Who would have thought that the first large-scale naval battle between China and China would take place on this day of the year?

Hu Chuyuan swore that he didn't expect it at all, but fortunately, he also felt a special chill, without the infiltration of multiple intelligence agencies in Yuben, and without the huge telegraph network he held, he really died I don't know how many times.

After the end of the Battle of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea lost 10 warships, 47,300 tons of total naval tonnage, and the East China Sea Division lost one Chaowu-class cruiser and one Xinyangwu, a loss of 8,500 tons.

All the media in the world reported on this incident at almost the same time, and the next time, it was said that Ben claimed that the standing fleet was only a routine inspection of the northern seas, but was ambushed by the Qing Dynasty navy and officially forced to declare war on the Qing Dynasty.

Qing Zhengaxe claimed that the Fuzhou fleet of the East China Sea Division went to Korea to station, but was blocked by the local navy, and the two sides fought fiercely in the Yellow Sea, officially declaring war on Yue.

Almost on the same day, Yuan Shikai expelled all the Yue himself in Korea, and the army used this as an excuse to invade Korea with the 6th Division and the 9th Brigade led by General Dashanyan to start a decisive battle on land.

He knew very well that it was difficult to do anything in the navy, so he could only lock up the port and prevent the Qing navy from landing on the mainland, and then use the elite army that had completed the Western-style reform first to occupy Korea, carry out large-scale killing and wounding of the Qing army, and deal a terrifying blow to the Qing Dynasty, forcing the Qing court to negotiate peace, and quickly end the war.

At this time, Hu Chuyuan was repairing in Weihai Port, and many warships had to be repaired in Weihai first, and then returned to Luoyuan Bay for overhaul before they could rejoin the war.

On the calm coastline, the breeze of the North Sea floats, and the salty, cold, and blue sea rolls white spray.

Today is March 24th.

Hu Chuyuan spent an unusually peaceful six days in Weihai Harbor, most of the time, he liked to wander on the muddy beach on the north side of Liugong Island, and had a premonition that he would eventually be swept up by this wave, so he summoned all the main staff to Liugong Island and stayed here for a while.

Most of his staff members are political and cultural undertakings, and most of them are officials, and they are still very good at engaging in political disputes with intrigues, but they are not good at engaging in military affairs, so he also transferred Lan Jianshu, Sun Daoren, and Huang Jianxun to serve as staff officers around him to analyze military intelligence together.

In his spare time, he walks on this muddy beach.

Shandong coastal bay is full of this kind of mud beach, that is, natural good salt farms, so Shandong's salt production is particularly large, as long as there is salt, Shandong commercial banks have a basic profit base, the follow-up is just how to invest the money into practice.

Walking on the mudflats, Hu Chuyuan thought of a lot of things.

Inadvertently, Ding Ruchang, the commander of the Beiyang Naval Division, and a Qing Dynasty official wearing a four-grade official uniform hurriedly walked over, even if it was their own people, Li Cunyi and others had to stop them, and waited for Hu Chuyuan to nod slightly before letting the two go.

Ding Ruchang, who knew what was going on, didn't mind, and hurriedly led another person forward, and respectfully bowed his hand to Hu Chuyuan: "Senior Minister! ”

Another person also said: "Senior Minister, in Xia Yude, now Ren Zhangjing of the Military Aircraft Department, this time I came to be entrusted by Prince Alcohol, and I sent a handwritten letter from the prince, if the Lord has anything to reply, just tell the lower officials!" ”

"Oh?"

Hu Chuyuan glanced at this person quietly, and felt that he was also about forty years old.

He had heard of this person, who was said to be Prince Alcohol's confidant, and only began to surface in the past two years, since Prince Alcohol took power, he also boarded the errand of the military plane Zhangjing, and also led the official of the squire in the household department, responsible for the investigation and management of the Daqing Silver Bureau.

In the recent period, in the military aircraft department, the household department, and the official department...... The dumping between Hu Chuyuan and Prince Alcohol is becoming more and more obvious, often the matter has been handled by the people of the Hu Party, and Prince Alcohol also specially sent another set of people to report to him alone, but Prince Gong is not obvious.

Hu Chuyuan is the kind of person who is very calm, and he is not in a hurry to turn his face with Prince Alcohol, he took Yi Xun's handwritten letter, took it out, and frowned slightly.

Prince Alcohol's meaning is very simple, since the navy has already won, can you stop fighting first, negotiate peace with yourself, focus on state affairs, and rectify internal governance first.

He also said that if the war is really fought for a long time, let the Russians also fight in, and the Qing army is defeated, it will really humiliate the emperor's prestige, I am afraid that there will be dissent within the clan, and the time will ...... If someone mentions the matter of the Empress Dowager Cixi, it will be troublesome.

After reading the letter, Hu Chuyuan asked Li Cunyi to come over and took a fire fold to burn the letter.

Then, he stood on the beach, looking at the coastline in the distance, and sighed after a long time: "The prince thinks too much." ”

Yude hurriedly said: "Senior Minister, no matter what, since the prince has spoken, we still have to do what he said, don't you say that's reasonable?" ”

Hu Chuyuan raised his eyes coldly and snorted: "How do you want to discuss between this official and the prince, do you have to take care of it?" ”

"This ......!"

Yude was taken aback, and hurriedly said, "Xiaguan is too talkative." ”

Hu Chuyuan snorted coldly, and ordered Yude, who was very unembarrassed: "You go back first, this official will return to Beijing in a few days to return to the itinerary and the war, and he will also personally visit the prince, so you don't need to pass the word in the middle." ”

"Yes, yes!"

