Yuan Dashuai personally went to receive the first batch of goods, which seemed to be a very risky act by his cronies, and many people tried their best to dissuade them, but Yuan Shikai tried his best to discourage them and insisted on doing it himself.

Such fearless courage and fortitude won the unanimous praise and admiration of the generals of the Yuan family. Only a very few people knew that Yuan Shikai was actually going to fight, and he couldn't get down with an obsession in his heart - he definitely couldn't lose to Yang Hao!

In the world, among the young Zhuang faction who are less than forty years old, there are very few people who can see Yuan Shikai. It's not just that he thinks very highly of himself, but whoever is in his twenties can dominate a country and deter three thousand miles of rivers and mountains, and after ten years, he will also develop arrogance and self-confidence.

But this kind of pride that goes deep into the bone marrow was ruthlessly shattered by Yang Hao, and Yuan Shikai, who pretended to be the successor of Li Hongzhang, was difficult to accept. Failure after defeat not only did not dampen his self-motivation, but turned into a depressed and indignant fighting spirit, which continued to accumulate and grow in his chest.

This time to receive the munitions, he had to go deep into the hinterland of Yang Hao's lair, which seemed to outsiders to be very risky.

Yuan Shikai himself knew best that Yang Hao wanted to kill him, and it was unknown that he could let him die as early as Goryeo.

After many times of "catching and releasing Cao", including the most recent one that robbed more than 10,000 recruits he had worked so hard to train, but released most of the officers back, Yuan Shikai finally understood that Yang Hao was challenging him.

If you are an ordinary person, if you lose, you will admit the gap, and then you will follow to do big things. But Yuan Shikai can't, he doesn't think Yang Hao is better than him, so many knowledge and theories don't mean much in his opinion. Just find a bunch of gunners and concoct it.

This is a battle for domination. It depends on strength and strategy. And he has no shortage of both, and he will definitely have it!

"I must become the mainstay of the Qing Dynasty, so that the imperial court must rely on me Yuan Shikai to maintain stability, so I can't lose, let alone admit defeat!"

Yuan Shikai's constant firm belief is also used to remind those who follow him.

Xu Shichang, who was the General Staff Office, naturally followed by the side, and saw Lord Yuan's seemingly relaxed expression. Hidden tension and anxiety, he sighed secretly with empathy: "In order to achieve great things, adults really give up everything!" ”

Last time, the 20,000 troops who were driven by a few thousand people lost their armor and fled, which dealt a very big blow to the Yuan group. The officers who were put back were appeased on the surface, but sighed in private, almost dying of their resistance to Yang Hao's new army.

This is what Yuan Shikai is most worried about, once the troops develop the problem of being afraid of the Yang family like a tiger, no matter how many men and horses he can raise in the future, he is afraid that he will not be able to win a battle. Can't beat Yang Hao. His future ruler will not be able to go through the road, and he must find a way to dispel the fears in the hearts of his soldiers. Rebuild confidence in victory.

As a commander-in-chief, he must lead by example and face it bravely.

Full of complicated feelings, under the protection of the cavalry led by Wu Fengling, Yuan Shikai and others arrived at the newly built railway warehouse not far from the Tianjin Arsenal, and received the goods under the witness of countless Huayang representatives.

The one-square-kilometer-sized freight yard is enclosed by a barbed wire fence, all flat and hardened in the middle, divided into large and small stacking yards according to functional areas, and a blue and white prefabricated temporary warehouse stands abruptly.

Yuan Shikai was not very surprised by this kind of strange architecture that began to gradually unveil the world. He didn't even let himself think about it, because once he thought about the terrible industrial power behind this thing, it would collapse his hard-built self-confidence!

Westerners from all over the world are extremely sure that this kind of rapid disassembly and assembly building with two-layer thin steel plates sandwiched with insulation materials is the product of the integration of industrial technology. At present, countries do not have such industrial production capacity, and are trying their best to kidnap and rob from Yang Hao, or buy it.

Today, Yuan Daren has studied Yang Hao's articles and probably knows the fundamental truth that industry is a strong country. Therefore, he felt more and more unfathomable about Yang Hao's strength, and even had a deep sense of powerlessness.

This bad feeling, he didn't want, not at all!

The cold wind is kept out by the well-insulated board room, and the bright lights of the spacious two-storey steel-framed warehouse are piled up with boxes.

