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Only Wang Chongshan was still intently studying the map, completely unaware of the flirtatious exchange between Zhao Yan and Zhang Mingqi.
Zhang Mingqi thought to himself, "Politicians are so dirty. When I first met Zhao Yan at the governor's office, I thought he was a young revolutionary with thick eyebrows and big eyes. I didn't expect that he was all smiles on the outside but dark inside!"
"Your Majesty, reorganizing an army of 400,000 for a year is pointless. This force is not enough to defeat the Japanese army and take the Korean Peninsula!"
Wang Chongshan had a typical military mindset. He believed that the individual combat effectiveness and equipment of the National Defense Army were definitely inferior to those of the Japanese army. Although the Japanese army was also decimated in the Russo-Japanese War, the industrialized nation recovered much faster.
If the quality cannot be matched, the quantity must be far greater. Based on the level of Japanese mobilization in the Russo-Japanese War, the number of troops on both sides exceeded one million. The actual number deployed to the front line was certainly not that many, but it was definitely more than half!
"400,000 is just the first batch of troops to participate in the war. There will be more later. Conservatively estimated, there will be a million troops, and it will only be more, not less!" Zhao Yan patted his chest and guaranteed.
The Japanese suffered heavy losses in the Russo-Japanese War, and the post-war gains were far from enough to make up for the losses. In 1905, a war involving a million people had just ended, and in 1907, another war involving a million people was about to begin.
It's sad to think about it. Even if the Japanese have the strong support of the British in the Sino-Japanese War next year, they can't gamble their national destiny like they did in the Russo-Japanese War. It's not that they don't dare to gamble, but that they've already lost all their resources.
If it were a Japanese person who had made a fortune after World War I, they would definitely be capable, but Zhao Yan is currently exploiting a time difference.
If given the chance, Zhao Yan would like to make a fortune in World War I, rise to power after the war, launch a major offensive in World War II, and then reach the top after the war. But this is just a fantasy.
Only independent industrialized nations could reap the benefits of World War I; a semi-colonial agricultural country like yours shouldn't even dream about it, because you simply had no exports.
Exporting grain? Your own people are starving, and you're still exporting? Are you trying to emulate Indian governance?
Exporting weapons and equipment? With the Hanyang Arsenal? Forget it! Exporting steel? The output of the Hanyang Steel Plant is so small! Exporting medicines and textiles? Do you even need to look at your own people walking barefoot, with entire families sharing a single pair of pants?
What's even more critical is that tariff rights are all in the hands of the great powers. You think you can make money and become a strong country through exports? Dream on!
The Beiyang government is the best example. It was the same before World War I as it was after World War I. In fact, it even enjoyed the humiliation of being a defeated nation at the Paris Peace Conference as a victorious nation!
As an agricultural country, China at best exported mineral raw materials during World War I, such as iron ore, tungsten ore, pig bristles, and tung oil. If you expect these to accumulate enough resources for industrialization, then just look at how many people starved to death in China in the 1960s.
The Chinese people under the rule of a great man have that kind of endurance, but Zhao Yan dares not be so confident. If there were a real famine, Zhao Yan's regime would be overthrown by the peasants in no time.
Learning from Stalin's industrialization approach won't work either. Stalin had Ukraine where millions starved to death, but try starving millions in China and see what happens. "Are kings and generals born with a special destiny?"—have you heard of that?
Therefore, Zhao Yan's current race against time to promote industrialization can only be a way to prove his value in the united front. How can he prove his value in the united front? He can prove it with his combat effectiveness!
Who was it trying to win over? It was definitely the powers that coveted the British Empire's hegemony and China's vast market.
Zhao Yan never paid any attention to the so-called principle of unity among the powers in China. That kind of bullshit principle was only used to deal with the weak. Only the Qing Dynasty could make the powers so united.
Neither Napoleon nor Hitler could achieve such a unified stance among the European powers or even North America, but Empress Dowager Cixi could, and the Qing Dynasty could!
