(66) Heavy artillery ordered in the United States

  "That can't be underestimated," Katō Takaaki shook his head and said, "The Chinese Navy is not worth mentioning, but the scale of the Chinese Army is quite large, and its equipment is not too bad. The combat-effective troops are almost all in the hands of Yuan Shikai. If Yuan Shikai didn't have a certain amount of real power backing him up, he would never dare to refuse our country's final ultimatum like this."

  Koike Shozo seemed somewhat skeptical of the Foreign Minister's words, but it was not good to openly refute him. He wisely chose not to continue discussing this issue with Kato Takaaki and instead remained silent.

  Katō Takamasa looked at the letter on the table again and stood up saying: "You hurry up and go take care of it."

  "Yes!" Little Ikebe Tatsuo stood up and replied.

  "I hope, as those guys in the military department said, we can capture Beijing within a month." Kato Takashi turned his head to glance at the calendar on the wall and sneered, "If they really can do it, we can all quit our jobs."

  At this time, a Japanese man who looked like a civil servant rushed in and whispered a few words to Kato Takabumi. After hearing his words, both Kato Takabumi and Koike Chikuzo were stunned.

  "It seems I underestimated that Chinese ambassador." Kato said thoughtfully.

  May 12, 1915, Peking, Generalissimo of the Land and Sea Forces of the Republic of China.

  "I really didn't expect that this Lu Da Gong Shi was a man with quite some backbone and heart." Yang Shuo Ming let out a bitter laugh, putting down the newspaper in his hand.

  The headline of the newspaper surprisingly carried the news that Lu Zongyu, China's Minister to Japan, had attempted suicide and was seriously injured.

  After the Japanese Cabinet passed a resolution declaring war on China, Chinese Minister to Japan Lu Zongyu posted the main contents of Japan's "Twenty-One Demands" and details of the negotiations between the two countries on the gate of the legation, then shot himself in the chest with a pistol. Fortunately, he was stopped by the staff of the legation, and the bullet only passed through his heart without hitting any vital organs, but Lu Zongyu himself was seriously injured and is currently being treated in hospital, still in danger.

  This man, who was cursed by the people during the "May Fourth" period as a "traitor", at the time of national crisis and survival, expressed his greatest anger and protest against Japan's brutal invasion with his own practical actions.

  "This is a desperate 'hedge' move, but the cost is a bit too high for him personally. This Mr. Lu has always been known for his pro-Japanese stance, and now those who scolded him can shut up." Acting commander of the Northern Yangtze Fifth Division, Fu Xia'an nodded and said, "But this way is also good, Japan's diplomatic situation is even more embarrassing this time."

  After the news of Lu Zongyu's failed suicide attempt spread, newspapers and media from all over the world criticized and condemned Japan's barbaric invasion of China, expressing sympathy for China's plight. Japan became extremely passive in diplomacy for a time, but despite this, the Japanese did not intend to back down.

  "These diplomats have done their best, now it's up to us soldiers." Yang Shuo Ming looked at Fu Xiao An and said, "I didn't plan on bringing your family's militia this time, but He Run insisted that they accompany me, so I'll leave them in your care. I heard from He Run that you once led over 200 tribesmen north?"

  "That's all in the past." Fu Xiao'an shook his head, seemingly very distressed.

  Yang Shuo Ming looked at this slightly melancholy Beiyang officer with some curiosity and didn't ask again.

  After becoming partners with the Fu family of Dazishi Bridge in Jiangxi, Yang Shouming learned that the head of the Fu family, Fu Xiaowen, had a younger brother named Fu Xiaoan who was serving as an officer in the north. He asked the Fu family to help him make contact and provide assistance for his future development (this time, Yang Shouming also received full support from the Fu family during his trip to the north). After making contact, Fu Xiaoan became Yang Shouming's liaison in Beijing. This time, when Yang Shouming came to unfamiliar Beijing, he was able to quickly establish connections with the high-ranking officials of the Beijing military thanks to Fu Xiaoan's help.

  But for Yang Shuo Ming, Fu Xiao An was also a somewhat mysterious figure.

  Fu Xia'an enrolled in the Beiyang Army Academy at the age of 12, and went to study at the Berlin Military University in Germany in early 1900, majoring in infantry. In 1902, before completing his studies, he returned home ahead of schedule and took away more than 200 young people from his hometown. The young men he took away were all young people who had studied in private schools, many of whom were relatives of collateral branches. What they would do when they went north with him was unknown to anyone.

  In an era when the cultural level of the masses is relatively low, it is a big deal to gather so many "educated youth" among young men in the direct and collateral lines. Even if the Fu family has a tradition of "passing on poetry and books", and the males have always been relatively prosperous, this is also a near-bone-and-muscle movement. And after that, he and the people he took away never returned home again.

  During the Xinhai Revolution, Fu Xia'an, as one of Tang Shaoyi's entourage, also participated in the North-South peace talks, and then worked in Beijing all along, never returning to his hometown again.

