Chapter 29 Section 29

Ponytail is also very lively.Warships gathered, and various flags were hung on the bridge. In addition to the Chinese yellow dragon flag and the French tricolor flag, there were also the American Star-Spangled Banner, the British Union Flag, the Japanese Rising Sun Flag, and many others. The flag is unrecognizable, and the navies of various countries stationed in China or the Far East have sent warships to watch from the sidelines. There are eight French warships in total, all moored under the Luoxing Tower, their masts, cables, and guns have been unloaded. There are fully armed soldiers on guard day and night on the deck.

China has more ships than France. There are thirteen ships in total. They are all moored near the shipping bureau. The position of anchoring is led by the deputy general of the Fujian Anxie Association, who is also in charge of the ship Yangwu. Zhang Cheng, the first general, decided.His deployment is to fasten the French warships, one to guard the other, and to monitor the flagship of the French commander Guba, which is the flagship of the Battalion Office, the most powerful "Yangwu". The deployment has been decided, and I went to see Zhang Peilun to meet Chen Zhanshou's strategy. He said: "This arrangement has several advantages. First, occupying the upper reaches means occupying a favorable area. I also ambushed a dozen small boats, fully loaded with hay, nitrate, and gunpowder. Once there is a battle, cut the cable, go down the river, and burn the French ships."

"En, um!" Zhang Peilun was very satisfied, "This is also in line with the ancient meaning. That's how it was when Chibi defeated Cao Cao. Looking at the history of warfare, water warfare is the only way to attack with fire. However, warships from various countries watching the battle There are too many, don't bring trouble to Chiyu, just cause accidents and entanglements." "My lord, we have informed the navies of various countries that according to the public law of all nations, it is not suitable to enter the war zone. If you suffer accidental damage, you will be responsible for it."

"It would be great if there were such stipulations in the public law of all nations." Zhang Peilun said, "You must know that wars with foreign countries will eventually come down to peace. Peace must be based on the public law of all nations, and you can't stand on it. , suffered endlessly. This is Li Zhongtang’s experience in negotiating for many years. When I was in Tianjin, he solemnly asked this level, and I had to listen to it.” "Yes!" Zhang Cheng went on to say, "Secondly, there is another purpose of occupying the upper reaches, which is to protect the shipping bureau, that is, to protect the adults."

Such an intention was naturally appreciated by Zhang Peilun, and he praised Zhang Cheng face to face, expressing his complete agreement with Zhang Cheng's deployment.But afterwards, someone pointed out to Zhang Peilun that the distance between the Chinese ships and the French warships was too close, and the firepower was not as good as others. If the French warships opened fire, perhaps 13 ships would not be spared. This is also reasonable, so Zhang Peilun asked this person how to deal with it properly? The way to correct is also very simple. The boats should be evacuated, and the front and rear boats should be rescued forward and backward. If the front boat loses, the rear boat can still fight.In short, it is extremely dangerous and unwise to gather together.

Zhang Peilun thought this was quite reasonable, so he discussed it with Zhang Cheng, but the negotiation failed.Zhang Cheng didn't give reasons, only said that the person who made this suggestion was as cowardly as a mouse, so don't pay attention to him.Zhang Peilun believed what Yue Wumu said, "Civil officials don't love money, military commanders don't fear death." He hated warriors most for being timid, so it was easy to listen to Zhang Cheng's words, and he ignored them. On the twenty-sixth day of the sixth month, the day when the emperor lived long, at noon, suddenly the sound of cannons shook the sky. Zhang Peilun was taken aback and hurriedly asked.The report said that warships from all over the world wished longevity and fired twenty-one salutes, as did French warships.It seems that France still has the intention of reconciliation.However, by the afternoon, news had been received that the French government had telegraphed Xie Manlu, the acting minister in Beijing, to issue an ultimatum.

The peaceful atmosphere brought by the 21-gun salute was swept away, but the tie was not hopeless. The admiral of the U.S. Navy who came to watch the battle in Mawei specially visited He Ruzhang, the Minister of Shipping, and was willing to mediate. Jia Yage, a native of Fujian, also wrote to He Jing, governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, hoping not to fight.In addition, some businessmen who were close to foreigners reported repeatedly, saying that the admiral of the British Navy and the British consul had expressed that if the peace could be preserved, they were willing to play the role of mediator.

