Chapter 46: Sending Troops to Korea

  Fang Baqian's character is unknown to Tan Yankai, but he does not believe that such a strict commander can train elite soldiers. It is said that in the Beiyang Navy, except for Deng Shichang's Zhiyuan ship, all other warships would have their officers and men go ashore to eat, drink, and gamble whenever they docked. Deng Shichang was very strict in his military discipline, and his subordinates would rather risk being punished by him than not sneak ashore to have fun. Deng's whip was notorious for its cruelty, earning him a reputation for being "ungrateful". These were all things that Tan Yankai had secretly investigated, and he did not doubt that Deng Shichang was strict in punishing his sailors who violated the rules. Corporal punishment was common in the military, and Tan also used this method to punish soldiers in his own small army, where the cultural level of his micro-armed soldiers was relatively high.

  Fang Boqian listened and slightly raised the corner of his mouth, saying: "How can I have such a big skill? After sending you to Tianjin, Jiyuan will immediately gather with other warships to transport troops to Korea. Who knows if they'll encounter Japanese people halfway, it's very troublesome, and fighting is also uncertain..."

  "What?! Reinforcing troops to Korea?!" Tan Yanqian asked in surprise. It's not even April yet, and Tan Yanqian remembered that the Qing dynasty's reinforcement of Korea was at the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, but it couldn't be now!

  "This is still confidential, we will arrive in Tianjin three days later, you will board the ship immediately, and 1,500 Huai Army troops will also board the ship. The Yangwei warship will follow along with the Jiyuan warship to escort the merchant ships to Inchon and Hansong to protect trade and suppress the Donghak Party in Korea!" Fang Baqian said.

  "Is this decided by Master Zhongtang?!" Tan Yanqian asked.

  "Not bad, after the Jiyuan ship replenishes some supplies in Shanghai, it will escort the reinforcements to Korea. We can also take advantage of the favorable wind. The Grand Councilor thinks that we cannot let the Donghak Party make trouble in Korea like this. Moreover, due to Yuan Shikai's killing of many Donghak Party members in Korea, both the Donghak Party and the Japanese hate him deeply, and the Donghak Party's rioting is unfavorable to the Qing dynasty. Therefore, we should secretly send troops to annihilate the Donghak Party before the Japanese react, and then withdraw from Korea without giving Japan an excuse!" Tan Bowen said calmly.

  "After the Beiyang Fleet was formed, no new ships were added. Every time we went to Japan, the Japanese became more and more arrogant. Our sailors usually looked forward to landing, but in recent years, they didn't dare to land when going to Japan. If I had known it would be like this, it would have been better to sink those few old Japanese ships when the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan were first delivered to Japan, and we wouldn't be in this situation today!" Fang Boqian said with some regret.

  "This time, although it's a secret deployment, Master Zhong doesn't expect everyone under him to keep their mouths shut. I'm afraid that once we set sail from Tianjin to practice military exercises, the Japanese will know what's going on. Therefore, the task of escorting is crucial. If we encounter Japanese people at sea, be extremely careful!" Tang Bowen said.

  "Now all the officers and men on the entire ship have made preparations, but..." Fang Boqian said with some difficulty.

  "What's difficult about being a leader? Just say it, and as long as I can do it, I'll do my best!" Tang Bowen said.

  "Fighting brothers won't pretend to be weak. When we sailed out to escort and reinforce Korea, we didn't think we could deceive the Japanese; the key is that once we encounter the Japanese at sea... The firepower of this escort fleet is not enough to intimidate the Japanese, and if a fight breaks out, the lives of the brothers on the lower deck are insignificant, but delaying Mr. Zhong's plan is a big deal..."

  "Reinforcing Korea is just the first batch, and there will be more troops taking ships to Korea later. Didn't the Jiyuan ship return with the second batch of escort ships? What's not reassuring about that?" Tang Bowei said.

  "Fang Boqian gritted his teeth and said, 'To be honest with Mr. Tang, what I'm worried about is that when the Jiyuan ship returns, it will encounter the Japanese. Looking at our naval forces, only the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan can intimidate the Japanese. If these two giant ships don't participate in the escort, the Japanese will become even more arrogant and may even launch a preemptive attack on us. Unfortunately, I had a falling out with Admiral Ding before coming to Shanghai, so...' "

  "Is Admiral Ting afraid to send out Dingyuan and Zhenyuan? Admiral Ting overturned the table, what's going on?"

