The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

At this time, Luo Dazhong still did not give the order to directly bombard the "Shanying" warship, but continued to choose to remain restrained and only bombarded the surface of the Yangtze River to once again warn the British warship and hope to maintain peace.

Although Zhang Yinghao didn't know that the front-line artillery was so restrained, no matter what choice the front line made, as long as they acted according to his orders, Zhang Yinghao could only wait for the final result, because it was impossible for Zhang Yinghao himself to personally command the artillery unit to fight, or to order the front-line troops to do what they wanted to do from the rear, which would lead to mistakes.

Unfortunately, the imperialist powers were used to being domineering in China. They were so arrogant that they could not tolerate the provocation of a group of yellow monkeys. When they saw that the People's Liberation Army really fired artillery, even if the shells fell on the water and only splashed water, the Royal Navy still felt insulted. Walker Cavendish immediately gave the order to fire, and the loud sound of cannons was heard on the warships.

By then, the artillery units on the shore had already adjusted their gun barrels and muzzles, loaded their shells, and locked their gun ports, all aiming at the leading warship, the "Mountain Oriole." The artillerymen were also extremely nervous, and many of them felt their palms sweating. The moment they saw the British warship open fire, the artillerymen in each position immediately pulled the gun ports without waiting for Luo Dazhong's order to fire. The shells flew out of the muzzles with a loud "boom."

The warship was a massive target, and even a margin of error of more than ten meters could still hit the vessel. Sixteen shells rained down on the "Shan Ying," with seven of them scoring direct hits in this single round. The first round of artillery fire used high-explosive shells to clean the deck, inflicting casualties on the enemy, reducing the enemy's chances of a counterattack, and minimizing their own casualties.

The shells exploded on the deck, and the "Hillbilly" was instantly filled with thick smoke. However, the effect of this round of shelling was achieved. More than ten British soldiers on the deck went directly to see their Indian Lord Shiva in this round of shelling.

Seeing the PLA's fierce artillery fire, Walker Cavendish screamed, "Quick, quick, fire! Return fire immediately!"

In reality, Walker Cavendish didn't need to shout; the pride of the British Royal Navy wouldn't allow them to surrender, especially in what they considered the backward and ignorant Far East. The Royal Navy's soldiers were incredibly well-trained, and their speed in reloading shells was far greater than that of the PLA's artillery. With a loud bang, a shell flew out of the barrel, and one of them landed directly on a PLA artillery position, shattering a cannon into pieces and killing several PLA artillerymen in the position.

However, just as the shells fired by the "HMS Oriole" flew out of the muzzle, the artillery units in the direction of Jingmen Mountain also fired shells. They also fired high-explosive shells, which exploded on the deck and claimed the lives of another seven or eight British soldiers.

It was a matter of life and death. Second Captain Smith knew the ship could no longer be handed over to the useless Walker Cavendish. Although Walker Cavendish was a prominent figure, he had to take responsibility for the surviving officers and men. So Smith took command of the ship and immediately shouted, "Quick, quick, turn around, we're retreating!"

Want to turn around? How can that be so easy? This is not the sea, but just a narrow waterway of the Yangtze River.

The first mate immediately shouted: "It's too late to turn around now. We will all be killed by the yellow monkeys."

This was a matter of life and death, a single thought could determine their own life or death. Just when Smith was seriously considering whether to raise the white flag and surrender, just this short moment determined their final outcome!

Although it was a few seconds late, the second round of artillery shells of the PLA artillery unit on Luo Dazhong's side had already been loaded. When the gun port was pulled, the cannon roared again.

What was even more serious was that the "Mountain Oriole" warship had already reached the firing range of the cannon. The warheads of the cannon shells were armor-piercing shells that had been cut and processed. The shells could easily penetrate the hull of the "Mountain Oriole" warship and exploded violently inside the warship.

One of the armor-piercing shells whizzed through the chimney of the "Mountain Warbler" and then exploded inside the boiler, causing high-temperature steam to overflow. The people and soldiers working near the boiler were directly killed by the high-temperature steam, and soon there was even a disgusting smell of meat.

