Chapter 257 Northeast Retreat and Brothers' Gathering

The scale of the Far East War has exceeded the expectations of the world powers. China fought on the four lines at the same time. Except for the Ryukyu Islands on the southern line, the strength of the other three lines is only half of its opponents.

The three-million army offensive claimed by the Allies has not been compromised at all. France, Russia and Japan have accelerated their final mobilization. Seeing that this victory seems to be coming, Spain and the Netherlands are also intending to join the Allies in an attempt to regain their lost territory in Asia.

Considering the German crisis it faces, Belgium has joined the Allies and sent more than 4,000 people to participate in the so-called Far Eastern European coalition.

As of October 1901, the total strength of the navy and army sent by Russia to China has exceeded 1.42 million, and the Japanese army is about 730,000, and the total strength of the French navy and army has quickly exceeded 1.17 million. The so-called "Yerqiang Khanate" also has nearly 100,000 troops.

Fortunately, due to the difficulty of resupply, the terrain of the main battlefield is too complex and harsh. The Russian and French allied forces are not equipped with the conditions for a full-scale attack for the time being, especially France, which temporarily announced to participate in the war, and a large number of troops have not been able to get winter supplies.

China also has a number of warring allies. Britain, the United States and Germany can also continue to buy military materials, especially the United States. In Germany, China is still secretly buying chemical weapons to make up for the lack of domestic chemical weapons research and investment. In the United States, because the army's weapons are basically the same, the number of purchases The amount is even larger.

Taking advantage of the huge industrial production capacity of itself, the United States and Germany, China's improvement speed in military strength and reserves is very obvious. The total equipment and inventory of Jiangnan II rifles has reached 2.1 million, 470,000 Browning rifles, 114,000 Jiangnan II carbines, and Browning light There are more than 24,000 machine guns, 14,000 Maxim heavy machine guns, 4,700 25mm machine guns, 3,550 152mm and 122mm howitzers, and 3,390 35mm mortars.

Relying on the support of the United States, coupled with a large number of troop sources and horses from Mongolia, Xinjiang Province and Shaanxi-Ganning, the "Qingzheng Axe" organized a large-scale cavalry regiment of nearly 120,000 people in just two years.

As long as it takes another winter...!!!

This is Hu Chuyuan's only idea at this stage.

China will be stronger in March next year.

...God is lucky.

It finally snowed in Harbin, and Yang Zong Li, who was organizing the last batch of main troops to retreat, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although it's just a light snow, it also means that winter is coming.

The army has issued winter clothes. Yang Zongli, who is not used to the northeast climate, put on a cotton coat very early, and there is also a beautiful black cashmere coat inside.

Holding a telescope, he rode a horse and stood halfway up the mountain looking at the northern position from afar.

The artillery is fiercely bombing the position, but the main force has basically withdrawn, leaving only an empty city for the French and Russians.

War always needs to be paid, especially in such a big strategy and plan, the brothers of the 943rd Brigade of the 38th Division of the Northeast Corps, who are responsible for the left-behind positions...!

Yang Zong Li silently said in his heart, and there was also a kind of heartbreaking colic in his heart.

In addition to this brigade, there are also two militia regiments... Basically, they can't withdraw. He hopes that the brigade commander named Wu Peifu can really understand his tactical arrangement. After completing the battle plan, he will immediately disband his troops, disperse them into more than a dozen columns, and withdraw to the mountains to fight with the militia forces that are mostly bandits. War.

Whether he can persist until March next year, or even Changchun, depends on these people.

After a short period of pain, Yang Zong Li restrained his sadness and doubts. With the protection of the guard company, he galloped along the mountain road and followed the army.

He didn't stay in Harbin for long, because he knew that he would stay here... The damage would be very big.

He carefully calculated that the French howitzers are relatively advanced, but the number is small, and the shells are even less. The Russian howitzers are too backward, especially the weight is too large, and the same 155mm caliber is 1.4 times heavier than the Jiangnan howitzers they use.

