At the next military meeting, Li Guolou opened his mouth to ask for the command of the Nanyang Naval Division stationed in Mawei Harbor, and he took a fancy to the two cruisers moored in the harbor, and said with great certainty that he would definitely be able to win the first victory, and dared to use the head guarantee of the item.

This made Ding Richang's heart tremble, and he was very unwilling, Mawei Port was the territory under his jurisdiction, and he was the highest military governor in Fujian. For the sake of the naval battle of Taiwan, he didn't think about tea or food, and his originally gray hair had long been completely white. Seeing that Li Hongzhang didn't refute Li Guolou's words, he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Li Guolou, you are too young to suppress those veteran generals, and if you are given military power, you can't command, but it will make the battle situation erosive." ”

Li Guolou's delicate face became hideous, squinted at the pipe bands of the two cruisers, and said: "Ding Futai, don't rely on the old and sell the old, although my generation is young, but every battle is the first, the battle will be won, and the attack will be overcome." Unlike some people, they don't play fake tricks just by practicing. ”

The two pipe bands were furious, glaring at Li Guolou angrily, hating to slap Li Guolou twice, but they didn't dare to refute, they scolded Li Guolou just now, they worked hardest, and now they always have to leave a way back for themselves.

Ding Richang sneered: "Li Guolou, you rely on the White Snake Langjun for divination, and you also build a seven-star platform in Luo Xingshan, which has a very bad impact, brings the atmosphere of the Beiyang Sailors, and wants to harm the Nanyang Sailors." ”

Li Hongzhang coughed and said, "Ding Futai, using the White Snake Langjun is my opinion, and it has nothing to do with Li Guolou. This person is still very capable, you will find out soon. ”

Ding Richang was silent, Li Guolou became more and more favored, as soon as he came to Mawei Port in Fujian, he wanted to ride on his neck, the Nanyang sailor was his brainchild, and a nouveau riche wanted to usurp power, so he could be convinced.

It is normal for Li Guolou and Ding Richang to quarrel and quarrel, and Li Guolou saw Li Hongzhang supporting him, so he said: "Ding Futai, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, will never do stupid things like a fish dying and breaking the net." Giving me the command, only I have the confidence to win the first battle against Japan. ”

"Li Guolou, do you still have fewer soldiers and horses? My soldiers and horses are used to defend Mawei Harbor, not for you to show off. Ding Richang never felt that he owed Li Guolou, but felt that Li Guolou took advantage of him and used his resources to collect the money of the people of Fujian. As long as it is not ordered by Li Hongzhang, he will fight with Li Guolou, whether he wins or loses, he will have endless fun arguing with Li Guolou.

"Ding Futai, I am Han Xin, the more troops the better, the war with the Japanese army is a contest between countries, I need to integrate the forces of various ministries together. Only by leading the Beiyang Naval Division and the Nanyang Naval Division to fight jointly can I have the strength to win the victory, otherwise the enemy is strong and I am weak, even if I am a three-headed and six-armed Nezha, it is impossible to fight with the ironclad monster. "Li Guolou dealt with the treacherous and cunning Ding Richang, and he could only move with affection and reason. If the reason is not explained thoroughly, the officers of the Nanyang Naval Division will disobey him and not take him seriously. Changing generals before the war is a taboo for soldiers, which will make the Nanyang Navy Division lose its combat effectiveness, and Li Guolou can only patiently do Ding Richang's ideological work.

Li Guolou is surrounded by old and sophisticated court ministers, who regard him as a nouveau riche who is a sycophant, and his military exploits are not at all in the eyes of veterans. Wen Chen saw Li Guolou's power, he was afraid of Li Guolou's power, and he didn't dare to rely on the old and sell the old.

The generals were all nostrils to the sky, and the officers of the Nanyang Naval Division were even more in a group, speaking the southern Fujian dialect, which was extremely repulsive to outsiders. Shicai also dared to scold Li Guolou.

Li Guolou wanted to command the Nanyang Naval Division, but without a background, it was very difficult. Even Li Hongzhang did not dare to accept Ding Richang's military power, for fear that the government decree would not work, and his usual trick was to delegate power and let his subordinates do their duty.

Therefore, a military conference will be held for a long time, and the officials who have the right to speak must put forward their own proposals, formulate a military plan, and take care of the interests of many people. Even if you unify your thinking and want to fight the Japanese army, where will the main battlefield be placed? It's another never-ending discussion.

Li Guolou bluntly asked Ding Richang for military power, with a posture of vowing not to give up, boasting that he could decide the battle in one battle, and refused to disclose the details of the operation. However, the officials present could see how ambitious Li Guolou was, he already held the command of the Beiyang Naval Division, and he still wanted the command of the Nanyang Naval Division. None of the generals present dared to fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army at sea, and Li Guolou's courage was superior.

