Chapter Thirty-Four: The Western Challenge

The king of the Ryukyus came to Yaogang for a few months and liked it very much, and he often took the train and ship to see around. However, when he was leaving, the king of the Ryukyus was not in a good mood, he had met Emperor Chongzhen a few times, and Emperor Chongzhen had briefed him on the domestic situation several times, as well as the fact that the surrounding countries had been surrendered. The Ryukyu King Table is that the Ryukyus have long been a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and will continue to be in the future. But recently, Emperor Chongzhen told him that he wanted to hand over the emperor's rights and support the formation of a new republic, and also persuaded him to hand over the king's rights.

This was something that the King of the Ryukyus could never agree to. Emperor Chongzhen told him that this was the trend of the times, and the entire surrounding countries had begun to take this step, but some were willing and some were unwilling. Those who are willing to get high treatment in Yaogang here, and those who are unwilling to live here have no rights.

The king of the Ryukyus did not want to refuse in person, and said that he would go back and discuss the matter with the ministers. Hearing this, the king of the Ryukyus couldn't stand still, and wanted to go to Beijing to have a look, and then return to China.

Emperor Chongzhen readily promised that he would send them back to Ryukyu by steamboat. At the same time, a group of officials were sent to accompany the Ryukyu king to Beijing.

The people of Yaogang took action against those who wanted to rebel, and the whole country acted in unison, arresting many people at once. The officials around the emperor who were involved in this matter were terrified and didn't know when the kiln people would come to arrest them. But the kiln people have not touched them, and some people think that the kiln people did not find them, or they did not touch them for the sake of the emperor.

However, when the emperor appointed some officials to accompany the Ryukyu king to Beijing, they understood that the emperor already knew about them and wanted to take the opportunity to send them back to Beijing. They thought the emperor wanted to protect them.

The convoy to send the king of the Ryukyus was a long line, and the officials were all sitting in one car. However, what made them a little uneasy was that the prince and some people were also sitting in this car, walking and walking. The officials found that the car was almost at the back of the convoy. They got nervous.

These people, who felt that something was wrong, asked to get off the bus conveniently.

The prince got up with a smile and said, "I say everyone, bear with it!" I'll tell you now! Look at the person next to me, it is Li Zhi, the intelligence minister of Yaogang. Your affairs are clear to the people of Yaogang, and the emperor is also clear. I haven't arrested you, you have to thank the emperor. It was the emperor who pleaded with Zhang Dongjia not to arrest you publicly, but also to protect the safety of your family. Zhang Dongjia is really kind-hearted and agreed! But your sins are unforgivable! Therefore, the emperor also agreed to secretly execute you in front of you as court officials! ”

"Ahh

"Whew!"

“”

The people in the car were all messed up and crying. There were also those who insisted on seeing the emperor.

Wang Gonggong's eyes widened and he shouted: "Silence!" If you don't want to die, be honest with me! If you are not honest, I will have your family come and die with you!" Dogs, did you think about the emperor when you got into trouble? Still want to see the emperor? Do you think that your little cleverness can still fight with the emperor and fight with the kiln people? Phew! ”

There was silence in the carriage, and the prince said, "Sit well, I will leave you a whole corpse, and then I will say that you died in a car accident on the road." Your family may be able to compensate for it and not be implicated. Is it all clear? ”

At this time, someone opened a barrel of gasoline and began to sprinkle it all over the car. The officials began to cry again. No matter how big an official is, when it comes to death, his true nature is revealed.

The car came to the edge of a mountain cliff, and Li Zhi got out of the car with people. The prince was blocked on the car door, and the officials wanted to squeeze through the car door. The prince glared, "Go back and sit down!" ”

But his words were not good, and the officials still crowded over. Li Zhi under the car said: "Come on, Princess, now it's impossible to let them be disciplined!" ”

The prince laughed, got out of the car and closed the door, and the driver started the car and jumped out of the car, and the car rushed down the cliff amid the screams of the officials.

The bus exploded and caught fire when it bumped down the cliff.

