1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 42

The only concern of the central government is that the data from Hubei is falsified. After all, war preparedness is not like any other political achievement project. If there are problems with this, the enemy cannot be fooled on the battlefield.

Now, officials in Hubei are making solemn promises that the data is absolutely genuine, and Zhang Xinghua breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

With domestically produced equipment to support the expansion of the military, and with large-scale procurement of overseas military supplies for reserves and replenishment, the million-strong army heading to the battlefield next year will at least be able to have a gun for each soldier.

Standing in front of the gate of the Hanyang Arsenal, Zhang Xinghua clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and pondered when China would be able to truly be independent and self-reliant, capable of arming a million-strong army every year.

Now, with 400 million people working in such a large country, it is difficult to arm a million-strong army in a year, and we still have to spend a lot of money to purchase them from abroad. This is simply an insult to a great power!

Fortunately, the Japanese and British on the other side didn't hear this, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to sleep.

Zhao Yan and the high-ranking officials made war preparations based on the Russo-Japanese War, but they failed to notice that both Japan and Russia mobilized and conscripted a million troops to participate in the war over a period of more than a year, and the actual number of troops fighting on the front line was generally less than that.

However, at this time, the top leadership of the Republic was preparing for war according to the standard that a million-strong army must be deployed at the beginning of the war. They were using the strength of the whole country, emptying their last penny, and constantly borrowing money to prepare for the war, which was already piling up debts.

Not content with that, they continued their frantic war preparations, leaving the foreign powers bewildered. They didn't know what the Chinese were trying to do. Multiple intelligence reports indicated that the Chinese had no need to make such a big show of things.

Chapter 77 Fundraising for War Preparations

February 1906, 10, Guangzhou.

"A bunch of insect-like capitalists, they are simply the garbage of the country! They only know how to leech off the people, but never know how to give back to them!"

An enraged Wu Zifu slammed his fist on his desk and addressed his subordinates with great dissatisfaction.

“Party Representative, please calm down. Everything needs to be done step by step. Issuing national debt is not something that can be accomplished overnight. We must proceed slowly,” Guangzhou Governor Zheng Limin tried his best to appease the agitated Party Representative Wu Zifu.

But Wu Zifu ignored these explanations and interrupted them directly: "Slowly and methodically? Step by step? You old bureaucrats always manage to find all sorts of high-sounding excuses to cover up your incompetence."

"War is imminent, yet our military spending, equipment, and troops are all in shortfall. Guangdong is even richer than the Jiangnan region, yet we've only issued a paltry 60 million in national bonds so far. Who will answer to the central government in this situation? Who will explain this to the head of state? Ah! Ah!"

"It's just issuing government bonds, not asking you to build highways and factories. Just sell them, there's interest, and the government will repay it. It's not free money! Why have only a little over 60 million bonds been subscribed?"

"A third of the 60 million was bought by ordinary people. Where did all those wealthy businessmen go? Ah!"

The officials below fell silent, all burying their heads in the sand like ostriches.

No one dared to argue with Wu Zifu anymore, much less disobey the will of the head of state and the central government.

Although officials in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian had never met Head of State Zhao Yan, they all felt his authority and power.

The reason is simple: through Wu Zifu, one can learn about Zhao Yan. Most outsiders believe that Zhang Xinghua is the leader of the Five Tigers of Revival, but within the Revival Party, Wu Zifu is the undisputed leader of the Five Tigers!

Although Zhang Xinghua held many positions and wielded considerable power, these were dispersed, and he primarily held the power of a second-in-command.

Wu Zifu is the undisputed top leader and pillar of Southeast China! He currently holds military and political power in three provinces and is a powerful figure who commands respect in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and parts of Hunan.

When the troops were divided in Hubei, Zhao Yan appointed two plenipotentiary party representatives to be in charge of the direction of the division. These were Wang Dingyun's fourth and fifth brigades, which are now the fourth and fifth divisions. The main force was to advance into the southwest region and suppress the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan.

