Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 89: Almost Lost My Head
The influx of hardworking Chinese immigrants into the United States aroused the jealousy of Irish white workers. Since 1871, there have been many incidents of killing Chinese immigrants in the United States. At that time, the Qing government was in trouble both internally and externally (Russia occupied Yili, France attacked Annan, and Japan annexed Ryukyu), and was unable to protect the Chinese in the United States. The United States passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, stipulating that Chinese people were not allowed to go to the United States within ten years. The Chinese then became the only targets of exclusion by white Americans!
Li Hongzhang had always wanted to use diplomatic efforts to urge the United States to abolish this bill, but he did not expect that in 1892, this bill would be extended for another ten years!
Not only was the extension not announced, but the U.S. Congress also passed the Gurley Act, which was intended to restrict Chinese workers in the California labor market and seriously infringed upon the legitimate interests of the Chinese. At this time, Li Hongzhang was no longer able to take care of this.
Because next to China, there is a terrible country consisting of four islands .
"If China had a large navy, the Americans would not dare to exclude the Chinese so blatantly," Sun Gang said to Ma Yue.
"So that's how it is. I understand." She nodded vigorously and said, "I am now increasingly hoping that you can build China's battleships soon."
A few days later, there was news from Li Hongzhang again.
After negotiations between the Zongli Yamen and the Dutch, the Dutch agreed in the form of a "note" to guarantee that they would no longer persecute the Chinese.
It turned out that after Ma Yue used the "Oriental Princess" to carry out "gunboat diplomacy", the Dutch immediately came to China to find out the truth. They asked the Zongli Yamen what was going on with this warship flying the merchant flag. Li Hongzhang replied that because piracy was rampant, Chinese merchants were forced to "raise funds on their own to purchase ships for maritime defense." He said that Ma Yue's actions were "a righteous act to protect the people." The Zongli Yamen acknowledged that her actions were well-founded and demanded that the "guarantee" that Ma Yue asked the Dutch to issue be replaced by a legal document. The Dutch were afraid that the victorious Chinese navy in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 would threaten their interests in the Far East, so they agreed.
Of course, the old fox's words "Chinese merchants and civilians raised funds to purchase ships without authorization" also scared the Dutch. Qing China was extremely wealthy. If the common people were allowed to pay for the organization of a fleet, the Dutch would have no place in Asia.
However, the use of "civilian ships" as "warships" immediately caused "certain people" in the court to become "nervous". Some imperial censors and censors submitted memorials one after another, directly targeting Sun Gang, saying that he "condoned merchants and civilians to raise private soldiers and had the intention of rebelling against the emperor" and demanded that "the merchant ship be destroyed immediately and the minister be dismissed and questioned", which really scared Sun Gang.
Having traveled through time from the future, he didn't know that "raising private soldiers" and "rebellion" are almost synonymous. This time, his little head is really in danger of being chopped off by something.
This time, Li Hongzhang also felt a little panicked. A warship that was not included in the national navy caused much more trouble than he had imagined.
Yes, since the imperial court suppressed the Taiping Rebellion, it has been extremely vigilant about civilian possession of armed forces. This time, someone actually spent his own money to equip a warship and almost caused a diplomatic dispute. The signal this incident itself represents is extremely terrifying.
Li Hongzhang was of course unwilling to sit idly by and watch his capable and "favorite general" lose his head, and he quickly submitted a memorial to defend him, saying that "the Chinese in Southeast Asia suffered terribly, and the court was unable to lend a helping hand. The merchants were outraged and therefore took this action", and that "the ship was originally owned by Japan, and in order to prevent it from secretly growing stronger, the treaty was invoked to purchase it forcibly. For fear of intervention by the great powers, it could not be incorporated into the army and was sold to merchants for custody. It will be incorporated into the army after things have settled down a little." However, the censors accused "the ship of going to Southeast Asia to force the Dutch to sign a treaty, which is sufficient to prove that its combat effectiveness is not comparable to that of ordinary warships, and the evil intentions of the rioters can be seen from this", and demanded that "the emperor severely punish them to serve as a warning to others!"
Emperor Guangxu had not yet made any instructions on the matter, but Sun Gang had already felt a chill on his neck.
"If they dare to do this, I will let the Beiyang Military Intelligence Department kill everyone in Beijing." Ma Yue said angrily after knowing this.
Li Hongzhang sent him a telegram saying: "The emperor's intention is unclear. You'd better explain yourself as soon as possible, otherwise you will regret it later." This meant that he should write a memorial to defend himself. Sun Gang was considering where to hide with his beloved wife in Shanghai if his "self-defense" failed, but the imperial decree came down, saying "the ship shall be transferred to Beiyang and not included in the fleet for the time being. Sun Gang, the Minister of Beiyang Naval Administration, handled the matter improperly, so he shall be stripped of his hat and feather and fined for half a year as a punishment."
This "punishment" was still within Ma Yue's acceptable range, and the city of Beijing was spared a bloody storm.
