Beiyang Dream

Chapter 103 Chang Desheng: The future of the Qing Dynasty and Japan depends on you!

"What?! Is that even possible...?"

Kawakami Soroku was so excited that he forgot even basic etiquette. He snatched the telegram from Ogawa Mataji's hand and looked at the paper over and over again three times before finally confirming that he was not dreaming.

Then he closed his eyes, put his hands together, and muttered a few words, as if he were chanting a spell.

Whether he was thanking the gods or praying to the old demons at Yasukuni Shrine, it was unclear. In any case, at that moment, Kawakami Soroku felt saved. No, his career was saved.

If the Russians really take Wonsan and then expand their sphere of influence to the entire east coast of the Korean Peninsula, what use is he, the deputy chief of staff of the "conquest of Qing" faction, for being a strategist?

Ogawa, standing beside him, also let out a long sigh. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then took the telegram from Kawakami's hand again and read it through. After confirming that everything was correct, he turned to Kawakami and said:

"Now, immediately...remove Yuan Shikai and Chang Desheng from the assassination list."

Kawakami looked up at him.

Ogawa's tone was somewhat anxious: "We can't afford to lose them now. Without them holding down the fort in Korea, Wonsan might fall to the Russians. And once the Russians take Wonsan..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Once Motoyama falls to Russia, regardless of what happens to Japan, he and Kawakami, the two key figures of the "anti-Qing faction," will have "no Qing to conquer" and will immediately be sidelined.

At that time, let alone "conquering the Qing Dynasty", we won't even be qualified to "defend against Russia".

If we're going to defend against Russia, we'd need to bring in experts on Russia; those two don't know how to defend against it.

Kawakami suddenly turned towards the door: "Tojo-kun!"

Hideaki Tojo was still standing at the door, clutching a folder with a telegram attached.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry..." Kawakami's voice sounded somewhat urgent. "Go and give the order to the Genyosha immediately! Tell them what I said: From now on, Chang Desheng and Yuan Shikai are friends of the Empire. Any actions against them must cease immediately!"

Tojo paused, then stood at attention: "Hai!"

He turned to leave, but Xiaochuan called out to him again, "Wait!"

Tojo turned back.

Ogawa added, "Until relations with Russia are completely eased, their safety must be absolutely guaranteed. Understand? Absolutely!" Tojo nodded and strode out the door.

Kawakami and Ogawa looked at each other in silence. The clock on the wall ticked away, each tick a reminder that they were getting closer to being drafted into the reserves.

After a long pause, Kawakami finally spoke, his voice tinged with uncertainty: "Kawakami, do you think... Qing China could withstand Russia?" Kawakami didn't answer immediately. He pondered for a while before slowly saying, "Qing China's military strength in Korea... is far too small." "How many?"

"The only usable force was Yuan Shikai's bodyguard... less than four hundred men."

Kawakami frowned. "Less than four hundred people? How could there be so few?"

"It's stipulated in the Tianjin Special Treaty," Ogawa I said, his voice tinged with unspeakable bitterness. "Neither the Qing Dynasty nor Japan can station more troops in Korea than the size of the embassy guards. Yuan Shikai's four hundred men were left behind under the guise of 'embassy guards.'"

Kawakami opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to say it.

The Tianjin Convention was signed by Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi and Li Hongzhang. At the time of its signing, Japan considered it a major victory—forcing the Qing Dynasty to withdraw its troops from Korea and limiting the Qing Dynasty's military presence in Korea.

But now?

This treaty has now tied the hands and feet of the Qing people, but it has made it easier for Russia to invade!

Kawakami was furious!

He, a key figure in the "conquest of Qing" faction, an elite member of the Imperial Army who was always thinking about how to destroy Qing China and annex Korea... now actually expects the Qing people to help them fend off the Russians.

What's even more absurd is that the reason the Qing Dynasty didn't have enough troops was because their own prime minister forced them to sign an unequal treaty!

What the hell is this? It's absolutely fucking idiot!

Kawakami rubbed his temples, his voice tinged with absurdity: "No... we must get the Qing people to find a way to break free from the constraints of this damned treaty."

Xiao Chuanchuan smiled wryly: "How can we break through? That's an international treaty written in black and white."

"Let Chang Desheng come up with a solution!" Kawakami exclaimed anxiously. "Doesn't he have German support? Doesn't he have money from Southeast Asia? There must be a way, otherwise..."

He didn't go on.

