Chapter 168 Mother and Son Monarch and Minister (11-2)

"It's time for us to feel proud!" Zai Yi said triumphantly to Gang Yi: "Now that we have these few edicts, we can easily handle things. However, there are so many things to do, so we have to pick the most important thing first. Ziliang, how about you?" Say it! I listen to you." "Yes!" Resolutely replied eagerly: "The first thing is to recruit more righteous people and boost morale. However, the Boxer God Group should be led by someone. That way, it will be convenient for the prince to issue orders. " "Not bad! I have to borrow from you."

"Here, I am obliged to do my part, and I will do my part." Gang Yi replied, "It is better to invite another prince to come forward, it will be easier to call." "Then invite King Zhuang." "That's right! King Zhuang is the commander of the infantry, leading the Boxer Regiment, which is justified. In my opinion, we might as well add the commanders of the left and right wings." "Yes. I will go to the palace today to talk to Lafayette." Zaiyi asked, "What about the second one?" "The second thing is to find a way to cheer up Lafayette."

"Yes, yes! This is very important." Zaiyi nodded again and again: "Lafayette often said that since the British and French allied forces burned the Old Summer Palace, I have accumulated more than 40 years of breath. I don't know when I will be able to vent my anger? Now the embassy has been swept away. Ping, foreigners will kill every dog ​​and dog, this tone is really enough! Lafayette held on to power, just to show this tone, and once this tone is released, she will naturally let go." The so-called "letting go" means no longer training politics, that is, abolishing the establishment and letting the elder brother succeed him.Gang Yi attached great importance to Zaiyi's words, blinked his eyes and thought for a while and said: "This matter is of great importance. Please ask the prince to find Dong Xingwu and really say something nice to him. As for Xishiku Church, it is inconvenient for the prince to personally take a shot at Shishi, I will go to supervise the battle."

"That can't be better! Ziliang, I know all about your hard work, and I will never let you down in the future." This is like the tone of the "overlord"!He resolutely thought that once the elder brother takes over the throne, Zaiyi will take the status of "the emperor's biological father", according to the practice of Prince Chunxian, it is inconvenient to do politics and return to the mansion, and he can defeat Ronglu, and even replace him with the prince of Li. The leader of the military aircraft holds the power alone.What kind of proud autumn is this?

Thinking about it like this, he became more loyal and wise, making suggestions for Zaiyi.In order to "encourage" the Empress Dowager Cixi, apart from razing the embassy church and killing all foreigners, there must be some encouraging things. One is that there should be good news from Tianjin, and the other is that the Qing Dynasty should have something to say. "I heard that the Tianjin side didn't play very well!" Zaiyi frowned and said, "This is something to worry about." "My lord, please don't worry." The resolute tone was very relaxed, "A few days ago, the fight was not good because of the court's intentions. It is not clear what the truth is. Teachers and senior brothers who have spells still have scruples. Now declare the edict of war and let it go. Without any worries, the situation will naturally be different.”

Zaiyi pinned all her hopes on the Boxers, saying that the Boxers are good is the easiest to hear, so she immediately raised her eyebrows, made a fist with her right hand, punched the palm of her left hand hard, and said, "Yes! Let it go!" ※ ※ ※ Let go and work hard on May 26th.At around eight o'clock in the morning, billowing black smoke mixed with orange-red flames rose into the sky in the area of ​​Dongjiaomin Lane, covering half of the sky in Dongcheng.The Dutch legation at the west entrance, the Italian legation and the Belgian legation at the east exit, followed the Austrian embassy and turned into ruins.However, the achievements of the Gan army and the Boxers were nothing more than that, and they could not advance any further.

The defense lines of embassies in various countries have shrunk, making it easier to defend.The entire defense area is a rectangular area with Yuhe as the center line, starting from Beiyuhe Bridge in the north and ending in Nanyuhe Bridge in the south.To the east of the Yuhe River and to the north is King Su's Mansion. The wall is eighteen feet high and three feet thick, which is extremely strong and strong enough to protect the safety of the religious people who are temporarily taken in.To the south of Suwang Mansion, to the north of Dongjiaominxiang Road, counting from the corner of Taijiguang, from east to west are the three pavilions of France, Japan, and Spain.Opposite the French Legation, that is, to the south of Dongjiaominxiang Road, is the German Legation. Its back extends to the east of Nanyuhe Bridge, close to Chenggen, and is the club of embassies of various countries.The defense line on the east is from King Su's Mansion to the French Legation, connecting the German Legation and the club across the street.

