Start: Datang Wanli a lonely city

Chapter 1048 Palace Change

On July 7, the Yinfa expedition fleet, which had been stopping and going all the way, finally arrived in the Mumbai area.

Then the commander-in-chief of the fleet, Jackie Fisher, the third sea minister of the Great Yin Empire, said in an interview with reporters that they would need to rest here for a month or two.

On the one hand, it is used to wait for and rendezvous with warships and infantry mobilized from other colonies.

On the other hand, the expedition fleet has encountered some troubles. There are many infantrymen in the cargo ships following the fleet. Due to weather and other reasons, there are currently serious acclimatization conditions.

The physical condition of these ground troops is somewhat bad and they must be allowed to rest.

But even after such bad news was spread, almost everyone was still not optimistic about Xuange Camp.

Because being acclimatized is really not a big problem. You can adapt to the weather in the Far East after a period of rest. Once you regain your combat effectiveness, it will be the end of Xuange Camp.

It just allows Hu Ertong and others to live for an extra month or two.

It is definitely because of this reason that the originally honest Dutch people in East Java suddenly became different.

Not only did they return to their former arrogant appearance in front of their Javanese Chinese compatriots.

It was obvious that these Dutch people were waiting.

Since the 10th of last month, the Asashima court and the Donghak Party reached an armistice agreement.

After the Japanese troops continued to add troops, the number of army troops on Chao Island now reached an astonishing 2.9 people; they continued to add troops one after another.

The problem is, such a hope is getting slimmer and slimmer...

He, the most core soul figure in the entire Beiyang, finally believed in those foreign devils too much this time. As a result, he made one mistake after another, and finally reached the embarrassing point where he lost ground in advance and retreat. "

Even if military leaders such as Ye Zhichao and Nie Shicheng kept asking Li Zhongtang to replenish troops, supplies, etc. to prepare for the war, they could not mobilize many troops even if they gritted their teeth and continued to increase troops.

Flagships Matsushima, Yoshino, Takachiho, Akitsusu, Naniwa, Chiyoda, Itsukushima, Hashidate, Hiei, Fuso, Saikyo Maru, and Akagi.

In fact, it was like a competition, constantly deploying troops into the court.

After receiving such news, Li Zhongtang didn't speak for half an hour; he sat on the chair, his originally straight back bent.

But even so, it is almost the entire Huai Army system.

Based on the above, Li Zhongtang has experienced countless storms in his life.

Including almost two-thirds of the troops of Sheng Army, Ming Army, Chu Army, Gongwei Army, Qinqing Army, Suigong Army, Hu Army, and Songwu Army.

According to reliable information from the Ministry of Security, in addition to many Dutch troops being secretly mobilized, many Dutch expatriates have also been secretly armed.

However, the total tonnage is only 32100 tons, with 195 guns and 556 torpedo tubes.

Li Xi didn't say anything after hearing this, and just shook his head to express his refusal to go.

On July 7, in the early morning, I was in the royal palace, which was quite large in Chaoshima but always looked a bit petty.

Then Java will completely belong to the flower growers. After all, according to historical records, this place also belongs to our inherent land since ancient times..."

On the Beiyang side, 2.3 people were deployed on the Asan front line; not to mention the individual combat effectiveness between the two sides, they were already at a disadvantage in terms of military strength.

In response to such a situation, Hu Biao's answer to Shi Polu and Zhan Xiang, who came to ask for instructions, was: "Don't worry, let them mess around a little longer.

After the Dutch gathered more armed forces, they just solved them all at once.

After seeing this, Yang Shixiang, who was considered a close aide to him, instinctively lamented in his heart:

"Master Zhongtang is old. This figure who is known as the 'Bismarck of the East' by many foreigners no longer has the ambition and pride of the past.

Three days later, the island country mobilized all the best of its standing fleet, guard fleet and West Sea Fleet; it formed a combined fleet with Yuhiro Ito as the commander, ready for a decisive battle with the Beiyang Fleet at any time.

Although there is no actual action yet, it is just that the time has not come yet.

If you also include the daily training, the professionalism of the sailors, etc., it is simply disappointing...

Otherwise, it would be really difficult to deal with them.

Seeing this, Concubine Min did not continue to persuade her, because she knew that the current situation on Chao Island was so bad that she could not sleep even after going to bed?

The couple kept urging Daqing and Daoguo to withdraw their troops from Chaodao; what they were afraid of was that something would go wrong behind them.

For a while, I was very exhausted mentally and physically.

However, both sides promised well in their mouths.

There are a total of 12 warships with a total tonnage of 40840 tons; they have 268 guns, 568 torpedo tubes, and an average speed of 14.5 knots.

It can be said that for this battle, the island country is like a desperate gambler, putting all the decent assets of its navy on it.

In contrast, the opponent they need to face is the Beiyang Fleet.

If the above difference is not big, the average speed is only 10.2 knots, which is quite fatal in the current naval battle.

