Master Yuan, start!

"Brother Wang, that flat land ahead must be the Luodong River Valley, right? We've been walking for several hours. What are we here for?" Lin Zhang, a young man from Fujian, walked past the crowd, approached Wang San, and handed him the latest Beiyang brand cigarettes.

However, without any matches, Wang San could only put the cigarette away and put it in his breast pocket. They had already crossed the mountains, and it was time to tell the brothers around him about their mission. So he rolled up his sleeves and said, "Master Yuan sent us to scout the terrain. You must not make any mistakes. Don't act rashly if you encounter Korean gentry. Let's survey the terrain and leave. Don't cause any conflict."

They set out at night and walked for nearly four or five hours. The road was difficult to walk on, and they had to carry baggage. Even though it was a summer night, everyone was sweating profusely. Hearing this, some people were unhappy. They thought they were here to spy on information, but they didn't expect that they were just here to survey the terrain.

Wang San continued, "Mr. Zhan from the Railway School said that railway construction should start sooner rather than later. Construction has already begun on the railway line between Seoul and Pyongyang, and surveys are also underway for the line south of Seoul. The south is still unstable. The Japanese previously occupied this area, but have now been driven back. Therefore, we need to quickly survey the route while we still have time. Construction of the railway cannot be halted; we must plan ahead."

"It's not a war," the young man from Fujian drawled. He glanced at the two surveyors from the Railway Academy in the group and said dejectedly, "As for the railway, we can just send a civilian official. Besides, we're helping the Koreans build the railway, so they should be thanking Master Yuan. Why would they clash with us?"

"Fool, do you think it's that simple?" Wang San keenly noticed Lin Zhang's complaint about the Koreans. He shook off his sweaty clothes and cursed with a smile, saying, "Gentlemen are gentry, and common people are common people. How can they be the same?

Besides, Yuan was the garrison minister of Haidong. Where was Haidong? It was North Korea! Building a railway for Korea was part of his job, not to mention that it benefited the country and the people.

You listen to your instructor read the news in the East Asia Times every day, and you should know that the things that can be transported by a train car are equivalent to the goods carried by a hundred good horses, and this does not include the consumption of food and munching by people along the way. Railways are the lifeblood of the country and must be repaired.

2 Moreover, the military has emphasized countless times that there is no difference between North Korea and China. North Korea is China, and China also includes North Korea. Why are you still thinking about this idea? I will punish you by making you copy the military regulations 10 times and hand them in to me when you return!

When they heard that they had to copy the military regulations, everyone around Wang San laughed, even the two railway surveyors smiled.

Ever since Wang San and Liu Ge went to rob ginseng together and uncovered the conspiracy of the Korean rebels, which led to Liu Ge's death, Wang San was incorporated into the Jiashen Right Army by Yuan Xiangcheng.

Because of his longing for Brother Liu's kindness to him and his regret for his ignorance when he was young, Wang San liked to lead new recruits. He mainly punished the new recruits by making them copy military regulations and never used corporal punishment.

The army wanted to promote him several times, but he refused and still wanted to be in charge of a shed and be a small shed leader.

Wang San thought the term "tengchang" was very good. Before, the person in charge of a tent in the army was called Zhengmu, which was an external commissioned position; the person in charge of a row was called Platoon Leader, which was a chief officer; the person in charge of a team was called Team Officer, which was a garrison officer.

The official positions and names are so complicated and do not match at all, with no regularity at all. Fortunately, Lord Yuan ordered that in the Jiashen Right Army, official positions should not be used, but only military positions.

At the same time, it is stipulated that the military title is platoon leader. For example, the person in charge of a platoon is called platoon leader, the person in charge of a team is called team leader, and the person in charge of a brigade is no longer called commander, but brigade leader.

Yuan Shikai's words were law in the army, and this move was very popular among the lower-level soldiers, so it was soon implemented throughout the army.

Laughing at his brothers, Lin Zhang, a new recruit from Fujian, deeply regretted giving the cigarette away. However, he was too embarrassed to return it, so he changed the subject and said, "Captain, when I left Seoul, I heard that the imperial court was interested in seeking peace with Japan and had ordered Lord Yuan to return to Beijing. Is this true?"

