Master Yuan, start!

"Minister Weber, I need you to give an explanation for the shelling of Yongxing Bay. We cannot let our soldiers bleed in vain!" Yuan Xiangcheng took the initiative. Although he didn't know what happened on the front line, the Russian shelling was true, so he put the blame on him first.

Weber naturally didn't take it seriously. The last time he recaptured the Korean customs, he was unable to do anything to Yuan Shikai and was ridiculed by quoting classics.

Yuan Shikai was also unable to do anything about the bombardment of Yongxing Bay, so he had to mock him back.

"Master Yuan, I'm not entirely sure what's happening on the front lines. Perhaps our warships were using cannons to fry fish. How could they have injured your soldiers? Do they have the habit of winter swimming in such cold weather?"

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Zhu Erdian quickly stopped them and brought the topic back to the right track.

"Master Yuan, Mr. Weber, I believe we are gathered together to solve the problem. Please come up with a solution."

No one was convinced by the other and no one admitted that they were in the wrong. Finally, after some discussion, they reluctantly agreed to form an investigation team consisting of China, Britain and Russia to investigate the incident.

Before the results of the investigation came out, neither party was allowed to escalate the incident. Weber also sent a telegram to the Vladivostok area of ​​Russia to report the result, but it was not known whether the message could reach the cruiser still floating outside Yongxing Bay.

After all, there was no wireless telegraphy at this time.

Yuan Shikai, who had briefly obtained a solution, did not intend to keep his promise. He immediately appeared in Gyeongbokgung Square in the center of Seoul, and climbed onto the newly built 3-meter-high platform surrounded by a group of Chinese and Korean scholars.

After King Yi Hee went to China, Yuan Shikai ordered the demolition of the southern city wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace, clearing a large area of ​​stone slabs in front of the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was named Gyeongbokgung Square.

They also used the dismantled bricks to build a high platform similar to an altar, which was specifically used for speeches and promoting new things.

Over the past year, countless scholars have raised their arms and voices here, spending their youth and expounding new ideas and new knowledge to the world.

It was also the first time for Yuan Xiangcheng to stand on this high platform. He was holding a simple loudspeaker, and his hands were slightly sweaty.

"The Russians' unprovoked shelling of Yongxing Bay is a disgrace to China and an insult to all Chinese people.

Keeping the Golden Bowl intact has been the long-cherished wish of the sages of all generations. However, the Russians have repeatedly invaded China, first planning to take over the area north of the Heilongjiang River, then the area east of the Ussuri River, and now they are even more greedy and are trying to get their hands on Yongxing Bay.

China is the country of all Chinese people. We dare not lose even a tiny bit of our territory. South China has already suffered bad news, and now the north is being watched by the Russians.

The people of North Korea must rise up, and the sons and daughters of China must fight back! "

In such an impassioned anti-Russian speech, he undoubtedly included his own ulterior motives, comparing the Russian occupation of Outer Manchuria with the current invasion of Yongxing Bay, and regarding North Korea as China.

However, in the current environment, not many people could calm down and analyze the loopholes in Yuan Xiangcheng's words. His speech successfully aroused the anger of everyone present. At this moment, whether they were Koreans or students from various provinces in the world, they all regarded themselves as Chinese.

A proud Chinese!

"Oppose Russia, drive out Russia, and protect China!" Thousands of scholars in the square shouted!

"I declare that, effective immediately, rice exports to the Russian Far East will be halted, and all Russian goods will be prohibited from entering North Korea!"

Yuan Shikai also fought back by banning Russian goods from entering the country at the commodity trade level. Of course, this is not the most important thing. After all, the Russians do not have any decent industrial products in the Far East.

The most important thing is the ban on food exports. This means that it is okay in the short term, but in the long run, the Russians will either have to pay high prices to buy smuggled food from North Korea, or travel thousands of miles to Southeast Asia to buy cheap food, but they will have to pay several times the transportation cost to deliver it to the Vladivostok area.

Shortly after Yuan Shikai announced the rice ban, the Sino-British-Russian joint investigation team, after several days of investigation, finally restored the truth of what happened.

It turned out that after the local officials discovered the Russian warships, they hurried to find the Jiashen Right Army stationed nearby. The military coats of the Jiashen Right Army were khaki, which was very similar to the color of the beach and fallen leaves in autumn and winter.

