February is a difficult month for the old witch.

The New Year has just passed and the snow has not yet melted. According to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, it is still in the year.

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On the eighth day of the lunar month, the day of Shunxing Sacrifice, the palace held a luxurious banquet with countless delicacies, rare and exotic treasures.

It was also the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, and the situation in Die Qing took a turn for the worse.

First, the Fengtian front line, the last mobile force that the Qing army could produce in a short period of time - Ronglu's 300 battalion with 100,000 men, formally contacted the Japanese army.

The 40,000 men of the Second Army launched an attack on the 100,000 men defending the Fengtian line.

This is really a great irony. The Qing army had more than 100,000 men, hundreds of cannons, and more advanced firearms than the Japanese army. However, the Japanese army, which was short of supplies and lagging behind in firearms, took the initiative in the war.

What's even more terrifying is that although Ronglu is the chief military officer, in order to fully control the military power, the old witch sent hundreds of Mandarins. These people are all serious lords, and they are all about eating, drinking and having fun~

Then the New Year's Eve silver issued to soldiers disappeared...

The food and drink have also dropped a few levels, and are not as good as the life in the garrison. The coal for heating has also been resold. If Ronglu hadn't squeezed the arsenal to death, maybe those cannons would be somewhere...

The soldiers complained, they had no fighting spirit, and they had no pay!

Thus, in just three days, the outskirts of Fengtian were defeated, and the mass exodus of tens of thousands of people began...

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"Master Zhongtang... Is it still necessary to send the navy out?" Zhang Peilun took the latest battle report. The defeated army has arrived at Shanhaiguan. Is the Huai army's southward strategy still necessary?

"Now! It's impossible not to go..." Li Hongzhang lowered his head, his eyes dull.

"One hundred thousand people! One hundred thousand people! Even one hundred thousand pigs, he can't catch them all in three days, right?" Ding Ruchang was an infantryman, and he looked at the battle report with disbelief in his eyes.

"The generals are at odds, and they are forced to knead a pile of loose sand together. Ronglu is still quite capable, and nothing has happened to him for so long, but he has lost hundreds of big men. This is not a loss. It is simply unreasonable!" Mr. Li has given up.

He no longer concealed his dissatisfaction with the current situation.

"Where are the defense troops?" Zhang Peilun's eyes flashed with danger.

"Unable to move, Ronglu left the Western Army in the capital..." Mr. Li shook his head.

"Master Zhongtang, the Foreign Minister of Nanhua would like to see you." The concierge came forward to report.

"Please!" Mr. Li stood up instantly and walked to the living room, waiting for the Foreign Minister to come forward.

"Minister Lin?" Mr. Li cupped his hand.

"Master Zhongtang." Lin Anmin also bowed his hands and exchanged a few words.

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"I wonder why Minister Lin came here this time?" Mr. Li asked as he took a sip of tea.

He doesn't have so much time to guess slowly in charades.

"Oh! I'm here to deliver the goods. The 305 mm high-explosive bombs and 400 armor-piercing explosive bombs ordered by the Beiyang Navy have been delivered." Lin Anmin put down his tea cup.

"I heard that your army's situation is not very good?" Lin Anmin said with a smile.

"That's great. Our army is in urgent need of these artillery shells. As for the situation of our army, Minister Lin really laughed. I wonder if the minister has any advice?" Mr. Li laughed.

"Oh! I don't take this advice seriously. I just heard that north of the pass, all militia groups are resisting. It will definitely not work in the long run.

Let me see, the Japanese army is coming across the sea, so it would be best to use the navy to cut off their retreat and then force them to negotiate peace." Lin Anmin seemed to be joking, laughing.

"The navy is my last resort. Once it is damaged, I am afraid that the country will be ruined..." Mr. Li said with a slight sigh without changing his expression.

"That's what I'm saying. Japan is really ruthless. It borrowed one billion taels of silver and fought this war. It should have two to three billion left in its hands now. It really leaves no room for anything! Haha! Sir, I

I still have something to do, so I'll take my leave first." Lin Anmin stood up, looking like he was about to leave.

"Stay! Stay...One billion taels, but really?" Mr. Li's voice was trembling.

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"Mr. Li, can I ask? I owe the British more than 100 million pounds and the Americans 3 to 5 billion U.S. dollars, which only adds up to a lot more..." Lin Anmin squinted his eyes.

"Nan Hua...can you participate in the mediation?" Mr. Li's voice was weak and his whole body was trembling.

"If the Beiyang Navy is seriously injured, the South China Navy will rescue civilians in the port city for the purpose of humanitarian assistance." Lin Anmin said mindlessly.

"Sir, take care of yourself. I will bring the goods to the dock for you. Don't worry about the accounts. We will settle the accounts together later. Fengtian has been occupied. I'll take the first step!" Lin Anmin cupped his hands and left the Yamen.

boom!

As soon as Lin Anmin left, Master Li hit the chair hard.

"grown ups!"

"grown ups!"

The surrounding confidants, staff, and personal guards gathered around anxiously.

"I can still hold on! Ito, I would rather have the jade broken than the whole thing!" Mr. Li pushed the person next to him.

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"Admiral Ding Ruchang of the Beiyang Navy, listen to the order!" Mr. Li stared at Mr. Ding.

