Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 392: Forbidden City Banquet
The capital, Zhongnanhai, Ziguang Pavilion.

".After Wuchang, tens of thousands of people also gathered in Hanyang and Hankou to protest the British Concession Police Station shooting rickshaw workers. Governor Li Huangpi led his troops to suppress the protest but failed, which triggered a mutiny. The rioters gathered and the Deputy Minister of Transportation Fu Lixiang was affected and trampled to death. The Cantonese General Fengshan was stabbed."

The eunuch holding a stack of telegrams in his hand read out loud the chaos in various places while taking the freshly-made telegram and continued to read: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that according to the comprehensive information from the embassies and consulates, the Hubei rebels sent proclamations to various provinces and countries, announcing the crimes of the concessions and missionaries, forcing the foreigners to get out of China. If there is no effect after one month, they will attack the foreign concessions and the Qing government."

"What? These dogs are lawless! Kill them! Kill them!"

"Kill them, you must kill them!"

When this news came out, someone finally could not hold back his emotions, and along with other Manchu nobles, they became outraged and rushed to the door of the inner room. Looking at Empress Dowager Longyu and Prince Chun Zaifeng who were with Emperor Xuantong inside, they wanted to behead all the Han people who had caused the civil unrest.

"The Qing Dynasty is about to end"

"who!"

An old man from the royal family with a white beard beat his chest and stamped his feet. Before he could say a few more words, Zaifeng with a dark face walked out from the inner room. His tone was fierce, and his eyes as sharp as a knife glanced around, sweeping across the faces of many Manchu nobles.

"Who said I'm done?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the outer room, which had been noisy just now, suddenly fell silent.

Seeing that he had temporarily calmed down these relatives, Zaifeng suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "The princes and cabinet ministers stay, and the rest of you please go back first."

At the same time, Empress Dowager Longyu also handed the little emperor over to Eunuch De to take away, leaving the space in the inner room free.

"Everyone, please talk first."

Zaifeng stood at the top and felt somewhat helpless in the face of the boiling domestic situation.

"We must send troops to Hubei immediately, and ask the ancestor for permission, and the Queen Mother to declare that a constitution should be established immediately!"

Prince Qing, who was highly respected among the royal family members, spoke up and was very blunt.

"Of course we have to send troops quickly, but our ancestor has made a promise. He just announced a five-year constitutional government. How can we go back on our word?"

Zaifeng sighed, as if he didn't want to push forward constitutionalism so quickly.

"Prince Chun, now it's just a rebellion in a few places. When Honolulu comes back and raises his arms to call for action, the Boxers in various provinces will surely respond. This Boxer Rebellion will be far worse than before!"

Prince Qing knew Zaifeng's temperament and knew that the old ancestor did not really care about state affairs, and focused his energy on killing people to suppress rebellions and maintaining the rule of the Qing court. Although he was the regent, the actual power had been handed over to Zaifeng, the biological father of Emperor Xuantong, and Empress Dowager Longyu, and he rarely interfered in matters related to the reform of the state system.

If he wanted to solve the Boxer Rebellion from the root at this moment, he had to convince the stubborn Zaifeng first.

"By that time, it will be the dying moment of national collapse. It will be too late to establish a constitution!"

Prince Qing looked at Zaifeng and said earnestly: "Now, we must use both firmness and softness to win the hearts of the people."

"Okay then, but who will lead the troops to Hubei?"

Zaifeng thought for a while and found that there was really no better way, so he had to do as Prince Qing said.

"Appoint Yuan Xiangcheng."

Prince Qing did not hesitate, he knew who was the sharpest knife in the Qing court.

"No, my Qing Dynasty doesn't just have the Beiyang Army, right?"

Zaifeng waved his hand, not wanting to mention this Han Chinese who was so powerful that he threatened his master.

"Prince Chun is right. After Yuan Shikai stepped down, the court organized 14 army regiments, which is a new army of 240,000. However, Yuan Shikai's six Beiyang regiments accounted for 80,000 people. Although the remaining eight regiments have a large number of people, most of the officers are from Beiyang."

"Prince Chun, there is only Yuan Xiangcheng"

Seeing that Prince Qing was ungrateful and wanted to continue talking, Zaifeng frowned and shook his head.

"Prince Qing, if I say no, it means no."

Ignoring Prince Qing who was exchanging glances with Empress Dowager Longyu, Zaifeng turned to look at a tall and thin member of the royal family: "Lingchang, you once studied abroad in Europe, and you studied military science, right? You will lead the troops this time!"

"Prince Chun"

When the 50-year-old Lichang was about to find an excuse to decline, Zaifeng flicked his sleeves and said firmly, "It's settled. You have suppressed rebellions many times before and they were all very successful. This time, our disciples will come out to help you suppress the rebellion. You won't make any mistakes."

