The main topics of this military meeting are two: one is to clear the combat plan of the Qing army outside the city; the other is to follow the next strategy direction.

The first issue was soon reached a consensus. If the Qing army entrenched outside the city was not cleared as soon as possible, Anqing City might be attacked by water and land at any time, so it must be eliminated or driven across the Yangtze River as soon as possible. However, the second issue had serious differences. The faction led by Zhao Bei believed that there were currently a lack of ships and the plan to rush to Jiangning for a long distance was impossible to implement. It was only possible to develop northward, try to expand the influence of the revolution, and immediately establish the "Han Military Government" to strive for the early recovery of the whole province; but led by the association, another group of people believed that they should cross the Yangtze River and develop towards Jiangnan so as to support the armed forces of Jiangxi, Hunan and Jiangsu there, strengthen their strength, and then fight eastward to conquer Jiangning in one fell swoop.

Xiong Chengji agreed with Zhao Bei's opinion. Although he did not agree with the suggestion of "drilling the mountain valley", at least he did not insist on the plan to rush to Nanjing. Zhao Bei's previous worries finally let go.

In Zhao Bei's view, whether it is going north or south, it is necessary to reach a consensus as soon as possible. Otherwise, when the reinforcements of the Qing army arrived, they would not last long with the number of troops in the city. Only by taking advantage of the heavy enemy encirclement before it was formed can the revolutionary strength be preserved.

In the early stage of the revolution, when facing the situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak, we must never trap the lonely city. Only by fighting in a mobile manner can we find favorable fighter opportunities, annihilate the enemy's living forces, and develop and strengthen ourselves.

But unfortunately, no one is willing to accept Zhao Bei's opinion. Whether it is the northern or southern faction, they all believe that conquering a strong city is the best revolutionary means.

The Northern Sect wanted to occupy Luzhou. Since the recruitment principle of the Qing Dynasty's new army was "indigenous defending the territory", many soldiers and officers in the Anhui New Sect were recruited in northern Anhui, where the people were strong, and they had a strong sense of locality. They urgently hoped to return to their hometown as soon as possible, return home in glory, and shine their ancestors; the Southern Sect focused on the prosperity of Jiangnan. The rice from Hunan, porcelain from Jiangxi, and factories from Jiangsu were all coveted goals. Whether it was for themselves or to raise funds for the revolution, going south was undoubtedly the best choice. In the cities of Jiangnan, there were countless gold, silver and treasures, and gentle and tender beauties, but if the city was not occupied, all this would be a daydream.

In addition to these reasons, there is another thing that everyone has to worry about, that is, the morale of the army. If you give up the city to drill into the valley without a fierce battle, it will cause a serious blow to the morale of the army. Zhao Bei had to worry about this, so he did not stick to his own opinions.

However, the differences between the Northern and Southern factions could not be clarified at all, and the Grand Governor Xiong Chengji was helpless. Because he was worried about the split of the revolutionary camp, he had no experience and had to put this proposal temporarily on hold and deal with the Qing army outside the city first.

According to the deployment of the command center, the rebel army was divided into two parts. The left-wing detachment headed by Zhao Bei would stay to defend the city. General Xiong Chengji led the right-wing and central-wing detachments out of the city to fight, first eliminated the enemies entrenched in the west of the city, then turned to the north, took down the Jixian Pass, blocked the passage of east-west communication, and sent a few Hubei-Jiangsu officers to secretly sneak to Taihu County to contact the Jiangsu New Army and Hubei New Army who held Qiu Cao there, and instigated the two armies to respond to the uprising. Once they succeeded, they would immediately return to Anqing, and the three armies would join forces to plan the next strategy.

After careful consideration, Zhao Bei volunteered to reject the task of defending the city, but took on the task of contacting the new army of Hubei and Jiangsu. Because in his opinion, it was too dangerous to defend the lonely city and would be wiped out if it was not done well. Therefore, instead of trapping Anqing, it would be better to take a small army to Taihu County and instigate the Qiucao troops there to respond to the uprising. Even if they cannot instigate the uprising, they can escape unscathed. Whether it is fighting guerrilla or escaping, it is more convenient. As a time traveler, he was not very optimistic about the future of the Anqing uprising, but he did not express this idea.

The plan was decided, and immediately started to expand the army overnight. At this time, there was no need to identify the background of the enlisted troops. The recruiting department refused to refuse any visitor. Anyone who was willing to join the army would be able to run or jump as long as they could run and jump. Since the military pay was the same as the new army, it was four or five cents of official silver per month, and half a month of military pay was issued, so those who signed up for enlistment were enthusiastic. Vendors, barracks, boatmen, sailors, and even green-skinned wands changed into military uniforms, tied white cloth, and transformed into revolutionary soldiers. Before dawn, the 20,000 foreign guns seized from the fire yao warehouse had been distributed. More than 10,000 people were bare-handed and did not even have military uniforms. These people could not have any combat power and could only stay in the city and be incorporated into the left-wing detachment to boost their momentum. The acting detachment leader Duan Zhixuan was responsible for the training and assisting in defending the city.

