Boasting is not a draft, and a proverb from the Oriental folk is quoted as a huge black font that is printed on the front pages of major newspapers in various countries, and of course it is translated into the words of various countries. And the question of the Eastern Emperor quoted in the article is worth recalling.

"I don't think the results of the US investigation are necessarily true, otherwise why destroy the evidence in such a hurry."

"What is not necessarily true, I think it is fake. It's still a good saying in the Qing Dynasty, isn't this just bragging, and you don't even make a fake. ”

"The Americans are so ruthless that they even kill their own soldiers."

……

And the most mainstream version is: "The Americans see that the Cubans are about to win, and they are afraid that the Cubans will be recognized by the world after independence, so they will not be able to do it." So it was estimated that the Spaniards would destroy the Maine before they were defeated, so that there would be an excuse to attack Cuba, because the Americans were going to occupy Cuba. ”

The United States is a capitalist government, and the government's policies are capital policies, and the issuance and implementation of all policies are aimed at maximizing capital profits. At present, the United States is saturated with domestic capital, and several foreign investments have been blocked by old powers such as Britain and France, and it is not easy to send them to the East, but a series of inexplicable wars have caused heavy losses to American capital. It was not easy to wait for the situation in the Qing State to be stable, but it was difficult to import it due to various administrative obstacles in the Qing State. The Cuban and Philippine archipelagos were both economically important and could serve as strategic bases for the expansion of the United States into South America and Asia, respectively, and these places happened to be the territories of the declining Spain, and the armed struggle of the people of Cuba and the Philippines against Spanish colonial rule held back a large number of Spanish troops. This is a good time to occupy these places under the pretext of protecting the diaspora.

But the plan is not as good as the change, and something happened in the Philippines. The Qing country's Jiang Xi exploded before the American Maine, which is not a problem. The problem is that compared to what the United States has done, Qing Guo can be said to be fair. When the people of various European countries talk about the bombing of the USS Maine, they all express their distrust of the United States. If this kind of rhetoric is only in Europe, the problem is that it is all over the United States. Spain even complained everywhere that the United States deliberately blamed Spain for blowing up and sinking its own warships, so as to declare war on Spain under this pretext, and the ultimate goal was to occupy Cuba and the Philippines. The four questions of the Qing Emperor are the best proof of this.

What to do? What to do? Roosevelt was about to pull all the hair off his head, and he couldn't figure out how to deal with the civil inquiries at home. And McKinley beside him also looked like a bitter melon. He explained to the outside world that the Maine was towed away from the port of Havana because he was afraid that the Spaniards would destroy the evidence, so he was in a hurry to tow it back to China for inspection, and the reason why it sank was because of the dereliction of duty of the tugboat. It's okay not to explain, but it's more troublesome to explain. People asked directly, why are you going to be dragged back to the Atlantic? Not to mention the question of why there is no water column in the explosion of a mine, people directly ask whether this is a new weapon invented by the United States? Thinking of this, McKinley wanted to strangle the Qing Emperor to death. If you want the Philippines, go for it. It's a big deal, I don't want to always do it in the United States. The United States is separated by 108,000 miles from the Qing Dynasty, does the matter of Cuba have anything to do with you? You've got a question. Well? Thread! Oh, this is what his assistant learned from a Qing student, and it is said to be a folk saying. It is very good to fight with the sentence "bragging and not drafting", it seems that the Qing Kingdom in the East is indeed a mysterious country. That's right. This "have to fight" seems to be a common saying in the Qing Dynasty. What are you thinking about, and I want to think about countermeasures.

A lie is a lie, and the key is to tell a lie that will never come back, which has caused the international image of the United States to plummet. At this time, the most common impression of the European countries of the United States was that of the nouveau riche, and this was the result of the fact that the United States had no strong enemy between the two oceans, and it took advantage of the temporary lack of military development to vigorously develop its economy. This has already made European countries very unhappy, and now the United States has revealed its wolf ambitions when it sees that its economy is strong, and it is necessary to suppress American ambitions. As a result, all countries are attacking the United States for its lies, and Spain is even more forceful in demanding an apology from the United States. How can this be done, the United States came out to apologize at a time when it was seeking equal status among the European powers. This is completely unacceptable.

"Mr. President, it seems to me that I should simply resign and say that I am responsible." Roosevelt stood up: "I also happened to take this opportunity to lead the American ** team to fight in Cuba, I have already thought about it, and I am ready to form a volunteer regiment to participate in the war." ”

"No, no, no, Theodore. It's not that time yet. McKinley hesitated for a moment and said, "Don't worry about the outside world, we just need to get everything ready and beat Spain." Man, as long as we can finally win against Spain, that's not a problem. ”

Roosevelt nodded and walked quickly away from the Capitol, he was now going to start preparing to form a volunteer corps.

