In mid-June and late June, the Chinese army and the coalition forces respectively engaged in a number of small and medium-scale engagements in the vicinity of Jiading and Taicang Prefecture, and the scale of the engagements was not large, limited to about 1,000 men, and the two sides suffered losses from each other, with cumulative losses ranging from several hundred to hundred.

Until July, the two sides were mainly engaged in such small and medium-sized battles, with no more than 2,000 troops participating in the battle, and as few as several hundred or even more than 100 people.

In terms of casualties, generally speaking, the Chinese army suffered losses, and often the casualties of the enemy and us remained around 5 to 3.

There is no way, the quality of this training and other aspects is lacking, and it is not easy to maintain the current strategic stalemate by relying on superior forces, and we cannot expect to gain an advantage in the ratio of battle losses.

However, this kind of small-scale continuous fighting between the two sides stopped in July, because the coalition side suffered continuous casualties, and they finally drew nearly 1,000 troops from Hong Kong and Guangzhou to replenish it, which was just replenished and lost, so that the total strength of the coalition side continued to decrease, and in order to replenish the insufficient troops, the coalition side has begun to send sailors from the fleet to fight ashore.

As for more reinforcements, they will have to wait for the transfer from South Asia and India, and they will not be expected to arrive in a few months.

On the other hand, at this time, the Chinese army gave full play to the advantages of local operations, and a steady stream of new recruits were replenished from all over the country, so that the garrison strength of Shanghai continued to be restored, and by July, the Second Infantry Division, which had suffered a lot, had restored the structure of three infantry regiments, but the Second Infantry Division after supplementing four or five thousand recruits and the Second Infantry Division in the past were naturally incomparable in combat effectiveness.

The sixth, seventh, and second divisions of the three main divisions were restored one after another, which also represented the initial recovery of the main force of the Chinese army in Shanghai. and re-established the superiority of the British and French forces in terms of troops.

Under such circumstances, the coalition forces will naturally not be foolish enough to continue this small-scale but intensive war of attrition with the Chinese army. Instead, they retracted to the landing camp and waited for reinforcements and supplies to arrive under the cover of naval guns.

In the process. The navy of the Chinese Empire was also unwilling to watch the show, and planned several attacks, and even gathered three only 1,000-ton cruisers and a number of gunboats to try to harass the coalition forces, but the battle situation was not very good, two of the three cruisers were heavily damaged, the gunboat Zhenshao was sunk, and more than 300 soldiers were killed and wounded, and they only damaged one enemy ship.

And even if not the fleet of the Chinese army, it was all steam ships. If you turn to a flexible retreat and retreat quickly, it is estimated that you will be caught up by others, and if you don't do it well, you will be wiped out.

After this war, the navy did not propose surface warfare, and the remaining warships honestly hid behind the Jiangyin Fort, and even simply dismantled all the heavy artillery and installed it on the Jiangyin Fort, and it was obvious that the navy was planning not to engage in any surface battles before the end of the war.

In this war, the role of the navy can only be limited to shore defense artillery.

Time passed slowly in the stalemate between the two sides. The coalition forces did not dare to leave the cover of the naval guns to take the initiative to attack, and the Chinese army did not have the courage to attack at the risk of hundreds of guns of the enemy fleet, so both sides stayed honestly.

So much so that there is no trace of war breaking out on the side of the trade area, and merchant ships from various countries are still busy entering and leaving the Huangpu River. Large quantities of silver, foreign cloth, machinery, spices, and other Chinese imports were transported, and then large quantities of raw silk, porcelain, and tea were transported.

This would never have been seen in a normal war between the two countries, but it is happening here.

This is because the war between the two sides was able to fight. It's to expand trade, and if you can't do business because of the war. The businessmen immediately clamored for Congress to withdraw.

Even in order to ensure the smooth flow of trade and trade during the war, Bao Ling also took the initiative to propose that the coalition forces would lift the blockade of the connection between the Yangtze River and the Huangpu River. Vessels of the River and Maritime Patrol in the commercial zone are allowed to enter and exit, merchant ships are inspected, and permits are issued to enter the Huangpu River.

You must know that after the outbreak of the war, the passage of the Huangpu River into the Yangtze River was completely covered by the Wusong Fort, and if this merchant ship entered without permission, it would be 100% beaten into pieces by the shore defense artillery.

Of course, although the trade can continue, but it has been strictly controlled, in the past, a large number of opium shipped to China for sale are regarded as illegal and cannot be imported, although this move caused a lot of dissatisfaction among foreigners, but Song Guanqian did not care, you have the ability to take down the Wusong Fort, take down your opium can not be transported to the trade area.

What the?

Can't beat it? If you can't beat it, you're a fart!

This month-long diplomatic negotiation was the most comfortable day in Song Guan's diplomatic career in the first few years, and he did not have any scruples about the face of Lord Yang, and if the slightest mistake was made, he would shout for the war to be decided.

It's just that Song Guan had a good time before Song Guan, but the people in the finance department of the cabinet are getting harder and harder, and they spend money like water every day when they fight wars, and the military fights and negotiate coolly, but they are the officials of the finance department who raise money to maintain the war and sigh every day.

