Beiyang Dream

Chapter 88 Well, the presidents of the Beiyang government have all arrived!

March 14th, 1888, early morning.

Tianjin, Dagu Port.

Chang Desheng stepped onto the wooden planks of the pier, finally feeling at ease.

It's been almost two years.

Two years ago, when he left here, he had 1,500 taels of silver exchanged for 300 pounds in his pocket, and in his heart, he harbored the simple ideal of "getting a diploma, building a team, rebelling against the Qing Dynasty, and becoming president." Now he's back, he has the silver (a 500,000 tael bank draft with his wife), he has his wife (the wealthy Luo Jingrou, although they haven't officially married yet, she's already come along), and he'll soon have an official position (a fourth-rank official, and the head of the Korean military affairs committee).

This trip to Germany was incredibly rewarding.

Behind him followed Duan Qirui, Wu Dingyuan, and Kong Qingtang. The three of them had also changed their clothes, each wearing their best long gown and mandarin jacket, which they had commissioned from Shanghai's Red Gang tailors when the SF Express stopped in Shanghai.

Further on, there were two boats.

The 2,000-ton "Shunfeng," a newly launched passenger ship of the China Merchants Steam Naval Company, was painted to a gleaming shine. The over 1,000-ton "Guangjia," a cruiser of the Guangdong Navy, finally made its appearance. Its service to protecting overseas Chinese in Pontianak and the Four-Party Treaty were well-documented. Li Hongzhang had already telegraphed his elder brother, Li Hanzhang (Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi), ordering the "Guangjia" to travel north to participate in the joint naval exercises of the North and South Oceans. Captain Wu Jingrong was guaranteed a promotion, and might even be able to travel to Beijing to meet the Emperor.

Guangjia performed well this time. Chang Desheng thought to himself: If Commander Wu knows how to please the old lady, maybe he can trick her into giving him an upgraded version... a steel-hulled cruiser equipped with rapid-fire cannons, that would be wonderful.

"Zhenbang!"

A voice came from the other side of the dock.

Chang Desheng looked up and saw that it was Feng Guozhang, who was now an instructor at the military academy and the "second-in-command" of the Beiyang clique.

"Brother Huafu!" Chang Desheng quickly clasped his hands in greeting.

The two stopped three steps apart and looked each other up and down.

Feng Guozhang spoke first, his voice tinged with laughter: "You've gotten darker and stronger. The sun in Southeast Asia must have been scorching."

Chang Desheng laughed: "It's toxic, but it's worth it to get a tan. So what if I get a tan?"

That's absolutely true. This trip to Southeast Asia has been incredibly fruitful!

Feng Guozhang nodded and patted him on the shoulder: "It's good that you're back. Your family..."

"I was just about to thank Brother Huafu," Chang Desheng interrupted him, taking a cloth bundle from his wicker trunk and handing it over with both hands. "Over the past year, I've received many letters from home, and I'm so grateful for your help in forwarding them. I have no way to repay you, but I brought back a little trinket from Germany this time. Do you think it will be useful?"

Feng Guozhang took it and opened the cloth bag.

A hardcover book with a German title in gold foil: "A Collection of Tactical Questions", personally compiled by Moltke the Elder.

Feng Guozhang's eyes lit up.

He opened the title page, and inside was not the usual preface, but pages upon pages of hand-drawn battlefield maps—Königgretz in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the Siege of Paris in 1871… Each map was marked with dense German annotations of troop deployments, marching routes, and firepower configurations, along with analytical notes drawn in red and blue pencils.

Turning the page further, you'll find a series of tactical problem-solving questions:

"Imagine you are commanding a Prussian infantry division, encountering a French division and a half in the Vosges Mountains. The terrain is shown in the image, with the railway line and telegraph station located here. How would you complete a flanking maneuver within a day?"

"Imagine you are the Chief of Operations of the Prussian General Staff, and you have received intelligence that the main Austrian force is moving towards Saxony, but the Bavarian Army has not moved. Please develop three operational plans and explain their advantages and disadvantages."

"Assuming..."

Each question is accompanied by a solution written in pen, in both Chinese and German.

