RPAGF Chapter 122 Recapture of the Capital
Chapter 122 Recapture of the Capital
Several Western war correspondents and prisoners of war were brought in together!
There were four corpses on the ground: an old man, presumably the head of the household, a servant, and two young women's bodies that had just been pulled from the well; they appeared to be a young lady and a maid.
"Who did it?" the platoon leader asked sternly.
All the British prisoners of war lowered their heads and remained silent!
"Since no one confesses, then kill them all!" The platoon leader waved his hand, and the soldiers raised their guns and aimed them at the prisoners.
"NO, no, it wasn't me!" one soldier cried out in fear, and the other prisoners also shouted.
"Bang!" The platoon leader pulled out his pistol and fired a shot into the air. "Shut up, all of you! Who did it? Hand it over, or you'll all die!"
“He did it, Phil did it! And John, Sack…” A soldier broke down in tears, pointing out several people in succession.
The five British soldiers who had committed the offense were quickly identified and taken aside.
"Madam, come and see if it's them. Are there any others?" The platoon leader helped the lady over.
"It's them! These beasts!" The noblewoman wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, carefully examined them, and nodded.
The platoon leader nodded and waved his hand.
"No, don't!" "Mom!"
A burst of gunfire rang out, and several British soldiers fell to the ground. The other prisoners were terrified, their faces turning pale.
The reporters standing nearby didn't dare say a word, but obediently took pictures of the scene.
"Take them out!" The soldiers, along with the prisoners, carried the British soldiers' bodies out of the ground.
"Sir, thank you! Thank you for avenging my family. Take all this money! It's all because of these things that this trouble happened!" the noblewoman said, pulling at the platoon leader.
"Madam, no! Our Shandong New Army cannot take anything from the people at will. However, we need money to provide relief to the people of the entire city."
"We'll take this silver! You can keep the rest yourself!"
The platoon leader instructed the soldiers to take away the gold and silver, but not to take any other jewelry or antiques.
This was the practice throughout the city, unless the entire family had died. The new army only took the gold and silver from the wealthy families; they didn't take a single penny from the poor.
The mopping up of the remnants of the foreign powers' armies was very swift, as those who put up strong resistance had already been eliminated several days earlier. Those who remained mostly surrendered as soon as the new army arrived.
On August 25th, Shen Lian and Nie Gongting jointly issued a telegram to the world, declaring their intention to recapture Beijing and annihilate the allied forces of the foreign powers. They requested the court to send envoys back to Beijing to negotiate with the eight nations.
The telegram sent shockwaves throughout the land. Shen Lian's name spread like wildfire, and people rushed to tell each other the news. Officials and commoners alike praised the father-in-law and son-in-law's achievements, hailing them as contemporary Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, respectively, who had restored the Qing Dynasty.
Empress Dowager Cixi also issued an edict praising the father-in-law and son-in-law to the skies, promising them generous rewards. She immediately dispatched Prince Qing Yikuang back to Beijing to oversee the negotiations, summoned Li Hongzhang to Beijing to assist in the negotiations, and designated Shen Lian to participate in the negotiations, with his opinions taking precedence.
Empress Dowager Cixi originally disliked Li Hongzhang very much, but since he was the best at dealing with foreigners, she had no choice but to reluctantly summon him back to Beijing.
Li Hongzhang readily accepted the summons. In the past, every negotiation had resulted in defeat, reparations, and territorial concessions. This time, however, they had won a victory, and even though the court hadn't summoned him to Beijing, he still wanted to participate in the negotiations.
In particular, he really wanted to meet this young man, Shen Lian.
Although the capital city has been recovered, Shen Lian has not rested; on the contrary, he is even busier!
In addition to making private contacts with various countries, Shen Lian also quickly dispatched a cavalry regiment to the area outside the Great Wall. He also sent Nie Xianfan with 5,000 Wuwei soldiers and 50 cannons to strengthen the defense of Shanhaiguan.
Although Russia had agreed to a temporary ceasefire, Shen Lian still did not fully trust them.
In addition, two regiments of the new army were transferred with a large number of heavy weapons to strengthen the defense of Tianjin in conjunction with the 2nd Regiment that remained in the city.
At the same time, 50,000 soldiers were conscripted in the capital and Zhili, and training began immediately.
His actions were not kept secret from the great powers; they were all carried out right under their noses.
In short, it's up to you whether you want to fight or negotiate!
Under Shen Lian's assertive leadership and the terrified persuasion of officers from various countries, most nations agreed to a temporary ceasefire. As for the Japanese, who were clamoring to send a large army, Shen Lian simply ignored them.
Japan will not dare to send troops unilaterally unless other countries intervene.
In the current situation, Shen Lian believes that among the great powers, Britain has the greatest influence. The greatest threats are Germany, Russia, and Japan.
As for other countries, just pay a little more attention to France and Italy.
The United States is just there to make a cameo appearance, and Shen Lian treats the remaining small countries as if they don't exist.
To facilitate dealings with foreign powers, Shen Lian moved his office directly to the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry).
That day, Shen Lian was reviewing documents in his office when a guard came in and reported that an official named Gu Hongming was requesting an audience.
"Oh! Please come in quickly!" Shen Lian was overjoyed upon hearing this; this eccentric genius from the late Qing Dynasty had finally appeared. In the original history, he seemed to have only appeared in Beijing when Germany was massively mobilizing troops to invade China.
The anecdote of him lecturing the German commander Waldersee like a grandson became widely known in later generations. Shen Lian also wanted to meet this man who insulted foreigners as worse than pigs and dogs, yet they respected him greatly.
"Your humble servant Gu Hongming greets Your Excellency the Governor!" A thin old man walked in and bowed to Shen Lian.
The old man is currently in Zhang Zhidong's staff, assisting in the establishment of the Hanyang Arsenal. It is correct for him to address Shen Lian as "your subordinate."
“Mr. Licheng, please don’t be so polite. I have long heard of your great name, but I have never had the chance to meet you. I never expected you to come today. It is truly an honor to have you here! Hahaha!” Shen Lian stepped forward and helped the old man up.
"Oh! The governor has heard of me too?" The old man carefully examined Shen Lian with his wise little eyes.
"Haha! I also returned from studying in the United States. Your name is known far and wide. Even foreigners speak of you with admiration!"
"Hmph! Do I need to admire those foreigners who are covered in body odor and have no culture?" the old man said arrogantly.
Just as rumored, he was sharp-tongued and aloof!
"Exactly! Like the United States I visited, it's only been a nation for a little over a hundred years. A bunch of descendants of prisoners and thugs, what kind of culture do they have, yet they dare to flaunt the banner of civilization everywhere, it's truly laughable."
Clearly, Shen Lian's words and actions pleased the old man, and the two began to chat amicably. One was a master scholar with profound knowledge of both Chinese and Western cultures, fluent in seven languages, while the other had a mind full of various foreign knowledge. With Shen Lian deliberately flattering him, the two enjoyed their conversation immensely.
Two hours passed, and the two of them completely forgot the real reason they had met. It wasn't until it was almost dark that they realized it.