Chapter Thirty-Eight: Butterfly Effect

  Time 5:35 pm.

  The red sun slowly sets in the west, and the bustling atmosphere of Wuchang City also gradually calmed down with the approaching night. Although many suspected revolutionaries were arrested in the city within a day, the new army, although somewhat unstable, has gradually stabilized since the implementation of stricter patrols and gun control.

  He thought he had fully grasped the situation in the city, and Huguang Governor Rui Cun arrogantly rejected Zhang Biao's suggestion to order the new army to enter Sichuan. Firstly, he was a strong enemy of Duan Fang, and it was not easy for him to drive him out of Hubei, this rich land, so he would not give him any chance to come back. Secondly, in his heart, after confiscating most of the guns, he ordered the Chu Wang Tai side to strengthen its defenses, and he also consulted with the consuls of various countries, especially the British and French consuls, who promised that they would warn their respective nationals in China not to let guns fall into the hands of the revolutionaries, and would help him persuade other countries to follow this rule.

  Although the new army that had been put on alert near the Consulate General was still ordered to remain, the curfew in the city was also retained only in some military strongholds under the "request" of various consuls, and other places were restored to their original state.

  He bade them do this, and the few places in the city that were still out of contact were all connected to the progressive new army officers lurking in various camps. Even some of the new army who had previously ventured out of the camp to report messages also quietly returned to the camp.

  He Liguang is one of them...

  "As I said before, the time for the uprising has been set at 8:30 tonight. Of course... if something special happens, it will be determined by gunfire. As long as we confirm that the gunfire is coming from the direction of Chu Wang Tai, we must immediately respond to the uprising. Our task is a bit heavier, there are many soldiers in Cannon Eight who are inclined towards us, but we have not been able to contact them. Moreover, after the name list was leaked yesterday, Rui Ceng Lao Ze has been arresting my revolutionary comrades in the city, making it difficult for us to have confidence in our revolution... When the time comes, Hai Nan and Xiao Si, as soon as the uprising begins, as long as I fire a shot, you will immediately organize your comrades to charge and capture the cannons. I will arrange for De Ren's team to help you block the patrol... Ma Zheng Mu's task is even more important, your team must attack Cannon Eight at the beginning of the uprising, even if it means forcing them, we cannot let these skilled artillery soldiers fall into enemy hands. At that time, Nan and others will help you, if you encounter resistance, try not to kill unless absolutely necessary, don't give those with ulterior motives any ideas... Some people must be eliminated... I will lead a team of people, including Chen Zheng Mu and Li Yuan, to quickly capture the Zhong He Gate, control the nearby Bei Ba Xiang, and snipe at the patrolling soldiers. After completing everything, we will hurry to Mei Ting Shan and gather at Chu Wang Tai. The comrades from the Eighth Battalion have already made preparations and will definitely take down the military arsenal at Chu Wang Tai! Has everyone remembered their tasks?"

  A low, muffled voice came from inside the house. The speaker was He Liguo. He had just rushed back from the Eighth Regiment, accompanied by several soldiers from the Eighth Regiment. Together, they helped move back a few boxes of firearms. Among the South Lake Artillery, there were not a few progressive new troops who were inclined to revolution, so they did not encounter much difficulty and slipped in again under the cover of a patrol team of progressive new troops.

  "But didn't they just send two more teams over there to reinforce the 8th camp?"

  The question was asked by a sturdy soldier with a slightly darker complexion next to him, who had a cigarette in his mouth and was skillfully wiping the gun oil of an M1895 Steyr-Mannlicher rifle that He Liguang had just brought back and handed over to him. "Besides, didn't you just bring back more than 40 guns from him? Will it affect the actions on the side of the Eighth Regiment?"

  His words weren't unreasonable, but everyone in the house, including He Ligu and the soldiers who followed him, burst out laughing. "Don't worry, He Nan," he said with a smile. "This time our uprising has really encountered a noble person. A generous overseas Chinese donated nearly 300 guns to us at once. If this uprising is successful, he should be remembered as the first contributor."

  The speaker is He Liguo, this dark-skinned Han from Guangxi was the 'He Nan' in his words.

  "Oh?"

  Some people in the house really didn't know about this matter, "Don't be mysterious anymore, quickly tell everyone..."

  When he saw him smiling and teasing everyone, the dark-skinned man stabbed him with a sentence, and the two were fellow villagers and good friends who came to Wuhan together, so they spoke extremely rudely.

  "Alright alright... Fortunately, I still have some time, so let me tell you about the person I just bumped into..."

  Time 6:23 PM.

