浙江湖州人陳英士是辛亥革命的急先鋒，是孫中山的左右手。這里著重介紹陳英士指揮上海起義的故事。

陳英士果斷決定上海起義

1911年11月2日，同盟會(huì)在上海的首領(lǐng)陳英士接緊急情報(bào)，獲悉清軍的5艘軍艦，已停泊在吳淞口，準(zhǔn)備從上海江南制造局裝載槍支彈藥去接濟(jì)由馮國璋率領(lǐng)的鎮(zhèn)壓武昌起義的北洋軍。情況危急！一旦武漢三鎮(zhèn)重陷敵手，辛亥革命將大局危殆。陳英士當(dāng)機(jī)立斷，準(zhǔn)備立即起義；電話約見光復(fù)會(huì)首領(lǐng)之一李燮和。

武昌起義后，李燮和利用湖南同鄉(xiāng)的關(guān)系，先策反了吳淞巡官黃漢湘和閘北隊(duì)隊(duì)官陳漢欽。然后通過兩人的介紹，又聯(lián)絡(luò)了駐滬巡防營管帶豹文、巡防水師營管帶王楚雄、海巡鹽捕營統(tǒng)領(lǐng)朱建燎、吳淞警務(wù)區(qū)區(qū)長楊承溥、濟(jì)軍督隊(duì)徐占魁等人。滬軍營和江南制造局附近的炮兵一營的士兵，經(jīng)過聯(lián)絡(luò)，也表示愿意聽命于李燮和。這樣，吳淞、閘北等處的軍警基本上被李燮和所掌握。

為了同一個(gè)目標(biāo)，兩個(gè)人走到了一起。陳英士和李燮和分析了當(dāng)前的形勢。陳英士還對上海城內(nèi)的軍警做了大量的策反工作，警察廳長答應(yīng)參與、至少也會(huì)中立，這等于控制了上海治理大權(quán)。

李燮和認(rèn)為起義計(jì)劃也是可行的，于是同意起義。雙方正式?jīng)Q定11月3日下午4時(shí)發(fā)動(dòng)上海起義。同盟會(huì)、光復(fù)會(huì)形成了一只鐵拳、一股洪流。這就成了辛亥革命在上海起義取得勝利的主要力量。

陳英士負(fù)責(zé)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)進(jìn)攻上海縣城，然后自南而北；李燮和負(fù)責(zé)組織進(jìn)攻吳淞、閘北，自北而南。雙方會(huì)師后聯(lián)合進(jìn)擊江南制造局，共同光復(fù)上海。

11月3日上午，負(fù)責(zé)閘北起義的總指揮陳漢欽傳達(dá)起義的消息時(shí)，走漏了風(fēng)聲。巡警總局馬上布置兵力抓捕革命黨人。李燮和立刻打電話給陳英士，火急地問：“怎么辦？”

陳英士決斷地說：“容不得多考慮，只有提前起義?！?/p>

上午10時(shí)，上海起義全面爆發(fā)。

陳英士等在上?？偵虝?huì)公開宣告獨(dú)立，升起了同盟會(huì)起義的標(biāo)志——青天白日旗，同時(shí)決定立即實(shí)施武裝起義。陳英士、李燮和雙方都組織了同盟會(huì)、光復(fù)會(huì)及幫會(huì)成員敢死隊(duì)。

起義開始后，閘北民軍迅速占領(lǐng)了抓捕革命黨人的巡警總局，率先得手。

陳英士的敢死隊(duì)進(jìn)占上海城廂的戰(zhàn)斗也比較順利。10時(shí)許，張承樵、劉福彪率領(lǐng)敢死隊(duì)抵達(dá)縣城城門時(shí)，守城的警察都已臂纏白布，列在兩旁迎接。進(jìn)入城門后，敢死隊(duì)直赴道臺衙門。

起義軍很快攻占了上?？h知事衙門、道臺衙門，順利光復(fù)了位于北部的閘北與吳淞。兩路起義軍勝利會(huì)師后，于下午4時(shí)在九畝地召開了數(shù)千人的誓師大會(huì)，以決定攻打上海起義成敗的最難啃的骨頭——清廷全國最大的軍火工廠江南制造局。

誓師會(huì)上，陳英士登上主席臺，全文朗讀了上海軍政分府的獨(dú)立宣言，宣告上海獨(dú)立。

革命黨人立即扯下了廣場正中旗桿上的黃龍旗，升上了同盟會(huì)制定的青天白日旗。

攻打江南制造局

集會(huì)以后，陳英士親自率領(lǐng)彈械精良的敢死隊(duì)200余人，從南市出發(fā)，直取江南制造局。各路敢死隊(duì)、商團(tuán)、民軍齊集，向江南制造局發(fā)起攻擊。陳英士隨隊(duì)督戰(zhàn)。

