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Governor-General Ch'an Kwing-ming renks first as Lilitary Commander. He was in command of the Army from Waichau at the time of the Revolution. He has some 20,000 to 30,000 well-armed men under his command. He is a much more capable man than Wu Hon-ran and could if he wished be the most powerful man in Canton today.
Another Military Commander is Lung Chai-
5.
-krong who has his own Army of Kwong Si and Yunnan men, and they probably form the most solid body of soldiery in the City. Not long ago their number was 12,000 but it is reported that they have dwindled down to 3,000. It seems impossible to prophesy their probable policy in the event of trouble.
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There are besides other bodies of soldiers
such as that of Li Teng, the ex-robber, in Ho Nam, but though the total numbers must reach a high figure, the connection between
these bodies and between them and the Government seems very
vague: it can only be said that among them there seems to be no
one body of predominating strength.
One more can of note is Wu Ngai Shang, who
occupies the position formerly held by Admiral Li Chun. Brother
of the Governor-General, a man of the smallest ability, but
entirely unscrupulous: it would be unsafe to reckon him on the
side of order in any combination.
Apart from the soldiers, there must be a very Ereat quantity of arms in the City: for in addition to all the smugding that has gone on before and since the Revolution, it is
said that not 30% of the soldiers who have been disbanded have returned their weapons to store. Of the numbers of the men dis- -banded I am unable to get a reliable estimate.
Of all the regulars it is impossible to say what tests their loyalty would stand: they are beyond doubt the centre of much scheming and plotting and probably with the exception of the more or less personal followings of Lung Chai Kwong and Chan Kwing Ling, the whole lot are prepared to go with the party that offers then the best terms. For the moment they are
not
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