Seeing that the war between the north and the south was coming, Cheng Dequan, who had been in the officialdom for 20 years, understood that Jiangsu was the core of the conflict, and that he was definitely in a dilemma between the north and the south, and maybe he would suffer from the fish in the pond, so he simply announced his resignation as governor of Jiangsu and went north to take up the post of chief of transportation in the cabinet. Subsequently, Duan Qirui, who acted as the governor of the Hubei army, also hurriedly handed over the military power of Hubei to Duan Zhigui, the "His Royal Highness" who went south, and returned to Beijing to serve as the army commander. Immediately afterwards, Jiang Zhiqing, the former governor of Sichuan, also came to the capital by plane.

This event was later referred to in the history books as the "entry of the three governors into Beijing", marking the strengthening of the central government's control over the local areas, and the noisy provincial autonomy movement in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China has come to an end.

As for the reason for the three governors entering Beijing, it is generally believed that Sun Yuanqi and Yuan Shikai were adjusting their military deployments and preparing to strike a thunderous blow against the Southern Revolutionary Party. Some people also believe that the main operator of this personnel reshuffle is Sun Yuanqi, and his purpose is to prepare for the coming world war -- as everyone knows, Sun Yuanqi's judgment of the domestic and international situation is second to none, and at least judging from the existing historical materials, there have been no major mistakes. There are also a very small number of Sun Yuanqi's brainless fans who stubbornly believe that the reason why the three governors are willing to enter Beijing is completely due to Sun Yuanqi's personality charm, and history has repeatedly proved that following Sun Yuanqi is the most promising!

In fact, the three of them were reluctant to enter Kyoto at the beginning: Jiangsu, Hubei, and Sichuan are all important provinces in the country, but they are not like Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, which can be discarded like a piece of cake! Moreover, the governor who is in charge of the military and political power of the province can be described as one in heaven and one underground compared with the chief of the cabinet in name only. But each of them has a last resort, and in the end they can only obediently comply.

Take Jiang Zhiqing as an example, there were originally 523 million people under the rule of Sichuan, which was no less than a big power in the East and West. Who knew that as soon as he tasted the taste of the governor, he was transferred to Beijing by Sun Yuanqi to serve as the chief of the navy. What does the Navy have? Seven or eight guns for a dozen people. The chief is completely deaf ears - ornaments! But what could he do? If he is given another year or two, the officers above the company and platoon level in the army will be replaced. may be able to excuse Sun Yuanqi's summons. But not right now.

Now the people of Sichuan still always remember the benefits of Sun Yuanqi's tax exemption before the beginning of the year, and most of the backbone of the army are students who were recruited from the affiliated school of Jingshi University, and they do not know how many nails Yang Du planted in Bashu. If he, Jiang Zhiqing, dared to disobey the order, he was afraid that he would be captured and sent to Sun Yuanqi in three or five days. Therefore, although Jiang Zhiqing was 120,000 unwilling in his heart, he still forced his face. obediently completed the handover with Yan Xishan, who was also full of complaints, and then rushed to the capital as soon as possible. And after arriving in Beijing, he didn't care about resting, so he immediately went to visit his mentor Sun Yuanqi.

Later generations once commented that Jiang Zhiqing's military talent could only be qualified for an infantry platoon commander at most, but his means of playing political conspiracy were absolutely first-class, which can be seen from his performance in governing Sichuan for more than a year. After meeting, Sun Yuanqi also praised his achievements.

As the conversation between the two came to the right place. Jiang Zhiqing still couldn't help but ask: "As far as the students know, the navy is a very technical branch of the army, and only those who were born in science and immersed in the navy for many years can be qualified for the post of commander-in-chief, such as the previous Sa Dingming (Sa Zhenbing) and Liu Ziying (Liu Guanxiong). Although the student also graduated from the military academy, he learned riding lessons, and after graduation, he has been trained in the army and has never dealt with the navy. I wonder why Mr. appointed the student as the chief of the navy? ”

Sun Yuanqi knew that Jiang Zhiqing had resentment in his heart. smiled at the moment: "Indeed, as Kai-shek said, the navy is very technological, and ordinary people really can't play it." Fortunately, now our navy's family has been tossed to the ground, and there are only some worthless broken copper and iron left, which can be tossed by you at will, learning and groping. It is said that 'foreign monks can recite scriptures', and I would like to see if Kai-shek, after you take charge of the navy, can you find a unique way to bring the Chinese navy back to life? ”

Jiang Zhiqing shook his head and said, "Mr. is too uplifting a student!" It's just that now the situation with the Chinese Navy is like this. I'm afraid that the gods will have nothing to do when they come! Before going to Beijing, the students had a general understanding of the situation of the navy at home and abroad, and it was good that they did not understand, at least they still had a glimmer of hope in their hearts; After understanding the situation, my heart was completely discouraged! ”

"Oh? Why did Kai-shek say this? Sun Yuanqi was a little curious.

