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The proclamation and revolutionary announcement that the governor's office had hastily prepared last night were sent to various prefectures by soldiers on fast horses at an expedited pace.
The city's granaries were inventoried and then brought under the jurisdiction of the provisional government. Armor and ammunition depots were also opened, and large quantities of weapons and ammunition were taken out to arm the revolutionary army.
Everyone was proceeding according to the plan made the night before, and no one doubted Zhao Yan's shrewdness and cunning.
After a night of preparation, they took control of a provincial capital without any hesitation the next day. This is no rookie revolutionary who has just started his revolution; he is clearly a seasoned rebel!
First, take control of the armed forces, then immediately control key transportation routes, warehouses, armories, and even the telegraph room, the most easily overlooked core of communications, are all placed under control.
Then came mobilizing officials and the army to participate in the revolution, and finally inciting the masses to support it. This series of moves swept everyone together, from top to bottom, from people to guns.
Even now, the Manchu people in Changsha were still confused about what had happened. Outside Changsha, all was calm, and no news had been received from any other places.
Zhao Yan, lying in the hospital bed, had just finished drinking bitter Chinese medicine, and his wounds had been re-treated with wound medicine.
Zhao Yan originally wanted to find a Western doctor to examine him, but unexpectedly, he was severely criticized by several old Chinese medicine doctors he had called over.
You were just passionately proclaiming that the Han people are the most perfect and greatest, but now you want to seek treatment from Western doctors. How can the traditional Chinese medicine practitioners possibly accept that?
In the end, Zhao Yan could only grit his teeth and bear it, because he found that today's Chinese medicine was much more bitter than yesterday's. If he dared to provoke these old Chinese medicine doctors again, they might force-feed him arsenic tomorrow!
"President, the manifestos and revolutionary announcements have all been sent out to various regions!"
"President, the Revolutionary Army has expanded to 16,500 men so far, and morale is high!"
"President, all the warehouses have been inventoried, and all supplies have been registered and cataloged. They are all here!"
After a busy day, all the people returned to the governor's office, found Zhao Yan to report, and asked for instructions on the next steps.
After all, everyone regarded Zhao Yan as an expert, so what he said must be correct.
Zhao Yan stopped trying to hold on and lay down on the hospital bed to prepare to give the order. He had come to terms with things having come to this point and knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to get through this ordeal.
"Gentlemen, from this moment on, we have seventy-two golden hours for the revolution! Until January 1, 1906, we must seize these seventy-two golden hours and make the most of every second!"
"Throughout history, rebellions have always relied on human effort rather than divine intervention, but my revolution is different. I firmly believe that human will can overcome fate!"
Zhao Yan didn't continue brainwashing this time, because he had already done enough. If he continued, he would just turn into a pile of tofu dregs. So what followed was all practical advice.
The theory, when first proposed, was immediately interpreted by those below as: "The golden thirty-six hours for rebellion."
Upon hearing this, everyone's confidence immediately soared. Following the CEO in this revolution was so awesome; you didn't have to worry about anything, just do it!
"Zhang Mingqi and Lu Zhaoxuan, I authorize you to immediately form a provisional republican government. You, Zhang Mingqi, will be the Prime Minister of the Provisional Republican Government and Governor of Hunan Province, and Lu Zhaoxuan will be the Deputy Prime Minister of the Provisional Government and Mayor of Changsha City!"
"Premier Zhang, your first priority is to immediately do everything in your power to contact the various prefectures and counties. A manifesto and a revolutionary proclamation are not enough. Draft a telegram."
Write down the names of all the prefectural and county officials, all those of the seventh rank and above, and say they also participated in the revolution and even signed a blood oath!
Zhang Mingqi was taken aback: "Huh? Isn't this just making something up out of nothing?"
Zhang Mingqi and Lu Zhaoxuan had barely finished listening to the announcement and didn't even have time to rejoice at their promotion when they were immediately given a task to forge a pledge of loyalty.
Writers are supposed to have a sense of shame, so impersonating someone else to send this kind of telegram is really going too far.
Zhao Yan angrily said, "Go and ask them now! Hurry up and ask them all. The telegram must be issued on January 1, 1906."
If they agree, then there's no problem. If they don't agree, then it's a matter of the minority obeying the majority. You've been an official for many years, and you can't possibly not have that much face if you get half the people to sign a telegram?
More than half of the officials in the province agreed; the remaining minority has to submit to the majority. That's called democracy! It's not called having no bottom line, understand?!
"Understood, President!" Zhang Mingqi immediately blushed. Having served as an official for many years, he considered himself a seasoned bureaucrat. He never expected that he would be taught politics by a young man. Sigh, he was really getting old!
Zhao Yan continued, "Vice Premier Lu!"
