Alchemy Greater China

Next, Fremantle accused Li Charlie of aggressively advancing and committing the crime of negligence, which led to the defeat. He used this as an excuse to clean up the fleet and arrested all of Li Charlie's cronies. At the same time, his own The confidant was promoted to an important battleship post.

In just two days, the Far East Fleet was completely under the control of Fremantle!

After the overall situation was settled, Fremantle took out the telegram from Edward VII urging the Far East Fleet to go north, and told the crew: The new king does not understand military affairs, but he wants laymen to command experts. Charlie's mistakes, yes, of course we are going to rescue the fleet stationed in China, but how to save, we must have a strategy, we must not act recklessly, we must have a plan.

Not to mention, under the command of Fremantle, the Far East Fleet set out and set sail all the way north. They never encountered any mysterious Spanish warship attack. Moreover, they were lucky enough to take in some soldiers who escaped from the Ningbo sea battle. British soldiers.

All of a sudden, Fremantle's reputation soared, and he had completely secured his position as the leader of the Far East Fleet.

Having finished talking about China and the United Kingdom, allow me to interject and talk about Japan, which is only across the East China Sea from Shanghai.

This narrow island country has been paying close attention to the movements of China and Western powers. In fact, since the Meiji Restoration, it has been planning a sinister ten-year plan.

Capture North Korea in three years, occupy the entire territory of Northeast China in five years, destroy Beijing in ten years, expand the military power to the entire territory of China, command East Asia, and radiate Southeast Asia!

This is an extremely crazy plan, and it is also a top-to-bottom one.Starting from the Emperor, down to the civilian ronin, the whole of Japan tightened their belts and tried their best to implement the national ambition plan.

Japan at this moment.It is in the initial stage of this 'Ten-Year Ambition Plan', it is like a calm, paranoid, lunatic who is good at precise calculations, with cold eyes and fangs, and it puts North Korea and China on its knives and forks Under the phantom.

As for how sharp and strong this 'knife and fork' is.Whether it can move the behemoth of China is completely out of its main consideration!

In Japan, high-level people want to come, 250 years ago.After the gold can enter the customs, with a mere tens of thousands of people, it can sweep the Ming Dynasty, so.to this day.If I were myself, with the protection of the Emperor, I would naturally be able to replicate this historical miracle.

Japan's ruling and opposition parties, from the emperor to the prime minister, to the foreign ministers, land ministers, marine ministers, and even the lowest-level soldiers, are full of confidence and ambition.

That's why.That's because Japanese spies have indeed infiltrated into the core area of ​​the Qing Dynasty's political arena, and they are well aware of the weakness and decay of this huge country at the moment.Think about it, no matter how tall a building is, if the foundation is broken, then what is there to be afraid of?

Long before the Sino-British crisis in Nanjing, through spies, the Japanese military was very concerned about the expansion of the Nanyang Navy.

You know, the imaginary enemy of the navy they prepared with the whole country is the Beiyang navy. As for the Nanyang navy, this little loach trapped in the inland... They don't take it seriously at all.

However, the sudden large-scale sponsorship by Long Hao, the King of the Alchemy Kingdom, and the continuous flow of high-end European "parallel imports" into Nanjing Port made the Japanese high-level officials very disturbed.

This Long Hao was nothing more than a disturbance in the United States, but now he went back to China to invest heavily in the Nanyang Navy, what is he doing! ?

You made a fortune overseas, and now you want to come back to help the motherland?

Or do you have malicious intentions and want to cut a knife first in the crumbling Qing Dynasty?

Why, a Beiyang navy is already difficult to deal with, plus a Nanyang navy who bought a new warship?I'm afraid that as soon as my big Japanese fleet goes out, they will have to be dumped up and down, and the losers will lose their loincloths!

Emperor Meiji expressed deep pessimism about this information. He arbitrarily believed that his ten-year plan to occupy Great China was going to be aborted. He even shed tears and suggested to Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito; Look, can I get back some of the food expenses I saved? Anyway, it is impossible for us to win China at sea, so why not..."

The emperor's timidity was naturally reprimanded mercilessly by Ito Hirobumi, Mutsu Munemitsu and others.

