Chapter Ten: Martial Power
Regardless of whether the rumor is true or false, Tang Yanqian would not use his own Strong Learning Book Society to try it out - at this time Li Hongzhang was still very powerful, and the Beiyang had not suffered a disastrous defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. Since they came to offer money, it was polite to accept it. Li Hongzhang's donation to the Strong Learning Book Society was just a gesture, but in other people's eyes, it had deeper implications - Thomas' article was not reprinted in "Strong Learning Digest", but was known by some capable people in the Beiyang Governor's Office through reading foreign newspapers. Logically, an article like this should be heavily reported by "Strong Learning Digest", after all, Li Hongzhang's contribution was minimal at best, but they didn't even intend to sensationalize it, which in itself reflected the political attitude of the owner of "Strong Learning Digest".
Li Hongzhang, at this time, was in a high position and had great power, with the Beiyang Army under his control. The Manchu nobles were trying to find ways to suppress him. On the surface, Li Hongzhang seemed to be in a very favorable situation, but this also proved the saying "high places are not suitable for long stays". At this time, if the "Strong Learning Digest" were to take advantage of the situation and launch an attack, those Manchu nobles who considered themselves "pure officials" would certainly follow suit. Unfortunately, these old bureaucrats with rigid thinking did not understand foreign languages, and only a few of them knew to read the "Strong Learning Digest" to understand the outside world, which was almost their only possible source of information about this news.
Although there was no standard yardstick for the media in this era, Tang Yanqian had a hard and fast rule in his heart - except for "heavenly principles that cannot be tolerated, and the imperial court has already made a verdict", when translating overseas newspaper articles, try not to involve negative news articles about important officials who are currently in power or have retired. Provincial governors were undoubtedly included in this category. Tang Yanqian naturally knew Thomas's article, but he did not stoop to using it to attack Li Hongzhang, even though Tang Zhonglin had previously told him that Li Hongzhang had already reached the pinnacle of his career and would be lucky to end well in the future. However, Tang Yanqian still adhered to his own bottom line, blocking Thomas's article and not publicizing it on his own platform, which was not a good thing for either Li Hongzhang or himself.
It is precisely because of the language problem and the difficulties in dissemination that very few people in China knew about Thomas's article, but this does not mean that no one knew - Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Hubei and Hunan provinces, also had a powerful translation department led by Gu Hongming, whose strength could be said to be even stronger than the Strong Learning Society established by Tang Yanqian, but in terms of influence, it was far inferior. The translation department served only Zhang Zhidong, and almost no one outside knew that there was a super talent who was proficient in ten languages in the governor's office of Hubei and Hunan provinces.
Zhang Zhidong and Li Hongzhang had a grudge between them, which was intentionally reminded by Tan Zhonglin to Tan Yankai - Zhang Zhidong had a confrontation with the French in the position of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, which was the first time Chinese people were superior to foreigners since the Opium War. At that time, Zhang Zhidong was already preparing to give the French a lesson they would never forget. If his plan succeeded, it would be difficult for the French to pose a threat to China's two Guang provinces, let alone maintain their foothold in Vietnam. However, all this became a bubble due to Li Hongzhang's retreat, and Zhang Zhidong naturally hated Li Hongzhang to death - Chinese people had never won a war against foreigners, and they finally grabbed the opportunity to win but ended up losing, and also missed the chance for Zhang Zhidong to make a name for himself. How could this not fill Zhang Zhidong's heart with anger towards Li Hongzhang? It was because of this past experience that Zhang Zhidong was very interested in all news about Li Hongzhang, while Gu Hongming told Zhang Zhidong the report as a joke.
After Li Hongzhang donated money to the Qiangxue Book Society, Zhang Zhidong also donated 5,000 taels of silver to support the Qiangxue Book Society. Regardless of how great the contradictions between Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong were, there is no doubt that in today's China, they are the two banners of the Westernization Movement, old and new, with great appeal and energy. When they both gave a positive response to the Qiangxue Book Society at the same time, the followers also followed - Liu Kunyi, Governor-General of Liangjiang, donated 3,000 taels; Li Hanzhang, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, donated 3,000 taels; Wu Dazhen, Governor of Hunan, donated 1,000 taels... At that time, the heavyweights of the imperial court who were not related to each other all donated money to support the Qiangxue Book Society, and these officials also used their official positions to subscribe to "Qiangxue Wenzhai" for their subordinates.
Tan Yanqian was stunned by the scene in front of him, he did not expect that after taking Li Hongzhang's money, it would bring about such a chain reaction. However, this is ultimately a very good trend. Tan Zhonglin, on the other hand, remained silent and only smiled mysteriously without saying anything. In fact, he was also very satisfied with Tan Yanqian, as a young scholar who could gain so much attention, which would be beneficial for his future development. Of course, there was also some influence from himself in this matter, but his role was just to put his son on the stage, and the most important thing was that his son had made an effort, he was the right material.