"Present!" At this moment, Lu Zhaoxuan was so moved by the title of Vice Premier that he felt weak all over. This was a real ascension in broad daylight. He had been promoted directly from a mere prefect to the vice premier of the central government. Even if he were arrested and tortured to death, what could happen to him?
Even if he failed and the Manchus captured him, he would still have to call himself a "pseudo-rebel vice premier"!
Zhao Yan raised his hand and instructed, "Immediately organize all the merchants and people in the city to start making all kinds of flags and military uniform insignia. Other things don't matter, but the revolutionary flags must be complete, and the revolutionary army must be brand new so that people can tell at a glance that we are not bandits or vagrants, but a revolutionary armed force with high spirits and uniform attire."
"Furthermore, the order in Changsha must be maintained. It should remain the same as it was before the revolution. Those who should farm should continue to farm, and those who should work should continue to work."
No one is allowed to cause trouble within the city, and some actions must be approved by the provisional government and the revolutionary army headquarters before they can be carried out!
Anyone who disrupts order or acts recklessly without orders, regardless of who they are, must be severely punished!
"Yes, President!" Lu Zhaoxuan accepted the order.
Zhao Yan finally summoned Wang Dingyun. Facing the most crucial weapon, the gun, Zhao Yan had much more to consider.
"Minister Wang, you are a veteran of the revolutionary party. Do you have any opinions on my arrangements? If so, you can speak up immediately so we can discuss things democratically."
Zhao Yan was afraid that Wang Dingyun would have wild thoughts. After all, he had just made a move to arrange all the core positions of the government's premier and vice premier. If these veterans had any objections, then there would be a big problem. If the internal organization was not united, nothing could be accomplished.
Wang Dingyun immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "President, everything is for the revolution. Even if I, Wang Dingyun, were to be a lowly soldier charging into battle, I would have no complaints!"
Zhao Yan's personal charisma was on full display at this moment. His prestige within the revolutionary party was unmatched, and no party member questioned the decisions he made.
Zhao Yan nodded: "That's good. I'm afraid you'll have to continue to suffer a little longer."
Young people are easily fooled by empty promises; they readily believe any rhetoric. Once their passion takes hold, they disregard personal gain and only care about generosity. That's why Zhao Yan likes young people—they're so easy to deceive!
Since you're so good at enduring hardship, then endure even more. After all, it's all for the revolution!
Chapter 26 The First Division of the Revolutionary Army
"Minister Wang, from now on you need to cooperate with your father to reorganize the troops, not the other way around!"
Zhao Yan got straight to the point, because during Wang Dingyun's report, it was revealed that the reorganization of the revolutionary army was entirely led by the revolutionary party, with young party members holding a tight grip on military power.
How can this be allowed? Do you think the Revival Party is the same Kuomintang that founded Whampoa Military Academy? A bunch of clueless young party members controlling the army? Are you kidding me? What do you expect those veteran generals to think?
Right now, everyone's caught up in the excitement and their minds are clouded, so they don't have time to think about these things. But once they come to their senses and start to understand, that will be a big problem.
Twenty or so young party members want to control an army of more than 16,000 people? Unless everyone is an SSR general like Wei Qing or Huo Qubing, who started attending military academy from the womb, you won't even understand how to organize a marching force. This army will scatter like birds and beasts as soon as it leaves Changsha.
A famous police officer once said, "Trying to run before you can walk is impossible, unless you're a genius!"
Zhao Yan earnestly advised, "Revolution requires a gradual approach, and revolutionaries also need to grow slowly. We all need to progress through learning."
"It is not because we started the revolution that we know everything and that everything we do is correct. That is blind faith. Every Party member must always maintain a humble attitude of learning and continuous improvement, learning and progressing in the revolution."
After clearing his head a bit, Zhao Yan started getting down to business.
"Next, I order the establishment of the Revolutionary Army Headquarters and the First Division of the Revolutionary Army, with your father Wang Chongshan serving as the commander of the First Division and you serving as the Party Representative of the First Division."
All party members immediately handed over military power to professional officers, and the party members were transferred to serve as regimental party representatives and battalion party representatives.
The specific reorganization plan was the responsibility of the Party representatives, but the actual combat operations were to be commanded by officers.
"Simply put, who to fight and who to eliminate is decided by the Party and its representatives, but how to fight and how to eliminate them is decided by the Revolutionary Army Headquarters and its officers. Do you understand?"
Wang Dingyun was a little dizzy: "Isn't this just supervising the army? You want me, the son, to supervise my own father's army? That's not appropriate, President."
Zhao Yan pounded on the edge of the bed, so angry he almost sat up: "You know it's inappropriate? Then if you held military power, and your son ordered his father to fight, would that be appropriate?"
"Revolution is not about complete subversion. The most basic human principles and ethics must still be maintained! Throughout history, how has a son ever commanded his father? Don't you understand this simple principle?"
