Chapter Seventy-One: Gluttony

  "Can China's fate be relied on with these guys?! Tan Yanxing thought angrily in his heart: "If I am really defined as a traitor by the history books of later generations, then so be it!"

  Regardless of willingness or not, the situation in Korea has become even more deteriorated. Japan, which had sunk a main battleship, did not sink with the sinking of Seisan Island, but instead became even more hysterical after a brief silence - frantically transporting troops to Korea. The outskirts of Hwangseong, now guarded by Zuo Baogui, have frequently appeared in the shadows of Japanese soldiers, and multiple attacks have been launched.

  Hanzhong, apart from Zuo Baogui, also had three battalions of the Yi Army and three battalions of the Sheng Army led by Ma Yukun under the command of Zuo Baogui. Fortunately, neither of them was a coward like Wei Rugui, so in addition to resolutely resisting the Japanese army's advance, they took advantage of the period before the Japanese army launched its general offensive to continuously improve the defensive fortifications of Hanzhong, and the five Maxim machine guns donated by Tang Yanshen to the Beiyang Army were also a crucial part of the defensive fortifications of Hanzhong.

  Zuo Baogui and Ma Yukun built three forts around Hancheng, with artillery positions on the forts. Three of the Maxim machine guns were distributed among these three forts, while two more were placed along the city walls of Hancheng. After witnessing a demonstration of the Maxim's shooting capabilities, Zuo Baogui and others highly praised its power and urgently telegraphed Li Hongzhang in hopes of acquiring three to five more Maxim machine guns and sufficient ammunition. With such powerful weapons as the Maxim machine gun participating in the defense on the open terrain around Hancheng, it can be imagined how difficult it would be for the Japanese army to attack.

  Although the Japanese army around Hancheng was increasing in number, after several probing attacks, they were all defeated with heavy casualties. More than 1,000 soldiers were killed or wounded, but the Japanese army had no way to take Hancheng - although the Japanese army had a larger number of troops, it was at a disadvantage in terms of equipment. Except for three infantry guns, all their artillery were bronze cannons, which posed little threat to the Qing army's three forts and the city walls of Hancheng in terms of range and firepower.

  Zuo Baogui and Ma Yukun used infantry guns in conjunction with Maxim machine guns. Assisted by a large number of infantry participating in the defense, this fortification made the Japanese feel that Hancheng was like a porcupine covered in thorns, untouchable. What's more, Hancheng is only 150 miles away from Yashan, and the Qing army relies on sea transportation to continuously transport various supplies and reinforcements to the Qing army defending Hancheng. At this time, there were already 15,600 Qing troops inside Hancheng. There were also about 4,000 people stationed in the Yashan camp to provide rear security for them.

  The Japanese Navy had thought of making another attempt to attack the Beiyang Fleet's transports, but since the Jingyuan incident, every time the Beiyang Fleet was tasked with escorting troopships, it would be escorted by the two largest warships Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, along with three other main battleships taking turns. To try to take down the entire convoy in one go was just too difficult for a Japanese fleet that had just lost the Matsushima.

  Just as the Beiyang Fleet commanders had a deep respect for the high speed and rapid-firing capabilities of the Japanese fleet, after the Jingyuan incident, the Japanese Navy also felt some fear towards the Beiyang's rear-armor and large-caliber guns. This fear was already planted eight years ago when the Dingyuan-class battleships visited Nagasaki, Japan, and the Japanese were well aware that the Jingyuan was originally built as a sister ship to the Dingyuan-class, but due to financial constraints, it was converted into a cruiser. To some extent, the Jingyuan was a good reference vessel for the Dingyuan-class. It was this very downsized version of the Dingyuan that sank the Japanese Matsushima in a one-against-three disadvantage. This further deepened the Japanese fear towards the Beiyang Fleet centered around the Dingyuan-class.