Another armor-piercing shell whizzed over, and Smith subconsciously fell to the ground. Then he felt a shell almost graze his scalp. Then the shell penetrated the deck, and a moment later a series of violent explosions occurred below the deck. Smith was thrown into the air by the violent explosion, and the shell fragments made him bleed all over his body. Before he died, he already knew the storage of the "Mountain Oriole".

The shell exploded. Smith was seriously injured, but he felt comfortable and felt no pain. Just when he felt tired and wanted to close his eyes and rest in peace, he saw the warship "HMS Oriole" split directly in the middle. The remaining British soldiers were desperately jumping into the water to escape. He even saw Walker Cavendish, who came to gild himself, grabbing a lifebuoy and jumping into the water in a panic. Smith suddenly felt a little unwilling, because he had a premonition that Walker Cavendish would never die like him. In an instant, he even thought that the responsibility for this incident would eventually be attributed to him...

"Walker, five grams of oil, you son of a bitch, you're killing me..." Smith's resentment and frustration were futile, for with a single splash, he fell into the surging Yangtze River, his blood staining the water red. Although the People's Liberation Army later organized a rescue and salvage operation, Smith's body was never found. As an invader, being able to feed the Yangtze River's fish and turtles with his own flesh and blood was a blessing; a worthy death.

Zhang Yinghao was still sitting in his office, waiting for the latest news from the front. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps and saw Cai E coming in from outside. He reported loudly: "Chairman, good news. Comrade Luo Dazhong from Huya Mountain sent a telegram. Our artillery unit fired only three rounds of shells, and one shell hit the enemy ship's arsenal. The shell exploded, and the enemy ship "Shanying" was directly blown in two and sank into the Yangtze River..."

Upon hearing the news that a warship had been sunk in just three rounds of fire, the comrades immediately cheered, and many engaged in heated discussions. Once the comrades' emotions had calmed down a bit, Zhang Yinghao said seriously, "Comrades, truth is always within the range of cannons! But our current cannons are not numerous or large enough, so we need everyone to work together. Of course, after this incident, the imperialist powers should also have learned of the unwavering resolve and formidable courage of the Chinese people, led by the Communist Party of China, in defending national sovereignty. This incident also marks the end of the 'gunboat diplomacy' of Britain and other powers in China."

Many comrades did not understand the value and weight of Zhang Yinghao's words, but many comrades also agreed with them and immediately clapped their hands enthusiastically, saying, "The Chairman is right. Whoever bullies us, we will fight them to the end..."

"When friends come, there's good wine; when a wolf comes, what awaits him is a hunting rifle..."

After the comrades finished speaking, Zhang Yinghao asked Cai E with a smile: "Where are the warships at the back?"

Cai E also replied with a smile: "Haha, the warships behind saw that the "Shanying" was sunk in such a short time, so they dared not stay and immediately turned the rudder and fled. They were chased and fired by our artillery, but in the end only three warships were damaged..."

Zhang Yinghao listened and nodded, but couldn't help but say, "A paper tiger is someone who bullies the weak and fears the strong."

Hearing this, the comrades all laughed out loud.

The situation on the front lines was indeed just as Cai E had reported. On the Yangtze River, the warships of the great powers knew they couldn't maneuver at all, so, to be on the safe side, they kept their ships at a considerable distance from each other. Now, seeing that the barbaric and backward Chinese artillery, clearly already at the level of the European powers, had overturned a warship with just three rounds of artillery, they knew their own ships had about the same level of defense as the "Shan Ying" and dared not stay. Witnessing this scene, the captains of the warships said, "These rebels are different! They've already amassed such formidable firepower!" and hurriedly tried to turn around and flee.

Luo Dazhong naturally didn't want these warships to leave like this, and immediately shouted: "Quick, use the howitzers to turn the muzzles and bombard the warships behind. Don't save ammunition, adjust the distance while firing."