"This..." Although Feng Guozhang didn't quite understand it, he knew it was a good thing. "This is... an internal textbook of the Prussian War Academy?" "Yes." Chang Desheng nodded. "This is my textbook, also called 'The True Questions of Moltke,' which is the military strategy of German Field Marshal Moltke. It contains my class notes. I have another copy; this one is for you."

Chang Desheng also had a rare collector's edition personally signed by Mao Zedong, which he decided to give to Feng Guozhang. Shang Dequan, Wu Dingyuan, Kong Qingtang, and Duan Qirui already had handwritten copies (which they copied themselves), and Cao Kun and Wang Zhanyuan probably wouldn't be able to understand them either, so this one was most suitable for Feng Guozhang. Feng Guozhang held the book, his hands trembling with joy.

The military strategies of a military genius!

"Zhenbang, this gift... is too much..." Feng Guozhang said repeatedly.

"A fine sword for a hero," Chang Desheng laughed. "Brother Huafu teaches at the military academy. Just lecturing on drills isn't enough; you need to let your students know... how battles are won. Every question in this book is the essence of Moltke's military science. I spent over a year at the Prussian War Academy, focusing solely on this." Chang Desheng's words made the gift even more precious!

Feng Guozhang took a deep breath, carefully wrapped the book, and held it in his arms as if he were holding a newborn son:

"Zhenbang, I will remember this kindness. From now on, at the military academy, I will use this as teaching material so that our students can also do the questions from the German General Staff."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

At this moment...

"Zhenbang! You're finally back!"

His loud voice, with a Tianjin accent, was so loud it hurt your eardrums.

Chang Desheng turned his head and saw Cao Kun.

This simpleton stood by the dock, wearing the uniform of the Huai Army, but two buttons were undone, his hat was askew, and he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. Standing next to him was another man—a particularly short and stout man, looking like a winter melon, in his early thirties, with a large head, a round, bulbous face, and a neatly trimmed mustache.

This fat guy... has a kind face.

He looks too kind.

Chang Desheng's mind flashed back to the photos in his history textbook from his previous life—it was... Yuan Shikai!

The true leading man of the Beiyang Army.

Before he could react, Feng Guozhang had already pulled him over, calling out to Duan Qirui and the other two as they walked: "Zhiquan, Yuchen, Shaoqing, come here. This is Lord Yuan Weiting, the Minister in charge of foreign trade and diplomatic affairs stationed in Korea."

He then introduced them to Yuan Shikai: "Lord Yuan, this is Chang Desheng, courtesy name Zhenbang. These two are Duan Qirui, Wu Dingyuan, and Kong Qingtang, all of whom are outstanding students who studied in Germany and have returned to China with Zhenbang to serve the country."

Upon meeting Yuan Shikai, Chang Desheng immediately got into character.

He stepped forward three times, bowed, and cupped his hands, saying, "This humble official, Chang Desheng, greets Lord Yuan."

Behind him, Duan Qirui, Wu Dingyuan, and Kong Qingtang also bowed in unison.

Yuan Shikai chuckled and returned the greeting, then looked up at Chang Desheng—he was almost a head shorter than him—and gave him a thumbs-up: "Good! What a fine young hero!"

The Henan accent sounds particularly honest and friendly.

Chang Desheng was also a "Zhongzhou native" in his previous life, and he came to Tianjin through the college entrance examination.

"I've heard about Brother Zhenbang's exploits in Germany and Southeast Asia," Yuan Shikai said, patting Chang Desheng's arm. "He's a military strategist, adept at diplomacy—a rare find! He understands both foreign affairs and military matters; such talent is desperately needed in our Beiyang Army!"

He turned to Feng Guozhang and smiled, "Hua Fu, don't you think so?"

Feng Guozhang nodded: "Lord Yuan is right."

Yuan Shikai looked back at Chang Desheng, his smile growing even warmer: "Brother Zhenbang, your trip to Korea has been a great help to me. To be honest, my trip back to Tianjin was to consult with the Grand Secretary about the tense situation in Korea. Hearing that you were coming back, I specially came with Hua Fu to pick you up—we brothers need to have a good chat!"

He addressed Zhenbang as "Brother Zhenbang" and "Old Brother" repeatedly.

His warmth and friendliness were more than any minor leader Chang Desheng had ever met in his previous life.

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Yuan Datou, you really are courteous to scholars! (This last part is a separate thought and doesn't directly relate to the previous sentence.)

