The scale of the Far East War had exceeded the estimates of the world powers, and China was fighting on four fronts at the same time, with the exception of the southern front of the Ryukyu Islands, which had a certain advantage, the other three fronts were only half of the opponent's troops.

The three million army offensive claimed by the Entente was not discounted at all, and France, Russia, and the Allies had already accelerated their final mobilization, and seeing that this victory seemed to be coming, Spain and the Netherlands were also interested in joining the Entente in an attempt to regain the territory they had lost in Asia.

Considering the German crisis it faced, Belgium had joined the Entente and sent more than 4,000 men to the so-called European coalition in the Far East.

By October 1901, the total strength of the navy and army sent by Russia to China had exceeded 1.42 million, and the total strength of the French navy and army had rapidly exceeded 1.17 million, and the so-called "Yarkand Khanate" also had nearly 100,000 troops.

Fortunately, due to the difficulty of supply, and the terrain of the main battlefield is too complex and harsh, the Russian-French coalition forces do not have the conditions for a full-scale offensive for the time being, especially France, which temporarily announced its participation in the war, and a large number of land forces have not yet been able to get winter clothing supplies.

China also has a number of allies participating in the war, and in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany, it can also continue to buy military supplies, especially the United States and Germany, in Germany, China is also secretly buying chemical weapons to make up for the lack of domestic chemical weapons research and investment, and in the United States, because the army weapons are basically the same, the amount of purchases is even larger.

Taking advantage of the huge industrial production capacity of itself, the United States and Germany, China's military strength and reserves are increasing at a very rapid rate, and the total equipment and inventory of Jiangnan Type 2 rifles has reached 2.1 million, and Browning rifles 470,000, There were 114,000 Jiangnan Type 2 carbines, more than 24,000 Browning light machine guns, 14,000 Maxim heavy machine guns, 4,700 25mm cannons, 3,550 152mm and 122mm howitzers, and 3,390 35mm mortars.

Relying on the support of the United States and the large number of troops and horses drawn from Mongolia, Xinjiang Province, and Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo regions, the "Qing Zheng Axe" organized a large-scale cavalry regiment of nearly 120,000 men in just two years.

Just spend one more winter......!!!

This is Hu Chuyuan's only thought at this stage.

In March next year, China will be even stronger.

…… Heaven is fortunate.

It finally snowed in Harbin, and Yang Zongli, who was organizing the retreat of the last main force, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although it was only a light snowfall, it also meant that winter was coming.

The troops have already been issued winter clothes, and Yang Zongli, who is not very accustomed to the climate in the northeast, put on a cotton coat very early, and there is a very beautiful black cashmere coat inside.

With a telescope in hand, he rode a horse and stood halfway up the mountain, watching the northern position from afar.

Artillery fire was pouring heavily on the positions, but the main forces were largely withdrawn, leaving the French and Russians with nothing but an empty city.

War always needs to pay, especially in such a grand strategy and plan, the brothers of the 943rd Brigade of the 38th Division of the Northeast Corps, who are responsible for staying behind in the position, ......!

Yang Zongli silently muttered in his heart, and there was a heartbreak-like cramping pain in his heart.

In addition to this brigade, there were units of two militia regiments...... He hoped that the brigade commander named Wu Peifu could truly understand his tactical arrangements, and after completing the battle plan, he would immediately disband his troops, disperse them into more than ten columns, and withdraw to the mountains to fight a blocking battle with the militia units, which were mostly bandits.

Whether he can hold on to Siping until March next year, or even Changchun, depends on these people.

After a short pain, Yang Zongli restrained the sadness and doubts in his heart, took the reins of his horse, and under the protection of the guard company, galloped along the mountain road all the way to keep up with the large army.

He didn't stay in Harbin for long, because he knew that he would stick to it here...... The damage can be very significant.

He carefully calculated that the French howitzers were relatively advanced, but the number was small, and the shells were even more insufficient, and the Russian howitzers were too backward, especially the dead weight was too large, and the same 155mm caliber was 1.4 times heavier than the Jiangnan howitzer they used.