Because the warships hadn't yet reached their designated range, they had to reorient their guns, wasting considerable time. Furthermore, the warships were still quite far away, and their armor-piercing shells couldn't reach them, so they had to resort to high-explosive shells fired from their howitzers. However, the artillerymen were now confident and relaxed. They knew they could definitely hold the Yangtze River and complete their mission, and that was all that mattered. As for pursuing the warships of the foreign powers, they simply went for it. Perhaps it was this relaxed attitude that allowed them to continuously hit warships, even though they didn't leave any behind.

So, the artillerymen, feeling relaxed, began to methodically maneuver their guns. After the rangefinder briefly reported the data, they immediately adjusted the firing parameters, loaded the shells, and fired. Then, they immediately adjusted the firing parameters based on the shell's impact point and continued firing.

"Haha, I hit it."

Seeing their artillery cannons hit the warships, the artillerymen cheered. The comrades were no longer nervous. Seeing that they had hit the warships of the powerful, they could really cheer with all their heart, because victory was now certain. Unfortunately, the warships had almost turned around and were drifting downstream again, speeding up. The artillery was unable to capture a single warship and could only watch them flee.

But these artillerymen might not have known it at the time, but they were rewriting the history of this nation, transforming this weak country. Since the Opium War of 1840, the rights and interests of China's coastal waters and inland waterways had been seized by imperialist powers like Britain and the United States. These nations' ships had run rampant in China's inland waterways for over sixty years, causing countless casualties among the military and civilians, yet they faced no due punishment.

In the shelling of the "Shan Ying Incident," the PLA, led by the Progressive Party, delivered a crushing blow to the arrogant and defiant British Empire with its fierce artillery fire. This completely changed the situation, and foreign warships no longer dared to sail illegally and recklessly in China's inland waterways. Although the PLA artillery only sank one small warship and damaged three, this battle demonstrated both national dignity and national prestige.

The Shanying Incident also marked the end of decades of foreign warships running rampant in China's inland waters, and the end of China's period of allowing itself to be bullied by foreign powers. The PLA demonstrated to the world through concrete actions that China was no longer a place where foreign powers could come and go at will. China's modern history of humiliation began to slowly come to an end from this moment on.

Chapter 413:

Of course, Zhang Yinghao knew that this was just the beginning of the end. As for how long it would take to be completely over, Zhang Yinghao himself didn't know. He could only say that the road ahead was long and arduous.

China's modern history is inextricably linked to Britain. Beginning with the Opium War of 1840, Britain relied on its powerful ships and artillery to open China's door, implementing a gunboat policy. The Yangtze River Basin was its traditional sphere of influence and where its interests in China were concentrated. Zhang Yinghao knew that the British imperialist powers would never give up; this matter was definitely not over.

Zhang Yinghao was worried that the British, in order to protect their vested interests in the Yangtze River basin, would repeatedly stir up trouble, even wantonly shelling our People's Liberation Army in other areas along the river. Zhang Yinghao immediately took precautionary measures and issued an order: "Send a telegram to all troops that can be contacted, informing them of the shelling of the "Shan Ying". Instruct them to be vigilant against retaliation from the imperialist powers' warships and indiscriminate shelling of our liberated cities and troops. In the event of provocation or even shelling from the imperialist powers, we must resolutely retaliate."

"Yes."

Zhang Yinghao's biggest wish now was that this bombardment would scare the foreign powers, or that the PLA's unyielding stance would force their warships to withdraw from the Yangtze River. This would allow him to boldly build along the Yangtze River. However, Zhang Yinghao naturally wouldn't express such personal wishes. Instead, he said, "The world's eternal law of the jungle is no big deal. Everyone, get busy! There are so many things to do, not just the ones we're facing right now."

"Then you are busy, Chairman!" "Goodbye, Chairman."

Zhang Yinghao sighed as he watched his departing comrades. He then addressed his secretary, "Inform Comrade Li Tianqiao to give me a copy of the main content of the British newspaper The Times every day. Also, tell them to closely monitor Britain's reaction to the bombardment and to relay any news to me immediately. Inform Comrade Shen Ruo to notify me immediately of any news from the foreign powers."

