Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 214: Bombarding Tangshan Port! Too Much Bullying
An hour later.

Chen Jie left the palace feeling very depressed.

I explained to the emperor for a long time, but it was of no use.

To put it simply, Ximen Tang’s plan to open a bank in the name of the imperial court is impossible!
at this time,

Chen Jie could understand why the Daqian Dynasty was in disarray.

There are reasons for the decline of imperial power.

Afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind!

The royal family wanted to gain benefits but did not dare to take risks.

I heard that Chen Jie wanted to open a bank in the name of the Daqian Dynasty, take back the coinage rights in various places, and issue "silver notes" in a unified manner!
Chen Jie just told Emperor Li Zheng his idea and scared him half to death.

Given Daqian’s current economic situation, if it wants to open a bank, it must issue national debt.

In other words, it was necessary to get wealthy families from all over the country to become shareholders and invest large amounts of silver dollars in purchasing government bonds.

When Emperor Li Zheng heard this, he thought that if this continued, the Daqian Dynasty would truly be divided up by the aristocratic families.

He rejected Chen Jie's suggestion out of hand.

but,

He finally agreed to give Ximen Tang a license to open a money shop.

What this means is that Ximen Tang can open a money shop on his own, but he cannot use the Daqian Dynasty as endorsement.

After Chen Jie left the palace, he immediately put the matter of opening a bank aside.

We can’t raise national debt, but if we want to open a bank, how much reserve funds do we need?
With Ximen Hall's current influence, how could it be so easy to get the major families to invest and absorb their money?
never mind!

Love so much!

What will happen to the Daqian Dynasty in the future? It has nothing to do with him.

Stabilize your own power first!
He was just the boss of the Ximen Hall, a gangster faction, and the commander-in-chief stationed at the Dagukou Fortress.

You are not the emperor, why should you worry about that?
Although Ximen Tang’s combat effectiveness is indeed very strong, it can even be called the ace army of the Daqian Dynasty!

but,

For the vast Daqian Dynasty, its current influence is limited to the Tianjin area.

Outside of Tianjin, who would take Ximen Tang seriously?

The reason why Ximen Hall attracted the attention of civil and military officials this time was because of the battle at Dagukou Fortress in Tianjin.

in addition,

Ximen Tang, a gangster force, unexpectedly defeated the Hunter coalition and replaced Ye Zhicheng.

Coupled with the fact that Ximen Tang razed Piaoxiang Tower in Tianjin and some people fanned the flames, Ximen Tang was at the center of the Daqian Dynasty.

After the Western Allied Forces abandoned the Dagukou Fortress in Tianjin, the entire city of Tianjin calmed down.

Ximen Hall has fallen into silence, and I believe it won't be long before it is forgotten.

Now the focus of the civil and military officials of the Daqian Dynasty is on Northeast China, Shandong, East China, South China and other places.

of course,

This visit to the palace to meet the emperor was not without gain.

He bought the "gunpowder factory" belonging to the Daqian Military Department, and also acquired a copper smelting plant.

These are all factories under strict management of Daqian.

Even if you have money, you can't buy it. You must get approval from the court.

Prior to this, Ximen Tang purchased raw materials such as gunpowder and copper used to make artillery shells through the Grand Council, which was easily subject to restrictions.

But now that we have obtained the formal approval documents, we can build a factory in Tianjin and create our own arsenal industry chain.

I believe that Huang Tianyou, the person in charge of the Ximentang Arsenal, will cheer for joy after hearing this news.

After leaving the palace, what Chen Jie missed most were the snacks inside.

It tastes really good!

I originally wanted to bring a few pieces home and let Aunt Thirteen and Eighth Sister try them.

Unfortunately, he didn't stop eating and ate up two large plates of pastries.

From what Emperor Li Zheng expressed, Chen Jie's sense of urgency once again became stronger.

The Daqian Dynasty is on the brink of collapse and may fall at any time.

There is no "Cixi" or "Qing Dynasty" here, but there are Western Allied Forces, Eastern Fleet, and Northern Russian Army——!
Compared to the "Burning of the Old Summer Palace" period in that world, the current situation of the Daqian Dynasty is even worse.

Looking at the factional struggles within Daqian, it has almost reached the point where it is impossible to reverse the situation.

Chen Jie doesn't believe that under the current situation, Emperor Li Zheng's imperial power alone can turn the tide.

