The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

However, Chongqing had been established as a port for many years, and with British and French troops stationed there, the situation was even more complicated than in Chengdu. Furthermore, Chongqing was a mountain city with complex terrain, and the Manchu and Qing armies were stationed at strategic points. The revolutionary army could be seen from afar, giving the Qing army considerable time to react.

This was precisely why Zhang Feng and his men were so anxious. If they could wait until night, advance quietly and stealthily, and then launch a unified attack once they were close to the Qing army camp, the revolutionary army would be able to quickly defeat the Qing troops in Chongqing. Of course, Zhang Feng and his men were also worried that the Qing troops in Chongqing would get wind of Chengdu's capture, so they had no choice but to attack immediately. Now, they were simply taking advantage of the Qing army's lack of machine guns and artillery, otherwise the revolutionary army would suffer heavy losses.

As the two sides exchanged fire, the British, French, American, and Japanese troops stationed in Chongqing, unaware of the situation, immediately closed their camps and protected their respective consulates. At this time, Chongqing only had the consulates of Britain, France, the United States, and Japan, and only a small number of troops from these four countries. To prevent the British, French, and American allied forces from interfering in the revolution, and to prevent Qing officials from seeking assistance from the British, French, American, and Japanese garrisons, Zhang Feng took the lead in blocking the roads leading to these consulates. He drew a white line on the ground and declared to the British, French, American, and Japanese troops that if any of their soldiers dared to cross this white line, it would mean war.

At this time, there were not many British, French, American and Japanese troops stationed there, and they were only there to protect the consulate. Moreover, their eyes were still on the capital. They were very unhappy with Zhang Feng's threat, but they had no choice but to compromise. Once a war broke out, all the soldiers here would die in battle.

But when Zhang Feng, Liu Xinsheng and others took action, a group of uninvited guests also seized the opportunity to take action. They were members of the Gelaohui and some local thugs.

These secret societies will not miss any opportunity to make money. The more chaotic it is, the more likely it is to cause trouble for them.

The more they felt there was an opportunity, the more they wanted to take advantage of the situation even though they were completely unfamiliar with it. They quickly gathered their followers and began to loot the nearby shops that they had long coveted.

Liu Xinsheng's original plan was to quickly seize the Daotai Yamen and then quickly meet the troops entering the city. However, just as he led his team to occupy the Chongqing Prefecture Yamen and other institutions and was about to take people to meet the troops, he encountered these looters.

"Comrades, kill these bandits to prevent them from harming the people again."

At this time, it was clear what these secret societies were doing. There was no need to say anything more. The comrades raised their rifles and shot at the robbers without saying a word.

After a few rounds of gunfire, the gang members and local hooligans immediately fell into chaos. After they broke up, they began to run around in all directions. Some started setting fires everywhere. Some people fled for their lives, and some were desperate for money, hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune. However, they quickly disappeared from the team's sight, leaving only corpses on the ground.

But did these secret society members give up? No, they seized the last opportunity and started to rob money, treasures, and even women in places where there were no revolutionary soldiers.

The defeated Qing soldiers saw that the secret societies were looting and not only did they not stop them, but they joined them. So these defeated soldiers formed a second attack. Fortunately, there were not many of them, and they all thought their guns were too heavy and threw them away when they fled, otherwise the damage to the people would be even greater.

Many pawnshops, banks, and stores were affected. Because the incident happened so suddenly, no one in these shops was prepared. Although Liu Xinsheng led his team to suppress the riot in a timely manner, the casualties among the people were not particularly large. However, more than a dozen people were killed, dozens were injured, and more than a dozen stores were looted. For a time, the whole of Chongqing was still shrouded in terror.

After Zhang Feng dealt with the Qing army, he immediately sent troops to the streets to suppress the rebellion and try to restore order as soon as possible. If they encountered robbers, they would kill them on the spot. It was not until the afternoon that order was completely restored in Chongqing. The gunshots gradually subsided, and Zhang Feng and Liu Xinsheng breathed a sigh of relief, and the people who had been harmed also breathed a sigh of relief.