For this reason, He Jing specially moved his bottle to ask for advice, and visited Zhang Peilun at the Shipping Bureau to discuss the matter.When it comes to Westernization, Zhang Peilun personally inherited Li Hongzhang's teachings, and his views are wiser after all, "It's useless!" He poured cold water on his head, "France has repeatedly refused the mediation of other countries. There is no way to talk between the capital, so what can the admiral of the US Navy here do?" He Jing hit a snag, but he didn't feel anything, but He Ruzhang felt embarrassed for him, "Speaking of which," he chimed in for He Jing, "Admiral of the U.S. Navy, maybe you can persuade Gu Ba not to provoke easily."

"If you don't start a quarrel, you can't be the master of Guba, so I don't see him." Zhang Peilun replied with a dignified expression: "In today's world, where is the phrase 'will not accept the fate of the king outside'?" ? For example, if the imperial court has an order to start a war, will you listen to the advice of irrelevant people and not start fire against the order?" One sentence silenced He Ruzhang again, Zhang Peilun was very proud of his eloquence.When he was in a good mood, he had a wonderful realization, and then he made another discussion. "'Soldiers never tire of deceit' is true both at home and abroad, and "If you are not of my race, your heart must be different" is also true both at home and abroad. People with yellow beards and blue eyes always help themselves, whether Americans or British, according to me Look, they are all entrusted by Gu Ba, and they deliberately made such delays. Do you know what their intentions are?"

"What does it mean?" He Jing asked, "I want to ask for advice?" "It's nothing more than a plan to slow down the army, relax my guard, and slacken my fighting spirit. Here is a counter-proof," Zhang Peilun said vigorously: "Seeing that I have carefully deployed, I am already afraid of being alone. Now I will use the plan!" "What?" He Jing asked anxiously, "What is the young man's strategy?" Zhang Peilun shook his folding fan lightly, and replied brightly: "The one who moves first controls others, and the one who moves late controls others."

