Chapter 158 Prelude to the Battle of the Horsetail Sea

Hu Chuyuan did not really attack the Ningbo Business Gang, but in this financial storm, the energy of the Ningbo Business Gang was basically lost, which even dragged down the entire Shanghai financial industry, including Hu Chuyuan's CITIC system.

After reading this letter, Hu Chuyuan could imagine how his wife spent these days, which must be very difficult.

Hu Chuyuan sat in the chair in silence and thought about it for a long time.

Squeeze is the most terrible thing.

Although his current total assets are huge, it does not mean that he can cash all the bills.

After several considerations, Hu Chuyuan wrote a telegram asking Fister Delano to transfer all the working capital of $170 million held by the North American Wells Fargo Investment Bank to Shanghai, plus the Bank of America to jointly guarantee CITIC Bank through debt mortgage.

After writing the telegram, Hu Chuyuan suddenly realized that... the battle of Mawei must be won.

If this naval battle is won, the Shanghai financial storm will temporarily end and CITIC Bank will be saved.

However, will this naval battle really win?

Hu Chuyuan doesn't say anything. There are no 100% things in the world, and he may not be able to gamble. Once he loses, the CITIC system, which has been operating for six years, will be destroyed.

Just as he hesitated, Yan Shizhang suddenly said, "Dong, in fact, you don't need to spend a penny to solve the storm of the run of CITIC Bank!"

Hu Chuyuan said no and asked in surprise, "What can I do?"

Yan Shizhang thought carefully and replied, "As long as you appear in Shanghai and the people know that you are still alive, this disturbance can naturally be resolved. To say, the people in the south of the Yangtze River may not trust CITIC Bank, but you are the richest man in the Qing Dynasty, and everyone believes in you. Think about it, if you have been in Shanghai, how can there be a run? The reason why everyone is running is that they still don't know where the future of the Hu family is and where the future of CITIC Bank is!"

"This...?"

Hu Chuyuan couldn't help but hesitate.

The reality is so helpless that a few hundred taels of silver can turn a person into a killer and a Han Dynasty. No matter how he strengthens his defense, he said that he only needed thousands of taels of silver to complete an assassination.

What can he do?

He is neither a revolutionist with no hesitation, nor a warrior or martyr who regards death. He is afraid of death, but he will not compromise with himself.

He has been lurking like this, not only to avoid his assassination, but also to prepare for the follow-up counterattack. He has planned... to make him pay a heavier price.

However, the economic crisis forced him to appear... At this moment, what choice should he make?

Seeing that Hu Chuyuan was difficult to choose, Yan Shizhang continued to persuade, "My host, in fact, we can take the opportunity to ask for military power from the court. If you have your own army, it is not easy for me to assassinate us. At the beginning, in the ship's government government, he said that although I had a surprise attack, as long as we were a little moreware of such a thing, they would never play it again.

"Right of war?"

Hu Chuyuan couldn't help reading it.

Of course, he has his own military strength. The problem is how to take it out openly and let the court admit that during this period, he has been thinking about this problem, but he has never found a suitable opportunity.

I dare not say that as long as he has three battalions, seven or eight thousand people, it will be very difficult for him to assassinate him... Of course, it is not absolute, otherwise, Zhang Zuolin will not die.

This night, Hu Chuyuan did not fall asleep and weighed the pros and cons all night.

The next day, although he was not sure whether he would appear or not, he sent a telegram to Wu Shuzhen, first withdrawing working capital from the United States to bottom the Shanghai real estate economy through Wanqi, Zhongrun and the newly established CITIC Land Company.

After this blow, Shanghai Qianzhuang industry has basically withered, Shanxi and Ningbo people have suffered heavy losses, and eleven Shanxi century-old accounts have been forced to close their branches in Shanghai.

Shanghai foreign banks have suffered a lot of losses. Among the nine oldest British-funded foreign banks, four of them, Taihe, Renji, Yiji and Yangtai, went bankrupt.

Because of the huge debt arrears to HSBC, Sassoon Bank and Jardine Bank, one of the four major foreign banks, were forced to resell the 21,490 shares of HSBC shares held by Taikoo Bank. At the same time, they sold their real estate to Wanqi and Wanbao Bank at a low price, which was basically a withdrawal from the ranks of the four major foreign banks in Shanghai.

