"Governor, I see that you attach great importance to the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway." The report should be divided into stages, and after talking about the construction of the railway, Ruan Xihao couldn't help but ask Wei Ze.

"Mongolia is our inherent territory, and we cannot lose this." Weese replied. Now he doesn't want to frighten Ruan Xihao and them too much, in fact, Mongolia's more important significance is to build a large railway from the northeast to Xinjiang. This large railway can not only avoid the Gobi Desert, a natural danger that is difficult to overcome with existing technology, but also serve as a core passage for troops to leave Central Asia and enter Russia.

If it is China, which produces 800 million tons of steel per year, it is very easy to build tens of thousands of kilometers of railways that can run more than 40 kilometers per hour. In 1869, China's steel output was estimated to barely reach 1 million tons, and pig iron production was about 6 million tons.

Qiongzhou, Shaoguan, Zaozhuang, Ma'anshan iron ore mines do not have large-scale mining equipment, relying on blasting and manpower mining, this output has basically reached the current production limit. Weeser even had a real intention of going to Western Australia to mine in any regard for the prospecting and mining agreement signed with the British. The ore there is all crisp flour, and after digging it directly, it is transported to the ship by guò railway, even if the cost is high, but it reduces the steps of washing and crushing, and it is quite cost-effective to go back and forth. It was only the thought of the possibility of war with the British in a few years, and Weeser finally resisted the urge in his heart.

Knowing these strategic resources, they are unable to obtain them because of insufficient strength. Compared with those minerals that are so high quality that they can be directly sent into the furnace to make steel, China's iron ore development now has to pay a greater input cost, and Wei Ze feels uncomfortable when he thinks about this. However, Weser is not a person who indulges in the past and the future, and this inner anxiety makes him more determined and more able to focus on the present. This kind of inner struggle and tempering is unconsciously revealed on the outside, but it is a kind of firmness that has been tempered thousands of times.

What Nguyen Xi Hao sensed from Wei Ze's words was a strong confidence in the recovery of Mongolia. Indeed, with the railway, the reconquest of Mongolia became much easier. Although the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway will take a lot of time, it will take a lot of time, and it will be necessary to pave the ground, build bridges, open mountains, and dig holes, but as long as you think about loading the train from the materials unloaded at Tianjin Port, you can drive all the way to Zhangjiakou, and the transportation costs saved can be earned back in just a few years.

"Since the Governor says so, we will increase our investment in this area. In addition, we have discovered iron ore in Xuanhua, and the grade is very good. Beijing's coal mines are very good. Ruan Xihao also enthusiastically briefed Wei Ze on the progress of prospecting. Hebei is quite rich in minerals, especially in the Yanshan area of Beijing, there are many mineral veins. Anthracite coal alone can supply fuel coal to cities where the railway goes. As a soldier and as the commander of the field army, Ruan Xihao attaches more importance to firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. When you are at home, it is nothing to go hungry for a day, and when the troops are out marching and fighting, a day of hunger will cause a major incident.

"If you want to make full use of these resources, you can't do it without railways. The construction of railways in Hebei is indeed a key point. Weeser made a concluding remarks.

Wei Ze thought he could stay in Beijing for a while, but this wishful thinking was shattered on April 21. First, on April 21, the British and French ambassadors sent a telegram to Weescher, informing them that they would "remain neutral" in the war between the "Republic of Ezo" and the new Japanese government.

Due to the fact that China had inserted a pole in the Japanese Boshin War, the war had undergone considerable changes. The resistance of the shogunate was much stronger than before, and the war that ended in 1868 was fought in 1869. On the island of Honshu, the resistance of the Aizu clan was not over at this time.

At sea, Takehiro Enomoto, the head of the Shogunate Navy, refused to surrender the shogunate fleet and led eight warships north to Ezo Hakodate to occupy the Western-style armed castle "Goryoko". Then, in the name of the Tokugawa Retainers, he sent a note to the British and French consuls, who recognized the "Republic of Ezo" as a de facto independent state and promised to "strictly maintain neutrality." Subsequently, the pro-curtain warriors poured into the Wulengkuo, including the newly compiled Hijikata Suizo, and some French officers and soldiers, with a total of more than 3,000 troops. On December 28, 1868, cadres at and above the rank of non-commissioned officer voted to elect Enomoto as president of the Republic of Ezo.

Enomoto Takehiro used various means to conduct diplomacy, and the Meiji government's foreign secretary, Iwakura Guò, saw the diplomatic channel and demanded that European and American countries withdraw their "recognition of neutrality." And prepare for a crusade. Britain, France, the United States and other European and American countries all want to see the Republic of Ezo maintained. However, it was also inconvenient for them to start a war without permission, in addition to the British and French joint notices to the Chinese government, the British side also sent a special envoy to Beijing and stated the British attitude to Weeser, "Send you to death, and I will carry the black pot."

According to the principle of unanimity among the great powers, when China sent troops to support the Ezo Republic, Britain and France would put pressure on Japan both openly and covertly. When it became clear that military action would favor the Republic of Ezo, the Great Powers would work together to pressure the Japanese government to recognize the establishment of the Republic of Ezo. Due to the military setback and complete diplomatic isolation, Japan could only obediently bow its head and admit defeat at that time. It is China that goes into battle shirtless, and it is also China that sends it to death, and when it is a bad guy, it is naturally Britain who stabs him in the back.