War disasters have been around since ancient times, and this is exactly what's happening now. While the current situation isn't quite a war disaster, it's merely a case of looting, smashing, and burning. Even with all the advance preparations, the direct losses in just one afternoon were over 100,000, with innocent civilian casualties. Therefore, the losses caused by large-scale war are incalculable and unimaginable. The disaster it brings is uncontrollable, and once it spreads, the consequences are unimaginable.

Fortunately, Zhang Feng immediately dispatched a large force to suppress the looting and burning, and the violence was short-lived. By the afternoon, there were no more soldiers or those who were trying to take advantage of the situation. However, the atmosphere in Chongqing had become unsettled. Most of the forces in Chongqing had no idea where these armed forces had come from, nor what they were planning. Everyone was waiting for news, yet secretly colluding.

The chaos in Chongqing actually occurred in Chengdu as well, but Chengdu was the center of the Qing dynasty's Sichuan rule, so the situation wasn't as complex. Furthermore, while Zhang Yinghao and his men didn't have as many internal supporters as those in Chongqing, their swift attack spared Chengdu from significant damage. It was precisely because of this that Zhang Feng and his men's attack was used as a case study and detailed at the military academy, teaching students how to handle similar situations.

By nightfall, the entire city of Chongqing was under military martial law. The day's chaos had deeply shocked Zhang Feng and Liu Xinsheng, who felt deeply that Zhang Yinghao's ban on the secret societies in the base was correct. They also knew that certain forces in Chongqing could not be left behind, otherwise they would inevitably cause trouble again and must be eliminated immediately.

Zhang Feng brought a large team to have a brief meeting with Liu Xinsheng.

"Comrade Xinsheng, we made a mistake. We underestimated many aspects of our attack on Chongqing."

Liu Xinsheng also said, "No wonder Chairman Mao always said in his lectures on Sun Tzu's Art of War that making mistakes is inevitable, and all we can do is prepare as much as possible to minimize them. These words, after this practice, make more and more sense the more I think about them. We were certainly well prepared this time, but there are still significant problems."

"Yes, the next operation depends on you leading the team. We are unfamiliar with the place, and it would be best if these evil spirits in Chongqing do not show up again."

"Haha, they're nothing but clowns. Here, look at this map. We've circled all the brothels, casinos, opium dens, and gang strongholds we can find. Let's wipe them out tonight!"

"Alright, tomorrow we'll restore order to Chongqing. Martial law has been declared throughout Chongqing. Let's see where they can escape to."

They acted immediately. Zhang Feng divided the troops into several groups and, under the leadership of comrades in Chongqing, destroyed all the Gelaohui forces and other underworld forces at lightning speed, closed down all the opium dens, brothels and casinos, and arrested all the relevant personnel inside and took them away from Chongqing.

The revolutionary army's bizarre actions had not only alarmed the landlords and gentry who had received the news, but also the British and French consuls. After all, as the oldest opium traffickers, the financial backers behind these opium dens, brothels, casinos, and some underworld organizations were these foreigners, or the compradors and landlords who colluded with them.

But no matter how anxious they were, the earthquake in Chongqing continued, but on the surface it was still calm. The next day, the citizens could still go about their daily lives as normal.

The work and life have been restored, and the social order can be said to be unprecedentedly good. However, those smoking places and other places have all been sealed, and the seals read:

Chongqing People's Police Department and Chongqing People's Government.

Although many Chongqing residents were unaware of the origins of the police and government, they were nonetheless inexpressibly delighted to see these sealed-off areas. However, not everyone was delighted. Many saw the seals with gloomy expressions and gnashing of teeth. Many came covertly to inspect and then left in a hurry, likely to report to someone.

Most people wouldn't understand the way Liu Xinsheng and Zhang Feng's random punches, like they were beating a master to death, were unbelievable. But for Zhang Yinghao, it wasn't hard to understand at all. Whether it was Zhang Yinghao's sudden capture of Chengdu or Zhang Feng and his men's assault on Chongqing, in the face of such a massive force, what force in China could possibly rival them? After defeating their primary rival, the Qing Dynasty, the next priority was to address these social malignancies.

