Podcasts about enraged

With new knowledge about the state—and future—of their world, the group of travelers take up their exploration again. Some learn first hand about this continent's fauna—majestic, mighty, and mystifying. One finds more evidence of the Valte Empire's violent search for their own answers. And some, in search of peace and quiet, finds himself facing evidence not of some dark future to come, but of a puzzling past. This week on Friends at the Table: Perpetua Prelude 05 PERPETUA PRELUDE - GUIDE Enemies - [PPEN] Valte Soldier [ENVS]: You'll fight a lot of these guys. Depending on the 3d model they're a bat or a dove, but at least in the demo, that doesn't seem to make much of a difference. They're flying, so you have to knock them down before you can do melee damage to them. Basic grunts. Valte Commander [ENVC]: The Valtese (Valtean? Valtican?) Commanders are a lot of tougher than the basic grunts are, and unfortunately, they can also summon the regular soldiers too. Knock them out of the air and then try to stun or debuff them quick! Mysterious Seaslimes [ENMS]: I love the way these enemies are actually each a SWARM of little weird gecko-y slime guys. They focus on debuffs like Slow and Enraged, so be sure to have Tonics on hand when you're passing through their forest. The Dragon-Fish [ENDF]: I can't stress this enough: This is an optional boss in Prelude, and it's hard as hell. Maybe in the full game you can beat it or maybe there's a quest related to it, but for now, it'll just kick your ass. Someone on the forum claims they beat it and only got like 5 XP and a quest item called “Strange Scale” that you can't use anywhere. NOT WORTH IT. Lobble Traveler [ENLT]: Just kidding. But I DO wish you could fight this ANNOYING freak. Hexcloak [ENHC]: Did you know that if you grind in the southern tip of the demo, there's like a .5% chance you'll run into a Hexcloak? You learn their deal towards the end of the demo, but this is the only way you can actually see them in action. They're strong, but if you've maxed out your party (or at least hit the level 10 max in the demo), you can probably win this fight! And if you do, you'll get a random elemental cloak drop from them. Of course, if you can win this fight, you probably don't need better gear anyway!   Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Bullet (@sylvibullet), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Cover Art by Ben McEntee (https://linktr.ee/benmce.art) With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.  

Full Text of ReadingsFriday of the Fifth Week of Lent Lectionary: 255The Saint of the day is Saint StanislausSaint Stanislaus' Story Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government. Born in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26, 1030, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, then capital of Poland, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072. During an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II. The king first excused himself, then made a show of penance, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death, finally excommunicating the king. Enraged, the latter ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused, the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands. Forced to flee to Hungary, Boleslaus supposedly spent the rest of his life as a penitent in the Benedictine abbey in Osiak. Reflection Saints John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Thomas More, and Stanislaus are a few of the prophets who dared to denounce corruption in high places. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus himself, who pointed out the moral corruption in the religious leadership of his day. It is a risky business. Saint Stanislaus is the Patron Saint of: Poland Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

In the summer of 2005, school teacher Jung Yu-Jin had just come back home from a long at work when he received a disturbing phone call. On the other end of the line was a plea from a desperate mother, calling to report that one of her daughter's friends had been assaulted at school, the very same one that Jung worked at - The Gwangju Inhwa for hearing-impaired students. Enraged, Jung spends the next few days reaching out to his colleagues and superiors at the school, only to be stone-walled at every turn. But what he didn't know, was that behind the silence, he was on the verge of uncovering something far more sinister. **Thank you for tuning in to another successful year of Heinous. We will be taking a short break to recover, but will return with new episodes in mid-April** Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out:

We love having Fred over. He brings his heart to everything he does and he reminds us what it means to be strong-willed, warm-hearted, open, and dedicated. Also, we got to talk about the role of facts in the "post-truth" world and read some reassuring words from dead antisemites. Fun. Also, check out Fred's old and newest podcasts below!Fred Menachem Digital SignatureNet Impact podcast by ThriveDX: tinyurl.com/zk35wea7Engage and Secure podcast: tinyurl.com/3rwa96m8X: @FredMenachemW: m.soundcloud.com/FredMenachemWHAT IS THEJEWFUNCTION - A 10min EXPLANATIONhttps://youtu.be/5TlUt5FqVgQLISTEN TO THE MYSTERY BOOK PODCAST SERIES:https://tinyurl.com/y7tmfpesSETH'S BOOK:https://www.antidotetoantisemitism.com/FREE AUDIOBOOK (With Audible trial) OF THE JEWISH CHOICE - UNITY OR ANTISEMITISM:https://amzn.to/3u40evCLIKE/SHARE/SUBSCRIBEFollow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram @thejewfunctionNEW: SUPPORT US ON PATREONpatreon.com/thejewfunction

Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt General Hospital spoilers reveal that Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna) is filled with murderous rage, and Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) is left stunned. Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) is set to receive some terrible news, likely about his ex-wife Carly Corinthos Spencer (Laura Wright), who has been admitted to the hospital suffering from polonium poisoning. More GH spoilers show that Brennan, convinced that Valentin Cassadine (James Patrick Stuart) is behind this, is bent on making him pay, leaving Carly to deal with her illness alone. Valentin, on the other hand, pays Laura Spencer (Genie Francis) a visit, possibly with a hidden agenda. Other spoilers for General Hospital indicate that Anna Devane (Finola Hughes), Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros), and Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) will have some great storylines next week.  Visit our General Hospital section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/general-hospital/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ And check out our always up-to-date General Hospital Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/general-hospital-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/

Welcome to All Things Saine, the enlightening radio show hosted by Former North Carolina House of Representative Jason Saine. Tune in to WSIC every Wednesday at 11am as Former Representative Saine takes you on a journey through the latest news, legislative updates, and insightful discussions on a wide range of topics that impact our communities.Phonelines are OPEN | 844-STUDIO-4All Things Saine | Wednesdays at 11am | WSIC News App

Life Dynamics-Mark Crutcher: Episode 71 Pro-Choicers Enraged Over Texas Abortion Ban by Priests for Life

Wombat rescuer Yolandi Vermaak joined Ross and Russel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daredevil is back… but is he? This week on the podcast, Brian and Darryl discuss their trip to Monday Netfilx Raw in Cincinnati and review the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+. Episode Index Intro: 0:07 Rasslin’: Daredevil: Monday Night Raw (Netflix) February 24, 2025 Location: Heritage Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH Daredevil: Born Again (D+) Episode 1 Out of 5 Why You Gotta Do Foggy Like Thats Darryl: 2.5/5 Brian: 3.15/5 Title: Heaven’s Half Hour Director: Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson Writer: Dario Scardapane Summary As Nelson, Murdock, and Page celebrate their associate Cherry's retirement at Josie's, they are attacked by Ben Poindexter, now known as Bullseye. Tragically, Foggy dies in Karen's arms. Enraged, Matt throws Poindexter off the building's roof and decides to abandon his Daredevil persona. One year later, Matt partners with former district attorney Kirsten McDuffie, Karen relocates to San Francisco, and Poindexter receives a life sentence. Matt begins dating therapist Heather Glenn. Meanwhile, with Vanessa's support, Wilson Fisk runs for mayor of New York City. Matt warns Fisk privately to stay in line, but learns during a date with Heather that Fisk has won the election. Fisk later reveals to Vanessa that he knows about her infidelity. Episode 2 Out of 5 Supervillain Marriage Counselors Darryl: 3.15/5 Brian: 3.39/5 Title: Optics Director: Michael Cuesta Writers: Matt Corman & Chris Ord Summary Matt represents Hector Ayala, who assaulted a corrupt cop while trying to help Nicky Torres. With Cherry's assistance, Matt discovers Hector, the vigilante known as White Tiger, sought justice during Daredevil's absence. To improve his public image as the new mayor, Fisk learns from BB Urich that NYPD Commissioner Gallo plans to resign due to poor conditions. Fisk coerces Gallo into staying by threatening his family. Fisk and Vanessa attend couples therapy with Heather to manage press pressures. Matt tracks down Torres and rescues him from corrupt officers. Contact Us The Infamous Podcast can be found wherever podcasts are found on the Interwebs, feel free to subscribe and follow along on social media. And don't be shy about helping out the show with a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help us move up in the ratings. @infamouspodcast facebook/infamouspodcast instagram/infamouspodcast stitcher Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Play iHeart Radio contact@infamouspodcast.com Our theme music is ‘Skate Beat’ provided by Michael Henry, with additional music provided by Michael Henry. Find more at MeetMichaelHenry.com. The Infamous Podcast is hosted by Brian Tudor and Darryl Jasper, is recorded in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show is produced and edited by Brian Tudor. Subscribe today!

Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Bold and the Beautiful 2-week spoilers for February 17-28, 2025 see Hope Logan (Annika Noelle) and Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) find themselves at odds over Forrester Creations. Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor), caught in the middle, is left heartbroken and torn between his loyalty to Hope and his guilt over his actions. Meanwhile, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) seizes the opportunity to confront Carter, escalating the tension. Steffy and Taylor suspect that Brooke's primary motive is to reclaim Ridge, further complicating the situation on the CBS soap opera.  Spoilers for Bold and Beautiful see Finn (Tanner Novlan) struggles with his secret about Luna Nozawa (Lisa Yamada) as fear of jeopardizing his marriage to Steffy mounts. Hope's relentless pressure on Carter to maintain control over Forrester Creations is met with resistance from the Forrester family, who devise a plan to regain control over their company. The tensions reach a boiling point when Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) confesses to Steffy about his life's unexpected turns and Finn is pushed to a decision about revealing Luna's paternity. Amidst all this, Remy Pryce (Christian Weissmann) returns.  B&B spoilers see Steffy discovering her unexpected connection to Finn and Poppy Nozawa (Romy Park). As the fallout from the coup and the shocking revelations ripple through the Forrester, Logan, Finnegan, and Sharpe families. The fate of Forrester Creations and the relationships of those entangled in its drama hang in the balance the weeks of 2/17-2/28, 2025. Visit our Bold and the Beautiful section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/bold-and-the-beautiful/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Bold and the Beautiful Spoilers page at:  https://soapdirt.com/bold-and-the-beautiful-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/

Hour 2: The Tara Show - “The Reality of Government Oppression” “Restructuring the American Economy” “DEI Spending in Uganda Revealed” “Hilarious Enraged Liberals” full 1731 Fri, 14 Feb 2025 15:11:11 +0000 fQEbNntdNCjIAuxXT8RC6OiuozIyks0D news The Tara Show news Hour 2: The Tara Show - “The Reality of Government Oppression” “Restructuring the American Economy” “DEI Spending in Uganda Revealed” “Hilarious Enraged Liberals” Tara presides over the Upstate's #1 all news/talk morning show every weekday on News/Talk 989 WORD.Tara's faithful listeners are affectionately known as "Tara-ists" because of their passion and participation in the show. Tara was named 2021 Best News Talk Show and Best overall Personality, AGAIN, by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association! Tara took home the same honors in 2018 and was also named 2016 "Personality of the Year!" In addition, Tara has also won over two dozen state and national journalism awards for column writing, news reporting and investigative reporting while working for three newspapers and writing for a variety of national publications. She won a first place reporting award from the North Carolina Press Association for an investigative series about the weaknesses in Charlotte's overburdened court system, which regularly let murderers off the hook with less than 15 years in prison. Due to her work, that system has been reformed. Tara is also a winner of the prestigious first place Green Eyeshade Award, a national award for column writing from The Society of Professional Journalists. Tara took to the airwaves about 15 years ago to do a radio show heard up and down the coast and fell in love with bypassing her editors to talk straight to the people. Tara hasn't stopped reporting, and still brings her investigative journalism to the show. Tara is a mom, wife and talk radio convert-- and weekday mornings she's live and local on News/Talk 989 WORD. Are you a "Tara-ist"? It's time to get captured!      2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%

Full Show - “YOU'RE FIRED!!! Democrats Enraged and Hysterical in Opposition to Elon Musk's DOGE” full 7185 Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:56:32 +0000 TfDx1Z4imx7iIrcgCQxWCK1RafoHY9xK news The Tara Show news Full Show - “YOU'RE FIRED!!! Democrats Enraged and Hysterical in Opposition to Elon Musk's DOGE” Tara presides over the Upstate's #1 all news/talk morning show every weekday on News/Talk 989 WORD.Tara's faithful listeners are affectionately known as "Tara-ists" because of their passion and participation in the show. Tara was named 2021 Best News Talk Show and Best overall Personality, AGAIN, by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association! Tara took home the same honors in 2018 and was also named 2016 "Personality of the Year!" In addition, Tara has also won over two dozen state and national journalism awards for column writing, news reporting and investigative reporting while working for three newspapers and writing for a variety of national publications. She won a first place reporting award from the North Carolina Press Association for an investigative series about the weaknesses in Charlotte's overburdened court system, which regularly let murderers off the hook with less than 15 years in prison. Due to her work, that system has been reformed. Tara is also a winner of the prestigious first place Green Eyeshade Award, a national award for column writing from The Society of Professional Journalists. Tara took to the airwaves about 15 years ago to do a radio show heard up and down the coast and fell in love with bypassing her editors to talk straight to the people. Tara hasn't stopped reporting, and still brings her investigative journalism to the show. Tara is a mom, wife and talk radio convert-- and weekday mornings she's live and local on News/Talk 989 WORD. Are you a "Tara-ist"? It's time to get captured!      2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Frss.amperw

