Beiyang Dream

July 13, 1891 (Gregorian calendar), 6:30 AM.

On the sea outside Wonsan Harbor, five ships were paddling out from beside the gray hull of the Parmiyat Azov. Ten Russian marines sat on each ship, fully armed, their Berdan II rifles fixed with bayonets. The oars slicing through the water made a splashing sound that carried far across the tranquil morning sea.

The five small boats quickly docked at the pier of the Yuanshan Japanese Concession.

Captain Borovkov took the lead, being the first to leap onto the pier. Once he was steady, he turned and shouted, "All...land!" At his command, fifty Russian soldiers scrambled onto the pier, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the morning light. One recruit was slow and was shoved by a veteran behind him, who cursed a Russian swear word. Borovkov ignored him. Once the ranks were assembled, he stood at the front and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"We are here on orders to protect our nationals who are being threatened by the Japanese! Do not fire unless ordered by me personally or the other side fires first! Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the fifty men shouted in unison.

Captain Borovkov waved his hand and shouted, "Towards the Japanese concession! Forward!"

Fifty Russian soldiers, lined up in two columns and carrying Berdan rifles with bayonets fixed, swaggered across the pier towards the shore. Their boots clattered on the concrete surface.

However, the Russians didn't go far. As soon as they got off the pier, they were blocked by the dock.

A human wall.

Twenty or thirty Japanese policemen, short and small, dressed in black uniforms with samurai swords at their waists, stood in a row at the intersection. Leading the group was Inspector Shimada, his face pale with fear, yet he still gripped the hilt of his sword and stood at the very front.

The Russian soldiers stopped. Rifles with bayonets and policemen with samurai swords stood facing each other, about ten paces apart. Shimada swallowed hard, turned to one of his men, and whispered, "Quickly, inform the consul!"

The policeman nodded, turned and ran like the wind.

Shimada turned back to the Russian soldiers who were a head taller than him, his palms sweating so much that the hilt of his sword was soaked. He took a deep breath, drew his katana, and the gleaming blade flashed in the morning light.

One of his Japanese policemen, who understood Russian, stepped forward tremblingly and said in broken Russian, "This...this is the Japanese concession in Motoyama. Foreign troops are not allowed to enter without permission..."

Borovkov understood, but he ignored the policeman and instead shouted at Shimada, who he had already figured out was the leader: "We are Russian Royal Marines, ordered to Wonsan to protect our nationals! According to the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and Russia and the Supplementary Treaty of Amity and Commerce between North Korea and Russia, our country enjoys consular jurisdiction in both Japan and Korea! Therefore, our country has the right to dispatch armed forces to provide 'protection' when our nationals are threatened within the Japanese concession in Wonsan!"

After listening, the Japanese policeman turned to Shimada and said, "Chief, the Russians say that according to the treaty, they enjoy consular jurisdiction and have the right to send troops ashore to protect their citizens..."

Shimada cursed "Baka!" feeling utterly humiliated.

Because of "consular jurisdiction," Russian soldiers could not only enter the Japanese concession in Motoyama, but also land on the Japanese mainland to protect their citizens! Although Japan had been trying to negotiate the abrogation of treaties with the major powers since the early Meiji era, and these negotiations had lasted for over twenty years, not a single treaty had been abrogated. But Shimada still stood there, gripping his katana, motionless. The policemen behind him also drew their swords, forming a human wall.

Borovkov looked at the group of short Japanese policemen, a hint of disdain on his lips. These little dwarfs, wielding thin knives, could they possibly withstand the bayonets, rifles, and armored cruisers of the Russian Empire?

That's incredibly foolish!

At the same time, the construction site in the foreign concession was cleared.

Chang Desheng had taken off his long robe and put on a short-sleeved shirt. He stood on an open space, holding a shovel in his hand, with a pile of cement, river sand and gravel in front of him.