Zhang Yinghao naturally paid close attention to The Times, the behemoth known as the "world newspaper," and especially to the British influence behind it. While the Times wasn't distributed in the Liberated Areas, it was available in Shanghai. For someone of Zhang Yinghao's stature, obtaining the main content of the Times was a relatively easy task. As for the print version, even Zhang Yinghao wouldn't be able to see it for a long time. By then, it would be too late, and Zhang Yinghao naturally had no need for it.

"Okay, okay."

After giving his secretary instructions, Zhang Yinghao picked up his pen and began writing a report for the newspaper. His plan was to use the newspapers he controlled to describe how the British warship HMS Oriole, ignoring the Liberated Area government's announcement, attempted to sail up the Yangtze River and directly into the battle zone. Then, it ignored the PLA's repeated pleas and warnings to leave. A certain artillery unit, unable to tolerate the situation, fired upon the Oriole, which responded with a retaliatory fire. After a brief exchange of fire, the Oriole was sunk. The PLA's artillery turned its guns and damaged three more enemy warships. The remaining warships of the foreign powers were also repelled one by one by the PLA's heroic efforts.

Then it wrote: "Imperialism, with its undying ambition to destroy us, continues to attempt to divide our country, preventing it from pursuing the path of independence and prosperity. This is a major evidence of imperialism's attempt to interfere with and stifle the Chinese revolution. I hereby warn the great powers, led by British imperialism, that if you truly intend to destroy China and turn it into a colony at your mercy, the entire Chinese people will absolutely not allow it. The Chinese people will fight to the bitter end, until final victory. The people of the liberated areas also have the ability and courage, under the leadership of the Forward Party, to defeat all external enemies..."

Regarding the shelling of the "Shan Ying" incident, Zhang Yinghao had no immediate plans to publicly promote anything to the people of the liberated areas, as the struggle against the foreign powers had not yet reached the stage of all-out confrontation or even war. Zhang Yinghao knew that at this point, all the people in the liberated areas needed was his statement. The land had been distributed, and the people wanted a stable life, hoping to achieve prosperity through hard work. For the people of the liberated areas, Zhang Yinghao was one of them, so naturally, simply knowing his statement was enough. If Chairman Zhang Yinghao needed the people's help, he would naturally tell them what to do. So, for now, they just needed to know what had happened.

However, once Zhang Yinghao's articles circulated in non-liberated areas, his words praising the strength of the Chinese people were extremely inspiring and boosted people's self-confidence. Zhang Yinghao was no longer afraid that other factions would imitate his land division and compete with the Progressive Party for power. If anyone did so, he would immediately be labeled a Progressive Party member. Without sufficient theoretical and practical support, these people would either be absorbed into the Progressive Party system or fail.

In reality, Zhang Yinghao's final statement was a warning to the powers not to push China too far, lest the Progressive Party lead the Chinese people in another full-scale anti-foreign movement. Zhang Yinghao believed the powers would understand his article, having already experienced the blind, blind anti-foreign movement of the Boxer Rebellion and the strength of the Chinese people. Zhang Yinghao's message was that if the powers dared to interfere with the Chinese revolution, a Boxer-style uprising would inevitably break out again, and their spheres of influence and interests in China would be devastated and damaged by war.

From this perspective, even if the Boxer Rebellion did not bring any progress to China, it at least taught the great powers the destructive power of extreme xenophobia among the Chinese people, and made an immortal contribution to China's territorial integrity.

After Zhang Yinghao finished writing the manuscript, he gave it to his secretary to take to the editorial department for polishing. As soon as he relaxed his mind, he suddenly realized a very serious problem.

If the PLA encountered foreign warships anchored in the harbor during their advance, should they be expelled immediately? If the foreign warships were expelled immediately, the contradictions between the liberated areas and the foreign powers would be completely intensified, and perhaps the "Eight-Nation Alliance" invasion of China would really happen again in the future. However, this also has an advantage, that is, the foreign warships would not bombard the areas under the rule of the Qing Dynasty that had not yet been liberated, but would only bombard the PLA's offensive forces. But what if the foreign warships were to bombard the areas under the rule of the Qing Dynasty that were about to be liberated? The people there would definitely be resentful of the PLA. Although the fault lay with the foreign powers, the casualties among the people were heavy. Zhang Yinghao still did not want such a thing to happen. After all, the dead cannot be resurrected, and these losses would ultimately be borne by China!

