Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 465 Sworn Brothers
"I dare not deceive you, sir. The contract is real. I saw it with my own eyes. It is stamped with the official seal of the Jilin General's Office."

Han Dengju smiled bitterly and said that if there were no formal procedures, he would have driven the Tsarist Russian exploration team out of Jiapiqiao long ago.

"Brother Han, this matter is of great importance and needs to be reported to the court to see what the court's attitude is.

As soon as I have any news, I will send someone to inform you immediately.

I invited Brother Han here this time for another matter.

I heard that the Liuhequan armed forces have risen up again in the Jiapiqiao area recently, and the court has ordered me to suppress it.

I would like to entrust this matter to Brother Han, I wonder if Brother Han is willing?"

The Jiapiqiao area is the Han family's sphere of influence. If Qu Shaoyang wants to send someone there, he must at least say hello to Han Dengju.

Moreover, Liuhequan is an anti-Russian armed force, and Qu Shaoyang does not want to suppress it by force. If it is possible to pacify them, it is better to try to do so.

Since Han Dengju entered the general's office, Qu Shaoyang had been treating him with great courtesy. How could Han Dengju say anything unhappy at this time? He immediately nodded in agreement.

After the two discussed the specific methods, the matter was settled.

Han Dengju rarely came to the provincial capital, so Qu Shaoyang would definitely keep him for a few more days. In the evening, Qu Shaoyang hosted a banquet to entertain Han Dengju.

The two chatted and learned that Han's ancestors were also from Dengzhou Prefecture, and they were finally able to tell that they were from the same hometown.

As a result, the two became closer, and when they had a great time drinking, they simply became sworn brothers.

Han Dengju is one year older than Qu Shaoyang, and Qu Shaoyang always calls him "big brother".

"Go, call all the children in the family over and let them recognize Uncle Han."

After the two men became sworn brothers, Qu Shaoyang ordered someone to call all the children in the family over to recognize their relationship.

The servants in the mansion hurried to the backyard to tell Chen Xiuyun. Upon hearing this, Chen Xiuyun sent Zhenbang away and led her brothers and sisters to the front yard to meet Han Dengju.

Although Han Dengju is one year older than Qu Shaoyang, his eldest son Han Xiutang is a few years younger than Zhenbang and is the same age as Zhenwu.

When Han Dengju saw the eight children of the Qu family, he liked them very much because the boys were energetic and the girls were pretty.

"Oh, you see, I came here in a hurry and didn't bring you any gifts. I will make it up to you another day."

Han Dengju came to see Qu Shaoyang and actually brought gifts, but he did not think about becoming sworn brothers with Qu Shaoyang when he came, so naturally he did not prepare any gifts for the children.

At this time, it is necessary to explain and comfort the children.

"Uncle Han, there's no need for gifts. When you have time, ask your brothers and sisters to come to the provincial capital to play.

We don't have many friends here, if they come, we can play together." Zhenbang is older and more sensible, and he quickly responded with a smile.

"Okay, that's easy, I'll send those bastards over here someday.

I heard from your father that you are studying in academy now and your grades are doing well, right?

It just so happens that the kids in my family aren't very motivated, so I'll let them come and learn from you, maybe they'll become successful."

Han Dengju was very fond of the clever and intelligent boys from the Qu family and agreed immediately.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Han. Dad, Uncle Han, you guys chat while I take my brothers and sisters back to rest. We have to go to school tomorrow."

Zhenbang bowed to Han Deng, then led his brothers and sisters out.

"My dear brother, I really envy you. You have eight children, and each one is so smart.

Look at your Zhenbang, he speaks and acts like an adult, he is so sensible, he is really rare."

After the children left, Han Dengju praised them again.

Although the Han family has such a large fortune, their descendants are not very prosperous.

The old head of the family, Han Xianzong, left home to make a living in Jiapiqiao. The couple were separated for most of the year, so they had only one son, Han Shouwen.

Maybe it was for this reason that Han Shouwen's education was delayed. He was just a lazy and incompetent young master.

Han Shouwen married a wife who knew nothing and could do nothing. The couple spent their days eating and drinking for free, and fortunately they gave birth to a promising eldest son, Han Dengju.

Han Dengju was a man of both civil and military talents since childhood. At the age of 25, he led his grandfather to fight against the Japanese pirates, made great contributions, and took charge of the family business. However, he and his wife Liu Fengzhi currently had only two sons.

Therefore, when Han Dengju saw Qu Shaoyang's eight children, he was really envious.

“The child of my eldest brother must be right.

Someday, I will bring my sister-in-law and the children to the provincial capital so that our two families can get together.

My wife has a gentle temperament and will definitely get along well with my sister-in-law."

The Han family has great influence and high reputation in Jilin Province. Qu Shaoyang would only say this if he truly wanted to make friends with Han Dengju.

The two drank and chatted until late at night.

Han Dengju had a house in Xiguan, Jilin. Qu Shaoyang did not let him go back, but let Han Dengju live in his house.

Han Dengju stayed in Jilin City for several days, and then returned to Jiapiqiao. After some operations, he successfully put down the Liuhequan Uprising.