In Beijing, Guangxu hurriedly summoned Tang Shaoyi and Zhou Qin, who had just returned to Beijing, to enter the palace to see him. The reason for this is what Li Hongzhang suddenly said when talking about the situation in Cuba: "I am afraid that the United States will be angry and declare war on Spain." ”

Li Hongzhang's casual words scared Guangxu into a cold sweat. The United States took the opportunity of declaring war on Spain to occupy Cuba and the Philippines, and once the United States occupied the Philippines first, it was too late for the Qing Dynasty to want to do it. Because Guangxu is familiar with the trend of history, he is known as a long-term saint in the eyes of the ministers, but Guangxu himself understands. Speaking of grasping the current situation, it is far inferior to Li Hongzhang in front of him. Guangxu forgot that the world had changed because of his arrival. The United States in later generations did not have the constraints of the Qing Dynasty in the Far East, and of course it could come as much as it wanted for the weakened Spain. However, the facts of the Daqing River Rhino explosion have become a constraint for the United States, and it has also made the United States very uncomfortable, and if the United States really tears its face and directly declares war, the Qing Dynasty's plan to advance south will be troublesome.

Li Hongzhang was familiar with the European and American powers. He had been wary of their ambitions, but he thought it would not be wise to challenge the great powers at a time when the Qing dynasty was weak, and he preferred to prioritize domestic construction over the emperor. Although it is always right to take advantage of the disputes between the great powers to let the Qing Dynasty profit from it, he is worried that if the great powers turn their faces and have to fight a decisive battle with the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty at this moment is inferior to the foreigners in both naval and land battles, and it must not turn against the foreigners. Earlier, he had suggested that the emperor take Luzon directly, but the emperor wanted to buy warships for Spain but refused. In his opinion, the explosion of the Jiang Rhino was actually just a question of how much money Spain could pay, but he did not want the emperor to still think about occupying Spain. Li Hongzhang didn't understand it, you just beat other people's Spain and robbed other people's territory, but you expect people to pay for your warship? All right. Anyway, he is the emperor, and the rise and fall of the world is decided by him, since he has been persuaded and has not listened, then it is the duty of a good courtier.

When Li Hongzhang said casually, it made the emperor's face change greatly. When the emperor urgently announced that Tang Shaoyi and Zhou Qinjin were meeting, Li Hongzhang reacted: "The emperor doesn't need to worry, now the United States only has one fleet, and it is also the port of Yokosuka in Japan." As long as we keep an eye on the movements of this fleet, we can estimate the reaction of the United States. ”

Li Hongzhang was right, but then Zhou Qin reported bad news: the U.S. Taiping Fleet in Japan was gathering supplies in Japan. Tang Shaoyi didn't know what the emperor was calling him urgently. But he also brought bad news: the U.S. Taiping Fleet will go south in the near future, and he hopes that the Qing Kingdom will allow the Pacific Fleet to dock in Guangzhou Bay for maintenance and replenishment.

The United States is ready to do it. Guangxu patted his head, and while immediately announcing Cheng Cheng's Jinjian, he said to Tang Shaoyi: "From now on, the issue of the security of the Chinese must be discussed in all diplomatic matters, especially when negotiating with Spain, this point must be emphasized. Now Spain is arresting the Philippine Revolutionary Party, demanding that they must ensure the safety of the Chinese in Luzon. You can let out some cruel words, but once I am innocently injured by the Chinese living in Luzon, my Qing Dynasty will inevitably react accordingly. Remember to talk more about asking Spain to buy our decommissioned warships. As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly said to Zhou Qin: "I don't know if the United States will contact the Cubans, strengthen observation and report back in time." Li Enfu was instructed to recover all arrears owed by Cuba and to increase support for Cubans. To ensure that Cuba has a certain confrontation capability after being blockaded by the United States. Agents were dispatched to carry out lurks and ambush the military commanders of both the United States and Cuba to ensure that neither side had an overwhelming advantage. Remember our purpose: to keep the United States trapped in the quagmire of Cuba. ”

