The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 663 Ultimatum
It should be that Teng Yuzhao did not want the Internal Affairs Committee to have a strong armed force, so he took over the management of the Zhili Army's military police.

Naturally, no one objected to this guess.

After arranging the organizational structure of the FDC, Teng Yuzao suddenly sneered and said.

"Mr. Lian, after returning to Tianjin, there are a few things you need to do as soon as possible and submit a few memorials to the court."

"The first one expresses our support for constitutional reform. Our attitude is that we firmly support constitutional reform, but we do not support Yikuang as the first prime minister."

"Second, since the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are traveling west with nearly all the court officials, there is no one in the capital to supervise them. I am afraid that the city will be taken advantage of by scoundrels, so I have sent troops into the capital to maintain law and order."

"The third document suggests that the new domestic army be renamed the National Defense Army. At the same time, the national defense security has not been maintained. The training standards of the newly formed national defense army in each province need to be improved urgently. The Zhili Army has experienced the baptism of war against the coalition forces of the great powers and has a high combat effectiveness. They should all be trained according to the Zhili Army training standards. The Zhili Army is willing to do its best to train the new armies in the six provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian."

"The fourth is that Shanxi Governor Zhang Renjun, Anhui Governor Nie Jigui, Jiangsu Governor Lu Yuanding, Hangzhou General and Zhejiang Governor Ruixing, and Henan Governor Chen Kuilong made many mistakes during their tenures, causing unrest in the local areas. They are recommended to be replaced."

"The fifth one is a proposal to abolish the Shuntian Prefecture."

"The sixth one suggested abolishing the governor system except for the three northeastern provinces. Each province should appoint a high-ranking official to manage the local area, who would only be responsible for civil affairs, not local affairs. The prefecture should also be changed to a city, and a mayor should be appointed."

"The above memorials are all signed by the three of us. They must be sent out today by telegram."

"There is another telegram to be issued, which is the one announcing the establishment of the Civil Human Rights Front. I will lead the way and all those present will sign it."

Teng Yuzao said seriously, "This telegram must clearly state the purpose of our establishment of the Alliance."

Yang Shixiang said to the commander excitedly, "The commander is wise. Once these memorials are issued, all our actions will have a basis. I will do it immediately when I return to Tianjin."

"In addition, I suggest that the newspapers also disclose the fact that Yikuang accepted Yuan Shikai's banknotes."

"Okay." Teng Yuzao nodded in agreement.

Ye Zugui asked with some confusion about Yang Shixiang's words.

"General, can the court agree to these memorials?"

Without waiting for Teng Yuzhao to answer, Yang Shixiang said with a smile.

"Lord Tong, the court will not agree, not even a single one, but they won't object either."

Yang Shixiang's words made Ye Zugui even more confused.

Tang Shaoyi, who had figured it out, suddenly laughed and said.

"Master Ye, Master Yang means that the court will neither agree nor oppose. They will choose to play dumb and wait and see what happens. They will definitely not express their attitude on any of this matter in order to leave a way out for the future."

Xu Shichang sighed and said, "Shaochuan, you are only half right. The court will not be completely silent. I guess they will probably arrange for some ministers to criticize the Marshal in their personal names. This will not only show their personal attitude to a certain extent, but also leave a way out."

Teng Yuzao completely agreed with what the others said and said with a smile.

"No matter what they do, we will not care. The measures we just discussed must be implemented immediately. In a word, we will do our own thing and wait until the Russian and Japanese troops are driven out of the Northeast before we discuss anything else."

After thinking for a while, Teng Yuzhao continued.

"Mr. Lian, you will have a lot of things to do in the future. We have proposed to abolish the governor, so we must first set this precedent ourselves. You must come up with a list of candidates for high-ranking officials in Zhili, Shandong, Shanxi Province, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and possibly even Fujian as soon as possible."

Teng Yuzao's words moved everyone, some were excited, and some were a little worried.

Although the power of a senior official is smaller than that of a provincial governor, he is still almost a frontier official. According to the current system of the imperial court, this was suggested by the Zongli Yamen.

Teng Yuzao handed the task over to Yang Shixiang, which obviously meant that he had used Yang Shixiang, the chairman of the Civil Affairs Committee, as the prime minister or the premier of the cabinet. Then, what was Teng Yuzao's own position?

Yang Shixiang, whose face was already flushed with excitement, said this almost without thinking.

"I was planning to recommend some people to the Marshal. Now that the Marshal wants me to consider candidates, I will tell the Marshal about these people and let him make the decision."

"Liang Dunyan has been the governor of Shandong for more than a year. He is even in charge of Zhili affairs. Why not let him serve as a senior official in Zhili? Liu Jiazhao, Huang Zhongliang, Cai Jinzhang, Luo Guorui, and Wen Bingzhong can also be of great use."

The people recommended by Yang Shixiang were all Chinese students studying in the United States, and most of them were from the first or second batch. He was not very familiar with Tang Shaoyi, who was from the third batch, so Teng Yuzhao just asked Xu Shichang for his opinion and then nodded in agreement.