My requirements for Party members in the military are few: learn more, ask more questions, observe more; speak less, do less, and talk less!
“Now, the mixed brigade has become a reorganized division, the former brigade has become a brigade, the regiment has become a regiment, the battalion is still a battalion, the team has become a company, the platoon is still a platoon, and the shed has become a squad.”
"I've changed everything that could be changed, and there's nothing that can't be changed. I'm trying my best to turn the army into a blank sheet of paper, but what kind of picture we can make depends on you."
"Remember that military representatives do not interfere in specific combat command. Before the guns are fired, you can exercise your power to supervise the troops. After the guns are fired, you must fully cooperate with the officers. As long as they are not counter-revolutionaries, you must support everything else."
Wang Dingyun hesitated and asked, "What if they lead the army to a defeat?"
Zhao Yan was furious: "Do I need to teach you this? What does it have to do with you, the party representative, if the commander loses the battle? He's responsible after the shooting starts, and he's responsible for the defeat."
You need to quickly lead your men to win back the morale of the troops. The commander has already played the bad cop, so you need to step in and play the good cop, appease the troops, and establish your own prestige.
Remember, in the military, the commander is responsible for those who die, but the party representatives are responsible for taking the blame. Don't wipe out all the party members in one battle!
Remember, only by living can we contribute, only by living can we make revolution, only by living can we progress!
It's not a good thing that these young people are too foolish. I still have to teach them some basic skills. What Zhao Yan fears most is this group of reckless young people who are willing to risk their lives. They always rush to be the first to do anything. If they wipe out our old foundation in one battle, all the party members will die in the war. Who will carry on the revolution?
The day after the uprising in Changsha, news was still strictly controlled, but several surrounding prefectures and counties all sent letters of allegiance within a single day.
If the revolutionary army's proclamations and announcements could be delivered to you by fast horses within a day, it meant that the revolutionary armed forces behind them could also deliver artillery shells and bullets to your doorstep within a day. Given this situation, even Governor Zhang Mingqi turned against the government. How dare you prefects and magistrates below you resist?
No official dared to be so reckless as to try and see whether the Qing army that was suppressing the rebellion would arrive first or the revolutionary army in the provincial capital would arrive first. Besides, the Qing court was a Manchu-ruled country, so why were these Han officials getting involved?
The prefectures of Changsha, Zhuzhou, and Xiangtan, which arrived within a day, all expressed their allegiance, and letters of loyalty were delivered by fast horse that same day.
Even Zhang Mingqi was amazed by the efficiency. The manifesto and announcement sent by fast horse in the morning were answered with a letter of allegiance by nightfall. Didn't you even need to discuss it?
In fact, everyone underestimated Zhao Yan's reputation. The nationwide manhunt for Zhao Yan and the Restoration Party over the past two or three months was essentially a national-level advertisement for the Restoration Party and Zhao Yan.
The Qing court portrayed Zhao Yan as extremely evil in its wanted posters, but it went a bit too far and made people feel somewhat frightened.
Moreover, the revolutionary propositions and rhetoric of the Revival Party were also spread everywhere along with the wanted posters, and the versions were constantly iterated and updated. When farmers heard it, it was about the "three rural issues" (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers); when scholars heard it, it was about the merit of following the emperor; and when officials heard it, it was about the rise of Han officials.
It's hard to say about the North, but for Han officials in the South, a mere letter of loyalty is nothing. What can the Manchu Qing do to me? A few years ago, they did something like the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact, which was no different from rebellion. Yet, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu still couldn't do anything to me, could they?
Some may ask, why was Zhao Yan's rebellion so successful, while the Tongmenghui's rebellion was so difficult?
The most fundamental reason is that Zhao Yan and his Restoration Party have their own clear propositions and clear revolutionary goals, regardless of how chaotic the various ideologies Zhao Yan advocates are now.
He used all sorts of terms, including nationalism, proletarianism, capitalism, and even Mustacheism, but you can't deny that his propositions and statements did represent the interests of everyone.
You don't have to risk your life yourself. Just offer verbal support from behind the scenes. Writing a letter won't get you pregnant, so why not give it a try?
When the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) members were making revolutions in history, they only shouted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, and they didn't even dare to shout "annihilate" it. This was a real rebellion. If you don't even dare to shout "annihilate the court", who would dare to go all in with you?
You expel the Tartars, but what if they come back with a vengeance? They might risk their lives to rebel against you. Is that how you play the game?
Moreover, apart from a few slogans, the Tongmenghui had no clear propositions at all. To call them a capitalist revolution would be an overstatement. In the end, they never represented anyone's interests. They were simply the tallest among the short, pushed onto the stage by history. They were just a typical example of making do.
More importantly, the actions of the Tongmenghui at the beginning were hardly a revolution; they were worse than ancient peasant uprisings. They were just assassinations everywhere, targeting whoever held the highest rank.
