The sun never sets

They wantonly belittled Yuan Shikai, compared him with Qin Hui, and said that Yuan Shikai was not even as good as Qin Hui, nailing him to the pillar of shame in history.

After seeing the content of the Republic, Yuan Shikai was furious, but he did not make any extreme reaction. Instead, he further strengthened the defense. The Beiyang Army expanded 30,000 troops in Shandong. The number of troops increased, but the weapons, equipment and officers were not enough. The combat effectiveness of the newly trained 30,000 troops was very doubtful.

Weapons and equipment are one thing, and the other is people's support. Many Shandong people hated Yuan Shikai, and I don't know how many people wanted to shoot him. When Yuan Shikai was killing people in Shandong, many Boxers fled to Hebei and became Lin's subordinates. Those people participated in the battle against the Eight-Nation Alliance. After the war, many of them were promoted and made a fortune. Lin Yongchang has always been generous to warriors.

Those people had a thousand connections with Shandong, and many of them sneaked back to Shandong, promoting "land reform", "people's government", and "republican freedom" every day. Yuan Shikai was very alert to this, fearing that Baldy Lin was going to send troops to attack.

Huo Yuanjia could only see things on the surface and was not very clear about the open and secret struggles between the People's Republic and the Beiyang Army. He was very good at martial arts, but he did not understand political and military issues.

"Mr. Funakoshi, please tell General Saikuan not to stay in Dagukou anymore. If this continues, the government will not tolerate it any longer."

Funakoshi asked, "Is war about to begin?"

"Many people in the military said they wanted to annihilate the Second Division. Dong Fuxiang's Gansu Army has already reached Langfang."

"Alas, as both are yellow people, China and Japan really shouldn't fight each other anymore."

Funakoshi Fumio said, "I will advise General Nishihiro."

Huo Yuanjia did not realize that he was leaking military secrets, and Funakoshi Fumio did not think there was anything wrong with the conversation between the two. They were exchanging intelligence, but there was no relevant concept at all. Many strange things happened in this era, many of which would seem ridiculous to people in later generations, but when making evaluations, the limitations of the times need to be taken into account.

After returning to Dagukou from Tianjin, Funakoshi Fumio immediately asked to see Lieutenant General Nishikigo. Nishikigo could neither advance nor retreat at Dagukou. If he wanted to attack, he simply did not have enough troops and technical weapons. There were twice as many Chinese troops and more artillery in Tianjin.

The Chinese were unwilling to attack Dagukou with naval guns, and Xi Kuanjiro was unwilling to use less than 20,000 troops to attack the Chinese pre-set positions. The People's Republic government is not the same as the previous imperial court. The previous imperial court had to pay compensation even if it won the battle, but the current People's Republic government is poor and arrogant, not even afraid of the great powers, let alone the Japanese.

Nishi Hirojiro had been waiting for a reply from Fumio Funakoshi and his men, and upon receiving the request for a meeting, he immediately called Fumio Funakoshi in. Then he heard about the Chinese's plan to publicly try foreigners in Peking and the news that the Chinese army was sending massive reinforcements.

"It's finally here that's supposed to come."

Nishi Hirojiro shook his head and said, "I'd like to trouble Mr. Funakoshi to go to Tianjin again and tell the Chinese to stay calm. There should be news from the headquarters soon."

He was also speechless about the group of people in the domestic base. If they want to fight, they should send more troops. If they don’t want to fight, they should withdraw their troops early. Is it interesting to put the Second Division on the fire?

Chapter 132 Diplomacy

Nishi Kanjiro was the eldest son of Satsuma samurai Nishi Tarobei, who was from Kagoshima. He led his troops to fight in the Sino-Japanese War. Under the command of Lieutenant General Yamaji Motoharu of the First Division, he landed on the Liaodong Peninsula in October 1894. In November, he attacked Jinzhou and Dalian Bay, and then invaded Port Arthur with his troops. He commanded the Second Brigade of the Japanese Army to attack the rear of Port Arthur, Anzi Mountain. After the capture of Port Arthur, he led his troops into the urban area of Port Arthur and allowed his soldiers to kill innocent people indiscriminately. He was one of the culprits of the Port Arthur Massacre.

