The military power of the Qing Dynasty was nominally divided into two, the Beijing Garrison, the Shengjing Military Region and the Beiyang Naval Division were mainly controlled by the Eight Banners New Army, which was originally controlled by the Empress Dowager Ci'an, but now it is controlled by Prime Minister Gong Wangyi, and the Navy and Army, which are dominated by the Yuanqi New Army, are controlled by Yi Zhicontent.

The Yuanqi New Army is not only several times larger than the Eight Banners New Army, equipment and combat power, but also the two are not the same, if it is a unified military power, it is naturally dominated by the Yuanqi New Army, in other words, to unify the military power, it must be easy to be content and nod, and this supreme military commander is not easy to be content.

The long-term division of military power is not conducive to the construction and development of the army and the stability of the country, and Yi Zhixin has not thought about unifying the military power, but the time for the constitution is still short, and the transition has not been completely completed, and he is worried that if he is too hasty, it will give birth to chaos, so he adopts the most prudent method to mix sand and support the Manchu generals who actively support the constitution to ascend to the throne.

The rebellion of a part of the Northwest Army this time is indeed an opportunity to integrate the troops, but, as Su Shun said, once it is integrated, it will inevitably be justified, which is tantamount to forcing Yi Zhizhi to take up a post in the cabinet.

Zhao Liewen glanced at his father and son, and said: "Su Shun knows a lot about the temperament of the big shopkeeper, and knows that it is impossible for the big shopkeeper to enter the cabinet to serve, he should hope to enter the cabinet to take charge of the army." ”

Yi Zhixiang glanced at his son and shook his head, "It's not proper, the junior rank in the army is not prestigious, and it is not enough to command the military power, especially in the current situation." After a pause, he continued: "It is inevitable to enter the cabinet, and it is more suitable to be an associate minister." ”

Zhao Liewen said tentatively: "How many more years will the military system be delayed?" ”

"It's not worth procrastinating." Yi Zhizhi said: "The rebellion of some officers and men of the Northwest Army is extremely bad in nature, and the impact is also extremely bad. ”

Yi Zhengxing said with some surprise: "Did my father agree to join the cabinet?" ”

"I'm used to being idle, and I can't bear to be tedious." Yi Zhicontentment said: "According to the practice of a constitutional state, the prime minister of the cabinet actually controls the military power. ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhengxing couldn't help but be stunned, is this to hand over the military power? According to the previous discussion, Su Shun should serve as the prime minister of the cabinet for two terms, and once the position is decided, there will be more means available, and he will be able to control the military power in a few years.

Zhao Liewen said: "The prime minister of the cabinet is in charge of the military power in the name of righteousness, which is conducive to the unification of military power, and furthermore, it is logical to form a cabinet in the future and take over the military power, but it is a little early and the risk is a little big." ”

Yi Zhizhi said unhurriedly: "According to the system, it is stipulated that the prime minister of the cabinet actually controls the army, but whether he can really control it is a matter of ability. ”

After a pause, he continued: "The army is a war machine, therefore, the command system of the army must be well-organized, functional, well-structured, smoothly connected, flexible, and it must also be lean and efficient.

For this reason, I have repeatedly considered that the current military command system is still far from perfect, and I feel that a separate National Security Council should be set up, with a chairman, six vice-chairmen, and a number of members, with the prime minister as the chairman.

The National Security Committee consists of seven departments directly under it: the General Staff Department, the General Logistics Department, the Equipment Development Department, the Training Management Department, the National Defense Mobilization Department, the Discipline Supervision Department, and the Planning and Audit Department.

The eight major theaters of war merge the provincial military regions into eight major theaters according to their regions, northeast, northwest, north China, Jiangnan, Sichuan-Tibet, Yunnan-Guizhou, Nanyang, and southwest.

The Ministry of the Army, the Ministry of the Navy, the Armed Police Headquarters, all military academies, and the provincial arsenals are all directly under the management of the National Security Committee. ”

Seeing him talking eloquently, Yi Zhengxing was secretly surprised, it was obvious that this was not a lie, but the result of careful military deliberation by learning from the Western powers, and the other party should have begun to consider how to establish a complete military command system a long time ago.

Zhao Liewen was secretly impressed, although he only listened to a general idea, but from the framework, it can be seen that this command system is not only centralized, but also has a meticulous division of labor, clear levels, and mutual intersection is conducive to constraints, and it also includes military academies and military factories, which obviously took a lot of thought.

