Chapter 11 Little Japan

  "Brothers, in our great Qing dynasty, from the imperial court to the common people, everyone hates foreigners to the bone. In their minds, the enemies of our great Qing dynasty are Britain, France, Russia, Germany, America, Italy and other European foreigners. However, no one has realized that the real opponent of our great Qing dynasty is not those Westerners who are thousands of miles away across the ocean, but rather the Easterners who are right next to us!"

  In 19th century China, two wars, the Opium Wars and the Sino-French War, ended in disastrous defeat for China. The Qing dynasty had just suffered a great loss in the recent Sino-French War, with the port of Zhenhai being destroyed by the French and Vietnam declaring independence, effectively becoming a French vassal state. Furthermore, missionary cases were on the rise, with Western missionaries enjoying extraterritorial rights and acting as equals to local Chinese officials, often intervening in local lawsuits under the pretext of protecting their churches, showing bias towards Christian converts, and sparking widespread discontent among the population. The entire nation was filled with hatred for Westerners, viewing them as China's number one enemy.

  In the eyes of the Chinese, Japan is also like China, having been forced open by the Westerners' strong ships and cannons, suffering from the bullying of the Westerners, and should sympathize with the Qing Dynasty.

  Moreover, people generally believe that Japan is a small country, its national power and military strength are far inferior to those of the Qing Dynasty, and even Japanese nationals also hold this view.

  In 1881, the Beiyang Fleet passed through Japan's Nagasaki for repairs and the Japanese were intimidated by the two largest cruisers in Asia, Zhenyuan and Dingyuan. During this time, the "Nagasaki Incident" occurred where officers and men of the Beiyang Fleet went ashore and disturbed civilians, killing 2 Japanese policemen and injuring 29 civilians. The Japanese government was so afraid of the power of the Beiyang Fleet that they could only swallow their anger.

  However, what the Chinese people did not expect was that the "Nagasaki Incident" triggered a strong sense of aggression among Japanese citizens. In just a few years, with the help of the Meiji Restoration, Japan's national strength grew rapidly, and its land and sea military developed at an incredible pace, quickly completing the modernization of its armed forces. Although their weapons and equipment were not as good as those of the Qing army, there was one important advantage: the main equipment of the Japanese army had already been domesticated, while the equipment of the Qing army still relied on imports.

  As national power and military strength grew, Japan quietly began its expansion. The spearhead of its expansion was aimed directly at the Qing Dynasty!

  Japan first annexed the Ryukyus, and then quietly infiltrated Korea. Japanese military advisers had already entered the Korean imperial court, and Korea was China's most important vassal state.

  However, Japan's rise did not attract enough attention from the Qing government, and even Li Hongzhang, the Minister of Beiyang, did not think that Japan posed a threat to China.

  The Qing government was on high alert against Japanese people, and Feng Guozhang was one of them.

  "Is the Orient just Japan?" Zhou Xuan Zhang asked.

  "Exactly!"

  Zhou Xuan Zhang's anger was ignited in the 21st century, all because of a fishing island. He smashed a hot pot store and wasn't able to become a special forces soldier, so he was sent to feed pigs. It's all because of those damn little Japanese! With a loud shout: "It's those damn little Japanese again! Damn it, Zhou Xuan Zhang will never get along with the little Japanese!"

  Zhou Xuanzhang's indignation was highly appreciated by Feng Guozhang, who knew that at this time, among the subjects of the Qing Dynasty, there were only a few people who were as outraged by the Japanese as Zhou Xuanzhang. Until now, Feng Guozhang had not found anyone with similar views. Now that Zhou Xuanzhang showed such strong resentment towards the Japanese, Feng Guozhang immediately felt a strong sense of belonging.

  Originally, Feng Guozhang and Zhou Xuanzhang became sworn brothers solely to win over Zhou Xuanzhang to join the army as a cadet, without any genuine feelings. Now, Zhou Xuanzhang's strong indignation towards the Japanese has greatly pleased Feng Guozhang, making this brotherhood a worthwhile one.

  Feng Guozhang said: "Brother, you have such a far-sighted and wise vision, which makes me, the elder brother, admire you! Brother, our Great Qing Empire must go to war with Japan! In my humble opinion, if we win, we will become the overlord of the Far East. If we lose, we will be defeated and oppressed by the Japanese, and I don't know when we will have a chance to rise again. Brother, the future of our Great Qing Empire is on your shoulders now, and the burden on your shoulders is not light!"

  Zhou Xunzhang was not very clear about modern history, but there was one thing he knew: the Qing Dynasty and Japan had indeed fought a war, and the result was a crushing defeat! Moreover, as Feng Guozhang predicted, after that war, China would have to wait for more than 100 years to recover.

  Now, Feng Guozhang surprisingly wants to put the historical responsibility of defeating Japan on Zhou Xuanzhang's shoulders, making it hard for him to breathe.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang is a rustic simpleton from the depths of western Hunan's mountains, how can he possibly bear the weight of changing history!

  In fact, Feng Guozhang pinned his hopes on Zhou Xuanzhang, which was also a desperate attempt to find a cure for his illness. There were too few people in the Qing dynasty who had a clear mind! Fortunately, there came a kindred spirit who hated the Japanese with all his heart, and Feng Guozhang naturally handed over the burden to Zhou Xuanzhang.

  A thousand-pound burden is easier for two people to shoulder than one! Feng Guozhang suddenly felt his shoulders exceptionally light.

  "Big brother, since that's the case, I'll start learning quickly. Time waits for no man, we should get started as soon as possible."

  Feng Guozhang's face was awkward, and only then did he realize that persuading Zhou Xuanzhang to join the army and enter school was just the first step of a long march, and there was still a long way to go before Zhou Xuanzhang could be recruited into the school.

  That day Tianjin Wu Bei Xuetang was the highest military academy in Qing Dynasty, students had to go through strict selection and must be active servicemen.

  Feng Guozhang was just a small instructor, and it was as difficult for him to get Zhou Xuzhou, a poor commoner, into school as it would be to ascend to the sky.

  "Feng Guozhang continued: 'Brother, if you are willing to join the army and attend school to serve the country, I will do my best to fulfill your wish! However, this needs to be done gradually.'"

  "Big brother, you're such a high-ranking official, and what you say goes?" Zhou Xianzhang still didn't understand what the "Teaching Assistant" position was until now, he thought it was as big as the Provincial Governor.

  Feng Guozhang's face turned red: "As for this official position, let's not mention it. In short, please rest assured, brother, I will definitely find a way to get you into the school and help you achieve your dream of fighting against the East!"

  Suddenly, a cold laugh came from behind: "Feng instructor, the highest military academy of our great Qing dynasty, can a rustic like you just walk in?"

  Two people turned their heads and saw two men walking in from outside the Wu Sheng Temple.

  The speaker was a stout figure with a round face and small eyes that were narrowed into slits.

  Another had golden hair, blue eyes deep eye sockets high nose bridge, a pair of golden sideburns, tall and majestic stature, a big head taller than that fat man, wearing a black uniform, but was a foreigner.