Such a fleet in the island country specifically includes:

Concubine Min, who was almost blown up to the sky by the mouths of many oppas in later generations, sighed silently in her heart. Then she spoke to Li Xi, the king of Chaodao, who had been sitting there for almost the whole night, to persuade:

"Your Majesty, it's late at night now. It's better to go to bed early. Now that the country is in a difficult situation, you still have to put your health first."

On July 7, the island nation set up a base camp in the Hiroshima area and held a closed-door meeting of the highest standards; finally, under the auspices of the devil Ito Hirobumi, a resolution was unanimously reached:

Find a way to create an excuse to start a war with Daqing as soon as possible.

On the surface, at first glance, there is not much difference between the two sides, and they even have some slight advantages.

Yang Shixiang had such a reaction because by this day, the situation on Chaodao had become extremely bad.

Although there are still more than 10,000 people left in Daqing, they still need to guard numerous naval bases in Zhili and the Bohai Bay.

After waiting for the arrival of the Yinfa expedition fleet, Fortunately, he stabbed the Xuan Ge camp hard in the back.

Because he was already old and could not accept that Beiyang, which he had worked so hard to build, would be exhausted in this battle. He could only pray that this battle would not happen.

Although in addition to the eight warships such as the Eight Great Yuan, there are also the Chaoyong and Yangwei, as well as the Guangjia, Guangyi, Guangbing, etc. supported by the East Guangdong Navy. In total, there are thirteen battleship.

On July 7, all circumstances completely demonstrated that the great powers' mediation of the North Korean island crisis had completely failed.

Now on Chao Island, both sides have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses facing each other on Chao Island. It seems that only a slightly larger spark can make them fight.

At that time, it will be a huge disaster for them caught in the middle.

Faced with such a difficult situation, even though she, Concubine Min, prided herself on being cunning and cunning, there was no way she could solve the problem with her own weak strength.

The couple sat here, unable to think of any good solution.

I can only pray silently in my heart to the ancestors of the Asajima royal family, hoping that this crisis can be passed safely.

Afterwards, the two of them sat for no more than a quarter of an hour when a burst of loud gunshots suddenly rang out in their ears, as well as the shrill shouts of "Islanders are coming in" from the guards guarding the palace.

After the two looked at each other, they could both see the deep despair in each other's eyes:

"The ancestors of the Chaodao royal family didn't take any responsibility and didn't protect them at all. Those islanders still took action."

After about a minute or two at most, the captain of the guard guarding the palace opened the door with half of his body covered in blood. He didn't even care about etiquette and hurriedly shouted:

"Your Majesty, something bad has happened. The islanders have already invaded, and the guards will soon be unable to withstand it. Please follow me out of the palace quickly. No matter how messed up I am, I will definitely escort you two to the palace." Take shelter in the Qingqing army."

Faced with such a proposal, Li Xi smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said:

"No need, since the islanders took action tonight, they are already fully prepared and cannot escape at all; Yuan Datou's Qing army is also facing a catastrophe tonight.

So instead of fleeing in embarrassment and eventually being caught by the islanders, I might as well stay here and wait for them to maintain my last trace of dignity on the island. "

Concubine Min also nodded in agreement and shouted: "Come here, help me and the king change clothes~"

Suddenly some palace maids with frightened expressions ran in quickly.

At this moment, the sadness of a small country with few people being extremely powerless under the general situation was clearly revealed in the two people, Li Xi and Concubine Min.

Even if the two of them claim to be the masters of the three thousand miles of Chao Island, so what?

We also need to rely on the breath of Daqing and Daoguo, and even our destiny is in their hands.

Ten minutes later, Otori Keisuke, the island country's minister to the DPRK, and Li Xi's biological father, Daewonjun Li Yingshi, were escorted by dozens of soldiers with bloody bayonets, and walked into the largest palace of Qinzheng in the palace. .

The heavy footsteps of military boots resounded in the center of the highest power on the island.

In other words, the situation of Li Xi, the king of Chaodao, and the situation of Emperor Guangxu of Daqing, when they came to power, are pretty much the same.

Both of them were emperors who had no sons and became emperors only after being adopted.

The difference is that Emperor Guangxu's biological father, Prince Chun Yixuan, never thought of seizing his son's rights; but Emperor Li Yingshi of the Great Courtyard always competed with Concubine Min for the power of Chaodao.

Li Xi, on the other hand, had no intention of fighting for it.

After entering the door, Oshima Keisuke, who had the attitude of a winner, bowed in an extremely perfunctory manner to Li Xi and his wife, who were dressed in full robes and outfits of the king and princess of Asajima.

Just in his mouth, he said extremely rudely:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the King and Princess of Asajima, considering that you are very busy with state affairs, it is better to let Mr. Dayuan be the regent from now on, and you two can rest in peace."

Looking at the bloody bayonets, it was as if the knives were held to his neck. Knowing that he had no power to resist, Li Xi didn't even hesitate and agreed immediately.

Not long after, an edict written exactly according to Oshima Keisuke's wishes was stamped with a large seal.

