usatvline Chapter 130 Military Inspection: No Need for Armor
Chapter 130 Military Inspection: No Need for Armor
Chapter 130 Military Inspection: No Need for Armor
The Governor-General of Zhili doesn't look very good these days.
His braid was undone, his gray hair cascading over his shoulders, and his casual clothes were covered in dust. He stood up, supporting himself on the edge of the bed, trembling all over, whether from fear or anger, it was hard to tell.
"Rebellion! Rebellion!"
Gui Liang's voice was hoarse and shrill, his teeth clenched tightly, and his expression was as resentful as a vengeful ghost.
"They dared to lay a hand on this Inspectorate! They dared?!"
Wu Ergun quickly stepped forward to support him: "Your Excellency, the troops failed to arrive in time to provide assistance; we are guilty of a capital offense!"
Gui Liang slapped him across the face with her backhand, her eyes bloodshot, and said sternly, "So you know you're late?"
"Notify all city gates: from this moment forward, Tianjin is a no-go zone! Those assassins won't escape Tianjin; search every house!"
Wu Ergun dared not delay and immediately sent men to the four gates to convey the governor's orders. At the same time, he also sent men to the garrison office on Gulou West Street to report the matter to Da Nian, the acting garrison commander of Tianjin.
Upon seeing the soldiers rushing to deliver the message, the guards at the city gate immediately increased their manpower, lit all the lanterns on the city wall, and sentries patrolled with wide eyes.
Meanwhile, Danian, who had just been woken up, was about to get angry, but his face turned pale upon hearing the news of the governor's assassination.
He immediately ordered all troops from the left and right battalions of the city's garrison and the city's defense battalion to be mobilized and set up checkpoints throughout the city to search for the assassin. Squads of Green Standard Army soldiers ran through the streets carrying torches, their swords and spears gleaming coldly in the firelight.
In the back office of the Tianjin County Government, Peng Zai'en was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
He hadn't slept well tonight. The memory of the magistrate being stabbed to death in the street kept replaying in his mind. He had finally managed to drift off to sleep, only to be woken up again.
"What is it?" He sat up, still wearing his clothes, his voice full of impatience.
The servant outside the door cried out in a trembling voice, "My lord, something terrible has happened! The governor has been assassinated!"
Peng Zai'en's hand froze.
"What did you say?"
"Your Excellency, the Governor-General of Zhili, Gui Lianggui, was assassinated tonight at the Salt Bureau! The Governor-General's office has ordered a city-wide manhunt for the assassin!"
Peng Zai'en plopped back down on the edge of the bed and remained silent for a long time.
The clerk was murdered, and the governor was assassinated. The two events, one after the other, both occurred in Tianjin County.
He was the magistrate of Tianjin County. Either of these two incidents would be enough to cause him serious trouble, but the two combined would likely put him out of office for good.
Peng Zai'en sat on the edge of the bed, sitting there blankly for a long time, then suddenly looked up at the sky and sighed.
"He has committed evil deeds for three lifetimes! He has committed evil deeds for three lifetimes! It must be because I, Peng, did not cultivate virtue in my previous life that I am now serving as the magistrate of Tianjin, a provincial capital!"
Meanwhile, in Lanyang.
Several days have passed since the Yellow River breached its banks.
The river water at the breach is still gushing out, and the muddy water has flooded the fields, submerged the villages, and turned the once flat land into a vast ocean.
Door panels, roof beams, and drowned livestock float on the water's surface, and occasionally one or two bloated corpses can be seen slowly swirling in the murky current.
The survivors huddled on higher ground on the south bank, one of the few remaining areas that hadn't been flooded.
The high ground was densely covered with makeshift shacks, barely held together by branches and rags, offering no protection from the wind and rain. The elderly and children huddled together, shivering in the autumn wind, wrapped in wet blankets retrieved from the water.
Nobody knew what to do next.
The family's grain was all washed away by the flood, and the crops in the fields were all submerged several feet underwater. Even if the flood recedes, there is no hope for this year's autumn harvest.
As for the imperial court's relief efforts, the elderly people, who had lived most of their lives, shook their heads, said nothing, and only sighed.
Jiao Da stood in the middle of the crowd, his clothes hadn't been changed for several days, covered in a mixture of mud and sweat, and emitting a sour smell.
"Fellow villagers, listen to me!"
He stood on a large rock and shouted to the disaster victims sitting or lying around him.
"Staying here is tantamount to waiting to die!"
The crops in the fields are gone, and we don't know when the imperial court's relief will arrive. We're just waiting here, but no hope is coming!
Why don't we all head north together to the big cities up north? I've heard that Tianjin has a lot of grain transported there, and granaries that can hold three or four hundred thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain. There's bound to be a way for us to survive there!
