The sun never sets.

"I have already arranged it," Yuan Shikai touched his bald head and said complacently, "You go back and appease the troops, and be ready to follow my orders at any time!"

Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang looked at each other, both of them had an unconcealed excitement on their faces, and said in unison: "Yes, sir!" After waiting for a long time, they finally waited until today. Is it easy for them? Yuan Lao Da's procrastination was too annoying. If Sun Yat-sen had not shown a determined attitude towards the presidency, Yuan Dashuai might not have made up his mind so quickly.

After returning to the barracks, Duan Qirui asked the soldiers to get ready, and then waited there until midnight, but did not see the envoy sent by Yuan Shikai. He comforted himself that maybe he would take action in the early morning, when everyone was sleeping soundly, and that would be the best time to take action.

But until the sun rose the next day, he still hadn't received the order. Did he misunderstand? When Duan Qirui was sulking, a soldier suddenly came to report that there was chaos in Nanjing. After further investigation, he learned that Duan Zhigui's 7th Independent Mixed Brigade had entered the city in the morning and was looting the city.

Duan Qirui's eyes widened, not understanding what was going on. It was clearly said that it was arranged... Is this what Yuan Dashuai arranged? After figuring this out, Duan Qirui laughed out of anger. Before he stopped laughing, another piece of news came that Feng Guozhang had led people into the city to quell the rebellion.

"General, should we also go into the city to quell the rebellion?"

Suppress the rebellion? Suppress the rebellion? Of course, we should join the process of looting! It would be so cool if we could go into the glittering world of the Six Dynasties and rob them. Duan Qirui knew what the soldiers were thinking. He angrily scolded them, "You haven't slept for a whole night. Aren't you tired? Go back to bed!"

Chapter 356: The Soldiers

Duan Qirui was such a smart man, how could he not see Yuan Shikai's intention? Feng Guozhang was greedy for money, Duan Zhigui was a pimp, neither of them could threaten Yuan Shikai's position as the boss. In the past, there was Wang Shizhen who made Yuan Shikai afraid, but now only Duan Qirui was a threat to the Yuan family's world. Wang Shizhen, known as the "Dragon of the Beiyang", was such a powerful man, both civil and military. Why did he fade out of the army in the old Beiyang era? Why did he stay in Beijing later and not go south with Yuan?

It is because Wang Shizhen is so capable that he consciously avoids touching military power!

In the current Beiyang Group, Feng Guozhang is capable but greedy for money, and the others are worse than Feng Guozhang. People like Yang Shiqi and Xu Shichang either have character flaws or have nothing to do with the army. The only one who can really threaten Yuan Shikai's position is Yuan Shikai.

Is Duan Qirui the only one left?

Duan Qirui saw all this very clearly, but his anger did not subside at all. The reason why he was angry was not entirely because he was stood up by Yuan Shikai. Using troops to fight a war is a national event, "a matter of life and death, one must be careful", how can it be treated so lightly? Allowing troops to plunder Nanjing can give Yuan Shikai a reasonable excuse to stay, but in this way, military discipline will be completely destroyed!

He couldn't sleep well, and a soldier came in to report that Marshal Yuan had sent someone to deliver letters and gifts. Duan Qirui handed the things over expressionlessly, waved his hand to let everyone else leave, then he took Yuan Shikai's handwritten letter and read it, and couldn't help but sneer on his face. Yuan Shikai's tricks were not new, he slapped someone in the face and gave him a sweet date, he was very skilled in using it before. But Duan Qirui was not the kind of person who was greedy for money, could he be bought by some money?

The 7th Independent Mixed Brigade looted Nanjing and set fire to some shops, which shocked Chinese and foreigners. Many foreigners thought of the Boxer Rebellion and believed that southern China would inevitably move towards nationalism. However, it did not happen. Feng Guozhang's troops quickly entered the city, rectified military discipline, and killed the disorderly soldiers. Nanjing returned to its peaceful and tranquil state, as if everything was back to normal.

But can it really be the same?