When the Russians saw a large number of soldiers gathering, they just wanted to fire a warning shot at the woods behind the beach.

However, there were reserve troops lying in ambush in the woods. Even though they were standing relatively scattered, one was still killed and three were injured by shock.

As far as the shell marks, the confessions of the local Jiashen Right Army and officials, and the descriptions of the Russian cruiser gunners are concerned, there are indeed some confusions in the facts.

: The Russian Navy was indeed obsessed with Yongxing Bay, but this action was not authorized by the Governor of Amur. It was just a private move of the Vladivostok Fleet. They originally planned to survey the terrain of Yongxing Bay and then return to the ship, but who knew that the people who went down were blocked on the shore by the Jiashen Right Army.

After all, Yuan Shikai's tens of thousands of troops were eyeing Korea covetously. The Russians were just greedy, not stupid.

linBut now that things have come to this, the Jiashen Right Army was not at fault and was very restrained. The Russian envoy Weber did not think that he had done anything wrong, but just felt that he was a little unlucky.

However, the dozen or so Russians who had come ashore had been detained by the Jiashen Right Army, and the rice delivery had also been banned by Yuan Shikai. Weber was naturally unwilling to do so, and said that if Yuan Shikai did not make concessions, he could not guarantee that the Russian army would not unilaterally change the status quo.

The truth of the matter, along with Yuan Shikai's anti-Russian declaration, made headlines in newspapers across East Asia.

The three long-established newspapers in Seoul and Shanghai, Dong-A Times and Zilin Hu Bao, were sold out that morning and had to be reprinted several times before they could be supplied.

Small niche newspapers and periodicals such as the Wanguo Gongbao, founded by private scholars, were also sold out, a rare occurrence, simply because they carried the whole story of the current Sino-Russian dispute.

The North China Herald, which is aimed at foreigners, also changed its publication from a weekly to a daily during the Sino-Russian Yongxing Bay dispute, tracking the developments of the incident on a daily basis.

Looking for it!

3 As the incident continued to ferment, the term "Sea of ​​Japan Crisis" proposed by the North China Herald gradually came to refer to the Sino-Russian Yongxing Bay dispute.

The Qing court's central government was the first to speak out, issuing an imperial edict to condemn the Russian actions, but at the same time asked Yuan Shikai to remain calm, saying, "The Russians are a powerful European country and cannot be compared with the Japanese. Don't talk about war lightly!" The matter should be resolved peacefully, and the British ambassador in China was asked for help and mediation.

The Russian Amur Governor-General's Office issued a very tough diplomatic statement, saying that the Jiashen Right Army was disrespectful to Russia. The Russian warship was just passing by Yongxing Bay and disembarked to seek water when it was forcibly detained by the Jiashen Right Army. It was forced to fire warning shots, but unexpectedly injured people.

The Russians believed that the main fault lay with China and demanded the immediate release of the dozen or so captured sailors, compensation for the coal consumed by the cruiser's voyage, and severe punishment for the commander of the Jiashen Right Army at the time.

The Japanese were quick to agree. Although there were no official Japanese institutions on the Korean Peninsula, they still stated in the Tokyo Times that the Qing army was arrogant and had detained Russian troops without reason and must apologize. They supported Russia's claims and said that if there was a lack of supplies in the future, Russia could go to the Japanese coast to seek support.

Germany and France had no interests in Korea and could not intervene, but they were still emotionally inclined towards the Russians. Therefore, while calling on both sides to sit down and talk, they demanded that Yuan Shikai immediately release the captured Russian troops, without mentioning the Jiashen Right Army who were killed or injured in the artillery fire.

The United States did not have any inclinations and expressed its deep regret over the Japan Sea crisis in order not to offend either side. It said it would handle it properly and not affect international trade.

Only Britain was different. After Hart in Beijing and Yuan Shikai in Seoul exchanged views through telegrams, at Hart's suggestion, British Minister Eugene issued a statement saying that the cause of the incident was that Russia approached the territory of another country without permission and allowed soldiers to land without authorization, which was suspected of invasion.

The detention of the inbound soldiers by the Gapsin Right Army was based on international practice and was not an exception. Instead, the Russian army shelled the Gapsin Right Army and must compensate for the losses.

