Insufficient balance

  The uprising in Fuzhou city started on the evening of October 19, and then successfully occupied the telegraph office, cutting off the telegraph lines connecting with the outside world. Although the consulate area on Xiaocang Mountain also had telegraph connections, Chen Jingyun sent people to temporarily seal it off, so that the foreign consuls there were also unaware of the true situation.

  The next day, as the fighting was still going on, Chen Jingyun did not order the lifting of the blockade until late at night after the meeting to form a military government, and it wasn't until the next morning that the blockade order on the telegraph office was lifted, and the first telegram in two days was sent out.

  And this telegram was the telegram of the Fuzhou Uprising. As soon as the telegram came out, the whole country was shocked beyond measure!

  The situation across the country had been turbulent since the Wuchang Uprising, and in the following days, there were successive uprisings in various places, but due to their small scale, they were all suppressed by the Qing army. As of the 19th, the revolutionary cause throughout the country was still only in the three towns of Wuhan. Everyone was paying attention to the war in Hubei, and everyone was guessing where the next Wuchang would be, where the next large-scale uprising would erupt. After waiting for ten days, they finally knew. That was Fuzhou, that was Fujian!

  If the Wuchang Uprising in Hubei was a spark in people's hearts, then the Fuzhou uprising was a bucket of oil poured onto that spark, instantly igniting the passions of people all over the country.

  Fuzhou and Chen Jingyun suddenly appeared on the headlines of newspapers across the country, with many newspapers rushing to publish extra editions, competing to report everything about Fuzhou and Chen Jingyun.

  "Extra! Extra! Fuzhou rose up in revolt yesterday, revolutionary masses support Chen Jingyun as the commander-in-chief, leading the military and civilians to resist the Manchu Qing dynasty's autocratic rule!" This is a newspaper from Wuhan, the whole article is full of celebratory tone, implying that the Fuzhou uprising will trigger large-scale uprisings across the country, at which time the Hubei Military Government will lead all revolutionary provinces to jointly overthrow the Manchu Qing dynasty.

  "Fuzhou new army mutinied, bandit troops with Chen Jingyun as the leader, established a fake military government!" This is what the newspapers in Beijing said. Tianjin is the old nest of Beiyang, so it's natural that they wouldn't be polite to Chen Jingyun. The scolding was so satisfying, just short of calling Chen Jingyun a demon.

  "The British Consul expressed grave concern over the disturbances in Fuzhou and stated that Britain would strictly maintain its neutrality, not favouring any side!" This is a newspaper from the Shanghai Concession.

  From a public opinion perspective, the newspapers in the concession areas were much more radical, regardless of whether they were from Hubei or Beijing. They had clear political leanings and didn't care about the reactions of various parties outside their circle. Without any scruples, they spoke freely, and as a result, revolutionaries, constitutionalists, and neutral parties all wrote scathing articles, with some being praised for their sharp tongues and others being criticized to the point of vomiting blood. Many people wrote rebuttals after being criticized. At that time, newspapers in various regions started a new round of verbal sparring, with each side criticizing the other mercilessly. As a result, the newspaper industry entered a period of high profits during the early Republic of China era. With profits and the ability to influence public opinion through their papers, people from all walks of life were eager to start their own newspapers, leading to a proliferation of various publications.

  Public opinion reacted quickly, and the real powers of all parties also responded quickly. As soon as the Hubei military government received the telegram from the Fujian military government, they immediately sent out a telegram, without caring who Chen Jingyun was, and immediately expressed support for Chen Jingyun's noble behavior. Li Yuanhong also sent a congratulatory telegram in his personal name. At the same time, other parties, including Sun Wen and Huang Xing, also sent congratulatory telegrams one after another.

  Behind the telegram, people from all sides are searching for any clues about Fuzhou and Chen Jingyun.

  October in Beijing may not be cold outside, but indoors it seems to be filled with a chill.

  "What kind of person is Chen Jingyun anyway?" Tie Liang held the telegram in his hand, with a face full of anger: "Isn't there Song Shou in Fujian? Isn't there Sun Daoren? How did they let Chen Jingyun rebel!"

