After the end of his trip to Taiwan, Xu Jie led the fleet back to Lushun, and after temporarily handing over the management of the fleet to Lang Weili, he went to Shengjing non-stop, where Xu Jie wanted to meet a person known as the "Son of Heaven outside the Guan", and this person was the Shengjing general Yiketanga.

As a former Heilongjiang general, although Iktanga performed unfavorably in the First Sino-Japanese War, he was absolutely dedicated. Although due to various factors such as military strength, equipment, training, and command, Yiketanga and others were defeated in successive battles, but after all, he was a Manchurian, and he was also a more combat-effective general among the Manchus, so after this battle, he, like Rong Lu, was not only not held accountable, but also promoted to General Shengjing, becoming the nominal supreme commander of the three northeastern provinces!

But unlike Rong Lu and others, Iktanga is relatively open-minded, and this open-mindedness is not only in absorbing Western military equipment and techniques. While he supported the construction of modern arsenals and the training of new troops, he also focused on the construction of railways and the establishment of a Westernized industrial system. Although Xu Jie is very uncertain about his political orientation, considering that in 1901, this "son of heaven outside the Guan" was about to die of illness. Therefore, Xu Jie is more just a courtesy visit, after all, his business in the Northeast still needs the support of Yiketanga, and once the war starts, it is also necessary to avoid some unnecessary internal friction.

In the Shengjing General's Mansion, Xu Jie finally met this Shengjing general, compared with him in the first afternoon, Yiketanga looked a lot older and haggard. It's not just a physical problem, Iktanga is already a little physically and mentally exhausted at this time. Although Xu Jie didn't know the specific reason. But I feel that this has something to do with me, because Iqtanga has a hint of fierceness in his eyes when he first sees him, and then gradually relieves himself.

"Lord Iktanga, I haven't seen you in a long time." Xu Jie said with a smile and arched his hand.

"Yes, for more than a year, Lord Xu can be said to be calling for wind and rain, but I, General Shengjing, can't compare. Master Xu, don't say it yet. Let me guess what your purpose is for this visit. Iktanga said calmly.

"If I'm not mistaken, Lord Xu is here for this Russian, right?" Iktanga said. "Lord Xu led some warships of the Beiyang Fleet to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the Foreign Fleet. I guess I've taken care of things at sea, and now I'm going to arrange things on land again, right? Iktanga said.

"Xu has the responsibility to defend the land, this is my right and my obligation." Xu Jie replied.

"Only. I don't know who the road is for. I guess it's not the Qing Dynasty that is guarding, right? Iktanga said quietly.

"Xu is guarding this land and the people on this land, not working for a family." At this time, there were only two people in the whole room, and Yi Ketanga had already noticed that as General Sheng Jing, his eyes and ears had penetrated deep into the entire Northeast, and it was impossible for Xu Jie to hide it completely. So Xu Jie's answer was very explicit!

"What does this people consist of? I wonder if Lord Xu can make it clearer? Iktanga said with a frown.

"All the people who live in this land and build this land. Not just the Han and Manchus, but all the people. Xu Jie said.

"Why should I trust you? If one day the sky changes, how can I guarantee that you will be able to live up to what you said today? "Iktang Azheng Sedao." I can dismiss the imperial court. But I have to think about these Manchus who live outside the Guan. ”

"There are Manchus in the factories, departments, and armies under my rule, and there has been no xenophobia, not to mention that once the war starts, the northeast will bear the brunt of the attack by the Russians. We have a common enemy. It is true that the Manchus now have their own privileges over other peoples, but whoever they are is only a slave of a certain dynasty. If a certain dynasty is gone, all the Manchus lose is a yoke that restricts themselves, and they don't have to be anyone's slaves. Isn't that enough? Xu Jie asked rhetorically. …,

"Also, I want to say that if a government can't protect a civilian, it can't protect a general or a leader, and I won't make a law that can persecute a certain class of people, because one day I might be that kind of people. A balance can only be balanced if both sides are equally weighted. Xu Jie said earnestly.

"That's a good reason, and I like it." Iktanga said with a smile. The "dark clouds" on his face also dissipated a little.

"So now, can we talk about something specific? We only talk about defending the land and nothing else. Xu Jie also said with a faint smile.

"Lord Xu, what I can guarantee at the moment is that once the war starts, there will be no hindrance to the passage of your troops and supplies through my territory. And my Northeast Training Army will also ensure that it will stick to its position. At the same time, we will also be responsible for local security to prevent some rioters from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos. Iktanga said.

"Naturally, there is no problem for the general's subordinates to be in charge of local security and rear security, and we welcome them to fight side by side with our army. In fact, what our Beiyang Army lacks most is not military strength, but logistical support, and the three northeastern provinces are more than 1 million square kilometers. Although there were railways, it required a lot of manpower and transportation to get supplies to the front. At the same time, because my Beiyang jurisdiction is relatively scattered, if we can, we hope that we can raise some supplies nearby, and hope that the adults can do it. After speaking, Xu Jie arched his hand and said.

"It turned out that I wanted something, this is naturally possible, but the Northeast is already vast and sparsely populated, and the materials are not abundant, so it can be supplied in a short time, but if the war is protracted, I am afraid it will not work to sell the Shengjing General's Mansion." Iktanga shook his head and said.

"A large amount of ammunition and supplies in my Beiyang naturally have to be transported from Zhili and the south. Recruitment in the Northeast is only an emergency measure. It is not to rely on the northeast to feed the army to fight. In addition, we must prepare for everything, and if we are well prepared, I think we will be able to temporarily relieve our urgent needs. Xu Jie said.

"Tell me what you think." Iktanga looked at the young man in front of him with interest and said.

"There are stocks in various places, but this is far from enough, we need to coordinate the dispatch of these materials, and arrange special personnel to be responsible for management and transportation. In addition to a few more important warehouses, in order to ensure that these materials can be safely transported to the front line, we also need to set up similar military stations along the way for auxiliary transportation, which the Japanese did very well in the First Sino-Japanese War, if there are no more than 100,000 soldiers, the Japanese Army will not be able to hit the Liaodong Peninsula. At this point, we need to learn from it. Xu Jie said.

"These are not problems, but I need to remind Lord Xu that I have a duty to defend the land in Yiktanga, and we have a common goal on this point, but if that day, if Lord Xu turns his back on what he once said, we will be enemies, and it is not right for a few to oppress the majority. But it is equally wrong for the majority to oppress the minority. Iktanga said.

Thanks to the book friend yyhu's monthly ticket support, some book friends said that the author used the Spanish-American War to drag the content, in fact, the author's original intention was to let everyone have a more detailed understanding of the technology and development of the United States Navy at that time through the description of the Spanish-American War, and this is also to pave the way for the future, after all, if according to history, the expansion of the United States Navy is too fast, and the United States, which occupies places such as Hawaii and the Philippines, has actually expanded the scope of power to the doorstep, even if the protagonist is powerful, There is still nothing that can be done about the United States in the era of the Great White Fleet. (Your support is my biggest motivation.) )