Chapter 2

PS: The second update is here! I hope the readers will add to their collections and vote more! Thank you to the reader "Biao Han De He Shui" for the generous tip!

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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The cargo ship 'Dawn Goddess' continued its voyage, passing through the waters near Liugong Island! Wu Haoxuan stood at the bow, using a telescope to observe the former base of the Beiyang Fleet. However, the once mighty Beiyang Fleet, which was the first in Asia, had been annihilated in that battle over a decade ago. At the same time, the backbone of China was also broken in that battle!

"Wait and see, it won't be long before I rebuild a powerful navy and take revenge on those Eastern devils!" Wu Haoxuan vowed to himself. At this moment, after the disastrous defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, China's maritime defense was virtually non-existent. Foreign warships rampaged through China's territorial waters and even inland rivers, oppressing the Chinese people, who were powerless to resist and could only endure. The Manchu officials, on the other hand, treated the Chinese people like vicious wolves but kowtowed to the foreigners, wishing to treat them like fathers!

Before the war, China was closed to the outside world, and the Manchu ruling group was arrogant. As a result, in that war, the gates of China were forced open by the Westerners' powerful ships and guns. In the face of the huge disparity, the national pride of the Chinese people quickly turned into inferiority, even leading to a sense of despair, which further emboldened the foreigners to act without restraint in China!

On July 15, 1905, the cargo ship 'Dawn Goddess' arrived at Yingkou! At this time, Yingkou was the first port city in Northeast China to open to the outside world. Before the Russo-Japanese War, it was occupied by the Russians! During the Russo-Japanese War, Russia was defeated. The Russians and Japanese were currently negotiating in Britain, but Wu Haoxuan knew that in two months, they would sign the Treaty of Portsmouth, transferring Russia's interests in southern Northeast China to Japan, and the two countries would divide Northeast China!

At a dock in Yingkou, a middle-aged general wearing Qing military attire, with a long braid at the back of his head, was looking out to sea. Beside him were several soldiers from the patrol camp. This middle-aged general was none other than Wu Haoxuan's father, Wu Xingquan, the commander of the Fengtian Rear Patrol Camp and a reserve general. Wu Xingquan was born in 1863 and was already fifty-two years old, but due to years of martial training, he was very robust! However, at this moment, his face was full of anxiety. He hadn't seen Wu Haoxuan for four years and was very eager to see his only son!

"General! By my calculations, Young Master should arrive this afternoon!" a soldier said to Wu Xingquan!

"Um! Four years without seeing him, I wonder what that little rascal looks like now!" Wu Xingquan said.

"General, Young Master is studying at a foreign military academy! This is quite rare in our Northeast! When he returns, he will surely become a high-ranking official and bring glory to our family!" another soldier said.

"Ha ha! That's right! I'll tell you, my son is studying at the United States Military Academy at West Point! It's the highest military school in the United States. In the past, he would have been at least a top martial scholar!" Wu Xingquan's face was full of smiles. Like all Chinese people, he was most proud when others praised his son!

"He's here! He's here! General, I can see the ship Young Master is on! It's a huge ship, much larger than the warships of the Beiyang Fleet!" a soldier ran to the dock and returned the telescope to Wu Xingquan! While waiting at the dock, Wu Xingquan had this soldier use the telescope to look out from a high vantage point! Most of the ships coming to Yingkou were from Japan or Russia, with few from other countries! Therefore, when the 'Dawn Goddess' cargo ship, flying the American flag, appeared on the sea, Wu Xingquan's subordinates knew that their young master had returned!

Soon, the 'Dawn Goddess' docked, and Wu Haoxuan, along with his two subordinates, James and Davis, appeared on the deck!

Seeing Wu Xingquan's robust figure, Wu Haoxuan's eyes suddenly became moist! In his previous life, he was an orphan and never had the chance to experience family warmth. In this life, his father Wu Xingquan treated him like a treasure, which deeply moved him!

"Father, I'm back!" Wu Haoxuan got off the cargo ship and came to Wu Xingquan's side.

"Ha ha! Good! It's good to have you back! After a few years, you've grown taller and stronger!" Wu Xingquan's eyes also became moist, patting Wu Haoxuan's shoulder, his voice choked with emotion.

"Father, these two are my friends. This is James, my classmate at the military academy! This is Davis, my business partner in the United States!" Wu Haoxuan introduced them to Wu Xingquan.

"Hello!" Seeing the two foreigners, Wu Xingquan was somewhat shocked! Despite being a general, he still felt inferior in front of foreigners! If he hadn't known that these foreigners were his son's friends, he might have bowed to greet them!

"General, good afternoon!" James and Davis also showed great respect to Wu Xingquan. After all, this was their leader's father!