However, if the foreign powers' warships were not immediately expelled from the Yangtze River and were allowed to remain there, then in the event of a future conflict between the liberated areas and the foreign powers, if the foreign powers' warships wantonly bombarded the liberated cities along the Yangtze River, it would be a disaster. Even a small warship like the "Shanying" had a displacement of over 150 tons and could easily carry hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of shells. While not completely flattening a city, it would certainly kill tens of thousands of civilians.

How to do?

Zhang Yinghao was having a headache, his head buzzing! Should he immediately and completely expel the foreign powers' warships from the Yangtze River? This was a question. With the almighty WeChat Moments and the almighty Zhihu, there were always answers to every question. What should he do? Waiting online, this was urgent...

Just as Zhang Yinghao was racking his brains over what to do, the great powers were indeed acting as he had anticipated. The warships that had escaped danger downstream quickly spread the news that the PLA artillery had sunk a British warship. Through telegraph and wireless telegraph lines connecting the world, this news spread rapidly around the world. The fact that it involved the world hegemon, Britain, was the most profitable news, and the great powers naturally loved to see someone causing trouble for the British Empire. The spectators from various countries were also watching the excitement, and they didn't care that the Qing rebels had only sunk a small British warship. They saw it as yet another force challenging the world hegemon. Countries rushed to publish this news, and many of them made it to the front page of every newspaper. It was up to the British Empire to show its might.

The next day, newspapers around the world reported on the incident with varying attitudes. For example, the Wall Street Journal in the United States and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung in Switzerland portrayed the incident relatively objectively. Japanese newspapers like the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun, while already heavily reporting on Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War and urging people to tighten their belts and support the war effort, still devoted a page to the "Sannao Incident." The British Times even described the "Sannao Incident" as the beginning of the "Yellow Peril" and the beginning of the xenophobic "Boxer Rebellion."

At that time in China, newspapers related to the Forward Party and the Liberated Areas were extremely popular. These were crucial issues concerning China's future and the transition of dynasties. Literate Chinese rushed to buy them, even local landlords and gentry. Many subscribed year-round simply to keep up with news about the Sichuan Rebellion. Many teahouses and taverns, popular hangouts for casual conversation, also stocked newspapers about the Sichuan Rebellion for their customers, boosting their business considerably.

However, newspapers published in China were largely run by foreigners, or jointly with them, and many were located within the concessions of the foreign powers. Besides threatening and intimidating the Chinese for ulterior motives, these foreign powers' newspapers also sought to appease Chinese sentiments to a certain extent, driven by financial gain. For example, newspapers like the Xinwen Bao, China Times, and the Daily News adopted a more tactful approach to the "Shanying" incident, appealing to Chinese national sentiment. They began by describing the PLA's shelling of British warships, then emphasized the losses Sichuan had inflicted on the foreign powers, seeking sympathy. They then threatened retaliation against the Sichuan rebels, thus intimidating the Chinese public and fostering anxiety.

In fact, the vast majority of Chinese people just want to live a good and peaceful life. They don't bully others and others don't bully them. One thing that Chinese people are very worried about is being bullied by others, and what they are more afraid of is of course others' revenge. These foreigners who run newspapers can be said to have a very good grasp of the Chinese people's character.

However, many more people cheered loudly when they heard that the Sichuan rebels had sunk a British warship with cannon fire. This was especially true for those who made their livings along the Yangtze River. Ever since the Qing government signed the Sino-British Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, British warships had run rampant on China's rivers and streams, capsizing and sinking military and civilian vessels a common occurrence. To demonstrate the British Empire's presence, these areas were designated as its sphere of influence. Several shipwrecks and fatalities occurred every month, resulting in numerous casualties among both the military and civilian populations.