His smile was exceptionally sincere: "Brother Weiting is too kind. Desheng is young, and I will need your guidance in Korea in the future."

"Hey, what's there to advise?" Yuan Shikai waved his hand. "You and I are brothers. From now on in Korea, one of us will handle domestic affairs, and the other will handle foreign affairs. You'll train the troops, and I'll handle the funding and personnel for you. If we're of one mind, we've already won half the battle in Korea!"

That's a well-said statement.

It gave Chang Desheng real power (to train troops), but also drew a clear line (I'll manage the money and personnel; the resources are in my hands). It also set the tone of "brothers united"... you're one of my own.

High, really high.

Chang Desheng inwardly gave Yuan Shikai a thumbs-up. This level of political maneuvering... no wonder he's president! I need to learn from him. "Oh, by the way," Yuan Shikai suddenly remembered something, pointing to the bespectacled, scholarly-looking middle-aged man beside him, "this is Xu Hanlin, Xu Shichang, courtesy name Juren. My brother's close friend. He's in Tianjin on official business, and when he heard Brother Zhenbang was here, he insisted on coming to get acquainted with him." Xu Shichang stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled warmly: "Brother Chang, I've long admired you."

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Well, another president.

He quickly returned the greeting: "Xu Hanlin, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Then I mentally calculated: How many presidents are there at this dock today?

One of them was himself (which didn't exist historically), one was Yuan Shikai, one was Feng Guozhang, one was Cao Kun, one was Xu Shichang…

Who's missing?

Oh, right, Li Yuanhong.

He turned to Wu Dingyuan and said, "Yu Chen, do me a favor. Go to the Guangjia and invite Li Songqing... Tell him I have some friends here who would like to get to know him." He then explained to Yuan Shikai, "Brother Weiting, this Li Songqing is the chief engineer on the Guangjia, a top student from the Tianjin Naval Academy, and also one of our Beiyang men. He and I traveled together from Pontianak to Singapore, and we have a good relationship. Such a talent should be introduced to Brother Weiting."

Yuan Shikai nodded repeatedly and said, "Good, good! I've heard of this Li Songqing before; he's a talented person."

He must have heard it from somewhere. Anyway, it's a small matter, not important...

Wu Dingyuan responded and left.

Before long, Li Yuanhong arrived, still wearing the uniform of the Guangjia Company, but neatly dressed. He first bowed to Chang Desheng, saying, "Brother Zhenbang." Then he turned to Yuan Shikai and the others, greeting them one by one.

Chang Desheng looked around:

Yuan Shikai (future president), Feng Guozhang (future acting president), Cao Kun (future president), Xu Shichang (future president), Li Yuanhong (future president), plus myself (future president).

All done.

The six presidents of the Beiyang government gathered at Dagu Port.

In my past life, this would have fetched an astronomical price for a group photo.

Chang Desheng was secretly pleased: This time travel is getting more and more interesting.

At this moment, Cao Kun shouted, "The carriages are ready! Six of them, all Western-style carriages, enough for everyone!"

Yuan Shikai said to Chang Desheng, "Zhenbang, settle your family first. I've booked a table at the 'AstraZeneca' restaurant to welcome you. Tonight, let's have a good drink, brothers!"

"Thank you, Brother Xie Weiting."

Chang Desheng turned around and walked towards the "SF Express" ship.

Luo Jingrou, Qingzi, Luo Xinglan and others had already disembarked and were waiting at the dock.

Chang Desheng walked up to Luo Jingrou first and reached out to help her: "Jingrou, be careful."

Luo Jingrou smiled slightly and took his hand to get into the carriage.

He then turned to Haruko.

Haruko was wearing a light blue kimono today. The gauze on her forehead had been removed, but she deliberately left a few strands of hair to cover it, making her look even more delicate. Chang Desheng reached out and supported her elbow: "Miss Haruko, please."

Haruko lowered her head and said in very soft Japanese, "Tsune-kun, someone is watching us."

Chang Desheng remained expressionless and replied in German, "It's alright, we're friends."

Haruko nodded and got into the car.

Chang Desheng turned around and looked towards the deck of the "Shunfeng".

Madame Nathalie von Bülow stood there, dressed in a Western-style dress, her blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight. She saw Chang Desheng, raised her hand, and blew him a kiss.

