Chapter 2: The Order of the Vanguard

  Zhaobei glanced at these more than a hundred new military officers again, trying to clear his mind.

  The current situation is clear, first, he crossed over and had no queue. At such a critical moment when the anti-Qing uprising has broken out, a man without a queue wandering around in the city will be very dangerous. If the uprising fails, the Qing army inside the city must have searched for "rebels" on a large scale. If they fall into the hands of the Qing army, it is bound to be a dead end.

  For officials of this era, a man without a queue was equivalent to a treacherous minister, and everyone could be executed at will. There was no reason to talk about it. During the Xinhai Revolution, such massacres occurred in Northeast China, Nanjing, and other places.

  After realizing this point, Zhao Bei immediately made a decision, that is to devote himself to the revolution! No matter what, he had to assist the insurgent troops outside the city to break into the city and protect himself as a "revolutionary".

  Zhao Bei coughed, tensed up his facial muscles, raised his right hand and swung it with force, imitating the "great fearless spirit of revolution" from the movies. He shouted to the soldiers: "Brothers! Revolutionary comrades! The city gate has been blown open by me, the city wall has collapsed, and the road for the righteous army outside the city to enter has been opened. There's nothing left for us here! Now, we should take advantage of the chaos, stir up trouble and set fires within the city, and respond to the uprising troops with revolutionary actions! We must immediately attack the governor's office! Cut off the Qing army's communication, capture or kill the fake Qing officials! As long as we destroy the enemy's command center, the enemy army in the city will inevitably be thrown into chaos. Then, the recovery of Anqing will be easy!"

  This is not nonsense, according to historical records, this Anhui governor who sat in the city had some ability, and could remain calm in times of sudden change, promised heavy rewards to entice new and old camp soldiers inside the city, and thus grasped a reactionary army that was willing to fight to the death for him. It was relying on this large and well-equipped armed force that he was able to defend the city calmly, launch a fierce counterattack, and ultimately strangle the revolution in just two days and one night.

  "The entire officer and soldier of the Second Battalion's vanguard are waiting for the 'Elite Vanguard' military order!" The low-ranking officer continued to hold his sword in salute. "Private Wu Zhenhan! Currently serving as the second squad leader of the first platoon!"

  Bang! Bang!

  "Whoosh... Whoosh..."

  Gunfire came from within the city, drowning out Wu Zhenhan's voice. The Qing army inside the city finally began to come to their senses, but judging from the chaotic gunfire, the Qing army had not yet figured out where the main attack direction was, but as long as they waited for a moment, they would be able to determine the location of the rebel army's attacking position.

  We must act immediately and thoroughly disrupt the deployment within the city before the Qing army organizes a counterattack!

  "All officers, step forward before me!" Zhao Bei shouted, taking the gleaming command knife from Wu Zhenhan's hand and holding it in his right hand. With his left hand, he pulled at his rumpled casual attire, placed the knife on his leg and gave it a few wipes, then raised the knife high above his head.

  "First row, first shed, Zheng Mu Chen Iron Mountain is out!"

  "Second row, first shed, Zheng Mu Tian Jin Fu, fall in!"

  ……

  As Wu Zhenhan called out, seven low-ranking officers stood up and stood proudly in front of Zhao Bei, their resolute faces exceptionally clear under the bright lantern light.

  There isn't a single high-ranking officer, not even a platoon leader. For those high-ranking officers who are well-fed and live in luxury, making revolution is indeed a losing business. Only low-ranking officers and ordinary soldiers have the possibility of becoming the backbone of the revolution.

  "The Qing dynasty is corrupt and has lost the Mandate of Heaven, heaven and man are angry. For the sake of China, for the sake of the people, we must overthrow the Qing! From now on, we are members of the revolutionary army, and I am your superior! My name is Zhao Bei." Zhao Bei said with great passion and fervor. To be honest, he was surprised by how quickly he had adapted to his new identity as a time-traveler and had thrown himself wholeheartedly into it.

  "We respectfully obey General Zhao's military order!" The crowd shouted in unison.

  "Wu Zhenhan!"

  "Marked below!"

  "I appoint you as deputy platoon leader!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "Chen Tieshan!"

  "Marked below!"

  "I appoint you as deputy squad leader of the second row!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  ……

  Soon, this rebel army adjusted its formation, almost everyone was promoted one level, morale was higher, and fighting spirit was high.

  "Wu Zhenhan, are our ammunition and rifles sufficient?" Zhao Bei asked, looking up to scan the area, only to find several soldiers standing empty-handed.

  "One hundred rifles but only two clips of ammunition per person! Also over fifty homemade grenades! Fifteen military swords, half of which have not been sharpened." Wu Zhenhan replied.

  "Are there other new army troops in the city?"

  "Besides our team, there are also two teams from the 2nd battalion of the 62nd regiment, one team from the 3rd battalion of the 62nd regiment, an engineering team, and half a military band, totaling over 600 people!"

