There was deathly silence in the Military Aircraft Department, and everyone felt as if a stone was pressing on their hearts. No one could break this situation at the moment, but everyone was still so unwilling!
The Great Wall and canals played the most important role in the unification of China. The Great Wall allowed agricultural civilization to resist the invasion of northern nomads in a more economical way. However, the importance of the Great Wall in the Qing Dynasty has been deprived!
In this era, the threat from the north has become the ruler of the Central Plains. The strategic significance of the Great Wall is decreasing, while the strategic significance of the Grand Canal is gradually increasing!
The political center of the Qing Dynasty was in the north, but its economy relied heavily on the south, especially the most fundamental issue of food security!
Jiangnan and the two lakes areas were the most important grain-producing areas in the Qing Dynasty. Although Sichuan was also a land of abundance, the entire Sichuan basin was surrounded by mountains, and it was difficult to transport grain out!
The north can only rely on food from the Jiangnan and Hunan and Hubei regions to make up for the deficit, and the food here must be concentrated to Zhenjiang through water transportation, and from here northward into the Grand Canal for transportation to the capital!
During the First Opium War, Emperor Daoguang fought with some integrity. Regardless of victory or defeat, it actually had little impact on the entire Qing economy!
At that time, the Qing Dynasty believed that the British and the Japanese pirates in the past were the same. As long as the coastal defenses were firmly guarded, the Ming Dynasty could eliminate the Japanese pirates, and the Qing Dynasty could also eliminate the British!
And the officials in the court at that time were not idiots. Of course they understood the logistics and supply accounts. The British could rely on plundering the local area for fresh water and food, but what about guns and artillery shells?
This is difficult to add. If you fight a little, you will lose a little. If time is delayed, it will be very beneficial to the Qing Dynasty!
This is why Lin Zexu and a group of other main combatants have taken advantage of their local advantages to carry out a strategy of persistence. In fact, they are just waiting for you, the British, to consume all the logistics!
In that era, all sailing warships were used, and British supplies had to be transported from distant Lion City or even India, which was not reliable at all!
Let’s talk about it, this war actually lasted for two years, and the war potential of the British Expeditionary Force was almost exhausted. It was not until the British army finally made a desperate move deep into the Yangtze River Estuary, invaded Zhenjiang all the way, and fought a fierce battle with the Qing army in Nanjing, that Shocked the entire Qing court!
The key point is still in Zhenjiang, an important economic location!
After conquering Zhenjiang, the British fleet could completely block the economic lifeline of the Qing Dynasty's north and south. Silver and various supplies, especially grain, from the south of the Yangtze River would not be able to be transported to the capital!
Emperor Daoguang panicked and had no choice but to admit defeat!
This is a tragic past that no one in the Qing court wants to mention, but just because everyone doesn’t talk about it doesn’t mean they don’t know it. Now Emperor Tongzhi is repeating his old tune and stirring up this thorn in his heart. Everyone present has their faces changed. Green!
Is there a solution to this situation? There is no solution at all. With the current strength of the Qing army, although it has made great progress compared to 1840, don't forget that the enemy is progressing faster!
Now the Chinese have begun to fully promote the pure Zhiyuan-class battleship! This kind of strong ship and powerful artillery is completely beyond the capabilities of the few poor old field artillery that the Qing army has on hand!
As for the old city-defending heavy artillery, they pose no threat at all, and the naval guns imported by the Chinese from Krupp can easily blast through any Qing Dynasty city wall!
For the Chinese navy, Zhenjiang is an undefended city. In fact, the navy itself can completely solve it without using the army!
The people in the military aircraft department today are all sensible people. There are not a few incompetent idiots, so they can still understand what's going on here!
Yinggui, Minister of the Ministry of War, trembled with his lips, but still wanted to retort: "Your Majesty... Zhenjiang is now different from what it used to be. After wiping out Changmao, we increased our troops, added artillery, and built city walls..."
"What's more... the Hunan Army in hundreds of battles in the south of the Yangtze River will never let the Chinese be so unbridled..."
Yinggui himself had no confidence in what he said. In the end, he simply shut up. Now he still dares to rely on the Hunan Army? After the horse stabbing case, the Qing court has understood that half of the people in the south of the Yangtze River, Han Chinese, are not willing to give it back to you!
It's just a matter of maintaining a righteous name. You can secretly enjoy yourself by paying taxes and food. Do you really think they will die?
Moreover, in recent years, as the Chinese economy has been paved the way and Western learning has been instilled, how many people in the Hunan Army are working for both sides? No one can explain this clearly!
Baojun sighed, "Your Majesty... I know that the current situation is like this and I have no choice but to do anything! But I have one final request. Can Zhenjiang be excluded from these twenty-eight industrial zones?"
"You also know the importance of this place. You can't let anyone insert a knife!"
Zai Chun shook his head, "Do you think I don't understand this? I've talked about it a long time ago, but the head of state has already made it clear! The Zhenjiang Special Economic Zone is in an advantageous location, close to the Grand Canal, and he also wants to send goods north!"
"So Zhenjiang will not give in, but the master also promised me that the number of Chinese garrison in Zhenjiang Industrial Zone will be strictly controlled to half of the number of our Qing garrison. This can be regarded as the heart of An Chaoye and outside!"
"What about Jiangyin?" Baojun hurriedly asked, "Can the Jiangyin Industrial Zone also be eliminated? Your Majesty, Jiangyin cannot be given to the Chinese!"
The old man hurriedly asked "Why?"
"Master Weng doesn't know something. Jiangyin is so important. It guards the Yangtze River in the north and Taihu Lake in the south... There are mountains along the river such as Huashan, Xiaoshan, Changshan, etc., and there is also a double mountain island in the river!"
"The entire Jiangyin is the key gateway to the Yangtze River Estuary. Even if you set up ordinary artillery on the mountain tops along the river, you can easily hit the other side!"
"I have long planned to increase troops here and import foreign coastal defense artillery. As long as this place is under the control of the Qing Dynasty, the gateway to the Yangtze River will be controlled by us!"
"All ships on the river are within the range of our cannons! Your Majesty cannot lose this important military location!"
After hearing this, Zai Chun's expression changed, and then he felt deeply lonely, "I'm afraid... there is no room for bargaining on this matter!"
"These twenty-eight industrial zones are already the bottom line of the head of state... Do you know that the earliest secret agreement also included industrial zones in the hinterlands of the Central Plains such as Henan and Shandong!"
"The secret agreement at that time was that the number of industrial zones was forty-eight... I have tried every means to bargain!"
"The times are difficult! This is the reason why I am determined to reform and reform... I want to strive for self-improvement, and I ask you all to give me a helping hand!"
"We in the Qing Dynasty cannot always want to defend and defend. We must build our own navy. This is the only way to defend the enemy from outside the country!"
"I have made up my mind! Let's do it!"
Zai Chun stood up with great sadness and walked out with heavy steps, with waves of unhealthy flushing on his face!
"That's how I drafted the decree. I'll look back and send it out together before the wedding..."
When Zai Chun walked past Weng Tonghe, the old man suddenly grabbed the emperor's sleeve rudely and said, "Your Majesty! If you do what you do today, how will you face the history pen in the future?"
"How do you face the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty!"