Who are our friends and who are our enemies? This is the primary question of revolution. Before imperialism directly intervened in the revolution, the landlord class and its representatives, the Qing court, were the primary enemy, followed by these social cancers. However, after the Qing forces were eliminated, these social cancers instantly became the primary enemy.

So, what Zhang Yinghao had written on a piece of paper and given to Hu Songhui to telegraph was the army's order of battle in Chongqing: after annihilating the Qing forces, they would immediately and swiftly wipe out all evil spirits and restore peace to the people. In fact, Zhang Yinghao did the same thing in Chengdu, but Chengdu was the center of Qing rule in Sichuan, and in some cases, the situation was slightly better than in Chongqing.

Zhang Feng and Liu Xinsheng were also brought up by Zhang Yinghao, so they naturally knew that it was stupid to just do something without saying anything. Now that so many things have been done, it is time to speak out, otherwise people will still be confused about what happened.

However, Zhang Yinghao had no intention of engaging in the same kind of declarations of independence and self-government that the warlords of his past had. So Zhang Feng and his men simply promoted the dangers of opium, casinos, and brothels, spinning stories about how casinos and opium dens bankrupted people and how brothels forced and trafficked women.

At the same time, those caught using opium—those who were not severely addicted and still able to work—were sent to labor camps for forced detoxification. Those whose addiction had penetrated their bones and left them emaciated, considered beyond help based on previous experience, were placed in cages and paraded through the streets in shorts and shorts. Seeing the addicts' emaciated bodies and the unsightly appearance of their drug addiction, their drooling bodies, the vast majority of the public booed.

How many people don't know the harm of drug abuse? It can only be said that it is the sadness of the times. The best choice is to cherish life and stay away from drugs. But even if you want to stay away from drugs, there will always be people who trick people into taking drugs. Every additional addict can increase income, so why not?

Chapter 159:

Zhang Yinghao hated drug dealers and imposed severe penalties. Paraded behind the addicts were opium dealers. Many of them were high-ranking figures in Chongqing, usually the envy of others. But today, they were caged.

The civilians, unaware of where the drug traffickers were being taken, followed them closely. Arriving at the site where the Qing dynasty had previously executed criminals, the revolutionary army immediately removed the drug traffickers from their cages and made them kneel on the stage. The revolutionary army then aloud read out the charges against them and pronounced the death penalty upon them.

Hearing so many drug dealers being so brutally sentenced to immediate execution, the people present were stunned, but many immediately burst into tears. For these drug dealers, there was no way they could be wrongly accused, so a row of revolutionary soldiers stood behind them, holding machetes. Once they were identified, they were immediately beheaded.

When the beheading began, the people remained silent. But after a few heads had been chopped off, seeing the revolutionaries' seriousness, the remaining drug dealers weeping and pissing themselves in despair, the people immediately cheered. With each head chopped off, they cheered, as if venting years of frustration, as if celebrating the fact that good and evil will eventually be rewarded, as if complaining about why the drug dealers didn't just stretch their necks and let the revolutionaries behead them.

After the revolutionary army beheaded the drug traffickers, countless civilians wept heartbreakingly. These drug traffickers had caused countless families to be torn apart, and seeing them receive their comeuppance, the victims naturally wept with joy. To further their propaganda and deterrence, the revolutionary army also beheaded those imprisoned in the Qing prisons who were deemed guilty of the most heinous crimes. And then what? Those who wanted to inquire about the origins of Zhang Feng and his men still received no concrete answers, only vaguely knowing that they were from Shunqing.

Even without much publicity, the news of the capture of Chengdu and Chongqing didn't remain hidden for long. Before long, a report was delivered to the various consulates in Chongqing. Not long after, an article titled "Suspected Armed Riot in Chongqing" appeared in newspapers, spreading along the Yangtze River system and eventually reaching the other side of the ocean.