Chang Desheng smiled and waved in response.

This scene was witnessed by a Japanese businessman in a kimono, adjusting his glasses, from a corner outside the dock.

This person is Ryohei Uchida.

He had left Pontianak earlier and escaped with his life. And at this moment, he was quickly memorizing the scene before him:

"Upon arriving in Tianjin, Chang Desheng was greeted by Yuan Shikai, the Qing Dynasty's ambassador to Korea..."

"He seemed to have a close relationship with Haruko, a Japanese woman. He helped her into the carriage. It seems that Haruko had not been exposed and was even quite favored by him..." After noting all this down, he turned and left.

Duan Qirui's gaze swept past Chang and Qing, locking onto Natalie's blew kiss. His eyelids twitched, and his mental tally immediately kicked in: this German woman had followed him from Berlin to Tianjin, and she was even a consul's wife—that was a connection! And her attitude towards Chang Desheng...it just seemed a little...unconventional....

He remained calm and quietly added the matter to the "Secret Report to Li Zhongtang" section.

Chang Desheng boarded Yuan Shikai's carriage.

The carriage was spacious, with plush cushions and tea sets on a small table.

Yuan Shikai sat opposite him, with Xu Shichang to his side.

As the carriage started moving, Yuan Shikai's smile faded slightly, but his tone remained gentle:

"Zhenbang, there are no outsiders here, so I'll say a few words of truth."

Chang Desheng sat up straight: "Brother Weiting, please speak."

"What you did in Southeast Asia was impressive. But some people in the court are saying some unpleasant things." Yuan Shikai looked at him and said, "They said you killed too many people while protecting overseas Chinese and that you had close ties with foreigners... The memorial was handed to the Grand Council, and Master Weng's side was quite noisy."

Chang Desheng cursed inwardly: "You old bastard!"

Yuan Shikai continued, "The Grand Secretary has suppressed these matters for you. He said: Chang Zhenbang was in Southeast Asia protecting the overseas Chinese of our Great Qing Dynasty and demonstrating the military might of our Beiyang Army. There's nothing wrong with that."

This was meant to show favor to Li Hongzhang, but also to give him a warning.

Chang Desheng immediately replied, "Then I must thank Your Excellency for protecting me!"

Yuan Shikai laughed and said, "Once we get to Korea, you can do as you please. With me here, those idle rumors won't reach the court." Xu Shichang then interjected, his voice calm:

"Brother Zhenbang, Weiting spent several years in Korea. I dare not say about his other skills, but he has mastered the art of 'making people talk nonsense.' In Korea, as long as you don't cross the line in major matters, Weiting can smooth over all the minor details for you."

This is a clear indication: Yuan Shikai can protect you, but only if you "don't do anything too outrageous." But what constitutes a "major incident"? You have to listen to him.

Chang Desheng solemnly replied, "Desheng understands. In Korea, I will follow Brother Weiting's arrangements."

Yuan Shikai smiled and leaned back in his chair:

"It's not 'follow my arrangements,' it's 'let's discuss it together.' You are a very talented person, and I won't let you go to waste."

He paused, lowering his voice:

"Zhenbang, Korea is a powder keg right now. The Japanese, the Russians, and those self-righteous Korean princes are all watching. I'm walking on thin ice there."

"His Excellency appointed you as the coordinator in Korea because he values ​​you. But there are some things His Excellency cannot say outright... In the court, Master Weng and his gang are always clamoring for 'saving public funds' and 'not provoking border conflicts.' In Korea, we must maintain order while avoiding causing trouble for His Excellency."

He looked at Chang Desheng and spoke, word by word:

"The 'ever-victorious generals' of Southeast Asia must first learn to 'conceal their sharpness' in Korea."

Chang Desheng nodded: "Desheng will remember."

Yuan Shikai laughed again and patted his knee:

"But don't be too reserved. Train the soldiers who need training! Repair the fortifications that need repairing! If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility. After all, the Grand Secretary entrusted you to me."

Carrots and sticks: give them ample space while clearly defining boundaries.

Chang Desheng knows it all perfectly well.

But that's exactly what he wanted.

North Korea, here I come.

Yuan Datou, let's take this game slowly, let's play it together... At least this time, I'm really here to help you!