Otherwise, their military careers might have ended prematurely because of the unequal treaty that Ito Hirobumi forced Li Hongzhang to sign. The two Japanese imperialists stood there in the operations room of the Tokyo General Staff Headquarters, facing the Korean nautical chart, utterly helpless. Just then…

Footsteps sounded outside the door again.

Hideaki Tojo pushed open the door and entered. He was about to report that the telegram had already been sent when Kawakami interrupted, as if remembering something, and suddenly asked, "Tojo... you and Chang Desheng were classmates, right?"

Tojo paused, then said, "Yes... we were in the same class at the Prussian War Academy."

"Then let me ask you," Kawakami stared at him, "can Chang Desheng, with four hundred men, stop the Russians' ambitions toward Korea?" Tojo remained silent.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Four hundred people? That's impossible."

Kawakami and Ogawa both suddenly felt dizzy.

"Don't even mention four hundred men," Tojo continued, "even four thousand men, given the strength of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the Russian Far East Army, would be impossible. The Russians could simply place the 'Pamyat Azov' outside Motoyama Harbor and send one or two regiments to land. Four hundred men and four thousand men would be almost the same." Kawakami's heart sank to the bottom.

It’s over.

It's all over.

I'm going to be transferred to the reserves!

He was about to say something when Tojo added:

"but..,"

Kawakami and Ogawa both raised their heads at the same time.

"However, he will definitely circumvent the constraints of the Tianjin Special Treaty," Tojo said with certainty, "because he is not a law-abiding person at all. He will definitely break through the constraints and find a way to deal with it."

Kawakami blinked. "What do you mean?"

"He did many outrageous things while he was in Berlin," Tojo said. "For example, he used the name 'birthday ship' to get the Qing Dynasty to purchase the Changyuan warship from the Germans... And then there were his actions in Borneo... I'm certain that while he was in Berlin, he had already made connections with high-ranking German officials, helping wealthy Chinese merchants in Southeast Asia find a powerful patron in the German Empire, and most likely even involving the Beiyang Fleet." He paused. "He's exactly the kind of 'Qing Dynasty military reformer' that Mr. Ogawa described. He's a huge threat to us, and an equally huge threat to Russia!"

Kawakami and Ogawa both breathed a sigh of relief.

The emergence of the Qing Dynasty's military reformists at this time was truly a stroke of good fortune for the empire!

Ogawa walked to the table, picked up the telegram, read it again, and then slowly said, "But now... he is our friend." He looked up at Kawakami and Tojo, and added, "Until relations between Russia and the Empire are completely eased... he is our friend."

Kawakami nodded and turned to Tojo: "Inform the Okura Group—to provide as much support as possible to Chang Desheng's anti-Russian cause. Money, supplies, engineering teams—whatever he asks for, provide it to the best of your ability."

Tojo stands at attention: "Hai!"

He turned and went out, his steps much lighter than before.

Kawakami and Ogawa stood in the operations room, looking at the North Korean nautical chart on the table. The red of the Wonsan section seemed less glaring now. "You said..." Ogawa suddenly spoke, "Does Chang Desheng know what we're up to?"

Kawakami thought for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know. But whether he knows or not..."

He paused:

"Now, he needs us, and we need him too."

That's enough.

May 30th, the seventeenth year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign. Tianjin, Dagu Port.

It was still dark, a thin mist was floating on the sea, the sun had not yet risen, and the air smelled salty and damp.

Chang Desheng stood on the dock with his arms crossed, looking up at the ship in front of him.

A steel hull, a black smokestack, around two thousand tons, with the words "Kowshing" painted on the hull and a listless Union Jack flying at the stern. He stared at the ship for a long time, his expression somewhat complicated.

Yuan Shikai walked over, a hot bun in his hand. He took a bite and mumbled, "Zhenbang, what are you looking at? This ship is called 'Gaosheng,' what an auspicious name! It means 'rising step by step'! Let's take this ship to Korea!"

Chang Desheng's lips twitched.

These past few days he's been busy with the "Articles of Association of Luanzhou Coal and Iron Joint Venture Company"—before leaving Tianjin, he had to finalize this matter thoroughly, leaving no room for ambiguity. Every clause in the articles of association had to be scrutinized: how many shares the Beiyang fleet would hold, how many shares the Nanyang fleet would hold, how profits would be distributed, how losses would be borne, who would have the pricing power for iron ore… Aren't these matters more important than choosing ships?

So he entrusted the entire itinerary for his trip to Korea to Yuan Shikai, and before he knew it... Yuan had chartered a ship for him called the "Kau Shing," saying it was auspicious...