At the time when the outside world was discussing Tan Yanqing's detoxification pills, Tan Yanqing turned his target to another direction - building the Tan family's household troops to prevent real threats from Jianghu factions. In view of the experience and lessons of later generations, Tan Yanqing deeply knew what a strong and reliable force could do for himself in this chaotic world, although he did not think that he could compete for the Central Plains when the war started, but at this time when building a modern new army was just a voice, if he could train a strong force, even he himself would be somewhat proud. However, Tan Yanqing's head soon cooled down - this force, although it will be unprecedentedly strong in quality, must be compressed to a range that others can tolerate, especially within the tolerance of Tan Zhonglin.
"One hundred and twenty people, absolutely no more!" Tan Yanqin secretly warned himself in his heart. If this armed force were to be enlarged, it would give others an excuse. He wanted to take the road of high-quality goods, and these one hundred and twenty armed men were naturally the best among the best.
When recruiting personnel, Tang Yan proposed a very demanding standard - the age is around 17 years old, and the maximum cannot exceed 20 years old; it is required to be able to recognize characters; must pass his physical fitness test; those who smoke opium are not allowed; those with gang experience are not allowed; those with unclear family background are not allowed; those with unseemly appearance are not allowed; those with unrefined manners are not allowed...
Originally, with a monthly salary of ten taels as the standard, the number of applicants was almost overwhelming, but Tan Yanqing's nearly harsh standards resulted in only about 100 people being qualified to meet the standard, and this was still on the basis of lowering the cultural requirements. Those who were eliminated had some bluntly scolding: "This is not a test for Xiucai, picking a son-in-law, it's just being a soldier, what's the big deal?!"
"One hundred and three people for one hundred and three people!" Originally thought that they had to expand recruitment, but the qualified ones were unexpectedly few. Tan Yanqing did not have too many complaints, as for the shortage, it could be figured out later. These 103 people would train first, and it would be the same to make up for them later.
The armed instructor and weapons were all ready, the instructor was hired by Tang Yanqun with a monthly salary of 50 taels of silver; The weapons were all imported from Germany, including the Mauser Model 1888 rifle, which was the first standard-issue smokeless powder rifle in the German army. In addition to the Mauser 1888, there were also two rare German-made Maxim machine guns - if this armed force could be trained successfully as Tang Yanqun wished, it would be very powerful, at least in terms of equipment, no other Chinese military unit could match it. These equipment were all obtained through Li Hongzhang's Beiyang Governor Office, without the golden signboard of Li Hongzhang, it would be impossible to get such equipment from the Germans.
"It's really an army! But at least it will have to wait for half a year..." Tan Yanqian thought to himself when the personnel and equipment were all in place.
Tan Yanqun looked at the 1888 Mauser rifle in front of him, feeling a mix of emotions. In his past life, his good friend Ma Biao was an avid military enthusiast who not only opened a shooting club but also meticulously collected various firearms. The 1888 model was one of the most valuable ones among them. When he saw this rifle again, it felt like a dream come true.
Influenced by Ma Biao in his past life, Feng Wenyu knew quite a bit about firearms as well. However, the classic Mauser 1898 had not yet been invented in this era. Although the 1888 model in his hands was more advanced, he knew that it was extremely unsafe and posed serious safety risks.
"Should we bring out the German 98's? This is also a great opportunity to make some money! Especially that box cannon, in this era it's like a submachine gun!" Tan Yanqian thought to himself with some excitement.
"The Mauser 98 rifle is undoubtedly a classic among classics in the history of firearms, with a highly revered status. At least for the next forty or fifty years, it will basically be the standard equipment of armies around the world. If I were to take out this design diagram and register it globally, whoever it is - Allied or Axis powers - would have to pay me patent fees. For the next thirty years, I'll be the king of rifle design, the future Kalashnikov (designer of the AK-47)!"
Affected by Ma Biao in his previous life, Tan Yanqian was very familiar with the Mauser 98. Drawing out the blueprint wasn't a difficult task for him, especially since he had the 1888 model rifle as reference. He didn't have the capability to open an arsenal himself, but the Mauser family did. He could completely hand over the blueprints to the Mauser family for cooperative production and share the profits of producing the 98 rifle in Germany through technical investment; As for the Allied Powers, the main thing was still registering patents in countries like America - he planned on registering all parts as patents, so if you used them, he'd be waiting to collect money!
After making up his mind, Tan Yanqing decided to make a profit from the rifle. Anyway, it's not far from the day when the 98-style rifle was truly invented in history, and taking it out a few years in advance won't change much. In China at that time, there was no technology to produce this kind of rifle domestically, so he also gave up on this idea. Since it's just for making money, don't have too many ideas about it - the most ideal thing would be to be able to produce this kind of rifle domestically for export. Unfortunately, not only does China currently lack steel materials that meet the requirements, but even these small bullets can't be made - China still doesn't have smokeless gunpowder, and this 1888-style rifle is no exception, with both the gun and the bullets needing to be imported.
