Chapter 63 Section 63

The matter of making peace with the embassy was finally dismissed, and the Empress Dowager Cixi also issued internal money rewards. For the Gan army, it was of course enough to boost morale.However, the embassy could not be captured. This is something that cannot be explained. Not only Zaiyi was anxious, but Dong Fuxiang also felt restless, thinking about it every day and dreaming at night. It was nothing more than how to plant the handsome flag with the word "Dong" on the roofs of the embassies of various countries.The aides gathered for a meeting, and what they talked about was nothing more than how to find a clever plan to break through the embassy.

In the end, it was Li Laizhong who came up with the idea, "The military guards already have a sharp weapon to defeat the enemy." He said: "As long as Rong Zhongtang is willing to lend the cannon and bombard the embassy with one cannon, nothing will happen." "Ah, ah!" Dong Fuxiang cheered up and jumped up: "Why can't I remember? I will go right away. " So he rode his horse to Rongfu in Dongchang Hutong, and came to the door to explain his purpose, and the door replied: "Zhongtang explained, I don't see any guests today." "No!" Dong Fuxiang's voice was very firm, "I have something urgent to do, so I must see Zhongtang."

The man on the door agreed with a smile on his face: "Yes! I will go back for Dashuai Dong." When the report came in, Rong Lu was surprised. He had cut off contact with Dong Fuxiang in the past few days, and now he came to the door suddenly, saying that he had something important to see, so he wanted to inquire.So, while sending a message to ask Dong Fuxiang to wait, he immediately sent someone to the Gan army to inquire about Dong Fuxiang's intention.In the Gan army, of course there was Rong Lu's "sit-in spying", and soon there was a definite answer. It turned out that Dong Fuxiang wanted to borrow guns.

"Hmph!" Rong Lu sneered, "I want to see him today, what can I do to borrow the cannon from me?" At this time, Dong Fuxiang got impatient with waiting, and walked around the house, muttering curses at his subordinates, really referring to Huai Sang and Ronglu.If so, he waited for an hour before leading him into the study. In the study, Rong Lu leaned on the rattan chair, not moving.It would be too impolite to treat guests like this, and Dong Fuxiang had a need for others, so he had to swallow his breath and say hello, and said, "I have something to ask Zhongtang to do. Fuxiang wants to use the red cannon."

"You want to use artillery to bombard the embassy?" "Yes!" Dong Fuxiang said, "The superiors are pressing hard, and there is no other way, so I have to ask Zhongtang to borrow guns." "Borrowing guns is easy!" Rong Lu quickly said, "But first I have to get my head." Dong Fuxiang was inexplicably surprised, "Zhongtang," he asked blankly, "How do you say that?" "I'm telling the truth! Let me tell you again, it's easy to ask for my head. Please go to the palace to play with the empress dowager and ask for Ronglu's head. You are a person who is highly valued by the empress dowager and a pillar of the court. What do you say, the empress dowager The Queen Mother must agree."

Only now did Dong Fuxiang realize that he had suffered a bad meal.Borrowing guns is a business matter, whether it is allowed or not is negotiable, why bother!Thinking of this, my face turned pale with anger, and I really wanted to say a few words in return, but I was afraid that I was not good at eloquence, and I would take it even worse.So, he was stunned for a while, then slammed his feet hard, turned around and left. When he got out of Rong Mansion, he got on his horse and went straight to Donghua Gate; when he arrived at Ningshou Palace, the guards didn't dare to stop him, so he allowed him to break into Huangji Palace, grabbed an eunuch and said, "Go in and play with Lafayette. Please call Lafayette immediately."

This is a young eunuch who is on the run, he is not qualified to walk in front of the queen mother without permission, and no one has ever called him on such an errand, he just shouted: "Let go, let go!" During the clamor, Cui Yugui rushed out. "Master Dong," he said with a big belly, "tell me something." "I want to see Lafayette." "At this moment," Cui Yugui looked at the scorching sun in the sky, "Lafayette is resting..." "I want to see you!" Dong Fuxiang hurriedly said, "I must see you!" "Okay!" Cui Yugui asked: "See Lafayette, what's the matter? Can you tell me first."

