The sun never sets

However, the process of the reform later turned into a struggle between the emperor's party and the empress's party. Emperor Guangxu used the name of the reform to seize power. Cixi first tolerated it, and then launched a counterattack, taking back the power that was returned to the emperor. Emperor Guangxu was young and hot-tempered, so how could he tolerate this? He wanted to use force to solve the problem completely.

Many times, as long as the person who created the problem is solved, the problem will no longer exist. Emperor Guangxu had a good idea, and Tan Sitong was also passionate. He went alone to persuade Yuan Weiting, and was prepared to kill him if Yuan Weiting did not agree. As a result, Yuan Weiting was scared to death. On the surface, he agreed to send troops to Beijing, but turned around and went to Ronglu to complain.

When Empress Dowager Cixi heard the news, she stopped being so reserved and dispatched a large army to kill all the emperor's party members. Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and others were scattered, which was a pity for a hero like Tan Citong. Emperor Guangxu had murderous intentions towards Cixi, so Empress Dowager Cixi certainly couldn't keep Guangxu alive, but she couldn't just kill the emperor, so she first took Fu Jun, the son of Prince Duan Zai Yi, into the palace and then made him the crown prince.

This is the "Empress Dowager Wants to Depose the Emperor" incident that is now making a lot of noise in the capital. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that it won't be long before the Empress Dowager causes Emperor Guangxu to die, either by drowning or having a stroke on horseback, one of the following methods will always be suitable.

Chapter 33 Xiaotong

Cixi had already made up her mind to change the emperor, and had already drafted the reign title "Baoqing" for Fu Jun's new dynasty. Even if Guangxu was not allowed to die, he would definitely be replaced. The court had some who opposed this matter, some who supported it, and most of them kept silent and pretended to be neutral.

The faction that supported the emperor was finished, and the remaining ministers all supported the empress dowager. However, Empress Dowager Cixi was much older than Emperor Guangxu, and sooner or later she would have to stand before the emperor. If the emperor took power, how would he treat the ministers in the court?

Therefore, few people were willing to make their position clear and support the Empress Dowager. Most people were ambiguous and hesitant, which was a traditional skill of bureaucrats. However, it seemed that Empress Dowager Cixi did not intend to transfer power peacefully, but to kill the emperor. Because she sent an imperial doctor to see the emperor, and then concluded that the emperor was seriously ill.

What is this for? Sima Zhao's intention!

Originally, these things were taboos, and anyone who casually discussed them would be gagged. But there were no secrets in the city, and the men living under the imperial city loved to gossip about these things. The things that happened in the palace soon spread throughout the city, and even foreigners heard about them. It was hard to say that there was no one who fanned the flames.

Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and others have fled, but there are still many people who want to bet on the emperor. China's history is too long, so long that everything has happened except for technological progress. As long as you open the history books, you can find a correspondence for most things. For example, the relationship between Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu is the same as when Emperor Wu of Han first ascended the throne, right?

When Empress Dowager Dou was in power, she suppressed Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. Liu Che was also very aggressive at the beginning, but was disciplined by Empress Dowager Dou. After Empress Dowager Dou passed away, Emperor Wu of Han began to carry out various reforms.

What's the difference between the emperor wanting to change the law and Emperor Wu of Han wanting to reform?

Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao probably didn't study hard. How could they not see the fate of the Imperial Censor Zhao Wan and the Minister of the Central Secretariat Wang Zang? The most correct thing for them to do was to hide their minions and wait until the old lady passed away, and then they could reform the law in any way they wanted? It is also possible that Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao didn't care about the emperor's life or death at all. They only wanted to be famous and powerful, and didn't care about other things.

Now, the emperor, under their instigation, made a desperate attempt, but failed. Even if he really wanted to take action, he should not look for Yuan Weiting, but learn from Kang Mazi and just take a hammer and beat Cixi to death.

The scholar's rebellion failed in three years, which refers to people like Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao.

Lin Yongchang listened to the boss talk about some secrets of the imperial city, and then ordered a lot of wine and food to be sent to the courtyard. He didn't like luxury, but he definitely didn't treat himself badly. He ate and drank as he pleased. But he couldn't let everyone get drunk, and he still needed to arrange someone to keep watch. Fifty kilograms of gold were in the room, and it would be no fun if it was robbed.

Well, you might as well put all the gold in your room to avoid any real trouble.