After the Chengdu Telegraph Office was reopened, news of the city's occupation by the insurgents spread like wildfire. Soon after, the news finally reached Empress Dowager Cixi. With trembling hands, Cixi took up the memorial. Upon reading the news of the insurgent occupation of Chongqing and Chengdu, she felt a wave of dizziness.

As the supreme ruler of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi had experienced the Taiping Rebellion. She knew that the foreigners could not remain in China forever; they would only seek benefits. However, Cixi was very clear that the rebels would never behave like the foreigners. Just like the Taiping Rebellion, they might want to take over the Qing Dynasty, so she knew she could not fall.

He forced himself to drive out all the eunuchs and servants, even Li Lianying. He stared blankly at the memorial, perhaps thinking of the difficulties the Qing dynasty had faced in conquering Sichuan two hundred years ago, which took over twenty years, or the foreigners still wreaking havoc in the capital, or his own age, or the fact that staying in Xi'an was unsafe.

Cixi picked up the memorial again and read it. When she saw that the two big cities of Chongqing and Chengdu were lost, Cixi was still angry and threw the memorial hard on the table.

"It's not a pity for Kuijun to die! It's not a pity for him to die!"

Then, perhaps thinking of something, he picked up the memorial and continued to read. Sure enough, he saw the news that these rebels were actually banning smoking. He was filled with infinite joy, because Ciqi was very clear, or full of

Everyone in the upper echelons of the Qing Dynasty knew that banning opium would inevitably offend the foreigners, and if they offended the foreigners, there was no way they would not fail.

If the Qing Dynasty goes to war, foreigners will also help support the Qing Dynasty in eliminating these bandits in order to sell opium.

Cixi shouted joyfully outside: "Come here, come here quickly."

The eunuchs and palace maids outside were all listening attentively to the call from inside, so when they heard Cixi's call, Li Lianying immediately ran in like a young man with chicken blood, knelt down and shouted: "Your servant is here."

"Immediately convey my order and return to the capital."

"twitter."

Cixi was still in Xi'an at this time, but since Sichuan was in chaos, she naturally would not stay in Xi'an, which was so close. She understood better than anyone that a daughter of a wealthy family should not sit idle in the palace. Of course, Cixi would not rush back to the capital. After all, the treaty had just been signed and the foreign soldiers were still in the capital. She planned to return slowly, and by the time she arrived in the capital, the foreigners would have left. After this incident, Cixi no longer believed in her own strength and could be said to have completely knelt before the foreign devils. However, she had already concluded that this group of rebels would not last long, so she did not let the Qing army immediately encircle and suppress them. She wanted to see how the foreign devils reacted before taking any action.

But Cixi didn't know that when she placed her hopes on foreigners, she missed the only chance to suppress the revolutionary army. When the Qing Dynasty wanted to suppress it again, it no longer had any chance.

As the revolutionary army beheaded drug traffickers, the British got the news and could no longer sit still. As the main culprits of the opium poisoning of China, they themselves admitted that opium not only poisoned the Chinese body, but also poisoned the Chinese soul. Although their income from selling opium is not as much as before, these foreign devils will never allow the existence of a force to quit smoking in China.

Zhang Yinghao didn't know whether the British would send troops to Sichuan, or whether they would use their warships to bombard Chongqing and other coastal areas. But banning smoking was a policy Zhang Yinghao would never change; there was no room for compromise. As for closing down casinos and brothels, it was because countless tragedies had brewed there. If they were shut down, countless more would be spared.

Of course, casinos will have to exist in the future. Otherwise, those gamblers will go to foreign countries to gamble, losing Chinese wealth. It would be better to keep this wealth at home. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao plans to open casinos on small islands like Macau. Of course, the Progress Party cannot openly participate in such activities. They can simply issue a document and impose heavy taxes. This way, people who don't know what capitalism is can experience its decadent nature.

