In this way, Filimante followed this huge formation slowly towards the south, and he wanted to see with his own eyes the actual combat effect of the Baiqi-class battleships. On the sea, the fleet split the waves and marched proudly, and all the merchant ships in their course avoided to the sides. The Chinese merchant ships flying the Chinese dragon flag all sounded their whistles to cheer for their country's fleet, and they lined up in two columns to invite the fleet to pass through the middle, just like the people of the army who saw off their soldiers on both sides of the strait when they set off.

However, there were people who dared to stand in the way of the fleet, and even the destroyers that opened the way had to slowly retreat. Blocking the passage is the Chinese royal cruise ship - the Baby Princess, which is the only cruise ship belonging to the Chinese royal family and is classified under the name of the eldest princess. Since the completion of the ship, in addition to holding the first birthday baptism for the eldest princess on the day of launching, it has also been used once by Princess Miko to Japan. In normal times, it was used as a cruise ship to and from various ports in the western Pacific, and became the main means of transportation for imperial court officials to travel by sea. Of course, it is impossible for the royal family to support this cruise ship unconditionally, whether it is a government official or a large private household, as long as they buy a ticket, they can get on the ship, which also includes the transportation of goods. So it's normal for this royal cruise ship to appear in the South China Sea, but what does it mean that he is in the way?

Wu Deren, who is located on the flagship Baiqi, is also confused. If this is an enemy ship, then a cannon will do it. If it is an ordinary cruise ship, it can be sunk by any country that does not leave after receiving a warning from a warship, especially when the war is about to begin. But this is not an ordinary cruise ship, it is a Chinese royal cruise ship, and if the Chinese naval fleet kills the Chinese royal cruise ship, it will really become a big joke. But the signal light and the flag were also played, and the other party just said: The flagship stepped forward to answer.

"The front ship avoids, and the officer will go in person." Wu Deren gave an order. The White Horn sped up.

The biggest difference between Royal China Cruise and other cruise ships is that it has two flagpoles, one with the Chinese dragon flag and the other with no flag. And today, just as the White Rise sailed out of the queue, a tattered flag slowly rose, and the sea breeze blew this flag around. It was as if the broken flag was going to be torn to shreds completely. When Wu Deren saw this flag, he shouted in panic: "The battleship is in front, the heavy patrol is in the rear, the light patrol is cruising on both sides, and the destroyer is on guard on the periphery." Each ship is in a parade formation, and it is accompanied by the officer. ”

The remnant dragon is now, and the emperor is here. That's right, that tattered flag is the remnant dragon flag that Li Ming is on the Grange Terrace. Since the Tianzhuang Terrace, as long as Li Ming is not in the capital, this remnant dragon flag will be erected. Appearing here today. Then the emperor must be on the ship.

The fleet of the cruising formation was immediately transformed into a parade formation in less than twenty minutes, and Li Ming on the bridge was very satisfied with the high efficiency of the navy. Although he didn't know if twenty minutes was too much or less. Li Ming, dressed in a dragon robe, walked to the bow of the ship, accompanied by the head of the guard, Qi Muge, and the microphone was placed on the bow. This is a sound reinforcement system that has only been developed recently, and this is the first time it has been displayed in front of the world. Li Ming slapped the microphone lightly, and the huge horn set up on the observation deck made two heavy pounds. The whole fleet fell silent, and even the propellers stopped spinning. Everyone waited quietly to listen to the emperor's lecture.

"It's not like a group fight, and it's not interesting for you guys—"

Ah--this is the emperor's precept? Everyone's mouths were wide open.

Pontianak. The capital of the Nanyang Chinese Autonomous Region, it was once the capital of the Republic of Lanfang. Today's Pontianak is crowded with people. Everyone swept the streets with brooms or basins in their hands, and the officials of the local government patrolled everywhere, so that not a single dirt appeared on the streets, and then basins of water were splashed on the streets. On the wharf, workers carried a load of loess and fell to the ground under the command of the officials. Other workers then quickly bulldozed and compacted the loess.

"What? Not enough loess? Li Guanshan jumped up, pointed at his son Li Nanxing and scolded: "Go dig, go dig in Pontianak." If the loess can't be padded to the city, Lao Tzu will pat you in. Li Nanxing turned around in fright and ran.