This is the industrial gap. Moreover, the Russian howitzer also uses wooden wheels and a traditional low-body chassis, which is very disadvantageous in the northeast. Unlike the Jiangnan howitzer, which uses a very special steel wire rubber wide coarse thickened tire, the chassis can be lifted and can be pulled with a Mongolian horse.

As long as he withdraws to Changchun and blows up the railway along the route, the long distance of 220 kilometers can make the Russians climb for two months.

Withdraw.

This is the easiest choice.

The large troops have begun to retreat along the railway on a large scale. The cavalry is scattered and retreating, and the reloading is one step ahead.

Yang Zong Li is the last batch. As soon as he left, the whole railway from Harbin to Changchun will be blown up... His decision aroused the disgust of many people, especially Zhang Zhidong.

Fortunately, Hu Chuyuan is still supporting him.

From the carriage to the train, as soon as Yang Zong Li entered the carriage and sat down, the train left the station impatiently.

The carriage is full of soldiers. Most people don't even have a place to sit. They can only stand together crowdedly. They have to stand like this for two days.

The snow outside was getting bigger and bigger. I barely found a "setter" in the cargo carriage of the cannon, but the veterans who had to endure the cold weather and the ground were lighting cigarettes, blowing the cold wind in confusion, and against the heavy snow, but they were happy.

It's snowing.

Can survive another winter.

All preparations and intelligence for the counterattack are kept confidential. For these soldiers, China's fight against France and Russia is called the Three Kingdoms Alliance, which is a fantasy in itself, and everyone's fighting spirit is not high.

People are always selfish.

This situation is particularly obvious in the Northeast Corps, and the Zhili Corps and the Qingxu Corps, which are fighting in foreign places, are better.

Yang Zongli is very clear about this. Sitting in the carriage, he also cigaretteled and silently thought about this problem in his mind. He knew that... This was the most difficult battle he had ever fought in his life.

The person sitting opposite him is Shang Dequan, a native of Shandong Province. He is short and fat. Although he also graduated from the Berlin Army Academy in Germany, his ability is very average. The only advantage is that he is hard-working, willing to suffer losses, not afraid of difficulties, and has a hard-working spirit.

As the main and deputy, the two of them are already very familiar with each other.

Yang Zong Li couldn't help flicking the ashes and sighing with Shang Dequan, "The Prime Minister's calculation is good. There is no big victory in the northwest battlefield. If we don't improve the morale here in the Northeast, this battle can't be fought."

Shang Dequan nodded, but said, "In fact, we can also find a way to fight a small victory and improve morale. A few days ago, the Army Department sent a batch of new submachine guns. Good guy, he sent us 6,000 at a time. If we use them well, we can definitely give some blows to the two demon moths in France and Russia.

Yang Zongli nodded his head. He had seen the batch of firearms. The lethality of the short-range output was really amazing. It was indeed a real submachine gun.

When it comes to the level of equipment, Yang Zong Li can say without denying that their level is better than that of the Russians and the French. Except for the Jiangnan II rifle, which is slightly worse in range and accuracy as the main rifle, the other equipment is better than the enemy in all aspects.

I don't dare to say anything else. He now organizes 6,000 people to fight a blocking war, and with a large number of light and heavy machine guns, he can block at least tens of thousands of troops.

He just doesn't want to fight so hard. Once he is surrounded by the enemy, he will lose miserably.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help sneering.

Shang Dequan couldn't help asking, "Commander, what are you laughing at?"

Yang Zongli did not hide it and said, "I laugh at Zhang Zhidong and claim that he is familiar with military books. In fact, it is only 205 in the military. I really want him to hold the command. I don't know how many people will be killed in the Northeast Campaign."

"This...?"

Shang Dequan was a little embarrassed. The Qingxu Corps he was responsible for was pulled up by Zhang Zhidong with one hand. The words he slandered Zhang Zhidong were a little harsh.

