Chapter 126: The light of the armor opens toward the sun and the golden scales

On the occasion of the New Year, several gunboats suddenly appeared at the Zhigu Port. After an emergency investigation by the Tianjin Intelligence Team of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, inconsistent telegrams were sent to Jinling, and things gradually became clear.

There are five ships in total, two of which are primary steam gunboats, which are used for training at the Naval Academy of the Zhigu Ordnance Bureau. The other three are armored steam warships with a displacement of about 2,000 tons. Among them, the gunboats named "Beijing" are all iron shell warships, equipped with rifled guns, and blasting flowering bullets.

The lights were brightly lit, and Ye Zhao urgently summoned the ministers of the Political Consultative Palace to discuss matters, and the matchmaker who had just returned from Guangzhou to Jinling was also listed.

The purchase of warships in the North was extremely confidential. The British man was fully entrusted to operate. It was not until the warships entered Zhigu that the Southern Dynasty awakened. The so-called Northern officials went on a mission to Europe to purchase were just a false shot.

This happened before the construction of the Embassy in London. If I had been there for another year or two in the evening, I would have always received the news from the embassy.

The Northern Kingdom ordered several warships to enter the port, and obviously also chose the right opportunity. First, although the Southern Dynasty signed a agreement with Britain and the Netherlands, the war in the South China Sea may not be completely quelled. In Pontianak, the Southern Dynasty would temporarily maintain a navy force that could cope with the provocation of the Dutch. Second, the Southern Dynasty was about to issue paper money, and it was obvious that the important officials of the Northern Kingdom had a clear understanding and believed that the Southern Dynasty would not cause any quarrels due to warship matters now.

The three armored ships, including the Beijing, may not be as good as the Guangzhou, but they are probably not far from the Guangzhou. Speaking of which, it is the transition period between wooden sailboats and armored ships to real steel ships. Although there were two iron armored ships in the Southern Dynasty, the Jinling and Guangzhou, armored battleships such as Dinghai and Zhenhai, were probably not as good as the Beijing. They were heavier tonnage and more artillery than the other two armored ships in the north. However, today's warships are transitioning from dozens or hundreds of battleships to heavy artillery turrets. The number of artillery gates has long been no longer a standard for measuring the true strength of the gunboat.

What's more, half of the ships of the Southern Dynasty Navy were in the South Ocean, including most of the main ships, such as the Jinling and Guangzhou, which were in Pontianak. If the gunboat fleet active near Nanjing fought with these ships in the North, even if they won, they would suffer heavy losses.

There were more than a thousand British sailors and sailors on the three armored ships in the North. The commander-in-chief of the fleet was originally British, called Li Daolin, but in fact, it was thought that his surname was Daolin. His name was pronounced close to Li, and he was immediately translated into such an extremely Sino-Chinese name.

Now the northern country has appointed Cai Guoxiang, the commander of the Hunan Navy recommended by Zeng Guofan, as the president of the fleet, Li Daolin retreated as his deputy, and the southern country has selected sailors to board the ship for training.

Ye Zhao looked through the information and sighed softly in his heart. It seemed that the purchase of warships in the north twice was the same as the Zongli Yamen, the earliest in history to establish a naval army. The Zongli Yamen was a little confused, and the Northern China was somewhat forced to rely solely on foreigners to do it.

I remember that the first time the Zongli Yamen purchased the British ship was the help of Shanghai tariff consultants. The seven gunboats cost 650,000 taels of silver. The sailors and sailors on the ship were all selected by the British naval colonel Aspen, who commanded the warship to China. Aspen asked the Chinese emperor to appoint him as the commander of the fleet, otherwise he would not accept the order. At that time, it hurt the ministers. Finally, Zeng Guofan came up with an idea to transfer these gunboats to various countries, and also sent severance payments to Aspen and the sailors on the ship, losing more than 700,000 taels of silver inside and outside.

This is also the famous Aspen incident in history.

Cai Guoxiang? If it weren't for a mistake, it seemed that he should have been the admiral of the Aspen fleet.

Nowadays, it is obvious that the people in the North have a clearer mind, and the people who chose do not disappoint their mission and did not make jokes like Aspen. However, the purchase of warships must have cost a lot. According to Ye Zhao's estimate, with the bargaining level of the North, these five ships will probably cost between 1.5 million taels and 2 million taels.