The disaster victims looked at each other in bewilderment.
Finally, a middle-aged man stood up, carrying a three- or four-year-old child on his back, holding a woman's hand, and the woman was holding an infant in her arms.
"Let's go." The middle-aged man's voice was hoarse. "Anyway, staying here is just waiting to die. While we still have some food, we might as well try our luck in Tianjin."
Once someone takes the lead, there will be a second and a third.
The shacks on the high ground were gradually dismantled, and tree branches and rags were bundled into simple bundles and carried on their backs.
The old man was hunched over, the woman was holding a child, and the men, carrying their last remaining possessions, moved slowly northward like a gray river, along with the turbid Yellow River.
As dawn broke, the entire city of Tianjin fell into a deathly silence.
All the shops on the street were closed, their doors firmly erected. The peddlers carrying their wares had vanished, and even the women who had gotten up early to buy vegetables had retreated back into their homes, only daring to peek out through the cracks in their doors.
Upon receiving the order from the government office, the village chiefs began going door-to-door to announce: "Listen up! The government has ordered that anyone who discovers a stranger or acts suspiciously must report it immediately! Anyone who knows but fails to report will be punished the same as an assassin!"
Squads of fully armed Green Standard Army soldiers patrolled the streets, checking suspicious persons in the alleys and inspecting passing vehicles and pedestrians. If they found anything suspicious, they would arrest them immediately.
The source of all this was the Governor-General of Zhili, Guarjia Guiliang, who was sitting in a wooden house at the Sanchahekou Fort, looking rather unwell.
"Your Excellency, please have some tea to calm your nerves."
Wu Ergun carried in a bowl of hot tea and respectfully placed it on the table next to Gui Liang.
After the assassination attempt, a terrified Gui Liang chose to move into the Sanchahekou Fortress. After all, the fortress had thick stone walls and iron-clad gates; once locked from the inside, there was no way to get in except by force.
This surprised and delighted Wu Ergun.
The closer he gets to the governor, the greater his chances of future promotion and wealth. He's only thirty this year; if he serves this man well, he might be able to move up from his guerrilla position to a brigade commander or even a deputy commander.
Gui Liang picked up his tea, took a sip, and asked, "Where are my personal guards?"
After the assassination attempt, he was left with only thirty or so personal guards, who all retreated to the fort last night.
Wu Ergun bowed crisply and replied, "Your Excellency, some of your personal guards are waiting outside the gate, while others are patrolling the sentry posts."
Gui Liang narrowed his eyes and asked, "How many troops are currently inside the fort?"
"Reporting to the commander, the fort currently has sixteen gun emplacements of various sizes and three hundred and twelve soldiers, all of whom are on duty. There is enough gunpowder and lead bullets for three months."
The guards have been divided into three shifts, taking turns on guard duty. If the thieves come again, they will be sure to never return!
Gui Liang's expression softened slightly after hearing this, and he suddenly said, "All Green Standard Army soldiers, assemble at the drill ground."
Wu Ergun was taken aback: "My lord?"
Gui Liang said slowly, "No need to wear armor. Assemble at the drill ground empty-handed. I, the Superintendent, will personally inspect you. Also, summon my personal guards."
"But sir, shouldn't we leave some men to guard the artillery positions, lookout posts, and the camp gate?"
"Need not!"
Although Wu Ergun was puzzled, he dared not disobey the governor's order. After responding, he turned and went out to relay the message.
On the drill ground, 312 Green Standard Army soldiers were already lined up.
They returned all their swords, spears, and matchlock guns to the barracks, and, wearing only their uniforms, stood empty-handed on the drill ground. Wu Ergun stood at the very front of the line, also empty-handed.
On the high ground of the fort, a dozen or so guards of the Inspector General stopped their patrol. Five Type 1 Dangkou machine guns were mounted on the crenellations of the stone wall, aiming at the Green Standard Army soldiers below from different directions.
Yes, these dozens of guards were all imposters in disguise.
Last night, after the "Fear of Death" successfully transformed Gui Liang, the group did not flee. Instead, they stripped the armor off the corpse and put it on themselves. They then dressed the corpse in their own clothes, disguised themselves as the commander's personal guards, and rushed to Gui Liang's side.
A Green Standard Army soldier looked up and saw the dark barrel of a gun, asking curiously, "What's that?"
Although they didn't know what it was, a bad feeling still made the crowd start to stir. Some people started to back away, while others subconsciously reached for their waists only to find nothing.
"Fire!"
"Da da da, da da da, da da da."
The suicide squad members operating the machine guns began to rotate the crank handles, and the barrels spun rapidly. Five tongues of fire licked at the crowd, and in an instant, dozens of Green Standard Army soldiers fell, their limbs flying everywhere.
"Run! Run now!"