"Here you go!" Mr. Ding knelt down.

"Order! The Beiyang Navy will set sail on a certain day to fight the enemy to the death! We must destroy, no, completely annihilate the Japanese pirate fleet! No matter what it takes!" Mr. Li gasped, his face flushed.

"My bid..." Mr. Ding just wanted to agree.

"Master Zhongtang, think twice! The navy is already my last bargaining chip in Beiyang!" Zhang Peilun interrupted with his hands raised.

"I did not place this order with Nanhua. Nanhua once said that it could not produce thirty five-eight-hundred-pound cannons..." Mr. Li was a little lost.

"This!" Zhang Peilun was shocked and looked around with puzzled eyes.

"One billion taels! One billion taels! No wonder the Japanese pirates were not satisfied after taking North Korea. No wonder they kept marching all the way in even though the way back was not yet safe. It's all clear!" Mr. Li gradually regained his composure.

"The navy, regardless of victory or defeat, must make the Japanese pirate fleet lose its combat effectiveness. As I said, no matter the cost, even if you die, you have to bite it!"

"In addition, I would like to tell the soldiers that all those who die in battle will be compensated according to my family members, Li Hongzhang, and my parents, wives, and children will be taken care of by me, Li Hongzhang..."

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"Send a report to Ye Zhichao, the commander-in-chief of Zhili, to concentrate the troops, distribute salaries, and after the naval decisive battle, rush towards Lushunkou without any mistakes. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed regardless of the reason!" Mr. Li's eyes were red. How many of his fellow countrymen were there!

"I accept the order, the navy will live up to the great trust of Lord Zhongtang, and it's just a matter of death!" Lord Ding kowtowed, got up and went to the dock to receive the weapons.

"Lord Zhongtang, please mobilize people from the mainland to train for bravery, send people to organize the northern militia, and send people to collect the defeated troops, just in case." Zhang Peilun knelt down and handed over his hands.

There is no problem with the other two. If you collect the defeated troops, it will be the Mandarin's defeated troops!

"Accurate! We also ordered all localities and government stocks to be transported to Zhili immediately! Send a report to Nanyang, Hu Jian, secondment of the navy... He said that the Beiyang Navy will perish with the enemy, and secondment of warships will cut off the enemy's retreat..."

Mr. Li finally woke up and stopped contacting the corrupt court. At the same time, he used high pressure to get the Beiyang machine running.

…

On February 7, all the battleships of the Beiyang Fleet escorted a dozen transport ships to sail. The transport ships were equipped with some artillery shells and burned coal.

Theoretically, they were there to deliver supplies. If a spy saw through the first level, they would go to the second level to dismantle the fort and transfer personnel. In fact, there was a third level to attract the Japanese army for a decisive battle.

"The enemy will come soon. Let's discuss the tactics again..." On Zhenyuan, Master Ding gathered the ship management leaders.

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Because Mr. Li withstood the pressure this time, Beiyanghai maintained its complete combat effectiveness and was also strengthened.

For example, fifteen secondary guns were replaced, which were 150-meter rapid-fire guns. Together with four sea-shaped battleships, there were a total of 31 150-meter rapid-fire guns. Unfortunately, the angle of the replaced secondary guns was not very good.

"Chaoyang and my Badayuan are warships built with bows to attack the enemy. The four Haitian warships are built to engage the enemy with the sides. If we put them together, it will only limit the combat effectiveness." Lin Tai once said.

"Junmen, I suggest that the four Haizi ships form a separate fleet. After encountering the enemy, the Badayuan class will deal with its armored fleet, and the Haizi class will deal with its fast fleet..." Fang Paopao suggested.

"Our mission is to destroy the enemy navy to the maximum extent and strive for sea control!" Mr. Deng stood up: "I suggest that the second ship Dingzhen be the core, and the eight ships should be arranged in a formation to attract enemy firepower.

Then the four seas use high speed to directly penetrate the enemy's slow fleet, which can cause maximum damage!"

"The enemy's fast fleet is also equipped with a large amount of rapid-fire firepower. We have tested that the 47-inch rapid-fire artillery can penetrate the waterline of the domed ship and cause water intrusion."

"And as a result, Badayuan will suffer huge casualties." Lin Yongsheng objected somewhat.

"First use the fast fleet to fight the fast fleet. Zhijing will transfer to the fast fleet. If that doesn't work, Zhijing will turn around and attack his own team. Sihai will be responsible for containing it. If the enemy ignores it, you will go straight to the Japanese main team!"

Mr. Liu moved several ships back and forth on the chart.

"In this way, even if something unexpected happens, the two ships of Dingzhen can be saved, and with the addition of six fast ships, we can face the enemy and still win!"

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"This method is safe. Even if there are changes, the loss will only be bigger..."

After discussing for a long time, they finally decided to use this method and adapt to changes. Anyway, both the fast fleet and the main fleet can take care of each other.

The 16 battleships of the Beiyang Navy, together with four torpedo boats and a dozen transport ships, headed north to the Green River.

Soon, a radio wave spread along the cable to Japan.

"The Beiyang Navy is dispatched, and it is initially determined to be an escort supply fleet." Yamamoto Gonbei said to his appointed fleet commander Ito Yuhiro.
To be continued...