The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 533 Garrison and Railway

Without giving these people time to think too much, Teng Yuzhao changed the subject and spoke.

"If the court decides to let me leave, I will not object, but the prerequisite is that it must be ten years later, so that I can fulfill my long-cherished wish."

"Therefore, I will fully support the court's decree on the establishment of the Army Department, the training of a new army, and the recommendation of the governor of Shandong."

Teng Yuzao's words made those present look at him with even more respect.

Teng Yuzao felt that he had expressed everything he wanted to say, so he waved his hand and said.

"Okay, now I'll tell you my views and decisions on these matters. If you have no objection, let's proceed accordingly."

After Teng Yuzhao finished speaking, he paced on the ground again, took out a cigarette and lit it as he walked, then he spoke while thinking.

"Shandong's geographical location is extremely important. Not only are there German troops stationed in Qingdao, but Weihai has also been forcibly rented by the British as a military port and has British troops stationed there. Shandong and Zhili are close to each other, so we must not hand it over to others, otherwise I will not feel at ease."

"I have decided that the Vanguard Army must not only have a garrison in Shandong, but also have sufficient troops, a certain size, and sufficient troops to support it. Moreover, the garrison in Shandong will not leave until the armies of the great powers leave."

"If the garrison troops do not leave, then the Shandong governor will need to cooperate. For example, if Shandong's economic situation is not good, the new army will not be trained for the time being, or only a small number of new troops will be trained."

Teng Yuzao took a puff of cigarette and looked at Yang Shixiang, Xu Shichang and Zhou Xuexi. "As for the possibility of causing disputes with foreigners, your concerns are justified. I was negligent."

Teng Yuzao said firmly, "This time when you return to Baoding, you must tell Li Zhongtang that foreigners in Zhili and Shandong are only allowed to build churches and preach in the Tianjin Concession and in Qingdao and Weihai. They are not allowed to preach in any other place, let alone build churches."

"Otherwise, the Zhili Governor's Office and the Shandong Governor's Office will not fail to protect their personal and property safety. If any incident occurs, the foreigners will be responsible and they will bear the consequences themselves."

"Lianfu, Juren, I'll tell you."

"This matter is absolutely not open to negotiation. If the great powers disagree, then we will continue to fight. I, Teng Yuzao, will lead hundreds of thousands of vanguard troops to fight to the end."

Several people understood the reason why Teng Yuzhao did not allow foreigners to preach at will. If the foreign churches and missionaries were limited to these three locations, a lot of trouble would be saved, and even to a certain extent, a huge hidden danger would be eliminated for the future Governor of Shandong.

"In addition, I plan to recommend Jizhi's father, the Provincial Governor Zhou, as the Governor of Shandong. I would like to ask Li Zhongtang and I to jointly recommend him."

If foreign missionaries were restricted and there was a vanguard army to back them up, it would not be difficult to become the Governor of Shandong. As for asking Li Hongzhang to recommend this Governor of Shandong, Li Hongzhang would definitely strongly support recommending Zhou Fu, his subordinate and old friend.

After all, the governor of Shandong is much more noble than the governor of other provinces.

The governors of all provinces were of the second rank, but the governor of Shandong was of the first second rank, the same rank as several governors-general.

Even the power of the Shandong Governor was the same as that of the Governor-General. Like the Governor-General, the Shandong Governor was the highest military and political chief in the local area. He was responsible for the military, judicial, civil affairs and other affairs of the entire province. He had extensive powers and heavy responsibilities.

Teng Yuzhao's arrangement was very thoughtful and meticulous, so Zhou Xuexi naturally had no worries. What's more, the Governor of Shandong was a super-ranking governor.

Zhou Xuexi quickly stood up and thanked Teng Yuzhao on behalf of his father.

Teng Yuzao waved his hand to signal Zhou Xuexi that there was no need to do so, and continued with self-deprecating tone.

"Regarding assisting the provinces in disbanding old armies and training new ones, in order to avoid worrying the court, the vanguard army will only leave the newly expanded guard garrison and three artillery garrisons in Zhili to protect the safety of the capital, and all other troops will be dispatched."

"Specifically, Shandong and Jiangsu can arrange for Hu Dianjia's third regiment to be stationed there, and the commander of the third regiment will be stationed in Jinan."

"Li Xianze's second garrison is stationed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the commander is stationed in Shanghai."

"Pan Jinshan's Sixth Regiment, stationed in Fujian and Guangdong."

"The provinces outside the Great Wall are important. We must not only guard against the Korean devils, but also the Russians in the north. The area is vast, and if we have fewer troops, we will not be able to use them."

"Therefore, Liu Yuzhi's First Regiment, Liu Shijiu's Fourth Regiment, Wu Peifu's Fifth Regiment, Li Jinyu's Eighth Regiment, and Xue Qian's Cavalry Brigade, a total of four regiments and one brigade, all went to garrison outside the Great Wall."