Lin Yongchang didn't know about this at first, so he left the Second Division at Dagukou, thinking that he would wait for the enemy to give up. There are a lot of things to deal with in North China now. The battle with the Eight-Nation Alliance caused heavy casualties among the soldiers. There are more than 20,000 people recovering in the hospital. If possible, Lin Yongchang really doesn't want to fight.

If you have the time and energy, wouldn't it be better to go to Taiyuan to deal with the small steel mill? Wouldn't it be better to improve the production process of the "pound"? War means death. But since we know that Nishi Hirojiro is one of the culprits of the tragic incident at Port Arthur, we can't just sit back and watch.

The Chinese are very hospitable. Now that you are here, you should not leave.

After landing at Dagukou, the Second Division launched several exploratory attacks inland, but each time they were beaten to a pulp by the Republican trenches. The two sides confronted each other for nearly a month, but the Japanese army failed to break through the Republican defense line, and the Republican army had no intention of attacking, so they just stayed behind the trenches.

The Japanese army also thought about infiltration and then attacking from both sides. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese army was often defeated when facing this tactic. After finding themselves in a state of being attacked from both sides, the morale of the Chinese people dropped quickly. But five years later, the Japanese army's infiltration tactics became a way of giving away lives.

The People's Army has too many cavalrymen, and the small number of troops that infiltrate will often face a large number of cavalrymen when they take action. On the plains, a small number of infantrymen will be defeated by cavalrymen. If too many people are dispatched, it will not be infiltration, but a strong attack.

Lin Yongchang led a newly reorganized army.

The three divisions arrived near Tianjin and had just deployed their troops when they received news from Huo Yuanjia that the Japanese had sent an envoy to seek peace. Lin Yongchang's original intention was to chop off Xi Kuanjiro's head.

The first commander-in-chief of the Eight-Nation Alliance, Seymour, fled to the south to negotiate with Zhang Zhidong, Liu Kunyi and others. The second commander-in-chief, Alfred von Waldersee, died of a sudden heart attack at the last moments of the war. Lin Yongchang was not interested in chopping off a dead man's head, so he returned Waldersee's body to the Germans.

Since Waldersee was already dead, the other prisoners of the Eight-Nation Alliance were not as important. If there was one more Japanese lieutenant general hanging on the gallows, it would surely add a lot of color to the Peking Trial.

But the Japanese asked for peace. That was not the way to go. Lin Yongchang certainly wanted to take revenge, but China's current situation did not allow for such things. If the Japanese had brought their entire army to attack, he would have deployed his troops without hesitation and sent all those little devils to see their Amaterasu. But now the Japanese had shown goodwill, so it was better not to fight if it was possible.

"Why bother?"

Li Dayan shouted loudly: "Eat up all the Japanese in Dagukou first and then talk to them!"

Lin Yongchang snorted and asked Dong Fuxiang, "What does General Dong think?"

Although Dong Fuxiang is old, he is still as strong as ever. "General Li is right! The foreigners are just like cattle and horses. They are afraid of power but not morality. Kill tens of thousands of them before we can negotiate!"

Alas, there are many capable fighters in the new government, and there are many brave and fearless people, but there are few knowledgeable people. It is okay to rely on Li Dayan, Meng En, and Liu Chengxiang to fight, but it is not okay to rely on them to govern the country. In terms of diplomacy, he still has to rely on himself.

Diplomacy is not about fighting and killing, but about human relations and worldly wisdom... Well, it is not about human relations and worldly wisdom, but about the consideration and exchange of interests. There is no diplomatic tradition in Chinese history. Under the traditional tribute system, there are only angels from the Celestial Empire. Now the old empire is no longer viable, and the tribute system has collapsed. The modern diplomatic system is that of the Westerners. There are very few Chinese who understand modern diplomacy, and it is difficult to gain the recognition of the Chinese people.

Chapter 133: Supporters

In the eyes of outsiders, Marshal Lin has a perfect plan and is a master at using troops. He knows that he can win every battle because he has a cheat. Even if he has a cheat, it can only be said that he has a great advantage, but he cannot always make the enemy act according to his wishes.

