Master Yuan, start!

At the end of November, Vladivostok had not yet completely frozen, so the Russian warships were able to leave the port. Moreover, the further south you go, the warmer it is, so even old and broken warships do not have to worry about breaking the ice.

However, there was only a railway between Pyongyang on the west coast and Seoul in North Korea. If Yuan Shikai wanted to go to the east coast, he still had to rely on riding or walking.

Yuan Shikai set out from Seoul and had just arrived at Cheorwon County, near the 38th parallel in later generations. After a short rest there, he received news from Yongxing Bay.

"Russian warships fired into Yongxing Bay and accidentally injured the Jiashen Right Army!?"

Chapter 94: North to Tumen River

"What on earth are the Russians thinking?" Yuan Shikai was puzzled after receiving the news that the right army of Jiashen was bombarded.

It would be fine if the Russians were to come to Yongxing Bay with their warships to show off their might, but why would they open fire at this moment?

The Russians did not interfere when Yuan Shikai took back the Korean customs, the Russians did not interfere when Yuan Shikai defeated the invading Japanese, and the Russians still did not interfere when Yuan Shikai sent the Korean King Lee Hee to the Qing Dynasty.

Why did he become so restless only at this moment? Not only did he drive a warship here, but he also fired cannons and injured people.

当初为了应对左宗棠在新疆的咄咄紧逼，俄国人特地把黑海舰队调到了海参崴，一度在远东陈列有4艘铁甲舰、3艘巡洋舰、3艘岸防舰、6艘炮艇、4艘运输船和一些驱逐舰。

After the crisis was resolved, the Russians recalled part of the Black Sea Fleet, leaving only a few iron-clad wooden cruisers launched in the 19s.

With such a configuration, not to mention the Beiyang Fleet of the original time and space, even the South China Sea Fleet in Li Hongzhang's hands today can easily take it down.

Yuan Shikai could only think that the Russians were getting impatient. Seeing that the Germans and the Dutch had made a profit from the Qing Dynasty, the Russians were not willing to be outdone and wanted to have a taste of the thick soup.

However, Yuan Shikai did not have a decent naval force now. Although he succeeded as the Minister of Beiyang, the remaining warships of the Beiyang Fleet went directly to Guangzhou after being launched in a German shipyard and were placed under the command of Li Hongzhang's South China Sea Fleet.

He currently only has a dozen transport ships and some coastal defense gunboats, and is completely unable to conduct long-distance operations.

He also submitted memorials to the court to rebuild the Beiyang Fleet, but all his proposals fell on deaf ears. At the same time, Cixi's garden was repaired two years after the Sino-French War.

Later, the emperor heard from Yi Xin, who arrived in Korea to announce the decree, that the Empress Dowager believed that since the five armies of Jiashen could defeat the French army on land, there was no need to invest more money in the navy.

A cruiser like the Chaoyong costs more than 70 taels of silver, not to mention the personnel expenses on board. This is enough to raise an army of more than people.

However, in the three battles of Mawei, Zhejiang, and Weihaiwei-Lushun, the three navies of Fujian, Nanyang, and Beiyang were completely destroyed by the French, without even a sound being heard.

The only naval battle in Zhejiang that resulted in a victory was when the Kaiji took advantage of the French being caught off guard and rammed the stern of the French ship Bashar, causing the Bashar to run aground.

So after seeing the navy's poor performance, Cixi decided to stop providing central support to the navy, keeping part of the funds for her own use, and using the rest to repair and reinforce the Dagu, Lushun and Weihaiwei forts, and to purchase more coastal defense cannons.

If the localities are willing to raise their own navy, then they can do it themselves, and the central government will not object.

For example, Li Hongzhang's South China Sea Fleet, after taking over the warships under construction of the former Beiyang Fleet, bought a considerable number of gunboats and cruisers from the British.

After witnessing the French showing off their power with warships on the southeast coast, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Zeng Guoquan, rebuilt the Nanyang Navy with the help of the Jianghuai salt tax and renamed it the Jiangnan Navy. He also purchased and built more than ten warships.

As for the Fujian Navy, it was not rebuilt because it was directly threatened by the French, and the Fuzhou Shipyard became a shipyard used only to build auxiliary ships for the Nanhai and Jiangnan navies.

