodies to each other. Let's be lenient when we can."

That's worse than being slowly sliced ​​to death! If this were actually sent out by electricity, they wouldn't even be able to get a proper burial after they've died!

Zhao Yan asked in bewilderment, "Is it really that powerful?"

Wang Chongshan nodded emphatically. These days are different from later generations. People still care about their reputation. It doesn't matter if you die on the battlefield, but if you draw your pen, I will really die a horrible death!

Zhao Yan said, "Then we won't turn on the electricity. Have someone bring a loudspeaker and read it over to the other side. I won't feel comfortable if I don't curse these bastards!"

"Logistics are tight these days, so let's save some money and skip the cannon fire. Let's just talk it out! Everyone can take a break."

Wang Chongshan breathed a sigh of relief, nodded quickly, and took the notice to carry out the order.

Chapter 61 Still want a share of the spoils? Dream on!

April 1906, 4, April Fools’ Day.

Today, the envoy sent by Yuan Shikai finally entered the Northern Expeditionary Army camp and arrived at Zhao Yan's headquarters.

Because this time, the Beiyang Army sent no one but Yuan Shikai himself and several of his trusted confidants, all of whom were core members of the Beiyang Army. Yuan Shikai personally led them over.

The Northern Expeditionary Army was dumbfounded; they hadn't expected the Beiyang Army to be so sincere.

The incident began yesterday when the Northern Expeditionary Army's front lines saw a group of people approaching with white flags, claiming that their leader, Yuan Shikai, wanted to negotiate with Zhao Yan in person.

Upon learning this, Zhao Yan asked how they wanted to negotiate, whether by phone or telegram. The Beiyang Army replied that a ceasefire would be held in the center of the battlefield, and the leaders of both sides would meet in person to discuss the matter.

Zhao Yan scoffed immediately after hearing this. "Do you think this is Jerusalem, and we're Balian and Saladin? Negotiating on the battlefield? My life isn't worth that much!"

Zhao Yan refused without even thinking. Helpless, the other party could only ask how they could negotiate.

Zhao Yan said jokingly, "Talks are fine, but let Yuan Shikai bring his men to my headquarters to talk!"

Within the revolutionary army, everyone thought these words were just a joke and no one took them seriously.

But today, Qianyan suddenly reported that Yuan Shikai and his men had really come. Qianyan asked whether they had been executed or arrested.

When Zhao Yangang received the news, he was completely stunned. He looked at the calendar and saw that it was April 1st. He was immediately furious, thinking that his subordinates were playing a joke on him on April Fool's Day.

After immediate verification at each level, it was confirmed that it was indeed Yuan Shikai who had brought more than a dozen military officers and generals to negotiate. They were all high-ranking officials, and their identities had all been verified.

Zhao Yan immediately became interested and ordered someone to be polite and bring Yuan Shikai and the group of Beiyang high-ranking officials to the headquarters.

Zhao Yan had no idea this would happen. I was just joking, and you actually took it seriously?

In fact, Yuan Shikai was forced into a corner. If he really had a choice, he would never have gone to the enemy's headquarters to negotiate. He simply had no choice but to negotiate, as his men had already mutinied!

This wasn't the kind of mutiny where officers tricked soldiers; it was a mutiny where soldiers pointed guns at their officers! Not only Han Chinese, but even Manchus mutinied with guns!

Trench warfare is not something anyone can do. It's a miracle that the Beiyang Army has been able to hold out for so long. At best, they are just puppets supported by foreign powers.