The Beiyang Army didn't give the Brits any face. After their negotiations with the Qing government collapsed, the Beiyang Army's offensive continued.
Li Jingyuan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Beiyang Army, ordered his troops to seize as much territory as possible before winter arrived, utilizing the last chance before the cold weather set in.
Meanwhile, the Qing army was also doing everything they could, gathering more troops to resist the Beiyang Army's attack.
However, the Qing army's newly assembled forces were mostly Green Standard troops and some local militias established by provincial governors.
Their fighting capabilities were abysmal, no match for the elite Beiyang Army.
The Qing army retreated in defeat, losing counties one after another to the Beiyang Army, which took them with ease.
After occupying these counties, Beiyang officials quickly took control of the administration. Then, with the help of the army, they swiftly implemented land distribution, earning the support of the local peasantry and solidifying the Beiyang government's rule in the area.
While the Beiyang Army's expansion was rapid, the newly occupied territories were not firmly established.
Large-scale military operations were impossible in the north during winter, while the southern regions were less affected.
Li Jingyuan still hoped to seize Jiangsu, Anhui, and Hubei provinces in this campaign, perhaps even pushing across the Yangtze River.
That would give the Beiyang Army half the country, the half that was richest and most populous.
With only the remaining land and population, how could the Qing dynasty possibly fight the Beiyang Army?
However, having offended the British, Li Jingyuan didn't dare to be careless.
He believed that the British wouldn't let this go, that they would surely find trouble for the Beiyang Army.
Sure enough, Schenk, the German ambassador to the Qing dynasty, paid a visit.
“I'm sorry, my friend, the British have warned us, demanding that the Empire stop supplying you with weapons and equipment. Therefore, our arms trade will have to cease from now on.
We can only resume arms sales after the war is over.”
Schenk expressed his apologies while inwardly fuming.
The German Empire had made a fortune selling weapons to the Beiyang Army.
The British were completely cutting off their revenue stream!
“Does the German Empire fear the British Empire?” Li Jingyuan raised an eyebrow.
“Haha, my friend, there’s no need for provocation or incitement. Although we’d rather not admit it, the truth is this. The Empire unified too late, which is why we still lack the strength to challenge the British Empire.
Especially in terms of the navy, the British Empire is far ahead of us.
Right now, the Empire is not willing to confront the British Empire.”
Schenk laughed heartily.
Li Jingyuan nodded. He hadn’t expected to incite the Germans and the British to fight each other so easily.
“My friend, is it only the arms trade that’s suspended, or must all trade cease?” Li Jingyuan asked.
“The arms trade must stop, but other trade is unaffected.
However, the British fleet has already been deployed to blockade the ports along the Shandong coast. So, other trade will also be affected.”
Schenk replied.
While Li Jingyuan felt somewhat helpless, he had no other options.
Without the possibility of buying weapons from the German Empire, they would have to rely solely on the weapons and ammunition produced by the Laizhou Arsenal to supply their troops.
At the current production capacity of the Laizhou Arsenal, meeting the Beiyang Army's demands would be extremely difficult.
This made Li Jingyuan frown.
If this problem wasn't resolved, the Beiyang Army's fighting capacity would undoubtedly be affected.
After thinking for a moment, Li Jingyuan came up with a solution.
“My friend, let me order another batch of machinery and equipment for the arsenal from the German Empire.” Li Jingyuan said.
“My friend, no problem. But, I'm afraid that the equipment might not be able to reach Shandong.” Schenk reminded him.
“No need to transport them to Shandong, send them to Songjiang Prefecture instead. The Jiangnan Arsenal there is quite large. I think my army will soon be able to take over that area. When the time comes, we can put this equipment into production at the Jiangnan Arsenal.” Li Jingyuan said with a smile.
“My friend, that’s an excellent idea. I believe your army will soon be able to reach Shanghai!” Schenk nodded repeatedly.
“By the way, my friend, I'll give you another piece of information.
According to our intelligence, the British have persuaded the Japanese. They will send troops to help the Qing dynasty against you.
These troops are expected to arrive in the Qing dynasty soon.
You must prepare for this!”
Schenk said.
Naturally, the Germans didn’t want to see the Beiyang Army defeated.
Their earlier investments would go down the drain if that happened!
Hearing this news, Li Jingyuan felt a chill run down his spine.
He had originally thought that he would not clash with the Japanese until the First Sino-Japanese War several years later.
But because of their rebellion, which had changed the course of history, they were now going to face the Japanese sooner than expected.