This is the gap in industry, and the Russian howitzer also uses wooden wheels and traditional low-bodied chassis, which is a great loss in the Northeast, unlike the Jiangnan howitzer that uses a very special steel wire rubber wide coarse grain thickened tires, and the chassis can be lifted and lowered, and it can be pulled by a Mongolian horse.

As long as he withdrew to Changchun and blew up the railway along the line, a long distance of 220 kilometers would allow the Russians to climb for two months.

Remove.

This is the easiest option.

Large forces had already begun a massive retreat along the railway, the cavalry retreated in dispersion, and the reloading was one step ahead.

Yang Zongli is the last batch, and as soon as he leaves, the entire railway from Harbin to Changchun will be blown up...... His decision caused disgust among many people, especially Zhang Zhidong.

Fortunately, Hu Chuyuan is still supporting him.

Changing from the carriage to the train, Yang Zongli got into the carriage and just sat down, and the train left the station in a hurry.

The carriage was full of soldiers, and most of them had no place to sit, so they had to stand together in a crowded group, and they had to stand like this for two days.

The snow outside was getting heavier and heavier, and the veterans who had to endure the cold and freezing were lighting cigarettes, blowing the cold wind and facing the heavy snow, but they were happy in their hearts.

It's snowing.

It can survive another winter.

All preparations and intelligence for the counterattack are kept secret, and for these soldiers, China's fight against France and Russia is called the Triple Alliance, which in itself is a fantasy, and everyone's fighting spirit is not high.

People are always selfish.

This situation is particularly obvious in the Northeast Corps, and the Zhili Corps and the Qingxu Corps, which are fighting in a foreign land, are a little better.

Yang Zongli knew this very well, sitting in the carriage, he also lit a cigarette, silently thinking about this question in his mind, he knew...... It was the hardest battle he had ever fought in his life.

The person sitting opposite him is Shang Dequan, a native of Shandong, this person is short and fat, although he also graduated from the Army Academy in Berlin, Germany, his ability is very average, the only advantage is that he is hard-working, willing to suffer, not afraid of difficulties, and has a hard heart.

As the principal and deputy level, the two are already very familiar.

Yang Zongli couldn't help but flick the ashes, and Shang Dequan sighed: "The Prime Minister's calculation is good, there is no big victory in the northwest battlefield, and if we don't raise the morale here in the northeast, this battle can't be fought." ”

Shang Dequan hummed, nodded, but said, "Actually, we can also find a way to win a small battle to boost morale." A few days ago, the War Department sent a batch of new submachine guns, good guys are powerful, they sent us 6,000 at a time, if we use them well, we can definitely give some blows to the two demon moths of France and Russia. ”

Yang Zongli nodded, he had seen that batch of firearms, the lethality of the short-range output was indeed amazing, and it was indeed a real "submachine gun".

In terms of the level of equipment, Yang Zongli can undeniably say that their level is better than that of the Russians and the French, except for the Jiangnan Type 2 rifle, which is slightly inferior in range and accuracy as the main rifle, and the equipment in all other aspects is stronger than the enemy.

Don't dare to say anything else, he now organizes 6,000 people to fight a blocking battle, and with a large number of light and heavy machine guns, he can at least block tens of thousands of troops.

He just didn't want to fight so hard, and once he was surrounded by the enemy on a detour, he would lose miserably.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sneer.

Shang Dequan couldn't help asking, "Commander, what are you laughing at?" ”

Yang Zongli didn't hide it, and said: "I laughed at Zhang Zhidong's claim to be familiar with military books, but in fact, he is a military 205, if you really want him to hold the command, I don't know how many people will be killed in the Northeast Campaign." ”

"This ......?"

Shang Dequan was a little embarrassed, the Qingxu Corps he was in charge of was pulled up by Zhang Zhidong single-handedly, and the words that slandered Zhang Zhidong sounded a little harsh.

