The rise of the textile industry allowed countless military officers and soldiers to wear extremely exquisite military uniforms. The assembly line production method established by the Ford Company allowed the price of the T car to reach a low of a few hundred dollars. Exquisite and practical were not the symbols of prosperity in the industrial era. Only mass production was the highest standard of industrial development!!!
To become a superpower, a large industrial area was the symbol of super industry. The M Nation on the other side of the ocean was able to produce the world's number one industrial output because of its vast land and industrial zones. With a large number of industrial zones, it could reduce manufacturing costs to the maximum!!!
As they entered a new phase, the expansion of the Iron Blood Army and the economic development of Mawei were progressing steadily. However, as time passed, the rumors about Mawei finally spread to Fuzhou City!
Compared to Mawei, Fuzhou, as the provincial capital, was obviously far superior to Mawei and Quanzhou in terms of urban structure and population size!
Just the population of the city alone had exceeded 600,000, reaching 620,000. Clearly, compared to big cities like Shanghai and Yanjing, the population base was easily over a million!
Li Houji of Fujian, the former commander of Beiyang, had followed the Beiyang Army south. After Yuan Shikai's death, he had become the Fujian Military Governor and controlled the military and political power of Fujian Province!
Fujian alone had a population of more than 14 million people, and the annual tax revenue was close to 10 million silver dollars. There were head tax, stamp tax, land tax…There were no less than 150 kinds of taxes, big and small. It could be said that the world was truly too " poor "!
As for the Minnan King in Fuzhou, he collected private taxes and was extravagant. The Li Residence in Fuzhou was built like the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty. There were fake mountains and pavilions, and it was a feast for the eyes!
The Li Residence was located in the southeast of Fuzhou City. It took up an unknown amount of land. There were two stone lions in front of the gate, and the bolt on the gate was a beast head. The street was bustling and extremely noisy!
But here, it was a little quiet. In that deep alley, it was probably the Rong Mansion of Dream of the Red Chamber!
Looking further ahead, there was a plaque on the door with the words " Military Governor's Office " written on it. Left, right, left, front, back, countless attics, courtyards, and from the depths of the alley, exquisite records of songs could be heard!
Not far away, there was an armchair. The leisurely and elegant man had two fat ears and a bulging stomach. His long beard seemed to have been carefully trimmed!
He closed his eyes. Behind him, two young maids were carefully serving him. They did not dare to speak at all. Even their breathing was as low as possible!
This person was none other than the Fujian Military Governor, Li Houji!!!
Unbeknownst to them, a military officer wearing the Beiyang military uniform suddenly barged in and broke the calm scene!
"Overseer, the latest news is that an intense battle broke out in the area of Mawei last night. The Heavenly Snake Mountain was directly breached. There were more than 1,200 bandits in the Heavenly Snake Mountain, but not a single one was captured.!”
"Heavy machine guns and mortars were used in the war. The Heavenly Snake Mountain was in flames last night. Many people in Xili County and Changle County saw the flames and the sounds of gunfire last night!”
At this moment, Li Houji suddenly opened his eyes. His fingers were a little unnatural. Since when was there such a military force under his eyes? Heavy machine guns and mortars. This was not an ordinary military force!
" Where's the army??"
Li Houji's voice was a little doubtful. Other than his infantry division, there didn't seem to be such a powerful military force. Could it be Lu Yongxiang from Zhejiang?？
That shouldn't be the case. Why would Lu Yongxiang, that old fellow, come to Mawei to suppress the bandits?!!
"Overseer, according to the information, this unit is the local patrol camp in Mawei. The person in charge is Zuo Zongming, a descendant of the Zuo family in Quanzhou!”
The officer was puzzled. This unit called the Patrol Battalion was only a local armed force, but they actually had a weapon like a heavy machine gun!!
"Ponytail's patrol unit, which armed force is this?”
Li Houji's eyes narrowed slightly, and there was a hint of viciousness in his gaze. If he continued to keep this kind of equipment, if he could not subdue it, it would only become a huge threat!!
Li Houji was greedy for money, women, and power. However, for so many years, no matter what, he had always had a firm grasp of military power. Moreover, he had invested a lot of money into the army!
And now, in Fujian, in Mawei, only a day or two away from Fuzhou, Li Houji's face became more and more gloomy. Unstable factors had to be eliminated, or they would only become bombs that could explode at any time!
" The Eighth Division and the Ninth Division, as well as the independent brigades below them, and the security regiments in various places, do not have the establishment of the Mawei Patrol Battalion. Overseer, this is a private army that is completely out of Fuzhou's control. The head of the army is Zuo Zongming!!!”
"They have a certain number of Maxim heavy machine guns and a large number of small-caliber mortars!!”
Li Houji couldn't help but shake his head. The corners of his mouth curled up, revealing an extremely mysterious and gloomy smile. It seemed that someone in that ponytail was restless!
"A patrol battalion only has three to four hundred people at most, but they can actually defeat more than a thousand bandits of the Heavenly Snake Mountain. They must be extraordinary!!”
"Look, when you have the time, find someone to investigate the situation at Ponytail. Who exactly are the people in the Patrol Camp and Zuo Zongming? Whether they are dragons or insects, they will all lie on the ground in my Fujian territory!!”
Li Houji raised his hand to signal for the officer to leave. He wanted to listen to the music and did not like to be disturbed!
Ever since he, Li Houji, entered Fujian, it had been nearly eight years. He had witnessed the birth of the Republic of China and witnessed the downfall of this era!
And he, Li Houji, had grasped the rules of his own survival and control of the military, so he could live longer!
Just like how the fruits of the revolution of the Republic of China were snatched away by Yuan Shikai, it was all because of the Beiyang elites under Yuan Shikai. No one in the country could stop them. Even Mr. Sun avoided them and gave up the position of the Grand President!
"Zuo Zongtang, that old man, is already dead, and the remnants of the Zuo family still want to come out and jump around. They overestimate themselves. A small patrol camp, they don't know what's good for them!!!”
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