Beiyang Dream

Chapter 83 The North and South Seas Unite

March 14, 1891, evening, Pontianak Wharf.

Chang Desheng was fanning himself with a paper fan while looking around at the bustling scene around him.

Good heavens! A sea of ​​people, the deafening sound of drums and gongs, and colorful flags waving like they were free. There were at least ten or twenty thousand people gathered at the dock, men and women, young and old, all craning their necks to look out to sea. Three ships were approaching in the distance. Leading the way was the Guangjia, followed by the Leipzig, and at the very back was an old, worn-out Dutch gunboat, its mast flying a red, white, and blue tricolor flag.

"Brother Zhenbang, look at this commotion..." Shang Dequan clicked his tongue beside him, "Has the Luo family brought half of Pontianak?" "That's a must." Chang Desheng squinted and said, "Now is the time to show the foreign devils our strength? What strength? The Zhang and Luo families have money, that doesn't need to be shown. Germany and the Beiyang Army have weapons, everyone knows that... What the Luo family wants to show is their ability to mobilize the Chinese people! They need to let the Dutch know that they can't win, then they can talk to the rest of us."

Wu Dingyuan leaned closer, holding binoculars, and whispered, "Brother Zhenbang, look at that Dutch ship... that foreigner on board doesn't look too good."

Chang Desheng also took a look through the binoculars. A tall man in a white tuxedo stood on the deck of the Dutch gunboat, his face long and drawn, staring at the crowd on the dock. The man then turned to look at the Leipzig next to him, said something to a sailor beside him, and the sailor turned and ran into the cabin. "Hmph, thinks he's some kind of sea coachman?" Chang Desheng muttered.

"What coachman?" Kong Qingtang didn't hear clearly.

"Nothing much." Chang Desheng waved his hand. "Judging from this, the Dutch want to have a word with Kemp, Bohr, and that Sultan Rahman who has already lost his head."

Just then, the Guangjia docked. Chang Desheng spotted Zhang Bishi, who was wearing that greasy official robe again today. Old Zhang stood at the foot of the newly lowered gangplank, his gaze sweeping through the crowd before settling on Chang Desheng. He waved and said something to an officer beside him. The officer turned and walked off.

Chang Desheng squinted and saw that the officer was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a round, slightly chubby face, thick eyebrows and small eyes. He looked honest and simple. He was wearing a uniform of the Guangdong Navy. He looked a little familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was.

At this moment, the man had already walked up to them, clasped his hands in a salute, and spoke with a slight Hubei accent.

"Fellow colleagues, I am Li Yuanhong, the chief officer of the Guangjia ship. Lord Zhang invites Chang Zhenbang, the inspection commissioner of the Beiyang Army, and the four overseas students, Duan, Shang, Kong, and Wu, to come aboard for a discussion."

So it's Li Yuanhong! This guy's going to be president someday too. Chang Desheng thought to himself: In the two years since I transmigrated, I've met Feng Guozhang, Cao Kun, and Hindenburg from Germany (who's practically a figure in German history), and now I've met Li Yuanhong. Well, is this the president's annual meeting?

Why don't you join our Beiyang government, and go to Korea with Feng Guozhang, Cao Kun, and me...? With Yuan Shikai and Xu Shichang, we'll have all six presidents of the Beiyang government.

Chang Desheng was secretly pleased and cupped his hands in return, saying, "Management Officer Li, you've worked hard."

Then he turned to Luo Zhenxing and Luo Jingrou and said, "Uncle Luo, Jingrou, I'm going upstairs for a bit, I'll be right back."

Luo Jingrou nodded without saying anything.

Luo Zhenxing frowned. He had just seen Hessmann and Wolfgang board the Leipzig, and Kemp and Bohr board the Dutch gunboat. Three ships, three groups of people, and none of them took him...

"Father?" Luo Jingrou asked softly.

Luo Zhenxing shook his head and lowered his voice: "It's alright. The Dutch, the Germans, the Beiyang clique—they're all about to lay their cards on the table. Lanfang's fate..." He paused, then smiled bitterly, "is still in the hands of the great powers. We don't even have the right to sit at the table."

He glanced at his daughter, then suddenly changed the subject: "It's about time to start making arrangements for your marriage with Chang Zhenbang. Tell your father if you have any requests."

Luo Jingrou smiled, her eyes curving into crescents: "My daughter has only one request."

"What are your requirements?"

"A larger dowry."

Luo Zhenxing was taken aback, then burst into laughter. He patted his daughter's hand and said nothing more.