Yang Zongli saw that he was not very convinced, and casually analyzed with him: "You see, if we defend Harbin as he said, as long as the French make a detour to Xingshan, Yongsheng and Linjiang, directly outflank our back road, and directly trap us to besiege the city with more than one million troops, and the northeast will basically be lost." ”

Shang Dequan had to sigh: "The Governor is a scholar, even if he has the talent to govern the country, he may not have the power of the imperial army. ”

Yang Zongli was still a little contemptuous, and said: "Compared to the Prime Minister, it is really 108,000 miles behind. Man, that's incomparable! ”

Shang Dequan said: "This is also true, the Prime Minister is really powerful, as long as we can really delay until March next year according to the original plan, I think the French will lose badly this time." ”

Yang Zongli snorted and sneered, but he was thinking in his heart, hoping that he would indeed be able to support it until March next year.

…… Just as Yang began a full-scale retreat from Harbin, the leaders of the three Allied powers held an open "exciting" meeting in Paris, in which they could not wait to decide that the war would end within two years, and that the Allied forces would have to take Changchun before this winter.

Even in the cold winter, the coalition forces will not stop marching, they will capture Shenyang by the beginning of spring next year, and Yanjing by next summer.

The Northeast Battlefield became the main line and the first battlefield, and a large number of troops began to gather further towards the Northeast, while the Northwest Battlefield, the Korean Battlefield, and the Southern Ryukyu Battlefield had to contain the main Chinese forces as much as possible.

French President Emily Lubet made a public address to the citizens of Paris Square with almost a high demeanor and passion, declaring that France would take Yanjing next summer and end the war once and for all, and that he would bring all the French an unprecedented victory over the whole of the East.

Neuropathy......!!!

After reading the full text of Emile Lubey's speech, Hu Chuyuan laughed coldly in his heart.

After six years of reconstruction, Yingtai has completed a new transformation, the foundation has been adjusted, the symmetrical Forbidden City is due south and north layout, no longer oblique north layout, basically dismantled and reassembled, the style and design are also free from the shackles of the Qing system, with obvious classical Tang Dynasty style, and the use of a large number of marble substrates and relief technology, increase the modern beauty, the interior of the modern structure, conducive to self-ventilation, warmth, hygiene.

In general, in accordance with the planning of Hu Chuyuan, the garden owner, there are 12 main buildings, including Qinzheng Garden, Fengze Garden, Yingcui Garden, Huifeng Garden, Jingu Garden, Zizheng Garden, Ziguang Pavilion, Zhongzheng Hall, Juren Hall, Tiren Hall, Yi Nian Hall and State Guesthouse.

The State Military Commission's resident office was relocated to Yingcui Garden, where the State Economic Council, the State Asset Management Commission and the State Audit Office are also located.

In the center of Yingcui Garden is a two-storey building with magnificent eaves and purple roofs, and the other buildings of the newly rebuilt Yingtai are the same, a large number of crystal ink jade marble is also used here, and the overall color is basically black, red and purple, which is very atmospheric, and the scale of the building is also very large.

This is the new Prime Minister's Office, which began construction in 1897 and was completed at the end of August this year.

Hu Chuyuan worked in the large office in the center of the second floor.

As soon as he officially moved into the prime minister's palace of his choice, the first official business to be dealt with was the almost arrogant declaration of French President Emilien Loubet, a declaration to raze China to the ground, and a declaration to occupy Yanjing.

This feeling made Hu Chuyuan feel very unlucky, but he didn't take it too seriously.

In Hu Chuyuan's heart, war is a means, a strategy, and he just wants to use the Far East War to complete an overall improvement against China, so he is not in a hurry to defeat his opponent immediately and stop this war.

Whether it is the Northeast Battlefield or the Northwest Battlefield, the Central [***] team actually has no real strength.

This is a good thing, because on the surface it continues to be in a weak position, but on the contrary, the United States, Germany, and Britain are full of worries, and they absolutely do not want the Entente to expand their interests in China and Asia, so they are also increasing their aid to China and increasing their purchases of Chinese government bonds.

