Chapter 51 Section 51

In the capital city that night, people were in a state of panic, feeling that a catastrophe was imminent.The capital officials in various provinces, the timid ones have long since fled with their families, and now the bold ones have to think deeply about it, thinking that at least their families should be moved to a safer place.However, the traffic between Beijing and Tianjin has been cut off. There are boxers everywhere in the south of Jinan, the east of Beijing, and the west of Beijing. The only place that is relatively calm is the north.Therefore, the bustle of Deshengmen has increased several times than usual, and horses and chariots meet each other, passing through Changping, leaving Juyongguan and fleeing to Yanqing Prefecture and Huailai County in Chahar, countless.

On the contrary, the gates of the southern city are almost closed to pedestrians. The Zhengyang Gate does not open until after 8 o'clock in the morning, and the Xuanwu Gate does not open at all, because there is definite news that the Boxers will burn the "South Hall" and "North Hall" that day. .Nantang is the oldest Catholic church in central Beijing.The original site was Shoushan Academy, which was the place where Donglin formed a clique and gave lectures in the late Ming Dynasty. The eunuchs gained power and killed Donglin.During the reign of Chongzhen, Xu Guangqi, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, majored in calendar here, which was called "Liju". Tang Ruowang lived here when he first came to China.At the founding of the Qing Dynasty, Tang Ruowang became the "Godfather" of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. He continued the unfinished work of the Ming Dynasty and continued to practice the calendar. However, the calendar bureau was officially converted into a Catholic Church, becoming the first Western-style building in Beijing.There are many rare and ingenious things inside, which were quite appreciated by the young emperor at that time, so there is a poem in Wumei Village: "The Western-style pavilions force the city's shadows, cleverly experience the mysterious ingenuity; every time a foreign object invites the sky to smile, the bell rings and the qin rings."

In contrast, although the "Northern Church" is the head church of Catholicism in China, it has only ten years of history.The original Beitang, built in the Kangxi period, is located at Canchikou, west of Sanzuomen.In the 16th year of Guangxu's reign, the West Garden was expanded. The Empress Dowager Cixi thought the North Hall was too high, and it was inconvenient to overlook the Forbidden Garden.He ordered the Prime Minister's Yamen to communicate with France to relocate, but the negotiation failed.At that time, when Li Hongzhang was in full bloom, there were a lot of foreign affairs talents in the shogunate. Someone offered to deal directly with the Holy See. As expected, his wish came true, and the Beitang at Canchikou was finally moved.

The place name of Xinbeitang is Xishiku, which is inside the Xi'an Gate.Although it is not as close as Canchikou to Xiyuan, it is not too far from Sanhai.Burning the south hall of Xuanwumen will not disturb the ban, but burning the north hall of Xishiku is different.Therefore, Li Lianying was quite worried; discuss with King Duan, can they not burn it?Duan Wang said that the Boxers were outraged, and the Beitang was the head office of the Catholic Church, so it might have to be burned. In this way, we had to face the Empress Dowager Cixi.So on this day, a special edict was issued: "I heard that Yihe regiments will enter Di'anmen and Xi'an gates of the imperial city to burn Xishiku at about noon today. , must be urgently suppressed. In the year of Yingnian, Zai Lan is at the gathering place of the boxers, so you must go there in person and tell the truth to your face. Since the boxers do not consider themselves bandits, they should be disbanded immediately and should not be on the ground of the Forbidden City , act without restraint. If you do not follow the advice, you will be strict and take the correct law."

After the edict came down, Yingnian discussed with Zai Lan, how should he advise?Without saying a word, Zai Lan took the Shangyu in his hand, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his arms. Seeing this situation, Yingnian felt that saying anything was superfluous!In this changing situation, the best policy is to wait and see.Thinking about it this way, the more he refused to say anything.When I got home, I warned the servants to close the door tightly and not to go out. If there was a visitor, or someone in the yamen went back and forth on business, they would say that he was not at home.