On this full episode of LARRY with Larry O'Connor, we discuss Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski's latest "Morning Joe" meltdown on MSNBC over JD Vance & Mike Lee, CBS News' Margaret Brennan finding herself getting ROASTED for her propaganda and LIES, new Trump polling that has the media talking heads FURIOUS, Stephen Miller setting the record STRAIGHT, and MUCH, much more! SHOP OUR MERCH: https://store.townhallmedia.com/ Watch LARRY with Larry O'Connor LIVE — Monday-Thursday at 12PM Eastern on YouTube, Facebook, & Rumble! Find LARRY with Larry O'Connor wherever you get your podcasts! SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7i8F7K4fqIDmqZSIHJNhMh?si=814ce2f8478944c0&nd=1&dlsi=e799ca22e81b456f APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larry/id1730596733 Become a Townhall VIP Member today and use promo code LARRY for 50% off: https://townhall.com/subscribe?tpcc=poddescription https://townhall.com/ https://rumble.com/c/c-5769468 https://www.facebook.com/townhallcom/ https://www.instagram.com/townhallmedia/ https://twitter.com/townhallcomBecome a Townhall VIP member with promo code "LARRY": https://townhall.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time. Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What's up, Mom?”“I've got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I'm going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don't have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he'd just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he'd made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn't wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom's list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren't harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I'd see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won't settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I'm just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it's great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I'm, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don't know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that's sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I'll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn't believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline's fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I've got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I've got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason's longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She's an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don't belong on the same Planet as her! You're nothing'! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken's arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken's gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won't be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn't have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn't?”“I did. Jason, someday you'll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won't bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn't bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn't want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken's mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason's punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that's not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan's families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken's seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man's gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that's family; I don't want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles' cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I've got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it's Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I'll; I'll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It's a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn't even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You've reached Live 95.5 FM's world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you've reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn't help creeping on her! That's where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You're doing everyone a favor! If you'd like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken's rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn't even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She's far worse! I can't imagine how evil she'd be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken's mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn't know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason's words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn't have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken's initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason's cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that's not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle's Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”“Oh, Jimmy Stewart, you charmer you.” Gabby sighed.Soon, her emotions welled up as the hopeless romantic that was George Bailey began to succumb to the pressures and injustices of life. He had blamed his own uncle for destroying their business, lashed out at his wife and children in anger, and gone crawling to his hated rival for a loan. The hardest scenes for her to watch were always the bar fight and the car crash. Still, she always stuck it out. The best was yet to come.Just as George stood atop the bridge, Gabby caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. A young man of about nineteen or twenty was watching the movie from a distance away, leaning against a tree near the road. His face twisted in angst as he saw the pain on display in the film, and he soon spun around, walking into the nearby park. Gabby couldn't explain why, but something compelled her to follow him and make sure he was okay.Collecting her lawn chair, she walked along the perimeter of the green space, soon arriving at the entrance to the park. As she went, she began to hear angry shouting up ahead of her; it sounded like the young man was in distress. After a few minutes, she came upon the fountain situated in the center of the park. On a bench sat the man from earlier, appearing to be deep in thought. By the glow of the lamppost, Gabby could now get a good look at him. He appeared to be of average height, maybe 5'7”, and had shaggy black hair that seemed a bit unkempt. Still, it's color shone in the light of the park, and his white skin provided for quite a striking appearance. A pair of black horn-rimmed glasses framed his face, which combined with his red MIT hoodie to project a very specific image into Gabby's mind. He had to be incredibly intelligent.As she studied him, she saw the young man pull an object out of the pocket of his jeans. Catching a glimpse of something reflective, she could now see that he was holding a small folding knife. Gabby tensed up and wondered if she should run, but soon decided against it; he didn't seem to have even noticed her presence. In fact, the way he looked at the knife was quite unsettling. It was as if he saw that little blade as his best friend in the world. She knew the look in his eyes. She knew what would happen in a moment if she did nothing. Taking a deep breath, Gabby decided to act.“Hey.”Intervention.Ken was startled by the unfamiliar voice. Looking up, he now saw a woman in her early twenties standing across the way. She gazed at him with intent, but for what reason he did not know. Looking back at her, Ken's typical awkwardness began to kick in, as he could see that she was quite beautiful. Dressed warmly in a black winter coat and blue jeans, she wore a grey knit cap over her long blonde hair. Upon first glance, she appeared to be of some sort of Scandinavian descent, or perhaps German, though Ken couldn't be sure. His mouth went dry as he tried to find the words to speak.“Everything okay?” she asked.“Uh; fine. Why do you, um; why do you ask?”Smiling, she replied, “I saw you over on the green, watching the movie. By the look on your face, you were having a tough time with it. When I saw you walk off towards the park, I felt I should come and see if anything was wrong.”“No, nothing's wrong.”“Good. Then I shouldn't be concerned about the way you're looking at that knife of yours, right?”Shaking his head, Ken answered, “I'm not going to hurt you. Promise.”“That's not what I'm concerned about.”“Wha; what do you mean?” Ken asked, his eyes growing wide.“I've seen that look before,” she said, taking a couple of steps closer. “I am, sadly, all too familiar with it. You were about to hurt yourself, weren't you?”“You don't know a thing about me, lady,” Ken muttered, preparing to leave.“I don't have to know anything about you to be concerned,” she fired back.“Concerned,” Ken snorted. “How could you be concerned about me? You don't even know me!”“Easily rectified. Gabrielle Libertine. My friends call me Gabby,” she said, sticking out her hand with a warm smile. When he didn't respond, she smirked and continued, “This is the part where you tell me your name.”Sighing, he replied, “Ken. Ken Dix.”“A pleasure, Ken,” she said as they shook hands.“So; Gabrielle, eh? You supposed to be my Clarence or something?”With a playful gasp, she responded, “Oh my God! Does that mean you're Jimmy Stewart?! I've had the biggest crush on you for Years!”Ken gave a nervous laugh. “Alright, alright, I walked into that one. But in all seriousness.”“No, I'm not a Guardian Angel or the Word of God or anything like that. Just an average person like you.” Motioning to the bench, she asked, “May I?”“Sure, I guess,” Ken answered, scooting to the edge.“Thanks.” Taking a seat, she continued, “So tell me this, Ken: why would you want to hurt, maybe kill yourself?”His face twisted in pain. “You don't want to know.”“I do. Believe me, I do.”Sighing with reluctance, Ken relented and began to tell Gabby of the events of the day. He started with Jacqueline and Jason, then the confrontation with his uncle, and finally the fake phone number showing Jacqueline's true colors. Through it all, Gabby sat in silence, maintaining eye contact and nodding whenever appropriate. At last, he finished his story, and Gabby could feel her heart breaking within her chest.“Ken; I'm so sorry. I can feel the pain in your voice. No one deserves what you've gone through today. I know it's of little help, but I do understand what you're going through.”“Understand?” Ken said, incredulous. “How could a girl like you understand any of this? I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous, and I bet you've always been popular. Just like Jacqueline. Just like Jason. Just like Uncle Lee. None of you could ever imagine the world I live in.”With a stern look on her face, she replied, “I'm going to choose to let that slide, considering everything you've told me. Still, you need to know that what you just said was quite hurtful. Almost as hurtful as the things that have been said to you today.”Ken recoiled. He knew she was right. “I'm; I'm sorry. You're right; I should never have said that. You've been nothing but nice to me tonight.”“Apology accepted,” Gabby said with a smile. “Humility is a rare trait in men these days. Hang on to that.”Ken thought she might be mocking him, but bit his tongue nonetheless. He had already insulted her once, and he wasn't going to chance a second time.Seeking to turn the conversation to happier topics, she asked, “M I T, huh? You're an awful long way from home, aren't you?”“Huh? Oh, the hoodie. Yeah, I'm a freshman there this year, just home on break right now.”“Nice. Major?”“Health sciences. I want to go to medical school after MIT, though I'm still figuring out a specialty.”“Plenty of time to decide that. I'm sure you'll find the right career path,” she said with a grin.As nice as it was to talk about a familiar topic, a few things still bugged Ken's mind to no end. “I still can't figure it out; why would Jacqueline do this?”Frowning, Gabby replied, “Some people are cruel. Often the ones that are the cruelest disguise it with a kind, warm public demeanor. Jacqueline sounds like she fits that mold to a T.”“And she hid it all that time while we were in school?”“You were useful at the time, in her mind. She wasn't going to chance losing that. Once she got what she needed, she had no more reason to hide her true feelings.”“Yeah, but still. Why be all friendly to me in the store?”“In her twisted mind, she probably felt she was doing you a favor. She wanted to ensure you never tried to contact her again. To a cruel person like her; that's her idea of doing you a kindness,” Gabby replied sadly. “We just have to hope that there's enough real kindness in this world to counteract such cruelty.”Now noticing a silver cross hanging from her neck, Ken pointed to it and asked, “I guess this the part where you start lecturing me about suicide? That I'm being selfish and trying to go against God's plan?”“No,” she replied with simplicity.“No?”“No. Ken, I meant it when I said that I've seen that look before. I know better than most that suicidal thoughts are rarely that simple. There's no switch that can turn them off. It's a tide that must be turned back, bit by bit.”Stunned, Ken started to see that this woman understood what was important in life. Realizing he still had the knife in his hand, he folded it closed and put it back in his pocket.“Bit by bit,” she said with a smile. “My car's around the corner. Is there somewhere I can take you? Where do you live?”“I'm not going home. Not yet,” Ken replied. “Not with my uncles still there.”“No problem. I'm not going to force you.” Thinking a moment, she continued, “It's pretty cold out here. Why don't you come back to my place for a bit?”“That's; unnecessary. I'm fine on my own.”“Nice try, but no cigar,” she said. “I'm not leaving you alone with that knife, mister. And I'm certainly not leaving you alone on Christmas Eve. Nobody should be alone for the holidays.”“Thanks, but; won't your husband mind?”“He would, if I were married.”“Boyfriend?”“Nope, just my townhouse and me. Pretty cozy, all things considered. No problems with you coming over, but I do have one condition.”“And what's that?”Smirking, Gabby replied, “You call your mom right now and tell her you're okay.”Hesitating a moment, Ken soon relented. “Fine.” Tapping his phone, Ken waited as it rang. “Hey Mom, it's me; Yeah, I'm okay; No, seriously. I'm fine; Yeah I'm just hanging with a friend. I probably won't be back ‘til tomorrow; I will; Love you too; Bye.”“See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?” Gabby teased him.Eying her, Ken asked. “You're seriously okay with bringing me to your home?”“Positive.”Taking his hand, Gabby led him to her car.Gabby's guest.The drive had been silent for the most part. Ken was still trying to comprehend everything that was happening. Who was this woman? Why would she go to such great lengths for a stranger she didn't even know? Gabby seemed to pick up on this, refraining from prodding him for any further conversation. She could tell he was still processing the events of the day. Soon, they arrived at her townhouse complex and pulled into her garage.“Come on in, make yourself at home,” she said as she turned on the lights. “Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee? Hot chocolate?”“Hot chocolate sounds good, thanks.”“Coming right up!”As she hung her hat and jacket up on a rack, Ken couldn't help but stare. He now saw that she wasn't just a pretty face; her entire body was sublime. She wore a tight burgundy sweater and a pair of tight, form-fitting jeans. This ensemble only served to accent her body even further. Her hourglass figure was delectable, her slim waist contrasting with her curvy hips and ample bust. She was also just as tall as him, perhaps a bit taller, with legs for miles. Though Ken had fantasized about some of his classmates, none of them could come anywhere close to Gabby. She was a woman, not a girl, and in the prime of her life no less.“Here you go,” she said, handing Ken a mug.After blowing on the hot drink, he took a sip, feeling the warm liquid spreading through his body. “Thanks,” he sighed.“No problem,” she replied with a smile. “Come on, let's go relax in the den.”She led him into an intimate area with a sofa and a loveseat. The only illumination came from the twinkling multicolored lights on her Christmas tree in the corner. As Ken took in the relaxing surroundings, smelling the delicious scent of her Frazier fir tree, Gabby stepped over to the fireplace opposite the sofa. Flipping a switch, she soon had a comfortable fire roaring from the gas logs. She then sat on the sofa, placing her mug on the side table and patting the spot next to her.“Come sit. I promise I don't bite,” she said with a playful grin.“Um, okay.” he mumbled, scooting as close to the armrest as he could to give Gabby plenty of space.“Tell me about M I T,” she inquired. “You mentioned you want to go into health sciences. Does that include medical school?”“Uh, yeah with any luck. Harvard would be my top choice, but I don't know if I could afford it. But assuming so, my dream has always been to be a brain surgeon.”“Brain surgeon?! That's so cool! They're like; the most badass of all the badass doctors! Not just surgeons, brain surgeons!” Gabby gushed.“It's, uh, not that big a deal,” Ken replied as he blushed with embarrassment.“Well, I could totally see you as a brain surgeon. Don't ever give up on it.”“Thanks.”“So, what then for you, Dr. Dix? What happens once you reach your dream?”Ken began to feel a strange amount of comfort with this woman, and started to open up to her. “Honestly; I don't know. I mean even if I become a brain surgeon, I'm still hopeless around girls. Maybe Jason's right. I'm gonna die a virgin.” Realizing what he had confessed to her, he turned to Gabby and blurted out, “Not that it's your problem, or anything. S-sorry, I just; I shouldn't have gone that far.”Gabby just smiled and moved closer to him, brushing her hand against his arm.“Don't worry about it. You have goals, both personal and professional, but aren't sure exactly how to achieve them. So you're a virgin. That's nothing to be embarrassed about, and it's healthy to express your anxiety about it. That can help you overcome your fears. In all seriousness, I think you underestimate yourself, Ken.”“Underestimate myself?”“Of course,” Gabby replied. “You're smart, considerate, polite, you even held the car door for me earlier! Any girl you'd want to be with is gonna swoon at traits like that. I can also tell that you still think of yourself as unattractive, but I disagree. You wear glasses, yes, but that doesn't make you a dork. Your hair is a little shaggy, but not greasy or anything. You may not have a tan, but your skin complexion is damn near flawless. You have nothing to be ashamed of, be it your looks or your personality.”“You're about the only woman who thinks so,” he sighed.“Doubtful, but if it's that big a worry for you, I can give you a couple of pointers, if you like.”“Um, oh, okay I guess.”“Great! Okay, so you definitely give off the ‘geek' vibe, but that's not a bad thing. Don't fight it; own it.”“How?”“Well, you can make just some slight alterations to your outward appearance that can change the way others see you. For example, you could switch to wire-framed glasses instead of your horn-rimmed ones. Your hair is a great color, and would do well in a short, clean-cut style, if I do say so myself. You can also change out your usual t-shirts for some casual polo shirts.”“So; the secret to getting women to notice me is to change who I am?” Ken asked, feeling more than a little offended.Cocking her eyebrow, Gabby replied, “Are you saying your glasses, hair length, and shirt choices define who you are?”“Oh, uh; fair point,” Ken conceded.“See? Humility. Such a rare quality these days,” Gabby said with a grin. “To be honest, all the changes I suggested are things my brother did a couple of years back. He was a complete geek, maybe even bigger than you. The poor boy was helpless around the fairer sex. But after he made these changes, he no longer came off as the socially awkward geek. He came off as a self-assured, confident geek, one who loves himself for who he is. I see that potential in you, Ken.” Grabbing her iPad from the side table, she pulled up a couple of pictures for him. “See? Here's before. And here's after.”“Woah,” Ken marveled. He could see the drastic difference. The guy hadn't done anything to make himself stronger or bulkier, nothing to increase his manliness, but the things he did change just popped in all the right ways. Was it really that simple?“That's great and all, but can new clothes and a haircut get rid of social awkwardness? I still don't have even a shred of confidence around women,” Ken said.“They can help, but a change in your mental confidence is completely based on your willpower. You have to love yourself as much as you want others to love you. If you don't, everyone else will pick up on it.”“Knew there was a catch.”Gabby bit her lip in frustration. There had to be a way she could give him the confidence boost he needed to love himself, but how? Getting one somewhat crazy idea, she moved closer to Ken.“I'm guessing from your previous statements that; you've never kissed a girl before. Is that right Ken?”Poor Ken Dix didn't even know what had hit him. Here he was, sitting with the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on, and the unthinkable was beginning to happen. She was moving closer, running her fingers through his hair, and now wanted to know if he'd ever been kissed! This was too much, way beyond any of his hottest dreams. Unable to find the words to respond, he managed to slowly nod his head.“Close your eyes,” she instructed in her sweet voice. When he only blinked in reply, she whispered, “Close; your eyes, Ken. Trust me.”Guided by an unseen force, Ken felt compelled to obey her. His eyes finally fluttered closed, and his breathing became more labored in anticipation of what was to come. A small part of him doubted that she was being truthful, thinking that she'd fake him out just like Jacqueline had. Those doubts were soon quashed, as he felt the warm sensation of Gabby's face leaning close to his. He could feel her breathing. He could smell her perfume. If there was a God, Ken prayed, then and there; that He could make this incredible moment last forever.After what felt like eons, Gabby finally released their building tension and touched her lips to Ken's. Her kiss was soft at first, allowing him to savor the new sensations he was feeling. Ken was so terrified and excited all at once that he could barely even move his lips in reply. Not that it mattered to Gabby. She had expected his fear, and made sure to keep her technique simple yet enjoyable. After around thirty seconds, she withdrew at last, her face aglow in the Christmas tree light.“Wow,” Ken managed to mutter as he opened his eyes. He soon noticed that he couldn't see Gabby at all; his glasses had fogged up from their kiss.“Here, let's just take these off,” Gabby said with a giggle. She slipped his glasses off and laid them on her side table. “Now then, since we've gotten your first kiss out of the way, ready to really dive in?”“Dive in to what?” Ken asked, his nerves beginning to fray.“Kissing, silly! You do know there's much more to it than what we just did, right?”“More?”“Of course! Look, one day you'll get the prime opportunity to kiss a special lady, and I want you to be ready when that chance comes.”To be continued in part 2, based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts for Sex Stories.

