Chapter 122 121. Luo Peijin Duchuan was expelled

After Yuan Shikai's death, the forces of the Beiyang Army still controlled two-thirds of the provinces in mainland China. However, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan, which were defending the country against Yuan, were areas beyond the reach of the Beiyang Army. Known as the Six Southwest Provinces.These six provinces have been opposed to the Beijing government since the War to Protect the Nation, but these six provinces are divided into two regions. Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou are one region, which is controlled by Tang Jiyao, while Guangdong and Guangxi are under the sphere of influence of the Guangxi clique. Also quite affected.Although the South is opposed to the North, the situation in the South is also turbulent, especially in Guangdong and Sichuan.

In Sichuan, during the War to Protect the Nation, Cai E led the troops of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces to fight against Yuan Jun in Sichuan. After Cai E left Sichuan, the troops of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces remained in Sichuan. The leader is Luo Peijin, who of course has the support of Tang Jiyao. The leader of the Qian army is Dai Kan, who also has the support of Liu Xianshi, the governor of Guizhou. Liu Xianshi belongs to the research department. Luo Peijin is the governor of Sichuan, Dai Kan is the governor of Sichuan, and Liu Cunhou is the first commander of the Sichuan Army. In fact, Luo and Dai have a long history of disagreement. It is quite popular in many schools.He was born in a family. He studied in Japan in the late Qing Dynasty and entered a non-commissioned officer school. After returning to China, he served as Biaotong in Yunnan.Later, he served as the chief of civil affairs in Yunnan.When the national defense army entered Sichuan, although they made great contributions to assisting Cai, Cai and Luo were not in harmony, and Cai was quite close to Dai Kan.At that time, the National Defense Army in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou were not very cooperative, so after Luo became the governor of the army, he was not too happy for Dai Kan, who had military power, to be the governor.

After discussing Yuan's military affairs, the problems in Sichuan were quite complicated, because Sichuan had an army from Sichuan, and the Yunnan army and the unique Guizhou army.Since Luo Peijin was the governor of Sichuan, and the Dian army became the main force after defending the country against Yuan, Luo naturally regarded himself as a leader, but Dai Kan had military exploits, military power, and the position of governor, so he naturally refused to give in.As for the Sichuan army backed by Sichuan people, they were extremely disgusted with the guest army in Sichuan, so the situation in Sichuan was like a volcano, with the three armies of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan standing on top of each other.

At this time, the Sichuan people had a strong anti-Yunnan anger. Since the government was in the hands of the Yunnan people, some meritorious members of the national defense army were divided into key points in Sichuan Province. Luo Peijin sent Li Linyang as the director of government affairs.Li is the Shaodong of Tianshunxiang, a giant merchant in Yunnan. He is not familiar with government affairs, and many county magistrates he sent are incompetent and ignorant.Sichuan people have a strong literary style, are good at discussing, and have a lot of speeches. Since the public opinion is not straight to the people of Yunnan, anti-Dian speeches spread like wildfire, fueling the flames, and forming a serious confrontation.

Luo Peijin was not in love with Chuandu. Earlier he heard that Duan Qirui intended to send Wu Guang as new Duandu. He sent a telegram to ask Lu Rongting to come to Beijing to ask for permission to leave.Duan Deluo's request for leave was in the middle of his heart, and he replied with approval. However, when Luo's subordinates heard that Luo asked for leave, they made a big fuss. , Li Yuanhong is telegraphing and slowing down, and Duan also agrees. At this time, each army in Sichuan consisted of seven divisions and three mixed brigades. The Sichuan army had five divisions and two mixed brigades, which were: Liu Cunhou, commander of the first army and commander of the second division; Zhou Daogang, commander of the first division; Division Commander Zhong Tidao, Commander of the Fourth Division Chen Zepei, Commander of the Fifth Division Xiong Kewu, Commander of the First Mixed Brigade Liu Chengxun, and Brigadier of the Chuanbian Mixed Brigade Chen Xialing.The Qian army has only one mixed brigade commander Xiong Qixun.The Yunnan Army has two divisions, Gu Pinzhen, the commander of the sixth division, and Zhao Youxin, the commander of the seventh division.In addition, Yin Chengxian, the guard envoy of Chuanbian, still has a part of the Yunnan army.Sichuan was originally a wealthy province. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and during the peace period, it saved 7 million taels of silver for the year and only supported the military and military association. Now it is burdened with a huge military force, and of course it is extremely difficult financially.After Li came to power, the Beijing government hoped to disarm the whole country, and Sichuan was no exception, and repeatedly instructed Luo Peijin to disarm. On June 1, Wang Zhixiang, the inspection envoy sent by Luo and Duan Qirui, discussed and decided to reorganize all the Yunnan and Guizhou armies remaining in Sichuan into the Central Army, which would be under the direct command of the Central Army Department, and the military expenses would be borne directly by the Central Army.Then Duan approved the reorganization of the Dian Army in Sichuan into a division and a brigade, and the reorganization of the Qian Army into a mixed brigade and an independent regiment.Because of this reorganization plan, Liu Cunhou and the Sichuan Army were very dissatisfied, because after the Yunnan and Guizhou Army became the Central Army, staying in Sichuan was not a "guest army stationed" but a "dove occupying the magpie's nest".So the Sichuan army sent a telegram of complaint, saying: "The Dian army only entered Sichuan last year with 17 battalions, and the surviving 12 battalions survived after the peace of the war. However, Luo sent a telegram to falsely call the Second Division, and immediately recruited more than 7,000 unarmed troops in Yunnan. The Dian army increased The fourth and fifth divisions of the Sichuan Army were each reduced to one brigade, and each company of the remaining three divisions was reduced to 90 men. All products produced by the arsenal were given to the Yunnan Army.” Liu Cunhou also sent a telegram complaining: “Luo’s side reduced the Sichuan army’s salary to 80 per division. 10,000 yuan, one side will increase the salary of the Yunnan Army, 1,200,000 yuan per division."