The reason is that you are too weak and too incompetent, and others don't even have the intention to support you in making things happen.
The original purpose of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was to contain Russia's continued eastward expansion and prevent Russia from obtaining ice-free ports with warm water access to the sea, a principle that had been universally recognized in Europe for centuries.
The best partner to contain Russia's eastward expansion was actually the Qing Dynasty, but the British themselves felt that the Qing Dynasty was hopeless and ultimately chose Japan. As it turns out, the British had absolutely brilliant foresight!
Now it's Zhao Yan's turn to lead the new republic of China to prove its value in united front work. Only countries with fighting power are worth supporting and winning over; those without fighting power are just colonies.
Getting back to the main point, and turning our attention back to the conference room, Zhang Mingqi, upon hearing about the scale of a million-strong army, immediately asked, "Your Majesty, with such a large army, it's impossible to keep it a secret. Even a fool would know something's wrong."
Zhao Yan said knowingly, "That's why we need to find a cover, like the Northeast Development Policy!"
"The fertile land of Northeast China has been the private domain of the Qing Dynasty for nearly three hundred years. It's time for it to be developed. The people in the Central Plains are suffering from poverty and hardship, with too many people and too little land. The Northeast is vast and sparsely populated, so let's give it a break!"
"You will go back to the Prime Minister's Office to preside over the drafting of the Northeast Development Plan and come up with a 'Homestead Law.' You can ask Lincoln how to implement it. In short, all land within one hectare is free, and land exceeding one hectare must pay the government a land purchase fee."
There are many bandits and swarms of Manchus and Jurchens in Northeast China. Sending troops to suppress them would be too costly and laborious for the government. Let the starving, bloodthirsty farmers deal with them!
"Then the regular army was hidden in the large-scale migration wave and quietly deployed to my position. All the troops involved in the war entered the Northeast under the guise of armed police to maintain local security. Then, a small number of elite standing troops, mainly the four divisions of the Central Plains region, namely the tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth standing divisions, were stationed in the Yingkou-Dandong line.
We must make a scene and continue our strategic deception!
"Wow~ You can actually fight a war like this? I've learned something new!" Wang Chongshan exclaimed with admiration. He had never imagined that war could be fought like this.
The mobilization of four standing divisions could not be kept secret, but it would be much easier to cover up the subsequent new troops by infiltrating the large-scale immigrant migration into Northeast China. Moreover, it wouldn't need to be kept secret for long, since the war would begin next summer!
Zhang Mingqi muttered, "Going to such great lengths to create a Northeast Development Project as a cover, just to cover up a war?"
Zhao Yan said, "Who said it's a pretext? The Northeast Development is also a national policy! The government can't come up with the money right now, so let the people go to the Northeast on their own. The military can also use the name of the armed police force to help the people reclaim land and suppress bandits, and incidentally organize militia training."
Once war breaks out, these people will become excellent soldiers, achieving multiple benefits at once.
Zhang Mingqi continued, "What about military expenses? A million-strong army! How much money would that take to support? Just the monthly salaries, wartime allowances, and food expenses alone would probably cost tens of millions of taels of silver!"
Zhao Yan turned his head away and said, "Who said we were given silver? There's so much land in the Northeast, and the Manchu bannermen own it. Isn't that ready-made military pay? Giving land is much more practical than giving silver."
"At that time, all officers and soldiers who participate in the war will be given fifty mu of land as military pay and wartime subsidies. If the war is won, another fifty mu will be given. Those who perform meritorious service, are wounded, or die in battle will continue to receive land!"
"This can actually work?" Zhang Mingqi was shocked again. Isn't this just an upgraded version of Zhu Chongba's military household garrison system?
Log in and get 50 free draws, oops, I mean, 50 acres of land for participating in the battle. There are also rewards after you finish the battle, and extra rewards for being wounded or killed. Won't those farmers inside the pass go crazy with killing?