Wuyun Qiqige really liked these golden little cuties. Although she had no idea how much fifty kilograms of gold was worth, she just liked these glittering things. She held a large yellow croaker in her hand and asked reluctantly, "Are you going to give these to others tomorrow too?"

"Yes, I will give it to Ronglu and Rong Zhongtang tomorrow."

"Can you leave a few behind?"

"You like gold bars?"

Wuyun Qiqige was not embarrassed, "Yes!"

"Then I'll leave two for you to play with."

"It's so kind of you!"

Wuyun Qiqige smiled with all her eyes. In her opinion, fifty kilograms of gold was too much. Two pieces were just right. She didn't love money, she just liked these shiny things. Someone once said that women and dragons are the same in liking shiny things.

At night, Yixin came back from the palace and heard what happened during the day from the housekeeper. He immediately asked someone to call his eldest son Zaizhen over. Prince Qing asked, "Did you accept all the gold?"

"All accepted."

"How can you be so foolish?" Yixin slapped his thigh fiercely, "How dare you accept such money?"

"Why should we be afraid of accepting him? He is just a wild man sent by the Dalai Lama. My fourth sister has seen it too. He has a bare head in the middle of winter. He looks like a boiled egg with its shell peeled. It's really ridiculous!"

Yixin looked at his fourth daughter, but instead of talking about collecting money, he talked about something else, "You should go back to the palace tomorrow. The Queen Mother misses you very much."

Fourth Princess Aixinjueluo* Xiaotong was the fourth child of Yixin. Because she was so cute, she was loved by Cixi when she was young. Yehenala* Xingzhen, also known as Empress Dowager Cixi, had no children of her own, not only no sons, but also no daughters.

Yixin saw what Yehenara Xingzhen meant, so he sent Aixinjueluo Xiaotong to the palace to please Empress Dowager Cixi and gain her respect. The fourth princess naturally understood her father's intentions, and after entering the palace, she tried every means to win the favor of Empress Dowager Cixi so that her father's career would be prosperous.

When she was very young, she was already proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. In order to make his daughter more outstanding, Yixin put a lot of effort and invited many famous teachers to teach her. It must be said that Yixin really took great pains to please the Empress Dowager Cixi, and those efforts also brought real benefits. Yixin was named the Iron Hat Prince and gained the trust of Yehenara Xingzhen, and Princess Xiaotong also made a lot of efforts in it.

Yehenala Xingzhen liked Aixinjueluo Xiaotong very much, and when Yixin left the palace, he specifically told her to go back to the palace as soon as possible. The fourth princess didn't like the life in the palace very much, but she knew that the honor and disgrace of her family depended on the queen mother, and she had no say in her actions, so she sighed softly and said, "I know, I will go back tomorrow morning."

Yixin was very kind to the Fourth Princess, but not so kind to Zaizhen. "Return the money tomorrow!"

"No! Father, that's fifty... forty-eight kilograms of gold bars! The British are pressing forward in Tibet, the imperial court should also have some reaction, it won't take much to give the Dalai Lama a few broken guns."

"What do you know?" Yixin said angrily, "Military affairs are all managed by Ronglu. What would Ronglu think if we intervene? What would the Queen Mother think? You are the great-great-grandson of Emperor Qianlong. Are you afraid that the trouble you cause won't be big enough by suddenly intervening in military affairs at this time?"

Zaizhen was a little confused, "What does this have to do with Emperor Qianlong?"

Yixin snorted coldly, "You know that the Queen Mother wants to depose the Emperor."

"I know. Hasn't Fu Jun been made the crown prince?"

"With the new emperor undecided, anything can happen in the court. Haven't you ever thought about that position?"

"How is this possible... Oh, you don't think I want to be the emperor? I really don't have that idea!"

"Humph, you say no, but others may not think so!"

Chapter 34 Long Legs

Emperor Guangxu's name was Aixinjueluo Zai Tian, and he was of the same generation as Zai Zhen. Although the Jin Dynasty implemented a policy of distinction between the Manchus and the Han, it absorbed a lot of Han and Confucian things and no longer practiced the system of brother-to-brother succession. And Empress Dowager Cixi was obviously

They wanted a younger emperor who was easier to control, but Zaizhen was not the right person because of his generation and age.

He said angrily, "Who is gossiping behind my back? I will never let him go!"

