"Immediately release our soldiers and withdraw from our territory. Reading the novel, the first recommendation, go to the eye, read the book quickly", the Spanish Minister to China, Gilberto, made solemn representations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty. It's just that he didn't even see the foreign minister of the Qing State, and only Liang Dunyan, the left attendant of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received them and his party.

Regarding Gilberto's "Yan Hu Representations", Liang Dunyan replied equally strongly: "Your country first blew up and sank our warship Jiangxi, and then slaughtered our innocent Chinese. It seems that your country should explain it to my country first. ”

"The Jiang Xi explosion case has not yet been concluded, and the Chinese were not massacred but injured by mistake. We can make reparations—"

"I heard that your country has been beaten by Cubans in Cuba, don't you need reinforcements?"

"No, you don't. The great Spanish Empire will soon wipe out all of these mud legs. ”

"Our country intends to sell a number of warships, don't you want to buy some?"

"Oh,. We are talking about your country's forcible occupation of our territory, the Philippines. "Gilberto is very angry, and the Qing people are always answering questions.

"I heard that the United States has concentrated 24 warships and tens of thousands of soldiers on the east coast, don't you know anything about it?"

Gilberto, who was about to get angry, suddenly reacted: "What does Mr. Zuo Shilang mean by this?" ”

"It's not interesting, just curious to ask. As you know, there are also a lot of Chinese people in Cuba, and some of them own some sugar cane plantations. But their relations with the Yankees were not good, so they sent back news that several Americans had met with the leaders of the Cuban Army, and it was said that the two sides were very enthusiastic. ”

"What does Mr. Zuo Shilang mean, the United States will declare war on Spain through the Maine incident?!"

"That's our guess, we didn't say anything. We believe that Spain will eventually triumph over the Cubans, and we would like to ask your country to keep the lives and property of our Chinese in Cuba safe. Just as our country protects the lives and property of Spaniards in Luzon. ”

"I need to report it back to China immediately." At this time, Gilberto finally understood what the Qing people meant, which was to remind Spain to be careful of the Americans. It seems that the speculation of the Qing people may be true, just as the Qing declared war on Spain.

After sending Gilberto away, Liang Dunyan clapped his hands and swayed back to the public room as if nothing had happened.

How Gilberto reported to the country was Gilberto's business, and the Spanish parliament argued that the declaration of war by the United States might also be a matter for the Spaniards, as for Pascual, the commander of the Spanish home fleet? Severa? Topet? Rear Admiral Severa openly declared that his four armored cruisers and two destroyers were no match for the Americans, and that they had nothing to do with the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty was in a hurry to send the visiting fleet around like a dog (at least that's what Lin Yongsheng said later). However, this is not a problem, the Luzon Islands are too scattered, and each island needs to be more or less garrisoned to ensure local security.

The Qing Dynasty had just announced that it would recruit an army of Chinese in Luzon. The 9th and 10th Divisions of the Imperial Army of the Qing Dynasty were given the designations, of which the 9th Division was stationed in Manila and the 10th Division was stationed in Davao. The needs of these two troops were provided by the Qing Dynasty, and Liu Hengzhen, a Luzon Chinese, was appointed as the commander of the major general of the Luzon Army of the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, in order to maintain local law and order in Luzon, the Qing Dynasty will send a large number of military instructors to Luzon to organize local Luzon militarization training. For the Qing announced the plan of occupation of Luzon. Mariano, the newly formed governor of the Dominion of Luzon? Krosas welcomed.

But things didn't end in Luzon, Spain had more or less Spanish troops all over Luzon. The small island was fine, and Bolawexia's orders worked, but on Mindanao, a Spanish army of more than 10,000 men held out to Davao and refused to surrender. These Spaniards occupied the garrison of the 10th Division of the Qing Dynasty, which made the Qing Dynasty very faceless. As for the occupation of Luzon, because it was too late to transport troops from the Qing Dynasty, the Pontianak Division could only be transferred to station.

