Chapter 85

Determined to sink, the ship went down amidst a chorus of screams. The fleet commander watched his subordinates busily transferring the crew, and couldn't help but wonder, "Who is attacking us?"

Suddenly, he thought of a name: "Lin Yuan." At the same time, he recalled the mysterious large ship, a vessel with a displacement of over 50,000 tons, rumored to have extremely strong combat capabilities and to have once captured Japan's Combined Fleet. He thought, "Could Lin Yuan use the same tactic against our fleet? If he comes, I will capture him alive."

Although the commander was unsure of his thoughts, he also realized they shouldn't advance to Beijing anymore. Thus, he ordered the fleet to return to Hong Kong.

Lin Yuan watched the returning British fleet. For some reason, he felt no relief. He had a vague sense that a greater crisis was about to come!

Lin Yuan's premonition was not wrong. When the news of the complete destruction of the Beiyang Fleet spread, it triggered a series of chain reactions. France declared war on the Qing court and organized an expeditionary force of about 10,000 troops to advance on Taiwan, planning to occupy it. Germany also declared war on the Qing court and dispatched a fleet to Jiaozhou Bay. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, the United States, and the Kingdom of Italy also declared war on the Qing court, but these three countries sent only a small number of troops. The Austro-Hungarian Empire sent a detachment of about 50 engineers, the United States sent a single warship, and the Kingdom of Italy sent a medical team of about 100 people.

To attack the Qing Dynasty, these countries had to pass through the sea. What truly worried Lin Yuan were Japan and Russia.

Russia, of course, was the primary threat to Northeast China. After obtaining the right to build railways in Northeast China, Russia rapidly constructed railways in the region, allowing it to deploy large numbers of troops at any time. In the history Lin Yuan knew, during the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, Russia occupied Northeast China in this manner.

As for Japan, after secretly assassinating Queen Min, the King of Korea became a complete puppet of the Japanese. Under the pretext of strengthening national defense, Korea invited Japanese troops into the country. Soon, Japan dispatched a force of 10,000 troops to Korea, occupying important cities like Seoul and stockpiling large amounts of supplies and ammunition along the Sino-Korean border.

Despite losing nine main warships to Lin Yuan, the Japanese Navy, with strong support from the Japanese government and covert backing from the British government, quickly rebuilt a new fleet. The personnel were still from the original Combined Fleet. The first two warships purchased from Britain, the Fuji and the Yashima, became the main warships of the new Combined Fleet.

When Lin Yuan received this news, he was greatly surprised. He knew that historically, these two battleships were ordered by Japan from Britain in 1894, just before the First Sino-Japanese War, and did not join the Combined Fleet until 1897. He did not expect that after Japan was defeated by Lin Yuan and the Beijing warship, the British, to support Japan against this mysterious force, worked overtime to build these warships. To speed up their construction, they even removed steam engines and cannons from other warships and installed them on these two ships, thus completing them so quickly.

Japan, to avenge its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, was always ready to attack the Qing Dynasty. Upon hearing the news of the complete destruction of the Beiyang Fleet, Japan immediately dispatched the Combined Fleet to patrol the Liaodong Peninsula, ready to land at any time. The Japanese troops in Korea were also ready to cross the Yalu River and invade Northeast China.

Thus, the Eight-Nation Alliance was officially formed. It included countries like Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan, which were intent on invasion, as well as countries like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, and the United States, which wanted to take advantage of the chaos to gain some benefits. In the historical Eight-Nation Alliance invasion of China, the forces of eight countries concentrated on attacking Beijing. This time, each country would launch invasions from different strategic directions.

While Lin Yuan was deeply concerned about the possibility of Russia and Japan invading Northeast China by land, the people of Northeast China were still unaware of the danger.

After killing the Russians, Old Black Mountain, ignoring everyone's advice, resolutely turned himself in to the local government. The county magistrate, not daring to delay, had him detained and reported the incident immediately.

Wang Liangdao, unable to persuade Old Black Mountain, cursed him for being as stubborn as a mule and went back to raise money. A few days later, Wang Liangdao raised several hundred taels of silver, spent several dozen taels on a high-quality ginseng root, and went to the county office.

Wang Liangdao had often given the county magistrate good things, and they were somewhat familiar. The county magistrate invited Wang Liangdao to the back hall. Wang Liangdao smiled and said, "Your Excellency, I recently found a ginseng root while working in the mountains for the Russians. I don't know if it's good, but since you are an expert in this field, I brought it for you to appraise."

The county magistrate, experienced in officialdom, understood Wang Liangdao's meaning at once. He smiled and said, "It's a good thing. Rest assured, Brother, once this storm passes, the lumberyard will still be yours." As he spoke, he moved the box containing the ginseng closer to himself.

Wang Liangdao smiled and said, "Your Excellency, I came to ask about Old Black Mountain."

The county magistrate's heart skipped a beat. "What do you want to ask?"

Wang Liangdao said, "What crime can Old Black Mountain be charged with, and can he be given a lighter sentence..."

Before Wang Liangdao could finish, the county magistrate pushed the box toward him and said, "Brother, don't mention this matter again. Old Black Mountain killed a Russian, which is a matter for the Empress Dowager to handle. How can a small county magistrate like me have any say in it?" He then picked up his teacup, and a subordinate immediately shouted, "Escort the guest out!"

Wang Liangdao, helpless, had to leave. On his way to Shoutou Village, he passed through Liujia Village, where a smiling young man stopped him and said, "Sir, we have a happy event in our village. Why not come and have a cup of celebratory wine?"

It turned out that Liu Dazhuang and Jing'er were getting married. The people of Liujia Village were always hospitable and would invite passing guests on such occasions.

Wang Liangdao, in no mood for such things, said irritably, "No, no!"

The young man was Liu Dazhuang's friend, Xiao Wu. As the saying goes, "One doesn't hit a smiling face." Seeing Wang Liangdao's bad temper, Xiao Wu felt annoyed and said irritably, "Go, go."

Wang Liangdao, full of anger and with nothing to vent it on, said angrily, "Hey, young man, what kind of talk is that?"

Xiao Wu retorted, "That's how I talk. What are you going to do about it?"

Wang Liangdao, a man with nothing to fear, sneered, "Didn't you invite me to the wedding? Fine, I'll go!"

Xiao Wu, taken aback by Wang Liangdao's words, didn't have time to respond before Wang Liangdao added, "Watch how I turn your happy event into a funeral!"