This sentence suddenly made the atmosphere in the team much more solemn, because everyone thought of what Yuan Shikai had done in Korea over the past six months.

Since the Japanese army landed, Yuan Shikai united the entire Korea in the name of driving out the Japanese, and at the same time sent a large army to fight the Japanese several times in the southeastern part of Korea.

However, Yuan Shikai seemed to underestimate the enemy. After repelling the Japanese several times, he claimed that he was ambushed in the subsequent pursuit and stopped the pursuit.

Although not many people died in the ambush, Yuan Shikai ordered his army to be ready. After several battles, he and the Japanese army fought westward from Busan and Changwon in the original time and space to Gwangju and Mokpo, and then pursued and fought all the way to the northeast, approaching Daejeon and Cheongju several times.

The Japanese offensive even threatened Seoul at one point, but every time the Japanese offensive was at its peak, it would be beaten back by the Gapsin Right Army.

In order to ease domestic pressure, the Japanese army had no choice but to continue betting and placing the pressure relief valve on North Korea. In addition to the Kumamoto and Hiroshima garrisons, the Osaka garrison was also sent to participate in the war.

But even so, there was no way to deal with the growing number of the Seven Jiashen Right Army.

However, unexpectedly, nothing happened in Korea, but something happened in the court. When the war in Korea just broke out, Cixi saw that it was the Japanese who attacked and Yuan Shikai was in charge of Korea, so she naturally wanted to use the issue of driving out the Japanese to divert the attention of the officials in the court.

So he sent a series of imperial edicts to Yuan Xiangcheng, supporting his practice of semi-imprisoning the king and ruling Korea, which was considered an endorsement of Yuan Xiangcheng. At the same time, he asked the court to work together to help Yuan Xiangcheng, and also dispatched steamships from Tianjin, Yantai and other places to transport supplies.

But the support came and went quickly. When Cixi found that the Korean War was not resolved in one go, but instead tended to be dragged on for a long time, she could no longer bear the huge amount of money consumed by the war every day.

Especially when Qing officials reported several times that Yuan Shikai could encircle the Japanese army, but he let them go several times on the pretext of an ambush, Cixi finally let go of the Qing officials in the court and created public opinion that Yuan Shikai used the enemy to seek power, in order to restrain Yuan Shikai.

When the Jiashen Right Army and Korean officials heard the news for the first time, they were all shocked. Several British businessmen were even more anxious and angry. Without Yuan Shikai, there would be no Korean railway, and without the Korean railway, all their investments would be wasted.

So they were the most anxious. Fortunately, news came out later that the court did not ask Yuan Shikai to return to Beijing, but instead sent eunuchs to Korea to praise Yuan Shikai. However, the article impeaching Yuan Shikai by the upright officials of the Beijing court was still published in the East-Asia Times. The many accusations against Yuan Shikai in the article undoubtedly cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.

The situation did not improve until Yuan Shikai personally led the army and drove the Japanese back to their initial landing areas, Daegu and Busan.

The people of Seoul were excited. Many students who studied in the academy and received favors from Yuan Shikai took to the streets to express their support for Lord Yuan. Even different voices were heard within the court, saying that if Yuan Shikai was allowed to return to Beijing at this time, it would be no less than Song Gaozong's 12 golden medals to recall Yue Fei. It was a self-destructive act that would disrupt the country.

However, since they were already far away from the Seoul area, the members of the survey team were not very clear about how things would develop in the future, so everyone was talking about this matter along the way.

After experiencing Brother Liu's death, Wang San became much more stable. He knew that many things could not be rushed. If he forced a result, he might slide to the edge of losing control. So he said calmly, "It's good that Master Yuan is okay. We can discuss the rest after we return to Seoul. Master Yuan has sent troops to surround the Japanese near the Gyeongsang Mountains. I believe we can definitely annihilate them this time. There is no need to worry."

The two surveyors from the Railway School were both Southeast Asian Chinese students recruited by Zhan Tianyou. They didn't have braids on their heads and were dissatisfied with the Qing court's various actions. Being young and energetic, they cursed indignantly, "We don't care who did it. Anyway, Korea cannot do without Yuan Shikai. Otherwise, the railway will always be a pie in the sky."

