Chapter 142: People are panicked
After He Xi left Japan, he took a boat to Yingkou. Take the train from Yingkou to Beijing.
However, in just a few months, trains have become an important artery connecting Liaodong and Beijing. However, now only freight transportation has been opened. As for passenger transport, it has not yet started. It's nothing more than adding a compartment behind the truck, or simply sitting in the truck compartment.
After all, steam engine production itself is very difficult, and steam engine locomotive production is the most sophisticated technology of this era. It is not that fast to increase production capacity. The opening of the Beijing-Yingkou Railway has connected the two regions of Beijing and Liaodong into one economy, making the exchange of many materials much more convenient. But personnel exchanges are not so urgent.
Therefore, there is not much need for the time being. When freight needs are not fully met, passenger transport can be put aside first.
However, He Xi is no ordinary person. He now has a special carriage.
Originally, the people below were going to provide a special train for He Xi. But He Xi refused. After all, the pressure on railway transportation is considerable nowadays. Not to mention, He Xi knew what an official looked like. If he dares to relax an inch today, he will dare to relax a foot next.
It's nothing for He Xi to use a special train. But He Xi is worried that all officials will have to use special trains in the future.
Of course, He Xi can't be too harsh on officials. He can just hang a carriage. With his standards in place, lower-ranking officials will not go too far. Because doing so is not a matter of corruption, but of transgression.
In official circles, the former is not important. But the latter is very important.
At this moment, the railway itself has become a major financial source for the Beijing court.
Because the railways are now state-owned. State-run. Although compared to a huge investment, it will take several years to get back the capital. However, transportation fees that can be collected every year are living money.
The financial situation is still incidental.
Now He Xi has a deeper understanding of money itself.
For individuals, money is money.
For the country, money is a means of mobilizing social resources. Naturally, this cannot be judged by simple and narrow values.
He Xi was originally happy that the main artery of the railway was built. When he got off the train at Beijing North Railway Station, he found Yang Shiqi actually greeting him.
He Xi said: "I didn't say that. Just go about your own business. There's no need to do this."
Yang Shiqi looked a little pale and said: "Sir, it's not that I don't want to come. It's just that I can't come. You can forget it. Your Majesty is waiting for you. If I hadn't stopped you, it would be Your Majesty who would come to pick you up now."
Seeing Yang Shiqi's expression, He Xi immediately knew something was wrong. His expression didn't change much, and he said calmly: "Let's talk about it after we get in the car."
The two people got on the carriage one after another. He Xi then asked: "What happened?"
Yang Shiqi said: "Ye Chen was defeated. He retreated for more than a hundred miles. The Duke of Ying moved northward in large numbers. The King of Jin and the Marquis of Changxing broke through the wells and marched to Zhending. Several counties in Zhending had already surrendered their cities to the south. People in Beijing were panicked. Your Majesty I don’t know what to do.”
He Xi was silent for a while.
He didn't expect Ye Chen to lose.
He Xi was confident in his own vision, and Ye Chen was the one who understood his military thoughts most thoroughly. This was also the reason why he felt relieved to hand over the southern line to Ye Chen, but he never expected it. Ye Chen gave this answer.
He Xi said: "How did Ye Chen lose?"
Yang Shiqi was well prepared and handed a stack of military reports to He Xi.
He Xi read them one by one according to the timeline. At the bottom there were letters of apology from Ye Chen Tiexuan and several related generals.
After He Xi read it, he felt somewhat enlightened.
He Xi thought to himself: "Success is Xiao He, failure is Xiao He. Ye Chencheng is also a firearm, and failure is a firearm."
The reason why Ye Shen succeeded in pushing Fu Youde to the next level and made the famous general frustrated for a year was not because Fu Youde was incompetent. Instead, Ye Chen used his tactical victory to change the strategic shape.
Yes, it was Ye Chen's series of mature firearms tactics that made the war different from before. Fu Youde, a veteran who has fought all his life, had to learn new tactics and new tactics step by step. But Ye Chen was also somewhat proud deep down. I thought these veterans were all outdated.
But the problem is, the weapons have changed. The nature of war has not changed.
