On February 18, 1881, the Governor of Cochin China issued an order to march. The next day, Li Weiye led 500 Marines and 1,100 Annan colonial troops, carrying 6 mountain troops.
cannons and five Gatling hand-cranked machine guns, and set sail northward on two ironclad ships, the "Doulak" and the "Baswal".
Arrive in Hanoi on February 22.
On February 24, Li Weiye stationed troops outside Hanoi City and met with Hanoi Governor Huang Yao.
"Your Majesty the Governor-General, the French Republic has the obligation to protect the safety and dignity of its nationals overseas. The French Republican Government and Governor-General Lumei are very angry about the armed attacks on Mr. Gudin and Mr. Veleroya in your country.
Governor Lu Mei has entrusted me to make a solemn protest to you on behalf of the Republican government. You must immediately order the Chinese army and the northern armed forces to stop attacks on French citizens. You must hand over the attack on French citizens within half a month.
If the citizens’ behind-the-scenes planners fail to do the above two points, the French army will take independent military actions to safeguard the dignity and interests of the republican government!”
"Citizens of your country snooping into military secrets without the permission of the DPRK are violating the law. The DPRK, in line with the policy of peace and friendship between you and our country, does not care about your excessive actions. Why do you blame them and instead shift the responsibility?
Go to the country and North Korea."
After listening to the interpreter's explanation, the Governor of Hanoi retorted, "Besides, two citizens of your country did not listen to the advice of the Korean army and continued to provoke. The Korean army only expelled them from Quang Ninh Province and did not harm them. How can we talk about attacks?"
!”
The Annan translator on the French side was willing to relay the words to Li Weiye. After hearing this, the other party did not give in at all and said, "Your Majesty the Governor, even if you don't talk about the attacks on Mr. Gooding and Mr. Willeroa, a week ago, two people carrying two
The ship of more than ten mining engineering inspection groups was intercepted by the Chinese army on the coast of Halong Bay. They aimed their guns at the French citizens on the ship, causing the ship to fail to dock normally. The ship was flying the flag of the French Republic. They knew full well that
The ship did not carry weapons and threatened the French citizens on board with guns and cannons. Their behavior was a naked insult to the French Republic. If the Annan government cannot handle this matter fairly and justly, the government of the Republic will never let it go."
"Then according to Governor Lu Mei's wishes, how should this matter be handled?"
"You should order the Chinese troops to withdraw from Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces, and completely hand over the Hong Kei coal mine and all military facilities in the two provinces to the French Republic."
The French did not yet have the ability to carry out a large-scale colonial war 4,000 kilometers away from the mainland. Lu Mei sent Li Weiye to meet with the Governor of Hanoi, with the wishful thinking of dividing and disintegrating, and defeating each one. He first used political and diplomatic methods to subdue him.
The cowardly and incompetent local authorities in northern Annam are trying to fight without bloodshed.
Rendi established French colonial rule in the northern region, but tried to avoid large-scale conflicts with the Nanyang Army and the Manchu Army, so as not to involve France in a war that it did not want to fight.
Annan has been deeply influenced by Chinese culture since ancient times. The French strategy of sowing discord and dividing the relationship between the Annan government and the Nanyang Army was easily seen through.
In order for the country to have time to recuperate and prevent Annan from being invaded by the French, even if the Governor of Hanoi Huang Yao knew that the French were making trouble unreasonably, he could only choose to calm down the situation as much as possible.
"The Chinese troops in Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces are the masters of the country's economic system. If we transfer the troops from these two provinces just because they refuse to allow the ship of your mining inspection team to dock ashore, I'm afraid they will not be able to convince the public."
"The Chinese army has repeatedly seized customs tax revenue from Quang Ninh Province. They used the illegally withheld customs tax revenue to purchase large quantities of rifles and artillery. Their behavior has threatened the security of the French garrison in Annam. Your government must order the Chinese army to withdraw from Quang Ninh and Lang Son.
Province, this is the last bottom line of the French Republic. If your government still cannot do it, then be prepared to go to war with the Republic!"
"This is too much! The armies of Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces are Annan's army. You French people just prohibit other countries from exporting guns and weapons to the country and the DPRK. You even interfere with the independent purchase of weapons by the army of the country and the DPRK. It is really unreasonable.