Luo Peijin's first step was to transfer Liu Cunhou. He once secretly asked the Duan cabinet to transfer Liu to Beijing to give him a vacant post, and recommended Liu Yunfeng, the commander of the Yunnan Army's ladder, to be transferred to the second division commander of the Sichuan Army.On the surface, Duan approved it, but secretly provoked the internal strife between the Sichuan and Yunnan armies. On the one hand, he tried his best to support Luo's reduction of troops and downsizing the Sichuan army, and on the other hand, he instigated the Sichuan army to resist Luo's disarmament plan.Duan hoped that the open conflict between the Sichuan and Yunnan armies would result in the "fisherman's benefit" of the Beiyang army entering Sichuan.Although Duan agreed to Luo's request to transfer Liu Cunhou to Beijing, the transfer order was not issued. At the same time, he notified Liu of Luo's secret plan in the name of Shenlu's office, and used the phrase "Yongzhong is the hometown of the teacher" The statement instigated Liu Cunhou's rebellion against Luo, and what was even more vicious was that Zeng Mi, the general of the Sichuan Army, said that the generals of the Sichuan Army that Luo requested to be replaced were not limited to Liu, and his purpose was to incite all the generals of the Sichuan Army to rebel against Luo.

During this period, both Luo Peijin and Liu Cunhou thought Duan Qirui was behind them. Since Duan agreed to Luo Peijin's request, Liu Yunfeng would replace Liu Cunhou as the commander of the Second Division of the Sichuan Army.The matter of handing over became deadlocked.Just as Wang Zhen, a member of the Yunnan National Congress, criticized: "Luo Dudian please replace the teacher Liu Cunhou. Whether it is correct or not, there is no room for discussion with Liu. It was the court who sent Luodian directly to Liu so that he could hear about it." , it will make Liu and Luo Heng disagree." This proves that Duan's selfish intention is to provoke Luo and Liu to be hostile.

Luo Peijin failed to expel Liu Cunhou, so he wanted to order the abolition of the First Mixed Brigade of the First Army.Liu Chengxun, the brigade commander, expressed his obedience, but demanded that the arrears be paid first. Luo couldn't pay the arrears, so he had to give up. Luo Peijin's disarmament plan hit a wall twice, so he could only choose another weaker to attack. He ordered the fourth division of the Sichuan Army to be reduced into a brigade. The division commander Chen Zepei originally belonged to the Yunnan Army system. After being transferred to the Sichuan Army division commander, he fell to the Sichuan Army's side , He also bargained for the downsizing order, asking to be downsized into a mixed brigade and a regiment. Biro decided that the downsizing plan was more than one regiment, and he also demanded that the arrears be paid.

