If, France and Russia had launched a full-scale war of aggression against China in 1900, what were the chances that China would have won the war?

The answer is indeed an unknown.

Let's look at China now.

By 1900, the United States was far ahead of 27.3 percent of the world's total industrial output, Britain accounted for 19.7 percent, Germany accounted for 15 percent, China accounted for 13.5 percent, France accounted for 7 percent, Russia accounted for 3.2 percent, Italy accounted for 2.7 percent, and the original accounted for less than 2 percent.

After 20 years of development, the total amount of China's textile industry as early as 1894 surpassed the sum of France, Russia and the three countries, ranking first in the world, with Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao four major textile industry centers.

In 1900, the American Steel Corporation was the world's largest steel co-production enterprise, with an annual output of 11.4 million tons, accounting for 87% of the total steel production in the United States, controlling more than 70% of the iron ore and coking coal production in the United States, with a total market value of 1.24 billion US dollars, in China, the 17-year-old Ma'anshan Iron and Steel General Plant is the largest steel supplier in China, with an annual output of 2.3 million tons of steel, 6.3 million tons of pig iron, and more than 74,000 directly employed workers. Tangshan's three major iron and steel plants followed in scale, and the steel output of the four steel mills in Fuzhou, Haiphong, Daye and Anshan also exceeded one million tons in 1900.

In 1900, in addition to the textile industry, China ranked first in the world in terms of total coal mining, total power generation, electrical and electrical industry, bauxite imports and total aluminum industry, and the total length of railway miles and total tonnage of shipbuilding ranked second in the world.

In 1899 alone, 73 warships were contracted to build 354,000 tons, and exports accounted for 52% of the total tonnage, in addition to the needs of the country and the vassal colonial countries.

From battleships, cruisers, destroyers, defense ships, torpedo ships, coastal patrol ships, gunboats, multipurpose patrol boats, to torpedoes, mines, artillery, communications equipment, ammunition, shore defense battery supporting facilities...... China can achieve a complete package of sales contracts, and can also provide long-term naval technical training and support assistance policies.

The data don't tell the whole story, China's development is still very uneven, the average level of education is still lagging behind, and 80% of the population is illiterate.

However, relying on a new intellectual class with a total population of less than 13 million, a vast domestic and foreign and colonial market, a huge land and mineral resources and labor resources of nearly 200 million, as well as two decades of practical movement and steady development, China has finally become one of the world's great powers.

Ben has always been very focused on gathering intelligence in China, and their politicians certainly understand what China means now, but France and Russia ...... The people, including the Chinese people, are still looking at China from the perspective of 1890 and are full of contempt for China, and the theory of the inferior roots of the yellow race and the inferior roots of the Chinese people are still their main remarks.

If China must prove its strength through a war, Hu Chuyuan intends to end everything with China's own strength, because China can do it now, as long as it can effectively inspire every Chinese.

The numbers prove something else...... It is indeed the wisest strategic choice to spread the war directly to the southeast coastal areas of China's economic center, but the question is...... Whether Ben can do this.

The last Sino-Japanese naval battle forced the company to adopt a defensive naval development strategy, that is, the strategy of small ships and huge artillery, which was an important reason for the surprise attack on the port of Yuntian Bay on the large island of the Ryukyus.

Ben must have had more ideas, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a crazy move.

Hu Chuyuan was convinced of this, he just couldn't think of it for a while, and Lu Guangquan and Lu Han couldn't say it clearly.

At 11:20 p.m. on November 24, 1900, 35 minutes after launching a surprise attack on the port of Yuntenwan on the island of Ryukyu Oshima, the official announcement of the declaration of war was officially issued, and he retained the right to carry out military strikes on the entire East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the Philippine Sea.

It is as if the navy is the third largest navy in the world, and the tone is arrogant and incomprehensible.

All night, Hu Chuyuan didn't sleep.

He stayed up all night, sorting out all kinds of information from the Fujian and Zhejiang Corps and the Ryukyu garrison, and urgently speeding up the expansion plan of the Fujian and Zhejiang Corps, so that Ye Bojun and Lin Yongsheng could make the fastest response and be sure to maintain control of the Ryukyu Islands.

All the propaganda machines in China were running at the same time, and the news of the war of aggression against China and the declaration of war against China were immediately publicized to the whole country, and the current military strength of the country was moderately exaggerated, and the long-term anti-China remarks were also reported in depth.

It is necessary to tell the people that the war is coming, and to tell the people why there is this war, and the reason is simple...... In the hearts of all people, the Chinese are not even like dogs, and in the hearts of Russians and French, the same.

