Chapter 165 Mother and Son Monarch and Minister (10-1)

At about the time when Li Laizhong and Wang Jixun broke up, a small dispute occurred in Dongjiaomin Lane in the embassy area.One of the parties to the dispute was Klinder, the German minister. Klinder had been to China fifteen years ago. At that time, he was only a third secretary in the legation. He came to China again last year, not only as a minister, but also as a baron by the Kaiser. status is very high.This nobleman was originally known as a handsome man, but now he is nearly middle-aged, as handsome as before, with a bright personality and the courage to do things, so he is very popular in Dongjiaomin Lane, and he has become the leader of the envoy invisibly. In the negotiations of the Boxers, they generally followed his advice and took a tough attitude.

However, Yuanjia Road is narrow, and that day he was walking along the newly built road in Dongjiaomin Lane with a cane and a dog. In a mule cart, besides the driver, there was a man on the side of the cart, dressed in a strange way, with a red scarf on his head, a red belt around his waist, and red cloth wrapped around his wrists and legs.He held a sharp steel knife in his hand, while he raised a foot with one hand and was sharpening the knife on the sole of the shoe. Clint was momentarily stunned.When the car was approaching in front of him, he suddenly realized, and said to himself: "Isn't this the Boxer?"

The thought turned, and then there was an action, and he jumped forward, using a fencing posture, and stabbed with the cane.The coachman was startled, and unconsciously took the reins back, and when the car stopped, Klinde swung his cane across it.The boxer on the side of the car was already timid. Seeing this scene, he became more and more frightened. He took the knife and threw it away. With a sound of "choking", the steel knife fell to the ground, and his feet also fell to the ground. He ran away, and fled to the sidewalk of King Su's mansion. At this moment, the guards from the German Legation also arrived. They saw that there was still a boxer huddled in the car. According to Klinder's wishes, they dragged him down and detained him in the embassy, ​​but the mule cart let go.

The coachman is also a boxer, and his party of three came from Prince Zhuang's Mansion, where an altar has been set up to worship the gods, and there are several senior brothers living there.On this day, according to the established plan, people were specially sent to Dongjiaomin Lane to demonstrate, not wanting to end up with such a disgraceful result, the king of Zhuang was furious and yelled: "We must kill all foreigners!" In comparison, Zai Lan has some knowledge, "Don't scold me, you have to find a way to get someone! I think," he said, "this is a dispute on the ground, and there is no need for the Prime Minister's Office to come forward. Let Chong Shouzhi take a look. !"

King Zhuang had no idea, listened to him, and invited Chongli, the commander of the infantry, to go to the German Legation to claim back the detained Boxers. Chongli looked distressed and a little angry, so he couldn't help complaining: "The imperial court issued repeated orders and repeated orders, ordered the army to lead the yamen, and dealt with the boxers who caused trouble. They would go to the embassy area to cause trouble, but they have no ability to teach others to catch them alive. Instead, the officials should intercede for them! Mr. Lan, how do you think we should do this job?"

If it were someone else, Zai Lan would turn his face immediately, but he also served as the left-wing commander, and was restrained by Chongli, so he couldn't be more polite, so he said perfunctorily: "Yes, yes! This job is not easy to take. After this period, let's find a way to resign. " At this time, the Prime Minister's Yamen sent Zhang Jing to report the news: The German Legation sent the clothes stripped off by the captured Boxers, together with a steel knife, to the General Administration. Before two o'clock in the afternoon, come out to cook, otherwise the lives of the name and the group will be lost.

"Prince Qing means that this matter can only be handled by the three officials of the yamen commanding the infantry. Lord Ying is already in the office. Please hurry up and discuss it!" This is a non-negotiable matter, no matter from which point of view, people have to go and get them back.The two hurried to the General Administration, according to Zai Lan's intention, it was already a great deal of face for Chongli to go alone, and there was no need to go together.However, Chongli was afraid that the negotiations would not be handled well and he would be solely responsible, so he insisted that the generals of the two wings must go together.Zailan had no choice but to do anything, Yingnian had no idea, and finally the same car carried the same car and drove straight to Dongjiaomin Lane.

When I arrived at the German Legation, I saw a dejected shirtless man tied under a big tree in the courtyard.The three of them pretended not to have seen them, and went up to the hall to demand someone face to face with Klinde. "Release is fine." Klinder asked through an interpreter, "The Chinese government must give a written guarantee that the Boxers will not be allowed to invade the embassy area in the future." "This," Chongli replied, "it's easy to discuss. Let us take the person back first, and the Prime Minister's Office will come to meet again."