Wang Gonggong said to Li Zhi: "Don't worry about it this time! ”

"Huh! When did you do something, I didn't worry about it! Li Zhi said with a smile.

The two came to the back of a car, and the prince said to a person: "In a while, you go down and rein them and send them back to Beijing!" ”

"Don't worry! We know how to do it! "Say yes and the man gets out of the car.

Li Zhi's people and the prince's people took this car and turned around.

The next day, the Yaogang newspaper published the news that a bus full of court officials had unfortunately fallen into a mountain stream on the way back to Beijing with the King of the Ryukyus. All the officials in the car were killed. However, the newspaper also reported that there was a group of criminals who wanted to rebel, and most of them had been arrested after the full investigation of the Yaogang Intelligence Department and Jinyiwei. The case will be heard in public by Judge Li Yan of Yaogang in person, and those who are willing to participate in the hearing can go to the Supreme Court with valid identity documents.

The news that followed this article suddenly covered up the death of the officials. Everyone's excitement immediately shifted to these rebellions. Even more unexpected people can also apply to observe the trial.

The discussion center of Yaogang Square is also full of this content.

This kind of thing, for Zhang Zhimu, is basically over.

However, it was a telegram sent back by Liu Chenghuang from Luzon that made Zhang Zhimu pay attention to it.

After Liu Chenghuang and the others returned to Luzon, a British merchant ship docked and brought several blonde and blue-eyed foreigners, who went ashore to ask to see Liu Chenghuang.

After Yoo defeated the Francos in Luzon, he allowed the countries to establish offices in Luzon, but did not allow any armed men to go ashore. Xiyi's merchant ships had begun to resume trading with Luzon, which was what Liu Chenghuang hoped for, and without maritime trade, it would be difficult for Luzon's economy to develop rapidly.

After Liu Chenghuang asked them to be invited, a blonde foreigner introduced them in fluent Chinese: "Dear General Liu! Allow me to introduce you to Mr. Henry, the envoy sent by the Queen of England, and Mr. Charles, the envoy sent by the King of France! ”

Liu Chenghuang should be a little surprised when he heard that it was an envoy sent by the two Xiyi kings, but he saw a few foreigners waiting for Walan's eyes to observe him, so he quickly adjusted his mentality and said politely: "Everyone, please take a seat!" ”

After a few people sat down, Liu Chenghuang said, "We welcome merchant ships from all over the world to come to our Luzon for trade. I don't know what the two envoys had to say when they came to Luzon! ”

The general said with a smile: "General Liu, according to the habits of your countrymen, shouldn't you serve us tea?" I told these friends that when I arrived in Luzon, I could drink fresh and fine Chinese tea! ”

"Huh!" The words of this general really amused Liu Chenghuang, "We usually serve tea to friends!" Since you've come from afar, I'll treat you as friends first! After speaking, he commanded, "Serve tea!" ”

Several blonde and blue-eyed foreigners drank the new tea that Liu Chenghuang had just brought back from Quanzhou, and they couldn't stop praising it for being good tea.

The atmosphere is better, this is what the general wants to achieve, in fact, Liu Chenghuang doesn't want to get into trouble with them without understanding their intentions, and he also smiled and watched them taste tea.

After a while, Liu Chenghuang said, "Didn't you come from afar to taste tea?" ”

The foreigner named Henry, after listening to the general matter, replied: "No, no, we are on the orders of our queen to go to Beijing in the Ming Dynasty to meet your emperor and discuss with you the joint development of the Nanyang Islands." ”

"Huh!" Liu Chenghuang smiled and said, "First of all, I want to tell you that your status is too humble to meet our emperor at all, and today I see that if you want to do more trade with other countries." Secondly, the Nanyang Islands belong to our Ming Dynasty and will not be jointly developed with you. But if you obey our laws, we can allow you to trade lawfully here. Liu Chenghuang knew that if these people were really sent by the king to see the emperor, they should have their titles, and they would not send a few ordinary people. It is likely that these men were merchants of the East India Company.

