Chapter 46: Public Trial of the Bandits

  In the subsequent parade, these former bandits who were once high-spirited and arrogant had already become dispirited and crestfallen. Some even collapsed to the ground in front of everyone when they were being escorted to the execution ground.

  There was another bandit who, in the process of being led to the execution ground, loudly begged Yang Xing not to kill him, and promised that if he spared his life, he would thoroughly reform himself.

  Seeing his companions being executed one by one, Huang Qingyuan was scared out of his wits, completely losing the demeanor of "Sichuan's ferocious tiger" and the ferocity of a man-eater. Moreover, before he was executed, he knelt down in public and begged Yang Xing to show him mercy.

  It wasn't until they saw this that the simple villagers realized that the bandits, who had been depicted as having three heads and six arms, were actually so fragile, and were so frightened and flustered when the regular army arrived.

  For those over a hundred accomplices who have no blood on their hands, or are truly pitiful, in gratitude for the heavens' kindness, it has been decided to reform them through labor. In the coming year's highway construction, they will be used as laborers to dredge rivers and participate in labor reform, participating in the construction of highways throughout northern Sichuan.

  On this basis, Yang Xing issued a proclamation to the various counties of Shunqing, requiring those bandits who had mistakenly gone astray to leave their bandit gangs and guarantee not to commit crimes again from the day the proclamation was issued; otherwise, they would be punished more severely.

  Yang Xing then issued a notice in the name of the head of the Shunqing Military and Political Bureau, listing 85 bandit chiefs and evil gentry, requiring local militias to arrest them within a time limit. For those who exposed and reported bandits and evil gentry with blood on their hands, government agencies offered rewards of varying amounts during trials.

  For those who stubbornly resist, the great army will arrive, and Huang Qingyang is their model.

  Finally, the land taxes and house rentals cleverly taken by Huang Qingyuan and others will be allocated to poor people with little or no land around them, or to people with disabilities. They only need to pay 20% of the rent to the government each year, and all other fees are exempt. This clearly shows the government's intention to eliminate poverty and support the weak.

  The mines and shops occupied by the northern Sichuan warlord will be uniformly auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the government. This is intended to demonstrate the government's support for commerce and development of the local economy.

  Thus, local morale was greatly boosted, and some households took out firecrackers to celebrate the downfall of the "Northern Sichuan Evil Tiger" bandit gang.

  After the "North Sichuan Tiger" was brutally eliminated by the model troops, after the Shunqing government issued a deadline for surrender, and after the bandits who committed bloody crimes were dealt with leniency, local bandits felt greatly shocked. Some of them, filled with shame, deserted their dens or even exposed the whereabouts of some evil tyrants.

  After that, Yang Xing led the Model Division troops to Yilong and launched an attack on Wang San Chun who was entrenched in Yilong and Bazhong border.

  On this day, at Chen's ancestral hall not far from Wang San Chun's Er Lang Fort, a battalion encountered more than 30 bandits and annihilated the vanguard of Wang San Chun in less than an hour after a fierce battle.

  Upon hearing that his subordinates were almost annihilated in less than an hour, Wang San-chun was shocked and hastily led the remaining 700+ bandits to scatter and break through towards Bazhong.

  The independent regiment and the local militia set up many checkpoints along the way, but unfortunately, Yilei is a hilly area with too many small roads. Although more than ten gangs of bandits were eliminated, Wang San Chun still followed a group of backbone members to escape into Bazhong territory.

  In this case, Yang Xing immediately divided Shunqing into 8 bandit-suppressing zones, respectively appointing independent regiment and guard brigade battalion commanders as responsible persons, and coordinating with local militia to carry out zone-by-zone bandit suppression.

  After three months of bitter struggle, the bandits that had been a scourge to Shunqing were either fleeing elsewhere or basically reformed and no longer dared to rob with impunity as they had in the past.

  After that, Yang Xing decided to reorganize the Tuanlian in Shunqing and other places. During the process of suppressing bandits, many old Tuanlian leaders had good martial arts skills but were far inferior to the battalion and company commanders sent by the Model Troops in terms of combat and reconnaissance capabilities. At this time, Yang Xing also took advantage of the unfavorable situation of the suppression campaign to replace six county Tuanlian, thus firmly controlling the armed forces of the nine counties in Shunqing.

  Unexpectedly, in just a few months, Yang Xing actually annihilated the notorious "North Sichuan Tiger" Huang Qingyuan gang, forcing the "King of Bazhong" Wang San Chun to flee elsewhere. When the news reached Chengdu, Hu Jingyi, the Grand Governor of Sichuan, fell into deep thought.

  Some members of the Sichuan Advisory Bureau believed that Yang Xing had first suppressed the bandit king Wang Dagna in Yanshan, then eliminated the banditry in Shunqing, and thought about the bandits rampant in various parts of Sichuan. Some forces loyal to Yin Changheng proposed to promote Yang Xing's official position and let Yang Xing be responsible for organizing the bandit-suppressing work.