To the west of the Yuhe River, facing Su Wangfu Wangheng is the British Legation. The Russian Legation is to the south of the British Embassy and slightly to the west. The opposite is from the south of Dongjiaominxiang Road to Dongchenggen. Wide U.S. Embassy.The wall on the west side of the third hall, combined with the refusal horses at the street entrance, formed a line of defense.Like the defense line to the east, although there were many loopholes and gaps, the Gan army could not get in, while the Boxers were ineffective in their spells, and they were already quite timid. However, the families adjacent to the embassy have already suffered greatly, and people's homes are inevitably robbed, and the "big house gate" is no exception.The most unlucky thing is Sun Jianai, a scholar who co-organized the university. The year before the 1898 coup, he was ordered to promote the Beijing Normal University.His family lived in Toutiao Hutong, Dongdan Archway, and was the first to be looted. Sun Jianai fled in short clothes and hid in the Anhui Guild Hall. One of his sons was even stripped down to a pair of foreign cloth shorts.

Who robbed it is impossible to ask. Some say it was the Boxers, some said it was the Tiger God Camp, some said it was the Gan Army, and some said it was the Wuwei Zhongjun who was Ronglu's pro-army.Anyway, as long as officers and soldiers are involved, Ronglu cannot escape.Because everyone knows that Rong Lu holds all the military power and has the obligation to control all officers and soldiers. For this reason, Rong Lu was startled and angry, and sent a material officer and eight strong soldiers to the east city to suppress them with command arrows. Unexpectedly, there were so many officers and soldiers who were robbing, they rushed forward and waited to do it.Seeing that the momentum was not good, the material officer turned around and ran away with his people, and returned to Rong Lu's place, reported the truth, and asked for punishment.

"It's not your fault!" Rong Lu's face was ashen, but his tone was calm, "Pass my order and withdraw to the central army." Withdrawing the Chinese army is to make some clarifications first.Then, he personally led the guards, sat in a sedan chair, "topped the horse" to clear the way, "followed the horse" to escort, and rushed to Dongdan Archway.Sure enough, Rong Lu's prestige was different, and the officers and soldiers who committed crimes scattered and fled.Rong Lu ordered a roundup, and a total of 34 people were arrested, including 11 officers and soldiers, and 23 members of the Boxers. Their real identities are only said to be "fake soldiers".

※ ※ ※ The Xishiku Church was attacked by Gangyi himself, but it was in vain, but the embassy area could not go beyond the thunder.The power of the Boxer Regiment and the Gan army cannot subdue the few foreigners in the capital, how can they resist the heavy troops sent by various countries?Thinking that the Empress Dowager Cixi would have nothing to answer if she questioned her like this, Zaiyi really couldn't hold her breath. "Xing Wu, you have to show your skills! If you can't kill a chicken with a sledgehammer, it will damage your prestige, right?" Dong Fuxiang has an extremely competitive personality, and of course he felt very uncomfortable when he heard this. At the same time, he was also deeply perplexed. He really didn't understand, why can't a small place be flattened?Turning to this thought, I am not only ashamed, but also angry, and I will use any means when I am in a hurry! "My lord, don't be afraid to throw a mouse." He said, "If your lord is willing to take on the responsibility, Fuxiang can take down the entire embassy." "Yes! Tell me, what do you want me to do?" "Now ministers from various countries gather in the British embassy. To his place, across the river to the east is Su Wang's mansion; to the south are Russian and American embassy; to the west is the open space of Shangsi courtyard. Foreigners are blocked by barbed wire and cannot rush through. If we want to shoot with guns, our guns are not as good as his, and we can't shoot far enough; only the north can attack, but there is a difficulty." "Isn't the Hanlin Academy to the north? There is no road, how can we attack?" "Can attack!" Dong Fuxiang said, "Burning the Imperial Academy, wouldn't there be a way?" "This," Zaiyi took a breath, "burning down the Imperial Academy, it seems..." He didn't say any more. "It seems impossible, doesn't it?" Dong Fuxiang said, "My lord, burning the Imperial Academy is better than waiting for foreigners to come and burn the Summer Palace, isn't it?" One sentence made Zaiyi impulsive again, "Okay!" He patted his chest without hesitation, "I will take it, as long as I can take down the embassy." ※ ※ ※ Because of Xishiku's gunshots and clamor all night, the Empress Dowager Cixi decided to "move" and move