The closure of brothels was the most controversial issue. Although many people in the base didn't speak of it, Zhang Yinghao still felt it. The issue of prostitution was discussed not only in this era, but also in later realities. Many time-travel and rebirth stories explored this issue. Many articles discussed the legalization of prostitution, requiring prostitutes to undergo regular checkups and prohibiting women from being forced to work there. The reason given was that such practices could not be completely banned, but simply changed from open prostitution to covert prostitution.

Zhang Yinghao wanted to laugh when he saw these articles. He really thought that this person must be living in an ideal country. Even with the high pressure in China in the later period, there is still a magical place like Dongwan. If it weren't for the great pressure and the overwhelming public opinion, the country would

The government has taken direct action to rectify the situation, but I don’t know how crazy it will be. I’m just kidding: the social benefits are too great?

If they dare to do it openly, claiming to formalize and legalize it, then as long as they dare to open this loophole, no one will be able to resist the enormous profits within. It can be said that as long as humanity exists, this is a risk-free, almost zero-cost, and highly profitable business! This isn't a multi-billion dollar market, not a trillion-dollar market, but a trillion-dollar market. Therefore, once the loophole is opened, those who reap the benefits will dare to do anything, and anyone who tries to stand in the way of these profits will be crushed to pieces.

Just like the Netherlands, after legalizing sex work in 2000, it increased employment, attracted tourists, increased revenue, and reduced public security issues. However, the problem of prostitution has not improved, but has become even worse. And it has gone from illegal to legal. As long as a man is a bit strong, can't he conquer a woman with a stick?

People? If sticks don't work, what about drugs? Sex and drugs are almost inseparable. If sex is legal, then the drug problem will be impossible to control.

The legalization of sex trade will inevitably lead to the problem of human trafficking. There will be no such thing as voluntary or involuntary. Under the stick, how can there be any question of involuntary possession of drugs? Moreover, the legalization of sex trade will also bring health problems, and many sexually transmitted diseases are difficult to cure.

Can countries that have liberalized sex trade shut it down? Absolutely not. The stakes are enormous, and once the government takes a stake, anyone who dares to shut it down would be cutting off the financial resources of countless people, becoming their mortal enemies. Within days, those who oppose it would be in the gutter.

Therefore, Zhang Yinghao's attitude has always been consistent: he must maintain a high-pressure stance against brothels. While prostitution is inevitable, regardless of economic prosperity, secret prostitutes are secret prostitutes, operating in secret. They know they are breaking the law and that what they are doing is wrong, and even when caught, they dare not complain. This is a public matter, not a private one. They will eventually become good women, and when they reach adulthood, they will secretly marry.

In fact, when Zhang Feng and his men paraded drug users through the streets and executed drug dealers, Britain, France, the United States, and Japan had already attempted to intervene, but Zhang Feng ignored them. Although Chongqing had been a port for over a decade, the only nations truly able to extend their influence were the British, who considered the Yangtze River Basin their sphere of influence. The French and Japanese were far behind. The Americans were focused on business, and other countries had yet to establish consulates in Chengdu. Only after the signing of the Boxer Protocol did Chongqing welcome a wave of foreign powers. At that time, the British were not yet powerful enough to act recklessly in the Chongqing region.

In fact, the British were behind the Southeast Mutual Protection, a policy initiated by Qing officials during the Gengzi Year. After all, British interests were primarily in the Yangtze River Basin. If a war broke out in Southeast China, the lives of so many British people in the Yangtze River Basin would be threatened. Most importantly, the British did not want any losses to their interests in the Yangtze River Basin.

So, while the fighting in the north was fierce, as long as the southeast remained peaceful, the British could sit back and relax. However, now that Sichuan was in trouble, the British were immediately uneasy. Although the British interests in Sichuan were not particularly large, it was close to the Kangzang region, and the British had always coveted this piece of fat meat.

The British, always eager to stir up trouble, were quick to intervene to save the drug traffickers. Unfortunately, Zhang Feng ignored them and was turned away. Given the British's pride, they certainly wouldn't let this go. In the eyes of the British, the Qing dynasty was a race of uncivilized barbarians, otherwise they wouldn't have earned the nickname "yellow monkeys."

