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The firepower on the Beiyang side is strong, and the 75-mm Krupp camp guns are almost empty, and the consumption of two-pounder guns is almost low.

The "Makqin" machine gun was somewhat useful, but it could not destroy the hordes of "ironclad monsters" on the "shorthair" side.

In the city, Shanghai's big-name capitalists have gathered at Lao Li Tou's mansion to brainstorm and discuss countermeasures.

"Lord Zhongtang, people from all walks of life at the moment rely on the elite division of the Lord to protect the territory and the people, and resist the stubborn enemy!" Zhang Jian, a representative of the Min capitalists, was already worried

Not only him, but also Zhu Dachun, Shen Dunhe, Shi Zejing, Ye Chengxin and others were also worried that the war would affect their own industries, so they jointly came to ask for their lives.

"This time, everyone will work together to provide for the same boat, donate one million taels of silver, and hope that Lord Zhongtang will be enlightened!" Sheng Xuanhuai, a red-capped businessman, took out a dozen silver tickets and put them on the table

Although he was a Sipin official, he controlled the China Merchants Steamship Bureau, the Shangyang Telegraph Office, the Huasheng Textile Bureau, the Daqing Commercial Bank, and the Hanyeping Company in the Yangtze River Valley.

These are the largest enterprises today, and a considerable part of the funds come from these Min capitalists around them.

If the city of Shangyang becomes a battlefield and is even captured by the "shorthair", then they will definitely suffer heavy losses and even go bankrupt in debt.

In order to protect their own interests from being harmed, they actively agitated and lobbied in the officialdom to strive to get what they wanted.

"What do you mean?" Lao Li Tou did not immediately express his position, but asked Liu Qixiang.

Although he is a fourth-grade person, he can only look up to the minister of Beiyang according to his official rank, but he is the head of the land, and he has to take into account the feelings of the other party.

"The lower official respectfully obeys the orders of Lord Zhongtang!" In front of everyone, Liu Qixiang behaved extremely well-behaved and deferential.

But as a subordinate of Lao Liu Tou, the minister of Nanyang, it is impossible for him to completely cooperate with the top and bottom of Beiyang.

Shangyang originally had eight battalions of garrisons, which were barely called the Shanghai Army, but Liu Qixiang did not agree to defend in the north, but stationed all of them in the southern city.

After the Beiyang Land Division was hit hard, this thing was worried again and again, but his heart was secretly refreshed, and he was able to eat and drink, so he was not happy.

Liu Kunyi, who returned to Jiangning, sent a telegram instructing Liu Qixiang to cooperate with Master Li and properly solve the problems encountered by Shangyan.

As for how to "cooperate and proper", it depends on the emotional intelligence of this official.

Nanyang and Beiyang have always been at odds, and the main force of Lao Liutou's Hunan army was wiped out on Baodao.

The "short-haired" finally attacked Shangyang, and encountered the Beiyang land and water divisions that retreated south, and how could the Nanyang high-level leaders be satisfied if they did not lose both?

Besides, Beiyang is undefeated, how can the Qingliu Group in the court who want to put Li Hongzhang to death be willing?

If the boss of the Westernization faction is not eliminated for a day, they will have trouble sleeping and eating for a day.

This is the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, which is harmonious and happy on the surface. In fact, they are all tilting against each other, sharply opposed.

Lao Li Tou had long understood the calculation of this land snake, and said with a smile: "So good! Everyone has seen our Beiyang soldiers fighting bravely to kill the enemy and fight against foreign soldiers. If it weren't for the huge number of 'Ironclad Monsters' and 'Flying Monsters' held by the enemy, they would have been repelled by our army. Now the imperial court reinforcements have not arrived for a long time, the green battalion is embarrassed, the regimental training has never been in actual combat, and although our Beiyang has fought viciously, it is still outnumbered. At this point, the old man can only do his best, if the many consuls of Taixi coordinate from it, they may be able to turn the situation into safety. ”

In a telegram to the imperial court, Lao Li Tou outlined the objective factors of the ineffective support of Nanyang, the refusal of local officials to cooperate, and the Western powers watching the fire from across the strait.

At present, in order to defend Shangyang, the Beiyang Land Division has lost more than half, and the Navy Division has sunk six large ships, but the military expenditure has not yet arrived.

Although Lao Li Tou was a minister of the Qing Dynasty, in the face of such a situation, it was difficult to turn the tide and turn defeat into victory.

The Russian and Japanese consuls and American and Italian businessmen intended to open the arms depots in Shanghai, but the prices were too high.

Besides, among the weapons they can provide, there is no equipment that can restrain the "Iron Armored Monster" and the "Flying Monster".

Nie Shicheng took over the conversation and reassured everyone: "But you can rest assured, the foreigners of the concession countries are also actively preparing for war!" Two lines of defense have been formed, the first being guarded by the coalition forces and the second by the Volunteers and patrolling. ”

Shangyangcheng District is divided into two parts, north and south, and a horizontal strip in the north is a multinational concession, which is the territory of foreigners.

The south is the world of the braids, and if the "shorthair" wants to kill it, they must either take a detour or attack the concession first.

