Chapter 125 Treaty Events

On September 7, the 7th year of Guangxu, when the court was still routinely arguing about the Ryukyu issue, Qin Kai had already received a secret telegram from Schleier in Hue, and the telegram was only four words - the business was not successful! This is the code word of his agreement with Schleier, which heralds the news that the French cabinet has annulled the treaty signed between Li Zhongtang and the French minister Baohai!

That night, Qin Kaidian reported that Xu Shoushan, who is currently in charge of the defense of Mawei, and comprehensively upgraded the defense of Mawei, and at the same time ordered to speed up the outfitting of the new ship, and strive to complete the sea trial before November, and at the same time informed the shipyard to go all out into the construction of the ship, and strive to quickly complete the construction of another new ship. At the same time, let Xu Shoushan immediately present the news to Ding Richang and Zhang Peilun, Lao Ding can use it as a favor, and Lao Zhang naturally found the subject of waving.

Hue's defense level has been comprehensively improved, and hundreds of anchor mines have been laid in the sea outside the port and within the field of view of the forts, and the anchor mines are simple in workmanship, and the iron anchors that sink to the bottom of the sea are used to fix the position to ensure that they do not drift away at will. There are only two access routes in and out of the port, and it is easy to stray into a minefield if it is not for the small boats in the port.

However, the terrain around Hue City is indeed very bad, in addition to Hue Port, there are places for the navy to board 6 in nearby Phu Vong County, Fu Bai and other places, Xue has already sent two Vietnamese servant troops to station in the two places, not asking them to repel the French, just ventilate and report in time when the time comes!

This time, Qin Kai transported 3,000 Martini rear-loading guns, which was the only support given by Lao Li as cannon fodder, and this kind of British rear-loading single rifle was not bad, although there was still a big gap with the AKO2 rifle equipped by the main force, but it was also a sharp weapon for defensive operations.

The third battalion under Xue's jurisdiction is naturally equipped with AKO2 standard rifles, but in the fourth battalion of the ** guard, which is dominated by the servant army, it is still dominated by cold weapons, mainly because Qin Kai does not have enough weapons production lines at hand, and the 8O submachine guns and AKO2 rifles put into production are produced enough, but they are still not at ease for these troops.

At this time, Xue finally left him with 2,000 rifles and 250,000 bullets, and after making a choice, the elite units in several servant armies were equipped with new breech-loading rifles.

Qin Kai was worried about the loyalty of the servant army, but Xue had already arranged it, and he asked the officers in each battalion and a part of the soldiers of the Yue, Daiyi, and Tai tribes to join the secret three-battalion investigation team to collect movements in the army.

Last month, there were several new recruits who were inciting the new recruits to fight against each other, and he arrested them vigorously, and after interrogation, it turned out to be the former prime minister's half of the people who had slipped through the net, and secretly arrested a large number of relevant personnel in Hue under severe torture, and all of them were escorted to Fangcheng by sea to work for Zhang Kui.

For this guy to have such a brain, Qin Kai was also secretly amazed, he actually came up with the idea of starting this secret intelligence organization, which is a good phenomenon, but it is also a sign that needs to be cleaned up, his face sank, "Xue, why don't I know about this?" ”

Xue saw that the instructor seemed to be a little unhappy, and he was stunned for a moment before he realized the problem, and hurriedly explained: "Instructor, didn't you go back during that time, and I was also busy expanding the army, so I didn't rush to report this matter to you!" No, I've got a full set of materials ready for you! ”

After that, he took out a large pile of Wen Jiàn from behind him, respectfully handed it to Qin Kai, and took a look at it, this guy's homework was done well, the full list and the list of the investigation team members of the 12 Vietnamese battalions were neatly listed.

Qin Kai nodded at this time, it can be regarded as the application of this guy, after reading some information, it is indeed the same, there are at least ten or more people in the 12 Vietnamese battalions, and the information collected is delivered by the Chinese officers of each battalion, which also ensures the secrecy.

He smiled and nodded, "Xue, did you come up with this matter yourself?" ”

"Instructor, yes, I'm just afraid that these Vietnamese boys are not honest, guarding this little Vietnamese king is a big task, how can I not be careful everywhere!" Xue saw that the instructor was very satisfied with the private work he did, so he naturally became proud!

