The Beijing-Tianjin Railway was not the only one in the Qing Dynasty at the moment. There was also a railway under intensive construction in the south, and that was the railway from Shanghai to Jiangning.
This railway was built from the opposite end of Shanghai and Nanjing, passing through Dantu, Danyang, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Kunshan, Shanghai... and more than ten railway stations.
Today, this railway is just over 300 kilometers behind the section in Wuxi that has not yet been completed. Workers are still fighting hard, but according to the plan, this railway must be opened to traffic by the end of the year.
The navy can control the sea and rivers, but the power of the army is needed deeper inland. Since Xiang Ying stationed in Shanghai, the Huangpu River has been filled with troop transport ships, and thousands of Chinese soldiers have boarded from Shanghai. The train sets off to various places in the south of the Yangtze River.
Shanghainese’s horizons were now opened. The streets were filled with Chinese soldiers wearing grass-green military uniforms. Their brand-new leather boots were polished to a shine. Gold stars were shining on their patent leather hats. On their backs were backpacks like tofu cubes. The rifles are all the latest Mauser.
The armed belts were tied tightly, and an earth dragon was marching on the street. The sound of leather boots being trampled neatly made the floating soil fall from the beams of people's homes.
"One, two, one...one, two, three, four..." slogans kept coming and going, interspersed with sporadic gunshots of prisoners being executed by the Huangpu River.
Shanghai! Ten miles away from the foreign market, a place of feasting and feasting, this gentle town was suddenly changed by an iron-blooded wind, and the whole of Shanghai was devastated.
The foreign devils also learned the old Chinese method of nailing wood in their embassy and setting up high observation towers. The military attachés climbed up and looked at the chaos in the alleys and alleys of Shanghai City, and could not help frowning.
These Western colonists used photos and sketches to record the scene before them. Taking advantage of the night, many British and French boats took the information here to the sea. The telegraph machine in the embassy area did not rest 24 hours a day. Everything that happened in Jiangnan was sent back to China.
Of course Xiang Ying knew what they were doing, but he had no time to deal with these foreign devils at the moment. The decision to increase troops in Jiangnan was finally passed by the Great Council, so what are you waiting for if he doesn't use his power to his advantage?
Train after train at Shanghai Railway Station was requisitioned by the military, all civilian trains were suspended, and soldiers one after another began to disperse to various places in the south of the Yangtze River.
Xiang Ying was not afraid of triggering protests from the Qing Dynasty. All this was planned. The treaty originally signed with Emperor Tongzhi included provisions for Chinese military strength and the protection of industrial zones and railways.
Now that the Manchu and Qing Dynasties are in civil war, the capital has fallen, and Emperor Tongzhi cannot control the domestic situation, then the Chinese have reason to increase their troops!
"Tell those foreign devils and the local officials of the Manchu Qing Dynasty! We Chinese people act in accordance with the treaty and increase our troops to protect our own industrial zones and invested railways. What's not allowed?"
"All their protests are dismissed!"
The Shanghai Chinese Central Bank building temporarily became Xiang Ying's headquarters. At this time, he was surrounded by messages. The secretary classified them according to their importance. Xiang Ying had to make the fastest decision.
"General! Lin Zhen has already passed the Jiangyin Fortress. After unloading the supplies, he continued up the river and rushed to Nanjing. He should be able to reach Nanjing on the 5th!"
"General! Jiangning Governor's Office sent a telegram of protest... saying that we stationed too many troops in Jiangyin Fortress and violated the treaty!"
Xiang Ying put down the pen in his hand, raised his head and smiled, "What are you doing, Ninth Commander? I sent him a telegram when I sent out troops. Everything is within the treaty... Jiangyin Fortress has 600 troops stationed in peacetime, but now is a war." !”
"Who makes him unable to control the place? For more than a month, Guiziliu's men have been causing chaos everywhere in Jiangnan. We can't do it if we don't control it!"
"Call back to the Ninth Commander. Your armed forces and ours have been friendly for a long time! Any military actions we take will not harm the interests of your army. Didn't we claim the sovereignty of these lands? So what are we afraid of!"
"That's it, no need to change a word..."
The telegram to Jiang Ning was finished, and the secretary really didn't dare to read the remaining telegram. He hurriedly handed it to Xiang Ying, opened it and saw that it was a reprimanding telegram signed by the Four Heavenly Kings of the Chinese race.
Luo Huo, Xiao Hexin, Sima Yun, and Wang Huaiyuan jointly scolded Xiang Ying!
"Asshole! The Great Council authorized you to increase troops to protect the Jiangnan Industrial Zone. This is strictly in accordance with the details of the concession treaty. Who told you to make a big show of it?"
"The Navy authorized you to use the battleships on a limited basis, but you brought all the seven damn King Kongs on board? Just leave a Taishan ship being debugged at the home port?"
"Damn it, if the Taishan ship hadn't been running in and debugging, would you have had to drag all the eight kings aboard to scare the Qing Dynasty?"
"Now the Chinese Foreign Ministry has been flooded with protest messages from foreign devils, saying that you have blocked their embassy. How do you explain it?"
"One last question for you...Are you so bold? Do you dare to mobilize the Zhiyuan?"
"The Zhiyuan is the only warship that can permanently display the Blood Flag... After the Franco-Prussian War, the Grand Council has unanimously authorized it..."
"Any military action against the Reach will be regarded as a declaration of war!"
"Don't we know what your damn plan is? Are you going to misfire and then use an excuse to fire back? Do you really want to occupy Jiangnan militarily?"
"Send back the Zhiyuan and the battleship...won't my hometown be defending? Isn't my hometown going to defend?"
"asshole!"
Xiang Ying stood up unconsciously after reading the beginning. Holding the telegram in both hands, he could feel the spittle spraying out from the telegram newspaper, making his face full of embarrassment!
After reading the last sentence of "bastard", Xiang Ying smiled awkwardly and said, "This man is really a man! It's hard to lie!"
The secretary said with a grimace, "General! Isn't this too impulsive... The kings are right! The Eight King Kongs have brought up seven ships... The Ryukyu Islands and Nanyang also need to be defended!"
"You don't understand... the British warships haven't been dispatched yet and are being assembled... there's still time!"
"It's the Zhiyuan that has to be sent back... A few old men got angry here..."
The secretary sent up another telegram with a grimace: "General! Just stop talking. The King of the Far East has sent you a telegram... Just take a look!"
Xiang Ying opened it and saw a line on it: "Send Zhiyuan and the battleships back to their home port, and a heavy patrol will be enough to scare Jiangnan!"
Xiang Ying is not afraid that his uncle will scold him too much, but he is afraid that his uncle will talk too little. There is no beginning, no end, and no nonsense, which means that his uncle is really angry.
"Hey..." Xiang Ying sighed, "It seems that we can't do it if we don't withdraw... Inform Lin Zhen that the battleship should not continue forward after arriving in Jiangning. It will show off its power and then withdraw. The cruiser will continue to move forward to patrol the three towns of Wuhan, and Move forward as much as possible..."
The secretary breathed a sigh of relief, "Ah... okay, okay... Shanghai's industrial and commercial community is also worried. Our battleships are parked in the Huangpu River, and private cargo ships cannot leave, and the volume of cargo transportation has dropped sharply..."
"Now the business community is going to laugh..."
