Chapter 180 Don't you want to witness it for me?

- Boom.

Standing at the narrow window of the warehouse, looking at the flames that exploded from time to time in the distance, Dong Hai punched hard on the wall and cursed a few times.

The North Ocean has been destroyed, and the Russian fleet has completely controlled the port of Lushun. At this moment, it is shelling the remaining forts with all its strength. Without naval support, these immovable forts have completely become their targets.

Beiyang is still easy to raise. Even if it loses the support of warships, most of the green battalions have already escaped, but the remaining sailors stationed on the shore are still stubbornly resisting with guns, but the more so, the more sad he feels. He can't wait to rush out to fight side by side with them and give the Russians a head-on. A painful blow.

But reason stopped him. Compared with leading the Nighthawk team to intervene in the front battlefield to teach the Russians, his task at this moment is more important.

"Report, the dynamite has been placed." A night eagle walked to Dong Dahai and saw that he was still staring out of the window. He quickly pushed gently: "Captain, if you don't leave, the Russians will come here."

Dong Dahai took a breath and quietly pinched his fist. Then he turned around, took out his pocket watch and said, "Yes, it will explode in ten minutes."

After the nighthawks took out their watches to check the time, they immediately took out the detonator, inserted one end into the explosive block, installed the other end on a timer like a pocket watch, and pressed the start switch.

As the switch was pressed, the hour hand began to tick. At this time, the gunfire outside the warehouse became more intense!

Soon, as the night eagles gathered one after another, Dong Dahai walked to the door of the warehouse and saw several sailors rushing to the dock with guns. He did not notice it. He immediately waved back and led the night eagles out of the largest ammunition depot set up by the Beiyang sailors in Lushun.

After walking out of the warehouse, he looked up. The head of the old brisbilled fort in the distance was already full of fire. He had to sigh, gave up the plan to save people, and withdrew to Jinzhou.

The old brisbilled fort is already the time of life and death. The soldiers stood in front of Xu Bangdao, with black and white faces and red eyes smoked by gunp.

"Your Excellency, you are all done! I really can't keep it!"

Looking at the few remaining soldiers around him, Xu Bangdao opened his eyes angrily and scolded, "If you fight, you have to fight!" Go, immediately send someone to Mr. Zhao and ask him to give me another thousand horses. I will definitely be able to stay here!"

The soldiers shed tears and shook their heads: "Your Excellency, Gong Zhaoyu, the General Office of Lushun, ran away with a torpedo boat in the afternoon when the sailors and the Russians were at war! My subordinates have sent someone to contact Zhao Huaiye, the general of Jinzhou, but he replied that Lord Zhao has also taken people to escape to Haicheng!"

"What!"

Hearing these two news, Xu Bang was stunned, and the knife in his hand suddenly fell to the ground.

All a whole night, the Russian shells were like free, constantly falling from the sea, and the Pearl Reef Fort, the Golden Mountain Fort, the Golden Mountain Fort, the Tiger Tail Fort, the Weiyuan Fort, the Manzi Battalion Fort, and the Mantou Mountain Cannon were all gone! Due to the sudden attack of the Russians, the fort failed to reserve ammunition in time, so even the most hidden old mouth dome fort under the foot at this moment ran out of food half an hour ago.

The Russians have landed all over Lushun Port, and thousands of Russian soldiers are coming inland along the coast. The thousand soldiers who have finally gathered from the enemy's artillery fire have almost fought. I thought that as long as Zhao Huaiye, the commander-in-chief of Jinzhou, could help, even if there were a few more Hundreds of people can also support the arrival of the imperial reinforcements, but who would have thought that all these bastards ran away!

If you don't leave at this moment, I'm afraid you will never have a chance to leave the old mouth!

Xu Bangdao stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the dense Russian soldiers at the foot of the mountain, with tears!

Lost! Still defeated! I have worked hard, but the Russian cannon is really powerful. Now I have reached the last moment. Even if I die, I will be loyal to the country!

"Go! Take your people and break out in the direction of Haicheng immediately. The Russians should not have controlled it yet!" After taking a few breaths, Xu Bangdao slowly leaned over and picked up the long knife that fell and shouted to the guards.