After executing the opium traffickers, the British did indeed pause their unnecessary actions. However, after Chongqing opened as a port, the customs were under British control. The British knew that this group of arrogant and conceited people would soon need their help. After all, they had long known about the existence of such a group of rebels in Guang'an, but had previously ignored them.

But Zhang Yinghao's plan didn't actually involve immediately discussing the customs issue with the British. It wasn't that Zhang Yinghao didn't care about the issue, but rather that he wanted to delay the entry of foreigners as much as possible. While Zhang Yinghao didn't believe the British would dare to send tens of thousands of British lobster soldiers to Sichuan to start a war, the Yangtze River waterway was something the British could easily block. Zhang Yinghao's priority now was to seize as many bargaining chips as possible.

As long as the reactionary forces in Sichuan were eliminated, Zhang Yinghao would not fear any blockade or war. Just as Zhang Yinghao was concentrating on sorting out domestic affairs, a group of foreigners finally found him. These people included British, French, Americans, Canadians, and others.

Andy, the Consul General of the French Consulate General in Chongqing, came to Chengdu to establish a consulate general, but he didn't realize that Chengdu has changed its flag. There's also Luo Sanle, a consul at the British Consulate. The British also plan to build a consulate in Chengdu after France. As for the Canadians and Americans, they're just filling in the gaps for now.

Chapter 160:

Would these foreigners come to Zhang Yinghao for no reason? Of course not. Even after the Chengdu Incident, there was only one Catholic church in Sichuan.

There are more than 150 churches and more than 100 preaching rooms, and there are 300 to 400 Catholics alone. Wherever the revolutionary army goes, they will inevitably investigate the behavior of foreigners.

If any missionary is found guilty of a heinous crime, he will be publicly tried and executed, and his church will be confiscated. If any of his subordinates commit crimes, they will naturally be executed. However, after the missionary is captured, the decision will be based on public sentiment. If public outrage is extremely high, he will also be executed. If not, he will be expelled from the base.

When the consuls in Chengdu received the news, they immediately found Zhang Yinghao and asked him to give an explanation. At this time, Zhang Yinghao was very troubled because he had no experience in dealing with foreigners in this era. In the previous life, the local Communist Party dealt with foreigners very late. And

There was no situation like Zhang Yinghao's current one, after all, in his previous life, there was the Kuomintang in the front. After the national liberation, the policy of leaning to one side was implemented, and it was also very tough on European and American imperialism.

Zhang Yinghao repeated the phrase "seek truth from facts" in his mind over and over again... But no matter how he repeated it, Zhang Yinghao still had no intention of falling out with countries like Britain, France and the United States. It seemed that fighting without breaking would be the principle of the next negotiations.

However, before meeting these foreigners, Zhang Yinghao still needed to unify his thoughts. To be honest, the attitudes of these foreigners were not important. As long as the Forward Party was well-organized and united, the foreigners would come to him for help.

Zhang Yinghao was concerned about his comrades, who were full of passion and fervor. These foreigners, however, possessed a natural arrogance, viewing China as if it were uncivilized barbarians. Their words were bound to be harsh, and if they got angry, they might disregard all considerations and, in a fit of rage, confront the Western powers. This would do no good for the base area. Of course, Zhang Yinghao would not back down; he had to represent the interests of the vast majority of the people in the base area. Otherwise, he would not be able to lead the Forward Party forward.

In his previous life, he had never considered these questions, but now Zhang Yinghao had a certain understanding for people like Sun Zhongshan. Historically, Sun Zhongshan returned from begging in Western countries without a penny. After assuming the office of provisional president, he had no money or connections. He had no foundation and could not collect taxes. With threats from the Beiyang government and foreign powers, and numerous factions within, the situation was extremely difficult.

So Sun Zhongshan naturally couldn't stand up straight, no matter what the powers said.