"One part cement, two parts river sand, three parts gravel, add water and mix well. It can't be too thin or too thick..." He said to the dozen or so burly men from the Beiyang Army who were standing around him while stirring. "You guys practice this. I'll teach you how to tie steel bars later."

Cao Kun squatted down beside him, looking at the pile of grayish powder, and scratched his head: "Zhenbang, what's the difference between cement and lime?" "Lime dissolves when soaked in water, but cement gets harder the longer it's soaked in water." Chang Desheng didn't even look up. "Lime is good for building walls, but repairing artillery? It'll collapse after one shot."

"Oh..." Cao Kun nodded, seemingly understanding, then leaned closer. "Is this thing expensive?"

"Of course it's expensive." Chang Desheng did the math in his mind—the shipping cost alone for this bag of cement from Britain to Korea was astronomical. But what he said was, "Even if it's expensive, we have to use it. We can't skimp on the money for repairing the cannons; if we try to save money, we'll be paying with our brothers' lives."

He added to himself: I need to take over that Tangshan cement plant that Old Li was running, which was losing money and almost going bankrupt, and make it a success. It could become the future hegemon of China's cement industry!

When he talked about "tying rebar," he picked up a thin wire and gestured: "See? Just cross them like this, wrap them around, hook them, and tighten them. Space them 20 centimeters apart."

His movements were quite precise... and he could recite the theoretical knowledge fluently. It was just that his hands were a little rusty; it took him a couple of tries to tighten it. Cao Kun, squatting beside him, watched with wide eyes, exclaiming, "Zhenbang, how come you even know this? When did you learn it?"

Chang Desheng didn't even look up: "I studied in Germany. My major at the Prussian War Academy was fortification."

"You learned it in Germany?" Cao Kun suddenly realized, and leaned closer. "Did the Germans say how big of a cannon this thing can carry?" "It can carry anything under twelve centimeters." Chang Desheng casually made up a lie, thinking to himself: How would I know? It's hard to say how strong reinforced concrete is these days.

As he was thinking, he heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats.

It's so exciting!

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, followed by a loud voice:

"Lord Chang! Stop playing in the mud! The Russian soldiers are landing!"

Chang Desheng looked up and saw Pu Xian riding a short horse, galloping towards him from the direction of the dock, his red-tasseled hat almost blown off by the wind. He reined in his horse, jumped down, and ran a few steps to Chang Desheng, panting heavily:

"Lord Chang! The Russian troops have landed! Five ships, dozens of men, all with bayonets, are confronting the Japanese police at the dock!"

Chang Desheng was taken aback.

Holy crap?

I'm not ready yet!

The fortifications were only just started, the three cannons hadn't even arrived yet, and the recruits hadn't even had a chance to train... so how did they get here?

When Russians get reckless, there's really no limit to their aggression!

Cao Kun, Wu Dingyuan, Kong Qingtang, and Duan Qirui also gathered around, all looking tense. Cao Kun was the first to speak: "Zhenbang, what do we do?"

Chang Desheng didn't answer immediately. He put down the wire in his hand, dusted off his hands, and asked Pu Xian, "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail." Pu Xian recounted what he had seen at the dock: Russian soldiers landed, lined up, and confronted the Japanese police. Neither side fired, but the atmosphere was very tense.

After listening, Chang Desheng took a deep breath.

I felt both nervous and excited.

He was nervous because he wasn't prepared yet, and the Russians had caught him off guard.

The excitement stemmed from the fact that the Russians, as expected, couldn't withstand provocation. He had only just begun constructing fortifications, hadn't even set up cannons yet, and the Russians had already landed to cause trouble!

Those Russians are just like Russians; they're always clumsy and awkward in everything they do.

However, his opportunity came when the Russians arrived.

Chang Desheng took a deep breath and shouted, "Good timing!"

Then he beckoned to Pu Xianyi: "Captain Pu, find a few loud-voiced men to ride horses over to the construction site and shout that the Russians have landed and are confronting the concession police. Among those Japanese residents, some can understand Chinese, so shout louder."