"Your Excellency, what about you!" The soldiers are in a hurry.

Xu Bangdao raised his head, looked at the Russian soldiers who were climbing up in the distance, and said with tears, "Lushun has lost, and I have no face to see the emperor again, to the people of the world again!" I have made up my mind to live and die with Lushun. You all have a family and a room. Let's go. You don't have to accompany me to give my life in vain!"

"But my lord!"

"It's nothing! I, Xu Bang, have sons and daughters, so it's okay to die!" Xu Bangdao held a big knife in his hand, and his hair was scattered in the strong wind. He pushed a captain of the guard and shouted, "Go quickly. Remember to take me to say hello when you see my wife."

"No, don't leave under the mark. We will follow you to the death!" The soldiers cried and shouted bitterly, and all of them pulled out their knives.

"Go! Don't distract me anymore! Today, I want to see that the neck of the Russian hair is hard! It's still my sword!"

"Your Excellency."

The soldiers still wanted to persuade again. Several excited people even wanted to pull people, but they were suddenly cut back a few steps by Xu Bangdao: "Go, protect my family for me, go!" Looking at Xu Bangdao's determined posture, the soldiers wiped their tears one after another. After a long time, they suddenly gritted their teeth and kowtowed three times before walking behind the fort.

At the foot of the mountain, a large number of Russian soldiers began to charge. At the top of the mountain, Xu Bangdao stood on the rock with his head held high and shouted with a ferocious smile, "Come on, dog said, let's see if your grandfather's knife is hard or your neck is hard!"

After shouting, he pushed the last barrel of gunpowder off the fort. The barrel rolled down the cliff. Seeing that it was almost in front of the Russian army, Xu Bangdao immediately took out his hand and shouted loudly.

"Middle!"

Only a bang was heard, and the medicine barrel exploded to form a huge fireball, which submerged more than a dozen Russian troops around! Looking at the Russian soldiers who were covered with fire and wailing at the foot of the cliff, Xu Bang laughed and rushed down the cliff alone with a knife.

"Kill!"

As if to cooperate with his shouting, the sailor's ammunition depot, which had stored thousands of shells and explosives in the distance, suddenly made a huge noise. A huge cloud suddenly rose from the distance, and the smoke gradually enveloped the whole fort.

The earth-shaking explosion made the Russian soldiers lose their souls. Seeing Xu Bangdao killing him with a big knife, he didn't even care to see if there was anyone around him, he was so scared that he turned around and ran away.

"Haha. Russian boy, Hugh, run away, look at the knife!" Xu Bang shouted violently, ran wildly to cover up, and looked up to the sky and laughed, as if he were crazy!

At the foot of the mountain, the guards had just got on the horse and were also shaken down by the loud noise. Looking at the fort behind them, they knelt on the ground with tears in their eyes.

Lushun is gone!——

In the Ryukyu headquarters, the atmosphere is depressing and tense.

Zhang Zuolin stood in the middle of the hall, reading the information he had just received.

"The Flying Fish called. Two hours ago, they found Zhenyuan and Jingyuan retreating off the coast of Jinzhou. Now they have defeated the pursuing Russian cruisers and are protecting the two ships to go to Ryukyu, but." Zhang Zuolin paused for a moment, looked at the corner, and carried the chief of staff behind his back before continuing to report: "According to Captain Ning sent someone to the ship to check, Zhenyuan has basically lost its combat effectiveness. Jingyuan was more seriously injured. The hull was seriously damaged, the water was seriously ingressed, and the rudder was damaged. He asked if he could abandon the ship."

"Lin Tai of Zhenyuan Management has also confirmed that except for the two ships, the other ships in Beiyang have been destroyed and sunk. At present, the Qingyu has arrived in the warring waters and is being searched and rescued. So far, a total of ten people have been rescued."

"In addition, the Russian fleet has entered the port of Lushun and is shelling the fort. At present, two Russian troop carriers have landed ashore. At the same time, the Russian fleet has divided its troops. Two heavy patrols and two light patrols have circled to Qingniwa (now Dalian Bay). At present, the fierce battle is still continuing. In addition, according to one of our reconnaissance in Jinzhou Bay According to the ship inspection report, two Russian [***] ships were also found there, including a battleship.