to Ningshou Palace in the northeast corner of the Forbidden City. She made an order and prepared for each other. Eldest Brother asked Cui Yugui, "Is Er Maozi going to move from Yingtai too?" The Empress Dowager Cixi had sharp eyes and ears, and she just heard it. She immediately called the elder brother in, and asked sharply, "Who are you talking about? Who is the second hair?" Seeing this scene, the elder brother was terrified, and said in a murmur, "The slave didn't say anything!" "You're so good-for-nothing! Who do you think is Yingtai's second son?" The elder brother hurriedly knelt down to meet each other.The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't sleep well all night, and her anger was extremely high. She scolded her elder brother vigorously, but her anger still lingered. After being scolded, the eldest elder brother kowtowed and got up, his naturally pouty lips were even more arched to the tip of his nose, with a resentful expression on his face, he flicked his sleeves and hurried out of Yiluan Hall. "Hey!" Empress Dowager Cixi looked at his back and sighed, "Lianying, do you think I picked the wrong person again?" Li Lianying understands that this refers to Li Pujun as the eldest brother, and he also thinks that the eldest brother is not pleasing to the eye, but when Duan Wang Zaiyi is domineering and domineering, he must avoid it a little, lest the walls have ears and dare not confide in his heart. He only comforted him and said, "It will be fine if you slowly become sensible." "What year did you have to be sensible? You have a wild heart, so you don't study hard." After speaking, the Empress Dowager Cixi sighed again. When encountering this kind of situation, Li Lianying had to deal with it with all her strength, slowly divert the topic away, and talk about something new and interesting, or what the Empress Dowager Cixi liked to hear, or things she cared about, until she completely forgot about the unhappiness just now. After talking for a short time, Cui Yugui lifted the curtain and entered, and said in a moderate voice, "Long Live Lord, please greet Lafayette!" This means that the emperor has something to play in person and is waiting for an order outside. If the Empress Dowager Cixi is in a bad mood, or if she knows what the emperor is playing and does not want to listen, she will say: "Forget it!" Without this sentence, the emperor can enter the palace . There was no such sentence today, and a sentence was added: "I have something to say to the emperor." After the emperor entered the hall and kowtowed, he stood up and found that his expression was different, five points sad, three points wronged, and one or two points angry, and the upper lip was a little swollen, which looked like the mouth of a big brother. "What's going on?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked in surprise. "The elder brother punched his son in the face." Empress Dowager Cixi's face changed suddenly, but she quickly calmed down, "Oh!" she asked, "Why?" "My son doesn't know why!" "You don't know, but I know. You go to the back to cool off, cool off!" Empress Dowager Cixi shouted: "Cui Yugui!" "twitter!" "Bring it to Big Brother! Tell him that I have something good to reward him." "twitter!" The eunuchs and maids in the palace immediately became nervous.Knowing that there would be unusual behaviors, Li Lianying kept casting vigilant eyes on the people he could see.For a while, the hall was silent, and there was a tendency of a mountain rain. Soon, there was the sound of boots outside the hall, Cui Yugui rushed forward and opened the curtain, the elder brother entered the hall and saw that something was wrong, but he could only bite the bullet and salute. "Let me ask you, who is the emperor?" Needless to say, things went wrong!The elder brother replied in a murmur, "It's uncle." "Uncle!" The Empress Dowager Cixi sternly corrected her, then relaxed the muscles on her face and said with a slight sneer, "Probably you only know that your 'Ama' is Prince Duan. Don't you?" Eldest brother can't understand the reason why he inherits Mu Zong and is the son of the current emperor. He belongs to the imperial line alone and has the most important status. Therefore, although he feels that the tone of the question of "Lafayette" is different, it is impossible to fathom it. Answer: "Yes!" The elder brother's biological father——"Ama" was originally King Duan, and his answer that was not wrong was really a big mistake.Obviously he has become the elder brother who is equal to the prince, but still thinks that he is the heir of the county king.Not only did he forget the kindness of supporting and supporting him, but he also showed invisibly that once the elder brother becomes a great treasure, he will only respect his biological father Xingxian King like Ming Shizong, and despise others.At that time, King Xingxian had passed away, and now King Duan is in his prime, so maybe he will not be a domineering emperor in the future? Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Cixi only felt her heart sinking continuously, and her spine felt chills.But I feel lucky, fortunately, I found it early, and I had the time to calmly remedy it.There were foreigners intervening in the abandoned emperor, could it be that the abandoned elder brother also had foreigners to meddle in his own business?She was sneering in her heart, you father and son, don't dream!That's all right, if you are unfaithful or unfilial, you can simply lose your title and become a commoner! This is the plan for the future, and there is still a need to establish rules in front of him, so he immediately shouted: "Follow the family law!" In the palace, the eunuchs and maids were punished by using boards and whips, which are collectively called "passing the stick".Regardless of the size of the board or the cane, after this meal, even if the big brother is as strong as a cow, he will be injured.Cui Yugui was more protective of the eldest brother, and quickly knelt down to plead for him, but Li Lianying was not sure if the Empress Dowager Cixi really wanted to beat the eldest brother?If it was just to frighten him, someone would have to intercede for him, so it would be easier to turn things around, so almost at the same time as Cui Yugui, he also knelt down.He said in his mouth: "Lafayette, please calm down, and forgive this big brother for now!" "I can't forgive you!" Empress Dowager Cixi said sharply, "It's all because of you who indulged him so lawlessly that he dared to use force against the emperor! According to his behavior, he should be executed alive!" She looked around at the eunuch and maid who knelt on the ground and said: "You guys have to understand! As long as there is me, there will be a day for the emperor, whoever dares to be rude to the emperor, see if I don't peel his skin!" With just these few words, I taught my elder brother a lesson, warned Cui Yugui, but also subdued the emperor who listened quietly behind the screen, so that I couldn't help but shout out in the palace where even a needle dropped on the ground could be heard. The sound of sighing. "Cui Yugui!" Empress Dowager Cixi ordered sternly, "Take the whip and beat him twenty." "Cha!" Cui Yugui didn't dare to say more, obediently went to fetch the whip. "Lafayette," Li Lianying said with a smile, "the tea meal is ready, and Lafayette is tired, please take a rest first!" "Don't push me around! You're trying to transfer me away, so you can just let this disobedient thing go? Hmph, don't dream!" This is Empress Dowager Cixi's intention to protect Li Lianying.Because as soon as this incident got out, it must be said: "Lafayette is really angry! Even Li Lianying's intercession on behalf of eldest brother has hit a big nail." In that way, King Duan and eldest brother will Don't remember his hatred, don't blame him for being able to speak in front of Lafayette, but doing nothing to save him. When the whip was brought, Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to flog her back. After all, it was Li Lianying's begging to change her buttocks.In front of the court lady, he stripped off the elder brother's pants, and whipped twenty whips on his buttocks. After all, the elder brother was just a naughty boy who was doted on since he was a child. He wanted to be aggressive in his heart and kept silent, but he had never suffered such pain before. He cried out in pain, "Great Lafayette!" "Fight with me hard!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said loudly in order to establish her prestige. This beating naturally smashed the big brother's ass.But the eunuch who executes the sentence is also like "Sula" of the Punishment Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or Zao Li of the prefectural and county yamen. After the beating, I thanked the Empress Dowager Cixi for the lesson, and the eunuch helped her back. Immediately, Cui Yugui led the old eunuch who was working in the imperial pharmacy, and applied a special gold-chuang medicine with a secret recipe, and the pain suddenly eased. "Yugui!" Big brother moaned, "You have to send someone to tell the prince..." "Yes, yes!" Cui Yugui hurriedly said in other words: "Brother, let's heal your wounds at ease! Beating is pain, scolding is love, Lafayette sees that elder brother is honorable, so he took the trouble to teach. Otherwise, I don't bother to ask! " "I don't blame Lafayette, I only hate that 'ermaozi'..." "Okay, okay!" Cui Yugui interrupted again, and said in a lecturing tone: "Brother, you have to remember hardships, just because of this sentence, why did you forget it in a blink of an eye? Dafuda, throw it away." Of course, Cui Yugui secretly sent someone to Prince Duan's mansion to inform him