Seeing that he was not very convinced, Yang Zong Li casually analyzed with him: "You see, if we stick to Harbin as he said, as long as the French take a detour through Xingshan, Yongsheng and Linjiang, directly bypass our back road, and directly kill us with more than 1 million troops to the siege of the city, and the northeast will basically lose."

Shang Dequan had to sigh: "The governor is a scholar. Even if he has the talent to govern the country, he may not have the power of the imperial army."

Yang Zongli was still a little contemptuous and said, "Compared with the Prime Minister, it's really a hundred thousand miles away. People, that's really incomparable!"

Shang Dequan said, "That's true. The Prime Minister is really awesome. As long as we can really postpone it until March next year according to the original plan, I think the French will lose miserably this time."

Yang Zongli sneered, but he was thinking in his heart, hoping that he could really support it until March next year.

...Just as Yang Zongli began to fully withdraw from Harbin, the leaders of the three countries of the Allies held an open "exciting" historical meeting in Paris. In a brief meeting, they couldn't wait to decide to end the war in two years, and the coalition forces must take the lead before this winter. Changchun.

Even in the cold winter, the coalition will not stop marching. They will capture Shenyang before the beginning of next spring and Yanjing before next summer.

The Northeast battlefield has become the main line and the first battlefield, and a large number of troops have begun to gather further towards the northeast, while the northwest battlefield, the Korean battlefield and the southern Ryukyu battlefield should contain the Chinese main force as much as possible.

French President Emile Lube almost delivered a public speech to the citizens at the Plaza de Paris with an excited look, declaring that France would capture Yanjing next summer and completely end the war, and he would bring an unprecedented victory for all the French to conquer the whole East.

I'm crazy...!!!

After reading the full text of Emile Lube's speech, Hu Chuyuan laughed coldly in his heart.

After six years of reconstruction, Yingtai has completed a brand-new transformation one after another, and the foundation has been adjusted. It adopts the south-south and north layout of the symmetrical Forbidden City. It is no longer a diagonal-north layout. It is basically dismantled and reassembled. The style and design have also got rid of the shackles of the Qing Dynasty. It has an obvious classical style of the Tang Dynasty, and a large number of large The stone substrate and relief technology increase the modern beauty, and the interior adopts a modern structure, which is conducive to self-circulation, warmth and hygiene.

In general, according to the plan of Hu Chuyuan, the twelve main buildings of Qinzheng Garden, Fengze Garden, Yingcui Garden, Huifeng Garden, Jingu Garden, Zizheng Garden, Ziguang Pavilion, Zhongzheng Hall, Juren Hall, Tiren Hall, Summer Palace and State Guest House are retained.

The resident office of the National Military Commission has been adjusted to Yingcuiyuan, where the National Economic Commission, the National Asset Management Commission and the State General Administration of Audit are also located.

In the center of Yingcui Garden, there is a two-story building with magnificent flying eaves and purple tops and red eaves. Like other newly rebuilt Yingtai buildings, a large amount of crystal ink jade marble is also used here. The overall color is basically black, red and purple, which looks very grand, and the scale of the building is also very large.

This is the newly built Prime Minister's Office, which has been under construction since 1897 and was just completed at the end of August this year.

Hu Chuyuan works in the big office in the center of the second floor.

I just officially moved into my favorite Prime Minister's office. On the first day, the first official duties to be dealt with were the almost arrogant declaration of French President Emile Lube, a declaration to raze China to the ground, and a declaration to occupy Yanjing.

This feeling made Hu Chuyuan feel very unhated, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

In Hu Chuyuan's mind, war is a means and a strategy. He just wants to use the Far East War to complete an overall promotion to China. Therefore, he is not in a hurry to defeat his opponent immediately and stop the war.

Whether it is the Northeast battlefield or the northwest battlefield, the [***] team actually has no real power.

This is a good thing. On the surface, it continues to be in a weak position, but it makes the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom full of worries. They absolutely do not want the Ally countries to expand their interests in China and Asia. Therefore, their assistance to China is also increasing, and they have increased the purchase of Chinese treasury bonds.

