Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 105
With the closer relations between China and Germany, China and the United States, Russia faced repulsion and suppression from Britain and France in Europe, and was also rejected by Germany and the United States because of the deteriorating official relationship with China.It is conceivable that Russia, which has just ceded territory and paid reparations, offended four superpowers in the world and China, which is developing at a high speed, how sad life is.

After several retaliatory plunders, it was strongly condemned by Britain, France, Germany, and the United States, and 20 troops were sent to the Sino-Russian border in the Qing Dynasty. Li Hongzhang, the foreign minister of the Qing Dynasty, issued a tough last After the ultimatum.Russia finally bowed its head obediently. Although it was not reconciled, it had to accept the fact that a large amount of land was cut off by China, a country that could be ravaged at will ten years ago.

Time flies, time flies.Three years passed in a hurry, and the clock of history soon came to the 16th year of Guangxu, the summer of 1890 AD.

Tianjin Dagu Port Wharf.

The summer is shining brightly, the sea breeze is blowing, sometimes dazzling rays of light are reflected in the waves, hitting the incoming and outgoing cargo ships, making people dizzy for a while.As the gateway to Gyeonggi and even the entire North China, and also the first treaty port that was forced to open, Dagu Port seemed to be a thriving new atmosphere.

On Coastal Mountain, a seven-story lighthouse has been erected, and the waterway entering the port has also been marked. Small western-style buildings made of blue bricks and cement seem to have spread all over the entire port area overnight. , there are all kinds of shops here and there, some opened by Chinese themselves, and some opened by foreigners. The goods range from flour, soap, foreign cloth, to foreign nails, nuts, and chemical fertilizers.In the distance, the outskirts of the port area are still under construction, and the sound of "boom" and "boom" piling continues to come, and in the direction of the black smoke of the Dagu Shipyard, there are new factory buildings rising from the ground. It's the same every day.

In the north of the port area, not far from the Dagu Fort, is the military dock of the Beiyang Fleet.The Beiyang Fleet has special military ports in Lushun and Weihai. Dagu Port is not their main base, but because the Beiyang Fleet is really a treasure of the Qing court, it will be inspected every now and then, so a simple anchorage is left at Dagu Port pier.It is only separated from the civilian wharf by a simple wooden fence. Sometimes ships from other places will stop at the wrong wharf. Three steps, one post, five steps, one post, all under martial law, and there are mosquito gunboats and torpedo boats patrolling back and forth on the sea in the port.

Two behemoths painted with the unique dark paint of the Daqingshui Division quietly parked beside the pier. Eight 305mm thick gun barrels protruded from the armored turret, and the muzzles polished by Shuiyong reflected coldly. The light appeared ferocious and terrifying.This is the largest ship in Asia.

Not far away, German Ambassador Heinz watched the "Jiyuan" and "Weiyuan" which had just been overhauled at the Dagu Shipyard.no doubt.The image of the two ships with a displacement of 7400 tons is extremely profound.Although Heinz was not born in the navy, but because of his family, he has extremely rich knowledge of ships, such a first-class heavy ironclad ship.Even the powerful Germany has only two warships, but this country, which has always been regarded as ignorant and backward by Westerners, has four such warships. It is said that in the last Sino-British war, the navy of the Qing Dynasty also captured two more British warships. Huge ironclad ship.It's incredible.Only in this way, the naval strength of the Qing Dynasty has reached a very strong point in East Asia, and even in the world, only a few countries can surpass it.

But he didn't know that once the two warships under construction at the Mawei Shipyard were launched, they would become the most powerful heavy ironclad ships in the world.This was created by Guan Xuqing's pouring of outstanding talents from all over the country and a lot of money.

Even so, Heinz was slightly worried. He had witnessed the terrifying development of this country. Once the people's wisdom was turned on, the whole country would run forward like clockwork.There are even prototypes of industrial zones in places like Tianjin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and there is no doubt that this trend is spreading.This country will undergo an industrial transformation. Although there are still many deficiencies in the education level of citizens and social system, it will rely on its huge market, abundant natural resources and almost luxurious human resources.Once it is allowed to embark on the fast track of industrial development, the national power will expand rapidly, which will bring great shock to the world structure.