quietly that there was such a thing.If it is said that the grandmother punished the stubborn grandson, it was not a big deal, but when Zaiyi received the news, she was shocked and angry, and regarded it as a very heavy blow. "Well, well! Well done!" he said to his brother with a pale face: "Just wait, our branch should be shoveled by the roots!" "This branch" refers to the descendants of his father Dun Wang Yichen. Hearing this, Zai Lian and Zai Lan couldn't help being taken aback for a moment. After thinking deeply, they understood what he meant. "Second, do you mean that Lafayette's heart has changed?" Zai Lian asked, "Could it be possible to have something for Eldest Brother...?" He didn't continue. "Why not? It's all up to her to abolish or establish! Sure enough, big brother is going to be abolished, think about it," Zaiyi dropped a sentence: "If there is no skin, how will the hair be attached?" This is true.If the Empress Dowager Cixi still has a good impression of King Dun, she would never take such a move to abolish the title of elder brother lightly.If this happens, it means that there is nothing to cherish.The Empress Dowager Cixi has very different feelings and views on her three younger uncles. The old Qichun Wang Yizhen is her sister-in-law, and she has always obeyed her orders.The old sixth Gong Wang Yixin made great contributions to her during the Xinyou coup. Although there was a misunderstanding, when King Gong was dying, he earnestly told the emperor that the emperor should stay away from the New Party. It deserves to be enjoyed by the Taimiao, decorated with the end ceremony, and the service is extremely luxurious, which shows the status of Prince Gong in her mind.As for the old Wudun Wang Yichen, his nature is simple and straightforward, and sometimes he speaks freely. The Empress Dowager Cixi doesn't think much of him, and of course she has no affection for his descendants. Zai Lian and Zai Lan were awakened.As a result, many stories about being abused by the Empress Dowager Cixi among relatives, nobles and vassals rushed to my heart in an instant.Their first cousin, Zai Shu, was also the emperor's and Zai Yi's. The son-in-law of Chengen Gong Guixiang was only because of the feud between the husband and wife. Enclosed by the high wall", in winter, he only wore a pair of trousers, but he didn't freeze to death! Thinking of what happened to Zai Shu, Zai Lan shuddered, "If she wants to be abolished or established, she can't be up to it!" He said: "The Qing Dynasty was ruled by the Aixinjueluo clan, not her La clan!" "That's right!" Zai Lian said, "Anyway, there's a lot of gossip outside and a bad reputation, so why don't you come here quickly." The so-called "a lot of gossip and a bad reputation" refers to Zai Yi's instigation to abolish the establishment and want to become the Supreme Emperor.Not only did Zaiyi know this, but he did not deny it to his closest relatives and cronies.Now listening to Zai Lian's persuasion, I can't help being tempted. "Brother," he asked, "tell me in detail, how can you be happy?" "Easy to handle!" Zai Lian pointed his hand out: "Is there no one there?" This refers to the Boxers.There is a "General Altar" in Zhuangwang's mansion, and boxers from all over the country register there, and they will have rations to receive. They are righteous men who officially serve the court.There is also an altar in Duanwang's mansion, which supports several senior brothers, ready-made.Zaiyi thought about it for a while, paused, and said decisively: "Okay! Do it!" ※ ※ ※ In the early morning of May 29th, Zaiyi invited Zhuang Wang Zaixun, Xiao Gong Wang Puwei's uncle Belle Zaiying, and his brother and brother to lead a group of more than 60 names and head straight for Ningshou Palace.To build up his courage, Zai Yi drank a few glasses of wine, his face turned red, and he opened his mouth, reeking of alcohol. Wen Nian, the minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was on duty at the Ningshou Palace that day, saw that Zaiyi had come with bad intentions, and was afraid of suffering immediate losses, so he didn't dare to stop him, and let him walk crookedly towards the Le Shoutang, the bedroom of the Empress Dowager Cixi.Hearing the noise, Li Lianying was horrified, and ran out to see, the more panicked she felt, "My lord, my lord!" He quickly went up to her and asked, "What are you doing here?" "What are you doing? Come catch the bastard!" "My lord, lightly, lightly! Lafayette is having tea." "I'm going to see Lafayette!" Zaiyi said with an expression of becoming more and more drunk, "Please, Lafayette, hand over my second son." "Who is Ermaozi?" "Who else, isn't it the emperor?" As soon as the words were finished, the Boxers shouted: "Hand over Ermaozi!" Seeing this scene, Li Lianying knew that she couldn't stop it with her own strength.However, he knew very well