  "It's okay to send just one ship! As long as there is one, the Japanese will absolutely not dare to fire! The Navy's rules strictly prohibit officers and soldiers from privately going ashore to gamble or visit prostitutes. How many of those gambling dens and brothels on Liu Gong Island aren't located on Admiral Ding's property?! Just a few days ago, I was so angry about some small matter that I ran up to the Wang Hai Tower and overturned the table where Admiral Ding was hosting his guests... Admiral Ding had already decided beforehand that the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan would not participate in the escort!" Fang Bogui said indignantly.

  "This Beiyang Fleet is not peaceful either! Originally, I thought that having a Deng Shichang was already quite a problem, but unexpectedly Fang Boqian is also like this. The battle has not even started yet, and the internal conflicts are already irreconcilable...” Tan Yankai thought to himself secretly, but he didn't believe that Fang Boqian and Deng Shichang were the same kind of people. Just by looking at how the officers and soldiers on the Jiyuan ship dressed, it was clear that this guy's military discipline was not strict, probably because of conflicts over interests and a falling out with Ding Ruchang."

  "What does Fang want me to help with? Although I am the general manager of Tianjin Machine Bureau, I have no power to command General Ding..." Tang Bowen said somewhat embarrassedly.

  "Who doesn't know you, Mr. Tang?"

  Your left and right arms, as long as you can say a few words in front of Master Zhongtang to calm him down and participate in the escort... " Fang Bogui said with excitement.

  "This...alright, after going back I'll say a few more words in front of Zhong Tang, as for whether it will work or not that's hard to say, after all I'm not a commander..." Tang Bowei agreed.

  "Comrade Fang, can you take me to see the ammunition depot of the Jiyuan warship?" Tan Yankai said.

  "That's not a problem, but it's dark and dirty there..." Perhaps because Tang Bowen promised to speak for him, Fang Boqian answered very quickly. His ability to observe the situation was good, and he could see that the two young people got along very well, so they naturally sought out convenient places."

  "It doesn't matter, I just want to see what kind of ammunition this big cannon fires, and I'm not afraid of being laughed at. This is the first time in my life that I've seen a real warship. My curiosity got the better of me..." Tan Yanqing said with a smile.

  Tang Boheng was enlightened after listening. Although he didn't understand why Tan Yankai kept talking about the shell problem since their first meeting, but after taking over the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, he was extremely dissatisfied with the production of shells for the Beiyang Navy. In his eyes, using such shells to fight would be a national mistake, so after becoming the general manager, he vigorously reformed and strengthened the production of shells, improving their quality.

  —

  He wouldn't have any doubts in his heart, and he could see that since Tang Yangke boarded the ship, he had been walking around non-stop. He looked at the main guns, asking this and that, and it was clear that he was a bookworm who had never seen a warship before. He took Tang Yangke and Tang Bowen to a cabin on the warship, opened the door, and saw the cabin full of shells, saying: "This is the ammunition room. We will replenish the shells when we arrive in Tianjin. However, those new integrated shells are still very rare. They have a faster loading speed than these shells, which is much stronger. Thanks to Mr. Tang!"

  Tang Bo Wen and Tan Yan Kuan exchanged a smile after hearing this. In the ammunition room, Tan Yan Kuan saw real cannonballs used for combat for the first time. These cannonballs were indeed divided into two parts. The warheads were as high as his waist, while the propellant packets were wrapped in silk, containing the propellant. They were also several dozen centimeters tall.

  "Don't worry, although these shells are not the kind of integrated shells, but the propellant inside is all smokeless powder, and the quality is excellent. The power produced when fired is much greater than that of the brown gunpowder-filled shells used before, and the range has also become farther due to the smokeless powder!" Tang Bowen walked up to a shell head and patted it with his hand, laughing as he spoke to Tan Yanqing.