They use sterlings, US dollars and marks to buy Qingyuan treasury bonds, which is actually equivalent to transferring gold to China and guaranteeing China's economy.

Throughout 1901, almost all the military industries of the United States and Germany were also serving China.

That night, Hu Zhenyuan quietly entered Beijing.

It's time for him to come. Hu Chuyuan's family has just moved to the East Garden of the Capital Garden, which is close to Zhonghai and has a pleasant scenery.

Knowing that he was coming, Hu Chuyuan left the Prime Minister's office very early and returned to the Zizheng Garden. He asked people to prepare some authentic Hangzhou cuisine and warm a pot of Shaoxing old yellow rice wine.

Warm yellow rice wine warms the stomach. It is very beneficial to drink a few more cups in this cool season in the morning and evening.

On the lakeside lake, Hu Chuyuan asked people to build a very special shelter. The pavilion stands on the rockery on the bank of the river, more than ten meters above the water. On Saturday, it is inlaid with screen glass to block the cold wind, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole platform through the tempered glass.

As soon as Hu Yuyuan entered the Capital Garden, he was invited to the shelter. Hu Pinyuan, the second brother, was also called over. The three brothers sat in the shelter and drank and ate their hometown food.

Hu Zhenyuan was wearing a suit, carrying a gentleman's cane and a black briefcase in his hand, combing the oily Sanqi.

He quickly walked to the shelter. Seeing that the eldest brother Hu Chuyuan and the second brother Hu Pinyuan had drunk and talked about something while drinking, he smiled and said, "Ah, you don't wait for me!"

Hu Pinyuan smiled and said, "What's the hurry? I heard that you have arrived at Yingtai, and my eldest brother and I just let people cook. The dishes haven't been served yet. Let's have a drink first.

Hu Yuyuan also smiled and sat down to Hu Chuyuan and said, "Brother, we have almost done the gold reserve of France. Now, the gold reserve of the Central Bank of France should not be higher than 1,200 tons. As long as France is defeated, this number will be very dangerous. Judging from the recent...!"

Hu Chuyuan raised his hand slightly, indicating that he was not in a hurry to say these things, and said, "It's rare for you to come to Yanjing, and it's rare for our brothers to get together. Let's not talk about this."

Hu Zhenyuan said yes.

For this reason, whether France goes to heaven or earth is basically up to the Hu family, unless there are other people and countries who are willing to provide emergency assistance.

Hu Zhenyuan was not in a hurry. When Hu Pinyuan poured a glass of wine for him, he asked Hu Pinyuan, "Second brother, I heard that you are going to take a concubine again recently?"

Hu Pinyuan quietly raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "This kind of thing is inevitable!"

Among the three brothers, Hu Pinyuan has the most women. His wife is Zaitian's sister, and there are two concubines. It is said that there are several women outside, and the female secretary sent to him by Zheng Axe... It seems that she has also become his woman.

Hu Chuyuan usually doesn't care about this kind of thing.

He and Hu Yuyuan are much simpler. He has two wives, Wu Shuzhen and Pan Limei, who are on an equal footing. Hu Yuyuan is more commendable. He has only one wife, Hu He, for so many years.

Speaking of these things, Hu Chuyuan couldn't help thinking of He Jing. At the beginning, He Jing married his daughter to Hu Zhenyuan, which was really the right person!

He sighed when he thought of this.

Hu Pinyuan couldn't help but be a little worried and said, "If the eldest brother thinks it's inappropriate, then I'll slow down this matter?"

Hu Chuyuan shook his head and said, "Nothing, I think of Lao San's father-in-law. It has been ten years since He Jing went, and it has been ten years since many people went there. Yesterday, I heard that... Li Hongzhang couldn't do it anymore. He asked someone to send me a telegram, saying that he wanted to see me for the last time!"

"Is that so?"

Hu Pinyuan pondered for a moment and said to Hu Chuyuan, "Brother, he is the elder of the Three Dynasties anyway. I'm afraid he will give me this face!"