Zheng Ruilin, as the chief of the general affairs section of the "Huaxing Society", is the general manager of the Tianjin branch of Yanhua Foreign Bank, and he comes forward to handle the delivery of goods.

Seeing that Yuan Shikai, Xu Shichang and others could not hide their surprise, he quietly raised his hand and signaled: "Please Lord Yuan and all the gentlemen to take random inspections." ”

Yuan Shikai nodded slightly expressionlessly, and walked inside from the opening with his hands behind his back.

In the forty or fifty-meter-long prefabricated warehouse, in the space with a span of fifteen meters, rows of steel shelves rise from the ground. A large number of wooden boxes on top are arranged in an orderly manner, and people walk underneath, feeling extraordinarily short.

Yuan Shikai was not tall in the first place, and this sense of depression that could not be seen on either side was particularly obvious. He walked less than twenty meters, and he was a little irritated and pointed to some boxes, and then the cronies arranged by Xu Shichang went up and carried them down and got them out of the warehouse.

Even though the oncoming cold wind blew through the big air, making people shiver involuntarily, Yuan Shikai felt that his chest was much brighter, much more comfortable than staying inside.

All the boxes were transported by trailer to the periphery of the yard, facing an empty and uninhabited wilderness ahead. The guards scrambled to open the box and tear off the sawdust shavings for shock protection, revealing the oil-sealed weapon inside.

The rifle is a slightly modified Mauser K98, and the foreign devil came up with the idea to slightly process the details such as the gun belt and bayonet, crosshair, and bolt. Yuan Shikai pushed away the guards, grabbed one by himself and wiped off the butter with cotton yarn, and carefully observed whether there were traces of secondary processing in the barrel and butt. It turned out that it was so bright and clean that I couldn't even find a scratch!

His cheeks twitched slightly, but he quietly handed it to Hannagan next to him.

The conscientious and responsible German Army Captain took it over, and with his critical eye, he did not let go of every detail from head to toe, and even disassembled the gun on the spot, looked at the rifling facing the sun, and rubbed the corners with his hands to look for processing defects.

After a few minutes, he looked up at everyone and nodded stiffly: "Very delicate industrial product!" Even better quality than the one sold to the German Army. Even if it is replaced by the best German workers. It can only be done like this. ”

In fact, he has been in China for a long time. Learn to speak the scene. From the heart. He was very surprised, and the workmanship of these guns was probably impossible for the Germans to figure out.

Seeing that Yuan Shikai, Xu Shichang and the foreign devils from all over the world who were waiting to see the jokes had bad faces, Wu Fengling immediately stood up and shouted: "The guy is good or not, you have to try it to know!" Come on, try the gun! ”

The guards worked together, dismantling several boxes of firearms, cleaning and calibrating them according to standard procedures, loading bolts and bayonets, and then shooting at the target standing in the distance.

The rest of the people are not idle. Open the other boxes and get out the same tossing test as the individual equipment inside, including grenades and fire throwing, and there are 75 infantry guns and water-cooled Maxim heavy machine guns in the back!

As soon as the rapid-fire guns and heavy machine guns with spring-made retreat and re-entry mechanisms came out, there was a commotion among the foreigners present. The British, French, German, and Russian military attachés who were originally waiting to see the joke looked at each other and exclaimed in a low voice: "That Chinese is crazy!" How dare he take out anything! Didn't he understand that these weapons were used against him? ”

"God, are all the people in the arms business crazy? How could he think of selling weapons to his enemies?! ”

There are even some people who are clearly jealous! Because the equipment that Yang Hao sold to the great powers last time did not even include water-cooled Makqin. It's a fucking spin tube Gatling. Anyone who looks at that kind of hand-cranked heavy thing has a headache, compared to the much lighter Makqin. It's not half a star!

Lieutenant Hannagan, Chief Instructor of the New Army, and Deputy Admiral, praised him straightforwardly: "Mr. Yang is indeed a reputable person, and his strict adherence to the contract is very admirable and appreciated. ”

Many Chinese present slandered: "Praise your uncle!" I think it's just a lack of heart! He really wants to arm hundreds of thousands of troops for the imperial court, and wait to be crushed by the sea of people and pile him to death! ”

The buzzing discussion once suppressed the howling of the north wind, Yuan Shikai's expression was indifferent, and his heart was almost out of control with excitement! Silently screamed: "The surname is Yang, you also have times when you make trouble!" Wait, watch me Yuan Weiting rebuild the army, and you will die without a place to be buried! ”

The total amount of equipment delivered this time can arm 50,000 soldiers, covering all individual soldiers and logistical materials. Not only these guns and artillery, but also carts for baggage, steam generators, marching tents, and even telephones!