that Zaiyi was stern and soft-hearted. Sure enough, he would never drink if he had the guts to ask the Empress Dowager Cixi for a "two-haired son".Besides, other than him, the rest of the people not only kept silent, but their faces were all pale and uncertain, which showed that the prestige of the Empress Dowager Cixi was enough to keep her intimidated! The calculation has been made, and the tone is calm, "Okay! Please wait for the prince." He said: "I'm going to invite Lafayette to drive me." After finishing speaking, he turned and left. Walking back to the Suian room in Dongnuan Pavilion of Le Shoutang, the Empress Dowager Cixi was already waiting for the report with an angry face.Seeing this scene, Li Lianying couldn't help but hesitate.In the past two days, the Empress Dowager Cixi was very angry because the Gan army set fire to the Imperial Academy, but the British embassy had not yet been taken.Now if he finds out that Zai Yi is so rebellious and mischievous, what kind of drastic action will he take in his rage?I can't help but worry first. But at this time and here, he is not allowed to think too much, he can only bite the bullet and say: "Go back with Lafayette, King Duan wants to see the emperor." "What does he want to see the emperor for?" "I don't dare to ask." Li Lianying lowered her voice and said, "According to my servant, it's good for the emperor not to see him." Hearing this, Empress Dowager Cixi raised her eyebrows, "What's the matter?" She sneered slightly: "Could it be that he still dares to do something that is not tolerated by heaven and Buddha?" "That's not going to happen. But . . . " "Stop talking!" The Empress Dowager Cixi interrupted impatiently: "Quickly pass on my words and let Rong Lu bring more people here." In fact, there is no need for Li Lianying to pass on the decree, Rong Lu has already received the news that the palace has already sent additional military guards to protect it. At this time, it is only necessary to concentrate the troops and strengthen the vigilance. In the big courtyard, the demonstrators were glaring, with their chests raised and their stomachs raised, and when they were triumphant, they saw eunuchs leading the way, surrounded by court ladies, and the Empress Dowager Cixi came out. "Lafayette..." As soon as he yelled, he yelled sharply: "Shut up!" Empress Dowager Cixi's eyes widened, "What are you doing? You want to rebel! Zaiyi, tell me, what are you going to do?" When Zaiyi saw the Empress Dowager Cixi, she was a generation shorter. At this time, she heard the truth harshly, and she couldn't say a word out of timidity, but a big brother who didn't know the heights of the sky and the earth said loudly: "I want to depose the emperor!" !" "Is it something you can intervene in deposing the emperor?" The Empress Dowager Cixi spoke very quickly: "Who should be the emperor is up to me. Don't think that you should let him be the emperor if you establish a big brother. Brother's name was withdrawn, and he was kicked out of the palace. It's a one-sentence matter. It's easy to do what you say. At what time is it now, you don't care about your conscience and work hard, and you dare to be so unscrupulous? It's really absurd. ! Jae Hoon!" "Cha!" Zai Xun agreed loudly. "Hurry up and take them away! In the future, they are not allowed to come in except for the value!" The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "You offended the emperor, and you have to kowtow to the emperor to make amends. Do you know that you are wrong?" "Yes!" Zai Xun kowtowed profusely, "The slave is wrong!" "If you know you're wrong, I'll show you kindness and give them a light sentence. Each person will be fined for one year." At this point, Rong Lu's shadow flashed, and the Empress Dowager Cixi knew that the deployment had been made, so she said loudly: "As for the Tuanmin, if you dare to insist With guns and knives, breaking into the palace, committing chaos, you can't be forgiven lightly, all the leaders will be executed!" As soon as these words came out, some people changed color, some trembled, and some were in a daze, but no one dared to speak or take any action.And Rong Lu also took advantage of the moment when the Empress Dowager Cixi was powerful enough to deter the rebellious officials and thieves, and commanded his subordinates to disarm the Boxers. Seeing that the Boxer Regiment was the Chinese Army of the Wuwei Army, two or three of them controlled one and dragged them out of the palace gate, Zaiyi's face was ashes, and he stood in the middle of the courtyard unable to move.It was King Zhuang who was more vigilant, and made a gesture to signal everyone to kneel together and retreat. However, Zaiyi stayed on according to the order, and the Empress Dowager Cixi changed her expression at this time, with a look of contempt and disdain, "Please understand, get rid of