Jiang Zhiqing said: "The student only said two sets of data, and Mr. knew how terminally ill the Chinese navy was. The first set of data is the number and tonnage of existing ships in the navies of various countries last year. In first place is the British Empire, with a total of 591 ships of various types, including combat ships, battle cruisers, armored cruisers, dome cruisers, coastal defense gunboats, and submarines, with a tonnage of 2.35 million tons; In second place was the German Empire. There are 357 ships with a tonnage of 1.15 million tons; Japan, which is separated from us by water, ranks fifth, with 189 ships of various types and a tonnage of 680,000 tons.

"And what about us? Our Navy has 9 Dome cruisers, 27 coastal defense gunboats, 6 destroyers, and 8 torpedo boats. A total of 50 ships. It seems that there are quite a few of them, almost a quarter of Japan's, but the total tonnage is only a pitiful 450,000 tons, less than one-tenth of Japan's. It's okay to use them to scare fishermen and bandits, but as for going to the battlefield, I'm afraid that without the other side firing artillery, a gust of wind can blow half of it. What can students do? ”

Sun Yuanqi nodded: It seems that the Chinese Navy is really a bit of a dead end!

Jiang Zhiqing added: "The second set of data is the Dreadnought-class battleship race that began in full swing among the world's major powers since 1906. In February 1906, the British Navy's battleship HMS Dreadnought was launched, turning the battleship into an antique overnight. And this led to a huge shipbuilding competition. The Dreadnought was built with a displacement of about 20,000 tons, powered by a steam turbine, with a speed of more than 19 knots, and firepower more than twice as powerful as the other largest armored ships of the time. Such battleships were uniformly named 'dreadnoughts', including the German Nassau-class battleships and the American South Carolina-class battleships.

"At this very moment, dozens of dreadnoughts are being built at major shipyards around the world. It is said that the cost of the 'Dreadnought' battleship, which ushered in the era of dreadnoughts, was 1.78 million pounds, or about 10 million taels of silver, which was much higher than the financial surplus of the Qing Dynasty in a year at that time! In the West, it is equivalent to the annual expenditure of the navy of Austria-Hungary, one of the five great powers of Europe! For us in China, not only can we not have dreadnoughts, but we also do not have the ability to build dreadnoughts, and even the government does not have the financial resources to build dreadnoughts! What can students do? ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "The cost of one dreadnought is enough to equip two elite army divisions, or to feed six army standard divisions. Not only can we not afford to play this arms race, but I am afraid that only a few countries in the world, such as Britain and the United States, can afford to play it. Let's call Hanako, why bother to compare treasures with the dragon king? ”

Jiang Zhiqing was a little skeptical: "Sir, you said that Germany can't afford to play this dreadnought race, which ranks second in the world's navy?" ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "This dreadnought race is actually a dual competition of technology and national strength, and for the European powers, the competition is more reflected in national strength. Britain, for its part, has amassed vast wealth and colonies all over the world since the Industrial Revolution, and has accumulated enough power to participate in any current arms build-up. Moreover, Britain is an island nation, and it only needs to maintain one-tenth of Germany's land force to obtain ground security that is far superior to Germany's, so it can concentrate on developing its navy and building dreadnoughts.

"Germany is different. Its location in Central Europe, surrounded by enemies, dictates that it must focus on developing its land forces. If Germany competes with Britain in naval equipment on the basis of maintaining the current level of the army, the final result can only be financial collapse and national bankruptcy; If Germany abandons its existing land forces and expands its navy, it will be tantamount to killing itself, because the navy will not solve Germany's land security at all. Starting from Germany's existing national strength, it may be okay to build a few dreadnoughts, but to compete with Britain is completely a way to die! ”

Jiang Zhiqing exclaimed: "What Mr. said made the students suddenly open! ”

Sun Yuanqi said: "If you think about it further, the arms race between Britain and Germany has no reference significance for the current development of our navy. First of all, Britain chose the navy that is most conducive to its own development as a mode of competition, rather than an army, according to local conditions, which shows the importance of strategic planning in the arms race. Second, Britain's choice of dreadnoughts with significant technological content as a means of competition has made other countries feel a serious threat and have no choice but to follow Britain's lead in the competition, which shows the importance of science and technology in the military race.

"Since we are unable to participate in this vigorous dreadnought race due to the limitations of the country's financial resources and scientific and technological level, why don't we use our brains, make use of our strengths and avoid weaknesses, and consider ways to deal with dreadnoughts in terms of competitive methods and competitive means? As long as we prepare in advance and develop first, it is very likely that we will lead the trend and others will follow in our footsteps in the future! ”

A flash of inspiration flashed in Jiang Zhiqing's head: "What does Mr. mean?" ”

"Submarines, airplanes!" Sun Yuanqi replied succinctly: "When it comes to the navy now, most people will only count the three major arms, namely, the surface ship force, the coastal defense force, and the marine corps. But I think there should also be two new arms: the submarine force, the naval aviation unit. Although they are just emerging now, they will certainly be an indispensable part of the Navy in the future. As long as we develop early, we will be able to dominate the enemy's aircraft first! (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian.) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, your support, is my biggest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to m.qidian. )