Chapter 173 Where to Go

In the Qing army camp about 20 miles away from Fuzhou, Song Qing convened a military combat meeting again.

This time, the atmosphere in the main tent was obviously much more dull than the previous times. In the previous combat meetings, all the generals expressed their opinions and spoke actively.

This time, most of them had gloomy faces and lowered their heads.

Song Qing sat in the first seat, while Wei Jichen stood in the first position on the left because of his prestige.

The others stood in order according to their military ranks.

"Everyone, I believe everyone has received the news. The Weihaiwei Navy Base was captured by the Japanese, and the Beiyang Fleet was also seriously injured. Zhongtang is about to leave for Japan for peace talks. Before that, Zhongtang hopes that we can take Fuzhou and strive for some favorable conditions for the peace talks." Song Qing said with a gloomy face.

Obviously, the destruction of the Beiyang Fleet has a great impact on him, not only on him, but also on all Chinese troops.

Wei Jichen stood below and began to think about his future path.

After the war, where should he go?

After the war, the Qing government would take the opportunity to take back the military power, and the countless troops gathered inside and outside Shanhaiguan would either be disbanded or reorganized.

The Huai Army system and the Hunan Army system disappeared in the long river of history in this way.

Then, the Qing government trained new soldiers, wanting to firmly concentrate the military power in its own hands, and trained five Wuwei armies, namely the front, rear, left, right, and center, to defend the capital.

Three of these five armies were related to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895:

The Wuwei Front Army, led by Nie Shicheng, was the general commander. It was precisely because of his performance in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 that the court allowed him to draw elite troops from various camps and finally train an elite force. The Front Army was the strongest and best-equipped unit among the Wuwei armies.

Unfortunately, with the death of Nie Shicheng in the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, this army could not escape the fate of reorganization, and Yuan Shikai, who was far away in Shandong, preserved his strength, which completely changed the subsequent development of the history of the Republic of China.

One is the Wuwei Right Army, which Yuan Shikai relied on to rise. This army was originally prepared to be sent to the battlefield of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 after training with Western military tactics. Unfortunately, the war was over before this army went to the battlefield.

The Wuwei Left Army is the Song Qingyi Army mentioned above, who is worried about the current situation. It is also because of the remarkable performance in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 that the Qing court allowed Song Qing to select elite troops for training.

As for the Wuwei Rear Army, it is Dong Fuxiang's Gansu Army, which should be considered an old-style army.

The Wuwei Central Army is even less worth mentioning. There are a large number of Eight Banners in the Wuwei Central Army commanded by Ronglu himself. When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, this army stationed in Nanyuan did not stir up a wave, and it just disappeared quietly.

So, it seems that no matter how to reorganize or disband, the Qing court still dare not be too much for the meritorious army. Its own Weizi Army is already famous, and the court will not forcibly disband or reorganize it at the risk of the world's disapproval.

Only those armies that are constantly defeated will give the court an excuse to disband them.

Although the court has no excuse to disband its Weizi Army, Wei Jichen thought that it would not be easy to develop with peace of mind because Cixi disliked him.

Because he had this super military auxiliary system, Wei Jichen felt that it would be best for him to choose a chaotic and rich place to develop.

Chaos, he could earn merit points.

And because Cixi did not trust him, he could not jump under her nose, so that she could not see it, so this place had to be far away from the emperor, so there were very few places to choose.

Wei Jichen's heart moved, wasn't there a piece under his feet?

Yes, it was the Liaodong Peninsula.

The Liaodong Peninsula was originally the territory that the Japanese wanted to take away, but due to the intervention of Germany, France, and Russia, China was able to redeem it with silver. Unfortunately, although it was redeemed, this territory has been troubled since then.

Japan had to withdraw from this place, and was unwilling, so their infiltration into Liaodong has never stopped.

Russia is also interfering here for its own interests.

The forces of China, Russia and Japan are constantly fighting here, so why worry about not being able to earn merit points.

Another point is that Liaodong has been beaten like this now, and Korea has actually become a colony of the Japanese. The court will definitely be afraid that the Japanese will invade again. In this way, as long as I move a little, Cixi will probably agree to let my Wei army defend here.

First, my reputation makes the Japanese dare not act rashly, and second, the situation in Liaodong is complicated. Russia and Japan are both interfering here. Since Cixi doesn't want to see herself grow stronger, then throwing her Wei army here is just what she wants.

Since you have chosen to develop here, let's see if there is a foundation here.

Well, in addition to a small population, Liaodong is rich in various resources, and Lushun and Dalian Bay are both on the sea, so I can also quietly develop the navy.

But if I choose Liaodong, I will not have much time to develop myself. In a few years, Russia will regard itself as a hero of returning Liao and occupy Lushunkou and Dalian Bay.

Therefore, he either had to stop developing the navy for the time being, or he had to develop it before the Russians took action, otherwise it would be a mess in the end. Wei Jichen suddenly felt a strong sense of urgency.

The task was arduous, and time was seriously insufficient.

Otherwise, he could not develop the navy for the time being, but wouldn't this naval system be too wasteful? Moreover, Wei Jichen did not want to see the largest and most important military port in the north fall into the hands of the Russians. For a while, he was very entangled.

Fuck, what is a time traveler for? He is here to change history, not to mention that he has brought such a super military auxiliary system.

If he can't even solve this difficulty, he might as well find a quiet place to spend the rest of his life. Unfortunately, in this era, it is almost impossible to find a quiet place, so he can only strive to move forward.

"Zijie, Zijie! What do you think?" Song Qing, who was sitting on the upper floor, saw that Wei Jichen was distracted all the time and asked.

Wei Jichen finally came to his senses. He was still in a meeting here.

If you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. Why think so much now? Let's solve the present first.

The navy must have a lot of money to spend, and now his private property is not enough to fill the gaps in his teeth. Wei Jichen thought of this and suddenly felt something in his heart.

"Marshal Song, now the armies are exhausted. They have not been able to capture Fuzhou after several battles. In addition, the news of the navy's defeat has caused morale to plummet. I think it is better to rest for a while." Wei Jichen's words shocked everyone for a while and they didn't know what to say.

Wei Jichen decided to fight. Now, the reason why the army has been unable to capture Fuzhou is that the Japanese in Fuzhou City have gathered the strength of two brigades.

Another reason is that the Chinese army's desire to fight is getting smaller and smaller. Without the blessing of Wei Jichen's military skills to boost morale, the Qing army has returned to its original form.

The soldiers are no longer the kind of desperate soldiers. Not to mention the loss of more than half, as long as they lose a hundred people, they will start to hesitate. It would be strange if they can capture it like this.

The reason why Wei Jichen suggested a temporary rest is that he wants to obtain command power, so that he can continue to use military skills to boost morale.

To obtain command power, of course, there is no need to kill Song Qing.

Wei Jichen just wanted to make him seriously ill so that he could no longer command. Then, given how much Song Qing valued Wei Jichen, he would most likely voluntarily hand over the command to him temporarily in secret.