  At this time, Xu Shichang said: "This man was originally the commander of the 38th Division!"

  "New army, new army, I see that all the new armies are revolutionary parties!" Zan Huai said with a gloomy and strange tone: "I said it years ago, the new army is unreliable!"

  At this time, Zai Yong drank: "If you don't practice this new army, do you expect the Green Camp and the Eight Banners to fight?"

  Several high-ranking officials next to him also spoke out one after another, saying that the new armies of the south and north cannot be generalized as one. Indeed, at present, Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army is still fighting against the revolutionary party in Hubei, so it can't be rashly said here.

  He saw this and didn't say another word!

  "Hubei is still not pacified, and now Fujian has become chaotic too, sigh!" At this time, Zaizhen also let out a sigh. The Hubei incident had already passed for so many days, and Yin Chang and Feng Guozhang had also arrived in Hubei, with a considerable number of troops under their command. How come they still hadn't finished off those revolutionaries? He wasn't a fool either, and naturally knew all sorts of reasons. It was just that Yuan Shikai was making trouble, and the Beiyang Army wouldn't take action without Yuan's support.

  Shaking his head, he immediately asked: "Tell me, how should we handle the Fujian side?"

  Xu Shichang said: "Fujian is located in a remote area, originally taking the sea route would be better, but the navy has gone to Wuchang recently and can't spare any troops for the time being. I think it's better to deploy troops from Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces to march forward!"

  "Can the new army in the south be relied upon?" Zhai Xu spoke again, but this remark was not unreasonable. At present, except for the Beiyang Army, which is still firmly controlled by Yuan Shikai, the new armies in the south are probably not reliable. Not to mention mobilizing them to suppress the revolutionaries, it's likely that even if they were given ammunition, they would rebel on their own. However, without mobilizing the new army in the south, things cannot be settled for the time being.

  "Unless Feng Guozhang sends another division over!" someone suggested from below.

  At this time, Zai Yu gritted his teeth: "Fujian is located in a remote area and will not affect the overall situation for the time being. Feng Guozhang's troops are not many, and they need to be used in important places like Hubei. As for Fujian, after pacifying Hubei, it can naturally be taken down with one battle!"

  After Zaifeng made the decision, the Qing court naturally made corresponding deployments, but did not let Chen Jingyun affect the overall situation. As for Zaifeng's arrangement, Yuan Shikai still nodded in agreement.

  "It's still somewhat impressive that you know Fujian is far less important than Hubei!" Yuan Shikai said with a smile.

  Yang Du beside him also said: "Fujian is naturally no match for Hubei, but it can't be ignored either. I think we should send someone over!"

  Yuan Shikai said, "Don't be in a hurry! Don't be in a hurry!"

  Yuan Shikai said no hurry, Yang Du thought for a moment and knew why Yuan Shikai said so. He just wanted to see the south in chaos, and when it was chaotic, the court would ask him to come out of retirement and restore his power, form a cabinet, etc. Before that, Yuan Shikai hoped the south could continue to be in chaos. Yang Du, who saw through Yuan Shikai's thoughts, didn't say anything and continued drinking tea.

  For the revolution in Fujian, although the Qing court was shocked, they did not devote much thought to it. From a military perspective, there was not even half a reaction. Feng Guozhang, who was on the front line in Hubei, had a mind to intervene, but neither the imperial court nor Yuan Shikai gave orders, so he could only stand by and watch. As for the surrounding provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, although their powerful figures received the Qing court's order to dispatch troops, they dared not mobilize the new army in order to guard against it, and the old army was powerless, so they could only stand by and watch.

  The Qing court chose to temporarily ignore it, a reaction that Chen Jingyun had anticipated earlier. Due to Fujian's geographical location, it was unlikely to become the main battlefield between the north and south, and might even be forgotten. However, this also had its advantages, as Fujian's geographical advantage allowed it to avoid many wars. Unlike provinces like Henan and Hubei, which were crucial battlegrounds for warlords and suffered countless wars over decades.