The smoke of gunfire in the south has not yet dissipated, and the trumpet of the north is sounding again. The 3rd, 5th, and newly formed 16th Divisions, which had been assembled at the predetermined location, launched a swift attack on the rebellious Utai in the cold winter. On April 4, the 3rd Division on the Southern Front and the 16th Division on the Central Front, with the cooperation of the former Limu League Leader, quickly captured Utai's lair. The 3rd Division pursued the 1st Utai Division westward, while the 16th Division went north to cooperate with the 5th Division, which had just taken Baicheng, to attack the Hung Yen League, an ally of the Utai rebellion. However, Utai deliberately abandoned his lair and concentrated all his forces with the Khing'an League to attack the Fifth Division. The Fifth Division had the advantage of weapons and withstood the attack of Utai to the death, but the Hung Yen League once again used cavalry to cut off the logistics line of the Fifth Division, so that the Fifth Division fell into encirclement. The staff headquarters, which learned of the situation, immediately ordered the 16th Division to reinforce the 5th Division as soon as possible, but allowed Utai to take advantage of the gap to surprise the moving 16th Division again, causing the 16th Division to be defeated. As a last resort, on April 8, the weather was clear and windless. The Qing army sacrificed the murderous spirit of the airship and used high-altitude bombing to cover the two flanks of the retreating Fifth Division, so that the Fifth Division could safely retreat to Baicheng.

At the General Staff Headquarters of the Qing Dynasty, senior generals of various armies are reviewing the current campaign against Mongolia.

"This time the war against Mongolia. Our army's superiority in firepower is obvious, and our army has completed the scheduled tasks at a very small cost, whether it is a positional battle or a difficult offensive battle. But artillery ammunition was too heavy, and it was extremely difficult to carry out combat transportation in winter. So much so that the 16th Division was attacked by the Mongol cavalry during the movement but was defeated in a battle, although the loss of personnel was not large, but a large number of logistical equipment was lost. Chief of Staff Wang Shizhen pointed to the map and said, "On the question of maneuverability." As early as before the formation of the New Army, the emperor repeatedly emphasized this problem, and then this battle still exposed this problem. It should be noted that the combat capability of the Russian Cossack cavalry was even a few points stronger than that of the Mongol cavalry, so in the future all divisions need to strengthen the training of maneuvers in difficult situations on the road and strengthen the defense of the troops in motion. ”

"Artillery is a big problem. During the transport, the front-line units reported that the wheels were stuck in the mud, so that the fire could not keep up with the pace of the infantry's advance. In the course of the march, the artillery would seriously delay the speed of the troops, and the 16th Division was stuck in the quagmire area set up by the Utai pre-selection and could not react in time. Of course, as a unit participating in the war for the first time, the lack of adaptability to combat was also an important reason for the failure. As the commander of the Northeast Military Region, Shoushan stood aside with an embarrassed face. Because of the fiasco of the 16th Division, he, the commander of the military region, was ordered to return to Beijing for questioning.

"There will be no war without fire support? Don't you have the courage to be a soldier? Ouyang Zhenhua, the secretary of the Ministry of War, suddenly became furious, slapped the table and scolded: "As early as after the Battle of Fengtian, the emperor reminded us that army officers and soldiers have a tendency to rely on weapons. Of course, you have to take advantage of the advantages of weapons, but where is the courage to see the red with a bayonet as a soldier? If you don't even have this kind of courage, you don't have the advantage of weapons. Once the enemy is brought close, will it have to be routed on all fronts? Generals of the army, look at the navy, which major war was not a bloody battle against a strong enemy with inferior forces. Look at you guys in reverse. A Japanese wing can break through the defense line of a division, and now a team of cavalry can defeat a division, where is the courage to fight in the bloody battle of Grangei? Have you all become high-ranking officials and pampered to make you forget the cruelty of war? It's up to you to regain the lost land, I think I'm waiting for the land to be ceded and reparated-"

An Eleventh Division. A sixteenth division, these two divisions disgraced the army. Whether it was Duan, Feng, or Liang and Shou, the faces of all the army generals were flushed, but they could only bow their heads and be trained.