  The Japanese had originally planned to launch a surprise attack on the Beiyang Fleet's escort ships at Asan Bay, and after succeeding, immediately dispatch warships to escort troops landing at Asan Bay to advance on Hanseong. The plan was to directly take control of southern Korea. Unfortunately, the desperate resistance of the Jiyuan ship disrupted the Japanese military's original plan, and the sinking of the flagship Yoshino further dealt a heavy blow to the confidence of the Japanese fleet. In this situation, the Japanese chose a more realistic path - utilizing the Beiyang Fleet's passive defense, dispatching troops to land on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, thereby canceling the original plan to engage in ground warfare after seizing control of the seas. As for the Japanese Navy, they still wanted to fight a major battle with the Beiyang Fleet, but this decisive battle had to wait until the Hashidate ship arrived from France and joined the Japanese fleet before it could be planned again.

  In this way, China and Japan confronted each other on land and sea with Korea as the center, neither side taking the initiative to launch a large-scale attack without being sure of victory. On land, both China and Japan were busy sending reinforcements to Korea and transporting various war materials; at sea, the Japanese waited for the return of the Chiyoda ship, while in the Beiyang Fleet's base, the Beiyang Fleet commanders waited for Li Hongzhang's intelligence on the Chiyoda ship's movements while preparing to ambush it halfway.

  A faint mist of water rose as Fang Qiong's slender hands gently poured the hot water into a small ceramic basin, filling it to about eight-tenths full. In the center of the basin was placed a glass tea cup: "This is Pu'er tea paste, which was specially sent over by the servants from the mansion today after the master heard that you love drinking tea. This was originally bestowed upon the master by the empress on his seventieth birthday."

  It's been left here all along, and I haven't had a chance to drink it yet. It just so happens that you're getting a good deal...

  "Pu-erh tea I've heard of, drinking this kind of tea is very beneficial for the body, but what's this tea paste?" Tan Yanqin looked at the glass cup in front of Fang Xiangqing, where a small piece of tea paste about the size of an inch was slowly dissolving in hot water, turning the entire cup into a reddish-brown color, emitting a faintly intoxicating tea aroma.

  Fang Qiong smiled slightly and said, "You're also from a noble family, haven't you ever seen the emperor drink this kind of tea paste? This Pu'er tea paste is made by slowly simmering Pu'er tea. The tea paste in the palace is even more precious, as it's made with the finest Pu'er tea tribute and mixed with expensive Chinese medicine to prevent poisoning. Don't look down on this small piece of tea paste, if you put it outside, you won't be able to buy it for a thousand taels of silver! Drinking this cup will not harm your body even if you stay up all night, and after the medicine takes effect, it will nourish your body. The palace's methods are not something that can be compared to those outside!"

  Fang Keqing saw the tea gel scatter and come, then used a wooden spoon to take out the glass cup from the ceramic basin of hot water, and poured it into two small teacups separately. Tan Yanke took over the teacup, deeply smelling it. The thick tea fragrance rushed up, with a hint of medicinal flavor in between, and when drinking it, there was a subtle bitter sweetness. It really had a unique flavor, laughing and saying: "This royal family really knows how to enjoy themselves, after the tea gel is washed away, not even a bit of tea residue remains, this one mouthful is worth at least five hundred taels of silver!"

  "Fang Zhongqing smiled and said, 'If there's tea dregs in the cup, can it still show off the imperial court's skills? The wool business is booming now, every day earning a lot of silver. If you use all that money to buy tea, you'll have enough to eat! By the way, today Shen Mr. sent a telegram saying that the price of cotton yarn has dropped slightly. He mentioned that Governor Zhang of Hubei has some unused textile machinery in Shanghai and asked if you want to take it over. There's also another letter that arrived..."

  Tan Yan received the telegram and letter, the content of which was also simple. The price of cotton yarn had dropped slightly to 72 taels of silver per package. As for Zhang Zhidong's imported textile machinery, it was because he didn't have enough silver to pay for it - after the Hanyang Iron Works started production, it became Zhang Zhidong's number one "money pit". This batch of equipment was specialized in producing high-grade cloth and textile machinery, and Zhang Zhidong wanted to sell it to get silver to fill the hole in the Hanyang Iron Works, priced at 60,000 taels.

