After listening to Lin Chok Tong's words, Pierce thought attentively for a while, and finally nodded in agreement. Anyway, he was very clear about the situation in China. This gun would not be known by a foreign name in China. As long as there is a chance to put it into production and sell it to
Abroad, it was then that the influence of guns could be used to lay the foundation for reputation.
"If that's the case, then it's best. If nothing else happens, you can show me the prototype gun tomorrow." Yuan Su said easily.
At this moment, Pierce, who originally thought that the conversation was over, but who had not said much before, suddenly came forward and said to Yuan Su in English with a German accent: "General, there is one more thing.
I may need to report to you. If your Excellency the General is really willing to put this new rifle into production, maybe you can grant me another research fund, which I will use to develop improvements to this new rifle or other professional models.
"
Yuan Su had some doubts, so he asked in English: "This new gun has not been tested yet. It is still unknown whether it will actually be put into production, or how much it will be put into production. What's more, it has not even been tried out for military equipment.
, isn’t it a bit premature to discuss the development of improved models now?”
Pierce immediately added: "In fact, it is not a big improvement. My focus is on developing some more professional models. This will definitely be helpful to the General in improving the flexible combat capabilities of the troops, even if not many basic models are put into production.
, but it doesn’t mean that there is no room for professional firearms to be used.”
Yuan Sunai asked calmly: "Oh, really? What kind of professional model do you plan to study?"
Pierce said with some excitement: "The professional model I am thinking of right now is a sniper rifle. I wonder if General Yuan knows anything about sniper rifles?"
Yuan Su raised his eyebrows. Although Pierce's tone was as if he was talking to an ignorant person, he was not angry at all. Of course he is no stranger to sniper rifles. Whether it is modern times or later modern times, snipers are always on the battlefield.
It plays an extremely important tactical role, and sometimes even plays a supporting role at the strategic level.
He had previously only focused on expanding the strength and influence of his troops, and had not considered cultivating some special combat units.
Judging from the performance of this new rifle, its power and shooting range are fully capable of being used as a sniper rifle. It only requires minor adjustments to increase the accuracy and stability of this new rifle.
"Of course I know about the sniper rifle. After hearing what you said, I think this matter is indeed very feasible." Yuan Su expressed his attitude immediately without saying anything else.
"Oh, that's great. If that's the case, can General Yuan agree to this research?" Pierce continued to ask.
"I am very willing to support you in this regard, so you can go ahead and develop it. However, the transfer of all property rights of this new gun will be settled within today." Yuan Su added.
"Okay, I'll draw up the contract later." Lin Chok Tong on the side stepped forward and agreed.
A few days later, 1913 finally came to an end amidst all the events.
The Congress, which had been temporarily suspended due to the "Congress Crisis" and the "Second Revolution", had recovered in early December. However, this time the Congress eliminated the Kuomintang members, and the situation in the entire venue had already deteriorated. Before and after.
, held meetings for twenty days intermittently, discussed some so-called constitutional regulations, and formulated some so-called republican programs. What was finally determined was that Yuan Shikai was changed from interim president to formal president, and Li Yuanhong was elected as
Vice President. All key cabinet positions are held by Beiyang bureaucrats, and other ministry positions are also held by the Progressive Party.
Not long after the congress ended, another eye-catching incident occurred in Wuhan.
Duan Qirui, who is also the Minister of the Army and serves as the new Prime Minister, went south to Wuhan on Yuan Shikai's order to hold talks with Vice President Li Yuanhong. During the period at the beginning of the second revolution, Li Yuanhong had been expanding military armaments in Wuhan.
Facing the revolutionary soldiers in Yangxia area, he had an ambiguous attitude. He neither followed Zhong Yang's order to suppress the enemy, nor was he instigated by the revolutionary soldiers to resist the Beiyang government. He just had an attitude of watching the fire from the other side.
The Great Revolution successfully overthrew the Qing Dynasty. After Yuan Shikai became the interim president, he kept inviting Li Yuanhong to the north to serve as vice president. But Li Yuanhong was not stupid. Once he left the Jianghan area where his sphere of influence was, he would become a puppet controlled by Yuan Shikai.
He would rather sit in the position of real power as the Commander-in-Chief of the Wuhan Army than be some bullshit puppet vice president. So he kept giving various excuses, but in the end he refused.
The Beiyang government had great concerns about Li Yuanhong. Before the Second Revolution, they might have been worried about the Kuomintang and the revolutionary armed forces leaning towards the Kuomintang. However, after the Second Revolution and the First World War, the armed forces leaning towards the Revolutionary Party could be considered a complete military force.
Therefore, Fu's attention naturally turned to Jianghan, which has important geographical value.
Sitting in Wuhan, Li Yuanhong not only strangled the north-south transportation hub, but also controlled the left and right Yangtze River waterways. Li Yuanhong himself was a hero of the Great Revolution, and he was quite capable of making waves in the Jianghan area. Whether it was in terms of economics or military strategy,
It is a hidden danger that cannot be ignored.
It's just that Li Yuanhong has been unwilling to go north, and Yuan Shikai didn't dare to raise troops to threaten him rashly, so there was no way to start.