Yu Delian claimed that it was, and hurriedly retreated, looking extremely embarrassed.

With such a simple temptation, Hu Chuyuan silently sighed, there is no capable minister among the Manchurians, and this kind of goods can also be singled out by Yiyun as a henchman, which is really sad, or gratifying.

Only then did Ding Ruchang persuade Hu Chuyuan and said: "My lord, no matter what, he is also the prince's person." ”

Hu Chuyuan said casually: "I'm just testing this person's level and personality, whether he has the qualifications and courage to pass on these words for me...... It turns out that it's just a wreck, and it's not worth reusing. ”

Ding Ruchang chuckled, he knew that Hu Chuyuan was just very dissatisfied with what Prince Alcohol said in the letter, and he was angry with a minion.

Ding Ruchang is also a fifty-four-year-old half-old man, with a thin body, his eye sockets are a little deep, wrinkles are stacked, and his hair and beard have long been gray. He is a person who dares to serve the country, but unfortunately he is not a real hero, in such troubled times, he does not have enough strong courage and insight, which is a defect that he can never change, and it is also the reason why Li Hongzhang likes him...... Easy to control.

Ding Ruchang and Hu Chuyuan continued to ask: "Senior Minister, does the prince want the war to end quickly?" ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded without concealment, but said: "I just take a fancy to this, and I want to use the army to save the situation, try my best to fight for a draw, and even use some weak people among us to win a peace negotiation result that is favorable to them." We have done too many things like this, no wonder people have such shameless thoughts. ”

Hearing this, Ding Ruchang sighed speechlessly.

After a while, Ding Ruchang said: "The day before yesterday, Lord Zhongtang also sent a telegram to the lower officials, to the effect that they all want to turn big things into small things and small things into nothing. ”

Hu Chuyuan snorted.

He looked around the entire harbor, and suddenly sighed silently: "I originally expected that I would start a war against us, and I wanted to rectify this place and rebuild a Weihai port that is ten times better, but unfortunately, it was a little too late in time. ”

Ding Ruchang immediately said: "My lord's heart, I and the soldiers of the Beiyang Navy Division have understood it, and I am grateful." It's a pity that time doesn't wait for me, if the new Weihai Port planned by adults can be built, I will have a world-class military port in Beiyang since then, and I will no longer be afraid! ”

"Perhaps!"

Hu Chuyuan thought for a while, and then said: "It doesn't matter, I have done this thing, if I can't do it this year, let's do it next year, if we can't do it next year, let's do it the year after tomorrow." I have already given this money to the Shandong Yamen, and it must be implemented, if there is not enough money, you will always come to me alone, and you can also go through the Zhongtang Lord. ”

Ding Ruchang was overjoyed and immediately thanked him.

He knew that Hu Chuyuan was a sign that he was going to put his hand into the Beiyang Naval Division, and the reason why Li Hongzhang tolerated it was nothing more than one reason - Li Hongzhang was 77 years old and could not live for many years, let alone control the Beiyang Naval Division all the time, Hu Chuyuan was only 30 years old.

However, there was one thing that Li Hongzhang did not agree to, that is, the Weihai Dockyard was transferred to the Fuzhou Shipyard, which invested in the construction of a new Weihai Shipyard, and at the same time used to overhaul the Beiyang Naval Division and other warships.

Looking at it now, Li Hongzhang is afraid that he will regret it to death.

As soon as the naval battle began, the fleet was usually stationed in Weihai, but if something went wrong, it had to go to Lushun for maintenance.

Alas......!

Not to mention anything else, the main fleet of the East China Sea Division this time could not be overhauled in Weihai Port, so it could only roughly make up the deck and boilers, and then return to the Luoyuan Bay base for overhaul.

It will take more than a month to come and go, and the fighter will be delayed.

On this halfway, you have to beware of the attack by the ship sent by me.

Ding Ruchang complained that Li Hongzhang didn't understand the navy and blindly took it for granted, but how could he have ever thought that he had never worked hard to fight for it and argued.

It was getting late, and the sun shone on the sea, bright red as fire.

Hu Chuyuan then returned to Ding Ruchang's Beiyang Naval Division's Admiral Yamen on Liugong Island, and these days, he temporarily lived here and did not go anywhere, quietly waiting for the results of the renovation of the Fuzhou fleet.

If he can't get this information, he is always uneasy.

In addition, he also wanted to see the training of the Beiyang Sailors up close.

How so...... He has indeed found a lot of problems these days, and the level of training is not bad, but the entire military discipline is a bit loose, not like a sailor, but more like a green battalion and a Huai army; secondly, almost all the admirals are Min people, only Ding Ruchang is the Huai army, and there is a lack of contact between the top and middle-level generals, and almost all rely on Liu Buyun to connect in the middle; The third is that the Beiyang sailors are very arrogant in treating those foreigners, and there is a strong populism.

Through these, Hu Chuyuan can confirm that the real soul of the Beiyang Navy Division is Liu Buchan, and Liu Buyun has also spread his bad habits to the entire military camp.

Liu Buyun is a talent, and he is also a general who dares to serve the country and sacrifice.

There is no doubt about that.

Hu Chuyuan planned to take him away, he planned to gamble on his luck and give a major blow to Liu Buyun, if he was lucky, maybe he would change Liu Buyun, and if he was unlucky, he would continue to let the contradiction between the two people expand indefinitely.

(To be continued)