"Let's go! Back to Shengjing, your mother is waiting at home!" Wu Xingquan said.

"Okay, Father! By the way, Father, I've brought some things back for you! Have these things moved as well!" Wu Haoxuan said.

"What things?" Wu Xingquan asked.

"Fifty Browning pistols made in the United States! Five hundred M1903 rifles! Five M1904 heavy machine guns!" Wu Haoxuan said.

"What? So many weapons?" Wu Xingquan was startled. In this turbulent era, having soldiers and guns was the hard truth. Wu Haoxuan bringing back so many weapons shocked Wu Xingquan! If he knew that the entire 'Dawn Goddess' cargo ship was filled with these weapons, he would be even more shocked!

"Hu Zi, take the men and move everything Young Master brought back to Shengjing!" Wu Xingquan waved his hand, and the soldiers from the patrol camp he brought quickly loaded Wu Haoxuan's weapons onto several horse-drawn carriages and transported them to Shengjing! Wu Haoxuan and the others also rode horses to follow!

The road from Yingkou to Shengjing was well-maintained, and by evening, they had entered Shengjing! As one of the senior officers in Fengtian, Wu Xingquan had a large mansion in Shengjing! The mansion was located in the north of Shengjing, surrounded by the residences of other high-ranking officials in Fengtian!

After returning home, Wu Haoxuan first paid respects to his mother, Shi. The two of them hadn't seen each other for years, and Shi shed many tears!

It wasn't until 7 PM that Wu Xingquan called Wu Haoxuan, and he left.

When Wu Haoxuan entered the living room, Wu Xingquan was talking with three middle-aged men, and they all stopped when they saw Wu Haoxuan enter.

"Haoxuan, come and meet your uncles and aunts!" Wu Xingquan said to Wu Haoxuan.

Wu Haoxuan was not unfamiliar with the people in the living room! He had often seen them when he was young! The oldest man, Ma Tengxi, was the commander of the Liaoyang Patrol Camp and a hereditary Yunjiwei. Wu Haoxuan knew that Ma Tengxi was both literate and martial, a true scholar-general!

The other man, with a fierce appearance and a brutal air, was Feng Lingge, the commander of the Fengtian Left Patrol Camp. In his youth, Feng Lingge had been a bandit, robbing and killing without restraint!

The last man, the youngest but with the highest rank, was Zhang Yuting, the commander of the Fengtian Front Patrol Camp and a close confidant of the Shengjing General Zhao Erxun.

Wu Xingquan was the second oldest among the four but had the lowest rank. However, these four were the most important military figures in Fengtian at the time! They were also the founders of the Fengtian warlord faction in history!

"Haoxuan pays respects to Uncle Ma, Uncle Feng, and Uncle Zhang!" Wu Haoxuan bowed respectfully to everyone.

"Ha ha! Old Wu, I didn't expect Haoxuan to grow up so well in just a few years!" Ma Tengxi laughed heartily.

"Old Brother Ma, that's right! Haoxuan has studied abroad for several years and has absorbed a lot of foreign knowledge. How can he be compared to us, the wild beasts?" Feng Lingge also laughed.

"Haoxuan has graduated, right? In theory, he could join the military! However, without a braid, it might be difficult to explain to the General!" Zhang Yuting also said.

The four had known each other for a long time and had a good relationship. However, who would have thought that in the future, they would turn against each other for power and fight each other? Especially Feng Lingge and Zhang Yuting, who fought for the leadership of the Fengtian faction. In the end, Feng Lingge failed and had to leave Northeast China.

"The braid is not a problem! We can just get a fake one! Gentlemen, the dishes are ready, let's sit down!" Wu Xingquan said. Tonight, because of Wu Haoxuan's return, he had specially invited these old brothers to gather.

The group moved to the dining room of the Wu residence, where an octagonal table was already filled with delicacies!

"Father, where are my two friends?" Wu Haoxuan asked, worried about James and Davis. Two foreigners who couldn't speak Chinese, who knew what trouble they might cause!

"Don't worry, they are being taken care of!" Wu Xingquan said.

Northeasterners were very generous, and at the dinner table, they kept toasting each other. Wu Haoxuan, who had just returned from abroad, became the focus of the three elders and was soon dizzy from the toasts! Fortunately, his father Wu Xingquan blocked the three brothers, or he would have been drunk!

When the table was a mess, everyone was full and satisfied! At this moment, Zhang Yuting said, "Brothers, the situation is not good! The General asked us to gather our troops today to prepare to enter the pass and support the emperor, to fight against the traitor Yuan Shikai. I refused, but the General's attitude is getting stronger, and I'm almost unable to hold him back!"