Deng Zixuan returned to Shanghai, and the limited telegraph from Shanghai to Guangzhou was smoothly paved, which brought a strong impetus to the thriving economy of the Qing Dynasty and promoted closer ties and economic exchanges between the north and the south. Deng Zixuan received telegrams from Guangzhou almost every day, and he always paid attention to the news from the south. Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the 80s of the 19th century came as scheduled. As Deng Zixuan predicted, although the promotion of the Westernization Movement was remarkable, it did not mean the decline of the Manchu Dynasty, and perhaps the Manchu Dynasty would bury this hard-won achievement anytime and anywhere.

Historians have commented that in the last two decades of the 19th century, shijie brought opportunities to China. If the Manchu Dynasty can effectively divide and disintegrate the plans of the great powers, and avoid the outbreak of the Sino-French War, perhaps history will be rewritten, but this can only be hypothetical.

Frankly speaking, the colonial aggression of the great powers is an external objective factor, but the real reason is that the Manchu court itself, even if there are the four great ministers of the Manchu Dynasty, but this dynasty has been cowardly to the point that it will become a frightened bird at the slightest disturbance, and this dynasty is decayed to the point of talking about the tiger to foreigners, and the dynasty itself has rotted. The French demanded the northern part of Annam, the requirements for the opening of the commercial ports of Guangxi and Yunnan, and the overlord clause of the French could not have agreed.

Britain and the United States naturally salivated when they saw the thriving railway construction of the Qing Dynasty. The ministers of the two countries demanded that the imperial court let go of the right to build roads, and the Manchu imperial court would not agree to this kind of humiliating demand. Immediately after that, the Germans, the Dutch, the Portuguese, etc., naturally did not let go of this opportunity, and they stared at it like flies. The great powers and countries coincided in plotting the interests of the Great Qing Dynasty, and Deng Zixuan's ghost hand was the bane that prompted this change to come ahead of schedule.

When the imperial court was anxious, the economic development of the Great Qing State did not stop. On this day, Sheng Huaixuan invited Deng Zixuan to visit the shipyard of Shanghai Machinery Factory, a wharf for manufacturing warships. At this time, the outline of an ironclad battleship in the dock had taken shape, accompanied by the huge roar of the steam engine, forming a very spectacular scene. At present, the scale of the machine factory has expanded more than ten times, and more than ten kilometers along the river have formed a contiguous factory area, and a complete industrial area has been formed.

"Brother Zixuan, our first ironclad battleship will be launched in the middle of this year, haha! The Qing Navy can finally raise its eyebrows. Sheng Huaixuan couldn't help but talk with joy. Looking at Sheng Huaixuan's face full of joy, Deng Zixuan knew that the current Sheng Huaixuan could be said to be proud, and his industrial empire seemed to have a prototype.

Deng Zixuan was a little unimpressed with the battleship, the displacement of the battleship in front of him was only more than 1,000 tons, and it was not the opponent of the foreigner warship at all. If you equip the flowering shells produced by your own arsenal, you may have the ability to fight. Even so, I'm afraid it's wishful thinking, you must know that foreign warships have been crisscrossing the ocean for hundreds of years, and their naval combat experience is very rich, and they are not at the same level at all. In the future, it is wise to prevent the young navy from conserving its strength and how to minimize the losses.

Deng Zixuan changed the topic and said: "Brother Sheng, I heard that foreigners have been very active recently, and the Manchu Dynasty has been overwhelmed with civil and military affairs. Sheng Huaixuan glanced left and right and whispered: "Brother Zixuan, I really don't hide it. At present, the French demand that all our officers and troops in the northern part of Annam return to the territory, demand that the northern part of Annam become a free trade zone, and also demand the opening of the commercial ports of Guangxi and Yunnan. Sheng Huaixuan looked depressed.

"The French are entrenched in the south of Annam, and they have long been eyeing each other, and they have repeatedly committed crimes in the north in recent years. Deng Zixuan asked knowingly. Sheng Huaixuan hesitated for a moment and said: "As far as I know, the quarrel above the court is fierce, and Lord Zuo is the main battle faction, emphasizing the use of military means to crush the conspiracy of the French. However, Annan is only our subject country, and Master Li believes that we should not lose a big deal because of a small one, and try to use negotiation to solve the problem. At present, the economic situation is very good, and I also agree with Mr. Lee's proposal. ”

"Once the French annex Annam, there will be no peace in our southwestern border, and there is nothing wrong with Lord Zuo's proposition that the enemy should be kept out of the country, and we must fight the arrogance of the French in Annam." Deng Zixuan was tentative. "Forget it, you and I are businessmen, and we can't control the government, so it's better to say less, so as not to get trouble out of your mouth." Sheng Huaixuan shook his head.

"Brother Sheng! Although you and I are businessmen, we must also understand the truth that the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband. I've heard that Britain and the United States are asking for the release of road construction rights, but is there a problem? Sheng Huaixuan nodded and said: "At present, this matter is the most annoying to Lord Li, the house leak coincides with the overnight rain, it is really a blessing and a disaster, and the requirements of Britain and France are absolutely unacceptable." However, the imperial court was afraid of foreigners and did not dare to offend them, and Lord Li was more than willing to do so. ”

"I heard that Zhang Zhidong was transferred to Guangzhou to serve as the governor of Liangguang?" Deng Zixuan continued to ask. "Yes! Annan is unstable, and Lord Zhang is in danger. I didn't expect that Lord Zhang agreed with Lord Zuo's idea and advocated the use of force against the French. It seems that the war in Annam is inevitable, and it is difficult to predict what the outcome will be. Brother Zixuan, it's not a matter of concern to us to say a thousand things and ten thousand, let's go and visit the battleship! ”

In the middle of winter, the northern country is icy and snowy, but Saigon, located in the southern part of Annam, is warm and pleasant. The bright sunshine and the clear blue water constitute a gorgeous picture. Suddenly, a huge group of warships appeared on the sea. Countless masts were densely packed, and the whistles from the battleships came and went. Soon the group of battleships entered the outside of the dock, several battleships docked at the dock, and more battleships and cargo ships anchored in the sea. The docks were already under martial law, and French soldiers in bright costumes drove away the idle people on the docks.

