History Live: Starting from Qin Shi Huang

Chapter 160 Beiyang Fleet
[Zuo Zongtang carried his coffin to the west and conquered 1.66 million square kilometers of territory in the Western Regions.]

[In 1884, the Sino-Japanese War broke out. Zuo Zongtang, who was already years old, went to the front line again despite his frail body. However, history did not give him any more time.]

The picture emerges.

The news that Li Hongzhang signed the Sino-Japanese Treaty spread like wildfire. Zuo Zongtang, who was already bedridden, was so angry that he sat up from his bed, his finger bones turning white from being pinched.

"Li Hongzhang, you are a traitor!"

His angry eyes were confused.

Because he didn't understand, why couldn't the imperial court stand up straight for once?
Is this nation frightened by the attacks of overseas powers?
It was mostly rainy during this period.

On his deathbed, he was still writing memorials and submitting them.

"The national territory must remain intact!"

"The Western Regions have been conquered. The next one is Taiwan Island. We must insist on establishing Taiwan Island as a province."

But he never waited for that moment.

[The establishment of a new order will inevitably be accompanied by the fierce and vigilant presence of tigers and wolves outside the Great Wall. ]

[The ambitions of the Japanese aliens are growing, and they are heading north, using Goryeo as a springboard to march into the mainland. ]

[In the same year, the Battle of Ganghwa Island broke out and Goryeo was forced to sign the Ganghwa Treaty. ]

【Li Hongzhang suggested "using barbarians to rule barbarians", and the capital of foreign powers moved into Goryeo to restrain the Japanese. The Japanese were desperate and launched a coup, but they met a ruthless person.】

(Li Hongzhang, like the old witch Cixi, was nailed to the pillar of shame in history.)
(One of them generously used the generosity of the world to enrich himself, and the other measured the material resources of China and won the favor of the country. They are definitely nailed to the pillar of shame in history.)
A name suddenly appeared in golden characters: Yuan Xiangcheng!
[The dragon and the tiger cannot fight each other, and the murderous aura rises to the sky. I want to open my huge mouth to the sky and swallow all the Hu Tianjiao in one gulp. Yuan Xiangcheng was born in a big family in Xiangcheng. His family got rich by participating in the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He was familiar with the art of war since he was a child. He didn't want to stay in the countryside as a local rich man, so he went out to make a living. In his early years, he followed the bureaucrat Wu Changqing to Goryeo, and since then he became rich and was sent to Goryeo by Li Hongzhang to supervise the country. 】

【The Beiyang Fleet was newly established, and everything was waiting to be rebuilt, and it was thriving. 】

[In the first year of the Guangxu reign, Li Hongzhang purchased four gunboats from the British Empire through the General Affairs Department.]

[In the fifth year of the Guangxu reign, the cruisers Yang Wei and Chao Yong were sent to the British Empire. ]

[In the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the German ironclad ships Dingyuan and Zhenyuan were also attacked.]

[In the 14th year of the Guangxu period, the Beiyang Fleet was officially declared complete! ]

Along with the golden words, Jiang Li also posted a series of old black-and-white photos.

In the photos, the huge fleets on the sea shocked the eyes of emperors of all dynasties.

"I have never heard of or seen such a large warship!"

Ying Zheng made such an exclamation.

[The Beiyang Fleet had a total of 25 main warships, 50 auxiliary warships, more than 30 transport ships, and more than 4,000 officers and soldiers! Among them, the eight ships Dingyuan, Zhenyuan, Zhiyuan, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, Laiyuan, Jiyuan, and Pingyuan were world-famous.]

【The strength is the first in Asia and the ninth in the world. 】

"Ten years of hard work have finally paid off!"

"With such a coastal defense navy, will the country rise?"

The two huge bodies of Dingyuan and Zhenyuan have deeply stimulated the eyes of emperors of all dynasties.

At that moment, the tense faces of emperors of various dynasties finally relaxed and a smile appeared on their faces.

With warships like this, we shouldn't be afraid of invasions from the Japanese anymore, right?

From the moment the Beiyang Fleet was established, this country finally had a little hope.

In the picture, a group of energetic young people are busy at their respective posts.

They trained hard, steed the iron-like sea overlord, and braved the wind and waves in the sea.

Those young people who went abroad to study back then have all grown up...

There is a gleam in everyone's eyes. They are the pillars of the country and the hope of the country.

"It's those young men from the past."

The emperors looked at the group of young people in the picture and smiled as well.

Perhaps the country is too corrupt and too dark, and as long as there is a little flame of hope burning, they will feel as if they are there and smile.

The people standing on the deck training were Liu Buchan, Deng Shichang, Lin Yongsheng, Yan Fu and others.