After listening to this, Weeser made his own request, "The Russians have broken the Treaty of Nebuchu, and in our battle to recover the Chinese territory provided for in the Treaty of Nebuchu, we demand that Britain remain neutral!" ”

Hearing the news that China and Russia were going to war, the British representative was stunned. But Weeser could clearly see the smile on the face of the British representative. Britain has hoped to weaken the Russians since the Crimean War, and it is undoubtedly in Britain's interests that China and Russia are fighting in the Far East, where birds do not lay eggs.

However, a diplomatic representative is a diplomatic representative after all, and even if his heart is happy, he can only express very implicitly that he hopes that the war will not destroy the world situation. Wei Ze replied bluntly: "The Treaty of Nebuchu has not damaged the world situation for hundreds of years since it was signed, how can we restore the Treaty of Nebuchu to destroy the world situation, this can only be a strong cornerstone for stabilizing the world situation!" ”

After reaching a secret agreement with the British, representatives of the Ezo Republic arrived in Tianjin by ship on 24 April, and had just gotten off the train that evening to meet Wei Ze at the Old Summer Palace. At this time, Wei Ze was naturally not polite, and he asked the Republic of Ezo to sign a treaty with China, confirming that the territory of the Republic of Ezo was limited to Hokkaido and the islands south of the top. In other words, China wants to make sure that the northern islands belong to China.

Seeing that Wei Ze's attitude was so arrogant, the Japanese delegates asked in a respectful and polite manner: "Then what can your country give us?" ”

This is not a plea in Japanese etiquette, but a standard word before a complete turn. The number of Japanese soldiers who fled to Hokkaido was about 7,000, including the army that China had trained and the remnants of the Shinsengumi and the meeting group. Even after the final defeat, not only did the ferocity of these people not disappear, but based on their strong dissatisfaction with the new Japanese government, they had the momentum to break the kettle at this time.

Wei Ze calmly replied: "We can guarantee that the warships of the new Japanese government will not be able to board the territory of the Ezo Republic. As soon as you sign the treaty, we will express our position to the new Japanese government. ”

The representatives of the Ezo Republic were shocked, they had no idea that the emperor of China would actually put forward such a condition. The principal and deputy of the delegation exchanged a look, and the forehand stood up and bowed to Wei Ze ninety degrees, "If your country can help our country build a country, the treaty can also be signed." ”

It is very simple to keep the Republic of Ezo alive, just prevent the Japanese navy from landing. At the heart of the establishment of the Ezo Republic were the remnants of the Edo Shogunate's navy, the remnants of the army, the Shinsengumi, the meeting group, and some French soldiers. The total is around six thousand. The Liberation Army decided to send a regiment of troops to Hokkaido to help them in their land battle. The head of the regiment is the former captain of the "Chinese Embassy Guards in Japan", Zhou Xinhua.

Zhou Xinhua was stationed in Shenyang at this time, and after receiving the order, he began to rush to Beijing, and Zhou Xinhua did not know the purpose of recalling him all the way. When he arrived in Beijing, he was arranged in the guest house of the Northern Command, and he was not allowed to go out without permission. Moreover, the personnel department of the headquarters told Zhou Xinhua to summarize his combat experience in Japan. With this kind of order and this kind of specification, Zhou Xinhua probably guessed that he might have to go to Japan again. However, after waiting in the guest house for three days, no one received him, and his combat experience in Japan and the battle summary after returning to China were repeatedly revised twice, and Zhou Xinhua was also a little anxious.

Wei Ze, who was about to meet Zhou Xinhua, was in Tianjin at this time. The port of Tianjin is now the home port of the North Sea Fleet, and the sub-port of Lushun is under rapid construction. The North Sea Fleet is also massing and preparing to fight north. There was no radio in those days, so warships had to leave to their fate after leaving the port. The various detachments do not stay in the harbor every day to fight, train, patrol, train and study, and have a full annual work schedule. Theoretically, one-third of the fleet must be on maintenance, one-third on standby, and one-third at sea on duty. If you want to fully assemble a fleet, you have to prepare half a year or even a year in advance.

The British have the most powerful fleet in the world, and the total tonnage greatly exceeds that of other countries, so the British can send a large number of warships to the war zone in the shortest possible time. When the British navy was fully mobilized, the fleet that rushed to the theater of operations stabilized the scene or won the victory. Even if the opponent is well prepared and can withstand the British's three-board axe. But with the passage of time, the British opponent's navy continued to lose, and the British fleet kept gathering towards the theater of war, relying on the overall superiority in numbers, tonnage, and artillery, the British could win the final victory.

New China is already working hard to develop its navy, but only a few days are not enough for the North Sea Fleet to assemble, and it is too late to temporarily transfer warships from other fleets. The reason why Wei Ze went to the port of Tianjin was not to give orders to warships that could fight, but to see a warship, the cruiser Qingdao with the port number 099.