"No! You must receive a written guarantee before you can be released. There is absolutely no room for compromise on this point." In a few words, the negotiations were on the verge of breaking down.Chongli said to Zai Lan: "I dare not agree to this matter. I have to go back and discuss it." "Just tell him that his unreasonable request is absolutely impossible. This person is a citizen of the Qing Dynasty. If we don't hand it over to the officials of the Qing Dynasty, we will have nothing to do with him! If he doesn't believe it, let him wait and see. How big was the accident?"

The translator conveyed his words, but only half of the meaning was translated, and Klinde's face was already ugly. "I am a reasonable request, and it is also the unanimous request of the embassies of various countries. We will not be intimidated!" Negotiations finally broke down.The three resigned from the German legation and returned to the prime minister's office. Zai Lan jumped to his feet and cursed: "Foreigners are all ignorant beasts! Only when he puts a knife on their necks will he know that we Chinese are not easy to bully." Before he could finish his sentence, someone rushed in angrily, and before he had time to salute, he shouted to Chongli: "The Boxers entered the city from Chongwenmen, shouted 'kill' all the way, and ran all the way to Dongjiaomin Lane."

The person who came was a pen post from the yamen of the infantry commander, Chongli couldn't call out his name, so he grabbed his hand and asked, "How many people are there?" "Some say a few hundred, some say a few thousand, anyway, there are many." "It's broken!" King Qing stumbled and sighed, "This is a big mess!" "Uncle Qing," Zai Lan said with a happy expression on his face, "Don't worry! The trouble won't cause a big mess, and it's easy to negotiate a counterexample. If you don't believe it, just wait and see." King Qing ignored him, and hurried back to the mansion in a sedan chair. He was inquiring about the situation of the Boxers burning churches and killing religious people, when a report came from the door: "There is an eunuch in Xiyuan, saying that Lafayette has something to say to the prince." There is no need to set up an incense table to proclaim Yi's decree. King Qing put on his official uniform and stood facing north in the Yin'an Hall, which is the main hall of the king's mansion, to listen to the eunuch's edict.Originally, the Boxers who entered the city from Chongwenmen wanted to attack the embassy, ​​but they were blocked by foreign guns, turned north, walked along Wangfujing Street, burned churches whenever they saw them, and killed anyone who escaped from the churches.Shops were closed, officers and soldiers fled, and the Boxers did whatever they wanted, burning all the way to the Catholic Church in Bamiancao.This hall is called "East Hall". During the Qianlong period, the Italian priest and the famous painter Castiglione lived here for many years, leaving behind many fine brushwork paintings, all of which were burned at this time. At that time, Empress Dowager Cixi was strolling in Xiyuan. She saw the fire in Dongcheng from the rockery. She asked Li Lianying, saying that it was foreigners who shot and killed many people at Chongwenmen first.It is also mentioned that Xu Tong lives in Dongjiaomin Lane, so I am afraid that he has been trapped there.The Empress Dowager Cixi missed her a lot, and ordered King Qing to negotiate with the embassy and move Xu Tong to a safe place. This negotiation is not difficult.King Qing sent someone to the Prime Minister's Yamen to find Zhang Jinglai, and sent eight guards to protect him in Dongjiaomin Lane, acting in camera.This group of people has not yet returned, but there is another news. Xu Tong had already left home when the boxers wanted to rush into Dongjiaomin Lane, and the garrisons of the embassies shot back. It was Chongli, the commander of the infantry who brought the news, and he also brought a piece of paper on which he copied a couplet: "There has never been an anecdote throughout the ages. It is neither left nor evil, attacking heresy and correcting people's hearts, being loyal, filial and honest. The sincerity has not faded away; leave a good story for the world, a surprise and a joy, relying on the power of the gods to intimidate the barbarians, farmers, businessmen, and businessmen, now the resentment and anger can be eliminated." The first paragraph is "Books for Yihe Shentuan Master Brother", and the title of the next paragraph Impressively, "Xu Tong, a scholar of the Prince Taibao Tiren Pavilion".It is said that this couplet is hanging on the boxing arena of Duanwangfu. "What?" King Qing