  Regarding Fu Xiaoan's past of leading his clansmen north, the Fu family had always been tight-lipped about it, which once left Yang Shuo deeply perplexed. Later on, Yang Shuo came to understand that during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Fu family's main base was originally in Laiyang, Shandong Province. When the Qing army entered the pass, the Fu family had dispatched a 3,000-strong militia north to defend Beijing. Familiar with history, he vaguely guessed the purpose of Fu Xiaoan leading his clansmen north back then, but now he still cannot confirm his own thoughts.

  But what comforted him was that in this war against the Japanese invaders, he had gained another reliable comrade.

  "There are 1,200 people in the Fu family's militia, with 300 of them using 'fifty guns'. They have all been trained by me and their combat effectiveness is no worse than that of regular troops." Yang Shouming continued, "The Beiyang Fifth Regiment you're acting as commander of doesn't have a strong foundation, and you've just arrived, these people can help you out."

  Fu Xiao'an smiled wryly and nodded slightly.

  "You're going to take over that heavy artillery brigade, which is just an empty shell, with no guns. I've already arranged for fifty 18cm heavy cannons to arrive soon. You can just take them over." Yang Shouming looked at the Army Chief of Staff Duan Qirui, Deputy Chief of Staff Xu Shuzheng and Jiangsu General Feng Guozhang, who were arguing in the distance, and calmly told Fu Xia'an.

  "What? 18mm heavy cannon? Where did you get it from?" Fu Xiaoan was shocked by Yang Shuo's words, "Was it also made in your hometown?"

  "The old home now has difficulty with this kind of gun. It's our own design, entrusted to the Springfield factory in the United States for production, and it just arrived a few days ago." Yang Shaoming smiled and said, "No way, in order to rush time, we can only take this approach."

  "Is this our own design?" Fu Xiao'an looked at Yang Shuo Ming with an incredulous gaze, "How many are there in total?"

  "I ordered two hundred." Yang Shuo Ming thought of the large sum of money he had spent on this, and his heart ached.

  The 180mm howitzer designed by Yang Shuo-ming is not a purely Chinese artillery, but rather an emergency product developed by Yang Shuo-ming using the "Super Computer Eye" based on the Skoda 180mm heavy gun. Compared to its parent model, it has better versatility and reduced weight due to the use of "single-flesh self-tightening" technology. Due to the limitations of China's current industrial foundation, this artillery was provided with drawings by the "Ronghe" company and produced under contract at the Springfield Armory in the United States, and all have been delivered.

  "Some of these heavy guns will be delivered in Tianjin, and some will be delivered in Shanghai. I have already allocated them, and that's all you get." He turned his head to look at Duan Qirui, Xu Shuzheng and Feng Guozhang who were still arguing there, and sighed.

  Before coming to Beijing, through the historical data provided by "Super Computer Eye", he had a clear understanding of the state of the Beiyang Army during this period. The current Beiyang Army, due to various historical reasons, has uneven equipment and weapons, and the quality, training, and combat capabilities of its officers and soldiers are also far inferior to those of the Japanese army at that time.

  But when he saw it with his own eyes, he realized that the actual situation was much worse than what was recorded in history.

  Not to mention the distant ones, but the two elite heavy artillery brigades that Duan Qirui had painstakingly adjusted and allocated to Yang Shouming and Fu Xia'an were all without guns, with a shortage of personnel exceeding 20%. This left Yang Shouming and Fu Xia'an stunned.

  If Yang Shuo Ming had not made preparations from the start and pre-ordered his own designed advanced heavy artillery in the United States, these two heavy artillery brigades would have been of no use in future battles.

  Although the enemy is at the gate, many Beiyang Army generals and pro-war generals like Duan Qirui and Liu Guanzhong were bold and enthusiastic in front of Yuan Shikai, as if they wanted to fight a decisive battle with Japan. However, when Duan Qirui really wanted them to go to the front line, they all quietly retreated with various excuses. There were hardly a few people who truly intended to sacrifice their lives for the country. For example, Jing Yunpeng, the commander of the 5th Division of Beiyang Army, was originally a bandit and after receiving Duan Qirui's order, he suddenly became "seriously ill" and sent a telegram to Duan Qirui saying that he was "bedridden with serious illness, unable to attend to official duties", and asked to be replaced quickly so as not to hinder national affairs. Under the circumstances, Duan Qirui had no choice but to let Fu Xia'an, a staff officer who was also the training inspector, take over the command of the 5th Division.

  The two Yunnan army divisions that came to Beijing to participate in the defense, known for their "most advanced weapons and most radical ideology", had their commander Tang Jiyao and some other Yunnan generals contract a disease as soon as they arrived in Sichuan and were unable to move, leaving their troops to be led by their deputy commanders while they stayed in Chengdu to "nurse their illness". On the other hand, Cai E, who was truly ill, showed no intention of retreating. Despite his worsening throat condition and physical weakness, Cai E personally inspected the troops after the arrival of the two Yunnan army divisions, gave speeches to boost morale among the soldiers, and actively prepared for battle, leaving both Yuan Shikai and Duan Qirui in awe.

  I have a high fever... That's all for today... Sorry to everyone...