When He Jing heard this, his face became heavy again.There is still an unreasonable annoyance in my heart. It is really hard to fathom what the imperial envoy is up to.For a while to preserve the tie, for a while to strike first, for a while to call for reinforcements, and for a while to ask the provinces not to send troops, so as not to increase the military pay in vain. Over the sky, there is no reason to come, and there is no reason to go, so that people don't know how to deal with it, is it appropriate?Thinking about it, I can only persuade him to be cautious, "Young man," he said, "The situation of peace and war is controlled by the imperial court at a distance, so it is not appropriate to deal lightly." "Of course, the order must be played first." Thank goodness!He Jing was half relieved, as long as he didn't start the war rashly and lightly, he didn't need to ask anything else.Anyway, the government's decree is approved, defeating a battle has nothing to do with oneself, and winning a battle is not afraid that there will be no credit for it.So he complimented Zhang Peilun again, and returned to Fuzhou, only to find the Supervising Biaozhong Army; he quietly ordered that the governor's yamen should be protected by extra troops from the gate to the upper room.Whether Zhang Peilun was blatantly blatant, or whether he really had the intention of preemptive strikes, although it is unknown, it is always good to be prepared. Zhang Peilun really thought that Guba was timid and planned to strike first.As soon as He Jing left, he immediately asked the generals of the navy to discuss secretly. The first one was Zhang Cheng; Feiyun is in charge of Gao Tengyun; the fifth is Lu Han, the supervisor of Fusheng and Jiansheng. "The imperial court has repeatedly decreed to preserve the tie, but the tie has not been successful so far. It seems that a war is inevitable. Once the fire is fired, how sure are you? Be sure to tell the truth, let me have a good deal." Zhang Peilun had already made up his mind, but he deliberately said this in the hope that it would have the effect of provoking generals, but Zhang Cheng's words were quite discouraged, "I'm really not sure." A torpedo boat, and we don't have the tools to make it." "What kind of ship is the Rongshiduluan? Is it a Guba ship?" "yes." "Responding to your lord's words," Xu Shoushan said in a loud voice, led by Zhenwei Lun Guan, "Once they launch the torpedo, it will naturally be difficult to resist it, but before they launch it, it cannot be said that there is no sharp weapon to stop it." "Oh!" Zhang Peilun asked very attentively: "What do you use to make it?" "Just one muzzle-loading gun of the seventy-pounder I have on board." This is preemptive strike.The torpedo boat is not big, and it can be sunk with a single shot. Even the iron-clad ship of a solitary ship cannot stop all the cannons from firing together.In short, if you are unprepared, you must have a chance of winning. Zhang Peilun couldn't help but clapped his hands and said: "I won my heart!" "My lord!" Zhang Cheng said solemnly, "It's easy to fire the cannon, but it's also easy to sink them. I'm afraid that if we use force and they use wisdom, this mess will be difficult to deal with." "How do you say that?" Zhang Peilun asked, "Don't we use our intelligence to defeat the enemy first?" "Yes. Unfortunately, we have containment, but they have not." "I don't understand this again." Zhang Peilun said, "Where is our restraint?" "The first is that warships from various countries watching the battle are all in the waterway. If they are accidentally injured, it will cause a lot of trouble. If the war is scheduled to start, it will be irresponsible to notify the warships of other countries and avoid them in advance. Now it is a surprise attack and there is trouble. The responsibility is entirely on me." Zhang Peilun thought to himself, this is really inevitable.It is unwise to make too many enemies, especially if the US warship is accidentally injured, it is even more difficult to explain.In the dispute between China and France, the United States is the "Lu Zhonglian". If they beat all the transferees, it can be seen that it is unreasonable!France is getting more plausible.Another example is that the public indignation of various countries is aroused, and they conspire against me, which is even more serious. While he was still pondering over this, Chen Ying, the leader of the Fuxing wheel, said, "It's not inevitable to say accidental injury." He said, "The positions where warships from various countries anchor are separated from French warships." For a certain distance, if we measure accurately, we should be extra careful so as not to accidentally injure other ships." "Otherwise!" Zhang Cheng immediately argued, "Britain and France have always been in collusion, and no one dares to say that they have no secret agreement on offense and defense. 