When fighting in Shanxi in the first half of the year, Lin Yongchang used the strategy of "encircling a point and attacking the reinforcements", but the governor of Shanxi was not moved at all. He led his troops to ambush in Dai County, south of Datong, for several days, but the officers and soldiers remained motionless, so he had to use a new military strategy again - "making a feint to the east and attacking the west", but it didn't have much effect. It doesn't matter whether you use military strategies to deal with corrupt officers and soldiers, so it's better to frame them and attack them directly.

When fighting against the Eight-Nation Alliance, all kinds of unexpected situations often occurred. The enemy would make all kinds of unexpected moves, and our side would also encounter all kinds of situations. You can't fight a war without a battle plan, but you can't follow the plan completely, but make corresponding adjustments as the situation changes.

In order to destroy the Second Division of the Japanese Army, Lin Yongchang made many preparations, the most important step was to attract the Japanese Army to leave Dagukou and leave the range of the naval guns. As a time traveler, he knew many battle examples, such as the "Songhu Battle", where the KMT army fought against the Japanese Army under the main guns of the battleships, and the 60 troops were almost wiped out. Therefore, Marshal Lin was absolutely unwilling to fight the Japanese Army within the range of the naval guns.

He was ready. As long as the Japanese launched a large-scale attack, the People's Army would retreat again and again, and then use cavalry to cut off the Japanese army's retreat and make another big dumpling. But unfortunately, the Japanese army just stayed at Dagukou and launched several attacks inland, but soon retreated.

This made Lin Yongchang very depressed. Did these people take Melatonin or something? Are they all so smart?

Lin Yongchang chose to negotiate with the Japanese instead of using force, not only because of diplomatic considerations, but also because the Japanese army had been staying in Dagukou, making him feel like a rat pulling a turtle - he had no idea where to start.

As a special envoy, Fumio Funakoshi traveled back and forth between Dagukou and Tianjin several times to help each side determine the other's position and bottom line. The Central People's Republic of China ended the state of war with Japan, Japan was willing to give up all its privileges in China, and China could not ask the Japanese for compensation because Japan did not admit that they were defeated.

The Chinese side said that they could waive compensation, but those soldiers, officers and generals needed to be redeemed. If they didn't pay, they would not release them. The Japanese side said that the Chinese had a bad conscience and asking for ransom was a robber's behavior. The war between the two countries was not kidnapping, so how could they ask for ransom?

Lin Yongchang scoffed at the Japanese's statement, as if the Japanese were not robbers. If you lose, just pay, quick! He knocked on the table and said, "I won't waste my time talking to you. Lieutenant General Yamaguchi Sushin and other officers and soldiers will pack 100 million taels of silver. If you pay, I will release them!"

Funakoshi sighed deeply, "Generalissimo, you know this is impossible."

Lin Dashuai is obviously a great hero, why is he obsessed with money? Fumio Funakoshi admires Lin Yongchang very much.

Even if the Eight-Nation Alliance was destroyed and the Japanese army was also killed, the fact that more than 40,000 foreign troops were wiped out at one time greatly increased the morale of the yellow race.

Later, it was because of the policies implemented by Lin Biao in Hebei that the people were given land. The policy of "one in ten taxes" can be said to be an unprecedented good policy. Even if there are people in the family serving in the military, such preferential treatment is also an unprecedented good policy in modern times. Even if there are no family members serving in the military, the tax is only doubled. In Japan, "half of the citizens" is considered to be considerate of the people.

"Take farmers and workers as the main body of the country", "establish state-owned enterprises", "develop industry and commerce", "serve the people", one policy after another, are all for enriching the country and strengthening the military, and serving the people. In the Meiji Restoration era after the war against the shogunate, Japan also concentrated the country's strength, collected additional taxes to establish a series of state-owned enterprises, and took measures to develop industry and commerce. The specific measures are in seven aspects:

(1) Abolish local checkpoints, foster and develop a unified national market; build railways, and develop modern transportation and communication services such as shipping, postal services, telegraphs, and telephones.

(2) Taking over the industrial and mining enterprises of the shogunate and the various feudal domains, transforming and expanding them to form a state-owned enterprise system; vigorously establishing various new modern enterprises called "model factories."