Soon the soldiers of the French Expeditionary Force began to disembark, their costumes so bright that they stood out in the sunlight. At this time, in a bush a few hundred meters away from the wharf, several men dressed as fishermen from Annam were hiding in the grass and watching the huge landing operation. A man wearing a hat on his head, holding a monocular in his hand to inspect, kept reporting a string of data in his mouth.

It took a whole day for the landing operation of the French troops to end. "Do you remember everything?" The man with the binoculars in his hand asked. "The number of French troops, the number of artillery, the number of battleships, and the number of battleships are all clearly remembered." A man with a notebook in his hand replied. "Let's go back immediately and immediately report the information to the brigade headquarters with carrier pigeons." Several investigators quickly disappeared through the darkness of the night.

Deng Zixuan's mansion in Shanghai City, after dinner, his aunt's wife Xiaohong left. "Husband, look at your heart and in a trance, are you not feeling well?" Wan'er asked with concern. Deng Zixuan looked at Wan'er and said, "Wan'er, the current situation in the south is not good, maybe I will leave Shanghai at any time." "Looks like I'm going to have to prepare so I don't get caught off guard." Wan'er looked very calm.

"Wan'er! I'm going to leave you in Shanghai! Deng Zixuan said his plan with difficulty. Wan'er's face changed suddenly when she heard this: "Husband, you promised that you would never leave me at any time, you once swore an oath!" "Yes, we are only temporarily separated. Wan'er, I need you to stay in Shanghai, do you know what I mean? Wan'er's eyes were a little moist, and she nodded silently.

Liang Jiu Wan'er said: "I know your thoughts, the huge family business in Shanghai City must be supported by someone." But I'm a woman, how much of a role can I make? "Chen Jintang stayed in Shanghai, and he was responsible for defending Greater Shanghai. At present, we have the ability to defend this hard-won family business, I am not here, you have to assist Chen Jintang. With you in charge, your subordinates will have a great deal of confidence. ”

"Husband, you are my everything, I can share your worries even if I go up to the mountain and the sea of fire, what do you need me to do?" Wan'er wiped away her tears and became stronger, at this moment she had no choice but to breathe with her husband and meet all kinds of difficulties. "Wan'er, everything will be arranged by Chen Jintang after I leave. I was supposed to tell you these things before I left, but I was afraid it would be too late. After I leave, you have to talk to Xiaohong slowly, in addition, you have to worry about our factory. Wan'er nodded.

Wan'er is empathetic, and her weak body contains a strong will, which makes Deng Zixuan very pleased. If he left, how long would it take, Deng Zixuan couldn't think of it. Once the war begins, everything that is familiar in one's memory will disappear and be replaced by a new historical trajectory. In this way, his advantage is only in the general trend, all the historical details will be gone, and the next step is to face a shijie who is both familiar and unfamiliar.

In late January, Chen Jintang came to report. "My lord, the troops are currently training on Jinshan Island, and the government is not aware of it. Wu Bao's security forces have been integrated on the basis of the manor and the guards of the various factories. The Qing army stationed in Shanghai City is basically under our control. The Qing army's fortress forts have been infiltrating continuously in the past two years, and our people have reached one-third, and once there is a change, we can quickly control it. ”

Chen Jintang seemed to remember something: "Lord, 30,000 sets of military uniforms you designed have been produced, and 20,000 sets are stored in the Jiang'an wharf warehouse, ready to be loaded on ships at any time, and our various strategic reserves have completed the targets." Our steel reserves reach 20,000 tons, coal reserves reach 500,000 tons, and grain reserves reach ・・・・・・. At this time, a subordinate hurriedly walked in.

"My lord! Guangzhou Emergency! Deng Zixuan quickly took the telegram, there was not a single military word on the telegram, if outsiders saw this telegram, they would think it was a very ordinary commercial telegram. Deng Zixuan quickly finished reading it and handed it to Chen Jintang. "The French increased their troops in Saigon on a large scale, and 10,000 horses came, so the number of Annam's French expeditionary force reached 15,000. Obediently, the number of battleships has increased by 55, and it looks like the French are really going to do it. Chen Jintang's eyes widened in surprise and hunger.

"What I hoped for and feared finally came, and I was glad that the French had moved ahead of schedule, and I was worried that our 2nd Brigade in Annam would not have time to change its outfit. You immediately gather all the supervisors, convene a military meeting, and in three days I will be able to go south to Canton. "Yes! I did it immediately! After Chen Jintang finished speaking, he strode out.

In fact, the French had already begun to move, his vanguard force of 5,000 men began to advance north, and in addition, the French Far East Fleet was directed at the port of Haiphong. In fact, the French had some contempt for the Qing army, and their military action was to cooperate with political negotiations and force the Qing court to comply.

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