With the support of foreign banks and Qianzhuang, it is impossible for Shanghai's land industry to restore its original glory.

Everyone is also confused about the future of Shanghai.

Even if the Hu family began to bottom out, land prices in Shanghai continued to fall, and with the bankruptcy of foreign banks, Qianzhuang and other businessmen, land and other shares were constantly sold at low prices.

In early August 1884, the Shanghai economic crisis began to spread throughout Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and further spread to Tianjin. Tianjin CITIC Bank also began to encounter a large-scale run.

After suffering like this, not only will the CITIC system collapse, but also another trump card in Hu Chuyuan's hands... The rich country system will also collapse.

August 7, 1884.

Ten years of Guangxu, June 17th, Liqiu, Jiashen year, Renyin month, Ji Chou said, Jiazi Nayin, thunder and fire, do not marry, do not move the earth.

In the early morning, Hu Chuyuan put on the official uniform of the minister of commerce in the south of the Yangtze River, took the flower collar given by the imperial court, got on the sedan chair, and went all the way to the Fujian navy camp.

Before he left, the telegram had conveyed the Declaration, the Guardian and the Prime Minister's Office for National Affairs.

He is not dead.

Now, he's here.

When passing through Yangyu Bay, Hu Chuyuan deliberately asked the sedan chair to stop on the stone bridge at the mouth of the Qinjiang waterway and picked up a monocular telescope to watch Yangyu Bay. It used to be the camp of the Sanjiangkou Marine Division of the Eight Banners Camp. Because the Fujian Marine Division was tough and did not allow the French army to enter Maweikou, the French Expeditionary Fleet forcibly occupied the camp of the Sanjiangkou Marine Division. More than a dozen giant ships lined up, shining with the deterrent power of steel ships.

As Hu Chuyuan expected in advance, the French were very sile. After the level of warships of the Fujian Navy was improved, they actually transferred three of the latest St. Nazelle-class first-class ironclads from the Atlantic Fleet, plus the Vietnamese fleet and the "Chinese" fleet, to form a huge expeditionary fleet.

The Saint-Nazelle-class ironclad is the latest French warship built by the French Admiralty, modeled after the British English-class central ironclad warship, with a huge displacement of 7,350 tons and four 310 mm main guns.

At present, only four ships are in service in France, and two improved models of Saint-Nazelle-class ironclads are being manufactured in the dock.

In order to prevent comparable Dingyuan ships and Zhenyuan ships from rushing back to China, the French not only claimed that they would sink two ironclad ships halfway, but also added one to the number and sent three Saint-Nazer-class ironclads to the Chinese battlefield.

In the French media, Féjouri's cabinet claimed that the future of Vietnam did not depend on the French expeditionary force, but only on Saint-Nazaire, which showed their rampantness and the French's blind superstition of the three ironclad ships.

Three huge Saint-Nazel-class warships docked in the Bay of the Ocean Island, but the beautiful lines showed a gloomy and horrible atmosphere, which suffocated everyone.

Of course, some people are gratified, such as Li Hongzhang... He is convinced that the Mawei naval battle will prove his judgment and far-sighted. He has said ten thousand times that he can't fight with the French. Zuo Zongtang and Zeng Guozheng don't believe it...!

In addition to three Saint-Nazaire-class ironclads, the French Expeditionary Fleet also has two Baya-class first-class ironclads, two Lagari-Sannia-class second-class ironclads, one Truan-class second-class ironclads, four Peruze-class cruisers, a Limaer-class cruiser Volta, and a gun with a displacement of 471 tons. Six boats, four small torpedo boats, six ship-borne torpedo boats, three troop carriers and two armed cargo ships.

13 main warships, a total of 16 gunboats and torpedo boats, three auxiliary ships, and the total displacement tonnage of the fleet reached 75,400 tons, which is only 15% of the total tonnage of the French navy, but it is the sum of the strength of the entire Chinese navy.

The disparity in strength between the two sides is daunting.

Even Hu Chuyuan inevitably has a feeling that he is about to come. He is depressed. He has worked so hard for so long and invested so much money, but the overall strength of the Fujian Marine Division is only a fraction of the French naval power.

In recent years, the French military's military spending has increased to the standard of 100 million US dollars per year, which is equivalent to 70% of the annual fiscal revenue of the Qing Dynasty and three times the total military spending of the Qing army. Considering the ratio of the two sides, this gap will become more disparity.