The big officials who were ordered to suppress had such an attitude, the Boxers naturally did whatever they wanted, but the south hall was burned down, but the north hall was not. The priests and the people relied on the solid cement walls to suppress them with intense firepower, making it possible for a monk to work together The more than 1,000 boxers led by him could not get close at all.There were bursts of gunshots, bursts of shouting, and killing sounds all night long, causing Empress Dowager Cixi in Xiyuan to be frightened all night, unable to sleep soundly, and extremely angry. Get up to wash, eat a bowl of bird's nest porridge, read the memorial first as usual, the first thing is the infantry commander Chongli's report: "The church on the two wings and the ground are on fire, and please discuss it yourself." The Empress Dowager Cixi who was on the fire, Without hesitation, he personally used a red pen to instruct: "Chongli, Yingnian, and Zailan were all severely punished by the Ministry of Communications. Liangyi Yiwei and others were all dismissed from their posts and retained their posts, and took off their top hats. They were still ordered to be strictly controlled. , be punished!"

Taking advantage of this reprimand and venting her anger a little, the Empress Dowager Cixi thought for a while, and ordered Li Lianying to deliver an order: "The military planes are here, call them immediately." It has always been a rule that military planes are always called last.Because first summon the ministers of the ministry, or the Xinjiang officials who have entered the pilgrimage, and if they have something to ask for instructions, they can negotiate with the military plane on the way to deal with it on the same day.On this day, a break from the usual practice, the ministers were first summoned. We all know that there must be a very important announcement, and what can be guessed must be related to the Boxers. However, it is difficult to guess how the Empress Dowager Cixi will treat the Boxers.

Entering the palace, I saw that the Empress Dowager Cixi was not as vigorous as before, and the emperor was even more sluggish.King Li led the salute, only to hear Empress Dowager Cixi ask: "You all haven't slept all night, have you?" "Yes!" Li Wang and Rong Lu replied in unison. "I can't just leave this kind of disturbance! Last night, I only heard shouts: 'Kill, kill!' Does this look like a capital city in the first beneficent area?" The Empress Dowager Cixi paused and said, "Everyone said The Boxers were disciplined, and the lawless ones were bandits pretending to be Boxers. Judging from this, there are too many fakes!"

"Yes!" Li Wang replied, "We still have to ask the infantry commander Yamen to suppress it." "What suppression? Strictly take the law!" Empress Dowager Cixi shouted: "Rong Lu!" "Cha!" Rong Lu took two steps on his knees and knelt forward. "what do you say?" "The slave listens to the empress dowager. If you want to do it, you have to do it quickly." "Of course it has to be fast." The Empress Dowager Cixi said, "I mean, I want you to send more troops in, and do it in a down-to-earth manner." Rong Lu thought for a while and replied: "Your servant can bring in the Wuwei Central Army. However, Shenji Camp and Hushen Camp must also send more people."

Empress Dowager Cixi understood his intention and wanted King Duan to shoulder this important task with him. Otherwise, when the Wuwei Central Army entered the city, they would encounter the Boxers, the Gan Army, and the Shenji Battalion and Hushen Battalion under the command of King Duan.So he nodded and said, "Of course, this should also be written in the Shangyu." Speaking of this, the Empress Dowager Cixi consulted the opinions of other people.King Qing couldn't come up with a proposition; Wang Wenshao was hard of hearing and could only distinguish colors, but couldn't read words, and couldn't respond; Qixiu was fundamentally opposed to the severe punishment of the Boxers, but he couldn't speak alone, so he could only forbear and say nothing.Only Zhao Shuqiao, in order to return to Beijing from Zhuozhou, was vague and responsible for the replay, and he was always guilty of being tolerant of the Boxer Rebellion. At this time, the attitude of the Empress Dowager Cixi changed, and the fortitude happened to be absent. Seeing that everyone was silent, they came out to meet and make a statement.

