Black Book

Chapter 224: Incompetent Foreign Ministers, Loss of Power and Humiliation of the Country

"Uh……"

The minister hesitated, not daring to speak, and looked at the gray-haired old man who was in the lead.

Seeing this, the old man sighed and took out a memorial.

"Old Buddha, Your Majesty, this is a joint memorial from the governors of various provinces requesting the dispatch of troops to the king."

The young man in the dragon robe took the memorial, but before he could open it, it was snatched away by the old woman beside him.

However, when the old woman opened it, she was suddenly struck by lightning. She staggered and fell into the chair with a thud. The memorial in her hand fell weakly to the ground.

The young man had a bad feeling when he saw this, so he quickly picked it up and saw only one sentence inside.

"We, the ministers, have a duty to defend our territory and will not obey your orders even if we die!"

boom!
It was as if a thunderclap exploded in his ears, and only one sentence flashed through the mind of the young man in the dragon robe.

Qing pills!

The blatant disobedience of the provincial governors tore off the last fig leaf of the central government, which also meant that this war was no longer a foreign war of the Qing Empire as a whole...

Instead, only the Qing imperial family fought against the Eight-Nation Alliance, while other provinces just stood by and watched!
"A bunch of heartless slaves!"

"They eat my food, use my things, wear my clothes. The Qing Dynasty has been so kind to them, and this is how they repay me?!!"

The old woman next to her came to her senses and burst into hysterical roar again.

"They are pigs, dogs, Aqina! They are Sethhei!"

Seeing the old woman's impotent rage, smashing all the expensive decorations in the room to pieces, the white-haired old man hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but persuade her.

"Lord Buddha, I heard that the governors of various provinces have signed a [Mutual Protection Agreement] with the foreign coalition forces. They will definitely not send troops to defend the king."

"Right now, I'm afraid it's better to make plans early."

After hearing the minister's suggestive words, the old woman finally calmed down and smiled grimly.

"It is better to be friends with foreign nations than to be friends with domestic slaves!"

"Sell! Everyone come and sell!"

When the thought of selling out one's country came to mind, the world suddenly seemed to be wide open to her. The old woman glared and shouted in a stern voice.

"Announce the British ambassador to the audience!"

Hearing this, several ministers looked at each other and sighed helplessly.

"According to the order."

Soon, a group of skillful palace maids cleaned up the porcelain fragments in the room, restoring it to its noble and elegant appearance.

When British Lieutenant General Seymour stepped into the study, he saw only a group of Qing rulers with different expressions.

The arrogant middle-aged white man did not salute, but just stared at the old woman at the top with an expressionless face.

"Special Envoy, I asked you to come here this time to discuss a ceasefire..."

The Empress Dowager was too embarrassed to beg for mercy, so the leading minister could only stand up and kowtow.

But before he could finish, Seymour waved his hand and said decisively.

"You only have one choice. Hand over the [Imperial Seal], declare abdication, and the Qing Dynasty will be destroyed. Its territory will be brought under the rule of the Queen and become part of Great Britain!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present widened their eyes.

They originally thought that as long as they ceded land and paid compensation, they would be able to do so. After all, the Qing Dynasty had a vast territory, and even if they ceded half of it to foreigners, they would still be able to live a life of wealth and glory!

I didn't expect that they would swallow up the Qing Dynasty entirely!
"Your Excellency has such a big appetite, aren't you afraid of choking to death?!"

The old woman laughed angrily and looked Seymour in the eyes.

However, Seymour just curled his lips in disdain, looked around, and said coldly.

"I'm not discussing this with you, this is a notification!" "You... are so outrageous!"

Ignoring the anger of the young man in dragon robe, Seymour took out his pocket watch and took a look at it, then spoke calmly without any fluctuations.

"The coalition forces will launch an attack soon. If you are willing to surrender before the city is captured, come to me."

After saying this, Seymour turned and left, not taking the Qing rulers seriously at all.

After Seymour left, the king and his ministers looked at each other and saw the bitterness and despair in each other's eyes.

The originally arrogant old woman became completely depressed. She had been accustomed to being bossy all her life, and the despair and powerlessness at this moment completely broke her spirit. She looked old and frightened, like a wild dog with a broken spine.

"Gentlemen, what should we do now?"

Seeing that the old woman was at a loss, the leading minister stepped forward reluctantly.

"The foreigners set out from Tanggu and successively captured strategic locations such as Beicang, Yangcun, Hexiwu, and Tongzhou."

"After that, the foreigners continued to increase their troops, sending troops from Beijing and Tianjin to attack in all directions, controlling the key passes around Beijing and Tianjin from Zhengding in the south, Shanhaiguan in the east, and Niangziguan in the west."

"We have been surrounded from the west, south, and east. Our only option now is to ask the old Buddha and Your Majesty to go north from Zhangjiakou, bypass the Great Wall, enter Shaanxi, and visit Chang'an!"

Having said that, the minister gritted his teeth.

"As long as the old Buddha and His Majesty are still here, the Qing Dynasty will still exist."

"Chang'an is the ancient capital of 13 dynasties, and it is the place where the dragon rises."

"The Guanzhong Plain is a vast fertile land, bordering the Land of Abundance in the south. As long as we occupy this place, the foreigners will be out of reach, and we will surely be able to make a comeback in the future!"

Hearing this, the old woman frowned unwillingly.

Chang'an is the birthplace of the Han people. To be fair, she still wants to return to the birthplace of the Manchus.

But considering that the Russians in the north were eyeing them covetously, the Guanzhong Plain located in the inland hinterland was still safer, so the old woman nodded helplessly.

"Okay, Xuan Liu Haisheng."

After a while, a middle-aged man wearing a gorgeous robe, a sword on his waist, with a feminine temperament, a white face and no beard walked into the study and knelt on the ground respectfully.

"The eunuch Liu Haisheng, the seal holder, pays respect to the old Buddha, Your Majesty."

"Please get up!"

The old woman personally helped Liu Haisheng up and said angrily.

"The foreign ministers are incompetent and have lost power and humiliated the country. The emperor and I want to go to Chang'an and rebuild the country. We will rely on you along the way."

Hearing this, Liu Haisheng nodded solemnly: "I will protect the old Buddha and the emperor!"

Seeing this, the old woman nodded with satisfaction.

It was Liu Haisheng who escorted her when she fled decades ago. He had been loyal all his life and was the old woman's most trusted confidant.

"By the way, where is the imperial seal?"

"At this."

Liu Haisheng took out a bright yellow silk package, unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful and gorgeous jade seal, half-knelt on the ground, and respectfully presented it to the old woman.

Seeing this symbol of China's destiny, the old woman felt a sense of confidence for some unknown reason.

As long as she holds the [Imperial Seal], she is the only owner of this land!
She would never give up this authority even if she died!

But just as she was about to grab the jade seal, Liu Haisheng, who was half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly looked up at the void beside him and roared.

"How brave!"

With a backhand stroke, the sharp sword finger slashed in the air, and the materialized sword energy tore through the invisible barrier, leaving an imperceptible blood mark on a slender white palm that suddenly appeared.

baah~
There was a crisp sound like glass shattering in the room. Until then, everyone noticed that there was a figure covered in a dark hooded cloak beside them.

(End of this chapter)