  "Old Zhang has already reached the point of killing the chicken to get the eggs. He wants to sell such a good machine to make up for the account, it can be seen that the Huguang Governor's Mansion is really poor and destitute!" Tan Yanke said disdainfully.

  Fang Rong and Tan Yanqing have been together for some time now. Her husband's constant use of terms like "Old Li", "Old Zhang", and "Old Man" has become a familiar sound, even his own father is referred to as "Old Head". This time, he came out with "Old Zhang", and she naturally understood that he was referring to Zhang Zhidong. As for her husband's nonsensical talk, she had no way to deal with it, but using these terms did bring them closer together, making their relationship more intimate. Laughing it off after hearing it many times made it passable, but these terms must not be spread outside, otherwise, her husband's reputation as a "young and mature" person would be completely ruined by his own mouth.

  "Director Zhang's management of foreign industries is just like managing a government office. The steel factory loses money, and I heard that even the Hubei Textile Bureau lost a lot during this period when cotton yarn prices skyrocketed. Many of the fabrics produced are still in stock and can't be sold... I think it wouldn't hurt to take these machines off his hands. Not only would Director Zhang owe me a favor, but we could also negotiate a better price. They say it's six million taels, but I estimate that Mr. Shen's side could get it for four or five million taels..." Fang Yuchen said with a smile.

  —

  "Old Zhang has a habit, no matter what he does, he must do his best. When buying things, he also buys the most advanced ones. Although I haven't seen this batch of equipment before, I believe these devices should be among the top-notch machines in today's textile industry. It's certain that we will purchase them, which not only allows our products to be more upscale but also saves precious time. Of course, if Old Zhang is willing, I'd rather take over the Hubei Textile Bureau from him..." Tan Yanqian said with a smile.

  "I think it's better for you to adopt a purely commercial approach, rather than having the government involved. The scale of your business is already quite large, so do you really need to get entangled with the Hubei Textile Bureau?"

  Tan Yanqin now feels that Fang Rongying is getting more and more formidable in financial management, I don't know if it's because she has a high innate talent for this or if it's because she has been trained by handing over part of the industry to her. However, this is a good phenomenon. Although he is rich, with money and status that ordinary people can't reach, let alone Fang Rongying, even ten or eight of them could be supported by him, but he doesn't want his wife to idle around at home or spend her life playing mahjong like the wealthy ladies in later TV dramas. He hopes that Fang Rongying can maintain the "classical beauty" in his eyes while also being more independent, and he is not afraid of his wife being more capable than him.

  "Hubei Textile Bureau, although in Zhang Zhidong's hands, was surprisingly in a mess, not worth the huge expenditure of sheep"

  But its channels are what I want to get. Hubei is located at the transportation hub, as long as the Hubei Textile Bureau is slightly modified, it can form a production center for resisting sheep in the inland areas. Resisting sheep can take Wuhan and Guangzhou as the center, from the coast to the inland areas, not to mention others, at least the entire textile market in South China will become the world of resisting sheep, and finally occupy the center of foreign goods Shanghai! Tan Yanke said with great enthusiasm.

  Tan Yankai is now increasingly dissatisfied with the life of a rich man, he needs a higher political status, even the ability to lead China to defeat the powers and reverse the course of historical development. All this requires money. In addition to the temptation of squandering silver, he also hopes that China can quickly move towards industrialization. From another perspective, Japan is now able to produce textiles with its own hands. Even if it's necessary to resist Japan, he must vigorously develop China's textile industry.

  After the First Sino-Japanese War, the restriction that foreigners could not set up factories in China would be broken, and Western powers including Japan would move their factories into the country, which would bring huge harm to the national industry that was still in its infancy. In order to achieve the goal of "resisting foreign goods", it is necessary to integrate China's current industries to the greatest extent possible, unite them to resist foreign goods, and if possible, even take over the Hua Sheng Weaving Factory which Sheng Xuanhuai was actively rebuilding.