'The oriole catches the cicada, the mantis is behind', if we attack the French warship, and the British warship shoots in the back He wounded people and attacked us, but he refused to admit it afterwards, saying that the French warships fired back and fired back, so how can we argue with him?" It's not impossible.Chen was stuck in English, but he couldn't be convinced. When he wanted to make a statement, Zhang Peilun listened to Zhang Cheng's words and waved his hands to stop him. "Let's talk about the second containment." Zhang Cheng became more and more eloquent, "Even if the preemptive strike cannot sink all the French warships, what if Guba becomes angry and does not follow the rules and bombards the ships?" Zhang Peilun was horrified by this statement, but he refused to show timidity, and only said: "This is also one of the concerns." Xu Shoushan is a straight man by nature and quite dissatisfied with Zhang Cheng, so his attitude is not good, "Where are there so many worries?" He raised his voice and said, "There has never been such a sentence as "exhaustive strategy". A real battle may not be useful." The words were made for Zhang Cheng, but turned into contradicting Zhang Peilun, and he turned his face down: "This is not the time to get angry. Count more wins than count, do not plan in advance, just fight in battle, then you will not become a gangster Yet?" "My lord!" Chen Ying supported Xu Shoushan, "If the enemy is strong and we are weak, if we don't find a way to win, as Deputy General Zhang said, we will just wait for defeat?" This question hit the point of Zhang Peilun's mind, so he nodded repeatedly, looked at Zhang Cheng and said, "I want to ask this question too." How does this teach Zhang Cheng to answer?He really couldn't bear this responsibility, so he could only answer honestly: "It's all up to the adults. It's hard to say whether the success or failure is blunt. However, even if you start first, you don't want to fight for a day and a half. Why don't you play the request by telegram, and see what happened in Beijing." How to say?" "Of course!" Zhang Peilun replied, "That's for sure. But you have to be sure before you can speak. If the court approves it, but you can't control others, then the punishment will be heavy." Seeing that there was nothing to discuss, Zhang Peilun went back to the generals and sat quietly thinking. He always felt that preemptive strikes were the best policy, and it was worth suggesting to the court.However, there is no need to talk too much, and there should be room for flexibility. If the court agrees to the request, but it is difficult to move, you can still state the reason and withdraw the previous proposal. Since He Ruzhang had a code in his hand for the telegram communication with the Prime Minister's Office, Zhang Peilun had to discuss it with him and played by telegram.He Ruzhang also thought that it would be a good idea to ask for an order, but if he really decided to go first, he would make a plan to sink the boat and block the river, so that none of the French warships that had already entered could escape. Zhang Peilun deeply agrees with this statement.At that time, a telegram was drawn up and sent out immediately.At around noon the next day, I received a call back saying, "The General Administration of the General Administration had notified the envoys of various countries about the matter of blocking the river, and the envoys had a lot of discussions. Now there are British, American and other countries protecting warships in Fujiankou, and German warships will also go there. If there is a blockage at this time, it should be explained to the consuls of various countries on the spot, so as not to make excuses with the country.” As for the section on “starting first”, “you must be cautious, and don’t be rash.” Zhang Peilun was deeply disappointed by this call back.Because it is neither allowed nor forbidden, but a heavy burden is placed on their shoulders. It seems that success is useless, and failure must be faulted.It is empty talk to say that the Saihe needs to be "explained" to the consuls of various countries. Of course, the consuls of various countries will not agree. France's ultimatum expires in a blink of an eye.There is no news about how the imperial court will deal with it, but Mawei has arrived at a British gunboat with the commander's flag flying. It is Lieutenant Admiral Dulwich, commander of the British Far East Fleet, who came to watch the battle.At the same time, the French warships came and went, and came and went, one after another, it is said that they were scouting the situation of the Changmen Fort. The battle cloud is densely covered, and Zhang Peilun feels that the situation is serious, and he feels hesitant for a moment, so he can only call Beiyang urgently to inquire about the news.Li Hongzhang's call back told him: The imperial court had rejected France's ultimatum and sent a note to the ministers of various countries. France intended to break peace and could no longer negotiate with him.However, Li Hongzhang also said that the peace situation was not hopeless, and he was still trying to mediate, urging Zhang Peilun to be cautious. Immediately afterwards, two confidential telegrams were received. The first one was: telegrams to the generals and governors of various provinces, etc.: this time the legal person disregarded and demanded arbitrarily, and the industry sent a note to all countries for its unreasonable details.Spin because the United States made a comment, but the country refused to allow it again.The United States has been politely thanked, and Zeng Guoquan and others have been ordered to return to the province to prepare for defense.Fashi seems to be so brave, he has to meet with soldiers.Along the river and coast, the generals and governors, commanding the army, tried their best to prepare for defense and strictly guarded against it.In the near future, an imperial decree will be issued to punish the crime.At present, if a legal person makes any move, it will attack immediately without any scruples.When the French soldiers landed on the shore, how should they set up a surprise ambush in order to win, and how to offer rewards to encourage them.Where the sergeants are brave, they all act on the cheap, not for remote control. Another secret decree is to telegraph Zeng Guoquan to return to "Jiangning to handle defense", saying that France is "unreasonable, there is no need to discuss it again, but only insists on fighting." At the same time, he instructed the coastal provinces: "Suppress the soldiers and civilians, expedite the suppression, and protect all countries. Merchants, don't be careless." For these two telegrams, Fujian's generals, governors, and shipping ministers each had a copy.The protection of nationals from various countries is a matter for the governor, and Zhang Peilun can ignore it, but he has to discuss with He Ruzhang, who is also in the shipping bureau, when preparing for the war. "Since 'an edict will be issued in the near future, and the crime will be punished', it is natural to wait until the edict of the decisive battle is issued." He Ruzhang said again: "This sentence is important: "If the legal person makes any stupid moves at present, it will be done immediately. attack. 