Beiyang reactionaries

On April 1917, 4, when the Congress was in turmoil, Gu Pinzhen, a leader of the Yunnan Army, announced in Anning that he had accepted the position of Governor of Yunnan Army and called on Tang Jiyao to step down.Although Duan Qirui appointed Gu Pinzhen to take over Tang Jiyao's position as the governor of Yunnan, Gu Pinzhen has never made a statement.

In fact, this is the current situation.

The Beijing government is qualified to appoint military governors and governors of various provinces, but it does not mean that those people can take over as military governors and governors.Because if you are not careful, you may lose your life somewhere.Look at Li Gengen's situation. As the governor of Shaanxi Province personally appointed by Li Yuanhong, he was directly imprisoned by the Shaanxi Governor Chen Shufan. Who can control this.

The appointment of the Beijing government is a good thing, but if you have no strength, it is a piece of waste paper.But once you have the strength, then the appointment of the Beijing government is justifiable and very useful.

Gu Pinzhen is like this.

If Gu Pinzhen is a polished commander, then the Beijing government's appointment will have no effect.But Gu Pinzhen is the leader of the Yunnan Army, so this appointment is very effective.At this time, Gu Pinzhen suddenly announced his acceptance of the post of Yunnan Governor, which immediately caused a big storm in Yunnan.

Because this means that Gu Pinzhen has openly confronted Tang Jiyao.

On the night when Gu Pinzhen announced his acceptance of the Yunnan Governor, Huang Yucheng, who was stationed in Huize, announced his recognition of Gu Pinzhen's position as the Yunnan Governor. He also asked Tang Jiyao to step down and Tang Jiyu to stand trial.

On the morning of April 1917, 4, Yu Enyang, the commander of the Fourth Division of the Yunnan Army stationed in Wuding, also issued a statement, recognizing Gu Pinzhen's Yunnan Governor and asking Tang Jiyao to step down.A few hours later, Zhao Youxin, commander of the Fifth Division of the Yunnan Army, also issued a statement supporting Gu Pinzhen's appointment as the Yunnan Governor.

The situation changed suddenly.

After Gu Pinzhen stood up, many leaders of the Yunnan Army issued a statement, supporting Gu Pinzhen as the governor of Yunnan.However, it can be seen from the current situation that the split of the Yunnan Army cannot be stopped.Because these big bosses of the Yunnan army who sit on one side completely control their own troops, they have become de facto small warlords in Yunnan.Even if Gu Pinzhen can clean up the situation in Yunnan, it can't change the fact that the current Yunnan army has split.

Tang Jiyao was already besieged on all sides in Kunming.

However, Tang Jiyao still wanted to make a last-ditch effort, and he didn't want to give up Kunming so easily.Because Tang Jiyao currently still has 1917 elite Yunnan troops in his hands, and he still controls Kunming, the capital of Yunnan.But before he could make a final fight, he was completely shocked by a piece of news. At two o'clock in the morning on April 4, 20, Luo Peijin, the former leader of the Yunnan League and the real boss of the Yunnan Army, announced his recognition of Gu Pinzhen's position as the military governor of Yunnan.Kick Tang Jiyao into the abyss at once.

At present, Tang Jiyao does not rely on many troops, among which the Second Division of the Yunnan Army led by Luo Peijin is one of the core troops.But Luo Peijin's betrayal dealt Tang Jiyu a fatal blow.

Tang Jiyu is a hero.

Things have come to this, he will not fight to the death.He clearly understands the reason why he is not afraid of having no firewood to keep the green hills.So he left Kunming with his direct troops, about 4000 troops.Originally, Tang Jiyao's First Division of the Yunnan Army plus the defeated Tang Jiyu's Third Division of the Yunnan Army had about 4000 troops.But Tang Jiyao is now being beaten by everyone, and there are very few people who are really willing to leave with Tang Jiyao.Being able to take away 4000 people is pretty good.Although Luo Peijin rebelled, he never thought of killing Tang Jiyao, so he made way for Tang Jiyao to go south.

The moment Tang Jiyao left Kunming, Gu Pinzhen led his troops into Kunming.Then Deng Hanxiang was informed that Tang Jiyao had left the field, and Duan Xun's troops did not need to enter Kunming.In just a few days, the situation in Yunnan changed drastically.Gu Pinzhen has already mastered Kunming.

Duan Xun was stunned.

Gu Pinzhen moved so fast that even Duan Xun was caught off guard.Fortunately, Duan Xun was also prepared. When Gu Pinzhen expressed his acceptance of the post of Yunnan Governor, Li Weiru's Sixth Division of the Southwest Frontier Defense Army had already entered Yongbei, Zhaotong, and Dongchuan in northern Yunnan.Because Duan Xun knew that as long as Gu Pinzhen became the governor of Yunnan and took control of Kunming, he would definitely refuse Duan Xun's troops to enter Yunnan.Therefore, before he took control of Kunming, Duan Xun let Li Weiru's troops station in northern Yunnan, so that he could bargain with Gu Pinzhen in the future.