It has to be said that these few powerful people will not save much face for the supreme emperor in private.

They are all unscrupulous heroes to achieve their goals. Anyone who dares to stand in their way will be kicked away without hesitation, including Emperor Meiji!

Of course, after the reprimand, there is consolation and persuasion. After all, the emperor is still the supreme leader of the Japanese people and a spiritual pillar worshiped like a god.

Just relying on reprimands can be a temporary addiction, but in the long run, it is useless.

When it comes to eloquence, Mutsu Munemitsu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is still good at it, so he blinked his small eyes and said to Emperor Meiji: "Your Majesty, don't just look at the surface of things. Everything has two sides, good and bad. This is Tai Chi, and it is also Western. The dichotomy in the theory, according to the Chinese people, Tai Chi is the basic principle that constitutes everything in the world... Well, sorry, I ignored your majesty's brain capacity. Simply put, the growth of the Nanyang Navy is indeed not good for our navy, but the opposite Speaking from the past, the Nanyang Navy has become stronger, and the first ones who are restless are Li Hongzhang and his Beiyang Navy?"

As Mutsu Munemitsu said, the Nanyang Navy is strong, and the first person to feel threatened is none other than the head of the Beiyang Navy: Li Hongzhang.

One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, unless one male and one female, in China, two powerful fleets with different voices are absolutely not allowed to exist.

Originally, Li Hongzhang allowed the Nanyang Navy to retain its establishment and station on the Yangtze River. It was because the Nanyang Navy was too weak to use a sampan as a treasure, but now?It even has the latest European-style battleships. Li Hongzhang will never allow it to continue to expand, lest it threaten his position in Beiyang!

"This is the Chinese people. Don't be afraid of their strength. As long as there are more than two powerful forces, they will fight among themselves first. We, hehe, just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight!" Mutsuzong Guangyin smile.Made a final summary.

Hearing this, Emperor Meiji finally wiped away his tears, and smiled: "So that's the case, but I was short-sighted! Well, pass on my decree to cut the cost of the next month's palace by another half to save money. Money. Used to subsidize military expenses!"

"Your Majesty, the cost is already very low," the valet reminded.

"Can't you think of a way? I order that next month. People in the palace can only give three big compliments. If the number exceeds, no toilet paper will be given!"

"...After it dries, it will stink!"

"Bagayaluo! Don't we have tongues?"

I don't know if it is a kind of sadness.Li Hongzhang's psychology was really guessed right by these careerists in Japan.

On December 100th, when Li Hongzhang entered Beijing, his first request was to ask Guangxu to convict Liu Kun, governor of the Liangjiang River. In addition, he begged to allocate [-] million yuan in emergency payments during the Second World War, and the Beiyang Navy dispatched eight ironclad ships headed by the Zhenyuan , went south to take Shanghai directly, and negotiated with Long Hao, the king of the alchemy kingdom.See if you can regain the jurisdiction of Shanghai.

Li Hongzhang's move was to kill two birds with one stone, to completely defeat Liu Kunyi and the Nanyang Navy faction headed by him.He can also take advantage of the emptiness of the British navy to bring the port of Shanghai, which he has long coveted, under Beiyang's command.

At that time, the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea will be connected into one piece, and the oceanic territory of the Qing Empire will be completed.

Of course, if our political opponents agree, we will oppose it!For Li Hongzhang's request to fight, Emperor Guangxu and Weng Tonghe naturally would not "release" him so easily.

Not to mention anything else, just take the 100 million taels of military pay, the treasury of Xiu Yuanzixiu was stretched, and now he uses the money to spend money for Li Hongzhang?This is a big matter, and there is really no one in the court who can make the decision.

Thinking about it, if 100 million taels of snowflake silver was allocated, who would be able to bear the responsibility when the person in the West Palace woke up and asked?

Li Hongzhang?

Bah, he must have gone to the south of the Yangtze River to show off his might and have a good time at that time, why would he stay in the capital and take the blame?

In the face of doubts and criticisms, Li Hongzhang took a tough attitude. He firmly believed that this is the best time to take back Jiangnan’s tariff autonomy. Pricing power), a mere 100 million taels of silver is nothing!