Dust billowed up, and the remaining Green Standard Army soldiers pushed and shoved their comrades, trying to escape to houses or corners as quickly as possible.
But how could a person possibly outrun a bullet?
Five machine guns continued to fire downwards. Three minutes later, when the last machine gun stopped spinning, there was no one left standing on the drill ground.
Three hundred and twelve corpses lay scattered on the ground, their blood almost forming a lake, submerging people's ankles.
Tang He took off his helmet and fanned himself, saying, "Quickly, quickly, clean up the battlefield, cut off all these people's braids, and strip them of their clothes."
What to do with the body?
"Teleport to San Francisco and have Jian Yuan and the others send it to Feitian!"
The assassins immediately sprang into action.
But soon, one of the assassins on higher ground began to issue an urgent warning.
"A large contingent of Green Standard Army soldiers has arrived, at least several hundred!"
Looking out from the crenellations, one could see a Green Standard Army force of about five or six hundred men surging toward the fort from the direction of Gulou West Street.
At the head of the procession was a middle-aged military officer on horseback, followed by a group of personal guards, with a large "Da" character written on their banner.
Soon, the Green Standard Army soldiers had completely surrounded the fort. Five or six hundred men spread out along the fort's walls, blocking all exits in all directions.
Da Nian, the acting garrison commander of Tianjin, dismounted, his face ashen.
After receiving news of the governor's assassination attempt last night, he immediately mobilized troops to search the entire city. Just as dawn broke, he heard that the governor had moved his residence to the Sanchahekou Fort, so he hurriedly led his troops to pay his respects.
But just as they reached the halfway point, they heard a burst of gunfire coming from the direction of the fort.
The gunfire was rapid and intense, completely unlike the usual bird sounds. His heart sank; he thought the assassin had reached the gun emplacement again, and he immediately ordered the advance to speed up.
"Listen up, you people inside!"
Within the Green Standard Army's ranks, a captain shouted at the top of his lungs, "Commander Da is here! Open the gate immediately!"
The gate of the fort slowly opened a crack.
The Governor-General of Zhili, Gui Liang, walked out of the gate, followed by more than thirty of his personal guards, whose armor was still stained with fresh blood.
Da Nian was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "I, Da Nian, the acting commander-in-chief of Tianjin Garrison, pay my respects to Your Excellency. On the way here, I heard gunfire erupting from the fort, and fearing for Your Excellency's safety, I led my troops here."
"May I ask, Your Excellency, what was that gunshot just now?"
Gui Liang said in a deep voice, "There were assassins mixed in with the Green Standard Army soldiers at the fort. They had intended to do something wrong, but they have all been suppressed by my personal guards."
Da Nian gasped in shock.
He glanced instinctively into the fort's gate behind Gui Liang and vaguely saw people dragging a corpse inside, blood seeping out from the cracks in the door and staining the threshold red.
"Your Excellency, you have been frightened." Da Nian quickly lowered his head. "I am late in coming to your aid. Please punish me, Your Excellency."
Gui Liang sighed and said, "Get up. This is not your fault. In this city of Tianjin, there are not many people I can trust these days."
Da Nian felt a surge of warmth in his heart, stood up, and said respectfully, "What need is there for you, Governor-General? I will gladly die for you."
Gui Liang nodded, turned and walked into the fort: "Come in with me, I have something to say to you privately."
"twitter."
Da Nian had no doubts. He turned around and gave an order to his personal guards before following Gui Liang into the fort.
Gui Liang led Da Nian across the training ground.
Before the bodies on the drill ground could be cleared away, dozens of Green Standard Army soldiers lay dead on the ground, their blood flowing like a river.
Da Nian stood in the pool of blood, his mind filled with doubt.
When did the muskets of the Imperial Guards become so powerful that they could break limbs?
Before he could figure it out, Guiliang had already led Da Nian into a wooden house.
As soon as he entered, Guiliang gestured for Da Nian to come closer.
Da Nian leaned his head closer and suddenly felt a chill in his throat.
His eyes widened as he watched a blood-stained dagger disappear into Gui Liang's sleeve. He tried to say something, his lips moved, but only a hissing sound came from his throat.
A few seconds later, Da Nian's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
Gui Liang stared silently at Da Nian's corpse.
A moment later, Da Nian opened his eyes again.
"Once we get back, find a pretext to dismiss all the core commanders of the left and right battalions of the garrison, as well as the guerrillas and garrison commanders of the city's defense force. After imprisoning them, kill them all."
Gui Liang quickly ordered, "Find another opportunity to gather all three battalions of Green Standard Army soldiers together and kill them all, so that our people can take over the city's defenses."
Da Nian nodded: "I understand."
"After returning, I dismissed all the officers on the grounds of lax military discipline."