The Japanese warships landed in Lushun in Northeast China and aimed at Liaodong, which only ignited the war.

The flames of war were about to burn fiercely when the Western Allied Forces attacked the Dagukou Fortress in Tianjin.

but,

Unexpectedly, Ximen Tang suddenly emerged as a dark force and put out the war that was spreading to the capital city in one fell swoop.

But with the transfer of Western warships, I believe that in the coming period of time, the powder keg of the Daqian Dynasty will be completely detonated.

Chen Jie could even foresee that the entire Daqian Dynasty would be engulfed in war in the near future.

Not only in the coastal areas, there will be wars with the Easterners and Westerners.

The most brutal war will break out even in the Western Regions, Tubo, southern Sichuan, Hanzhong, Northwest China and other places.

There was a war between warlords internally, and a war was about to break out with the Western powers externally.

The entire Daqian Dynasty will fall apart.

Due to the strength of Ximen Tang, the imperial court had to retreat to the capital city to guard the Dagukou Fortress in Tianjin.

Xu Shichang of the Ministry of War had just taken office, but he could only watch all this happen helplessly, unable to change anything.

How long can the Li family of the Daqian Dynasty maintain its rule?
no one knows!

but,

Chen Jie definitely doesn't want Ximen Hall to become a stepping stone for the Daqian Dynasty.

If you want to keep Ximen Tang off the menu, you must become stronger.

Not only the military, but also the economy, influence, etc. must become strong.

First, wipe out other forces in Tianjin, and then build a complete ecosystem for Ximen Hall.

Soon after.

Ximen Hall has 20,000 soldiers in Dagukou Fortress, as well as arsenals, fleets, businesses, and banks -!
Only by becoming stronger can you be qualified to face all challenges.

After leaving the palace, Chen Jie reunited with Tang Feng's personal guards.

Next,
Everyone returned to the Ximen Hall headquarters camp.

"Junior brother, you're back? What brings you back so late?"

When Eighth Sister saw Chen Jie coming back, she hurried to greet him.

She helped Chen Jie take off his armor and clothes, and then put on a new set of cotton clothes.

After changing more than fifty kilograms of clothes, Chen Jie felt a lot more relaxed.

Aunt Thirteen went out to do some errands and hasn't come back yet.

There is only my eighth sister at home.

After helping Chen Jie change his clothes, she quickly brought the food and placed it on the table in front of Chen Jie.

"I saw that you hadn't come back yet so late. I thought you must be starving, so I cooked your favorite dish."

"Eat it! It's still hot. How about some wine to warm yourself up?"

After saying that, she went to the cabinet to get some wine.

Chen Jie waved his hand and said with a smile:
"Okay, drink some. You should drink some with me. This is red wine I got from the Bian Du Concession!"

"I only ate a few snacks in the palace. You know what, they tasted good, but they didn't satisfy my hunger!"

The two sat down to drink and chat.

Although Eighth Sister always called Chen Jie her junior brother, the two of them were actually husband and wife.

but,

However, Chen Jie always treated her as his younger sister, and he was used to discussing many matters in Ximen Hall with Aunt Thirteen.

She is like a little money-grubber and is very sensitive about money.

Some time ago, Chen Jie bought a set of books on "Financial Accounting" and asked Eighth Sister to study.

I didn’t expect that my eighth sister would learn with such gusto.

To be honest, Chen Jie planned to gradually let Eighth Sister take charge of Ximen Hall's funds.

She has a talent for it and is very interested in it.

As long as she is given time to grow, she will become the most capable financial staff around Chen Jie.

-

Just as Chen Jie was busy upgrading Ximen Hall's weapons and equipment, as well as holding training meetings.

At the same time, he continued to practice the "Bible Spiritual Cultivation Technique" to strengthen the seeds of "faith" in the hearts of all elite backbones.

December 24th of the Daqian New Calendar!
There was nothing special about this special day for Daqian.

But for the West, tonight is Christmas Eve.

The Japanese Fleet, which blockaded the Bohai Bay, suddenly launched a fierce bombardment on the garrison stationed in Tangshan Port, Hebei.

The Japanese are showing their cards!

They not only landed in Lushun, Northeast China, but also began to bombard the forts at Tangshan Port. At the same time, the Japanese sent a marine corps to land directly at Tangshan Port.