Yixin glanced at his eldest son and felt that he was really inferior to his elder son. How could he, who was so smart, have such a lustful and stupid son? He then looked at his daughter, who was outstanding in temperament and appearance... No, not outstanding, but unique. He sighed in his heart: If the fourth son was a son...

He then thought: If the fourth child was not a daughter, she would not have been sent to the palace. If she had been raised in the palace, she might have become like the eldest son.

Yixin was a smart man. He knew where his family's power and wealth came from. Only by gaining the trust of the empress dowager could he continue to maintain his wealth and splendor. In addition, he had to maintain a tacit understanding with Ronglu to help each other. Apart from these, everything else was just a trivial matter. He thought about it and said to the fourth princess, "I will go to the palace with you tomorrow!"

He glared at his son again and said, "Send the gold back to the owner!"

Zai Zhen shouted, "That man also said that no matter how much money the court allocated, he would give 10% to Ama!"

"One percent?"

Zai Zhen said proudly: "I told that savage that he has to take 20%!"

Yixin was too lazy to scold him, and stood up and went back to the inner room. Zaizhen looked at his father's figure going away, turned around and asked the fourth princess, "Fourth sister, what does father mean by this? Did he agree or not?"

Fourth Princess Xiaotong tilted her head and thought for a while, then said, "Maybe he agreed."

After that, she bowed to Zaizhen, just like in the TV series, as if she was going to squat, but she didn't squat, and then said, "I'm going to talk to Ama about something."

Zaizhen looked at the Fourth Princess and felt a little regretful. His sister had impeccable looks and manners, but she was too tall, and her legs were too long and not round enough!

The next day, after Lin Yongchang got up and had breakfast, he used a cart to pull 50 kilograms of gold to Ronglu's residence. The news had spread last night, and many people in the capital knew that there was a big fool from Tibet who gave gifts not in the form of banknotes, but a cart full of gold. He gave a cart to Prince Qing yesterday, and today he was going to give another cart to Rong Zhongtang.

Many people heard the news and squatted outside Ronglu's house early, waiting to see the show. When the carriage carrying the gold came over, the crowd cheered, "Here it comes! Here it comes!"

“It’s really gold!”

“Is there so much gold in Qinghai-Tibet?”

"If there wasn't so much gold, why would the foreigners be so obsessed with that place?"

"Damn it! All that gold belongs to us... our Great Jin Kingdom!"

Li Wenyong was also among the crowd, holding the last piece of pancake in his hand. When he saw the familiar bald man, he quickly stuffed the pancake into his mouth, chewed it a few times and swallowed it. He knew that Lin Yongchang was definitely not the big fool that everyone said he was, but he couldn't understand why Lin Yongchang did this, and he had nothing else to do, so he followed to take a look.

The gold bars on the cart reflected a pleasant light. Li Wenyong heard it clearly, and many people swallowed their saliva. People on both sides stretched their necks, with fiery lights in their eyes. Many people had seen a cart of gold yesterday, and today they saw another cart, and they were immediately happy, as if the gold had become their own.

"Give it!"

"Is the gold here?"

"Here it comes, here it comes, in the car!"

"Make way, let me see the cart full of gold!"

There were more people watching today than yesterday, and now there was a constant noise, which made the guards at Ronglu's house very nervous. The news spread last night, but no one expected so many people to come.

It's freezing cold, why are you running outside Rong Zhongtang's mansion instead of staying on the kang? Are you bored?

In the lobby of the mansion, Ronglu finished his breakfast, wiped the corners of his mouth with a cloth, and said, "Let them in."

The butler who had been waiting for a long time on the side bowed slightly and said, "Yes!"

The red lacquered door creaked open, and the butler walked out, looking from left to right, then coughed. Two guards shouted at the top of their lungs, "Silence!"

The crowd was still noisy, but as more and more soldiers poured out of the gate, the noise gradually died down. After a long while, the crowd finally quieted down. Some people continued to crane their necks to look at the gold on the cart, while others looked at the butler.

"Who is Lin Yongchang?" The butler clearly saw the shining bald head in the crowd, but still asked this question.

Lin Yongchang didn't care. He raised his arm and shouted, "Here!"

The butler said expressionlessly: "Master Zhongtang asked you to come in. Everyone else, go away!"