The responsibility of the Nanyang Naval Division was to defend the harbor, and holding the military fortress was the greatest victory. Li Guolou actually wanted to let the Nanyang Navy Division go to sea and stay away from the coastline, and this situation of winning and losing would no longer exist, and there would be a danger of annihilation of the entire army. How could Ding Richang rest assured, so Ding Richang was the most resistant, and the two slapped the table and scolded their mother at the military meeting, arguing about which was right and which was wrong.

Li Guolou lamented: "Ding Futai, without the support of the Nanyang Naval Division, even if I land on the island of Taiwan, what can I do?" A duel with the Japanese army is a war of attrition, even if the Japanese army dies 10,000 people, do you say the Japanese army will withdraw? On the contrary, the Japanese army will increase its troops and stubbornly defend Langqiao and Guishan, and the Taiwan campaign will be fought like the Ming Dynasty's anti-Japanese campaign to aid Korea, which will drag on for several years, the war will be won, and the country's face will be gained, but a country's financial resources will be exhausted, and this is how the Ming Dynasty will go downhill. We cannot follow the old path of the Ming Dynasty, beat the Japanese army to pain, make the Japanese army frightened, retreat in the face of difficulties, and control the campaign within a local scope. I and Master Fu Xiang cooperate with each other, only I can do this militarily, and the Nanyang Naval Division must take the initiative to find a decisive battle for the Japanese army and deal a fatal blow to the Japanese army's transportation lines, instead of protecting the smooth passage of the waterway, everything will be fine. ”

Ding Richang said unconvinced: "Li Guolou, even if you are smart and world-famous, I will never hand over military affairs to a god, a seven-star platform can borrow the east wind, I think you are stupid to read the Three Kingdoms." Your military thinking is outdated, why should I hand over power. ”

Li Guolou made an expression of asking for help to Li Hongzhang, and the battle plan he formulated was known only to Li Hongzhang alone. Ding Richang has too many friends, and he likes to talk a lot, he will not talk to Ding Richang about the battle plan, the white snake Langjun is a magic stick, he wants to use it to the extreme.

Li Hongzhang saw that the heat was almost over, Ding Richang's attitude had softened, and he said: "Ding Futai, the back waves of the Yangtze River push the front waves, and we must always give young people a chance to show." Li Guolou has become a pillar of the country through experience, has rich experience in naval warfare, and is fully capable of commanding the joint operations of the Beiyang Naval Division and the Nanyang Naval Division. ”

"Hey! It's not that I'm holding on to power, young people are so ambitious, and they want to eat fat in one go, how can I rest assured, how can I defend Fujian's defense line? Ding Richang kept looking at Li Guolou, just to see the merits of Li Guolou. He also wanted to go to sea and fight to the death with the Japanese army, but his generals did not have the confidence to win the Japanese army at sea, the reality was in front of him, the naval strength was occupied by the Japanese army, and there was no background if he wanted to say big things. At that time, the Japanese invaders landed, burned, killed, and plundered, and Fujian would suffer an unprecedented poison.

"Of course, war is risky, Ding Futai, if you bet on my dealer to win, bet on the big, then I have the confidence to sweep thousands of troops. If the Nanyang sailors suffer from gains and losses, like an old woman, counting copper coins to live, even if I have the ability to reach the sky, it is impossible for me to win a gold ingot. We also have big names, it depends on whether I dare to make a move, it's not that I brag about it, my eyes are poisonous, my hands are ruthless, no one can see it more accurately than me, the Nanyang Sailor supports me, I have enough strength, if you Fujian people like to guard the nest, I can't force it. Li Guolou told the truth, even if Li Hongzhang issued a military order and gave Li Guolou the right to command. And the Nanyang naval division was in disobedience, and when the two cruisers could not go to sea, or delayed for time, everything would be in vain.

Ding Richang laughed out loud, as if he didn't catch his breath, and stopped abruptly. Speaking from the bottom of his heart, he still has great expectations for Li Guolou, the Nanyang Naval Division has become an independent system, and even Li Hongzhang cannot touch the command of the Guiyang Naval Division. But Li Guolou is different, he is more popular, and he has military talent, so he temporarily let Li Guolou serve as the commander of the Nanyang Naval Division, and the officers under him did not exclude him, and he could see the pipe belt of the two cruisers, and he also wanted to go to sea to fight. None of the officers and soldiers of the Nanyang Naval Division wanted to be a turtle with a shrunken head and defend Mawei Harbor.

"Good! I'll give Li Guolou a chance, I won't interfere in the tactical arrangement, as long as you don't come up with a rifling tactic for me, there is a big difference between naval warfare and land warfare. No one can guess Ding Richang's actions, and he suddenly agreed to hand over power, and kissed Li Guolou as a guide, introducing several generals under him one by one.