Land is not cheap these days. Let alone fifty acres, even a small plot of land in the countryside can cause brothers to fight to the death. One acre of land is the dream of many people, and ten acres is more than enough to buy a life!
"Those who benefit from the development of homestead land must fulfill their obligation to serve in the military. These are collectively called conscripts. They can be given a little food allowance. Those who volunteer to join the army are all volunteers. The land they are given is all cultivated land!"
Zhao Yan added some conditions, leaving it up to the people to choose. This was essentially a form of land reform. Zhao Yan never intended to give the land to the farmers for free, because nothing in this world is free.
Now, the government is purging Manchus across the country and is holding onto more than 75 million mu of land it acquired through various channels, including the land of the Manchu imperial family, but it shows no intention of giving it away.
The farmers certainly don't have the money to buy this land, but that doesn't matter. Just come and fight for me! The Republic's land is never given to cowards. If you want it, join the army!
Chapter 72: First, risk your life as a henchman, then you can sit at the table and become a chess player.
"Personnel expenses have been compensated with land, but what about weapons and equipment? We can't use land to cover those; we still have to spend real money!"
"After deducting the 70 million taels of silver from the orders placed with the Germans, the national treasury still has about 110 million taels left. If we sell more antiques, treasures, and real estate, we estimate we can save up 120 million taels by the end of the year."
"There are also local taxes. Excluding the agricultural tax that was exempted this year, we should be able to collect more than 30 million taels. But the biggest part, the customs duty surplus, is something you've offended the British so badly that they definitely won't give it to you!"
"That adds up to about 150 million taels of silver. After deducting other expenses, we can only squeeze out 100 million taels for military expenses at most. Is that enough?"
Fortunately, Zhang Mingqi made a fortune from purging the Manchu royal family; otherwise, he wouldn't have the confidence to talk about war now.
Theoretically speaking, the new republican government, having shed a large burden of Manchu bannermen, saw a surge in fiscal revenue and could actually spend far more than the Qing dynasty, because the republican government did not need to support the royal family or millions of loyal bannermen; this alone would amount to an astronomical sum.
But no matter how astronomical the figure, it's useless in the face of war!
During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese military expenditure was approximately 15 to 18 billion yen, equivalent to about 1.1 billion taels of silver. The Republican government's current treasury only had a fraction of that amount of silver. After deducting the customs surplus held by the British, the annual fiscal revenue would at most be tens of millions of taels of silver, which would not be enough to support the war effort.
Zhao Yan stroked his chin and said without hesitation, "Then go borrow. Go borrow from Germans, French, and Americans. I believe the Germans would be happy to lend us money. Your Prime Minister's Office can negotiate the interest rate. Don't be afraid of anything, just borrow boldly!"
And the French are always happy to cause trouble for the British, but they need to be careful about the interest rates charged by those bloodsuckers. Although the French are willing to lend money to anything, including Tsarist Russia, the interest rates are quite high. They can't let the French take advantage of them!
Finally, there are the Americans. If we're talking about who hates the Anglo-Japanese alliance the most, Tsarist Russia is number one, and the Americans are number two. And if you ask them for money, those Americans are happy to lend you some.
Zhang Mingqi frowned upon hearing about the loan: "What can we use as collateral? We don't have much left. Railways, mining taxes, salt taxes, customs duties—we've used up almost everything that could be mortgaged. Those damned bastards of the Qing Dynasty, they deserve to die!"
The thought of so many things being mortgaged made Zhang Mingqi, the top government official, grit his teeth in anger. He was horrified when he thought about it, and he completely understood Zhao Yan's feelings at that moment.
Zhao Yan muttered, "What's the point of mortgaging? Borrow money based on your own ability, why should you use collateral? Just issue me war bonds with a uniform interest rate of three percent, and let them buy them themselves!"
