Chapter 162 Comprehensive Victory

Hu Chuyuan is not a person who can go back on his promise. That night, four million taels of silver, which had been in the school, was sent down. Everyone had it. Although Jiang Chaoying was no longer there, he still won a heavy prize of 100,000 taels of silver to his parents and wife.

The rest of the people, etc., each has a prize. Some sailors took thousands of taels of silver in one breath. All those killed in the battle have a pension of 1,000 taels to 2,000 taels of silver. The pension of the imperial court is only dozens of taels of silver, and everyone has not cared about it for a long time.

In a sense, from now on, there will be no second person to mobilize this fleet except Hu Chuyuan.

The news of the victory of the Battle of Mawei Sea spread to the capital and the whole country in a very short time, as well as to the whole world. The whole Qing Dynasty, China and the world were shocked. In France, this shock was particularly obvious, and the arrogant Feijury cabinet was forced to step down.

The Qing court believed that this was an excellent opportunity and asked Hu Chuyuan to try its best to talk to the French and end the war. Hu Chuyuan persuaded the Qing court to continue to delay through Prince Su, because the French could not afford to delay. The longer the negotiation lasted, the more beneficial it would be for China.

The momentum in China has been very hot. The Qing court also decided to let Hu Chuyuan continue to delay. At the same time, he gave a heavy reward to Fujian sailors. He was also awarded Hu Chuyuan's third-class men, rewarding yellow coats and a glances of Hua Ling, adding the title of political doctor, adding grace to the law, and being allowed to wear a ruby.

Qingzheng Axe didn't know that Hu Chuyuan was like opium. He knew that it was harmful, but it was very cool to draw it after all. It was not easy to quit. Cixi could only reward him as much as possible, hoping to suppress the harm. Maybe it could awaken Hu Chuyuan's loyal minister's heart. Don't continue to be a second minister.

Anyway, it can only be reused at the present.

Li Hongzhang's Beiyang Marine Division has spent countless silver. At present, there are not many ships that can go out to war, but the Fujian Marine Division in Hu Chuyuan's hands is so strong that even the French fleet can be completely anniied.

Not only should we rely on Hu Chuyuan in coastal defense, but now we must rely on Hu Chuyuan's personal influence in diplomacy and negotiation.

Shortly after the victory of the horsetail naval battle, Hu Chuyuan ushered in double happiness. His wife Wu Shuzhen was born safely and gave him a baby daughter.

Hu Chuyuan especially wants to go back to Shanghai, but now he is also a leader, and he can't leave without permission at all, which is different from the previous false position of Jiangnan Minister of Commerce.

He could only sit in the government of the Fujian Marine Division and was very happy. He also invited Ye Fu and others to a banquet.

Under the Luoxing Tower at the mouth of the Minjiang River, he also built a monument for Jiang Chaoying and other fallen soldiers, engraved with everyone's names, and built an ancestral hall and a bronze statue for Jiang Chaoying alone.

The victory of the Battle of Mawei Sea is a great stimulus to Shanghai's economy. People can almost be sure... As long as the Fujian sailors are still there, the French will not want to enter Shanghai, and Shanghai's land industry will quickly recover.

In the financial field, Hu Chuyuan also joined hands with two banks, HSBC and Citigroup, to open the door to lending to the Shanghai economy, increase loan issuance, and restore Shanghai's leading role in the Jiangnan economy.

... Time passed quickly. Due to Hu Chuyuan's obvious lack of sincerity to hold peace talks, France's new Borisian cabinet decided to wait until next year. After the end of the rainy season, the army would continue to put pressure on China to force Hu Chuyuan to hold peace talks.

At the same time, the French transferred most of the real naval main Mediterranean fleet to Vietnam, with a total displacement of 127,000 tons, equivalent to 1/4 of the total strength of the French navy.

The time was slowly delayed to mid-December 1884. The French army couldn't wait to divide its troops into two routes, with a total of more than 47,000 people, mainly attacking the eastern front supervised by Mei Qizhao. As a result, it was ambushed by Wang Debang, Yang Guangqi and Feng Zicai. It was seriously injured and forced to withdraw to Zhiling.