!”
In order to reduce the human losses caused by occupying the Annan region, the French banned other Western countries in Southeast Asia from selling weapons to them. This is a matter of course. Annan is surrounded by sea on both sides, and Thailand and Cambodia in the south have either become the possession of Western countries.
The colonies were either unable to protect themselves, and it was impossible to obtain advanced weapons from the north. The Qing Dynasty in the south was said to be carrying out the Westernization Movement, but weapons and ammunition relied on outsourcing. Annan was weak and unable to come up with huge funds, and the purchases were made through two-hand transactions.
Therefore, it was almost the only way for the Annan government to obtain foreign weapons through the relationship with the Nanyang Army and purchasing muskets and artillery produced in the Han Kingdom at a suitable price.
Hearing the Frenchman's almost shameless request, even Huang Yao, who pays attention to appearance, couldn't help but feel angry in his heart.
"The original words tell the Westerners that Mr. Huang has been favored by his country and will never engage in treasonous activities that are humiliating. If you threaten him with military force again, I will prepare a thin coffin and personally command the northern ten
Provincial army, with the determination to die, repay the great kindness of the country!"
"Stupid barbarian, I hope you won't regret today's decision in the future!"
"Seeing off guests, the country will take one step back, and you foreigners will take one step forward. If I make any concessions today, I am afraid that the disaster of national destruction is just around the corner. I would rather die than agree to your request!"......
This meeting showed that the positions and views of the two sides were very different. In response to Li Weiye's sudden provocative action, the Vietnamese government had to take three response measures.
First of all, Nguyen Cheng-cheng, the left minister of the Household Department, was sent to Saigon to negotiate with Lu Mei, the governor of Cochin China, hoping to control the development of the situation and avoid conflicts.
Secondly, he instructed Huang Zuoyan, the governor of Beiqi, Zhang Guangli, deputy envoy of Jingbian, and Ruan Youdu to persuade the Nanyang Army to make concessions to ease the hostility of the French army. Later, he also sent the Minister of Civil Service
Ruan Zhengchong was appointed as the economic and strategic envoy of Beiqi, and Pei Yinnian, the counselor of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the deputy envoy in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, went to assist Huang Zuoyan and others in handling the matter. They also instructed them that if there was a conflict between the French army and the Nanyang Army, the Vietnamese army should remain neutral: "If
If he only wants to defend himself and deal with it well, do not start a provocation. If he wants to retaliate against the Nanyang Army, the commander-in-chief will keep him away. If he relies on force and leads a fight in Shanxi, then he will handle it as appropriate. I only give advice.
We must be fair and do not favor anyone. Fortunately, nothing happens, but if nothing happens, those who are recruited will do their part as soon as possible."
Finally, just in case, the Vietnamese government also secretly ordered the provinces in Beiqi to prepare for war: "The French and foreigners want to plot Beiqi, in the name of the Nanyang Army. The meaning is unpredictable. In our case
You should also prepare in advance.”
Accordingly, the Vietnamese government instructed the governors of Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh in Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Shanxi, Hung Hoa, Nghi Quang, Bac Ninh, and Tai Nguyen provinces: "Everything must be done in a general manner, and no movement will be heard. If you can hide,
The eradication of silence is well established. If he dares to go too far and things get worse, everyone must do what they want to do to fulfill their responsibility to protect the land."
According to the instructions of the Vietnamese government, the governors of Hanoi and Shanxi Provinces, Huang Yao, Nguyen Dinh Yoon, and Huang Youheng, etc., formulated preventive strategies and said: "The situation in Beiqi stretches from Ninh Binh to Dude Mountain Hsing on the left, and from North Pacific to the east of the sea on the right.
There are mountains and dangerous points that can be used to control the tide. If I can make great efforts to strengthen the upper reaches to defend Zhongzhou, which is convenient for water but not for mountains, I will know the difficulty and dare not move. "
Nam Dinh Province petitioned for the defense of the river and the erection of forts and artillery; Huang Zuoyan requested that the Vietnamese officers and soldiers who were suppressing various places be sent back and invited the Nanyang Army to help defend Hanoi.
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