After Qu Shaoyang learned the news, he immediately reported to the court and requested credit for Han Dengju.

At the same time, the matter of Changshun signing a contract with Tsarist Russia to mine gold in Jilin Province was reported to the court.

After some time, the imperial court issued an edict, and Han Dengju was awarded the title of deputy commander, the title of lieutenant general, and the blue-crowned feather for his meritorious service in resisting Russia.

As for Qu Shaoyang's report, the matter of Tsarist Russia's gold mining is under investigation and will be put on hold until the second phase of Tsarist Russia's withdrawal.

Before Tsarist Russia returns Fengtian, Jilin and other occupied territories, we must not have any more disputes with Tsarist Russia to avoid causing trouble.

Qu Shaoyang conveyed the imperial edict to Han Dengju. In order to thank Qu Shaoyang for his appreciation and reuse, Han Dengju brought generous gifts and came to the provincial capital with his wife and children to express his gratitude.

Chen Xiuyun and Han Dengju's wife Liu Fengzhi hit it off at first sight and became sworn sisters.

Following Qu Shaoyang's suggestion, Han Dengju sent his two sons to school, where they happened to be studying with Zhenye, Zhenwu and others, and it was quite lively.

In late February, Anders and others came to Jilin City with their families.

Qu Shaoyang had already arranged a place for them to stay, and the group quickly settled down and began to prepare for the reconstruction of the Machinery Bureau.

The first day of March was the date agreed upon by China and Russia for the second round of troop withdrawal.

Tsarist Russia originally wanted to deny it and find excuses not to withdraw its troops. However, Yingkou, Niuzhuang, Liaoyang and other places had been recaptured by the Dingbian Army before. After the peace talks were successful, the Dingbian Army directly handed over these cities to the court.

Moreover, Zhang Xiulan, who had officially taken over as Fengtian General, and Qu Shaoyang, General of Jilin, had very tough attitudes.

The Tsarist Russia had no choice but to withdraw its troops from Fengtian, Jilin and other places.

The second phase of the withdrawal went very smoothly, and the court was very satisfied, rewarding Qu and Zhang.

In April, the Jilin-Changchun Railway Project, which was undertaken by the Jilin Provincial Railway Company, was launched. Qu Shaoyang transferred Zhao Guangzhi from Linjiang and appointed him as the general manager of the project.

In addition, one person will be selected from the general's office and one person will be recommended by the provincial chamber of commerce to serve as assistants, who will be responsible for the entire railway construction process.

At the same time, Chen Xiuyun selected a piece of land on the outskirts of Jilin City and started construction of a pharmaceutical factory.

After learning the news, several foreign pharmaceutical companies that had originally cooperated with Chen Xiuyun contacted Chen Xiuyun and clearly expressed their willingness to continue cooperation.

Through these companies, Chen Xiuyun ordered a large number of machinery and equipment from abroad, and the pharmaceutical factory could start production as soon as the factory building was completed.

Building railways and factories both require a large number of workers.

Fortunately, after the New Year, Qu Shaoyang arranged people to go to Zhili, Shandong and other places to recruit refugees.

Anyone who is willing to come to Jilin Province to open up wasteland and work can be provided with travel expenses by the General's Office, and they will be properly settled and given all kinds of care.

For this purpose, the general's office specially set up a refugee resettlement office with a dedicated person in charge of this matter.

Thanks to the thorough preparations made in advance, the large number of refugees who arrived here did not cause any trouble and were instead quickly settled in.

Qu Shaoyang ordered his men to survey and release all the land returned by the Tsarist Russian Eastern China Railway Company and the land outside the railway boundary, and to resettle the refugees.

By the end of May, the Jilin Machinery Bureau had been renovated, and Zhang Tianzhi also helped find many scattered staff members of the Tianjin Machinery Bureau and mobilized them to come to Jilin Province.

Qu Shaoyang was very happy to see so many professionals gathered together.

Therefore, a special research center was established in the Jilin Machinery Bureau to provide these technicians with an environment where they can study advanced explosives and weapons with peace of mind.

The rebuilt Jilin Machinery Bureau was divided into two parts. One part was the silver dollar factory, which specialized in minting silver dollars, copper dollars and other currencies.

The other part manufactured gunpowder, grenades, bullets, artillery shells and other weapons to equip the garrisons in the three northeastern provinces.

In view of the powerful weapons used by the Dingbian Army before, Zhang Xiulan and the Heilongjiang general expressed their willingness to purchase them to Qu Shaoyang, and Qu Shaoyang agreed to it.

In June, the entire Chinese Eastern China Railway main line and the South Manchuria branch line were officially opened to traffic. The South Manchuria branch line is more than 700 kilometers long, with 240 kilometers in Jilin Province.

At the same time as the railway was opened, the Eastern Province Railway Administration was established in Harbin, with Horvath, commander of the Tsarist Russian Eastern Qing Railway Guard, as its director.

Afterwards, four battalions of the Tsarist Russia's Outer Amur Railway Corps entered the Northeast and concentrated in Harbin.

The Eastern China Railway Administration held elections in Harbin and established a disguised management agency, the Urban Public Utilities Management Committee. Such actions blatantly violated the sovereignty of the Qing Dynasty.