There was a small episode in the chaos. A group of rebels killed their way to the vicinity of Yuhuatai and started fighting with Sun Yat-sen's men. The rebels not only had machine guns, but also field artillery. Sun Yat-sen's guards only had rifles, so of course they were no match. They suffered heavy casualties in the exchange of fire with the rebels. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers of the guards were very loyal. They left some people to resist, and the others took Sun Yat-sen and ran away from the backyard wall. After escaping, Sun Yat-sen ran directly back to Guangzhou. The people in Nanjing were too unruly and would physically eliminate them at any time. It was better to return to Guangzhou to feel at ease.

The newspapers said that the army was rioting, but Sun Yat-sen was not that stupid. Machine guns and cannons, is this something that a rioting army could do? Maybe there were rioting troops looting in other places, but the troops attacking Yuhuatai must have been elite troops of the National Army! Otherwise, Sun Yat-sen's guards would not have suffered so many casualties. Those were the troops that Sun Yat-sen had worked so hard to gather, and they were his bargaining chips with the warlords in the south. Now, half of them were gone in an instant.

After returning to Guangzhou, Sun Yat-sen was still in shock. On the one hand, he denounced the "fake peace, real war" of some people in Nanjing in the newspapers, and on the other hand, he prepared for another round of attacks by the National Army.

There was a riot in Nanjing. After Zhang Zhidong received the news, he was ready to send troops to suppress it, but he was stopped by Li Yuanhong and other Hubei army generals. This is Nanjing, not Wuchang. There are all kinds of people in the city. Who knows where the riot came from? What if the president sent all the troops out and someone attacked? There is no such problem in Wuchang. It is the base camp of the Hubei army, and President Zhang Zhidong's people are everywhere. Nanjing is not the same. Not only are there the former subordinates of the two deceased big men here, but also Yuan Shikai, the "living Cao Cao". Yuan Shikai's army is right next to him. Even if it is not Yuan Shikai, any ambitious person who pops out can cause a big mess.

Zhang Zhidong didn't think too much about it at first. His military career was just fighting bandits and robbers, which was like a high school student beating up an elementary school student. He was neither good at leading troops to fight nor at selecting generals and training soldiers. After hearing what his subordinates said, he couldn't help but become suspicious. Could it be that someone really was rebelling?

Now is a time of chaos. In history, whenever there is a time of chaos, there are always some prominent people who like to take risks. Just when Zhang Zhidong was suspicious, Feng Guozhang's army forcibly took over the city defense and then suppressed the rebellion in the city. Now it is very clear that the incident was caused by Yuan Shikai. Who else could mobilize Duan Zhigui and Feng Guozhang except Yuan Shikai with motives and facts?

"Well, Yuan Shikai is really a living Cao Cao!"

Zhang Zhidong was extremely angry and slammed the table, angrily saying: "For personal gain, you actually launched a mutiny!"

At first, only Duan Zhigui's men were looting in the city, but later other troops joined in. The Nanjing National Government maintained 200,000 new troops. Although many troops did not have cannons, rifles, uniforms, and military pay alone would cost a lot of money. In addition to the new troops, there were also many patrol night raid groups: 6949, 36135 Battalion, garrison and other old-style troops. With so many troops to support, Nanjing's financial situation was several times worse than Taiyuan. Many troops only received nine months' pay a year. Even if they were paid, they would still have to deduct many deductions and give tributes to their superiors. Everyone was so hungry that their eyes were already glowing.

Seeing people looting in the city, wouldn't the hungry troops follow suit? Many people thought that the law should not punish the masses. So many people robbed, so they couldn't all be shot, right?

After Feng Guozhang led his troops into the city, he spent a lot of effort to suppress the rioters. He asked the law enforcement team to patrol the streets and kill the rioters on the spot. Later, he killed more than 30 rioters, chopped off their heads in public, and then used bamboo poles to shake them up. The bloody killings deterred the situation from further deterioration. Feng Guozhang was very proud of it. Not only did he make a great contribution, but he also made a lot of money. It can be said that he killed two birds with one stone!

"Mr. President! Marshal Yuan wants to see you!"

The guards outside the door reported loudly, and Zhang Zhidong became even angrier when he heard it. "Does the living Cao Cao need to see you? He has already led his troops to attack the city!

"

"President, please meet me."

"Yeah, there has to be an explanation."