On this full episode of LARRY with Larry O'Connor, we discuss Donald Trump's BOMBSHELL new plan for the Gaza Strip, liberals going FULL COMMIE in response with an IMPEACHMENT threat, complete MELTDOWNS from elected Democrats, woke USAID funding getting put on BLAST by Rep. Nancy Mace, and MUCH, much more! SHOP OUR MERCH: https://store.townhallmedia.com/ Watch LARRY with Larry O'Connor LIVE — Monday-Thursday at 12PM Eastern on YouTube, Facebook, & Rumble! Find LARRY with Larry O'Connor wherever you get your podcasts! SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7i8F7K4fqIDmqZSIHJNhMh?si=814ce2f8478944c0&nd=1&dlsi=e799ca22e81b456f APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larry/id1730596733 Become a Townhall VIP Member today and use promo code LARRY for 50% off: https://townhall.com/subscribe?tpcc=poddescription https://townhall.com/ https://rumble.com/c/c-5769468 https://www.facebook.com/townhallcom/ https://www.instagram.com/townhallmedia/ https://twitter.com/townhallcomBecome a Townhall VIP member with promo code "LARRY": https://townhall.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Series: Signs & GloryTitle: "How can I be born again?"Scripture: John 3:16-21John 1:11-13Numbers 21:4-9Bottom line: Every person can be born again (from above), enter the kingdom of God, and receive eternal life by looking to Jesus on the pole (cross) and believing that God loves them that much.INTRODUCTIONCONTEXTSERMON OUTLINECONCLUSIONNOTESOUTLINESQUESTIONS TO CONSIDER DISCUSSION QUESTIONSMAIN REFERENCES USEDMy opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same. INTRODUCTIONIt's really important to read scripture in multiple translations so let me give you a different translation to hear this verse in today:Ahoy, mateys! Let me spin ye a tale from the good book, as only Cap'n Jack Sparrow could tell it. Ahem..."Fer God so loved the scallywags of the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whoever swigs a bottle o' rum with him shall not be keelhauled, but have a bounce life that never runs aground, savvy?"CONTEXT"Whereas the emphasis in 3:1-8 was on the necessity of spiritual rebirth, the focus in 3:12-18 is on believing; thus, the themes of divine sovereignty and human responsibility are balanced. (Ridderbos 1997)" via Köstenberger, emphasis mineNote: In my opinion, this quote would be more accurate if he said either "spiritual birth" or "rebirth" but "spiritual rebirth" is not accurate."Because John 3:16 is sandwiched between vv. 14-15 and v. 17, the fact that God gave his one and only Son is tied both to the Son's incarnation(v. 17) and to his death (vv. 14-15). That is the immediate result of the love of God for the world: the mission of the Son. His ultimate purpose is the salvation of those in the world who believe in him...Whoever believes in him experiences new birth (3:3, 5), has eternal life (3:15, 16), is saved (3:17); the alternative is to perish (cf. also 10:28), to lose one's life (12:25), to be doomed to destruction (17:12, cognate with 'to perish'). There is no third option." -CarsonSERMON Every person can be born again, enter into the kingdom of God, and receive eternal life by looking to the cross of Christ and believing that God loves them that much.Why? For God so loved the world that he...GAVE "Gave his one and only son." God gave (sent in v. 17) his son in the flesh (at his birth) to show and tell us the way to true life. Love sent his son down to shine brightly as "The light of the world" so that our evil deeds could be revealed and turned away from.To SAVE "...to save the world through (Jesus)." God gave (sent in v. 17) his son up to be crucified for love. "But God demonstrates his love in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8To save us from eternal condemnation unto new life in his kingdom.How? God births us from above, bringing us to eternal life in his kingdom when weBELIEVE by looking to the cross of Jesus, that God loved us that much, so that we can LIVE forever with him. We receive abundant, eternal life by trusting his words on being born again. CONCLUSIONA Native American tribal chief was well-known throughout his region for being upright and courageous. To establish justice, he set up a punishment system for crimes.Even after the chief had begun to enforce his stringent policies, thievery was a serious problem. Enraged by the blatant law breaking, he increased the punishment for theft to a severe beating. Not long after he issued this decree, a thief was caught. To the chief's horror, it was his own mother! He was in a state of turmoil: Would he allow his own mother to be beaten and show himself to be unloving, or would he cancel her punishment and show himself to be unjust?His tribe began to wager, some thinking he would be cruel, others that he would be lenient. Finally the time arrived for the punishment to be given. To the shock of everyone, the chief had his mother tied to the post. Surely the woman would die! But just before the first crack of the whip by the ready warrior, the chief called for a halt. He stepped up, wrapped his arms around his mother's small frame, and took the beating himself.This story shows how God is both just and loving.Bottom line: Every person can be born again (from above), enter the kingdom of God, and receive eternal life by looking to the pole (cross) and believing that God loves them that much.The message of the Bible is a simple message about God's love and mercy, about man's sin and need, and about the rescue that's found in Jesus Christ. In simple words Sally Lloyd-Jones captures the love of God demonstrated in the death of his Son:"So you're a king, are you?" the Roman soldiers jeered. "Then you'll need a crown and a robe."They gave Jesus a crown made out of thorns. And put a purple robe on Him. And pretended to bow down to Him."Your Majesty!" they said.Then they whipped Him. And spat on Him. They didn't understand that this was the Prince of Life, the King of heaven and earth, who had come to rescue them.The soldiers made him a sign-"Our King" and nailed itto a wooden cross.They walked up a hill outside the city. Jesus carried the cross on His back. Jesus had never done anything wrong. But they were going to kill Him the way criminals were killed.They nailed Jesus to the cross."Father, forgive them," Jesus gasped. "They don'tunderstand what they're doing.""You say you've come to rescue us!" people shouted. "Butyou can't even rescue yourself!"But they were wrong. Jesus could have rescued Himself. A legion of angels would have flown to His side-if He'd called."If you were really the Son of God, you could just climbdown off that cross!" they saidAnd of course they were right. Jesus could have just climbed down. Actually, He could have just said a word and made it all stop. Like when He healed that little girl. And stilled the storm. And fed five thousand people.But Jesus stayed.You see, they didn't understand. It wasn't the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love. (The Jesus Storybook Bible by Saliy Lloyd-Jones, 302-6)What about you?Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬InvitationHow do we respond? Answer 2 questions:Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions: What is God saying to me right now?What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper. What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don't have to get too specific to give him praise.Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)PrayNOTESIn a gallery where artistic masterpieces are on display, it is not the masterpieces but the visitors that are on trial. The works which they view are not there to abide their question, but they reveal their own taste (or lack of it) by their reactions to what they see.The pop-star who was reported some years ago to have dismissed the Mona Lisa as 'a load of rubbish' (except that he used a less polite word than 'rubbish') did not tell us anything about the Mona Lisa; he told us much about himself. What is true in the aesthetic realm is equally true in the spiritual realm. The man who depreciates Christ, or thinks him unworthy of his allegiance, passes judgment on himself, not on Christ.FF Bruce, p. 91The motions to teach/remember John 3:16 "Have you heard about the man who sent a letter to twenty-five men in his town? It said: "All has been exposed. Flee at once." In response, all twenty-five men left town. What would you do if you got a letter like that? Even as Christians, we still feel that tug at our heart that causes us to look for a place to hide in the darkness rather than seeking the light of Christ." RC Sproul OUTLINESWillmington's OUTLINE Bible (JOHN 3):Jesus meets with Nicodemus and tells him in order to be saved, all people must be born again. John the Baptist tells his disciples that Jesus is the Messiah.1. JESUS EXPLAINS THE PLAN OF SALVATION (3:1-21): A man named Nicodemus visits Jesus by night.LAST WEEKA. The credentials of Nicodemus (3:1): He is both a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin and a Pharisee.B. The confession of Nicodemus (3:2): He acknowledges that Jesus is from God because of his miracles.C. The command to Nicodemus (3:3): Jesus says he needs the new birth.D. The confusion of Nicodemus (3:4): He confuses spiritual birth with physical birth.E. The chastening of Nicodemus (3:9-13): Jesus chides him for not knowing these things even though he is a respected Jewish teacher.F. The clarification for Nicodemus (3:5-8, 14-15): Jesus employs three illustrations to explain the new birth to Nicodemus. (Cf. Ezekiel 36:25-28)THIS WEEKG. The conclusion for Nicodemus (3:16-21): Jesus now summarizes both the subjects of salvation and condemnation!1. The persons (3:16)a. The Father gave his Son (3:16a).b. The Son will give his life (3:16b).QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERWhat do I want them to know? Why do I want them to know it?What do I want them to do?Why do I want them to do it?How do they do this?DISCUSSION QUESTIONSDiscovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/Read the passage together.Retell the story in your own words.Discovery the storyWhat does this story tell me about God?What does this story tell me about people?If this is really true, what should I do?What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)Who am I going to tell about this?Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcastAlternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:Who is God?What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)What do I do? (In light of who I am)How do I do it?Final Questions (Write this down)What is God saying to you right now? What are you going to do about it?MAIN REFERENCES USED“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent HughesExalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh WredbergThe Gospels & Epistles of John, FF BruceJohn, RC SproulJohn, KöstenbergerThe Gospel According to John, DA CarsonThe Light Has Come, Leslie NewbiginThe Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.orgThe Bible Project https://bibleproject.comNicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersionClaude.aiChatGPT Google Gemini

For more coverage on the issues that matter to you, download the WMAL app, visit WMAL.com or tune in love on WMAL-FM 105.9 from 9:00am-12:00pm Monday-Friday To join the conversation, check us out on X @WMAL and @ChrisPlanteShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congo Curt 65-xx-xx (01) Drunken, Enraged Trader Hawkins

Okay, this title is pure clickbait. But you have to admit that Mariann Edgar Budde's sermon certainly sparked its share of strong opinions, the most exasperated of which came from President Trump himself. Join us as we dive into the conversation.

On his way to rescue President Johnson, Raiden is confronted by the terrorist commander, who claims to be Solid Snake. Enraged by this, Pliskin reveals himself as the true Solid Snake and fires on the imposter from a helicopter. Utilizing an advanced exoskeleton, the terrorist leader evades Snake's attack and boards a Harrier being piloted by Vamp. Snake then tells Raiden to shoot it down, throwing a Stinger missile launcher down to him. After Raiden takes it down, the Harrier plummets, only to be caught by Metal Gear RAY. RAY proceeds to launch missiles into the air, destroying sections of the Big Shell and damaging the Kasatka, forcing it to land. RAY then departs into the ocean, taking the Harrier with it. After recovering from RAY's attack, Solid Snake contacts Raiden, introducing him to Otacon. They reveal they are there to stop the terrorists from using the new Metal Gear prototype. They also tell Raiden that Otacon has another reason for being in the Big Shell: to rescue his sister, Emma Emmerich. Raiden then proceeds to rendezvous and rescue President Johnson. Once Raiden finally gets to the President, he is told about the Patriots, a mysterious organization that secretly rules over America. He also explains that the terrorist leader was his predecessor, the 43rd U.S. President George Sears, known by the codename Solidus Snake, a clone of the legendary soldier Big Boss, created in the "Les Enfants Terribles" project. Johnson adds that Solidus orchestrated the Shadow Moses Incident in 2005 but was removed from office by the Patriots. Solidus wanted to challenge the Patriots, unlike Johnson, who had simply wished to become one of them. Johnson also confirms that the Big Shell is merely a cover-up for the construction of Arsenal Gear, a gigantic mobile fortress that employs mass-produced unmanned Metal Gear RAYs to defend itself and can fire nuclear warheads from anywhere on the planet. It also has access to the Military's Tactical Network, granting it absolute control over the nation's armed forces and nuclear arsenal. However, Arsenal's true purpose is to filter information from the internet and other forms of digital communication using an AI called GW. By doing this, the Patriots hope to shape history as they see fit while maintaining the secret of their existence. Johnson's last request is that Raiden locate GW's main programmer, Emma Emmerich, and provide her with a computer worm to eradicate the AI. Afterward, feeling he has said everything he needed to, Johnson suddenly grabs Raiden's gun, asking Raiden to kill him. Raiden resists, but Revolver Ocelot soon intervenes, shooting Johnson before Raiden can stop him.

The Holy Fathers at Mount Sinai lived in the wilderness around the holy mountain before the Emperor Justinian built the famous Monastery there in 527. The brethren were attacked by a band of Saracen barbarians who massacred Doulas, the superior of the community, and most of the other monks. They only stopped when a pillar of fire rose to the sky from the summit of Sinai, causing them to flee in fear.   The Forty-three Holy Fathers at Raithu were massacred on December 22, but are commemorated together with the fathers of Sinai. They lived the monastic life on the shores of the Red Sea. One day about three hundred Ethiopian barbarians raided the area, killing many Christians and enslaving their wives and children. They attacked the church at Raithu, where forty-three fathers had taken shelter. Their abbot Paul enjoined them to persist in prayer to the end, putting no stock in the passing life of this world, which they had renounced when they came to the desert. No sooner had he finished his prayer than the barbarians broke in, slaughtering all the monks but one, who escaped to bring news of the attack to Mt Sinai. When the barbarians returned to their ships they found that the Christians had run their vessels onto the rocks. Enraged, they killed all their prisoners. They themselves were massacred by a band of armed Christians who arrived soon afterward.

Following the Munich agreement of September 1938, Nazi troops marched into Czechoslovakia and ruthlessly claimed it as a German protectorate. Still, even following his annexation of Czechoslovakia, Hitler's determination to make Germany the greatest power in Europe was far from sated. Thus, hungry for war and keenly conscious of Germany's fast imploding economic situation, his mind had turned by the beginning of 1939 to his next unfortunate target: Poland. And it was not only defeat that he envisaged this time, but Polish liquidation. But, with both the Poles and British becoming increasingly wary of Germany's growing assertiveness and militarism, in March 1939 they and France forged a military alliance. Enraged by this, Hitler finalised his plans for the conquest of Poland. In an unexpected turn of events, he also went in search of an unlikely ally of his own to counter the new alliance from which he was smarting: Russia's Joseph Stalin, the Nazis' ideological antagonist… Join Tom and Dominic for the appalling story of the build up to Hitler's genocidal war on Poland. Was it possible that even at this inflamed juncture, war could still have been prevented? _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Jack Meek Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's episode Matthew and Nort review the 2019 American superhero film Avengers: Endgame based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  In 2018, 23 days after Thanos erased half of all life in the universe, Carol Danvers rescues Tony Stark and Nebula from deep space. They reunite with the remaining Avengers—Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and James Rhodes—and Rocket on Earth. Locating Thanos on an uninhabited planet, they plan to use the Infinity Stones to reverse his actions but find that Thanos has destroyed them. Enraged, Thor decapitates Thanos. We are a comedy movie review podcast where Matthew & Nort take turns watching and reviewing a movie the other host has not seen. They go over the entire plot with spoilers and discuss how they feel about the film. They also talk about fun facts, box office, actors, and how the movie impacted us.Join our Patreon to support the show and get ad-free podcast episodes, full access to our exclusive Patron Discord, and get access to a secret podcast called Flight School where we watch and review a TV Pilot voted on by the Patrons! You get all of that for the low price of $5! Sources for So, You Finally Watched Support the lovely people who created stuff for the show:Art by: Meraki2019Deep Voice by: MarlarIntro music by: Ozeyzin GET THE MERCH!Scroll down the page to find our shows! GET THE CHIBI SHIRT!https://encounterco-shop.fourthwall.com/pages/byshow We are a part of The Encounter Co. network! Check out all the other awesome shows on the network! Follow us on Twitter at:Show: @SYFWPodNort's Twitter: @NortSauwceOther Socials:Instagram: SoyoufinallywatchedpodTik Tok: SyfwpodcastYouTube: So, You Finally Watched Podcast If you liked the show be sure to leave a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify so we can get the word out about our show! Also tell a friend or two! Thanks for listening!  Nort has another podcast with his co-host and wife Anna called Reading isn't for Kids! The pair review and discuss children chapter books, YA books, and sometimes comics. Check it out here! If you want to check out Nort's actual play podcast click this link! The show is called Grim Encounters and it is a campy horror actual play podcast using the Chill 3rd Edition ruleset for seasons 1-3 and season 4 is a campy sci-fi Fallout setting. Best place to start is Season 1, Season 2, or Season 4.