At dawn, the sound of rumbling cannons came from the Yangtze River. Two Qing army gunboats anchored on the river were dragged by Qiu Cao's troops and had begun to carry out deterrent shelling. Although the shells had not yet fallen into the city, the panic among the residents in the city had intensified. Since the rebel army had been locked down, the people could not leave the city to avoid artillery fire.

The rebel troops in the city immediately mobilized to set up field artillery at the southern city base. The mountain artillery fought back fiercely, forcing the Qing army's gunboats to sail to the south bank.

Amid the dense sound of cannons, colorful flags fluttered in front of the gate of the Grand Governor's Office in the city, drums and music were noisy, new army generals wearing military uniforms, sabers hanging onto the temporary generals, and black eyes surrounded the Grand Governor Xiong Chengji.

Xiong Chengji was in military uniform and horse boots, full of energy, holding a proclamation to challenge the Qing Dynasty, stood on the stage, and counted the injustice of the Qing Dynasty in front of hundreds of officers and representatives of the scholars and civilians:

"The revolutionary military government of the Chinese Restoration Army, the Grand Commander Xiong, was ordered by the military government! It turned out that the Tartars were originally a foreign race of the Eastern Governor. Since the Han and Tang Dynasties, they have been a feud in the Central Plains for a long time. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, they took advantage of the chaos to show their cruel and evil nature. According to our China, they steal my magical artifacts and enslave my compatriots!... All my compatriots should do their own duties and strive to destroy the Tartars and restore China at the same time! Use Shen Dayi to inform our compatriots, and urgently follow the law and order! An edict!"

In Zhao Bei's view, this manifesto was passionate, but it was a bit narrow-minded, and there were many fallacies about the history of the Eight Banners of Manchuria, but there was nothing we could do about it. After the Eight Banners nobles entered the pass, they tampered with historical books. In addition, the number of * was repeatedly raised, even scholars may not understand the true history of the rise of the Eight Banners outside the pass.

"Right-wing long agent, left-wing long Duan Zhixuan!" Xiong Chengji shouted.

"The post is here!" A young officer responded, walked a few steps forward, stood in front of Xiong Chengji, and stood attentively saluted. Since Zhao Bei had resigned from his position as the commander of the left wing, the officer was temporarily acting as the officer.

"The Civil Military Control Commission leads Jin Zhaokun!"

"Someone is here!" A middle-aged strong man stood beside the officer casually. He was from the Hongmen and a native of Anhui. He was one of the organizers of the Anqing Uprising. He was most likely to be brought by the Communist Party armed forces entering the city.

"Duan Zhixuan is the commander of the city defense, and Jin Zhaokun is the deputy commander of the city defense. You two must unite and maintain Anqing together!"

Under the attention of everyone, Xiong Chengji handed over an official defense to the officer and formally appointed Duan Zhixuan, the right-wing chief of the Restoration Army, as the commander of the city defense of Anqing, and the leader of the association, Jin Zhaokun, as the deputy commander of the city defense, and the two of them were fully responsible for the city defense of Anqing.

"Pioneering Officer Zhao Bei!" Xiong Chengji picked up another barrier, which was carved in a hurry. The barrier was not even painted, just a lump of wood was cut into a step-shaped shape.

"The post is here!" Zhao Bei responded and stood attentively and saluted.

"This is your guard seal, get it. Your task is very dangerous, take care of it." Xiong Chengji handed over the guard to Zhao Bei and gave it a warning. Since Zhao Bei contacted Hubei and the task of Jiangsu New Army was top secret, it was not convenient to talk about it in front of everyone.

"Please rest assured that the Grand Governor, the Ministry of Justice will do its best to complete the task!" Zhao Bei said firmly.

Xiong Chengji nodded, glanced at the officers standing beside him, pulled out the command knife at his waist with a "clang" sound, took a few steps forward, and enthusiastically looked at everyone:

"It will be at this time that you can expel the Tartars and restore China! May all the kings work together to overcome the stubborn enemy!"

"The top and bottom are united to overcome the stubborn enemy together! The top and bottom are united to overcome the stubborn enemy together!"

Inspired by the commander-in-chief, everyone shouted in unison. Soon, the shout spread throughout the city. All the soldiers of the rebel army were cheering and their morale was high. The bright bayonet reflected the morning glow in the sky, with dazzling red and murderous intent.

Xiong Chengji swears to swear an oath and leads more than 20,000 people out of the northern gate to build a camp. After breakfast, the military horn sounded, and the revolutionary army raised the flag of the Restoration Association and launched a fierce attack on the remnants of the Qing army entrenched in the west of the city.

Standing at the top of the city and watching the team leaving the city, Zhao Bei's minds fluctuated. History has changed due to his arrival. He had no idea what would happen next, but since he had devoted himself to this era, there might be no way out.
Chapter completed!