He thought to himself: Old Yuan, you have no idea what trouble this ship will get into three years from now. More than nine hundred lives, sunk in the waters off Fengdao Island, not even a complete body recovered. And you call that auspicious?

But he couldn't say it, so he could only force a smile and say, "Brother Weiting made a good arrangement. Promotion, a good name."

He added in his mind: "The reason the Kao Shing was unlucky was because it hadn't met me. Now that I'm here, the timeline has already been 'spinned' by me, and the Kao Shing might really 'rise'!"

Forget it, feudal superstition is unacceptable! I'm a highly educated person, I don't believe in this.

Just as he was struggling with his feudal superstitious beliefs, he heard a series of orderly footsteps behind him, along with Cao Kun's signature loud voice:

"One, two, one, two, left, right, left! Keep up, keep up! Don't fall behind!"

Chang Desheng looked back and his mood improved.

A long line of soldiers was marching towards the dock. They were all dressed in gray cloth uniforms, with leggings tied around their trousers and cloth shoes with thick soles. They carried rifles with fixed bayonets on their shoulders. The first few in the line were burly and strong, with firm steps. Although the ones behind them were still a bit clumsy, the formation was neat and orderly. There were four columns, with uniform spacing, and their steps made a dull "thump-thump" sound on the stone pavement.

The leader was Cao Kun, who walked on the side of the group, chest out, with a voice loud enough to be heard for miles.

Behind him were Wu Dingyuan and Kong Qingtang—these two were the real main force. They were both top students from the Beiyang Military Academy, had learned real skills at the Berlin Military Academy, and had fought and seen bloodshed in Pontianak.

With those two around, leading 150 new recruits from Zhili in formation is a piece of cake.

Moreover, there were twenty "educated youths" from Southeast Asia as the backbone. These people had fought alongside Chang Desheng in Pontianak and had seen bloodshed. They had also been trained by German advisors such as Hessmann, and were more than capable of being squad leaders.

Chang Desheng counted them; there were over 170 people in total. Everyone carried a gun, muzzle upwards, and to look imposing, they even fixed bayonets. The ominous feeling in his heart vanished instantly.

These are his men, his soldiers.

Although there are only 170 people, and most of them are still using Lin Mingdun's old guns, this is just the beginning. Now there are 170, in the future there will be 1,700, and then 17,000!

He was feeling quite pleased with himself when a sweet voice came from behind him:

"Zhenbang, this Gaosheng is quite good. It's a passenger and cargo ship. I had someone charter the entire ship. In addition to transporting our people, it also carries 500 tons of cement, 100 tons of steel bars, 500 tons of cloth and general merchandise, and 200 tons of medicine and books."

Chang Desheng turned around and saw Luo Jingrou standing behind him, holding an account book in her hand, looking at him with a smile.

"After this trip," Luo Jingrou flipped through the ledger, "not only did we earn enough to cover the cost of chartering the ship, but we also made enough to cover the purchase price of 500 tons of cement and 100 tons of steel bars."

Chang Desheng was stunned for a moment.

He took the ledger and flipped through it. It was filled with detailed records of the purchase price, freight, estimated selling price, and gross profit of various goods. The handwriting was neat and the entries were clear; every single item was meticulously calculated.

That's the advantage of being a super-rich woman.

Not only was she beautiful and had a huge dowry, but she was also good at accounting, always starting with "how much we can earn on this trip..."

And it's not a small amount.

Five hundred tons of cement would cost approximately 10,000 taels. One hundred tons of steel bars would cost approximately 8,000 taels (these two items would be used in North Korea). Adding transportation, loading and unloading fees, and other miscellaneous expenses, the total cost would be over 20,000 taels. However, if the cloth, medicine, and books were sold in North Korea, it would not only cover the cost but might even leave some money behind.

Chang Desheng closed the account book, looked at Luo Jingrou, and sincerely praised her, "Jingrou, you're really something."

Luo Jingrou smiled and said, "It's just a small business."

Just as Chang Desheng was about to praise her again, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from afar.

He turned his head and saw a long line of carriages, more than twenty in total, heading towards the dock. The first few carriages had small flags with the words "Tongwen Guan" written on them.

Chang Desheng turned to Luo Jingrou and asked, "Didn't we charter the whole boat? Who are these people...?"

Luo Jingrou was equally confused: "I didn't make any arrangements. Mr. Li, could you go ask the captain if there are any other guests?"

