Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 410 The war begins

The grenade test was successful, and then everyone tried to detonate the landmine.

Except for one that malfunctioned, the rest detonated successfully, and the explosion was quite powerful.

The results of this experiment were very good.

"Okay, well done. Tell everyone what I said. Improve the food tonight and reward everyone."

Qu Shaoyang was very happy and said immediately, "I'll give you a credit and give you more bonuses at the end of the year."

When Anders and others heard this, they were very happy and hurriedly thanked their host.

"Sir, do we need to mass-produce these things?" Anders had to ask.

"Well, try to produce as much as possible. If there are not enough people, I will try to recruit more.

But try to keep it secret and don’t let outsiders know.”

When Qu Shaoyang first developed these things, he didn't think much about it. He just wanted to find something for the ordnance technicians to do.

I didn't expect these people to be so capable. They really developed it according to what Qu Shaoyang said.

Well, these things are of great use. Producing more will always come in handy.

Furthermore, we should also take this opportunity to train more technical talents.

It's not enough to just rely on the foreigners. If these people turn against us one day, won't Qu Shaoyang be left with no one to use?
This is a good opportunity to arrange for more smart and clever people to come in and learn the technology.

After the experiment was completed, Qu Shaoyang had other things to do, so he left without staying for long.

Before leaving, he specifically reminded Anders and others to pay attention to safety in production.

Fireworks are strictly prohibited around laboratories and workshops, just in case.

After returning to Maoershan from the explosives workshop, Qu Shaoyang immediately wrote a letter to Chen Yunhan.

In the letter, Qu Shaoyang asked Chen Yunhan to pay more attention to the movements on the other side of the river, and reminded Chen Yunhan to seize the time to recruit soldiers and train militia.

In fact, Qu Shaoyang has mentioned this matter more than once to Chen Yunhan, Zhao Zhengguo and others.

It is conservatively estimated that there are about 3,000 militiamen under Chen Yunhan's command.

Among them, there are more than a thousand people in the open, and secretly there are also many mountains and caravans that have been conquered by taking advantage of the opportunity to suppress bandits in the past two years.

These people were all equipped with imported rapid-fire rifles. In the early spring of this year, they were also equipped with a batch of cannons and heavy machine guns.

Of course, these things are hidden and cannot be displayed in public.

After all, Chen Yunhan is just a regiment commander, with guns and cannons under his command, as well as so many troops, which may easily cause misunderstandings from his superiors.

Once the war broke out, the Qing soldiers were completely useless and wanted to run away without firing a shot.

Those soldiers can run, but can Chen Yunhan and other militiamen run?

Behind them are their homes and their loved ones. If they run away, what will happen to their homes? What will happen to their parents, wives and children?
If Qu Shaoyang could take his father-in-law and mother-in-law away, could he also take everyone else away? It was simply unrealistic.

At that time, you can only fight with all your might and risk your life to kill the enemy.

Therefore, we must accumulate strength in advance and not fight an unprepared battle.

Not only the militia in Kuandian, but also the militia in Maoershan, Shuangdianzi and other places has expanded a lot in the past two years.

At present, there are more than 2,000 patrol teams in Maoer Mountain and Tadian areas. In addition, there are almost more than 2,000 guards in various villages and towns, gold fields, mountain fields, coal mines, etc.

Shuangdianzi, Niangniangku and other places have developed very quickly under the recruitment of Zhao Zhengguo and Zheng Tiezhu. If anything really happens, two to three thousand people will definitely be enough.

These people are well-trained and well-equipped. If the war really spreads to the nearby area, Qu Shaoyang can form a combat force and defend their homes with just one order.

Of course, the war is unlikely to spread to the area around Maoer Mountain. We are just making preparations in advance just in case.

In addition to asking Chen Yunhan to recruit as many soldiers as possible, Qu Shaoyang also instructed Chen Yunhan in the letter that if there was really unrest on the other side of the river, he should send Doctor Chen and his wife, and He Qingzhu and her daughter to Maoer Mountain as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected situations.

Qu Shaoyang has said everything that can be said, and cannot reveal too much else.

After the letter was written, it was arranged to be sent to Kuandian together with Chen Xiuyun's letter.

A few days later, Kuandian received a letter from Qu Shaoyang and his wife.

Although the couple expressed it differently, their main ideas were similar, which was to let the Chen family go to Maoer Mountain.

"Dad, what do you think Shaoyang and his wife mean? Why do I feel like it's not right?"

Chen Yunhan couldn't make up his mind, so he discussed it with Doctor Chen.

"I can't guess what's going on, but you know Shao Yang's temper. He's always reliable. Maybe he heard something?
Otherwise, you can send someone to Fengtian to ask your elder brother's opinion."