After hearing about the Shanying incident, many Chinese fishermen and crew members said, "It would be better to kill all the foreigners or drive them out!"

They were really harmed by the warships of the great powers.

Of course, the PLA's action also inspired a large number of anti-foreign religion heroes. After hearing about the PLA's deeds, many people chose to go to the liberated areas and join the PLA to fight against foreigners. At the same time, it also inspired more people from all over the country to rise up against foreign religions and kill foreigners, which once again dealt a heavy blow to the power and interests of the imperialist powers in China.

However, the most excited group in China at this time was undoubtedly the Qing imperial family in the capital. With the sound of a rapid machine, an urgent military telegram from Wuhan was delivered to the Ministry of War. The clerk took one look at it and was immediately stunned.

Sichuan Red Bandits Sink British Warship!

The clerk did not dare to be negligent in the slightest and immediately reported to his superior.

"Quick, immediately notify Master Yuan Gongbao and Master Tieliang... The Sichuan Red Bandits have sunk the British warship!"

Then there was a chaotic sound of shouting and yelling, and the clerks who were responsible for delivering messages immediately mounted their horses and rushed to various places.

The news spread like a hurricane. When Yuan Shikai, Tieliang, Zaifeng and other Qing ministers heard the news, they were immediately ecstatic!

Prince Qing Yizhu, Prince Su Shanqi and other princes immediately knelt down facing the palace, shouting: "God bless us, God has opened his eyes! Our Qing Dynasty is saved, long live, long live, long live..."

A telegram caused the entire capital to boil. Many officials who received the news immediately took out a string of firecrackers and set them off. The crackling and festive sounds injected a bit of vitality into the lifeless capital.

After a while, sedan chairs, escorted by guards, all headed towards the Forbidden City. They all wanted to report this great news to Cixi as soon as possible, and at the same time discuss the next countermeasures in the hall.

At this time, Li Lianying had also received the news. He crawled to Cixi, knelt down and shouted loudly: "Old Buddha, good news, great news..."

He had originally planned to share the good news with Empress Dowager Cixi immediately, but perhaps because he was too excited, Li Lianying was speechless for a while after kneeling on the ground.

Cixi's face was even more haggard, and the dark circles under her eyes could no longer be concealed. It seemed that the bad news from all over the country in the past few days had made her not sleep well at all. At this time, Cixi still had no expression on her face. She immediately raised her head and asked: "Little Li, what good news?"

Li Lianying swallowed hard, moistening his throat, and immediately shouted, "May Your Majesty be blessed with great fortune, and may the Qing Dynasty endure forever. I just received news from the Ministry of War that Sichuan bandits have sunk a British warship in the Yangtze River..."

Li Lianying looked at Cixi's haggard expression and naturally felt anxious. Otherwise, he would not have wanted to tell Cixi this great news without delay, hoping that she could pay more attention to rest.

After hearing this, Cixi was overjoyed and said, "Good, good, good, good, good, good! It's really good! God has eyes, please save our Qing Dynasty..."

Chapter 414:

Cixi used the word "good" seven times in a row, revealing her excitement. To describe her as ecstatic is no exaggeration. If we were to name the most suffering person in the Qing Dynasty, the first person to be mentioned would be Cixi, the true ruler of the Qing Dynasty. The pressure of a dying dynasty weighed heavily on this elderly woman. No one knows how she lived. She constantly feared the loss of the Qing dynasty, and even nightmares would wake her in the middle of the night.

Especially after the Red Bandits had taken Taiyuan in Shanxi in such a short time, she couldn't sleep all night. As soon as she closed her eyes, she started having nightmares. She dreamed that her ancestors scolded her for bringing disaster to the country and the people, and for letting the Qing Dynasty be taken away by slaves...

