With a long and piercing sound, the train started slowly, and Deng Zixuan and two guards embarked on the road south. As early as a month ago, Shang Hu, the captain of the Rose Manor Guard, led 300 of his subordinates to Fuzhou, and the vacancy left after leaving was taken over by Wu Bao. Although it is the early autumn season, the Gangnam Plains are still lush and beautiful.

Since the opening of the railway from Shanghai to Fuzhou, it has been running well for more than nine months, especially the huge economic benefits, which have impressed the people of the world, and thus further promoted the Qing court's attention to the railway. In particular, the Manchu officials, whose attitude turned almost 180 degrees, demanded the construction of a railway in the territory of Zhili. On the grounds of safeguarding the safety of the capital, they formed a certain consensus in the court.

Deng Zixuan learned that the Western powers and countries had asked the Qing court to open up the right to build roads within their borders, and the foreigners would not sit idly by and ignore such a lucrative profit. The opening of the right to build roads in the territory of the Qing Dynasty, not to mention the Manchu officials, even Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang and other Han officials will not agree. The importance of the railway line is related to the safety of the country, and they will never involve foreigners.

If Western countries fail to achieve their goals, they will inevitably resort to the threat of force. The trajectory of history has changed beyond recognition due to its butterfly effect, which means that many new changes will appear at any time. The train was running on the field, although the speed was only more than 30 kilometers, but the dignitaries and ladies who took the train for the first time in the VIP carriage were still like visiting the Grand View Garden, and the noise of different sounds disrupted Deng Zixuan's thinking several times.

This train has a total of six carriages, three passenger carriages and three freight carriages. It is said that if you want to take this train, you must buy a train ticket at least half a month in advance. At present, train tickets themselves are expensive, and now they are actually more than ten times higher by demanders. In order to be able to take the train, many dignitaries and nobles who come here simply live in Shanghai or Fuzhou City and wait, which shows how high their enthusiasm is, and this situation where demand is greater than supply may last for a long time.

Due to the speed of the steam locomotive factory, there are currently only six locomotives running on this unprecedentedly crowded railway line, and three teams are divided into three teams from Fuzhou and Shanghai in different directions every day. Deng Zixuan withdrew his eyes from the window, looked at the noisy passengers, and fell into some kind of thinking. The turbulent railways of the Qing Dynasty, if foreigners can't get a piece of the pie, what kind of changes will happen?

This shijie interests represent everything, and foreigners will never hope that the Qing Dynasty will become stronger and stronger, which is the general consensus of Western countries. A cowardly piece of fat that can be gnawed at at any time will echo their interests. Judging from this, the French annexation of Annam and the pursuit of the interests of the southwest will be launched in advance, because this is the national policy of the French government. They coveted not only Annam, but also the southwestern provinces of the Great Qing Dynasty. In the new partition of the colonies in Asia, the French already had the conditions.

The Westernization movement that emerged in the Great Qing Dynasty was far beyond the capacity of foreigners. In the next step, Western countries will definitely take countermeasures, and how to seek greater benefits will reach a consensus among foreigners. This means that the French will definitely take a strong offensive in Annam. In fact, Deng Zixuan did not know that a high-level meeting between Britain and France was held in London, England, and the British cabinet fully agreed with the French to take military action in Annam, and at the same time, the Far East Fleet and the expeditionary army units formed by the French were coming to Asia.

The train arrives in Hangzhou, where it stops for an hour. It stands to reason that Hangzhou City is a big station, and it will definitely get on and off passengers. However, almost all the passengers who take the ride are sightseeing tourists, so there are no passengers getting on and off at Hangzhou Station, only loading and unloading goods. Due to the delay in loading and unloading the cargo, there is a delay of one hour. As soon as the train stopped, a separate train entered the station, and the platform was suddenly bustling.

At this time, all kinds of snacks abound on the platform, and all kinds of vendors selling souvenirs are everywhere. Deng Zixuan got out of the car with two guards. Pick up a clean food stall and sit down, and then have a full meal. Deng Zixuan watched the lively scene and sighed in his heart: The opening of this railway line has solved the livelihood problem of many people, and it is really a golden tael of gold when the train rings.

In an inconspicuous fishing village on the north bank of the Min River on the east side of Fuzhou's Mawei Industrial Zone, in a secluded courtyard. The courtyard is full of large boxes, and a group of young men are dismantling them. Soon many of the wooden crates were dismantled, revealing new barrels, wheels, and other parts of the gun. In particular, the bright shells are particularly conspicuous. There are also new rifles and revolvers.

"Report to Captain Shang, after inspection, all artillery parts are complete, and the number of shells is complete. 500 rifles, 100,000 rifle bullets, 5,000 grenades. 200 revolvers, please check them by the captain. Shang Hu took the bill and checked it and said: "Immediately assemble the artillery and put it into storage, and other weapons will also be stored and sealed." "The subordinate was ordered to go. These weapons were transported from the sea, and all weapons were mothballed except for the assembly of artillery.

A month ago, Shang Hu led a team of about 500 people from Rose Manor to Fuzhou. Three hundred people were scattered into the city of Fuzhou, and 200 people are currently concentrated in this small fishing village. In fact, these 200 people are an artillery team with 50 guns. Shang Hu was checking his subordinates assembling the artillery, when a subordinate hurriedly ran in and muttered a few words in Shang Hu's ear. Shang Hu's face changed suddenly when he heard this, and he hurriedly ran out.