The Qing Dynasty was unworthy of being the central government. My brother and I came all the way from Southeast Asia and have seen the current situation in China from south to north. What a state this beautiful Chinese land has been ruined by these people!

It's worse than the barbaric land of Korea. At least this Yuan lord has ensured that the people of Seoul have enough food and clothing, and they can even read, speak Chinese, and write their own names. So as long as he can help the people live a good life, we will support Yuan lord."

"You're only saying this because you're Chinese from Southeast Asia and don't have pigtails. If anyone hears you say this, you'll be beheaded. Who doesn't hate those corrupt officials and those gentry who exploit the people?" Wang San shook his head helplessly, pointing at the two Chinese students from Southeast Asia. "Don't talk nonsense. It's okay in Korea, Lord Yuan can handle it, but if you say this in the Qing Dynasty, you'll bring disaster upon yourself."

"Master Yuan is now guarding Korea. Those diehards in the court will definitely not be happy about this. In my opinion, we should speed up the process, deal with the Japanese as soon as possible, and then return to the court to deal with these people."

This is the brainwashing result after Yuan Shikai returned to the court, or it would be more appropriate to call it propaganda. Although not everyone supports Yuan Shikai, at least the vast majority of people hope that Yuan Shikai can go further.

Everyone in the Jiashen Right Army only recognized Mr. Yuan, and had little affection for the Qing court. On the contrary, under the daily influence, they felt more recognized for China than for the Qing court.

Yuan Shikai did not prevent the spread of this idea of ​​loving the country but not the court in the army, nor did he care whether it would be known by court officials, because he already had the strength to be fearless of rumors.

Moreover, after the cession of Taiwan and Vietnam, the prestige of the Qing court was greatly reduced. Knowledgeable people from all over the country wanted to seek ways to save the country. Many scholars even went to Korea to seek advice from Yuan Shikai.

Although it is 1887 now, the changes in people's minds and thoughts are no less than after the Sino-Japanese War of -. Various Western ideas are in vogue, and words such as freedom, equality, and democracy have become the buzzwords of today's students.

In addition, the primary contradiction within the court at this time was not to resolve the issue of Yuan Shikai, who had the potential to become a vassal state, but the increasingly fierce dispute between the emperor and the empress.

Under the overwhelming public opinion, Cixi had to announce that she would step down from power on Guangxu's 18th birthday, which was at the end of 1889, only two years away from 1887.

If the imperial court wants to remove him from office now, it will be a problem as to who to send to replace him. The people of Korea only recognize Yuan Shikai and no one else.

The competition between the emperor and empress's factions in the court had almost reached a fever pitch. It was only because Guangxu had not yet taken power that Cixi had the strength and righteousness to suppress the emperor's faction. Once she wanted to dismiss Yuan Shikai, and Yuan Shikai defected to the emperor's faction, Cixi would be left with no tears.

"Yes, hurry up and go back early after finishing your work."

Seeing the sun about to rise, the soldiers began to shout in the steaming heat and quickened their pace down the mountain with the two surveyors from the railway school.

While Wang San was protecting the railway surveyors in exploring the route, Yuan Xiangcheng also arrived at the front line to encircle the Japanese army.

Datian City, bathed in the scorching sun, welcomed Yuan Shikai, the ruler of Korea.

Teams of guards entered a noble mansion of the Yangban class that had been confiscated in Datian City in advance and raised a red flag with the word "Yuan" on it, which belonged exclusively to Yuan Xiangcheng and the Jiashen Right Army. Under the sunlight, every guard on duty was sweating.

Inside the mansion, the front-line staff meeting of the Jiashen Right Army was temporarily interrupted. Led by Duan Qirui, everyone walked out of the sand table room and waited for Yuan Shikai's arrival outside the mansion with the gentry.

Ever since Yuan Shikai fought the Japanese in Korea on and off, not only the Qing court but also some of the Yangban class realized that Yuan Shikai wanted to kill with a borrowed knife and use the Japanese to eliminate the local forces in Korea.

But these yangbans had no choice but to either surrender to Yuan Shikai, cooperate with the Japanese, or oppose both Yuan and Japan.

No one chose the third option, and at first they were unwilling to choose the first option. They could only choose to cooperate with the Japanese to deal with Yuan Shikai.

