In September 1884, in cities and villages across China, young and old, in the streets and alleys, were watching the latest proclamation promulgated by the state: the Military Service Law

The Military Service Act provides for two types of military service: national service and standing military service in the Guards, and that men between the ages of 18 and 45 are required to perform national service if they do not perform the permanent military service provided for in the Military Service Act. In peacetime, they received the prescribed military education, and in wartime they were recruited by order of the government.

All young people between the ages of 18 and 25, who are pure in thought and in good health, can sign up for the Standing Guard Corps, and if they have a certain level of education, they will be more valued.

Standing military service is divided into active duty, regular service, and continued service. Men between the ages of 18 and 25 who have passed the experience test shall be admitted to the camp for active duty for a period of three years, and shall be discharged from the army for two years except for senior soldiers and special services, and shall be discharged from the army after five years for baggage transport soldiers. Standing military service may be extended in time of war.

Those who have completed their active duty will return to their hometowns to join the regular service for a period of six years, and they should go to the prescribed exercises in their townships in peacetime, and be mobilized and called back to the camp in wartime. Those who have completed their regular service will join the renew service.

The renewal period begins from the date of transfer to the age of 40, and the national soldier is transferred to the national militia, and the national soldier serves until the age of 45 and is completely discharged.

Such a design allows professionally trained soldiers to stay in the military mobilization system for a long time, so that the war can have enough skilled veterans.

Related to the conscription system is the establishment of divisional districts, which are responsible for recruitment, training, and reorganization in various localities. Beginning in October 1884, the country was divided into 34 divisional districts and 10 reserve districts, and the generally densely populated provinces would set up two or three divisional districts, while provinces such as Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Northeast Inner Mongolia and other provinces could only set up one district in two or three provinces, the first batch was:

Jiangsu: Xuhai Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Tongshan, Donghai, Shuyang and Dangshan;

Huaiyang Division District, with jurisdiction over Jiangdu, Taixian, Huaiyin, Yancheng 4 regimental districts.

Jinling Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Jingning, Zhenjiang, Wujin and Jiangyin;

Zhejiang: Jinyan Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Jinhua, Lanxi, Quxian and Wuxian;

The Wen Division District has jurisdiction over Lishui, Yongjia, Linhai, Yunhe and 4 regimental districts.

Anhui: Anlu Division, Taihu, Lu'an, Chuxian, Lujiang 4 regimental districts;

Wuhui Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Wuhu, Guichi, Xuancheng and Xiuning;

Huaisi Division District has jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Mengcheng, Shouxian, Sixian and Fuyang.

Jiangxi: Xunrao Division, with jurisdiction over Jiujiang, Fuliang, Shangrao, and Wuning 4 regimental districts.

Henan: East Henan Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Kaifeng, Shangqiu, Zhengxian and Huaiyang;

The western Henan division has jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Luoyang, Linru, Shaanxi and Xuchang;

Henan Division District, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Xinyang, Nanyang, Runan and Huangchuan.

Hubei: Xiangyun Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Xiangyang, Suixian, Tianmen and Yunxian.

The second batch is:

Jiangxi: Nanfushi District, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Nanchang, Nancheng, Qingjiang and Pingxiang;

The Gannan Division has jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Ji'an, Wan'an, Ganxian and Ningdu.

Henan: Northern Henan Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Xinxiang, Boai, Anyang and Huaxian.

Hubei: Jingyi Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Yichang, Jiangling, Yidu and Enshi;

Hunan: Hengchen Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Hengyang, Youxian, Guiyang and Chenxian;

Baoyong Division District, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Shaoyang, Suining, Lingling and Daoxian;

Fujian: Jianyan Division, with jurisdiction over 4 regimental districts of Jian'ou, Nanping, Jianyang and Minqing;

In the third batch, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Shandong, Yunnan and other provincial divisions were set up.

The basic tasks of the divisional area are: (1) the recruitment and replenishment of active duty soldiers; (2) Convening and educating all military service; (3) Implementation of the mobilization plan; (4) Household survey and appeasement affairs in the jurisdiction.

In this way, the entire work of expanding the armed forces will be able to enter into an orderly mechanism. At the same time, military training was carried out among the people, mainly for the training of strong men and the military training of students.

China has huge human resources, which provide sufficient resources for the expansion of the army. At the same time, the economic achievements of industrialization over the past few years, the annual growth rate of industrial output value has reached 30 percent, and the continuous accumulation of foreign exchange reserves have provided an economic foundation for the expansion of the army. Ding Yuntong hoped that before the war against Russia began, on the original basis, each division could be built into one division, and the Guards Army could be expanded by 34 divisions, so that the total main force could reach 43 divisions.

He felt that this was the minimum armed force necessary to fight a powerful country like Russia.

But Ding Yuntong still had to emphasize in his heart that before fighting the Russians, he must first deal with the Japanese. At the same time, it is necessary to find ways to confuse the Russians, distract them, or provoke Germany or Austria-Hungary to confront Tsarist Russia. Or, as Genjiro Akashi did during the Russo-Japanese War, he instigated internal turmoil in Russia.