  "What's more important is that the propellant packets of these shells are much cleaner after firing, producing very little smoke. The original shells were so smoky that you had to clean the barrel every time you fired one, or else the rifling would be gone in no time and you wouldn't even be able to load another shell. Now with this new smokeless powder packet, it burns very cleanly, and you can fire three or four rounds before needing to clean the barrel again. If it's an emergency situation, firing ten rounds before cleaning is also acceptable..." Fang Boqian said with a smile.

  "The cylindrical tube, if you want to thank, just thank Zuo Anba. It was he who brought back the equipment for producing smokeless gunpowder from Germany. As for the unified shell, it was also his idea to follow the example of Western naval powers. Unfortunately, our financial resources are limited now, and the production of smokeless gunpowder is only enough to meet our needs. As for the unified shell, it has just been produced recently, and it will take some time to completely replace the current shells." Tang Bowen said with a smile.

  On this sea route from Shanghai to Tianjin, Tang Yanxi also made a close observation of the Beiyang Fleet. Of course, he couldn't see all the ships of the Beiyang Fleet, but just by looking at this Jiyuan ship, he could get some idea. Although he had never seen what the Japanese fleet looked like, the impression left on him by the Beiyang Fleet was not very good. However, Tang Bowen had made his best effort in terms of ammunition, and at least these shells would explode when fired, which was already much better than before. As for the final result, he could only wait and see.

  What's even more astonishing to Yan is that the current history has undergone some changes compared to his past life memories - Li Hongzhang had a huge turnaround in dealing with Japan, and actually started deploying troops to Korea to suppress the Donghak Party as early as March. It can be imagined that once the Zhiyuan warship escorted the Zhongsheng steamer to transport the Beiyang Army to Korea, Japan would inevitably take action, which means that the First Sino-Japanese War he remembered as happening in July might erupt ahead of schedule!

  "It all comes down to the fact that Li Hongzhang's change in attitude towards Japan would lead to an early outbreak of war. The only things that could have caused a shift in Li Hongzhang's attitude and are related to me are 'Qiangxue Wenzhai' and 'Quanxue Pian'. As for 'Qiangxue Wenzhai', it doesn't need to be said, this publication has had a significant impact on China, under the influence of which, for ten consecutive months, 80% of its content was focused on Japan. Anyone who is not blind should understand the threat that Japan poses to China. Moreover, in 'Quanxue Pian', there is an article called 'Outer Anxiety' which also focuses on Japan. If Li Hongzhang were a sensible person, he would naturally have some changes. If there's anything that can change Old Li's mind, it would be this thing that has never been heard of before but has had a significant impact on him."

  Tan Yankai arrived in Tianjin by landing on the Ji Yuan ship.

  In China, the person who could decide the course of the war was undoubtedly Li Hongzhang, although the reigning Guangxu Emperor and the intimidating Empress Dowager Cixi were the rulers of China. However, it would be later that they would have a chance to decide on the war. Only after the decisive battle in the war would they come out, and if victorious, show off their prestige; if defeated, use Li Hongzhang as a scapegoat to sign the surrender treaty.

  Li Hongzhang, no matter how incompetent he was. Internally, he was a veteran of the political arena's struggles, and no one knew better than him what the Manchu people thought; externally, his Beiyang Fleet's main imaginary enemy was Japan, and no one was more sensitive to the smell of gunpowder between China and Japan than him. Whether to fight or not, he naturally had a small abacus in mind for the consequences of war, but unfortunately, the reports and comments in "Qiangxue Wenzhai" that made his heart skip a beat completely chilled his heart.

  "There is still a glimmer of life in the war. If we don't fight, it's a dead end; whoever strikes first will be strong, and whoever strikes later will suffer. Since we have to fight, it's better to strike first, and being able to gain an advantage is already an advantage. If we wait for the Japanese to start the war, their shells will suddenly hit our heads before we can counterattack, putting us in the most unfavorable position - passively taking a beating. And if we lose again, I'll really be at the end of my rope!" Li Hongzhang made his move on the chessboard, secretly calculating in his mind.