"The initial plan is to station the First Regiment in Fengtian, the Fourth and Eighth Regiments in Jilin and Heilongjiang respectively, and the Fifth Regiment and the cavalry will be deployed in the Tongliao and Baicheng areas at the junction of the three provinces to support the three northeastern provinces and also take care of Outer Mongolia."

"What do you think?"

As soon as Teng Yuzhao finished speaking, Yang Shixiang said with a wry smile.

"The Marshal has made such an arrangement, which the court and the Queen Mother are very happy to see. As for what the Marshal said, the Shandong garrison will not leave easily, which will not be a problem at all."

"Unless there is another invasion by foreign powers or a second Sino-Japanese War, the imperial court would rather these vanguard troops stay in various provinces and never come back."

"But, if this happens, not only will the court be more confident in the Marshal, it will also give the court time to calmly manipulate these towns. Is the Marshal really not worried?"

Teng Yuzao smiled and said, "I still say the same thing. The Vanguard Army is the army of the imperial court. What does the imperial court want? What do those town commanders think? These are not important. As long as it is beneficial to this country, I will do it without hesitation. As the saying goes, if you are selfless, the world will be broad."

Xu Shichang said to Yang Shixiang, "Lianfu, I also think we should not worry."

Xu Shichang said, "The senior generals of the Vanguard Army are either the old subordinates of the Marshal when he was the captain, or the students rescued by the Marshal, or the leaders of the Boxers who defected to them. Without the Marshal, they would never have reached the point where they are today. These people know it in their hearts, and they will all be grateful to the Marshal."

"Only a small number of officers were recommended by various provinces. Even Hu Dianjia and Pan Jinshan, who were from the front army of the Wuwei Army, have to be grateful to the Marshal. Without the Marshal's support, they would not be where they are today."

Teng Yuzao smiled and said, "You two are both right, but not entirely right. Lian Fu is too pessimistic, and Ju Ren is too presumptuous."

Teng Yuzao's words made Yang Shixiang and Xu Shichang stunned. Zhou Xuexi, Ning Xingpu and others also understood what Teng Yuzao meant.

That is, Teng Yuzhao did not think that all the senior generals of the vanguard army would be grateful to him, nor did he think that these senior generals would be absolutely loyal to him.

Teng Yuzao waved his hand decisively and said, "I understand the reminder from the Lian Mansion, so let's just leave it at that." "Now, let's discuss the Lu-Han Railway. Who of you will speak first?"

Although Xu Shichang still had some doubts about Teng Yuzhao's words, and was even secretly worried, he couldn't help but be cheered up when Teng Yuzhao mentioned the railway.

Xu Shichang was the first to speak impatiently, "Marshal, we must take over the Lu-Han Railway. Once this railway is completed, it will not only connect Zhili and Huguang, but also Zhili and the Central Plains, as well as Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, and Sichuan. Once Shaanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang have problems, we can quickly mobilize troops to deal with them."

"In addition, as the implementation of Westernization has gradually yielded benefits, the Marshal should also repair the Shanhaiguan to Fengtian section of the Beijing-Fengtian Railway as soon as possible, so that if there is an incident outside the Great Wall, the army inside the Great Wall can more easily go out and respond in time."

"In addition, if possible, it would be best to build railways between Tianjin and Jinan, and between Tianjin and Pukou."

Before Xu Shichang finished speaking, everyone except Teng Yuzao looked at Xu Shichang, who was becoming more and more excited as he spoke, and showed a bitter smile.

Noticing that everyone's expressions were not right, Xu Shichang stopped talking in surprise.

Yang Shixiang smiled bitterly and said, "Juren, you are right. We are in urgent need of building railways in our country, and the more the better. We need railways from south to north and from east to west. But railways are expensive. According to Xingcheng, the total cost of the Lu-Han Railway alone will not be less than 40 million. If the planning is not good enough, the cost may even be close to 50 million."

The Xingcheng that Yang Shixiang mentioned is Yang Shiqi, Yang Shixiang's younger brother, who has been in charge of railway affairs in Beiyang for many years. Naturally, he is the most authoritative person on the cost of railway construction.

Zhou Xuexi also nodded and said, "I understand that the Ju people are eager to build railways, but the funds for building railways are too huge. Let alone building several railways, even if we take over the Lu-Han Railway, it will probably affect the Marshal's plan to promote Westernization. Not to mention, the Marshal also wants to rebuild Tianjin City, which is also a huge project that burns a lot of money."

Although the reconstruction of Tianjin City was also mentioned, Zhou Xuexi was obviously worried about the impact on the factories that Teng Yuzhao wanted to build.

Xu Shichang then looked at Xi Ligong, who knew Teng Yuzao's financial situation best. Seeing that Xi Ligong also smiled bitterly, he couldn't help feeling discouraged.

Xu Shichang agreed with what Yang Shixiang said, that railways were indeed very expensive and that he was too impatient.

Teng Yuzhao, who saw everyone's expressions, spoke up in time.