He could only answer "yes". Even if Sun Zhongshan was unwilling, he could only hold his nose and admit the unequal treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty. As for the parliament being able to object,

Yes, that's bullshit.

But now it was Zhang Yinghao's turn, and he couldn't recognize these treaties. Because if he did, he would still be a government like the Qing Dynasty, and his revolution would lose its legitimacy, and he would no longer represent the interests of the people. Since he recognized the treaties just like the Qing Dynasty, why did the people follow him instead of the Qing Dynasty?

After figuring out his bottom line, Zhang Yinghao felt much more relaxed. He suddenly remembered a line from "The Seagull": Come on, let the storm come even harder!

Zhang Yinghao immediately ordered an emergency enlarged meeting of the Politburo. Since Zhang Yinghao had previously planned not to return to Guang'an, almost all the Politburo members who did not have relevant tasks had arrived in Chengdu at this time.

Zhang Yinghao told the story of the foreigners from Britain, France, the United States and Canada coming to him, and then said: "We can give the foreigners a cold shoulder, but we can't

—Just hang it there. I’ll talk about our problems and bottom line here, and we can discuss it together.

First, if we want to develop our industry, we must buy from countries like Britain, France, and the United States.

We need to buy machines, and we also need sellers for the products we produce, such as bristles, tung oil, and ready-made clothes, which all need to be traded with these countries. So there is no need

Under these circumstances, we cannot fight these countries to the death. It would be more trouble than gain to completely break down the relationship.”

Everyone present knew the benefits that trade brought to the base, so they all nodded.

Zhang Yinghao continued: "But I once said: to fight

If we seek peace, it will survive; if we seek peace through compromise, it will die. The state of peace we maintain with foreigners cannot be achieved through unconditional compromise.

We should not do what they want us to do. We should adhere to our principles while finding common interests with these countries and maintain a situation where we can fight but not break apart.

Secondly, there is a question we cannot avoid, and that is the issue of the treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty. Do we have the ability to abolish these treaties now?"

Without waiting for his comrades to respond, Zhang Yinghao said directly: "No, we don't have the ability to abolish these treaties now. Even if we ask the foreign devils to abolish these treaties, will it be effective? No. But can we recognize these treaties? Of course not. So what we have to do now is to maintain the status quo."

“How does the Chairman explain?”

"Haha, maintaining the status quo means that when our power has not grown to the point where the great powers are wary of us, we will continue to do our own thing. Truth is only within the range of cannons. I said in my lectures in the army: You fight yours, I fight mine.

That is, we do not recognize or deny the treaty signed by the Qing Dynasty. We will maintain the status quo. However, the foreigners should not think of making further advances. If they do, we will fight them. When our strength is sufficient in the future,

And take back all the privileges lost by the Qing Dynasty."

"But what should we do with the missionaries we captured?"

"We will handle them according to our laws. If they should be killed, we will kill them. If they should be confiscated, we will confiscate them. We did not invite these foreign devils to come to China, and they did not obtain our approval to come. This is struggle. If they have not clearly committed a crime, we will expel them from the base area. Our policy in Shunqing will continue."

"What if the foreigners send people to attack us?"

"Then we'll fight them. A single blow is enough to prevent a hundred retaliations. I doubt the great powers will do anything to us for now, but they will arm the Qing army and fight us. If the Qing army gains the upper hand, the great powers might go into battle bare-armed, just as they helped the Qing suppress the Taiping Rebellion. Of course, there's another possibility: the great powers might send warships to bombard our cities on both sides of the Yangtze River. That would be the most fatal."

"Chairman, isn't this foreigner afraid of our retaliation?"

"Haha, what you said is a typical Chinese mentality of "more friends, more paths." The powerful countries today are very arrogant and powerful. Just think about it, they occupied our country's capital with just a few thousand people. Do you think they will look down on us? Will they be afraid of our retaliation? It's like if we kicked an anthill on the side of the road. Did the anthill offend you? And would you worry about the ants taking revenge on you?"

"this....…"