"The empress dowager, the emperor's sage, and the humble opinion of the ministers, you must first settle down when you are out, and the capital must be quiet. But the land is vast, and people's hearts are chaotic. Wuwei Zhongjun, Shenjiying, Hushenying, and the infantry command the yamen. They are not related to each other, or there are areas of evasion and disputes, and the deployment may not be thorough. It is best to appoint several princes and ministers to supervise, so that the orders can be unified, and there are also inheritances when things happen, so that the concerns of the empress dowager and the emperor can be divided. " Hearing his words, both the Empress Dowager Cixi and the emperor kept nodding, "Zhao Shuqiao spoke very thoroughly! Didn't he?" The Empress Dowager Cixi looked at the emperor and said, "Look instead, send those people to supervise." "Let Lafayette decide." The emperor replied quickly.Then he added tentatively, "Or, let Zhao Shuqiao protect a few people." "That's not bad. Since Zhao Shuqiao has such an idea, there must be several people in his mind!" "Yes!" Zhao Shuqiao replied without hesitation, "The Boxers have trouble with foreigners, and they have to deal with the embassy. King Qing is indispensable." "Okay! Send King Qing." "King Duan has always been prestigious, smart and capable, and has always been admired by the Boxers." After Zhao Shuqiao complimented him, he added: "It is absolutely indispensable." "Alright." Empress Dowager Cixi asked again, "What else?" "Ronglu is even more indispensable." "Three!" Empress Dowager Cixi said hesitantly, "Should I add another one?" "The servant recommends one." Qixiu said suddenly, "Baile Zailian." It turned out that Qixiu heard Zhao Shuqiao's name announcement, and already had an idea in his mind. King Qing and Rong Lu both advocated reconciliation with foreigners. In comparison, King Duan looked lonely.At least one more must be added to be evenly matched.This person, Bao Zailan, as the commander of the infantry, he could have intervened in the process and secretly protected him, so there was no need to do anything extra.If you want to protect the king of Zhuang, it is a pity that the title is higher, which invisibly degrades the king of Duan, so he recommends Zai Lian.He is the eldest brother of Prince Duan Zaiyi, but his title is Baylor, who is the first-class king of the lower county, so he ranks lower than his younger brother.In this way, the status of King Duan will not be derogated. Empress Dowager Cixi accepted his request, and asked Zhao Shuqiao, "What else should you do?" "Since there are four princes and ministers working together, the more people who work below, the better. In addition to patrolling the city's censors and maintaining the ground, the minister has requested that the Eight Banners be unified, stationed in nine cities, and check in and out. .” "It's also very good to do so. Send those people, and you go down to consider." All the presentations were appreciated, so Zhao Shuqiao and Qixiu, who returned to the military aircraft department, formed a sharp contrast, one with a golden face, and the other with a gloomy expression.However, Zhao Shuqiao was also very opportunistic, and only came up with ideas, not the main manuscript. This edict was still drafted by the "Dalami" on duty, and was finally approved by Rong Lu, and then submitted in a yellow box, waiting for Empress Dowager Cixi I have seen it and sent it to the cabinet for Mingfa. The yellow box was sent out quickly, and brought another order: Shan called Ronglu to come in. Surprisingly, this time it was the emperor who spoke first: "The chaos in the capital city is such that the deep palace is disturbed, and even the empress dowager can't rest well. You and I can't escape the crime of disloyalty and disfilial piety!" Hearing the emperor's reprimand, Rong Lu was very disturbed, and at the same time quite confused, wondering if Empress Dowager Cixi's attitude towards the emperor had changed?What is the motivation?Do you think the emperor should ask about politics again?Or because the current situation is difficult, use the emperor to block in front? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sneak a peek at Empress Dowager Cixi's face, but nothing could be seen.Rong Lu had no choice but to meet and plead guilty. "The slaves are entrusted with the grace of the empress dowager and the emperor, and the responsibility to deliver them is heavier than others. The chaos in the capital is always due to the lack of talents of the slaves. The slaves will never dare to shirk their responsibilities. Please the empress dowager and the emperor severely punish the slaves. Let’s do some refreshing, so as to teach everyone to be vigilant, so that they don’t dare not be wholehearted.” "Nowadays, we can't talk about punishment. It's important to take care of the overall situation!" The emperor looked at the Empress Dowager Cixi and said, "Now I will give you the responsibility of explaining to foreigners and suppressing the Boxers. Are you sure?" "I don't dare to say it! I just try my best to do it." Speaking of this, he found that the wording was inappropriate, which meant that he had a responsibility on his shoulders, so he said immediately: "It is Li Hongzhang who is good at negotiating with foreigners. Yuan Shikai can't." "Well, well!" The emperor asked the Empress Dowager Cixi for instructions: "Look, Lafayette, is Rong Lu's idea okay?" "It has to be like this." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again, "Since I plan to do this, Gangyi doesn't have to stay in Zhuozhou anymore. Tell him to return to Beijing as soon as possible!" "Yes!" Rong Lu replied: "Slave asks for an order, can you ask the whole class of the military plane to rise again, and ask the two palaces to issue an order face to face." "Yes!" Empress Dowager Cixi nodded. So the whole class of military ministers was called back, and the emperor announced that there were three orders in total: first, Li Hongzhang, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, went to Beijing on a recent day, and the governor sent General Deshou of Guangzhou to act as his agent.The second way is to ask Yuan Shikai, governor of Shandong, to lead troops into Beijing. If Jiaozhou's defense is important and cannot be separated, he will immediately assign capable generals to lead the elite and go to Beijing to stand by.In the third way, Gang Yi and He Naiying returned to Beijing immediately. Except for the first edict, which should be issued by the cabinet as usual, the other two should be sent by the court.But Rong Lu deliberately asked: "Please decree, the three edicts, are they all clear?" "That's right! Mingfa." The Empress Dowager Cixi replied clearly. Using the invention has the meaning of publicly warning the boxers.Rong Lu thinks so, and Empress Dowager Cixi thinks the same way. Monarchs and ministers are tacit, and they have launched a long-awaited plan, and they all have the confidence that it is not too late to start now. By midday, the news had spread widely.The wise people celebrated with their foreheads and hands, and some poor officials in Beijing who were planning to escape and had nowhere to go even praised the sage and were very excited. As for the Boxer Regiment, the young men were in a dark state of darkness and were as arrogant as before, but the big boss was secretly frightened.However, there are more rebellious ones than prudent ones, so some wild words that were circulated in secret quickly turned into open clamors. When one said "one dragon and two tigers will be beheaded", the first dragon of course refers to the emperor, and the two tigers have different opinions. But never leave Qing Wang, Li Wang, Rong Lu, Li Hongzhang and others.It was also said that "one dragon, one tiger, and three hundred sheep" were to be beheaded. This tiger actually pointed out that it was King Qing who was in charge of Westernization, and the three hundred sheep referred to the Beijing officials.He also said that only eighteen people can be left in the capital, and the rest must be killed. This kind of shameless big talk, besides scaring people, also has another effect, that is, it can make Duan Wang, Chong Qi and others happy.But when the three edicts are announced today, I know that happiness may turn into frustration. "Who did Lafayette listen to?" Duan Wang looked very serious, with a murderous look on his face, as if he had found this "who" and was about to kill him. "It goes without saying, of course it is Rong Lu." Zhuang Wang Zaixun said coldly, "Well, let's see, who is more ruthless than the Tiger God Camp or the Wuwei Central Army?" "That's not it!" Zai Lan interjected, "Look at the Wuwei Rear Army and Wuwei Zhongjun, who is more ruthless than the other?" What he meant was to instruct Dong Fuxiang to confront Rong Lu.This reminded Zaiyi, "The third child has a high idea! When Yuan Weiting comes, Dong Xingwu will be even more ugly!" He said vigorously, "It's not too late, call Dong Xingwu immediately, and discuss it." A pre-emptive strike." Inviting Dong Fuxiang, only the three brothers Zaiyi and Zaixun had a secret talk with Zaixun.Everyone has seen the last edict. The attitude of the Empress Dowager Cixi has changed. Needless to say, what needs to be discussed is how to reverse the attitude of the Empress Dowager Cixi. "What's embarrassing now is that things are changing too fast. If we have to slowly convince the old lady, I'm afraid it won't be too late." Zai Yi said, "The arrow is on the string, so I have to send it. I think it's better to fuck him up. Xing Wu ,what do you think?" "Yes! It is necessary to make a big effort, and the empress dowager must be willing to do it. Otherwise, things will still be troublesome." "If the Empress Dowager can change her mind, of course it's my wish. But..." "My lord," Dong Fuxiang hurriedly said, "You don't have to worry about it, I've already made arrangements." "Oh!" Zaiyi was both surprised and