"Your Excellency, calm your anger first." At this time, only Wang Shizhen was convenient to stand up and speak: "It's not a bad thing to have a problem, let's improve it if it's exposed." In fact, the current war against Mongolia is a rehearsal for the war against Russia, and it will be fatal if some problems are exposed until the war against Russia is exposed. ”

"How could the old man not know this truth. As the saying goes, a rabbit dares to chase a wolf when it is in a hurry. Fighting a war is actually a breath, whoever can hold this breath to the end will win, and the Grange Tai held his breath to the end. The old man is worried that the army does not have the courage of flesh and blood, which is fatal. From now on. Generals at all levels are required to participate in the daily training and duty of the guards. As long as you, the generals, do not slack off, the officers below will not relax, and the soldiers will dare to fight to the death. You all remember: on the battlefield, even if you know that you are invincible, you have the courage to show your sword, this is the army. ”

"Yes." Regardless of the navy, land, air force, or the general staff headquarters, all saluted and replied. But after a while, Cheng Cheng stood up and said: "I should listen to the adults to participate in the training, but there is no need to fold the emperor here." After all, the face of the spontaneous organization is not good-looking. ”

As soon as Cheng Cheng said this, he immediately attracted the seconding of the army generals. Ouyang Zhenhua didn't want to go against the will of the people, so he had to snort: "Whoever dares to slack off in training, the old man will definitely play it to him." ”

Wang Shizhen took over: "Have you written down all the words of the adults?" Alright, now turn back to the battlefield. After this battle. If our army wants to launch another full-scale attack, we need to wait for the 4th Division to arrive on the battlefield, which will take several days. At this time, the north has entered spring, and it is the time when the heavy snow melts the mud of the grassland. Not only is it inconvenient for me to move heavy weapons. And the NSA's actions also take time. Therefore, the General Staff Headquarters asked the emperor for his consent to suspend all military plans, and the front-line departments focused on stabilizing the current front. Wait until the end of May when the water is exhausted and the ground is hard to attack, and then there will be another defeated and fleeing, then don't blame the strict military law. ”

Guangxu put down the secret report of the staff headquarters and waved his hand to let the guards retreat. The secret report is then lit and thrown into a copper basin. Ouyang Zhenhua is older, and with the emergence of more and more new weapons and tactics in the army, he is obviously unable to keep up with the rhythm of the times. Let him be appointed as the secretary of the military department, first, he is a meritorious veteran and must be glorified, and second, because of the appearance of the staff headquarters, the military department has lost the command of the troops, and has been reduced to the personnel management of the troops and the weapons supply unit after the army. It is said that there is an old man in the family who is like a treasure, Ouyang Zhenhua did not complain because of the rise and descent of the sky, but used himself to be a meritorious veteran to constantly admonish the young generals in charge. Such a courtier is a good courtier who can be used with confidence. When the generals in Beijing began to join the guard queue for training a few days later, the emperor did not have Ouyang Zhenhua's name when he commended the generals, but his daughter-in-law received a jade ruyi from the queen in the palace.

The defeat in the early stage of the war against the Mongols was to promote the ambition of the so-called living Buddha Jebtsundamba in Outer Mongolia. And at the same time that the Qing Kingdom turned into a full-scale defense, Utai had already gone to meet the Living Buddha. Coupled with the fact that the people of the national security are fanning the flames inside, I believe that it is difficult for Jebtsundamba to resist the temptation of independence. But the most important thing now is the negotiations with Spain. The outcome must be finalized tomorrow, because international law stipulates that as a responsible Power, it must abide by the law and must not sell weapons to the participating countries.

"Your Majesty, the Spanish Minister Gilberto has brought a telegram from the King of Spain and the Parliament, demanding that we immediately release the soldiers imprisoned in Luzon, and also promise to give us all the Pacific colonies such as Luzon and Guam as long as we make a little compensation." It was just nightfall on April 9th, and Tang Shaoyi had just sent Gilberto away and ran to Yingtai in a hurry.