With Zhang Zuolin's voice, the whole command room was silent. When a staff officer put the two wooden ship models representing the Russian ship into the sea of Jinzhou Bay and Qingniwa respectively, every officer present seemed to be suddenly blocked by something in their hearts, heavy!

Jinzhou Bay and Qingniwa are far away from each other, and there is only a slender neck-like land in the middle. As long as the Russians quickly take down the commanding point of Nanshan in the middle, the Beiyang will be completely cleared!

Two years ago, Beiyang was also facing a crisis, but at that time, the Pacific Army defeated me, so that they finally escaped a disaster, but this time, even if the army is forced to land now, I'm afraid... it's over!

Chen Ping's body trembled, and his face was a little black. The staff officer beside him quickly helped him and slowly sat down on the chair.

"I'm fine." Chen Ping pushed away the staff and took out a cigarette from his pocket. After the match drew a beautiful flame, Ran Ran Qingyan slowly rose up along his fingers.

After taking two sips of cigarettes, his face softened and he continued to ask, "Is there any news from the Russian Army?"

Zhang Zuolin quickly opened the third telegram: "The reconnaissance company of the Fourth Division reported that the Russian main force had arrived in Changchun in the evening. Yigtang Abu was caught off guard and the whole line was defeated. At present, the Russian army has been stationed in Changchun to replenish and rest. If the speed is fast, it can reach Fengtian and Xingjing in three days."

"The situation in the direction of Lushun is also very bad. Gong Zhaozhen, the general office of Lushun Defense, took advantage of the decisive battle between Beiyang and the Russian fleet to lead the to lead the torpedo boat. In addition, Zhao Huaiye, the general of Jinzhou, has also escaped by boat overnight. At present, the 20,000 Qing army green camp stationed in that area is already a leaderless." Zhang Zuolin continued to report: "We predict that it will take one more day at most, and Russia will be able to basically control Lushun and Jinzhou."

"So, by this time tomorrow night, the Russian army will be able to control Jinzhou and Lushun?" Zhao Long raised his head and quickly walked to the sand table. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the seat in Jinzhou, with his eyes shining red.

"Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff, why don't I take a division to leave in advance? Let's get stuck in the 30 miles behind Jinzhou first, and block the Russians in the Lushun Peninsula and can't go north!" Seeing that the situation was urgent, both the military commander and the chief of staff looked unhappy. Luo Feng, the commander of the first division, immediately shouted.

"No, even if we leave now, it will take two days for the first division to arrive. No one knows where the Russians will fight in two days." Zhang Zuolin wanted to see it and frowned at the sand table: "And the main force of our fleet is not here. If we land forcibly without an escort, the price will be very high!"

Everyone nodded one after another. The main force of the fleet was not there. It was okay to rely on a few small deportations to escort some small troops, but it was no different from sending thousands of troops at one time.

"Where is Long Guozhang?" In his eyes, Chen Ping extinguished the cigarette butt and slowly stood up and walked to the sand table. A naval staff officer hurriedly reported: "Two hours ago, the fleet called. They are about to pass through the Tsugaru Strait and are expected to arrive in Vladivostok tomorrow evening."

Chen Ping pointed his finger in the Tsugaru Strait. After roughly measuring the distance from the Strait to Vladivostok, he suddenly turned around and said, "Do you know this?"

Zhang Zuolin shook his head: "The young master is receiving Liang Dunyan and Tang Shaoyi, who have just arrived, and said they would not be disturbed."

"Give it to me." Chen Ping took the telegram from Zhang Zuolin, paused for a moment, gritted his teeth and ordered, "Tell Ning Xiaochuan, no matter what method he uses, I must ensure that Zhenyuan and Jingyuan arrive in Ryukyu safely, and immediately arrange for the maintenance ship and tug to set off. Even if it is towed, drag them back completely for me."

