At the Mawei Naval Port in Fujian, the Beiyang Minister of the Navy Sa Zhenbing sat alone in his office. The guards outside stood strictly by the door; Sa Zhenbing had ordered that without his personal command, no one was allowed to enter. Ensuring that his train of thought would not be interrupted by any unexpected visitors, Sa Zhenbing opened the letter written to him by his old classmate and comrade-in-arms, Yan Fu. This was the third letter Yan Fu had sent.

The content of the letter was simple. Yan Fu frankly admitted that the People's Party's plan to advance into Korea had failed due to British intervention. Since an external war was no longer feasible, the flames of war from the Chinese bear were bound to sweep across the domestic battlefield. In the letter, Yan Fu formally invited Sa Zhenbing for the first time to join the People's Party and contribute his strength to the New China.

The letter was not long. Sa Zhenbing read it carefully several times, and only after confirming that he had not misunderstood Yan Fu's meaning at all, did he carefully put the letter away. Sa Zhenbing was born in 1859, a full five years younger than Yan Fu, who was born in 1854. In the winter of 1876, he was sent to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in the UK to study navigation along with Ye Zugui, Liu Buchan, Fang Boqian, and Yan Fu. After graduating from the British Naval Academy, Yan Fu became a devout teacher at the Beiyang Naval Academy, while Sa Zhenbing became a captain in the Beiyang Navy. After the First Sino-Japanese War, the surviving officers and soldiers of the navy were all dismissed and sent home. Yan Fu continued to teach and translate books. When Sa Zhenbing returned home, he was destitute and had to become a private tutor. Later, he was reinstated and returned to the navy. After the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion of China, Yan Fu left the imperial court and went to the populace, while Sa Zhenbing remained in the navy. However, the world is unpredictable, and now the two of them stood in opposing camps.

Despite being enemies, Sa Zhenbing was very envious of this big brother, Yan Fu. Merely after translating "Evolution and Ethics", Yan Fu had become a world-renowned scholar. Sa Zhenbing had long heard that Yan Fu had become the principal of the People's Party Naval Academy. As the teacher of the People's Party Chairman Chen Ke and the founder of the People's Party Navy, Yan Fu now had students everywhere. Many of the steamships running on the Yangtze River were built by the People's Party themselves, and it was said that their number and tonnage were not something the shipping bureaus established by the Manchu Qing could compare with. Sa Zhenbing was very clear that in today's declining Chinese navy, Yan Fu, as a great scholar and a great hero of the revival of the Chinese navy, would surely leave his name in history.

In the letter, Yan Fu guaranteed that if Sa Zhenbing could lead the Beiyang Fleet and Nanyang Fleet in Fujian to defect to the People's Party, the People's Party would appoint Sa Zhenbing as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. Sa Zhenbing believed that his big brother's guarantee would not be a deception. But Sa Zhenbing had no intention of defecting to the People's Party.

As the Beiyang Minister of the Navy, Sa Zhenbing was very clear about the People's Party's policy of people's revolution. On this point, regardless of whether he sincerely supported it or not, Sa Zhenbing could generally accept it. However, Sa Zhenbing felt that the land revolution promoted by the People's Party was too radical. As for the class struggle led by the People's Party, Sa Zhenbing felt that this was simply acting recklessly.

Like ordinary people of this era, Sa Zhenbing believed that there was good and evil, good and bad in this world. But a person's good or evil, good or bad, should be determined by their behavior. Sa Zhenbing believed that the Chinese traditional concept of good and evil did not exist in the People's Party's program. Class struggle did not care about personal behavior, only about whether one had money or not. Those with money were bad people, and those without money were good people. When Yuan Shikai was still alive, Sa Zhenbing and other high-ranking officials in Beijing thought this simple and crude attitude was simply the biggest joke in the world.

But the facts ruthlessly proved one thing: no matter how unreasonable the People's Party's policies were, the actual results were obvious. Chen Ke started from Fengtai County and overthrew the Beiyang government in just ten years. He even inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese army in the Northeast. The southeastern provinces had many dealings with foreign countries, and the armistice agreement signed between the People's Party and Japan was published in full in Shanghai newspapers. This was the first time in decades that China had won a victory from a great power through war and regained part of China's sovereignty. Japan's concessions, extraterritoriality, and other rights were completely stripped away. The compensation to Japan in the Boxer Indemnity and the compensation in the Treaty of Shimonoseki were all terminated in the treaty.

The foreign country Sa Zhenbing hated the most was Japan. In the First Sino-Japanese War, the Beiyang Navy suffered a disastrous defeat to Japan. This led to a war of unprecedented humiliation in the Manchu Qing era. Now the People's Party had annihilated more than 100,000 Japanese troops with the power of a few provinces. Such a record and the treaty signed afterwards proved the power of the People's Party with indisputable facts. The entire Beiyang and Nanyang navies, including Sa Zhenbing, were greatly shaken. If it weren't for the strong intervention of the British, who pulled the Allied Powers as Japan's backing, Sa Zhenbing believed that the People's Party would definitely have marched into Korea as Yan Fu said, wiping away the shame of the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. But the concept of "class struggle" of the People's Party still could not make Sa Zhenbing choose to defect to the People's Party with sincere conviction.

It was just that if they didn't defect to the People's Party, where was the way out for the Beiyang Navy and the Nanyang Navy? Sa Zhenbing was already 57 years old, long past the age where hot blood rushed up and he dared to do anything. He knew very well that even without a powerful fleet like Japan's, the current Beiyang and Nanyang fleets alone were enough to blockade the People's Party's maritime channels. Even if the People's Party currently looked like the number one army in the Far East.

The navy could roam the four seas when it had coal and shells, but when coal, shells, and food were exhausted, it still had to obediently return to the home port for supplies and repairs. Fujian had many mountains and was not rich in minerals. The Beiyang Navy had fled from Tianjin to Fujian in panic last year. Now many warships had been docked in the port for nearly a year, lacking coal and ammunition. Most of the ships could not move at all now, and many small ships were leaking seriously because there was no money for repairs. If this situation continued, in less than a few years, this fleet would completely lose its combat effectiveness amidst rust.

Even though Sa Zhenbing specifically had guards guard the door, someone was still able to let the guards come in and report, "My Lord, the navy officers and soldiers request an audience."

Sa Zhenbing couldn't help but sigh deeply. Since the collapse of the Beiyang Beijing government, Feng Guozhang had completely lost his source of funds. After the Beiyang Fleet went south, military pay hadn't been issued on time for more than half a year. Even if a little pay was issued, it was delayed and owed. An important means of maintaining discipline in the Beiyang Army was to issue pay on time, and Feng Guozhang did not have Yuan Shikai's appeal. The officers and soldiers couldn't even eat, and public sentiment was infuriated; recently it had reached a boiling point.

"Send someone to persuade them first." Sa Zhenbing really had no way to solve this problem either. After saying this, Sa Zhenbing's brows knit tightly together again. Only a powerful country could have a powerful navy, because the navy was a gold-swallowing beast. Manufacturing a warship already cost a huge amount, and the money spent to maintain the warship's combat effectiveness was more than that for manufacturing or purchasing the warship.

Sa Zhenbing couldn't help but waver in his heart. Even if his political views were quite incompatible with the People's Party, looking at China today, the only political force that had the money to build, maintain, and even develop a navy was the People's Party. And the People's Party also genuinely wanted to build a powerful navy. With his palm on his forehead, Sa Zhenbing had mixed feelings in his heart.

In the current war situation, there was not a single possibility of victory visible. Feng Guozhang had once tried to beg the British, and the British gave Feng Guozhang a very magical reply, "Britain will not participate in the war between the People's Party and Feng Guozhang. If Feng Guozhang dispatches a fleet to attack the People's Party, it absolutely must not affect the free passage of British merchant ships. Moreover, the Beiyang Fleet cannot dock in Shanghai."

Feng Guozhang took these words as a "pass" given by the British, but Sa Zhenbing almost fainted from anger at Feng Guozhang. The British attitude was telling Feng Guozhang, "You can die however you like, but if you dare to let us suffer any losses, we British will deal with you immediately."

Sa Zhenbing was very clear about the nature of these European and American powers. If Feng Guozhang could keep the three southeastern provinces, perhaps the British could still force Feng Guozhang to sign some treaties in exchange for some benefits. The People's Party could eliminate even the Beiyang Beijing government and beat away the Japanese; what did Feng Guozhang rely on to resist the People's Party's attack? Any agreement signed between the British and Feng Guozhang did not have a shred of credibility. In the current situation, it seemed the British still wanted to cause some trouble for the People's Party, so they had some contact with Feng Guozhang. If the People's Party could give the British benefits, I'm afraid the British fleet would have happily sailed over to help the People's Party besiege Feng Guozhang long ago.

But Feng Guozhang was completely confused at this time and couldn't see the situation clearly at all, only thinking of relying on the three southeastern provinces to resist stubbornly. Even if the Beiyang Fleet sailed into the Yangtze River to engage the People's Party, it could at most attack a few cities along the river belonging to the People's Party. The People's Party's army could still march into the three southeastern provinces openly. The navy had no use in this war. Not to mention that based on the navy's current ship conditions, basically not many ships could maintain combat effectiveness.

Apart from surrendering to the People's Party, did the navy have any other way out? Sa Zhenbing had to think despairingly. And judging from the situation that could be deduced from reality, unless the Beiyang Fleet and Nanyang Fleet dissolved themselves, there really was no other way out.

After painful contemplation, Sa Zhenbing finally sent someone to contact Yan Fu.

The liaison didn't have to go too far. Yan Fu was no longer in Wuhan now, but had arrived in Shanghai. He was temporarily living in the heavily guarded campus of Shanghai Renxin Medical College. Since the collapse of the Beiyang Beijing government, the People's Party's presence in Shanghai had become completely public. The consular corps of various countries in Shanghai turned a blind eye to the entry of a division of the People's Party army into Shanghai by boat, and Jiangsu Governor Wang Youhong, who theoretically had administrative jurisdiction over Shanghai, also turned a blind eye to this. With Shanghai Renxin Medical College as the core, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army established its own garrison area. The British flag that originally flew over Shanghai Renxin Medical College had also turned into the Five-Star Red Flag.

When the envoy sent by Sa Zhenbing, He Rujie, entered Yan Fu's office, he found that his own biological brother, He Ruqing, was also there. He Rujie and He Ruqing were both biological younger brothers of Chen Ke's father-in-law, He Ruming. He Ruqing had been working at the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, while He Rujie was a captain in the Nanyang Navy. Because of their relationship with Chen Ke, the three He brothers did not feel too much pain or loss over the collapse of the Manchu Qing and Beiyang; after all, people had to face the future. As long as the three of them didn't act foolishly, the He family's glorious future was not something far-fetched.

Yan Fu was a peer and good friend of the three He brothers' father, Old Master He. If looking from the perspective of mentorship, Chen Ke should actually call He Ruming and his two brothers "Senior Brothers". However, now that the He brothers saw Yan Fu, they didn't dare to be presumptuous in the slightest. Paying respects to Yan Fu respectfully with the etiquette of a junior, He Rujie presented a letter to Yan Fu with both hands, "Mr. Yan, this junior has come to deliver a letter entrusted by Lord Sa. Lord Sa asked this junior to send his regards to you."

"Sit." Yan Fu asked the He brothers to sit down. Without looking at the letter, Yan Fu said, "When your esteemed father, Old Master He, passed away, I wasn't able to go and pay my respects. Every time I think of it, I feel very regretful. When I went to Beijing a few years ago, I went to Old Master He's tomb and paid my respects, which can be considered as fulfilling my heart's intent."

He Rujie bowed and said, "Mr. Yan, that you could go to pay respects personally... if my father knows in the underworld, he will surely be extremely gratified."

Yan Fu waved his hand, "Sit, sit. We are family, no need for these conventionalities. I came this time mainly because the People's Party wants to settle the situation in Jiangnan. I am very concerned about the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and the Beiyang and Nanyang Navies, so I came to Shanghai to preside over this matter."

He Rujie quickly stood up and replied, "Mr. Yan, you are a veteran senior of the Beiyang Navy and Nanyang Navy. At this time, you, the old senior, must point out the way for us juniors."

He Ruqing also stood up and said, "Mr. Yan, Shanghai was also Wenqing's initial place of rise. It's just that I didn't know a hero like Wenqing at that time, so I missed the opportunity to make friends. Now that Wenqing is seeing that he is about to unite the world, if there is any place where I can be of use, I hope Mr. Yan will speak clearly. I will definitely do my utmost."

Yan Fu knew that the He family had a very good upbringing. Although these two were also Chen Ke's uncles-in-law by status, they didn't dare to put on the "air" of an uncle-in-law at all. It was obvious that they had a very clear understanding of the fact that their lives and properties were in the hands of others. The two clearly expressed their stance and attitude. Yan Fu was not a person who liked to talk nonsense originally; since this was the case, he opened Sa Zhenbing's letter.

Unlike Yan Fu's concise letter, Sa Zhenbing wrote a long letter to Yan Fu eloquently. In the letter, Sa Zhenbing explained his political differences with the People's Party, but instead didn't introduce much about China's only two remaining major fleets. The general idea was that he hoped Yan Fu could try his best to stop the People's Party from acting rashly politically. And the current situation of the two major fleets was that it wouldn't do if they didn't surrender; he hoped Yan Fu could mediate and guarantee the interests of the two major fleets.

After reading the letter, Yan Fu asked He Rujie about the situation in Fujian. He Rujie smiled bitterly and said, "Military Governor Feng is short of money and people right now, and the entire Jiangnan is in a mess. Some people from the Military Governor's Office tried to intervene in the navy. Lord Sa has to deal with those people on one hand, and appease the brothers in the navy on the other. But the navy hasn't been paid for months; how can it be suppressed so easily?"

After He Rujie finished speaking, seeing Yan Fu's helpless sigh and regretful look, he tentatively said, "Mr. Yan, this junior has a presumptuous request. The situation is already like this now, and the entire Southeast knows that it is sooner or later that the People's Party will fight its way over. President Yuan couldn't even resist, let alone Military Governor Feng. Why don't you, Mr. Yan, give this junior some money now? After this junior goes back, I will use the money to relieve the navy brothers who can't even eat. See what these brothers' plans are. If the situation is feasible, the People's Party can send a fleet to transport the army and land directly in Fujian. Attack them unprepared and take down the Military Governor's Office in one fell swoop. At that time, the entire Fujian will be easily obtained."

This plan indeed had quite some merit. Yan Fu felt that He Rujie sold his superior extremely decisively. If this plan could succeed, Sa Zhenbing's attitude would no longer be important.