Therefore, if Yuan Shikai wanted to own a navy, he could only find a way himself, either buy it from foreigners, buy it from the Fuzhou Shipyard, or choose to build it himself.

However, shipbuilding is not something that can be achieved overnight. Although the Incheon Shipyard was established by leveraging the foundation of the Incheon Machinery Bureau, it was still a headless fly and urgently needed shipbuilding personnel and equipment. Although it had attracted a lot of students in the past two years and built factories, docks, and schools, it had not yet launched a single modern warship.

It took the Fuzhou Shipyard 4 years to build its first troop transport ship, 9 years to build its first gunboat, and 17 years to build its first ironclad ship. Even with the changing times and technological advancements, the Incheon Shipyard still needed a lot of time to catch up!

It was precisely because of so many difficulties that Yuan Shikai felt that dealing with the Russians in the Yongxing Bay crisis was so troublesome.

Because he can say no to the Russians on land, but he has no way to deal with the Russians on the sea!

"Chief Instructor, how do we send a message to the front line?" Ming Ye asked, following Yuan Xiangcheng.

"Keep your troops still. Let the Russians fire if they want. Just don't go ashore on a large scale. Let Jindong's guards keep a close eye on them!" Yuan Xiangcheng had no intention of resting. After returning the call, he quickly asked Ming Ye to call over Duan Qirui, Sheng Fei, Feng Guozhang and others who were accompanying him.

The Jiashen Right Army currently has a large organization of four regiments. The commander of the first regiment is Duan Qirui, the commander of the second regiment is Sheng Fei, the commander of the third regiment is Feng Guozhang, and the commander of the fourth regiment, which is also the reserve regiment, is Jin Dongwei.

It is Jin Dongwei's reserve town that is currently confronting the Russians in Yongxing Bay.

Yuan Xiangcheng informed the three professional soldiers of the situation, and they all frowned, trying to figure out why the Russians took action at this time.

"Chief Instructor, the Russians are here with ill intentions. Why don't we let them ashore and then surround and annihilate them on the spot!" Sheng Fei was a hot-tempered man and didn't think that much. He thought that there were only about a hundred Russians, so what could happen if they came ashore.

"That's not right. If we rashly anger the Russians, the situation in Korea that we have worked so hard to build up will be in danger of collapse." Duan Qirui stood up to dissuade him.

"Mingye, have you found out how many Russians there are in Outer Northeast China?" Yuan Xiangcheng was a little undecided when he saw that everyone had different opinions.

"Chief Instructor, according to the investigation of the Red Army Reconnaissance Department in Vladivostok, there are roughly 3000 Russian troops in the area. I heard from a drunk Russian officer in the tavern that there are probably more than Russian troops in the entire Russian Far East, but they are evenly distributed in the Lake Baikal area, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Miaojie, Sakhalin Island, etc., and are not concentrated.

In addition, it is not clear how many Russians there are in the Vladivostok area, and the spies of the Red Search Department cannot go to many places because of their appearance.

According to local officials, there are reportedly 20 to 30 people in the Far East, over 4 of whom are Chinese, mostly concentrated along the Heilongjiang River and in Vladivostok. Only over 10 are pure Russians, and the rest are nomadic peoples speaking a variety of languages. Ming Ye laid out the Red Search Section's findings from their recent time in Vladivostok.

The Russian population in the Far East will surge only after the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the implementation of Stolypin's serfdom reform. Currently, neither of these two conditions has been met, and the Russians do not yet have absolute control over the Far East.

"The Russian army only has 3000 people?" Yuan Xiangcheng felt like giving it a try.

"Comrade Duan Qirui!" Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Duan Qirui with eager eyes.

"Here!" Seeing Yuan Xiangcheng's expression, Duan Qirui also knew that he had to do something big.

"Lead all the soldiers of the First Regiment of the Jiashen Right Army to Rajin in northeastern Korea and wait for orders!

At the same time, contact Comrade Jin Weidong of the reserve town. The First Town and the reserve town will be temporarily under your full command.

"Disperse the soldiers of the two towns along the Sino-Russian Tumen River border, block the border between the two countries, and prevent the Russian army from advancing south. Meanwhile, wait for my orders!" Yuan Xiangcheng issued his orders.

