Chapter 67

On December 1, 1894, the Ryukyu Kingdom's envoy officially arrived in Beijing. The next day, a brief report on the dynamics of neighboring countries was sent back to the Beijing warship.

All the intelligence was obtained through public channels; it was impossible to get confidential information in such a short time. First, regarding Japan: Since the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan considered not winning the war a great humiliation and proposed a series of military strengthening plans.

The foundation of a strong military is large-scale industrial production, and the foundation of large-scale production is capital accumulation. With the assistance of the Japanese government, small and medium-sized enterprises were widely acquired by large enterprises. The four major zaibatsu—Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Yasuda—rapidly concentrated over 70% of the nation's capital. With government support, these funds were heavily invested in industries such as machinery manufacturing and steel, which are the foundations of weapons development.

The Japanese government invested heavily in the construction of the Yawata Iron Works, both introducing advanced technology from European countries and actively supporting universities and research institutions in developing new technologies. The Japanese Navy established a naval arsenal in Kure, positioning it as the most important naval artillery factory.

The Navy proposed a "Rearmament Plan," aiming to build a "Six-Six Fleet" with six battleships and six armored cruisers over the next five years. The first two battleships, the "Fusō" and the "Yashima," were commissioned at the end of November.

Regarding Korea: The struggle between pro-Chinese and pro-Japanese factions intensified. On November 29, King Gojong of Korea demoted Queen Min to a commoner, and she subsequently died in the cold palace, with many suspecting Japanese involvement.

This Queen Min, known as Empress Myeongseong in later Korean dramas, was assassinated by pro-Japanese forces in Korea. The reason was that after the First Sino-Japanese War, she became a leading figure in the pro-Chinese faction, and thus was eliminated by the Japanese and pro-Japanese forces in Korea. Following this, Korea signed a series of trade and commercial agreements with Japan and hired a large number of Japanese as military and police advisors.

Regarding Russia: The new Tsar, Nicholas II, ascended to the throne and gathered a large number of troops on the northeastern border. He also transferred ships from the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet's base in Vladivostok. On the other hand, Russia accelerated the construction of railways in northeastern China, with Nicholas II specifically allocating funds from the royal treasury to support railway construction in northeastern China.

Regarding the Qing Dynasty: The Self-Strengthening Movement, hindered by officials like Weng Tonghe, gradually stagnated, and the struggle between the Self-Strengthening faction and the conservative faction intensified. The Boxers still existed, and foreign envoys in Beijing repeatedly threatened to launch military action before 1895 to punish these rebels.

After reading this, Lin Yuan couldn't help but frown. If the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China soon, the naval battles would be a given, as they were no match for the Beijing warship. However, the land battles were another matter, especially with the powerful Russian forces in the north. He looked at the report and thought to himself: "We must find a way to delay the possible war."

Similarly troubled was Xu Feng, who was in northeastern China. The crisis of cyanide pollution had passed, and the Russian church had moved away, with its alchemical equipment secretly dismantled. The Qing government had appointed a new magistrate, but Xu Feng still hadn't found the whereabouts of the Beijing warship.

Xu Feng didn't know what he should do. For now, he could only teach the children in the village to read and do basic arithmetic. He thought to himself, "Others who travel back in time can become kings and emperors, but I, a carrier-based aircraft pilot, can only be a village teacher in the late Qing Dynasty."

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but laugh. At that moment, the poor performer Qiong Sanbei entered the room and said with a smile, "Sir, something new has happened in the county. Would you like to go see it?"

Qiong Sanbei now lived at Liu Dajie's house. Liu Dajie was naturally hospitable and, seeing that Qiong Sanbei was also from a poor background, allowed him to stay. Unexpectedly, Qiong Sanbei insisted on paying rent, so he went to the teahouse in the county every day to perform, embellishing the story of the living god Xu Feng into a fast-paced narrative, which attracted many listeners.

Qiong Sanbei smiled and said, "They say they are laying railway tracks, and people from all over the area have gone to see it."

Xu Feng, having nothing to do, followed Qiong Sanbei. Upon arriving, they saw a crowd of people surrounding a long vehicle on the already laid railway tracks. The vehicle was loaded with railway tracks and coal, and a chimney was emitting smoke.

There were many Russian soldiers with guns around the vehicle, so the Chinese people did not get too close. The people on the vehicle operated the machinery to place the tracks directly onto the laid sleepers. During the process, technical personnel ensured the alignment, and later, the fasteners and welding were done.

Seeing the Russians laying the railway, Xu Feng was startled. He asked Qiong Sanbei, "Do you know why these Russians are building the railway?"

Qiong Sanbei thought for a long time and shook his head.

Xu Feng frowned and said, "Once this railway is built, the Russians can send troops here and take our resources to Russia!"

Qiong Sanbei seemed to understand. He nodded and hesitantly said, "So, the Russians are building the railway to harm us?"

Xu Feng nodded and said, "We cannot let the Russians' scheme succeed. I have a plan. Can you perform a shamanistic ritual?"

"Shamanistic ritual" originated from the Manchu shamanism, where the performer claims to be possessed by a deity to perform activities like healing and divination. Some people use this to deceive others for money, and this activity has a wide following in northeastern China.

Qiong Sanbei proudly said, "Of course, we performers are skilled at imitating anything, and I can certainly do this!"

Xu Feng whispered instructions in his ear, and Qiong Sanbei nodded in agreement.

Qiong Sanbei went to the center of the crowd and suddenly let out a loud cry, drawing everyone's attention. He continued to cry out, jumping and bouncing as if his whole body was on fire. The crowd was puzzled and looked at him in fear. He then lay on the ground, moaning, and after a while, stood up straight, his eyes wide open.

A few children were frightened and started crying. Xu Feng pointed at the railway-laying vehicle and said, "What is this thing! It desecrates the land of our mountain god!"

His voice was cold and eerie, scaring several women who picked up their children and ran home. He pointed at the vehicle and said coldly, "I am a minor deity sent by the Jade Emperor to guard this mountain. Now the foreigners are laying this thing, which will unleash demons and bring chaos!"

He repeated these words, speaking faster and faster until he finally collapsed from exhaustion. The crowd was too frightened to speak. Xu Feng ran over, and some people recognized him, saying, "Isn't that the living god from Liu's village?"

Xu Yuan frowned and knelt beside Qiong Sanbei, shouting at the crowd, "Move away quickly! When the mountain god is angry, it's no joke!"

He then clasped his hands together, muttered something, and slapped Qiong Sanbei's forehead, shouting, "Rise!"

Qiong Sanbei opened his eyes, looking bewildered, and said, "What happened to me? Why am I on the ground? Why are you all looking at me?"

Xu Yuan said, "No worries, the mountain god was angry and used your body to warn everyone. This railway is an ominous thing!"

Hearing this, the crowd was alarmed and began to disperse in small groups. Among the Russians, there were translators who heard the story and were skeptical.

Xu Yuan and Qiong Sanbei left. On the way, Xu Yuan laughed and said, "You really played your part well, but one thing: how did your mountain god know Shandong fast-paced narrative?"

Qiong Sanbei laughed and said, "Sir, will this scare the Russians away?"

Xu Yuan laughed and said, "Of course not, I have more plans."

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