Of course, you also have to tell the people that China can definitely win this war, and China has the strength.

As long as it's like that, it's right.

Hu Chuyuan doesn't care about the process, he only wants the result, and the result he wants is to raze Yueben and beat France and Russia without even knowing his parents.

…… The sky was slightly bright, and the artillery fire of the fleet was still pouring down on Wuwu Island like a roaring rainforest, and a large number of small ships were constantly trying to rush into Yuntian Bay to torpedo the fleet stationed in the bay.

Zhang Xiluan, who is nearly sixty years old, has fought all his life, but he has never been so nervous, he is not a member of the Fuxing Society, but he can command a brigade of the Fujian and Zhejiang Corps in the Ryukyus, and he also has the right to control the fleet in the harbor, relying on the qualifications of the Hunan army and the identity of a Hangzhou person.

Because he is a fellow villager and the old department of the Hunan Army, he had a very good friendship with Hu Chuyuan and Hu Pinyuan brothers in his early years.

At the beginning of the year, he also talked with Hu Pinyuan in Beijing, planning to retire from the army, and wanted Hu Pinyuan to do him a favor and ask him for an errand to govern a place from Prime Minister Hu Chuyuan, and he would be an official until he was 65 years old, and he could completely retire to Zhishi.

How about ...... now?

He doesn't seem to be able to care about this, after all, he is an old minister and old general of the Hu family, because of trust, Hu Chuyuan placed him in this position, if there is a mistake, where will he still have the face to go back to see the Prime Minister.

The artillery fire was so dense, and the most terrifying thing was the poisonous smoke, which spread throughout the entire Wuwu Island, like the legendary miasma poison, quickly corroding everyone's body.

If it weren't for the reminder of his subordinate Wang Linqing, he really didn't know that he was using chemical weapons.

Zhang Xiluan's helmet was lost, and the military attaché hat was gone, full of silver hair, holding a steel knife in his hand, with a body of anger but not knowing where to release.

His face was covered with puffy, purple-red scars, hot, like burns.

He couldn't imagine that there was such artillery in the world, and every shot would be a poisonous miasma.

Phew.

A long howl.

Someone rushed over on horseback.

The man quickly jumped off the horse, already holding a set of black clothes, with a helmet and mask on his face, covering it very tightly, and only in front of Zhang Xiluan did he pull off the mask, revealing a face with Chinese characters, about thirty years old.

This person is Wang Linqing, a native of Jinqu, Zhejiang, who graduated from the Nanchang Military Academy in Jiangxi and participated in the Gengzi War.

At that time, he was Zhang Xiluan's subordinate, and now he is the director of the construction and quartermaster department at the Ryukyu Oshima military base, with the rank of deputy regiment commander, in charge of the construction of fortifications and the supply of military supplies.

Wang Linqing shook his hand and gave Zhang Xiluan a set of black rubber robes, and said loudly: "My lord, hurry up and put it on, this is specially used for anti-poison ...... The last general has already been handed out to the soldiers of the battalion. ”

Zhang Xiluan looked up at Wang Linqing in disbelief, holding this black robe in his hand, and his heart hurt as if it had been cut by a knife.

Wang Linqing couldn't wait to re-grab the anti-drug clothing and put it on for Zhang Xiluan, Zhang Xiluan couldn't help but struggle a little, how could he wear such a clothes as a dignified commander-in-chief?

Wang Linqing had a premonition that Zhang Xiluan couldn't understand these things, and his psychology seemed to be a little broken, although he still looked normal and angry.

In other words, Zhang Xiluan didn't expect that he would attack him.

Who would have thought?

The preparation was too inadequate, and it was said that they had bombed three rounds of poison gas bombs before they took out the stock of anti-gas suits, and the quantity was far from enough.

Keep fighting like this...... Then you have to evacuate.

Wang Linqing knew in his heart that in addition to using chlorine gas, he also had more terrible mustard gas, and the entire Wuwu Island was already miserable, and even many soldiers hiding in pillboxes and batteries were poisoned.

"Your Excellency, ......!"

Wang Linqing couldn't help but shout, grabbed Zhang Xiluan's shoulders, shook violently, and shouted: "My lord, ...... at this moment!" ”

Before he finished speaking, there was a sharp sound of breaking through the sky.

The two people subconsciously scattered and jumped away.

Boom.

A poison gas bomb was falling on the street, and a violent white mist exploded.

Wang Linqing held his head and shrank to hide in a low-lying place, before the white mist dissipated, there were bursts of terrifying screams everywhere, and he even heard Zhang Xiluan's shout.

