Chapter 86 Section 86

In doing business, it is still the same as the regulations in Beijing. The Empress Dowager Cixi still summoned the military aircraft early in the morning.Seeing Wang Wenshao, the Empress Dowager Cixi was sad, comforted, and sympathetic, and talked about the hardships on the way to the north. Wang Wenshao left Beijing at dawn on July 22. Although he was only one day late, he brought a lot of important news. Of course, Empress Dowager Cixi was most concerned about the empress dowager. "Ouchi is guarded by Japanese soldiers. I heard that because Japan is also an imperial country, it respects the Chinese imperial palace and did not go in to harass it."

"Is this reliable?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked in surprise. "I heard a lot of people say that. I think it's true." "That's rare." The Empress Dowager Cixi was deeply comforted and aroused hope, feeling that the situation was still promising, she thought for a while and asked, "Where is Rong Lu? Are you in Beijing?" "I heard that they went to Liangxiang." Wang Wenshao replied, "Probably went to Baoding." "Where's Li Hongzhang? Is there any news?" "Still in Shanghai." "Now it is natural to make peace! Since peace is made, the sooner the better." Empress Dowager Cixi asked: "You see, how should we proceed?"

"Responding to the Empress Dowager's words," Gang Yi replied, "What I mean by this slave is that besides urging Li Hongzhang to go to Beijing quickly, you might as well instruct Rong Lu and Xu Tong..." "Xu Tong is dead!" Wang Wenshao interjected. This interrupted the resolute words, and the Empress Dowager Cixi hurriedly asked, "How did Xu Tong die?" Wang Wenshao had always been tactful and didn't like the shortcomings of Taoists, but at this time he couldn't help it anymore, "Xu Tong committed suicide by hanging himself! He finally died for the country." He said, "However, Xu Chengyu, Xu Tong's son, is really a coward. I listen to people It is said that Xu Tong originally ordered Xu Chengyu to hang himself together, and his father and son died together, but Xu Chengyu sent his father into a trap, removed the stool from the foot, and then slipped away quietly by himself. Didn't know that the sky net was restored, and Xu Chengyu landed in Japan In the hands of the soldiers, it is now locked in the Yamen of Shuntian Mansion."

The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed and was speechless, while Fortitude and Zhao Shuqiao were not without a sense of grief.The monarchs and ministers were silent for a while, but it was still the Empress Dowager Cixi who rallied, discussed state affairs, continued the unfinished topic, and decided to order Li Hongzhang to immediately discuss ways to turn things around with other countries, and at the same time ordered Ronglu to directly discuss with the British minister on how to make peace. Negotiations for peace, of course, require conditions.Since leaving Beijing, although the Empress Dowager Cixi has been in exile, she still has never forgotten this matter, and she has discussed it with her heart and made plans several times.Compensation for military expenses is of course unavoidable. If you need to cede land, you must fight hard. If you can't fight, you have to bear the pain.The most embarrassing thing for her is to punish the murderer.The culprits are Zai Yi, Zai Xun, Xu Tong, Gang Yi, Zhao Shuqiao, Li Bingheng, Yu Xian and others. It has become a public opinion, but she asked herself, how can she shirk her responsibility?If you punish the culprit yourself, you will be held accountable. In the end, the situation of "political training" will be lost. If you don't do it, foreigners will think that they have no regrets, and it will be even more difficult to make peace.Only Rong Lu can understand the twists and turns of the relationship, and only Wang Wenshao can talk about it in front of him.

Therefore, at noon that day, Wang Wenshao was called alone to join the pair. In order to give courtesy to the veteran, and even more so that the hard-of-hearing veteran could hear her clearly, he specially ordered to play back while standing. "Wang Wenshao," the Empress Dowager Cixi raised her voice and said, "You are a veteran of the three dynasties. When the country is at this point, you should know everything and say everything." Wang Wenshao tilted his better hearing left ear and listened to Empress Dowager Cixi's words with bated breath. He couldn't figure out her intentions for a moment, so he could only answer: "Yes! The minister has rushed here, and he is here to share weal and woe with the empress dowager and the emperor."

"That's right!" Empress Dowager Cixi said happily, "You must have such a heart to save the situation." She paused and asked, "When did you first join the General Administration?" Wang Wenshao thought for a while and replied, "It was in August of the fourth year of Guangxu." "Twenty-two years!" Empress Dowager Cixi said, "I remember that this time I returned to the General Administration in June of the year before last." "yes!" "You are also very familiar with Westernization. Let's see what it means when the ministers of various countries talk to each other?"

"Ministers from various countries are fine." Wang Wenshao said: "The last time the empress dowager kindly ordered melons, fruits and food to be given to ministers from various countries. People are not grass and trees, and they also know about it." Hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi was overjoyed, "Yes! I also left room for it." She said: "I have also seen for a long time that the Boxers are no longer enough, but those people seem to have taken the wrong medicine." , squinting my neck and staring all day long, I can’t even recognize me. Inside, I don’t know my difficulties from the outside, but you are walking in the inner court, so you should be able to see it.”

"Yes, I have seen it." "What worries me is that the countries don't understand my situation in China, and they only think that I am in charge of everything. In fact, I always consult with everyone when there are major issues. This time I declared war, didn't I call it "big start" three times in a row? ?” "Yes!" Wang Wenshao already understood what she meant. Don't let foreigners blame "innocent". After thinking for a while, he replied: "It's not appropriate for the imperial court to express what I mean." "The overall situation is so bad," the emperor suddenly interjected, "There must be an explanation to the common people!"