"Yes."

Yang Wei also nodded.

Although Gu Pinzhen was highly regarded, he did not expect Gu Pinzhen to move so quickly.Therefore, Yang Wei immediately said: "General, now Beijing must appoint a new governor of Yunnan, so as to prevent Gu Pinzhen from controlling the military and political power in Yunnan."

"kindness."

Duan Xun was only the anti-smoking supervisor in the Southwest, and could not intervene in Yunnan's military and political affairs.This is the case even if your own troops are currently entering Yunnan.Especially under the current situation that the main force of the Yunnan Army is still there, it is even more impossible for Duan Xun to start a war with the Yunnan Army.

Therefore, only a roundabout approach can be taken.

Let the Beijing government appoint a new Yunnan governor to keep Gu Pinzhen in check.

"Morality (Sun Zhen)."

"General."

"Give electricity to Beijing, and demand that Zhou Zhongyue be appointed as the governor of Yunnan according to the plan. Also send electricity to Deng Hanxiang in Yunnan. As soon as Beijing's appointment arrives, we will immediately negotiate with Zhou Zhongyue."

"Yes."

After Duan Xun gave Sun Zhen an order, he said to Yang Wei: "Although there are many things going on now, we in Sichuan must be stable. The work in Sichuan should not be affected."

"Yes."

107 The Aftermath

Kunming.

Gu Pinzhen had just taken control of Kunming, hadn't had a good rest, and even had many things to deal with, but after receiving Deng Hanxiang's meeting request, she immediately met with Deng Hanxiang.Although Gu Pinzhen took control of Kunming, she did not dare to treat Deng Hanxiang in the slightest.Because there are currently Duan Xun's 3 troops in Yunnan, and Yu Enyang, the commander of the Fourth Division of the Yunnan Army who is very close to Duan Xun.In total, Duan Xun can influence nearly 4 troops in Yunnan.There are so many troops, even more than the current number of Yunnan Army troops.

Not only that, Gu Pinzhen is not Tang Jiyao after all.

No matter what you say, Tang Jiyao is a big brother in the southwest who resisted the Beiyang army, and a hero in the southwestern provinces.Although it is not possible to defeat Yuan Shikai and Duan Qirui, they are also the ones who have really wrestled with them.Yuan Shikai and Duan Qirui have tried to destroy Tang Jiyao many times over the years, but they failed in the end. Tang Jiyao is still the overlord in the southwest.If it weren't for the bad luck this time, and the scandal with Yu Enyang's wife broke out, it would be so easy to get Tang Jiyao out of the field.Relying on the Dian army controlled by Tang Jiyao, it is really difficult for Duan Xun to let Tang Jiyao go by himself.

Gu Pinzhen didn't have Tang Jiyao's courage, ability, or strength.If not, everyone has similar qualifications, how could it be that Tang Jiyao has ruled Yunnan for so many years, and Gu Pinzhen is only a general of the Yunnan Army.Although Gu Pinzhen has a great influence in the Yunnan Army, he is really not as powerful and cunning as Tang Jiyao.

Therefore, Gu Pinzhen has to handle the relationship with Duan Xun very carefully.

"General Deng, please sit down."

"General Gu, first of all congratulations on becoming the governor of Yunnan, so that our cooperation will be more beneficial. General Gu, look. This is the place where opium is planted in Yunnan controlled by our Southwest Anti-smoking Supervision Administration. We have entered Yunnan for two One purpose. One is to drive away Tang Jiyao, the big backer of the opium dealers, and the other is to destroy opium cultivation and opium trading in Yunnan."

Gu Pinzhen took the information from Deng Hanxiang and looked at it.

Very detailed.

It is completely a matter of government statistics, which county, which piece of rural land, and even where the opium merchants in Yunnan purchased opium and other detailed things are recorded.Gu Pinzhen knew that there were not only Duan Xun's many spies in Yunnan, but more importantly, Li Youxun's defection.Li Youxun is a graduate of the Yunnan Lecture Hall. He participated in the Revolution of [-] and the War to Protect the Nation. He is an officer of the Yunnan Army who has risen step by step from a grassroots officer. He is very familiar with Yunnan and the Yunnan Army.Moreover, Li Youxun was Tang Jiyu's former military officer.Even the opium merchants in Yunnan went to open up the road to Guangxi and deal with the officers of the Gui Army. Li Youxun was in charge of it before.Therefore, Li Youxun is very familiar with the opium situation in Yunnan.It is estimated that Li Youxun is more familiar with the situation of Yunnan opium than Tang Jiyu, the Yunnan opium leader.

