Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

Li Shuwen explained to everyone: "This is a new ship ordered from Great Britain last year. It has an all-iron hull, is equipped with rapid-fire cannons, and is 30% faster than the old ships of the National Salvation Association."

The three ships belonging to Heze were second-hand patrol vessels discarded during the British colonial period; they had slow guns and thin armor, and were a whole generation inferior to this one.

Lin Ji raised an eyebrow: "Does the Executive Government still have such a trump card?"

In his memory, the government was corrupt and weak, always at a disadvantage when dealing with foreigners, local warlords were acting independently, and the central government had long lost its real power.

"Yes." Li Shuwen nodded, his tone very certain:

"The Executive Government is, after all, the nominal central government. It has dealt with foreigners for so many years, ceding territory and paying indemnities on the surface, while secretly buying weapons and training new troops."

This Yangtze River Fleet is one of our trump cards; it consists of six ships of the Jing class, which are stationed at the mouth of the Yangtze River year-round and rarely show themselves.

He gazed at the river and continued:

"Local warlords may seem to be making a lot of noise, seizing territory, collecting taxes, and raising private armies, but when they really go head-to-head with the central government's elite forces, few can withstand them. After all, the new equipment they have acquired with real money is far superior to the homemade cannons of the local warlords."

Lin Ji remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the three official ships.

No wonder He Ze was so eager to collude with foreigners and seize Jiangcheng.

He probably knew all along that the government had this navy, and wanted to seize Jiangcheng, a vital waterway, before the navy could sail south, so as to use the foreigners' influence to resist the central government.

I just didn't expect the government's navy to arrive so quickly.

Before the vanguard army even reached the provincial capital, the navy had already made its way to the gates of Jiangcheng.

This is a direct attempt to block the river, cut off He Ze's escape route, and trap him in Guanghua.

"Waaah—"

The flagship of the government sirens sounded its horn, the sound deep and resonant, causing ripples to spread across the river.

Immediately afterwards, a loud, rough voice came from the loudspeakers on the bridge, clearly audible from miles away:

"Listen up, bandit ships on the river! By order of the government, apprehend the traitor He Ze! Immediately cease fire, disarm, and surrender! Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

After the sound faded, the river surface fell into a deathly silence.

The three old ships of the National Salvation Association dared not move.

Fight? How? Their eight rapid-fire cannons could turn these three wrecked ships into sieves in a single volley.

Run? You can't outrun their new ship.

The soldiers on the ship panicked and crowded around the gunwale, looking this way like a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

The city defense troops on the dock erupted in cheers.

"The government troops are here!"

"We're saved!"

The soldiers threw their hats into the air, their faces beaming with joy.

They were still immersed in their identity as soldiers of the authorities.

The frustration of being overwhelmed by the gunboats earlier dissipated almost entirely.

But Chen Tianze couldn't laugh; instead, his face turned even paler.

He crouched back behind the sandbag, rubbing his hands together; his palms were sweaty.

"Mr. Lin... tell me, are they here for Heze, or... are they including us?"

He knows it perfectly well.

The National Salvation Association is a wolf, and the government is a tiger.

Wolves are fierce, but tigers are even more ferocious.

Jiangcheng is a county under Guanghua, and he is directly under Heze. If Heze rebels, will the government allow him to continue as the military governor?

He finally drove away the wolf, but now a tiger has appeared. Is Jiangcheng still Chen Tianze's?

Lin Ji didn't answer him, but just stared at the warship in the middle of the river, his brows furrowed.

The situation changed too quickly.

Originally, it was He Ze who forced Jiangcheng to open up the city, the gateway for the government's southward expansion.

The government will arrive in the blink of an eye.

The anticipated three-way standoff did not materialize.

What's more troublesome is that the government's ship is anchored in the middle of the river, allowing them to attack or defend at will, with the initiative entirely in their hands.

He turned to look at Li Shuwen:

"How many naval personnel have arrived? Are there any more ships following?"

"I don't know." Li Shuwen shook his head.

"According to the organization, each ship has more than a hundred people, so three ships would have four or five hundred people, all of whom are regular soldiers with excellent equipment. If more capital ships come later, the National Salvation Association will have a hard time surviving, unless..."

"Unless...they also have a trump card."

As they were talking, the government's loudspeaker blared again, this time aimed at the Jiangcheng Wharf:

"Jiangcheng Military Governor Chen Tianze, listen up! Open the city gates immediately and allow government troops to land and assist in the defense! Suppress the remaining rebels and pacify the local people! Any delay in military operations will be considered collusion with bandits!"

Chen Tianze let out a loud "Aww!" and almost jumped up.

"They're here! I knew it!" He paced anxiously, "They're trying to take away my power! If I let them in, my time as warlord is over! If I don't let them in? They'll accuse me of being a traitor and bomb me along with them!"

He grabbed Lin Ji's arm, his eyes filled with panic:

"Mr. Lin, you have so many ideas. What do you suggest we do? We can't fight them, and we can't escape them. We can't just surrender, can we?"

Lin Ji pressed down on his shoulder, his voice steady: "What's the panic?"

He gazed intently at the flagship in the middle of the river, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"They are not He Ze, they dare not bomb the city. If they really bomb Jiangcheng, they will lose the hearts of the people, and it will be even more difficult to pacify the five southern provinces. What they want is He Ze, to quell the rebellion, not to bomb Jiangcheng to the ground."

"Right now, it all boils down to one word—delay."

"Drag?" Chen Tianze was taken aback: "How do you drag it?"

"Just say the city is in chaos." Lin Ji spoke slowly, but every word he said made sense.

"The refugees are causing trouble, blocking the streets and alleys, and the city gates are blocked by the fleeing people. They are clearing the way, and they said that once the city is calm, they will open the gates to welcome the government troops."

"What if they don't believe it?"

"You have to believe it whether you want to or not." Lin Ji said calmly, "Their target is He Ze, not you. If you really push them to rebel and join forces with He Ze, they will be in more trouble. As long as you are obedient and there is no solid evidence of you colluding with the bandits, they will not easily take action against you."

Chen Tianze's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh:

"That's right! How come I didn't think of that!"

He quickly summoned his adjutant and hurriedly gave him a few instructions, telling him to go to the city gate and relay a message, and to find a few eloquent advisors to negotiate with the government troops, to stall for as long as possible.

The adjutant accepted the order and ran off.

Chen Tianze breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his face, and looked at Lin Ji with even more admiration in his eyes.

This old man is so steady, even if the sky were to fall, he could turn a dead end around with just a few words.

Lin Ji, however, did not relax.

He turned to Li Shuwen and said:

"Go and have the organization's people guard the city gates, deliberately creating the illusion of blocking the gates, and give the disaster victims some comfort. This way, we can temporarily deceive the government troops and prevent Heze's people from sneaking in during the chaos."

"Also..." Lin Ji said a few more words into the earpiece: "Jinrang, the entire water patrol team should withdraw into the inner harbor and hide in the reeds. Don't wander around on the river. There are cannons on both sides, don't become cannon fodder."

"Okay." Li Shuwen nodded and turned to leave.

Lin Ji then said to Liang Yanqing beside him:

"You should send some more people out to the streets to reassure the people. Tell them that the government troops have come to quell the rebellion. Tell everyone not to panic, go home, close your doors and windows, and don't run around in the streets. You should know better than me how to do it."

This is a golden opportunity for the Xinghua Society.

"Understood." Liang Yanqing adjusted his glasses, turned around, and led his men into the city.