The total strength of the allied forces in Shanghai was about 6,000, and the patrol and volunteer teams combined were also 4,000, and their combat strength was equivalent to 30,000 or 40,000 Beiyang Army Divisions.

As long as Britain, France and other powers take the lead in blocking the "short hair", Lao Li Tou can sit back and relax.

The idea of the braids is good, but at the moment of the great enemy, the foreigners also have to get together to discuss countermeasures.

"Gentlemen, we can't let the dirty soles of the rebels trample on the land of the concession!" The French consul in Shanghai, Bai Zaotai, was the main battle faction

Although the French Concession is small in size, it is on the inside, and the British and American leases are large, but on the outside.

Even if it is broken, it is someone else's place, so Bai Zao Taicai argues with reason to intercept the advance of the rebels.

U.S. Consul Kennedy smoked a cigar and couldn't help but laugh: "Yes, the French Concession is very safe inside!" ”

The British consul Warren took advantage of the situation to generalize the first army: "In this case, please ask the head of your country to increase the army by 50,000!" ”

Everyone saw through the French Yankee's cautious thoughts, but the haughty Shiraotai didn't think so: "Are you going to let the rebels go south?" ”

"Why not?" Kennedy asked rhetorically, "Is your country stopping the flood peak?" ”

Bai Zaotai said contemptuously: "This is a sign of incompetence and weakness, in the future, you will be endlessly threatened by the rebels!" ”

Hua Lun despised this military idiot very much: "Since you are so confident, why don't you teach everyone how to block the new weapon of the tank?" And that thing in the sky, how? ”

Kennedy also sneered: "Yes, the total strength of the coalition army is only 10,000, and many of them are patrols and temporary recruits. Everyone wants to know how many casualties do you think the coalition will incur in stopping the rebels? How will we win? ”

Bai Zaotai sneered: "The rebels don't dare to start a war with the great powers at the same time, they are just the Taiping Army-style Nongmin Army, and they can only defeat the same kind like the Qing Army." ”

Hua Lun couldn't help but nodded: "Your subjective judgment ability is really admirable and admirable, has the Taiping Army ever owned a battleship?" Can the Taiping fleet crisscross the Pacific? I think the best job for you is not a consul, but a science fiction person! If you really work hard to write, you will definitely make your fellow countryman Jules? Verne eclipsed! ”

Bai Zaotai turned a blind eye to such sarcasm: "If you want to let the rebels go, then why do you still build two lines of defense in the concession?" Isn't that self-contradiction? ”

Kennedy took a sip of his coffee and asked, "Who said the line was for defense against the rebels?" ”

Those two lines of defense were actually made for the Qing court and Li Hongzhang to see, it was not that the great powers did not want to resist the enemy, but there was a huge disparity in the strength of the enemy and us, so they ......

The premise of fighting a war is to be able to win a war, or to force the opponent to enter into peace talks.

If you come up and be wiped out by the other side, then what's the point of fighting?

Vice Admiral Phillimant, commander of the Far East Fleet of the British Royal Navy, who had seen the true strength of the rebels, had already warned Warren.

All the British troops stationed in the Qing State would be impractical to launch any military attack that attempted to obstruct the opponent's tactical actions, and could only suffer a crushing defeat.

If nothing else, how do you handle the 88th Fleet, which consists of 8 battleships and 8 cruisers?

Therefore, Bai Zaotai, who advocates blocking the rebels, actually wants everyone to carry out a self-inflicted humiliating search for death!

As for the newly discovered aircraft that can bomb and shoot, the coalition forces are at a loss.

As for those land weapons called "tanks", it is said that the Germans have always wanted to get ......

"Let's take a look, Li Hongzhang sent an urgent telegram of 100,000 yuan from Shangyan, urging salaries, food, and reinforcements, you can speak freely!" Lafayette asked Xiao Lizi to circulate the telegram to the important ministers below

The Qing Dynasty has entered an eventful season, and basically whatever you are afraid of will come.

The three major thieves bewitched Diao Min in Liaodong, Sichuan-Chongqing, southeast and other places, confronted the government, attacked the city, and committed monstrous crimes.

The Qing court despised the existence of the New Tang Dynasty regime established by Li Mu, who seized the Liaodong Peninsula, and called it the puppet Tang Dynasty.

The bandits who have been sent to encircle and suppress include Fengsheng A's Shengzi Lianjun and Ronglu's Wuwei Army.

However, to the inexplicable surprise of the imperial court, tens of thousands of brave people were used to fill the pit, but it was not filled!

The two elite troops of the Qing Dynasty were gnawed by each other's dogs, and Rong Lu, who had high hopes, hid in Mukden and did not dare to come back to face the saint.

Now the treasure island rebelled and led the people to attack Shangyan, this is a heavy tax place, the gateway to the south of the Yangtze River, and it must not fall.

"Teacher, what should I do about this?" Seeing that all the Qing family were silent, the little emperor had no choice but to ask his teacher.