  "Haha, you're really getting ahead of yourself. The Hanyang Iron Works is already in the red, and Director Zhang won't even consider selling, let alone the Textile Bureau. Just get through this period of time, and Director Zhang will be even less likely to sell. Why don't you just focus on taking over these machines for now? The other shareholders who are waiting for your approval are getting anxious. I reckon Sheng Xuanhuai is also keeping a close eye on things!" Fang Congying said with a smile.

  Tan Yanqing nodded with some profound meaning and said, "You don't believe it, let's just wait and see. Not only is the textile office at Old Zhang's place what I want, but also his Hanyang Iron Works, I want to get my hands on them too. As long as there's an opportunity, in four or five years, we'll see who comes out on top!"

  In Tan Yankai's view, Zhang Zhidong was enthusiastic about running modern industries. Unfortunately, he still inherited the traditional Chinese literati's contempt for merchants and distrust of them. It's tolerable that Old Zhang, a cultured man, went into business, but he stubbornly held onto such biases in his mind, managing enterprises like a government office. Fortunately, it wasn't his own money; otherwise, he would have lost even his underwear. Tan Yankai waited for the day when Zhang Zhidong couldn't hold on anymore and used the funds accumulated over the years to take control of Zhang's industries, fulfilling his own entrepreneurial dreams.

  Looking at the confident Tan Yanqin, Fang Congqin felt a different kind of feeling in her heart. Her husband had an ambition that was vastly different from ordinary people, and he also had the ability to realize his dreams, which made her even more infatuated with him. Perhaps this feeling had been there all along, but she had never paid attention to it before. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken such great care in managing the business Tan Yanqin had entrusted to her. This little girl in Tan Yanqin's eyes had always been quietly working hard for him, trying to get in touch with new things.

  Unexpectedly, the envelope of the letter sent to Tan Yanqing was written in an old man's handwriting, but the content of the letter was written in Shen Jing's handwriting. Tan Yanqing had been practicing calligraphy for many years and could still distinguish the handwriting of those around him. He was momentarily perplexed - what did the old man mean by doing this?

  As soon as Tan Yan finished reading the letter carefully, he also got an answer to his confusion in his heart - the content of this letter mainly talks about the situation of investigating cases in Guangzhou. Wang Cunshan naturally holds all the handles in his hands. In addition to real estate, Wang Cunshan's embezzlement of silver is estimated to be between 400,000 and 300,000 yuan; while Zhou Rongyao was acting as the governor of Guangdong Maritime Customs for more than a year, he bought a lot of real estate in Guangzhou, but his accounts were unclear.

  According to the account of a cashier under Shen Jing's control, Zhou Rongyao extorted no less than 2 million taels of silver from the customs in this year. He also colluded with foreign and local smugglers to smuggle opium. In Guangzhou alone, there were as many as eight opium dens that could be investigated under Zhou Rongyao's name, and it is unknown how many more were connected to him. It is difficult to estimate how much silver this opium smuggling earned for Zhou Rongyao.

  If Shen Jing's investigation goes smoothly, then it is without a doubt that the case of Wang Cunshan and Zhou Rongyao's corruption mentioned in this letter will become one of the top two corruption cases in the Qing Empire this year. Especially Zhou Rongyao, it is really incomprehensible how he managed to embezzle 2 million taels of silver in just over a year at the Guangdong Customs. In Tan Yankai's eyes, this is truly unbelievable. Did Zhou Rongyao think that the Guangdong Customs was his own personal treasury, and he could move money out of it freely every day?!

  This time, Zhou Rongyao let Tan Yankai see the level of corrupt officials making money in this era again. He dared not imagine that customs in places like Shanghai and Tianjin were no weaker than those in Guangdong, and many positions were also good fat posts. How much silver could these corrupt officials make in these positions?