The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

A sedan chair was carried into the alley next to Anping Bridge, and Xiao Dezhang hurriedly came out to greet it.

"How are things going, Xiao Dezi? Nothing much has happened these past few days, has it?" Li Lianying asked as she walked inside.

"Oh, godfather, you've finally come out! We've been terrified these past few days!" Xiao Dezhang said with a fawning smile.

"Alright! Now that the Empress Dowager has issued an edict to reward those Boxers as righteous citizens, they should not cause any trouble!" Li Lianying shook his head and walked inside. Suddenly, he saw Shi Tou standing by the roadside and couldn't help but frown.

"Godfather, we are so grateful for Manager Tan's care these past few days! Otherwise, we don't know if we would ever have the chance to see you again..." Xiao Dezhang rattled off the story.

“Yes! Shen Lian is indeed a man of conscience and loyalty! This time, when the war was declared against the foreign powers, not a single local governor supported the court. Only he was willing to send troops to defend the emperor. Even the Empress Dowager praised him!” Li Lianying said, shaking his head.

"Alright! Things are much calmer now, let him go back." Li Lianying had developed a cautious habit over decades in the palace, and he didn't like having unfamiliar people around him.

"Godfather, this is already something we foreigners have started, and we don't know what will happen next. Maybe we should let him stay for now!" Xiao Dezhang whispered a few more words into Li Lianying's ear.

"Hmm! Lord Shen is truly kind-hearted. Let him stay for now!" Li Lianying nodded.

. . . . . .

On the canal heading south from Tianjin, several motorboats moved slowly forward, their gunwales lowered low, clearly loaded with heavy cargo. Behind each of these boats, several large wooden boats were being towed.

"Did you leave anything behind?" Zhang Da Kui stood on the shore on his horse, watching dozens of boats slowly move forward with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Commander, I've already checked! All the machinery and materials have been transported away; this is the last batch!"

All the foreman and workers, including their families, have been arranged to travel south by land. The Second Battalion is responsible for escorting them along the way! The chief of staff beside him said.

"Alright!" Zhang Da Kui nodded. The reason the commander-in-chief arranged for their cavalry regiment to come first was for two purposes. First, to meet General Nie, and second, to help the Tianjin Machinery Manufacturing Bureau.

Shen Lian has had his eye on this place for a long time, so why wait to take advantage of the opportunity and get his hands on it now!

Everyone in Tianjin was watching the fighting outside, and who wouldn't want to leave this place? With General Nie's orders, they worked with the factory workers to move all the machinery and equipment within a few days.

Of course, there were also some particularly heavy machines that couldn't be dismantled in time, so they were temporarily abandoned. Anyway, they were difficult for them to move, and the Allied forces couldn't move them either.

Both tasks have been completed; now the troops should be free to fight! The battle a few days ago, though exciting, was ultimately small-scale. Most people didn't participate.

Upon learning that the Allied forces had captured Tianjin and that their main force was heading towards Beijing, Shen Lian finally prepared to set off.

In fact, his army had already secretly moved to the Zhili border. Now, the main forces that were going to travel with him were the division headquarters, the hospital, his guards, and the artillery regiment.

However, before setting off, Shen Lian still had to solve one problem.

"The Commander-in-Chief has arrived!" With a loud shout from the officer on duty, Shen Lian, dressed in military uniform, strode into the conference room.

All the artillery officers sitting inside stood at attention!

"Please sit down!" Shen Lian returned the greeting and sat down.

"Commander Mark, and all instructors! First of all, on behalf of the First Division of the New Army, I would like to thank you all for your hard work. I am very satisfied with your work!" Shen Lian said with a smile and a nod.

“General, this is what we should do!” Mark stood up and said expressionlessly.

"Hmm! Please sit down! I won't beat around the bush. My army is about to be summoned to the capital to resist the aggression of your Western countries, and may even have to fight against the German army. I wonder what your thoughts are?"

“General, now that we have accepted your employment, we will obey your orders. However, we have one request: could you please not make us fight against our own country?” Mark said, still expressionless.

The other instructors remained silent, clearly indicating that they had reached a consensus!

It wasn't that Mark and his men wanted to fight the Allied forces; it was just that Shen Lian was giving them too much. Their current pay was three times what they used to receive back home, and they also had unlimited supplies of cigarettes and alcohol.

If they left Shen Lian's unit, they definitely wouldn't find better jobs. Especially since they could practice their beloved cannons every day.

"Okay, I'll grant your request! We'll try our best to avoid direct confrontations with the Germans on the battlefield." Shen Lian agreed without much thought. As for the specifics, we'll discuss that on the battlefield!

"Excuse my bluntness, General! Although your army has the best soldiers and trains very hard, it has been formed too recently. I don't think they can defeat our army!" Mark said with his ever-present poker face.

"Thank you for the reminder, Commander Mark, of course I know! But I have no choice but to send troops!"

"For example, if your country were invaded, could you just sit idly by?"

"No! General!" all the German instructors shouted in unison.

"So, I can't either!" Shen Lian said seriously.

"The appointments will now be read out!" Shen Lian suddenly stood up.

All the German instructors also stood up!

"Appoint Mark as Lieutenant Colonel Commander of the Independent Artillery Regiment! Appoint Wells as Major Deputy Commander, Jack..." Shen Lian picked up the document and read it aloud.

After reading out the appointment documents, Shen Lian personally pinned military ranks on each of them.

He was put back in his military uniform and even awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel. Even Mark, with his poker face, showed a hint of excitement.

. . . . . .

The Linqing wharf was packed with people. Officials from Taiwu Lindao, members of various chambers of commerce, and ordinary people from Linqing City all came spontaneously to see off the army.

"May you achieve a great victory, sir!" "Sir, give those foreign devils a good beating!" Shouts from the people could be heard from time to time, and Shen Lian nodded in salute from his horse.

"Good son! Don't embarrass your father, beat him properly! I've got you covered at home!" Shen Hu patted his son's shoulder hard.

Perhaps it's because good news makes people feel better, but ever since Nie Xiaoqian became pregnant, Shen Hu's illness has improved considerably! Today, he personally saw Shen Lian off at the old dock.

"My lord, the battlefield is dangerous! You must be careful. Yue'er, the baby in my belly, and I are waiting for you to come back!" Nie Xiaoqian said, wiping away her tears.

"Don't cry, you're pregnant! Don't worry! Your husband has a long life ahead of him! Hehe!"

Shen Lian hugged Nie Xiaoqian and Xiao Yue'er, who was crying her eyes out, then turned and led his men onto the boat.

With a long blast of the motorboat's horn, the army set off, its sights set on the capital!