  One thousand five hundred troops have already boarded the ship and secretly set off for Korea today. As for how much secrecy this operation has, he doesn't have any illusions in his heart, but he has already sent telegrams to the Imperial Court and the Zongli Yamen. However, as for the one sent to Japan, Li Hongzhang plans to delay it a bit longer. He will send it out tomorrow. By tomorrow, the fleet will be very close to Korea. The Japanese cabinet is currently in an uproar, and by the time they react and plan to dispatch troops, the Donghak Party supported by Japan will have already been finished off!

  In fact, Li Hongzhang was still very willing to delay the war, but unfortunately, the Donghak Party was getting more and more fierce. If this continued, the Japanese would take action soon. This time, sending troops was completely unavoidable, hoping to quickly eliminate the Donghak Party, making Japan lose its excuse to intervene in Korea, so that the situation between China and Japan could still be maintained. After Empress Dowager Cixi's birthday, the Beiyang Fleet would immediately buy ships to expand, and at that time, this balancing game could continue. At least during this period, Li Hongzhang would still stand unshaken!

  "Zhōng Táng, isn't your mind on the chessboard?" A slightly stout middle-aged man sitting opposite Li Hongzhang held a folding fan in his hand and gently waved it.

  This somewhat stout middle-aged man was Zhang Peilun, the son-in-law of Li Hongzhang. At this time, he was no longer the Left Vice-Du Yushi who had been appointed twelve years ago and had continuously impeached several high-ranking officials in the imperial court, earning him a reputation as a "pure stream" partisan who "gained fame farthest and invited hatred deepest". The many changes over the years had made Zhang Peilun, now only forty-six years old, much more worldly-wise, and he no longer had the sharp spirit of his youth.

  "Young general, I truly hope that this time we can get through safely, after all when war breaks out anything can happen..." Li Hongzhang picked up the chess piece in his hand and put it down again, saying with a somewhat hesitant heart.

  "The danger is great, but when two evils are weighed against each other, the lighter one is chosen. Not fighting is best, but if it can't be avoided, then we must choose a way to minimize losses and get through this threshold! Now, although the Donghak Party is causing trouble in Korea, they have only stirred up one place and haven't spread yet. It's just the right time for Your Excellency to send troops to help Korea surround and annihilate them. This will deprive Japan of an excuse, and eliminating the Donghak Party will also be a blow to Japan, allowing Korea to be more stable!" Zhang Peilun said.

  Li Hongzhang smiled slightly and put the chess piece back into the box, saying: "Youxiao, didn't you advocate avoiding conflict and showing weakness to provoke the enemy when the Japanese were causing trouble in Korea earlier? Why have you suddenly become a proponent of war?"

  "This is one time, that time, the comments on 'Qiang Xue Wen Zhai' are good, and the idea is also correct. If we had really followed Yuan Wei Ting's suggestion to make Korea a province of our great Qing dynasty back then, there wouldn't have been so much trouble. Or if we had given Yuan Wei Ting money to bribe the Korean king and his ministers, it would have been easy to stabilize Korea and prevent it from falling into Japan's hands. Unfortunately, we all missed that opportunity... Now that we've retreated to this point, there's really no way to retreat further. The depiction of Japan's island nation character and its desire for the mainland on 'Qiang Xue Wen Zhai' is indeed vivid. Therefore, the situation in Korea cannot be retreated any further, otherwise it will be even harder to deal with the Japanese after they get Korea." Zhang Pei Lan said calmly.

  " 'Qiang Xue Wen Zhai'?" Li Hongzhang smiled slightly after hearing this, "That talented scholar arrived in Tianjin on the Jifu ship with Ji Meng today, didn't he?"

  Zhang Peilun's eyebrows moved as he said: "I've already arrived, and was just planning to come see you tomorrow, Your Excellency..."

  "Ji Meng has sent a telegram saying that the young genius has made an extraordinary invention, and it's just right to come and take a look..." Li Hongzhang said with a smile.

  "Ji Meng's telegram also left me quite perplexed, saying it was a 'wireless telegraph'. Doesn't this telegraph need wires to send messages? It's said that even foreigners don't have this invention yet, and now Tan Zu'an has already sent people to Western countries to rush and register the patent. However, Ji Meng is also a young man who has been educated in foreign schools for several years, with broad vision and relatively accurate insight into new things." Zhang Peilun said with a smile.