Outnumbered? I'll conquer America with an unlimited number of suicide soldiers.

Chapter 135 The Advance of Britain and the Arrival of Refugees

As night fell, Westminster Palace was brightly lit. The light from hundreds of gas lamps illuminated the council chambers as if it were daytime.

An hour earlier, an emergency motion was proposed by the Conservative Party, requiring Prime Minister Palmerston to answer parliamentary questions about the “hijacking of £400,000 in military funds in Hong Kong.”

Palmerston walked to the podium, placed his hands on the wooden platform, and scanned each member of parliament present.

His expression was calm, as if he were not being questioned but being crowned.

"Fellow Members of Parliament, I have heard that some people have questioned the government's handling of Far Eastern affairs."

Please allow me to clarify one point first: it was not an ordinary robbery, but a meticulously planned military strike against the empire!

At this very moment, the British Empire is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.

Upon hearing this, Conservative MPs unanimously booed.

"Order!"

Seeing this, the speaker quickly tapped his gavel to signal everyone to be quiet: "Gentlemen, maintain your composure."

Conservative leader Benjamin Disraeli stood up from the front row and announced loudly: "Mr. Prime Minister, please allow me to remind you that today's inquiry concerns the theft of £400,000 in military pay from the vault of the Banque de l'Indochine in Hong Kong."

I hope the Prime Minister will answer this question directly, rather than trying to divert Parliament's attention with other topics.

Palmerston turned his head slightly to look at Disraeli: "Mr. Disraeli, do you think that a loss of four hundred thousand pounds is more worthy of discussion than a disaster that is about to shake the foundations of the empire?"

'

"What I will discuss is for Parliament to decide, not for you, Your Excellency."

Disraeli retorted: "Please answer: Has the government confirmed that the £400,000 in military pay is unrecoverable? And more importantly, should the Cabinet be held responsible for this?"

After speaking, Disraeli sat down. Before Palmerston could answer, Edward Stanley, also a senior Conservative MP, immediately stood up and asked, "Mr. Prime Minister, when you submitted the budget to Parliament last November, you assured us that the advance payment of military funds for the Chinese Expeditionary Force had been arranged properly and that there were foolproof security measures in place."

But now, this money has vanished in Hong Kong, threatening the interests of the British Empire in the Far East. Where are your measures?

A burst of laughter erupted in the House of Commons, mixed with accusatory boos.

"Order!!"

The speaker banged the gavel again and shouted, "Stop making a scene!"

Palmerston, seemingly oblivious to the boos, replied, "Lord Stanley, every document I have given to Parliament is genuine, and every promise I have made has been carefully considered."

The military pay was transported from London to Hong Kong, covering thousands of nautical miles and crossing the seas of several countries, ultimately arriving safely at the vault of the Banque de l'Indochine in Hong Kong and being signed for. This in itself proves that the security measures during transportation were effective.

He paused, then continued, "As for the security inside the vault, that's a matter of responsibility between the Hong Kong colonial government and the Banque de l'Indochine. The government's investigation into this is ongoing, and I won't draw any conclusions until the investigation is complete."

"Neither jumping to conclusions nor taking responsibility?" Stanley sneered. "That's typical of the Prime Minister."

Another Conservative MP, Sir John Fox Burgoyne, with an army background, stood up and asked: "Mr. Prime Minister, as a military man, I would like to ask a more fundamental question:

That £400,000 is our soldiers' pay. Without this money, how can the garrison in Hong Kong be maintained? How will our soldiers receive the compensation they deserve? What contingency plans does the government have?

Palmerston pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Sir Burgoyne, I fully understand your concerns."

The Admiralty and the War Department are in urgent consultation regarding the pay of the Hong Kong garrison. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gladstone, has assured me that a portion of the military budget from the Indian colony can be temporarily allocated as an emergency measure.

"Transferring from India?" Burgoyne frowned. "Wouldn't that affect India's defenses?"

"I believe that Lord Canning, the Viceroy of India, is capable of handling this matter well," Palmerston said, deflecting the question.

Disraeli then stood up again: "Mr. Prime Minister, this is not the first time this government has stumbled on Far Eastern affairs."

"From 1849 to today, the government's foreign policy toward China has been a series of disasters. Our merchants have been bullied, our missionaries have been expelled, and our warships have been obstructed. Now, we can't even afford to pay our soldiers' expenses."

"I want to ask the cabinet, and you, the prime minister, whether the empire's hegemony in the Far East can continue because of your incompetence?"