For this command system, Yi Zhicontent really didn't put much thought into it, it was purely a take-it-or-leave-it doctrine, which was a very mature command system in later generations, but he didn't remember it very comprehensively, and he spent a little effort to complete it, in fact, as early as the beginning of the constitution, he had already drafted this system.

Although this system is highly centralized, it is not possible for anyone to be the chairman of the Security Committee to control the actual military power, and if he cannot control a few vice chairmen and a group of committee members, it is impossible to really control the military power, and at least for one day, there is no need to worry about Su Shun controlling the military power.

Port of Callao, Peru, South America.

The port of Callao is connected to the Peruvian capital city of Lima, is the largest port in Peru, built by the Spanish in 1537, in the early days it was the port of departure for the Spanish plundering of gold and silver wealth, and it was also a necessary port for the European continent to go to the Americas.

After the founding of Peru, the port of Callao became the cradle of the Peruvian Navy, the gateway of the port of Callao, the natural barrier San Lorenzo Island, is one of the most important bases of the Peruvian Navy, and the Qing naval fleet that came to South America to mediate the war between the three countries was stationed here.

The Peruvians naturally warmly welcomed the Qing naval fleet that came to mediate, and for this reason they gave up one of the best buildings on the island full of Spanish style as the temporary headquarters of the Qing naval fleet.

Chief of Staff Guo Zhongmu took a telegram and walked into the headquarters full of maps with excitement on his face, "Lao Zai, Shanghai has called back." ”

Zaizhao, who was looking at the map, said without raising his head: "Agreed?" In his opinion, agreeing to declare war on Chile should be without suspense.

"Agreed, however, it must be resolved quickly, and the situation in the northwest does not seem to be good." Guo Zhongmu said and handed over the telegram.

Things are not so good in the Northwest? Zai Zhao raised his head and took the telegram, he naturally knew about the rebellion of the Northwest Army, but he didn't take it seriously at all, in his opinion, it was not difficult to quell the rebellion in the northwest at all, and now the foundation of the imperial court in the northwest is no longer comparable to before, and the northwest is also connected to the railway.

After reading the telegram, Zaizhao said nothing with a gloomy face, and it was still nice to say a quick victory, but in fact, he asked to complete his work in one battle, settle the situation in one battle, and cripple Chile.

The Chilean Navy is not weak, it can even be said that it is a naval power, due to the lack of strategic depth on land, Chile has been based on the development of the navy, plus the sale of minerals to make money, Chile's navy was originally quite large, and in the past two years, it has received strong support from the United Kingdom, and has continuously purchased warships from the United Kingdom, as the main warship, the ironclad ships are now as many as more than 20, and it is not reluctant to say that it is a naval power.

Of course, a naval fleet of this size can only dominate in South America, which is undoubtedly a world of difference compared to the Qing naval fleet, and their East China Sea Fleet alone is enough to destroy the Chilean navy in one battle.

But the problem is, people know the combat power and details of the Qing naval fleet, and the two naval battles in South Africa, the Qing Navy is already famous, and people will stupidly touch stones with eggs?

All in one battle? I'm afraid that I can't even see the shadow of the Chilean fleet, he is sure that as soon as the Qing fleet leaves the port, the Chilean fleet will go to sea without a trace, with the familiar understanding of the surrounding waters, people can play hide and seek with you at sea, they can't stay in South America for a long time.

Seeing that his gloomy face was silent, Guo Zhongmu lit a cigarette and said in a muffled voice: "Chile will not fight with us, a quick battle, it is almost impossible, however, our East China Sea Fleet finally got a chance to show its face, and we can't just let it go so easily, and the principal's meaning is also very clear, fight!" Cripple Chile! ”

After a pause, he continued: "Can you attack it and save it, and force the Chilean Navy to fight us to the death." ”

"You mean attacking its capital, Santiago?" Zai Zhao said and slowly shook his head, "This is unrealistic, and we don't have the ability." ”

Chile borders the Pacific Ocean, its shape is like a long strip of cloth two fingers wide, long and narrow, with little strategic depth to speak of, which is why Chile is committed to the development of the navy, the capital Santiago is not near the sea, but is located in the middle of the border, about 100 kilometers from the nearest seaport, Valparaiso, connected by inland rivers.

