Start: Datang Wanli a lonely city

Chapter 1013 Trend ()

Say it! Do the old witch and the Japanese six want to form a new army controlled by the Manchus? Of course I thought about it.

To be more precise, all the Manchus have been looking forward to this since Senggelinqin destroyed the last remaining field strength of the Manchus more than thirty years ago.

After all, in the entire Daqing, the number of Manchus was only a few million.

These millions of people control a population of 40 million without sufficient force.

It is impossible to say that these Eight Banners men who are eating hard-core crops are not panicked and do not feel that they are sitting on a powder keg that can explode at any time.

The reason why until now, Daqing is still ruled by their Manchus.

It's just that the old witch is stupid and bad, but her natural methods of justice are really too powerful.

Zeng Shatou, Zuo Gong, Hu Linyi, Peng Yulin and other famous ministers of ZTE during the reign were firmly controlled by her and had no intention of rebelling.

Nowadays, it is at the local level that intentionally creates a situation where governors and governors restrict each other.

This was a situation in which the governors and governors of each province were in conflict with each other, unable to wholeheartedly rebel, allowing the court to barely maintain its existence.

However, this method still caused quite serious consequences.

For example, the power of local governors is huge, and many orders from the court cannot be issued at all.

Therefore, if there really is a powerful new army that can be controlled by the Manchus, it can be used to subdue the local gangsters; the Manchus will probably wake up laughing in their dreams.

This means that their hardcore crops can continue to be eaten with confidence.

Instead of worrying that one day those Han people will rebel; by then it will be the best outcome for them to be able to return to farming outside the customs alive.

Is this why? Today, Emperor Guangxu proposed the idea of ​​forming a new Daqing Army to the old witch. Many memorials approving and advocating for this time have been handed over like a tide.

But the old witch and Guiziliu, the two top political figures in Daqing.

One can see at a glance that the most critical problem in organizing and training the new army is: lack of money.

In this day and age, the tax revenue of the Daqing court has become a huge joke.

Tariffs, which brought in the most money and were also crucial to Guo Jia, were now completely controlled by foreigners; most of the annual tariff revenue was used to repay the staggering amounts of compensation in previously signed contracts.

There was only a little leftover, which was not enough for the old witch's usual pocket money.

Most of the lijin, agricultural taxes, etc. collected by the provinces were intercepted by the provincial governors using various excuses, and the amount that could be handed over was quite limited.

Daqing's household department has tried its best to maintain water transportation and prevent the 700,000 Eight Banners men from starving to death in the capital city.

The warehouse of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is now so poor that a rat would starve to death.

Therefore, if you want to organize a new army, recruit soldiers, and purchase ordnance, the money will be like water. Where will it come from?

You can't let the old witch tighten her belt and only eat twenty or thirty dishes per meal, and don't cultivate the garden or listen to the opera, right? That is simply impossible.

'After I die, I won't care about the flood~'

Although these words were not said by the old witch, they definitely belonged to her style and truest thoughts.

Finally, in such a lifeless silence, the old witch spoke first; after yawning heavily, she said angrily:

"I don't care about the new army.

I am just a woman, and now at this age, why do I care about so many things about your Aixinjueluo family? Now I just want to retire in peace in the garden and live a relaxing life for a few years.

If the emperor wants to make troubles and form a new army, everything is left to him.

If you can find the money to train a new army, it is naturally the best thing; if you can't, just don't cry in front of me.

As for the matter of Deng Shichang, what those Yin people and legal people said made sense. They definitely could not let Xuan Ge camp take over the two large warships.

Let the emperor issue an edict to reward Deng Shichang as the admiral of the Weiyuan Navy, add Xilin Batulu, and a yellow mandarin jacket, and still be in charge of the Zhiyuan ship.

And he was very relieved in words, and promised some benefits, such as increased military spending.

One is to let him know that he does not need to stay in Nanyang anymore and can just come back with peace of mind. The court will not blame him for the unauthorized firing of artillery.

From now on, Li Zhongtang wants to punish him, and the imperial court will make the decision for him. The imperial court is his biggest backer.