The second most miserable person was Tieliang. Tieliang was now the Minister of Revenue and also served as the acting Minister of War. It can be said that he truly held both military and political power, and was the second most important person under Empress Dowager Cixi. What was completely different between the Qing Dynasty and other dynasties was that the royal family of the Qing Dynasty was able to hold important positions and wield great power in the court. In the six central ministries of the Qing Dynasty, each ministry had two ministers, one Manchu and one Han. Although they were nominally equal, this only applied when the two agreed. In reality, the Manchu minister was the deputy minister, and the Han minister was the chief minister, and all real power was in the hands of the Manchu officials.

Under normal circumstances, the Qing rulers naturally trusted Manchu ministers more, but in practice, they favored Han ministers. This was unavoidable; when it came to handling government affairs, the Bannermen's actual work capabilities were indeed inferior to those of the Han. In reality, the Qing dynasty either distrusted the Han and sent someone to oversee the government, or hoped that the Manchus would have a better grasp of the situation and be able to handle any changes with ease.

While it may be true that Manchu administrative capabilities were inferior to those of Han Chinese from the outset, it's not entirely realistic to say that this remained the case for over two hundred years. However, it is nonetheless true. From the outset, the Manchus relied on Han officials, who often had numerous disciples and former clerks. These individuals, united as one, gradually monopolized most official positions. While some ambitious bannermen were able to independently manage departmental affairs, this still required the cooperation of various other departments. Without the cooperation of Han officials, even Manchu officials and members of the imperial clan could not manage on their own, ultimately leading to the decline of Manchu officials.

Tieliang's life was not easy. He nominally held military power, but with the exception of the First Regiment, composed of the descendants of the Eight Banners, the other five Beiyang regiments were only nominally under his control. Yuan Shikai essentially controlled the rest. As for financial power, the treasury was so empty that even the rats in the warehouses were starving to death.

As for Emperor Guangxu, although he was also in pain, he did not even have his own freedom, and could only sigh helplessly as the flowers fell.

Cixi had practically despaired of the Qing dynasty's future. She hadn't expected the Communists to be so reckless as to sink the English warships. The Empress Dowager knew the formidable military might of the great powers, especially England, where a few thousand soldiers could defeat hundreds of thousands of Qing troops. Otherwise, the Manchu royal family wouldn't have staged a "Northern Hunt" and a "Western Hunt" to escape.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel, there is light at the end of the tunnel…”

After mumbling to herself for a while, Cixi suddenly felt out of control. She glanced at the maids and eunuchs standing around her, all of whom lowered their heads and looked submissive. She then took a sip of her ginseng tea, forcing herself to calm down. The maids and eunuchs now dared not look Empress Dowager Cixi in the eye. These days, they lived in fear. No one knew what would cause Empress Dowager Cixi's temper, and more than ten maids and eunuchs had been beaten to death by Empress Dowager Cixi's inexplicable tantrums.

Cixi suddenly thought of something and said, "Quickly summon Yuan Shikai, Prince Qing, Prince Gong, Shanqi, Liangbi, Tieliang and other officials to the court to discuss the matter immediately."

Cixi rattled off a long list of names, but even without her instructions, the Qing court officials were already desperately urging their sedan chair bearers to hurry up. Urged on by these officials, the bearers each exerted their full strength, struggling to keep the sedan chair steady. Finally, one sedan after another arrived outside the Daqing Gate of the Forbidden City.

Truly joyful, many ministers immediately dismounted from their sedan chairs and happily greeted their colleagues. Some flatterers immediately went to pay their respects to Prince Gong, Prince Su, and other high-ranking officials, hoping to gain recognition and secure a foothold. They were heard calling out, "May your majesty be blessed! Your servants pay their respects to you."

At this moment, the palace also sent eunuchs and guards to the outside of the Daqing Gate. When the leading eunuch saw the prince's sedan chair approaching, he hurriedly led the eunuchs and guards over. He immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying: "Your servant greets Prince X, Prince X, good luck!"

At this time, the princes were naturally in a good mood and would pretend to be polite, saying, "Eunuch Zhang, please don't be polite. Haha, please don't be polite!"

The previous gloom in their hearts was swept away, and the princes laughed out loud because they were too excited and could not hide their excitement.

