『』
After saying that, he tilted his head and died.
Wu Guangzhi was shocked. He had no foundation in the local area and no influence in the army. He relied entirely on money to maintain himself. Therefore, I have always been worried about the unstable morale of the army and did not hesitate to spend a lot of money. Unexpectedly, I was still in a mess.
He knew that this must be instigated by the gentry. These shameless people are willing to betray their father for their own wealth and life!
Since the rebellion broke out, the city could no longer be defended. However, he put aside the idea of committing suicide and decided to die in battle to repay his kindness. He pulled out his Japanese sword and shouted: "Everyone, follow me! Serving the country with all your loyalty is now!"
Several close family members around him who had been following him from Shaanxi all pulled out their swords and rushed out with him.
The people and soldiers who were defending the city rushed towards the county government office. The small group of officers and soldiers who had been guarding him outside the county government office collapsed without a fight. Only a few family members resisted, and they were killed instantly, and their bodies fell under the steps of the lobby.
Wu Guangzhi took several of his family members and fought hand-to-hand with the rebels before leaving the second hall. Although he was a scholar, he was very skilled in swordsmanship and had accumulated a lot of combat experience in Shaanxi. Without any hesitation, he cut down the soldier with a single blow and stabbed another Minzhuang in the stomach. Seeing how brave he was, the insurgent soldiers who came over did not dare to step forward. Instead, he was pushed down the steps.
However, there were many rebels, and soon they surrounded their master and servant. In an instant, all his family members were killed or injured. Wu Guangzhi had already suffered several injuries and was covered in blood. He refused to surrender and had no intention of committing suicide. Kill all the way. At this time, several rebels stabbed him randomly with long spears. He was stabbed several times and he was bleeding profusely. He knew he was dying, so he knelt down facing north with his sword on the ground, and gasped in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, I will be loyal to you..." Before he could finish his words, someone stabbed him in the back of the heart. , immediately fell down and died in a pool of blood.
An hour later, Shi Zhiqi received a report from the communications unit: Xinan was captured.
"...The county magistrate has been killed."
The reason why I mention it in particular is because according to the "Minutes of the Occupation of Guangdong". As long as local officials of the Ming Dynasty were captured, whether they surrendered or were captured, they would be registered and sent to Hong Kong for centralized detention together with their family members and servants. The requirement of the Military Control Commission is that local officials should see people alive and their bodies after death. Those whose whereabouts are unknown must also be registered and reported.
"Are there any casualties among our men?"
"Report to the chief, no!"
"Good job!" Shi Zhiqi said and drew a blue circle indicating "occupied" on Xin'an County on the map.
Judging from the progress on the map, it was less than 12 hours since the start of the operation. Fubo Army encountered almost no resistance wherever it went, and the few sporadic resistance was completely out of scale. Most of them were fought spontaneously by a few people, and only one county, Xin'an County, resisted on a large scale. It seems that it is basically a foregone conclusion that the decision will be made through communication!
For the people of Guangzhou and neighboring counties, this was an unforgettable day. The Australians came over from the sea, quietly and without bloodshed, and captured the largest city in South China. By the time it was daylight, the "conscript soldiers" wearing blue and gray short uniforms and holding firecrackers had already appeared at the gate of the city. Groups of soldiers in gray uniforms patrolled the streets. The whole city was quiet and orderly, and many shops were open. The people were both shocked and surprised: just like that overnight. Guangzhou has a new owner!
Fortunately, the new owner is no stranger. Australians have become a semi-public presence in Guangzhou in recent years. Even people who have little business or labor contact with Australians have bought Australian products to some extent: various kinds of "Australian paper", "Australian fire", "Australian fire", "Aubu", "Kon socks"... these little things have long entered people's daily lives.
In the past, they were merchants carrying swords, but now, they have become the rulers of this place. No one knows how Australians will rule this big city.
Rumors about the Australians' governance in Lingao have been spread here to some extent. Many people don't believe it and think it is just an overseas anecdote. There are also people who know the exact situation and want to see: What are the methods of the Australians in Guangzhou? Can it be used in the city: You need to know the population of a street in Guangzhou. That’s more than the people in Lingao County.
As Liu Xiang said when he addressed the members of the northward detachment before entering Guangzhou, this was a "big test" for the Senate. Before that, they had governed some semi-agricultural small counties, even the capital city of Qiongzhou. Even on the mainland, it is a small town not worth mentioning. Guangzhou is not only the largest city in Lingnan, but also the leading large and famous city in China in this time and space. Lin Baiguang estimates that the permanent population here is at least half a million.
Managing a large city with a population of half a million people is not an easy task even in the 21st century. If they used to draw on white paper, now they have to redraw on a colorful and grotesque picture that has already been painted on. They must erase the mistakes without damaging the subtleties. The difficulty can be imagined.
these difficult questions. At this moment, Liu Xiang was thinking about Liu Xiang, who was riding a sedan chair into the city.
