RNP Page 34
Page 34
If puppet armies could fight brutal trench warfare, then in World War I more than a decade later, Britain and France wouldn't have needed to lose any lives; they could have simply used their colonies as cannon fodder to win the war.
Every day, they endured machine gun fire and artillery shells, traversing hundreds of meters of no man's land, and then hanging on barbed wire to wait for the Northern Expeditionary Army's machine guns to pound them. The Beiyang Army endured this for a whole month, truly deserving of its reputation as the premier army of the late Qing Dynasty.
It would be good if there was hope of winning, but watching helplessly as wave after wave of enemy troops rotated up, treating them as experience points to grind, is a hopeless battle that can't be won. The fact that the lower-ranking soldiers have endured until today before mutiny is already a testament to the Chinese nation's hard work and resilience.
More importantly, the "Letter to the Beiyang Army" on the other side was really hurtful. The whole thing was written in plain language by Zhao Yan, without any fancy words or pedantry, and everyone could understand it!
Yesterday, the Northern Expeditionary Army did not launch an attack. Instead, they set up loudspeakers everywhere and read out the proclamation at all costs. The Beiyang Army soldiers on the front lines were in an uproar. Their already near-limited patience was completely broken by this proclamation!
They went out to fight, and if they didn't win the battle, that was one thing; they could tolerate people dying every day. But in the end, they were branded as traitors. Who could tolerate that?
The soldiers, having reached their breaking point, began a mutiny from the bottom up. Even a large number of officers led their soldiers in a mutiny. They absolutely could not bear the label of traitors, or they would never be reincarnated after death.
The mutineers surrounded Yuan Shikai's command post and forced him to go and negotiate. Yesterday, the negotiations failed, and the mutineers almost killed Yuan Shikai. Fortunately, Yuan Shikai promised to go to the enemy camp to negotiate in person today.
Some might wonder, if a mutiny occurs and the soldiers don't want to fight, why not just retreat? Why go through all this trouble?
Come on, try retreating in front of hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, with the endless North China Plain stretching out behind you. How can you run? Even if you run, you'll have to keep fighting. The foreign powers and the Qing Dynasty won't allow you to retreat!
Moreover, if you run away, the label of traitor will be firmly attached to you and you won't be able to take it off. The villagers all know that you went to join the army and ended up becoming a traitor. If you are a Manchu, it's okay, but if you are a Han Chinese, you are completely finished.
Instead of doing that, it would be better to have a proper talk with the enemy. We're all Chinese anyway, so I'll just lie down and give up. If you're so capable, why don't you slaughter 100,000 of your troops in one go? It's better to be slaughtered by you than to live with the label of traitor.
The Beiyang Army underwent multiple expansions, wiping out half of its original core forces. What remained were a mixed force of Manchu and Han soldiers, resulting in a significant decline in the army's control. If we don't discuss that now, Yuan Shikai and the high command would all be dead.
Sure enough, Yuan Shikai and his group of high-ranking officials were now obediently escorted to Zhao Yan's headquarters. The group of people kept their heads down and remained silent. They didn't even dare to sit down unless Zhao Yan gave the order.
Zhao Yan saw the fat-headed Yuan Shikai for the first time, and recalled the portrait on the silver dollar. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't quite believe it. This was really too outrageous. This was Yuan Shikai! How could he have fallen into his hands so inexplicably?
"Come on, Lao Yuan, turn sideways and face me!"
Yuan Shikai was numb, thinking it was some kind of humiliating trick, so he simply closed his eyes, turned to the side, and faced Zhao Yan.
Upon seeing the familiar profile, Zhao Yan slapped his thigh: "Hey, that's the feeling, it's right! That's right, it's you, Yuan Datou!"
Yuan Shikai had no idea what Zhao Yan was up to, but even a clay figure has some temper: "Head of State Zhao, although I am a defeated general, there is no need to humiliate me like this."
"Otherwise, if word gets out, it will damage your reputation as a leader of the People's Republic of China for your inclusive and magnanimous spirit!"
Even in this state, Yuan Shikai still maintained a semblance of dignity, because he wasn't afraid of Zhao Yan killing him; in fact, Zhao Yan was safer than his mutinous subordinates.