There is no radar now, and the vast sea is not surprising. The northern fleet arrives in Zhigu silently. Even if it is encountered by merchant ships in the south, the fleet has the British logo, and the sailors are all foreigners, so they will definitely think they are British ships.

The North is selling its military system to expand its military equipment. In fact, the military system reform similar to the North will have a reduction effect. After careful calculation, maintaining the same number of soldiers is more cost-effective than the system of greed for military expenses. Even if you buy foreign guns, taking the North's continuous bead gun as an example, the cost is only 30 taels of silver. Even if you are equipped with an army of 100,000 people, the ideal state is not counting as the auxiliary expenses of the ordnance, and only 3 million taels of muskets is enough. Of course, with the increase in the rate of fire of the gun, once a war begins, if the ammunition is unlimited, the military expenses will be as flowing as water.

In any case, the combat readiness idea of ​​the northern country is very troublesome. Ye Zhao couldn't help but think of the voices of later generations who often wield big sticks to scold other countries, but now Ye Zhao really feels the same.

"It's better to wait for the Nanyang incident to make a decision." Yuan Jiasan spoke first.

The political consultants and the staff looked very serious. Everyone knew what it meant after the North had a combat-capable armed fleet.

"Yes, it will be safe to negotiate with the people of the Northern People after the banknote is issued." Zheng Zhen also agreed with Yuan Jiasan's opinion.

Li Hongzhang shook his head, "No, as time goes by, this matter will be a foregone conclusion. Then, we will negotiate with the North and we will be in the name of Wuming."

Li Xiaocun moved his mouth and heard Li Hongzhang's words, but he shrank back. He wanted to ask him to agree with Li Hongzhang's words, and he felt awkward. The relationship between the two had long been in power and never concealed it. The current party struggles are very superficial, and it is not right or wrong.

Ye Zhao smiled slightly and said, "Yes, it is difficult to negotiate if it becomes a established fact. I will think about it again. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the three mediators and declared our position. The North China Navy threatened our trade routes, and we will take the next step."

He took a sip of tea and said lightly: "If the negotiations fail, the banknote will not be issued, beat it!"

He looked at the matchmaker and said, "You go back to Suzhou and prepare for the war!"

"Yes!" The matchmaker responded crisply, with a clear face, but her heart was soft. The current husband and the naughty husband who are usually naughty and have no formal appearance have their own advantages.

"It's gone!" Ye Zhao waved his hand.

Everyone stood up and said goodbye.

Looking at the matchmaker's back, Ye Zhao sighed softly in his heart. He had only been together for two days and was about to separate again.

...

Qianqing Gongnan Study Room.

The Six Kings were walking slowly. After two or three years, the wrinkles on his forehead seemed to be getting more and more, and the people became deeper and deeper.

Below, the military aircraft Du Han was kneeling, his voice was flattering: "Master, this letter has been thrown out. There seems to be no movement in the south. They can't do anything. Even if the south is very lively, it's all fake. Building roads and bridges is not money? The South China Sea, the Dutch made trouble for them, and the British negotiated with them about the southwest again. He also wanted to issue paper money. Jing Xiang, even with eight hands, he couldn't be busy? The emperor is picking this time, wise."

The Six Kings didn't say anything.

Over the years, Jing Xiang has a very good idea. If this kid hadn't been looking at Jiuwu's seat all day long, he would have been unable to do anything to him. But now he is worried about internal and external troubles, and Sun Wuzi's nature is also provoking trouble everywhere. The longer he stretches his hand, the more people he offended. A while ago, the Governor of the British and Indians wrote a secret letter stating that once the Southern Dynasties provokes a war, as long as the northern country sends an invitation, the Indian fleet is willing to enter the China Sea and limit the supply route of the Southern Dynasties. Once the Southern Fleet dares to attack the trading port, in order to protect the expatriates, the British and Indian fleet may have to directly intervene in the war.

Of course, at the end of the letter from India's Governor General, the Qing government hoped that several British merchants would agree to build a railway from Jiaozhou to Jinan, and also have the right to mine mountain mines along the railway.

The Russians have long stated that once the Civil War breaks out, they will spare no effort to support the northern war.