Wu Zifu led the Sixth Brigade, now the Sixth Division, south to Guangdong and Guangxi, taking charge of the three provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.

This is the first time Zhao Yan has appointed a plenipotentiary party representative. What does "plenipotentiary" mean? It means that the representative has a say in both military and political affairs.

In the Southwest region, Wang Dingyun followed the "three more and one less" principle of party representatives established by Zhao Yan: do more, listen more, observe more, and speak less! He adhered to the rule of harmonious coexistence, and as long as military generals and local officials did not do anything outrageous, he remained silent, firmly holding onto military power and looking down over the Southwest.

Wang Dingyun did whatever the central government and the head of state instructed, rarely overstepping his authority, and always actively learning and gaining experience.

But Wu Zifu was completely different. When he led the Sixth Brigade south, he dared to disobey orders and return to Wuhan to question Zhao Yan. After being sent back by Zhao Yan, he was so angry that he sidelined the Sixth Brigade commander and actually took control of the military.

During the subsequent reorganization, the Sixth Brigade became the Sixth Division, and Wu Zifu remained the actual controller of military power, adhering to the principle of "the Party commands the gun".

All ranks in the military obeyed orders obediently, and no one dared to cause trouble. This guy was a ruthless character who dared to slam his fist on the table with the leader Zhao Yan. If you dared to cause trouble, he would dare to kill you.

In local government affairs, Wu Zifu also strictly adhered to the principle of the Party as the commander-in-chief. Everything had to be reviewed in his Party representative office before it could be implemented. The governors of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian provinces treated him like they were seeing the King of Hell.

Wu Zifu's extreme and thorough revolutionary ideology was exactly the same as Zhao Yan's, and he was even more hardline and extreme than Zhao Yan. He was simply a student who surpassed his teacher.

In other Manchu cities, the revolutionary army managed to at least leave some women and children alive, but in Guangzhou, the Manchu city was utterly devastated by Wu Zifu's iron fist. It was a true massacre, to the point that earthworms were sliced ​​upright and egg yolks were shaken apart, and even a dog was put into a hot pot.

Finally, in Guangzhou, Xu Chongzhi, under the impetus of the Tongmenghui, raised an army, nominally in response to the revolution, and theoretically could be considered an allied force.

However, upon hearing this, Wu Zifu believed it to be a military rebellion. No matter how Xu Chongzhi and the Tongmenghui explained, Wu Zifu did not listen. He led a massive army of over 30,000 men to completely suppress Xu Chongzhi and the Tongmenghui, leaving no survivors. Xu Chongzhi himself was also exterminated along with his entire family.

Since then, Wu Zifu has held absolute power over the military and political affairs of the three southeastern provinces. He can be said to have held the positions of Party Secretary of the three provinces and Commander of the Southeast Theater Command. He obtained the power that the central government did not give him through his own abilities.

In the three southeastern provinces, Wu Zifu strictly adhered to the "Three Ones" principle: one political party, one country, and one leader!

He is second only to Zhao Yan; anyone who dares to disobey him will have their entire family wiped out!

Officials from the three southeastern provinces, seeing Wu Zifu's unparalleled domineering presence, found it even harder to imagine what kind of person the head of state could possibly be capable of suppressing him. (Zhao Yan: Don't talk nonsense, I can't even suppress him!)

At this moment, Wu Zifu's patience had reached its limit, and he gave the final order: "Send word to me that a national debt fundraising conference will be held at the Yong'an Hotel in Guangzhou in seven days. Invite all those capitalists to come. I will be there in person!"

Who hasn't come? Don't say you weren't warned!

Wu Zifu's menacing words sent shivers down the spines of the officials present. No one questioned whether this young man was true to his word, because those who did not believe him no longer had the chance to.

That twenty-year-old is really something! He's decisive and has amazing courage. More importantly, his abilities are also genius-level.