Curse of Politics was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.David Herle, Scott Reid, Jordan Leichnitz and Kory Teneycke provide insights on the latest in Canadian politics. Plus, our weekly segments #Clippings + #HeyYou!Thank you for joining us on #CurseOfPolitics. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.Watch conversations from Curse of Politics via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

05:05 First time for Oakland as DA and Mayor are both recalled 09:22 Social Security Fairness Act signed into law by President Biden 17:34 Cop hits armed fleeing bicyclist with cruiser 25:52 Enraged suspect attempts to stab officer with a needle multiple times 36:17 Sheriff proposes charging parents for specific crimes committed by kids 39:08 Suspect on probation shot multiple times after pointing gun at officers LEO Round Table (law enforcement talk show) Season 10, Episode 05 (2,359) filmed on 01/07/2024 1. https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/maple-leave-tuesday-january-7-2025 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14063145/oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-da-pamela-price-recall-vote.html 2. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-security-fairness-act-signed-by-president-biden/ 3. https://rumble.com/v66bi7s-flagler-county-deputy-hits-fleeing-bicyclist-with-patrol-car-who-turned-out.html?e9s=src_v1_upp 4. https://rumble.com/v65ij21-man-tries-to-attack-a-burlington-officer-with-a-needle.html?e9s=src_v1_upp 5. https://globalordnancenews.com/2025/01/06/were-all-sick-of-it-s-c-sheriffs-initiative-charges-parents-if-their-kids-commit-certain-crimes/ 6. https://rumble.com/v5qhnjz-chicago-officers-shoots-man-who-aimed-gun-at-them-6-days-after-getting-prob.html?e9s=src_v1_upp Show Panelists and Personalities: Chip DeBlock (Host and retired police detective) David D'Agresta (retired police Officer and sheriff's Corporal) Related Events, Organizations and Books: Retired DEA Agent Robert Mazur's works: Interview of Bryan Cranston about him playing Agent Robert Mazur in THE INFILTRATOR film https://vimeo.com/channels/1021727 Trailer for the new book, THE BETRAYAL https://www.robertmazur.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Betrayal-trailer-reMix2.mp4 Everything on Robert Mazur https://www.robertmazur.com/ The Wounded Blue - Lt. Randy Sutton's charity https://thewoundedblue.org/ Rescuing 911: The Fight For America's Safety - by Lt. Randy Sutton (Pre-Order) https://rescuing911.org/ Books by panelist and retired Lt. Randy Sutton: https://www.amazon.com/Randy-Sutton/e/B001IR1MQU%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share They're Lying: The Media, The Left, and The Death of George Floyd - by Liz Collin (Lt. Bob Kroll's wife) https://thelieexposed.com/ Lt. Col. Dave Grossman - Books, Newsletter, Presentations, Shop, Sheepdogs https://grossmanontruth.com/ Sheriff David Clarke - Videos, Commentary, Podcast, Shop, Newsletter https://americassheriff.com/ Content Partners: Red Voice Media - Real News, Real Reporting https://www.redvoicemedia.com/shows/leo/ ThisIsButter - One of the BEST law enforcement video channels https://rumble.com/user/ThisIsButter The Free Press - LEO Round Table is in their Cops and Crimes section 5 days a week https://www.tampafp.com/ https://www.tampafp.com/category/cops-and-crime/ Video Show Schedule On All Outlets: http://leoroundtable.com/home/syndication/ Syndicated Radio Schedule: http://leoroundtable.com/radio/syndicated-radio-stations/ Sponsors: Aero Precision - "When Precision Counts” https://www.aeroprecisionusa.com/ Galls - Proud to serve America's public safety professionals https://www.galls.com/leo Blue To Gold - training that is relevant and relatable to every street officer https://bluetogold.com/ The International Firearm Specialist Academy - The New Standard for Firearm Knowledge https://www.gunlearn.com/ Genesis Gold Group - Protect Your IRA or 401(k) with Physical Gold & Silver​ https://roundtablegold.com/ Prepper Beef - Steak That Stays Ready https://roundtablebeef.com/ MyMedicare.live - save money in Medicare insurance options from the experts http://www.mymedicare.live/