After learning the news, Qu Shaoyang immediately reported it to the court and communicated with the head of the management bureau, condemning the other party's actions and ordering them to dissolve the relevant institutions, but the Russian side refused.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty called the Chinese Eastern Railway Company and stated that according to the previous contract agreement, from the date of the start of the Chinese Eastern Railway, the company should pay 5 million taels of silver to the relevant departments of the Qing Dynasty and asked the Chinese Eastern Railway Company to respond to relevant matters as soon as possible.

As expected, the Russian side rejected the Qing court's request and refused to perform according to the contract.

On August 18, it should have been the day for the third phase of the Russian troop withdrawal. However, the Russian troop withdrawal was rejected by the Qing government.

At the same time, the Tsarist Russian government also put forward five demands to the Qing court for the actual military occupation of the northern half of the Northeast, which were rejected by the Qing government.

As a result, the humiliated and angry Tsarist government appointed Admiral Alexeev as Governor-General of the Far East.

The Far East Governor-General's Office was established in Lushun, which was in charge of the military and political affairs of the three northeastern provinces.

They also actively built fortifications in Lushun, Hunchun and other places, and threatened to attack Fengtian, Liaoyang and other places again.

Tsarist Russia's attempt to monopolize the Northeast naturally affected Japan's interests.

Japan ordered the Goryeo army, which it armed, to cross the Yalu River and invade the Eastern Province.

In fact, before this, Japan had already ordered the Korean people who were hired and recruited by it to cross the Yalu River several times to harass the jurisdiction of the East Province.

For example, in April, Korean bandits crossed the Yalu River at night, kidnapped more than ten people from the birthday party in Ji'an County, and extorted money.

Later, he led hundreds of people across the border, smashing, looting and burning.

The local Dingbian Army general Xu Qingfa led his troops across the river, attacked Sanshui City at night, rescued the kidnapped people, and seized countless guns.

In June, Korean people scrambled to grab the rafts that were dispersed by the Pai Gang. The Pai Gang clashed with the Korean people, resulting in several deaths and injuries.

In August, the Korean police officer led his troops across the river and set up village agreements without authorization in an attempt to manage the Korean people who crossed the border. He also ordered people to commit knife attacks and fired artillery attacks on the local joint defense committee.

In view of the various actions of the Koreans in Dongbiandao, Chen Yunhan, the governor of Dongbiandao, led his troops to fight back and refused to give in.

The Russians also took advantage of the situation and sent a small group of troops across the river to station at Longyanpu in northern Goryeo to seize territory.

At the same time, the Russians were also conducting various exercises in the Yellow Sea, Liaoyang and Haicheng areas.

In order to compete for territory and rights, Japan and Tsarist Russia began to step up military expansion and preparations for war, and at the same time launched a fierce diplomatic war.

From the second half of the 29th year of the Guangxu period to the end of the year, Japan and Tsarist Russia conducted bargaining negotiations behind the backs of Goryeo and the Qing court, and neither side made any concessions.

By the 19th day of the 12th month of the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Japan had obtained specific guarantees from Britain and the United States and had completed all preparations.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Japan formally proposed to the Qing government that when the Russo-Japanese war broke out, the Qing court must declare neutrality.

Under pressure from the great powers, the Qing government telegraphed all provinces that if Japan and Russia went to war, the Qing Dynasty must strictly maintain neutrality.

After receiving the notice from the court, Qu Shaoyang could not help but curse the court behind the scenes for being weak, cowardly, and crappy.

But on the surface, they had to pretend to obey the court's orders.

Orders were sent to the garrisons in Jilin Province and the eastern region, ordering them to strictly abide by the principle of neutrality and not to participate in the war without authorization.

Of course, this was just an order that had to be obeyed on the surface. Secretly, Qu Shaoyang contacted rebel leaders such as Liu Yonghe, Yang Yulin, Wang Heda, and Dong Laodao.

After the Dingbian Army successfully reached peace talks with the imperial court, many of the various rebel armies were unwilling to be under the command of the imperial court.

Qu Shaoyang settled these people down under the name of the forest patrol team and let them develop. As long as they didn't do anything to harm the people, Qu Shaoyang would not interfere too much.

These people were supported by Qu Shaoyang, so naturally they followed Qu Shaoyang's orders. They would do whatever Qu Shaoyang asked them to do.

So Qu Shaoyang signaled to them that once Japan and Russia started fighting, they should let these people take the opportunity to cause trouble.

No matter whether they are the Japanese or the Russians, as long as we find the right opportunity, we will deal with them.

When attacking the Japanese, they say they are hired by the Russians. When attacking the Russians, they say they are hired by the Japanese.

Anyway, the main purpose is to take advantage of the situation and fish in troubled waters.

In addition, Qu Shaoyang also sent a message to Han Dengju, asking Han Dengju to lead the Nanshan militia to be ready at any time.

Once the war begins, let him take the opportunity to take back the Guanjingzi mining area occupied by Tsarist Russia.

And we must strictly prevent Japan from sending troops to cause trouble and ensure the production of the Jiapigou gold mine.

(End of this chapter)