The Battle of Tangshan Port begins!
The battle lasted for sixteen hours, from six in the morning to ten in the evening.

In the end, the Japanese forcefully captured Tangshan Port and destroyed all the Weiyuan cannons at the Tangshan Port artillery positions.

Simultaneously,

The Japanese used artillery to completely flatten the Daqian Dynasty’s barracks stationed in Tangshan Port.

A big win!

but,

The Japanese did not stay in Tangshan Port, nor did they directly use Tangshan Port as a landing breakthrough point.

They blew up the Tangshan Port barracks, destroyed all defenses, and then voluntarily withdrew to the warships.

That's right,

The Japanese bombarded Tangshan Port not for occupation but for deterrence.

After they won the battle, they voluntarily evacuated Tangshan Port.

It was not until the next morning that Xu Shichang, the Minister of War of Daqian, received the battle report from Tangshan Port.

boom--!
After reading the battle report, he was so angry that he smashed the table.

Previously, the Ministry of War used Weiyuan cannons to attack Western merchant ships in Bohai Bay and sank a Western merchant ship fully loaded with "opium".

but,

He never expected that the Westerners did not respond, but the Easterners were so arrogant.

The Japanese captured Weihaiwei, Shandong, and then the fleet headed north and landed in Lushun in the northeast.

right now,

They actually launched a war on three fronts, attacked Tangshan Port, and directly sent troops to land and completely destroy Tangshan Port.

After the Japanese won this battle, they all returned to the warships and evacuated!
revenge!

This is not only a provocation, but also revenge!
They launched an extremely arrogant revenge for the defeat of the Western Allied Forces at the Dagukou Fortress in Tianjin.

This is a contempt for the Daqian Dynasty and a violation of the defense of Tangshan Port.

Just two days ago,
Xu Shichang specifically ordered people to strengthen the defense of Tangshan Port and dispatched an additional 3,000 troops.

To know,
At this time, the Daqian army stationed in Tangshan Port had 8,000 people and was equipped with Weiyuan cannons.

However, the Japanese, with their strengthened military forces at Tangshan Port, directly bombarded it and completely flattened it.

Such an action was a strong provocation to the Ministry of War of the Daqian Dynasty.

To put it simply,
The Japanese didn't take the Daqian Dynasty seriously at all.

Fight if you want!

How could Xu Shichang, the newly appointed Minister of War, endure such humiliation?

Shortly after the Japanese bombarded Tangshan Port, Chen Jie, who was at the Ximen Hall headquarters camp in Beijing, also received a battle report from the "undercover department".

Compared with the battle report from the Ministry of War, Ximen Tang’s battle report is more detailed.

Tangshan Port Battle Report:
At six in the morning, the Eastern Navy Colonel "Higashimon Heihachiro" led the Eastern Third Fleet to attack Tangshan Port.

Naniwa protected cruiser: displacement 3650 tons, speed 18 knots, 42 guns, including 260 2mm Krupp main guns and 150 6mm Krupp guns;
Yoshino main battle cruiser: displacement 4150 tons, speed 23 knots, 44 guns, including 152 4mm rapid-fire guns and 120 8mm rapid-fire guns;
Fuso: Ironclad gunboat, 24 guns;
Akagi: Ironclad gunboat, 22 guns;
Hiei: wooden ironclad gunboat with 18 guns;
Reconstructed steam engine ordinary battleship 'Toyo', 16 guns;
There are also twelve other small ships.

Eighteen warships of the Oriental Fleet marched from the Bohai Bay into the Daqian Tangshan Port.

Without any notification, they suddenly attacked the Tangshan Port Fort and destroyed the Weiyuan Cannon in an instant.

The defenders of Tangshan Port came under sudden attack.

They were caught off guard and attacked by the Japanese Fleet, and were in a very embarrassing situation.

but,

The military garrison stationed at Tangshan Port were, after all, the elite troops of Daqian, and they quickly organized a counterattack.

unfortunately,

The firepower of the two sides was too different.

Especially when the Weiyuan cannon in Tangshan Port was destroyed, the Japanese fleet could not be hit at all.

This was a one-sided massacre.

The Japanese warships bombarded Tangshan Port with naval guns for two hours, eight kilometers offshore, almost flattening the entire port.

The Oriental Fleet only approached the shore after the artillery fire stopped.