After saying it here, Cheng Cheng also rushed over there. The naval staff of every fleet in the Pacific Ocean has long been familiar with it, and Cheng Cheng's words comforted Guangxu's flustered heart. The main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet departed from the United States in September last year and arrived in Japan in early December. After three months at sea, the fleet needed to be maintained urgently, otherwise the accumulation of aquatic life on the bottom of the ship would seriously slow down the ship's speed. However, all the equipment in the port of Yokosuka, Japan's only maintenance capability, was dismantled by the squadron of the withdrawn country, so that the US Pacific Fleet could only carry out the simplest maintenance, and although Japan's grain was being sold in the Qing Dynasty after the war, coal was in short supply, and the US fleet had to go to the Qing Dynasty to replenish once before it could reach as far as Luzon. As for the United States' selected Canton, supplies and maintenance were carried out. If the Qing Dynasty drags on any longer, it will not be until the end of March or early April at the earliest, which is enough for the visiting fleet to return home.

Guangxu nodded: "The southward expansion plan remains unchanged but the progress is accelerating, and the visiting fleet must be ready to leave Australia at any time." And also. Wait for Theodore? After Roosevelt had formed his volunteer corps, he would kill him at all costs, and he would never let him live in Cuba. ”

In the United States, Theodore? Roosevelt resigned from his post as deputy secretary of the Navy to calm the mood at home, and he turned around and began to form his own volunteer cavalry regiment. in Cuba. Or did the United States send emissaries to find the President of the "Government of the Republic of Cuba" Cisneros? Betancourt, after a short period of talks, the United States sent troops to Cuba and received support from the Cuban Independence Army. In the Philippines, the Qingxi Joint Investigation Team has arrived in Manila, and the recruited divers are searching the wreck of the Jiang Xi, while the Ninth Division of the Qing Dynasty began to secretly assemble in the name of the Philippine Independence Army's troubles everywhere and with the voice of Chinese mutual protection. In the Qing Dynasty, agents and spies began to sail overseas on ships going overseas, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet was about to arrive in Guangzhou Bay for maintenance and replenishment.

When both China and the United States were preparing to take action against Spain, Spain was completely unaware. As soon as the news of the explosion was received, the Spanish Admiral sent an alert to the Navy and warned Admiral Pascual, who was commanding the home fleet at the time. Severa prepares for battle and destroys the American base in Key West, then blockades the American coast. Severa was not optimistic about this, believing that his navy could not compete with the US Navy. However, the doubts of the Qing Dynasty relieved Spain's nerves, and it lifted its naval readiness and turned to diplomatic negotiations, but on the one hand, the Spanish army in Cuba intensified its attacks on the Cuban rebels and transferred 5,000 troops from the Philippines to Cuba again.

As soon as a cannon rang out, the shells fired from the main gun of the Haiqi, the flagship of the Qing fleet, landed exactly one kilometer away in the sea outside the wharf in Darwin, Australia, and the crowd on the wharf immediately cheered, and the Qing flotilla finally arrived at its destination. For the people of Darwin, it was not a fleet that came, but a fleet of ships full of treasure. And the Chinese merchant ships also brought their own goods with the fleet.

Fleet Commander Lin Yongsheng and other senior officers were cordially received by Mayor Darwin and other officials, and during the talks, they not only reaffirmed the "traditional" friendship between the peoples of Qingdao and Australia, but also brought greetings from the city of Sydney, hoping that the fleet would make a stop to visit Sydney. on this. Lin Yongsheng replied to Sydney after asking for instructions from China: Due to time constraints, the main fleet must return on time, but out of friendship between the two countries, the visiting fleet will send three destroyers to escort the merchant ships to Sydney in preparation for an official visit in the future. Australia warmly welcomes this.

Maybe out of doubts about the explosion of the USS Maine. Roosevelt's efforts to assemble the Volunteer Cavalry Regiment had greatly increased, and by mid-March he had not recruited enough men. The U.S. Pacific Fleet, which is carrying out maintenance in Guangzhou Bay, has also greatly extended its maintenance progress because a large number of personnel from Guangzhou Port have been transferred to visit the Australian fleet. Compared with the anxiety of the United States, the Qing State is also actively deploying troops, and in the eyes of the world, the Qing State has set its sights on the north.

