Hankou, located in the hinterland of Central China, is known as the thoroughfare of nine provinces.
Hankou was called Jiangxia in ancient times. Because Hankou was the outlet of the Han River, people in Shaanxi first called Jiangxia Hankou. Over time, Hankou became the official name, and Jiangxia became the ancient name.
In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Hankou developed very rapidly due to its developed port trade and transportation industry and the largest port on the inland river. It was listed as one of the four famous towns in the country along with Zhuxian Town in Henan Province, Foshan Town in Guangdong Province and Jingdezhen Town in Jiangxi Province, and was known as the Chicago of the East overseas.
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Hankou occupies an important position in the modern history of China. After the Opium War, Hankou was one of the first treaty ports that the Qing government was forced to open. In March 1861, British Naval Commander Herb in China and Counselor of the Embassy in China led a group of
A fleet consisting of four warships and hundreds of sailors arrived in Hankou and concluded the terms of the Hankou concession with Tang Xunfang, the governor of Hubei Province. From then on, Hankou entered a period of rapid development.
By now, Hankou is already a modern metropolis comparable to Wuchang. If coupled with Hanyang, which is developing equally rapidly, a huge urban agglomeration has been formed in the Hanyang area of Wuchang, Hankou, and their combined economic aggregate
It was second only to Shanghai in the Republic of China.
If there is no turning point in history, then it should be 1926 when Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang merged into one city, which was Wuhan, the capital of the Southern Military Government.
But in this time and space, it is obvious that the southern military government has not yet completely controlled Hankou, let alone established the capital.
Today's Hankou has not only the British Concession, but also the French Concession and the Russian Concession. After McTavish and the others arrived in Hankou, they secretly entered the French Concession with the support of Zhang Hanqing, preparing to win Huang Fugui.
The French knew about the arrival of MacTavish and the others, but it was obvious that the French did not notify the British. Moreover, the French Minister in Hankou, Deferro, sent the embassy attaché Richard to MacTavish and the others for convenience.
Communicate what is needed.
The relationship between France and Britain is good, but it is far from the relationship between France and Lanfang. Whether it is Paul Eugène, Louis de Charnel or Alexander Millerand, they have recently had conflicts with Britain on the issue of Germany, so the French are eager to
The British are unlucky. The French have always done this kind of stabbing in the back.
Well, throughout European history, there have always been a lot of stabbings in the back, and speaking of it, the British are also good at it.
The French Concession is actually not far from the British Concession. If we take the Yangtze River as the axis, the French Concession is downstream of the British Concession. The two concessions are even connected, so the French are no strangers to the British Concession.
The British have kept a tight seal on the news about Mr. Huang. My people have been running around in the past two days, but they have not found out the exact information. So far, they only know that Mr. Huang had been treated in a British hospital and was waiting for me.
People went to investigate, but the building was empty. It cannot be said that Zhang Hanqing did not work hard, I can only say that the British were too cunning.
Zhang Hanqing's men are all Chinese, and they are all new faces. They will definitely be subject to considerable restrictions on their activities in the British Concession. It is normal that the Northeast Army cannot find out whether there are any insiders in the British Concession in Hankou.
Fortunately, Lanfang could rely on more than just Zhang Hanqing. In addition to Zhang Hanqing, McTavish could also rely on Richard and Patrick Moore. Compared to Zhang Hanqing, these two were the local gangsters in Hankou.
Patrick Moore is a missionary and a Catholic. Because of the relationship between Qin Zhiyuan and Auerbach, Patrick is more reliable than Richard.
If my information is correct, or the British haven't had time to transfer, then Lord Huang should be in Litai Yang. Richard's Chinese is a bit stiff and the tone is a bit weird, but he is still fluent, at least McTavi
I can understand.
MacTavish did not answer immediately, but looked at Patrick. When he saw Patrick nodded slightly to confirm, MacTavish turned back to Richard: Map, where is the specific location?
The house that McTavish and Zhang Hanqing stayed in was on the top floor of the Minsheng Building in the French Concession. It was said to be a building, but in fact it only had six floors. However, because there was a spire-shaped attic on the top of the building, the view was quite wide. Standing on the attic, they could see
Overlooking most of the British Concession.
In the center of the room where McTavish stayed, there was a map of Hankou on the table. The map was marked in French and the accuracy was quite high. Even an inconspicuous small alley was clearly marked on the map.
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Here, Richard's finger points to the area near the Yangtze River in the British Concession.
The terrain here is not very good. Next door is the British Consulate in Hankou. In the consulate, there is at least a platoon of British soldiers. A little further away is the military camp, which contains about two companies of troops. A little further on the right is the Lisheng Bank.
There are also armed guards in the bank. As long as they are alerted, it will be difficult to escape. Richard explained in detail and completed his job perfectly.
The expressions of MacTavish, the commander of the two companies, were a bit disdainful, and he was eager to teach them a lesson.
This immediately aroused a strong reaction from Richard: I know you are very powerful, but you'd better not do that, otherwise it will make everyone look bad and it will be difficult for us to explain.
No matter what, the French and the British still pay attention to their friendship. The French definitely don't want MacTavish and the others to turn the British Concession upside down, which will also harm the interests of the French.
Don't worry, I won't knock on the door. MacTavish gave Richard reassurance, and then asked the question: Is there any way to sneak in without anyone noticing? Even if you can't get in, you can go to the door.
Is there any difference between going to the door and going in directly?
It's difficult. The British have blocked it. Anyone who wants to approach will be interrogated by the British. You'd better be careful. The British seem to have set a trap, just waiting for you to jump. This
It is best to resolve the matter through political means, and violence is only the last resort. Richard kindly reminded me.
If possible, McTavish didn't want to take any chances.
But just now, definite news has come from Lanfang. The British Ambassador to Lanfang, Owen Jonah, denied that the detention of Huang Fugui was related to the United Kingdom and refused to provide any information.
At the same time, the southern military government sent a clear telegram to the Lanfang government. If the Lanfang government suspended cooperation with the Beiyang government, the southern military government would release Huang Fugui and sign a series of treaties with the Lanfang government.
After signing the treaty, the southern military government has regarded itself as the actual controller of the Republic of China. Although it seems that the southern military government is now in a favorable position in the war with the Beiyang government, it is unavoidable to make an assertion now.
A little too hasty.
MacTavish didn't care who wanted to sign the contract. MacTavish just wanted to complete the task as soon as possible and then return to the capital to find his Su Mo.
There are always some things that cannot be solved politically, and the easiest way is to use force. MacTavish is used to being brutal.
On the river, is there any way to get close to this Litai Yangxing Rommel? Find another way.
Yes, we can approach from the river. MacTavish agreed.
It's also difficult. The British are very well-defended, and there are gunboats patrolling the river. Our ships can't approach Litai & Co., and the British won't let us get close. Richard is still not optimistic.
There is no need to get close, as long as we can get close, even if it is three to five hundred meters away from Litai Matheson, we can swim across, so it is always possible. MacTavish is sure, isn't it just an armed swim, this is
The daily training program of Lanfang First Brigade.
Swimming an armed force of three to five hundred meters is nothing for McTavish and the others. According to the training requirements of the Lanfang First Brigade, it is five kilometers at every turn. Three to five hundred meters is just a warm-up. McTavish and the others can do it.
Do it easily.
If it's three to five hundred meters, of course it's no problem. In fact, our defense zone is only more than two hundred meters away from Litai Yangxing. If you can swim across it with arms, that's fine. Richard seems to understand the meaning of swimming across with arms.
Based on Lanfang's current relationship with France, the French are no strangers to Lanfang's army training methods. In fact, as early as the European period, Qin Zhiyuan's training for the Foreign Legion included armed swimming events. This is not a secret.
The British Concession and the French Concession are actually both on the Yangtze River. Since the people in the British Concession will not let the ships in the French Concession get too close to the British Concession, then the people in the French Concession will not let the ships in the British Concession get too close to the French Concession.
In fact, the British Concession and the French Concession are not only distinct on land, but also on the Yangtze River. The British Concession and the French Concession have their own defense zones, and they do not interfere with each other.
Okay, that's it, let's take action tonight. MacTavish wants to cut through the mess quickly to avoid a long night of dreams.
What about us? Can we act together with you? Zhang Hanqing and Tang Jiading raised this issue almost at the same time.
It's better not to, we have to swim across, this is not an easy job, your people are equipped with submachine guns and carry so many bullets, can they swim? McTavish is not without malicious intent.
Haha, we are doing stealth operations and we don't need guns at all, so we don't need to bring so many bullets, and it's useless if we do. Zhang Hanqing is not in a hurry. It seems that after Rommel's training, Zhang Hanqing has made considerable progress.
That's right, this person is just like a spring. The greater the pressure, the greater the power. If there is no pressure, it will be a pool of stagnant water.
Okay, if you insist, then you can bring people to participate, but don't expect me to take care of you, and if you delay in the action, I will enforce battlefield discipline. MacTavish doesn't care whether the opponent is a young marshal or a marshal.
Accomplishing the mission is McTavish's highest goal.
The Lord will bless you all, Patrick finally got a chance to chime in.
