Chapter 411: I rolled out from a pile of dead bodies, damn it, I declare war!

Chapter 411: I rolled out from a pile of dead bodies, damn it, I declare war!

Chapter 411: I rolled out from a pile of dead bodies, damn it, I declare war!

"Zhang Zhidong is really evil. He even schemed against General Zuo. Damn, Nie Shicheng and Dong Jun were my subordinates during the Western Expedition, but he also schemed against them."

Le Sen, who was following him, chimed in, "Marshal, now Nie Shicheng and Dong Jun are loyal to the imperial court first. If we don't get rid of them, that bunch of rabble from the literary society may not dare to take action."

"Is there no one who understands in the Military Affairs Office?"

"Yes, yes. The latest intelligence is that Li Hongzhang had a secret talk with Zhang Zhidong for a whole day. I don't know what they talked about."

"Well, I think Old Li knows the situation of the new armies in various places and Sichuan. When the time comes, he will definitely get a piece of the pie."

"By the way, Dong Jun is fine, but Zuo Shuai and Nie Shicheng have joined the Japanese, plus that lunatic Liu Mingchuan, I'm afraid Yang Fuqing can't handle it, let alone Zhang Lexing."

"Maria, draft a telegram and send it to Buenos Aires. Ask the King of England if he is still capable of fighting after not having fought for ten years. It is time for him to put on his armor again and go into battle to kill the Qing monsters."

Two hours later, Buenos Aires.

Chen Cheng handed over all state affairs to Zhang Siwen, the newly arrived advisor to the Bau Heavenly Kingdom Federation. He took two thousand personal guards and capable generals with him and boarded the 3,000-ton steam-sailed ironclad cruiser "Heavenly Kingdom" purchased from Britain.

Carrying the thousand-ton ironclad frigates "Tianfu" and "Tianxiong" purchased from the Zhenjiang Shipyard and five transport and supply ships, they bypassed Cape Horn, crossed the Pacific Ocean, and headed directly to Yokohama Port.

…………

"Marshal, this is the intelligence we gathered about European countries while we were on the ship."

It was already the sixth day of the second month of the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi reign, the Waking of Insects. Shao Quanzhong had actually returned to the Qing Empire, and the Haiqi was docked in Zhanjiang.

When the young emperor made the decision to send troops to Japan in the Yangxin Palace, he was the first to receive the news.

But, after all, he is a loyal minister and he has to give face to the emperor. He cannot interfere with the troop deployment of the emperor who is in power, right?

"Austria-Hungary protested strongly to Serbia, put forward ten very harsh conditions and issued an ultimatum, claiming that if it did not receive a response within two months, it would declare war on Serbia."

"Two months? Why is this ultimatum so long?"

"Marshal, according to the analysis of the General Staff, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is urgently producing bullets and shells with smokeless gunpowder primers, equipping the new army with the new weapons we support, and conducting emergency training."

"What about Serbia? Is it scared?"

"Serbia was very tough at first, but when they saw the Austro-Hungarian army approaching, they started to cower and agreed to nine out of the ten points in the ultimatum. They only disagreed with the one about the Austro-Hungarian Empire sending troops to enter the country and arbitrarily arresting and identifying members of the Black Hand..."

"Austria-Hungary refused to give in and announced that none of the Ten Points could be lost. The Serbian Foreign Minister made an urgent visit to St. Petersburg and asked Russia to help mediate."

"Alexander II was tough this time, threatening Austria-Hungary that if it invaded Serbia, which was also a Slavic country, Russia would declare war on Austria-Hungary."

“After the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister Count Andrassy made an urgent visit to Berlin and received a guarantee of alliance from His Majesty King William I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not change its mind.

The two-month ultimatum is approaching, Britain and France have already begun mobilizing their reserves, and now the war in Europe is imminent."

Shao Quanzhong slammed his fist on his palm, "Great! This matter has finally come to a head. Damn it, I almost died in Sarajevo because of this. If you don't fight, how can I be justified in risking my life?"

"Let's go and see what's happening with the ironclad ships at the Zhanjiang Shipyard."