"No, no, General Li, it's rude for you to talk like this! You can't humiliate us, I'm all a superior person with status! "I spoke beforehand.

"Huh! I've killed a lot of people like you, so I'm kind to you! Who were you polite to when you drove your boats around burning, killing, and looting? Liu Chenghuang pointed at Henry and said, "You have opened fire on our ship for no reason, and we will seek justice from you!" ”

"You sank a lot of our merchant ships in the Western Ocean (Indian Ocean), and you have to compensate us for this matter!" Henry was still tough, "Don't forget, we are the overlords of the sea!" The invincible fleet of the Franciscans was also defeated before us. You only took advantage of our merchant ships. Our Majesty will not allow you to do this with impunity! ”

Liu Chenghuang said in his heart, "These foreigners are strange, they are so hard even if they lose the fight." I also wanted to know what these two people were doing, Liu Chenghuang said: "Don't be unlucky!" Tell me why you've come to me. ”

"There are more than 20,000 islands in the South Seas, you can't completely occupy them, we have already occupied them, please don't occupy them again. We will live in peace with you and trade on an equal footing. Also, the Mughal Empire has promised to pay you indemnity, so please refrain from taking any military action against the Waumore Empire. The Mughal Empire is the sphere of influence of our British! As long as we respect each other, it's good for everyone! ”

"I'm sorry for this gentleman!" Liu Chenghuang said, "I want to tell you again that the Nanyang Islands are the territory of our Ming Dynasty, and although there are many islands, none of them are redundant. You must leave at once, or I will defeat you as if you were a Franciscan, and then let you build the railroad as prisoners of war. You know, we need a lot of strong people to do this kind of work. I think you're tall and very suitable for this kind of work. Also, the Mughal Empire will not be your sphere of influence, and we will soon set up our shops in the coastal docks of the Mughal Empire. If we want, we can do fair trade with you! ”

"By doing so, you are working against our entire Western countries. Going against us as a whole of the West is the beginning of your catastrophe! "I warn you, do not think that we will forget what you have done against our nations in the East, that there is a price to pay!" We have come this time to warn you on behalf of the entire Western countries! ”

"Huh!" Liu Chenghuang smiled and said, "When I say this, maybe you won't believe it, but I really want to hear you talk like this." I also want to tell you that when we have settled the affairs of the South and the West, we will sail to the gates of your country, as you did, so that you may see the power of our cannons. Then he said to Henry, "Go back and tell your majesty that she has washed her belly, and we will scout her with cannons!" "Liu Chenghuang is mixed up from the coolies at Lingshui Wharf, and he can say anything dirty.

After the translator finished speaking, several foreigners couldn't sit still, stood up, and roared.

Yoo Sung-hwang said to Tongshi: "Tell them to calm down, otherwise I will cut out their tongues and feed them to the dogs!" ”

After the translation of the matter, several foreigners shut up, turned around and left.

In the command center, Zhang Zhimu, Chen Yufeng, Ouyang He, and Liu Yun were studying the telegram sent back by Liu Chenghuang.

Chen Yufeng said: "With our current warships, they Xiyi people can't fight against me!" It turned out that Zheng Zhilong relied on those wooden sailboats, didn't he also make the Xiyi people dare not go too far? ”

"Liu Chenghuang: They must complete the task of recovering the islands of the South China Sea this year." Ouyang He said, "The number of warships of our navy is not enough, so please ask Mr. Lin Zongwei and them to hurry up the shipbuilding." When I have enough ships, we'll really drive them to the door of the Xiyi family! Let them see what it's like to be beaten to the door, too! ”

"I'm not worried about any of this," Mr. Zhang said, "and I'm wondering if our rapid development has attracted the attention of the West." It is very likely that this will happen in the future, and the entire Western countries will unite against us. Especially, we to the west and they are already and near on land. After we seized the entrance to the Black Sea, we confronted them directly at sea, and both the Ottoman and Russian empires would come back and be our enemies. If they all join forces against us, it's going to be a show! ”