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Kumul Rebellion. In 1931, tensions in Kumul escalated after a Muslim girl spurned Han tax collector Chang Mu, leading to his violent death at a family dinner. Enraged, Uyghurs retaliated against Chinese officials, igniting a rebellion. Chaos ensued as rebels targeted Han settlers, ultimately capturing Kumul with little resistance. Amidst the unrest, Yulbars Khan sought support from military leader Ma Chongying, who planned to mobilize his forces to help the Uyghurs. What began as a local incident spiraled into an all-out revolt against oppressive rule. In 1931, young warlord Ma Chongying sought to establish a Muslim empire in Central Asia, leading a small force of Tungan cavalry. As his army attempted to besiege Kumul Old City, they faced fierce resistance from Chinese troops. Despite several assaults, the lack of heavy artillery hampered Ma's progress. Eventually, Ma faced defeat due to a serious injury. After his recuperation, his forces joined with Uyghur insurgents, sparking a guerrilla war against oppressive provincial troops, leading to increasing unrest and rebellion.   #133 Kumul Rebellion part 2: Uprisings in southern Xinjiang Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. So in the last episode we spoke about the beginning of the Kumul Rebellion. Now the Kumul Rebellion is actually a series of other rebellions all interlaced into this larger blanket known as the Xinjiang Wars. To be blunt, Xinjiang was the wild west from the 1930s until basically the formation of the PRC. We briefly went over the various groups that inhabit northwestern China, they all had their own interests. I want to start off by looking at the situation of southern Xinjiang. Back in June of 1924, Ma Fuxing, the T'ai of Kashgar was executed. His executioner was Ma Shaowu who had just received the post of Taoyin over the oasis city of Khotan. There was of course always tension, but southern Xinjiang was relatively peaceful in the 1920s. Then Governor Yang Zengxin was assassinated in July of 1928. During the last years of his rule, southern Xinjiang often referred to as Kashgaria, remained entrenched in the British sphere of influence after the collapse of Tsarist Russia and the subsequent closure of the Imperial Russian consulate-General at Kashgar.  Going further back in time, in August of 1918, Sir Geoerge Macartney, the long standing British Consul General to Kashar had retired. His successor was Colonel P. T Etherton, a hardcore anti-communist who actively was cooperating with anti-Soviet Basmachi guerillas in the western portion of Turkestan. One of his missions was to curb Soviet influence in southern Xinjiang. Yang Zengxin understood the British policy towards Xinjiang was to push the Soviets out via enabling the survival of his independent Han led regime. Thus Yang Zengxin was very friendly to the British and allowed them to exercise considerable political influence in Tien Shan. Despite this Soviet influence spread in Ili and Zungharia. This prompted Yang Zengxin to secretly cooperate with the British in Kashgar to counter the looming red growth north of his province. Now by 1924, through a combination of military necessities and the re-emergence of Soviet Russia as Xinjiang's largest trading partner, this forced Yang Zengxin to push away the British. Following the Sino-Soviet agreement of 1924 which effectively saw the establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Beijing, the Soviet government at Omsk dispatched an envoy to Xinjiang to discuss mutual consular representation. Both sides reached an agreement on October 6th, providing for an exchange of consulate-generals between Tashkent and Urumqi and for Soviet consulates in Chuguchak, Kulja, Shara Sume and Kashgar. The new Soviet presence in Kashgar was quite upsetting for the British. It also allowed the Soviets direct access to the densely populated oases of Tarim Basin, the source of nearly all Xinjiang's revenue.  Shortly after the Soviet Consulate in Kashgar officially opened on October 10, 1925, a local power struggle emerged involving Max Doumpiss, the Soviet Consul, of Latvian origin, Major Gillan, the British Consul-General at that time, and the Taoyin of Kashgar. Sino-Soviet relations in southern Xinjiang took a troubled turn in November 1925 when large quantities of silver bullion were discovered hidden in thirty-four boxes labeled as Soviet 'diplomatic bags,' intended for the Kashgar consulate. The Kashgar Taoyin, who was reportedly offended by the 'subtle spread of Soviet propaganda' in the southern oases, retaliated by expelling several suspected Russian agents. In March 1926, significant riots erupted in Kashgar, which the Chinese authorities attributed to an interpreter at the Soviet Consulate named Akbar 'Ali. The unrest was quelled by a force of 400 local Tungan troops, and Akbar 'Ali was imprisoned; the Taoyin ignored subsequent Soviet demands for his release. The rapid increase in the number of European consular staff from around fifteen in 1925 to between thirty and forty by 1927 also alarmed Chinese officials. All these developments were likely reported to Governor Yang Tseng-hsin in Urumchi, who was likely dealing with similar situations at the newly established Soviet Consulates in Kulja, Chuguchak, and Shara Sume. It appears that, with discreet British support, Yang decided to take actions to curb the expansion of Soviet influence in Kashgar. The Kashgar Taoyin then took up a strong anti-soviet stance. Alongside this Yang Zengxin's nephew, the officer in command of Chinese troops along the Kashgar northern frontier, suddenly became a frequent visitor to the British consulate General at Chini Bagh. After the death of the old Taoyin in 1927, Ma Shaowu came over from Khotan to replace him and with this came heightened anti-soviet policies in southern Xinjiang. Ma Shaowu first began by imprisoning 60 alleged local communists and tightened Chinese control over Kashgars northern frontier. The freedom of the Soviet Consul team to travel within southern Xinjiang was tightened to the extreme and all Kashgar citizens suspected of pro-soviet sympathies became targets for confiscation of their property or deportation to other oases. Yang Zengxin backed Ma Shaowu's attempts to limit Soviet influence in Tarim Basin by imposing severe tax on Muslims leaving southern Xinjiang to go on Hajj via the USSR. Similarly, new legislative was unleashed requiring merchants going into the USSR to deposit large sums of money to the Chinese authorities in Kashgar who would forfeit if the depositor failed to return to Xinjiang within 60 days.  These policies did not completely insulate southern Xinjiang from Soviet influence; however, they did ensure that at the time of Yang Zengxin's assassination in 1928, the southern region of the province—especially Ma Shao-wu's domain around Kashgar, Yarkand, and Khotan—maintained a significant degree of independence from the Soviet Union. This stood in stark contrast to areas like the Ili Valley, Chuguchak, and Shara Sume, where Soviet influence became dominant shortly after 1925, and even to the provincial capital of Urumqi, where, by the spring of 1928, the Soviet Consul-General had considerable sway. It was likely due to Ma Shaowu's anti-Soviet position and the persistent dominance of British influence in southern Xinjiang during the final years of Yang Zengxin's administration that Kashgar emerged as a hub of conservative Muslim opposition to Chinese governance in the 1930s. Yang Zengxins intentional efforts to sever southern Xinjiang from Soviet influence resulted in the Uighurs and, to a lesser extent, the Kirghiz of the Tarim Basin being less influenced by the 'progressive' nationalist propaganda from Soviet-controlled Western Turkestan compared to the Turkic-speaking Muslims of the Ili Valley and Zungharia. This is not to imply that the socialist nationalism promoted by the Jadidists after 1917 was entirely ineffective south of the Tien Shan; however, Kashgar, situated outside the Soviet zone in northwestern Sinkiang, became a natural refuge for right-wing Turkic nationalists and Islamic traditionalists who opposed Chinese authority yet were even more fiercely against the encroachment of 'atheistic communism' and its Soviet supporters in Central Asia. Many of these right-wing Turkic-speaking nationalists were former Basmachi guerrillas, primarily of Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kirghiz descent, but also included several Ottoman Turks and, according to Caroe, "old men who had fought against the Chinese at Kashgar." Among the most notable Basmachi leaders who sought refuge in Kashgar was Janib Beg, a Kirghiz who would play a significant role in the politics of southern xinjiang during the early 1930s. Following Yang Zengxin's assassination in July 1928, Soviet influence in southern Xinjiang began to grow rapidly; nevertheless, at the onset of the Kumul Rebellion in 1931, reports of forced collectivization and the suppression of nomadic lifestyles in Western Turkestan led many Turkic Muslims in southern Xinjiang to be wary of Soviet intentions. If, during the late 1920s and early 1930's, the Turkic Muslims of southern Xinjiang were divided in their approach towards the Soviets and the newly formed Turkic-Tajik SSR's in western Turkestan, they all were united in their attitude towards their Tungan brethren to the east. Unlike the Turkic Muslim rebels of Kumul, the Uyghurs and Kirghiz of southern Xinjiang were far too distant from Gansu to appeal for assistance from the Tungan warlords, such as the 5 Ma Clique. Besides the Han Chinese officials, rule over the oases of Tarim Basin had long been held by Tungans. Ma Fuxing, the Titai of Kashgar had ruthlessly exploited his Turkic Muslim subjects between 1916-1924. He himself was a Hui Muslim from Yunnan, as was Ma Shaowu. The Turkic Muslims of southern Xinjiang therefore had zero illusions of any “muslim brotherhood” with their Tungan brethren. It was Tungan troops who intervened to suppress any demonstration against Chinese rule. The Tungans of Tarim Basin were allies to the Han Chinese administration and thus enemies to the Turkic Muslim peoples. The western rim of Tarim Basin was in a unique political situation during the later half of Yang Zengxins rule as a large part of its Turkic Muslim population looked neither to the progressive Muslim leadership of western Turkestan nor the Tungan warlords of Gansu. Instead they looked at the regimes in Turkey and Afghanistans, both quite conservative. Contacts in these places were sparse ever since the Qing reconquest of Xinjiang. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WW1, contact ceased to exist at all. Emotional links to what once was however lingerd, and the nationalist revolution of Ataturk sprang something of a Turkish renaissance inspiring Turkic peoples from Crimea to Kumul.  As for Afghanistan, there existed more concrete religious and political contacts with southern Xinjiang. In 1919, Amir Aman Allah, the last Muhammadzay ruler of Afghanistan had taken the throne after the death of his father. He became an impetuous ruler who brought forth his own downfall through a series of radical reforms that caused a revolution by 1928. Yet in his first years of rule he had widespread support of Muslim peoples in central asia, especially after he began the Third Afghan war against Britain, combined with a Jihad for Afghan independence. Because of this the British were forced to recognize Afghanistan's right to independent foreign policy. During this period, it is rumored Amir Aman Allah had toyed with the idea of forming an Islamic Confederacy which would have included Afghanistan, Bukhara, Khiva and Khokand. He would have also been interested in influence over Xinjiang where numerous Afghan merchants resided under British protection. Following Britains recognition of Afghanistan's right to independent foreign policy, with the 1919 treaty of Peshawar, British diplomatic protection for Afghan citizens in Xinjiang was lifted. Amir Aman Allah then established independent diplomatic links between Kabul and Urumqi, sending a delegation in 1922 led by Muhammad Sharif Khan. The Chinese officials regarded the Afghan mission as a trade delegation, but Muhammad Sharif Khan carried with him printed visiting cards styling himself as Afghanistan's Consul-General in Xinjiang. Alongside this he brought draft agreements demanding full extraterritorial rights and other privileges for Afghan subjects in Xinjiang and the right to import opium freely into the province. It is to no surprise Yang Zengxin refused to recognize the mission causing a dispute that would drag on for years. It became a long standing issue for th Turkic speaking Muslims of southern Xinjiang. There were many who looked to Afghanistan to help them against Chinese oppression. Now getting back to our timeline, with the initial outbreak of the Kumul Rebellion and the Tungan invasion, Jin Shujen had made every effort to prevent news of these events occurring mostly in the northeast from getting into the south. But of course one cannot stop the flow of information completely. Rumors and reports of the rebellious activities northeast flooded into the oases of Tarim Basin, invigorating anti-Chinese zeal, from peoples already suffering from increased taxation and inflation caused by unbacked paper currency paying for Jin's war efforts. Jin was well aware of the discontent south in his province, but he was emboldened by his victory of Ma Chongying as well as the recent delivery of 4000 rifles and 4 million rounds of ammunition from British held India. Thus he determined to maintain his current stance. It would prove to be a very fateful decision. The Kumul Rebellion was not crushed by any means. In fact the brutality following the relief of Kumul Old City caused outrage amongst the Turkic speaking peoples and sent refugees westwards towards Turfan. By May of 1932, Ma Chongying had dispatched a young Tungan Lt, Ma Shihming to take command over his Tungan forces remaining in Xinjiang. Ma Shihming quickly established his HQ in Turfan and began to cooperate with the Turkic speaking Muslim insurgents who owed their allegiance to Yulbars Khan and Khoja Niyas Haiji. It's also believed he made contact with Ma Fuming, a Tungan officer in command of the Xinjiang provincial forces at Turfan.  By mere coincidence, in May of 1932, Jin had also elected to seek revenge against Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen, the Torgut Mongol regent inhabiting Tien Shan. That same guy he had asked for military aid from who simply took his army away. Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen was invited to come back to Urumqi where he was to attend an investigation into the assassination plot laid against him. On May 21st, shortly after his arrival, he alongside two Torgut officers and the young Torgut Prince were all invited to an official banquet at Jin Shujens yamen. Now you might be thinking, who in their right mind would fall for that shit? Especially given the Yang Zengxin banquet story. Well according to R.P Watts, the British Vice Consul General at Kashgar who happened to be in Urumqi at the time. “While drinking the usual preliminary cup of tea the regent and the two military officers were led out into a courtyard and executed. According to Chinese custom in such matters proper observance was accorded to the high rank of regent even at the moment of execution. A red carpet was spread on the ground on which he was invited to seat himself. He was then killed by being shot through the head from behind by one of the governor's special executioners. His two companions being men of inferior rank were not given the privilege of a red carpet to sit on whilst being executed.”  The young Torgut prince was allowed to return to Kara Shahr, man that must have been an awkward desert. So Jin hoped the harsh action would terrify the young prince into submission. As you may have guessed, Jin actions were quite toxic for the Torgut Mongols. Might I add the Torgut Mongols were probably the only non Chinese group in Xinjiang that may have sided with Jin against the Turkic peoples? So to tally up things a bit here. Jin pissed off the Uyghurs and Tungans of Turfan, the Kirghiz of Tian Shan and now the Torguts.  In early 1932, Turkic Muslim opposition to forced collectivization and suppression of nomadism by Stalin in the Kazakh and Kirghiz regions of Soviet Central Asia, saw many spill over into Xinjiang. By March of 1932, large numbers of Kirghiz fled the border and were pursued by Soviet forces. A series of skirmishes and raids broke out in the border region. The Soviet Kirghiz naturally received aid from the Xinjiang Kirghiz and in June a Chinese official was killed by Kirghiz insurgents in Tien Shan. The Chinese were outraged, prompting Ma Shaowu to unleash 300 troops from Kashgar New City and 200 troops from Kashgar Old City to defend the frontier area. These units were soon joined by another 100 troops from Opal and 200 from Uch Turfan all under the leadership of Brigadier Yang, the nephew to the late Yang Zengxin. In July Yang's men began joint operations with the Soviets against the Kirghiz insurgents who were led by Id Mirab. The Chinese forces were said to quote “The Chinese forces had been suffering badly from want of opium', and reportedly behaved very badly towards Kirghiz, a number of whom were driven to take refuge in Russian territory”. To try a force the submission of the Kirghiz, Yang's forces took 70 hostages from Kirghiz families and brought them to imprisoned them the oases of Khotan, Keriya and Charchan. Thus Jin and Ma Shaowu had succeeded within a few months of Ma Chongyings withdrawal back into Gansu in both alienating the Turkic speaking and Mongol nomads of Tien Shan. The Sino-Soviet cooperation against the Kirghiz had also not gone unnoticed by other Muslim groups.  Meanwhile the Kumul Rebellion had spread westwards. By Autumn of 1932, months after the arrival of Ma Shihming to Turfan, Ma Fuming joined the rebels cause. Wu Aichen wrote it was his belief that Ma Fuming's decision was based on the continuing flow of Muslim refugees from Kumul to Turfan combined with reports of mass executions being carried out by Xing Fayu. But like I had mentioned, there is also strong evidence Ma Shihming probably negotiated an alliance with Ma Fuming. Wu Aichen wrote Ma Fumings first rebellious action was to send a telegram to Jin requesting he dispatch reinforcements while he also sent a letter to Xing Fayu over in Kumul to come quickly to Turfan. The reinforcements arrived at the oasis without suspecting a thing and were “shot down to the last man” by Ma Fumings forces as they passed the city gates. A few days later another detachment of 100 men led by Xing Fayu reached Turfan only to suffer the same fate. Xing Fayu was taken captive and “tortured to death in public with every refinement of cruelty and vileness of method”. Following Ma Fumings official defection, the Turfan Depression quickly emerged as the main center of Muslim rebellion in northeastern Xinjiang. Kumul which had been laid to ruin by Jin was abandoned to the Turkic Muslim insurgents and a handful of Tungan troops. A large portion of Tungan forces consisting of those following Ma Fuming and Ma Sushiming massed at Turfan preparing to march upon Urumqi, lying 100 miles northwest. The storm brewing in Turfan was followed up by a series of uncoordinated uprisings amongst the Turkic speaking Muslims of southern Xinjiang. The Uyghurs of Tarim Basin and Kirghiz of Tien Shan realized Jin's grip over the province was weakening and the presence of Tungan forces in Turfan effectively cut off the oases of the south from Urumqi and Jin's White Russian troops, whom otherwise may have scared them into submission. The White Russians and other provincial forces were hard pressed by Ma Fuming and Ma Shihming. Reports also spread that Ma Chongying would soon re-enter the fray in person and that Chang Peiyuan, the Military commander over at Ili had fallen out with Jin. Thus the Turkic speaking Muslims of southern Xinjiang knew the time was ripe to rebel against Chinese rule. In the winter uprising began at Pichan, just east of Turfan and at Kara Shahr about 175 miles southwest. Lack of Torgut support at Kara Shahr following the murder of Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen basically sealed the fate of the Chinese forces within the city. The new Tungan leader, Ma Chanzeng emerged the commander of rebel forces in the region. Disregarding the increasingly intense conflict between Ma Shih-ming and the provincial forces along the Turfan-Urumqi road, Ma Chan-ts'ang moved westward, seizing Bugur in early February and progressing to Kucha. There, he formed a strategic alliance with Temiir, the local Uyghur leader, who was noted by Wu Aichen as "a capable individual who had managed the mule wagon service." After occupying Kucha without any resistance, the combined forces of Ma Chanzeng and Temiir continued their advance toward Aksu, capturing the small town of Bai along the way. Ma Shaowu was the Taoyin of Kashgar and second most powerful official in the provincial administration after Jin, thus found himself cut off from Urumqi by two separate armies of Muslim rebels each composed of Tungan and Turkic factions. One of these armies held a small but militarily competent Tungan force led by Ma Chanzeng with a large contingent of poorly armed Uyghur peasants owing their allegiance to Temur. This force advanced southwest towards Aksu, while the other army consisting of a loose coalition of competent Tungan troops under Ma Shihming and Ma Fuming with Turkic speaking Muslim peasants owing allegiance to Khoja Niyas Haiji and Yulbars Khan pressed their attack directly upon Urumqi. In February of 1933 to add further confusion in the south, the rebellion against the Chinese spread southwards across the Tarim Basin to its southern rim. Uprising against the Chinese administration broke out simultaneously amongst the gold miners of the southern oases who had long resented the provincial governments fixed rate for the purchase of gold in Xinjiang alongside brutal working conditions. The spiraling inflation from Jin's worthless currency which was used to pay for the gold only made things worse. By spring their patience had run out, the Uyghurs led by Ismail Khan Khoja seized control of Kara Kash killing a large number of Han Chinese. Meanwhile the Uyghurs at Keriya seized control over the Surghak mines and threatened to take control over the whole oasis. Prominent rebel demands included a fair price for gold and silver and prohibition of the purchase of precious metals with paper currency. More urgent demands were lowering taxes, ending government tyranny, introducing Shari a law and stationing Muslim troops in every city. Now these demands were very real, they were willing to stand down if they were met. One anonymous writer of the demand notices placed at Karakash was as follows “A friend for the sake of friendship will make known a friend's defects and save him from the consequences of his defects. You, who are supposed to rule, cannot even realize this, but try to seek out the supporter of Islam to kill him. Foolish infidels like you are not fit to rule ... How can an infidel, who cannot distinguish between a friend and a foe, be fit to rule? You infidels think that because you have rifles, guns ... and money, you can depend on them; but we depend upon God in whose hands are our lives. You infidels think that you will take our lives. If you do not send a reply to this notice we are ready. If we die we are martyrs. If we survive we are conquerors. We are living but long for death”. Ma Shaowu elected to first move against the Muslim insurgents threatening Aksu, most likely reasoning that if Ma Chanzeng and Temur were defeated the weaker rebel forces at KaraKash and Surghak would just crumble. There also was the fact Ma Shihmings men at Turfan had severed the telegraph line between Urumqi and Kashgar, and that line had been re-routed via Aksu, but if Aksu fell to the rebels, communications with the capital would only be possible via the USSR. At this point its estimated Brigadier Yang had a mixed army of 280 cavalry and 150 infantry as he set out for Aksu on February 6th. Ma Shaowu's position was not good. On February 9th, Jin Shujen's younger brother, Jin Shuqi the commander in chief at Kashgar New City suddenly died of illness. He was replaced with a Chinese officer called Liu who took command of his three detachments of cavalry, about 480 men and a single detachment of artillery, about 160 men. Ma Shaowu held control over two regiments of cavalry, 700 men and 3 detachments of infantry, around 300 men all stationed at Kashgar Old City. In mid february reports reached Kashgar that Brigadier Yang was heavily outnumbered by the rebels under Ma Chanzeng and Temur and had fallen back from Aksu to a defensive line at Maral Bashi. On the 23rd celebrations were held at Kashgar to mark Jin handing Ma Shadowu the new title of Special Commissioner for the Suppression of Bandits. During the celebration, salutes were fired at the yamen and KMT flags were flown from buildings throughout the city. Afterwards all of Liu's forces were sent to Maral Bashi to bolster Yang.  Now in a bid to suppress the uprisings at Surghak and KaraKash before a full scale uprising could develop on the southern road, 200 men led by Colonel Li were dispatched to Khotan, while another force under Colonel Chin was dispatched to Yarkland. Because of these movements of troops to Khotan and Maral Bashi, there was a serious depletion of defenders for Kashgar. Thus Ma Shaowu ordered a raising of Kirghiz levies and recalled some Chinese troops from the frontier districts west of Kashgar. Thus the Chinese garrison at Sarikol pulled out to Kashgar, leaving the region's Tajik population to their own devices. At Kashgar, troops posted on the walls of both cities had strict orders to close all gates at 7pm, with major curfew laws set into place.Despite all of this the provincial troops proved very inept at stemming the rebel advance along both the north and south roads into Kashgar. On the 25th, the rebels entered Aksu Old City, shooting up all its Chinese residents, seized their property, stormed the arsenal and looted the treasury. Later on Ma Changzeng and Temur led an estimated 4700 ill armed Uyghur irregular army to advance on Maral Bashi and Kashgar.  In the Keriya, the Chinese officials consented to convert to Islam and to surrender their possessions; however, on March 3, thirty-five Chinese individuals, including top officials, were executed, with their heads displayed in the marketplace. On February 28, the Old City of Khotan fell into the hands of rebels with little resistance, while the New City of Khotan was besieged before capitulating to the insurgents on March 16th. Following the rebel successes in Khotan, it was reported that 266 Han Chinese converted to Islam, and both the treasury and arsenal of the New City—containing "thousands of weapons and nearly a ton of gold"—were seized by the insurgents. Additionally, uprisings led by a Uighur named ‘Abd ai-Qadir took place in Chira, and in Shamba Bazaar, several Han Chinese and two Hindu moneylenders were killed. Further afield from Keriya, the town of Niya succumbed to the rebel forces from Khotan, while even farther east, at the isolated oases of Charchan and Charkhlik, reports indicate that peaceful insurrections occurred after a small Tungan contingent loyal to Ma Shih-ming entered the region via a little-used desert route connecting Kara Shahr and Lop. Meanwhile, to the west of Khotan, Uighur forces under Isma'il Khan Khoja obstructed the main route to Yarkand at the Tokhta Langar caravanserai, repelling all but two delegates sent from Kashgar by Ma Shao-wu, who aimed to negotiate with the rebel leaders in Khotan. No further news was received from the two Begs allowed to continue to Khotan, and with their diplomatic mission's failure, the entire southern route from the eastern outskirts of the Guma oasis to the distant Lop Nor fell out of Chinese control. To fortify their position against potential counterattacks from Kashgar, the rebel leaders in Khotan destroyed roadside wells in the desert east of Guma and began establishing a clearly Islamic governance in the areas they had liberated. By mid March, Ma Shaowu's control over southern Xinjiang was limited to just a wedge of territory around Kashgar, Maral Bashi and Yarkland. Moral was so low, Ma Shaowu asked the British Indian government for military assistance as it seemed apparent no help would come from Urumqi. Ma Shaowu had received 3 telegrams from Jin via the USSR lines; the first confirmed his position as Commander in Chief; the second relayed Jin's brothers death and the third directed Jin Kashgar representatives to remit a large sum of money to his personal bank account in Tientsin. That last signal must have been a banger to read. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Kumul Rebellion quicked off a storm of different groups' grievances and Jin Shujen did a banger job of pissing off…pretty much every single group. In the southern portions of Xinjiang massive uprisings began and it seemed a tidal wave would hit the entire province.  

