- What!

Li Mo!

Yan Fu and Qiu Fengjia were only stunned for a moment, then they suddenly got up, looked at Li Mo who was sitting upright with wide eyes, and looked at each other after a long time, and their hearts swelled at the same time!

Li Mo, Young Master Li, Grand Duke of Hawaii, Prince of the Protector of the Ryukyus!

The two had no doubt about the words of the young man in front of them, maybe in other places, someone would impersonate this name, but not here! Because this is Taipei, there are a large number of Yuben immigrants, if this name appears here, even if it leaks a little rumor, I am afraid that those Yuben ronins who are wandering around the streets will rush to kill the young man in front of them desperately!

Because it was his appearance that caused the fleet to be completely annihilated after the victory, so that Sasebo was reduced to ashes, countless ships were destroyed, countless citizens were forced to leave their homes and move inland, and countless cities were reduced to ashes in the rumbling cannons! In the end, it was because of him that he had to borrow a lot of money and pay sky-high indemnities before he sent away the wolf-like Pacific Army, and also took the Ryukyus and a small archipelago.

They couldn't understand why this prince and duke, who was now in the limelight, had the skill to accumulate money, and was jealous and jealous by countless people, and hated to be put to death, didn't bask in the sun in Hawaii or fish on the islands that were half-sold and half-sent, but came to Taiwan to come to this not famous teahouse.

Could it be that something has been added to the teahouse recently that can alarm this young master's new famous tea? Or come to Taiwan to buy some camphor to ward off evil spirits and prevent cockroaches and mosquitoes at home? That's right? He drove the kind of ironclad ship of more than 10,000 tons? Or did you come by steamer?

For a while, countless ridiculous and complicated thoughts rushed to my brain. After a long time, the two of them remembered that they hadn't seen each other yet, and hurriedly bowed their hands and said hello: "Have you seen it in Xia Yanfu (Qiu Fengjia)?" When the words came to their mouths, both of them hesitated, it is said that Li Mo should be the legitimate Duke of Hawaii, and he should be called the Grand Duke, but he has recently been awarded the title of Prince of the Protector of the Ryukyus, and the prince is older than the duke, should he be called the prince?

There was no way, Young Master Li's title was a bit messed up, so he immediately smiled and said, "Two gentlemen, please sit down, this is Daqing, you better call me Li Mo directly." If you're not afraid of losses, you can call me young master! ”

"Haha." Listening to what Li Mo said, Yan Fu and Qiu Fengjia also breathed a sigh of relief, the latter was born with the surname Haoshuang, and laughed even more: "Young Master Hawaii, now famous in the Far East, powerful all over the world, said that the First World War greatly increased the popularity of our Chinese, how can I say that the young master will suffer." ”

After saying their names, the three of them seemed a lot more relaxed, and after sitting down again and greeting a few words, Yan Fu asked the doubts in his heart: "Young Master Li, I don't know why you came to Taiwan this time?" ”

"Without him, I was originally going to Keelung to meet an old man and come to Taipei by the way, but after meeting the two gentlemen, I had one more task." Li Mo raised the teacup and said lightly.

"Oh? What task? Qiu Fengjia was a little curious, and didn't understand why this Young Master Li had just met the two of them, and suddenly had another task.

Looking at Qiu Fengjia and Yan Fu with stunned faces, Li Mo smiled slyly: "It's very simple, it's that Li Mo wants to invite the two gentlemen to Hawaii to help me." ”

As soon as Li Mo said this, let alone the two in front of him, even Duan Fei behind him was in a daze. Although from the young master's mouth calling out Yan Fu's name and position, he vaguely guessed that the young master was going to recruit the other party, but he didn't put it so directly! What's more, as a member of the intelligence department, most of the talents that Honolulu has recruited over the years have been through him, although the means used are varied, but they are nothing more than throwing money, seducing and secretly coercing a few, how have you ever seen such a direct one? You must know that Yan Fu is still the chief teacher of the Beiyang Academy, and he is a serious court official.

Could it be that the hint that the young master just now didn't make Du Dazhuang guard the surroundings? But to prepare a sack to carry people directly?

I still haven't learned home!

Duan Fei secretly wondered, the two people on the other side also had straight eyes, they didn't spend money and didn't speak, so directly in front of people to solicit, I'm afraid it can be regarded as unprecedented, right? It's no wonder that this young master can create such a big foundation in a few years, and this straightforwardness alone is probably unmatched.

In the face of everyone's surprise, Li Mo was still leisurely and complacent, pouring himself a drink as if what he had just said was a dream. But in fact, he has no choice, since ancient times, recruiting people is nothing more than to lure them to profit, move them with affection, go around seven or eight circles, and finally look at the thatched house to borrow the east wind, but I am afraid it is not very easy to put it on these two.