Zhao Yan smiled and said, "Why are you angry? It was just a joke!"
"Come, everyone, please sit down. Guards, bring tea!"
As a politician, Zhao Yan still had to show due respect to his opponents, even those who had surrendered and were powerless to resist. After all, it was a fight among Han Chinese.
Tea was served quickly, along with several canned goods and snacks like biscuits. Zhao Yan smiled and said, "Conditions are simple on the battlefield, please forgive us!"
Yuan Shikai sat with his men on one side, with dozens of armed guards behind them, their guns pointed at their vests. On the other side sat high-ranking generals of the revolutionary army.
Regardless of the executioners and murderous aura behind him, the position itself was respectable enough, not to mention the refreshments and tea. So Yuan Shikai immediately expressed his gratitude, his attitude extremely humble.
Zhao Yan was very satisfied and continued to ask, "Old Yuan, it's time for you guys to clock in and attack today, but you didn't even ask for leave and came here to drink tea. That's skipping work!"
"Doesn't your Empress Dowager Cixi get angry?"
Despite his fall from grace, Yuan Shikai remained defiant and furious: "Your Majesty, our two armies are fighting on our own, and we are locked in a life-or-death struggle on the battlefield. This is out of necessity."
"Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, why are you trying to pin the label of traitor on us! The Beiyang Army is the Beiyang Army, and the Qing Dynasty is the Qing Dynasty!"
"Everyone says that those who wield guns can't beat those who wield pens. I, Yuan, never believed it until today. Back then, Cao Cao was thoroughly humiliated by Chen Lin. Now I know what that means."
"We implore Your Majesty to be lenient! Please, Your Majesty, remove this label of traitor and sellout. We, the Beiyang Army, are at your disposal; you may kill or torture us as you see fit, but we absolutely cannot face our ancestors bearing the name of traitor!"
Zhao Yan was almost speechless: "Old Yuan, I just got angry and scolded you guys, is it really that serious?"
The Beiyang Army generals were all furious but dared not speak out: How dare you say such things? Isn't this serious enough? Even Qin Hui didn't receive such insults!
If your revolutionary army comes to power in the future, you, Zhao Yan, will be like an emperor. If you call us traitors, then you will be officially designated traitors. It doesn't matter if we lose the war or lose the country, but the reputation we will have a hundred years from now is unbearable. It's not just a hundred years, it's going to be a bad reputation for ten thousand years!
You, Zhao Yan, don't you even consider your own status? What you're saying isn't something a country woman would say while eating melon seeds. Your words will be recorded in history!
If the Beiyang Army had actually won, it wouldn't have mattered; it would have been just the raucous barking of the defeated. But the key issue was that they couldn't win. If the other side came to power, they would be remembered with infamy for eternity, and no one could accept that.
Zhao Yan initially didn't think it was a big deal, but seeing the grief and indignation in the eyes of the Beiyang Army generals present, he realized the seriousness of the matter. Throughout history, there have been countless cases of vying for power and control of the Central Plains.
There were quite a few people who helped foreign tribes fight. Li Shimin's ancestors had also fought with the Xianbei people, and yet he still became the Heavenly Khan, Emperor Taizong of Tang.
How come when it came to the Beiyang Army, the world changed? Suddenly, they were labeled as traitors, and no one could bear it.
Zhao Yan comforted him, "Alright, we each serve our own masters, I understand. I'll have my men stop shouting, is that alright?"
Yuan Shikai said helplessly, "It's too late. I think it's better for the Führer to take us in and lead the attack on Beijing. We'll lead the way. Is that alright? After the attack, you can clear our names of being traitors."
Before Zhao Yan could even speak, Wang Chongshan stepped forward and objected: "Lead the way? Do we need you? You want to join us in attacking Beijing? I think you just want a share of the spoils, right?"
Yuan Shikai remained silent, but Duan Qirui, one of his subordinates, stepped forward and said, “We are all Han Chinese. We will not become traitors. We will join you in the revolution. Don’t you talk about equality? We also know what Headman Zhao said. Equality means everyone has a share!”
Why can't we? Aren't we Han Chinese? There are so many Manchus in Beijing, hundreds of thousands of you couldn't possibly eat them all. What's wrong with sharing a little?