A large number of Japanese soldiers landed and launched a fierce attack on the remaining defenders with muskets, Krupp infantry guns, Maxim heavy machine guns, etc.

have to say,

The defenders of Tangshan Port were very tenacious and would rather die than surrender.

The fighting did not subside until after eight o'clock in the evening.

The Japanese destroyed the entire Tangshan Port and damaged all the surrounding defense facilities.

Next,
They did not stay in Tangshan Port, but returned to the Oriental Fleet.

The casualties of the Japanese in this battle are unknown.

However, the defenders of the Daqian Dynasty suffered heavy losses.

Of the eight thousand defenders, after a day of bloody fighting, only a hundred or so managed to escape—!
in addition,

In the Northern Russian Concession ten kilometers away from Tangshan Port, the Northern Russians remained silent and did not make any response.

After reading this battle report, Chen Jie was so angry that his blood vessels almost burst.

Deceiving too much!

This was a one-sided massacre, the artillery fire from both sides was not equal at all.

The firepower of the Japanese fleet was too strong. It could directly cover the long distance and completely destroy all threats before landing in a swagger.

It seems that

The Japanese obtained the most advanced warships and artillery in the West, and their combat effectiveness was extraordinary.

The defenders of Tangshan Port are relatively not bad!

Even compared with the "Xiongwu Army" at the Tanggu Port, its combat effectiveness is not much inferior.

They are all elite soldiers of the military, brave and fearless of life and death.

After the Japanese fleet attacked Tangshan Port, they retreated directly.

What do they want to do?
Apart from responding to the Ministry of War's bombardment of merchant ships and provoking Daqian, is there any other purpose?
Or,

Are the Japanese trying to kill the chicken to scare the monkey and teach the Dagukou Fortress a lesson?
After reading the battle report, Chen Jie habitually came to the battle map.

The Northern Russians established a concession in the Tangshan area, but they have always cooperated closely with the Daqian Dynasty and even sold a lot of weapons to Daqian.

Especially when the Japanese attacked the Northeast and landed in Lushun.

The Northern Russians even fought a war with the Orientals in Liaodong in Northeast China, and both sides ended in a draw.

The sudden attack of the Oriental Fleet on Tangshan Port was not only a provocation to the Daqian Dynasty, but also a warning to the northern Russians.

The purpose of this war is to tell the northern Russians not to meddle in other people's affairs.

The Northern Russians seemed to have sensed the crisis and did not respond.

Their goal is the same as that of the Japanese, and their target is the fat piece of meat called Daqian.

and so.

When the Eastern Fleet started to make a big move, the Northern Russians would naturally not do anything that would harm the interests of both sides.

This great battle destroyed the bloodiness that the Daqian Military Department had finally aroused.

Chen Jie stared at the battle map for a long time without saying a word.

Not long after Xu Shichang took office as the Ministry of War, he had just started the first of his three major tasks when he was faced with such a provocation.

He will never swallow his anger and will take the initiative to attack Japanese merchant ships to save Daqian's face.

Ever since Chen Jie talked with Xu Shichang last time, Xu Shichang already knew that this battle was inevitable.

Do you want to help him?
Chen Jie fell into deep thought.

But even if we want to help, it is very difficult.

How can Ximen Tang help if he doesn’t have a fleet?
The Japanese fleet fled after a brief attack, drifting around on the sea.

They knew that Dagukou Fortress had long-range artillery and did not dare to come and provoke.

but,

The coastline of the Daqian Dynasty is so long that it cannot be defended by defense alone.

The only way to repel the Japanese warships and regain our position is to build a fleet!
fleet!

We must build a fleet!

After reading the battle report, Chen Jie was filled with desire for the fleet.

honestly,
Chen Jie was very jealous of the Japanese Third Fleet.

The Yoshino main battle cruiser has a speed of 23 knots and 44 guns, and is known as the fastest cruiser today.

If such a battleship could be sunk, the Japanese would definitely be in tears.

Buy ships and modify their powertrains!

Replacing the power train of the ironclad gunboat with the power of a combat speedboat can increase the speed to 50 knots.

This is more than twice the speed of the Oriental Fleet.

As long as Ximen Tang has a fleet of fast warships and gunboats, coupled with superb firepower configuration, he will definitely be invincible at sea.

(End of this chapter)