  "Where is the garrison?" Zhao Bei felt a slight sense of disappointment, as the disparity in strength between the two sides was indeed too great. But with the arrow already on the string, it had to be fired! It should be known that at the beginning of the Xinhai Revolution, there were only 2,000 troops launched for the attack. If not for the hundreds of people who rose up in response within Wuchang City and occupied the arsenal, the Wuchang Uprising would not have succeeded.

  Revolution is adventure!

  "The garrison is not far from here. However, the bullets are insufficient, and the 62nd Division Commander Fan Weidang is stationed in the camp. This man has always been willing to be a fake Qing hawk dog, with him suppressing, it's feared..."

  "Can't look back when making a revolution! Now listen to my command, everyone is present, form up!" Zhao Bei pointed his commanding knife forward.

  "Fall in line!"

  "Form two lines!"

  ……

  Under Zhao Bei's command, this rebel army quickly formed up.

  Wu Zhenhan walked up to Zhao Bei, saluted him, removed his military cap from his head and handed it over to Zhao Bei.

  "Order Zhao Shuai to come down!"

  General Zhao put on his military hat, and although the casual clothes and jeans paired with a military hat looked a bit strange, he couldn't care about that now. He swiftly swung his command knife towards the end of the street, then quickly pulled it back, slung it over his shoulder, and shouted: "Second platoon, stay behind and guard here to receive the insurgent troops entering the city! The rest of you, follow me! Everyone, turn around and march! Destination, new military barracks! Anyone who dares to block our way will be killed without mercy!"

  Accompanied by the crackling of gunfire, this small insurgent force turned around and quickly advanced towards the new military barracks, encountering no resistance along the way, and smoothly arrived at the new military barracks in the city.

  At this time, the new barracks were in a state of confusion, with unarmed new soldiers rushing to the drill ground, and the crowd was in an uproar. Due to the efforts of the Guangfu Society, nearly 2,000 soldiers who had secretly joined the Revolutionary Party or sympathized with the revolution in the Anhui New Army accounted for half of the total number of the 31st Mixed Brigade, whether they were stationed outside the city or inside the city, had long been secretly colluding with the Revolutionary Party. However, due to being stationed inside the city, the government was too strict, and the main officer in charge of the uprising was hesitant, these new soldiers did not respond to the uprising in time. At this time, hearing the sound of gunfire outside the city, they knew that the great rebellion against the Qing had begun, and without prior agreement, they walked out of their barracks, gathered on the drill ground, and discussed what to do next.

  "Whoosh... Whoosh..."

  The bullets flying from outside the city dragged a long tail sound across the night sky, just like a cat's claw, scratching people's hearts and making them itchy. For professional soldiers, there is no other sound that can excite them more than the sound of bullets breaking through the air.

  Some bullets flew over the school grounds, losing their power and falling from the sky, hitting rooftops and treetops before landing weakly on the ground. The soldiers picked them up in their hands, the scorching hot bullet casings making people even more excited and thrilled.

  "Let's go together! Let's go together!"

  "It's gone wrong! It's gone wrong!"

  This is what many people want to shout out loud, but in the end, only a few dare to do so. The 62nd banner's commander, Fan Weidong, stood on the school field's reviewing platform with his fully armed guards, and the lanterns held by the guards cast an eerie glow on his dark face. At this moment, any misbehavior by the soldiers would be seen as a serious offense. The royal flag had just been delivered by the governor's personal guard and was placed on a table beside Fan Weidong. The order from the governor clearly stated: "Anyone who dares to riot will be killed without mercy, regardless of whether they are officials or soldiers!"

  In the heart of Governor Zhang, the new army was ultimately unreliable. So when he heard the sound of gunfire, the first thing that came to mind was the new army barracks. Originally, this order was given to General Gu Zongsheng, commander of the 31st Mixed Brigade, but since he couldn't be found at the moment, Fan Weidong had to take charge instead.

  "Governor Fan, your soldiers don't seem very honest." The middle army of the governor stood beside the royal flag, waving his whip and speaking to Fan Weidang in a sinister tone. "It's better to take out a few and kill them first, to intimidate them. Otherwise, if they make a fuss, even if you and I escape with our lives, we won't be able to escape the emperor's great wrath. Now that the royal flag is in hand, officials below the rank of general can be killed at will. You should understand the governor's protective intentions."

  "They have no guns in their hands, they dare not act rashly." Fan Weiting fiercely opened the two military uniform buttons that were hastily buttoned wrong, turned his head and looked at the several pipe bands and officers standing behind him. In his heart, he was quite regretful. Usually, he rarely disciplined his subordinates, and the training of the troops was entrusted to the second battalion's pipe band and drill officer Xue Zhe. But now, not only was Xue Zhe nowhere to be seen, but even the vanguard of the second battalion had gone missing. Maybe it was true what Zhong Jun said, that Xue Zhe had led the troops out of the camp to rebel. If that were really the case, then Fan Weiting would be finished, and a charge of "dereliction of duty" would be his downfall.

  "The governor will arrive immediately to comfort and suppress, you must grasp it accurately. Whether it's 'merit offsets crime' or 'crime increases by one degree', it depends on yourself." The central army reminded once again.