There were about 14,000 people on the French front and suffered heavy losses at Jiayuguan. Only then did Liu Yongfu lead the army to attack, take down Xuanguang City and Fushou City, and cut off the retreat route of the French army on the Western Front.

On February 11, 1885, Liu Yongfu and Cen Yuying surrounded the east and west, and annihilared more than 10,000 people in the remnants of the western front of the French army. Cen Yuying pushed the defense line of the Yunnan army to Xuanguang, and sent the main force to cooperate with Liu Yongfu to go south to join forces with Wang Debang's Xiang army to capture Beining, and then besieged with Yang Guangqi's Gan army and Feng Zicai's Gui regiment. The French army is in Zhiling's Eastern Front Army.

On March 14, 1885, Wang Debang and Yang Guangqi shelled Zhiling's Chi Neiguan. Feng Zicai took a detour and invaded Zhiling. After the fierce battle, he occupied Zhiling, killed more than 7,000 French soldiers and captured 12,000 French soldiers.

In April 1885, Liu Yongfu marched south, occupied Hanoi, fought all the way to the house, and cut off the French army's land return to southern Vietnam.

During this period, the Borisine cabinet of the French political axe also came to power, and the provisional cabinet came to power. He sent Nolie, the former French minister to China, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and personally went to Fuzhou to negotiate with Hu Chuyuan.

The negotiation time was very short. On April 27, 1885, the two sides reached an agreement.

The bottom line of the French political axe is that it can't lose money, and everything else can be negotiated. Hu Chuyuan agreed to this principle. On this basis, the French gave up their original privileges in China, re-signed the new Sino-French Trade Reciprocity Treaty with the Qing Dynasty, and provided about 6 million yuan per year during the ten years of the validity of the treaty. The aid to China is used to subsidize Chinese students to study in France.

All French concessions in China have become international concessions and are no longer directly managed by the French.

These are actually small things and small clauses. The real interest is in Vietnam. The final negotiation results of the two sides are almost in accordance with Hu Chuyuan's design, dividing Vietnam into two parts. The area south of Rong City belongs to South Vietnam, which belongs to the direct jurisdiction of the Vietnamese dynasty and is also protected by the French.

The north of Rong City belongs to North Vietnam. The Vietnamese dynasty sent a regent to protect it. The two sides agreed to take the Rong City to the Hue Rong Corridor as a buffer zone, and both sides are not allowed to station troops in this area - of course, this is the foreshadowing of Hu Chuyuan.

In addition, the border between Vietnam and China is mainly based on Chinese evidence, including the land around Laojie, Fengtu, Langshan and Halong Bay, which is directly attributed to the Qingzheng Axe, and is no longer a disputed area between the two sides.

To this end, China agreed to take Haiphong as an international public concession and allow France and other foreign businessmen to invest in land in Haiphong.

For Vietnam, this should be an almost humiliating Fuzhou Treaty, but for Hu Chuyuan, it is particularly important for him.

Of course, the Qing Zheng Axe is very satisfied with this treaty. First, the Qing Zheng Axe saved its face and expanded its territory. It is also suitable for the ancestors and can be regarded as a real Guangxu Zhongxing. Second, the Qing Zheng Axe recovered the French privilege in China.

In addition to the Vietnamese dynasty, China and France are very grateful and satisfied with the Fuzhou Treaty. Even the French themselves said that Hu Chuyuan is the greatest diplomat of this era. He gave France a very decent retreat and won the greatest power for the Qing Dynasty. It avoids all the possibilities of continued fighting between the two sides.

Shortly after the signing of the Fuzhou Treaty, He Jing was promoted to Han Shangshu of the Ministry of Household and a scholar of Yingwu Hall. Mei Qizhao was transferred back to the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang and the general of Fuzhou. Liu Mingchuan, who set up a province in Taiwan and guarding Taiwan, became the first governor of Taiwan and was under the jurisdiction of the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang.

Zeng Guozun was transferred back to Beijing and served as the minister of the Ministry of Ceremonies, and then served as the governor of Shanxi.

