Chapter 57: Leniency and Severity (Part 1)

  "Brothers! Comrades of the revolution! My revolutionary army has now captured the Governor's Office, and taken alive the Governor of Hubei and Hunan, Rui Cun. The sound of gunfire is also coming from the Left Banner Camp, indicating that our comrades inside have responded to our uprising. To the east, a fierce battle is raging outside the city walls between the Southern Lake Artillery Garrison and the Qing army. To the north, the Five Righteous Men are risking their lives to persuade the Eighth Battalion to respond to our uprising. It seems that the strategic location of Snake Mountain will soon be in our hands, and we will be able to block the Qing army's naval fleet from coming up the Yangtze River... The situation within the city is already favorable to us, and the hope for revolution is right before our eyes! Just ahead lies the headquarters of the Eighth Garrison! Now, although the situation within the city is still chaotic, we should cut off the Qing army's communications, capture or kill the Tartar officials! Rui Cun, the old scoundrel, has already fallen into our hands. If we can destroy the enemy command center located in the Eighth Garrison, the Qing army within the city will surely be thrown into great confusion, and the hope for the success of our uprising is already before our eyes!"

  Standing on a section of the collapsed city wall, Li Han pointed to the Eighth Town Command Department in the distance where the sound of cannons was still rumbling, and his confident expression instantly infected the surrounding group of revolutionary soldiers... This is not him talking nonsense, according to historical records, during the Wuchang Uprising, the only setback the revolutionary army encountered was the commander of the Eighth Town, Zhang Biao, who was in command of the Provincial Governor's Office. In fact, if it weren't for the Hubei Provincial Governor, Ru Zong, bringing his family onto the battlefield and fleeing without following Zhang Biao's original plan, Zhang would have been able to rely on his influence accumulated over many years in Hubei Province, combined with his considerable military strength, to calmly respond to the sudden and unexpected situation. He could have also used some emissaries to lure some of the revolutionaries who were not resolute in their determination, offering them heavy rewards, and although the revolutionary army was at a disadvantage due to the loss of the Chu Wang Tai, they would still be able to hold out in the city with the large number of troops under Zhang's command. The outcome of the Wuchang Uprising would have been similar to that of the "Anqing Uprising" in history, and ultimately, after the Qing government reacted and dispatched troops, it would have taken some time, but they would have been able to strangle the revolution in the city.

  No wonder later generations of scholars mentioned the name of Rui Cheng, the former governor of Hubei and Hunan, in the list of meritorious officials of the Wuchang Uprising, which will be ranked among the top five...

  "All soldiers of the Iron First Battalion, listen to Commander Hou's military order!" The officer Li Dongcai, who had been following Li Han, held his sword and saluted. "Reporting to Commander, I am Li Dongcai! Currently serving as the adjutant officer of the Iron First Battalion, salute!"

  Bang! Bang!

  A chaotic chorus of applause erupted in the auditorium, and Li Han returned a bow.

  "Boom~~ Boom~~~~"

  The cannon fire from not far away had not stopped yet, but it gradually subsided. After all, in order to quickly join the battlefield, Li Han and Tieyi Camp only brought less than a combat base of artillery shells, and they were able to hold on until now was already very good. As the firepower weakened, Zhang Biao's Eighth Town, which had been besieged near the Eighth Town Command Department, finally began to organize a counterattack, and it was still the three weak and one strong method. After careful consideration, he understood what the man who had fought for half his life was thinking of, fearing that he was preparing to escape...

  "It seems that Zhang Biao already knew about the news of Rui Cheng being captured. As expected, a guy who can leave a heavy mark in history is not simple. After understanding the severe situation in the city is unfavorable to himself, Zhang Biao decisively chose to withdraw, not only saving some counterattacking forces but also minimizing the adverse impact of Governor Rui Cheng's capture..."

  He had already figured out what the other party was up to, but unfortunately Li Han didn't have a way to stop it. No, or rather he didn't want to stop it. In fact, he wasn't capable enough, also because... this just happened to be an important part of his plan.