"The commercial tax on the side of the business zone has fallen more than expected, but it has dropped by at least half in the past three months, and the land endowment and commercial tax in Songjiang Mansion and Taicang have also been seriously affected, only in the business zone and Songjiang and Taicang, we have lost nearly 3.5 million!" Qin Zhupan, the co-organizer of the Ministry of Finance, sighed: "The military is asking for money every day, but now the rats in the warehouse are dying of hunger, and there is money for them!" ”

Qi Xuanhao, the minister of finance above, also had a bitter face: "Yesterday, the people from the military department complained to His Majesty again, saying that the five million temporary war funds we owe them have not been paid!" It's not just the military, now so many stalls in the empire all need money, and the Ministry of Education hasn't given money since the beginning of the year, Jiang Daoquan came to me twice in three days, saying that the salaries of teachers in Imperial University and a few higher middle schools can't be delayed any longer, otherwise those externally hired foreign teachers will run out! ”

"I remember that they should still have more than 100,000 in their small library, no matter what, they should be able to support it for a while!" Qin Zhupan looked puzzled and said, "The Ministry of Education can let them hold on for a few months first!" ”

Qi Xuanhao said: "They have already spent that money." In the first half of the year, they were too ambitious, saying that they would set up two high schools within the year. They also set up a business school in the business district, and their small treasury can't last long! These old stubborns with low eyes and low hands. Don't look at what time it is, the empire is in a crisis, and they even want to build new schools! ”

"It is estimated that the Ministry of Education can delay it a little longer, and if there are vacancies in the school, let them make up their own money, and pull in the gentry and wealthy businessmen to donate money, and it is estimated that they can also make up a lot of money!" Qin Zhupan said.

"It's just that if you raise money this time, the current treasury bond issuance is not smooth, is there a good way for Brother Qin?" Qi Xuanhao said: "The treasury bonds have been issued at the beginning of the year, and Your Majesty has asked several times. But so far, it has sold out for more than 100,000 yen! ”

Qin Zhupan said: "The matter of national bonds is not very easy to do, after all, I have never heard of someone lending money to the imperial court, and the imperial court will repay the money, it is understandable that the people have concerns, and those bolder money banks and banks will not bet on it so early, now it is just to buy a little meaning, it is estimated that it will not improve until the first batch of treasury bonds are exchanged!" ”

"Alas, now, it's difficult!" Qi Xuanhao sighed deeply. Then he said: "I've had back pain in the past few days, I'll go to the doctor tomorrow quietly, and you can make a report at tomorrow's budget meeting!" ”

Qin Zhupan's face changed slightly when he heard this: "But here, you are the Minister of Finance." If you don't go to me as a co-organizer, those martial artists and people from other ministries won't eat me! ”

Qi Xuanhao smiled: "I don't have a backache, you are more affected." Deal with them tomorrow, and we'll try to close these holes later! ”

Heard that Qi Xuanhao wanted to avoid the budget meeting. Qin Zhupan also has no way, who makes the family the boss. I'm just a deputy!

At the joint budget meeting of the General Headquarters and the Cabinet the next day, Qin Zhupan gave full play to what it means to 'fight back and scold and not fight back', and at the same time, he also rolled and splashed, playing the role of a scoundrel who 'didn't ask for money and didn't want to die'.

Chen Yuntao, who came to the meeting on behalf of the military, was eager to pull out his command knife and cut him down on the spot, and pointed at the cabinet on the spot to scold the traitorous ministers for misleading the country and the like, and that scene was to scold Bi Yu as a cabinet official with one vote as Qin Hui! And let go of the cruel words: If he did not make up the remaining 5 million temporary war expenses within 10 days, he personally brought people over to demolish the cabinet building.

After the military people didn't want to Qian Fa and left, the cabinet itself also held a criticism meeting against the Ministry of Finance, and Jiang Daoquan, Minister of Education, heard Qin Zhupan say that the Ministry of Education's funds for the first half of the year had to wait a little longer, Jiang Daoquan asked when he would wait, Qin Zhupan just looked up at the ceiling for a long time and didn't speak, so angry that Jiang Daoquan slapped the table and scolded Qin Zhupan This is to delay the empire's century-old plan!

was first threatened by the military, and then criticized by his colleagues in the cabinet, Qin Zhupan took a deep breath when he walked out of the conference room: "This thing is not done by people, and the next Lao Tzu will not come, let the juniors come to be scolded!" ”

It's just that they are scolded and scolded, but the people in the finance department are still willing, how to say it, if they are not scolded, how to reflect the importance of their finance department.

Now a huge empire, whether it is the military or other departments of the cabinet, one by one has to beg their finance department for money, to put it bluntly, the current finance department is the most powerful department of the cabinet, even more powerful than the organization department.

In order to ask for some funds, after those ministers scolded the budget meeting on the surface, they didn't have to give Qi Xuanhao a smile behind their backs, talking about the hardships of their own departments, and if there was no more funds, they would have to drink the northwest wind.

However, although the people in the finance department put on a face of asking for money, in fact, the people in the finance department went up to Qi Xuanhao and down to the ordinary clerks, all of whom were thinking hard about how to open up sources and reduce expenditure.

For example, after seeing that the treasury bonds could not be sold, a comprador director of a foreign bank in the Ministry of Finance made a suggestion, whether it was possible to hold a cocktail party or a dinner party, and directly invite those rich tycoons, and then pull a large number of high-level people to accompany them, so that they can be regarded as giving these rich businessmen enough face, they are always embarrassed not to pay, if you invite hundreds of people, one person can easily raise millions of dollars by buying tens of thousands of treasury bonds.

As soon as this idea came out, it was immediately valued by Qi Xuanhao, as long as he could raise money, what would it be to pull down his face as a guest, as for those high-level civil and military officials who were afraid of losing face and were unwilling, Qi Xuanhao was not worried, if the minister dared not come, he would dare to drag the funds until next year, to see who was afraid of whom.

The only question is, even if the civil and military high-level officials pull down their subordinates to accompany them, will these rich businessmen pay for it? (To be continued......)