Chapter 68: The Boxers Rise Up

  The military counterattack of the Qing Dynasty has attracted the attention of countries around the world. Some, like Japan, are watching from the sidelines with cold eyes, waiting for an opportunity; some, like France, are moving their benches to watch the show; some, like Russia, are eyeing covetously, and if China loses, they will pounce on it again; while others, like Britain, are playing both sides, on the one hand Germany's continental policy is provoking its colonial hegemony, hoping that Germany can encounter a hard nail, on the other hand not wanting China to win against Western countries.

  Ye Zhiqiu, a renowned anti-Japanese general who graduated from the German Military Academy, has once again caught the attention of governments around the world. Many Western newspapers mocked Ye with headlines such as "A Contest Between Student and Teacher".

  But the Japanese newspapers were more interesting to read, on the surface it seemed like the Japanese people still hoped that Ye Zhiqiu could defeat the German army, but in reality, the reason was because Ye Zhiqiu had defeated them before, if Ye Zhiqiu could defeat Germany again, then it would prove that they weren't too weak, but rather Ye Zhiqiu was too strong, although this kind of strange and complicated thinking was quite bizarre

  The German military operation to occupy Qingdao also triggered strong resistance from the Shandong people, who spontaneously organized various groups to support Ye Zhiqi's anti-German activities, with those who had money contributing financially and those who did not have money contributing their labor.

  Ye Zhiqi's memorial demanding resolute resistance against Germany and refusing to abandon the people of Shandong, as well as his actions in carrying a coffin with him into Lu to resist and fight, immediately caused a sensation. In the eyes of these ordinary people, Ye Zhiqi was the savior of the Shandong people. Ye Zhiqi's prestige among the Shandong people suddenly surpassed that of Nie Shicheng, standing alone at the top.

  After Yue Zhikui left Zhili, Yuan Shikai also let out a deep breath. For some time, he had been tightly suppressed by Yue Zhikui and felt very stifled. Now, he could finally settle down to train his new army.

  At this time, the biggest difference between Yuan Shikai and Ye Zhikui in training new troops was that Ye Zhikui deliberately made the Wuwei Army slowly realize that there was only Ye Zhikui but not the imperial court. As for Yuan Shikai at this time, he would not think so far ahead, he just wanted to rely on training new troops to climb up step by step.

  The difference in ideal goals made the two armies have a completely different appearance. Yuan Shikai could only take shape but not spirit, while Ye Zhikui wielded his ideological education, slowly gathering the minds of the soldiers. At a time when both the imperial and republican parties were busy vying for power and profit, he not only controlled the new army with one hand, but also began to infiltrate trusted personnel into various armies in Zhili and Huai, even within Yuan Shikai's new army, it was unknown how many soldiers had already been secretly loyal to Cao.

  The great net of the Thirteen Hawks slowly spread from the capital to all parts of the country. In this world, there were many people who were destitute and penniless; in this world, there were also many kind-hearted scholars and heroes who were dissatisfied with the Qing government and determined to revolt against it. The Thirteen Hawks did not worry about being unable to recruit anyone, but rather worried that there would be too many people to handle at once.

  Locally, the Thirteen Hawks branches would not openly fly anti-Qing flags, but instead organize under various trade associations and hometown associations, and even operate some industries. Only a tiny number of core personnel knew that the mastermind behind the scenes was Ye Zhiqi, a renowned general of the Qing government.

  Ye Zhiqi now has money and power, and in view of the tense situation, what he needs is fame. Therefore, he went to Shandong to fight, on the one hand, sincerely resisting foreign enemies, on the other hand, seeking fame, and then using the Qing dynasty's silver to rebel against the Qing dynasty.

  Shandong Guanxian Liyuan Village, Zhao Sanduo left Heze not long ago and rushed back here. As soon as he returned, he gathered his men, but it's unclear what action they will take.

  It all started from when he was released safely by the government not long after being detained, and at that time, he was very curious about why the government had spared his life, until a mysterious person appeared in front of him.

  As soon as Zhao San Duo left the prison cell, he felt that someone had been following him all along. Until he reached the outskirts of the city, he couldn't help but turn around and ask: "Who are you? Why have you been following me?"