These supplies were pulled by ship and had to be loaded into several large freighters, and some of the goods that were now delivered to the troops in Beijing and Tianjin were piled up in the vast freight yard warehouse.

Yuan Shikai's newly built army near the water was the first to get a month, and at least 20,000 of them could be distributed, which would allow him to be the first to complete the rearmament. Troubled times are coming, and whoever has a gun and a cannon in his hand will be able to speak loudly. Yuan Shikai deeply understood this truth, and he could imagine how much combat effectiveness would be improved by the almost identical armament of the Yang infantry.

A 75 field gun and a Maxim were assembled, and they began to test fire into the distance in a makeshift annular bunker not far away. A dense rain of bullets poured down like a wind, shattering a piece of wood rake and straw man to pieces. The soaring sound of rapid loading and firing, and the pleasant sound of the clanging whole cartridge casing falling to the ground, made Yuan Shikai seem to see a new world open up.

Yuan Shikai and the others were overjoyed, such a murderous weapon was on the battlefield, wouldn't it kill people like grass? Even if a battalion of soldiers and horses is equipped with two Makqin and two rapid-fire guns, it is enough to shoot a barrage of destruction that covers the sky and the sun! Hugh said that there are thousands of soldiers, and no matter how many you are, don't even think about getting close!

They all believe it now, Yang Hao really didn't leave a hand. The weapons sold to the foreigners last time looked the same, and they were even easier to use - at least the artillery that was given to the foreigners last time was still loaded with ammunition. This time, it is a fixed ammunition, and the loading speed, the convenience of transshipment, and the simplicity of operation have all been greatly improved. For the improvement of combat effectiveness, it can be said that it is obvious!

The military attaches of various countries looked at it with red eyes, and they were even more angry with Yang Hao, and they almost scolded!

Damn the chinkees, cunning profiteers! How dare he openly deceive the mighty empire! It's unforgivable to fool people with that kind of thing that doesn't go up or down!

How did they know that Yang Hao's statement on this was: "The industrial base of foreign devils is too good, give them the complete version of the weapon, and it will soon be able to be imitated." But when it was sold to the Qing army, he couldn't imitate it for ten years. Once the established equipment generation gap is formed, the great powers will want to carve up China. You have to think about it. To be hard or not to work. ”

Zheng Ruilin also knows more inside information. Yang Hao wants to take this opportunity to unify the country's military equipment and completely sweep away the messy situation of the previous Wanguo brand. Secondly, it is necessary to take advantage of the Manchu Qing's eagerness to build a strong armed force, and use their national strength to quickly train enough basic soldiers, as well as machine gunners, artillery, signal troops, and other technical arms.

Relying on his current military academies to train manpower is too slow, and the Qing court's mobilization of a country's power is enough to accelerate it tenfold.

As for the new batch of powerful warlords that might be cultivated because of this, Yang Hao didn't care about it at all. He was well aware of the key factors that would determine the success or failure of a war. Always human. Under the corrupt rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, you just gave him the atomic bomb and still lost the war.

Looking at the unconcealable excitement of Yuan Shikai's subordinates, Zheng Ruilin secretly sneered: "You guys should be happy for a few days, and when the next batch of troops completes their armed training, it will be the day when we harvest again!" ”

In the empty freight yard, the sound of boom and pop came and went, and sometimes a grenade exploded, and the smoke and dust were quickly blown away by the strong wind. A strong smell of gunpowder smoke swept over the nostrils of the observers behind the bunker and the delivery parties.

The faces of the foreign devil military attachés are not good-looking. They found that all the weapons and ammunition were of good quality, and the propellant and warhead loading charge were used. All are extremely advanced smokeless medicines. After fighting for a long time, artillery, machine guns, rifles, grenades, and several substandard products were not found. In particular, the bullets and shells they pay attention to, the low probability of blind fire of duds is almost negligible.

Especially for the cannon, the accompanying instruction manual is illustrated and textual, which can almost make the illiterate follow the course of aiming and firing. Yang Hao also provided artillery and machine gun training services in Tianjin very intimately. Don't be afraid, just send someone to learn.