Accompanied by Ma Han, the principal of Zhanjiang Naval Academy, Shao Quanzhong inspected the Zhanjiang Shipyard.

"Marshal, we are losing out. The Zhanjiang Shipyard has an investment of eight million silver taels a year, and we have contributed four million taels. How come the eight Saxon-class ironclad ships we built this time were all given to the Germans?"

"Hey, the Germans don't have any goods, how dare they challenge big brother Britain?" "The European war is about to start, we can't stand out this time. We must remain neutral, sell weapons to both sides, and take the opportunity to develop. So, why do we need advanced warships?"

"Ah? We're not participating in the European war, what a pity."

All soldiers are warmongers, even Mahan, the instructor.

Zhanjiang Port has excellent hydrological conditions, with "bustling merchants and travelers, and a constant flow of boats and vehicles." The Zhanjiang Shipyard has gathered shipbuilding elites from China and Germany, with huge investments. It now has eight dry docks assembling ironclad ships at the same time.

The ironclad ship weighing more than 7,000 tons was fixed on the huge keel piers and side piers. The steam jibs and large steam cranes were working with white smoke. Densely packed shipbuilding technicians were busy crawling on the ship, like ants building a nest.

Mahan pointed at the eight huge ships and said, "These eight ships will be ours after all, right? It will take at least three years to launch them. In three years, the European war should be over, right?"

Shao Quanzhong smiled mysteriously, "I calculated that the European war will take more than three years to finish. I am counting on the European war to bleed big brother Britain. How can I live up to my expectations if I bleed less?"

Shao Quanzhong patted Ma Han on the shoulder and said, "If you don't believe me, just look at the reaction of the Federation. By then, they will definitely make money on both sides and will not be in a hurry to get involved personally."

"If one side wins the European war, the Federation and our Qing Dynasty will definitely find a way to support the other side and let them continue."

Shao Quanzhong stared at the eight huge ships being assembled in the dock. "I don't think much of this Saxony class. We're not sure whether we'll buy it or not. So much money has been invested, but the German experts haven't come up with anything?"

Ma Han shook his head. "It took the British several decades of investment to produce continuous results. Our foundation is still too shallow."

"It's okay. If you can't figure it out yourself, just learn from the British big brother. Here, this is the latest information that Jiang Chunlin's subordinates worked hard to get. Two blond foreign courtesans were sacrificed for this. You must copy it carefully."

Mahan took it and looked at it. Wow, this was the detailed technical data of the "Indomitable", a 10,000-ton pure steam ironclad ship that was newly designed by the British and had just started construction at the Portsmouth Shipyard a month ago.

Ma Han nodded seriously. "If the German experts can't figure out the tricks to build the most advanced warships after having this thing, they can all be fired."

"Don't worry about the funding. If there are any breakthrough results, just report it to me and I will approve any amount."

Shao Quanzhong left Zhanjiang Port and returned to Hailing by boat.

Ten days later, when Shao Quanzhong had just gotten off the ship in Hailing, the staff members who were reporting urgently were already blocking the gangway.

"Report, four days ago, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and its army entered Serbia."

"Two days ago, Lucia declared war on Austria-Hungary."

"Germany then declared war on Russia based on its alliance with Austria-Hungary, and then sent troops to Luxembourg and Belgium."

Uh, the Germans are so funny, they declare war in the east and fight in the west.

"Britain and France immediately declared war on Germany. Britain sent an urgent telegram asking you, Marshal, to join the Allied Powers and participate in the European war."

Shao Quanzhong chuckled, "Don't complain to me, brother. We are fighting in Japan and can't go."

A fast horse came galloping over, "Report! The Ottoman Empire has joined the Allies and has just declared war on Bulgaria. A tank division has already entered Bulgarian territory."

Shao Quanzhong's expression changed immediately. "Come here, declare war on the Ottoman Empire, gather troops, and dispatch Liao Rong's navy to escort!"

Le Sen was stunned. "Marshal, didn't you say that we should just take advantage of the situation and not participate in the battle?"

"Damn it, the Ottoman Empire dares to attack Quan Xiao, why should I remain neutral? I rolled among the dead, who am I afraid of? I declare war!"

(End of this chapter)