Click to Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Youtube-Subscribe-SoapDirt Days of our Lives predictions see Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) grapples with his feelings while Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) is seething with anger. Spoilers reveal Phillip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) and Xander Cook (Paul Telfer) battling it out once again, as Phillip's forgery comes to light. Doug Williams (Bill Hayes) finds himself in a precarious situation, owing a significant debt and risking violent retribution on the NBC Peacock soap opera.  DOOL predictions see Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) leverages Rachel Black's (Finley Rose Slater) erratic behavior for joint custody. Javi Hernandez's (Al Calderon) reunion with his ex-partner stirs up trouble with the new lady whistleblower. Lastly, Chad's struggle with his feelings for Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) intensifies, creating tension and suspense. Visit our Days of our Lives section of Soap Dirt: https://soapdirt.com/category/days-of-our-lives/ Listen to our Podcasts: https://soapdirt.podbean.com/ Check out our always up-to-date Days of our Lives Spoilers page at: https://soapdirt.com/days-of-our-lives-spoilers/ Check Out our Social Media... Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapDirtTV Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapDirt Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/soapdirt/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soapdirt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soapdirt/

Hour 3: The Tara Show - “The American Relief Act with Special Guest Congressman Ralph Norman” “The Left is Enraged | No More Smoke and Mirrors” “What will be the Consequences for Mike Johnson?” full 1830 Fri, 20 Dec 2024 15:17:21 +0000 Jhw02vVEI0FhQ0BgpMckblCz0nBjpsne news The Tara Show news Hour 3: The Tara Show - “The American Relief Act with Special Guest Congressman Ralph Norman” “The Left is Enraged | No More Smoke and Mirrors” “What will be the Consequences for Mike Johnson?” Tara presides over the Upstate's #1 all news/talk morning show every weekday on News/Talk 989 WORD.Tara's faithful listeners are affectionately known as "Tara-ists" because of their passion and participation in the show. Tara was named 2021 Best News Talk Show and Best overall Personality, AGAIN, by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association! Tara took home the same honors in 2018 and was also named 2016 "Personality of the Year!" In addition, Tara has also won over two dozen state and national journalism awards for column writing, news reporting and investigative reporting while working for three newspapers and writing for a variety of national publications. She won a first place reporting award from the North Carolina Press Association for an investigative series about the weaknesses in Charlotte's overburdened court system, which regularly let murderers off the hook with less than 15 years in prison. Due to her work, that system has been reformed. Tara is also a winner of the prestigious first place Green Eyeshade Award, a national award for column writing from The Society of Professional Journalists. Tara took to the airwaves about 15 years ago to do a radio show heard up and down the coast and fell in love with bypassing her editors to talk straight to the people. Tara hasn't stopped reporting, and still brings her investigative journalism to the show. Tara is a mom, wife and talk radio convert-- and weekday mornings she's live and local on News/Talk 989 WORD. Are you a "Tara-ist"? It's time to get captured!      2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%2Fr

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In this episode of the Miami Condo Minute™ micropodcast, host Peter Zalewski - founder of the Miami Condo Investing Club™ - discusses a hefty $56 million assessment levied on the owners in a 567-unit condo association in Hollywood Beach. Units owner in The Summit condo project - comprised of a pair of 25-story towers built in 1982 - in Southeast Broward County are each facing nearly $99,000 in special assessments, according to a NBC 6 Miami report . On top of the special assessment, unit owners in the condo project are also required to continue to pay their existing maintenance fees that are north of $0.80 per square foot monthly. Read the report: https://peterzalewski.substack.com/p/south-florida-condo-owners-enraged

Hour 3

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels written  by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialized in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely in Dartmoor, Devon, in England's West Country and follows Holmes and Watson investigating the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival. One of the most famous stories ever written, in 2003, the book was listed as number 128 of 200 on the BBC's  poll of the UK's "best-loved novel". Fun Facts Bertram Fletcher Robinson was a writer who was a friend of Doyle's. Shortly after his return from the Boer War, Robinson invited Doyle to visit him at Ippleton in Devonshire. Supposedly, Robinson had been working on a story about the moor based on a 17th century legend with a demon hound. Doyle who had killed off Sherlock Holmes in “The Final Problem” was faced with a public outcry to produce more Holmes stories and quickly. There is speculation that Doyle may have tried to adapt Robinson's story into a tale of Sherlock Holmes and that would explain why the great detective appears so little in the story. In the late Fifties, Doyle's son responded to such charges by stating: “Fletcher Robinson wrote not one word of the story. He refused my father's offer to collaborate and retired at an early stage of the project.” What all the sources agree on is that Doyle did indeed take a coach ride with Robinson over the moor to get the atmosphere of the place while Robinson recounted the story of Sir Richard Cabell, Lord of the Manor of Brooke. Lord Cabell was a man of well known evil repute. He was a very jealous man and one night he viciously accused his wife of having an affair. Lady Cabell denied it. Enraged, Cabell beat her mercilessly. Somehow, she was able to break away from him and ran from the house, hoping to escape in the surrounding moors. The moors were a cold, desolate place. Lord Cabell caught up to her and in his enraged state killed her with one of his hunting knives. Suddenly, a huge hound appeared. It was Lady Cabell's own faithful dog and it had followed the couple onto the moors. Seeing his mistress killed, the hound savagely attacked Cabell and after a fierce struggle, slaughtered the evil man. However, the hound itself had been fatally wounded by Lord Cabell's knife and in the morning the villagers found the poor animal lying dead beside his slain mistress. According to local legend, the ghost of Lady Cabell's hound still roams the moors on the nights of the full moon, howling mournfully for its dead mistress. Another legend claims that on the night of Lord Cabell's death, black hounds breathing fire and smoke raced over nearby Dartmoor and howled around his manor house. Lord Cabell's death took place in 1677. A small pagoda-like building called “The Sepulchre” was put over his grave to prevent him from returning to cause even more evil. “It is said that he will gnaw your finger if you venture to insert it in the keyhole of the locked door,” wrote the Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ang189/support

Today on the show we heard from a Dublin dad who broke down in tears live on air because he can't afford to get his kids want they want for Christmas...When he told us what he does when his kids ask why they don't get presents from Santa listeners we're furious... them another shocking revelation came that blew the lid off the whole show!!!Katie let rip at him at told him he is a "deplorable" man and is a selfish father...

Compelled to make Terror the order of the day, the Convention decreed a series of emergency measures. From price controls to the arrest of all suspects, the principles of 1789 were temporarily suspended. The Terror had begun! This episode explores the Revolutionary Army, the Law of the General Maximum, and the Law of Suspects. It also examines the arrest of Jacques Roux and the Enraged (Enragés) in September 1793. Episode Extras 1.80.1 The Enraged Explored What do historians make of the Enraged? Heroic champions of the sans-culottes? Or short-sited activists unable to achieve their means? This episode extra explores not only the legacy of the Jacques Roux and his allies, but also debates surrounding their impact (or lack thereof!) 1.80.2 Unpacking the Terror With the Terror commencing in September 1793, how do historians view its causes? Was this series of emergency decrees driven purely by circumstances, or were other factors at play? This episode extra unpacks competing theories surrounding the Terror's commencement.  Early Access Don't wait! Support the show and listen to Episode 81 "The Trial of Queen Marie Antoinette" now! Available for all True Revolutionaries and above! The Grey History Community Help keep Grey History on the air! Every revolution needs its supporters, and we need you! With an ad-free feed, a community discord, a reading club, and tonnes of exclusive bonus content, you're missing out! Do your part for as little as half a cup of coffee per episode! It's the best value on the internet, with the best people too! Join Now And Support the Show Make a one-off donation Contact Me Send your questions, praise, and scorn here Newsletter Sign Up for Free Bonus Episode Follow on Social Media: Facebook Instagram X Advertising Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on Grey History: The French Revolution and Napoleon. All members of the Grey History Community have an ad-free version of the show. Support the show here. About Grey History: The French Revolution and Napoleon is a podcast dedicated to exploring the complexities of our history. By examining both the experiences of contemporaries and the conclusions of historians, Grey History seeks to unpack the ambiguities and nuances of the past. Understanding the French Revolution and the age of Napoleon Bonaparte is critical to understanding the history of the world, so join us on a journey through a series of events that would be almost unbelievable if it weren't for the fact that it's true! If you're looking for a binge-worthy history podcast on the Revolution and Napoleon, you're in the right place! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PODCAST: Browns Can't Cover, Gamblers Enraged + How Ryan Day Could Avoid The Jeers full 1859 Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:03:22 +0000 rvgmstOssOcDa8CLvX5zp2UlH6amG7i2 sports The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima sports PODCAST: Browns Can't Cover, Gamblers Enraged + How Ryan Day Could Avoid The Jeers The only place to talk about the Cleveland sports scene is with Ken Carman and Anthony Lima. The two guide listeners through the ups and downs of being a fan of the Browns, Cavaliers, Guardians and Ohio State Buckeyes in Northeast Ohio. They'll help you stay informed with breaking news, game coverage, and interviews with top personalities.Catch The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima live Monday through Friday (6 a.m. - 10 a.m ET) on 92.3 The Fan, the exclusive audio home of the Browns, or on the Audacy app. For more, follow the show on X @KenCarmanShow. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://pl

Browns Can't Cover, Gamblers Enraged + How Ryan Day Could Avoid The Jeers full 1859 Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:07:11 +0000 g6zPXXyoWGuoLgvQgimBH0hRrWoTlI93 sports Carman and Lima's Emerging Podcast Scene sports Browns Can't Cover, Gamblers Enraged + How Ryan Day Could Avoid The Jeers A live post-show that airs twice per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) focusing on the topics that Ken Carman and Anthony Lima do not have the time to talk about on the air weekdays from 6-10am. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://player.ampe

Enraged and heartbroken family members of 6-year-old Maurice Baker, Jr. and 9-year-old Jayden Howard were given the opportunity to speak directly to the boys' killer in court this week. Tiffanie Lucas entered a guilty plea after she shot both sons in the head last November. Law&Crime's Jesse Weber recounts the most emotional moments as the judge sentenced Lucas to life in prison.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If you're ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://www.forthepeople.com/LCSidebarHOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger and Christina FalconeScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Westfield Washington School District, particularly Superintendent Paul Kaiser, has come under fire over rescinding an invitation to incoming Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith. Beckwith had been invited to attend Westfield High School to visit with agriculture students. However, the invitation was rescinded, after what Beckwith described as a small number of parents, called to complain about his appearance. Beckwith appeared on the Kendall and Casey Show to discuss the school district's decision to bounce him for political purposes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.'” (Numbers 22:32–33 NLT) One important work of angels is to stop people from doing things God doesn't want us to do. Obviously, it's important and serious work, usually done without our realizing it. Sometimes, though, it can take an unexpectedly humorous turn. That's what happened in the story of Balaam and his donkey found in Numbers 22. Balaam was sort of a prophet for hire—more P-R-O-F-I-T than P-R-O-P-H-E-T. Balak, the king of Moab, hired him to curse the children of Israel. Balaam set out on his donkey to do the very thing that God didn't want him to do. So, God dispatched an angel. The angel's job was to stop Balaam from cursing the people of Israel. The angel positioned himself in the middle of the road Balaam was traveling and drew his sword. He was prepared to stop the prophet by any means necessary. Balaam's donkey saw the angel, but the prophet didn't. The donkey veered off the road into a field. The prophet beat the donkey until it returned to the road. The angel moved to a narrow part of the road between two vineyard walls. The donkey tried to go around and pinned Balaam's foot against the wall. Balaam got angry and beat the donkey again. The angel moved once more to a spot in the road too narrow for the donkey to get around. So the donkey simply lay down. Enraged, Balaam beat the donkey yet again. And that's when the Lord opened the donkey's mouth. The ensuing conversation went something like this: “What have I done to deserve your beating me three times?” “You made me look like a fool! If I had a sword, I'd kill you!” “You've ridden me all your life. Have I done anything like this before?” “Well, no.” Meanwhile, the angel was still standing there, visible to the donkey, invisible to Balaam. He finally made himself visible to Balaam. He said to Balaam, “Why did you beat your donkey those three times? . . . Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey” (Numbers 22:32–33 NLT). His words must have unnerved Balaam. The prophet realized that the angel had come to stop him from doing something seriously wrong. What are the takeaway lessons from this story? Number one: Don't talk to donkeys. And number two: When God is trying to stop you, don't keep going in the same direction. How many times have we been headed for destruction when God changed our course by sending an angel to stop us? — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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GP opens on the Grizzlies loss in LA last night where LeBron became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple double. Plus big night's for Zach Edey, Jaren, and looking ahead to the Warriors on Friday(23:40) Mike Wallace joins to continue the Grizzlies discussion (45:40) Giannis and Wemby both go big last night, Tyson vs Jake Paul tomorrow on Netflix, a small town in Alabama is under fire for painting their water tower Tennessee colors, and a new study suggests using abbreviations in texts makes you insincere (1:28:20) GP's Carry Out 

Guests: Franklin Foer, Rebecca Traister, Lisa Rubin, Michelle Goldberg, Heather McGheeThe new co-president elect takes an important phone call. Tonight: the unique danger of a government run by billionaires. Then, as RFK Jr. gets ready for his big job, is the Trump administration coming for your Doritos? Plus, today's news on the Jack Smith case and the New York sentencing of the president-elect. And after a massive response from American women in 2016, what to expect after a second Trump victory. Want more of Chris? Download and subscribe to his podcast, “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes podcast” wherever you get your podcasts.

https://linktr.ee/doweknowthem  In today's episode, the girlies discuss the upsetting situation surrounding Peanut the Squirrel and Fred the Raccoon, two famous social media animals that were seized from their long time home by the state of New York due to their owners not possessing the proper permits to care for them.  We hope you enjoyed this episode! Please let us know on Twitter or Instagram if you have any topic suggestions for next Sunday! (@lily_marston & @jessismiles__) 1:18 Peanut The Squirrel  41:28 MUA Cancels on Client for Paris Hilton 1:14:08 We Love the Internet!   Business Inquiries: doweknowthempodcast@gmail.com

She was a maiden of fifteen who lived with her parents in the Christian enclave of Sinope in Pontus during the 1700s. One day, as she went to the marketplace, she passed by the house of the local Pasha (governor), who, seeing her beauty, was seized by lust for her. He ordered his servants to bring her to him, and made two attempts to defile her; each time, however, he was prevented by a mysterious power that kept him from her like an invisible wall. Determined to have his way for her, he kept her prisoner in his house; but she was able to slip away and run home to her parents' house.   Enraged that his prey had escaped, the Pasha called together the leaders of the Christian community and promised that, unless Helen were handed over to him, all the Christians in the town would be massacred. Grief-stricken and fearful, the leaders persuaded Helen's father to return the girl to the palace. The vile Pasha made several more attempts to rape the Saint, but once again he was restrained as if by an invisible wall as she recited the Six Psalms and all the prayers that she knew by heart. Realizing that he was powerless against her, the Pasha had her thrown in the common jail, then ordered that she be tortured to death. The executioners subjected the maiden to several cruel torments before killing her by driving two nails into her skull and beheading her. They then put her body in a sack and threw it in the Black Sea.   Some Greek sailors followed a heavenly light to the place where the sack had sunk, and divers retrieved the Saint's relics, which immediately revealed themselves as a source of healing for many. Her body was taken to Russia; her head was placed in the church in Sinope, where it continued to work miracles, especially for those who suffered from headaches. When the Greeks were driven from Sinope in 1924, refugees took the head with them. It is venerated today in a church near Thessalonika.

