The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 874 Fire and Ice

In the autumn of the sixth year of Tianshou, envoys from various countries stationed in Tianxin City once again urged Da Qi to return Peter I to Europe as soon as possible.

Whether it was George of Britain, Louis XV of France, or the military madman of Sweden, everyone hoped that the war criminal in Moscow would receive a "full and fair trial."

The envoys from various countries did not forget to remind the rulers and ministers of Tianxin City that if they ignored God's will and insisted on shielding war criminals, it would inevitably affect the weak diplomatic relations that Qi had just established with other countries.

Despite facing severe pressure, Queen Divine Right finally politely rejected the Europeans' request.

The Tsar must stay in Da Qi.

Not only the Empress, but also the cabinet with Kang Guangxu as the core would never allow Peter I to be extradited to Europe for trial.

Kang Guangxu and others were well aware that the first two emperors of Da Qi had signed a series of secret contracts with Luosha.

Although the treaty was signed many years ago, some of its contents are so shocking that they can no longer be made public.

If the contents of the treaty must be made public, it would inevitably damage the reputation of the Liu royal family, affect the cabinet's rule, and affect the imperial authority that has lasted for generations.

Many people speculate that the reason why Liu Zhaosun was able to conquer all directions and be victorious was due to the support of his northern neighbor.

Especially in the later campaigns against Japan, the Qi army clearly received assistance from the Rakshasa...

There are countless rumors like this.

Qi State advocated freedom, and Empress Tianshou did not stop the various rumors slandering Taizu.

After all, she used to be a genuine ascetic nun.

However, no one wants the reputation of the Da Qi royal family to be damaged.

Of course, Taoist priests cannot stay out of it.

Many times, the reputation of the royal family is not only about reputation, but also about the property safety of a group of people.

After all, Liu Ruolan didn't want George or the King of France to get the answers they wanted from Peter the Great.

Besides, when Da Qi cooperated with Britain, France and other countries to send troops to the North Sea and attack Luosha from the east, it was already the limit of cooperation between the two sides.

Now that Peter I has fled to Qi and been named "Duke of Anle" by the Empress, his life and death become Qi's internal affairs and no other country is allowed to interfere.

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On the eighth day of August, in the battle report sent back from the western border, Commander Jiang Bailing once again requested reinforcements from the court.

The Anxi Army needs more troops, supplies and food.

East of the Ural Mountains, the roads in the vast plains are muddy and difficult to travel on, and the supply to the local garrison is intermittent and not stable at all.

Every day, carts and horses transporting food and fodder fell into swamps, and even more livestock starved to death or froze to death on the long supply lines.

By August of the sixth year of Tianshou, after more than two years of reckless investment, the department responsible for military supply could no longer afford such serious losses.

Memorials and war reports like snowflakes were sent to Tianxin City and carefully placed on the emperor's desk by the eunuchs.

"All ministers related to logistics are persuading me to withdraw my troops."

The Queen paused for a moment, looked up at Kang Guangxu who was sitting opposite her, and said with a puzzled look on her face:

"Am I also a warmongerer?"

Kang Guangxu quickly stood up - he was allowed to sit down to meet the Emperor of Da Qi as an exception - and bowed to the emperor.

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. The great victory in this Luosha battle is entirely due to your Majesty's strategic planning..." Kang Guangxu changed the subject, "It's just that the weather where the Anxi Army is located is terrible, beyond imagination."

The Queen murmured, "I am not a warmongerer..." After experiencing repeated setbacks, Queen Tianshou gradually realized that in such an era, it was an impossible task to cross half of the Eurasian continent to supply the front-line troops relying solely on human and animal power.

Just like she couldn't complete the great cause that her father, Emperor Taizu, failed to accomplish during their lifetime by her own efforts.

"Your Majesty, now that the Rakshasa has been dismembered and the Tsar has been captured, our Great Qi can now live in peace."

She did not listen to Kang Guangxu's words, but after confirming the fact that the Rakshasa Kingdom was falling apart, the Queen's enthusiasm for sending troops to garrison the Ural Mountains suddenly dissipated.

~~~~~~~~
The tree wants to be calm and the wind does not stop.

However, the imperial officers were keen on expanding territory, after all, this was a tradition of the Qi army.

Some officers advocated that the army should be assembled and rested in the Ural Mountains before declaring war on Poland and France to seize more "strategic buffer zones."

The famous saying of these officers is: The territory of Da Qi has no borders.

When Empress Tianshou first ascended the throne, she did not carry out a large-scale purge of the army like her grandfather and father had done.

On the contrary, the Queen was quite tolerant and even indulgent towards the army.

According to those who oppose the empress, Liu Ruolan is almost a replica of the historical Wu Zetian.

In order to gain more support from her subordinates, she indiscriminately granted titles, built military academies, and arbitrarily expanded the recruitment ratio of officers. Even the sons of ordinary farmers could enter the army directly from school after passing the exam...
The descriptions of the opponents are full of exaggeration and slander, but one thing is certain: the Queen has a calm temperament, and when she is calm, she can be colder than the ice in the mountain stream.

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In September, several attacks against civil servants occurred in Tianxin City.

An official from the Ministry of Personnel was shot with a musket on his way home from court. His left leg was amputated and he eventually became disabled.

A council member was raped by a mob in broad daylight. Despite the best surgeons in Tianxin City trying their best to save him, the unfortunate man died.

There have been at least two other similar attacks.

The empress was furious and ordered the straw raincoat guards to conduct a thorough investigation.

The victims belonged to various government offices and had different backgrounds, but they had one thing in common:

They both wrote memorials to persuade the empress to give up expanding the border and suggested withdrawing the Anxi Army from the Ural Mountains.

In early October, rumors about killing traitors one by one were widely circulated.

The so-called traitors are those who oppose continuing the westward offensive and going to war with other countries - fortunately, there are enough such people.

Regardless of official rank or prominent background, anyone who is a traitor to the country must die.

This is what is called heavenly punishment.

The situation began to get out of control, and Liu Ruolan remembered what her father had taught her:
The army is the sword of the court. At no time can you be controlled by a sword.

The war faction was eager to fight, but the queen was cold as ice.

Kang Guangxu took decisive measures. After obtaining the consent of Empress Tianshou, the cabinet mobilized the Central Guard to suppress those lawless officers.

At the same time, he ordered all districts to cooperate with the Central Guard Army, otherwise they would be treated as traitors.

"Prime Minister Kang, will they support the court's actions this time?"

Empress Tianshou asked Kang Guangxu nervously.

(End of this chapter)