It was fine when the Japanese first started cooperating with the Korean yangban, but as soon as they lost a battle, they would let their troops plunder. Yuan Shikai would often allow the Japanese army to plunder at this time, which led to several battles in which the Japanese army could be encircled and annihilated but did not take action.

"Chief Instructor!"

"The chief instructor is here!"

The staff officers of the Jiashen Right Army and some members of the Red Confucianists saw Yuan Shikai's security personnel from afar in front of the residence, and they all shouted to stand at attention and salute.

"Welcome, Master Yuan!"

Suddenly, dozens of Korean gentry surrounding the mansion shouted loudly and raised several large flags. The crowd was in turmoil, causing Yuan Xiangcheng's security personnel to become nervous.

The security personnel did not relax until the big flag was raised. On it were written slogans such as "Equal distribution of land is a way to disaster!" "Expel the Japanese pirates, and Yuan Gong will be remembered forever! Equal distribution of land will leave a lasting infamy!"

Duan Qirui, who led the team to welcome Yuan Shikai, suddenly froze when he saw the slogan. Since he recaptured Datian City from the Japanese and implemented the equal distribution of land here, gentry came to him every day to plead for mercy, but he refused to see them all.

He knew what these people were thinking. They simply didn't want to distribute the land equally. However, postponing the distribution was just a delaying tactic for the Japanese invasion. Now that the three major Japanese garrisons were about to be surrounded, the distribution of land was unstoppable. So when he saw the two large flags, he turned around and asked angrily, "What's going on? Who did this?!"

The local officials of Datian City behind him hurriedly lowered their heads to avoid his gaze. Han Bei also hurriedly pushed Duan Qirui and said, "Assistant Commander, find someone to drive them away. The chief instructor has arrived. It is important to receive him first."

Duan Qirui is now the commander of the First Regiment of the Right Army of Jiashen. This time when Yuan Shikai came to the front line of Datian City, he did not deal with the gentry in the city at the beginning because he had to discuss the encirclement with his staff. He did not expect that such an embarrassing scene would occur.

Who in North Korea would dare to confront the Chief Instructor now? If something happened in Daejeon City, delaying the plan of equal distribution of land, the soldiers of the First Regiment might escape punishment, but he, the commander, would definitely be in trouble.

Han Bei naturally saw these people as well. Just as he was about to order his soldiers to disperse them, a man came out from a group of people led by Yuan Xiangcheng in the distance. It was Ming Ye, the captain of the security team. Ming Ye immediately ran over and said a few words to Duan Qirui. Duan Qirui then sent people to stop the act of dispersing the Korean gentry.

The Korean gentry who had raised the flag had already planned to be driven away and might even be imprisoned. Seeing this scene, they didn't know whether to leave or not.

The people accompanying him this time were Tang Shaoyi and Ma Jianzhong, who had just returned from reporting to the Qing court. When they saw this scene, they both murmured secretly. Only Yuan Xiangcheng turned a deaf ear to the big words written on the flag and walked straight into the mansion.

"Welcome, General Instructor, to the front!" Duan Qirui saw this and thought no more. He couldn't say anything if the General Instructor ignored him. Although he didn't understand what the General Instructor was up to, he still went to greet him. Pointing at the protesters in the distance, he pretended to be angry and shouted, "General Instructor, don't worry about these Korean gentry. Once the equal land policy is completed, these gentry will no longer have a foothold in the countryside."

Old man 607380;-

Temple Yuan Xiangcheng smiled and said: "Thank you for your hard work. I have been busy with government affairs in Seoul recently. Comrade Duan Qirui, I am very optimistic about your performance in leading the team to fight against the Japanese army in the past six months. Everyone in the Red Confucian Society has high hopes for you. Don't let your comrades down!"

At the beginning of the year, Duan Qirui was promoted by Yuan Shikai to the commander of the first regiment of the Jiashen Right Army. Also promoted was the former assistant commander Sheng Fei, who was appointed as the commander of the second regiment of the Jiashen Right Army.

3. The Jiashen Right Army now has a total of more than 15000 infantry, artillery, and cavalry in each town.

There were not so many people in Zero originally, but after the Japanese landed, Yuan Shikai urgently recruited soldiers to expand the army in Seoul, and recruited most of the Koreans to join the army in the name of defending the territory.