Later, Sun Gang found out that this time, the couple almost lost their lives.
Perhaps he was worried that China's plan to build its own battleships would be aborted, and because of his military achievements and the fact that Emperor Guangxu had a good impression of him, he did not deal with the matter immediately. But because "the matter was of great importance", Weng Tonghe finally had the opportunity to "get rid of" Sun Gang this time. He kept saying in front of Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi that Sun Gang "has harbored evil intentions for a long time, and if he is not severely punished, he will surely become a great harm to the country in the future." Li Hongzhang was furious, and when the Military Affairs Council was discussing how to deal with the matter, he had a big quarrel with Master Weng on the spot and almost came to blows. Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi also joined Li Hongzhang in arguing with Weng Tonghe, Li Hongzao and other upright officials almost every day, and it almost reached a white-hot level. Prince Gong Yixin and a group of Manchu ministers did not express their opinions. At this time, something unexpected happened. That is, Ronglu, who had never been very close to Li Hongzhang, actually stood up to help.
It is said that Ronglu said to Empress Dowager Cixi, "I heard that this speedboat was purchased by Sun Gang's wife at the price of a merchant ship, and was used to protect Beiyang merchants. It was commanded by a Frenchman, and the sailors trained were all from Chu, with some Chilean sailors mixed in. A woman leading miscellaneous soldiers who were not trained in battle formations and causing chaos beside the Beiyang Navy, isn't she afraid that she won't live long? What's more, the warships cannot go ashore, and the idea of her causing chaos is ridiculous." He went on to say, "Sun Gang is an expert in ships and artillery, but naval combat skills are not his forte. Moreover, he has a reputation as a fool. When the Japanese indemnity did not arrive, he used his entire family to buy ships and equipment. He was a public-spirited person. If he is convicted for this, it is really pitiful."
It was unexpected that this Manchu official, whom Sun Gang had never met and whose reputation was not very good, would speak up for a Han official at this time. However, a group of Han "honest officials" headed by Master Weng in the court wanted to take this opportunity to take his life!
No matter what Ronglu's purpose was in helping him, it can indeed be said that Ronglu saved his life.
This incident really made Sun Gang sober up.
The open and covert struggles in the imperial court is another war without the smoke of gunpowder, but it is far more terrifying than a battlefield filled with smoke of gunpowder!
I managed to escape this time, but what about next time?
"I never thought he would help us." Afterwards, Ma Yue said to Sun Gang apologetically, "It's all my fault this time."
"It's none of your business. I didn't think of that." Sun Gang said, "This incident reminds me that I must never be lenient towards my political enemies."
"Then I will send someone to kill Master Weng now." said the beloved wife fiercely.
"No, we don't need to use such means to deal with him." Sun Gang looked towards the shipyard in the distance and sneered, "When the time comes, I will make him wish he could neither live nor die. Only then will I be able to relieve the hatred in my heart."
This "small" disturbance passed, but Ma Yue was still worried about protecting the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. At this time, Lin Taizeng came to help. It turned out that since the Beiyang Shipping Company opened the route from Dalian Bay to other surrounding countries, it could be said that the money was rolling in, and "both officials and civilians made huge profits." Dalian Bay soon became a prosperous trading port. Lin Taizeng said that foreign military officers suggested that the Beiyang Fleet should conduct more long-distance combat training, so it would be better to take into account the protection of sea routes while conducting each long-distance training. Of course, the cost of the voyage would be paid by the merchants involved in overseas trade in the form of "road protection fees". It can be said that generating income, training and protecting the people are all done without delay.
After Sun Gang found out, he smiled bitterly again. Looking at his beloved wife, Lin Taizeng and local officials discussing the specific regulations, he was speechless.
The Beiyang Fleet actually started its maritime escort mission in this way. Is this also a butterfly effect?
But it’s a good thing this way, as my beloved wife doesn’t have to go to sea with the ship.
In order to avoid making too much noise at the beginning, Lin Tai arranged for the faster cruisers in the cruiser division to escort the "Oriental Princess" on several main routes, occasionally supported by the torpedo boat division. The submarine division set out every time to exercise long-distance sailing capabilities and submarine coordination. The battleship division did not set out because it needed to "protect the capital."
Beiyang's approach of "training, escort and revenue generation" soon attracted the attention of the other three fleets, and they began to follow suit. Due to the developed economy in the south, coastal merchants have always attached importance to overseas trade, but have always suffered from the lack of support and protection from the Qing Dynasty, which emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce. When they learned the news of the navy's escort and fishery protection, they were overjoyed and invested money to request escort from the navy. Soon, dragon flags were flying in the Pacific Ocean, and Chinese merchant ships and warships were traveling back and forth, which was a spectacular sight.
"This time it should be me who rewrites history, right?" his beloved wife Ma Yue once said to him proudly one day.
Sun Gang burst into tears for a moment and nodded.