Holding the edict with the ink still wet, Oshima Keisuke didn't need to say anything more. Ouin-kun, who was sitting aside, said with great discernment:

"Your Excellency, Minister, I will officially announce to the outside world early tomorrow morning that Chaodao and Daqing will completely sever the vassal relationship; in addition, we will entrust the island country to help us expel the Qing army from Chaodao.

Therefore, everything about Asajima from now on will be left to the people of the island country. "

After finishing speaking, he also learned the etiquette of the islanders and bowed deeply.

"There is no problem. The island country will be Chaodao's best friend in the future, and the Qing Army must be allowed to get out of Chaodao; then Chaodao will be as civilized as the island country and become a modern and powerful Guojia."

While bowing in return, Oshima Keisuke readily agreed.

Then, the two of them looked at each other and smiled in the bloody palace...

Not long ago, Yuan Datou, who was sleeping in the Qing army camp, suddenly woke up from the faint sound of gunfire coming from the direction of the palace.

Judging from the details of the gunshots, we know that it was the little devils from the island nation who made such a movement.

In an instant, the 'Emperor of Chaodao', who was extremely familiar with the current situation in Chaodao, had a reaction in his head: No! Li Xi must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Japanese.

Otherwise, in the following time, the legal principles, justice, supplies, etc. left by the Daqing army on Chaodao will be fatally affected.

What's more important is if the court blames him afterwards.

As the 'Plenipotentiary Representative of the General Office in North Korea for Negotiating Trade Matters', my future and everything else will be ruined.

Immediately, he rushed out of the military tent, shouting, "Everyone, get up!" After a while of frantic work, he brought with him a group of celebrations who were disheveled and even dizzy after getting up in a hurry. The soldiers of the army headed towards the palace to support them.

As a result, the group was in a state of chaos only a hundred steps away from the camp.

In the dark night, at the low-facing houses in front of people, there were a lot of gunfire attacks, knocking down on the spot the twenty or thirty people who were rushing at the front.

Even Yuan Datou himself was shot in the shoulder and fell off his horse.

The remaining Qing troops instinctively started to shoot at each other. Unfortunately, soon after, thirty-four people were knocked down by the guns summoned from the front.

Judging from the numerous muzzle flashes on the opposite side and the bullets flying randomly, God knows how many people those damn little devils have ambushed?

Yuan Datou was very lucky. The moment he fell from his horse, Fenghuahui caught him with quick eyesight and quick hands, and he was not thrown badly.

After dragging it to a safer place at the back, he tore off a piece of cloth and temporarily wrapped the wound.

The problem is that he saw the Qing Army soldiers under his command, who looked extremely panicked. Even though his heart was filled with strong reluctance, he still didn't know that the situation was over.

I bit my lip hard and felt a sharp pain, as well as the fishy-sweet taste of blood in my mouth. I reluctantly gathered my thoughts.

He shouted: "Retreat, retreat immediately, retreat to Yashan immediately, and meet with Admiral Ye, Nie Junmen and others..."

******

July 7th, in Jingshi City, in a mid-range restaurant called 'Gaosheng Tavern'.

Although it was already evening, due to the shocking incident that happened in Chaojima the day before yesterday, there were still a large number of newsboys running on the street outside the assassin's window.

Shouting loudly in his mouth, he read the latest news published in special editions of some of the most popular newspapers in the capital city:

"Extra, extra, the island country's minister told the court that the battle with the Qing army the day before yesterday was all a misunderstanding. The island country has absolutely no intention of starting a war with Daqing..."

"It's incredible. Chaodao's latest regent, Lord Yuan, officially announced that Chaodao and Daqing will break away from the vassal relationship. His Majesty the Emperor was furious and issued a decree to severely reprimand this fatherless and motherless person..."

"The latest news is that all 2000 million island currency bonds issued by the island country in London have been sold out.

According to the latest statistics, within the past year, the island country has issued 8000 million yen in bonds, equivalent to 5600 million taels of silver..."

“The island country is financially sound, and all the bonds issued recently will be used to upgrade industry, railways and other industries.

Mr. Mi Yanmao, the editor-in-chief of "Revolution Daily", said that the little devil is just talking nonsense, and these grandsons are paralyzing our Daqing; in the near future, there will be a battle between the island country and Daqing.

Weeping blood, I implore the princes of the court to give up their illusions and prepare for war with all their strength..."

"Off the line, off the line, "Xinmin Weekly" published a long serial article "Chrysanthemums and Knives" written by an anonymous author.

The editor-in-chief, Mr. Baron, said that this article profoundly reveals the contradictory character of the little devils in a small country with few people; as the saying goes, if you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. If you want to defeat them, you must understand their character..."

""Yangcheng New News", editor-in-chief..."

Amidst such bustling sounds, the "Big Sword King Five" who is slightly famous in the wells of the capital city.

The waiter who was standing next to him, after ordering a few seasonal dishes to go with wine, glanced at Tan Fusheng who was sitting opposite with some worry.

In the end, I couldn't help the worry in my heart and asked carefully: "Brother Tan, are you okay..."

(End of this chapter)