江南制造局位于上?？h城南門外的高昌廟，是當(dāng)時(shí)國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)新式武器的最大兵工廠之一，儲存著大批槍械彈藥。吳淞口外正停泊著清海軍的五艘軍艦，準(zhǔn)備從這里運(yùn)送軍火接濟(jì)進(jìn)攻漢陽的清軍。因此，奪取制造局，防止海軍運(yùn)走軍火，成了當(dāng)務(wù)之急。

由于江南制造局是上海的特等軍事要地，防衛(wèi)極嚴(yán)，通常駐有1個(gè)巡防營、2個(gè)炮兵營，還有各1營的護(hù)衛(wèi)親兵、護(hù)廠警士。

制造局總辦張士珩是安徽合肥人，系李鴻章的外甥，所部衛(wèi)隊(duì)300多人，都是安徽老鄉(xiāng)，戰(zhàn)斗力強(qiáng)。防守制造局的，除駐軍以外，還有特別巡警隊(duì)，同時(shí)在黃浦江中還泊有一艘炮艇，協(xié)同防御。上午，張士珩聽說閘北起事，急調(diào)巡防二營、四營，分駐高昌廟及斜橋等處，并在黃浦江邊置備六尊排炮，各要道還增設(shè)機(jī)關(guān)槍、小鋼炮。

讓張士珩想不到的是，陳英士帶著隊(duì)伍經(jīng)過巡防二營、四營的陣地時(shí)，雙方均舉手加額為禮，并沒有交火。他不知道，這兩個(gè)營已經(jīng)被陳英士策反了。

但攻打也是不可避免的。由于張士珩所部300多人武器精良、彈藥充足，加上清軍已有備在先，又占據(jù)了有利地形，所以，民軍的兩次沖擊，都遭到了清軍潑水似的火力射擊。不過，敢死隊(duì)在陳英士的指揮下，用火力壓制和土炸藥爆破，硬是沖垮了制造局第一道鐵門。但攻打第二道防衛(wèi)鐵門時(shí)，因守軍潛伏于門后二樓三樓的廊臺上，居高臨下，武器和射擊技術(shù)均很精良，不易攻打。如強(qiáng)攻、傷亡太大，戰(zhàn)事呈膠著狀態(tài)。

陳英士一方面急于求成，另一方面也感到在大局已定的情形下，實(shí)在沒必要造成敵我雙方無謂的人員傷亡。于是，他請各隊(duì)員暫停攻擊，自己赴前線喊話，要求?；?，同時(shí)準(zhǔn)備入內(nèi)勸降。隨后，他似乎將生死置之度外，便和這次行動(dòng)總指揮李平書打了招呼，就領(lǐng)著高子白闖進(jìn)制造局，希望說服總辦張士珩反正。

陳英士認(rèn)為自己能勸說警察廳長保持中立，策反巡防營倒戈，所以進(jìn)去后就立即勸說張士珩投降，告知革命黨人已在外面圍攻，聲勢赫赫。誰知軟硬兼施之下，張士珩仍絲毫不為所動(dòng)，反將陳英士五花大綁，并罵道：“你們這批亡命之徒，待我將外面這些狐群狗黨打死，再來殺你。”

李平書，原名安曾，上海寶山人，優(yōu)貢出身。曾任江南制造局提調(diào)，又是自治公所議員，與張士珩有業(yè)務(wù)往來，也有交情。聽聞陳英士闖虎穴而被捕，心中焦急，他和湖州籍商人王一平商量后，便利用合法身份，也闖進(jìn)制造局，要求釋放陳英士。張稱陳是叛匪頭目，拒不答應(yīng)，情況顯得十分危急。

主帥被囚，群情激奮，陳英士只身闖虎穴的大無畏精神極大地激發(fā)了義軍們血戰(zhàn)到底的斗志。于是連夜議事，李平書等公推王一亭起草反攻令，由李平書和民軍總司令李英石簽署發(fā)布。王一亭甚至臨陣哭師，流淚對反攻民軍說，英士為上海獨(dú)立，為保護(hù)諸君生命，他身先士卒、終至蹈險(xiǎn)被囚，以此激勵(lì)將士，學(xué)習(xí)英士，奮勇不顧，打下制造局，奪取上海光復(fù)全勝！并祝他們“成功歸來”！

凌晨3時(shí)，起義軍進(jìn)入陣地：李英石率眾宣誓，不避生死，誓獲全勝。李燮和也十分配合率領(lǐng)光復(fù)會(huì)人馬趕到，兩支義軍會(huì)合，將制造局團(tuán)團(tuán)包圍。