However, new words soon appeared in the sky.

[The situation in Goryeo became increasingly serious. Goryeo was a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty and could not give in. The friction between the Qing Dynasty and Japan also intensified, which was a "trouble to China."]

[However, Empress Dowager Cixi's 60th birthday was approaching, and she continued to empty the already empty treasury with the excuse that "my family's face" was "the face of the Qing Dynasty", and even misappropriated the funds of the Beiyang Navy to build the Summer Palace. This also caused the strength of the Beiyang Navy to remain stagnant in recent years.]

Looking at this line of text, the smiles on the faces of the emperors gradually faded, replaced by solemnity and seriousness.

"The root cause of a country's corruption has been found. How confusing..."

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

I thought the country was getting better and becoming stronger, but I didn't expect it to reach its peak right after its debut.

"If the country fails to change and still becomes a slave country, this person will be unforgivable!"

In the Tang Dynasty, Fang Xuanling stood behind Li Shimin and scolded him angrily.

As this line of text fell, a new picture appeared.

It is Japan.

It's just a tiny place.

Seeing that Japan, whose land area is not even as big as a province, dared to humiliate the vast China, the emperors felt aggrieved and secretly hated the Qing court for its incompetence!

"Emperor, the war in Goryeo is becoming more frequent. If it drags on, our army's march northward into the heart of the Central Plains may be affected. Please order the army to land on Goryeo Island. We would rather die together than be loyal to the Emperor!"

The then commander-in-chief, Aritomo Changshan, proposed.

It has been some years since Japan took over Goryeo, but it has still not been able to conquer it, which has made the situation more cautious.

But the emperor remained silent.

After a long while, he still shook his head: "No, Beiyang still holds the real power at sea. Once we send troops, they will definitely stop us!"

"Emperor! The Beiyang today is no longer the Beiyang it was when it was first established. It is riddled with holes beneath its splendid exterior!"

Yamagata Aritomo raised his voice and said excitedly: "After many years, Beiyang still remains in the same place, and there are still only two iron-framed warships, Dingyuan and Zhenyuan. What is there to be afraid of?"

"A powerful nation must first establish its power at sea. We can purchase a new cruiser from the British Empire, which has a fast firing rate. By then, the Beiyang Empire will not be our opponent!"

The emperor's eyes lit up at Yamagata Aritomo's words, and he fell into deep thought.

After a long time, he slowly stood up. His short body gave people a feeling of greatness.

"The plan to conquer the Qing Dynasty will be officially implemented from now on!"

The words continue to emerge.

[From now on, the Emperor will set an example by eating only one meal a day, and the whole nation will follow suit. Within three years, two million was saved to purchase the latest cruiser at the time, named "Yoshino"!]

Datang.

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, tapping the handrails with his fingers and sighing.

"From the attitudes of both sides, we know that this battle is going to be lost."

"How many people are there in Japan? How many people are there in China? The emperor took the lead, lived frugally, and set an example. The people followed suit, and the nation was united in order to gain prominence at sea. On the other hand, the Qing court did not make progress, and stood still for many years, wasting years of coastal defense reform."

"This country has such a court, it's better to destroy it as soon as possible!"

Li Shimin became angrier and angrier as he spoke, and in the end, he simply turned away.

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius' eyes became a little dim.

His student Zilu stood up and asked, "Teacher, is this country going to disappoint you again?"

“…” In the simple classroom, there was no sound at all, only deep silence.

"Ugh……"

After a long time, a long sigh arose. Confucius said nothing, he just shook his head.

As a thinker, he is full of hope no matter how dark the times are.

But this time, he understood that this seemingly rising country was about to fall deeply into the abyss.

Confucius also had a premonition that after this fall, he might never be able to stand up again.

“Maybe this is a good thing…”

Only when the order of the old era collapses can the order of the new era be established.

Compared to the hopeless dynasty before him, he was more looking forward to the new country that would rise from the ruins.

Ming Dynasty, the 31st year of Jiajing.

The golden list is just as dazzling, with golden characters seen in every dynasty, and it still falls on the Jiajing period.

"General Qi and I wish we were born in that era!"

Someone roared like this.

Later generations only know Qi Jiguang, but little do they know that Yu Dayou spent his entire life fighting against Japanese pirates.

He knows this country too well.

Although the area is small, it is only a tiny place, but the people of the country are humble and eager to learn, and they are united.

At this time, the Qing court should have promoted coastal defense more vigorously, with the construction of Beiyang as the core, but the result was that they spent the money on birthday celebrations, which was simply ridiculous!
Yu Dayou could only vent his hatred by killing the enemy.

Every time I killed a Japanese pirate, I would look up to see what the future would be like.

In the sky, the inventory of words continues.

