Beiyang Dream

Chapter 20 Chang Desheng, the Emperor wants to see you alone!

September 11, 1889, 8:00 AM.

Berlin, the cloakroom on the second floor of the Qing Dynasty Legation.

Chang Desheng stood in front of a full-length mirror, as tall as himself, and stared at his reflection in a black Prussian military uniform. His first thought was... Who the hell is this?

My second reaction was to reach out and touch the epaulettes.

White, no rank insignia. But the piping is red—that's the color for artillery and engineers. There's also a dark felt armband on the left arm, embroidered with Gothic lettering "Generalstabsoffiziersanwärter" (General Staff Cadet).

“It fits perfectly.” Reiner stood beside her, his eyes filled with undisguised envy. “I’ve served in the Prussian Army for twelve years and never even got close to being an intern in the General Staff.”

Chang Desheng thought to himself: Nonsense, this thing would be like the "Young and Middle-aged Cadre Training Class of XX School" in later generations. Can you just get in like that? But he just hummed in agreement and turned around.

The woolen fabric is quite thick, probably weighing about one and a half pounds. The cut is well-fitting, with a neatly tailored waist that makes the wearer look broad-shouldered and straight-backed. However, the dome-shaped helmet on top is incredibly heavy, made of iron sheet wrapped around the woolen fabric, with a bronze eagle emblem on top; it must weigh about two pounds.

"What's up? Are you done yet?" A loud voice in Tianjin dialect boomed in from outside the dressing room. It was Guo Shigui. "Ready? Hurry up and come out for the photo! Lord Hong is waiting!"

Chang Desheng and Reiner exchanged a glance.

Reiner lowered his voice and spoke quickly and softly in German: "I'll take that box of porcelain out the back door later and deliver it directly to the side gate of Sanssouci Palace."

Chang Desheng nodded and said "Thank you for your trouble," but in his mind, he immediately began to settle scores:

Yin Chang's letter was delivered by Waldersee three days ago. Now this box of "former dynasty blue and white porcelain" still has to be smuggled out of the country. What kind of nonsense is this? Making diplomacy sound like colluding with foreign powers. What's wrong with going through the official channels of the embassy? Are you afraid the upright officials in the court will accuse you, Mr. Li Er, of treason?

Hmph, haven't you been scolded enough, old man?

He straightened his collar, pushed open the door, and went out.

......

In the hall, Hong Jun had already changed into the brocade robes of a second-rank civil official and sat swaggeringly in the Grand Master's chair. Beside him stood a pretty young woman of sixteen or seventeen, bending down to straighten the wrinkles in his robes.

Chang Desheng glanced over and thought, "This girl is incredibly attractive!"

She had an oval face and skin as white as a freshly peeled egg. Her eyes were large and bright, sparkling as she looked at people. She also had a good figure; the cheongsam accentuated her slender and graceful figure, and when she bent over, a section of snow-white skin was revealed on the back of her neck.

Chang Desheng knew who this woman was; she was none other than the famous Sai Jinhua! Formerly known as Zhao Caiyun, now called Hong Mengluan, she was the concubine of Hong Zhuangyuan (a high-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations), and went abroad as a "Ministerial Wife." Historically, this woman later mingled in the social circles of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, fluent in multiple languages, and adept at navigating relationships with high-ranking officials both in China and abroad…

This is a top-notch public relations talent!

As he was pondering this, the beautiful young woman straightened up and, in a frighteningly fluent Hanoverian German, called out towards the corner of the hall:

"Photographer, get ready!"

There was a German squatting over there, fiddling with a camera that looked like a wooden box. Hearing the greeting, he nodded hurriedly.

Guo Shigui then leaned closer to Chang Desheng and whispered, "Did you hear that? This lady's German is just as good as yours!"

Chang Desheng thought to himself: It's more than just one comparison. This guy's fluency is at a native-level, and his social skills are off the charts. Once Old Man Hong kicks the bucket (which is only a few years in history), we'll have to find a way to recruit him and set up a "Foreigner-baiting Salon" to specialize in diplomatic intelligence—the return on investment won't be low.

As he was calculating the accounts, Hong Jun was already beckoning from his armchair:

"Zhenbang, come here! Let's take a picture together!"

Besides Hong, Chang, Guo, and Rui, Shang Dequan, Kong Qingtang, and Wu Dingyuan also arrived, standing respectfully in the back row. Duan Qirui stood at the very edge, his eyes dark-rimmed and his face pale, but his back was ramrod straight.

Chang Desheng glanced at him, then thought to himself: Duan Zhiquan is going all out. He didn't get into the War Academy, and the entrance exam for the Berlin Military Academy is in ten days. He's arrogant and can't handle pressure, so he'll have to study like crazy. Good, the greater the pressure, the stronger the rebound... He shouldn't be underestimated!