"Hmph, let him in!" Zhang Zhidong was convinced, but still angry.

Chapter 357 Guarantee

"Marshal, would you like a few of us to accompany you in?"

Yuan Shikai waved his hand and said, "Hey, why are you accompanying me in? This is the Presidential Palace, not some dangerous place!" He asked the guards to stay outside and only took two of his personal followers in.

He had been to Zhang Zhidong's residence many times and was very familiar with it, but this time, his mood was different from any other time. He took a few quick steps forward and said loudly, "Mr. President, I'm sorry to have frightened you!"

"Humph, it's all your fault!"

"You are wrongly accusing me!" Yuan Shikai showed a look of grief on his face. "I am the one who suffered the most from this incident! I have trained soldiers for thirty years, but today my prestige is gone!"

Zhang Zhidong's expression eased a little, but he was still furious. "It's good that you know! What should we do next?"

"Please come forward to appease all parties. You are the president of the National Government. Only when you come forward can everyone feel at ease."

Zhang Zhidong snorted and sneered, "How can I, the president, trust you when I can't even control my troops? I think it's better to give the presidency to you, Yuan Weiting, so that the army won't rush into Nanjing at any time!"

Zhang Zhidong had his own territory and troops, and so did other generals. Even Yuan Shikai had a small piece of territory to support his troops. Rather than saying that Zhang Zhidong was the president, it would be better to say that he was the head of a warlord. When Li Hongzhang was president, Zhang Zhidong tried his best to maintain the independent status of the Hubei Army. When he took over, he changed his approach and wanted to integrate all the troops, but the time was short and the results were not great. Yuan Shikai was a half-new and half-old figure. He looked new on the outside, but he was still the same old inside. Zhang Zhidong was even worse than Yuan Shikai. Although he built a lot of factories and schools, he still used the same old methods. The things he did were still useful a few decades ago, but they are not good enough in this chaotic world.

Yuan Shikai was shocked and said, "What are you talking about, President? Who else can and dares to sit in this position except you?"

No matter how Yuan Shikai pretended, his purpose of coming here today was to seize power. Even if he really wanted to take a step back, Duan Zhigui and Feng Guozhang would not agree. Zhang Zhidong was a little bookish, but he was not a good man. He was never soft-hearted towards the rebels. He killed the revolutionaries in the past and beheaded them once they were caught. Tang Caichang and Cai E in Yunnan, Huang Xing in Hunan, etc., all had relatives and friends killed by Zhang Zhidong. What if the old man killed them in the future if he didn't settle the matter today?

Since Duan Zhigui allowed his troops to plunder, today's events were destined to have only one outcome. Zhang Zhidong also knew this, and he also knew that the British supported Yuan Shikai. Unless he killed Yuan Shikai now and then turned against the British, he would have no choice but to accept it. He had a sour face and said unhappily: "Weiting, do your best, it's up to you in the future."

The British warships were parked outside Nanjing, and Yuan Shikai's troops had surrounded the Presidential Palace. What could Zhang Zhidong do? A man of insight is a hero! Yuan Shikai still had some respect for him, so he should not make trouble for himself. Could he really summon 500 school knifemen to chop off the "living Cao Cao"?

After the great general He Jin of the late Eastern Han Dynasty was killed, what did his men do? Zhang Zhidong looked at his beautiful wife and concubines and his son who had just learned to walk at home, and sighed: "Forget it, I'd better go back to Wuchang!"

Yuan Shikai said respectfully: "What are you talking about, old man? We still need your guidance on government affairs."

Zhang Zhidong's face twitched. "That's right. If you don't take Wuchang, how can you let me go? I'm sure you won't do such a thing as letting a tiger go back to the mountains."

After a long period of wrangling, the two finally reached an agreement. Zhang Zhidong came out and issued a statement, saying that he was old and sick, and had contracted a "foot disease", and could not bear the heavy responsibility, so he handed the position of the president to Yuan Shikai and so on. After receiving the statement, Yuan Shikai quickly sent troops to Wuchang. Other places would be fine, but Wuchang had the largest arsenal in China, even larger than any arsenal under Lin Yongchang. Yuan Shikai had been jealous for a long time. The Hanyang rifle was not the most advanced in the world, but it was definitely not bad in East Asia, and it was much better than the rifles used by the Japanese. In addition, the Hanyang Arsenal could also manufacture cannons and heavy machine guns, and the output was not low.