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and said, "If he doesn't say this, I don't want to go, but since he said it, I can only take a look. It is said that people are about to die, and their words are also good. I guess he has something to say to me.

Hu Pinyuan said oh and asked, "Brother, has the itinerary been arranged?"

Hu Chuyuan nod and said, "It's arranged. I'll leave tomorrow morning... To be honest, in fact, I hope he will leave before I get to Hefei. In this way, I won't be too embarrassed. Since I began to inherit the family property, he has not stopped with me. He came and went back and went until the end of the Gengzi year.

Hu Yuyuan sneered and said, "This old thing... It's self-indulsive."

Hu Chuyuan said, "I have both cooperation and private fighting with him. After all, I have been friends for 20 years. I still want to go, but he thought of more people. When Zuo Gong and Mei Qizhao died, they all waited for me to see me for the last time.

Hu Zhenyuan thought of it and asked, "How about Mei Qian and his brother?"

Hu Pinyuan said, "The Mei family has returned to Shanxi. Mei Qian served as the president of Nanchang Army Academy. Several other children have done business. My little sister married Qu Hongji... You know, we also paid gifts together."

"Then I know!"

Hu Qianyuan nodded and said, "I think it's a pity for Mei Qian over the years."

Hu Chuyuan said, "Nanchang Army Academy is still very important. You see, one-third of the division commanders of each regiment are from Nanchang, and it is impossible for the Nanchang department not to be reused. In a few years, I plan to transfer him back to Yanjing as the president of the National Defense University.

Hu Yuyuan hummed and said, "That's good. The Mei family is kind to us. If it hadn't been for Mei Qizhao and Zuo Zongtang, our Hu family would have been carved up and cleaned up."

Listening to this, the three brothers couldn't help laughing.

Bitterness and sweetness come.

After going through so many strong winds and waves, they have come to this point.

There are only three of them at this banquet today, and they can't help talking about some things in the past, both happy and unhappy.

Discussed, drank two bottles of old yellow rice wine, and the night gradually darken.

Hu Chuyuan then said to Hu Zhenyuan, "This time you are here, I just want to discuss with you about France."

Hu Zhenyuan thought silently for a moment and said, "Brother, it's still the same sentence. As long as we promise to continue to absorb the gold reserves of the French Central Bank and the Gold Reserve Bureau at a speed, once France is defeated and the news is released, the French financial system will be basically finished."

After a pause, he added: "Speaking of which, the French themselves are tossing around. During this period, their military spending has been quite huge. In addition, the whole country has mobilized warships and military supplies to maintain the Russian and Japanese economy... The situation is indeed more and more beneficial to us."

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and said, "I have reconsidered it recently. I don't want to expand the scale of the economic crisis too much. If possible, after the end of the war, we will provide financial guarantees to France as soon as possible. Is that so...?" Hu Zhenyuan couldn't help but be a little surprised. He calculated in his mind that the profit was not great.

Hu Chuyuan said: "If there is only an economic crisis that forces a large amount of capital to transfer to emerging economies, it will be good for us... However, if the scope of the crisis is too large and leads to a depression in the German economy, I don't think it will be a good thing. In Russia... the situation is even more bad... Generally speaking, I would rather keep an arrogant and incompetent Russian empire than have some kind of special revolution in Russia that we can't control.

Hu Zhenyuan nodded and said, "I've heard something about it recently. Personally, I feel that Russia can still stabilize at present, which will not be particularly terrible. Once the economic crisis spreads sharply, Germany, which dominates the export-oriented economy, will certainly be the most affected. I've thought about this for a long time. I guess that if we cripple the Organization of the Ally, Germany will find an excuse to continue to fight once.

Hu Yuyuan's inference happened to say what Hu Chuyuan was most worried about... If he used to support Germany and France, he also supports it now, but once he wins the Far East War, he will no longer support it.

The international situation is like this. There are few eternal opponents, and few eternal allies.

(to be continued)