Just as Li Yantang was about to go find the captain, three people jumped down from the lead carriage.

The first one, chubby and wearing a fourth-rank official robe, with a big smile on his face, was none other than Yin Chang.

The second one, tall and thin, wearing a gray cloth long gown and carrying a rattan trunk, was none other than Duan Qirui!

The third one, wearing glasses and holding a stack of documents, isn't that Bai Siwen?

Chang Desheng muttered to himself: This is troublesome.

Yin Chang walked over with a grin, cupping his hands in greeting, "Brother Weiting, Zhenbang! I've brought you those twenty Manchu students from Tongwentang!"

Before Chang Desheng could speak, Duan Qirui stepped forward, took out a letter from his pocket, and presented it to Yuan Shikai with both hands: "Lord Yuan, this is a letter from the Grand Secretary. I have been assigned to assist with the Korean military affairs office. I hope you will take good care of me in the future." Yuan Shikai took the letter, glanced at it, and nodded with a smile: "Zhiquan is here? Good, good, the Grand Secretary has made excellent arrangements. You know about artillery, so you can help Zhenbang oversee the artillery works in Korea."

Chang Desheng stood to the side, a smile on his face, but his heart was filled with malice.

It got darker and darker.

Twenty Manchu trainees? Duan Qirui is also going to Korea with them? And to assist in the camp affairs office?

This is fucking...

He turned his head and glanced at the Cowherd, and that ominous premonition resurfaced in his mind.

The name "Kowshing"... seems really unlucky!

But he still had to smile and cup his hands, saying, "Lord Yin, you've gone to so much trouble. I'm delighted that Brother Zhiquan has come. As for the twenty students... he didn't say it aloud, but in his heart he added: How about we arrange for them to move bricks? When the cement is delivered, someone has to carry it, right?"

Yin Chang patted him on the shoulder and lowered his voice, saying, "Zhenbang, to tell you the truth, these lads have been in the Tongwen Guan for two years, and they haven't learned many German phrases, but they've picked up a whole host of bad habits. They need to be waited on hand and foot when they go out, they have to pick and choose their restaurants, and they want to go to the opera at night. Lord Rong and I are at our wits' end with them. But the Emperor and the Empress Dowager..."

He sighed, not daring to speak ill of his superior, and skipped over the matter, saying, "So I thought I'd send them here to train with your team. You don't need to teach them anything personally; Duan Qirui has been to Germany, so just have him keep an eye on things. You just need to get them to do drills, march, and endure some hardship to wear down their spoiled brat attitude, and then you'll have accomplished your mission."

Chang Desheng cursed inwardly: You guys are helpless, but I am? These are not ordinary Beijing gentlemen; they are all Manchu bannermen, spoiled brats for over two hundred years. They were already in decline during the Kangxi era!

But he still had to say, "Don't worry, Master Yin, I will do my best."

Yin Chang nodded, then added, "If you practice well, Lord Rong will remember your merit. If you don't... that's their own fault for not being good enough, it's not your fault."

Chang Desheng's eyes lit up: Does this mean he doesn't have to take responsibility? That's great!

He turned his head and glanced at the twenty carriages. A dozen or so Manchu students had already disembarked. Some were stretching, some were looking for their luggage, and two were arguing about who was prettier than whom.

In addition, half of the Manchu students also brought their servants with them...bringing their servants to study military science abroad?

There's no other way, so I'll just have to take it with me!

He couldn't teach her well, but at least he could put the old lady from Beiyang's household at ease.

As he was thinking, Duan Qirui walked up to him, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brother Zhenbang, please take care of me in the future."

Chang Desheng smiled and returned the greeting: "Brother Zhiquan, you're too kind. When we get to Korea, let's work together as brothers to improve our defenses."

Duan Qirui nodded and said nothing more.

Chang Desheng cursed inwardly: What are you pretending for? Do you think I don't know you were sent by Li Hongzhang to keep an eye on me?

But he still had a smile on his face.

He turned and glanced at the dock... everyone was there.

Time to go!

He took a deep breath and said to Yuan Shikai, "Brother Weiting, shall we board the ship?"

Yuan Shikai nodded and waved his hand, "Let's go! Get on the ship!"

The steam whistle blared.

Thick black smoke billowed from the smokestack of the Kowshing, and the ship trembled slightly.

Chang Desheng stepped onto the ship's side using the footboard and glanced back in the direction of Tianjin.

Then he turned around and looked at the sea in front of him.

North Korea, here I come.