"It's really a good job, I have a small Jianyi, at least two or more liaison officers are set up in each battalion, each responsible for a group of eyeliner, the same intelligence, you can hear different voices, can prevent the distortion of message transmission!" This intelligence work is Qin Kai's strong point, and in later generations, he will tinker with this all day long, and the setting of this multi-line message chain is just the most common trick. ,

However, when he heard Xue's ears, this guy was a smart man, and he immediately understood the benefits of such a setup, and after thinking about it, this benefit was not only what the instructor said to ensure that it was not distorted, but also could effectively protect these eyeliners under his hands.

Qin Kai continued: "Xue, you should think about this matter carefully, and do your best to cultivate some talented talents from the Chinese officers and soldiers, and build your intelligence system!" I'm leaving tomorrow, you take a good look at Hue, the fourth battalion on Ma Long's side, you have a good discussion with him, these Vietnamese soldiers can improve their treatment, especially veterans, but make sure to be loyal! ”

"Instructor, these newly recruited Vietnamese boys are all recruited in the mountain village according to your previous teaching ideas, they are all recruited in the mountain village, they are honest and obedient, these boys lie in the mountain nest, they can't eat a full meal a day, and now they have a full meal, and they pay 300 wen a month, and they are ......all happy."

"Yes! Very good, Xue, the military minutes of these four battalions should be treated completely equally, and they should not be relaxed, I pondered that the French were about to go to war, and Hue would be a lonely city at that time, and you would have to send heavy troops to protect the telegraph office, remember! The local soldiers and horses in the surrounding prefectures and counties, you consider sending people to collect them, if necessary, it is also useful as cannon fodder, Wu Jing, the general soldier of Guangyi in the south, I have another plan, now the war is imminent, before the French are defeated, if it is not necessary, I will not move these people for the time being! ”

Qin Kai said while thinking about it, now with such a big plate, he feels that he is definitely not a qualified strategist, but he has an advantage that is impossible for a strategist, and we have mastered the great process of history.

"Instructor, where is the fleet going? The French are too strong at sea, you have to be careful! Xue was the only one of Qin Kai's several student officers who had been crushed by the cannons of the French fleet, and he was naturally not afraid of the bombardment of the huge cannons on the twenty battleships, but the experience of being suppressed outside the range undoubtedly aroused his determination to fight the French.

"The battle provoked by the French this time must still come from the sea, Xue, remember, the pattern of war is changing, although the most important thing in the war is food, but now more important than food is some other things in the army's logistics support, such as bullets, shells, yao products, etc., you defend Hue, you should also pay attention to these aspects!" ——

On September 8, Li Hongzao, the leader of the Qing Dynasty in the court, had received the news from Zhang Peilun that the French had vetoed the "Li-Bao Sino-French Contract", which was originally denounced by the Qing Dynasty as a traitorous treaty, but above the Manchu Dynasty, except for Li Zhongtang, there was no second person who could negotiate this matter with the French, and the Empress Dowager Cixi was also noncommittal on this matter.

At this point, the ministers who can stand in the court know that this queen mother doesn't care about anything, but she can't lose this imperial power and stability at all. This woman, no one dares to say that she is an incompetent person, playing a power game, in this court, the eight ministers of Emperor Xianfeng's order, who was not the patriarch of the court, was not killed by this insidious woman one by one.

But when it comes to political affairs, this woman is almost a vase, and the current government is completely at the disposal of Prince Gong, but who knows when this position will be changed again!

Li Hongzao immediately asked people to recruit Chen Baochen, Bao Ting, Weng Tongyi, Pan Zuyin, these Qingliu cadres, when he told the news, everyone was shocked, originally the court thought that the affairs of Vietnam were stable, after all, the two countries signed a contract, and the French relied on the navy also suffered a defeat.