When the other party brought up the idea of revolutionary equality, Wang Chongshan was speechless. Zhao Yan had indeed repeatedly encouraged the Han people to unite and eliminate the Manchus. These were public statements, and Wang Chongshan wouldn't dare to say they were wrong even if he had a hundred lives.
“Yes, we can have a revolution too! Manchus are Chinese too, we want to make progress!” Three Manchu generals also stood up. If they didn’t speak up now, they would never have another chance. The previous discussion about traitors was irrelevant to them, but now that they were about to attack Beijing, they had to speak up. This was their last chance.
The atmosphere inside the command center suddenly became dangerous, filled with murderous intent. Zhao Yan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are these three?"
Yuan Shikai, forcing a smile, introduced them: "This is my deputy, Tie Liang; there's also Feng Shan, the commander of the First Division; and Feng He, the commander of the Second Division—all Manchus."
With a forced smile, Zhao Yan looked at the three Manchu generals and asked, "You also want a share of the spoils... cough cough, you also want to start a revolution?"
The three Manchu generals, facing Zhao Yan, the Manchu tyrant, dared not be defiant at all. They immediately stood up and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, spare our lives! We were ignorant of the might of the revolution and tried to stop it with our bare hands. We deserve to die ten thousand times over."
Even ants cling to life; please, Your Majesty, grant us a way to survive!
Now, facing Zhao Yan is their best and last chance to survive. If Zhao Yan is willing to let them go, then they can live. If not, no matter where they run, as long as they are on Chinese territory, they will all die.
Zhao Yan glanced at Yuan Shikai and gave him a look that made his meaning clear: "For your sake, old Yuan!"
Zhao Yan then coughed twice: "Ahem, it's not bad that a prodigal son has turned back from his wayward path."
"But we still need to see how you perform. I remember there's a Manchu city in Beijing. I wonder if you Manchu officers and soldiers in the Beiyang Army are familiar with it!"
The three Manchu generals kneeling on the ground were deathly pale. They were being asked to pledge their loyalty, and the meaning was clear: lead your troops to massacre the entire Manchu city, and you will be spared.
Tie Liang raised his head: "Your Excellency, those are our beloved relatives and friends, our brothers and sisters."
Zhao Yan interrupted impatiently, "So you want me to pay more, huh?"
Tie Liang immediately knelt down again: "I wouldn't dare!"
"May I ask, Your Majesty, what will we gain after slaughtering the entire city?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Chongshan was so angry he laughed. The revolutionary generals present couldn't help but burst out laughing. Just now they were talking about their dearest relatives and friends, and now they were thinking about dividing the spoils.
But Zhao Yan wasn't going to tolerate it at all: "You'll get your dog lives!"
Tie Liang's face tightened, and he immediately understood. He dared not say anything more and simply kowtowed heavily on the ground.
Zhao Yan waved his hand: "I, Zhao Yan, keep my word. Those who surrender to the Beiyang Army on the battlefield this time, whether Manchu or Han, will be spared. But this is a one-time exception. From now on, without my order, no one is allowed to accept the surrender of Manchus. Understand?"
"The only things you can keep are your officers and soldiers, and your immediate family members. As for all your property and land, those external possessions, there's no need to say more."
Chapter 62 Heading North to the Capital
An unexpected surprise: the Beiyang Army surrendered, bringing the originally fierce Central Plains War to an abrupt end. Zhao Yan himself had not anticipated this situation.
But since it had already happened, Zhao Yan couldn't refuse. The best way to handle this kind of thing is to neither take the initiative nor refuse, and certainly not take responsibility.
The Beiyang Army still has a little over 100,000 men left, but Zhao Yan cannot accept so many people. First of all, the Han Chinese cannon fodder who were temporarily conscripted after the war were given travel expenses and dismissed.
Then there were the more than 7,000 Manchu officers and soldiers who surrendered. All of them were subjected to a one-in-ten selection. After fighting for so long, it would be impossible to say that these people did not have the blood of the Northern Expeditionary Army on their hands. But the Northern Expeditionary Army was too lazy to check. Everything depended on luck. If one was selected, it was your bad luck. If you were not selected, don't be happy. The executioners were the remaining nine people!