He transferred the Jiashen Right Army of the two towns to the border between China, North Korea and Russia, ready to deal with the Russians at any time. If the problem of Yongxing Bay was not resolved, he would let the Russians in the Far East see the shock from the Jiashen Right Army.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, the Russian army reached its largest size in Europe, about 80 men. However, after the war, due to the relatively peaceful international environment, the Russian army continued to downsize, and by 1877, the army had only over 60 men.

Most of them were stationed in European Russia, the remaining few were keeping a close eye on the Turks in the Caucasus, and some were fighting the British in Central Asia for Afghanistan. There were very few troops in the Far East.

In addition, the Russians were greatly stimulated by being locked in the Black Sea by the British and French navies in the Russo-Turkish War, and they continued to strengthen their naval construction. In the 1870 years after 30, successive tsars continued to increase funding for the navy, while at the same time the army did not develop significantly.

Therefore, if he did not care about the consequences, Yuan Shikai was confident that he could defeat the Russian army in Vladivostok with the Jiashen Right Army.

However, this is only an option after all. The power projected by the Russians in the Far East is less than one-tenth of their power in Europe. If the Russians are angered too much and they start building the Trans-Siberian Railway in advance, Yuan Shikai will not be able to withstand it at this moment.

After all, developing oneself is the bottom line, and going against the Russians is just to gain benefits from the British.

"Chief Instructor, what should we do if the Russians launch the first attack?" Duan Qirui was undecided and could only ask Yuan Shikai for advice.

“The Russians are under-equipped in the Far East and probably won’t do such a rash move, but if they do attack, don’t hesitate and fight back.

But please note that the main focus is on prevention!"

Thinking of this, Yuan Xiangcheng decided to drag the British into this matter and not let him fight Russia alone:

"Brother Shengchu, Jin Bingshi, you are now the Foreign Minister of Korea. It would be most appropriate for you to go to Yongxing Bay to negotiate with the Russians. Once you arrive at Yongxing Bay, you must severely condemn the Russians, but do not reach any agreement with them. All decisions will be made after I and the British return from Seoul."

Regardless of whether the Russians were determined to occupy Yongxing Bay or just wanted to test their strength, Yuan Shikai had to respond firmly and use this incident to expand his prestige in front of the whole country.

Only by forming a comparison again can people all over the world know how useless the Qing Dynasty was and how great Yuan Shikai was.

"Comrade Duan Qirui, the original plan remains unchanged. You will continue to defend the Sino-Korean-Russian border. Sheng Fei and Feng Guozhang, you two must not relax either. Reorganize your troops in Seoul, prepare guns and ammunition for continued combat, and be ready to support our friendly forces on the front lines at any time!"

Although Duan Qirui, Sheng Fei and Feng Guozhang all frowned, they still chose to obey the order.

The Russians are difficult to fight, but we still have to be fully prepared, otherwise the Jiashen Right Army will not be able to gain a foothold in the Korean region. No matter how strong the legal basis is for Yuan Shikai to occupy the Korean region, he will not be able to continue to defend himself after the Russian invasion.

When he decided to bring Korea back to China, he had to take on the responsibility of Korea's national defense. Whether facing the Japanese or the Russians, as long as Korea was invaded, the Gapsin Right Army had to fight back.

This is why Yuan Shikai wanted to drive the Japanese out to sea. If he didn't drive the Japanese away, who in Korea would really listen to him? Why would the Koreans recognize Yuan Shikai?

The Qing court no longer had any prestige among Korean scholars. If Yuan Shikai lost again, Korea would lose what it had gained.

More nervous and expectant, this is Yuan Xiangcheng's true thoughts when facing the Russians.

Although railways are difficult to build, telegraphs are easy to build. Yuan Shikai built telegraphs along the western and eastern coasts of Korea.

Moreover, the telegraph lines of the east and west coast lines were connected near the 38th parallel, so Pyongyang, Seoul, Incheon and other places knew the news almost at the same time.

When Yuan Shikai rode back to Seoul, the people of Seoul had already known the news that the Russians had bombarded Yongxing Bay.

"The Russians bombarded Yongxing Bay, injuring our soldiers and trampling on our land!"

This short sentence was published in the Dong-A Times in Seoul and quickly ignited the anger of Korean scholars.