It is rare to see Li Zhongtang go crazy. Except for the emperor, the ministers of other factions are silent. They suddenly realized that this will be a direct game between Master Zhongtang and the Emperor Division Group. It would be nice to just look around and masturbate.

As expected, Emperor Guangxu issued a decree to withdraw from the court and summoned Li Hongzhang and several of his confidants to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to perform a secret performance.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, incense is lingering, yellow silk red chairs, and official robes are abundant, but the atmosphere is unusual.

Weng Tonghe said: "Master Zhongtang, such a pioneering spirit is not like you!"

Li Hongzhang straightened his face and said: "Hmph, there are priorities. This is a golden opportunity that I have never seen in a thousand years. If I don't rush to the vanguard at this time, I will be a minister in vain. Are you still holding a salary and staying in the capital to eat and die?" ?”

In a word, Li Hongzhang scolded Weng Tonghe and his group all over the place.

That's right, the Dishi Group has been quarreling in Beijing for almost ten days, but they can't even come up with a charter to deal with it. No wonder Li Hongzhang, who came from afar, laughed at him.

Weng Tonghe blushed with an old face, and his lacquered red official hat shook: "I, I am a prudent holder of the country. Such a big incident has happened. If I don't deal with it properly, it may drag my Qing Dynasty into a place of eternal doom!"

Li Hongzhang said: "Cut, to put it bluntly, aren't you cowardly? Your Majesty, the old minister is willing to issue a military order. This time, I will win Beiyang, regain Shanghai, and capture Liu Kunyi, a rebellious minister, back to the court! And, if Good luck, not to mention getting back all the tariff rights, but getting back part of it is still predictable!"

If you want to say why Li Hongzhang is so confident, it is naturally inseparable from the information he has obtained.

The Beiyang navy is very close to Shanghai, and its grasp of the progress of the war is far better than that of the capital.

Li Hongzhang had already learned that after fierce fighting, only six warships remained in the majestic Nanyang Navy, while the British warships stationed in China were even worse, completely annihilated.

The only obstacle was probably the fleet of the Earl of Beihai who had no idea what he had in mind. However, Li Hongzhang had Thunder Dragon offering advice, saying that Long Hao's warships were only good at ambushes, and they were best at picking up leaks and knocking down saps.When it comes to the upright gunboats lining up to bombard, there is absolutely no way to compare with the Beiyang Navy.

Moreover, Li Hongzhang also contacted envoys from many countries other than Britain.He has reason to believe that under the diplomatic pressure of his advancing navy and foreigners from many countries, the king of the Alchemy Kingdom... will give in!

Li Hongzhang had a good plan in his mind: he was only going to capture Liu Kunyi. As for Long Hao, he had no intention of offending him at all, and he was able to negotiate peace with this rapidly rising alchemy king.Both parties get what they need, and it is a happy situation for all!

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Li Hongzhang prepared extremely well.Reasonable and well-founded, Weng Tonghe retreated steadily, tongue-tied, and finally the little emperor Guangxu had no choice but to back off.He blew the pause whistle: "Ahem. Ladies and Gentlemen, today's discussion ends here. The matter of military expenditure is a big one. Let me think about it! Let's discuss again..."

Li Hongzhang also knew that there was no need to rush this matter. With the usual efficiency of the Qing court, the money could not be transferred within ten and a half months.

But he is not in a hurry.In fact, his coming to the capital to ask for money was just a gesture.Secretly, his Beiyang Navy has pulled the anchor. The source of funding: Naturally, it is the successor candidate behind Thunder Dragon.

With the support of this candidate based in Shanghai, this also greatly increased Li Hongzhang's confidence in the peace talks with Long Hao.

When he came to the capital this time, what he wanted was righteousness!

It's just an imperial decree to take over the Nanyang Navy and destroy Liu Kunyi, the governor of Liangjiang!

...Since Li Hongzhang entered Beijing, the "fortune" of Emperor Guangxu, who had been prosperous for ten days, seemed to have begun to turn.

No, within a day after playing the right game, his 'halftime pause whistle' was useless, the reason is very simple: Lafayette summoned Li Zhongtang!