Catholic parishes in the United States have been the target of viciously evil acts by secular forces who are clearly influenced by demons. Sponsored by Blessed Be God Boutique https://www.blessedbegodboutique.com Sources: https://www.returntotradition.org Contact Me: Email: return2catholictradition@gmail.com Support My Work: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AnthonyStine SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.net/return-to-tradition Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AnthonyStine Physical Mail: Anthony Stine PO Box 3048 Shawnee, OK 74802 Follow me on the following social media: https://www.facebook.com/ReturnToCatholicTradition/ https://twitter.com/pontificatormax +JMJ+ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anthony-stine/support

“America's Government Teacher” has smart tips for staying calm in turbulent times.After years of serving as a high school government and law teacher, Sharon McMahon took her passion for education to Instagram, where more than a million people (who affectionately call themselves “Governerds”) rely on her for non-partisan, fact-based information.Sharon is also the host of the award-winning podcast, Here's Where It Gets Interesting, where, each week, she provides entertaining yet factual accounts of America's most fascinating moments and people. In addition, she is the author of The Preamble, a Substack newsletter about politics and history. In this episode we talk about:How to avoid being ‘confidently wrong' How we often get confused between our opinions and our identity—which makes it very hard to change our opinionsThe importance of having a diverse media diet Tips for consuming the news without driving yourself nutsHow to have compassion for people who we completely disagree withHow history can be a balm for hopelessness—an antidote for when we're tempted to conclude that things have never been worseHow everyday people have way more power than we thinkAnd why hope is a choice.Related Episodes:Eight Things I'm Doing To Stay Sane During Election Season | Dan Harris#405. How You Help End Polarization and Inequality – and Get Happier, Too | Robert Putnam & Shaylyn Romney Garrett3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel LingoSign up for Dan's newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier online bookstoreSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular EpisodesFull Shownotes: https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/sharon-mcmahon-847Additional Resources:Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://app.tenpercent.com/link/downloadSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunger returns to Paris! Plagued by shortages and inflation, the capital's Jacobins battle to maintain control. Amidst the unrest, the Enraged strike back! This episode explores the continuing power struggles between the Jacobins, the Hébertists, and the Enragés. It also unpacks the shifting policies of these factions as all try to retain the support of the sans-culottes. Early Access Don't wait! Support the show and listen to Episode 78 Divided Heights now! Available for all True Revolutionaries and above! The Grey History Community Help keep Grey History on the air! Every revolution needs its supporters, and we need you! With an ad-free feed, a community discord, a reading club, and tonnes of exclusive bonus content, you're missing out! Do your part for as little as half a cup of coffee per episode! It's the best value on the internet, with the best people too! Join Now And Support the Show Make a one-off donation Contact Me Send your questions, praise, and scorn here Newsletter Sign Up for Free Bonus Episode Follow on Social Media: Facebook Instagram X Advertising Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on Grey History: The French Revolution and Napoleon. All members of the Grey History Community have an ad-free version of the show. Support the show here. About Grey History: The French Revolution and Napoleon is a podcast dedicated to exploring the complexities of our history. By examining both the experiences of contemporaries and the conclusions of historians, Grey History seeks to unpack the ambiguities and nuances of the past. Understanding the French Revolution and the age of Napoleon Bonaparte is critical to understanding the history of the world, so join us on a journey through a series of events that would be almost unbelievable if it weren't for the fact that it's true! If you're looking for a binge-worthy history podcast on the Revolution and Napoleon, you're in the right place! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the Nanchang and Autumn Harvest Uprisings. On August 1st, during the Nanchang Uprising, the CCP's 2nd Front Army inflicted heavy casualties and seized substantial weaponry. Reorganized under He Long and Ye Ting, the army, then 20,000 strong, celebrated in Nanchang, attracting new recruits. However, faced with an imminent counterattack, they retreated south in what became known as the "little long march." Despite initial successes, like capturing Huichang County, internal strife and harsh conditions reduced their numbers significantly. By the end of August, they reached Guangdong, but relentless opposition from Nationalist forces led to severe losses. The remaining forces retreated east, encountering brutal battles and a final, devastating defeat. Scattered, the remnants sought refuge and eventually regrouped, with leaders like Zhou Enlai and He Long navigating exile and adversity. The uprising marked the CCP's first armed resistance against the KMT, a prelude to continued revolutionary efforts, notably the Autumn Harvest Uprising, amid widespread, strategic shifts in CCP policy and leadership, including Mao Zedong's influential role.   #120 The Guangzhou, Gansu and Red Spear Uprisings Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Last we left off the Nanchang and Autumn Harvest uprisings saw mixed to….lets be honest kind of lackluster results. Both certainly saw their hardships for the passionate people involved. Countless gave their lives for a cause they truly believed in. This was China's warlord era, so many differing groups made grand promises for bright futures, such as warlords, the KMT and of course the CCP. The CCP having undergone the White Terror, now sought to unleash their own independent revolution, now released by the shackles of the KMT.  On the 7th the CCP Central Committee held an emergency meeting, where Chen Duxiu was criticized for his appeasement of the KMT right wing. It was also during this meeting, the CCP formalized how they would go about implementing a land revolution and armed uprisings. The CCP then received strong suggestions from Joseph Stalin, that they should unleash a major uprising to seize control over a province, hinting at performing such a deed in Guangzhou in the hopes of taking Guangdong. In accordance the head of the CCP Qu Qiubai decided they needed to persuade soldiers to their cause to perform such a thing. Many within the CCP leadership did not support such plans, deeming the chance of winning control over a province to be highly unlikely, but their Soviet advisors were strongly pushing for it.   On the 20th Zhang Tailei, the secretary of the Guangdong CCP provincial committee, discussed plans for a provincial wide uprising. They would mobilize the workers and peasants to hold riots in key locations within Guangdong, particularly Guangzhou. The ultimate plan was to seize Guangdong by establishing uprising committees in Beijiang, Xijiang and Guangzhou. In early October the Nanchang uprising suffered tremendous losses at Chao'an and Shantou. This setback changed the minds of those seeking to seize all of Guangdong and instead they directed their efforts to mobilizing workers in Guangzhou to carry out political and economic struggles. On November 17th within Guangdong and Guangxi, petty warlords began a little war. This was between the KMT aligned warlords Zhang Fakui and Li Jishen. The CCP Central Committee believed this little war was a major opportunity and jumped to exploit it.  Zhang Fakui was vulnerable in particular. He was colluding with Wang Jingwei at the time, his primary job was to eliminate the pervading influence of the CCP in the Guangzhou area. Zhang Fakui's troops continuously rounded up suspected communists and kept a close eye on the Soviet consulate at all times. Zhang Fakui's troops were more or less brutalizing the common people, not a tasteful job by any means and one that demoralized them. It was because of this the CCP knew they might be able to win over some of his troops to their side. The CCP played upon the low standard of living and economic instability of warlord era China, hoping to appeal to the masses for a Soviet communist style system rather than what the KMT proposed. Here is a taste of some of the slogans they wrote on placards and proclaimed in major city centers: Raise the Soldiers' Pay to 20 Silver Dollars! Food for the Workers! Land to the Tillers! Knock Down the KMT and the Warlords! Kill All the Country Bullies and the Evil Landlords! Confiscate the Capitalists' Homes and Give Them to the Rebel Masses! All Authority to the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers! They passed the “resolution of the Guangdong work plan”, this would require the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee to expand some riots using workers and peasants within the cities and villages; incite soldiers to mutiny and resist the war and hopefully direct all said into a general riot to seize power. They would first begin by mobilizing farmers to refuse to pay winter rent and riot if they could. On November 26th, Zhang Tailei went to Guangzhou from Hong Kong covertly and convened a secret meeting with CPP members there. During these meetings it was decided they would take advantage of Zhang Fakui troops, who were currently very demoralized from fighting battles they honestly wanted nothing to do with. Within Guangzhou was the 4th army teaching corps and part of the guards corps amongst smaller CCP militia groups. Zhang Tailei would act as chairman, Huang Ping and Zhou Wenyong would all lead the uprising. After the meeting Zhang Tailei and the others went to the Teaching Corps and Guards Corps to mobilize them, as well as begin training some worker Red Guards who formed into 7 regiments and 2 death squads with Zhou Wengyong as their commander in chief. The Fourth army teaching corps was reorganized from a KMT political school with Ye Jianying as their leader. In early December, Comintern agent Heinz Neumann arrived in Guangdong, to add the uprising. Its said he had a large influence on the committee and took a leading role in what happened. Ye Jianying formed a communist infiltrated cadet regiment roughly 1200 men strong, that would form the core of their army. Added to this was an ad-hoc Red Guard of about 2000 armed workers. On December 6th the Guangdong Provincial Committee chaired by Zhang Tailei approved a declaration and letter to the people as well as made arrangements for the establishment of a Soviet government in Guangzhou. They had decided to enact the uprising on December 12th. In the meantime the headquarters and staff for the uprising were established, Ye Ting would be commander in chief and Ye Jianying would be his deputy. On the eve of the uprising, Wang Jingwei and Zhang Fakui both became aware of the impending uprising so they immediately began disbanding the teaching units, imposed martial law in Guangzhou and transferred their main forces back to Guangzhou. The CCP found out the jig was up so they unleashed the uprising ahead of schedule on the morning of the 11th.  At 3:30am under the leadership of Zhang Tailei, Ye Ting, Huang Ping, Zhou Wenyong, Ye Jianying and Yang Yin, the entire teaching regiment, part of the guard regiment and the armed worker Red Guards totaling about 5000 people, 2000 of which were the Red Guards, launched a surprise attack upon key points in Guangzhou from several directions. Some Soviets, Koreans and Vietnamese in Guangzhou also were said to participate in the uprising. I read that last one from a single source and I kinda doubt it. In fact evidence suggests the CCP leadership was extremely mixed on this uprising. Commanders Ye Ting, Ye Jiangying and Xu Xiangqian strongly suggested against going through with it, arguing they were too badly armed to have any success, only 2000 of them even had rifles. The CCP began by first seducing troops of Zhang Fakui. The first units to enter the city were the infamous dare-to-die units. As the name suggests, these men were like a suicidal vanguard stormed police stations, seizing their weapons and cars. They also took control over city buses and trucks to spread the incoming Red army units throughout the city as fast as possible. Along the eastern route, under the direct command of Ye Ting the main force quickly defeated an infantry regiment stationed in Shahe, capturing 600 prisoners, numerous small firearms and eliminated an artillery regiment stationed at Yantang. On the middle route, part of the teaching regiment and Red Guards captured the KMT Guangdong Provincial government building sitting on the commanding heights of Guangyin Mountain, known today as Yuexiu Mountain. On the southern route, the 3rd battalion of the Guards regiment and Red Guards attacked the headquarters of the 4th army and their arsenal, but encountered stiff resistance and were unable to capture them. Meanwhile peasants in Fangcun, Xicun and suburbs of Guangzhou launched uprisings with some gaining urban worker cooperation. Within 4 hours of battle the uprising was providing results, excluding the headquarters of the 4th army. The armory, rear office of the 12th division of the 4th army, the police forces and urban area north of the Pearl River was secured. They took control over government buildings, the central bank which at that time had a very large silver reserve and numerous barracks. To suppress any resistance they began grabbing KMT troops who refused to comply and executed them in the streets. They also marked and burnt down the residences of KMT officials. They had eliminated numerous enemies and captured 20 artillery pieces and 1000 small arms. That same day members the new Soviet government of Guangzhou was formed with Su Zhaozheng becoming its chairman. Upon its establishment the Guangzhou Soviet declared a “letter to the people” with decrees.  Meanwhile during the outbreak of hostilities, Chen Gongbo, the chairman of the KMT Guangdong provincial government, Zhang Fakui, Huang Qixiang the commander of the 4th Army and other KMT officials hastily fled to the headquarters of Li Fulin's 5th army stationed over at the Haizhong temple on the south bank of the pearl river. There they ordered the 12th division, the 78th rgiment of the 26th division, the 25th division in Dongjiang and the 1st and 2nd regiment of the 1st training division in Shunde to march upon Gaungzhou. This saw roughly 15,000 NRA troops converging upon the city. On the 12th more than 3 of Zhang Fakui's divisions and part of Li Fulin's 5th army assembled along the south bank of the pearl river with the support of British, American, French and Japanese warships and marines. They prepared a counterattack from the east, west and south. The communists fought desperately against much superior forces in terms of numbers, training and equipment. They suffered heavy losses, including the death of Zhang Tailei. Zhang Fakui's troops arrived one after another gradually surrounding the city. At a critical moment the CCP leadership called for a retreat from the city to preserve the forces they had left. The surviving 1000 Reds fled Guangzhou in the early hours of the 13th whereupon they were reorganized into the 4th Red division. They fled to Huaxian, then Haifeng and Lufegen counties where they joined others performing uprisings in the Dongjiang and Youjiang areas. A few survivors went to Shaoguan, joining survivors of the Nanchang uprising led by Zhu De and Chen Yi. After the KMT secured Guangzhou they carried out a bloody suppression of anyone suspecting of being a communist or sympathetic to the cause. The CCP estimated that perhaps more than 5700 people were killed. The Soviet consulate in Guangzhou was also attacked around 8pm on the 13th. All of its personnel were arrested and according to the testimony of Soviet Consul Pokhvalinsky, diplomats Ukolov and Ivanov “Each of them had a sign tied to their body that read: ‘Russian Communist, anyone can punish him at will.' … Along the way, people threw things at them, hit them, stabbed them with knives, and spit on them.” They both would later be shot, alongside the deputy consul named Hasis. Ye Ting, was scapegoated, purged and blamed for the failure of the Guangzhou uprising, despite the fact he was one of the commanders arguing it should have been called off in the first place. Enraged by how he was treated, Ye Ting fled China and went into exile in Europe. Although the Nanchang, Autumn Harvest and Guangzhou uprisings had all failed to achieve their primary objectives, they did kindle a fire within China. Rather then become demoralized and whither away, the communists pushed even more uprisings and would grow each year. This began what the CCP refers to as the “ten year civil war”, a period that will end in 1936. Now we are going to take a little break from the Chinese Civil War until we hit the early 1930's, but there have been quite a lot of events overshadowed by the Northern Expedition. I of course can't get into everything that was going on in China during the late 1920's, but I thought it be a good idea to at least tackle some of the big ones. If you remember all the way back when I was listing the different warlord cliques, one of them was the Ma clique. Feng Yuxiang's Guominjun had been shoved into the northwest after the Anti-Fengtian war and one province his men began to oversee was Gansu. At the time famine, natural disasters and the forced seizure of farming land for opium cultivation drove the people of Gansu to rebellion. Two Hui Muslim Generals, Ma Zhongying and Ma Tingxiang exploited the situation to perform a revolt against the Guominjun in 1928.  Prior to this, there had been a lot of ethnic/religious fighting within the province of Gansu. An American botanist named James Rock wrote accounts of how he saw fighting between the Hui Muslims ld by the warlord Ma Qi and Tibetan Buddhists at the Labrang Monastery. Back in 1917, Tibetans in Xunhua had rebelled against Ma Anliang because of over taxation. Ma Anliang did not report this to the Beiyang government and was reprimanded for it, seeing Ma Qi sent by the Beiyang government to investigate and suppress the rebellion. Ma Qi commanded the Ninghai Army in Qinghai and used his forces to seize the Labrang Monastery in 1917. This was the first time non-Tibetans had taken the monastery. Because of this ethnic/religious riots broke out between Muslims and Tibetans seeing Ma Qi defeat the Tibetans. Afterwards he heavily taxed the town of Labrang for over 8 years and repeatedly quelled uprisings. In 1921 he crushed Tibetan Monks trying to retake the monastery. In 1925 a full blown Tibetan rebellion broke out, seeing thousands attacking Hui Muslims. Ma Qi responded by deploying 3000 troops who quickly retook Labrang and machine gunned thousands of Tibetans trying to flee. Ma Qi would besiege Labrang numerous times seeing Hui Muslims, Mongols and Tibetans all fighting for control over Labrang, but by 1927 Ma Qi gave it all up. Ma Qi became the governor of Qinghai and moved on. However, that was not the last Labrang would see of General Ma Qi. The Hui forces looted and ravaged the monastery again and in revenge Tibetans skinned alive many Hui soldiers. One of the most common practices was to slice open the stomach of a living soldier and then put hot rocks inside the stomach. Many Hui women were sold to the ethnic Han and Kazakhs. Children were adopted by the Tibetans. Now come 1927, Feng Yuxiang became the governor of Gansu. To control the region, Feng Yuxiang incorporated and promoted Hui Muslim Generals within his Guominjun. Feng Yuxiang placed Liu Yufen with 15,000 troops to act as governor while he jumped into the northern expedition. There was a particularly nasty earthquake that year, followed by drought and famine. Liu Yufen responded to the situation by overtaxing the populace. During the later half of the northern expedition, Zhang Zuolin fomented any rebellious fires he could amongst his enemies and he could see within Gansu there was an opportunity to exploit. He began sending shipments of weapons to the son of Ma Anliang, Ma Tingxiang who unleashed a revolt against Liu Yufen in Liangzhou. The revolt soon spread and this saw Ma Tingxiang unleash a siege against Hezhou in the spring of 1928. To support the siege, Ma Zhongying recruited Hui, Dongxiang and Salar Muslims, forming an army nearly 10,000 strong. By November, the Hezhou besiegers numbered 25,000 and were beginning to starve. So the men were directed towards the Tao River Valley in the south where they began slaughtering Tibetan monks. They burned the place of the Tibetan Tusi Chief King Yang Jiqing after defeating his 3000 man strong army and sacked the Tibetan city of Chone. The Tibetan areas south of Gansu were laid to waste. At Taozhou Tibetan militias tried to fight off the force of Ma Tingxiang but were defeated. However they did inflict severe casualties upon Ma Tingxiang's forces. This only emboldened more atrocities, seeing muslim forces burn printing presses and temples of the Tibetan Buddhists in Chone. The muslims then looted the Gompa (for those who don't know a Gompa is a sacred Buddhist spiritual compound, sort of like a buddhist university) and massacred the Tibetan Buddhist monks of the Labrang monastery.  The Austrian-American botanist Joseph Rock witnessed much of the carnage and even found himself stuck in a battle in 1929. He described seeing Muslim armies leaving behind Tibetan skeletons over wide areas and decorated the Labrang Monastery with severed Tibetan heads. During the 1929 battle of Xiahe near Labrang, severed Tibetan heads were apparently used as ornaments by Hui Muslim troops within their camps. Rock stated “how the heads of young girls and children were staked around the encampment. Ten to fifteen heads were fastened to the saddle of every Muslim cavalryman. The heads were "strung about the walls of the Moslem garrison like a garland of flowers" The blood flowed until 1929 whence Liu Yufen with support of Feng Yuxiang finally drove off their forces. Its estimated up to 2 million died in the war across Gansu. Ma Tingxiang tried to defect to Chiang Kai-Shek, but would find himself captured later by Feng Yuxiang who executed him. Another notable rebellion occurred in the good old province of Shandong, because where else right?  You may remember me talking about a small group known as the Red Spear Society. They were a movement made up of peasants, who formed self-defense militias during China's Warlord Era. There were numerous branches, but the largest one was in Shandong, particularly within Laiyang county. They of course were so numerous in Shandong because of our old friend the Dogmeat General Zhang Zongchang. Zhang Zongchang notoriously abused the populace of Shandong with gross mismanagement, over taxation and pure brutality. Lets also be honest, Shandong just keeps rearing its head through this podcast series, its basically the melting pot for uprisings. In the fall of 1928, banditry rose exponentially across the Shandong Peninsula, leading more and more villages to join the Red Spear Society trying to defend themselves. Meanwhile with Zhang Zongchang defeated and tossed into exile in Dalian, his subordinate, Liu Zhennian became the new ruler of the province. Liu Zhennian had defected to the KMT at the very last moment, betraying his master so he could steal his fiefdom. Liu Zhennians rule was just as bad if not worse than the Dogmeat General. He overtaxed the population, though a little less than Zhang Zongchang mind you. He used his personal army to brutalize the population, many of his troops simply became bandits looting and pillaging the countryside. All of this further antagonized the Red Spear Society.  In 1928 the Red Spear Society organized a militant tax resistance, causing Liu Zhennians officials to fear even going near a village, particularly at Laiyang and Zhaoyuan where large concentrations of Red Spears were. Now the Red Spears were not the only problem that would hit Shandong in the late 1920's. Our good friend, Zhang Zongchang, exiled in Dalian could not take it anymore and wanted to seize back his power base from his former subordinate. He formed a plot to perform an uprising in Shandong with the help of Chu Yupu and Huang Fengqi. Zhang Zongchang first enlisted the help of one of his former White Russian Commanders, Generals Grigory Semyonov and Konstantin Petrovich Nechaev. Zhang Zongchangs plan to recapture Shandong rested upon the tens of thousands of his former soldiers still within the province. Many of them had not joined the NRA and instead tossed their lot in as bandits. Within quite a precarious economic situation without a real leader, many of them were willing to come back to Zhang Zongchang. These men were certainly not in the best shape. They were demoralized, lacked weapons and training, but they did have one thing going for them. Their war was to be against Liu Zhennians forces and not the crack NRA. Liu Zhennians forces were technically part of the NRA, but in reality they were just a bunch of under trained Fengtian troops who had no real allegiance to the new Nationalist government. They had zero support from the population of Shandong, whom they terrorized. Zhang Zongchang would also have the financial backing of Japan for his little venture.  When Zhang Zongchang came over to Shandong, this caused Liu Zhennians garrison units at Longkou and Huangxian to mutiny in late January of 1929. The local commanders, Liu Kaitai, Xu Tienpin, Li Xutung and Kao Pengqi all began working to overthrow Liu Zhennian. They renounced their allegiance to the KMT and began a revolt. Roughly 3000 men strong consisting of Zhang ZOngchangs former Shandong troops and some Ex-Zhili forces they began to loot and pillage Longkou, Huangxian and Dengzhou. The foreign communities in these parts fled to two Japanese warships at harbor. The Imperial Japanese Navy then sent a squadron to protect their citizens in the area. This was soon followed up by 20,000 troops of Liu Zhennian. However instead of facing Liu Zhennian's men, the mutineers fled into areas defended by the Red Spears. The mutineers and Red Spears formed an alliance, and they prepared an offensive against Longkou. In February the rebels gained the upper hand and pushed Liu Zhennian into the Zhifu area in northeastern Shandong. On February 19th, Zhang Zongchang, Chu Yupu and Huang Fengqi landed at Longkou with a small detachment. The mutineers promptly joined their old master and as he set up a new HQ at Dengzhou. From there they marched upon Zhifu. 15 miles short of Zhifu Zhang Zongchang's now 5000 man strong army ran into Liu Zhennians near Fushan. Zhang Zongchang was hopelessly outnumbered, but luckily Huang Fengqi had spent most of February recruiting their old comrades and managed to assemble 26,000 troops. Meanwhile, Liu Zhennian now had fewer troops than Zhang Zongchang and his KMT backers did not support him very much. What he did receive from the KMT was 200,000 rounds of ammunition, and roughly 50,000 yuan for military funds. Furthermore he was impaired by the presence of the IJN who were secretly supporting Zhang Zongchang by not allowing NRA reinforcements into the area. After a series of skirmishes, Zhang Zongchang arrived at Zhifu with a force nearly 25,000 strong, while Liu Zhennian only had 7000 men left to defend the town. On february 21st the two sides clashed and surprisingly it was Zhang Zongchang who lost. Despite their numbers, they simply were not armed well enough to fight an army who enjoyed fortifications. Another issue they faced was the fact, Zhang Zongchang was not even present during the battle. Zhang Zongchang suffered 500 casualties, roughly 200 deaths and 300 captured, perhaps worse he lost nearly 3000 rifles and 15 machine guns. He pulled back his army to Dengzhou, undaunted by the defeat. Zhang Zongchang's troops then began pillaging the local population. Zhang Zongchang began negotiations with Liu Zhennian trying to convince him to surrender. Certainly Liu Zhennian was not in a good state, by February 25th roughly 15,000 of his troops near the area of Weihaiwei had defected to Zhang Zongchang. By the end of the month Zhang Zongchang effectively controlled eastern Shandong. It was around early March when Zhang Zongchang announced a new warlord coalition, consisting of himself, Chu Yupu, Qi Xieyuan, Wu Peifu, Bai Chongxi, Yan Xishan and countless Fengtian commanders who would soon launch a campaign to defeat the KMT. You are probably thinking to yourself, some of those names don't make any sense, why would they join old Dogmeat? They didn't, he simply made the entire thing up, because he had something cooking in Beijing. Zhang Zongchang sought to foment an anti-KMT movement in north China. On March 2nd, 20 armed men wearing civilian clothing suddenly disarmed the Shanxi Army guards at the Yonghe Temple. These men then fired into the air signaling a regiment loyal to Zhang Zongchang to perform a mutiny. The mutineers quickly manned the temple walls, barricaded themselves in and seized control over nearby fortifications. From their vantage points they began shooting at the local populace causing panic and disorder. Then at lightning speed the KMT forces in Beijing surrounded the Yonghe Temple and forced the mutineers to surrender. Only 2 mutineers were killed, 35 were wounded, but a lot of civilians had been hurt. Despite being a bit comical if you think about it, the Beijing Revolt as it became known received a lot of press. The Nanjing government then took some steps to prevent any more Shandong NRA troops from joining the rebels. Meanwhile back over in eastern Shandong, Zhang Zongchangs troops had literally razed 6 large towns and 50 villages to the ground, apparently in retaliation because someone tried to assassinate Zhang Zongchang. It would not take much for those back under the Dogmeat Generals rule to want to kill him. He was back to his old brutal ways, going even above and beyond. It is said captured women were being sold as slaves at Huangxian for 10-20 mexican dollars. One of Zhang Zongchangs commanders, General Li Xudong had his forces plunder Laizhou before returning to the frontlines around Zhifu. Liu Zhennians forces were likewise looting, albeit on a smaller scale. Liu Zhennian was also ignoring orders from Chiang Kai-Shek to control his men and act in accordance with NRA protocols, IE: no raping, looting and such. The civilian population of Zhifu were so brutalized many simply fled for Dalian. There emerged a growing international concern for the foreign community in eastern Shandong. Several foreign warships began to anchor there. Meanwhile the Red Spear Society was occupying parts of Shandongs hinterland, expanding their influence as countless villages and towns joined them for protection. The Red Spear Society were not the only ones forming localize self defense forces. Being Shandong, the act of doing so had been as ancient as time it self, a lot of irregular armed groups rose up such as the one 2000 man strong army led by Wang Zucheng known as the “southern army” and another force calling themselves the White Spear Society. This group was explicitly raised to defend local villages from Zhang Zongchangs men, but quickly found themselves under attack from local armed groups as well. The White Spears, like the Red Spears, formed a powerbase in Shandongs hinterland.  By early March, Zhang Zongchang and Liu Zhennian agreed to a 5 day ceasefire. Zhang Zongchang followed this up by trying to bribe Liu Zhennian to defect back to him. He offered him 100,000 yuan but in Liu Zhennians words "I thought my loyalty was worth at least 500,000 yuan". Zhang Zongchang was unwilling to pay that much, so Liu Zhennian remained on the side of the KMT. Thus both parties gathered more troops to do battle, once the 5 days were over Zhang Zongchang attacked Zhifu. While under siege, Liu Zhennian received 7000 reinforcements from a local warlord named Sun Dianying. Unfortunately soon after, one of Liu Zhennians regimental commanders, Colonel Liang defected to Zhang Zongchang, opening the gates of the city. Liu Zhennians forces managed to retreat in good order eastwards as Zhang Zongchang began brutalizing the local population. A 6 day long spree of rape, murder and looting devestated Zhifu. By March 28th the Japanese and KMT government signed an agreement resulting in the departure of Japanese forces from Shandong. Meanwhile Liu Zhennian's army had fled to Muping where they found themselves yet again under siege. Liu Zhennian sortied to attack his assailants, inflicting 2000 casualties. As the siege progressed, Liu Zhennian offered to surrender on April 4th, but Zhang Zongchang refused, thinking he had the win in the bag. Unfortunately for Zhang Zongchang, his men gradually sought to plunder the undefended countryside rather than maintain the siege, greatly reducing his strength. During a final attempt to take Muping on April 22nd, Zhang Zongchang's army was routed. Liu Zhennian launched a counter offensive forcing most of Zhang Zongchangs men into the countryside. Countless simply became bandits again, Zhang Zongchangs big attempt to retake the province had crumbled.  Zhang Zongchang yet again fled to Dalian, leaving Chu Yupu with just under 5000 men. Chu Yupu fled to Fushan where he took its 20,000 inhabitants hostage. For 13 days Chu Yupu was besieged by NRA forces. During those 13 days, Chu Yupu's men raped, murdered and looted. Apparently they tied up over 400 women and children to be used as human shields during the siege as well. Chu Yufu eventually surrendered, whereupon numerous women and girls committed suicide having become raped and pregnant. Over 1500 NRA and 2000 rebels were reportedly killed during the siege of Fushan. The city that had been plundered heavily for 13 days, was then plundered by the besiegers. Chu Yupu had secured a deal with the KMT to be allowed to go into exile in Korea with 400,000$ worth of silver. Now again back to those Red Spears. By the summer of 1929 they had ballooned into what was effectively a proto-state around Dengzhou. They had established a magistrate, taken over all the local administration and introduced land and head taxes to fund themselves…which is ironic. Within their territory they refused to pay governmental taxes. They introduced a forced conscription of at least one member of each family. The taxes collected funded buying arms and ammunition and any NRA or KMT officials who came near were shot on sight. It got to the point if anyone was caught speaking without the local dialect they were turned away. By august they were roughly 60,000 strong and were too large for Liu Zhennian not to deal with any longer. On September 23rd Liu Zhennien unleashed an encirclement campaign between Dengzhou and Huangxian, performing a scorched earth policy. His troops destroyed 18 villages and largely burned down another 60 killing everyone they encountered, whether man, woman or child. By November the Red Spears in the area ceased to exist. It was just another sunny day in Shandong province.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Guangzhou uprisings was another testament to the lengths the CCP would go to try and carve out a new communist China. The Gansu and Red Spear uprisings were just a few amongst countless tales of the absolute mayhem and chaos that was China's warlord era, when the real victims were always the same, the common people of China.  

