latelenovela Chapter 161: The Truth Is Only Within Cannon Range
Chapter 161: The Truth Is Only Within Cannon Range
"Have all the people been chosen?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Reporting to the Marquis, all personnel have been selected. They have passed the tests of language and combat ability," Shen Xiaodong replied.
"They are all national heroes, so we should try our best to meet their needs. We also need to provide them with follow-up support," Shen Lian nodded and said.
From the moment he began establishing the Military Intelligence Bureau, he invested a significant amount of money each year, recruiting all sorts of people and providing them with various training programs.
This time, eighty people were sent to Taiwan at once. If history hadn't changed, the Russo-Japanese War would have broken out in two years. Shen Lian would definitely have taken the opportunity to deal with the Japanese.
Before this, he must have laid out some pieces, and the people who went to Taiwan this time were among them.
It had only been a few years since the First Sino-Japanese War, and Japan's rule on the island was far from stable. There were still sporadic resistance forces. They went up there to help and organize the resistance army against the Japanese.
With their own support in terms of weapons and funding, it shouldn't be difficult for them to gain a foothold on the island.
These people will be very useful when it's time to take action against the Japanese!
Although Japan extorted over 200 million taels of silver from the Qing government during the First Sino-Japanese War, their aggressive military expansion meant they spent almost all of that money. Otherwise, they wouldn't have turned against Russia in history.
They originally received tens of millions of taels of silver from the Boxer Indemnity, but in this life, not only did they not get a single tael, but tens of thousands of people also died. It's believed their domestic economy is worse than in history.
Northeast China and the Korean Peninsula are like a big piece of fat meat, coveted by both the Russians and the Japanese.
Shen Lian and the Qing government tacitly approved the extension and construction of the Russian Chinese Eastern Railway, almost exactly as in history. This greatly provoked Japan.
Shen Lian also planned to follow the historical pattern and cooperate with Russia to send troops into Korea to provoke a war between the two sides.
However, before that, he needed to strengthen his own forces as much as possible, hoping that when he made his move, he would completely crush the Japanese army and kill them with a single blow.
With only about a decade left until World War I, after dealing with Japan, there was still a mess to be made at home. And next, we had to take the opportunity to deal with Russia.
I was hoping to take advantage of the chaos during World War I! Time was really tight.
In the past two years, Shen Lian has sheathed his fangs and adopted the demeanor of a businessman. He spends his days doing business with various countries, which has made them lower their guard against him.
At the same time, he also played a double game with the Qing court, occasionally defying the imperial decrees. He cultivated an image of himself as a local strongman who refused to obey orders, just like other governors and viceroys.
This fragmented China was exactly what the major powers wanted. They were more than happy to see him do this, and thus increased their cooperation with Shen Lian.
. . . . . .
At the end of 1902, the first phase of the Shandong Iron and Steel Plant finally went into production. Watching the molten iron turn into steel ingots, Shen Lian showed a satisfied smile.
In addition to accelerating the construction of the second phase of the project, Laiyang Steel Plant also needs to speed up its construction.
The gun factory he had secretly built could now operate at full speed. The rifles, which Shen Lian had named the Type 1901 and had been in trial production for some time, began to be produced in large quantities.
Production of the Storm general-purpose machine gun has also begun, gradually replacing the bulky Maxim machine gun. Shen Lian doesn't want to develop squad automatic weapons yet; he plans to reinforce the platoon level with the general-purpose machine gun later.
Such firepower is enough to overwhelm the armies of other countries!
With Krupp's technology in artillery, producing mortars was a piece of cake. The 60mm and 80mm heavy mortars were successfully produced.
The current research focus of the gun and cannon research institute is how to mount cannons onto vehicles. Meanwhile, the automobile factory has successfully produced a "tractor!"
Under Shen Lian's "guidance," this tracked tractor was even invented two years earlier than the Americans, attracting considerable attention from various countries.
He didn't want to bring out the airplane too early; he wanted to wait until the Wright brothers invented it next year. Now that a suitable engine was available, even this earliest wooden airplane could be built in no time.
Tesla had already mastered the miniaturization of the telegraph machine; his current focus was on researching the walkie-talkie proposed by Shen Lian. The telephone had been invented decades ago, and wireless telegraphy already existed.
The walkie-talkie is essentially a combination of the two. With this once-in-a-lifetime genius around, and with Shen Lian giving him subtle hints, it shouldn't be long before he succeeds in his research.
If a walkie-talkie is developed, its applications will be enormous. Not only will the army use it, but tanks, warships, and even future aircraft will all require it.
With this thing, I can crush all other countries!
While researching the walkie-talkie, Shen Lian also asked him to improve the existing telephone exchange. The capable are always given more work! And who can blame him when he's so skilled!
Meanwhile, the American drilling team, under Shen Lian's guidance, also drilled two oil wells in Dongying. Shen Lian has already begun collaborating with the Rockefeller family to build an oil refinery.
All industries are developing very well. In addition to his daily affairs, Shen Lian usually focuses on the military academy.
He acquired a considerable number of military academy books in modern times, and selecting some of them was more than enough to teach the officers.
He didn't want to discuss specific tactics at the military academy because there were still foreign instructors there.
For example, the three-thirds system, infantry-artillery coordination, and the like. He didn't want foreigners to learn those things.
He couldn't just take these things out casually, so he had to start creating his own tactical teaching materials based on the books.
The first two battleships of the year have been delivered to Britain, and Shen Lianqin attended the commissioning ceremony on Liugong Island.
Weihaiwei and Liugong Island had been forcibly leased by the British four years ago, but when Shen Lian won the Battle of Beijing and discussed the construction of warships with the British, an agreement was reached with them.
The company also allocated another piece of land to the British to establish a concession, and helped them build a port and railway.
Shandong needed to reclaim Liugong Island to have a navy, but the British couldn't give up their business worth tens of millions of taels of silver. Left with no other option, they had to agree to Shen Lian's conditions.