Second, it is best to make Beiyang internally centrifugal because of this matter and no longer be monolithic.

After all, the Beiyang family is a Han force, and this force is too strong; weak branches and strong branches are not a good thing for me, Daqing, after all. "

After just listening to the above paragraph, Guiziliu understood the old witch.

I have already come to a clear conclusion in my heart: this new Daqing army is destined to end in a joke.

Guangxu's kid still wants to completely take over power with the help of the new army; but although the old witch talks nicely about how he wants to live in peace and contentment, the power in his hands will not be relaxed at all.

Therefore, it is strange that such a new army can be trained.

Even such a new army is a great good thing for Daqing.

After thinking about it, Guizi Liu finally spoke: "Lafayette, you are right. I will naturally explain the reasons clearly to the other clans, so that they will not delay Lafayette's important event of retiring to his old age."

Using the above words, I can express my attitude:

I will never interfere with your mother and son's affairs.

But in the following time, when he was sent out of the Summer Palace by Eunuch Li, he couldn't help but lament in his heart: I'm afraid this Daqing won't survive for many years...

Early the next morning, when Guangxu paid his respects to the old witch, he learned from the other party that he had agreed to train a new army and that he would be solely responsible for it.

Immediately, I felt ecstatic, and I was almost blocked when I went out.

His mind was filled with thoughts about how he would work hard to achieve great political achievements that did not belong to the wild boar skin and Kang Mazi after he had fully grasped the power of Da Qing.

After returning home and talking to Weng Tonghe and other confidants, everyone in the imperial party was excited.

They were all gearing up and preparing for a big fight.

Therefore, in the following period, the formation of the Daqing New Army became the most important matter in the Manchu and Qing court.

As for the follow-up to the Sishui City incident, a seventh-grade official from the General Office was dismissed.

The reason is that because of his dereliction of duty, he failed to report the matter in time, so that the military ministers, the old witch, Guangxu and others had no idea.

In short, all mistakes are the fault of this seventh-grade official.

Then, no one mentioned anything that happened in Surabaya City; at least in the official circles of the Daqing court, this was the situation.

As for the loss of public support due to this incident, no one cares about it, and it can't be done that much. There have been many similar incidents over the years, and they don't care if there is another one.

******

At the same time, because the news of the formation of the new army spread, and the various interests involved, the minds of the Eight Banners men in the entire capital city began to float.

In the port of Surabaya City, on the deck of the Zhiyuan.

Five people, including Hu Biao, AT, Xu Feng, Lang Qing, and Wu Zu, were walking slowly accompanied by Guan Deng.

The people who came with a special purpose this time looked at Deng Guan, who was still meticulously dressed in a full set of Da Qing Chong second-grade clothes even though beads of sweat continued to fall from his forehead in the current hot weather.

And on the mast, the big green and yellow dragon flag is constantly fluttering in the sea breeze.

There were also a group of sailors on the Zhiyuan who secretly glanced at him with complicated eyes.

After secretly looking at each other, they all sighed silently in their hearts.

Knowing that their Xuange Camp team wanted to keep Deng Guandai himself and the two cruisers, it was probably difficult to realize it for a while.

Say it! After a few days.

A group of people from the Xuan Ge camp had finally basically completed the aftermath work in the city, and had made the Dutch people accept the reality honestly and not want to make any more tricks.

I finally had time to have a good talk with Commander Deng and asked him to simply stay and join the Xuan Ge camp.

It was just agreed in advance that Hu Biao would come to visit in person this morning; but now when he got on the ship, he saw the above scene. Without having to speak much, they already understood:

Deng Guandai was probably telling himself in such a tactful way that he would not join the Xuan Ge camp.

But even so, when I think of the ending of this national hero in history, which made future generations sigh with regret; and the importance of these two battleships to the future Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.

Hu Biao hesitated for a moment and then started to persuade:

"Guandai Deng, I and other barbarians from Xuange Camp have been living far away on an isolated island overseas and don't know much about etiquette. Let's get straight to the point~"

"Master Hu, it's okay to just say it, there's no need to be polite."