(3) Introduce advanced Western technology and equipment and transform existing technology and tools; at the same time, pay attention to establishing civilian product industries.

(4) Use various means such as rewards and protection to encourage high-quality new products and inventions and innovations; hold exchanges and exhibitions to promote advanced technologies.

(5) Implementing the policy of "encouraging agriculture". Introducing Western agricultural technology, agricultural and animal husbandry varieties, and management systems; combining the "encouraging industry" of "granting property to the nobles" with the policy of "encouraging industry" to enable a large number of former feudal warriors to engage in agricultural reclamation.

(6) Support and protect private capital and promote the development of private enterprises.

(7) Reward domestic production and encourage the export of domestic products.

Many of these policies were good, but after state-owned enterprises were established, in order to accelerate the process of industrialization, the government issued the "Order on Decentralization of State-owned Enterprises" in 1880. From November 1880, it decided to sell all state-owned enterprises other than special departments such as military industry, coinage, communications, railways, and printing at low prices to privileged capitalists such as Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Kawasaki, and Furukawa.

This is the concrete manifestation of Article 6 of the "Promoting Industry and Commerce Policy". State-owned enterprises were sold at a low price to private individuals, marking a fundamental change in Japan's "Promoting Industry and Commerce Policy". It abandoned the capitalist industrialization policy dominated by state-owned enterprises and instead implemented a policy of vigorously supporting and protecting private capitalism.

After the factories built with the blood and flesh of the people fell into private pockets, there was no "state-owned enterprise" in Japan, which was completely different from China's vigorous development of the state-owned economy. The reason for this situation is probably that Japan did not have the concept of "worker-peasant alliance" and "proletarian dictatorship".

Fumio Funakoshi is a Japanese, so he only sees the good side of the People's Republic Government, and does not see the problems faced by the People's Government. He is extremely indignant about the chaebols' behavior of dividing up the national property. After meeting with Lin Yongchang, he asked whether China's state-owned enterprises should also be sold to the chaebols at a low price, which made Marshal Lin think that this Japanese was also a time traveler at first. Later, he found out that Fumio Funakoshi was not because he knew about the associations of later generations, but because he was an angry young man... an angry middle-aged man.

So Lin Yongchang told Funakoshi what kind of country he wanted to build, the relationship between the state and taxation, the contribution of state-owned enterprises to the country, and the connection and relationship between national defense, military, economy, and politics. Although Marshal Lin spoke briefly, he was very eloquent. These issues were also discussed with many people. Practice makes perfect. After converting them into Japanese, Funakoshi immediately became a fan of Marshal Lin.

The more he admired Marshal Lin, the more Funakoshi could not tolerate his greed for money. Even though Marshal Lin did not use the money he amassed for himself, Funakoshi could not tolerate it.

Chapter 134: Unite

"Marshal!" Funakoshi Fumio raised his voice, "You are the head of a country, how can you be so fussy?"

Lin Yongchang's eyes revealed a strange meaning, "Head of State? What do you mean?"

Funakoshi replied casually, "Ouyang Xiu once said: All heads of state are appointed by heaven. The Grand Marshal is the leader of the Chinese people, so it is not wrong to call him the head of state. Marshal, the Japanese government will not give out 100 million taels of silver. They are not even able to squeeze the blood out of the bones, how could they possibly pay so much money?"

Lin Yongchang didn't bother with the title of "Head of State". He was already a "mentor", so being a "Head of State" wouldn't be a big deal. "If you can't come up with 100 million taels of silver, how about 10 million taels of silver? That should be fine, right? This isn't a 10% discount, this is a huge discount!"

Funakoshi shook his head and said, "I can only pass on the Marshal's words to General Nishikuan. It's hard to say whether it will work or not."

"Well, just tell Lieutenant General Xikuan that no matter how much the ransom is, I will give him 10%." Lin Yongchang smiled kindly, "I think he will ask for a little more money for his own benefit."

"Your Excellency Marshal!"

Funakoshi shouted, "You want to lead China to prosperity and leave your name in history. How can you use such means?"

He said with some regret: "The Grand Marshal must not be Li Hongzhang!"

"Uh...", Lin Yongchang

He touched his bald head and said, "It doesn't seem like this is a bad thing, right?"

Funakoshi Fumio said sternly: "I know the marshal has a lofty goal, and he will not forget his noble ambition even when playing with people's hearts, but can the later ones become marshals? When they use various means, will they forget the purpose and indulge in the means? The marshal should set rules for his descendants!"

Lin Yongchang was stunned for a moment, and then began to reflect on whether he had really gone too far. It seemed that he had done a little bit, not only asking the Japanese for ransom, but also many other things. However, given the current situation in China, or more precisely, in northern China, it would be impossible to turn the tide without resorting to trickery.

The real "mentors" in history also used many means to turn the Bolsheviks from a small party into the rulers of a huge country, and even brazenly dissolved the parliament and refused to recognize the vote. In comparison, Lin Yongchang's means are far inferior.

But Funakoshi Fumio also had a point. He could learn from his mentor, but those who came after him would only learn superficially. But then again, he was in such good health, so he could work for another fifty years, right? After fifty years, with China's size, as long as there were no weird things like the map header, China would definitely be a world power. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of time for him to come here?

He was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mr. Funakoshi is absolutely right. I was wrong. In order to avoid making the same mistake again in the future, Mr. Funakoshi, why don't you stay and correct my mistakes at any time? How about that?"

Funakoshi shook his head. “I am a Japanese after all.”

"What's wrong with the Japanese? They are human beings too!" Lin Yongchang stood up and opened his arms. "We want to liberate the people of the world! Proletarians, unite!"

He said to Fumio Fumakoshi: "In this cruel and dark world, we need to unite all like-minded comrades. Mr. Funakoshi, you are not seeking benefits for yourself, but for the Japanese people."

This reason was irresistible, and after hesitating for a while, Fumao Funakoshi reluctantly agreed.

Lin Yongchang laughed, stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers, and said happily: "Mr. Funakoshi can first register a company to do import and export trade between China and Japan, and then translate Chinese books into Japanese, and Japanese books into Chinese. If you want to change the world, you must first change your mind. Only when your mind is changed can you make changes to the world."

Fumio Funakoshi didn't quite agree with this. He had seen a lot of things at the bottom of society and had a deep understanding of the suffering of the people. Don't people know how to pursue a better life? No! It was the warlords, chaebols and corrupt officials who plundered the people and made them suffer!

It will be useless to change people's minds unless we kill all the jackals, tigers and leopards and eradicate the man-eating beasts.

Funakoshi Fumio said seriously: "The Marshal should lead his troops into Japan as soon as possible. That is the best way to liberate the Japanese people!"

Chapter 135: Liu Xiang Did Not Read

Yang Du joined Marshal Lin with his teacher Wang Kaiyun. It cannot be said that they joined, but they approached, observed, and helped with some things. For celebrities like Wang Kaiyun and Yang Du, they would not easily join a certain force unless they were sure that they had the ability to conquer the world.

The People's Republic Government is still a sham government. Although it has achieved the record of annihilating the Eight-Nation Alliance, it has a lot of internal and external problems. Wang Kaiyun and Yang Du are only helping Marshal Lin to do some things, and they are far from surrendering. Moreover, some policies of the People's Republic Government are too radical, which makes Wang Kaiyun and Yang Du very unhappy.

They wanted China to be strong and prosperous, but they did not want their own interests to be harmed. The People's Republic Government, with the "worker-peasant alliance" as the main body, carried out the "fight against the local tyrants and divide the land" in Hebei and Shanxi, offending many scholars and intellectuals. Those who could afford to study were those who had some money in their families, and most of them were landlords, the rentier class that the People's Republic Government wanted to crack down on.

Under such circumstances, Yang Du and his disciples were still able to stand on the side of the People's Republic Government, which can be said to be very conscious.

After entering the room, they exchanged a few pleasantries as usual before getting down to business. "Xizi, go tell Yuan Shikai to face reality and come to Hebei as soon as possible to discuss national affairs with me. I'll give him five days. If he doesn't come after five days, don't blame the government for not giving him a chance."

Yang Du raised his eyebrows when he heard this, but did not say anything. Instead, he turned to look at his teacher Wang Kaiyun.