Ding Yuntong sighed, but unfortunately there is really no genius like Genjiro Akashi in China.

But it's also strange to say, after the Sino-Japanese War was fought, until now, Akashi Genjiro seems to have disappeared completely, you must know that before the war, this person was the director of the spy bureau.

At this time, Ding Yuntong suddenly flashed a thought, whether it was Rong Hong or Weng Tongyi, they both mentioned that there were foreigners in the Blackstone Society, and there were foreign funds in the Blackstone Society. Among them, Weng Tonggong clearly said that there is a person whose accent is obviously different from that of Chinese, in this case, will Genjiro Akashi also mix in the Black Stone Society, and even become one of the twelve zodiac signs?

This idea is so bizarre that Ding Yuntong himself can only laugh.

Another major strategy that followed the military expansion decree was the Great Migration from the Northeast.

The previous Qing Dynasty had always regarded the Northeast region as the "Land of Longxing", and adopted a ban policy on the entire three eastern provinces and the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, prohibiting the people of the Central Plains from entering, so that the population of the entire Northeast region was only a million people, which could be described as a vast and sparsely populated area, and for a long time it was only a place of exile for sinners.

Now that the dynasty has changed, the ban has been lifted, the railroad has been built, and merchants and peasants from Shandong, Hebei and other places have continued to enter the northeast, and in just a few years, the population of the northeast has increased by hundreds of thousands.

However, this is far from satisfying Ding Yuntong, because such a vast land and such abundant resources in Northeast China require at least tens of millions of people to be effectively developed, and China can get a large amount of agricultural products from this huge cornucopia in exchange for foreign exchange, and its mineral resources can also fully meet China's industrial needs.

At the beginning of October 1884, the government promulgated the and sold land at a national price:

According to various factors such as the distance of the land from the town, the degree of fertility and barrenness, and the proximity to rivers, railways, roads, etc., the land is divided into 17 categories of superior and inferior.

Ten acres of land is called a day, and the price of each piece of land is different according to its quality level, and the average price of a piece of land is only 60 yuan.

At this time, the value of one yuan is equivalent to 0.75g of gold, according to the ratio of gold to silver 1:24, so one yuan is equivalent to 0.6 taels of silver, and 60 yuan is 36 taels, which is very cheap at present.

In order to take care of those peasants who have no money to buy, it is even possible to use the method of installment payment to gradually pay the land price and interest with agricultural products.

The promulgation of this land decree has set off a wave of large-scale migration to the northeast in the hinterland, especially Shandong, Hebei and other provinces, which are under great population pressure.

The government has continuously launched blockbuster measures, but Ding Yuntong is still paying attention to another thing, according to the time, Tan Sitong of the Blackstone Society should have arrived in Hong Kong a long time ago, but Yuan Shikai has never received good news, which makes him a little anxious, and Yuan Shikai at this time is even more anxious.

Hong Kong in 1884 was like a strange world, full of East and West, Chinese and Western, whether it was architecture, food, language, clothing, or customs and culture. Western-style houses and Chinese-style buildings are interspersed; On the street, there are both Western ladies in white dresses and Chinese in coats and braids.

Some of them are well combined and have a different flavor. Some look nondescript, like freaks in suits and melon-skin hats.

Hong Kong, as a British lease, did not implement China's "braid-cutting order", so it was full of Chinese dragging "pig tails".

On October 7, in an old building at the foot of Taiping Mountain, Yuan Shikai was pacing back and forth, and his mood was really heavy. From the day he brought people to Hong Kong, a large number of agents monitored the various docks day and night, including many hotels, restaurants, and other places.

Previously, Judge Advocate General's officers had investigated Tan Sitong in detail, searched his home, and found a photo in his enrollment file.

It is said that as long as Tan Si appears at the Hong Kong pier, he will be discovered by agents, but why is there no trace? Yuan Shikai was even a little skeptical, did this Tan Sitong not come at all?

He was worried about this matter, and at this time a person came in, it was none other than his close friend Xu Shichang, since he served as the chief of military justice, he specially asked the emperor for Xu Shichang to come, hoping to be his right-hand man.

Xu Shichang listened to Yuan Shikai's troubles, and laughed: "Weiting, I just came up with a good solution!" ”

Yuan Shikai said: "What is the clever plan of Fifth Brother Bu, quickly explain it in detail." ”

"I think this Tan Sitong has come to Hong Kong, but we don't know where he is."

"According to the intelligence, it should be like this, after all, as long as the makeup is easy to make, it is indeed easy to fool our ears and eyes. Well, Fifth Brother Bu said this, is there any way to find him? “

"Yes, we can't look for one like this, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack in a huge Hong Kong. We need to study its nature and then prescribe the right medicine to succeed in one fell swoop. “