After hearing this, Deng Guan came back with a sentence, with a clear sense of alienation in his tone.

Hu Biao didn't care about this. He clasped his fists and faced Guan Deng solemnly. He first expressed his gratitude:

“First of all, Hu is here to represent the entire Xuan Ge camp, as well as all the Chinese compatriots in Surabaya City, to thank Guan Deng for his action that day.

If you hadn't fired the cannon in time, the Xuange Camp fleet would probably have been annihilated.

Even if the natives could be beaten away and the Chinese compatriots could save them, the Dutch people would not be so honest in the future, let alone have such a good result. "

Facing Hu Biao's solemn thanks, Deng Guandai's expression turned serious:

"The Javanese Chinese compatriots are also my subjects in Daqing. Deng can be said to be shouldering the responsibility for opening fire on them after they were in danger. Master Hu does not need to be so polite."

Hu Biao didn't care that at this moment, Deng Guandai still maintained a considerable sense of distance in his tone.

He continued: "I won't say too much nonsense. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Deng Guandai firing artillery to save so many people. However, because of the Daqing imperial court's scruples about my Xuan Ge camp, Guan Dui will I'm afraid it won't end well.

So Hu said shamelessly again and invited Deng Guandai to stay.

I also know that Deng Guandai is by no means a person who is greedy for power and wealth, but I hope you don't refuse it yet. You might as well listen to the conditions and reasons we offer.

First, from now on, he will become the captain of the Xuange Camp fleet and command all the maritime forces of the Xuange Camp.

Although Xuange Camp's fleet now only has three old-fashioned small ironclad ships; but we have stronger and more advanced technology than the foreigners, and we also have money.

Therefore, I can promise you that although the fleet we will lead in the short term is old, its combat effectiveness after modification will definitely not be inferior to that of the Beiyang Fleet.

If given time, the Yin people's fleet could be defeated.

As for the safety of your family, I also give you a guarantee; whether you pay to buy them or rob them, they will always be taken to Nanyang and your family can be reunited.

Second, I don’t believe that Deng Guandai’s vision cannot see the wolfish ambitions of the island country.

Within two or three years at most, Daqing will have to fight the island country; and with the current strength of the Beiyang Navy, there is probably little chance of being able to win.

At that time, it will be another huge disaster for my flower grower. Can I just watch it with peace of mind? "

After listening to Hu Biao's statement, Guandai Deng opened his mouth to refuse the solicitation, but found that the word 'refuse' could not be uttered.

If Hu Biao had only offered him the temptation of a high-ranking official, generous salary, and a drunken woman, he would have been able to refuse it easily.

But the temptation of commanding a powerful fleet as promised by Hu Biao was completely different.

Unlike other people in the current Daqing, as long as they talk about the island country, although they also know that these little devils have greatly increased their strength through the reforms in the past twenty or thirty years.

But to say that such a small country can pose any threat to Daqing is absolutely unbelievable.

He, Deng Shichang, is a sensible person and knows that Daqing will indeed have a battle with the Island Congress in the future.

Because despite looking at the current Beiyang fleet, it is also known as the number one fleet in the Far East and the ninth in the world; but everything is bought, and it cannot even do even slightly complicated maintenance.

On the contrary, shipyards in places such as the island nation of Nagasaki can have a full set of warship maintenance and repair capabilities.

So much so that every year, the Beiyang fleet needs to go to the island country for daily maintenance and repairs.

Not to mention that in such a process, the family background of the Beiyang Fleet has long been carefully investigated by the island country inside and outside, maybe even more clearly than they themselves.

Every time they go to the island country for maintenance and repair, they clearly feel the indescribably strong hostile attitude from the top and bottom of the island country.

What did you say? It was like a dog ready to bite its former master.

More importantly, the Beiyang Fleet, which is known as the "No. 1 in the Far East", spends a lot of money every year because the old witch wants to celebrate her birthday and raise her.

Due to financial constraints, the Beiyang Fleet has not purchased a new ship for several years, and its cannons, boilers, etc. have also gradually fallen behind.

