Chapter 58: Leniency and Severity (Part 2)

  The soldiers below fell into a low-voiced discussion, some of them felt that they were also one of those people, and the gaze on their faces was more recognizable. However, there were also people in the team who were clearly inclined to revolution, and their eyes became increasingly out of tune with him. The scene suddenly fell into an awkward silence, Li Han sighed in his heart, knowing that his speech had failed, at least it did not have the effect he wanted. He also knew that among these new soldiers who participated in the revolution, many were because there were people around them who incited the revolution, and their familiar comrades-in-arms all participated in the revolution, so they followed suit and opened fire, being drawn into the revolutionary ranks.

  He had read some interviews with the old soldiers who participated in the Wuchang Uprising, and many of them admitted that they followed the revolution blindly because at first, they felt confused. Most of the soldiers didn't understand what was going on; they only knew that the new army's treatment was very good compared to other civilians. They could eat well and support their families with the new army's salary. So, when they joined the revolution, it wasn't as glorious as described in books. They simply followed familiar or prestigious soldiers who had already joined the new army. When the revolutionary party launched the uprising, the new army's commanders were caught off guard, leading to chaos within the city walls. In the midst of confusion and panic, they followed their comrades who had risen up and joined the uprising.

  He threw a glance at Li Dong standing beside him, and since he had already instructed them on some matters beforehand, as soon as Li Dong saw his glance, he knew what he wanted him to do. He immediately saluted and led a team of soldiers away for a short while before quickly bringing back a wooden box that looked like it could be moved by any ordinary young person. However, what made everyone puzzled was why this seemingly not-so-large box required two people to move it together?!

  "What I want to tell everyone is that our revolution is aimed at the fate of the Qing dynasty, it's the fate of the corrupt and decadent ruling class of the Qing dynasty. A revolutionary leader once said that poverty and backwardness should not belong to us revolutionaries, because I represent the most advanced forces in the world, so what we are pursuing through this revolution is a rich, happy, prosperous and powerful new China! Next, I will distribute republican silver coins to all officers and soldiers present, remember, each officer can receive 20 silver coins, while soldiers can also receive 10 silver coins, remember, after receiving them, quickly go to the back of the queue. In addition, I would like to specially mention that after a review, I am extremely satisfied with the vast majority of soldiers and acting officers among you, thank you for your contributions to the revolution!"

  With a wave of Li Handa's hand and an order, suddenly, Li Donglai signaled the two men beside him to put the box in front of the queue and have it opened, revealing the white silver coins inside!

  "Wow~~~~"

  The scene suddenly fell into chaos, and no one had expected him to make such a move at this time. No one was foolish, but most people were still shocked by his tactics.

  "Since..."

  "Wait..."

  Just as Li Hangang was about to signal the soldiers to line up and receive the "Republican subsidy silver" from his mouth, someone below suddenly shouted loudly, interrupting his speech.

  A faint smile escaped from the corner of his mouth, and Li Han thought to himself, "Can't help it after all!"

  In fact, as early as when he was reorganizing his troops on the Chu Wang Tai, he had felt that there seemed to be some people in the camp who were harboring a hint of hostility towards him, although it was very faint, but could be seen in the way some people deliberately opposed him at times.

  After capturing the Governor of Huguang, Rui Cheng, he ordered his soldiers to keep it a secret and planned to send him to Wu and Xiong's command post when the joint attack arrived, in order to gain greater benefits. However, someone obviously disobeyed his orders, and they escorted Rui Cheng into the city. On the other side, Cai Jimin not only received the news but also had people urging him to take Li Han's captured Rui Cheng away, with a very arrogant tone, specifically naming that he wanted to kill him to sacrifice to the flag in order to calm the morale of the soldiers inside the city.

  Li Han would not agree to such a foolish thing, after all, he had been forced to study the overall political situation for several months and knew that a living governor was much more useful than a dead one in terms of suppressing the revolutionary forces in the city. Leaving Li Han alive could severely damage the morale of the Qing soldiers in the city and even the province, but if they were to kill him directly, although it would also dampen the morale of the Qing soldiers, it would inevitably lead to a desperate fight to the death in the city.

