“Father, we have already controlled several key provinces. In the future, we will continue to advance into the remaining provinces. I hope that you can write letters to the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, Bian Bao Di, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, Yang Chang Rui, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Zhang Zhidong, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Cen Yuying, the Governor of Sichuan, Liu Bingzhang, the Governor of Hunan, Wang Wenshao, and the Governor of the frontier, Liu Jintang, asking them to support Beiyang.”
“The Governor of Jiangxi, De Xin, is a bannerman, and he is naturally a staunch supporter of the Qing government. We don’t need to hope for anything from him.”
“But if other governors and provincial administrators can support us, we can practically unify the entire country without bloodshed.”
“This will undoubtedly help us overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a new regime in the shortest possible time.”
“Even if they are unwilling to cooperate with us, we can use this method to distinguish between friend and foe, and it will also be convenient for our subsequent military deployment.”
Li Jingyuan said.
Li Hongzhang nodded repeatedly: “This is indeed a good idea. I do have a certain amount of friendship with these provincial officials. If I make some promises to them, some of them may side with us. But I’m not sure. There are certainly many of them who are willing to be loyal ministers to the Qing government. But, as you said, this is also a good way to distinguish between friend and foe. I will write to them later!”
Li Jingyuan also understood this. Many provincial officials, although they were Han Chinese, were filled with loyalty and patriotism. They had long considered the Qing emperor as their own sovereign. To want them to betray the Qing Dynasty was as good as killing them. Therefore, Li Jingyuan didn’t expect all these provincial governors and administrators to side with Beiyang. Even if only one or two provincial officials sided with Beiyang, it would be a rare victory.
“Our main enemy, for now, is still the Qing government, and the Japanese they have invited. If we can defeat them on the battlefield, it will undoubtedly be a huge shock to other provincial governors. This will surely help them make their choice!” Li Hongzhang continued.
“Father, I know. The target of the Beiyang Army in the coming year will be to completely defeat the Qing army and the Japanese!” Li Jingyuan replied.
Time passed bit by bit. The Beiyang Army, apart from continuing to attack Hubei Province, was also preparing to attack Jiangxi Province. The Governor-General of Huguang was Ronglu, and the Governor of Jiangxi was De Xin. They would never betray the Beiyang Army. Therefore, if the Beiyang Army wanted to occupy these two provinces, they could only do so by force. Of course, the main target of the Beiyang Army was still the Qing army entrenched in Yanjing and Tianjin, and the Japanese who were about to arrive.
To further enhance the strength of the Beiyang Army, the Beiyang Army was already selecting suitable soldiers from among the numerous prisoners of war to form new troops. At the same time, they were also recruiting young and strong men in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Henan to join them.
The weaponry of the Qing army, while mostly outdated, was still passable for the most part, and could be made to do. The Laizhou Arsenal had begun working in three shifts, accelerating the production of weapons and equipment to supply the Beiyang Army and meet the needs of combat and expansion on the front lines. After the Beiyang Army occupied the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and installed a large amount of machinery and equipment imported from the German Empire, its production capacity also increased significantly. It was also now operating at full capacity to produce various weapons and equipment for the Beiyang Army. It could be said that with each passing day, the strength of the Beiyang Army was constantly increasing.
On December 8th, 1788, under the escort of the Royal Navy of the Empire of the Setting Sun, the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army landed at Tianjin first. Yamagata Aritomo, the general in charge of commanding this Japanese army, also moved his headquarters to Tianjin.
According to the plan, the Japanese Army would send six infantry divisions to assist the Qing government in suppressing the Beiyang Army. These six infantry divisions would also be organized into the Qing Army Expeditionary Force, with Yamagata Aritomo as the commander and Prince Arisugawa Taruhito as the chief of staff. This shows how much the Empire of Japan valued this military operation.
The Qing government expressed a warm welcome to the arrival of the Japanese Army Qing Expeditionary Force. Prince Qing, Yikuang, and the Manchu Minister of War, the Commander-in-Chief of the New Banner Army, Wulaxi Chong'a, personally went to Tianjin to meet with Yamagata Aritomo.
It must be understood that before the arrival of the Japanese, the Beiyang Army was only less than 100 kilometers away from Yanjing City and only a few tens of kilometers from Tianjin, which undoubtedly put great pressure on the Qing Army. Cixi, Emperor Guangxu, and other high-ranking officials of the Qing government were unable to sleep at night, fearing that the Beiyang Army would launch a surprise attack and directly strike Yanjing.
Fortunately, now that the Japanese had arrived, they could finally sleep soundly. But Cixi and Emperor Guangxu never expected that the Japanese ambition and appetite were much greater than they had imagined. The Qing army, which had shown weakness and incompetence in this war, naturally became the best target for the Japanese wolf.