Summer Palace, Leshoutang.

Lafayette was neatly dressed, with prayer beads hanging on her chest, and her long, monster-like nails curled up and down. Those who knew her well knew that this sign meant that she was in a good mood.

Indeed, Cixi has come out of the initial panic. She summoned Li Hongzhang in the garden, and naturally wanted to ask this important official his views on the great changes in the south of the Yangtze River and his coping strategies.

"Li Aiqing, do you think the British can't get in?" Cixi didn't go around the bush, and straight to the point, she asked the most concerned point in her heart.

"Definitely can't get in!"

Li Hongzhang was given a seat, and his buttocks were half pouted. In fact, it was even more uncomfortable than standing: "As far as I know, the British and the warships of the Nanyang Navy died together, and it will not be successful in a short time. Besides, the old minister was ordered to run Beiyang for many years. , I dare not say forging ahead, but defending the country is still more than enough!"

"Oh, that's good!"

Cixi got the letter of approval, and she smiled, and the powder on her face kept falling off: "Li Aiqing, it's a good time to sit down, this place of Aijia is not a dragon's pond or a tiger's den, if you continue to be so cautious, Aijia will be embarrassed to continue asking you."

"Thank you for the reward from the Queen Mother. The old minister will obey the order." Li Hongzhang wiped off the sweat from his forehead, twisted his buttocks, and finally sat down firmly.

But even so, he only dared to stick more than half of his buttocks, and he didn't dare to sit all the way carelessly.

"Aiqing, the Ai family came to ask you a few questions, and the answer was good. The Ai family will allocate the 100 million taels of silver to you!"

Cixi was rare and generous, "Hey, the Ai family is not a person who does not understand state affairs. Seeing such great changes in the south of the Yangtze River, would the Ai family not understand the general situation and save the money to repair the garden? Hey, some time ago, the Ai family had to repair it. Yuanzi, isn’t that the country’s prosperity and people’s peace, the country’s peace and prosperity, and the barbarians are also afraid of our Beiyang navy? So, taking advantage of the good times, the Ai family wanted to organize a small birthday banquet! Hey, it’s rare to live at sixty since ancient times. I spent so much youth and sacrificed so much hard work for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, to have a [-]th birthday, make it more lively, and everyone celebrate, is it wrong?"

Listening to the old lady brazenly putting gold on her face, the old-fashioned Li Hongzhang kept silent, just lowered his head, and the feathers on his head were shaking up and down, as if to say: The Queen Mother is right!

With the support of the successor behind Thunder Dragon, Li Hongzhang actually didn't think much of the "mere" 100 million taels of silver.

But since Ci Xi took the initiative to speak at this moment, he could only cheer up and respond: "You can ask the queen mother, but the old minister knows it, so I don't dare not answer!"

"Okay, first question, Li Aiqing, are you sure you can defeat that alchemy king when you go to Shanghai?"

"Back to the Empress Dowager, the veteran is not fully sure, but the purpose of going to Shanghai is to capture Liu Kunyi, the chief culprit. To the Alchemy King, the veteran will mainly use gunboat coercion, supplemented by peace talks and surrender. Unless it is a last resort, he will not fight with him. He started the war."

What Li Hongzhang told Cixi was the truth. His mighty march to Beiyang was actually just to make a big splash. If he really wanted to fight Long Hao to the death at sea, it was basically impossible.

"Oh, why? Could it be that Li Aiqing's Beiyang can't defeat the barbarian king's Long Hao?"

The Empress Dowager Cixi actually held a grudge against Long Hao for rejecting the reward from the Iron Hat King, and instead proclaimed herself the lord of a country, and was equal to herself. Hao's odds.

"It's not that you can't beat it, it's just that it's unwise to do that."

Li Hongzhang had already prepared a draft, and when faced with Cixi's question, he answered calmly: "Looking at that Long Hao from the eyes of a veteran, he is just a merchant, and he only cares about petty profits, but his fortune has been amazing in the past few years." , met the Queen of England, a noble person, so he was lucky enough to become a king of the Commonwealth... But in fact, his background is extremely weak, like a sand castle in the wind, it can't withstand big storms!" ( To be continued..)