  It was not easy to drive away the unruly model troops, how could they be allowed to return to Chengdu. In response to some council members' proposals, Hu Jingyi immediately expressed his refusal and claimed that Yang Xing was a famous general in Sichuan and he would definitely make good use of him.

  The roof leaks and encounters rain. At the same time as receiving the report of eliminating bandits, Hu Jingyi also received Mr. Zhang Lan's resignation report as "Chuanbei Xuanzhi Envoy", suggesting that Deng Xiaoke, the original Sichuan Salt Administration Minister, be appointed as Chuanbei Xuanzhi Envoy. Yang Xing was appointed as Shunqing Special Commissioner and Commander of the 2nd Mixed Brigade.

  Deng Xiaoke, leader of the Sichuan Railway Protection League, published an article in "Shu Bao" titled "Traitorous Postal Department! Traitorous Slave Sheng Xuanhuai!", condemning the loan contract signed by Sheng Xuanhuai. After the success of the revolution, he was appointed as the Salt Administration Commissioner of Sichuan.

  However, he later had a dispute with Hu Jingyi, the governor of Sichuan, and left his post as the head of the Sichuan Salt Administration.

  It wasn't until now that Hu Jingyi realized the profound meaning behind Yang Xing's move. Since he couldn't make a name for himself in Chengdu, it was better to flee to Shunqing where bandits were more rampant and hide from himself, thereby solidifying his own strength.

  Just received a telegram from Beiping two days ago, and it turned out that Yin Changheng not only was not purged but was actually promoted to Chief of the General Staff of the Army, which is quite different from what Yuan Shikai's envoy told me when I left.

  At that time, he was extremely unglamorous and forced Yang Xing to leave. This must have made Yin Changheng, the backstage of the model team, very unhappy. If this old friend turns over, he will definitely be dealt with at that time.

  Moreover, Zhang Lan's words cannot be ignored. Not only is he known as the "Saint of Northern Sichuan" and enjoys an extremely high reputation in Northern Sichuan, but he is also a member of the National Congress, and his demands on others will not be small in the future.

  However, in Chengdu, I had already fallen out with the Model Troupe, so it was impossible for them to become a force in my hands.

  After careful consideration, Deng Xiaoke, a hero of the Baolu campaign, was appointed as the Pacification Commissioner for Northern Sichuan, overseeing military and civil affairs in various prefectures of northern Sichuan.

  As for Yang Xing, it was a matter of course to confirm Zhang Lan's appointment and officially appoint him as the Director of the Shunqing Military and Political Bureau.

  For the model troops, it was a commendation with a reward. The model troops were commended for having eliminated the notorious bandit Huang Qingyuan in just four months since their arrival in northern Sichuan, and it was hoped that they would continue to make efforts to stabilize the situation in Suining Prefecture.

  Hu Jingyi thinks that by doing so, he has both face and substance.

  As for Yang Xing, I didn't reward him lightly. At a young age, I appointed him as the head of the Shunqing Military and Political Bureau. Such treatment can be considered quite generous.

  Before Mr. Zhang Lan left northern Sichuan for Beiping to take office as a national congressman, he showed the draft of the telegram to be sent to Hu Jingyi to Yang Xing and said with a smile: "Zhengdong, have you offended Hu Jingyi? Such great merit, but only confirmed the military and political director I appointed in the past."

  Yang Xing saw the situation and smiled: "Old Zhang, when we were in Chengdu, Hu Jingyi almost wanted to swallow my model regiment. In the end, they met with swords drawn. Let's not mention it anymore. Now, we only need to consolidate the results of eliminating bandits and purge the local bandits in Shunqing."

  Zhang Lan said meaningfully: Oh, I see. Zheng Dong, this Hu Jingyi, is quite sinister and has not yet reached the magnanimity of Grand Commander Yin. As soon as he took office, he eliminated dissenters. Alas, he is a difficult master to serve.

  It seems that Dao said with a big smile: "Zhang Lao, I've always thought that those who play tricks will die by their own tricks. This Hu Doudutou, I think he won't last long. He actually dares to play tricks in front of his juniors like us, how can he possibly last?"

  Zhang Lan nodded and said: "Yes, I heard that Hu Jingyi, in order to replace him, actually created chaos among his classmates in the military department. If this continues, it seems he will become a pawn of President Yuan."

  He said with some concern: Zhen Dong, I'm really putting you in a difficult position by leaving like this. However, the new governor of Chuanbei, Shunqing, is my old friend Deng Xiaoke, and he's a very upright person. I'll stay for five more days and wait for Governor Deng to arrive, then I'll introduce you to him.

  Unexpectedly, Zhang Lan gave such a big help, Yang Xing couldn't help but have slightly red eyes, and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

  Back at the headquarters, Fourth Son ran over and said: "Captain, there's someone outside named Pan Wenhua who claims to be your classmate from Speedy Learning Academy. He wants to know if you'll see him?"

  Yang Xing suddenly realized that he had joined the Sichuan Army Speed ??School in 2008, but due to his young age and poor physical strength, he transferred to the Sichuan Army Primary School in 2009.