delighted, "Come on, come on, Xing Wu, how did you arrange it? Come and listen. " "It's Li Laizhong's ingenious plan. It's all said and done, and you can do it at any time." Then, he lowered his voice and explained the process in detail. "This plan is brilliant! This Li Laizhong really has the ability to penetrate the heavens and the earth." Duan Wang asked: "Xing Wu, what is his fame?" "It's still Bai Ding." "I'll protect him! Look, what kind of official will you give him?" "On behalf of Li Laizhong, I would like to thank the prince for his cultivation. However, this may as well be discussed in the future, the immediate matter is the most important thing." "That's right, that's right, there's something important to do right now. Xing Wu, please take care of me!" Therefore, according to the predetermined plan, at dusk that day, a forged telegram was sent by a courier sent by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Shanhaiguan Garrison to the Military Guards Camp Affairs Office, and Wang Jixun translated it according to the code and sent it to the upper room.Rong Lu, who was drinking and planning alone, raised his cup after reading the telegram, and ordered to call his friends to meet him in the signing room immediately. Friends of the Mu have already returned to their private apartments, and the situation on this day is even worse than the previous day. The so-called "Xuannan" where the courtiers gather-the area south of Xuanwumen, because the Nantang was robbed, there are more than 100 foreign soldiers and horses Occupying Xuanwumen, the traffic is cut off. The area around Qianmen Dongchenggen, north to Wangfujing Street, is also guarded by foreign soldiers, and Chinese soldiers and civilians are not allowed to come and go.Therefore, they rushed out, but only found one Fan Zengxiang. "Yunmen, look," Rong Lu lost his composure, "Luo Dao sent a telegram, catastrophe is imminent!" Luo Jiajie's telegram was sent from Shanghai, beginning with the words "According to the message", saying that all countries have agreed to join forces to seek China, and decided to put forward four conditions to the Chinese government: first, the power should be returned to the emperor, and the empress dowager's training should end immediately; Second, all countries are willing to send troops to help when an edict is issued to suppress the boxers; third, the number of Chinese government training troops must be agreed by all countries, and foreigners must be hired as coaches; fourth, all tax revenues of the Chinese government must be supervised and controlled by foreigners use. "It's amazing!" Fan Zengxiang said in a low voice, "Isn't this the alliance under the city!" "What I'm worried about is that foreigners will raise harsh conditions, but I have to say this earlier, and no one will believe it. Now that the matter is urgent, we must try to eliminate it first. The foreigners really raised it without even counter-offering. Fa'er also." "Yes!" Fan Zengxiang said: "Negotiations with each other depend on strength. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will be victorious in every battle. This is how you use troops, so why not Westernization!" "What strength are you talking about!" Rong Lu said with a smile on his face, as if he was a scholar, "As of today, there are thirty-four foreign warships outside Dagukou. With one fort, Luo Rongguang's two thousand rotten guns, Can it be stopped? The Yuzhi army is messing around in Tianjin. I sympathize with the big brother and the red light as guests of honor. The local officials are responsible for guarding the soil. Drive straight in, at that time, apart from hoping that the Boxer Regiment has a large number of people and is not afraid of death, so that they can hold off for a while, you think, what else does he have to do to defeat the enemy!" Hearing these words, Fan Zengxiang was quite surprised, it turned out that he had such a view!No wonder there is always some indecisive appearance when looking forward and looking ahead.That being the case, you have to think about it first, and it is not advisable to speak casually before you are sure. "I think this news must be delivered." Rong Lu paused and said, "Now is an urgent time, so we can go faster by taking advantage of this news." This means that Empress Dowager Cixi was forced to take more swift measures in the peace negotiation process.However, Fan Zengxiang raised a question: "What if the empress dowager is angered and does not hesitate to fight?" "If the empress dowager wants to fight, of course she has to ask me first, and I will tell the truth, where are the soldiers? Where is the salary? How can the empress dowager act on her own will after she has gone through many important events?" "This matter is too big to deal with." Fan Zengxiang could only persuade him to be cautious, "Zhongtang might as well wait a little bit, and make a decision before moving." Rong Lu thought for a while and nodded, "Wait for a long time, it's okay to come."