The faction menace returns! The Enraged and the Jacobins battle for supremacy, while the Hébertists rise to challenge both! This episode explore The Manifesto of the Enraged, and the emergence of Jacques Hébert as a revolutionary leader. Early Access Don't wait! Support the show and listen to Episode 77 "The Battle for the Sans-Culottes Part II" now! Available for all True Revolutionaries and above! The Grey History Community Help keep Grey History on the air! Every revolution needs its supporters, and we need you! With an ad-free feed, a community discord, a reading club, and tonnes of exclusive bonus content, you're missing out! Do your part for as little as half a cup of coffee per episode! It's the best value on the internet, with the best people too! Join Now And Support the Show Make a one-off donation Contact Me Send your questions, praise, and scorn here Newsletter Sign Up for Free Bonus Episode Follow on Social Media: Facebook Instagram X Advertising Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on Grey History: The French Revolution and Napoleon. All members of the Grey History Community have an ad-free version of the show. Support the show here. About Grey History: The French Revolution and Napoleon is a podcast dedicated to exploring the complexities of our history. By examining both the experiences of contemporaries and the conclusions of historians, Grey History seeks to unpack the ambiguities and nuances of the past. Understanding the French Revolution and the age of Napoleon Bonaparte is critical to understanding the history of the world, so join us on a journey through a series of events that would be almost unbelievable if it weren't for the fact that it's true! If you're looking for a binge-worthy history podcast on the Revolution and Napoleon, you're in the right place! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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