Doctor Chen was silent for a long time. He had no idea what Qu Shaoyang was up to, so he could only say this.

Chen Yunzhe is studying at Fengtian Prefecture School. He is well-informed and it is possible that he knows something.

So Chen Yunhan immediately sent people to Fengtian.

Chen Yunhan had just sent people from Kuandian to Fengtian when something happened on the south bank of the Yalu River, on the Korean side.

On the third day of May, a peasant uprising broke out in Gofu County, South Jeolla Province.

At the request of the Goryeo royal family, the Qing government sent troops to Asan to help suppress the rebellion.

Not wanting Japan to take the opportunity to provoke a war, they took the initiative to send troops to occupy strategic locations from Seoul to Incheon, and used warships to control ports such as Busan and Incheon.

On the second day after the Japanese army entered Seoul, the rebel forces suddenly announced that they would give up the uprising and withdraw from the occupied states and counties.

The King of Goryeo also felt relieved and immediately made a request to the Qing court and Japan, saying that the situation had stabilized and both gentlemen were asked to go back.

The Qing government was unwilling to go to war with Japan and was naturally willing to withdraw, but Japan refused to withdraw.

They have finally found such an opportunity, how can they give up easily?
So, the next step was to start the arguing.

Qing officials headed by Li Zhongtang tried to use the diplomatic method of "using barbarians to control barbarians" and used Russia and Britain to put pressure on Japan and force it to withdraw its troops.

However, with the mediation of Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, both Russia and Britain acquiesced to Japan's declaration of war against the Qing Dynasty.

Li Zhongtang's diplomatic strategy of "using barbarians to control barbarians" did not work.

Such a big thing has attracted international attention, so how could the country not know about it?

Chen Yunzhe, who had studied in Fengtian for more than a year and had established connections with the Shengjing General's Mansion through various means, naturally learned some news.

So after receiving his brother's letter, Chen Yunzhe immediately realized that Qu Shaoyang might have foreseen something, and perhaps there would really be a war next.

So, Chen Yunzhe immediately told the visitor to go back and tell Chen Yunhan to pack up his things as soon as possible.

Send his parents and He Qingzhu and her daughter to Fengtian or Maoershan.

Fengtian is the location of the Qing Dynasty's ancestral mausoleum, and it is related to the country's ancestral temple. Even if something really happens, the court will send a large army to protect it.

Maoer Mountain is located in the upper reaches of the Yalu River. It is remote and not a battleground for military strategists, so it should be safe.

No matter where you go, it's always a good idea to prepare in advance.

In this way, the messenger immediately returned to Kuandian and informed Chen Yunhan.

Chen Yunhan couldn't make up his mind, so he went to discuss it with his father.

"Originally, your mother and I planned to go to Maoer Mountain to look after your sister after Jingya turned one.

In this case, let Qingzhu and Jingya go with us. If nothing else, we will come back after your sister gives birth to the baby and it is one month old. Doctor Chen made the decision immediately.

Chen Yunhan thought about it and decided it was a good idea. He quickly packed up his things and sent someone to escort his parents, wife and daughter to Maoer Mountain.

In this way, at the end of May, Doctor Chen and his party arrived at Maoer Mountain.

When Qu Shaoyang heard the news, he hurriedly went to greet them with Gensuo and Genyou, together with Chen Xiuyun.

"Dad, Mom, and Second Sister-in-law, you have worked hard along the way. Oh, little Jingya has grown up so much, she is so pretty."

As soon as they met, Qu Shaoyang greeted his father-in-law and mother-in-law first, and then saw the little girl in He Qingzhu's arms.

The little girl, who is a little over one year old, is fair and tender, with a chubby face like a glutinous rice dumpling.

She had a pigtail on her head tied with a red rope and wore a pink dress. She looked a bit like the ginseng doll in folk legends, and was really adorable.

There are two children, Gensuo and Gen. At the signal of their mother, they came forward and obediently called them grandpa, grandma and second aunt.

Then the two boys looked at the beautiful girl in their second aunt's arms.

"Sister Jingya, I am your eldest cousin, and this is your second cousin." Five-year-old Gensuo is articulate and has strong expressive ability.

Over there, Chen Xiuyun also came forward, holding her waist, and met her parents and sister-in-law.

When Mrs. Li saw her daughter's figure, she immediately frowned.

"Aren't you only seven months pregnant? I think you're almost ready to give birth.

Come on, go home quickly, I'll take a look at you, you don't look like you're pregnant."

Chen Xiuyun never mentioned this in her letter, and Li didn't know about it either. When they met today, she was really shocked.

"Mom, there's no need to look. I should be pregnant with two babies." Chen Xiuyun touched her belly and said with a smile.