'This is still the meaning of 'starting first'. We can't do it until the French do it. " "Obviously!" Zhang Peilun nodded deeply. "Young man, there are two more sentences, which are very interesting: 'How should the French soldiers set up a surprise ambush when they land on the shore, in order to win?' That is to say, the court has seen that the navy may not be able to defeat the French. See you all!" Zhang Peilun was reminded.That is to say, if the navy loses, the imperial court will surely understand that it is not a crime of being inferior to others, and it is not a crime of war. "I see, I see!" He nodded more and more. From this point of view, the way to prepare for war should focus on the shore, so re-check the army's defense: there are two battalions in front of the shipping bureau, and one battalion in the back mountain gunpowder depot, both under the command of Huang Chaoqun.In addition, there are Taoist Fang Zexun's "Chaoyong" in Mawei; Wangqi has "Zhangquan Luyong" of Lieutenant General Yang; and there are 300 "Shuiyongs" in Jutou. Zhang Peilun specially recruited Ding You's student Lin Qingping from Beiyang Marine The commander planned to swim to scuttle and sink the two torpedo boats moored around the Guba flagship at a critical moment. The strength on the shore is sufficient.The total number of navy and army troops sent by France to China is no more than 4,000, and they intend to harass the seven provinces. Even if half of them are used in Fujian, the number is no more than 2,000.Although France has dispatched 1,000 troops from Haiphong for reinforcements, not all of them will be used in Fujian. Moreover, the French soldiers are not familiar with the place. Zhang Peilun felt confident and calm, and received a telegram from Li Hongzhang the next day.Zhang Peilun sent a telegram to the prime minister's office asking Hanhe to send it first, and it was received and forwarded by Beiyang. Li Hongzhang's telegram was about this matter: "I received the telegram from the General Administration, read it, blocked the river, and harmed all countries. Don't Meng Lang!" Prevent the other from attacking first, if not, or gradually move to other places. Servants do not regard decisive battles as right. The court does not dare to participate rashly. If the public sees it, it should be repeated." This implied that Zhang Peilun should play telegrams, admonishing him not to issue an edict to declare war. At this moment, He Jing sent someone to send a telegram to Zhang Peilun. It was Li Hongzhang who called the Yamen of the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. The ship can be burned, the Fujian factory can be destroyed, and the Fengrun scholar must not die!" Feeling the kindness of knowing you, Zhang Peilun made an unshakable determination to support Li Hongzhang's proposition, and tried his best to preserve the peace.Of course, it was inconvenient for him to send a telegram asking Yaoting not to issue an edict to declare war, because he had just made a suggestion to send Saihe first, and suddenly he made such a remonstrance, wouldn't it be inconsistent and out of order? The edict to declare war has not been issued, but Xie Manlu is only known to have been ordered to submit the Meton letter of the second condolence, and he still asks for 80 million francs in compensation, which will be paid in ten years.The reply is limited within two days. If the request is refused, the French minister will immediately fly out of Beijing and let Guba do his best.At the same time, apply for a passport in advance, and prepare to leave Beijing on the first day of July. Xie Manlu's letter of mourning was submitted on June 29, but the Prime Minister's Office did not notify the Beiyang Office until the afternoon of the next day, and sent urgent telegrams to Liangjiang, Fujian, and Guangdong to "prepare for war", and specifically specified that Zhang Zhizhi should be notified. At the same time, Li Fengbao, the envoy stationed in Germany and France, immediately left France for Germany. This means that after a day of consideration, the imperial court has made a decision to reject France's request.Zhang Peilun knew that among the Empress Dowager Cixi and King Chun, the one who did not hesitate to break up with them was Liu Yongfu. Enough to contain the French army.In fact, when negotiating the peace, they kept insinuating that Liu Yongfu was a Chinese and was happy to be used by China, but he has not reused him so far, purely for the sake of French friendship. If France is arrogant and unreasonable, it must use Liu Xiangrui But no more. However, Zhang Peilun believed in Li Hongzhang's opinion, and Liu Yongfu was not reliable.In the past, Li Hongzhang often expressed contempt for Liu Yongfu, but his tone has changed in the past two months.This is not his admiration for Liu Yongfu, but a deliberate increase in Liu Yongfu's reputation, not only to cater to the imperial court, but also to make France feel scruples and easy to submit. Li Hongzhang promised