Chapter 119 History of the Palace Outside the Qing Dynasty (18-1)

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 the one who monitors the flagship of the French commander Guba 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 the land. 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."

"Yeah, yum!" 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 have to know that wars with foreign countries will eventually lead 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 it is also very simple. You should evacuate the boats, counting miles from the beginning to the end, and rescue them 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 was to telegraph Zeng Guoquan to return immediately to "Jiangning for defense", saying that France "is so unreasonable that there is no need to discuss it any more, but that it is willing to fight." At the same time, it instructed the coastal provinces: "Suppress the soldiers and civilians, expedite the suppression, protect the business people of all countries, 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 reinforcements from Haiphong, not all of them will be used in Fujian, and the French soldiers are not familiar with the place, so if they dare to go ashore, they will be ambushed and beaten everywhere, and they will die quickly. 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: "Just received the telegram from the General Administration, read it, blocked the river, and harmed all countries. Don't Menglang! It must be prevented that the other party first, does not send out, or gradually moves to other places. The servant does not regard decisive battle as right. The court does not. If you dare to participate in the public opinion, you should repeat it.” 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 face 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? Xie Manlu is hard to say." Zhang Peilun said, "Sorrowful Medton, 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 formations, it's not something you and I are good at, 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 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?" Starting the war?" He then continued, "Shooting the land as a hostage, of course we have to choose an easy place to strike, Liu Shengsan wants to lure the enemy into deep, and France is also very clever, only attacking Keelung, which is not defended by warships, and will not enter the army. To Danshui. As for this, 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 would 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 it was only at this time that he suddenly understood it!Thinking about what I said at 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. The next day was the first day of July, a typhoon blew up, heavy rain poured down the river, the turbid waves on the river emptied, and the water level was five or six feet higher. All the warships took measures to prevent the typhoon.Usually there are warships from all over the world gathered around, and the small boats selling food and supplies have disappeared, and they have all gone to the small harbor to take shelter from the wind. At noon, the governor's yamen received a letter from the British consul, saying that Gu Ba had notified the British and American warships that war was about to start, and a letter of war would be delivered at the same time.When He Jing saw this letter, he was at a loss for what to do with the letter. He called his friends to discuss it. Everyone had the same opinion. How can we start a war in such a storm?The news from the British consul was, if true, a threat from the French.What's more, since there is a letter of war, we might as well wait to talk about it. If there is any action at this time, it will affect people's hearts and even arouse xenophobia. He Jing felt that these words were reasonable, and decided to keep the British consul's letter secret and wait for the war letter. The book of war was sent to the flagship Yangwu wheel of the battalion office and handed over to Zhang Cheng.He didn't dare to delay, he went ashore to the shipyard in the rain, but he didn't dare to meet Zhang Peilun, so he sent the letter of war to He Ruzhang. "In this weather, do you want to start a war?" Zhang Cheng thought for a while and replied: "According to the rules, it is not possible." "Look, does Gu Ba have the qualifications to fight?" It is useful to ask this question. The responsibility for this matter is very heavy, so you can't answer it casually. Zhang Cheng replied, "I dare not say." "It's okay to talk about it." "I don't understand the public law of all nations." "It's difficult for me!" He Ruzhang shook his head and sighed, "Oh! It's really difficult for me." "My lord," Zhang Chengguan asked himself, "Do you want to prepare for the battle?" "Preparation is back to preparation!" He Ruzhang said, "Don't panic. I'll talk about it after I go to see Mr. Zhang." When he arrived at Zhang Peilun's place, he was translating the secret telegram by himself. It was the copy sent by Li Hongzhang to the Prime Minister's Office. When he saw He Ruzhang, he handed it over.When I received it in my hand, I saw that it was written: "Li Danya called at the twenty-ninth day of the 29th, and said: "I will pay 500,000 taels first, and when I arrive in Tianjin, I will settle the business calmly. Allow compensation. Please report to the General Administration. 