Volume 1: The Battleship Yitian Changes into the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 Chapter 93: Preparations for the "Operation" Begin
These days, Sun Gang's mind unconsciously returned to the Beiyang Military Intelligence Department and the Beiyang Special Attack Team.
The "serious consequences" caused by his beloved wife leading the fleet to negotiate with the Dutch last time made him deeply aware of the delicacy and danger of his situation. There was a huge difference between his original era and the current feudal dynasty. Because everything went too smoothly according to the "plan", he unconsciously relaxed his vigilance. This time, the knife almost hit his head before he reacted, but it was almost too late.
Although on the surface Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu seemed to be very good to him, and he had two military ministers, Li Hongzhang and Sun Yuwen, to help him, this time, they were almost powerless .
No matter what the reason was for Ronglu to help him this time, he knew in his heart that if something like this happened again, could he be sure that Ronglu would still help him?
It can help you this time, but next time, it may become your enemy.
Even though he held the title of Minister of Beiyang Shipbuilding and it was a glorious occasion, if the imperial court above him said a word, he would lose his head.
This time it’s plucking peacock feathers, I don’t know what it will be next time.
He now realized the horror and darkness of this corrupt feudal dynasty.
Unlike later generations, the current Qing China is not a country in the modern sense and is facing the fate of being eliminated by the times. If Qing China still wants to continue to exist in this world, it cannot do a thorough "surgery" like Japan's Meiji Restoration and Thailand's Chulalongkorn (the eldest son of the king played by Chow Yun-fat in the movie "Anna and the King") reform. However, the Qing Dynasty headed by Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu has not yet deeply realized this. They do not have this desire, determination, or ability.
On the surface, the problem of Qing China was that the foreign powers attacked and demanded territorial cession and compensation. However, the solution was not to make a few foreign guns, a few cannons, and a few warships. The problem of Qing China was the concept of the ruling regime. The so-called Qing Dynasty and everything about it were just the private property of the Aisin-Gioro family, or more precisely, the emperor, or more precisely, the Empress Dowager Cixi in the environment at that time, and had nothing to do with others. Even though Li Hongzhang had so many dazzling titles: Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Military Affairs, Prince Taifu, Wenhua Palace University Scholar, First Class Suyi Earl, he was just a servant of the Aisin-Gioro family. As long as the Aisin-Gioro family wanted, they could get rid of him at any time.
Not to mention him, a small-time Minister of the Beiyang Shipbuilding Bureau.
But Japan, next to the Qing Dynasty, was a different story.
Japan began the Meiji Restoration in the late 1860s, promulgated the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, convened a parliament consisting of the House of Representatives and the House of Peers, achieved domestic political unity and stability under the constitutional monarchy, and began the road to enriching the country and strengthening the military . Although Japan was still very backward compared to Western countries at that time, politically Japan was already a modern country.
Japan was defeated this time, but not a major defeat. Its domestic situation in all aspects is very stable. As long as it is given enough time, it will recover quickly.
This is also the reason why the British wanted to support Japan to contain the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia.
Because of this little butterfly, a series of gratifying changes have taken place in all aspects of Qing China. However, if the problems existing within Qing China are not fundamentally resolved, all of this is destined to be short-lived.
His heart couldn't help but tighten when he thought that all his efforts would be in vain.
The words his beloved wife had asked him at the time rang in his ears again, "The dynasty we are now 'serving' is actually very corrupt. If you want to accomplish anything, you have to spend too much energy on things that are irrelevant but must be done... Have you ever thought that everything you are doing now is actually just delaying the aging process of this dynasty? Are you sure that this delay is good for the country?"
He could answer her affirmatively now.
He could also understand why many time travelers who came to the past, no matter which era or space they came to, all went crazy trying to grab all kinds of power, not hesitating to turn themselves into warlords, dictators, or even emperors.
If nothing else, saving your life is the most important thing.
But for a "political idiot" like him, even if he became emperor, he might not be able to protect himself.
So, how can we promote profound and thorough changes in the country's internal system?
Uprising? Coup? Revolution? Or...
He had never passed any political course from elementary school to university. It was not that he deliberately made things difficult for his political teacher, but that he simply could not remember things that he thought were "meaningless."
He now finally feels "regretful" for having failed to live up to the "expectations" of so many teachers.
"You've been restless these two days." His beloved wife Ma Yue said as they stood on a hill not far away with their arm around his. In the distance, at the naval base, tall and majestic warships were parked neatly, and towering fortresses were hidden among the hills. At this moment, the "first fortress in East Asia" in peacetime seemed indescribably peaceful and beautiful.
"I think what we are doing now is only changing the surface of this country." Sun Gang looked at her and said, "Its interior is still emitting the smell of decay. If we don't make fundamental changes, it won't work."
"I can kill all those bastards. It only takes half a month." Ma Yue said with her head tilted. Her jumping thoughts scared Sun Gang. He wondered what the power of the Beiyang Military Intelligence Department had become now.
"Wildfires cannot be extinguished, and they will grow again with the spring breeze. No matter whether they are Manchus or Han, if you kill one diehard, there will be thousands and millions more growing out of this corrupt soil. You can never kill them all like this," said Sun Gang.
"So what do you want to do?" asked the beloved wife.
"It's still the butterfly effect." Sun Gang looked into the distance and smiled calmly, "Rome was not built in a day, but it's easy to destroy it in a day."
"Don't make it so complicated." Ma Yue looked at him and said, "Just tell me what you want to do."
"Didn't someone in the court accuse us of 'raising private soldiers'? This reminds me, let's 'raise' one this time to show them!" Sun Gang said viciously, "Not only will we let the court pay for it, but we will also make them unable to say a word!"
"Do you really want to rebel?" Ma Yue looked around worriedly and said in a low voice. In the distance, Zhan Shuxiao and Su Xin were leading the guards to guard in the distance. They were all talking and laughing, and no one noticed the conversation between the Minister of the Navy and his wife.
"No, rebellion is boring and you may even lose your head." Sun Gang looked at the backs of Zhan Shuxiao and the others and said, "Let's start with small things and slowly find a way to control the Beiyang Fleet. It's not enough to have a navy, we must have a certain army. Your job is to ensure that the Beiyang Military Intelligence Department is firmly in your hands. Even if the country undergoes earth-shaking changes, or even the Beiyang Navy no longer exists, you must ensure that the Military Intelligence Department listens to us."
"This is easy. If I hadn't given you, the head of the Military Intelligence Department, some face, I would have done it long ago." Ma Yue smiled complacently and said, "How do you plan to control the Beiyang Navy and Army? I want to hear it. The Beiyang faction was born out of the Huai faction and only obeys Li Zhongtang's orders. I don't think it's realistic for you to expect the old man to listen to you."
"The old man can't do it." Sun Gang shook his head and said, "Although the old man has been engaged in Westernization all his life, he is still feudal and loyal to the emperor in his bones. From the old man to Lord Ding and General Lin, they have received this education all their lives. It is impossible for you to change it, but if we make good use of this, it will have unexpected results."
Seeing her confused look, he smiled wickedly, "Take your time." His eyes fell on Zhan Shuxiao and others, and he became determined, "Our private army will start with the Beiyang Special Attack Team!"