After finishing his official duties, Wu Zifu composed himself, got up, and went home with his guards.

Wu Zifu was born into a wealthy family in Guangzhou. His family was once one of the famous Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou. However, with the outbreak of the Opium War and the subsequent opening of the country to foreign trade, the family gradually declined and its members dwindled.

Now, Wu Zifu and his younger brother Wu Zijian are the only two direct male descendants left, along with their mother.

Wu Zifu had been away from home for his studies and had no interest in managing the family business. His mother, Wu Baishi, supported the family. His younger brother, Wu Zijian, was only eight years old.

The father, Wu Mingtao, died of illness the year after his younger brother was born, and the Wu family was supported by Wu Baishi through hard work.

Before the Changsha Uprising broke out last year, Wu Zifu, the eldest son, was away from home for many years. Wu Baishi and Wu Zijian, a widow and orphan, were targeted. Even wealthy and powerful families regarded the Wu family as a family without descendants and were ready to devour them.

Wu Baishi, a mere woman, was no match for the covetousness of these wolves. She kept saying, "I am just a woman, I don't know anything. Please wait until my son comes back before we talk about it."

The jackals didn't care about any of that. They quickly divided up the Wu family's property, leaving only an ancestral home for Wu Bai to settle down in.

Fortunately, they managed to preserve an ancestral home, otherwise these people would have died without even knowing how. The son that Wu Bai mentioned returned the following year, and he brought back a large army with him!

"Mom, I'm home! Hurry up and bring me the food, I'm starving!"

Despite his domineering and unparalleled nature outside, Wu Zifu is still obedient and docile when he returns home to face his mother, Wu Baishi. Wu Zifu is a very filial son and never dares to disobey his mother.

Soon, Wu Baishi swayed her hips and personally served the food, watching her son Wu Zifu eat heartily.

Wu Baishi married into the Wu family at the age of thirteen, and gave birth to Wu Zifu the following year. She was stunningly beautiful with a graceful figure. Born into a commoner family, she won over Wu Zifu's father with her looks and figure and married into a wealthy family.

Rumors circulated that Wu Zifu's father died young not from illness, but from paying too much grain tax at night, which his body couldn't handle.

Wu Baishi's beauty was so captivating that anyone who saw her would be mesmerized. At only thirty-four years old, she was in the prime of her life, yet no one dared to entertain any such thoughts.

"Mother, how much silver can we possibly take out at most?" Wu Zifu asked while teasing his younger brother after finishing his meal.

Wu Bai also said without reservation, "We only have 1.7 million taels of silver in cash at home. If we sell the land and the shops, we can raise 2.8 million taels of silver!"

Wu Zifu said without hesitation, "Then let's sell the ancestral home too, raise three million taels of silver, and use it all to buy national bonds, leaving not a single penny!"

Wu Bai nodded without any objection. She was a very traditional woman with no ambition. She obeyed her husband after marriage and her son after his death. Whatever the men in her family said went.

However, Wu Bai still asked, "Now that the ancestral home has been sold, where will your brother and I live?"

Wu Zifu said, "Just live with me. The Party Representative's official residence is like a prince's mansion, much more impressive than our ancestral home!"

Wu Bai said with some fear, "That happened in Mancheng. So many people died there. Your brother and I are scared!"

Wu Zifu said nonchalantly, "Don't be afraid, I killed them all!"

Wu Bai nodded helplessly. She didn't know how her once gentle husband could have given birth to such a domineering son.

Wu Bai continued, "The ancestral home isn't worth two hundred thousand taels, is it?"

Wu Zifu grinned: "If I say it's worth it, then it's worth it. If those capitalists dare not buy it, I'll just take them over! If they don't appreciate my kindness, then don't blame me for tearing off the mask!"

Wu Baishi advised, "Fu'er, never be so murderous. Be merciful when you can!"