As soon as the British said this, Germany, France and the United States, who were originally watching the fun, became interested. When did Britain become a good friend of China?

Chapter 95: Unite everything and resist Russia!

Yuan Shikai had to adopt a tough attitude to demonstrate to the people of ambition in the world that his legitimacy did not come from the Qing Dynasty, but from the trust of the people.

At this moment, he has an excellent opportunity to compare the two.

The Red Search Bureau's spies in Hong Kong reported that after Liu Mingchuan and others evacuated Taiwan, Taiwan's Provincial Governor Tang Jingsong did not evacuate. Instead, he summoned thousands of gentry to petition the Qing court many times, refusing to abandon Taiwan.

After the Qing court learned about this, it immediately dismissed Tang Jingsong and demanded that he come to Beijing to meet the emperor without delay.

However, the military and civilians in southern Taiwan had long resisted the French and were unwilling to lay down their arms, fearing that they would be retaliated against by the French.

Therefore, under the advice of diplomat Chen Jitong, the anti-French people and gentry in Taiwan unanimously elected Tang Jingsong as their leader, chose to independently resist the French, learned from the American Declaration of Independence, and also issued the Taiwan Military and Civilian Anti-French Independence Declaration, announcing the establishment of the Republic of Taiwan.

The declaration stated, "We would rather die in battle and lose Taiwan than surrender it in a humiliating manner."

Although Tang Jingsong served as the "President" of the Republic of Taiwan, he still expressed his respect for the Qing Dynasty as the legitimate dynasty. At the presidential inauguration ceremony, he cried towards the north and named the reign "Yongqing", which meant that he would always respect the Qing Dynasty.

At the same time, he sent people to Fujian to contact the Qing court officials, stating that the founding of the country was only for the purpose of resisting the French and that he had no ulterior motives, and that all future matters would be reported to the court.

But how could the Qing court recognize a country within a country, let alone a so-called country established by the Han people?

The French occupation of Taiwan is just a "lease," and you Han people are actually thinking of establishing an independent country?

I was just talking about resisting the French and defending Taiwan. Are you serious?

Therefore, after learning the news of the establishment of a Han Chinese state in Taiwan, the Qing court immediately sent a telegram to the French, asking them to quickly quell the rebellion and asking whether the French army had sufficient supplies. If not, they could get supplies from the coast of Xiamen.

This news was obtained by the Red Search Section personnel in the Beijing Telegraph Bureau and was confirmed to be true. However, the Qing court covered up this information and not many people knew about it.

Yuan Shikai had already sent Ming Ye to spread this news, not for any other reason, but to make the Qing Dynasty lose further points in the eyes of the people of the world and make its situation unstable.

No matter what the British, Russian, German, French and American countries said, the Qing Dynasty was definitely unwilling to conflict with Russia. Given their long-standing fear of foreigners, they would be eager to make peace with the Russians with the support of the British, so they would definitely ask Yuan Shikai to stop fighting and not cause trouble.

But no matter what the Qing Dynasty said, the Jiashen Right Army was still carrying out military mobilization. Duan Qirui's 10,000 troops had already set off, and the Fourth Regiment of the Jiashen Right Army on the Sino-Korean border was also led by Jin Dongwei to the Tumen River Basin.

As for the Russians in Korea, Yuan Shikai sent people to find them. There were not many of them, mainly concentrated in Seoul and Incheon, and they were all merchants doing business in the Far East.

Yuan Shikai "politely" asked them to gather in the Russian embassy and consulate in Korea, and the goods at the dock were also seized by the Seoul authorities.

This move undoubtedly greatly boosted the morale of scholars and common people. In order to support Yuan Shikai's anti-Russian cause, major cities such as Hancheng, Pyongyang, and Incheon spontaneously donated money and materials to the Jiashen Right Army.

The dock workers, wrapped in cotton, linen and thick fir, breathed out hot air, stretched out their black hands, and stuffed the copper coins they earned into the cash box.

The scholars were not willing to lag behind. Those who had money donated money, those who had grain donated grain, and the poor scholars who had neither money nor grain gave speeches and distributed leaflets along the Hanren Line, vowing to arouse the indignation of all Chinese people.

After learning about the whole story of the Sea of ​​Japan crisis, knowledgeable people in both north and south China generously donated money and supplies.