They used pounds, dollars, and marks to buy Qingyuan government bonds, which was actually equivalent to transferring gold to China, guaranteeing China's economy.

Throughout 1901, the military industry of the United States and Germany was also in the service of China almost as well.

That night, Hu Xuanyuan quietly entered Beijing.

When he came, Hu Chuyuan's family had just moved to the East Garden of Zizheng Garden, which was close to Zhonghai and had pleasant scenery.

Knowing that he was coming, Hu Chuyuan left the Prime Minister's Office very early, returned to the Zizheng Garden, and asked people to prepare some authentic Hangzhou dishes and warm a pot of Shaoxing old rice wine.

Warm rice wine warms the stomach, and it is still beneficial to drink a few more glasses in this season when it is cool in the morning and evening.

On the shore of Zhonghu Lake, Hu Chuyuan let people build a very special shelter pavilion, the pavilion stands on the rockery on the riverside, more than ten meters above the water surface, and is inlaid with screen glass on the four sides to block the cold wind, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole Yingtai through the tempered glass.

As soon as Hu Jinyuan entered the Zizheng Garden, he was invited to the shelter, and the old erhu Pinyuan was also called over, and the three of them sat in the shelter to drink and eat hometown food.

Hu Xuanyuan was wearing a suit, carrying a gentleman's cane and a black briefcase, combing the oily Sanqikai.

He walked quickly to the shelter, and saw that the eldest brother Hu Chuyuan and the second brother Hu Pinyuan had already drunk, and they were talking about something while drinking, so he smiled and said, "Ah, you guys are not waiting for me!" ”

Hu Pinyuan said with a smile: "What's the hurry, I heard that you have arrived in Yingtai, and my eldest brother and I let people serve food." The dishes haven't been served yet, so let's just have a drink first. ”

Hu Xuanyuan also smiled, sat down and said to Hu Chuyuan: "Big brother, we have almost done the matter of setting up France's gold reserves, and now, the gold reserves of the French Central Bank should not be higher than 1,200 tons, as long as France is defeated, this number will be very dangerous." Judging from the recent ......! ”

Hu Chuyuan raised his hand slightly, signaling that he was not in a hurry to talk about these things, and said: "It's rare for you to come to Yanjing, and it's rare for our brothers to get together, so let's not talk about these things first." ”

Hu Xuanyuan snorted.

When the matter is done, whether France goes to heaven or into the earth is basically up to them, unless there are other people and countries willing to help urgently.

Hu Xuanyuan was not in a hurry, and when Hu Pinyuan poured him a glass of wine, he asked Hu Pinyuan: "Second brother, I heard that you are going to take a concubine again?" ”

Hu Pinyuan quietly raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "This kind of thing is inevitable!" ”

Among the three brothers, Hu Pinyuan has the most women, his wife is Zaiyan's sister, and there are two concubines...... It seems that she has also become his woman.

Hu Chuyuan generally doesn't care about this kind of thing.

He and Hu Yuanyuan are much simpler, he is equal to Wu Shuzhen and Pan Limei's two wives, and Hu Yuanyuan is even more commendable, he has only one wife Hu He for so many years.

Speaking of these things, Hu Chuyuan couldn't help but think of He Jing. When He Jing married his daughter to Hu Xuanyuan, she really married the right person!

He sighed at the thought of this.

Hu Pinyuan couldn't help but be a little worried, and said, "If the eldest brother thinks it's inappropriate, then I'll put this matter off for a while?" ”

Hu Chuyuan shook his head and said, "It's nothing, I thought of the third brother-in-law." He Jing has been gone for ten years, and many people have been gone for ten years, yesterday, I heard someone say...... Li Hongzhang couldn't do it, he asked someone to send me a telegram, saying that he wanted to see me for the last time! ”

"So?"