  Of course, this is not to say that Chen Jingyun can rest easy. This nationwide revolutionary movement, the struggle between north and south, has nothing to do with him for the time being, and even if he speaks, few people will listen to him. The current domestic situation is still influenced by a handful of people such as Yuan Shikai, the Qing court, Sun Wen, Huang Xing, etc., while others like Chen Jingyun are just spectators, following the trend. They have nothing to do with national events, but they still have many things to do within their own provinces.

  For Chen Jingyun, the top priority now is how to deal with Qin Yuanyear of Changle County tens of miles away. Qin Yuanyear's 37th Division has three regiments, among which the second regiment under Yuan Fang has defected to Chen Jingyun and became the fifth regiment under Chen Jingyun. Now there are only two regiments left, with more than a thousand men.

  When the Fuzhou Uprising began, Qin Yuanyear did not receive the news immediately due to a lack of communication. It wasn't until the afternoon of the 20th that he received the news of the Fuzhou Uprising, which was only because he had received Sun Daoren's letter of surrender. He was shocked and immediately led his troops to rush to Fuzhou.

  In the afternoon, he led more than a thousand people to arrive outside Fuzhou City, and the troops in front had already had small-scale exchanges of fire with the National Army.

  Chen Jingyun inside the city also heard the news of Qin Yuanye's arrival and immediately led the first battalion and artillery battalion out of the city to reinforce. Of course, he couldn't help but send an envoy to persuade him to surrender.

  But in less than half a workday, the envoy sent out returned, and the answer received was just one word: No!

  After receiving the news, Chen Jingyun was not surprised. Qin Yuenian is not one of those wall grasses that can be surrendered with a slight pull. This man is a model of an old-fashioned soldier, loyal to Sun Daoren, but also loyal to the imperial court.

  Since you won't surrender, let's fight. Chen Jingyun didn't hold back either, personally commanding the tens of thousands of troops in a fierce attack. Because he knew his own limitations, he didn't personally direct the battle, but instead commanded from headquarters, leaving the specific command to staff officers like Feng Qin and the department heads. However, although the National Army's forces exceeded three times that of the 37th Regiment, due to the large number of new recruits in the past few days, and the 37th Regiment being the most elite unit of the 10th Division, for a time, the National Army suffered hundreds of casualties.

  That night, in the temporary command center, Chen Jingyun looked around at the officers below, his face deep and solemn. Although he knew that the 37th Division could fight, he did not expect that with a total force of nearly four thousand men and eighteen artillery pieces, they would be unable to take down the enemy's position defended by just one thousand infantrymen, which made him extremely angry.

  After scanning several officers below with his gaze a few times, he said: "Today's battle was unfavorable, and the second battalion was the worst!"

  The Second Division, also known as Lin Wenyin's division, had Lin Wenyin serve as the Chief of Military Affairs after he could no longer hold onto his position as division commander. Chen Jingyun then let Peng Shousong act as the deputy division commander. Originally, this Second Division was made up of the Engineering Regiment and the Hui Party, totaling over 400 people. However, these two men, Peng Shousong, went around recruiting people and managed to gather nearly a thousand people, half of whom were new recruits who couldn't even hold their guns properly. What's more critical is that Peng Shousong has yet to receive any military pay from Chen Jingyun, which means the new and old soldiers he recruited have not received any military pay in days. Without receiving military pay, they won't be willing to risk their lives!

  In the evening, the second battalion's position was immediately collapsed by a counterattack by Qin Yuenian's men, killing and wounding many, and even more fleeing. Based on this, facing Chen Jingyun's scolding, Peng Shousong also did not dare to loudly refute, and could only silently curse Chen Jingyun: "Not giving military pay, how can we fight!"

  Unexpectedly, Chen Jingyun said: "The defeat of the Second Regiment requires someone to take responsibility. From now on, Peng Shousong, the acting commander of the Second Regiment, is removed from office, and Lin Feitai is appointed as the new commander of the Second Regiment."

  As soon as Chen Jingyun spoke, Peng Shousong's face immediately turned pale. Chen Jingyun wanted to scold him, but he didn't expect Chen Jingyun to take his job away. He immediately shouted loudly: "Chen Jingyun, what right do you have to take my job!"