The ministers who had just left their sedan chairs could all smile as they spoke. In their view, with England as their powerful ally, the Qing was destined to be the victor. The Taiping Rebellion, the Boxer Rebellion, the Jingting Rebellion, and other rebellions ultimately triumphed as long as foreigners participated.

"The Empress Dowager decrees that Yuan Shikai, Prince Gong, Prince Su...enter the palace." Why didn't Cixi allow all the officials to enter the palace? Of course, the matter being discussed concerned the great powers. Negotiations between the court and the great powers would naturally require the signing of unequal treaties. Naturally, Cixi did not dare to discuss these things in front of all the ministers.

The ministers who had registered their names lined up according to their rank and immediately headed towards the palace. They entered through the Daqing Gate, passed through the numerous palace gates, and headed straight for the inner palace. As for the eunuchs, the chief eunuch and others still had to wait outside the Daqing Gate, awaiting the late arrival of the ministers.

—When the ministers entered the Qianqing Hall, they lined up obediently and waited. At this time, Cixi had already walked to the position where she was listening to the government from behind the curtain and sat down. Even Emperor Guangxu was invited out and sat obediently on the throne.

At this moment, a eunuch shouted: "Kneel!" A group of ministers immediately snapped their sleeves and knelt on the ground.

The Qing Dynasty's Hui Dian stipulated that during grand court sessions, the emperor, nobles, and officials were to perform the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows, and the same rule applied to other court ceremonies. Before Empress Dowager Cixi's 60th birthday, Li Hongzhang practiced the ritual three times daily to prepare for it. Weng Tonghe, the imperial tutor of two dynasties, practiced it five times every night before bed. To protect their knees, many ministers wore kneepads made of silk cotton, about an inch thick, which they would tie around their knees whenever they attended court.

If Zhang Yinghao were in the court, he would definitely say: The Qing Dynasty should stop messing around with constitutional monarchy. As long as they abolish the practice of kneeling, the Qing officials would be moved and work harder. The Qing Dynasty might even be able to prolong its life!

Unfortunately, even at this time, the feudal Qing Dynasty still insisted on not making any changes to these so-called rituals. It can be seen that this is the sign of the dynasty's demise.

While the kneeling ceremony was going on in the hall, Prince Qing Yizhu finally arrived at the Daqing Gate. Prince Qing Yizhu's residence was the residence of Heshen, a corrupt official during the Qianlong Emperor's reign. It was some distance from the Forbidden City, and Yizhu was old, so when he arrived in his sedan chair, he was already late.

"Get off the sedan."

Upon hearing this order, the sedan bearers immediately and gently put Yiguo's sedan on the ground, making a small sound.

"Press the sedan chair!"

After helping Yizhu out of the sedan chair, there was another shout, and the sedan bearers on both sides pushed down the front of the sedan chair, and Yituan walked out.

Eunuch Zhang immediately came over with a group of young eunuchs, knelt down and shouted, "Your servants pay their respects to Prince Qing. May Prince Qing be blessed with good fortune."

"no."

Prince Qing Yituan did not stop and walked into the Daqing Gate under the guidance of a young eunuch. When he arrived at the gate of Qianqing Hall, Yizhu immediately stood aside obediently, waiting for the eunuch to go inside to report.

Soon, the eunuch inside shouted, "Prince Xuanqing is here to see you." Yi Tuan immediately knelt in front of the hall and shouted, "Your servant Yi Zhu respectfully greets the emperor!"

At this time, the young eunuch shouted: "The Empress Dowager has decreed that Prince Qing enter the palace." Yiguo then stood up tremblingly and walked into the palace. He saw that the Golden Throne Hall was already full of people. He walked quickly to the front of the hall, flicked his sleeves twice, and was about to perform the three kneelings and nine bows again. Cixi said: "No need to be polite!"

Yituan still knelt down and immediately shouted, "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

After thanking him, Yizhu stood up and returned to his seat. Cixi immediately asked, "Yuan Shikai, I ordered you to prepare your army for battle, why haven't you sent out yet?"