3時(shí)剛過，反攻打響。激烈交火中制造局的高墻無法突破，起義軍迂回曲折改由北面攻入。上海京劇藝人潘月樵，施展絕技翻上高墻，放火焚燒西墻根堆積的大批干木料。一時(shí)之間，制造局火光沖天，由于守軍部分人同情革命，他們朝天放槍。正面攻擊的敢死隊(duì)乘機(jī)用炸藥包炸開制造局第二道大門，沖進(jìn)院內(nèi)，這時(shí)，兩支起義軍也分別自北、西、南三面涌入。清軍非逃即降。張士珩見大勢已去，登上事先預(yù)備的小艇，倉皇逃往租界。革命軍占領(lǐng)制造局，陳英士獲救。中國東南重鎮(zhèn)上海至此全部光復(fù)。

陳英士只身闖虎穴一事，從此傳為佳話。

在上海光復(fù)的影響下，11月5日，江蘇省會(huì)、浙江省會(huì)幾乎同時(shí)宣布獨(dú)立。而11月6日，經(jīng)過公開爭論和競選，陳英士成為上海有史以來首任民選的滬軍都督。

Chen Yingshi and Shanghai Uprising in 1911

By Yu Fangde

Chen Yingshi (1878-1916) was a native of Huzhou， a central city in northern Zhejiang Province. He was a hero of the 1911 Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Long before the revolution broke out， the business people in Huzhou， the wealthiest place in China of that time， had concluded that the rotten dynasty must go and revolution was a must. The wealthiest business people from Huzhou were biggest silk tycoons in Shanghai. They had long since supported the revolution cause and committed resources. Chen Shiying was appointed chief executive of secret revolutionary activities. On November 2， 1911， 22 days after the Wuchang Uprising， Chen Yingshi received secret information that five government warships had arrived at Wusongkou， a military port at the estuary of the Yangtze River. The warships would load arms and ammunitions at the Jiangnan Arsenal before sailing to Wuhang to put out the revolution.

This was an emergency situation Chen must handle immediately. If Wuhan fell to the government， the revolution would fail. Chen decided to take immediate action. He phoned Li Xiehe and suggested an emergency meeting at the office of Minli News. Li was one of the leaders of Restoration Association.

Since the October 10 uprising in Wuchang， Li Xiehe had been working busily behind the scene to convert the high-ranking officers of the government over to adopt the revolution. Chen and Li talked about the situation and agreed to revolt against the government at four o’clock on the afternoon of November 3. Chen was to lead a force to seize the capital seat of Shanghai County and moved his troops northward to the downtown. Li Xiehe would launch military actions to grab important positions in downtown and then move southward to meet the rebels under the command of Chen. The two then would join forces to seize the Jiangnan Arsenal， the largest military factory of China.

However， the local government learned about the uprising in the morning and started an immediate crackdown on the revolutionary force. Chen decided to take action immediately. The armed revolt started at ten o’clock in the morning. Chen’s commandos seized the county capital of Shanghai. The two revolutionary forces met as planned in the afternoon. At four o’clock in the afternoon， the combined army started out to catch the last citadel of the city after a massive oath-taking rally.

Chen read the independence declaration on the Shanghai Military Government at the rally. The revolutionaries took down the Yellow Dragon flag and raised the Blue Sky White Sun flag， which represented the revolution of the Chinese restoration.

The siege of the Jiangnan Arsenal was difficult. The defense was composed of 300 well-armed and well-trained government soldiers with abundant ammunition. The commandos under the command of Chen Yingshi organized two charges. They successfully stormed through the first defense line but failed to push through the second iron gate. Thinking it was unnecessary to let more people die， Chen called for a brief ceasefire and went to talk with Zhang Shihang， the commander of the government troop in the compound. Zhang refused to surrender and took Chen as hostage.

The revolutionaries became angry and inspired by their fearless commander. At three o’clock in the morning， an all-out offense started. Pan Yueqiao， a Shanghai-based kongfu actor of Peking Opera， climbed over a high wall and started a fire on a pile of dry timber stacked by the west wall. For a moment， the arsenal compound blazed. Some government soldiers refused to fire at rebels. They directed their guns at the sky. The commandos blasted the second gate and more rebel soldiers stormed into the compound through three other gates. Zhang Shihang sneaked away in a small boat and fled to the foreign concessions. Chen Yingshi was released.

Spurred by the restoration of Shanghai， Suzhou in southern Jiangsu Province and Hangzhou， the capital of Zhejiang Province， declared their uprising against the government on November 5. On November 6， Chen Yingshi was elected the military governor of Shanghai.