himself by Kou Zhun, looking forward to seeing the enemy again The "Chanyuan Alliance" that automatically invites peace.Zhang Peilun has always dismissed this, but now he decided to lower his heart and try his best to maintain Li Hongzhang's idea of ​​preserving the peace, so he must follow the path of the "Chanyuan Alliance". Historians have commented that the success of the "Chanyuan Alliance" was entirely due to Kou Zhun's calmness, which made the Liao Kingdom unpredictable.Since he followed this path, of course he had to follow Kou Zhun's example, either "cutting carp and drinking drunk", or lying high in the tent, ignoring the powerful enemy who was watching. And this night is also the weather for sleeping, with heavy rain and strong wind, after the scorching heat, although there is no "ice muscle and jade bone", it is "cool and sweatless".He was lying on the cool bed covered with asparagus straw mats, rolling a roll in his hand, thinking about the love affairs of the Jin people, but the stormy waves crashed on the shore, mixed with the roaring siren sound from time to time, he really couldn't calm down. In the middle of the night, there was a pecking sound on the door, and the book boy was already in a deep sleep, unable to wake up after several calls, so he had to get out of bed and open the door himself.A handsome boy outside the door was holding a candlestick with a flaming flickering flame, illuminating He Ruzhang's frightened face. "Have you disturbed your clear dream?" He Ruzhang asked. "It's so cool, I just read a book." Zhang Peilun waved his hand, "Please come in and sit down!" As He Ruzhang stepped in, he explained the reason for the late-night visit. Two secret telegrams came from the Beiyang government office.He was afraid that it was an urgent military report, so he sent it personally. Needless to say, of course I want to know what is said in the telegram?Zhang Peilun had the code book of the Beiyang Yamen, so he took the key to open the pillow box, and took it out to compare and translate it for himself. After translating it, I realized that it wasn't sent to Fujian, so I sent it to Pan Dingxin: "The law has been broken, and the two thousand soldiers sent to attack Taiwan will save you three dangers! My brother and Cen Yi quickly marched to contain it." "Brother" is called Pan Dingxin.This secret telegram was dispatched by Li Hongzhang as the "parent" of the Huai Army to dispatch the "children", and he specially sent it to Zhang Peilun for reference, of course as his "person".Then I translated another call, but it was sent to the Prime Minister's Yamen: "Call from the Shanghai Bureau: Two French ships originally parked at Wusongkou have gone south yesterday. I heard that they are going to Taiwan. The Pakistani envoy is also going overseas." "Shanghai Bureau" refers to the Shanghai Telegraph Bureau, and the telegraph bureaus in various places are responsible for reporting news, which is quite reliable.In the two telegrams before and after, it was said that France would attack Taiwan, and Zhang Peilun became more and more calm. "Look!" He said reservedly, "They are deceiving Liu Shengsan that he doesn't have warships." After reading the telegram, He Ruzhang's expression returned to normal. "Tomorrow, the second Medun letter expires." He said, "Badenuo is gone, and Xie Manlu will probably leave tomorrow too." "Badenuo's handling is too rude, let their government withdraw his 'full power', why not leave? It's hard to say for Xie Manlu." Zhang Peilun said, "The mournful Medton book, according to the public law of the world, It can only be sent once, since it was sent twice in violation of the regulations, how can you know that there are not three or four times?" He Ruzhang hit a soft nail, so he could only claim to be right. "When it comes to battle formation, you and I are not good at it, and we don't need to be good at it. The way to control a general is all about calmness, calmness makes you calm, and you don't get confused, so you can deal with it naturally." This is tantamount to teaching a lesson, He Ruzhang is more and more afraid to speak, but although he is not speculative, he can't get up and leave immediately, so as not to appear angry and make Zhang Peilun unhappy.Zhang Peilun's talk turned upside down, "It's hard to talk about starting a war and taking the opportunity to control the enemy first. It was originally high, but the court has too many scruples. Now it can only try its best to preserve the peace. In my opinion, China does not want to lose peace, so how dare France take it lightly?" Start the war?" He then continued, "Shooting the land is a matter of course. Of course, we must choose an easy place to attack. Liu Shengsan wants to lure the enemy into deep, and France is also very clever. They only attack Keelung, which is not defended by warships, and they will not enter the army. To Danshui. As for this place, seeing that I am prepared, I will not dare to do it. If I want to do it, the letter of war must be issued first, and the letter of war cannot be issued alone. The right to declare war belongs to the imperial court in China, and to the parliament in France. A few days ago, I received a telegram from Li Fuxiang, saying that Li Danya had sent a secret telegram from Paris, and that the French House of Commons had agreed to raise 38 million francs for war expenses. In vain panic." Strange to say, Zhang Peilun felt relieved after speaking this passage, and it turned out that he didn't understand it until this time! Thinking about what I said from the beginning again, I feel that I think it is right, "There is really no need to be mediocre, and panic is useless!" So, he really had a good night's sleep that night.