The Guarjia family had been in the army for generations. Ronglu was born into a family of generals and had fought in battles like his ancestors. The family rules were passed down from generation to generation. Lin Yongchang just felt that the stern-faced housekeeper had a murderous aura. He thought about it and felt that this guy must have killed someone before. Only when you have killed your own kind with your own hands and know that people are easy to kill, will you have that kind of cold aura.

Lin Yongchang and Wuyun Qiqige followed behind the housekeeper.

The ten Mongolian cavalrymen were left outside again. In front of the residences of high-ranking officials like Yixin and Ronglu, there were dismounting stones and horse hitching posts. After the Mongolian cavalrymen dismounted, they tied their horses to the posts and then started chatting with the soldiers.

The Great Jin Dynasty was based on the Eight Banners. The Manchu Eight Banners were higher than the Mongolian Eight Banners, and the Mongolian Eight Banners were higher than the Han Eight Banners. There were many Mongolians in the army and in the homes of the dignitaries. It was normal to chat with them when they met their fellow countrymen.

Seeing this scene, Lin Yongchang heaved a sigh of relief. Just now he thought that all the soldiers in Ronglu's mansion were elite soldiers, but now it seems that this is still our Great Qing Dynasty... Great Jin Dynasty, yes, it still has this flavor.

Whether it was the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty, the three major camps of the Ming Dynasty, or the Eight Banners Army of this dynasty, they were all very capable in fighting when the country was first established. However, as Chen Ping came to power over time, the troops in the capital became very bad. They were basically just an empty shell, occupying a lot of resources and consuming a lot of money.

Just like the Eight Banners descendants today, how many of them can fight?

The guards in Ronglu's house were more elite than those in other palaces, but that was it. They were not bad, but not much better. Lin Yongchang had seen what the real elite looked like, and he was a little suspicious just now. He wondered if his plan was too presumptuous and he thought the combat effectiveness of the officers and soldiers was too poor.

Now he was relieved. The officers and soldiers were still the same officers and soldiers. Except for the two elite troops of Yuan Weiting and Nie Shicheng, the rest of the troops were in very bad condition. There were no unexpected circumstances, and the plan could continue as planned.

Chapter 35: Since ancient times, famous generals have been like beauties

After completing the [Shelter] mission, a lot of things are unlocked, including the ability to open the list and see the number of armies of various countries, as well as the quality, including morale, training, professionalism, tradition, siege ability and defense ability, etc. However, that is just an average value, just an approximation, not completely accurate.

When it comes to a specific army, there will be various modifications. Among the court's armies, the strongest is the new army led by Yuan Weiting and Nie Shicheng, followed by the other three armies of the Wuwei Army and the new armies trained by the southern provinces. These armies each have different bonuses and debuffs, some are good at firepower, some have high morale, some require higher maintenance costs, and so on.

Lin Yongchang only has one village as his territory now. He is not yet a ruler of a region, and still has many functions that have not been unlocked. He can only see himself and the situation around the village. Anything further away is black on the map. Now, he can see the British troops stationed in Tianjin, the reorganized Wuwei Army, and the Boxers near the capital.

It seems that the British army is not stronger than the two new armies of the imperial court in terms of tactics, training, professionalism, etc. The two sides are just 50-50. However, the number of new troops is too small, and the total number of combatants is only 20,000. Everyone knows that the new army is more powerful, but now even the Wuwei Army has not been reorganized, not even half of it.

The reason for this is that there is no money to replace the equipment, and there are not enough qualified officers. The organization, tactics, combat regulations and weapons and equipment of the new army are the same as those of the German Army. Weapons and equipment can be purchased, but officers have to be trained by themselves. It has only been four years since the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, and there were also the Reform Movement of 1898 and the coup d'état. Officer training has not kept up, so many armies still use the old organization, but only replace some weapons and equipment.

For example, the guards in Ronglu's mansion carried the "old sleeve", which was the Hanyang rifle, also known as the Type 88 rifle. However, at that time, the Hanyang rifle did not have the nickname "old sleeve", but was considered a powerful new weapon. However, technically speaking, the Hanyang rifle was outdated when it was first produced.

Based on the Qing government's Westernization Party's superstition about the "Mauser" brand, German merchants falsely claimed that the 1888 rifle was a Mauser rifle and successfully sold the design data and production machinery to the Qing government. Therefore, starting in 1896, the Hanyang Arsenal began to produce this type of rifle, named Type .