With Li Youxun at Duan Xun's place, the opium situation in Yunnan cannot be hidden at all.

"General Deng means..."

"General Gu, look. The sources of opium for Tang Jiyu and many opium merchants in Yunnan are mainly in central and western Yunnan, and this is handed over to the Sichuan-Yunnan Tobacco Control Bureau. The Sichuan-Yunnan Tobacco Control Bureau cooperates with the Yunnan Police Department. , to send troops and police to eradicate opium in these places. But Yunnan also has a concentration of opium, but it is the most difficult to deal with.”

Gu Pinzhen seemed to be listening carefully, but she kept thinking about Deng Hanxiang's meaning.

Hearing this level, Gu Pinzhen already understood what Deng Hanxiang was going to say.There are indeed many opium cultivation bases in Yunnan, which add up to 60 million mu of land, maybe even more than this amount.Because in addition to the opium planting areas counted by the government, because opium earns more money than farming, many farmers grow opium privately.All these things are counted, and the opium planting area in Yunnan is very amazing, maybe there are nearly one million mu of land.

Among several important opium growing areas, the most difficult to manage is southern Yunnan.

Because the southern part of Yunnan is where bandits gather in Yunnan.From Cai E to Tang Jiyao, they were not able to substantively control the southern Yunnan region.Later, Tang Jiyao really had no choice but to recruit these southern Yunnan bandits.After these bandits were organized by the Yunnan Army, the southern Yunnan region became an independent kingdom and was ruled by these bandits.After Tang Jiyao withdrew from Kunming this time, he led his troops south and entered southern Yunnan.The situation in southern Yunnan is even more complicated.

Although Deng Hanxiang hadn't said what he meant, Gu Pinzhen already understood what Deng Hanxiang was going to say.In order to truly eradicate opium cultivation and opium trading in Yunnan, southern Yunnan must also be dealt with.But where is the southern Yunnan region so easy to solve.

Back then, neither Cai E nor Tang Jiyao controlled southern Yunnan. Now that the Yunnan army is seriously injured, it is even more difficult to deal with the problem in southern Yunnan.The bandits in southern Yunnan are no longer bandits in the ordinary sense, but have money, guns, and territory, and they have become warlords who dominate one side.Now that Tang Jiyao went south and entered the southern Yunnan area, once Tang Jiyao cooperated with these bandits, it would be even more difficult to deal with.

Another is that Deng Hanxiang wanted the Sichuan-Yunnan Tobacco Ban Supervision Office to manage the smoking ban in central and western Yunnan.Central and western Yunnan are the core areas of Yunnan.If the Sichuan-Yunnan Tobacco Control Bureau is here, then whoever will manage this place may not be sure.Gu Pinzhen is not a fool, the Sichuan-Yunnan Tobacco Control Office must be under the command of Duan Xun, this is not the person who left Duan Xun in the area under his rule.

"Yunnan is initially settled, and it will take a period of recuperation. The issue of southern Yunnan can be pushed back."

Gu Pinzhen tactfully rejected Deng Hanxiang.

Gu Pinzhen understands the current situation of the Yunnan Army better than anyone else.Although it seems that the Yunnan Army is relatively stable at present, the Yunnan Army has long shown signs of splitting.The troops of the several divisions of the Yunnan Army are now all self-respecting and fighting on their own.Yu Enyang, the commander of the Fourth Division of the Dian Army, was very close to Duan Xun in Wuding, and several brothers from the Yu family cooperated with Sichuan.Although Zhao Youxin expressed his support for serving as the governor of Yunnan, he led his Fifth Division of the Yunnan Army to stand still and pay attention to the changes in the situation in Yunnan.Although Luo Peijin, the commander of the Second Division of the Dian Army, cooperated with him to drive away Tang Jiyao, but Luo Peijin is too senior and powerful, and it is not easy to settle at present.

The troops of the First Division of the Dian Army left after Tang Jiyao left had a better relationship with Yu Enyang than Gu Pinzhen.All of this needs to be dealt with by Gu Pinzhen. He needs to settle all the hills of the current Yunnan army.Therefore, Gu Pinzhen is not willing to continue fighting with those bandits in southern Yunnan, and Tang Jiyao.

For Gu Pinzhen now, controlling Kunming is the most important thing.

Moreover, if he leads troops to fight Tang Jiyao in southern Yunnan, those places with weak troops in northern Yunnan, central Yunnan, and western Yunnan will be controlled by Duan Xun.This is not what Gu Pinzhen wants.