Chapter 153: Dogs Should Know Their Duty

Just when Liu Kunyi had no time to sigh at Wei Jichen's strength and sent troops to Haicheng to prepare to attack Ximucheng, Tianjin and the capital also learned the news of Wei Jichen's victory.

Li Hongzhang was extremely surprised, and there was no need to elaborate.

Several military ministers in the Military Affairs Office were frightened by this young man and almost couldn't breathe. They were stunned again and again, and no one spoke for a long time.

After several military ministers drank a few sips of calming tea, they finally recovered. Sun Yuwen, Xu Yongyi and Prince Gong took the telegram and went to the Summer Palace to report to Cixi, while Li Hongzao and Weng Tonghe hurried to tell Guangxu the good news.

So, several heads of the Military Affairs Office left at once, and more than ten sedan chairs were divided into two parts, one went to the Summer Palace, and the other went to the Forbidden City.

In the Summer Palace, Cixi was lying on her back on an iron bed, with a pillow and a stick of opium. This iron bed was a special bed for Cixi to smoke opium, and the angle could be adjusted at will. The eunuch next to her lit the opium, adjusted the angle of the bed, and stood aside solemnly.

Cixi was feeling uncomfortable.

Why? Because the two ministers she sent to Japan for peace were severely humiliated by the Japanese, who said that the two ministers did not have enough power, rank, and status, so they rushed back without saying a word.

And gave a clear message that they could only be received unless Prince Gong or Li Hongzhang was sent and held a letter of appointment.

Cixi didn't know that the Japanese were deliberately making things difficult. What exactly do you want? Silver, I can give it, land, as long as it is not too important, I can also negotiate.

The reason why Cixi tried her best to seek peace was that she was afraid and could not see the hope of victory. The Qing army was defeated in successive battles, and the Japanese invaded directly. Even Fengtian and Zhili were in danger. If the Japanese attacked Beijing, she did not want to escape from Beijing like a stray dog ​​when the British and French forces invaded China.

Besides, if the troops in various places did not serve the king, and the Japanese caught her and killed her, what should she do?

Since the Taiping Rebellion, the governors and governors of the Hunan Army in the thirteen provinces have been secretly competing with the court. The local governors and governors have their own troops. The Huai Army and the Hunan Army are too big to be eliminated. They listen to orders but not announcements. The armed forces that the Qing court really controls are useless, and the Green Camp can only seek flowers and ask for willows.

Cixi barely maintained this balance and tried her best to control the situation.

And she also had a worry that even if the war continued, as the young man Wei Jichen said, the victory would eventually belong to China.

Yes, it belongs to China, but who in China will it belong to?

Cixi was unsure. Just like now, the Hunan Army, which was originally scattered by her, regrouped and recruited soldiers because of this war, and took the opportunity to expand and buy weapons.

If they win, all these are achieved by the Huai Army and the Hunan Army. At that time, the local forces and the Han forces will only grow bigger and bigger, and eventually develop out of their control. Will my Qing Dynasty still be the Qing Dynasty of the Manchus? And will this country still be the country of Aixinjueluo?

Therefore, we must seek peace. Even if we pay a certain price, as long as we can continue to maintain domestic rule, it is worth it.

When Cixi thought about it, she was more determined to seek peace.

Well, let's send Li Hongzhang as the plenipotentiary minister to negotiate peace in a few days. Li Hongzhang's Huai Army has been defeated in successive battles, and his prestige has also declined a lot. As long as he signs this peace treaty again, although he will not be ruined, he will no longer be able to vaguely confront the court.

Taking advantage of his defeat, we can disband the Huai Army in his hands. The Qing Dynasty can take back the military power and train a few more armies belonging to the court. There is no need to worry about losing the country and taking back the power of the provinces.

When Cixi thought about it, her depressed mood became a little brighter. A sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she took a few puffs of opium.

"Report to the Queen Mother, Prince Gong and other military ministers are asking for an audience outside the palace." Li Lianying walked in with a bow and reported with his eyebrows lowered.

"Oh, it's rare for them to ask for an audience together. Is there something big happening today?" Cixi put down her pipe and asked lazily while lying down.