"Alright, Mother! I know!" Wu Zifu turned his head and then remembered something, continuing to ask, "Where are my father's group of good brothers who like to eat the leftovers? And where are all those big families from the Thirteen Factories?"

Wu Bai's heart tightened: "Why are you asking this? What's past is past."

Wu Zifu snorted coldly: "They're allowed to eat my family's dead members, but I'm not allowed to eat their wealthy members? If you hadn't persuaded me at the beginning of the year, they would have been thrown into the city to fill the pits long ago."

The death penalty may be spared, but punishment will not be absolved! Inform them that every household must subscribe to at least two million taels of silver worth of government bonds, and this matter will be considered settled!

If they don't want to pay themselves, then I'll come over and pay for them!

The Republican government plans to issue 300 million taels of silver in war bonds this year, with each province receiving a share. Along with the bonds, the Central Inspection Team of the Revival Party will also be dispatched.

The central government specifically stipulated that the allocation of national debt would not target the poor with nothing to lose, but would specifically target the wealthy with possessions. In all provinces except Hubei, the sales targets for national debt were directly linked to the official positions of officials.

Wu Zifu, representing Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, directly took on the task of selling 100 million taels of silver worth of national bonds. However, so far only 60 million taels have been sold, and this was only achieved by Wu Zifu's pressure on the southeast.

With the end of the year fast approaching, Wu Zifu was worried that if he didn't complete this task, his comrades in the Party would laugh him to death. So, he didn't care about anything else and decided to forcibly assign the task.

Anyway, he has a clear conscience. He didn't embezzle the money; it was used to fight and regain national dignity. What's so scary about it?

Wu Zifu had long disliked those capitalists, and he was going to take this opportunity to get rid of them!

Chapter 78 National Debts for Strategic Reserves

In early November, a very high-profile cocktail party was held at the Yong'an Hotel.

Mr. Wu Zifu, the plenipotentiary representative of the Revival Party in Southeast China and a staunch proletarian fighter, invited capitalists from Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and parts of Hunan to attend this reception.

To be honest, no one would want to attend such a money-grubbing party, but who can blame them when Wu Zifu is the king of the Southeast region?

He gave the order, and none of those prominent and wealthy families dared to refuse him. If they didn't come, it would mean the National Defense Army soldiers would come knocking on their door to invite them!

Many people wanted to communicate through official channels, but the officials were all trying to protect themselves, as Wu Zifu's butcher's knife was always pointed at their heads.

Among Zhao Yan's five tigers, Wu Zifu was the most hard-working and radical. He was also a young genius who could handle both military and political affairs with ease. In particular, he disliked the old bureaucratic system and the capitalist class the most.

You capitalists are afraid, but we bureaucrats are even more afraid!

Wu Zifu spent ten months traveling through the southeast, leading his troops to quell several incidents, including Chen Jiongming's "rebellion," personally orchestrating seventeen anti-bandit campaigns, and relentlessly suppressing the Manchus in the southeast.

Wu Zifu perfectly inherited all the nationalist and proletarian ideas taught by Zhao Yan. However, Wu Zifu and Zhao Yan were two extremes. Zhao Yan was unparalleled in his verbal skills, but Wu Zifu never talked big and only knew how to fight back with real weapons.

Internally, in suppressing bandits and governing officials, as long as there was a bandit problem, no matter how big the bandit was, once it was reported, soldiers from the National Defense Army would immediately come with guns to suppress the bandits.

Furthermore, Wu Zifu was extremely ruthless in dealing with officials. He would behead anyone who committed embezzlement, let alone dereliction of duty. It was only after the central government issued a strict order that the beheading of officials at the mayor level and above required approval from the central government that he became somewhat more restrained.

Previously, when Wu Zifu had just led his army into Guangdong and Guangxi, he beheaded the governor of Guangxi, citing dereliction of duty as the reason.

The status and voice of officials today are vastly different from those before the revolution, almost catching up with the era of warlordism. In the warlord era, officials' status was practically transparent, with no voice whatsoever.