Now in China, no one is more important than Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong when it comes to industry. At present, Zhang Zhidong is not doing well, but Tan Yankai's "Hanyang Made" was a household name in the previous life. The Hanyang Arsenal was founded by Zhang Zhidong, and Xu Jianyuan, an important talent under Zhang Zhidong, was killed in an explosion while researching smokeless gunpowder at the Hanyang Arsenal.
Tan Yankai can confirm that China will not master the manufacturing technology of smokeless gunpowder for at least the next ten years. He can obtain the production technology of smokeless gunpowder through the Mauser company, and by the time Zhang Zhidong establishes the Hanyang Arsenal, it will be too late. Li Hongzhang also has a not-so-small arsenal in Zhili, and Shanghai has a large-scale military equipment manufacturing factory that is not small either. He can transfer this technology to Li Hongzhang.
Fuzhou is very close to Shanghai by sea, and Tang Shaoyi sent a letter in the name of the Zhejiang-Fujian Governor's Office to the German Consulate in Shanghai, along with the drawings of the Mauser pistol, hoping that the German Consulate could help contact the German Mauser weapons factory. The letter also explicitly stated that he had an excellent rifle design in his hand, whose performance far exceeded the current Mauser 1888 model, and if the Mauser weapons factory was interested, they could contact him.
Tan Yanqing was naturally clear about the history of Mauser's gun manufacturing factory. Although the Mauser pistol was invented and highly anticipated, it never became a standard equipment for the German army from its birth to discontinuation. In these decades, the Mauser factory estimated that it produced around one million various types of rifles, while other countries' production quantities were several times higher. The reason why national armies did not adopt the rifle was not because of its poor quality, but because it was too expensive, and as a handgun, it was too large for European military equipment, while as a rifle, it had too little power, making it unsuitable. Tan Yanqing was very clear about these points and tactfully pointed them out in his letter. Although China was the best destination for Mauser pistols, this was just a bait to attract the Mauser company, and the true protagonist was the classic 98-style rifle.
After sending out the letter, Tang Yuelong didn't worry much anymore. He was very clear about the attraction of Mauser pistols. This pistol had been designed for decades without any significant changes and was extremely rare to get it right in one step. If even this couldn't lure out the Mauser company, then he really had no other way out and could only seek help from Britain, America or other major powers.
Tan Yanqun was only extremely proficient in medicine before, and as for firearms, he only knew a little because of his friends' guidance. This is not what he is good at. Now the most realistic problem in front of him is to train well the micro-armed forces in his hands, strengthen his own safety protection, and make himself have a force that can be used at any time to deter those who dare to find trouble with him.
For the training of this small armed force, Tang Jiyao did not interfere too much with the high-paying German captain, but he also required some content to be added to the training - large-scale physical training, a large number of live ammunition shooting, three people who understood German in the translation department and himself took turns to help translate, and tried to ensure that five days out of every ten could be used for these soldiers to take German lessons, so that they could adapt to the training of German officers as soon as possible.
The German captain's name was Friedrich, which also interested Tan Yankai - the spirit that possessed Tan Yankai, Feng Wenyu, was fluent in German and had spent a long time in Germany. He knew very well that another translation of the surname Friedrich was Feideli, a classic ancient German name that evolved from their own words, and according to the Germans themselves, this name was the most Teutonic.
In Tan Yanqiu's eyes, Friedrich was a typical German, with a strict style and a precise life like a clockwork. As a soldier, he was indeed very qualified, but as an instructor, he might have to be slightly discounted. Although Friedrich had been on the battlefield and experienced real war, he was still frightened by Tan Yanqiu's madness - high-intensity training could be tolerated, but his requirements for live-fire shooting were extremely harsh.
The live-fire shooting exercise that Tan Yanqian demanded was crazy in Friedrich's eyes. He divided the soldiers into two groups, one group conducted normal shooting training, and the other group dug a shallow trench on the opposite side of the first group, just deep enough for people to crawl inside. The target was placed above the shallow trench, and below it were the crawling soldiers. It can be imagined how accurate the first shooter could be. Bullets that missed the target mostly hit the edges of the shallow trench, which put immense psychological pressure on the soldiers crawling in the trench. During the first training session, more than 20 soldiers fainted from fear, while several doctors waited nearby to treat them. The two groups took turns conducting shooting exercises, and it can be inferred that such training was extremely cruel for this new army. The training stopped halfway through the plan due to too many people being frightened.
It's not just shooting training, Tan Yanqian didn't understand it, but he knew that the People's Liberation Army was famous for its strict and massive training in later generations. So he set the training volume of this guard team very high. Fortunately, he also knew to progress gradually, and while ensuring a large amount of training, he also ensured the food supply of the guard team, guaranteeing they had sufficient nutrition to maintain continuous training.
Friedrich was shocked at Tan's crazy training for his soldiers, but as a soldier, he still did not reduce the amount of training after introducing the training level of European national troops in detail. Fortunately, the physical training volume no longer increased two months later, which made him and the trained soldiers breathe a sigh of relief.