The Manchu troops of more than 7,000 were eventually "reorganized" down to only 6,000. Originally, there wasn't supposed to be that many, but some people were dragging their feet, so the Northern Expeditionary Army soldiers supervising them simply sent them on their way.
After the elimination of cannon fodder, the remaining Han officers and soldiers of the six Beiyang divisions were reduced to just over 21,000. The Beiyang Army, which was strong and well-equipped before the war, now had only a little over 20,000 left.
Zhao Yan was astonished. No wonder the enemy had mutinied; they had almost lost all their old forces. It would be strange if they didn't change their ways.
But Zhao Yan also admired the Beiyang Army. This meat grinder lasted for a whole month before collapsing, which was comparable to the armies of the Western powers in World War I.
Zhao Yan's Northern Expeditionary Army only managed to hold on thanks to rear mobilization and troop rotations, a feat made possible by revolutionary spirit and a strong sense of righteousness.
After reorganization, the Beiyang Army was reduced to the Provisional 13th Division. Yuan Shikai was awarded the rank of colonel and appointed as the division commander. His subordinates were demoted several ranks to become regimental commanders and battalion commanders. The brigade commanders and other positions in the division headquarters were, unfortunately, positions held by the direct subordinates of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
The 6,000-strong Manchu bannerman force was reorganized by Zhao Yan into the "Manchu Vanguard," which was essentially a disciplinary battalion—pure cannon fodder. Zhao Yan didn't even bother to add any more soldiers; he simply dispatched a party representative to oversee the operation.
After the Beiyang Army underwent a major downsizing, Zhao Yan felt a little more at ease. In fact, many Beiyang Army generals were quite talented, and their actual abilities far exceeded their current positions, making them a clear case of overqualification.
But Zhao Yan doesn't care about your ability, only your loyalty. If you surrender in the face of battle, at most you can only be given this position, otherwise your loyal followers will not agree.
Whether you can survive in the future depends on whether you are willing to fight hard. Those who come from the revolutionary army don't need to fight hard to climb to their positions, but people from the Provisional 13th Division have to fight hard to climb to their positions.
As for the Manchurian Defenders, even if they fought desperately, it wouldn't work, because they were just cannon fodder to atone for their sins.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
A fierce battle in the Central Plains ended dramatically, with both armies fighting fiercely along the Handan line. The Beiyang Army suffered more than 70,000 casualties, while the Northern Expeditionary Army suffered 55,000 casualties.
More than 100,000 soldiers and officers were buried in the Central Plains, but in the end, the two sides merged and went north together.
Everyone was filled with rage and headed straight for Beijing. After so many deaths and injuries on the Central Plains battlefield, they couldn't hold a grudge against their current allies.
But eventually, there had to be a place to vent, and the best target was Beijing. There was absolutely no one among the Manchus who lived there who had been wronged.
Even the Manchurian Defenders harbored deep resentment towards them. Apart from a very few high-ranking officers, the Manchu officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Army on the front lines in the Central Plains were all low-ranking people. They were the kind of unlucky guys who didn't get any meat but were beaten every time!
The vast majority of them were even transferred from beyond the Great Wall. They were genuine Manchus living right under the emperor's nose in the capital. Who the hell would risk their life on the battlefield? In their words, "My life is extremely precious!"
But their good days are coming to an end. After enjoying nearly three hundred years of wealth and luxury, it's time for them to pay the price.
By this time, the defense of Beijing had long been in Yuan Shikai's hands. Ever since Yuan Shikai became the main target of foreign powers' support, the Manchu royal family's voice had completely come to an end.
Without the support of foreigners, the Manchu imperial family was utterly vulnerable, and Empress Dowager Cixi was nothing special.
It's less about attacking the capital and more about taking it over. The Revolutionary Army, as the last remaining fighter on the stage, rightfully deserves the trophy.
Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu learned through foreign intelligence channels that the Beiyang Army had rebelled and was heading straight for the capital with the revolutionary army.
However, the Northern Expeditionary Army had already ordered the Beiyang Army troops defending Beijing to immediately seal off the city and not allow any Manchus to escape from Beijing.