Whether it is Yan Fu or Qiu Fengjia, even if they are not contemporary Confucians, they are at least a generation of celebrities, both of them have the opportunity to be officials, but they are both dedicated to studying, which shows that they are not tempted by high positions at all. As for the benefits, I am afraid that it cannot be mentioned, the spleen surname of the Chinese is known to the world, not to mention that they can all be regarded as patriots, and if they want to use money to smash, I am afraid it will be counterproductive.

At present, I am afraid that the only thing that can attract the two of them is the prestige of the Pacific Army, which has just risen, but does this prestige still need to be salivaed? I believe that the two who care about current affairs have even dug out their old bottoms. As for the other party who came to a debate conference and said that he was speechless and convinced, it is even more nonsense, I am afraid that before I finish speaking, I will be dizzy and dizzy by the two of them to quote scriptures and classics to go home.

didn't have the ability to convince the other party, but he was unwilling to give up these two, so after Li Mo weighed it repeatedly in his heart, he chose this most direct method to hit the bottom line in their hearts with straightforwardness! However, judging from the current situation, this trick has begun to be quite effective, at least the young master has made the two of them speechless.

Li Mo guessed correctly, his direct solicitation did make Yan Fu and Qiu Fengjia a little stunned, Qiu Fengjia said that at present, he is only a new teacher, and it is not a problem to go out for a walk, but Yan Fu is different, as the chief teacher of Beiyang, he can't say that he can move his whole body, at least it is related a lot, so he hurriedly laughed a few times, waved his hand and said, "Young Master Li said that he was laughing." ”

Li Mo was not discouraged, it was a blessing for him to be able to recruit these two people, but even if he didn't succeed, it wouldn't have a big impact, so he immediately said, "Does Mr. Yan still have any concerns?" ”

It's not just concerns.

Yan Fu smiled bitterly at the directness of this Young Master Li in his heart, and said: "Thanks to Young Master Li, I can afford it, but Yan Fu, as a teacher in Beiyang, is entrusted by the emperor to teach and educate people, and teach maritime affairs, how can he leave the entrustment and go overseas, so I hope this matter will not be mentioned again." ”

"Teaching and educating people, teaching maritime affairs is indeed a century-old event, but hasn't Mr. understood it?" Li Mo was not polite, and said bluntly: "To put it mildly, since Mr. Yan is the chief instructor of the sailors, he must have also received the news of the naval battle, do you think Beiyang is losing to people?" ”

Without waiting for Yan Fu to speak, Li Mo looked at Yan Fu's eyes and preemptively continued: "As Mr. said, when it was said that Li Mo had already ambushed his troops in the dark in the naval battle, he was very clear about some things in the naval battle. Although Ben was the first to take the lead that day, do you think there is no problem between the imperial court and Beiyang?

Generally speaking, before the First Sino-Japanese War, it was said that the whole country was mobilized to purchase ships and build ships, and the whole country was united in expanding the navy, all of which were aimed at the Beiyang Naval Division, and it was even more obvious that the desire to seize Korea was revealed. However, in the Qing Dynasty, for the sake of Lafayette's life, we built a garden and transferred millions of sailors to spend millions of troops, so that we could not afford to buy new ships.

Ten years ago, Beiyang was founded, and the two ships in Dingzhen could indeed dominate the Far East, but after ten years, they were old, although they could still maintain their huge bodies, but Europe had already entered the era of 10,000 tons! Both the naval guns and the speed are no longer what they used to be. And as far as I know, long before the start of the naval battle, Yue Ben ordered two 10,000-ton ironclad giant ships from the British, so even if they lose this time, they still have a chance to turn back.

Looking back, let's look at the naval battle, whether it is personnel or warships, the Beiyang actually has an advantage, but why did they lose five ships in the end?

As far as I know, in addition to the ship's disrepair and lack of maintenance, there are also big problems with training in peacetime! In the naval battle, Beiyang was superior to the book in terms of both the caliber and number of cannons, but the hits were less than 12 out of 12!

Of course, it's more important to have shells!

The two ships in Dingzhen were supposed to be equipped with original shells purchased from Germany, but according to my father-in-law, in fact, there were only a few rounds left in the two ships combined, and the rest were produced by the imperial court. However, after inspecting the captured ships, I found that both Hashidate and Itsukushima were full of bullet holes, but only a few explosions and the rest were not exploded.

If it weren't for the fact that a German shell hit the flagship Matsushima and forced it to withdraw from the battle, causing the Navy to lose command, perhaps Beiyang would have lost more warships!

The more Li Mo spoke, the more anxious he became, and when he thought of being beaten by several broken ships and almost returning to history, he was angry, and he didn't notice the constant changes in the faces of the two.

"Ten years in Beiyang, costing tens of millions, even wealthy businessmen with lofty ideals have donated a lot, but where is their hard work of raising funds? Do you know how long it has been since those warships have been overhauled? How long has it been since the soldiers trained in live ammunition?

What about the money?!

Didn't the Qing Dynasty have any money? Spend millions just to give life to the old woman in the imperial city! Self-produced shells mixed with sand, gravel and cinders, but reported to the imperial court at the price of German shells!