He hurriedly followed the sound to find Zhang Xiluan, but what he saw was a vomiting tragedy, Zhang Xiluan was just barely wearing a poison-proof suit, his whole body was sprayed by poisonous mist, and the muscles of his whole body were rapidly rotting.

Zhang Xiluan screamed in terror, wailing, spasming, and convulsing...... I can't live anymore.

Wang Linqing's heart seemed to be torn apart, and the pain was incomparable, the relationship between him and Zhang Xiluan was not very good, but it was by no means bad, he looked up at the sky in pain.

Pain doesn't solve anything.

Wang Linqing gritted his teeth fiercely, grabbed a big flag next to him, his horse was also poisoned, he could only run forward against the big banner by himself, trying to find a subordinate detachment that still had combat power.

In war, anything can happen, and only the best can emerge from death.

Under the fierce artillery attack, Wang Linqing and the other troops broke away, and finally found the 104th Battalion of the 23rd Division stationed in Maozi Cave. At this time, Wang Linqing learned that not only the brigade commander Zhang Xiluan had died, but also the two regiment commanders of the 23rd Division stationed here were also caught off guard and died in a poison gas attack.

Unable to stop the gas bombs and far from having enough ships and artillery, the garrison was forced to evacuate to the bay of Vunoi, which was a closed harbor and could not get out once inside.

The artillery fire was still bombarding intensively, Wang Linqing was hiding in the Maozi Cave, and Zhang Zongfu, the commander of the 104th Battalion, was with him, and the two kept discussing.

It is impossible to hold on like this.

Zhang Zongfu drew a general terrain on the ground, and said to Wang Linqing: "Commander Wang, now there is no suitable person to command, you have to stand up, our garrison originally had a brigade, and the navy also had a regiment of sailors and land battalions to defend, but they were all scattered by the army, and the damage was too great." Now it is necessary to retreat all lines to the Hayama Ridge, as long as we hold the Hayama Ridge and form mutual protection with the garrison fleet, the navy can only attack along the narrow Yuntian Sea Lane. ”

Wang Linqing couldn't help but ask: "Then if this army is fully landed, what should we do?" ”

Zhang Zongfu said: "Then what else can I do, just stay in Yushan Ridge and fight to the death, and transfer the wounded to Oshima." The Prime Minister's Office must have received a telegram that the battle of Ryukyu Island was not expected in advance, but it will certainly not give up, and will definitely send the main fleet to help, as long as we hold the Hayama Ridge and the Yuntian Sea Road, even if it is only until tomorrow morning, the main forces of the Pacific Fleet stationed in Ningbo and Luoyuan Bay will be able to arrive. ”

Wang Linqing gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, let's just do it." ”

The two discussed it properly, and immediately contacted the other battalions and companies through the telegraph and telephone in Maozidong, and withdrew to Yushan Ridge together.

There is a long and deep strait between Muto Island and Ryukyu Oshima Island in the front of the sea that blocks the tide, and it is called the Wingten Sea Road, which passes through the sea channel and is the Takeau Inner Bay.

In addition to the Yuntian Sea Road, there was originally a more open exit on the east side of the bay, and in order to ensure the military surname of this port, the military used a cement embankment up to 60 meters wide to seal the exit.

Therefore, this is a dead end, and once you retreat into the inner bay of Wuwu, you will never be able to get out again.

There are also advantages, no matter how many fleets there are, it will be very difficult to squeeze into the inner bay of Wuwu.

The battle had already reached 7 o'clock in the morning, and the Japanese army had already landed in the northeast and northwest beaches of Wuwu Island, and the garrison troops were killed and wounded by poison gas bombs, and the number of combatants was reduced on a large scale, which was simply not enough to resist the offensive of the four infantry wings of the Yue army.

As a last resort, the companies that were completely dispersed retreated one after another, gathered at Zhang Zongfu's garrison in Maozidong, and retreated to Yushan Ridge together.

Since the Chinese army mainly used poison gas bombs to attack, it had not yet dispatched a large-scale landing force for the time being, which barely left a respite for the 23rd Division of the Fujian and Zhejiang Corps and the naval division and land battalion of the Sixth Detachment of the Pacific Fleet.

Wang Linqing, who had been engaged in fortification construction and logistics for a long time, was a very careful person, and when he was temporarily pushed to the post of commander, he immediately counted the remaining personnel and materials.

Not counting the seriously wounded, there are less than 6,000 troops left, of which more than 1,000 are slightly wounded, and the landing force sent by the army alone is more than 10,000.

(To be continued)