The sky was clear, but Hu Chuyuan saw unprecedented dark clouds from his telescope.

After a long time, he silently put away the telescope and let the sedan chairmen continue to carry the sedan chair to the sailor's government.

Ye Zuyu, Ye Fu and others have already known the news.

On the training ground in front of the sailor's shady government, they were ready to meet them in the early morning. The four queues were arranged for hundreds of meters, and the banners were fluttering and roaring in the wind.

Hu Chuyuan's sedan chair was slowly lifted to the center of the training ground. Here, he lifted the curtain and walked out of the sedan chair.

Just ten steps ahead, Ye Zuyu and others were waiting. Although they heard the news, they still couldn't believe it. When they really saw Hu Chuyuan coming out of the sedan chair, the tight heart finally let go.

"Your Excellency!"

The generals came forward with a surprise.

"Guys!"

Hu Chuyuan smiled reluctantly and said hello to everyone.

"My lord...!"

Ye Fu and others were speechless for a moment. Thousands of words were in their throats, but they couldn't say a word. At this moment, the French fleet was pressed in the Bay of Yangyu thousands of meters away. Everyone was tense and heavy. Seeing Hu Chuyuan, he seemed to have finally taken a reassurance pill, and all the worries and pressure dissipated.

Hu Chuyuan is here.

What else is there to be afraid of!!!

Hu Chuyuan is the backbone of Fujian sailors. From top to bottom, it is not clear which one. Without Hu Chuyuan, who can build this sailor comparable to that of the great powers in front of him?

Ye Fu took the lead and knelt down first, and others also knelt down one after another.

"My lord...!"

There was a burst of shouts in the barracks. All the pressure, worries, fears... All kinds of emotions were entangled together, as if they had been released at this moment.

"My lord...!"

Ye Fu opened his arms excitedly and roared up to the sky. His face was already as red as blood. Following him, the sailors roared again. On the decks of the ships in the port, the soldiers cheered.

"Lord Hu is back!"

... In the extremely noisy noise, Hu Chuyuan sat down in the position of the commander-in-chief of the barracks, which was invited back by a group of generals of sailors, and the rest of the people sat down on both sides.

Hu Chuyuan's heart was also particularly excited. For this sailor, he not only paid, but also made a lot of effort and tried his best.

These people who look around the government, Ye Zukui, Ye Fu, Lu Han, Deng Shichang, Lin Yongsheng, Sa Zhenbing, Chai Zhuoqun, Ye Chen, Jiang Chaoying, Zheng Puquan, Ye Boyun, Huang Jianxun... There are a lot of talents.

Looking at everyone, Hu Chuyuan suddenly thought, why can't he win?

Fujian Marine Division has so many brave and good generals. As long as the strategy is right, it can completely win this naval battle.

He took the tea cup from Lv Han's hand and tried his best to make himself drink tea as stable as Mount Tai. After a while, he smiled and said, "It's still the Buddha's hand of the water master's government that is fragrant enough. Good tea, good soup color... Gentlemen, drink it too!"

"Alas...!" Ye Fu couldn't help sighing and said, "Your Excellency, you are calm, but we can't sit still. The French fleets are all large ships. Our largest tonnage ironclads are Weikang and Zhenkang, which are only 4,785 tons, and there are only two."

Ye Zugui also sighed, "The French are really excited this time, much more powerful than we expected in advance. We do have a lot of ships, but the total tonnage is half less than others. Others are all big ships. Among other things, the three ironclads of the Saint-Nazelle class alone are enough for us. At present, we can only count on the forts and a large number of torpedo boats.

Hu Chuyuan put down the tea cup and replied, "Don't worry, I'm here to cheer you up this time. For more than half a year, I have been secretly spying on the enemy's military situation in Vietnam and checking our deployment on the western and eastern lines of Vietnam. I can clearly say that the army's victory will be next year.

Everyone was particularly happy when they heard this, and relaxed a lot. Ye Fu smiled and said, "I think that if the Xianghuai armies can have a great victory, it will probably rely on the dispatch and supply of adults!"

When he said this, everyone laughed out loud.