Since Qin Shi Huang unified the world, he ordered trees to be planted next to all streets. Naturally, the magistrates obeyed the path on which he was on his way. Clear water splashes streets, loess pads, and trees are planted on both sides of the road. Since then, Qingshui splashing street and loess mat road have become one of the necessary preparations for local driving. Early this morning, Li Guanshan walked leisurely to the Yamen of the Pontianak Chinese Autonomous Region.

The Russian maritime forces were kept out of Malacca, but this was only a matter of interest, and the British would certainly not agree. The original plan was to use Pontianak as a bait to let the Russians come over, and then drag the Russians to death in Pontianak. However, this time, on the grounds that the Chinese in Pontianak are also a branch of our Chinese and need to be treated equally, the court sergeants and doctors strongly demanded that the navy defend Pontianak and prevent the Chinese people in Pontianak from being devastated by the war. Seeing the insistence of the civilian officials, the Admiralty revised its original strategy and sent the entire fleet south to block the Russian Navy west of Pontianak.

The righteous act of the imperial court spread to Pontianak, which naturally made the people of Pontianak grateful. However, it was also a big trouble for Li Guanshan and other officials, because according to the original plan, all the coal and ammunition stored in Pontianak had been transferred to the rear, and the food was just enough. Fortunately, the Chinese in Pontianak were also affected by the righteousness of the imperial court and contributed one after another. Soon all types of munitions were refilled back into the warehouses. The imperial court had already telegraphed to inform him that the naval fleet would arrive tomorrow, so Li Guanshan convened a meeting of various ministries today to confirm the arrival of all kinds of military supplies for the last time. At 8 o'clock, all the directors of the various departments arrived, and I didn't want them to sit down just now and didn't even finish greeting, so the telegraph room came to report urgently.

The full text of the telegram is as follows: "The emperor is on a southern tour and will come to Pontianak tomorrow." Order Lanfang to do a good job of picking up the driver, and admire this. "The payment is the emperor's palace.

When the telegram was finished, everyone jumped with excitement. Pontianak is a place outside the world, and the imperial courts of all dynasties have never asked, and since Kangqian, the imperial courts have abandoned it. Although overseas Chinese are brave and diligent, they have no choice but to be mermaids without the support of the imperial court. But since the imperial army ravaged Nanyang, the situation has changed, and the white people in the Netherlands have to look at the Chinese squarely, and the local natives can only look up to the Chinese. Later, the Nanyang Chinese had their own army and fleet with the support of the imperial court, and from that moment on, the Chinese really straightened their backs, because the army was a knife on the necks of the natives, and the slightest movement was a slaughter. Are there fewer villages that have "suddenly" disappeared over the years? And the white people who do not have the support of the natives. Because the number of people is too small, there are not many waves. So much so that Li Guanshan has the illusion that it is not the Chinese who are swallowing their anger in Nanyang now, but those white people. As for the local natives, whether they are white or Chinese, they do not intend to treat them as human beings, they are just laborers and coolies, and everything about the Nanyang Chinese today is closely related to the full support of the imperial court.

The Son of Heaven does not step on the ground. The Son of Heaven does not come to foreign domains, and there are ancient teachings. Now that the emperor is coming to Pontianak, this also means that Pontianak is no longer a place to transform into an outsider, and it can also get rid of the status of a foreign domain. The key is the word Lan Fang in the telegram, which has a deep meaning. No matter what, in short, this time Lan Fang must not lose his time.

So Qingshui splashed the street and the loess mat road, but Pontianak is not a mainland government, and there is no such thing as a guard of honor. It doesn't matter, gather all the craftsmen in Pontianak and rush to build it overnight. The Li family vacated their Zhuangzi in Pontianak. Used as a palace. The emperor is here, you can't use the old things that others use, and all the best brocade silk that Pontianak can find is brought. Go up to the mountain to catch tigers and go down to the sea to catch turtles, which is the emperor's imperial meal that never dares to slack off. Cooks don't need to be recruited, restaurants don't need to be requisitioned, all restaurant chefs take out their housekeeping skills to make a dish that can be presented to the imperial dining table...... In short, do everything you can think of.

In the early morning of April 12, the main fleet of the Chinese Navy arrived in Pontianak. The Royal Cruise Ship Baby Princess docked at Pontianak Pier under the guidance of a destroyer. The wharf was lit up with lights, and all the gentry of all the great clans in Pontianak were waiting at the wharf. Guards in bright yellow uniforms streamed down the boat. Then the emperor wearing a five-clawed dragon robe with a crown on his head finally slowly descended from the ship.

"Greetings to my emperor, long live long live, long live." There was an earth-shattering shout on the dock, and everyone bowed down.

"Everyone's flat." Li Ming held his hands in the air.

Li Mingshen felt that the scene of Pontianak welcoming the car was too big, but it must be a piece of Pontianak Chinese thoughts. It's not good to disobey. There is a temple on the pier, which is huge. It is not a god that is enshrined in it, but a pile of earth. This is the first time that Li Guanshan and others have returned to China to bring the countryside, and they took a handful and offered it on the dock. Later, as Pontianak's exchanges with China became more frequent, everyone who returned from China would bring a handful of local land. The small temple soon couldn't put it down. The local temple was changed into a local altar.

"This is a native mountain." After Li Ming joked a few words, he bowed three times with a respectful expression and bowed to the three pillars of incense. Then, after exchanging a few words with Li Guanshan and others, he entered Pontianak City accompanied by them. Pontianak has no walls, and there is no clear difference between the inner and outer cities. This is the first time Li Ming has gone abroad to a foreign land, and the different customs and customs have aroused Li Ming's great interest. Li Ming asked Li Guanshan about the local customs as he walked.

"Your Majesty, although Pontianak is far away from the mainland, seven or eight out of ten people living here are Chinese. Therefore, except for the architecture, the customs of this place are not different from those in China. Li Guanshan arched his hand and said: "Over the years, our subjects have inherited the emperor's grace, and the days have become more and more prosperous. It's just that the ministers are located in a remote area, and it has been rare for a long time to hear from the court, so I don't know if the emperor can set up a palace here to govern affairs, so that my subjects can often see the emperor's grace? ”

Li Ming stopped in surprise, turned his head and asked: "Lan Fang was originally a vassal of the former Qing Dynasty, and my China inherited the Qing Dynasty, and Lan Fang also paid tribute according to the vassal state rites above the founding ceremony of China, so naturally he is also a vassal of my Chinese vassal." You and other vassals asked the suzerainty to open a government in the vassal territory, and those who did not know thought that I intended to annex the vassal state. Is this to fall into unrighteousness? Li Ming's words became heavier and heavier, and in the end it was already a voice of rebuke.

Li Guanshan pounced and fell to the ground: "The ministers don't dare." ”

"This matter must not be mentioned again." Li Ming shook his head, raised his feet and continued to walk forward. The Manchu Qing Dynasty's kneeling ceremony has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it will take time to change back to the Han system. Li Guanshan waited for the emperor to take a few steps, and then got up and followed.

Lan Fang can't actually be called a state, he is actually a corporate management model, similar to the British Indian company. The Dutch were worried about causing interference from the Qing government, so they never made a move. But when the two Opium Wars completely exposed the weak nature of the Qing Dynasty, the Dutch took advantage of the Sino-French War in 1884 to invade the Republic of Lanfang. But by this time, the Qing Dynasty's own rule was shaky, and it had no intention of rescuing the country established by overseas "outcasts". Without the support of the Qing Dynasty, and the weapons and equipment were far from the invading army, the Republic of Lanfang was finally destroyed by the Dutch colonists. However, due to the fear of a reaction from the Qing government. The Dutch did not dare to openly claim that they had destroyed Lanfang, but instead set up a puppet state to rule. Historically, it was not until after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 that the Dutch officially declared their occupation of the Lanfang region.

But now it is different, China's national strength has recovered rapidly, the navy is crisscrossing the South Seas, and Lan Fangguo finally has a strong backer. So Lan Fang was restored. It was a landmark event that established China's control in the South Seas. So there is today's political show, first put the name out, the Dutch naturally do not care, Britain may call a few times, but at this time there will be no substantive intervention, after all, the Russians have already hit the door of the Chinese. But as long as China completely defeats Russia this time, Britain will have to shut up, because they will have to consider the price they might pay for a real war with a country that can defeat such a large fleet. Until then. Lan Fangguo is equivalent to sitting down.