Although the Six Kings only heard the words of foreign devils, Jing Xiang, the monkey boy, obviously did not attract the favor of all countries. If this fight really starts, it is hard to say who will win or lose.

What's more, the little thief and the two palaces are in harmony. I heard that Yuan Jiasan is very close to the generals of several provinces such as Zhejiang and Guizhou. Maybe anyone will give him a knife behind his back. Before he could touch those people, would he dare to fight this battle now?

He could only swallow the silence of the Zhigu Fleet, right? Without the navy, he felt that he was pinching his throat all day long. But if there was such a chance, how could he react? He just complained to the mediation country, and when the foreign devils dragged it a few times, the matter was just like this.

"Is Cai Guoxiang reliable? I heard that he is from Guangdong." The Six Kings suddenly stopped.

Du Han kowtowed and said, "I have heard that he has come, but I heard that his family has already brought him to the north, and he has always been the chief supervisor of the navy under Zeng Guofan. He is brave and good at fighting. His younger brother died in Panyang Lake. In that water battle, his hands were stained with a lot of blood from the south, and his grudge against the south."

The Six Kings nodded slightly and said, "Get up."

Du Han slowly stood up and bent down.

"Is there any news coming from the Bartun League?" The Six Kings asked the Chechen Khan tribe. He heard that the Khan King Wulihan was very close to Jingxiang when he was in Guangzhou. The Chechen Khan tribe had a total of 23 banners, occupying a land of lush water and grass in Outer Mongolia, with a population of more than 100,000, and nearly 300,000 horses. In addition, cattle, sheep, and camels, the total number of livestock made by the watch twenty years ago exceeded 1.5 million. In recent years, the population and livestock seem to have made great progress. In addition, the Khalkha people are brave and fighting. If they collude with Jingxiang, it will be a big disaster.

Du Han said: "It seems that the Khalkha people and Jing Xiang have no correspondence."

The Six Kings nodded slightly and asked again: "Where is Sushun?"

Du Han smiled and said, "It's still the same thing. After drinking, he scolded Jing Xiang for forgetting his ancestors."

The Six Kings' eyes flashed and they pondered silently.

...

In the vast land of Cangyuan, this is within Qinghai.

A group of more than a dozen people hurriedly walked in the loess desert. They were wearing thick cotton coats and ear-wrapped cotton hats, but the wind and sand made their noses and eyes full of their eyes, as if they were cut by a knife, making people's face hurt.

"Are the dogs chasing?" The burly man in the leading hat said, and then he realized that she was a woman with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but she didn't look like her.

Someone listened on the ground, and after a long time, he got up and shook his head.

Everyone immediately collapsed in the yellow sand as if they had dispersed, allowing the wind and sand to blow through their bodies.

"I'll leave a mark for this little bastard!" A strong man with red eyes, suddenly turned over, pulled out a dagger, and pulled the timid seven or eight-year-old boy beside him.

"Stop!" The woman in the lead frowned and stopped. Seeing that the man grabbed the boy's neck and stabbed the dagger in his face. Although the boy's mouth was blocked, he screamed. The strong woman immediately kicked the man out from behind and slid to the ground.

The man's eyes were so angry that his eyes were red, and he shouted, "I don't want my head today, so I have to leave a mark for him!" He rushed over and was kicked down by a thick woman in the chest.

"Sister! Xiao Liu and the others died so miserably!" The man screamed in grief and anger, pounding the ground hard, as if he was crazy.

"Then this little bastard cannot move, and he must leave it to the prince to deal with it!" said the stout woman coldly.

This big and thick woman was a member of the Pingyuan Army's special Lu Qin regiment, and was also the captain of this operation. She called Yang Ergu, the big-footed woman in Guangxi, and the personal army of Su Hongniang, and later transferred to the Lu Qin regiment. When the rebellion was made, the Qing soldiers described her as "charged and invincible. She could stab people on horseback. She could hit people on a horse, and all the hits were hit. The knife was seven inches long and extremely sharp. Whenever she was in the battle, a leather bag was hanging on her chest. Those who had a lot of bags were all sharp blades, and she called herself a flying knife hand."

She rarely uses flying knives nowadays, but she uses revolver very well.