"Compensation?" Guangxu raised his eyebrows: "What does Spain mean by this?" ”

"The results of the Luzon war must have reached Spain, and they knew that they could not retake Luzon. It is estimated that the money is for the purpose of buying arms and preparing to deal with the United States with all its might. ”

Guangxu asked with a very unhappy look: "Aren't they going to buy a few warships?" ”

"No, no, no, we don't need warships. The Spanish Imperial fleet was enough to defeat those damned Yankees. Gilberto waved his hand like a fan and rejected Tang Shaoyi's proposal: "Two million US dollars, this is the transfer fee of all Spanish territories in the Pacific such as Luzon and Guam." ”

"Just rely on a few poor old cruisers of your country to challenge the battleships that the United States has just launched?" Tang Shaoyi looked at Gilberto with disdain: "Now the naval battle of the steel battleship." I don't think there is any country that has a better say than my own. Mr. Minister, why should you deceive yourself, you must know that even if your country gets 20 million US dollars, it is estimated that it will not be able to buy warships. Mr. Minister, our warships have been tested in real naval battles, and our navy has a lot of experience in actual combat, which is bought with money——"

Gilberto's brow furrowed. He was thinking carefully about Tang Shaoyi's words. Why did Tang Shaoyi mention the experience of naval warfare?

"The four Dragon-class battleships and the three Tiger-class heavy cruisers have been repaired and tested at sea, and they will be personally led by the commander-in-chief of our navy, Admiral Wu Deren, who participated in the Battle of Arthur, to hand over to the soldiers of your navy, and then General Wu Deren will go to Singapore to meet with the commander of the British Singapore Fleet to discuss the matter of piracy in the Indian Ocean."

"What does Lord Tang mean that in this time, your country can help our country train naval officers? And what about the other three warships? ”

"Shikishima and Hatsuse were bought back by the British, while the Huwei was bought by Pontianak. So there are only these seven warships, but for your country, even starting from Manila, the officers and men of your Far East Fleet will get at least a week of training. What if your navy officers and men go to Arthur to receive warships? No amount of money can buy that. ”

After Tang Shaoyi finished speaking, Gilberto stood up suddenly: "There is an old Chinese saying that is called to get straight to the point. Let's ask Mr. Tang to speak directly. ”

Straight to the point means that the conversation goes straight to the point at the beginning, and now that it has been around for a long time, it should be told that the Ming people should not talk darkly. However, Tang Shaoyi did not bother with Gilberto's grammatical errors, but just took out a document: "We will load these seven warships with 25,000 rifles and 1 million matching bullets, 100 machine guns and 1.5 million machine gun bullets, 100 artillery pieces with 50 shells per gun, and 3 tons of medicine." Your country only needs to use all the Pacific colonies such as Luzon and Guam in exchange and pay 10 million US dollars. ”

"No way, I need to report such a high price to the country."

"Yes, but I would like to warn Your Excellency. Tomorrow we will no longer be able to sell warships to your country. ”

"Why?"

"Because international law stipulates that arms may not be sold to both belligerents—"

On April 10, 1898, at 6 p.m. Beijing time, the Qing Dynasty Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Qing West signed the world-renowned "Sino-Western Treaty of Beijing". The treaty stipulated that Spain would exchange all of its Pacific colonies, including Luzon and Guam, for $8 million for seven Qing warships, and that the handover of warships would take place after the arrival of the officers and men of the Spanish Far East Fleet in Arthur. China will release all Spanish soldiers. But the soldiers had to leave empty-handed. At the same time, it is stipulated that China will guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of Spaniards in both China mainland and Luzon and Guam, and Spain will also guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese people in Spanish territory. The treaty also contains a number of treaties relating to commerce and trade between the two countries.

"With these seven warships, Spain will dare to engage the United States head-on, and the war on the other side of the Atlantic will continue." At the signing ceremony between China and the West. Ognae, who was watching, said softly.

However, Tian Bei replied disdainfully: "Spain is already old, maybe the United States will spend more time and pay more price." The final victory must be American. ”

In the eyes of the envoys of other countries, the actual content of the "Sino-Western Treaty of Beijing" was only an exchange of warships and territories, and the other contents could be denied by turning his head in the words of US Minister Tian Bei. But when the full text of the treaty was publicly revealed in the newspapers, it caused a huge craze in China, because for the Chinese it was the first truly equal treaty signed by China since the Opium War. Academies and colleges around the country waved flags and literati wrote articles one after another, with only one theme: the Chinese straightened their backs for the first time. (To be continued.) If you like this work. You are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian) to vote for recommendations, monthly passes, your support is my biggest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to m.qidian to read. )