Even if Master Weng, who was named, was helpless, he had to answer stiffly: "Back to the emperor, the Beiyang Water and Land Divisions are the first-class elite of my Qing Dynasty, and they spend a huge amount of money every year, so their combat power is naturally not a problem." There are dozens of green battalions in Shangyang, plus thousands of garrisons in the Taixi countries, so there must be no danger. The previous two saints had ordered the military aircraft department to send Liu Kun with 20 battalions of soldiers and horses to rush to the aid of Shangyan, and Bian Baoquan, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, had also dispatched 10 battalions to the north to defend against the enemy. In this way, there are no less than tens of thousands of troops around Shangyang, and the 'short hair' should be helpless. ”

Master Weng first teased the big gold-swallowing family under the command of Lao Li Tou-the Beiyang Water and Land Division.

Then move out of the Western powers, Liu Kunyi, and Bian Baoquan to plug the gun holes, and make up enough cannon fodder first.

Liu Kunyi's main force of the Hunan army has been hung up in Baobei, saying that it is to support the 20th battalion, but in fact, it is all the newly formed township brave regiment training.

He didn't even have heavy weapons, and he had zero combat experience, and when he got to the battlefield, he was no better than the Green Battalion, which could only eat, drink, vote and gamble.

Bian Baoquan agreed to drop the 10th battalion and go to Shangyang to help in the battle, but he was afraid that the "shorthair" would attack Hangzhou.

Therefore, the Zhejiang army that had been temporarily saved up went to the front line of Haining and Jiaxing, and was unwilling to continue to go north.

Sun Yuwen, Minister of Military Aircraft, couldn't see Master Weng's face, and said bluntly: "Emperor Qiqi, this 'short hair' is prepared, the 'iron-armored monster' is rampant on the ground, and the 'flying monster' soars in the sky. If 50,000 'shorthairs' attack on Shangqi in a big way, the strategic point here is bound to be in danger. The imperial court must order all localities to rush to help, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable! ”

The "One Candy" general suffered a bunch of defeats on Treasure Island last year, which also brought the "Iron Armor Monster" and "Flying Monster" into the sight of the imperial court.

However, Western ministers and military attachés said that the two advanced weapons were not produced in China, and the hope that the imperial court would be able to obtain the same equipment was dashed.

The little emperor also felt that what the old grandson said made some sense, and his heart suddenly became nervous: "Teacher, if this is the case, you must immediately increase your troops!" ”

For the puppy, it doesn't matter whether Li Hongzhang and his Beiyang are dead or alive, the important thing is that Shangyang must not be lost, otherwise it will cause a double blow to the finances and image of the Qing Dynasty.

Once Shangfu was captured by "Short Hair", its impact was definitely no less than that of "Long Hair" when it captured Jiangning.

Master Weng immediately refuted: "Your Majesty, what Lord Sun said is alarmist. 'Shorthair' only started in Baobei last year, where did the 50,000 army come? Even if there is, it is a strong hunger to fill the number, and it is by no means comparable to an elite division. If you want to attack the important place of the Qing Dynasty with this, it is really a big joke in the world! ”

When the little emperor heard this, he seemed to feel that what the teacher said was also reasonable.

However, neither Li Hongzhang nor Liu Qixiang of Shangyan Daotai would risk the crime of bullying the monarch to issue a false telegram.

Liu Qixiang is a member of the Nanyang line, and he is clearly distinguished from the foreign Beiyang Group.

Now the situation described in the content of the two messages is similar, indicating that the situation on the other side of Shangyan is indeed precarious.

Master Weng is bent on killing Lao Litou, even if Shangyang falls, it doesn't matter, it's a big deal to let Liu Kunyi or "a piece of sugar" lead the army to take it back.

Seeing that the little emperor was still hesitating, he decided to add fuel to the fire: "Back to the emperor, the foreigner concession is north of Shangyang City, which is a natural barrier for my Qing Dynasty to fortify and defend. With the temperament of a foreigner, he will definitely not let the 'short hair' set foot in the concession for half a step. ”

The little emperor sent someone to take a closer look at the map, it is indeed the case, there are foreigners in the north, he Li Hongzhang should not be in danger for a while.

"Report ~ Shangyun emergency call!" Xiao Lizi took the telegram and immediately turned around and presented it to Lafayette

Old twiss...... Oh no, Lafayette glanced at it, and his face suddenly changed, and the ministers saw it in their eyes and guessed a rough idea.

"Read it! Let all of you listen to it! "Lafayette wants to slap a certain master

"On the morning of April 4, 'Shorthair' sent 10,000 land divisions to the south by means of the Gongfu Concession (a merger of the British and American leases), and now fights fiercely with the Beiyang camps in the French Concession. Our Beiyang soldiers are bravely resisting and stopping its offensive, but now more than half of them are suffering casualties and ammunition is scarce. I really hope that the imperial court's reinforcements will arrive quickly, and there will be changes later! ”

A group of ministers were shocked, according to what the message said, the foreigners had compromised, otherwise they would not have lent the way to the "short hair", and now even the barrier of the foreign devils was gone.

Master Weng was still scheming, and said: "The queen mother, the emperor, the matter has come to this point, and the top priority is to strictly order Li Hongzhang not to abandon the city and escape, otherwise Shangyan will inevitably fall into the hands of 'short hair'." ”