Zhang Zhidong was able to refuse the British loan because he had the Hanyang Arsenal in his hands. Even if he needed to buy qualified steel from the outside world to maintain its operation, the Hanyang Arsenal was still Zhang Zhidong's greatest achievement and reliance. Of course, while Yuan Shikai sent people to occupy the Hanyang Arsenal, he did not forget to sign a "big loan" treaty with the British. After the treaty was signed, the British brought in ship after ship of weapons, all of which were equipment produced overtime during the Boer War. During the war, the British government expanded its army by hundreds of thousands in one go. After the war, the equipment was piled up in warehouses because there were too many of them and no country could eat them. The People's Party bought some, but not much. The Japanese were too poor and would rather use their old rifles than buy British equipment.

The main reason was that the British were too cunning. They sold second-hand weapons at a price higher than that of brand new ones. No one would buy British weapons except Yuan Shikai. Any country with a bit of ambition would develop its own military industry, not only for national defense needs, but also because it is cheaper.

The British killed two birds with one stone by lending money to Yuan Shikai and then selling the weapons in the warehouse at a high price. In addition to making money, the British government also got what it had always dreamed of from the Nanjing National Government - turning Qinghai-Tibet into a buffer zone. The Sino-British Treaty of Nanjing stipulated that Britain had special interests in Qinghai-Tibet, and the Chinese government was not allowed to station troops in Qinghai-Tibet, engage in anti-British activities, etc.

Yuan Shikai was very thick-skinned. He was willing to do and dared to do things that Zhang Zhidong was unwilling and afraid to do. He was terribly afraid of foreigners and had superstitious faith in the British military power. He thought that as long as he clung to the British, everything would be fine.

This seemed to be the case. With the support of Sullivan and Jordan, Yuan Shikai's power swelled like a balloon. British merchant ships brought tens of thousands of rifles and hundreds of cannons, and the British sent military instructors. Sullivan also assured Yuan Shikai that "when necessary, the great Royal Navy will fight side by side with the allies!"

Well, the assurances of British diplomats are like that, they can be invalidated at any moment.

Chapter 358 The Existence of the Fleet

"Boom!" "Boom!"

"boom!"

Shells fell one after another into Seoul, making the Japanese army cry out in pain. The power of heavy howitzers was not comparable to that of mortars and field artillery. Every time a shell fell, the ground seemed to tremble. The United Nations Army did not care about the towering palaces in the city, nor did they care about the life and death of Lee Hee, the last king of Korea and the founding emperor of the Korean Empire. They kept firing shells into the city. After bombing the port to pieces, they bombed the Korean Empire's palace into ruins.

Prime Minister An Jung-geun of the Korean People's Republic actually had some feelings for Lee Hee, and President Kim Jae-hee also thought it would be best to accept Seoul peacefully, but they had no weight in the UN forces, and their words were useless. The Korean People's Republic's army already had more than 50,000 people, and its main task was to liberate the vast rural areas and purge all kinds of "traitors" who cooperated with the Japanese. At the strong request of An Jung-geun, Kim Jae-hee and others, a brigade of Korean troops followed the People's Army to beat up the Japanese, but they did not participate in the battle. Under such circumstances, the opinions of the Koreans were ignored, and the generals on the front line still did what they had to do.

The People's Army besieging Seoul was not in a hurry at all. The Japanese had no way to retreat. They just had to destroy the Japanese morale and fighting spirit with artillery shells and hunger, and then win the victory. Under the guidance of front-line observers, the heavy artillery regiment of the People's Army gnawed away the Japanese defense line bit by bit.

Unlike the battle in Seoul, the Eastern Route Army led by Liu Chengxiang fought extremely aggressively on the Korean battlefield. This young corps commander had been in Peking for three years and had been holding back for three years. After leading his army into Korea, he rushed all the way, relying on his firepower advantage and large number of cavalry, various insertions and flank attacks, and defeated the enemy in front of him again and again. Now he has pushed to the edge of Busan. It was not until this time that Liu Chengxiang encountered real difficulties. In order to keep the Busan stronghold, the Japanese government desperately transported troops into the encirclement. Ships of Japanese troops were sent over and then turned into corpses in the tragic battle.