At this time, the generals of the Sichuan Army believed that Governor Luo was not dealing with the issue of the Fourth Division alone, but had something to do with the life and death of the entire Sichuan Army.Therefore, five Sichuan army division commanders jointly sent a telegram to oppose Luo Peijin's disarmament plan.However, the five division commanders of the Sichuan Army had different opinions and attitudes; Zhong Tidao, Liu Cunhou, and Chen Zepei were united, while Zhou Daogang had a double-sided policy.Both Zhou and Xiong are stationed in Chongqing. Because of repeated setbacks in the disarmament plan, Luo Peijin could no longer tolerate the collective disobedience of the five division commanders of the Sichuan Army. On April 5, 6, he suddenly sent the Yunnan Army to surround the two regiments of the Fourth Division of the Sichuan Army in Chengdu, and ordered them to disarm without paying the arrears. Disbanded, and at the same time forced all other regiments of the division to disarm and dismiss.This time, the Sichuan soldiers were in danger and resisted collectively. Luo Nai announced that there would be no changes in the regiments of the Fourth Division outside the provincial capital.

On April 18, the First Army of the Sichuan Army and the Yunnan Army in Chengdu fired bombardment at each other.Both sides say the other is the culprit.Luo Peijin said that it was Liu Cunhou who first ordered the bombardment of the supervisory office, and Liu Youhou said that it was the Yunnan Army who first fired cannons in the northwest corner. On the 18th, the cannons in Chengdu were rumbling and killings were everywhere.Liu Dian dispatched Sichuan troops from all walks of life to help, and Luo also mobilized Yunnan troops from counties such as Ziliujing, Luzhou, Xuzhou, and Mianyang in northern Sichuan to the province.The city of Chengdu was divided into three garrison areas of the Sichuan Army, the Qian Army, and the Yunnan Army. The Qian Army remained neutral in the war.However, residents of the defense areas of the Sichuan and Guizhou armies can come and go freely, while the Yunnan army is independent.