A clamor erupted in the chamber as Whig MPs began berating Disraeli, while Conservative MPs retaliated, the noise completely drowning out the Speaker's gavel.

"Order! Oooooorder!"

After a few minutes of frantic shouting from the speaker, the chamber finally quieted down again.

Palmerston placed his hands on the podium, leaned forward slightly, and looked directly at Disraeli: "Mr. Disraeli, I am very disappointed."

"I am disappointed that a member of parliament who once served as Chancellor of the Exchequer still has the mind to dredge up old grievances and settle petty scores at this moment that concerns the fate of the Empire!"

He abruptly waved his hand and roared, "Yes, four hundred thousand pounds have been stolen! It's a disgrace! I'm angrier than anyone else here!"

"But when your servant tells you the house is on fire, do you first investigate the servant's negligence, or do you rush to put out the fire?"

Palmerston stepped out from behind the podium, which was against the rules of procedure, but no one corrected him at that moment.

"Mr. Speaker, please allow me to submit a new intelligence report. This report was personally brought back to London by the consul of our consulate in San Francisco and was delivered to my desk yesterday."

I had originally planned to report this matter to Parliament at next week's closed-door meeting, but the urgency of the situation no longer allows us to proceed according to routine.

He looked around at the members of parliament in their seats and said, "Right here, now, I have an announcement to make to all the members of parliament!"

""

"California, America's home, has been taken over by the Chinese!"

A moment of silence fell over the council chamber.

A few seconds later, a cacophony of noise erupted, like a volcanic eruption.

"impossible!"

"absurd!"

"Mr. Prime Minister, do you know what you're saying?"

"A fantasy!"

"God, is today April Fool's Day?"

Dozens of voices rose at the same time, and the members of parliament stood up from their seats. Some began to curse, while others looked at each other in bewilderment, as if they had heard the most absurd joke in the world.

Disraeli stood up and demanded, "Mr. Prime Minister, what are you saying? How could the Chinese possibly cross the Pacific and take California? They can't even hold their own coastline!"

Palmerzun's louder voice drowned out all the noise: "This was witnessed by the San Francisco consul himself. Tens of thousands of heavily armed Chinese set out from San Francisco and successively captured major cities such as San Jose, Sacramento, and Monterey. They now control most of California."

"That's impossible!" Sir Burgoyne exclaimed. "How could those coolies from China possibly have such strength?"

"Yes, but they did it, just like they robbed £400,000 in Hong Kong and then disappeared without a trace."

Palmer said calmly, "Furthermore, that Chinese force that calls itself Xinghantang is equipped with hand grenades and breech-loading rifles, and even possesses powerful artillery. The sophistication of their weaponry is even greater than that of our army."

"And according to reports from Hong Kong, the group of Chinese robbers also used the same grenades!"

An eerie silence fell over the hall as the councilors stared wide-eyed, processing Palmerston's words.

Hand grenades? Buzzer guns? High-powered artillery?

God, is this what Chinese people should have?

Disraeli frowned deeply and asked first, "Mr. Prime Minister, do you know what you're saying? This means the Chinese have industrialized weapons production capabilities!"

"Of course, Mr. Disraeli!" Palmerston replied.

Disraeli shook his head and said, "It's ridiculous, it's like the plot of a third-rate novel."

"I also find it absurd, Mr. Disraeli."

Palmerston spread his hands: "But unfortunately, it's true."

If you think I would fabricate a colossal lie involving US territory, tens of thousands of armed personnel, and the global strategic landscape to evade responsibility for £400,000, then you are giving me far too much credit. I don't have that kind of imagination.

A few suppressed laughs echoed in the hall.

Palmerston pressed his advantage, saying, "Gentlemen, I would like to propose two motions for Parliament to consider."

His voice became solemn and serious: "First, given the connection between the theft of Hong Kong military funds and the Chinese, I request Parliament to authorize the government to launch military action against China on this grounds, forcing the Tatars to agree to our treaty revision terms."

"Secondly, I request that Congress authorize the government to immediately dispatch warships to the west coast of the United States to assess the situation. At the same time, I request that reservists be conscripted and sent to the Canadian colonies to prevent a Chinese attack."

Disraeli stood up almost as soon as Palmerston finished speaking: "I object! The Prime Minister is using an unproven crisis to force a costly military adventure!"

Palmerston did not refute him; instead, he turned to all the members of parliament and slowly said, "I request a vote."