"A century-old navy is not an empty word, it requires continuous capital investment and continuous talent training!"

This time, we defeated Yuben so that they would not be able to fight again for at least three years, which was the best time for the imperial court to recover the vassal state of Korea, but now? It is said that Ben borrowed a lot of money, and purchased dozens of ships at a time, trying to fight with us again! But the imperial court did not want to expel it, Beiyang avoided the war and protected the ship, let Yuben stay in Korea, and was ready to give away 500,000 taels of silver for nothing, just for peace! Don't they know that this is no longer the humble subject country they were at the beginning, they have already sharpened their teeth, if they wait for them to recover, let alone North Korea, I am afraid that Liaodong and this Taiwan will become their playthings!

"Please tell me, sir, what will the court do at that time?"

Young Master Li's words were urgent and fast, and he didn't let the two of them intervene at all, and these words were even worse in Beiyang, and even the Lafayette in the Forbidden City brought it, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a big rebellion! But the words were like needles, deafening, so that the two of them couldn't speak if they wanted to interject and defend themselves.

"Centennial Navy!"

Yan Fu chewed these four words, his face changed red, and he sighed after a long time, but he didn't speak, but looked at Qiu Fengjia. The latter didn't have so many worries about Yan Fu, and his heart was surging when he was said by this, and he nodded in agreement: "What Young Master Li said is right, if I let Yue recover his vitality, I'm afraid it won't be so simple to expel them again!" ”

Seeing his friend talking, Yan Fu also nodded: "I also heard about the big purchase of ships this time, but the court is talking about it." Yan Fu didn't finish speaking, but Li Mo also knew what he was going to say, and continued: "The court thinks that I am looking for revenge on me, right?" ”

Yan Fu nodded, in fact, he knows better than anyone else, even Lin Taizeng, these Beiyang generals, also know that there is no end to the nest, once he defeats the Pacific Army, he will definitely burn the war to North Korea again, but he does not agree with Li Mo saying that he will attack Liaodong and Taiwan at one time, but it doesn't matter, because if Beiyang is finished, then he can attack wherever he wants.

"Since you know that Yue Ben wants to take revenge, why aren't you anxious at all, young master? Still coming to Taiwan? Qiu Fengjia suddenly interjected and asked.

After venting, Li Mo's mood was much better, and he said that the British and American powers had recently refused to build ships for themselves, and even refused to update the main guns for the fleet, and finally said with a smile: "Don't hide it, sir, it's fake not to be in a hurry, but it's useless to be in a hurry, at this moment the European and American powers have long regarded me as the number one enemy, even if I have the heart to prepare for war, I can't even buy a sampan, why not walk around freely." ”

"These bandits! Sure enough, it is immortal, my Huaxia heart is immortal! As soon as he heard Li Mo say that Europe and the United States would not help him build warships, he took a sip of tea angrily. At this time, Yan Fu suddenly raised his head, looked at Li Mo's eyes, and asked, "Young Master Li, please forgive Yan Fu for being reckless, there is something I want to ask." ”

"Sir, say it bluntly."

"Let me ask, what is the purpose of Young Master Li building a navy and attacking Ryukyu?"

"Sure enough, I still can't get around this problem." Looking at Yan Fu's eyes, Li Mo thought in his heart, and his face gradually became serious, even Qiu Fengjia stopped his movements and looked at him directly.

This is a very serious question for both of them. Since ancient times, Chinese literati have a kind of arrogant and natural spleen, especially in the face of foreign races, they will never give in! Although the young man in front of him is Chinese, he has long since left the Qing Dynasty and has now become a duke in a small overseas country. Even if his subordinates are all Chinese, even if he has the heart to save the country, he can't avoid that identity!

The Qing Dynasty is the Qing Dynasty of the Manchus, so why not the Qing Dynasty of the Han people? Otherwise, celebrities like Qiu Fengjia would not have abandoned their pen and followed Rong after Taiwan was invaded, carrying the banner of the uprising and brave army to protect their families and defend the country!

Behind him, Duan Fei was also breathing nervously, and he knew that if the young master's answer was a little wrong at this time, I was afraid that the previous straightforward raid and a lot of saliva would be in vain.

Under the gaze of everyone, Li Mo was unhurried, his fingers turned the teacup a few times, and said with a smile: "From the Dutch invasion of Taiwan, to Lord Lin's ban on smoking in Guangzhou to resist the British. From the Sino-French War to the current march into Korea, throughout the past hundred years, almost all the bandits who invaded our territory came from the sea!

Sea power has become the most important part of the world today! The reason why I spent money to build a navy is to tell those great powers that we Chinese also have a navy and a giant ship with artillery!

Now that I have said everything today, I might as well tell the two gentlemen that Li Mo never wants to see the great powers smashing up our Chinese homes with just a few warships, nor do I want to see the picture of our Chinese sea full of warships flying foreign flags. And I can also guarantee one thing! ”

Li Mo paused for a moment before slowly saying seven words.

If you don't go, neither will I!.

(To be continued)