"Zhao Long, go with me to see the young master." After a pause, Chen Ping gritted his teeth and continued to say, "In addition, immediately send all the information here to the fleet and tell Long Guozhang."

As Chen Ping and Zhao Long walked out quickly, he gritted his teeth and spit out a few words fiercely. In the bright light, everyone saw the ferocious face of the Chief of Staff!

"Don't leave anything behind!" --

In the Bahai villa, Li Mo tilted the corners of his mouth and couldn't close his mouth.

One is a Chinese child studying in the United States. He is the only one who has a lot of experience in finance. He studied law at Yale University, and because his father lived in Nanyang for a long time, he chose finance with the influence of starting a business, which was extremely rare among Chinese children studying abroad at that time. This was mainly due to the influence of his father who had done business in Nanyang.

And the other one is even more powerful, Tang Shaoyi, the historical Prime Minister of Beiyang!

But if Li Mo is asked to choose one, I'm afraid he will still consider Liang Dunyan first, because at present, the most urgent need in Honolulu is not politicians or diplomats, but people who know finance.

Especially in the era when literati have looked down on businessmen since ancient times, and officials have despised them. Even in the era when many scholars did not want to be infected with the smell of copper, you can imagine how important a person familiar with the Western financial system is.

Whether it's Li Enfu or Yan Fu, it's absolutely great for them to deal with political affairs, but when it comes to money, they have a sad face. Now it's all right. Finally, there is such a person who knows financial management. How can he let him go go!

So Master Li handed over the financial power of the State Council to him as soon as he opened his mouth, which made the newcomer who had just joined almost go crazy!

There is a good saying that a scholar dies for his confidant!

However, the happiest thing is that he doesn't have to think about who to choose at this moment. Whether it is Liang Dunyan or Tang Shaoyi, after staying in Ryukyu for a few days, he was infected by the thriving atmosphere here and all agreed to stay.

The new tea was fragrant and the atmosphere was warm. The three of them sat together and burst into a series of laughter from time to time. No one noticed that the two figures had pushed the door and walked in.

Hearing the sound of pushing the door, Li Mo quickly turned around and saw Chen Ping and Zhao Long. He was about to introduce new partners to them, but after seeing the serious expressions of the two, an ominous omen suddenly rose in his heart. Even Tang Shaoyi and Liang Dunyan stood up slowly and felt bad.

At this time, I'm afraid that only the war in the Far East can make the Chief of General Staff of the Pacific Army so serious.

"The Beiyang Marine Division is over!"

"The main force of the Russian army has advanced to Changchun, and the Iktang army has collapsed. It will take about a few days to continue to go south!" Without waiting for Li Mo to ask, Chen Ping continued to report, handed in the information, and his voice was cold and emotionless.

Li Mo couldn't help ** twice at the corners of his eyes. Although he had expected this day for a long time, when he really came, he still felt as if his chest had been hammered by something!

Beiyang Marine Division, an army that is the final color in China's modern history, most of a senior commanders have the backs of the ocean, and most of the grass-roots officers come from poor families along the coast. The defense training is completely westernized, and it has a certain combat effectiveness. The army has been in the Far East for ten years, known as the lion of the backbone of the Qing Dynasty. It finally collapsed.

This is not a soldier's problem, nor an officer's problem, let alone the navy itself's problem! It was caused by the current situation in the Qing Dynasty. The emperor and queen party whitewashed the peace, misappropriated military funds to hold a longevity banquet, and repaired the Summer Palace. Logistics supplies, machine manufacturing bureaus all over the country are also in the control of their people, and the shells and sand are just a corner!

More importantly, the people who control this army have lost their initiative. An army that lacks goals and is not enterprising can't keep up with the rapid pace of the industrial era just by purchasing a few warships!

The Qing Dynasty has long been a heavy burden of internal and external troubles. The success or failure of the Beiyang is just a condensed picture. After the defeat of the Jiawu Sea War to Japan, which is far inferior to its own, it has long been seen through by the great powers, so the Russians will unscrupulously send more troops to the Far East!

Today, half of the backbone of this country has been defeated, but even if Russia is avoided today, there will still be Germany, Britain and the United States! In the eyes of the great powers, the Qing Dynasty with a population of 400 million is a huge fat cake, and everyone hopes to take a bite!