Zuo Zongtang returned to the governor of Liangjiang. Wang Debang was promoted to governor of Guangxi because of his achievements. Yang Guangqi was promoted to admiral of Zhejiang. Lu Kaihua was promoted to admiral of Fujian. Ye Zuui was officially promoted to admiral of Fujian navy. The Fujian navy was allowed to set up Luoyuanwan Camp, Ningbo camp and Keelung camp.

Tan Zhonglin, the governor of Jiangsu Province, was transferred to the governor of Shaanxi and Ganning. Liu Kun was transferred to the south to serve as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Zhang Zhidong served as the governor and admiral of Shandong. Rong Lu took advantage of Prince Su's active resistance to the law. As a direct Manchu minister, he was transferred to Huguang and served as the governor of Huguang.

Hu Chuyuan accumulated meritorious service, promoted to first-class male and first-class cavalry lieutenant, and served as the second-class post. He continued to serve as the plenipotentiary supervisor of Jiangnan Shipping Affairs and Minister of Commerce. He was in charge of the second-grade title. He was directly in charge of the shipping affairs of the coastal areas along the south of the Yangtze River, as well as the coastal Daotai, Fuzhou Ship Administration and the Jiangnan Manufacturing General Administration, and assisted in charge of Fujian Marine Division.

This time, it was up and down, and the military power of the Fujian Marine Division was stripped from Hu Chuyuan, retaining only the right to cooperate.

In the open and secret struggle, Hu Chuyuan barely saved Ye Boqi's sailor's land camp and continued to be under his direct jurisdiction. He could also set up a Fubiao camp with a staff of 3,000 to 4,000 people.

Although the final result could not satisfy Hu Chuyuan, he did not continue to hold all the requirements that Man Qing had to agree to him. It was not time to turn his back. He was not in a hurry. After all, there were many opportunities.

What's more, the military power of the Fujian Marine Division was placed with Mei Qizhao, which was also the biggest compromise of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. In fact, it was no different from putting it in his hands, because it was always his territory. Mei Qizhao would not intervene and intervene at all, and would only allow him to secretly and firmly control the Fujian Marine Division.

In June 1885, Hu Chuyuan proposed that the imperial court should change the Fujian Marine Division into the East China Sea Marine Division, and change the resident battalion to Luoyuan Bay, with three battalions in Fuzhou, Ningbo and Keelung, each under the jurisdiction of a navy division.

The three major naval divisions of Beiyang, Nanyang and the East China Sea are the most important for the coastal defense of the Qing Dynasty. Every year, they allocate 3 million yuan each. If the remaining funds are insufficient, they will be raised by the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, the governor of Zhili and the governor of Liangguang by themselves.

In July 1885, after three court deliberations, the Qingzheng axe finally agreed to the proposal.

Since then, except that the Yangtze River sailors still have the obligation to cooperate in defense overseas, the sailors of each province are no longer responsible for coastal defense affairs, nor can they increase military pay in the name of coastal defense.

For a while, Mei Qizhao became the most powerful governor in the Qing Dynasty. He was not only in charge of the three provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang and Taiwan, but also the Jiangxi army with seven battalions under it, but also the Donghai Water Division, which is currently ranked first in Asia.

Of course, the Qing court was very reassured about Mei Qizhao, otherwise they would not have stripped the East China Sea Fleet from Hu Chuyuan and handed it over to Mei Qizhao.

The Qing court also knew that the relationship between Mei Qizhao and Hu Chuyuan was very good. It was also because of this relationship that Mei Qizhao could take control of the East China Sea Fleet and weaken Hu Chuyuan with Mei Qizhao.

Just as the Qing court constantly adjusted the personnel arrangements and balanced the political and military forces of the domestic departments of Hunan, Huai, Fujian, Jiangxi, Yunnan and Guangxi, another war took place in Nanyang Borneo, a very far-reaching war.

Since the beginning of 1884, this war has begun. It is only because of the larger scale and impact of the Sino-French War that it has not been noticed.

This is the Shahe War.

(to be continued)