The cargo ships traveling between Tianjin, Shanghai and other places and Incheon were filled with supplies donated by the people who supported Yuan Shikai, ranging from winter clothes to flour and grain. There were even young masters and students who brought their own guns and boarded merchant ships with a few servants to go to Korea to fight against Russia.

Fortunately, he was discovered by the clever housekeeper and was pulled off the boat by the elders in the family just before the boat set sail.

Even so, there were still dozens of merchant ships from all over the country, loaded with goods to aid North Korea and anti-Russian personnel, with sails hoisted and full speed sailing towards Incheon Port.

Seeing this, Yuan Xiangcheng could only sigh that the people's hearts could be used. However, although Yuan Xiangcheng had the support of the vast majority of Chinese and Korean people, what was important was the preparation of military strength.

Everything is ready here, we are just waiting for the Russians' reaction.

...

By the end of December 1887, cold weather had enveloped the land of Korea, and a few snowflakes had fallen.

The Russian cruiser had no choice but to return to port before Vladivostok was completely frozen. The Russian troops arrested in Yongxing Bay were also transferred to Seoul at the request of Russian Minister Weber.

Both sides were waiting. Yuan Shikai was waiting for supplies. He was quite moved when he saw the ships of supplies arriving in Incheon. After settling the young scholars who came from afar, he transported a large amount of food, fodder, guns and ammunition to the Jiashen Right Army on the front line.

The Russian Minister Weber was also waiting for the special envoy sent by the Governor-General of Amur. As a second-generation Russian who came to the Far East to make a living, he had no diplomatic negotiation skills and only knew how to gain benefits for himself.

When the Governor of Amur learned that Yuan Shikai had ordered a ban on the export of Korean rice to the Vladivostok area, he was furious and immediately expressed his intention to mobilize troops south to teach Yuan Shikai a lesson.

However, after hearing that the British expressed support for Yuan Shikai, he calmed down and cursed the Chinese ambassador to Korea, Weber, as a waste who couldn't even stabilize the status quo. The Governor-General of Amur then sent his trusted general, Alexei, to Korea to deal with the matter.

Upon hearing this, the United States also intervened and instructed the American Minister to China, Timberlake, to participate in the Sea of ​​Japan crisis.

Yuan Xiangcheng was at Seoul Railway Station at this moment welcoming Tian Bei who had come from afar.

"Mr. Tian Bei, welcome to come here for the peace in East Asia." Yuan Xiangcheng gave Tian Bei a hug.

"Sir Yuan, the road between Incheon and Seoul is really beyond my expectation. I didn't expect it to be so developed. I think even Tianjin can't compare to here." Tian Bei exclaimed to Yuan Xiangcheng.

As the U.S. envoy to East Asia, he was a rare American born in one of the Great Lakes industrial states, Indiana.

Accustomed to the steel skyscrapers and smokestack factories surrounding the Great Lakes, he felt a little uncomfortable when he first arrived in China. There were low houses and farmland everywhere.

Even the majestic Forbidden City was nothing to be marveled at in his eyes. It was said that the sleeping quarters of the Empress Dowager, the ruler of the Qing Dynasty, were not even as big as the bedrooms of workers in Chicago.

So when he saw the towering chimneys, dense cargo ships, busy docks, and trains one after another at Incheon Wharf, he thought for a moment that he had taken a ship back to a port in the United States.

It was not until Yuan Xiangcheng's voice that he was brought back to reality.

Tian Bei's visit to North Korea this time was not entirely in accordance with the instructions of the US government. Carnegie Steel Company also played a role in it.

The original intention of the US government was to have Tian Bei send an assistant to participate in the meeting and negotiations on the Sea of ​​Japan crisis to increase the US presence.

But it happened that Carnegie Steel Company needed to expand and seek overseas expansion channels. After receiving intelligence from East Asia Office Hoover, it decided to contact Yuan Shikai.

At this time, the United States had just passed the golden age of steel development. Since the Civil War, steel production in the United States has continued to grow for more than 40 years at an average annual rate of almost 20%.

However, although steel production has continued to increase, demand has not increased significantly.

Soon, the U.S. steel industry saw a large number of bankruptcies caused by poor management, and the trend of centralized development became more obvious. The late 19s was the golden age for the establishment of steel trusts.