"Kikuto said it very well. It can be seen that Kikuto is a man who wants to do things. In particular, Kikuto can think of the military significance of railways. This is rare. It shows that I was not wrong. We chose the right person for Kikuto as the Minister of the Army."

Teng Yuzao looked at Yang Shixiang, Zhou Xuexi and others again, "You are right, this railway is indeed a money-burning thing. According to my estimate, the total investment of the Lu-Han Railway is more than 45 million. But in my opinion, we still have to take it."

"First of all, if we don't take it, I guess no one in China will. Zhang Xiangtao wanted to take it but couldn't. I guess other people wouldn't have the vision to do so, so they won't take it at all. In the end, the construction and 30-year operation rights of the Luhan Railway will still fall into the hands of the Dutch and Belgians."

"As far as I know, although Zhang Xiangtao had his eyes on the Belgians, they were not that powerful. In the end, although the Luhan Railway was funded by the Belgians, it was jointly funded by the Dutch and Belgians, and the Dutch paid the largest amount. In addition, there was also funding from Britain and France."

"The Lu-Han Railway not only has important military significance, but also has great economic value. Once this railway is completed, it will greatly promote the economic development of the Central Plains."

When Teng Yuzao spoke about boosting the economic development of the Central Plains, except for Xu Shichang and Yang Shixiang who expressed appreciation, the expressions of the rest of the people looked as if it had nothing to do with them.

Teng Yuzhao smiled bitterly in his heart, but he still had a bright smile on his face and continued speaking.

"Of course, our Nanzhili will benefit greatly."

Teng Yuzao looked at Zhou Xuexi, "Jizhi, with this railway, the products produced by your new factories in Zhili can be quickly transported to Henan, or even to Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and even Gansu. Otherwise, if you want to transport them to Sichuan, you can only rely on sea transportation to Shanghai first, then go up the Yangtze River to Wuchang and Hankou, and then enter Sichuan."

Teng Yuzao said with some emotion, "It would be fine if the cargo ship had a large tonnage, but now the shipping in our country is all small boats that can't carry much cargo at a time, so the freight is not cost-effective."

"Also, the Lu-Han Railway not only transports goods to the inland, but also a large number of export materials will be transported from the inland to Zhili, and then shipped from here to overseas. This will be another huge income for the customs that will soon return to our hands."

"So, we want to take over this railway. Do you have any objections?"

After listening to Teng Yuzao's statement, everyone felt that it made sense and agreed with it. However, they did not expect that Teng Yuzao would say the following next.

"We must take over the Lu-Han Railway. This is settled."

"But this railway alone is far from enough. We also need to build the Jinfeng Railway and Jinpu Railway that Juren mentioned, as well as the Jinzhang Railway. These railways are not only of military significance, but also have huge economic value."

"The Tianjin-Zhangjiakou Railway in particular needs to be built as soon as possible, and it should be extended to Kulun in the northern desert in the future."

Teng Yuzhao remembered that something big would happen in northern Mongolia in a few years, so he had to prepare for it early. However, he could not and would not tell these people about things that had not happened yet.

"But where does the money come from?" Zhou Xuexi asked worriedly.

Teng Yuzao said directly, passing by Xi Ligong who was smiling bitterly, "It is definitely not possible to rely solely on our Aurora Bank to provide funds. It will take a long time to recover the cost of the railway, which will seriously affect our capital turnover. In the end, it will not only have a great impact on Zhili's promotion of Westernization, but it may even make it difficult for the bank to continue."

"Railway funds should come from the following sources. The Aurora Bank will certainly provide a portion of the funds, mainly the initial start-up funds, and the bulk of the funds will have to be borrowed from the private sector and abroad."

Seeing everyone's surprise, Teng Yuzhao hurriedly spoke.

"Don't worry. I know that the imperial court wanted to build the Lu-Han Railway through a joint venture between officials and the public, but no one was interested in it."

"We can be more flexible. Anyone who is willing to invest can do so. In addition, we can issue railway bonds for several railways through the Aurora Bank, and even issue lottery tickets appropriately to raise funds."

When it comes to bonds and lotteries, not only Xi Ligong, but also Ning Xingpu, Huang Chujiu, and even Zhou Xuexi's eyes lit up. They all knew about issuing bonds and lotteries, which was commonplace abroad.

Xi Ligong was the first to say, "Marshal, I think issuing bonds is a good idea. Equity participation is equivalent to a dead investment, but bonds are much easier to deal with. We can issue bonds with different maturities, such as two-year, three-year, five-year, ten-year, or even twenty-year bonds. When they mature, they can go to the bank to get their funds back."

"Moreover, as long as the interest rate is attractive enough, there will be a lot of people buying, especially short-term bonds."

"Even some money houses, ticket houses and even foreign banks with sufficient funds will be willing to buy. Of course, they will buy short-term bonds. If there is a certain amount of collateral, it is not impossible to even borrow from abroad. In this way, we will basically have the money to build the railway."

Teng Yuzao waved his hand and said, "What I said is just an idea. In fact, there are many ways to expand our own channels. Please listen to me."

(End of this chapter)