Such strange practices made people from all walks of life feel unfathomable, and as batches of random weapons passed the inspection, the depression and unhappiness in their hearts became heavier and heavier.

After a whole day of testing, Yuan Shikai finally had to say a word of service, and said to Zheng Ruilin with deep meaning: "Your company will do what it says, which is admirable!" Please also tell Mr. Yang that Yuan has been taught. ”

Zheng Ruilin nodded lightly: "Happy cooperation!" ”

The news of the delivery of the first batch of equipment spread throughout the major cities within a day. Military attachés and business representatives from various countries who witnessed the whole process recorded what they had seen and learned for the reference of those involved.

The merchants who watched from the wall became more and more suspicious. Does Yang Hao take out his family foundation to support it, or does he really have such a deep heritage? It's still hard to get to grips with the truth. However, the rearmament of the imperial army is real, and according to the gossip from high-ranking officials within the Wuwei Army, the force of the newly built army is unprecedentedly strong! At this time, one town is enough to top the previous 100,000 troops!

Although those people in Beijing are used to bragging, there is no door on their mouths, and they can render a color into thousands of purples and thousands of reds, but the real guys can't fake it.

The first batch of 10,000 shares of arms escorted by Yuan Shikai's subordinates was sent to the capital, and the Wuwei Chinese army, which was dominated by banner people, was the first to dress up. Yishui'er's black buttoned military uniform and dragon emblem large-brimmed hat, brand-new fast-sharp rifle, neat and neat draped strong equipment, light towed cannon and powerful heavy machine gun, etc., all showed a reborn elite posture.

After the emergency change of clothes, Emperor Guangxu ordered several of the battalions to enter the city for inspection, and specially let them travel around the four or nine cities for all the people to see clearly, and personally climbed the city tower to review.

Inside and outside the capital, the frightened flag people seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw at once, and countless people touted and boasted about the rapid noise in the streets and alleys.

Many people were blowing high broken tea roots and spitting stars: "The surname Yang is going to be full of evil this time, right?" The head is dizzy and sells all the armor and sharp weapons to the imperial court, this is a posture to find death! ”

"The desire for profit is consumed, asking for money is not life, and the money is pitted to the court, it should be!"

"Haha, I want to see, when the 100,000 army of the imperial court is completed, these thousands of cannons and machine guns will be pulled out, and those short-haired bandits will be scared to death! Dare to turn his back on his ancestors and rebel against the imperial court? Damn it! ”

…… The chaotic shouts were boiling, as if their mouth cannons could blow Yang Hao to death.

The foreign devils who really noticed the unusual in it all felt a deep threat breeding. After urgent consultations, Minister Bucle and others decided that it was not safe to continue the siege and that further action must be taken to ensure success.

A few days later, ships anchored in the Yangtze River, Shanghai, and southern waters were dispatched one after another, first blocking the waters of the East China Sea. They did not dare to attack the mighty Chinese fleet north, so they thought of cutting off its main communication routes to the hinterland of China.

Bulkle firmly believes: "As long as we succeed in stopping Reinhardt. Yang's freight traffic forced his fleet to leave his lair and fight south, so he had a chance to break through each one, completely squeezing out his military power, and leading his credit to bankruptcy! ”

The equipment of 20,000 people in the first phase of delivery was to be shipped to Liangjiang and Wuhan. The most convenient is the sea transportation, and Yang Hao's large-scale delivery to Hong Kong is also one of the conditions for the great powers to promote the transaction happily.

They originally thought that Yang Hao would not dare to drive the fleet into the narrow Yangtze River channel to take risks, but they did not expect that when the joint navies of various countries opened their posture and opened their big nets to catch fish, Yang Haiwei took the main force of the navy and openly went south and went straight to the East China Sea!

On December 15, led by two renovated and upgraded ironclad ships, a mighty army composed of dozens of ships sailed out of the military port and set sail with the momentum of sweeping thousands of troops. Among the double-headed formations lined up on the left and right, the most conspicuous is the overhauled "Dingyuan" ironclad ship!

At this time, the first powerful gunboat in the Far East can be said to be unrecognizable, even Liu Buyun and Li Hongzhang, who personally supervised its construction, could not recognize it! The two open turrets, which were originally tilted forward from side to side, disappeared without a trace, and became two rotating turrets in front and rear! (To be continued......)