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A Turning Point in Chinese History: Luanzhou Military Advice and the Prelude to the Xinhai Revolution
China, 1904. After the Sino-Japanese War, under the decadence of the Qing army, Yuan Shikai suggested that the Qing court promulgate the "Army Battalion Pay Medal". The plan envisages the abolition of the outdated army and the reformation of 36 new armies, each numbering 12,512 men, for a total of 450,000. This new army not only has strict requirements, extremely high recruitment and selection standards, and generous salaries, but also under the supervision of Yuan Shikai, military discipline is strict, which effectively curbs problems such as withholding military salaries and cronyism. One of the characteristics of this new army is that its members are highly literate and well-educated.
The high level of literacy of the Forces nouvelles made it a formidable army rarely seen in history. However, for the Qing court, this also brought certain hidden worries. Highly literate soldiers were more receptive to new ideas, and if the court could not keep up with the times, the army that was supposed to defend the court could become a driving force for change.
In early October 1911, the Qing court planned to hold the autumn drill of the new army in Yongping Province, but just after the exercise began, it suddenly received an urgent order to suppress the Wuchang Revolution. The Qing court ordered the minister of war Yin Chang to lead troops to Wuchang, and then sent Feng Guozhang to lead reinforcements. However, they did not expect that their new army would also have problems.
Zhang Shaozeng, Wu Luzhen, Lan Tianwei and other leaders of the new army were all students studying in Japan and were influenced by new ideas. They were dissatisfied with the authoritarian rule of the Qing court, believing that the country could only be saved through revolution. When the Qing court sent Wu Luzhen to Luanzhou to suppress the revolution, he did not persuade Zhang Shaozeng, but directly joined Zhang Shaozeng's plan to attack Beijing.
Faced with the new plan of the new army, the Qing court felt very nervous and had no choice but to issue four holy decrees on the 30th, recognizing the constitutional measures, lifting the party ban, pardoning political prisoners, and agreeing to the main demands of the military advice. But Zhang Shaozeng and others were not gullible, because the imperial court's response was based on a constitutional outline that did not meet the requirements of military advice. So on November 1 they demanded that the outline constitution be abolished and that a National Assembly be convened to formulate a constitution.
Finally, on November 3, the Qing court approved the "Nineteen Articles of Major Beliefs of the Constitution" drafted by the Senior Yuan, which adopted the principles of the British Constitution, absorbed the requirements of the military counsel, and quelled the military advice. However, this decision sparked an even bigger wave.
The constitutionalists realized that their efforts for nearly a decade had failed to achieve results, while several telegrams from the soldiers quickly obtained a compromise from the imperial court. As a result, local and constitutionalists raised their demands and declared independence, leading China to the prelude to the Xinhai Revolution.
The leaders of the Luanzhou army, such as Wu Luzhen, Zhang Shaozeng, and Lan Tianwei, each experienced different fates. The history of this period brought profound changes and challenges to China, and also paved the way for the Xinhai Revolution.
This history tells us that when the times change, the will and strength of the people cannot be ignored. In the face of oppression and injustice, people unite for freedom and rights. Luanzhou's military advice was an important event in Chinese history, heralding the arrival of the Xinhai Revolution and opening the door to China's modernization.
Today, we should cherish and uphold democracy, freedom, and rights to ensure social progress and equity. Just as the leaders of the Luanzhou military counsel did, we should also bravely pursue justice and change and strive to create a better future. This history is not only a story to look back on, but also a reminder to us not to forget the importance of freedom and justice, and to strive for them.
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