"Commander-in-chief, I see that you attach great importance to the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway," Ruan Xihao couldn't help but ask Vézé after he finished talking about the railway construction.
"Mongolia is our territory. We can't lose it," Vézé replied. He didn't want to scare Ruan Xihao too much. In fact, Mongolia's more important purpose was to build a railway from the northeast to Xinjiang. This railway could not only avoid the Gobi Desert, which was difficult to overcome with current technology, but it was also the core passage for troops to leave Central Asia and march into Russia.
If it was China, which had an annual output of 800 million tons of steel, it would be very easy to build a railway that could only travel 40 kilometers per hour. Under Vézé's leadership, China's steel output in 1869 was estimated to barely reach 100 million tons, and the pig iron output was about 600 million tons.
Jingzhou, Shaoguan, Zaozhuang, and Maanshan iron mines did not have large-scale mining equipment. They relied on blasting and manpower to mine, and this output was basically at the current production limit. Vézé even thought about going to Western Australia to mine according to the exploration and mining agreement signed with the British. The ores there were all pastries, which could be directly mined and transported to the ship via the railway. Even if the cost was high, it would reduce the steps of ore washing and crushing, so it was quite cost-effective. However, when he thought about the possibility of war with the British in a few years, Vézé finally suppressed his impulse.
He knew that these strategic resources were not available because he lacked the strength to obtain them. Compared to the high-quality ores that could be directly sent to the furnace to make steel, China had to pay a higher investment cost to open up iron mines. Thinking of this, Vézé felt uncomfortable. However, Vézé was not a person who indulged in the past and the future. The anxiety in his heart made him more determined and focused on the present. This internal struggle and sharpening unconsciously revealed a kind of determination that had been tempered a hundred times on the surface.
From Vézé's words, Ruan Xihao felt a strong confidence in recovering Mongolia. Indeed, with the railroad, it would be easier to recover Mongolia. It was true that building the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway would take a lot of time. It would require paving the ground, building bridges, cutting through the mountains, and digging tunnels. But if one thought about how the goods and materials would be unloaded from the ships at the Tianjin Port and loaded onto the trains, they would be able to travel all the way to Zhangjiakou. The transportation costs saved would probably be earned back in a few years.
"Since the Commander-in-Chief has said so, we will increase our investment in this area. In addition, we have discovered iron ores in Xuanhua, and they are of good quality. The coal mines in Beijing are pretty good. "Ruan Xihao excitedly introduced the progress of the mine exploration to Vézé. Hebei was rich in minerals, especially in the Yanshan area of Beijing. Anthracite alone was enough to supply all the cities to which the railway reached. As a soldier and the commander of a field army, Ruan Xihao valued daily necessities, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea even more. It was fine to go hungry for a day once in a while at home, but when the army was out at war, going hungry for a day was a big deal.
"If we want to make full use of these resources, we can't do it without railways. The construction of the railway in Hebei is indeed a priority. "Vézé concluded.
Vézé thought he could stay in Beijing for a while, but this wishful thinking was shattered on April 21st. First, on April 21st, the British and French ambassadors sent telegrams to Vézé, informing Vézé that the two countries would "maintain neutrality" in the war between the "Republic of Prawn" and the new Japanese government.
Due to China's interference in Japan's Boshin War, the war had changed significantly. The shogunate's resistance was much stronger than before, and the war that ended in 1868 in history was carried on until 1869. On the island of Honshu, the Aizu Domain's resistance had not yet ended.
At sea, the shogunate's navy pursued the policy of "Takahiro". Ben Takeo refused to hand over the shogunate's fleet. He led eight warships north to Shishakodate and occupied the Western-style armed fortress, "Pentagonal Castle." Then, in the name of the "Tokugawa retainers," he sent a note to the British and French consuls, asking them to recognize the "Republic of Prawn" as a de facto independent country and promise to "maintain neutrality." Then, the Tokugawa loyalists poured into the Pentagonal Castle, including the newly organized Hijikata Suizan. There were also some French officers and soldiers, totaling more than 3,000 soldiers. On December 28th, 1868, the officers above the rank of sergeant voted and elected? Ben was the president of the Republic of Prawn.
?\ Ben Takeo used various means to carry out diplomacy. The Foreign Affairs Minister of the Meiji government, Iwakura Tsuki, used diplomatic channels to request the European and American countries to withdraw their "neutral recognition." They also prepared to launch a crusade. Britain, France, the United States, and other European and American countries hoped to see the Republic of Prawn survive. However, it was not convenient for them to start a war. In addition to the joint announcement to the government of China, the British also sent a special envoy to Beijing to explain Britain's attitude to Vézé. "You can go die, I'll take the blame."