"The port of Valparaiso is the maritime gateway of Santiago, and if we capture the port and assume the posture of attacking Santiago, can the Chileans remain indifferent?" Guo Zhongmu took the map of South America and spread it out on the table, pointed to Santiago on the map, and said: "This is the industrial and financial center of Chile, once it falls, it will not be far from the country that will die." ”

Zai Zhao glanced at him and said, "The British fleet attacked Jiangning along the Yangtze River back then, suffered heavy losses and returned defeated, do you want to repeat the mistakes of the past?" Although the Chilean Army is not as good as the Navy, it is not weak, and the scale is not small, how many troops do we have in the Marine Corps? ”

Guo Zhongmu said: "Our Marine Corps has a small number of troops, but Peru and Bolivar have a lot of troops, we assist, assault training for three months, no matter what, it should have some results, besides, even if it is tofu scum, more can support the old sow, right?" ”

For the coalition forces of the two countries, Zai Zhao didn't have hope at all, it was really low in combat power, and the Bolivarian army was also full of a large number of Indian mercenaries, and the weapons used were bows and crossbows.

As for assisting the two countries in establishing regular naval and army forces, this is not a matter of overnight at all, and as for assault training, it is difficult to say what effect it can have; platoon training and live firing are both time-consuming and ammunition-consuming.

Seeing that he was silent again, Guo Zhongmu said: "The combat strength of the armies of the two countries is indeed lower, maybe the hard and bloody battle is not reliable, but the victory lies in the large number of troops, and the battle with the wind can still be strong and powerful."

Besides, let's come all the way to South America, and we won't go back without firing a shot, without firing a shot? The officers and men below were eager to fight, and they all held back their strength to reap the merits of the war.

In addition, Chile has an arrogant attitude, and if we do not give a little bit of a strong look, not to mention Chile, even Peru and Bolivarian will despise our country, which will not only damage the national and military prestige, but also seriously damage our interests in South America.

The principal should also consider it comprehensively, and then decided to let us fight in South America despite the tight situation in the northwest. ”

Speaking of this in one breath, he paused slightly, and continued: "In terms of naval strength, our side is definitely enough to crush, and this battle can be said to be won or lost, the difference is only in the size of the results. ”

Zai Zhao waved his hand to stop him, and said in a deep voice: "The combat strength of the two armies of the two countries is not strong, once the land war is stalemate, and the Chilean navy resolutely avoids the war, we will face a dilemma, and we may be caught in this war."

What is the situation in the northwest, we don't know now, the principal's meaning is very clear, I don't want a two-front war, if we are trapped in South America, it may affect the pacification of the northwest in the country. ”

After a pause, he continued: "Call back, reply clearly, I am not sure of a quick solution." ”

Hearing this, Guo Zhongmu was anxious, he was really afraid of something, and he said in vain for half a day, "Lao Zai, let's not call back in a hurry, think about it carefully, how about it?" We can't take things for granted or preconceive, we have to try it anyway, and test whether Chile's reaction is not. ”

"What are you anxious about?" Zaizhao said: "Such a reply is also to see if the domestic attitude is resolute?" ”

Guo Zhongmu was stunned, "What if you are not resolute?" Can you still not fight? ”

"Our interests in South America are definitely to be protected." Zaizhao said unhurriedly: "The fight must be fought, it's just a matter of time, and this battle in South America must also be our East China Sea Fleet, don't worry." ”

As he spoke, he pointed to the telegram, "This battle, we are not sure if we fight now, but if it drags on for a year, we will be completely sure, and immediately contact the two countries, and the assault training should be launched as soon as possible, in case we have to fight, we will not be blind." ”

Guo Zhongmu said with some surprise: "Is there still a possibility that you have to fight?" ”

"Quite possibly." Zai Zhao nodded, "Feng Renxuan was born in the Yuanqi regiment, and he is very clear about the strength of the Yuanqi New Army and the importance that the principal attaches to the Northwest.

I think there is a greater possibility of collusion with the British, and if this is the case, we will have to fight this war, and if you think about it, if Chile is not backed by the British, why is it so arrogant? ”

Collusion with foreign enemies? Guo Zhongmu shouted: "Feng Renxuan was picked up by the principal, and he is already a supreme minister, so why should he collude with foreign enemies?" ”

"It should have been forced." Zaizhao said disapprerovitically: "There is a rebellion in the Northwest Army, he can't escape the blame, he wants to keep his existing position of power, there is no other way but to rebel, this kind of thing has been seen a lot in history, and most of them are involuntarily." ”