Chapter 75

Lin Yuan said, "Of course we have a way. We have something that can fly."

Deng Shichang said, "I heard from rumors that you have the assistance of flying deities. Is that true?"

Lin Yuan said, "What deities? Our thing is called an 'airplane,' which can fly like a bird in the sky."

Deng Shichang nodded doubtfully and said, "But even so, we still can't win against them. Even if our shells can hit accurately, they are also attacking us. Our defense is clearly insufficient. The sides of our few warships are generally not armored, only the key areas are protected. This level of protection is obviously not a match for the Junquan-class ships."

Lin Yuan smiled and was about to suggest a solution when he heard the voice of a duty soldier, who said, "Captain, I finally found you. Something big has happened in Beijing!"

Lin Yuan said to Deng Shichang, "Mr. Deng, I'll go back and handle it first. After I'm done, we'll talk about the solution."

They got off the Japanese warship, and Lin Yuan returned directly to his residence. It turned out that Zhang Hua and Shen Tao in Beijing had sent back a message.

The message read: On December 5, 1894, the Boxer rebels in Beijing killed the British ambassador to China, Kier. The British government has already notified the Qing government and will send troops to Beijing to protect British citizens in the city.

Lin Yuan was shocked. This was an excellent pretext for the powers to launch a war!

The situation facing the Qing government was now very critical: First, the entire northern border was under the watchful eye of Russia. The Trans-Siberian Railway had been completed, allowing Russia to mobilize heavy troops into Northeast China and Mongolia at any time. There were also Russian troops stationed in Northeast China, who could coordinate with the Russian army in Outer Manchuria. In Korea, the leader of the pro-Chinese faction, Queen Min, was assassinated, and Japan was already showing signs of re-entering Korea. The Japanese navy was also regrouping.

Then there were countries like Britain, France, and Germany. Germany had recently provoked in the Jiaozhou Bay area and tasted some success, which inevitably aroused the jealousy of Britain and France. They would certainly use the incident of the British envoy's assassination to invade China and force the Qing government to sign a series of unequal treaties.

In the history Lin Yuan was familiar with, the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China began with Russia taking the opportunity to invade and occupy Northeast China, committing the Hailanpao Massacre and the Jiangdong Sixty-Four Villages Massacre, killing a large number of innocent civilians. If the war started now, the Beijing warship would not have the capability to conduct land battles in the 1.5 million square kilometers of Northeast China.

Lin Yuan then ordered Zhang Hua to find out the bottom line of the powers and see if they really intended to start a war.

Upon receiving Lin Yuan's order, Zhang Hua fell into deep thought. He lit a cigarette, closed his eyes, and let his body sink into the smoke, slowly pondering a strategy.

At this moment, the door opened, and Zhang Hua opened his eyes to see Shen Tao walk in, asking, "Xiao Shen, did you go to the government office today?"

Shen Tao smiled and said, "I went to the government office to inquire. The Boxers had a clear understanding of Kier's itinerary. It seems they had been planning to kill him for a long time. Every one of Kier's guards was killed with a single strike. It looks like these Boxers are all experts!"

Zhang Hua asked, "How did the government office determine that the Boxers were responsible?"

Shen Tao replied, "Kier's wife didn't die; she was only slashed but not in a vital spot. She said it."

Zhang Hua frowned and asked, "What? His wife didn't die?"

Shen Tao laughed and said, "What's wrong with you? My brothers at the government office saw his wife; she's alive."

Zhang Hua said, "That's not right! The Boxers have a rule: 50 taels of silver for killing a foreigner, 40 taels for a foreign woman, and 30 taels for a foreign child. If these people were really Boxers, why didn't they kill the foreign woman? It seems they deliberately left her as a witness!"

Shen Tao said, "Old Zhang, why are you being so fussy? It's just a dead foreign devil; he deserved it!"

Zhang Hua lit another cigarette and said, "You don't understand. This is giving the British a pretext for war."

Zhang Hua suddenly said, "Did you go to the British embassy? Is the security tight?"

Shen Tao said, "Their embassy is in Dongjiangmian Alley. The British envoy lives in the former Chun Prince's Mansion. I don't know the inside situation, but due to the Boxers' unrest, there are double guards at the entrance."

Dongjiangmian Alley was later known as Dongjiaomin Alley, but at this time, its name had not changed.

Zhang Hua said, "Are the workers inside Chinese or foreigners?"

Shen Tao said, "I did pay attention to this. The dirty work like transporting garbage is always done by Chinese people."

Zhang Hua nodded and said, "Tomorrow, we'll go to the British embassy."

The next day, Zhang Hua and Shen Tao disguised themselves as garbage collectors and entered the British embassy through a side gate of the mansion. The entire place was built in a Chinese style. A two-story building caught Zhang Hua's attention. This building was surrounded by many soldiers, and people entering and exiting had to show identification. They all carried document bags.

After leaving the mansion and returning to their residence, Shen Tao couldn't help but ask Zhang Hua, "We worked all morning. Did you notice anything? I didn't see anything."

Zhang Hua smiled and said, "I've already found where they hide their documents."

Shen Tao laughed and said, "That's good. I'll go and steal the documents."

Zhang Hua shook his head and said, "That's not possible; it's too dangerous."

Shen Tao couldn't help but ask, "Then what do you suggest?"

Zhang Hua thought for a moment and then asked, "Can you start a fire?"

In a Japanese-style club in Beijing, Sakura Yumi was kneeling on a tatami mat. In front of her was a middle-aged man. She smiled and said, "Your methods are truly excellent, Headman. I have learned a lot."

The middle-aged man, sitting cross-legged, held a cup of tea and sipped it leisurely, smiling and said, "Miss Sakura, you are too kind. Our Genyosha and your military are both serving the Emperor, so there is no distinction between us."

The man's name was Headman, and the Genyosha he mentioned was a far-right organization in Japan. If you mention its other name, no one would be unfamiliar with it: the "Black Dragon Society."

At this time, the Black Dragon Society was still called the Genyosha, and Headman was one of its founders.

Sakura Yumi smiled and said, "Headman, the idea of disguising as Boxers to assassinate the British ambassador to China is very clever. Our empire can benefit from it. But I wonder if those people will reveal our secret?"

Headman said calmly, "Those people will never speak again."

The assassination of Kier is consistently attributed by historians to the Boxer rebels. Thus, the truth of history is often unknown.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends