The recent frequent traffic of ships off the coast of Jiao'ao has attracted the attention of senior officials of the Weihaiwei Beiyang Navy not far away.
After all, Jiaoao is only a few hundred miles away from Weihaiwei.
The Beiyang Navy is stationed in Weihaiwei, so it naturally has full jurisdiction over the nearby waters.
At this time, the Beiyang Navy had officially formed an army. It also had two serious main battleships, Zhenyuan and Dingyuan, and was known as the number one in the Far East in terms of strength.
No matter whether there is any water in it or not, at least the combat power on paper is like this.
The anomalies in the Jiao'ao waters attracted the attention of the Weihaiwei Station of the Beiyang Navy.
Not to mention the frequent exchanges of sea-going ships, there are even steam ships among them.
This thing is still relatively rare in the northern seas.
Someone with such strength and financial resources, as well as enough connections to buy a steam ship, is not an easy person to deal with.
It just so happened that Beiyang Navy General Deng Shichang recently came to Weihaiwei for an inspection and heard information about abnormalities in Jiaoao waters.
It immediately caught his attention and hurriedly summoned the generals stationed at Weihaiwei to ask what happened.
"I heard that the sea area in Jiao'ao has been very abnormal recently. Do you know what's going on?"
"I know, it's all smuggling activities in Jiao'ao, and it has suddenly become more frequent recently!"
"Have you sent someone over to investigate?"
"Not yet. After all, it is not under the jurisdiction of the Navy. There is also a troop of officers and soldiers stationed there, so it's not good to stretch your hands too far!"
"It's difficult to explore on land. The sea is the jurisdiction of the navy. Can't you take the initiative to ask?"
"Sir, once the naval warships are dispatched, I'm afraid things will be difficult to resolve!"
"We can dispatch other ships directly!"
"You don't know, sir, there are many desperadoes on board the smuggling ships. They will definitely not give us the chance to ask easily!"
"Then we can't just ignore it. After all, this sea area is under the control of the Navy. If something unexpected happens, we won't be able to explain it easily!"
"Your Excellency, you must be worrying too much. Those guys who are involved in smuggling don't have the guts to make trouble under the nose of the Navy!"
"Don't talk so much. Have you forgotten what you saw and heard over there in the South China Sea?"
"The South China Sea is the South China Sea, and this is the northern sea. We can't let those guys act recklessly!"
"If the navy doesn't control it, who knows if there will be an unexpected accident?"
Deng Shichang was dissatisfied and said: "When we were in Nanyang, there were armed fleets of ships that directly fought against the foreign fleets. How many of those who ran to sea were timid?"
"Okay then, I will send someone to Jiao'ao to inquire about the situation!"
Despite the assurance given by the navy general, Deng Shichang did not relax. Instead, he personally inquired about the situation in Jiaoao through his own channels.
It turned out that I didn’t know if I didn’t ask, and I was shocked when I asked.
Right next to the Weihaiwei station of the Beiyang Navy, an incredibly powerful guy suddenly emerged.
The eldest brother who founded the martial arts circle in this area has nearly 10,000 boxers under his command.
Even with Deng Shichang's perspective, he couldn't help but feel his scalp numb after hearing the news.
As a general of the Beiyang Navy, he is stationed in Jinmen all year round, so he naturally knows what Senior Brother Kaitan is.
You must know that the main altar located in Jinmen is a higher level than the altars in various places in Lu.
Senior Brother Kaitan, who has the support of many boxers, even the top bosses in Beiyang dare not offend easily. One bad move may cause turmoil in one or even several places.
But, when did such a bullish and arrogant person appear in a deserted place like Jiaoao?
When I inquired carefully and learned about the changes that had occurred in the Jiao'ao area in the past year, I couldn't help but take a deep breath again.
As for the sudden frequent smuggling ships in Jiaoao waters, it is also because of this guy's sudden rise and control of some docks along the coast of Jiaoao.
In short, in Deng Shichang's view, this Senior Brother Wu is definitely someone who is not easy to mess with, and his abilities are beyond imagination.
But as a result, he became interested in Senior Brother Wu.
Especially when he learned that Senior Brother Wu planned to purchase some foreign machinery to expand internal production, his interest became even stronger.
Unlike the southern coastal areas, which have a strong commercial atmosphere, the north is the political center. Most of the forces here are conservative and not interested in new things.
That is to say, with the rise of the Westernization Movement, and after the Westernizationists came to power, there were more mechanical equipment and factories from overseas.
However, those traditional forces are still dismissive of things coming from overseas. Although they may not all be defined as "obscene techniques", they are definitely not part of the mainstream.
Lu Di is the core area in the north, and the traditional forces here are quite strong.
Otherwise, how could such an excellent geographical environment as Jiao'ao still be in a state of desolation?
As for purchasing foreign machinery for production, we knew it was not feasible given the severe conflicts between foreign churches and local governments in Lu.
However, Senior Brother Wu, who was already considered one of the most important people in Jiao'ao, dared to take the risk and try it, which is really commendable for his courage.
Whether it was out of curiosity or concern about Jiao'ao waters, Deng Shichang had the idea of meeting Senior Brother Wu.
As a general of the Beiyang Navy, it was very easy for someone to help send a message to Wu Dong.
"What, Beiyang Navy General Deng Shichang, want to meet me?"
When Wu Dong heard the news, he felt a little incredible.
Of course Deng Shichang knew that the ruthless man who drove the warship to ram the enemy ship in the Sino-Japanese War was an out-and-out hero.
However, he and this person are not on the same path, and there will basically be no intersection.
In other words, the Boxers at this time were definitely an unstable factor in the eyes of the government.
Many officials are quite disgusted with the attitude of the Boxers.
I just don’t know why this famous Northern Navy general in history suddenly wants to meet me?
After thinking about it for a moment, he understood what was going on.
Tsk…
It seems that the boating business in Jiaoao waters has attracted the attention of Weihaiwei.
It's not a big deal, it's just some material transportation, there aren't many prohibited items, Wu Dong naturally won't have any psychological burden.
He has very strict regulations on the docks he controls.
Smoke and soil are absolutely not allowed to be touched.
Once he is discovered, he is waiting for the most severe punishment from the legal altar. He will not be polite to such a guy.
If he did not want to conflict with the local officers and soldiers, the entire Jiaoao coastal area would fall under his control.
Unless the Cao Gang takes action, looking at the civil forces in the entire Lu region, no one can match the quantity and quality of the Boxers under their command.
Wu Dong responded positively to Deng Shichang's appointment, but the meeting place must be at the Boxer Farm.
Even though Deng Shichang had a great reputation, he did not trust our officials of the Qing Dynasty.
Who knows if they will organize a Hongmen Banquet for him?
After all, at this time, in the eyes of some people, he has a big business and can be picked as a ripe fruit.
Whether it is the nearly 10,000 young boxers, the numerous boxer farms, or the resources at their disposal, they are all quite impressive.
If it were placed in the hands of ambitious people, it might be possible to create a big stir.
Among other things, the White Lotus Sect, which has been semi-hidden in Lu Di, has sent several waves of people to contact them before.
I want to trick Wu Dong into joining, and at the same time receive his men and resources.
What surprised Wu Dong was that among the envoys of the White Lotus Sect, there was actually a core member named Jiugong.
Judging from his body shape and movements, it is obvious that he has good martial arts skills.
I just don’t know if he is the villain from the second part of Once Upon a Time.
It would be interesting if it was really him.
I don’t know whether this guy was sent to Guangdong Province to preach, or something happened at the White Lotus Sect headquarters, and he had to go to Guangdong Province to take refuge and have some troubles.
In this way, we can also understand why the White Lotus Sect has been targeting foreigners in the second film of Once Upon a Time. It all has its origins.
Not only the White Lotus Sect, but also organizations such as the Red Dengzhao and the White Dengzhao have also sent envoys to contact us.
It was also at this time that Wu Dong gained a clear understanding of the chaos among the people in Lu.
Any one of them can make a big splash in a certain state capital.
However, many forces refused to give in to each other, and there were many conflicts to restrain each other. On the contrary, Lu Di was able to maintain a superficial tranquility.
Wu Dong has not offended anyone, so of course he cannot agree to join. Wouldn't it be nice to be the boss?
The forces that sent envoys here were not angry or upset.
After all, Wu Dong's momentum is astonishing, and his subordinates are almost all young men who can fight. Together with their family members, their number is one of the best among the civil forces in Lu.
Such a powerful force naturally has the respect of outsiders and does not dare to mess with it easily.
On the contrary, they found out that Wu Dong liked to compete with well-known martial arts masters, and they deliberately catered to his preference, revealing that they were willing to send masters from his forces to come and compete with each other.
Wu Dong naturally accepted it all, but he was not so impulsive as to directly name a fight with the guy named Jiugong.
At this time, his Ming Jin cultivation has reached the mid-level level, and his martial arts skills have improved to a higher level with the help of his diligent training and sufficient resources.
Even through practicing Plum Blossom Fist, Five-Shaped Crane Fist and Five-Shaped Snake Fist, I have gradually reached the threshold of dark strength, and my overall strength has reached a new level.
Not long ago, when I was competing with Yan Zhendong, I was able to interact with him on an equal footing.
Such strength should be no worse or even stronger than that of Jiugong Zhenren at this time.
However, as a well-known senior disciple, he cannot always act according to his own wishes.
Thinking that there was nothing wrong, he arrived at the Boxer Farm where they had agreed to meet in advance, and waited for Deng Shichang to come over and talk.
The environment of the farm was a little bad, but he didn't care much about it. He even wanted Deng Shichang to take a look at it, so as not to overestimate him, the senior disciple who founded the farm...