Teng Yuzhao remembered the names of these people. He even knew that they were all well-known figures in history who had made some achievements. As for choosing them to serve as high-ranking officials, Teng Yuzhao was not worried about the so-called Westernization problem.

These young children who studied in the United States have returned to China for more than 20 years. They have completely reintegrated into the domestic culture and customs, and there is no problem of complete Westernization. On the contrary, they all have broad horizons, which is something that officials from China do not have at all.

Teng Yuzao just reminded Yang Shixiang, "I remember that Wen Bingzhong is from Zhejiang, so let him be the governor of ZJ. As for the others, you can consider them as appropriate. Once we control these provinces, they must take office immediately."

"Relevant staff, including those who will replace unqualified county officials in various provinces, will be selected from our government service schools."

When talking about the Government Affairs School, Yang Shixiang, Xu Shichang, Tang Shaoyi and others all secretly admired Teng Yuzao's foresight. They even guessed that Teng Yuzao had great ambitions.
Ten days later, Shanxi, Lingqiu and Pingxingguan.

Lingqiu has a long history of more than 2300 years. King Wuling of Zhao in the Warring States Period was buried here, and Lingqiu got its name from this.

King Wuling of Zhao was the prince who vigorously promoted the Hu clothing and horse riding.

Lingqiu was basically under the jurisdiction of Weizhou Prefecture in all dynasties, and was not transferred to Datong Prefecture until the end of the Qing Dynasty. Lingqiu has a dangerous terrain and was known as the "key point of Yanyun" in ancient times. It has been a battleground for military strategists in all dynasties, and Pingxingguan in the territory is particularly dangerous.

The Pingxingguan Pass is narrow, and the mountains near the pass are steep, the roads are rugged, and the streams are crisscrossed. It has always been an important garrison town. It was not only one of the 18 passes of Yanmen Pass, but also one of the nine famous passes in the country.

Although it is just nine o'clock in the morning, the sun is already shining brightly and scorchingly.

In the shade of the city wall on the ridge, Wang Yingkai, the tall, fat, frowning former commander of the Second Town of the Henan Army, was sweating profusely despite only wearing a white shirt with the collar unbuttoned.

Wang Yingkai, whose courtesy name was Shaochen, was a native of Haicheng in southern Liaoning. He passed the imperial examination to become a scholar in his early years, but failed to pass the imperial examination many times, so he had to join the army. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Wang Yingkai was brave and good at fighting, and was highly appreciated by the Qing court.

Later he entered the Tianjin Military Academy and in the 22nd year of the Guangxu period he joined Yuan Shikai's newly established army. He served as the general manager of the Law Enforcement Camp Office, the right wing commander of the Beiyang Regular Army, the director of the First Regiment, the chief councilor of the Beiyang Training Office, and the commander of the Second Regiment.

Wang Yingkai died of illness in the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, so people in later generations have never heard of him. However, his subordinates were all very famous. It can even be said that it was the town with the most warlords among the six Beiyang towns.

Among them were several of his confidants, including assistant commanders Zhang Huaizhai, Wang Zhanyuan, Ma Longbiao, commanders of the detachment Lu Yongxiang, Bao Guiqing, Wang Huaiqing, Ma Longbiao and commander of the artillery detachment Tian Zhongyu, especially his brother-in-law Sun Chuanfang, who was extremely famous.

Zhang Huaizhai, courtesy name Zizhi, graduated from the fourth infantry class of the Beiyang Military Academy. During the Republic of China period, he served as the governor of Shandong and a senior official in the Beiyang government.

Wang Zhanyuan, whose courtesy name was Zichun, was a member of the first class of the Infantry Department of the Beiyang Military Academy. He was a classmate of Teng Yuzhao, Duan Qirui and others. During the Republic of China, he served as the Governor-General of Hubei in the Beiyang Army.

Lu Yongxiang, whose courtesy name was Zijia, graduated from the Shanhaiguan Military Academy, a branch of the Beiyang Military Academy. During the Republic of China, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Shanghai-Zhejiang Allied Forces in Beiyang, as well as the Jiangsu Envoy.

Bao Guiqing, courtesy name Tingjiu, first entered the Shanhaiguan Military Academy in his early years, and later entered the third artillery department of the Beiyang Military Academy. During the Republic of China, he served as the governor-general of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and the chief of the Beiyang Army.

Wang Huaiqing, courtesy name Maoxuan, was a student of the first class of the Infantry Department of the Beiyang Military Academy. During the Republic of China, he served in the Beiyang government as the garrison commander of Jiyu, commander of the infantry in the capital, commander-in-chief of the capital garrison and commander of the 13th Division, governor-general of Rehe, and inspector-general of the Rehe, Chahar and Suiyuan special districts.

Ma Longbiao, whose courtesy name was Jinmen, also served as the Protector of Shandong.

Tian Zhongyu, courtesy name Yunshan, was a graduate of the first class of the artillery department of the Beiyang Military Academy. During the Republic of China, he served successively as Deputy Minister of the Army, Governor-General of Chahar, and Governor-General of Shandong, all high-ranking officials in the Beiyang government.

