The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 27: Master Qian's Insight
Teng Yuzhao nodded and began to carefully explain to Master Qian the reasons why he released the seriously wounded Allied soldiers and German prisoners of war.

"Master Qian, it is very inconvenient for those seriously injured prisoners to stay with me. Not to mention that they need to be carried during the march, it will also slow down the march. Even if I try my best to treat them, not to mention the consumption of medicine, it is impossible to save their lives with the means in our army. Many people will die. It is better to send them back, which can also leave a good reputation for Master Zhongtang in the coalition army."

"As for releasing the German prisoners of war, it was not entirely because of little Christian from the Lihe Company, but also for the sake of Lord Zhongtang."

Master Qian looked at Teng Yuzao with a bit of surprise, picked up the teacup and used the lid to gently push away the floating tea leaves, took a sip, and then said, "Xingfu, please continue. I am all ears."

Still a little unsure of Master Qian's thoughts, Teng Yuzao asked tentatively, "Master Qian, do you think that the Qing Dynasty can eventually win the battle against the coalition forces of the great powers?"

Master Qian looked at Teng Yuzao for a long while before shaking his head and sighing, "If there had been no Southeast Mutual Protection, the Qing Dynasty could have managed to fight the foreign powers with all its might, but it would not have won in the end. The best outcome would probably have been to cede territory in exchange for peace."

"But now, the strongest provinces in the southeast, which collect most of the imperial court's taxes, are sitting on the sidelines while the imperial court resists the invasion of foreign powers. The northern provinces are far away, and distant water cannot quench nearby thirst. Secondly, the northern inland provinces do not have new troops, and those green camp soldiers are of little use. As a result, it is almost as if the imperial court is only commanding our Zhili and the three provinces outside the Great Wall to fight against the foreign powers separately."

Master Qian sighed helplessly again, "Although there are 90,000 troops in the three provinces outside the Great Wall, the equipment and training of the troops outside the Great Wall are much worse than those of our Zhili army. They also have to face more than 100,000 Russian troops and can't take care of the interior of the Great Wall. As for our Zhili soldiers, although they are stronger and number 80,000, they not only have to defend Shanhaiguan, but also involve a large number of troops from the capital."

"So now we only have Nie Shicheng's Wuwei Front Army and Song Yu's Right Army Ma Yukun's troops that can be used in Tianjin. Even if we count the Tianjin Wei General's troops and the training troops, there are less than 20,000 soldiers who can fight, and their combat effectiveness is uneven."

"The Boxers may seem to be numerous, but they are not invulnerable. It's not like Yu Zhongtang has killed Boxers before, and they have killed countless people. They can only contain and harass the foreigners, but it's useless to fight them head-on..."

"Also, the foreigners have occupied Dagukou, which provides convenient shipping, and are constantly increasing their troops... How can we win this war?"

The so-called Southeast Mutual Protection was promoted by Liu Kunyi, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and Zhang Zhidong, the Governor-General of Huguang. On June 6 this year, Yu Lianyuan, the governor of Shanghai, and consulates of various countries in Shanghai formulated the "Sino-Foreign Mutual Protection Regulations" drafted by Sheng Xuanhuai.

The Sino-Foreign Mutual Protection Regulations consisted of nine articles, the main content of which was that the Shanghai Concession was protected by troops from various countries, while the inland areas such as the Yangtze River, Suzhou and Hangzhou were protected by governors and governors-general, and the two sides would not interfere with each other; the arms of the Shanghai Manufacturing Bureau and the Gunpowder Bureau were only used to suppress bandits and protect Chinese and foreign merchants and civilians.

In other words, their arms would not be delivered to the imperial court to resist the invading Qing army of the Zhili Allied Forces. If they did not give arms to the Allied Forces, it would be even more impossible for them to respond to the imperial court and send troops to join the war.

Moreover, it was recently rumored that Shandong Governor Yuan Shikai, Guangdong and Guangxi Governor Li Hongzhang, Fujian and Zhejiang Governor Xu Yingqi, Zhejiang Governor Liu Shutang and others had also joined the "mutual protection", which meant that the most elite Wuwei Right Army closest to Zhili could not be counted on. Teng Yuzao nodded and said, "Master Qian, your opinion is good. With the entry of more than 100,000 Russian troops, the three provinces outside the Great Wall are too busy to help Zhili. It is almost impossible for Zhili alone to win the battle against the coalition forces."

Teng Yuzhao couldn't help but secretly admire Master Qian's vision. Master Qian's foresight was much better than those ministers in the court who encouraged Cixi to go to war!

Teng Yuzao also sighed and said, "It is an indisputable fact that we cannot ultimately defeat the coalition of great powers! But facing the invading coalition of great powers, we have no way out now. We can only fight hard and make the greatest sacrifice for Zhili in order to exchange the best result for the court."

"However, although Master Zhongtang has to fight, there must be a method. Before striving for the best result, you must also consider the aftermath of the battle..."

Teng Yuzao stopped talking halfway through the last sentence. If he continued to say the rest, it would be considered as treason. Not to mention that the court would not accommodate him now, even Yu Lu might not dare to indulge him. At least he would reprimand him on the surface. Teng Yuzao would naturally not say it to embarrass himself.

Master Qian saw that Teng Yuzhao was still unsatisfied, but there were some things he couldn't say out loud right now. He nodded, suddenly laughed, and said to Teng Yuzhao.

"Xingfu, I was right. I didn't expect you to have such foresight and foresight before you turned thirty. You are indeed extraordinary. I have discussed what you said with Yu Zhongtang. Xingfu, don't worry. Yu Zhongtang also agrees with you."

"Also, you did a great job not sending the prisoners along with the battle report to the Governor's Office! Yu Zhongtang was very happy and praised Xingfu for his broad-mindedness and consideration of the overall situation. He is a rare operator with both literary and military skills!"

Master Qian said admiringly, "These prisoners are like hot potatoes in the hands of Yu Zhongtang. They can neither be eaten nor thrown away. Moreover, the court and the Boxers will definitely ask Zhongtang for the prisoners. Once they are sent to the court, it will be difficult to protect them. They may be kidnapped by the Boxers on the way and die. At that time, the powers will probably hate Yu Zhongtang to the core... Therefore, these prisoners can only be kept in your army and must not be handed over to Yu Zhongtang."

Master Qian's words made Teng Yuzhao feel greatly relieved. If these captives were really handed over and died, the Allied Forces would probably even hold a grudge against him as well. After the war, not only would the Allied Forces not let him go, but even the imperial court would push him out in order to reach a peace agreement as soon as possible. Teng Yuzhao knew that the condition proposed by the Allied Forces was to kill those ministers who had instigated Cixi to condone the Boxers and go to war with the foreigners, and that Cixi mostly did as the foreigners wished.

Master Qian continued, "Xingfu, I want to congratulate you. Not only are you insightful and foresighted, but you are also courageous and capable. You won the first battle. Yu Zhongtang praised you greatly."

As he spoke, he took out a document from his pocket and handed it to Teng Yuzhao.

Your support is the driving force of Zuima!
(End of this chapter)