Even the necessary artillery shells are somewhat insufficient in reserve.

On the contrary, everyone in the island country is tightening their belts to buy and build ships. If we really count, the Beiyang Fleet's title of 'No. 1 in the Far East' is already a bit undeserved.

Therefore, Deng Guandai and other knowledgeable people in the Beiyang Fleet have been very worried about the future battle.

I had no choice but to give discounts to buy boats and cannons, but there was no response at all.

Now there was a sudden change of a Xuan Ge camp fleet, which immediately made him extremely excited.

Unfortunately, after a long period of silence, Guan Deng thought of the telegram from Daqing he had just received not long ago.

In the telegram, His Majesty the Emperor not only promoted himself to a higher rank.

Fortunately, Sheng comforted himself, and his words made him feel like spring breeze.

He also promised that a large amount of money would be allocated in the future to purchase new warships and cannons as he wished. This can be said to be a great favor from the emperor.

Finally, he said to Hu Biao:

"Master Hu, I thank you for your kindness; however, Deng has made up his mind and will lead the Zhiyuan and Laiyuan fleets to leave in the afternoon.

It is Deng's honor to be able to fight side by side with your department in Surabaya City this time.

But after all, Deng is a minister of Daqing, so it is said that he is loyal to the emperor and eats the emperor's salary. If we encounter him on the battlefield next time, he will definitely not hold back~"

Seeing that the words had reached this point, Hu Biao also knew that nothing could be done.

With a faint smile, he clasped his fists again and said, "Then I wish Deng Guan and the soldiers of the Zhiyuan and Laiyuan ships a safe journey~"

After saying that, he took Xu Feng, AT and others straight off the ship.

Just after getting off the boat and walking a hundred or two meters, AT suddenly said: "Old Hu, why don't you let me lead someone to sneak close to them and then make a sudden attack, and then I can take them down with Deng Guan."

I have to say that AT’s proposal is very tempting.

On the one hand, such an approach saved Deng Guandai and allowed him to avoid the tragedy of the future naval battle at Dadonggou.

On the other hand, it turns out that the three warships of the Xuange Camp Fleet, including the Imperial Concubine, the Peiji, and the Fenghuahui, are already seriously behind the times.

Even if they can be refitted again, these old ships have been used for so many years and their foundation is too poor, so the refitting effect will not be very good.

The same situation applies to the two warships coming from the Dutch.

On the contrary, the two ships Zhiyuan and Laiyuan can be modified by them.

But Hu Biao pondered for a while after hearing the words, and finally said: "Forget it, as the old saying goes, everyone has his own ambitions. Since Deng Guandai is not willing to follow us, there is no point in forcing him to stay.

There is another crucial point. If we really force them to stay, I am afraid that Beiyang will be completely offended to death, which is not worth it.

After we go back later, arrange for Uncle Fu and the others to send some souvenirs and other gifts to the Zhiyuan and Laiyuan ships, as a way of expressing their feelings~"

With a "hmm" sound, AT agreed, but he felt unspeakably depressed in his heart.

Of course he could understand the truths Hu Biao said, but he would get extremely irritated whenever he thought about it; Damn it! This kind of feudal dross of kings and ministers is really killing people.

At about three o'clock that afternoon, there was a loud whistle.

The two ships, Zhiyuan and Laiyuan, slowly sailed away from the dock in Surabaya City; during the entire process, there was no obstruction from the Xuan Ge camp.

It's just that everyone on the two ships, including Deng Guandai, has indescribably complicated thoughts.

Because starting a few hours ago, a large number of Chinese compatriots from Surabaya City came spontaneously and gave them various gifts.

By this moment, more than 100,000 people had gathered at the entire dock, as if all the compatriots in Surabaya City had arrived; they all clasped their fists and bowed in salute to the two boats leaving.

It can be said that no one has ever encountered such a scene, and the emotions in his heart suddenly became extremely complicated.

Even Deng Guandai felt vaguely that he seemed to have made a wrong decision...

(End of this chapter)