Zhang Mingqi asked worriedly, "Can they really buy this? The interest rate is so low, and there's no collateral required?"
“As long as the war starts and we hold out, proving our fighting strength, they will definitely buy. They were so enthusiastic about buying from the Boers even when it was given away for free. They will definitely buy from us because we offer interest.”
"It's not just national debt, but also weapons, ammunition, uniforms, medicines, and all sorts of other military supplies. As long as we are capable and willing to fight, there's nothing those people won't sell."
Zhao Yan was full of confidence in this matter. What kind of money is the easiest to make internationally? It's war money, of course. When a war breaks out, as long as you're not too bad, there are plenty of people who will lend you money. Especially when you cause trouble for the British, this kind of opportunity is rare and many countries are waiting for it.
Everyone wants to see how the British Empire will respond this time, following the Boer War in South Africa, as another contender steps forward to challenge the authority of the British Empire.
In the international arena, the British Empire has dominated the world for over a century. To say that all the countries following behind are convinced of its dominance is pure nonsense.
But no one dared to be the first to challenge the hegemony, because everyone was wearing shoes (meaning they were all in power). Even the Germans were hesitant to act easily, since everyone was a large and powerful entity and wouldn't take the risk unless absolutely necessary.
Now Zhao Yan is the one with nothing to lose, and China has been forced into a corner with nowhere to retreat. They have almost nothing left but their life. If they don't fight now, when will they?
At this critical juncture, as one of the regimental commanders, Mr. Kong, put it: "If you don't fight a tough battle, how can you turn things around?"
Lu Zhaoxuan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Your Majesty, after paying such a huge price, what will we ultimately gain?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Zhao Yan, waiting for his answer.
From beginning to end, Zhao Yan was prepared to fight this major war on the scale of the Russo-Japanese War. Just look at the fate of Japan and Russia. Their own army suffered at least 200,000 to 300,000 casualties, and the military expenditure was more than 1 billion taels of silver!
Based on this calculation, it seems everyone can understand the Qing Dynasty's practice of paying back silver when attacked, because the silver spent on fighting was more than the silver paid in reparations.
Zhao Yan's decision to borrow money to fight this war has left many people puzzled. Is it really worth paying such a huge price just to regain those sovereignty rights?
Those concessions still had taxation rights; even if they were taken back, it would probably take ten years to fill this huge hole.
Faced with this question, Zhao Yan showed no hesitation whatsoever: "What will you gain? That's a very good question!"
"After this battle, regardless of whether we won or lost, as long as we didn't lose, or even lost conspicuously, we can make the whole world see us in a new light!"
"This battle will allow us to stand at the table again, without having to worry about being served! Even if we don't have the right to sit at the table, as long as we stand up, we have a chance!"
"We can rebuild our dignity as a great power in the outside world. Although we are not a strong country, we are at least a great power that cannot be provoked. This status is more important than any amount of money."
"Domestically, we can thoroughly establish the authority of the new government. Nothing can make the people identify with the government and the country better than a tough war against foreign powers."
"Before this battle, we were just rootless duckweed, ruling this country solely on righteousness. But after this battle, as long as we don't fall, we are the embodiment of righteousness! The people of the world have no more ulterior motives, because our backbone is strong enough, we can withstand it, so we are the leaders!"
"Remember, status and power cannot be obtained by talking or by scheming. Status and power can only be earned through hard-earned strength!"
“We’re just half of what’s on the menu right now, but as long as we’re willing to fight and risk our lives, we can become thugs. A lot of people like a thug who’s willing to risk his life.”
"Even if we get more people involved, we can still sit at the table and order from the menu!"
"These days, you have to work like a thug before you can even sit at the table and be a player!"
Many countries in later generations had ambitions that were higher than the sky but fates that were thinner than paper. They always fantasized about being chess players, but ended up being flag bearers! They thought they could sit at the table, but in reality, they were always placed on the table.