War is the continuation of politics, as well as the continuation of the economy. Excessive industry will inevitably lead to the need for capital export, and the large Qing Dynasty has become such a popular bun.

In the face of the closed Qing Dynasty, the powers smashed the door with artillery ships, forced the export of opium and a large number of cheap products. At the same time, they also plundered the shocking gold and silver, while the Qingzheng axe guarding the treasure house was unable to change this situation. They could only silently watch the foreigners take away their profits, leaving a pile. Empty shell.

Some people may say that soon after the Qing Dynasty declared war on the eight countries at the same time, showing a tenacious and unyielding spirit, but Li Mo confirmed that it was more of a helplessness and a dying struggle in despair.

The day of the Beiyang sailor is the tomorrow of the Qing Dynasty. With his current strength, can he save this building that is about to be tilted? Where will this giant ship of the lost ship go when history has been completely changed by itself?

Li Mo held the information tightly, and his eyes were blank and scattered. He was far less full of aura and wisdom as usual, as if the whole person had been washed again.

But soon, his eyes gathered together again. Although he also hoped to save the Beiyang Mariners at the beginning of the crossing, since he could not change, why did he change? The sailor is not a fleet! It has been wrong since its name. A sailor can never become a fleet!

What I need is a fleet, not a sailor!!

Behind them, Liang Dunyan and Tang Shaoyi silently looked at Li Mo's thin back. Since they set foot in Ryukyu, they felt as if they were boiling with a scorching mood, but the news in front of them was undoubtedly a basin of cold water, which not only made them cold all over, but also worried about the country across the sea.

Even when the two set out, they were worried about Russia sending so many warships to the Far East, and when visiting the Ryukyu barracks, they faintly felt the tension and the atmosphere of the coming war, but neither of them expected that the Russian fleet would return and defeat the Beiyang Marine Division so soon.

Neither of them are fools. We all know that without Beiyang, the Eight Banners and Green Battalion of the Qing Army, which have long been corrupt by Lushun and Jinzhou, it is impossible to resist the landing of the Russian army, not to mention that the Russian army from the border has also hit Changchun!

The collapse of the northeast has become a foreground. Whether it is the Nie Shicheng of Fengtian or the Yi army of Song Qing, they can't stop the sharp Russians. Maybe at this moment, the empresses in the imperial court are considering surrendering in private and preparing for the cession of the three places in the northeast!

At this time, who has the ability to turn the tide?

The two looked at each other and saw the shock at the same time. Gradually, their eyes all gathered on the young face. Even Chen Ping and Zhao Long knew that although the young master had never said that he would save Beiyang, in fact, since he suddenly attacked Japan, everyone knew that he wanted to save the rotten Beiyang sailor, and this persistence was never put down!

But the confusion in Li Mo's eyes made the four people worry at the same time, but the haze in their hearts was soon blown away by a smile. He was only dull for a while, and his eyes became sharp again. As everyone saw, there was a familiar smile on the corners of their mouths.

"Notify Feng Qi to declare war on Russia as originally planned!"

"After the declaration of war, immediately cut off all telegraph lines from Yanjing, Tianjin, Yantai and other places to Lushun!"

"Order the troops in Lushun and Jinzhou to intercept all Russian personnel going to the contact fleet, and make the Russian fleet blind and deaf by the morning of the day after tomorrow!"

"Order the ships monitored in the sea to give up the method of long-range tracking and close reconnaissance. If necessary, they can consider whether to attack the Russian ships by themselves. There is only one sentence. It is necessary to make Wittheft nervous."

Li Mo turned around, looked at the new Liang Dunyan and Tang Shaoyi with a bright smile, and blinked: "Two gentlemen, I'm going to declare war on Russia. Don't you want to witness it for me?"

After saying that, without waiting for an answer, he immediately strode out. Chen Ping and Zhao Long followed closely. Liang Dunyan and Tang Shaoyi were also slightly stunned and quickly caught up, with their footsteps firmly and quickly...

(to be continued)