The Speaker cleared his throat and announced, "Now, we will vote on the two emergency bills proposed by the Prime Minister."

In the hall, countless hands were raised, and countless voices were arguing.

When the speaker's gavel fell, the outcome was already clear: the bill had passed by a large margin.

Tianjin City.

The city gates were tightly closed, and the guards on the city walls patrolled day and night to prevent any troublemakers from causing a disturbance.

Outside the South Gate.

The assassins patrolling the wall spotted a gray line slowly moving from the southern horizon. Gradually, the line became clearer until a human figure could be seen.

Everyone's face was covered with a layer of yellow dust, their lips were chapped, their eyes were sunken, and their bodies were as light as reeds, as if they could be blown over by a gust of wind.

The disaster victims have arrived.

Jiao Da walked at the very front of the group.

His clothes were so worn that their original color was unrecognizable, covered with a thick layer of salt frost. His face was dark and rough from the wind and sun, and his lips were cracked all over.

Jiao Da stopped in his tracks when he saw the city walls of Tianjin.

He glanced back at the long queue behind him, then took a deep breath and shouted with all his might, "We're here! We're in Tianjin! Hang in there, folks!"

A commotion broke out in the ranks.

The person walking in front looked up, squinting as they gazed ahead. Under the sunlight, the city walls and gate towers of Tianjin stood clearly on the horizon.

The disaster victims did not cheer; they simply quickened their pace silently.

Relief points have been set up outside the city gate.

A dozen large pots were lined up in a row, with firewood burning at the bottom and thick porridge simmering inside.

The porridge was made from a mixture of new and old grains; it wasn't very good, but it was filling. Behind each pot stood two bodyguards, dressed in civilian clothes with their sleeves rolled up, holding long-handled wooden ladles.

Next to the pot was a long table with coarse porcelain bowls on it. Behind the table sat several clerks, with paper and pens spread out in front of them.

Next to each large cauldron stood a pillar with a notice posted on it, written in black ink on white paper: "Notice from Tianjin Relief Office:"

Each affected person can receive a bowl of thick porridge per day.

Those who wish to seek a living outside the Great Wall may register their names. Meals will be provided on the ship, and land and houses will be allocated upon arrival at the port. Those who do not wish to do so may work in Tianjin to dredge the Haihe River, with two meals provided daily.

This is to announce.

In front of the pot, the die-hards dressed as members of the Green Camp began to drink, making the disaster victims line up to receive porridge. They were not allowed to cut in line or snatch the porridge that others had already received, or they would be put to death!

Jiao Da walked to the soup kitchen and took a bowl of soup from a soldier.

The porridge inside was steaming hot, the rice grains were cooked until they burst open, and it was as thick as paste. He lowered his head and drank it in big gulps.

Jiao Da finished the bowl of porridge in one gulp and handed it back, saying, "Only after eating this hot food do I feel alive again."

"Then let's get to work."

Tang He walked over to Jiao Da and asked, "How many people are in this group?"

Jiao Da looked back at the line of refugees and thought for a moment: "There were about a thousand people when we set off from Lanyang. People kept joining along the way, so there should be more than five thousand by the time we get here."

"A drop in the ocean."

Tang whispered, "The copper roof breach has caused a disaster affecting over seven million people. Five thousand people are but the first ripples to arrive in this gray river."

Inside the soup kitchen, the clerks registering the orders had already begun their work.

"What's your name?"

"Wang Dayou."

"Place of origin?"

Wangjiazhuang, Lanyang County.

How many people are in your family?

"Five people. Me, my wife, two children, and my mother."

The clerk wrote it down on the paper, then looked up and asked, "Do you want to go to the Northeast to make a living, or work in Tianjin?"

Wang Dayou was taken aback: "Where is outside the pass?"

"Don't worry about where it is, the ship will provide meals for your whole family, and when we get there we'll get land and housing."

Wang Dayou was silent for a while, then turned around to look at his wife and mother behind him.

His mother was squatting by the roadside, feeding her youngest child porridge with a chipped, rough porcelain bowl. Porridge dripped from the corner of the child's mouth, and the old woman scraped it back with her finger and put it back into the child's mouth.

"I'm going overseas," Wang Dayou said.

The clerk circled the name and handed him a wooden plaque: "Take this and keep heading south. There are soup kitchens along the way. When you reach the sea, someone will call your name when the boat arrives."

Wang Dayou took the wooden plaque and gripped it tightly in his hand.