The Qing court also received news of the Russian bombardment of Yongxing Bay in a very short time. After hearing the news, Cixi was anxious and sweating profusely, fearing that Yuan Shikai would not be able to control his subordinates and would clash with the Russians.

After all, what Yuan Shikai had reported before was only that Russian warships arrived at Yongxing Bay, but he did not say that the Russians bombarded Yongxing Bay.

The former can also be explained as a "friendly visit", where the invitation was not received. If one wants to prevaricate, one can find an excuse to get away with it.

But if they fired shots, the nature of the matter is different. Which country would fire shots during a friendly visit?

Upon learning the news, the British man Jordan immediately sent a telegram to Hart and the Chinese Minister to China, Eugene. At the same time, at the invitation of Yuan Shikai, he went to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to wait.

Inside the guild hall, the young Zhu Erdian was anxiously waiting for Yuan Xiangcheng, pacing back and forth in the room.

Although he had only worked in East Asia for a few years, his early studies had taught him that this was an opportunity to demonstrate his diplomatic charm. If he could stand out in this diplomatic crisis, his future would be limitless.

Before coming to Korea, Hart specifically instructed him to cooperate with Yuan Shikai, which would help the British Empire curb Russian influence in the Far East and also help realize Great Britain's global strategy.

Although it is unclear what the so-called Great Britain's global strategy is, preventing Russian forces from moving south is undoubtedly his top priority in Korea.

Yuan Shikai was a rising political star in the Qing Dynasty. If he cooperated with Yuan Shikai, he might be able to serve as consul in Seoul in the future. Going further, it would not be impossible for him to serve as minister to China in the future.

However, negotiating with the Russians is really a difficult problem. Not many British people are willing to deal with the Russians, who have no political acumen and are prone to war.

Like Yuan Shikai, Zhu Erdian hoped to gain personal benefits from this matter, but was also worried that it would cause trouble if not handled properly.

"No, I have to know what the Russians are thinking." Zhu Erdian asked his men to invite the Russian Minister Weber to come over, wanting to see his attitude towards the Yongxing Bay shelling.

However, before his men could leave, the Russian envoy had already stepped over the threshold of the mansion and walked into the house.

"Mr. Jordan, I didn't expect to meet you here." Russian Minister Weber was also invited by Yuan Shikai to discuss the Russian warships' bombardment of Yongxing Bay.

"Mr. Weber, I wonder how you explain the appearance of your country's warships on the east coast of North Korea. You must know that North Korea is not an independent country now, but a part of the Qing Dynasty. Invading North Korea is equivalent to invading the Qing Dynasty!" Zhu Erdian first pointed out the seriousness of the shelling of Yongxing Bay, trying to see something from Weber's face.

"Invade the Qing Dynasty? More than 20 years ago, the Russian Empire was able to obtain a large tract of land from the Qing Dynasty without spending a single soldier. Why would it be afraid of the Qing Dynasty's opposition now?" Weber smiled disdainfully.

If Yuan Xiangcheng had not told him, Weber would have really not known that his own warships were bombarding Yongxing Bay.

However, even if he didn't know the reason, he had to support his own people. Even if Yuan Xiangcheng came to him, he had nothing to explain.

Perhaps the commander of the Vladivostok fleet felt a little bored, so he drove the warship out for a few rounds before Vladivostok was completely frozen.

As for the shelling? Probably an accidental discharge. If a gun can go off accidentally, there's no reason a cannon can't go off accidentally.

This was Weber's explanation, regardless of whether Yuan Xiangcheng believed it or not.

Seeing that Weber was as unfazed as a dead pig, Jordan had no choice but to accept it. After all, the other party was the British ambassador to Korea, while he was just a British clerk in Korea, and there was a gap in their ranks.

The British Minister to Korea has always been concurrently the British Minister to China. After Yuan Shikai took control of Korea, the British Minister to China, Eugene, had little interest in Korean affairs. It was only on the recommendation of Robert Hart that he sent Sir John Jordan, a clerk in the British Embassy in China, to Korea as a bridge of communication with Yuan Shikai.

Therefore, in today's Korea, there is indeed no British person of the same rank as the Russian Minister Weber.

Just as both parties in the room were silent, Yuan Xiangcheng walked in.