According to the principle of consensus among the Great Powers, when China sent troops to support the Republic of Prawn, Britain and France would put pressure on Japan, both overtly and covertly. When the military action was obviously in favor of the Republic of Prawn, the Great Powers would put pressure on the Japanese government to recognize the establishment of the Republic of Prawn. Faced with a military defeat and complete diplomatic isolation, Japan could only obediently bow its head and admit defeat. It was China who went into battle, and it was China who sent itself to die. Naturally, it was Britain who was the bad guy and stabbed in the back.
Vézé made his own request after listening, "The Russians broke the Treaty of Nerchinsk. In our battle to recover the territory of China stipulated in the Treaty of Nerchinsk, we ask Britain to remain neutral!"
Hearing the news of war between China and Russia, the British representative was stunned. However, Vézé could clearly see the smile on the face of the British representative. Since the Crimean War, Britain had hoped to weaken the power of the Russians. A war between China and Russia in the Far East, a place where birds could not even lay eggs, was undoubtedly in Britain's interest.
However, the diplomatic representative was, after all, a diplomatic representative. Even if his heart was blooming with joy, he could only very implicitly express that he hoped the war would not destroy the world situation. Vézé replied bluntly: "The Treaty of Nerchinsk has been signed for hundreds of years, but it has not destroyed the world situation. How can our restoration of the Treaty of Nerchinsk destroy the world situation? This can only be a strong cornerstone to stabilize the world situation!"
After reaching a secret agreement with the British, on April 24, the representative of the Republic of Prawn arrived in Tianjin by ship. That night, as soon as he got off the train, he went to the Old Summer Palace to visit Vézé. At this time, Vézé naturally would not be polite. He asked the Republic of Prawn to sign a treaty with China to determine that the territory of the Republic of Prawn was limited to Hokkaido and the islands south of the top. In other words, China wanted to determine that the northern islands belonged to China.
Seeing that Vézé's attitude was so arrogant, the Japanese representative asked in a respectful and polite manner: "So what can your country give us?"
According to Japanese etiquette, this was not a plea, but a standard word used before a complete fall out. The number of Japanese soldiers who fled to Hokkaido was about 7,000, including the army that China had trained, as well as the rest of the Shinsengumi and Meetup Group. Even though they were defeated in the end, not only did these people's ferocity not disappear, but because of their strong dissatisfaction with the new Japanese government, they had the momentum to cut off all means of retreat.
Vézé replied calmly: "We can guarantee that the warships of the new Japanese government will not be able to land on the territory of the Republic of Prawn. As long as you sign the treaty, we will state our position to the new Japanese government. "
The representative of the Republic of Prawn was shocked. They did not expect the emperor of China to put forward such a condition. The representative and deputy of the delegation exchanged a look, and the representative stood up and bowed 90 degrees to Vézé. "If your country can help us establish a country, the treaty can also be signed."
It was very simple to maintain the Republic of Prawn. They just had to stop the Japanese navy from landing on the island. The core of the establishment of the Republic of Prawn was the remnants of the navy of the Edo shogunate, the remnants of the 6th Army, the Shinsengumi, the Meetup Group, and some French soldiers. The total was about 6,000. The Liberation Army decided to send a regiment of troops to Hokkaido to help them fight the war. The head of the regiment was the former captain of the China Embassy Guard in Japan, Zhou Xinhua.
Zhou Xinhua was stationed in Shenyang at this time. After receiving the order, he began to rush to Beijing. On the way, Zhou Xinhua still did not know why he was recalled. When he arrived in Beijing, he was arranged to stay in the guest house of the Northern Command, and he was not allowed to go out without permission. Moreover, the personnel office of the headquarters told Zhou Xinhua to summarize his combat experience in Japan. With this kind of order and this kind of standard, Zhou Xinhua probably guessed that he might go to Japan again. However, after waiting in the guest house for three days, no one received him. The combat experience in Japan and the combat summary after returning to China had been repeatedly revised twice. Zhou Xinhua was a little anxious.
Vézé, who was going to meet Zhou Xinhua, was in Tianjin at this time. Tianjin Port was currently the North Sea Fleet's home port, and the secondary port, Lüshun, was quickly under construction. The North Sea Fleet was also assembling and preparing to fight north. There were no wireless radios in this era, so the warships could only leave the port to fate. The B Squadrons did not stay at the port every day to wait for war. Training, inspection, training, and learning were all packed to the brim every year. In theory, a third of a fleet should be in maintenance, a third on standby, and a third at sea. In order to completely assemble a fleet, preparations had to be made half a year or even a year in advance.
The British had the strongest fleet in the world, and the total tonnage was far greater than that of any other country. That was why the British could send a large number of warships to the war zone in the shortest amount of time possible. When the British navy was fully mobilized, the fleet that rushed to the war zone would either stabilize the situation or obtain victory. Even if the enemy was fully prepared and could withstand the British's three strikes. But as the war went on, the British enemy's navy kept losing, and the British fleet kept gathering in the war zone. With the overall advantage in numbers, tonnage, and cannons, the British would obtain the final victory.
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