Or, Ye Chen's use of firearms is more limited to tactics. Not much attention has been paid to the strategic impact of firearms.
Finally, there was the Battle of Anlingbao.
Ye Chen's tactical victory could not conceal his strategic failure.
However, after reading it, He Xi felt relieved.
Without him, it sounds like a miserable failure. However, the personnel remained mostly intact, and Ye Chen also showed his military talent and retreated well, although nearly half of the general's firearms and a large amount of ammunition were thrown to the opponent. But it doesn't matter.
Beijing has no shortage of this.
What Beijing lacks is people.
As long as the main force is still there, there will be an opportunity for a comeback.
The Battle of Anlingbao actually did not have that great impact on the Northern Army. However, the impact of the outcome of the war is not just the war itself. Especially in the civil war between Beijing and Nanjing, most people don't actually care that much about who becomes emperor.
What they care about is themselves.
Especially one year later, Jianwen was finally able to secure his throne. Zhu Yuanzhang has been in Nanjing his whole life, and Nanjing represents orthodoxy in the minds of many people. In the past year or so, Zhu Yunwen has made some achievements both internally and externally. After the Nanjing court stabilized, many people naturally supported him.
In this case, there are actually not many staunch supporters of Beijing. In addition to He Xi and He Xi's reform faction, they are also the backbone of Zhu Xiongying's faction. Even some large local households in Liaodong, Beijing, do not fully support it.
In this war, most people in the world are just outsiders.
Once Nanjing falls into a disadvantage, the situation will be the same. It’s just that Beijing’s foundation is thinner than Nanjing’s. Can't afford setbacks.
In the past, Beijing was able to stand firm because it had never lost militarily and even had some advantages. But things are different now. The Confederate army attacked in two directions and seemed to be victorious. No matter how much water there is in these victories. After all, ordinary people don’t understand this.
Naturally, people are panicked.
The fundamental solution to these problems now lies in the military. But it’s not just the military either.
He Xi said: "Turn to Chang'an Avenue. Display my guard of honor."
Chang'an Avenue is the street outside the main entrance of the Imperial Palace, and it is also the most prosperous street in Beijing. It has always been densely populated. He Xi is the first assistant, and there is a guard of honor for the prime minister. He is about to set up. There are at least 16 people in front and behind to clear the way, and there are 16 people in the back to protect him. In addition to the bodyguards around He Xi, there can be fewer bodyguards when traveling on weekdays, but for this kind of ceremonial trip, there must be no less bodyguards. That's almost a hundred people.
And when such a guard of honor enters and exits Chang'an Avenue, it must be cleared. That is to say, the traffic is controlled and He Xi is allowed to pass first.
He Xi has never been interested in this kind of etiquette.
Most of the time, He Xi would travel alone, without any ceremonial guards, with two carriages at the front and back, and a few companions as guards.
But today is different.
He Xi is trying to calm people's hearts.
Yang Shiqi also understood this truth and immediately sent someone to make arrangements.
After a while, they started again.
Immediately, the entire Chang'an Avenue was cleared. Countless people could only stand on both sides of the street and watch the motorcade escorted by more than a dozen flags pass by. They asked each other who made such a big show.
Naturally, some knowledgeable people pointed out that it was the honor guard of the then Chief Minister He Consort.
Although many people are surprised, He Xi never enters or exits with a guard of honor on weekdays. What happened today?
But soon some people felt more at ease.
It seems that as soon as the day comes, the critical situation in the south becomes less important.
Even the market conditions have changed that day. Because of the war in the south, many people are afraid to operate normally. I am afraid that the Southern Army will come over, especially the treasury bonds issued by He Xi, although there is no exchange. But it doesn't stop people from doing private transactions.
In the past few days, prices have plummeted. Almost turned into a piece of waste paper. No one wants it anymore. But when He Xi came back. Treasury bonds are still not traded. That’s why everyone thinks that the national debt will definitely rise.
And the news of He Xi's arrival in Beijing spread even more. Although the panic situation in Beijing has not completely changed, normal production and operations have begun.
Some people died, but not completely...