was shocked, "Has an altar been set up in Prince Duan's mansion?" "It happened this afternoon. Not only Prince Duan's Mansion, but also Prince Zhuang's Mansion and Duke Lan's Mansion have set up altars. Tomorrow, altars will be set up in the lobby of the Ministry of Punishment." "Absurd, absurd!" King Qing said in a reproachful tone, "Shouzhi, you are an official of the Ministry of Punishment, why are you acting so nonsense?" "No way! It's all Xu Nanshi's idea." Chongli said with a wry smile: "Zhao Zhanru and I are both Manchu and Han ministers of the Ministry of Punishment, but in fact we can't control anything. Now, only Xu Nanshi is the most airy in the 'six halls' of the Ministry of Punishment." Xu Nanshi is Xu Tong's eldest son, Xu Chengyu. "Hmph!" King Qing sneered, "This man's behavior is a boxer! Foreigners are bad, foreigners should be damned, but you know that foreigners' cigarettes and foreign money are good things!" "Ah!" Chongli sighed, "If this situation continues, I don't know how to deal with it? My lord, I heard that Prince Duan thinks that I am too useless as an infantry commander, and plans to replace the Empress Dowager Ming. This is a wishful thing. , if the empress dowager asks the prince, please help me say something bad." "Only those who help to say good things, how can I say bad things?" "Just say that my health is not good, and it is difficult to overcome the drama." "Who can win the drama?" King Qing sneered, "I can't wait to resign my title!" ※ ※ ※ 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." ※ ※ ※ The embassy did not dare to attack, the Xishiku could not be attacked, and the churches that could be burned were almost burned. The Boxers decided to show their prestige outside the front gate, the most prosperous place in the capital. The busiest area outside Qianmen is in the Dashilan area to the west, where the commercial essence is at its best.The famous opera gardens Guanghe Building, Sanqing Garden, and Qingyuan Garden are all here, so Dashilan is also a place of singing and singing. The leading brother walked for a while, and at a glance, he suddenly found a store with huge glass windows, and the bottles and jars inside were labeled in foreign languages. Looking at the signboard, it said "Lao Deji Pharmacy" ".I thought to myself, this pharmacy must be opened by "Er Maozi", so I started from here to make a name for myself. The owner of Lao De Kee is really a foreigner, and he avoided it long ago.The clerk in the store wanted to buy and sell the money, which can be divided up. It is a costless business, so the door is still open for business.When he saw the Boxers coming to his door, he knew something was wrong, but it was too late to regret, so he had to bite the bullet and go forward and greet him with a smile. "burn!" The eldest brother only drank once, and his subordinates immediately started to attack.Setting fire is a very expert thing. When we found kerosene and poured it everywhere, the man was so anxious that he knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, kicking somersaults for the Boxers. The shopkeepers on the left and right saw that they were about to suffer, so they hurriedly lit incense and came to plead for their lives. The senior brother waved his hands and said loudly: "Don't panic! Don't panic! This shop was opened by Er Maozi, so it must be burned. Only his family will be burned, and it will be natural to burn it all down." If it is extinguished, it will not burn the neighbors, so please rest assured that you don’t need to move the color and ask for trouble.” It is so categorical and so sure that people can't help but believe it.So, in the mood of watching the excitement, I waited quietly for Lao De Ke to become popular. When everyone took a closer look at his finger, the person ambushing in a remote place had already used a "light picker" to light the waste paper soaked in kerosene. Burn will rise. "The sky is burning, the sky is burning!" The boxers clapped their hands joyfully, and some spectators echoed.However, in a blink of an eye, it was obvious that the situation was not good. Lao Deji was only half burned, but the flames had already spread to the east neighbor. Seeing this scene, the shops near Lao Deji were all shocked!Seeing the opportunity, they hurried back to rescue their goods, and the foolish ones really believed that the senior brother had the magic power to drive Zhu Rong away, and they all went up to ask for help. "Elder brother, elder brother! Do your best, and quickly use your magic power to block the fire. Otherwise, it will be a disaster!" After finishing speaking, they kowtowed like garlic, and some of them