Hu Pinyuan pondered for a moment, and said to Hu Chuyuan: "Big brother, no matter what he says, he can be regarded as a veteran of the Three Dynasties, and I am afraid that this face will be given!" ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and said, "If he doesn't say this, I don't really want to go, but since he said it, then I can only take a look." It is said that people are dying, and their words are also good, and I guess he has something to say to me. ”

Hu Pinyuan sighed and asked, "Big brother, is the itinerary arranged?" ”

Hu Chuyuan said, "It's arranged, I'll leave tomorrow morning...... To be honest, I actually hope that he will be gone before I get to Hefei, so I won't be too embarrassed. Since I started to inherit the family business, he has never stopped with me, and he has been fighting until the year of Gengzi. ”

Hu Xuanyuan sneered: "This old thing...... It's self-inflicted. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "I have both cooperation and personal fights with him, and after all, we have a friendship of twenty years. I still have to go, but he thought of more people, back then, when Zuo Gong and Mei Qizhao died, they were all waiting for me to see the last time. ”

Hu Xuanyuan thought about it and asked, "How about Mei Qian and his brother?" ”

Hu Pinyuan said: "The Mei family has returned to Shanxi, Mei Qian is the principal of the Nanchang Army Academy, and several other children have done business, and the younger sister is married to Qu Hongji...... This, you know, we also went to pay the gift money together. ”

"Then I know!"

Hu Yuanyuan nodded and said, "I think Mei Qian is a pity all these years. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "The Nanchang Army Academy is still very important, you see, one-third of the division commanders in each corps were born in Nanchang, and it is impossible for the Nanchang Department not to be reused in the future." In a few years, I plan to transfer him back to Yenching to serve as president of the National Defense University. ”

Hu Xuanyuan snorted and said: "That's okay, the Mei family is kind to us, if it weren't for Mei Qizhao and Zuo Zongtang, our Hu family's family business would have been carved up a long time ago." ”

Hearing this, the three brothers couldn't help but laugh.

See the light at the end of the tunnel.

They have survived so many winds and waves to get to where they are today.

There were only three of them at the table today, and they couldn't help but talk about some things in the past, some happy and some unhappy.

Talking and talking, I drank both bottles of old rice wine, and the night gradually deepened.

Only then did Hu Chuyuan say to Hu Xuanyuan: "You are here this time, I just want to discuss the matter of France with you." ”

Hu Yuanyuan pondered silently for a moment, and said: "Big brother, it's still the same sentence, as long as we ensure a speed to continue to absorb the gold reserves of the French Central Bank and the Gold Reserve Board, once France is defeated and the news is released, the French financial system will basically be finished." ”

After a pause, he added: "Speaking of which, the French themselves are tossing around, during this time, their military spending is quite huge, coupled with the national mobilization to build warships and military supplies, and to maintain the economy of Russia and the capital...... The situation is indeed getting more and more favorable to us. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and said, "I recently reconsidered it, and I don't want to expand the scale of the economic crisis too much. If possible, we will provide financial guarantees to France as soon as possible after the end of the war. "So......?" Hu Xuanyuan couldn't help but be a little surprised, he was thinking about it in his heart, and felt that the benefit was not big.

Hu Chuyuan said: "If there is only an economic crisis that forces a large amount of capital to move to emerging economies, it will be a good thing for us...... However, if the scope of the crisis is too large and the German economy is depressed, I don't think it's a good thing. In Russia...... It's even worse...... In general, I would rather keep an arrogant and incompetent Tsarist Empire than some kind of special revolution in Russia that we have no control over. ”

Hu Yuanyuan nodded and said, "I've heard a little about things there recently. Personally, I feel that Russia can stabilize at present, and it will not be particularly terrible, and once the economic crisis spreads significantly, Germany, which dominates the export-oriented economy, will definitely be the most affected. I've thought about this for a long time, and I guess that if we cripple the Entente organization, Germany will find an excuse to continue fighting. ”

Hu Yuanyuan's inference happened to hit what Hu Chuyuan was most worried about...... If he supported Germany against France in the past, he supports it now, but once he wins the war in the Far East, he will not support it anymore.

The international situation is such that there are few eternal adversaries, and even fewer eternal allies.

(To be continued)