In the middle of last year, Yang Ergu received a secret order from Lu Qintuan and selected more than 50 members of Lu Qintuan and disguised himself as a caravan. In addition to inquire about the Taiping Army that fled to Qinghai, the caravan also had a secret mission, which was kidnapping or assassination of Lu Yueting.

Because Yang Ergu knew Lu Yueting, this mission fell on her shoulders.

However, the Qinghai desert was vast and the operation team went through a lot of hardships and finally found a Taiping army gathering place in the Sumang tribes upstream of the Lancang River. Unfortunately, Li Xiucheng and Lu Yueting were not here, and they didn't know where the two of them were.

Just when Yang Ergu was discouraged, it was a coincidence that Li Xiucheng's only son, Li Xuefu, took a boat to this town for fun, accompanied by his father's guard general.

Yang Ergu and others then used clever tricks to capture Li Xuefu alive, but unexpectedly, the Taiping Army pursued the operation team suffered a great loss. Several sabers of the opponent flocked out and launched a bloody pursuit in this vast desert.

The Sumang people wearing red turbans and wielding a sharp scimitar cut coldly and brutally cut the throats of Pingyuan soldiers. The bandits were no longer as vulnerable as before. It seemed that the wind and sand of the vast desert had also refined their muscles and bones, and hardened their hearts. They held up a rifle and let the horses under their crotch trample past the backward Pingyuan soldiers again and again until they were trampled to death.

"They have peeled Xiaoliu's skin!" The man cried loudly, and the dagger fell into his palm, and the bright red flowed down the yellow sand, but he was completely unconscious.

Yang Ergu's eyes were wet and said word by word: "We will come back!" Looking at the West, "I swear."

...

When receiving a telegram from the Guizhou Shijiao Hall, Ye Zhao was looking through the progress of the gasoline and diesel engine project in the Southern Dynasty.

In fact, Ye Zhao no longer wants to have any compulsory influence on technology, and it is enough to solve the main things. For example, in military technology, the rifles and ironclad ships, his own idea is to make them skip the transition period and directly enter the technical field that can be developed healthily, which is enough.

Now, the Nanjing Firearms Bureau is studying the issue of continuous shooting, which is probably similar to a machine gun. Ye Zhao did not give any advice, so it would be better to develop naturally.

Because the current technologies are relatively simple, for example, if it was built in Guangzhou, I believe that similar high-efficiency rifles will be developed in Europe soon.

If you make your technology too advanced, especially military technology, it actually does not have many benefits according to the industrial level of the Southern Dynasties. On the contrary, European countries may develop faster by inspiration from this. Now it is just enough to allow the Southern Dynasties technicians and technical workers to digest it well.

Moreover, some weapons have improved with war tactics, not to say that everything will be fine if you create weapons that you know in the future that you can make.

Ye Zhao now hopes that the technological progress of the South will be caused by its own gradual accumulation, and will no longer rely on its own to help grow. In fact, the weapons design of the Southern Dynasty now often no longer needs its own tips, which is of course a gratifying thing.

Looking at the telegram sent from the stone hall, Ye Zhao slowly frowned.

The northwest and the yellow sand in the desert seemed to be able to temper people's will. The Taiping Army joined forces with the local tribes, but they were afraid that they would slowly grow into a bloody and violent armed force, just like the Ma family army back then.

Perhaps, the bandit itself has extremely distinct violent and bloody characteristics. When it comes to the vast plateau, its animal nature is further stimulated.

Although the message did not explain in detail, you can also imagine the cruel fate faced by the Pingyuan Army soldiers who fell into the hands of these thugs.

Ye Zhao felt ache and regretted sending a contingent to Qinghai because he was not considerate!

I stood up, looked at the huge map hanging on the wall, and looked at Qinghai. I don’t know when this thorn was about to stab myself. Even if I took Sichuan, I’m afraid it would be difficult to enter Qinghai to calm the rebellion. There were no considerable number of cavalrymen in the vast desert grassland. It is difficult to wipe out the bandits hiding in it now, and even if they are struggling, they will be led by their extremely powerful horses, causing huge casualties.

What's more, the situation in the northwest is complicated. To suppress the rebellion, you must not rely solely on force. I am afraid that in the future, there will be a headache.

Nowadays, it’s really a matter of things one after another, and everything is up to you to make a decision.
To be continued...