What I didn't expect was that now the situation has taken a turn for the worse, since the French have rejected this contract, then the next plan is nothing more than two, one is to continue to negotiate for greater interests, and the second is to continue negotiations after going to war to obtain benefits. However, the topics discussed by these bigwigs have nothing to do with this war, what they care about is that this is an excellent opportunity to attack Li Zhongtang of the Huai Army, and the war is just a game outside the country.

Pan Zuyin laughed and said: "Everyone, this time the imperial court sent Li Zhongtang to negotiate with the French minister, this treaty is full of content of losing power and humiliating the country, and it doesn't care about the vassal states. ”

"What Pan Shilang said is extremely true, tomorrow morning he will impeach me about this matter, just take this opportunity to abolish the treaty signed by Li Zhongtang, I recommend the Marquis Zeng to negotiate with the French, with the ability of the Marquis Zeng, it will definitely make the French retreat, so as to make Li Zhongtang a big embarrassment!" Chen Baochen on the side said with a smile. ,

Li Hongzao smiled slightly, what he wanted was this effect, the Huai army was getting bigger, the smaller the power and responsibility of the Beijing Division, seize every opportunity to weaken the power of the Huai army, that was the common voice of the Manchu Qingliu, the royal family, and the Manchu relics, and if they did what they all wanted to do, the more stable the position would be.

"A few said, that's true, I'm also going to start the emperor and the queen mother tomorrow, since the French are ready to abolish this treaty, then we should deal with this matter in advance, one is to recruit the French minister to question, so that they understand that the majesty of the Tian Dynasty should not be lightly offended, and the other is to let the emperor issue an edict, let Li Zhongtang introspect his mistakes, I am ready to mention yì let Zuo Dashuai sit in Nanyang, so that the power of the Huai army can not reach out to Vietnam!"

Bao Ting and Weng Tongyi casually seconded the proposal, but it was proposed that now Vietnam has the Huai Army Qingzi Army stationed there, if it is a war, and the Huai Army has made contributions, this Li Zhongtang will not turn over! Therefore, it was agreed that on the second day, they would report to the emperor and the queen mother, and the left marshal of the Hunan army system would deal with the affairs of Vietnam, and now Liu Kunyi, the minister of Nanyang, is also an old Hunan army.

And the Yamen, the governor of Tianjin Weizhili, today is also destined to be a not peaceful day, through the way to Ding Richang, Li Zhongtang also knew the news for the first time, for the source of the news, he is naturally convinced, Ding Richang is a rare stability, without a sure grasp, will never pass on such an important information.

Moreover, on the other hand, it also confirmed the accuracy of this news, the French minister Baohai, who had been stationed in Tianjin, was suddenly unable to get in touch, and there was no news of the French minister in Beijing.

At this time, the high-level officials of the Huai military system in the governor's yamen gathered together, and Zhou Fu first explained the news in detail, and repeatedly affirmed that the news was basically accurate.

"Wushan, how long will it take for Wu Changqing to get the news?" Li Zhongtang mentioned the matter of this front line first, and he understood very well that this military victory or defeat was the key point in determining his position.

"In the afternoon, I have already sent a telegram to Guiyang, and it is estimated that I will get the news within two days!"

Li Zhongtang sighed, and then looked at the civil and military attachés who were gathered below, "Princess, you see how to deal with this matter, I expect that within a few days, the court will quarrel over this matter!" This refers to the old man, of course! ”

Pan Dingxin, the head of the Dingzi Army, who had just been transferred back from Guangxi, was the first to stand up, "My lord, since the French are going to fight, Xia Guan will take people to Vietnam by sea, assist Wu Changqing, and fight with them over there!" ”

Li Zhongtang frowned, this old Pan is this point, before he fought, he was killed by the bandits, and now he is shouting to fight with the French again, he is really not afraid of the wind and fanning his tongue, "Dingxin, you are back, you can still catch up, anyway, Wu Changqing is over there, I have ordered the border troops of Guangxi and Yunnan to be under his control, and there is no shortage of your battalions." The soldiers and horses lost this time, you hurry up and recruit Manluo! ”

When Pan Dingxin heard this, no matter how thick-skinned he was, he couldn't help but blush, and sat down silently, this is indeed a tricky matter, but everyone understands that this matter can't shake the foundation of the Huai Army, and they all seem to be thinking about it for a while.