  Look at the increasingly powerful team below, Li Han's face reveals a hint of pride. Not to mention that he has already arranged for more than 100 people from Sanlian to go to the dock, his current force has not only fully recovered after reorganizing the first and second artillery companies, but also absorbed several disorganized revolutionary parties along the way. Now, the number of troops under his command is close to 800, making him a top figure in this city!

  But it's one thing to have the power, and another to grasp it. In order not to become someone else's scapegoat in the future, he had to thoroughly control this force with his own hands! After Li Han led a team of people to surround the Eighth Garrison Command in the city, he took advantage of the chaotic organization on his hands, reorganized the troops, and tried his best to bring them under his control.

  "Officers who were previously appointed as deputy officers by me, fall in!" Li Han shouted, raising the command sword in his hand and holding it straight up in front of him with his right hand.

  "One after another, all the generals came out..."

  "The two rows of officials and officers came out in order..."

  "Four rows of officers and men marched out..."

  "The five officials of the Wu army come out in a row..."

  ……

  A sudden commotion broke out in the ranks, and soon after, dozens of former reserve officers who had been temporarily appointed as military officers by him walked out from among the dense crowd of soldiers at the front. They stood proudly in front of Li Han, their resolute faces illuminated by the lingering flames that still flickered around them.

  Li Han nodded in satisfaction, although a few of them performed somewhat inadequately. However, he also knew that now was not the time to criticize. He put the command knife back into his waist sheath and said with his head held high, "Almost none of you know me, and before today, I didn't know any of you either!"

  The first sentence, an ordinary opening!

  However, the same mission and fate have brought you, me, and everyone together from all corners of the country to Hubei, to Wuchang, one of the richest provinces in our motherland! And our mission is just two words - Revolution!

  Slowly but surely, Li Han finally found his rhythm!

  "Many people may not understand, saying that revolution has nothing to do with us. We eat imperial rations and take the court's money, let that fate go to hell! That is the revolutionary party's business, what does it have to do with us? Don't deny it, there are certainly people in this gathering who think this way!"

  Among the revolutionary soldiers below, a whispering conversation was going on, but the voice was very low, so it did not affect Li Han's speech, and he did not stop either.

  "I'm here to tell you what revolution is and why we need it! Revolution, simply put, is when the current government does things that make us dissatisfied, makes the common people dissatisfied, so we want to overthrow it and replace it with a new government that satisfies us, makes us comfortable, and serves us instead of us serving it!

  Mr. Sun Yat-sen once said: 'Ten years ago, my friend Qiu Yun and I discussed what revolution means here. At the time, I said that revolution is for the 400 million compatriots to have a stable livelihood, not to cry out in hunger or cold. Ten years have passed, and those who shared my aspirations have successively sacrificed themselves. I've wandered from place to place and returned, and the two words "revolution" are no longer the same to me.

  Today, when asked what revolution means again, I would say: To seek civilized happiness, one must go through civilized suffering. And this suffering is revolution!'

  Perhaps many people don't understand these words because they feel too distant, too afraid to imagine. So, below, I'll use my own interpretation, the simplest explanation, to tell everyone what revolution is and why we need it!"

  Just paused for a moment!

  "What I consider to be revolution is the people's revolution, the national revolution and also the world's revolution. It means calling on everyone to rise up together, vent our anger, destroy everything that obstructs us from pursuing happiness - just like the Manchu Qing dynasty which now blocks the progress of our great Chinese nation - accurately speaking, it is the Manchu aristocracy!"

  "The Tartars are incompetent, heaven is angry and the people resent them. They entered our Central Plains, seized our rivers and mountains, deceived our Han family, and made us slaves. Now we have a group of revolutionary scholars who dare to overthrow the Tartar regime for the sake of all living beings and the common people, and drive the Manchu barbarians out of our China! We may come from all over the world, or we may not have known each other until yesterday, but from today on, from now on, we are all members of the Iron First Regiment of this revolutionary army. And I, temporarily appointed as the commander of the Iron First Regiment, my name is Li Han, you can call me Commander." Li Han said with great enthusiasm and passion. To be honest, he himself was surprised at how quickly he had adapted to this era and fully devoted himself to the revolution.