  It was precisely because of this that Li Han, although angry, still secretly sent a few eloquent people to inform Cai Jimin, explicitly stating that the temporary command post where the Huguang Governor Ruicheng would be taken to Chuwangtai would decide his life and death. Only then did he dismiss them. However, after learning that someone inside had leaked the news, he specially instructed Li Dong to pay attention, but instead discovered a wave of people under him who were secretly hostile towards him, and there were not a few such people.

  "Oh? Do you have an opinion? Feel free to share..."

  Ignoring the murmurs of the soldiers below, Li Han asked coldly.

  "Private Wang Wenren of the 29th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 1st Company, 3rd Platoon, 7th Squad, reporting for duty, sir... There are a few things that I don't understand in my heart, and I hope you can explain them to me, sir..."

  Among the crowd, a young soldier with a strong physique and an air of elegance walked out, his face seemingly expressionless as he asked him. However, Li Han secretly snorted in his heart, after the reorganization of the troops, he had already uniformly followed the new organizational structure to report, this person's move was clearly intended to slap him in the face!

  "Say..."

  Since the other party didn't treat him well, Li Han also didn't bother to put on a good face for him and didn't even want to say an extra word.

  "You've gone too far! My battalion has always been well-organized, but I don't know what kind of new organization you're trying to create, and who gave you permission to do so. What's the meaning behind this new organization? As I see it, the battle in the city is still raging, and on the side, General Cai's 29th battalion and Wu Gong (Wu Xinghan) are leading the counter-revolutionary police regiment in a fierce battle against Zhang Biao's 8th town. You're being reckless, so I'll ask you, Commander, why aren't you responding to the revolutionary comrades who are fighting fiercely in the city? Instead, you're messing around with something called 'Republican silver'. Another question: where is this silver coming from? Who gave it to you? And who gave you the power to use the captured money at will? My battalion was lucky enough to capture that old thief Rui Ceng, but not only did you not send him to General Cai's battalion, but you also spoke ill of the soldiers sent by General Cai. Is it that in your eyes, there is only one revolutionary force in this city, and everyone else is just a bunch of useless people? If every place in the city were like yours, I'd ask you, what's the difference between our revolutionary army and those who are taking advantage of the chaos to profit?"

  Hong Guo's slap in the face, with a sarcastic tone that adds three points of contempt, and in his mouth, Li Han was reduced to a revolutionary faithless, self-acting, disobedient, and even profiteering from chaos, a chaotic thief!

  "Wow~~~~"

  These sarcastic words had just come out of his mouth, and suddenly caused a commotion on the scene. Some of these words did raise doubts among the soldiers, but after all, it was related to their own interests. Except for dozens of people who applauded and cheered, the atmosphere in the field became very strange for a while. The soldiers whispered to each other in threes and fives, but they didn't dare to make a loud noise like those revolutionaries!

  Boldly...

  Li Han had not yet gotten angry, but Li Dong, who was beside him, was furious. "Guards, take down this lawless scoundrel..."

  "Get out! You're a traitor, disregarding the interests of our revolution and serving as a pawn for this scoundrel..."

  "Bang bang bang~~~~"

  The scene was about to erupt, and the dozens of revolutionary party members belonging to Wang Wenren directly raised their weapons at their comrades beside them. Several gun barrels were clearly aimed at Li Han. Li Han clapped his hands fiercely, his face already cold as iron!

  "Is that all?"

  "Hmph, the label is already finished!"

  Look at that commander 'glaring' at himself, Wang Wenren seemed to have already regarded himself as a martyr about to be executed, holding his head high like a proud rooster, disdainfully glanced at him and turned away!

  "Alright... now that you've had your say, let me have mine..."

  A faint smile hung on his face, Li Han thought it was good that he had been vigilant since he knew that many revolutionaries had infiltrated below, otherwise he would have been disturbed by these guys who were not enough to succeed but had a lot of failures.