"Zhimu said this, this matter really has to be faced seriously." Chen Yufeng said, "This result is very likely! ”

"If we want to stand in this world, we can't just have a desire for peace." Zhang Zhimu said, "It is very likely that there will be preparations for a world war. If these self-righteous countries are not completely defeated, we will not be able to make peace. ”

"Hmm!" Ouyang He said, "Strive for the end of our lives and leave our children and grandchildren a peaceful world." He also said to Liu Yun, "Your General Staff, from now on, someone must study the issue of global operations. Be prepared, whether at sea or on land. In global operations, the forces we have now are definitely not enough. We must also speed up the building of the reserve army as Mr. Zhang said. As soon as there is a need for these reserves, they can be pulled up immediately. ”

Liu Yun said: "I suggest that the veterans be discharged as soon as possible, kept as reserves, and newly recruited soldiers to supplement the army." The reserve army should keep as many veterans as possible. As soon as something happens, these reserves will soon be able to form combat effectiveness. ”

"On the side of the General Staff, a special department should be set up to manage these reserve troops." Zhang Zhimu said: "Our active army should be made into cadres, and the soldiers in wartime will be able to supplement it, and they will soon be able to form combat effectiveness." ”

"That's right! This is a good opinion," Ouyang He said, "In the future, it will be like this, there is no need to raise too many troops in peacetime, and it is not possible to find them in wartime, so that you can maintain a consistent and capable officer frame and supplement the soldiers, this is a full army." ”

Zhang Zhimu asked, "What happened to Li Wei's formation of the armored division?" ”

Liu Yun said: "The equipment, Li Yunhe has already prepared it for them, and it has been transported to Baotou." Officer and soldier Li Wei is leading the candidates. Mr. Ouyang discussed with our tractor driving and maintenance technical school, and all the students who graduated this year were given to Li Wei. ”

"In the future, the armored corps will be a very important branch of our troops, and in my opinion, we will set up an artillery and armored forces academy, which will be responsible for training artillery and armored officers, and at the same time, it will also undertake scientific research tasks. For the faculty, each faculty needs to support it. Zhang Zhimu said.

"I agree to this good thing!" Ouyang He said, "But the teachers are the biggest difficulty. Good teachers are lacking in all faculties. Many recent graduates are teaching to be gentlemen. I suggest that this college should not be too big for the first time, and that Li Wei himself should be the dean. ”

Liu Yun said: "For basic classes, just find some people from outside. As for the artillery profession, Li Wei and his group are experts! There is no better understanding of artillery and armor than they do! ”

"Leave this matter to Li Wei!" Zhang Zhimu said, "Liu Yun will introduce the situation after Jiang Jian and Ningde returned to the Western Front!" ”

Liu Yun said: "The news they came back was that the Ottoman army could easily drive the Russian Imperial army from the south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains to the north of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. It was only in May that the Ottomans began to attack north of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. However, although the number of muskets of the Ottoman army was much higher than that of the Russian Imperial army, after crossing the Greater Caucasus Mountains, the Ottoman Empire's record was not very dominant. There is a stalemate with the Russian Imperial Army, and there are winners and losers in each other. It is understood that both of them are very dependent on muskets, and the consumption of ammunition is also very large. Ningde They estimate that it won't be long before they will ask us ***. It is said that both sides used black** modified bullets on the battlefield. But as soon as you use the black ** bullet, the opponent can see it, because the smoke is particularly heavy. ”

"They're going to buy more **, right?" Zhang Zhimu said, "In any case, it is still very suitable for the battlefield where a large number of bullets are consumed." ”

"I fear that our plan to occupy the Black Sea coast this year will not come true!" Chen Yufeng said with some worry.

"Don't be afraid, not this year, we'll do it next year!" Zhang Zhimu said, "The construction of the canal from Lake Balkhash to the Aral Sea has begun. There was no chance in the west, so we dug a canal behind us to build a road.

Ouyang He said: "However, the data on the water surface of Lake Balkhash and the Aral Sea that they have newly mapped are much different from the original data. ”