At this time, a young man behind Zhou Fu whispered something in his ear, Li Zhongtang glanced at it, and recognized that this was this year's new science and technology jinshi, Yang Shixiang, who was edited by Guan Shou Hanlin, who had only been transferred for two months, and was now the clerical supervisor under Zhou Fu, thinking that he was called to make records, so he asked: "Yang Shixiang, what do you have to say, say it out loud and listen to it!" ”

Zhou Fu nodded at Yang Shixiang, who hurriedly bowed out, and calmly arched his hand and said: "My lord, the lower officials are also a little foolish, I thought that this matter should be sooner rather than later, since we know that at this time, it is difficult to ensure that some people in the Beijing division also know, how can there be news that can be concealed in the officialdom of the Beijing division, I think that this matter should be dealt with from two aspects!" First, immediately reported to the imperial court, saying that the Vietnamese French had a strange move, the Qingzi army had taken the lead, and according to the danger, the court wanted to move the Qingzi army and had no way, and second, please ask the imperial court to issue an order to order Liu Kunyi, the minister of Nanyang, to assist in the defense of Vietnam by sea! ”

Li Zhongtang heard the mention of Liu Kunyi's name, his eyes flashed, he raised his eyes to look at Yang Shixiang, and secretly said in his heart, this young man is not simple, he can come up with such a check and balance strategy when he first enters the officialdom, this is quite similar to his idea, this time the court will inevitably dispute the command of the French operation, the command of the 6th Army in Guangxi and Yunnan, he must fight, and no one else has the strength to compete with him. ,

Zuo Dashuai's army is still in Xinjiang, although the treaty over there has been signed, every year or two, it will not be stable at all, and the old soldiers of the Hunan army have long been dismissed, that is, there are still some in Taiwan and Fujian, but they are all too old to be used, and it is almost impossible to recruit troops now.

Although the Nanyang Naval Division had a small victory over the French in the previous stage, the French did not hurt their muscles at all, and he also found out the news that the French had increased the navy and the 6th Army in the Far East again in half a year, which was revealed to him privately by the British Minister Sir Wittoma, and he was convinced of this.

Sir Wittoma made it clear to him that Britain would maintain a neutral position in the event of a war between China and France, and that Britain supported the two countries in resolving the dispute over Vietnam through negotiations, which was also his original intention to try to figure out the negotiations and achieve results even if concessions were made.

Now, however, he was skeptical of the news that the French were willing to divide their sphere of influence along the Red River in Vietnam, which had been contracted, after all, he had made heavy concessions, but the French were clearly not satisfied with the result.

He stroked his beard and nodded calmly, "Something interesting!" However, Yang Shixiang, do you know that the French navy is far superior to mine, and this Guangzhou naval division in Liu Kun's hand is unusable! ”

"My lord, you are the Minister of Beiyang, Liu Kunyi is the Minister of Nanyang, isn't there a Nanyang Navy Master over there, if the Minister of Nanyang can't manage the affairs of the South China Sea, that's his problem, how to deal with it, and it has nothing to do with our Beiyang, and I expect that this Westerner must have used the navy to attack North Vietnam first! Of course, if you want our Beiyang assistance, then you can also act cheaply! ”

Li Zhongtang's slightly closed eyes suddenly opened, stared at Yang Shixiang twice, nodded slightly, and looked at the others present, "Look, is Yang Shixiang's proposal feasible?" ”

Zhou Fu has been following Li Zhongtang for decades, and he didn't know Zhongtang's original intention, so he immediately got up and said, "My lord, Yang Hanlin's analysis is very reasonable!" ”

Qin Kai had already left Hue at this time and headed south along the coastline of Vietnam, the fleet dragged a regular triangle, and the two wooden-hulled warships "Cheng Khanh" and "Wu" were far behind, and the purpose of his trip was to the front line of the Vietnam-France war.

On the same day, an important military meeting was being held in the residence of Lu Mei, the governor of Jiaozhichina, Zigong, South Vietnam, but it was not Governor Lu Mei who presided over the meeting, but the commander of the French Far East Fleet in Jiaozhichina!