"You knew there were two, why didn't you tell us? I wrote to you several times, but you didn't mention a word.

If you had said you were pregnant with twins, your father and I would have returned to look after you a long time ago."

When Li heard this, she was so angry that she couldn't help but raise her voice.

"It's a good thing we didn't go to Fengtian, but came to Maoer Mountain. Otherwise, how would you give birth to the child?"

The risks of twin births are much greater than those of single births.

How many good midwives are there in Maoer Mountain? The only one with good medical skills is Chen Xiuyun.

But no matter how capable she is, she can't deliver her own baby.

At this moment, Li was really glad that the couple chose to come to Maoer Mountain.

"Mom, it's okay. I'm fine. I don't feel anything."

What could Chen Xiuyun say in front of her sister-in-law? She could only say something nice.

"Let's go, Dad, Mom, and sister-in-law. The house is ready. Let's go back first."

Anders and others originally lived in Chen's house, but now they have moved out.

Last year, while repairing the fence, a lot of houses were built in the vacant land, specifically for Anders and his family.

Each family has two or three rooms and cooks their own meals.

The Chen family's place is now vacant. Chen Xiuyun had someone clean it inside and out a while ago, and it was cleaned up again in the past two days. Everything is arranged.

After everyone entered the Chen family, the first thing Li did was to go to the inner room with her daughter and check her out.

"Well, from the looks of it, she is indeed pregnant with two.

Twins rarely carry to full term, so you need to be careful after eight months.

You are not allowed to live with Shao Yang recently. It is important to take care of yourself. Do you hear me?"

As a mother, what Li cares most about is naturally her daughter's safety.

Although Chen Xiuyun had already given birth to two children, Li was still worried and continued to give her a few more instructions.

"Mom, I know the seriousness of the matter. Shaoyang has been resting at Lanxin's place recently. Even if he was resting in my yard, he wouldn't dare touch me."

Qu Shaoyang is not a beast. How could he dare to have any thoughts when his wife’s belly is so big?

"Well, that's good. When a woman gets pregnant and gives birth, she has one foot in the grave. She must be careful."

Upon hearing this, Li heaved a sigh of relief and came out with her daughter.

As they were talking, Lin Ruolan and Meng Lanxin also came over with their children. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they were particularly affectionate when they met.

Meng Lanxin and He Qingzhu had never met each other, but they had heard of each other.

Both of them had been practicing martial arts since childhood, and they were both straightforward and not fussy about details. After meeting and chatting for a while, they felt that they got along very well, and became closer the more they talked.

In the evening of that day, Qu Laokouer, Qu Jiang and Liu Dongshan also rushed back from the gold field.

It was so lively when the three families got together.

The news that Doctor Chen and his family returned to Maoer Mountain spread quickly.

Some people who had a good relationship with Doctor Chen came to visit one after another, and the Chen family was really lively for several days.

Of course, Doctor Chen was in charge of entertaining guests.

Li and He Qingzhu went to Qu's house every day to accompany Chen Xiuyun and prepare some things for the baby after it was born.

Chen Xiuyun has given birth to two sons, Gensuo and Genyou, and all the things the children need are still there at home.

Originally, her intention was to just make some simple preparations and have it be just about enough.

According to the rules passed down by the older generation, it is better for children to use old things and not use new things for everything.

Especially for swaddles and blankets, brand new cotton is too hot and children can easily get a sore throat.

So Chen Xiuyun had previously taken apart the used quilts of Gensuo and Genyou, divided the cotton cover inside into two, and then added some new cotton, making it double.

As for clothes, I didn’t make too many. Babies grow fast, and if I made too many, they would be too small before I could wear them for a few days.

As the child's grandmother, Mrs. Li would definitely prepare a complete set of bedding, clothes and other things for her grandson no matter what her daughter prepared.

Especially since Chen Xiuyun was most likely pregnant with two babies, anything less would not be enough, so Li and He Qingzhu brought the maids to make a lot more.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of June and Chen Xiuyun had been pregnant for more than eight months.

At this time, news came from Fengtian.

Japanese warships launched a surprise attack off the coast of Fengdao, sinking a Qing troop transport ship and destroying or damaging several Qing warships.

At the same time, they attacked the Qing troops stationed in Yashan and launched a war.

Immediately afterwards, on the first day of July, the Qing court announced an edict declaring war on Japan. At the same time, Japan also declared war on the Qing court.

"Oh no, this is going to be a mess. Shaoyang, I didn't expect your speculation to come true."

After hearing the news, Doctor Chen was extremely surprised. He could never have imagined that Japan would actually go to war with the Qing Dynasty.

"Little Japanese, how dare they do that?" Doctor Chen was puzzled.

(End of this chapter)