Sai Jinhua was also invited to sit beside Hong Jun. As the beautiful young woman sat down next to the old man, she secretly glanced at Chang Desheng.

Chang Desheng happened to be admiring her figure when their eyes met.

Sai Jinhua looked as if she had been burned, and quickly turned her face away, her ears turning slightly red.

Chang Desheng chuckled inwardly: This young lady, she knows how to be shy? She must have a crush on me, right? I'm so handsome! He changed into the uniform of the Prussian War Academy. Clothes make the man! Wearing this, what girl wouldn't take a second look?

Thinking of this, Chang Desheng gave Hong Jun another meaningful look before standing on the other side of Hong Jun.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please look at the camera..." the German photographer called out, reaching into a small tray next to the camera and pinching up a pinch of white powder.

An alarm bell rang in Chang Desheng's mind: magnesium powder! That's what flashlights used in 1889 burned!

He hadn't even had time to close his eyes...

boom!

With a muffled thud, a burst of white light exploded, blinding everyone with a shower of stars. Immediately afterward, a pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with the strange odor of burning magnesium powder filled the air, and billowing white smoke filled the air.

While Chang Desheng was choking and coughing for a while, the photographer had already laughed and shouted, "All done!"

He blinked, still seeing a few stars in his eyes, and thought to himself: These are precious historical photos of President Chang during his studies in Germany. I need to get the negatives from him later so they can be included in my memoirs... But I'll forget about that for now and focus on dealing with the big client (the German Emperor) first.

......

The scene changes.

Chang Desheng was already seated in a four-wheeled carriage, flanked by Guo Shigui and Reiner. The carriage was rolling along the cobblestone streets of Berlin in the autumn sun, heading towards Potsdam.

Guo Shigui was so nervous that his palms were sweating, and he kept muttering, "Zhenbang, when you see the foreign emperor, you can't kneel and kowtow three times or perform the 'bowing' salute. You have to bow, do you understand? Like this..." He demonstrated by bending over.

Chang Desheng grunted in agreement, thinking to himself: Forget about foreign emperors, I've never even seen a local emperor. In all these days of time travel, I've seen presidents—Cao Kun, Feng Guozhang, Hindenburg, and myself!

Reiner added from the side, in a serious tone, "To show the utmost respect, you'd better bow to ninety degrees."

Chang Desheng's lips twitched: Ninety degrees? In his previous life, when reporting a case to a Japanese client, he would at most give a perfunctory bow. This German client has quite the airs.

But he still obediently said, "I understand."

There's nothing we can do; he's the emperor, the current King of Germany!

The carriage passed through the Tiergarten district, the buildings on either side transforming from Baroque palaces into royal gardens. Chang Desheng's professional instincts kicked in again; gazing at the outline of Sanssouci Palace outside the window, he mentally calculated:

Rococo style, three stories for the main building, with two symmetrical wings. The stone is Saxon sandstone; the cost per cubic meter wouldn't be less than three hundred marks. This garden and palace together, the total assets must be… incalculable!

In short, it's corrupt, extremely corrupt.

However… when I become president, this presidential palace must be built to this standard. No, it must be even better—it must be a reinforced concrete structure, have flush toilets, and be heat-resistant in winter and cool in summer. I will draw the blueprints myself.

As he was thinking, the carriage slowly came to a stop.

Chang Desheng took out his pocket watch and glanced at it: 1 p.m.

The journey was bumpy for over three hours, and I even ate two cold vegetable buns along the way...

There are still two hours until the scheduled audience!

He frowned, got out of the car, and muttered to himself: "It's just meeting a client, why do I have to come two hours early to wait?"

The moment his feet touched the ground, Guo Shigui suddenly tugged at his sleeve and gestured to the right with his mouth.

Chang Desheng turned his head to look.

The Japanese legation's carriage also arrived.

Fukushima Yasumasa got out of the car first, followed by Tojo Hideaki, Iguchi Shogo, Yamaguchi Keizo, and Fujii Shigeta. All four were dressed in navy blue stand-up collar military uniforms with shiny leather boots. They automatically lined up after getting out of the car.

They are indeed very disciplined.

Chang Desheng thought to himself that they were all like model soldiers in military training. It was a pity that they were a bit short, averaging just over 1.5 meters tall. Standing next to his group of brothers from Tianjin, they looked like adults taking care of children.

Hideki Tojo was also looking towards Tokusho Chang.

The two exchanged glances in mid-air.

They were all very kind.

Chang Desheng thought to himself: That's true, we're both middle-aged (he died in his thirties in his previous life, and Tojo is in his thirties now). Unlike Duan Qirui, that young man, everything is written all over his face. We're rivals in the examination hall, and we'll definitely meet on the battlefield in the future, but for now, we have to keep up the good work.

He nodded to Tojo.

Tojo nodded, the movement small but clear. Then he turned his head and whispered something to Fukushima in Japanese.

Fukushima Yasumasa turned his face and gave Chang Desheng a standard Japanese social smile, with the corners of his mouth turned up, but the muscles around his eyes didn't move, and his eyes were still cold.

You're being too polite!

Chang Desheng knew exactly what was going on, but he still cupped his hands in return from a distance. Anyone can be a fake polite person.

He was just thinking about how to give these Japanese devils some more "smoke bombs" once they entered the waiting hall when another carriage arrived.

Several bearded men got off the bus, three of whom were also wearing black uniforms from the Prussian War Academy; these were Ottoman Turkish students.

Chang Desheng's eyes lit up.

Turkish chickens and Russian bears are sworn enemies!

His mind raced: I just want a peaceful life right now. I thought the Beiyang government's number one hypothetical enemy was Russia, so it's reasonable for me to get close to the Turkish students studying abroad, right? I need to learn about the Russians' tactics through them!

Moreover, Xiao Ri will definitely try every means to find out what I talked about with Tu Ji!

Isn't this a ready-made "channel for spreading misleading information"?

He instantly had an idea, straightened his collar, and walked towards the one with the longest beard and the tallest stature among the three Turkish students.

When he took three steps closer, Chang Desheng snapped to attention and gave a standard Prussian military salute.

The bearded foreign student paused for a moment, glanced at Chang Desheng's braid at the back of his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he quickly returned the greeting.

"Chang Desheng, a student from Qing Dynasty China." Chang Desheng introduced himself in German, speaking at a steady pace, "Nice to meet you."

"Muhammad Esaad, a student from the Ottoman Empire," the bearded man returned the greeting, speaking fluent German with a slight accent. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Just as Chang Desheng was about to make a move to get closer to her, a series of crisp "snap" sounds suddenly came from the direction of the main gate of Wuyou Palace. It was the sound of guards with guns standing at attention and saluting.

He turned his head to look.

Major Gortz strode out of the palace, accompanied by an elderly general with graying temples and a chest full of medals. The general's shoulder insignia bore two stars, and his gaze swept over the group of foreign students outside the palace gates as if he were inspecting troops.

"You've all arrived quite early," the old general said, his voice booming with the distinctively Prussian officer's arrogance. "I am Lieutenant General Ernst von Wittig, His Majesty the Emperor's chief adjutant."

He paused, then said to Goerts, "Major, please take you to the waiting room. His Majesty will see you all shortly."

Then, his gaze swept across the crowd and finally landed on Chang Desheng's face.

"Oh, right," Lieutenant General Vitich said, as if suddenly remembering something, pointing at Chang Desheng, "you, you're Chang Desheng, aren't you?"

Chang Desheng stepped forward half a step: "Yes, General."

Wittich nodded, his tone as casual as if he were instructing a servant:

"His Majesty happens to have some free time right now. You, come with me, His Majesty would like to see you alone first."

......

The words fell.

A deathly silence fell over the palace gates.

Chang Desheng could feel the gazes from the direction of the Japanese devils behind him, and he could even "hear" the tense tension in the minds of Tojo Hideaki and Fukushima Yasumasa.

OK!

Chang Desheng thought to himself: This Emperor De is not following the procedure. Such obvious "special treatment" is not afraid of causing any misunderstandings!

It really is Wilhelm II!

Tojo and Fukushima must now think that my Beiyang Army has some kind of secret agreement with Germany.

But... that's fine too. The deeper the seeds of doubt are planted, the wilder they will grow in the future.

He remained expressionless and bowed to Lieutenant General Wittich: "Yes, Your Excellency."

Then he turned around and followed the old general deeper into the palace.

As they passed through the heavy, copper-clad gate, Lieutenant General Wittich suddenly slowed his pace and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Mr. Chang, His Majesty is in a good mood today."

He paused, turned his head, and glanced at Chang Desheng:

"He was very curious about how a young man who had incorporated 'defense' into his answers would plan an attack for the empire."

Chang Desheng's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that the real test was only just beginning.

Outside the Wuyou Palace, Tojo Hideki stared at Chang Desheng's disappearing figure inside the palace gate, his expression growing increasingly grim.

He whispered to Fukushima in Japanese:

"Colonel, the relationship between Kiyotoku... is probably more than just that of student and teacher."