He originally wanted to take an official carriage into the city to show the majesty of the Senate. For this reason, he had already shipped the red flag carriage to Wuyangyi. However, Lin Baiguang said that carriages could not be carried in the city. Except for a few main streets in the city, the streets are generally very narrow and difficult for carriages to pass. Not only that, the bridges in the city do not consider the issue of vehicle traffic at all. They are all towering arch bridges with dense steps. In the past, Guangzhou Railway Station wanted to implement rickshaws in Guangzhou City, but it was ultimately not implemented due to bridge problems.
Although Liu Xiang was not opposed to walking into the city, his subordinates were opposed to it: firstly, it was not conducive to defense, and secondly, the presence of the dignified director of the Guangzhou Military Control Commission and the mayor of Guangzhou walking into the city would inevitably undermine the prestige of the Senate.
For this reason, it was impossible for two people from the sedan chair company in the South Gate area to carry the sedan chair. Fortunately, there was a ready-made official sedan chair in Wuyangyi. The postmaster who had officially surrendered quickly packed it up and called four bearers to carry it. . In order to please him, he found all kinds of ghosts and monsters scattered in the inn outside the south gate.
"Quick! Make a way for Mr. Australia!"
Liu Xiang came out and saw that all the arrangements had been made. The gongs to clear the way, the two signs of "Quiet" and "Avoid", various flags, and ceremonial guards were all fully decorated and majestic. All kinds of people, all dressed in official uniforms, were waiting below.
When Yi Cheng saw him coming out, he trotted up to him, knelt down in front of him, and said, "Sir! The ceremonial conductors have all been arranged. Please lift up the sedan chair!"
Liu Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This was a grand ceremony for a high-ranking feudal official. Immediately he said: "There is no need for so many people, just prepare a sedan chair..."
Yi Cheng, who had always been obedient since the surrender, now insisted on his principle: "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. The Song Dynasty has regained Guangzhou, and you are an imperial envoy. You must not act too simplistically, otherwise it will easily make the people feel contempt for the Song Dynasty. According to Xiaode, this ostentation is a little too small and cannot show off the majesty of my great Song Dynasty."
Liu Xiang looked at the naturalized civilian cadres and soldiers around him and showed expressions of approval. I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. He said: "These fancy ceremonial guards and flags are all Zhu Ming's etiquette. How can I make them?"
This is reasonable. Yi Cheng thought for a while and said: "In this case, the honor guard for clearing the way must still be used. Otherwise, it will be bad if the people don't know and bump into the honor guard."
Liu Xiang couldn't refuse anymore, so he immediately set off in a sedan chair. The gong master who opened the way didn't know what level of official Liu Xiang was in the Song Dynasty, so he didn't dare to knock randomly, so he asked a naturalized cadre: "What rank does Mr. Liu live in?"
The naturalized civilian cadre said: "Chief Liu is a veteran, extremely noble, there is nothing wrong with him."
Da Luo thought in his mind that this was the "Super Grade". Usually there are people at the level of princes and marquises. Anyway, it was not surprising that there were many people attending the ceremony, so he struck the gong thirteen times in a row.
Amidst the sound of the gong "All civil and military officials, soldiers and civilians, big and small, get out of the way", Liu Xiang's men marched toward the city in a mighty manner. Behind the gong and the silent sign to clear the way was the morning star flag fluttering in the wind. Thirty men carried the Among the guards with rifles mounted on bayonets was an eight-carriage sedan. Behind the sedan, someone held up his Yuan eagle flag. Behind the flag were more than a dozen naturalized cadres, and finally twenty fully armed guard soldiers.
The place Liu Xiang went to was the Guangzhou government office, which was the government office he cared about most. For him, the mayor of Guangzhou, the Guangzhou Prefecture and the two counties of Panyu and Nanhai below, as well as the old officials, play an immeasurable role, and many basic information must be obtained from them. Therefore, when formulating the occupation plan, he specifically requested that the National Army entering Guangzhou should first occupy these places.
Liu Xiang's procession passed slowly through the streets and alleys, and for a while there was a crowd of spectators - Guangzhou citizens who had already recovered from the panic of breaking through the city in the morning knew that he was the Australian "Guangzhou Prefect", and everyone wanted to see him. Look at the style of the new "Master Futai". The National Army had to deploy along the road to maintain order. Even the government officials from one prefecture and two counties in Guangzhou City came to show their hospitality and rushed to clear the way to shout. It was a time of infinite scenery.
Liu Xiang was sitting in the sedan chair, watching this scene with a lot of emotions in his heart. This is probably what is meant by the saying that a man should be born like this. I am a doctoral student who was ravaged and exploited by my mentor, and now I have become a local official living in the eighth building. How can the feeling be experienced by ordinary people...
We arrived at the Guangzhou government office amidst the monotonous sound of gongs. Get off the sedan in front of the screen wall. Liu Xiang got off the sedan and stamped his numb legs and feet. The screen wall in front of me is concave in shape, five meters high and more than 20 meters wide. It is made of green bricks with the inscriptions "Guangzhou Fucheng" and "Guangzhou Fuxing" on them. Look at the eight-character wall in front of the gate opposite. There are stone tablets inlaid in the blue brick wall. I don't know what is engraved on it.
Even before entering the Yamen, the entrance already feels extraordinary. (To be continued.)