If you only plan this and scheme that, but never actually make a move, it's like playing chess. If you keep testing your moves and never actually make a move, what kind of chess player are you?
Even if you make a bad move, it's better than just going through the motions and then losing because you've exceeded the time limit. It's not terrible to lose a game because you're not as skilled as your opponent; what's terrible is losing because you run out of time and lose after making just one move. That's the most humiliating thing.
Russia is the most typical example. Judging from the perspectives of economy, technology, industry, and culture, Tsarist Russia could not be called a great power.
But he was a typical stubborn guy who never regretted his moves and went all the way down a dark path. No matter how many times he failed, he could always come back and keep fighting. He relied on his brute force to earn the titles of "European Steamroller" and "European Gendarmerie," and joined the ranks of the great powers, becoming one of the world's recognized major powers.
Even though Japan lost the Russo-Japanese War, it lost with dignity. The Japanese didn't dare to show their teeth after winning; they were terrified. They had the audacity to launch a combined land and sea attack from thousands of miles away, which frightened everyone.
Zhao Yan didn't crave any grand or glorious victories; proving that China was not to be trifled with was enough.
"Our goal in this battle isn't to prove how great we are; we just need to prove that what we've lost, we will definitely take back!"
"Gentlemen, in this battle, I will personally lead the troops to the front lines. I do not expect to win, but I will use my passion and my body to prove the backbone of the Chinese people!"
Fear is a biological instinct, but courage is the hymn of humanity!
"The Chinese people must stand up. We will never bow our backs again, much less bend our knees. I promised you that I would lead everyone onto a path of dignity and fairness, and I will never break my promise!"
"In this battle, I will stand with a million soldiers. If we are defeated, I will not return alive, and I will bear all the blame!"
"If we win this battle, the glory will be shared by all!"
Chapter 73 Nanjing Comprehensive National Defense University
1906, April 6.
Nanjing, National Defense University.
Captain Yang Dingtian was carrying his luggage and admission notice, searching for the school gate. The newly established National Defense University campus was located in the former Liangjiang Governor's Office, but the place was quite large. Yang Dingtian walked for almost a kilometer before finally finding the school gate.
The original plaque of the Liangjiang Governor-General's Office has been removed and replaced with a pine wood plaque that is completely out of place with the style of the gate. In order to save money, they were even too lazy to paint it and simply wrote the six characters "National Defense Comprehensive University" with a brush.
After finding the gate, Yang Dingtian quickly prepared to go in and report for duty. Today was the deadline for reporting, and no one knew what would happen if he was late.
Two guards stood at the entrance, armed to the teeth. Next to them were two admissions officers, one Chinese and one German. The Chinese officer was in charge of registering personal information, while the German officer was responsible for berating people, no matter what they did or not. The German officer would always find fault with them.
"Name!"
"Yang Dingtian! Heaven!"
"age!"
"25!"
"Position!"
"Captain Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, 13th Brigade, 1st Division of the National Defense Force!"
Upon hearing the name of the First Division of the National Defense Force, the instructor in charge of registration raised his head, carefully scanned Yang Dingtian, and then hesitated.
There was nothing they could do. Yang Dingtian was only twenty-five years old, yet he was the battalion commander of the main force regiment of the First Division of the National Defense Army, and even held the rank of captain. This was quite outrageous.
I've seen young captains before, but captains from elite units like the 1st Division are very rare, and only other divisions have a few of them.
"This is my officer's ID, I'm not lying to you!" Yang Dingtian took out his ID, which also had a small black and white photo on it. This was a privilege reserved for the elite troops of the First Division.
For other military units, the identification documents are basically just stamped with the Ministry of National Defense's official seal, without any photos. They can only be verified more thoroughly on-site.
"Alright, as expected of someone from the First Division, even their ID is so stylish, with a photo on it!" After completing the registration, the instructor accepted the admission notice and then gave Yang Dingtian a new student ID.