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The officer on duty sounded the alarm, and the sailors who were resting in the cabin immediately put down what they were holding, jumped up from their beds and ran to their respective guard positions, shells and cartridges were constantly delivered to each gun position, and the guns began to turn direction. The whole fleet soon showed a kind of unfriendly sign.

On the transport ship at the end of the queue, the mercenaries were assembled just as quickly. In the officers' cafeteria, Philip was giving his final speech to his commanders. "Immediately after the arrival of the fleet, the troops will land in small boats, take control of the dock and disperse all insignificant personnel on the dock before the Chinese understand, but be careful not to shoot at will, especially at civilians."

A squadron commander named Stark looked at Philip worriedly. "Do you want the Chinese to obey our orders without using force? Ryan, it's simply not possible. "Why don't we put aside the bosses' demands for a moment and take more direct action?" he suggested. ”

"After Britain first went to war against China and won half a century ago, the Chinese generally had a sense of fear of foreign troops, and warning shots from the sky should frighten them." Philip explained, "Tony, we're not lone gunners in the Wild West, and since somebody is paying us and he's smart, we have to do as much as we can with him, not on our own." ”

Stark frowned in disgust and shrugged his shoulders, but considering that his wallet was still wise, he no longer insisted on his opinion. So Philip finally said to everyone: "Remember what the boss asked and what I arranged. Good luck. ”

Nodding to him as a salute, the squadron and squad commanders picked up their hats and left together.

At the same time, Mahan also gave the last order on his flagship "Baltimore". Soon, the sailing flag hoisted at the stern of the ship was lowered by sailors, and at the same time a huge American Navy flag was raised on the cruiser's mainmast - a signal for battle! Although it was a little earlier to hang it, only a moment later, the "San Francisco" in the rear also raised its own battle flag.

The colonel was very pleased with the performance of the sailors under his leadership, he turned around and smiled at his captain. "Now, I have made my intentions clear, and I hope that His Excellency the Governor will understand."

Tam did understand his intentions. In fact, when someone told him that three American warships were approaching Canton, he knew that the warning given by the American businesswoman who was recruiting new recruits in Canton Bay was about to come true, and of course his days as governor of Liangguang were numbered: three American warships were just a small matter, but as soon as one of them fired at the city, the court would immediately let him go.

Or to put it more civilly, dismissal and investigation.

Tan knew exactly what the outcome would be, but it was one he had not expected at all: the Italians had sworn that the ban on a small western company recruiting armed men in China would never provoke the US government to intervene, but now it seemed that such a guarantee was of exactly the same nature as the Italian Army - Tan remembered every sentence of the warning, "Whatever the Italians promised, their guarantees were as meaningless and totally untrustworthy as their Army", and he had to admit, The American businesswoman was right.

Apparently she knows the Italians very well...... Perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise in the slightest, given that her army had fought and defeated the Italians, and she must have known them well.

Only by knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent can one win a hundred battles. However, as he sat motionless in his study, Tan Zhonglin was frustrated to think that he had too little understanding of his opponent and the Italians to make an extremely serious mistake that could have been avoided......

But it was too late to understand this now, he did not have a chance to correct his mistakes, and the Americans did not seem to intend to give him that opportunity either.

"My lord," one of his subordinates reported cautiously, afraid that he would disturb Tan Zhonglin's thinking—but the current situation was something he had to report. "A few of your Italian friends said that the American warship raised the battle flag...... They have declared war. ”

"Got it." Tan Zhonglin waved his hand in disappointment. But after a while, he said, "Send a few men to protect the safety of a few Italian friends, don't—"

"My lord, when I came here, a few of your Italian friends went to the north, and I believe they are now safely out of the city."

"Got it." He replied mechanically, as if he did not realize that the Italians had left the mess to him and fled on their own; But maybe he already realized it and just didn't bother to pay attention to it, anyway, it turned out that those guys were not worth believing at all.

Then there was another silence. After a few minutes, realizing that there were other people in the room and not just himself, Tan Zhonglin waved his hand again. "You, go down."

This was not the answer the messenger wanted, and most importantly, he had not finished his sentence. "My lord, the American army has landed, and they are driving the people on the docks, and it seems that they intend to occupy the port......"

"Are there any casualties?"

"No...... Not when the humiliation came. The American soldiers only fired into the sky and drove away the civilians at the same time, and the three warships did not fire their guns. ”

"Got it." Tan said for the third time, and waved his hand - this time, of course, his reaction was not as mechanical as the first two times. The situation did not seem to be very bad, he said to himself, no shots were fired, no guns were fired, and it seemed that the Americans had not intended to solve the problem by force - there was still room for negotiation and correction of mistakes......

Just then, he heard a violent explosion.

On the "Baltimore", Mahan was looking contentedly at the results of his good lads, a large pile of wood fragments floating on the water; Just now, the cruiser's gunner used her two eight-inch front guns to fire on a cargo ship moored on the shore that had been forcibly requisitioned by mercenaries, instantly reducing it to the most basic materials that made it up.

The colonel was satisfied. Although the power of the eight-inch gun is still on the low side, and shooting at stationary targets at close range does not fully reflect the gunner's level, it is completely sufficient as a threat. He smiled, staring intently at the pile of debris until it was completely out of his sight, and then slowly turned around in an arrogant and nonchalant manner to look at the officials in Canton who had come to negotiate.