There is a courtyard house next to it, which is very quiet, and there are no guards in front of the door. Shang Hu ran in three steps and two steps, and then entered the main room. At this time, Deng Zixuan was standing in front of a military map and was looking. "Report to the lord, and my subordinates have come to pay a visit. The subordinates don't know that the lord is coming, please punish him. Shang Hu knelt on one leg to salute. Deng Zixuan turned around and picked up Shang Hu and said with a smile: ", what to punish?" Get up! Shang Hu stood up and stood aside.

Deng Zixuan sat down and still smiled: "Captain Shang, sit down and talk." Yes, this place is very secluded, did you know that Weishenme asked you to come here? "My subordinates don't know, please teach the lord!" "Now I'm telling you, your secret detachment is here to defend the Mawei Industrial Zone. In the event of any change in the future, we must ensure the absolute safety of Mawei Industrial Zone! "Yes! Subordinates understand! "You inform Fan Tao immediately, I want to see him!"

The sunset reflects half of the sky, standing at the mouth of the Min River. Deng Zixuan and Shanghu raised their eyes and looked into the distance, with an unobstructed view of the blue sky and the sea and the wide Minjiang River estuary. "Tell me about your defenses?" Deng Zixuan asked. "My lord, this place is 20 kilometers from Mawei, and I am prepared to fortify it at a position of about 10 kilometers at the narrowest point between the estuary and Mawei, and use the favorable terrain on both sides to deploy artillery to prevent enemy warships from entering. I asked the staff officers to study it carefully, and even if the enemy warships broke through the blockade, they would suffer heavy losses and lose their combat effectiveness. ”

Seeing Shang Hu's confident face, Deng Zixuan said, "Very good, your defense measures are very thorough. There is also how to exert the power of the Qing army fort in the Wuyuan Industrial Zone, you must also have a comprehensive consideration, if necessary, you can take over the fort, and the next step is to formulate a complete strategy. "Yes, my subordinates understand, we are working on this aspect of Jihua!" The two walked along the coast until late at night, and did not return to the small fishing village until late at night.

The next day, a fishing boat docked, and Fan Tao, dressed in civilian clothes, jumped onto the dock of the fishing village with agility. "May I ask if this gentleman is Fan Tao?" A man on the dock asked. "It's down there!" "Please follow me!" Soon, Fan Tao walked into the courtyard. There is no need to go into detail when they meet, Shang Hu and Fan Tao themselves are familiar, and the only stranger in the house is a middle-aged man from Xiao Di. After Deng Zixuan's introduction, he learned that this man was Wan Chuan's subordinate and was responsible for the intelligence work of the entire Fujian.

"Brethren, the situation can change at any time. At the moment the French are sharpening their knives in Annam, so we prepare in advance. Once the flames of war were ignited, the French warships would definitely be aimed at the Nanyang Fleet and the Mawei Industrial Zone. It is not easy for the Qing Dynasty to build an industrial zone, and we have the responsibility to protect the hard-won industrial zone. You must follow my orders in how you act, and if the tide of battle changes, you can take action on your own, especially if the Mawei Industrial Zone is threatened. Shang Hu is in charge on land, and Fan Tao is in charge at sea. ”

"My lord, what will our warship do?" Fan Tao asked. Deng Zixuan asked, "So far, how many warships can you effectively control?" "Back to the lord, there is no problem with full control of 5 warships, and the rest is hard to say." Fan Tao replied truthfully. Deng Zixuan said: "If a naval battle breaks out, our warships are not the opponents of French warships at all in terms of performance, cannon power, and warship tonnage, so your task is how to ensure that the Nanyang Fleet avoids fighting with French warships and preserves its strength to the greatest extent." ”

Deng Zixuan continued: "Even if the battleship is sunk, the personnel must be saved. It is not easy to cultivate naval talents, we can rebuild warships without them, and if people don't have them, it will be fatal, understand? "My lord! I see! Then Deng Zixuan repeatedly explained the details, and imagined a lot of unfavorable factors. Zuihou Deng Zixuan asked them how to effectively support and liaise with the support of intelligence, and formulate a complete plan.

After Wan Chuan's subordinates left, Shang Hu asked, "My lord, if you have an incident in the south, how can we take action?" "My plan is that Shang Hu is responsible for quickly controlling Mawei Industrial Zone and Fuzhou City, Fan Tao is fighting for control of the Nanyang Fleet, and your task is to hold Fuzhou City." As for the changes in the later stage, I will give you instructions according to the actual situation. Shang Hu and Fan Tao glanced at each other and couldn't help but be enthusiastic.

Fan Tao said: "My lord, the naval officers who graduated this year will all be sent to the Beiyang Fleet, and there are 20 of us in it. "Let them be smoothly assigned to the Beiyang Fleet, and they may play a role in the future." And I'm concerned about how to control the South Sea Fleet, and the next step is to give it your all. "Yes! Subordinates understand. ”

After sending Fan Tao away, Deng Zixuan also had to return. At the time of parting, Deng Zixuan said to Shang Hu: "After I get up in the south in the future, you may be left alone and have no foreign aid in a short time, so you should prepare early." "Lord, don't worry! I will develop shili in the garrison Qing army, once it becomes my use. Deng Zixuan nodded with satisfaction and said goodbye to Shang Hu.

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