This time Wang Zhanyuan invaded Hubei and clashed with Li Yuanhong's forces, which made the Beiyang government more determined to deal with Li Yuanhong's affairs thoroughly.
Before Duan Qirui went south, it was not in the name of inviting Li Yuanhong to go north, but he only came to Wuchang to express condolences to Wang Zhanyuan's troops, and by the way, he presented Li Yuanhong with the plaque "Vice Presidential Palace of the Republic of China" written by Yuan Shikai himself.
Li Yuanhong was both the vice president and the local governor, so he naturally had to treat Duan Qirui as a landlord.
After struggling for three days, nothing big or small happened. Duan Qirui was just about to leave for the north and return to Beijing. Li Yuanhong also went to the train station to say goodbye in person. When the train was about to start, something unexpected happened at this moment.
Duan Qirui's guards suddenly pulled out their guns and held Li Yuanhong at bay, forcing Li Yuanhong to board the train together. In this way, Li Yuanhong was taken to Beijing by Duan Qirui, and the rule of Hubei Province completely fell into the hands of Wang Zhanyuan.
.
This was an incident that attracted the attention of the national political circles, and Yuan Su also received relevant news in Luanzhou. However, for the vast number of ordinary people at the grassroots level in China, this can only be regarded as a grudge between high-ranking officials, not at all.
There is nothing worth worrying about. Apart from this matter, the thing that worries the people the most is the peasant uprising that broke out in Henan and Hebei. Since the last frightening peasant uprising in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, there have been
There haven't been large-scale riots like this one for a long time.
In the early years of the success of the Great Revolution, there was a serious famine in the rural areas of Henan Province. In addition, the governor of Henan Zhang Zhenfang imposed excessive taxes, and the people were in dire straits. There were many hungry people and beggars. Bai Lang joined forces with Li Hongbin, Song Laoren and other green forest leaders and was promoted as the leader. They
Based in Sowxiaxia, Wuyang County, they put forward the slogan of "strike the rich and help the poor" and gathered people to resist the officials. The team soon grew to 500 or 600 people, and they were active in the vast rural areas of western Henan.
Speaking of which, the Bai Lang Uprising and the Luanzhou Uprising are somewhat related. Bai Lang served as a staff officer under Wu Luzhen, the commander of the Sixth Town of the Army in the late Qing Dynasty. Shortly after the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911, Wu was assassinated in Shanxi. Bai Lang
Lang then raised an army in Baofeng, Henan. At first, he only had about 20 soldiers and one rifle. He quickly recruited surrounding regiments for training. By mid-1912, there were more than 500 or 600 people engaged in guerrilla warfare in western Henan.
, claiming to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Fuhan Army in the Central Plains.
When the second revolution broke out the following year, Bai Lang took the opportunity to respond to the call of the Kuomintang in the south and launched a peasant uprising against Yuan Shikai's regime, threatening the safety of the Beijing-Hankow Railway. In order to ensure the smooth flow of this transportation trunk line, Yuan Shikai mobilized allied forces from Hubei, Henan and Shaanxi provinces
Bai Lang was encircled and suppressed. Unexpectedly, Wang Shengqi of Shaanxi Province in the coalition rebelled in front of the battle and joined Bai Lang's army, which greatly improved the military strength and equipment of Bai Lang's army. Bai Lang then claimed that "the Republic of China supported Han to fight against Commander Yuan"
Governor".
Now Bai Lang is at its peak, and of course it won't be too long before it dies.
Although these peasant rebels were large in number and had been supplemented with equipment after many sieges of cities and territories, they ultimately lacked a solid military foundation. In addition, there were all kinds of people in the rebels, including some who wanted to move away from home.
After more than half a year of encirclement and suppression, the Beiyang government has launched a real attack this time. From the beginning, it only mobilized local troops for encirclement and suppression, and now it even dispatches the main force with real swords and guns. Even Henan is still in the process of training.
The 7th Division of the Central Yang Army also went to the mountainous area to carry out encirclement and suppression operations in the area.
Recently, newspapers in Luanzhou often see follow-up reports of Bai Lang's uprising. Yuan Su only pays attention to these news occasionally. He knows that historically, at this time in January 1914, Bai Lang
The entire force will suffer a fatal blow, and Bai Lang himself will be forced to lead his troops to break through Yuan Jun's encirclement and enter Anhui.
In February of this year, Yuan Shikai appointed Duan Qirui as commander-in-chief and led the Beiyang elite to pursue Bai Lang. It is said that four planes were also sent to conduct reconnaissance against Bai Lang's army. This was the first time in the history of Chinese wars that the air force was deployed.
Actual combat. Under pressure, Bai Lang left Anhui and entered Hubei. In March, Bai Lang would rise briefly from the trough. He led the rebel army to occupy Laohekou, and the entire army grew to more than 20,000 people. However, in
In Laohekou, Bai Lang's army killed the Christian Norwegian missionary Dr. Ferrander and injured Pastor Shama, leading to the "Laohekou Case" and arousing strong protests against Yuan Shikai in Western countries.
As for this encirclement and breakout war, in fact, it has nothing to do with Yuan Su. At most, it is an opportunity to engage in reselling business activities and secretly sell some arms products to the battlefield. However, this is ultimately a long-term plan. If not
Be careful if the news is leaked, you will get into trouble.dd