[In recent years, the world's navy has undergone changes. The speed of new warships has been greatly improved, and the firing rate of artillery has been greatly increased, but the Beiyang warships are still at the level of old-fashioned aircraft carriers, and the Qing Dynasty has fallen behind again. ]

[The army has completed its modernization transformation, and 220,000 soldiers are well-trained. The combat power of Japan has surpassed that of the Qing Dynasty in all aspects, and it is just waiting for an opportunity to start a war. ]

【And this opportunity came soon. 】

As the words fell, a new picture soon appeared.

It is the Korean Peninsula.

On a quiet night like usual, a dazzling fire tore through the darkness.

Then one artillery shell after another was fired, making a deafening explosion.

"Such a huge suzerain state has fallen to this point, let alone our vassal state? The only way to survive is to rise up and resist the monarch and firmly grasp the territory and food in our hands!"

Accompanied by a shout, the bloody prelude to a massive massacre began.

The Donghak Army revolted against the Goryeo royal family and flames shot up into the sky.

"Kill the traitors and civilize Goryeo!"

"Kill the traitors and civilize Goryeo!"

"Kill the traitors and civilize Goryeo!"

"..."

More and more shouts were heard.

The tide of the uprising grew louder and louder, and the royal family gradually lost the battle and had no choice but to ask for help from the suzerain state.

In the pitch-black darkness, a group of imperial soldiers were watching this scene grimly.

Uprisings are often the fuse of war. The emperors of various dynasties who watched this scene all had a vague premonition that a truly epic war was about to come.

The calm before the storm was broken!

The text inventory continues.

[The Japanese Empire has always been concerned about the situation in Goryeo. During the Donghak Rebellion, Japan sent 10,000 troops to Goryeo on the pretext of protecting its expatriates, thereby controlling the situation on the Goryeo Peninsula.]

[By the end of June, the Japanese army in Gao had reached 8,000 men.]

[After that, they raided the palace in Seoul and held King Gojong and Queen Min hostage in order to support a pro-Japanese puppet.]

The scene changes, and many ministers in the Qing court are advocating war.

"My Celestial Empire has been defending its coast for nearly thirty years, and the Beiyang Fleet has been established for nearly ten years. We are no match for the Western nations. Do we not have the strength to fight a tiny country like Japan?"

Weng Tongsu strongly advocated war. A man in the imperial court said: "The Japanese still covet our vast territory and abundant resources. Peace is never negotiated, but fought!"

[In the same year, the Eastern Japanese attacked the Beiyang troop transport ship in the waters of the Korean Peninsula without declaring war. The Beiyang Fleet quickly provided support and the Battle of the Yellow Sea broke out.]

Soon, emperors of all dynasties saw the spectacular naval battle scene.

In the picture, above the boundless Yellow Sea.

The combined fleets of more than twenty warships from the north and south confronted each other from a distance.

The first large-scale ironclad warship naval battle in human history thus began.

"boom!"

……

Accompanied by two deafening roars, the shells rushed out of the barrel with flames and smoke.

At this time, the advantages of the Eastern Japanese new warships were reflected. The shells were fired at a very fast speed, and several warships were silenced in an instant.

Although the Beiyang army came out in full force, the result was no surprise.

Fonts appeared on the screen.

[At 1:10 p.m., Chao Yong was shot and caught fire, then fell silent.]

[At 2:23 p.m., Yang Wei was also seriously injured and caught fire, and then withdrew from the battlefield to save himself.]

[Main battlefield, the two sides approached each other, the signal flag of the Dingyuan ship was interrupted, and Ding Ruchang was injured. ]

【However, Ding Ruchang refused to be sent to a doctor and insisted on staying on the deck.】

"This battle is going to be difficult."

What was presented to the emperors of each dynasty was a one-sided situation.

But just when the battle between the emperors was about to end, a huge ship rushed towards the main battlefield.

It’s the Zhiyuan!

The Zhiyuan, which was originally on the left wing, suddenly rushed in front of the Dingyuan and together with the Zhenyuan attracted all the enemy's firepower.

And a figure stood at the front of the Zhiyuan ship, Deng Shichang!

"Boom boom boom..."

Having absorbed all the enemy's firepower, the Zhiyuan was instantly devastated by the bombardment, and the hull even tilted thirty degrees at one point.

On the deck and the hull, there was continuous gunfire and the sea was rough, but Deng Shichang's figure remained motionless.

In front of him, there was only the largest and middle-most ship among the combined battleships: the Yoshino!!

"Keep firing! Crash into them!!"

"Sink the Yoshino!!"

He roared loudly, and his voice filled the entire smoke-filled surface of the Yellow Sea!
(End of this chapter)