Manchu princes were assassinated, and Han officials were also assassinated. They didn't understand the principle of uniting the majority to strike at a small group. Instead, they made everyone feel insecure and thought that you were just a group of assassins!
In its early days, the Tongmenghui turned the revolutionary organization into an assassin's guild and its Middle Eastern branch, resorting to bombings and assassinations at the drop of a hat. What official would have a good impression of such an organization? Unless they were insane.
Before your revolutionary organization has a mature bureaucratic system, you have to win over the existing bureaucracy to help you govern the local area. This is an unsolvable problem, and the same is true for the great revolutions of later generations.
In the later stages, the Qing government proved to be extremely incompetent, and after the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) repeatedly encountered setbacks, it developed certain ideological propositions and ultimately became a driving force in history.
But as it turns out, revolutions that are like headless flies or incomplete revolutions are not revolutions at all; they cannot strengthen a country, and may even weaken or exhaust it.
Judging by the order of the revolutions, the Chinese revolution was definitely earlier than the Soviet revolution, almost ten years earlier, but the results achieved by the two sides through the revolutions were vastly different.
The reason is that China's Xinhai Revolution was a last resort. It could only be achieved through a revolution of constant compromise and incompleteness, sweeping everything into the dustbin of history first. Then, various contradictions erupted, turning China into a fragmented country.
In stark contrast was the Soviet revolution, which was a thorough revolution, not only against the country but also against its own party.
Regardless of the mistakes made during the Soviet revolution, the fact that they did things more thoroughly than you is a success.
Revolutions always involve uniting the majority whose interests have been harmed, and then attacking and eliminating the extremely small minority whose interests are outrageously large. You have to keep pushing this process forward and you can't stop. Once you stop, that's when things begin to collapse.
What? You want to ask how a revolution can happen when the majority are vested interests? If you ask that, Zhao Yan has nothing to say!
Chapter 27 Crystal Night
Zhao Yan pointed out Wang Dingyun's shortcomings, but also affirmed Wang Dingyun's actions in reorganizing the revolutionary army, after ordering the establishment of the First Division of the Revolutionary Army and the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.
Zhao Yan personally assumed the position of commander of the revolutionary army, appointed Wang Chongshan as the commander of the First Revolutionary Division, and all officers of the divisions, brigades and regiments were former officers of the Mixed Brigade and the Green Standard Army. Party representatives were appointed to every combat unit above the battalion level.
The government system also appointed Vice Premier Lu Zhaoxuan and Premier Zhang Mingqi. There were no major changes in the officialdom of Changsha, and Han officials at all levels continued to perform their respective duties.
At 11:50 p.m. on December 31, 1905, the fully armed First Division of the Revolutionary Army assembled at the entrance of Mancheng, with all officers and soldiers carrying open fire.
The soldiers, all with shaved heads, looked menacing in the firelight.
Zhao Yan drank two more bowls of ginseng soup to rouse himself and stood at the front of the line, with everyone's eyes fixed on him.
Everyone was waiting for the final order, and every soldier was eager to get going.
Zhang Mingqi felt a pang of pity and tried to persuade Zhao Yan, "There are many people in the city who have expressed their willingness to support the revolution. Can't we just let them go?"
Zhao Yan turned his head away, his eyes filled with coldness: "They are not supporting the revolution, they are just afraid of death!"
What a joke! You're saying you want to support the revolution now? Where were you before? If you had surrendered and supported the revolution on the night of the uprising or the very next day, and offered up all your possessions, Zhao Yan wouldn't have minded sparing your life.
But when a gun is pointed at your head, you say you want to start a revolution, and it's all just lip service; not a single person comes out with their family fortune to serve you. Isn't that just blatant hypocrisy?
In the original timeline, after the Xinhai Revolution, many Manchus joined the revolution. Did they truly understand and support it? No, they were simply afraid of death.
During the most intense period of the Xinhai Revolution, various places changed flags one after another. The most intense and bloody battles were not the later southward march of the Beiyang Six Divisions, but the battles between Manchu revolutionaries and Manchus in various cities.
At that time, the Manchus massacred several cities. The Manchus realized they couldn't win and were afraid of death, so they chose to support the revolution. Did you really think that the Manchus, as the vested interest class, wanted to start a revolution?
Let me tell you, even in the late Qing Dynasty, the most destitute and poorest Manchus were still a noble class one level higher than the Han Chinese. Not to mention the genuine Manchus, even the Han Eight Banners and Mongols had a higher status than the Han Chinese.
Therefore, in Zhao Yan's eyes, the Manchus' support on the spot was not genuine support, but rather a matter of fear of death. If they were allowed to infiltrate the revolutionary ranks, who knows how many hidden dangers would be planted in their path.