Now, in the era of the republican government, the status of these former bureaucrats, apart from those who were the founding fathers of the uprising, is that of grasshoppers in autumn.

He was domineering at home, but Wu Zifu was equally ruthless to outsiders. If he was only domineering at home, everyone would say he was a bully at home.

However, Wu Zifu is also domineering towards foreign countries. Hong Kong and Macau have now implemented a comprehensive land blockade, and not even a needle or thread can be smuggled in.

Prices in Hong Kong skyrocketed, forcing the British to start using warships to transport food and vegetables. The British tried to negotiate with Wu Zifu several times, but Wu Zifu was even more arrogant than Zhao Yandu. He refused to even meet with them privately and even stationed troops in Shenzhen, conducting live-fire exercises every day.

Macau, on the other hand, is in the worst situation. It's a tiny place that's been suffocated by blockades and even has to rely on sea freight for fresh water.

The Portuguese were forced to abolish their extraterritorial rights and withdraw their troops, and invited Chinese officials to join the Macau government, which finally earned Wu Zifu's approval.

As for the various concessions in Guangzhou, it goes without saying that they were completely deserted. While the inland concessions at least allowed some degree of interaction, Wu Zifu had effectively shut them off.

Chinese were forbidden from having any dealings with the concessions. They were not allowed to do business, or even carry sacks to the concession docks.

British warships were approaching the Pearl River Estuary, but Wu Zifu refused to back down. He even scuttled several sailboats to block the waterway, reinforced his troops in Shenzhen, and showed signs of war.

The British had no other choice but to send someone to Beijing to complain to Zhao Yan. However, Zhao Yan said that he was also helpless and that he was afraid of this hothead!

Such a remarkable person, a young genius, it can be said that as long as he doesn't die young, his future is destined to be extraordinary.

Getting back to the main point, inside the banquet hall of the Yong'an Hotel, at the reception, there were more than 800 wealthy businessmen, both foreigners and Chinese, crowding together. Wu Zifu refused to pay to change the venue, and didn't even provide the most basic drinks, which the attendees had to buy themselves.

Unfortunately, the Party Representative Office has no source of funding, and Party Representatives are nominally not entitled to financial authority and cannot access or use government funds.

The only source of funding for party representatives was to apply to the headquarters of the Revival Party, but Wu Zifu disdained doing so and paid out of his own pocket to rent the venue and organize a banquet in the name of the Revival Party.

Although Wu Zifu was powerful and domineering, he still abided by the rules and did not take a penny of money that he was not entitled to.

Just when the atmosphere at the party was about to explode and the guests were about to smash their glasses and leave, Wu Zifu, who arrived late, finally stepped onto the stage.

The only thing Wu Zifu didn't do like his master Zhao Yan was that Wu Zifu was always ruthless and taciturn, or rather, he disdained to express his emotions towards these capitalists.

After taking the stage, he immediately stated the main purpose of the event: "I called everyone here today for nothing other than to sell government bonds. Those with money, please support me financially; those without money, please borrow money to support me financially!"

Five-year war bonds have an interest rate of 3%, and ten-year war bonds have an interest rate of 7%. Everyone who sees them gets a share. Everyone who comes has to pay some money to buy them. Only by buying them can we have anything to talk about. If you don't buy them, you have nothing to talk about.

The Chinese community is undoubtedly a major factor; those who came were prepared to spend a fortune.

In fact, people are not averse to government bonds because they are not a free lunch. They are loans issued with the country's credit as collateral. As long as the country exists, the principal and interest must be repaid. So, it's not a loss, and you might even make a profit.

The difficulty lies in the fact that this national debt is preceded by the word "war," clearly indicating that it's intended to borrow money to wage war, and judging from the scale, it's a gamble, even more extravagant than the Japanese gambling their national destiny.

Who the hell knows whether you win or lose this battle? If you win, everything will be fine. But if you lose and the government collapses, then all that money will have gone down the drain.