The Green Standard Army, the patrol battalion, and the Nine Gates Commander's troops guarding the capital all chose to obey the Northern Expeditionary Army's orders. At this point, obeying the Qing government was tantamount to joining the Kuomintang in 1949.
Large-scale internal purges broke out among various armed forces in the capital. Han officers and soldiers killed their Manchu superiors and colleagues, seized real power, and immediately cut off their queues, calling themselves revolutionaries.
The most ironic thing was that the Manchu guards stationed in the Forbidden City, who made up the majority of the force, were disarmed by a very small number of Han guards, and even the palace guards surrendered without resistance.
The Northern Expeditionary Army was still far away in Cangzhou, but the Manchus in the capital had already completely lost their ability to resist. This time, Cixi could not even go on a western hunt because she could no longer command any army. Even the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace were disobedient.
A very small number of officials loyal to the Qing Dynasty are still knocking on the gates of the Forbidden City's Golden Water Bridge, but they can't even get into the palace anymore.
Throughout the entire process, the most bewildered were the foreign powers. They poured in a lot of military aid, but it only allowed the Qing Dynasty to hold out for another month.
Sir John Jordan, the British Minister Plenipotentiary to China, was so angry that he cursed in Chinese. After calming down, he wanted to contact the Manchu imperial family to leave Beijing for refuge, but this request was directly rejected by the British mainland. The British Empire would not accept refuge from the Tatar imperial family. On the contrary, the Japanese side was very keen to contact the Manchu imperial family for refuge.
At this critical juncture, foreigners had no access to the palace and could not even approach the gates.
At this point, anyone who dared to let Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu escape would be hunted down by the revolutionary army. A great transformation was imminent, and anyone who took a wrong step would become dust under the wheels of history.
Meanwhile, Mr. Zhao Yan, who was preparing to go to Beijing for the imperial examination, was methodically handing over various matters, with the most important being the discipline of the army.
Zhao Yan appointed Zhang Xinghua as the plenipotentiary party representative, in charge of discipline work after the entire army entered the city. He was required to do everything that needed to be done, but he was also forbidden from doing anything that was not allowed to be done.
Zhao Yan summoned everyone to a meeting that would determine the fate of all Manchus in the capital. At the meeting, Zhao Yan ordered a thorough purge of the capital, especially targeting the Manchus, including not only the Manchu Eight Banners but also the Han Eight Banners.
Those whose wealth exceeded that of ordinary people were undoubtedly the targets of the purge. Even Manchu bannermen whose wealth was only at the level of ordinary people were not spared; they were all arrested and sent to "reform camps."
All purges and arrests must strictly adhere to military discipline. Arson, vandalism, and other acts of sabotage are strictly prohibited. Only the Northern Expeditionary Army has the right to carry out violent actions after entering the city. All other acts of violence will be considered hostile. All hooligans and thugs who cause trouble will be included in the purge list.
As before, all fixed assets will be confiscated, and all floating assets will be handed over, with 70% going to the public and 30% to be distributed among everyone.
As the leader, Zhao Yan abused his power for personal gain, assigning himself a very special position: the Forbidden City. The purge within the Forbidden City was personally carried out by Zhao Yan and the presidential guard.
The others pursed their lips but didn't dare to say anything, since Zhao Yan was the boss.
But the legendary imperial harem has three thousand beauties, and everyone wants to see it. We've never been there before and never had the chance. Now that we have it, the eldest daughter wants to enjoy it all by herself. It's tough!
Zhao Yan himself was almost losing control. Just thinking about the word "harem" made his mouth water. The harem!
This isn't some wish-fulfillment novel where someone builds a harem; this is a real attempt to conquer the Forbidden City in Beijing! The ultimate dream of every man is now within Zhao Yan's grasp.
Only Yuan Shikai, the commander of the Provisional 13th Division, had a strange expression. He looked at his colleagues who were excitedly discussing the harem, and wanted to speak several times, but he held back.
After glancing at Zhao Yan silently, Lao Yuan decided to remain silent. It's better to let the person involved see for himself. Only when he sees it with his own eyes will he truly give up.
Chapter 63 Guangxu, are you planning a rebellion?
(I'm too lazy to write about the civil war, so I'll just gloss over it if I can.)