  In my vague memory, I seem to recall a small man named Pan Wenhua who was extremely good at apparatus gymnastics. In school, he also seemed to have rebelled against the Qing dynasty and written "The Descendants of Yan and Huang, How Can We Wear the Crown of the Barbarian Son of Heaven?" in the preface to "Jinlan Spectrum", risking his head.

  I remember when I was in school, Pan Wenhua had the nickname "Pan Jiazi". In all aspects of equipment, gunplay, swordplay, hand-to-hand combat, and wall-climbing, he was among the top in the whole school. He could jump down from a city wall over 6 meters high and then climb back up bare-handed, repeating this multiple times without changing his expression.

  What's more important is that at that time, Yang Xing was only 15 or 16 years old and had just entered the military academy. He didn't eat well and his physical strength was very weak, so he couldn't do many movements. Pan Zhen saw Yang Xing like this and thought of his own father's illness when he was young, and how he himself had dropped out of school for a year and almost lost his livelihood. Whether in study or life, he took good care of Yang Xing.

  Thinking of this, a happy smile appeared on his face, and he repeatedly said "please come in", but suddenly felt it was not proper, so he immediately ran out to the entrance of the camp to welcome them.

  Pan Wenhua hasn't changed much, still very short and lean, but his skin is darker than before, you can tell he's been through a lot of hardship.

  However, what's surprising is that Pan Wenhua said Yang Xing has changed a lot, he's grown taller and put on weight, also he no longer speaks as little as before.

  After graduating from the Pan Wenhuai Speed Learning Hall, Pan Wenhuai was appointed as a squad leader and followed the troops to Tibet. In the Battle of Bomê, he was promoted to company commander due to his meritorious service.

  In 1911, Jiangzi led the entire regiment in a rebellion in Tibet in response to the Xinhai Revolution. Due to the Tibetan army's unwillingness to rebel under British support, Pan Wenhua and his righteous army fought against the enemy, but they lacked food and ammunition, were isolated and had no support, so Pan Wenhua and others had to return to Sichuan on foot via India, Burma and Yunnan.

  Although it was heard along the way that a young military officer had defeated the Tibetans in Pinggouliangzi and under Kangding City, he didn't think much of it at first, thinking it was just a coincidence of names.

  Later, after returning to Luding, he suddenly heard that the officer was actually Yang Xing from the past. At this time, Zhong Tidao, the commander of the 2nd Mixed Brigade stationed in Bazhong, sent a telegram inviting him to take up the post of company commander, and thus came to join the army on his way.

  Yang Xing listened and became quite angry, saying: "Zhong San, this is where you are wrong. Think back to how considerate you were towards me in the past. Today, no matter what, I am a regiment commander of an independent division. How could you defect to another unit? Why don't you stay behind and we can conquer the world together as brothers?"

  Pan Wenhua hesitated, escaping with a copy of Zhong Tiyu's appointment letter: "Conquer the East, isn't this not good?" This is Teacher Zhong's appointment letter, if I don't follow it, won't that be a bit...?

  Yang Xing laughed and said: "This is easy, we can just write a letter to him together. You used to be the company commander, I'll discuss with Wang Zhiyi and Cheng Peng later, and consider appointing you as deputy chief of staff to assist Cheng Peng in his work, what do you think?"

  Pan Wenhua exclaimed: "Zhen Dong, absolutely not! Think about it, I just arrived at the Independent Regiment and was appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff. This is probably not good, right? Zhen Dong, if you appoint me as Deputy Chief of Staff, I will definitely not accept it. I'll leave immediately with a slap on my butt. But if you appoint me as Chief of Staff, that's acceptable."

  Yang Xing looked at him, grasped Pan Wenhua's hand with great emotion and said: Zhong San, this is an injustice to you. Don't worry, since I was able to rise from a military school student to a regimental commander in less than a year, I also have ways to get even greater promotions, and when the time comes, I will definitely make it up to you.

  The two of them heard it and smiled at each other.

  That day, he was discussing with Wang Huixu, Cheng Peng and Pan Wenhua to strengthen the ideological work of various departments. It is necessary to know that in the past few months, although the major bandits have been eliminated or driven away to neighboring areas such as Bazhong and Guangyuan, there are still several small groups of bandits who use wooden sticks to rob lone travelers on the side roads.

  This month alone, there have been at least a dozen such incidents. As Wang Lingji said, this kind of bandit has always existed since ancient times and cannot be eradicated. They are too few in number and do not have a fixed place to settle down. In peacetime, they can work as farmers, and in their spare time, they become bandits.

  However, Yang Xing does not think so. Historical experience has also proven that there is a way to establish the Lianbao system, which is to strengthen the road network, and under this circumstance, these small bandits will find it difficult to hide.

  However, considering the current situation, Yang Xing had no choice but to let the anti-bandit personnel stationed in various counties spread propaganda about the harm of local bandits, change the local elite's views on the troops, or attract these people to join the Strong Nation Society.