ABSTRACT
The province of Szechouan was practically cut off from the rest of China. The world knew that there was trouble there, but how things actually went was not known and could not even be guessed at. On October 9, 1911, a bomb exploded prematurely in a Chinese house in the Russian concession at Hankow. A search revealed a revolutionary centre and workshop. Three men were arrested and handed over by the mixed Court to Jui Cheng, Viceroy of Hupeh at Wuchang. In the house had been found imprints of the Republican seal, plans of the revolutionary organization, maps and other highly incriminating material. October 10th Jui Cheng spent in raiding the Reform Clubs in Wuchang and executing those he arrested. That night the official Republican revolution broke out, actually under the superintendence of Sun Yu, brother of Sun-yat-Sen. Li-yuan-Hung, colonel of an infantry regiment, was the elected Republican commander. He first saved the Viceroy’s life by smuggling him across the river to Hankow, then drove out the Imperial troops from Wuchang, and by October 15th had occupied Hankow and Hanyang. The strategic points of the Yangtze Valley were held by the Republicans.