"I can't tell right away. You'll know later." Cui Yugui's appearance was very arrogant, but in fact, something happened, but Dong Fuxiang didn't know what was good or bad at all.Then he sneered slightly and said, "I'll go back for you, I don't know if Lafayette will see you!" Then he told the little eunuch: "Go to the palace gate and ask, who is in charge? The more you are on duty, the more you will go back! "It means to blame the gate of the palace for letting Dong Fuxiang in without authorization. After finishing speaking, Cui Yugui quietly entered the palace. The Empress Dowager Cixi, who was painting, heard the sound of the curtain hook and asked without raising her head, "Who is shouting outside?"

"Returning to Lafayette, Dong Fuxiang, the commander of the Gan army, kept saying that he wanted to see Lafayette. The slave asked him what happened, but he refused to say anything." "It's him!" Empress Dowager Cixi put down her paintbrush and said calmly, "Tell him to come in!" The regulation of Huangji Palace is like Qianqing Palace, with warm pavilions in the east and west.Xinuang Pavilion was used as a place for Empress Dowager Cixi to practice painting and rest. Dong Fuxiang was summoned in Dongnuang Pavilion. Dong Fuxiang entered the hall and kowtowed.

"Dong Fuxiang, are you here to report the news of the attack on the embassy?" "no……." "Okay!" The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't allow him to finish his speech, so she interrupted: "I thought you came to report that the embassy had been captured! From last month to today, I have heard you play ten times. If you break through as soon as you attack, you know that they are still doing well to this day!" A soft nail in the head made Dong Fuxiang dizzy. He collected himself and said: "The slave is playing on the ground, and the embassy cannot be attacked. It is not the fault of the slave."

"Whose is it?" "Rong Lu!" Thinking of Rong Lu's expression, Dong Fuxiang couldn't help being excited: "This slave is asking to see Lafayette. It is Rong Lu, a scholar who participated in impeachment. He is a traitor and only helps foreigners. This slave is ordered to exterminate all foreigners. Please be kind to him." He was dismissed. His military guards had cannons, and if they were used to attack the embassy, ​​no tiles would be left behind. The slaves borrowed cannons from him, but he refused to borrow them no matter what, and even said that even if there was an order from Lafayette, it would not work!" The last sentence was added by Dong Fuxiang himself.The original intention was to provoke and incite, hoping to anger the Empress Dowager Cixi, but it was self-defeating, and the Empress Dowager Cixi knew that he was lying.Ronglu's loyalty has been tested and tested countless times.In front of her, he might argue with reason, but in front of others, Rong Lu never said a single word to belittle Yizhi.On the contrary, she received reports more than once that Rong Lu had told her closest people: "Lafayette may have unexpected things, but as long as the order is given, no matter what, you must follow it, and you can't discount it." According to this situation, how can you tell Dong Fuxiang that it doesn't work if you have Yizhi? If a sentence is not true, it will appear that all the words are lies. The Empress Dowager Cixi sternly shouted: "You are not allowed to speak anymore! You are a robber, and the court uses you, but you are asked to make atonement. You are so arrogant, you have no eyes. The imperial court is still acting like a bandit, probably impatient to live! Get out! Later, you don’t follow the order and break in without authorization, do you know, what should be the crime?" After finishing speaking, the Empress Dowager Cixi got up and left, leaving the East Nuan Pavilion and returning to the West Nuan Pavilion. Dong Fuxiang was annoyed and hated, but there was nothing he could do. Returning to the "Chinese army's big tent" in the household office, Dong Fuxiang became more and more annoyed as he thought about it, and ordered the old-fashioned firecrackers located in Chongwenmen to move westward, approaching the German embassy, ​​and bombarded them continuously. As a result, the German soldiers retreated without support , but the "gun building" between the German legation and the club was "bruised all over" by the shrapnel of the shells, but the reinforced concrete frame was still intact, condescending, one shot at a time, forcing the Gan army Unable to approach, the defense line can still be held. However, the American soldiers on the western front, seeing that the momentum was not good, withdrew to the north.At this moment, the ministers of various countries panicked and convened a meeting overnight at the British embassy, ​​unanimously advocating that the original line of defense should be restored.The commander of the United States, Amsterdam, said that he could not support himself alone, and asked for support, so the United Kingdom and Russia each sent a dozen people, but the strength was still too weak, so they recruited "volunteers."The clerks of the embassies of various countries joined the army and formed a "coalition army" of 60 people. At dawn the next day, Amsterdam led the "Allied Forces" back to the west of Nanyuhe Bridge. The situation remained the same. Although the U.S. Army had "abandoned the land", the Gansu Army had not "occupied".Therefore, Amsterdam "restored" the "lost land" without bloodshed.