When Lin Yongchang solved the problem in Vladivostok and rushed back to Korea, Liu Chengxiang was still fighting with the Japanese army in Busan. The Japanese lost all their artillery and heavy machine guns in Outer Manchuria, but they dismantled some of the artillery on the battleships and deployed them on the defense line around Busan. The main force of the Combined Fleet still risked being stranded and hit, and reached the seaside to support the army with the main guns of the battleships. The cannons with a caliber of more than 300mm are the undisputed kings on the battlefield. With one shot, even if the soldiers within a radius of meters are not killed, they will be shaken to the ground. If you are unlucky, a single shell can destroy a company of troops.

Even though the People's Army was in a wide formation when attacking, it suffered heavy casualties in the bombardment of the Combined Fleet. Liu Chengxiang had fought a bloody battle with the Eight-Nation Alliance in North China. At that time, the foreigners' cannons left a deep impression on him. Since then, he has firmly supported the "big artillery doctrine". However, compared with the bombardment of the Combined Fleet, the cannons of the Eight-Nation Alliance were like small water pipes, and their power was completely different.

"Marshal, we must also have our own navy! Otherwise, we will be at a disadvantage in a war!"

Lin Yongchang hummed, put down the telescope, and said, "Don't launch a large-scale attack in Busan. Surround the Japanese first and wait for us to drag those 280mm howitzers over."

The Russian Baltic Fleet was parked in the port of Qingdao. If it could be brought out to disrupt trade or launch an attack on the Japanese fleets in Seoul and Busan, it would definitely have a good effect. Previously, Tsar Nicholas II had agreed to hand over the command of the fleet to the "United Nations Command", but now the situation has changed. New instructions were sent from St. Petersburg, asking Vice Admiral Rozhdestvens to hold his troops for the time being. According to information collected by the intelligence department of the General Staff, it was the British who launched a diplomatic offensive behind the scenes that led to the current situation. France

Chinese people also seem to be involved.

Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang, who had just returned to Taiyuan, was extremely anxious when he learned about the situation. He was ready to brave the snow and rush back to St. Petersburg. In his opinion, this was a major mistake made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the critical moment of the war against Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made such a mistake, and he wanted to apologize to the Chinese people.

Premier Wang was more cautious. He sent the relevant information to Pyongyang via telegram, and then contacted Chairman Lin through several hands. After discussion, the two sides rejected the idea of sending Lu Zhengxiang to St. Petersburg again. "I have said it before, without Butcher Zhang, we will not eat hairy pigs!" Marshal Lin was very tough, "We can beat the Japanese without the help of the Russian fleet!"

Chairman Lin has always been "self-centered". He can be flexible in means, but the bottom line cannot be crossed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs still wants to make some efforts. Lu Zhengxiang repeatedly communicated with the diplomats of Tsarist Russia and finally made a price, willing to pay 100 million rubles as the cost of dispatching the Tsarist Russian fleet. St. Petersburg was somewhat tempted by the price, but still said it would consider it. After considering it, the bigwigs in St. Petersburg hoped to raise the price to 200 million rubles. If the warships were damaged and the personnel were injured, the People's Party would have to pay for it.

Lu Zhengxiang hated the Russians' capriciousness and greed, but now he had no choice but to accept the Russians' conditions. He sent the final conditions to the Prime Minister's Office. Wang Qi did not say anything after reading it, but just copied it to Pyongyang. The Prime Minister's Office mainly handles various government affairs. In terms of national policies and diplomatic directions, President Lin still has to make the final decision. Premier Wang only mentioned the establishment of the People's Navy at the end of the telegram.

Contrary to Lu Zhengxiang's expectations, President Lin rejected the proposal to pay for the command of the Russian fleet. He originally thought that although such a condition was a bit outrageous, it was still acceptable. Didn't they get 600 million rubles in war reparations from Russia? It's not impossible to use half of it to fight the war.