In mid-March, Jiangnan is already lush and green, but the north is still bitterly cold. Fortunately, the snow had stopped and the temperature had begun to rise, and the Qing State sent a final notice to the rebellious Zhelimu League's Korqin right-wing former banner Zasaktu County King Wutai, ordering him to immediately enter Beijing to plead guilty, otherwise he would pay the consequences. After being rejected. A regiment of the 4th Division, stationed in the city of Matsubara, began to march towards Hakujo. Halfway through the journey, it was blocked by more than 10,000 rebel soldiers led by Utai himself, and seeing that the disparity in strength was too great, the regiment did not launch an attack but slowly retreated. This news stimulated the entire Fourth Division, so the Fourth Division was dispatched, and its three infantry regiments and an artillery regiment marched towards Baicheng. Unexpectedly, Utai did not defend the White City, but retreated most of the White City to give way. So the 4th Division occupied Baicheng without firing a shot, and after a brief repair, it again approached Wutai.

Because the heavy snow obscured the difficulty of the road march, the three-day departure from Baicheng was only 70 kilometers. But he didn't want Utai to send cavalry to bypass the main force of the Fourth Division. With the cooperation of the latent internal response, they attacked Baicheng, where the logistics and materials of the 4th Division were hoarded at night. As soon as a battalion left behind in Baicheng took over, chaos broke out in the city, and the defenders who were caught off guard did not even have time to destroy the supplies and had to flee in a hurry. The Fourth Division, which learned that Baicheng had lost its territory and all its logistical supplies, had to retreat overnight, but at dawn the Fourth Division, which was still on the way to retreat, was attacked by Utaitu. Although the attack of Uthai was repulsed, the losses were not small.

The victorious Utai returned to the garrison with a large number of guns and ammunition captured from the White City, and began to build an army on a large scale. Utai said regretfully: "Our army has captured a lot in Baicheng, and there are even artillery. Unfortunately, it could not be transported, so he had to bring back thousands of rifles and several machine guns. Fortunately, all the ammunition was brought back. The army of the imperial court is like this, except that the firepower is a little stronger. Far worse than my Mongol cavalry. This comprehensive defeat of the Fourth Division of the Imperial Court should be the proper meaning. He also sent several pistols to the Living Buddha Jebtsundamba as a sign of respect. Then he sent troops everywhere, successively occupied Baicheng Songyuan and Tongliao and other places, and even occupied Siping for a time, cutting off the Beijing-Hei Railway. Under the counterattack of the northeast with absolute superiority, he gave up Siping and retreated to Tongliao.

The imperial court was shocked, the whole country was shocked, and even the foreigners were shocked, the army that had just returned from an expedition to Japan was defeated one after another, what was going on? The much-criticized Shangshu of the Military Department was furious, resolutely dismissed the officers above the major rank of the Fourth Division, and all of them returned to the military academy to retake their crimes. When the new batch of officers had just left Beijing, the military headquarters, the general staff headquarters, and the army headquarters issued a number of orders to the northeastern departments, and the northeastern armies began to march westward.

Roosevelt was happy, so that Qing Guo had no mind to focus on the Philippines. He telegraphed to Dewey and informed him as soon as his fleet was retained, for he could not wait any longer, and that the Spanish matter would be resolved quickly.

April 2 was the exact date when the port of Canton replied that Dewey could complete the maintenance, and Roosevelt, who had received the telegram, consulted with William McKinley and hurried to the barracks to prepare for departure. But not long after entering the barracks, Roosevelt began to vomit and vomit, and when he was sent to the hospital, he learned that he had been poisoned, and the wound was only a tiny scratch on his finger.

Roosevelt, who was seriously ill and dying, took McKinley's hand, gathered his last strength, and said, "William, leave me alone." Nelson? Miles will take my place. Cuba is a core interest of the United States and must not be abandoned. Seeing McKinley's heavy nod, Roosevelt let go of his hand and closed his eyes in reassurance.

"American Urgent. Roosevelt died of poisoning, and McKinley was ready to declare war on Spain. The time is scheduled for April 10th. Zhou Qin handed over the message: "The intelligence is reliable, this is the first batch of infiltrators who entered the United States to send back the message with a faint smile." ”

As early as 1893, when Guangxu first took power, he began to carry out overseas espionage plans -- "lurking", not only in the United States, but also in Britain, Germany, France, and Russia. Although there were few people in the first batch, everyone now has a way to get important information in the local government. This 'faint smile' is the first batch of spies to go to the Americans, and the code name was taken by himself. In order to ensure the safety of these people, no information will be sent to the country without extremely important information. The information sent by these people is at least reliable.

Guangxu nodded and looked around at the four ministers: "Now it's time for us to do it." (To be continued.) )

(Wuzhou Chinese Channel) "China Firmament" only represents the opinion of the author Peng Yu, if you find that its content violates the content of national laws, please delete it immediately, the position is committed to providing a healthy and green reading platform. [Thank you!] 】