Rebirth of the Northern Giants

After Major General MacDonald received the news, he summoned all the generals and prepared to come up with a rigorous and elaborate plan to deal with the Tibetan army in Parry City.

The army was stationed temporarily.

At this time, the vanguard sent by the [-]th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso, [-] grand lamas from the Potala Palace had also arrived in Pali City.

As soon as the lama came out, the thirteen lamas acted immediately, calling on the local Tibetan people to refuse to deal with the British, to keep a distance from the British, to ignore the British, not to listen to them, and especially not to sell food or rent livestock. to these heretics.

The power of the lamas is enormous, no less than the fighting power of several Tibetan regiments. What they brought was the order of the Living Buddha. In Tibet, a region where religion and politics are united, the Tibetan people unconditionally support the Dalai Lama.

Therefore, the Tibetan people who had traded with the British army hurriedly dispersed as soon as they saw the British, and the Tibetans who had looked at the British army with calm eyes turned into hostile eyes.

What made the situation worse for the British army was the statement reported by the major of the logistics force to Major General Macdonald.

"General, there is an outbreak of disease in our cattle herd." The major looked worriedly at this high-spirited imperial general.

All the way through the mountains and rivers, the animals who crossed the mountains fell ill. In the huge supply team of the British, countless cattle and sheep were lying on the ground, refusing to move. This was a huge blow to the British and had already affected their life. Normal supply.

Macdonald was silent for a moment. To be honest, without Rong Hepeng, who knew Tibet well, it was really difficult for him to deal with other things except fighting. After a long time, he said, "Buy it from Tibetans."

As a result, the British logistics major who received the order led a Gurkha company to look around for locals in an attempt to buy by force.

But every time they found a village, it was empty and the Tibetans had fled, leaving them with hundreds of hungry little rats.

The major got angry, and first wiped out the rats and cockroaches in the village, and then prepared to take a rest in the village before looking for the next target.

However, because the stone houses in the village are full of lice, they are also full of stench.

The major lay on the bed, and after crushing a lice to death, he finally moved out of the village unbearably.

They would rather live in tents than braving the biting cold wind with icy debris on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

While the British were suffering from the extremely harsh natural environment in Tibet, the General Staff Room in the Summer Palace was as warm as before, with a raging charcoal fire burning in the middle, making people feel that it was a cold winter.

On the long table in the general staff room, there is a big globe.

Surrounded by a group of staff officers stretched their necks to study and watch carefully.

Ye Zhikui, President of the Republic of China, is setting his sights on two Boer countries in Africa.

"The British have already occupied Yadong City. Should we send troops to Tibet? President." Wang Shizhen's words sounded anxious at first, but judging from his unchanging facial expression and heartbeat, it was obvious that this man was innocent. concern.

"Oh, does Pin Qing think it's a good time to send troops to Tibet? Has the Dalai Lama asked us for help?" Ye Zhikui rubbed his chin, glanced at him, and asked back.

"This Tibetan Living Buddha believes that everything is under his control, and has not asked the central government for help." Wang Shizhen said slowly with a smile.

The situation was within the expectations of the General Staff.

"That's right. After all, Yadong City was handed over to others by him. He hasn't formally fought against the British, so how can he see the strength of the British?" Ye Zhikui looked up at the sky and said meaningfully.

"How is the negotiation between the Boer State Transvaal and the British going?" Ye Zhikui put his hand on the table and tapped lightly.

"According to the reliable news that came back, it seems that their negotiations with the British have broken down." Wang Shizhen replied unhurriedly, and he was obviously not even half surprised when Ye Zhikui suddenly mentioned the Boers.

After the Boers wiped out the invading British army, Kaiser Wilhelm II immediately sent a famous telegram to the President of the Transvaal, Paul Kruger, expressing his congratulations.

The telegram worsened the relationship between Britain and Germany. On the issue of Boer, the British vaguely saw the shadow of the Germans hiding behind the Boers.

It is not a good thing for the Germans to get involved. The upper echelon of Britain, which pursues a glorious independence policy, seems to see that the Germans are challenging their colonial hegemony all over the world.

In 1895, the Western world launched a movement of sympathy and solidarity with the Boer Republic.

Numerous civic groups were formed in the Netherlands and Belgium, soliciting donations, publishing articles, establishing foundations, and donating wartime mobile hospitals and medical equipment to the Transvaal.

Thousands of volunteers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the United States, Russia, Ireland, Italy, and Scandinavian countries have traveled across the ocean to the Transvaal, ready to fight side by side with the Boers.

As soon as Macdonald's famous telegram of a victory that could be written into military textbooks was sent back to the United Kingdom, the British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain was convinced that Britain would not fall into the danger of a war on two fronts. The British and Tibetan troops went to Tibet to travel and enjoy the scenery. The Chinese were nothing to be afraid of, and the five thousand British troops had a higher opinion of Tibet against them.

Dealing with the Boers is the top priority. The British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain gave a long speech "The Colonial Center of the Empire is in Africa, not Tibet" to the Queen, the Cabinet, and the upper and lower Senate. , raised their hands in agreement.