Wang Kaiyun was from Hunan, and so was Yang Du. At this point in time, one-third of China's elite talents came from Hunan. Wang Kaiyun had been Su Shun's tutor and worked in Zeng Guofan's court. He was a world-famous scholar. After Zeng Guofan's death, Wang Kaiyun opened a college in his hometown to cultivate the next generation of talents. Qi Baishi was also his student. Wang Kaiyun taught many celebrities, but only Yang Du and Yang Xizi learned the "dragon-slaying technique".

"The Grand Marshal wants Yuan Weiting to give up his military power? I'm afraid he won't agree."

Wang Kaiyun knew Yuan Shikai's past and history of his rise to power very well, and believed that Yuan Shikai would most likely not give up the Beiyang Army. Besides, the Republic Daily and Taiyuan Daily both described Yuan Shikai as the second Qin Hui, calling for Yuan Shikai to be killed every day. How could people not feel resentful when they saw this?

What?

Lin Yongchang admitted that what Wang Kaiyun said made sense, but "let the past go, we must look forward. China has reached its current situation, and people of insight should abandon their prejudices against each other, join hands, and work together for China's rejuvenation! We want to make China great again! For this lofty goal, everyone should tolerate each other for the sake of the country!"

Yang Du still didn't say anything, but he didn't agree in his heart. It's good to tolerate each other for the sake of the country, but Marshal Lin always told others to tolerate each other for the sake of the country, but he himself insisted on his idea and never wavered. It would be a miracle if Yuan Weiting could agree.

"I can let him take charge of the Ministry of Railways, or the National Development and Reform Commission. People like Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui will also be given important positions. We promise that we will never overturn the verdict, and the past events will never be mentioned again!"

Wang Kaiyun twisted his beard and said slowly: "The Marshal is generous, but..."

Lin Yongchang said seriously: "I know that Yuan Shikai is expanding his army and wants to get loans from foreigners. I will not let him delay. If Yuan Shikai is unwilling to accept the goodwill of the People's Government, we will destroy him before he buys a large number of foreign guns and foreign weapons! Xizi, you must explain this matter clearly to Yuan Shikai, and don't let him have any lucky thoughts."

Yang Du nodded silently and still said nothing.

Wang Kaiyun chatted with Marshal Lin for a long time. After leaving the Marshal's camp, he took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He heard the sound of deep exhalation and inhalation from the side, and when he turned around, he saw Yang Du looking over.

"Xizi, why didn't you say anything just now?"

Yang Du exhaled a long breath, and then said to Wang Kaiyun: "Teacher, I am so nervous that I can't speak."

"Xizi, are there times when you are speechless? I don't believe it."

"It's true, teacher." Yang Du said, "The aura of the Grand Marshal is getting stronger and stronger. Standing in front of him is like standing in front of a mountain."

"Well, the Grand Marshal wiped out the Eight-Nation Alliance, which is indeed very impressive, but he is also a human being. Humans make mistakes and have problems of one kind or another." Wang Kaiyun twisted his beard and said, "Heroes are also ordinary people. Even a hero like Zeng Wenzheng has many little tempers."

Yang Du looked at him like a teacher and thought: Marshal Lin seems to dislike Marshal Zeng, but he admires Zuo Zongtang very much.

Zeng Guofan is a hero of the people of Hunan. The Hunan Army elevated him to a very high position, almost to the level of a myth. Many Hunanese people admired Zeng Guofan very much. When Li Desheng was young, he called Zeng Guofan "the perfect man of all ages." It was not until many years later that Mr. Li changed his opinion and the "perfect man of all ages" became "Zeng the Barber."

Wang Kaiyun was from Hunan and had worked in Zeng Guofan's court. It was understandable that he admired Zeng Guofan. Although Yang Du was also from Hunan, he did not worship Zeng Guofan that much. He was Wang Kaiyun's smartest disciple and had learned the "dragon-slaying technique" to see the essence of things through their appearances. In Yang Du's view, Zeng Guofan was ambitious but did not dare to go further. He wanted a good reputation but could not be a loyal minister. He held on to power and refused to let go. The comment about Yuan Shao in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was most appropriate for Zeng Guofan, "He cherishes his body when doing great things and forgets his life when he sees small profits."