were already crying. At this time, the fire was already quite strong. The sweltering weather on May 20th, the flames in the downtown area burned out, and a gap opened in the southwest, which happened to be a wind path. The wind helped the fire burn from southwest to northeast. The three roads west of the jewelry market were the first to bear the brunt. Gallery alley.Between Langfang Ertiao and Santiao, there is a north-south straight alley called Menjiao Hutong, which is the location of Guanghe Building. This day, Tan Xinpei’s "Lianyingzhai" was posted. When I was sitting, I found a fire and the audience scattered. Fleeing, the "soldiers" on both sides of "Shu and Wu" also suspended their disputes, disarmed their armor and threw their helmets, ignoring "burning the battalion for seven hundred miles", and came to save the essence of the capital first. The fire is too intense, how can a few "foreign dragons" and buckets of water help?When we arrived in the middle of the day, Dashilan was surrounded by the Jewelry Market in the east, Guanyinsi Street and Yangmeizhu Street in the west, and Xiheyan in the north, forming a sea of ​​flames.Huo Laoya flew up to Zhengyang Gate by the wind, and even the city tower was on fire. Just when the fire was raging, the six ministries, nine ministers and Han Zhan Kedao were notified that the Empress Dowager Cixi and the emperor summoned them in Xiyuan.This is the so-called "Ting Yi", commonly known as "Calling Daqi", and it is not suitable for non-state affairs that are of great danger or urgency.And when calling Da Qi, those who bear important responsibilities often keep silent, but the junior ministers can speak freely, because the important ministers often have the opportunity to gain insight, and if they see something, it is not difficult to express it, and calling Da Qi is to consult and reach out to Yu. Minister.So a group of courtiers who usually care about the current situation and talk a lot, were very excited, forgot about the catastrophe outside the front gate for a while, and rushed to Xiyuan to wait for orders. The summoning place was in the East Room of Yiluan Hall, the residence of Empress Dowager Cixi. There were so many people in the room that the latecomers could only kneel outside the threshold.Sitting side by side, the two officials looked pale, especially the Empress Dowager Cixi, who was usually not so old, but now it was very clear. "The fire outside the front door, have you all seen it?" It was the emperor who spoke first, although his voice was low, but his tone was very harsh, "The imperial court issued repeated orders to disband and suppress the rioters, so the more troublesome the more the more unreasonable it will be! Think about it for yourself." , are you sorry for the court and the people?" The princes and military ministers kneeling in front of the case were silent.In the stiff, stuffy, and suffocating atmosphere, a high-pitched Shaanxi-Gansu accent broke the silence. "The minister came from Dong Fuxiang just now. He said that he wanted to ask for an order to force him to drive out the rioters." This person is Liu Yongheng, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, from Qinzhou, Gansu, and a fellow villager with Dong Fuxiang.Regardless of whether his words were true or not, when Zaiyi heard that Dong Fuxiang was going to drive out the rebels, that is, the Boxers, he couldn't help feeling angry. It wasn't Dong Fuxiang who was annoyed, but Liu Yongheng, and he intuitively thought that he was lying. However, he couldn't prove that Liu Yongheng was lying, so he straightened his waist without thinking, turned around and pointed his halberd, and shouted sharply: "Okay! This is the first good way to lose people's hearts!" The court is so rude, and Empress Dowager Cixi is silent, so no one dares to criticize him.In the silence, a voice came from outside the threshold: "My minister, Yuan Chang, has something to say." “袁昶！”皇帝指示：“进来说。” 于是袁昶入殿，在御案面面找个空隙跪下，朗声陈奏：“今日之事，最急要的，莫过于自己处治乱民！非如此不足以折服各国公使的心。洋使服了朝廷，才可以跟他们谈判，阻止洋兵来京，一方面由各省调兵拱卫京畿。办法要有层次，一步一步来，不宜鲁莽割裂。” “现在民心已变！”慈禧太后摇摇头说，“总以顺民心为顶要紧。你所奏的，不切实际。” “皇太后所说的民心已变，无非左道旁门的拳匪！万不可恃。就令有邪术，自古至今，亦断断没有仗邪术可以成大事的！” “法术靠不住，莫非人心亦靠不住？”慈禧太后很快地反驳，“今日中国，积弱到了极处，所仗的就是人心。如果连人心都失掉了，试问何以立国？总而言之，今天召大家来，要商量的是，洋人不断调兵，看来要侵犯京城，应该怎样应付？ 大家有意见，赶快说。 " 于是激烈的主张决一死战，温和的建议婉言相商，聚讼纷纭之中，渐渐形成一个结论，不脱一句古话：“先礼后兵”。先派人向来自天津的联军劝告，速速退兵，如果不听，则由董福祥的甘军往南硬挡。 “那么，”慈禧太后问道：“派谁呢？” “臣保荐许景澄。”军机大臣赵舒翘说。 许景澄充任过六国的公使，在西洋十余年之久，担任此一任务，自然是最适当的人选，慈禧太后立即同意。 许景澄自觉义不容辞，慨然领旨，但要求加派一个人会同交涉。结果选中新任总理大臣那桐，许景澄颇为满意。因为，第一，能干而机警；第二，是端王载漪所保；第三，颇得太后信任。有他同行，此去即令不能达成使命，亦不致独任其咎。 “大起”散后，军机大臣及庆王、庄王、端王又被叫起，这一次是专门商量处置义和团的办法。由于载漪的坚持，慈禧太后很勉强的同意，由载漪与董福祥设法招抚。至于受抚以后的义和团，将如何运用，另作计议。