your bastard thoughts of wanting to be the emperor as soon as possible." Let me tell you, as long as I am alive, there is nothing you can do. No matter how restless you are, don’t blame me. Get rid of your prince and drive you to Heilongjiang! Behavior like yours really deserves your dog name!" Zaiyi's Yi has the word "dog" in it, so Empress Dowager Cixi scolded him harshly at this moment.But Zaiyi was scolded and had to kowtow to thank her.He left the palace, covered his sedan chair, and felt so sad that he wished he could go to Dongjiaomin Lane immediately to fight with foreigners. ※ ※ ※ "Rong Lu, look at this situation, what should we do?" Empress Dowager Cixi did not hide her state of mind: "I'm so bored!" "Lafayette, don't worry too much, the situation can still be saved." Rong Lu took out a stack of papers from the boot leaf, read it, and played back: "Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, and Liu Kunyi talked very well with the consuls of various countries. , the southeast half of the wall, probably there will be no chaos, and if we can keep this vitality, there is still hope in the future." "The future is the future, what should we do now?" The Empress Dowager Cixi said, "I was planning to capture the embassy, ​​which would have the upper hand and give foreigners a warning. It’s a big loss. Who knew Dong Fuxiang would be useless like this. As for the Boxers, alas!” She sighed and shook her head: “Don’t mention it!” "The Boxers could not be relied on. Dong Fuxiang was self-willed and overconfident." Rong Lu took two steps on his knees and said, "It is still too late to send troops to protect and send back to Tianjin while we are negotiating peace with foreigners." The Empress Dowager Cixi was silent, drank tea slowly, thought for a while, and then asked: "Who will you send to make peace?" "It's the slave's idea, and the slave is obliged to do so." Rong Lu replied, "Guns are flying around Dongjiaomin Lane. If you send someone else, they may not dare to go." This means that Rong Lu's reconciliation is also a matter of risking his life.Empress Dowager Cixi was deeply comforted and moved by her dedication to the country, so she resolutely said: "Okay! It may not be useful for others to go. You should discuss it with King Qing!" So Rong Lu avoided the Minister of Military Affairs and went directly to King Qing's Mansion to discuss the deployment. He first ordered the Gan army to cease fighting, and then at four o'clock in the afternoon, he personally took people to Beiyuhe Bridge to deal with foreigners.The two armies faced each other and were suspicious of each other. In order to let the foreigners understand his intentions, they specially made an extra-large tall wooden sign, pasted yellow paper on it, and wrote the eight characters of 栲栳大: "I respect the decree of Yi, and protect the embassy. "This wooden sign, on the north side of the Yuhe Bridge, keeps shaking, hoping that foreigners will come forward to answer. The foreigners in the British embassy saw the words on the wooden sign through the binoculars, but they didn't know what happened for a while, so of course they had to discuss how to deal with it. Of course, the ministers of all countries welcomed the friendly decree of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and decided to use a wooden plaque and write four big characters: "Please come to discuss peace" as a reply.This is easy to do, but it takes a lot of trouble to deliver this wooden sign to the other party.Because the distance is so far, the wooden sign must be sent to the place where the other party can see, in order to be effective, and within sight, that is, within the range of foreign guns, who is willing to risk his life to deliver the wooden sign? So they were temporarily recruited in the embassy area, and after being rewarded heavily, someone finally applied. It was a Chinese cook at the French embassy, ​​surnamed Wang.He wore a red tasseled hat, held a wooden signboard in his left hand, and a white flag in his right hand. He kept waving along the Yuhe River, passing through the ruins of the Imperial Academy, and headed north. Chef Wang was doing this "death" for the twenty taels of silver. Once on the road, he looked around the desolation and saw the red-eyed wild dogs gnawing on the corpses of Boxers. He suddenly became timid and his legs became weak. When he wanted to turn around, the foreigners lying on the north wall of the British Legation were clapping and clapping, urging him to move forward.Thinking about the situation, I had no choice but to straighten my chest, raise my head, and rush forward. Who knows that it's okay if you don't look up, when you look up, you can see the soldiers under the palace wall, all holding their guns, as if they were pointing at him.All of a sudden, I was trembling with fright, while waving the flag vigorously, while