However, President Lin decisively rejected this proposal. Instead of hiring the Russian fleet, he spread the word that he was preparing to order new battleships from Germany and France. The People's Party is working with the Germans to develop a "super dreadnought". Even if they can't build a "super dreadnought" for the time being, they can have a "dreadnought" or some old battleships. The firepower of the Combined Fleet is very good and powerful, but it is already behind the times. After the "dreadnought" came out, all the previous battleships would be swept into the garbage dump of history. Only a country like Japan, which is about to go bankrupt, would treat the junks of the Combined Fleet as treasures.

Oh, and we have to add the Russian Empire. The Russian fleet parked in Qingdao Port is just a bunch of rubbish. Russian warships were not good to begin with, and could barely be considered world-class. Now that the "dreadnought" has come out, all the rubbish of the Russian Empire can be dismantled and used as coastal defense ships at best.

Chapter 359 How to Be at Peace

Lu Zhengxiang took a carriage to the Russian Embassy, and on the way he was still thinking about how to respond. If he could get the Russians to lower their terms, maybe the president would agree. When he stood in front of Andropov and was about to speak, the latter said first: "Sorry, Lu, St. Petersburg has a new instruction, you must pay 3 million rubles!"

Previously, 400,000 Russian troops were annihilated in the Northeast. Lu Zhengxiang had cruelly forced the Russian Empire to sign a treaty of ceding territory and paying compensation. Now that the People's Party was asking for help from the Russian Empire, the Russian diplomats were shaking again. Lu Zhengxiang took back the memorandum he had taken out. He was silent for a moment and said in a flat tone: "In that case, I have nothing to say. Mr. Andropov, I hope you will remember today's decision."

Andropov looked at Lu Zhengxiang with contempt, "Of course the great Russia will remember it, and I hope you Chinese will remember it too."

"We will." Lu Zhengxiang's expression was serious. He added in his heart: At least I will remember it!

The People's Daily said that if you cut open every Russian, you will find a Mongol inside. It also said that the ethnic composition of Russia is too complicated, and there must be a tyrant who whips them to make this old empire move forward quickly. Lu Zhengxiang now has a new understanding of this sentence.

China and Russia fought for three or four years. After the ceasefire, they were very close, which made many people see the possibility of an alliance between China and Russia. But now the possibility has been shattered. News came from St. Petersburg that Russia might withdraw from the United Nations. Marshal Lin said that he was free to come and go, and asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to sign a new agreement with Tsarist Russia, officially indicating that Russia withdrew from the joint war against Japan. But St. Petersburg changed its mind again, saying that the matter needed further discussion.

At this time, Russia was in turmoil. The blood on the Winter Palace Square had not dried yet, and the Russian Empire could not carry out any interference in the Far East. If the Chinese had not opened the port to the newly formed Pacific Fleet, the Russian fleet led by Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky would have been destroyed by the Combined Fleet on the sea. Now they rely on the Chinese needing them, and after receiving benefits from the British, they are still asking for war reparations from the People's Party. In the previous dynasty, Russian diplomats carried out various blackmails on China, and they succeeded repeatedly. They even tricked Li Hongzhang, saying that as long as Li Hefei signed the unequal treaty, he would give Li Hongzhang a large sum of benefits.

Li Hongzhang readily agreed and signed his name, ceding hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land. Then the Russian Empire turned hostile.

Li Hongzhang was so angry that he cursed the Russians for being dishonest and for not giving him the benefits they promised. After the news spread, all knowledgeable people cursed Li Hongzhang as a traitor who had the nerve to ask the Russians for money. He was simply shameless.

Tsarist Russia was jumping around, and the Nanjing National Government also sent people to hope that the People's Party would withdraw its troops and stop fighting, saying something like "let's be merciful when we can". Add to that Britain, France and the United States, and there was a vague encirclement around the People's Government.

Lu Zhengxiang, Wu Tingfang, and Tang Shaoyi were very worried about this trend. Perhaps the People's Party was no longer afraid of any major power, but if so many people joined hands, even a strong commander like Lin would have to retreat. They were wrong. When Lin was stubborn, he was really stubborn. Facing the encirclement that was about to take shape, Lin Yongchang, who was commanding the battle outside Busan, didn't care.