Since the main manufacturer of this rifle was the Hanyang Arsenal in Hanyang, Hubei, it is generally called the Hanyang-made rifle. At the same time, because the early imported German-made 1888 rifles used a full-length barrel sleeve, the early domestic imitations also used a full-length barrel sleeve, so its early gun models were also called "old sleeves".

This type of rifle has problems such as difficulty in loading and unloading, poor extraction reliability, and easy explosion. These are inherent design problems that cannot be solved. The Germans have completely abandoned this rifle. However, for China, although the Hanyang rifle has various problems, it is better to have it than not.

First, we need to solve the problem of whether there are weapons or not, and then the problem of whether they are good or not. Tibetan soldiers are still using swords, spears and matchlock guns. If we can get a thousand Hanyang-made rifles and send them to Tibet, the Dalai Lama will definitely welcome them with open arms and feet.

Lin Yongchang followed the butler to the outside of the lobby. The guard went in to report first, and then he was allowed to enter the lobby. While waiting, he looked around calmly. The [Sun Never Sets in the Celestial Empire] system will display the organized army on the small map, but it will not display the scattered soldiers and a few desperate criminals.

In Europa Universalis, the strength and generals of both sides can be displayed. But if there is no organization, it will not be displayed. For example, if there are one or two gunmen, seven or eight bandits, etc., you can only rely on yourself to find them.

So Lin Yongchang is now

He was not worried about large groups of enemies, but was very wary of assassins and killers. The guards at the Qing Palace were not considered as the army, and the same was true for the Ronglu Palace. A dozen or twenty guards with guns were nothing in front of the regular army, but they were a threat to Lin Yongchang now.

Yixin was known to the world for his greed, so there would be no problem in giving him money. But Ronglu was different. Of course, Ronglu also made money, but he killed too many people and was too shrewd to be fooled. Lin Yongchang was in high spirits and prepared to perform well.

Different strategies should be used for different people. The Dalai Lama was most worried that the British would attack Tibet again, so Lin Yongchang wrote "The Rise of Great Powers - Britain"; Wang Zuolin was troubled by the issue of maintaining troops, so Lin Yongchang gave him advice on how to get money; Prince Qing Yixin was greedy for money, so he gave him dozens of kilograms of gold.

But what does Ronglu like? What does he care about most? It seems that no one knows.

The news Lin Yongchang inquired about did not contain any relevant information. He only knew that this man had spent most of his youth traveling around, witnessing the rise and fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Later, after successfully taking sides in the Xinyou Coup, he began to participate in many military trainings, handling flag affairs and the work of various departments. He could be said to be both civil and military.

Then, there was the Wuxu coup. Ronglu, as a staunch supporter of Empress Dowager Cixi, dispatched troops to Beijing, killed and arrested the imperial party, and helped Cixi win the victory. Guarjia* Ronglu was a real important official of the Great Jin Dynasty, and his weight was more important than that of the iron-hat prince like Yixin.

Before meeting Ronglu, Lin Yongchang made many assumptions. In his imagination, Ronglu should be cold, stern and serious, and people can't see his thoughts and ideas. Ronglu should be a person similar to Sima Yi, but not so ambitious and not so good at fighting.

Lin Yongchang made many assumptions and prepared several sets of arguments, but when he entered the lobby, he saw a skinny old man with a sick and tired face. He was stunned for a moment, then reacted. No matter how powerful Ronglu was, he was almost 65 years old. Although he was very gloomy, he looked like he would not live for many days. In this era, people of Ronglu's age were almost half buried in the ground.

Since ancient times, famous generals are like beauties, and they are not allowed to have white hair in the world.

Lin Yongchang had such a feeling, and then he sneered: What kind of famous general is Ronglu? Li Hongzhang can only be regarded as a paperhanger, Ronglu is not even as good as a paperhanger. The reason why he thinks so highly of Ronglu now is not because of how powerful this person is, but because of his official position and position.

In just a moment, many thoughts came to Lin Yongchang's mind, and then he saluted with a smile on his face, "Greetings to Rong Zhongtang on behalf of the Dalai Lama."

Ronglu coughed a few times and said expressionlessly, "I know everything. I will report it to the Queen Mother. Take the gold back."

Chapter 36 Universal Values