"I don't know, but judging from the faces of several ministers, there should be some happy events." Li Lianying said cautiously.

"The state affairs are getting worse day by day, what good news can there be? A few days ago, a man named Kang Youwei joined some scholars and jumped up and down, instigating the emperor to fight the Japanese to the end. Today, it won't be for this matter again." Cixi glanced at Li Lianying lightly and asked slowly.

"The emperor is young, how can you see as far and deep as you, the old Buddha, the old Buddha, do you need me to find someone to make these scholars quiet down?" Li Lianying guessed Cixi's psychology and asked with a flattering smile.

Cixi waved her hand and said indifferently: "The scholars are useless, a bunch of people who have nothing to do. If you provoke them, they will only be arrogant. Forget it, it won't cause any big trouble. Little Li, let Prince Xuan Gong come in."

"Yes!" Li Lianying bowed, bowed his head and slowly retreated.

Soon, Prince Gong, Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi walked in slowly under the guidance of Li Lianying.

"Greetings to the old Buddha!" ​​The three of them knelt down and saluted.

Cixi raised her hand and said softly: "You are all my loyal subjects, so there is no need to be polite. What are you doing in the Summer Palace today?"

"The old Buddha, the situation in Liaodong has changed greatly again." After the three of them saluted, Prince Gong stepped forward to report.

"Oh, tell me about it." Cixi took a puff of opium and said with half-closed eyes.

"Old Buddha, Wei Jichen won two great victories in Liaodong, causing heavy losses to the Japanese. In my opinion, the Japanese will definitely be willing to negotiate with us after this battle." Prince Gong said with a smile.

"Wei Jichen? Which Wei Jichen?" Cixi asked with her eyes fully opened, a little puzzled.

My dear, there is more to this chapter^.^,

Prince Gong stroked his beard and smiled and replied: "Which other Wei Jichen could it be? Of course, it was the dead Wei Jichen. This man did have some tricks. He pretended to die so that the Japanese gave up the strong city and rushed to attack Haicheng. In the end, he fell into his trap and more than 10,000 Japanese were lost in his hands."

"Oh, there is another thing!" Cixi handed the pipe to the eunuch who was serving beside her, and Li Lianying stepped forward and gently helped her up.

The other two military ministers echoed, "We are also surprised to hear this, but I believe it cannot be faked. This victory is a real victory. The situation in Liaodong has eased. It is a good time to seek peace."

Cixi first showed joy, and then said unhappily, "Wei Jichen is indeed talented, but he is a bit too bold. Even if he pretended to be dead to conceal the Japanese pirates, he should not conceal it from the court, let alone deceive me. I heard the news of his death a few days ago and praised him for his loyalty to the country. I didn't expect that this man is not young, but he is so brave."

Li Lianying echoed beside him, "Wei Jichen is simply a crime of deceiving the emperor."

"Old Buddha, Wei Jichen said that after he woke up from a serious injury, he had learned that the news of his death had been reported to the court, so he took advantage of the situation, not deliberately concealing it." Prince Gong thought that Wei Jichen, a young man, was very good at turning the tide, so he said a good word in front of Cixi.

Cixi curled her lips and said indifferently: "Do you believe this?"

Prince Gong smiled awkwardly and was about to reply.

Cixi waved her hand and said: "Forget it, seeing that he has made such a great contribution, I will not bother with him for the time being, but I have heard a lot of rumors. It is said that this young general's reputation has surpassed Li Hongzhang. When the news of his death spread, not only did the scholars in the capital upload ten thousand words for him, but even some foolish men and women burned paper and lit incense at home to commemorate him. Sixth Prince, you created the Huai Army back then, don't create the Wei Army now."

"I will pay attention to it." Prince Gong wiped his cold sweat quickly.

Cixi said to the three people in a yin and yang tone: "He is a meritorious minister. As long as he works loyally for the court, everything can be discussed. If he becomes arrogant and deceives his superiors and subordinates, then why do I need this dog?"

"The Queen Mother is right!" Several people knelt down quickly.

"Okay, let Li Hongzhang come to the capital." After Cixi finished speaking, she lay back on the iron bed, closed her eyes and said nothing more.

"Yes!" Several people hurriedly bowed their heads and slowly retreated.