After six months of training in the flames of war and the loss of thousands of Korean lives, the First and Second Regiments of the Jiashen Right Army were truly transformed into powerful forces. With the combined efforts of the two regiments, the Japanese who landed across the sea were defeated.

At the same time, Yuan Shikai was also actively recruiting people from the country to build the Third Regiment of the Jiashen Right Army. He had not yet decided on the candidate to lead the Third Regiment, so he planned to see who would stand out in this encirclement and suppression campaign against Japan.

He turned his gaze to Feng Guozhang, the leader of the Second Brigade of the First Town of Jiashen, who was welcoming the crowd.

Feng Guozhang's talent is unquestionable. He joined the Jiashen Right Army early on, but used the name Feng Si. He made great contributions in the defense of the capital. When it came to rewarding him, the quartermaster thought that his name Feng Si was too vulgar and there was a risk of having the same name as him, so he asked him to report a formal name. He then reported the name "Feng Guozhang".

It was at that time that Yuan Shikai learned that two of the three Beiyang heroes were already under his command, and he wondered where Wang Shizhen was.

Feng Guozhang's talent is unquestionable. Although he is only an assistant commander now, he is born to be suitable for large-scale combat. However, in Yuan Shikai's eyes, he still needs training.

As long as the performance is good, he will not hesitate to give the opportunity to promote them. So what if they are old Beiyang people? As long as they can follow him, Yuan, there is nothing wrong with rebuilding the Beiyang.

What's more, this Beiyang is far more advanced than the Beiyang in the original time and space.

Chapter 77: Central Korea

The Datian City Restaurant, which was extremely bustling in the past, is now deserted. No one knows which wicked person posted the news that equal distribution of land would be implemented in Datian all over the city, making the Korean gentry who had just escaped the Japanese war and returned home feel as uncomfortable as if they had eaten shit.

Jin Liming had just returned from the mansion where he had welcomed Yuan Shikai's arrival. He had his servants carry a banner back home. When he saw the notice of equal distribution of land posted on the outer wall of the restaurant, he tore it off and spat fiercely.

The sky has changed in North Korea!

A notice on equal distribution of land meant that small landlords like him were no longer the target of flattery in the countryside. The farmers who knew the news expressed their unwillingness to cultivate his land anymore and just waited for Master Yuan to come and divide the land among them.

After experiencing the Japanese war, his mansion in the city was looted. He spent money like water, and his future life became a problem. Many of the servants who usually bowed and scraped to him had run away, and only a few of them who were not very smart were still loyal to him.

Seeing the uncertain future and feeling that he had no way to survive and his family fortune was about to be destroyed, Jin Liming drank two taels of wine and mustered up the courage to cause trouble in front of Yuan Xiangcheng. Looking at the two flags carried by his servants, he was still afraid.

He walked into the restaurant, ordered another two taels of wine, and asked the waiter to come up. He drank it intermittently. Knowing that Jin Limin had asked for trouble today, the Korean gentry saw him drinking and came down from upstairs. They surrounded Jin Limin and asked, "What's going on? Did Yuan Xiangcheng say anything after seeing the words written on your flag?"

Jin Limin recounted everything that had happened at the Jiashen Right Army's residence, scratching his head. "I thought I was going to die this time, but I didn't expect Yuan Xiangcheng to walk into the house without even saying a word. What do you all say we should do?"

Everyone was stunned. They had originally planned to make a big fuss, hoping for a few casualties so they could seize the opportunity to stir up a wave of opposition against Yuan Shikai and make the land parcel distribution impossible. Unexpectedly, they ignored it completely. A gentry who was usually domineering thought for a moment and said, "Why not go back and call everyone in Jeolla Province over and make a big fuss?"

Find familiar group 5

"Making a big fuss? What are you thinking? Yuan Xiangcheng killed so many yangban in Seoul. Can we compare with those yangban?"

"Yes, this Yuan Shikai has already planned this. He has gathered the Korean people to fight the Japanese and transferred the soldiers he recruited from China to fight us. Are the Chinese soldiers afraid to fight against us Koreans?"