As soon as this remark came out, Empress Dowager Cixi's complexion changed!But Wang Wenshao never understood it, because the emperor's voice was low and he stood far away.But judging from his expression, one could guess that the emperor had said something unpleasant. "The meaning of the emperor," the Empress Dowager Cixi relayed the "unpleasant" words for him: "The overall situation has become like this, the capital has fallen, and it is said that there must be an explanation to the people. Wang Wenshao, tell me, how should I explain it?" It's not difficult to answer this question: "It's nothing more than a crime against oneself!" Wang Wenshao answered in response.

The words that were not pleasant to listen to immediately became pleasant to listen to. Empress Dowager Cixi felt relieved, but it was inconvenient to express her opinion, so she just asked, "Emperor, have you heard what Wang Wenshao said?" "Yes!" The emperor gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "It's always my son's fault." This time, it was even more inconvenient for Empress Dowager Cixi to say anything, and she only discussed with Wang Wenshao: "The emperor also thinks that such an edict should be issued. Look, how should it be worded?"

Wang Wenshao thought for a while and replied: "It is always necessary to euphemistically state the difficulties that we have to do. As for the details, I have no way of answering them at this time, so I have to go back and ponder over them carefully." "That's right! I'm afraid you will have to write this manuscript yourself." "Yes! As soon as I go back, I will do it immediately." "Okay! You need to put more thought into it." The Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a while and then said: "Frozen three feet, it is not a day's cold. The overall situation is so bad, and it is not the fault of one or two people. Strength, if you never forget the imperial court, you won’t have today’s difficulties.” "Yes!" Wang Wenshao replied: "The empress dowager's instruction, I must go into it." Empress Dowager Cixi nodded, then turned to ask, "What does the emperor want to tell Wang Wenshao?" The emperor thought for a while and said, "Liu Kunyi...." "Wang Wenshao," the Empress Dowager Cixi interrupted him, "Stand over there and listen to the emperor explain to you." When Wang Wenshao came to his side, the emperor slightly raised his voice and said, "Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong once said that the coasts and rivers should protect foreigners according to commercial agreements. The local officials should protect the people in every province." "Yes!" Wang Wenshao paused for a while, seeing that the two palaces had nothing else to say, he immediately said: "I heard that the empress dowager and the emperor plan to visit Taiyuan, which seems inappropriate." "Oh," the Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "what's the matter?" "Yuxian was in Shanxi. He killed foreigners and religious people with vicious methods. He was afraid that the foreign army would not spare him, so he would send troops to Shanxi, which shocked Chengyu." Wang Wenshao replied, "Not only did Taiyuan suffer catastrophe, but also Datong, In the counties of Shuozhou, Wutai, Yuci, Fenzhou, Pingding, and Xugou, many foreigners and religious people died. According to my estimates, the coalition forces of various countries may enter Shanxi." The Empress Dowager Cixi was in a daze, and asked after a long while, "If you don't get to Taiyuan, where are you going?" This question stopped Wang Wenshao, but he is tactful by nature, and he never pushes a cart into a wall. After thinking for a while, he calmly replied: "For now, Taiyuan is the best place for Chengyu to stay. If or The peace talks went smoothly, and it was convenient for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to return to Luan. What needs to be planned now is how to prevent foreigners from coming to Shanxi." "That's right! You have to think about this path, and it's the right thing to do." The Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Jingxing is the main road from Shanxi to the capital, so we must send more people to guard it." "Yes!" Wang Wenshao replied, "That's for sure. In addition, I think it's a good idea to issue an edict, saying to stay in Taiyuan temporarily, so that when you are in a hurry, you can move to another place so that you won't disturb people's hearts." "That's a good idea!" Empress Dowager Cixi said frankly: "Leave a setback in advance, lest it seems that foreigners have nowhere to go, and it will look better." "But," the emperor cut in and asked, "besides Taiyuan, where else can I go?" "Xi'an!" Empress Dowager Cixi replied without hesitation: "Guanzhong has been the capital of emperors since ancient times. Tongguan is a natural danger. We are not afraid of foreigners coming here. As long as the court can operate as usual and not be afraid of threats from foreigners, it will be much easier to make peace. " "Yes! The Empress Dowager is far-sighted and sees clearly. However, foreigners may not be able to let Yu Xian go." "Yuxian is not the only one who can't be let go?" Empress Dowager Cixi lowered her voice slightly: "Wang Wenshao, you think, when is this? I haven't stood firm yet, can I talk about Ji Gang?" "Yes, yes!" Wang Wenshao repeatedly agreed, and couldn't help but think, no wonder the Empress Dowager Cixi has been in power for decades, and there are indeed hills and valleys in her chest. "Wang Wenshao, when the country is in crisis, it all depends on old age. Therefore, I must have you rush here. It is really a last resort to let you suffer this hard trip. Now Ronglu doesn't know where he is. Let him stay in Beijing to handle business. You have to pay more attention to the military plane!" "I will do my best and never dare to shirk." "It's not that you shirk, but I want you to make up your mind." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "I heard that when you were in Beijing, you gave in when things happened. You don't have to be as humble as before! You remember my words and put them in I feel better!" The implication of the last sentence is very obvious. It will be a matter of time before Gang Yi and Zhao Shuqiao are convicted. Let yourself take the lead. Realizing this, the feeling of overwhelming fear is more than the joy of Lianju Youlong.Wang Wenshao said in his heart: "An old life, I'm afraid it will be sent to Taiyuan or Xi'an."