The mixed fleet of the Qing Navy encountered Waterloo in Madang, Jiujiang, and was forced to retreat to Wuhu, Anhui to anchor for repairs. The news spread to Zijin City in Beijing, and the government and the public were in an uproar.

The regent Zaifeng's heart was on fire, his face was ashen, and he was looking for a countermeasure in a panic.

If the fire of the Wuhan Uprising cannot be extinguished as soon as possible, the incident will go far beyond one province and one city and spread to the whole country. Time will be delayed, beams and pillars will be broken, and buildings will collapse.

A huge Qing Empire, even if it was extremely corrupt, did not mean that it was weak and vulnerable.

In desperation, the regent asked the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Prince Yikuang of Qing, to seek help from the foreign envoys in Dongjiaominxiang.

Yikuang sent the associate officer in charge of foreign affairs to send letters to the British Legation and the American Legation, informing them of the changes in the situation, requesting support from the British and American governments, and hoping that British, American and other naval ships stationed in Hankou would participate in the war.

, bombarded the rebel army's Sandaoqiao, Liujiamiao and other garrison points to help the Qing army regain lost ground, thus reversing the Qing Dynasty's defeat in the three towns of Wuhan.

Both the British and American ministers showed rare sympathy and stated that they would instruct their countries to garrison troops and provide the Qing government with all assistance they could.

Within a few days, nineteen foreign warships gathered in the waters of the Yangtze River in Hankou, including 8 British ships, 3 American ships, 5 German ships, 2 Russian ships, and 1 Japanese ship. They blocked the Hankou River and did not allow

The ships of the Wuhan Revolutionary Army were approaching, and the docks on the shore were still controlled by the Marine Corps. There was a strong possibility of armed intervention.

The news reached Chen Tianhua's headquarters, and he immediately sent people to Hankou to negotiate first with the British Consul General in Hankou, and then with the United States and Germany.

Chen Tianhua has had pretty good relations with Britain, the United States and Germany in recent years. He has done the most technical cooperation and international trade with Britain and Germany, especially with the British, whether it is banking, finance, or mineral and railway exploration and development cooperation.

The most among all foreign countries.

He also knew very well that before World War I, the British Empire was the most authoritative and powerful among the Western powers. It was commonly known as the Empire on which the sun never sets.

At this time, Chen Tianhua's life-and-death acquaintance for many years, British friend Ian, is now the British Consul General in Shanghai. He has a very good relationship with the British Consul General in Hankou, Graham, and even has a good relationship with the British Minister Zhu Erdian.

Under Ian's mediation, Graham finally made it clear that the warships and troops of the Six Nations were to maintain the safety of the concession and the overseas residents, and they would not easily join the war unless they were attacked.

The final result of the negotiation was that the armed ships of the rebel army were not allowed to berth on the Hankou River, but the ferry wharf could be used, which facilitated the mobilization of additional troops, ammunition and logistical support for the Hankou rebel army.

With this result, Chen Tianhua felt that it was not easy for him, so he could only hold it in his heart. With his current strength, he could not compete with the imperialist powers.

Of course, this result is not really the result of Ian's personal mediation. He just pushed along with the flow, and the real "success" is the national interests and China strategies of the imperialist powers.

Western countries all dislike the Qing Dynasty, a huge country, and what revolutions and changes happened to make this ancient eastern country and nation stronger, because they are used to enslaving the Qing government.

Today's Qing government has long been a deck of cards in the hands of the great powers. Although it is in a state of decay, it is easy to grasp and control, and its own national interests can be protected. Of course, it does not want a tough regime representing new ideas to come to power.

Although the Wuhan military government represented by Chen Tianhua claims to recognize the previous rights of Western countries in China, revolution, for an owner of existing interests and an invader of the host country's sovereignty, even if the finger is not pointed at it now, who can guarantee that in the future

Not pointing out? After taking full control of political power, you still don’t point out?

Moreover, what kind of person Chen Tianhua is, I am afraid that the Eastern and Western powers have studied him thoroughly. He is a very powerful strange man, a great man, who always makes people feel uneasy and always feels a huge and potential threat.

But from the perspective of long-term historical development, the old forces and the old system will always be smashed and replaced by emerging forces. This is an inevitable trend of historical development and no one can stop it.

The Western powers, those shrewd politicians, know this very well. Therefore, they have long-term plans, carefully choose a wait-and-see attitude, and are temporarily neutral, and will never offend Chen Tianhua easily.

The specific strategy is: I will support or appropriately protect the old regime, but I will not take action against the new regime for the time being, leaving some room for it. When the situation becomes clear, I can stand up and speak out. In short, everything is for the benefit of the country.

This is the basic diplomatic rule adopted by Western powers in dealing with the Wuhan uprising.

This diplomatic turmoil has finally passed like this. At present, the rebel army and Zhang Biao's Qing army are still in a confrontation over Sandao Bridge. Tie Liang's First Army has arrived one after another and is stationed in the Qijiawan and Shekou areas.

The military headquarters was located in Xiaogan, but the troops remained stationary.

Without strong artillery support, the comparison of forces between the two sides could only be regarded as evenly matched. Although the Qing army was absolutely superior in terms of strength, they were not unified internally and each had their own hidden agendas.

Wang Yujia, Wang Zhanyuan, Li Chun and others simply ignored the order of the governor Tie Liang to attack. They gave a lot of reasons why they could not attack. They did not want to actually attack the rebel army. They were waiting for major personnel changes in the court.

…

The clear Huan River, known locally as Anyang River, is an ancient water originating from the Taihang Mountains.

On the north bank of the Huan River, west of Yuan Lin, and east of the Beijing-Hankow Railway, there is a temporary station. It is said that a few years ago, when Yuan Gongbao was concurrently the minister of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, he specially set up a temporary station called Yuanjia Station to facilitate his return home anytime and anywhere.

.

The so-called Huanshang Village is a very large house covering an area of ​​more than 300 acres. In fact, there is only one family, that is the famous Yuan family. The local mud-legged people call it Yuan House, or Yuan Family Garden.

Huanshang Village is only three miles away from Anyang City and only one mile away from the West Beijing-Hankou Railway. The transportation is very convenient. It faces south and is square in shape. It is surrounded by brick walls, seven meters high and about five meters thick, much like a city wall.

, there are two-story watchtowers built around the wall.

There is an arch-shaped gate in the middle of the south-facing wall. On the wall above the gate, three large characters "Huanshang Village" are engraved horizontally.

Yuan Gongbao was forced out of office by the regent Zaifeng at the end of last year. He lost all his official positions and returned to his hometown to work as a fisherman.

But he was directly under the staff headquarters, and the guard battalion was brought back to Huanshang Village intact. This was his other headquarters. Telegraphs, telegrams, intelligence messages, etc. were all flowing smoothly. He was always concerned about the changes in the situation.

While Army Minister Tie Liang was beating his chest because of the failure of military orders at the Hankou front line, Yuan Gongbao was drinking tea and chatting with his eldest son and confidant Chief of Staff Yang Du in the East Academy of Hengshang Village.
Chapter completed!