Because of the national policy of "concentrating forces to accomplish major tasks" and the line of "people's army", the military strength of the People's Party has expanded very quickly. Now there are one million troops and armed personnel. If the military forces of the Western Regions Protectorate, Qinghai-Tibet and Mongolia are included, the number of troops has exceeded 1.2 million. Those railway troops and production corps are semi-military organizations. As long as there is a need, they can be taken to the battlefield with weapons. In the past few years, the People's Government has also vigorously developed the military industry. Now it can produce tens of thousands of rifles, hundreds of mortars and corresponding bullets and shells every month, and can also manufacture some barreled artillery. Although there is still a long way to go before industrialization, with the strength of producing one million tons of steel per year, it is no longer afraid of any challenges on land.

"How can they feel at ease with their meager numbers?"

Marshal Lin said so, and then sent an ultimatum to Busan, which was what the Japanese called "Aidemeidu", ordering the Japanese troops in Chengzhong to lay down their arms and surrender, otherwise they would be wiped out. The one guarding Busan was General Oku Yasuo, who was neither from the Choshu clan nor from the Satsuma clan. He was able to obtain the position of general by his record of fighting all the way up. He did not surrender when it was the most dangerous month ago, and now that he has the support of the British father, he will not surrender even more.

Ao Baogong did not respond to Lin Yongchang's "ultimatum". He tore the ultimatum to pieces and then asked all the soldiers to cheer up and prepare to deal with the Chinese attack.

"The Chinese New Year is coming soon! The Chinese say they want to take Busan before the New Year, but as long as we fight bravely, they won't be able to do it!"

Obogong encouraged the officers, "It's a black card, load on board!"

"Onboard!"

Obogong shouted again, "Onboard!"

The atmosphere became heated, "Onboard!"

As a general who had been in the army for decades, Okubo was quite capable. He did not shrink all his troops in Busan, but stationed them on various hills and high ground outside the city. When he was defeated all the way, he only had tens of thousands of remnants. After receiving three divisions urgently sent from the mainland, he finally stopped the Chinese army. The Lee Enfield rifles given by the British were obviously much better than the Japanese rifles themselves. In terms of light weapons, the Japanese army had caught up with the People's Army. In addition to the cannons of various calibers removed from the ships and the cannons sent by the British, Okubo declared that Busan's defense was impregnable.

After sending warships to pick up Yi Hee, the founding emperor of the Korean Empire, the Japanese government had essentially given up Seoul and was now fully reinforcing the defenses of Busan, hoping to stall for change. The Japanese General Staff also formulated a grand plan to land in southern Korea and in turn surround the People's Army. With the strength of the British Far East Fleet and the Japanese Combined Fleet, it should be easy to do. As long as this plan can be implemented and the British launch an attack, everything will be fine.

Chapter 360: The Sky is Three Feet High

The Japanese were counting on the British to send a large army to land in southern Korea, thus achieving a major reversal on the battlefield, but how could this be possible? The British have always been the ones who used others as knives, so how could the British go to such lengths to help the Japanese fight? Providing assistance to Japan now is profitable, and the Japanese mainland is relatively safe. No matter how good the People's Army is at fighting, it can only jump on land, without control of the sea, and the narrow Tsushima Strait is a natural barrier that cannot be bypassed.

Since the security of Japan's homeland is guaranteed, it is reasonable to make some investments. In order to save the war situation that has already collapsed, the Japanese government sold all the sovereignty that could be sold in a hurry. From then on, Japan almost became a vassal of Britain. This is drinking poison to quench thirst. The Japanese government was about to break free from the dog chain, but now, decades of struggle have gone to waste. But even if it is drinking poison to quench thirst, the Meiji government has to drink the poison with tears. The conditions offered by the People's Party are too harsh. If they sign a replica of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, they will be dogs for the Chinese.

Since it is inevitable to be a dog, it is better to be a dog for the British Empire than for the Chinese. After all, Britain is the world hegemon, right? The senior officials of the Meiji government also went through fierce debates and finally chose this road of no return. If Japan wants to join the ranks of the great powers, it must first occupy Korea, then annex the Northeast, and then the whole of China. This is determined by Japan's geographical environment. To the east is the American Empire, and to the north is the desolate Siberian ice field. Even if it occupies it, it will not gain much.