Hu Chuyuan said, "I can't say that... However, I can make it clear here. This time, I plan to donate 10 million taels of silver to the court for military pay expenses, and prepare 3 million taels of silver for Fujian sailors separately. When you go back, you can tell the soldiers of each battalion and ships, but for all the victims, I will donate an additional pension of 1,000 taels of silver to ensure that his family has no worries about food and clothing. If no one has his parents to die, I will send him to the end. In particular, those who risked their lives in torpedo boats and those who were martyred will donate an additional 2,000 taels of silver in the pension. If I can sink a large ship, I will donate 100,000 taels of silver, and three first-class ironclad ships will be rewarded with 300,000 taels of silver each. Which torpedo boat sank, which gunboat sank, and which gun was sunk, the reward will be divided equally among the soldiers. After winning the war, I donated another one million taels of silver for everyone's share. I, Hu Chuyuan, will never severe my promise. Four million taels of white silver will be delivered to the school tomorrow.

His words are extremely bold and shocking.

As soon as everyone heard it, they suddenly had a great confidence in their hearts. As long as there were such words, which soldiers did not swear to kill the enemy?

With more than 30 torpedo boats in their hands, as long as everyone is not afraid of death, it is enough for the French to rush in in one breath.

Ye Fu suddenly stood up and hugged his fist and said, "Your Excellency, you are willing to serve as the commander of the torpedo boat and charge forward in person. If you can't sink an ironclad ship, you can take your own head to see you!"

Deng Shichang, Lin Yongsheng, Jiang Chaoying and others stood up one after another, and they all hugged their fists without hesitation: "Your Excellency, I am willing to be the commander and swear to kill the enemy."

"Good!"

Hu Chuyuan shouted loudly, and his heart was particularly happy.

He said, "The court was afraid and dared not take the initiative to declare war. What about us... We guard the Minjiang River, Fujian, and the door of China. We guard the integrity and reputation of Fujian sailors. We can't afford to lose this person. Even if we die at the mouth of the Minjiang River, we will die with a festival."

Deng Shichang then went to the center of the government, half knelt down to Hu Chuyuan and Ye Zukui, and said, "Lord Hu, you built the Fujian sailor. Without you, where did the Fujian sailor come from? Without your appreciation, there is no place for me here. Lord Hu, Admiral, Ye Fuye's general is the deputy general in command of the overall situation. How can he charge into the battle? The rest of the generals have their own warships. I am the person who practiced torpedoes. The command of the torpedo boat should be borne by the subordinates!"

Jiang Chaoying also stepped forward and said, "Admiral, Lord Hu, the subordinate officer is a native of Minhou County, Minjiang. How can he ignore the safety of the villagers and the safety of Fuzhou? The subordinate official is willing to be the deputy commander and vow to rush to the front line. If there is no war achievements, he will drown in the river and never dare to live in the world!"

"Good!"

Hu Chuyuan shouted again, but asked Admiral Ye Zukui of Fujian Marine Division, "Admiral Ye, what do you think?"

Ye Zuyu cautiously stepped forward and picked up the two generals and Hu Chuyuan and said, "Your Excellency, with you here, I, Ye Zukui will always be your left and right deputy. Please judge!"

Ye Fu immediately led the other generals and said, "Please judge!"

"Good!"

Hu Chuyuan shouted and said, "Deng Guandai and Jiang Guandai, please be the commander-in-chief of the torpedo boat. When the French enter the Luoxing Tower port, you will attack them one left and one right, and wait for the opportunity to eradicate three first-class ironclad ships."

Deng Shichang and Jiang Chaoying immediately replied, "Thank you for your success!"

Hu Chuyuan is a very measured person. He is not very proficient in naval affairs. The real big things are up to Ye Fu and Ye Zujue. It is not appropriate for him to take care of others.

Therefore, he did not continue to discuss other things, but talked with everyone about Vietnam, further stabilizing the military spirit, and making all the generals of the Fujian sailors believe that the Sino-French war will definitely win.

If the French want to expand their results and force the Qing court to make greater concessions, they must continue to go north. Then, the Battle of Mawei Sea is bound to take place. They must attack the Fujian navy stationed in Mawei Port.

If the Fujian Marine Division can win the Battle of Mawei, the situation of the whole Sino-French War will first be rewritten in Fujian, instead of waiting for the Xianghuai armies to turn the world around in the Vietnamese battlefield.

This is an opportunity to change history, this is an opportunity to change China... Hu Chuyuan earnestly hopes that the Fujian Navy and these admirals can seize the opportunity to change China and change history.

(to be continued)