In Pontianak City, there is a post at ten steps, a post at five steps, and countless street entrances are placed with incense tables, which are full of offerings, whole crabs, chubby sea cucumbers, and many seafood that Li Ming has never seen in his life. The huge lobster only took one bite, and Li Ming felt that it was a pity, as for the greens that were very good-looking. Just take a look. Li Ming passed by a street market and drank a glass of wine and ate a bite of offerings. After chatting with celebrities and elders, I was already drunk when I arrived in front of the municipal building.

"After all these years, I still haven't learned to drink this wine." After Li Ming laughed at himself for a few words, he blasted people out. Find a sofa and lie down and sleep first.

The emperor was drunk and naturally couldn't publicize this kind of thing, so Li Guanshan and others were all left in the municipal building and were not allowed to go out. Externally, he declared that the emperor discussed state affairs with the secretaries. However, at this time, there was a commotion in the State Council of the Zhonghai in Beijing, and the emperor was too.

No courtier likes an emperor with three ideas a day. Originally, it was said that the emperor's trip would be at sea for the navy, but he didn't expect the emperor to turn around and go to Pontianak. Although the navy swore that it would be able to stop the enemy from Pontianak in this battle, and although our navy far surpassed the Russian army in terms of the quality of its ships and the experience of naval warfare, the war was originally extremely accidental, and the Russian army still had an absolute superiority in numbers. An accident in Chinese history changed the tide of the war. Is there even less that has changed history? However, at this time, the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty did not care about the emperor, because they believed that the navy must have a way to send the emperor back safely. The immediate delay is in Irkutsk in the north. Liang Huadian, the general at the front, sent an urgent telegram that the commander of the Russian army, Kuropatkin, who was stationed in Irkutsk, demanded surrender?!

I didn't fire a shot, I didn't shoot a shot, I survived the coldest winter, and now I suddenly surrendered when the spring flowers are blooming? There was an exclamation in the staff headquarters.

Holding a white flag and following by several retinues, Kuropatkin slowly walked out of the city of Irkutsk with a pale face. For nearly half a month, Kuropatkin watched every move of the Chinese army from the top of the city almost every day. He watched as one Chinese army after another marched into the barracks, carrying cannons and boxes of ammunition, and he watched the Chinese erect the cannons one by one and aim them at Irkutsk. He also saw more and more Chinese army commanders begin to appear in front of their positions, holding binoculars and observing the incessant fingering of the city, a sign before the Chinese army launched an offensive.

In fact, Kuropatkin did not want to surrender either, but now the wounded soldiers are full of combat effectiveness, and perhaps the Chinese only need one charge to take it. In this case, it is better to say that the Chinese have surrendered before launching an attack, and perhaps in exchange for normal prisoner treatment. What the Chinese did to prisoners in Japan and Nanyang had long made the Chinese army notorious.

This time, Kuropatkin personally went out of the city to discuss the treatment of prisoners: "We are soldiers, even if we surrender, we are only prisoners and not slaves, and if you Chinese still use us as slaves, they would rather fight." ”

Facing the indignant Kuropatkin, Liang Huadian was disturbed and asked a little puzzled: "It is also a normal thing in Europe to let the captives participate in labor." Besides, we can't feed you in vain, you tens of thousands, how much food do you have to eat every day? ”

"Yes, as captives we can do labor. But we need to be assured that we will not be used as slaves by you. Kuropatkin became more and more agitated: "Reasonable working hours ensure that we are not abused, that we have enough food to ensure our physical strength, that we are provided with the necessary medical conditions to ensure our health, and that safe and warm living conditions do not allow us to freeze to death in the bitter cold...... In short, we are captives, not slaves. ”

"Do I want to pay you any more salaries—" Liang Huadian was furious. Shoot the case: "I don't think you're here to be a prisoner, you're here to be an uncle!" ”

"Your Excellency, captives also need the most basic humane treatment." Kuropatkin insisted on not budging, but his heart was already broken. He knew that if the Chinese refused his terms of surrender and then attacked the city, they would really have to be reduced to slavery. By taking advantage of the fact that the Chinese do not know the situation in the city, they hope to deceive the Chinese.

"Promise him first." Just when Liang Huadian waved his hand and was about to tell him to get out. Zhang Zuolin, the combat staff officer on the side, quietly pulled his clothes and said in a low voice.