The Philippines to the south was a colony of the United States, and other places were occupied by the first movers of the colonial era such as Britain, France and the Netherlands. Looking at it, only China next door was easy to bully. It was smooth sailing before, and it cut a large piece of fat meat from China. Who knew that suddenly Big Brother would stand up again? And behave so cruelly!

Now that China and Japan have formed a feud, if they want to avoid being liquidated by the Chinese, they can only cling to the thigh of British father. The British do not want to work for the Japanese, but they are still very interested in the plan to land in southern Korea. The narrow and long terrain of Korea naturally makes people want to land and go around. However, amphibious landing is a very difficult operation, almost comparable to retreating in front of the enemy. Three years ago, the Russian landing in Huludao turned into a disaster. More than 10,000 Russian troops sent ashore were annihilated, and six warships became Chinese spoils of war.

If the landing in South Korea repeats the mistakes of the Russians... Britain is not a powerful country like Russia, which can still maintain its position as a great power after losing 500,000 people. If the British Empire loses 500,000 ground forces... well, this is impossible. At most, they will send tens of thousands of people to the battlefield. Even if they lose 500,000 troops, it doesn't matter. At most, they can find the American filial son to continue. Surrender is impossible. The British government will never sign an agreement of defeat.

The plan to land in South Korea looked good. The British did not want to end up in trouble, so the importance of Yuan Shikai was reflected. Yuan Shikai, who was still trying to clean up the situation, was stunned when he heard Sullivan's plan. No, Sun Yat-sen in Guangzhou was preparing for war and preparing to launch the third Northern Expedition. At this time, the National Government sent 100,000 troops to Korea for an amphibious landing? If they really wanted to fight the People's Party, they could just cross the Yangtze River. Why go all the way to Korea?

What we should consider now is not to fight with the People’s Party’s peasants, but to be prepared for the People’s Army to attack!

Sullivan said that with the British Empire's fleet, even if the People's Army had a million people, it would not be possible to cross the Yangtze River. Even though Sullivan repeatedly assured him, Yuan Shikai still did not agree to throw his capital into Korea. If he won, he would not benefit much. If he lost, even if Sun Yat-sen's gang of rebels would not come to Nanjing, the warlords within the National Government would rise up and cause trouble.

After seizing the position of the President of the National Government, Yuan Shikai found that this was a big fire pit, with so many factions below, each of which was unruly. He could not even fully control the city of Wuchang, and finally reached a reconciliation with the Hubei Army, which gave him a certain say in the Hanyang Arsenal. Yuan Shikai's only thought now was to train 200,000 new troops, and then flatten the Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing rebels in one wave. Only by integrating southern China first, can he have the strength to go north to compete with the People's Party.

Unless the British Empire personally intervened, like in South Africa, and sent out 400,000 troops. If that were the case, Yuan Shikai would have followed without hesitation. But that was impossible. After a large-scale mobilization, the gentlemen in Downing Street never wanted to do it again. Spending too much money was only one aspect, and on the other hand, total mobilization would damage the British national system, or more precisely, the interests of the British ruling class. This was the same reason why the German Junker officer corps could not allow civilians to get involved in military power.

The "Iron Chancellor" Bismarck released the monster that ended the old world - dynastic socialism, and defeated France with the weak Prussian officer corps and a huge mobilized army. However, after the war, the Junkers immediately disbanded the mobilized army and tried their best to eliminate the influence of the non-Junker class on the army.

British politicians and politicians have made profound research on this. After the Boer War, Britain also hastily disbanded its army, or as some people say, "quasi-citizen army". Britain made military, political and diplomatic adjustments after the Boer War, but all strategic developments and technical weapons were directed to avoid general mobilization and any concessions to social reform. The old empire was born to subdivide and specialize various weapons, and it was determined not to achieve some kind of simple unification. It was enough to remove Cromwell, the Protector of the Country, and a small number of elite troops were the guardians of order for British gentlemen.