  Just as Zhao San finished speaking, a black-clad masked man suddenly flashed out from behind a large tree, and Zhao San saw that the man's movements were quick and agile, so he secretly became vigilant to guard against unexpected events.

  The masked man did not answer his question, but instead told him about his background, saying: "Zhao San Duo, born in Wei County's Sha Liu Village, now still living in a high hall, married to the wife of the Yu family, with one son and one daughter. In his early years, he followed Zhang Ruchun, the successor of the Plum Blossom Fist, as his master, learned a good skill, liked to fight for justice, and taught apprentices in various places for more than 2,000 people, could it be that you want to rebel?"

  Zhao San was shocked in his heart and shouted: "Who are you, sir? Don't you know that trouble comes from the mouth? You understand me so well! What is your intention?"

  The masked man sneered and replied, "I don't need to tell you who I am, because you're not qualified to know yet. You just need to ask yourself why you can come out of prison unscathed. Do you think it's that easy to bask in the sun?"

  Zhao Sanduo was shocked and uncertain, the other party actually knew his confession during the trial clearly, it can be seen that the power behind him is great, so he asked: "Was it you who saved me? What do you need me to do?"

  The masked man saw Zhao San's face changing and smiled, saying: "Don't worry, I won't let you do anything that goes against heaven and reason. At present, China is on the verge of destruction and extinction, the Qing government is incompetent, we are just a group of people who have risen up to save ourselves."

  Zhao San slightly lowered his guard and said: "You know so much about me? Aren't you afraid that I, Zhao, will kill you to silence you?"

  The masked man burst out laughing and said, "Everyone says that Zhao San is a chivalrous hero who values loyalty, how could he not be? Moreover, believe me, our power is beyond your imagination, and in this era, no matter how high one's martial arts skills are, they still fear guns and cannons."

  The masked man turned around, and before he knew it, a revolver had appeared in his hand. The masked man fired two shots into the sky, and Zhao Sanduo saw two small sparrows fall from the air, shot through. The masked man was indeed one shot, one bird, and calling him a godly marksman wouldn't be an exaggeration.

  Zhao Sanduo finally made up his mind, under coercion and temptation, he clasped his fists and said: "As long as it's not against heaven and reason, I, Zhao Sanduo, will do your bidding. However, I still hope you can tell me your name."

  The masked man was taken aback and said: "I don't have a name, you can call me Wu Liu Yi."

  Zhao San asked again: "I don't know what business does Lord Wu have with me Zhao?"

  The masked man came to his senses and spoke fluently, saying: "Nowadays, the situation in various parts of Shandong is chaotic. I hope you can gather people, raise the flag of supporting Qing and eliminating foreign influence."

  Zhao Sanduo was puzzled and took a step forward, asking: "Fug Qing destroyed the foreigner, didn't Master Wu just say that he wanted to save himself?"

  The masked man shook his head and said, "Now is not the time, the imperial court's power is still very strong, what we need is slow development."

  Zhao thought for a moment and had no opinion. He opened his mouth and replied, "Alright then, Zhao will go back to Guan County to gather manpower. The question is whether the official will go with Zhao or not."

  The masked man waved his hand, handed him something and said: "I still need to contact others, this thing is for you, if you want to contact us, just wear it on your chest, someone will come to find you at that time."

  Zhao San took it over and looked at it in the palm of his hand, and found that it was a small and exquisite eagle ornament. When he looked up again, the masked man had disappeared.

  Before long, Zhao Sanduo returned to Guanxian County and gathered more than 3,000 disciples. He raised the banner of "Support Qing and destroy foreign" and set up a training ground for boxing, recruiting followers from all over the place. The various places in Shandong were shocked by this, and the people responded violently. Various organizations sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, and they all emerged one after another. Nie Shicheng was busy fighting against the German army on the one hand, and had no time to deal with it. On the other hand, he saw that this "Support Qing and destroy foreign" organization did not take any action for the time being, so he could only put it aside for the time being and wait until the German army was defeated before dealing with it.