Pu Xian paused for a moment, then immediately replied, "Yes, sir!"

He mounted his horse, flicked the reins, called to a few of his men, and galloped toward the construction site.

Soon, shouts of "The Lucia have landed!" rang out all around the construction site.

"The Lucas have landed!"

"They're currently in a standoff with the police at the dock!"

"Hurry and save the foreign concessions!"

The Japanese expatriates who had come early in the morning to help dig trenches were immediately in an uproar.

Their families and property are all in the Japanese concession!

It's unclear who started it, but someone shouted, "Quickly...quickly go save the concession!"

Then I saw some Japanese residents carrying shovels and wooden stakes, running towards the Japanese concession. Then came even more people. Some didn't even bother to grab their tools, running empty-handed. Others ran and shouted, a chaotic mix of Japanese and Chinese.

Chang Desheng stood by the construction site, watching the Japanese expatriates surge towards the dock. His face remained expressionless, but in his mind he was calculating: "That's about enough. Once these Japanese rush in, the Russians will have no choice but to open fire, even if they can hold back. Even if they can resist, I'll help them make the decision to fire!"

He turned around and said to Liu Tonghai, the head of the Goshha tribe beside him, "Old Liu, go and call Officer Luo here."

Liu Tonghai responded and turned to run.

Chang Desheng then said to Cao Kun, Wu Dingyuan, and Kong Qingtang, "Quickly, quickly, get the troops under control, check the weapons and ammunition, move into position, and prepare for battle!"

The three responded in unison, "Understood!" and turned to run.

Chang Desheng finally turned to Duan Qirui: "Brother Zhiquan, you and Committee Member Yao should prepare to receive Japanese nationals seeking refuge. In case of war, some people will definitely flee to our side."

Duan Qirui nodded: "Understood."

Chang Desheng paused, then continued, "Also... send a telegram to Lord Yuan in Seoul, saying that this morning, Russian troops landed at Wonsan, entered the Japanese concession, and clashed with Japanese police! We've already heard gunfire!"

Duan Qirui was taken aback.

There have been gunshots? Where are the gunshots? I didn't hear any.

He looked up and glanced at Chang Desheng.

Chang Desheng had a smile on his face, a smile that revealed a hint of excitement, clearly indicating that he was about to do something naughty.

Duan Qirui understood immediately: This guy... is trying to frame someone? He's trying to start a conflict between Russia and Japan!

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Chang Desheng didn't give him the chance, shouting, "Go now!"

Duan Qirui gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran towards the telegraph office. As he ran, he cursed inwardly: "You, Chang Zhenbang, are trying to drag me down with you!" But he went anyway, because he was sent by Li Hongzhang to keep an eye on Chang Desheng... It would also be a good opportunity to send another secret telegram to Li Hongzhang, informing him that Chang Desheng was planning to provoke a conflict between Japan and Russia, and urging the Prime Minister to prepare accordingly.

No sooner had Duan Qirui left than Liu Tonghai arrived with Luo Shijie.

Luo Shijie was the leader of the twenty veterans from Southeast Asia and a relative of Luo Jingrou. He wasn't tall, but he exuded a murderous aura. He ran up to Chang Desheng and stood at attention: "Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Chang Desheng pulled him aside and said in a low voice, "Shijie, go find a few reliable brothers right now, take off your fake queue, change into Western clothes, and take grenades and pistols with you..."

The voice grew softer and softer, and only Luo Shijie could hear the last few words.

After listening, Luo Shijie's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Understood."

He turned and left, his steps quick and steady.

Chang Desheng watched his figure disappear at the edge of the construction site, then turned his head and glanced towards the dock.

Over there, the noise grew increasingly louder. The shouts of Japanese expatriates, the snorts of Russian soldiers, and the whistles of Japanese police mingled together, audible from a great distance.

Chang Desheng stood there, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Come on, let's make a scene.

The bigger the commotion, the better.