Liang Huadian withdrew his waved hand and sat down, and seemed to be very angry and said, "I can agree, but you dare to surrender." I promise you won't have a living mouth. ”

"General, I can guarantee that. Let my retinue go back with my military orders, and I can stay as a hostage. Kuropatkin let out a long sigh of relief, but insisted: "At the same time, in order to guarantee your humane treatment of our prisoners, we need you to sign a document agreement and make it public. After saying that, Kuropatkin really came up with an agreement.

MD was tricked. Liang Huadian and Zhang Zuolin glanced at each other. On the pretext that he needed to understand the contents of the agreement, he temporarily left the venue, turned around and sent the telegram to Beijing.

"Wake up the Emperor." Qi Muge, who glanced at the telegram, decisively woke up Li Ming in his sleep.

"This is a power of attorney and a signed agreement issued to me by our imperial court. Now it's time for you to give the order to surrender. Just half an hour after the telegram was sent to Beijing, Liang Huadian returned to the negotiating table and handed Kuropatkin two documents.

"No problem, General." Kuropatkin asked for a pen and paper and immediately handed a surrender order to his entourage: "Your Excellency, General, would you please bring a doctor with you when you receive Irkutsk?" Too many of our soldiers and citizens are sick. ”

"The plague?" It was not only Liang Huadian and Zhang Zuolin who were frightened, when the translator said it, all the soldiers involuntarily took a few steps back.

"No, they're just sick. Scurvy. We haven't eaten vegetables in a long time. Speaking of this, Kuropatkin almost burst into tears. This battle was lost too unjustly.

The main thing is that the Chinese are too lacking in morality. They expelled all the Russian inhabitants of all the small villages and towns into several important Russian strongholds, so that the population of the city suddenly increased by four or five times. Food, clothing, housing and transportation have all become problems, and locals and outsiders have also broken out because of various contradictions, especially the arrival of winter, so that residential heating has become the most prominent problem. Kuropatkin's level of commanding the army in battle is not good, but he is very good at handling this kind of affairs. He sent troops to forcibly arrange for the alien population to live. and the wartime supply of coal and food quelled the riots in the city. Irkutsk, an important town in the Far East, has plenty of fuel and food in stock, and even if the city's population explodes, the current supply will be enough to sustain the entire city until August. This is also where Kuropatkin dares to let the Chinese carry out a comprehensive encirclement with confidence. Chita and other places also stockpiled enough supplies as bases for the attack. Although it is less than Irkutsk, there are also fewer people, and it is still possible to reduce the amount of distribution until June. But one key ingredient is missing from the stockpile: vegetables.

The winter in the north is long, and everyone often hoards a large number of vegetables to survive the winter before the onset of winter. But even in the cold winter, vegetables are easy to rot due to improper storage, so vegetables often do not store a lot, and it is good to eat enough. However, the expelled Russian residents came to Irkutsk empty-handed, and although there was enough food for other food, there were not enough vegetables. From September to December, the vegetables in the whole city were eaten, and green leafy vegetables were not seen for more than three months, so scurvy inevitably arose on a large scale.

"I have also paid attention to your army, and I have not seen fresh fruits and vegetables coming, but your army has not found any signs of scurvy, I don't know how your army did it?"

Listening to Kuropatkin's question, the whole room laughed. Liang Huadian waved his hand and asked Kuropatkin to go down to dinner, and he himself marched towards Irkutsk with his guards. Zhang Zuolin, who entered the city first, has already sent back a report that everything is going smoothly after being surrendered. Not only that, but Chita, Ulan-Ude, Krasno, and other places in Siberia also surrendered to Chinese troops in various places after learning of Irkutsk's surrender.

I really didn't expect that the original expulsion of residents into the city was just to clear the wilderness, so as to facilitate the concealment of our army's mobilization, and I didn't want to have such benefits, and not wasting my efforts was equivalent to picking up a Siberia for nothing. Liang Huadian, who entered the city, first inspected the Russian arsenal. Very good, all kinds of guns and ammunition are sufficient and properly maintained, and all kinds of artillery are neatly arranged. Coal is also piled up in fuel depots. Flour, corn and other foods are also abundant. But when Liang Huadian saw the soybeans in the warehouse, he couldn't help but be furious.

"There is no shortage of coal, there is ice and snow everywhere, and the room is warm enough...... Liang Huadian pointed to the soybeans full of warehouses and scolded: "Won't they send bean sprouts to eat?" (To be continued.) )