looking around, I wanted to find a higher place, put down the wooden sign so that the other party could see it, and I would be able to do my job easily. Just after thinking about it, I found a burnt bookshelf in front of the left. Although Wujiaoba was black, the shelf was still there. I was overjoyed, and without hesitation, I went straight forward and put the wooden sign on the bookshelf, feeling relieved As if relaxed all over, he turned around and left. However, the clamor on my own side was even louder. When I looked up, the foreigner was waving desperately on the wall. Cook Wang was puzzled. He turned around and took a look. Only after looking at it did I realize that I had made a big and very wrong thing. The wooden sign was turned upside down, with the words "Please come to discuss peace", how could the other party see it?I was thinking in my heart that I should take the initiative to correct it, but my two legs didn't listen to me. They had their own ideas, and they were only willing to go south, not north. In fact, Rong Lu never saw the words on the wooden sign, but only thought about it from the white flag. He already knew how the embassy would react.But he never sent anyone to make further contact, because at the moment Cook Wang showed up, King Qing sent someone to inform that there was a decree in the palace, so there was no need to make peace!Ask him to meet at the mansion immediately. "What's going on?" Rong Lu asked as soon as they met, "Suddenly changed his mind again!" "Oh! Don't mention it!" King Qing shook his head: "I don't know who came up with a trick to announce the good news in front of the Empress Dowager, saying that the Boxers had won a big victory in Langfang and killed tens of thousands of foreigners. The Empress Dowager was very happy. Entering the palace, they ordered Shenjiying, Hushenying, and Boxer each to reward 100,000 taels of silver. The Gan army had rewarded 40,000 before, and another 60,000. He also said: There is no need to make peace! Foreigners have the ability to go out of Beijing by themselves Okay, Zhonghua, tell me, this is not a matter of no shadow!" "The matter of no shadow? Langfang didn't win the battle, so of course it lost the battle?" "Well, I don't know. There's a telegram I need to show you." The telegram was from Li Hongzhang, saying, "I heard that the embassies in the capital have not yet taken action. Dong Junmen is a brave man, so don't trust him. Now there are warships from various countries in every seaport. If you attack the Chinese embassy in Beijing, the overall situation will be unimaginable. If soldiers from all countries advance together, It is not beneficial for the country to go to the disaster alone, so please make a judgment. Li Hongzhang wiped away his tears and made the statement, please act on his behalf." "Then, my lord, have you acted?" Rong Lu asked. "I just received it. I want to discuss it with you. It seems that Li Shaoquan will never go to Beijing." "Why is he willing to jump into the fire?" Rong Lu replied, "However, we must find one or two helpers." "Look! Let's see who can do it, you and I will recommend together." ※ ※ ※ 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.借炮是公事，准不准都可商量，何必如此！这样一想，把脸都气白了，很想回敬几句，却又怕自己不善词令，更取其辱。于是，愣了一会，狠狠顿一顿足，掉头就走。 出了荣府，上马直奔东华门；到了宁寿宫，侍卫不敢拦他，容他一直闯进皇极殿，抓住一个太监说道：“你进去跟老佛爷回奏，甘军统领请老佛爷立刻召见。” 这是个供奔走的小太监，没资格擅自走到太后面前，也从没有人使唤他这样的差使，只叫：“放手，放手！”正喧嚷之间，崔玉贵赶出来了。 “董大人，”他挺着个大肚子说，“有话跟我说。” “我要见老佛爷。” “这会儿，”崔玉贵看看当空的烈日，“老佛爷正歇息……。” “要见！”董福祥抢着说：“非见不可！” “好吧！”崔玉贵问道：“见老佛爷，是什么事？能不能跟我先说一说。” “一下子也说不清楚。回头你就知道了。” 崔玉贵的样子很傲慢自大，其实倒是了事来的，谁知董福祥全然不知好歹。便微微冷笑着说：“我替你去回，老佛爷见不见可不知道！”接着又向那小太监吩咐：“到宫门上去问一问，是谁该班？差使越当越回去了！”意思是责怪宫门口不该擅放董福祥入内。 说完，崔玉贵悄然入殿，正在作画的慈禧太后，听得帘钩声响，头也不抬地问：“是谁在外面嚷嚷？” “回老佛爷的话，是甘军统领董福祥，一个劲儿说要见老佛爷，奴才问他什么事，他不肯说。” “是他！”慈禧太后放下画笔，平静地说：“叫他进来！” 皇极殿的规制如乾清宫，东西各有暖阁。西暖阁作了慈禧太后习画与休息之处，召见是在东暖阁，董福祥进殿磕了头，还未陈奏，慈禧太后却先开口了： “董福祥，你是来奏报攻使馆的消息？” “不是……。” “好啊！”慈禧太后不容他毕其词，便即打断：“我以为你是来奏报使馆已经攻了下来呢！从上个月到今天，总听你奏过十次了，使馆一攻就破，那知道人家到今天还是好好儿的！” 迎头一个软钉子，碰得董福祥晕头转向，定定神说：“奴才有下情上奏，使馆攻不下来，不是奴才的过失。” “是谁的呢？” “荣禄！”董福祥想起荣禄的神态，不由得激动了：“奴才求见老佛爷，是参劾大学士荣禄，他是汉奸，只帮洋人。奴才奉旨，灭尽洋人，请慈命把他革职。他武卫军有大炮，如果用来攻使馆，立即片瓦不留。奴才跟他借炮，他说什么也不肯借，还说那怕有老佛爷的懿旨，亦不管用！” 最后这句话，是董福祥自己加上去的。原意在挑拨煽动，希望激怒慈禧太后，那知弄巧成拙，慈禧太后一听就知道他在撒谎。荣禄的忠诚是不知道经过多少次考查试验过的。当着她的面，他也许会据理力争，而在他人面前，荣禄从不曾说过一字半句轻视懿旨的话。相反地，她不止一次接到报告，说荣禄曾向最亲密的人表示：“老佛爷也许有想不到的地方，不过只要吩咐下来，不论怎么样都得照办，不能打一点折扣。” 照此情形，何能向董福祥说，有懿旨亦不管用？ 一句话不真，便显得所有的话都是撒谎，慈禧太后厉声喝道：“不准你再说话！你是强盗出身，朝廷用你，不过叫你将功赎罪。象你这狂妄的样子，目无朝廷，仍旧不脱强盗的行径，大约是活得不耐烦了！出去！以后不奉旨意，擅自闯了进来，你知道不知道，该当何罪？” 说完，慈禧太后起身便走，出东暖阁回西暖阁，董福祥既恼且恨，然而无可如何。 回到设在户部衙门的“中军大帐”，董福祥越想越气恼，下令将设在崇文门的老式开花炮，向西移动，逼近德国使馆，连续猛轰，结果德国兵不支而退，但设在德国公使馆与俱乐部之间的“枪楼”，虽被开花炮弹的弹片炸得“遍体鳞伤”，而钢筋水泥的架子，却犹完好如初，居高临下，一枪一个，迫得甘军无法逼近，防线仍能守住。 可是西线的美国兵，一见势头不妙，撤而往北。这一下，各国公使大起恐慌，在英国使馆连夜召集会议，一致主张，应该恢复原有的防线。美国的司令官阿姆斯丹，表示独力难支，要求支援，于是英国、俄国各派出十来个人，而实力仍嫌单薄，便再招募“志愿军”。各国使馆的文员，投笔从戎，组成了一支六十个人的“联军”。 第二天黎明时分，阿姆斯丹率领“联军”回到南御河桥以西，一看情况如旧，美军虽已“弃地”，甘军却并未“占领”。因此，阿姆斯丹兵不血刃地“恢复”了“失土”。