Chang Desheng boarded the Guangjia with Li Yuanhong. He had seen this ship in photographs in his previous life; it had a wooden hull, iron ribs, two masts, and fore-and-aft sails. It wasn't fast, but because of its sails, it had an extremely long range. If used properly, it could cause the Japanese a lot of trouble as a commerce raider.

In addition, this is a domestically produced ship, a product of the Fujian Shipbuilding Bureau.

The sailors on the deck of the Guangjia stood in formation and saluted in unison when he came aboard.

Chang Desheng, Duan Qirui, Shang Dequan, Wu Dingyuan, Kong Qingtang, and others habitually returned the military salute and went straight into the officers' rest room, where Zhang Bishi was already waiting. There was another person in the room, a man in his early thirties with a square face and thick eyebrows; this was Wu Jingrong, the commander of the Guangjia unit. When Wu Jingrong saw them enter, he nodded but didn't speak, though his eyes betrayed unease.

"Lord Zhang, Commander Wu." Chang Desheng, along with Duan, Shang, Wu, and Kong, bowed.

"Zhenbang is here, have a seat." Zhang Bishi waved his hand, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it over. "Secret telegram from the Grand Secretary. You have the codebook with you, right?" "Yes, I have it." Chang Desheng took the paper and glanced at it—it was covered with numbers, in groups of four digits.

Duan Qirui, Shang Dequan, Kong Qingtang, and Wu Dingyuan stood at the back, each with a different expression. Shang Dequan and Kong Qingtang looked excited, Wu Dingyuan's eyes darted around a few times before he also smiled, while Duan Qirui's face remained tense, his expression unreadable.

Chang Desheng pulled a small notebook from his pocket; it was the secret code that Guo Shigui had given him, compiled by the Beiyang Army. It had a blue cover, and the edges were worn. He sat down and checked it word by word.

The room was very quiet, with only the faint sound of gongs and drums coming from the dock outside.

Wu Jingrong finally couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned close to Zhang Bishi and lowered his voice, "Lord Zhang, what exactly... does His Excellency mean by this?" He glanced at the Leipzig and the Dutch gunboats outside the porthole and added, "Wasn't it supposed to be about protecting our overseas citizens? Look at this dock, it's packed with people, what need is there for protection? And that German ship... Is our Great Qing really going to form an alliance with Germany?"

Zhang Bishi shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I don't know the code either. We'll have to wait for Zhenbang to translate it."

Wu Jingrong sighed and muttered, "Protecting overseas Chinese... this is the first time we've gone to such lengths to protect overseas Chinese."

Chang Desheng ignored them and focused on checking the codes. The numbers were converted to Chinese characters, one character at a time, as they appeared:

"A telegram from Li, the Minister of Beiyang, to Chang Desheng and forwarded to Duan Qirui and his students..."

He read very slowly, pondering in his mind as he read.

A telegram from Li Hongzhang. The Pontianak affair has gotten quite a big deal, and he's gone alone. Will Old Li acknowledge it or not? If he doesn't... that would be troublesome! "The Pontianak matter is understood..."

Chang Desheng felt relieved—he understood, which meant he wasn't blamed.

"Your quick thinking and ability to protect overseas Chinese are commendable, and I am very pleased."

"You've done a good job, I'm very pleased." Those four words sum it up. It seems Old Li isn't so afraid of foreigners after all!

"The Ministry has now decided to halt the purchase of ships and weapons, as the Beiyang Fleet's funding is running low."

Chang Desheng paused for a moment.

The ministry decided to halt the purchase? Ah, so that's why! No wonder Li Hongzhang suddenly changed his tune; it turns out he was forced into this situation by those bastards, the Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Guangxu, and Weng Tonghe... They stopped funding the purchase of warships and guns! The route of collecting protection money from Southeast Asia is now incredibly valuable.

He kept going, but his mind was already wandering.

The Beiyang Fleet, excluding the Changyuan, currently has seven naval bases and eight distant ships, plus numerous smaller vessels. It looks impressive, but how much silver does it actually earn in a year? Squeezing money from the imperial court, the customs, and provincial subsidies, it barely scrapes together two or three million taels. And even then, that old fox Weng Tonghe still tries to squeeze its resources.

What about Japan? Chang Desheng had researched the data in his previous life. Before the First Sino-Japanese War, the annual expenditure of the Japanese army and navy, converted to silver, was at least 20 million taels. A tenfold difference. No matter how you calculate it, this is a loss. A tenfold difference in military spending, and nowadays Japan doesn't have that many Yamamoto or Tojo commissioners, so the military spending can still be effectively implemented. The labor and price levels on both sides are not that different either.