  "Please don't worry, General. Fan Mou has eaten the emperor's salary and done his duty for the emperor. In such a critical situation, Fan Mou would not dare to play with people's lives. With me here, these soldiers will not make any noise." Fan Wei-tang said, patting his chest.

  But his words had barely fallen when a violent shout exploded from the darkness:

  "Brothers! The Qing court is unjust, bringing disaster to the country and its people! Our military leaders do not treat us as human beings! The banner men ride on our heads, defecating and urinating, with no reward for merit and punishment for minor offenses. Is this reasonable? We have risen up! Fifty thousand righteous troops are already outside the city, and the recovery of Anqing is today!"

  "Who? Who's shouting? Who dares to be insolent?" The middle-aged military officer stood in front of Fan Weidong, loudly rebuking him, taking a step forward and drawing his pistol.

  "Fire!"

  The Chinese troops responded with a volley of rifle fire.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!...... Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Dazzling gun muzzle flashes less than a hundred paces from the reviewing stand, before the sound of gunfire has faded away, another burst of thunder, the guns are fired "rattling", copper shells fall to the ground, producing a crisp impact.

  The guns went off and the people fell, those wind lanterns on the reviewing stand became the best target indicator. Nearly a hundred bullets whizzed by, turning the Goshah holding the lanterns into beehives, falling down like rotten meat. The royal flag placed on the square table was also shot to pieces, spinning and flying in mid-air.

  At the same time, those officers and several imperial officials sent by the governor were also knocked down.

  Clothing fragments and human flesh and brain pulp were flying on the reviewing stand, under the light of the lamp, it seemed like a bloody fog had risen there.

  The middle army sent by the governor was blown up with an 8mm rifle bullet, and before falling down, several bullets of the same caliber pierced several transparent holes. Although he didn't have time to raise his pistol to counterattack, the muscles still made the corpse that lost half its head pull the trigger, and a pistol bullet flew out, piercing Fan Weidong's left foot.

  This bullet may have saved the life of General Zhang, after being shot, Fan Weidong immediately fell to the ground, otherwise, during the second volley, the rifle bullet would not have hit his shoulder.

  Hit by two bullets, Fan Weidong was seriously injured, but his survival instinct still kept him awake, struggling to roll down the reviewing stand. With the help of two surviving Gosha, he escaped from the school field in the dark.

  "It's gone wrong! It's gone wrong!"

  "Revolution! Revolution!"

  The soldiers in the playground were also frightened by the gunfire that was close at hand, and a few people slipped away in the chaos. But when they found out that the target of the shooting was the officials on the platform, they shouted and cheered.

  "Don't be in a panic! Each unit, according to the established formation, line up in front of the platform!" someone shouted loudly in the darkness. Several soldiers carrying rifles and with white cloth tied around their arms hastily ran up onto the reviewing stand, fired several more shots at those few Goshchas who had not yet died, took away their guns, and then brought down those few lanterns that had not yet gone out.

  Zhao Bei took a lantern from the hands of a soldier and the left-handed revolver of the central army, quickly walked up to the reviewing platform, standing still on the platform under the protection of several soldiers.

  "My name is Zhao Bei, I am a revolutionary. Soldiers! The Qing dynasty's fate has been sealed, now is the best time for revolution! Our comrades outside the city are attacking the city, and we must respond to them from within! The arrow is already on the bowstring, it cannot be withheld! Are you willing to follow me in revolution?"

  "Agreed!"

  Are you afraid of death?

  "I'm not afraid!"

  Zhao Bei waved his pistol, raised it above his head, and fired two shots into the sky with a "bang bang" sound. He shouted: "The revolution is today! If we don't succeed, we'll die for our cause!"

  "Victory to those who succeed, martyrdom to those who fail! Victory to those who succeed, martyrdom to those who fail!"

  Seeing that the emotions of the soldiers had been mobilized, Zhao Bei took advantage of the situation and began issuing orders.

  "Now, our troops officially declare the uprising! In order to facilitate the attack, I will divide the troops into two echelons: the first and second echelons! The front and rear teams of the Second Battalion are formed as the First Echelon, and the rear team of the Third Battalion, the middle team of the Second Battalion, the Engineering Team, and the Military Band are combined to form the Second Echelon! Since the original commander has fled, I will temporarily take over as the commander of the 62nd Regiment, concurrently serving as the leader of the First Echelon. Wu Zhenhan is appointed as the leader of the Second Battalion, concurrently serving as the leader of the Second Echelon! The First Echelon, led by me, will attack the Futaiguan government office, annihilating the enemy's command center. The Second Echelon, led by Wu Zhenhan, will attack the Huoyao Warehouse, seizing the weapons and ammunition there! The revival of China depends on this one battle. I wish you all to unite against our common enemy! Charge forward bravely, and completely annihilate the strong enemy!"

  "Forward bravely, annihilate the strong enemy! Forward bravely, annihilate the strong enemy!"

  In the thunderous slogans, this small but high-spirited rebel army marched out of the barracks in formation. Although many of them had empty hands or only carried sheathed bayonets, no one could deny that under such a near-frantic emotional state, their combat potential would be fully unleashed.