"Actually, an eight-inch caliber gun is nothing, and there are thirteen-inch guns with a larger caliber in the US Navy, but if it is only used to destroy the walls of Guangzhou, I think it is completely sufficient." He leaned forward, "Do you think the walls of Canton will be able to withstand its shells?" ”

The official who was sent to negotiate was already frightened. The power of the battleship's guns was only a secondary issue, and what was important was the malicious attitude shown by the commander of the American fleet in front of him; Mahan convinced him that if there was a slight error in his answer, the American warship would open fire on the city.

No one can take such a serious responsibility...... At least in the city of Guangzhou, no.

He panicked and said, "The lower officials ask your lord not to fire cannons into the city, so as not to hurt the innocent people, and as for other things, everything is easy to discuss." ”

"Sadly, I don't think there's anything else to be discussed." Mahan interrupted him and said in a cold, chilling tone: "Your Excellency the Governor has received a warning from us, and I now issue him an ultimatum on behalf of the Government of the United States, that he must accept our demands unconditionally, lift the ban on the Umbrella Company, publicly apologize and compensate the Company for all losses, bear all the expenses of the actions of the fleet, and compensate the owner of the cargo ship—"

"That cargo ship also wants us to pay compensation?" The official was stunned. He clearly remembered that the cargo ship was forcibly requisitioned by American soldiers, and in order to stop them, the owner of the cargo ship and the sailors on board resisted for a while until someone said something to him. Is that what he heard? Will his losses be compensated by the Liangguang Governor's Palace?

This is absolutely not a no-go. The cargo ship......

"Do you have any problem with the ship, and the cargo it carries, all to be compensated by you?" The Colonel's questioning with an obvious threat drifted into the officer's ears, causing him to shake his head in fright. "No, no, the Governor must tell the Governor what you mean."

"So have you written down all my requests?"

"Write it all down."

"Good." Mahan smiled, but then the threat was still the same: "Remember to tell your Excellency the Governor, he has only four days, and if he does not announce his acceptance of the conditions by the time the deadline comes, I will order the fleet to open fire on the city of Canton and send troops to occupy the city." ”

The officer almost fainted with fright, but in the end he persevered and hurriedly left the warship to report the unfortunate news to Tan Zhonglin.

By the time he ran into the Liangguang Governor's Palace, however, with unprecedented speed, the Governor's Mansion was in a state of chaos and a vegetable market: the officials of Canton, all but the unqualified, had gathered here, speaking out loud and exchanging information on what they had, trying with all their might to find out what had happened—in fact, they were all aware of the ban, but not everyone could link the American fleet to the ban, and at least half did not believe that they were really related. Unfortunately, at such a moment, no one can convince others to accept their opinions, only Tan Zhonglin can do this, but his figure does not appear in the lobby.

"Where is Lord Tan?" The official who had arrived to report the news shouted anxiously, but his voice was so low that no one could hear him in the chaos. So he repeated it at a louder voice.

This time, someone finally noticed his question and turned sideways to give him an answer. "Lord Tan locked himself in the study, and no one was seen." After a pause, not intending to know the result just out of inertia, the person who answered the question asked, "Are you in any hurry, Lord Song?" ”

"I have an ultimatum from the commander of the U.S. fleet to your lordship."

As soon as his words fell, the whole hall immediately fell silent, and every pair of eyes were focused on him, making him feel flattered and a little apprehensive.

After a moment of silence, someone said, "What about the ultimatum, take it out for everyone to see." ”

"Uh...... It's a verbal ultimatum. ”

"Content! What do Americans want? "That's the only thing people care about and care about.

So, with some necessary modifications, Mahan's request was repeated. It was only a moment before the silent hall became noisy again, and everyone began to argue fiercely again—only the content of the argument changed; Now that the facts have been figured out, officials have begun to discuss how to fix it.

But there is no point in such discussions. Soon, everyone realized that no matter what outcome they obtained, the crux of the matter always lay with the Governor, and only he could make a decision.

And, whether he is willing to listen or make decisions, at least he should know what the Americans are asking for.

The officials decided to go to the study.

Like oil poured out of a shallow pot, rows of bureaucrats of all rank sat there and flowed towards the door—but soon they stopped again, and then began to retreat and disperse: Tan Chung-lin, who looked haggard and looked ten years older, appeared.

He passed through the officers, walked to his place and sat down, and then began to say: "I heard that the Americans have issued an ultimatum. What are their requirements? ”

All eyes were focused on that Lord Song. He hesitated to take a step forward, but felt that he would rather wait a few hours if necessary, because Tan Zhonglin seemed to be terrible now, a lot like he had collapsed, and maybe any blow could knock him out completely.

But Tan Zhonglin spoke immediately. "What are the demands of the Americans?"

So he could only repeat the revised ultimatum again, and then cautiously and cautiously asked: "My lord, ...... look?"

Tan Zhonglin opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything; Of course, he had decided to fully accept the demands of the Americans, but at such a critical moment he could not make a sound at all, and all his efforts were fruitless. Time passed slowly, and the officials became more and more anxious, and finally, when they all couldn't help but speak, a housekeeper rushed into the house waving a piece of paper.

And this reckless guy is still shouting: "Master, Prime Minister Yamen is in an emergency!" ”

He got an unfortunate result that he didn't want to see at all: Tan Zhonglin fainted straightforwardly. (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )