Master Yuan, start!

Liu Kun nodded seriously, he naturally knew about this.

Zeng Guofan once discussed with his aide Zhao Liewen the question of "how long can the Qing Dynasty exist?"

After Zeng Guofan asked the question, Zhao Liewen judged that the Qing Dynasty would perish within 50 years, and by then the world would be in chaos and warlords would rule their own countries.

But at that time, Zhao Liewen said that the central government of the Qing Dynasty still had power and had not lost its power, so it was not appropriate to establish independence.

Therefore, Zeng Guofan completely gave up the idea of ​​becoming emperor and went to the capital to serve as the governor of Zhili, becoming a "perfect man of all ages" and a "Confucian saint".

However, Zeng Guoquan naturally did not have the same awareness as his elder brother. When he saw Cixi poisoning the emperor and Yuan Shikai rebelling again, the first thing he thought of was the scene described by Zhao Liewen: "each state has no master and everyone governs themselves."

"Twenty years have passed. The Manchus are causing chaos. How can we, the Han people, sit idly by and watch?

Zhu Yuanzhang dominated the Jianghuai region at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty, which lasted for 300 years. Why can't we, the people of Sanxiang, do the same?"

Liu Kunyi still felt the risk was too great: "Yuanfu, how do you know the Hunan Army won't end up like Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang?"

"That's why we need to gain the Queen Mother's trust!" Zeng Guoquan replied, "As long as I send troops north, she must fulfill her promise, otherwise I can immediately form an alliance with Yuan Shikai and attack him together.

But I don't plan to really help her. If she becomes powerful, I will watch the battle on the Zhili border and not interfere in the war.

If she is weak, I will only help her when Yuan Shao's army arrives in Beijing, to maintain a situation where two tigers are fighting each other.

Only in this way can I build high walls in Jiangnan, store up abundant food, and slowly claim the throne. Only in this way can I secure a foundation for the people of Sanxiang!"

At this point, Zeng Guoquan suddenly sneered, looked towards the south and said, "Li Hongzhang must have reached an agreement with the Queen Mother that is similar to mine, but he is even more cunning.

Instead of sending out any troops, he sent out half of the South China Sea Fleet. He must be thinking of sitting back and watching the tigers fight, and then helping whoever loses."

When Liu Kun saw that Zeng Guoquan had made up his mind, he stopped talking and thought about making some preparations in advance.

Following Zeng Guoquan's perspective to the south, his gaze penetrates the Wuyi Mountains and the dangerous peaks of the Nanling Mountains, and he arrives at present-day Guangzhou.

Early in the morning, Li Hongzhang left Guangzhou City and traveled to the Nanhai Temple in Huangpu, outside Guangzhou. He lit a few incense sticks in the temple and prayed for the safety of the South China Sea Fleet heading north.

After dismissing the temple abbot and other idlers, Li Hongzhang took his confidants to the observation deck to look out at the Lingdingyang.

"Yu Ting Ding Ruchang, how many fleets have been dispatched to Dagukou this time?"

Ding Ruchang clasped his fists and replied, "Your Excellency, we have the three cruisers Laiyuan, Zhiyuan, and Jingyuan, and the four newly purchased gunboats Yueping, Yuean, Yueyong, and Yuewei accompanying us. This is about one-third of the South China Sea Fleet."

Li Hongzhang did not say much after hearing this. Instead, he remained silent for a moment. When the sun reached the center of the sky, he turned to his aide Yu Shimei and asked:

"Huiruo, has the Guangdong and Guangxi lijin issue been settled?"

Yu Shimei pulled out an account book from his bosom and raised it with both hands to Li Hongzhang: "The spring book has been calculated. After paying the lijin in the tenth year of the Guangxu reign, there is still 103 million taels of lijin left in Guangdong and Guangxi."

Li Hongzhang waved his hand and said somewhat listlessly, "I won't read it. Now that we have the amount, let's escort the calculated silver to the capital and don't let the Ministry of Revenue wait anxiously."

"Yes!"

He was silent again. Ever since Li Hongzhang returned to Beijing, he had lost interest. Seeing this, Ding Ruchang couldn't help but ask:

"Sir, why are you so depressed? With these 103 million taels, we can train 3 more Huai Army soldiers on land and purchase another giant wave-breaking warship at sea. This is a happy occasion!"

"Good fortune lies within the shadow of misfortune, and misfortune lies within the shadow of good fortune." Li Hongzhang sighed, then stopped talking and went home.

"Great Qing Dynasty, tell me, am I saving you or harming you by doing this?" On the way back to the city, he murmured in a voice that no one could hear.

Faced with the opportunity of civil unrest in the Qing court, powerful governors in various places unexpectedly chose the same approach. On the surface, they did not tear each other apart, but secretly they all drew their bows and arrows, ready to shoot the deer of the late Qing Dynasty at any time.

Whether it was Zeng Guoquan who looked at the deer with a ferocious look on his face, or Li Hongzhang who was reluctant to let go with affection.

All of this indicates that the Qing court’s control over the local areas has collapsed!

Chapter 128: National Defense Forces and the Emperor

The weather was still cold, and the wind in the first month seemed to be colder than that in the twelfth month. The soldiers of the Jiashen Right Army wore the dog-skin hats that had just been issued last year, and stood solemnly in the cold wind.

It was exactly 04 o'clock. At this time, Gyeongbokgung Square was already crowded with people.

Since last year, North Korea has adopted a 24-hour system. The new time system is much simpler than the previous twelve-hour system. Even uneducated children can count to 24 without blinking, so it was quickly implemented in Seoul.

Because you don't need to memorize the order of Zi, Chou, Yin, and Mao, you just need to count, one, two, three.

At 10 o'clock today, not only soldiers but also scholars from all over China came here to look forward to seeing the emperor's true appearance.

Thousands of people gathered in one place, and even met many acquaintances.

"Brother Liu! Aren't you preparing for the imperial examination in Shanghai? Why are you in Seoul now?" A tall scholar spotted his classmate when he was studying in Suzhou.

"The world is in such a state nowadays, what about the imperial examination? Bullshit! If I pass the exam, am I going to become an official for that witch in the capital?" The man called Brother Liu said angrily.

"Yes, scholars like us should value integrity. The hen crows at dawn, the evil queen rules the country, and now it's better not to take the imperial examination!" Others also stepped forward to help.

"Really? I'm afraid you two are not interested in the Four Books and Five Classics, so you used this excuse to come to Seoul?" the tall scholar joked.

"This is totally false. Don't listen to what others say." Brother Liu was exposed and quickly covered his mouth with his hands. The group met in a different place and it was very lively.

They were all gathered in Gyeongbokgung Square at this time, waiting for only one thing.

There has been news that the Governor-General of Korea Yuan Shikai, the Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, and Prince Chun Yixuan will participate in the departure ceremony today. Of course, more people prefer to call it a swearing-in ceremony.

Today, these three can be said to be the hottest figures in Seoul, and even in China.

For the first time, the emperor was not sitting in the temple. Instead, he could appear on the streets of Seoul from time to time, allowing others to admire his face.

And a mere governor, Mwuliu六四h*Mt: actually risked his life, fought his way in and out of the capital city seven times, which was guarded by thousands of troops, and abducted the emperor in front of the palace guards.

Nowadays, scholars all over the world call Yuan Shikai not just Zhuge Liang, but also Zhao Zilong of Zhoukou. There are even stories about him being compiled.

Naturally, the news of the civil unrest in the vast empire also reached the ears of foreigners.

After hearing that the emperor had arrived in Seoul, the German ambassador to the capital even went to Seoul to request a meeting, claiming to bring the "friendship of the new German emperor", but the meeting was postponed due to other matters.

Today, the German ambassador finally had a conversation with Guangxu at the embassy before he rushed to Gyeongbokgung Square.

Guangxu knew nothing about these diplomatic affairs and could only let Yuan Xiangcheng accompany him. As soon as they met, the German envoy said directly:

"Your Majesty the Emperor of China, Your Excellency the General, the German Empire does not wish to interfere in China's internal political struggles at this time.

However, His Majesty the Emperor of our country is willing to show humanitarian concern and is willing to provide the Imperial Army with 10 80mm Krupp field guns."

When Guangxu heard this, he was naturally overjoyed.

After he arrived in Seoul, he always felt a sense of frustration about the emperor's "Eastern Hunting". He thought of Li Longji running to Sichuan, Zhao Gou running to Hangzhou, Yuan Huizong running from Beijing to the desert, and his uncle Xianfeng running to Rehe.

He didn't tell anyone, but just asked himself silently in his heart.

Can I still go back to Beijing?

Now, the kindness shown by the Germans swept away the uneasy mood in his heart these days.

Guangxu didn't know what the 80mm field gun meant, nor did he know who Krupp was, but he felt that since the foreigners supported him, he could not be considered a useless emperor.

However, Yuan Xiangcheng knew that there is no free lunch in the world. If you want to get something, you have to pay for it. Equivalent exchange is the most basic principle between countries.

"Your Excellency, I suppose Germany won't provide these cannons for free?"

The German envoy quickly waved his hands, "No, no, no, General Yuan, you misunderstood. This is a gift that His Majesty, upon hearing of the palace tragedy in the Chinese capital, specifically instructed me to send to His Majesty the Emperor of China. It is indeed free."

Yuan Xiangcheng just stared at the German in front of him and did not respond.

Sure enough, the German envoy continued, "However, His Majesty William II has a small suggestion that I hope His Majesty the Emperor of China and General Yuan can consider."

"Appreciate further details."

The German envoy slowly stated the purpose of his visit: "Germany and Russia have had some conflicts in Eastern Europe for various reasons.

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You know, His Majesty William II had just taken office, but the Russian Tsar not only did not congratulate him, but instead gave him a warning right from the start by significantly raising tariffs on German industrial products.

Our Majesty William II was an impatient person. In order to maintain the glory of Germany, he refused to give in and once threatened to stop importing Russian agricultural products.

However, under the persuasion of Prime Minister Bismarck, His Majesty William II finally chose to raise tariffs on Russian agricultural products.

But this did not make him feel better. The situation in Eastern Europe was complicated. Under the restraint of Prime Minister Bismarck, it was difficult for His Majesty William II to make any substantial counterattack.

So he set his sights on Asia.

He approached the British, but they had already reached an agreement with the Russians on the division of power in Central Asia, so they were not interested in His Majesty William's proposal."

After finishing this long speech, the German ambassador picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip of tea.

After understanding the whole story, Yuan Xiangcheng asked, "So, His Majesty William has turned his attention to the Far East and set his sights on China, hoping that we will cause trouble for the Russians in the Far East?"

"Yes, the Far East received instructions from His Majesty a few months ago, but the situation in Beijing at the time didn't seem suitable for a meeting, so I suppressed the news.

It wasn't until General Yuan's heroic deeds were exposed and I chased him from the capital to Seoul that I finally told him about His Majesty William's policy."

Before Yuan Xiangcheng could reply, Guangxu turned around and asked, "Mr. Yuan, do you understand? There's both William and Alexander. I'm completely confused."

"Your Majesty, I understand, but I still need you to make the decision on this matter." Yuan Xiangcheng began to explain.

"So, the German emperor wants me and the Qing Dynasty to help him get back his face?" Guangxu had listened to too many storytellings, so naturally he spoke a lot of underworld words.

"You can say that. After all, Russia borders the Eastern Province, and they once blackmailed the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty!"

When Guangxu heard Yuan Shikai talk about the "place where the dragon rises", his eyes widened and hot air came out of his nose. The humiliation of being a descendant of the Aisin-Gioro clan surged into his heart again.

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Guangxu's blood boiled, and he said directly: "Promise him, Yuan Qing, promise him, I will definitely take back my Qing Dynasty and not let my ancestors be disgraced!"

"Your Majesty, take the order."

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, the German envoy stopped talking nonsense and stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of China, I wish your army success. I will not bother you any more.

A large crowd has already gathered at Gyeongbokgung Square; they must have been waiting for a long time."

...

After seeing off the Germans, Yuan Shikai and Guangxu took a carriage to Gyeongbokgung Square.

Most of the main forces of the Jiashen Right Army had already arrived at the Yalu River, but Yuan Shikai still decided to hold a departure ceremony.

He also deliberately delayed the meeting for a while, waiting for scholars from all over the country to arrive in Seoul on the earliest ship after the beginning of the year, before convening it in a leisurely manner.

The two men got off the carriage and walked towards the platform step by step, where Yi X had been waiting for a long time.

A group of people looked eagerly at the three figures standing beside the platform with enthusiastic eyes.

Guangxu stood on the high platform, his emotions gradually calming down, and he was no longer as excited as before.

Looking at the crowd below him, he couldn't help but recall what he had been thinking after arriving in Seoul.

There are many emperors in history who were coerced or even expelled. Guangxu asked himself in his heart more than once, whether he had just escaped from the tiger's mouth and fell into the wolf's den?