Wilhelm II, who had been trying his best to promote this matter and had just ascended the throne of Emperor of the German Empire, was immediately furious.Regardless of Prime Minister Bismarck's strong opposition, he sent an expedition fleet headed by two Saxon-class ironclad ships. 15000 German soldiers departed from the mainland, passed through several German colonies in Africa, Doron, Cameroon, German Southwest Africa (Namibia), German East Africa (Tanganyika), and arrived in Siam.

The German Army has been a model of the European Army since the Prussian era, and enjoyed the reputation of "No. It is not as good as the Chinese navy, whose power has risen rapidly in recent years, but it is still one of the top five navies in the world. Neither the quality of personnel nor the number of ships can compete with Siam, which only has a few old torpedo gunboats.

Although Chulalongkorn, King Rama V of Siam, has been committed to domestic political, economic, and military reforms and active construction.He abolished slavery, built schools, museums, the National Library, and built the first railway in the country, developed the road system, founded the post office and other modern facilities.History calls his period in power the "Restoration Era", but it can actually be said to be the beginning of Thailand's modernization.And to be honest, the strength of Siam has indeed been greatly improved. The more than 2 modernized army and a navy composed of several torpedo boats and gunboats that Chulalongkorn finally equipped were at least in Southeast Asia at the same time. Absolutely second to none.

But it would be a different matter if they were facing the German army. This army once made the old powers France tremble.What's more, the Siamese army had to defend several of their seaports scatteredly.

Without any suspense, the German Expeditionary Force quickly captured several important cities, including Bangkok, the capital of Siam. However, Chulalongkorn, who had been prepared for this, immediately led his army to retreat to the north-central part of Siam. In the tropical rainforest, he played a game of cat and mouse with the German Expeditionary Force.

Two years later, the German Expeditionary Force still failed to fully control the entire Siam. Chulalongkorn's army attacked the German Expeditionary Force like a ghost, and the British behind him gradually revealed.Although the British lost their spirit in Burma and took into account that the Triple Alliance led by Germany would join hands with Russia so as not to send troops to interfere, they still participated in it by selling arms to Chulalongkorn.

Therefore, although there are still good news from the front line from time to time, the loss is also staggering.In order to block the coast of Siam and cut off the aid of the British, the expeditionary fleet needs to patrol the sea for a long time, and the coal consumed per month is worth tens of thousands of marks, and because most British arms dealers choose to smuggle arms from India or Bangladesh to Siam On the coast near the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean, the Siamese themselves used the mountains on the Malay Peninsula to smuggle them to the north, so the expeditionary fleet patrolled the Indian Ocean most of the time.Fortunately, the Chinese captured Burma and blocked the way for the British to support Siam from land. Otherwise, he would have persuaded His Majesty the Emperor to end the war.The coast of Siam facing the Indian Ocean is flat and straight, and there is almost no good port. It may allow some small boats to load, but it is undoubtedly a fantasy for large warships of thousands of tons.Therefore, the imperial expedition fleet can only be repaired and resupplied in the ports of Myanmar, China.

Thinking about it, Heinz had a feeling that the Greater German Empire seemed to have been fooled by the Chinese emperor.Fortunately, the Chinese are still very concerned about the relationship with the empire. Whether it is food, coal or ammunition, the ones sold to the expeditionary force are the best, and the price is only a little more expensive than domestic ones. This is naturally much cheaper.

With the increasing relationship between the two countries, his status as ambassador to China has also risen, so even if his term of office ends, he does not panic at all. Judging from the letter written by his old friend, he may still get a medal when he returns this time. , and what made Heinz more confident was that when he returned to China this time, he also had an important mission, which was to serve as a guide and accompany the Chinese emperor who was about to visit Germany.

Guan Xuqing's visit to Germany this time was not only to further consolidate the strategic alliance between China and Germany, but also to see the group of students whom he personally sent to Germany three years ago.Today's autumn is the day when they return from their studies, and the secret service agencies and special forces of the Qing Dynasty will be established.

In addition, the old general Zuo Zongtang's health has deteriorated day by day in the past three years.Although Guan Xuqing invited the best doctors from the United States, the effect was still not good.It seemed that it would not last long anyway, and the successor in Guan Xuqing's mind was Feng Xianghua, the son of Feng Zicai who was studying in Germany.

Guan Xuqing couldn't wait to meet these indispensable talents in the Qing military, and see what they had learned from the world's number one army in the past three years.

(End of this chapter)