A tenfold difference in military spending translates into a world of difference in combat effectiveness.

While he was making his calculations, the translation hadn't stopped.

"Changde Shengtuo should take advantage of this act of protecting overseas Chinese, following the precedent of the loan from the Changyuan warship, to attract investment from Southeast Asia to develop Beiyang's industries, and use the profits from these industries to repay the loan from Southeast Asia. This matter concerns the lifeline of Beiyang and must not be publicized..."

Chang Desheng's eyes lit up as he read this.

We will attract investment from Southeast Asia to develop industries in the North.

Old Li finally got himself on the right track!

The blueprint he had been sketching out in his mind unfolded in an instant: Tangshan Iron and Steel would one day become the "fifth largest in the world," Lushun Shipyard would be the "Darian Shipyard" in its infancy, and the railway from Tianjin to Lushun—Li Hongzhang currently had the post of "Supervisor of Railways Outside the Pass," so he could handle it directly... a complex of coal, steel, shipbuilding, railway, and shipping, with a closed-loop industrial chain. If this were to succeed, even if the Beiyang government was cut off from the imperial court's funding, it could still generate its own revenue.

And banks. Yes, banks!

When silver from Southeast Asia enters Beiyang, it can't be accounted for openly; it needs to be channeled through a system. A branch of the Nanyang Bank in Tianjin—no, perhaps even a joint Nanyang-Beiyang Bank could be established, with its headquarters in Tianjin and branches throughout Southeast Asia…

Just like the zaibatsu in neighboring Japan, they all use banks as their hub!

Who's in charge of this pool? Of course I am! I'll send people to manage it!

"Another person shall be selected from among the scholars Duan, Shang, Kong, and Wu to remain in Pontianak as an advisor to the Beiyang government and manage the supply route to the South Seas. The one who remains will be recommended by the Beiyang government with the rank of fifth grade official and the title of commissioner."

As Chang Desheng read this, he glanced at the four people behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Shang Dequan's eyes widened slightly. Kong Qingtang scratched his head. Wu Dingyuan licked his lips. Only Duan Qirui... Duan Qirui's face remained expressionless, clearly showing no interest.

A fifth-rank official with the title of committee member. Staying in Southeast Asia, far from the emperor's reach, would mean plenty of lucrative opportunities. Only someone like Duan Qirui, with an "army to inherit" family fortune, would look down on that, right?

But that wasn't what Chang Desheng was thinking.

We cannot rely solely on Beiyang personnel to remain in Southeast Asia.

Someone from the Luo family also needs to go to Tianjin.

Luo Jingrou definitely has to go with him, but she's a woman, and she can't hold any important position... Luo Zhenxing has to stay in Pontianak and can't move. The only one who can go is Luo Lanxing, my brother-in-law, so we've arranged for him to be the general manager of that North-South Ocean Bank... If he's in charge, it's the same as me being in charge! "The rest of the matter will be conveyed by Zhang Bishi. Hongzhang."

After finishing the last character, Chang Desheng put down his pencil and let out a long sigh.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Zhang Bishi looked at him: "Finished translating?"

"The translation is finished." Chang Desheng handed over the translated paper.

Zhang Bishi took the paper, glanced at it, and his expression shifted. After reading it, he handed it to Wu Jingrong. Wu Jingrong read it, his brows furrowing, and then passed the paper to Duan Qirui.

Duan Qirui read very slowly, word by word. After finishing, he looked up and glanced at Chang Desheng.

His eyes were very complex, containing doubt, wariness, a hint of resentment, and a touch of helplessness.

Chang Desheng knew exactly what was going on.

Old Duan was pondering this, wondering if Chang Desheng had truly followed the Grand Secretary's secret orders, and how much of this trip to Pontianak was impromptu and how much was premeditated. After much deliberation, he decided to keep quiet.

He'll wait until the Grand Secretary asks before he speaks; if the Grand Secretary doesn't ask, he won't say anything.

He's definitely a smart person.

Chang Desheng thought to himself, "But sometimes smart people overthink things and easily get themselves into trouble."

"Zhenbang," Zhang Bishi spoke, his voice low, "who do you think... should stay?"

He was asking about the line in the telegram, "Choose one person to stay in Pontianak."

Chang Desheng didn't rush to answer. He picked up the tea that had gone cold on the table, took a sip, smacked his lips, and then slowly said, "Third Uncle, this matter needs to be considered carefully."