  Far away, sitting in the car, he took a look at the Eighth Camp barracks in the distance with binoculars. Li rubbed his eyes, which were a bit sour due to tension and fatigue, and cautiously asked a young soldier beside him, "Can you confirm that the team standing guard now is your people?"

  After buying enough firearms from the洋行, the two of them drove for almost two hours and finally returned to a place not far from the Eighth Regiment's barracks. Yan Zhongzhi had been to the Eighth Regiment's barracks before, although he was shaken and vomited along the way, but as soon as he mentioned revolutionary matters, he immediately recovered. Although Li Han saw that his face was pale and unwell-looking, he himself also knew that he was not familiar with the roads around here, so he stopped the car in a remote and hidden place, and Yan Zhongzhi got out to contact the insurgents within the Eighth Regiment.

  Not long after, a group of people quietly followed out from the camp, all of whom were historical celebrities. There was Jin Zhaolong, who had been passed down in folklore and legend as having superhuman strength; Cheng Zhengyi, a true pioneer of the Wuchang Uprising, a man who looked somewhat thin but exceptionally spirited, although his ending was not good, seemingly turning to Li Yuanhong's faction after the revolution, later supporting Yuan Shikai, and eventually being tied up with stones and thrown into the Yangtze River by the Nationalist Party. There were also some local celebrities, but he could only barely recognize two or three of them, the rest were unrecognizable. However, the one he had been expecting and yearning to meet, the first hero of the Wuchang Uprising - Xiong Bingkun, unfortunately did not appear, because the few soldiers who came to report the news in the afternoon after being dispatched by the 8th Regiment lost a few more people and were chased away by the other side.

  In his heart, Ruan Rongfa knew that within the 8th Regiment, there might still be remnants of the rebellious party. Although he wanted to root them out one by one, he wasn't someone who didn't understand the bigger picture. In fact, he also knew that most soldiers in the regiment were inclined towards the Will Party. Otherwise, when the command was given to distribute photos of the three martyrs at the 8th Regiment's headquarters earlier that morning, there wouldn't have been so many angry expressions on people's faces.

  Ruan Rongfa knew that if he really pursued the matter, even if he managed to confiscate most of the firearms, it would still likely lead to a mutiny among the lower-ranking soldiers. After all, most soldiers were already anxious and fearful, and once shots were fired, things would escalate out of control!

  Although he knew it wasn't the time to be stingy, Ruan Rongfa still picked out a few dozen soldiers from the camp and formed two teams to tighten the patrol around the camp. It was because of this that although they could still sneak out quietly, someone had to stay behind to keep watch in the camp.

  After some simple pleasantries and exchanges with Cheng Zhengying and others, Li Han had them transport the military equipment purchased in the car back and forth several times, moving out more than half of it into the camp. Then, after some negotiation, Cheng Zhengying sent a few people to entrust Li Han to drive and send a group, and several people helped He Liguang move some remaining firearms. They went to Huìyì, where their mission was second only to the Nánhú Pào Duì (South Lake Cannon Team) of the Eighth Camp. Only then did they return to the vicinity of the Eighth Camp's barracks, lurking in hiding because some bad news had come from within the camp. Perhaps it was the butterfly effect brought by Li Han, but at this critical moment, the Governor's Office had unexpectedly withdrawn two teams of over 200 people from Zhang Biao's three direct-line camps to come and assist in the defense of the Eighth Camp. In other words, tonight, when the uprising took place, the insurgents within the Eighth Camp would not be facing just a bunch of mediocre soldiers as they had historically, but rather a force far superior to theirs, nearly one camp's worth of troops...

  Li Han's head suddenly swelled up.

  Not only did he grow up, but Xiong Bingkun and others were the same. Taking advantage of the time when the two teams had not yet arrived, a group of rebels in the camp thought for a while and then sent out a young soldier to wait at the place where they had hidden their cars before. After Li Han helped transport things back, he asked if his marksmanship could guarantee that he could solve the three commanders on the rostrum within 300 steps in an instant...

  Li Han hesitated for a moment, about 300 steps, roughly around 140 meters, within the effective shooting range of Qcw05. However, with its damage power, it could only take out targets without body armor. Considering that the new army was no longer equipped with scale armor, he gave a positive response. The soldier went back for a while and then came back quickly, bringing a new plan from Xiong Bingkun and others - to take advantage of Ruan Rongfa's welcoming ceremony for the two teams of cooperative defense troops, Li Han would take out Ruan Rongfa and others with a sniper shot, and then Xiong Bingkun and others would quickly come out to control the situation within the camp.