The general's face was thick, and Shicai was still scolding several of Li Guolou's generals, and he did not hesitate to stretch out his big hand and shake hands with Li Guolou affectionately.

How dare Li Guolou put on the shelf of the commander, with an expression of humbly seeking advice, and prepared to hold an all-night meeting to understand the characteristics of each ship. Li Guolou is very confident in subduing these generals, combat experience is the best communication tool, Li Guolou has just won the battle of Weishan Lake, and can't help but make these generals look up. is like the Qing mercenary Chang Shengjun, who has long regarded Li Guolou as his father, and whenever he has a grievance, he runs to cry to him.

Li Henian saw that Li Guolou was willing to take responsibility and rushed to be a front-line commander, so he secretly rejoiced, and did not raise any objections from beginning to end. Now it's good, he has his share of the credit, and Li Guolou is responsible for failure, don't look at so many big people here, no high-ranking official is willing to go to sea to find a decisive battle with the Japanese army. The formulation and implementation of the plan are fundamentally different, and the blueprint of the plan is perfect, but the reality is not a drawing, from paper to implementation, which is hard work, only Li Henian, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, bears alone.

Li Henian was used to being pampered, and he overworked in Mawei Port, and after two consecutive all-night meetings in the Mawei Port School, he was bedridden, and he did not come forward to see him off until the sailor set off.

After Li Henian fell ill, Li Hongzhang was energetic, and everything was in charge of Li Hongzhang, Li Hongzhang's scheduling ability was better than Ding Richang's, and everything was arranged in an orderly manner.

Ding Richang took Li Guolou to inspect the barracks of the Nanyang Naval Division, and established Li Guolou's prestige. At a time when the country is in crisis, no one dares to be disrespectful to Li Guolou. On the surface, Li Guolou and Ding Richang are still noisy, they open their mouths to scold their mothers when they don't agree, and they will spray spittle stars into each other's bowls during a meal. But everyone can see that the relationship between the two is very iron, and the two go with each other like shadows, soaking in the barracks all day long.

In just one day, the Beiyang Naval Division and the Nanyang Naval Division launched a joint military exercise on the Minjiang River, and all of a sudden, artillery fire flew over the Minjiang River, and the artillery shells whistling past made the people on both sides of the strait cheer and cheer.

At this time, Li Guolou did not need to conceal his whereabouts, but used his name to boost morale, and the Li character battle flag was fluttered on the battleship, and the new military army was born.

The matter of Li Guolou becoming the commander-in-chief of the naval division caused a lot of uproar, and the whole army was talking about Zhao Zilong of the Qing Dynasty, believing that Li Guolou could lead the Qing army to victory. The officers and soldiers of the Xinwu were talking about the Battle of Weishan Lake, and they were all saying that the White Snake Langjun moved the heavenly soldiers and generals to Weishan Lake, which made the Xinwu Army achieve a great victory in Weishan Lake. The officers and men in the barracks all believed that Li Guolou personally commanded the battle, and that the battle of landing on the island would soon begin, and that they would definitely be able to defeat the Japanese army.

Soon, the Japanese spies lurking in Mawei Port also knew about this, and there were Japanese spies among the vegetable farmers who transported vegetables for the Qing army in Mawei Port. The sneaky Japanese spies passed on the latest information, and by the way, they also drew a topographical map of the Seven Star Terrace, and the white snake Langjun, the protector of the Beiyang Naval Division, was about to take the stage to cast spells.

The unpredictable White Snake Langjun cast spells on Luo Xingshan and Li Guolou served as the front-line commander, and these two important pieces of information were soon known to the Japanese army. Li Guolou's resume, the Japanese army knew very well that they had been mentally prepared for the Qing Dynasty to send Li Guolou to Taiwan, and Li Guolou's disappearance some time ago confirmed the speculation of the Japanese General Staff. But why is the mysterious character White Snake Langjun sacred? For a while, the Japanese army staff felt that the intelligence work of the Qing Dynasty had not been done well.

Last time, Yanagihara Maemitsu planned to assassinate Li Guolou and made the Japanese Black Dragon Society a scapegoat, but unfortunately the assassination of Li Guolou was unsuccessful. This time, Yanagihara Maemitsu formulated a plan to assassinate White Snake Langjun, and soon the Japanese spies in Mawei Harbor received orders to do everything possible to assassinate Li Guolou or White Snake Langjun.

How to get close to Li Guolou or White Snake Langjun? A pair of father and son who were bought by the Japanese, racking their brains to figure out a way, they could only transport vegetables to the door of the barracks, and then the eldest husband took over in the barracks, and they didn't even know what Li Guolou looked like? It seems that there is no chance to take a heavy reward.

The two traitors only dared to betray national intelligence, how could they dare to be assassins, and they were still thinking about using their brains crookedly, and they were captured by Ding Richang's supervision team.