Sun Chuanfang later served as the commander-in-chief of the allied forces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces.

With so many powerful men under his command, Wang Yingkai was naturally not an incompetent person. It's just that he died early, so he is not well-known.

Wang Yingkai is somewhat similar to Duan Qirui. He is also strict with himself and is also very smart.

Because the Wuwei Right Army hired German coaches, they used German drill manuals to train the soldiers of the Wuwei Right Army. However, since the German language was obscure and difficult to understand, the training results were seriously affected.

After observation and consideration, Wang Yingkai changed the common drill terms into easy-to-understand training terms that were in line with China's national conditions. The commands "Stand at attention" and "At ease" were first proposed by Wang Yingkai and have been used to this day, but few people know their origins.

At this time, Wang Yingkai, with an anxious look on his face, was listening to a capable young second lieutenant beside him reading a copy of the Ta Kung Pao that he had just obtained from a businessman from Shanxi Province who was passing by. From time to time, he slightly side-glanced at the expressions of several senior officers beside him who were listening attentively to the contents of the newspaper.

Among these officers, the three major generals were Zhang Huaizhai, Wang Zhanyuan and Ma Longbiao, and the other officers were colonels, namely Lu Yongxiang, Bao Guiqing, Wang Huaiqing, Ma Longbiao and the artillery commander Tian Zhongyu.

The second lieutenant reading the newspaper was Wang Yingkai's brother-in-law Sun Chuanfang.

After the hair-cutting incident, Wang Yingkai called his brother-in-law Sun Chuanfang, who was about to graduate, back to Zhuozhou from the Baoding Military Academy. A few days later, he obtained the official documents for Sun Chuanfang to be admitted to the Japanese Army Officer School at the Ministry of the Army. Since it was still early, Wang Yingkai took him with him.

Although he was doing two things at once, it did not delay the movement of the folding fan in his hand. He even occasionally looked up at the clear blue sky, and then looked at the mountain road that appeared and disappeared among the mountains in the distance.

The Ta Kung Pao that Sun Chuanfang was reading was seven or eight days old. It contained several telegrams and memorials issued by Teng Yuzao, as well as the announcement of the establishment of the Civil Human Rights Front.

Although the newspaper was published many days ago, it was still brand new news to Wang Yingkai and his trusted subordinates in the Third Town.

Because the road from Zhuozhou is more than 400 miles long and they had to cross mountains and ridges, the vanguard unit of the first regiment and the first battalion of Bao Guiqing only arrived at Pingxingguan last night.

According to Tie Liang's arrangement, Wang Yingkai's troops would go to Shaanxi to be responsible for the reorganization of the Shaanxi Army, and he was also appointed as the governor of Shaanxi. He Zonglian's troops would be stationed in Shanxi with the same mission as him, and he was also appointed as the governor of Shanxi.

If he led his troops to take the train and get off in Zhengzhou, and then walk to Shaanxi, it would be much faster. However, since the number of trains they intercepted was insufficient and the road from Beijing to Xinyang was mostly plains, Tie Liang did not dare to delay any longer.

Tieliang was also very worried about being intercepted by the Zhi army, especially worried that key places such as the Yellow River Iron Bridge would be destroyed, leading to being caught up by the Zhi army, so the intercepted train could only give priority to satisfying the three towns of Shuntian army that Tieliang took away.

Wang Yingkai and He Zonglian did not dare to take the main road to Shimen, and then enter Shanxi through Jingxingkou and Niangzi Pass. They were also worried about being intercepted by Teng Yuzhao's pursuers.

Therefore, Wang Yingkai and He Zonglian discussed and decided to enter Jin via Zijing Pass. This road went into the mountains early on, so even if Teng Yuzhao wanted to catch up with them, it would be too late.

As long as they left Zhili, Wang Yingkai didn't believe that Teng Yuzhao would dare to send troops to chase them.

According to the plan agreed upon by Wang Yingkai and He Zonglien, they would rest in Lingqiu for two days, and then the two of them would lead their troops south. He Zonglien would enter Taiyuan, while he would continue south after a short rest, crossing the Yellow River in Puzhou and heading to Xi'an.

Originally they were traveling in a hurry, and except for the difficult mountain roads, the journey was relatively smooth. However, Bao Guiqing's troops who arrived at Pingxingguan last night had to stop at Pingxingguan.

The reason why Bao Guiqing, who was the vanguard of the second town, stopped at Pingxingguan was very unexpected.

It was not because he learned about Teng Yuzhao's telegram. Not only him, but also Wang Yingkai had not received any news in this regard.

The reason is very simple. They have been crossing mountains and marching in the mountains all the way. Not only can they not see newspapers, they can hardly see any business travelers.

The county towns they passed along the way, such as Laiyuan and Lingqiu, were all small mountainous counties. There were no newspapers here, and there were not even telegrams. In the past few days, they had not received any news from the outside world.

Bao Guiqing stopped at Pingxingguan because he was surprised to see a staff officer of the Third Brigade of Wu Peifu's Fifth Regiment of the Zhili Army.
(End of this chapter)