On the 19th, the Dian army retreated to the imperial city and fired artillery inside the city wall to stop the attacking Sichuan army. They filled leather tubes with kerosene and fired at the houses around the imperial city to remove obstacles.On this day, the whole city of Chengdu was full of flames, and the sound of killing shook the ground.Hu Jun, the chairman of the Provincial Assembly, hurriedly called the chamber of commerce and consuls of various countries to take the risk of negotiating with the Sichuan and Yunnan armies to stop the fighting. At dawn on the 20th, the Sichuan and Yunnan armies opened the gates to allow people in the disaster area to enter. According to the investigation of the Red Cross, more than 1,000 people were burned to death, killed or injured, and more than 3,000 households were burned. Most of them fled to the neutral Qianjun defense area, and the fire continued to burn until the 22nd before it was extinguished. On the 20th, the Provincial Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and the consuls of Britain, France and Japan conducted mediation between the two sides. The war was ceased for one day, and the Qian army was stationed between the Sichuan and Yunnan defense areas to prevent the two sides from firing each other. After the civil war broke out in Chengdu, Sichuan Army brigade commanders Liu Xiang, Liu Chengxun, Dan Maoxin, regiment commanders Deng Xihou, Tian Songyao, Lai Xinhui, Xiang Chuanyi, Lu Chao, etc. jointly issued a telegram denouncing Luo: "Hao has been in office for several months. , Le raised more than 7 million taxes, and the province’s military salary has not been paid for several months.” Tang Jiyao also issued a telegram to accuse the Sichuan Army: “Sichuan Province’s implementation of disarmament was originally under the administration, but it was Commander Liu who ordered his troops to besiege the Supervision Office. Regardless of righteousness, please uphold justice and resolve it quickly." The Sichuan and Yunnan provincial councils and members of the two provincial congresses have issued speeches, or telegraphed each other to attack each other. ". The Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou armies divided three major areas in Chengdu. The first part is the neutral area, which is garrisoned by the Qian army. It starts from the east gate, passes through Kuanshi Street, Shuyuan West Street, Huguang Street, and Huaxing Street to Huifu and Shuncheng. Street, Yanshikou, Sanqiao South Street to the South Gate, these areas were all garrisoned by the Qian army, and the stone slabs on the ground were built as a cover to block the rebels.The second part starts from Mengjia Lane at the south gate and turns westward to the city. From the west of Laoguan Temple at the north gate, and the north of Qinglong Street on Zhengfu Street, all are the areas where the Sichuan Army is stationed.The third part is from the east gate, from Yuku Lane, through Zhantian Temple, Shuyuan North Street, Zitong Bridge, Cihui Hall, Chunyang Temple, Mawang Temple, Tongsi Street, Lama Temple and the vicinity of the Imperial City. When the Dian and Sichuan armies fought, the Dian army used the imperial city as its base camp, and the eastern Jiaochang as its auxiliary army.The Sichuan Army used the North Jiaochang as its base camp and the West Jiaochang as its auxiliary army.The imperial city is in the center of Chengdu. The Dian army fired artillery from the imperial city to bombard the two fields in the northwest, and at the same time received counterattacks from these two places.People in Chengdu suffer the most from Huangchengba and the vicinity of North Jiaochang, followed by East and West Jiaochang. On April 20, 6, the Beijing government had received the news of the outbreak of the Sichuan Civil War, so Duan Qirui ordered Luo Peijin to be General Chaowei, Liu Cunhou to be General Chongwei, and Dai Kan, the governor of Sichuan, to be temporarily appointed as Governor of Sichuan, and Liu Yunfeng to be the Sichuan Army Second Division Commander.There was no right or wrong in these personnel orders, but Duan had a selfish intention, which was to order his brother-in-law Wu Guangxin to lead troops from Yichang to Sichuan to quell the chaos and pave the way for Wu Guangxin to supervise Sichuan.As for the Progressive Party (Research Department), it is hoped that Dai Kan will be taught by the concurrent generation, because Dai belongs to the Progressive Party.Another group of Department of Humanities and Political Science supported Cen Chunxuan to supervise Chuan. Duan told the Congress: "I will never work with Cen when I am in office!" The battle between the Sichuan and Yunnan armies was not limited to Chengdu, there were battles outside Chengdu and in Neijiang. On April 21, Luo received a transfer order from the Beijing government and sent Dai Kan a letter from the military governor, expressing his obedience to the government's order. On the 22nd, Chengdu gentry merchants and foreign consuls invited Luo Peijin and Liu Cunhou to hold a mediation meeting at the Provincial Governor's Office. Luo sent representatives Han Fenglou and Liu sent representatives Xu Xiaogang to attend.The Dian army demanded an advance payment of 600,000 yuan for the deployment, and the consuls of Britain, France, and Japan guaranteed a safe exit from the provincial capital. Both sides signed an armistice agreement.But at night, each of them fired their cannons in their own way.Both sides accused the other of breach of contract.The fighting didn't stop until midnight, when the Beijing government sent a telegram to urge Luo and Liu to quickly relinquish their duties and go to Beijing. On the 23rd, the Beijing government sent Wang Renwen as an envoy to investigate and deal with Sichuan, and strictly ordered the Sichuan and Yunnan armies to cease fighting. On the 24th, Duan Qirui received a confidential telegram from Dai Kan, reporting that Luo was willing to resign according to the order, but the Sichuan Army still bombarded the Supervision Office on the 23rd, and the Dian Army did not fight back.Duan Da was so angry that he ordered Liu Cunhou's General Chongwei to be dismissed and ordered to wait for investigation. On the 24th, Luo Peijin led the Dian army to withdraw from the east gate of Chengdu, and Liu Cunhou led the Sichuan army to withdraw from the west gate of Chengdu.Before leaving, Luo sent a respectful telegram saying: "Peijin was handed over according to the order, but Liu Cunhou still fired cannons and ordered his troops to hunt down the Yunnan people. I don't know how many victims' families are there?" Liu Cunhou called himself the temporary governor of Sichuan, issued a notice, and dispatched The troops of Zhou Daogang of the first division went west from the east road, and the troops of Zhong Tidao of the third division went to the province from the north of Sichuan. The Yunnan troops stationed in Jianyang, Xindu and other places were all under siege.... Are the soldiers and civilians in Sichuan and Yunnan province unarmed? Let it be slaughtered?" Luo also sent a telegram accusing the Beijing government of instigating it.As a result, the Chengdu Incident was caused, and the State Council in Beijing issued a telegram denying the incident.Tang Jiyao also sent a telegram accusing the Beijing government of unfairly handling the Sichuan issue. He said that he, Luo Peijin, and Liu Cunhou were old classmates of non-commissioned officers and had worked together for many years, but "there is no favoritism." He believed that the Beijing government handled it this way. , "Where is the country's laws and regulations? Where is the government's prestige? The wind of long-term warfare will be the first step." Therefore, he planned to send troops to Zhaotong as a backup for the Sichuan-Yunnan army. Regardless of Luo Peijin's crimes in Sichuan, and regardless of the rights and wrongs between Luo Dai and Luo Liu, one thing is advisable for Luo. He tried his best to prevent the Yunnan Army from corrupting Sichuan. Li Zhisheng, the commander of the most fierce battle in the Yunnan Army, committed suicide with a gun because he was ordered not to fight. After the Dian army withdrew from Chengdu, it was still stationed in the most affluent counties in Sichuan, such as Zizhong, Jianyang, Rongwei, Fushun, Ziliujing, Luzhou, Yibin and other places.