'Should I reply? Beg for advice." "Look!" Zhang Peilun said, "Twenty-nine is the day before yesterday. Xie Manlu made the second Medtronic letter of mourning. In Paris's Flono, his tone is so loose. As long as the business agreement can be cheap, compensation is fine. Exempt. What the imperial court insists on is that no compensation is allowed. France is willing to make concessions on this point, and everything else is easy to say. It seems that the draw can still be preserved after all.” He Ruzhang was silent.Thinking back to Zhang Peilun's discussion last night, if you come up with a lonely gauntlet, you don't have to be ridiculed with cynicism, or you have to listen to him to teach you a lesson. Why bother? Thinking about it this way, I decided not to raise the gauntlet.Anyway, in such weather, it is impossible to start a war. When the weather clears up, it will be reasonable to see the movements of the French warships. If there is nothing to do at night, it becomes more and more obvious that there is no evidence for the war letter.At night, the wind and rain are even worse, trees are pulled down and houses are pulled down, and the noise is astonishing. Inquiring about the situation on the river, it is said that no matter the size of the warship, all warships are tossed and shaken, and the deck is empty, and there is no one in sight.This made He Ruzhang feel more at ease. The night passed, the wind eased slightly and the heavy rain remained as before.At around eight o'clock, Zhang Peilun received a telegram from Li Hongzhang, saying that Fujian was in urgent need of foreign guns, and he was ordered to buy ten German cannons and twenty "secondary guns" and send them to Fujian for use.Li Hongzhang asked for opinions on this matter: "Krupp took off the cannon in the 21st century, and there are only two in Dagu, which can destroy iron ships. Each cannon has more than 20,000 gold; Ships need to arrive at Minkou in one year to order, and it is better to take off at fifteen years. However, the decree does not say what to do with the money? Min can pay the price in installments and order it on your behalf. What kind of guns should be ordered, please let me know." The telegrams were sent to the general, the governor, and the imperial envoy, but Zhang Peilun felt that he should make the decision, but he should discuss it with Mu Tushan.Because, firstly, Mutushan is in charge of all the forts now; secondly, the money for ordering cannons, if ordered according to the amount stipulated in the telegram, will total 500,000 to 600,000 silver, can it be paid by Fujian Customs? Income to amortize?You also have to ask Mu Tushan, who is also in charge of customs. Mu Tushan was stationed at the Changmen Fortress, so he had no choice but to write a letter. After finishing his letter, the situation outside changed. Consuls from various countries, foreign businessmen, and locals who often do business with foreign soldiers on the river, all know that the war is imminent.Most of the foreign merchants boarded their own warships, while British and American warships sent marines ashore to protect their consular offices.Of course, the foreign instructors in the two schools attached to the shipping bureau also knew that fighting was inevitable. There are two schools attached to the Ship Administration Bureau, which are called "front hall" and "back hall" according to their locations. The front hall learns manufacturing and the back hall learns driving.Most of the foreign teachers in the manufacturing school are French, and they are more well-informed. One of them, Mai Da, told his favorite student Wei Han: "The war will start tomorrow! You have to make preparations yourself." This is absolutely reliable news, but Wei Han dare not report it to Zhang Peilun.He also served as a French translator for the Shipping Bureau. He often had the opportunity to get close to Zhang Peilun but did not dare to approach him, because the "imperial envoy"'s domineering and frequent "face-to-face spending" style was daunting.He was thinking, Guba had already declared the challenge, and of course He Ruzhang had been handed over to Zhang Peilun. Since he knew what was going on, there must be a reason for his calm attitude.Either there is a secret message in Beiyang, and the tie is sure to be preserved, or seeing the weather, it is guaranteed that there will be no war, and it will be dealt with when the weather clears up.All in all, don't worry about it. In the evening, the weather turned bad again.Dark clouds merged, the sky was as dark as ink, and in the drizzle, the searchlights on the French warship swept