As a result, the British government made up its mind to resolve the dispute with the Transvaal by force, and prepared to dispatch 2000 people from the mainland and the Mediterranean to reinforce the Natal colony.

On the other hand, the Boers who had just defeated the British invaders and received international support and solidarity also had high self-confidence.

Ye Zhikui's eyes were bright, and he said with a smile: "So, we still have to pretend to be grandsons for a while. According to the time, our secret mission should have arrived in the Transvaal."

Wang Shizhen pursed her lips, nodded and replied, "Yes, President, if there is no accident, they have already arrived."

Whether China can obtain the greatest benefits depends on your performance, Ye Zhikui said secretly in his heart.

In the presidential palace in Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, the Chinese mission was finally received by the President of the Transvaal, Paul Kruger, after waiting for three days.

The ambassador who led this Chinese mission was Song Yuren. Yes, it was Song Yuren, the former Chinese minister-counselor to the UK, France, Italy, and Belgium, who bought warships from foreign countries in a whimsical way in the First Sino-Japanese War, and wanted to directly attack Nagasaki and Tokyo from overseas. Ye Zhikui's unconstrained thinking of Counselor Song was appreciated.

After he led the fleet paid by the military government back to Taiwan, Ye Zhikui hurriedly dispatched him to Beijing. Why? First, he was asked to compile a book about the relationship and general experience between the great powers that he had acquired in foreign countries for so many years, so that it could be published to the public. At the same time, he also holds a coaching position at the National Defense Military University, where he also teaches international relations.

This time, Ye Zhikui attached great importance to the missions to Boer countries. Chinese foreign affairs talents are either old or young, or they have no overall perspective. Only this Counselor Song is not only 38 years old, but also in his prime. More importantly, his thinking is broad enough to keep up with Ye Zhikui's thinking.

Therefore, this heavy burden was entrusted to him, and Song Yuren also readily agreed. After more than a month of sailing, he led the Chinese mission on a merchant ship, and finally set foot on Africa, which claimed to be the first ally with China. Country Transvaal Republic.

Song Yuren sat in his seat and took a sip of steaming coffee, but he was thinking about how to complete the task Ye Zhikui gave him - urging the Boers and the British to go to war.

While Song Yuren was trying to think of ways, the President of the Transvaal, Paul Kruger, walked in slowly, followed by the commander-in-chief of the Burgundy Army, Piet Joubert, and the "Lion of the West Transvaal" General Delari and several other military personnel.

"Mr. Song, a Chinese friend from a powerful empire in the Far East, I welcome you on behalf of the Transvaal." Paul extended his hands with a smile on his face.

Song Yuren stood up and hugged him, and then the two sides introduced other personnel respectively.

"Song, China is our ally, and the Transvaal is grateful for your help. Thank you President Ye Zhikui for your sympathy for us Boers. Because we are negotiating with the British bandits, forgive me for the time, if you let me I feel left out." After the two parties sat down, Paul sincerely apologized.

"Mr. President, don't say that. I would also like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet me." Song Yuren replied hastily. During this period of time, he has not been idle and has already found out the relationship between Britain and the Boers. Negotiations broke down.

Paul smiled and asked, "Song, I wonder if you are so anxious to see me. Is there something urgent?"

Song Yuren glanced at the several Boer military personnel sitting next to Paul, nodded and said, "Mr. President, it's like this. The batch of munitions that we promised to support you last time has arrived, and we have also prepared a batch of fool-like Machine guns as a generous gift of alliance."

Hearing that the guns and ammunition aided by the Chinese arrived, Piet Joubert and Delari were extremely pleasantly surprised. Due to the breakdown of the negotiation, they were also afraid of the British sending troops to retaliate, and the British inspected the ships from European countries to South Africa. It is very strict, and several cases of arms purchased by the Boers from Europe have been seized.

"I don't know how the stupid machine gun compares with the Maxine machine gun?" Delary asked, frowning. It seems that he still has some doubts about the quality of China's self-made machine gun.

Song Yuren smiled lightly, and said proudly: "The fool-type machine gun we researched and manufactured by ourselves took this name because it can be operated quickly and proficiently even if it is used by a fool, and its power is not much compared to the Maxine machine gun Jean, you can try to shoot first, and then you will know what I said is true."

Hearing what Song Yuren said, although they didn't really believe it, they were embarrassed to open their mouths to doubt it.

Paul pinched his thumb and asked, "Mr. Song, your country's sending you to our country is not just for sending arms. We are allies, so please speak up."

As a descendant of Europeans, Paul also maintained the straight-forward character of Europeans.

Song Yuren sighed first, and then said with some frustration: "Mr. President, you know that not long ago, the British army captured the Yadong City in Tibet, our country, and Tibet is now in danger. And the British There is still a large increase in troops. I am afraid that our Chinese army will not be able to resist it. Now that we are being invaded by the British at the same time, it is time to help each other. Once China is defeated, the British will be free to deal with it Your country."