He put down his teacup and tapped his fingers on the table: "What made the Pontianak Incident this time successful? It was the great alliance between the Northern and Southern Ocean powers. The Northern Ocean provided the guns, and the Southern Ocean provided the money. When the two sides clashed, sparks flew. Your Excellency's intention is to fan those sparks into flames, making them burn brighter and brighter."

He glanced at Duan Qirui and his three companions, then looked back at Zhang Bishi: "The loan from the Changyuan warship is a model. From now on, follow this approach—invest the silver from Southeast Asia into industries in Beiyang: steelmaking, road construction, shipbuilding. Beiyang uses the profits to repay the principal and interest. Southeast Asia doesn't pay for nothing, and Beiyang doesn't receive money for nothing. A win-win situation..." Zhang Bishi murmured repeatedly, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, this business is viable! You're really something!"

He wasn't fooled by Chang Desheng's empty promises; rather, he was completely won big by Pontianak!

Chinese people, especially the Hakka people, now have their own "autonomous state"!

Although not an independent country, it is a legitimate local government, backed by Germany and the Qing Dynasty... What does this mean? It means that the money of Southeast Asian Chinese conglomerates will have a safe place to be stored!

It also means that the Nanyang Chinese conglomerates now have their own armed forces!

Money without a gun makes you a fat pig!

Chang Desheng shared the same sentiment as Zhang Bishi. Pointing out the window, he said, "Look, now that we're here, the Dutch will have to think twice. Pontianak is now Chinese territory. From now on, in Southeast Asia, mentioning 'Beiyang' will be a golden brand. Not only will Chinese merchants recognize it, but even foreigners won't dare to disrespect it!" "Because they now know that we... really can be ruthless!"

In Chang Desheng's view, being able to resort to underhanded tactics is even more important than having overwhelming strength. Having strength but not using it is the same as having none! If you lack strength, using ruthless tactics can sometimes intimidate your opponents.

Zhang Bishi nodded repeatedly, his smile impossible to hide. Despite the Zhang family's small share in Pontianak, he had still won big... He now had value for united front work!

When he went to Singapore, the Governor of the Straits Settlements personally hosted a banquet for him! The British had previously refused to approve several tin mines, but they were all granted permission in one go! The Governor also assured him that they would cooperate with his plan to set up a bank in Singapore.

In short, you Chinese just need to avoid causing trouble...

But Chang Desheng was thinking about something else.

Li Hongzhang dared not touch the more than two million taels of coastal defense tax, fearing the court's suspicion. But those who cut off his funds showed no mercy. If the Beiyang government wanted to survive, it couldn't just rely on the paltry sums from the court.

You have to find your own way to make a living.

Nanyang is just a place to eat.

Old Zhang seems to have spent millions of taels of silver on winemaking in the past... a complete waste. That stuff is for prosperous times; it's utterly useless in chaotic times. Even drinking it to drown your sorrows isn't as effective as Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor). It's better to invest in a steel mill! Even if the steel produced is first piled up in Tangshan, it's still hard currency. It's guns, cannons, railroad tracks, and a golden hen that can lay eggs... Third Uncle, this time you have to come north with me and get the Tangshan Steel Plant up and running! Chang Desheng thought about it more and more, and couldn't help but smile.

Just then, there was a knock on the hatch.

Thump, thump, thump, three times, neither too light nor too heavy.

Everyone in the room jumped.

"Come in," Wu Jingrong said.

The door opened, and Li Yuanhong poked half his body in, looking somewhat nervous: "Lord Zhang, Lord Chang... Some people have come aboard the Dutch gunboat Sumatra, saying they want to invite you two over for negotiations. The German consul in Singapore is also on the Dutch ship, saying... he was invited."

The room fell silent instantly.

Zhang Bishi looked at Chang Desheng. Wu Jingrong looked at Chang Desheng. Duan Qirui, Shang Dequan, Kong Qingtang, and Wu Dingyuan all looked at Chang Desheng. Chang Desheng slowly stood up, folded the translated telegram in his hand into three folds, and stuffed it into his pocket.

He thought to himself, "They're here. The Dutch have come knocking."

However, they have no cards to play... and we still have the Dutch East Indies as their Achilles' heel!

"Third Uncle," Chang Desheng grinned, a smug look in his eyes, "Let's go, let's meet our red-haired devil."

He paused, then added:

"Remember this: the Sultanate of Pontianak no longer exists. The Pontianak Autonomous Army is Pontianak's only armed force! If the Dutch don't want chaos in West Borneo, they have to cooperate with us!"