over the mountain, shining like day.Ma Jiangdao, Fang Yao's Chao Yong, panicked and ran around.Zhang Peilun was alarmed, asked the reason, became furious, called Fang Yao, and reprimanded him severely. This time, no one dared to report the situation and news to him. Another night passed, the wind stopped and the rain stopped, making the sun look bright and lovely.The whole morning was uneventful, but around noon, the Governor’s Office received a note from the French Consular Office. Although it was written in “crab script”, people who knew English could not understand it.He Jing hurriedly summoned a copywriting committee member surnamed Liu. In the entire governor's office, only this committee member Liu could read French. Committee member Liu was not in the yamen.The typhoon damaged his house two days ago, a beam fell from the sky and injured his pregnant wife. He is taking leave of absence to take care of his wife in a Catholic hospital. When someone sent a special person to find him, he saw the note and was shocked. It was a letter of war, and the time to start the war was before two o'clock. "Then, tell Mawei, Nagato, and the governor's office immediately." When Zhang Zhaodong got the news, he rushed here in a panic, and without waiting for the notification from the door, he strode straight to the signing room.The governor's yamen was originally the yamen of the procuratorial envoy in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, there was Tao Houzhong, an envoy who was in charge of punishment, and Xue Dafang, the envoy who was in charge of impeaching the governor, for corruption.Xue Dafang bit back, so they were arrested together. In the end, right from wrong was found out, and Tao Houzhong was reinstated.On the day when he returned to his post, there were tens of thousands of people in Fuzhou waiting along the road. They all said, "Tao envoy will have eyes when he comes again, but Xue Fan will have no skin if he does not go." "Tianyan Hall" is now the governor's signing room. He Jing is spinning and turning in the Tianyan hall, asking his mouth and heart, wondering what is good or bad?When I saw Zhang Zhaodong, I felt relieved, and wanted to discuss with him what to do if the French soldiers attacked. But Zhang Zhaodong didn't allow him to open his mouth, so he said loudly first: "My lord! Zhang Youqiao will take my soldiers. In any case, I will share one of the cannons from the supervisory department." He Jing was stunned.After being stunned for a while, Fang Shi shook his head: "How can I do that?" "My lord, the Superintendent's Office has four cannons, and I only need one." "Alas!" He Jing replied with a frown, "four cannons are used for four cannons, one for the east and west gates, and one for the east and west ends of the back street. I gave you one, leaving a gap, and the other three , to have is to have nothing. Besides, it is useless to you if you are given one branch, do you know which way foreigners come from?" "This is a small cannon, not a cannon on a turret. The base of the cannon is nailed and can only be fired outward. The small cannon can be moved. The foreign soldiers come from that way, and the muzzle is aimed there." "What if we come in different ways?" Zhang Zhaodong was at a loss for words, and just begged: "My lord, my lord, you can't be alone!" "It's not that you are alone, it's that you can't take care of yourself." He Jing said: "The herdsmen are your responsibility. Please go back quickly and issue Anmin's notice!" Zhang Zhaodong saw that it was not the way, turned around and left; when he returned to the governor's office, he didn't say a word, he only asked his aunt to fetch plain clothes in exchange, and asked for a hundred taels of silver, wrapped it in a piece of baggage, and put it aside.Then the copywriting committee was invited to draft Anmin's announcement. The news of the common people in Fuzhou City is better than that of the official circles. Announcing the people is useless. Those who are fleeing are fleeing, and those who are behind closed doors are closed. Can't hold it down.In fact, there are not many people who are suppressing, and the government servants themselves moved to the place first. The city is chaotic, and so is the horse's tail.The note from the French Consul Bai Zaotai was relayed by the Superintendent's Office by telegram. The power line leading to the Nagato Fort was blown off by the typhoon, and there was no communication. However, the Shipping Bureau received the notice at 1:00 in the afternoon.Zhang Peilun received the telegram and was at a loss. After a while, he suddenly came to his senses, "Then that makes sense? Let's go to war!" He asked, "Where's Wei Han?" Wei Han collapsed in the bureau and arrived as soon as he was called.这时何如璋亦已得信赶来，听得张佩纶指斥照会无理的话，他心里明白，不敢声张，人家战书是早就下了，言明三日以内开战，不算无理。 “如今只有据理交涉。”张佩纶对魏瀚忽然很客气了，“魏老弟，要劳你的驾，到孤拔那里去一趟。” “是！”魏瀚问道：“请大人示下，去干什么？” “你跟他说，约期开战，载在万国公法，须容对方有所预备。现在他们所定的开战时刻太迫促了，请他改期，改到明天。” “回大人的话，”魏瀚嗫嚅着答道，“这怕不行。” "Why not?" “大家都晓得法国从初一以后，就要开战……。”