Facing Zaifeng, an outsider, Li Chang wanted to say that the Beiyang Army was unruly and disobedient, but he was forced by power and had no choice but to accept this dangerous task.

Zhili, Beiyang Camp.

"Commander Feng, what's going on? Why hasn't the army set out yet?!"

Facing a group of Beiyang officers, Li Chang shouted angrily and pretended to throw the teacup in his hand.

"General, where are we heading?"

"I say again, march to Hanyang!"

"General, you have seen it all. The soldiers are not obeying your orders!"

The powerful Feng Huafu was not afraid at all. He pointed at the huge crowd of Beiyang New Army below the stage and started to speak.

"Silver, wasn't all the silver given?"

Looking at these soldiers who took the military pay but disobeyed orders, Li Chang poured a cup of hot tea on Feng Huafu's face.

"General, this is not about silver."

Feng Huafu seemed unaware, kneeling on one knee, and said to himself: "I don't obey orders, please dismiss me, General!"

"Please, General, dismiss me from my post!"

"Please, General, dismiss me from my post!"

Seeing that their leader was the first to force the palace, the other officers followed suit and shouted in unison.

"You guys!"

Although Li Chang knew that he would encounter a similar situation, when he really faced this situation, he still couldn't help but tremble with anger.

"Okay, okay, I can't cure you, but there will always be someone who can cure you!"

Li Chang was so angry that he laughed and walked away.

Feng Huafu looked at Li Chang's receding back and called a confidant over: "Go, tell Ju Ren that we have done what we should do. Whether the Marshal can come back depends on how he operates."
-
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the third year of the Xuantong reign, in the Forbidden City.

"The imperial edict has been issued! Yuan Xiangcheng will receive it!"

The Baohe Hall, where the Qing emperor gave banquets to his ministers, was filled with ornate tables and chairs, just like in previous festivals. At this moment, all the other seats were empty, except for the top seat on the upper left, where a middle-aged man in black satin brocade clothes sat. Behind him, a short, thin warrior with an unremarkable appearance stood quietly, speechless.

It was Yuan Xiangcheng who was asked to go to Beijing immediately, and Li Shuwen who rushed there to prevent any accidents.

"Yuan Xiangcheng, the Untouchable"

Seeing that Lin Chang came into the hall with the imperial edict, Yuan Xiangcheng hurriedly dragged his "lame leg" to Lin Chang's feet and knelt down to receive the edict.

"Hey, Gong Bao, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing that Yuan Xiangcheng had difficulty walking, Li Chang reached out to help him up, not caring whether he was pretending or not.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so rude."

Yuan Xiangcheng lowered his head, patted his right leg, and said helplessly: "My leg. Alas!" "Quick, quick, please, sit down first."

Li Chang helped Yuan Xiangcheng to sit down in his seat before opening the newly drafted imperial edict in his hand.

"Proclamation: Yuan Xiangcheng is appointed as the Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Huguang, and is to go to the front to serve the enemy immediately. The court will not control him remotely. This is the decree!"

After hearing the decree, Yuan Xiangcheng put his uneasy heart at ease, but he did not accept the decree to thank the emperor. Instead, he asked Li Chang to sit down next to him with some boredom.

"It's been three years. Has Gong Bao's foot disease healed?"

Li Chang looked at Yuan Xiangcheng with a smile and asked with concern.

"My feet are seriously injured. The injury is too serious."

Yuan Xiangcheng lowered his eyes, looked at his feet, and shook his head: "The general is going to lead his troops to Wuchang this time, why hasn't he led the army to set out yet? Could it be that the general has some clever plan that will allow him to win the battle by staying in the capital?"

"Gong Bao, you don't know that the former Hubei Governor Rui Cheng is not doing anything at all. He has kept all his troops in Jiangbei and insisted that he would not cross the river until I arrived with the Beiyang Army."

Li Chang thought of all the things that had happened before, and without saying anything, he raised his hand and handed the imperial edict forward: "Gong Bao, this time I personally asked for the order, so the Regent..."

Before he could finish, Yuan Xiangcheng interrupted him and said, "Ah, I am so grateful for the general's kindness. How could I not know the emperor's edict?"

"But I can't move my feet."

Yuan Xiangcheng looked very embarrassed and pushed the imperial edict back: "This time we have the general in the front line to supervise the battle, so there are only a few rioters, so we don't need to worry about them."

"Gong Bao, this boxing riot cannot be underestimated."

As foxes with a thousand years of experience, Li Chang naturally did not fall for Yuan Xiangcheng's tricks. He turned around and said, "I'm afraid Gong Bao has already known that General Feng Huafu has led his troops to Xinyang."

"That's no problem."

When Yuan Xiangcheng saw that Lin Chang mentioned his confidant at this time, he felt like he was trying to warn him, but he remained calm and didn't let a single mistake slip in his words.

"Gong Bao, let's forget about the past. Nowadays, the soldiers don't use their lives, and only you can quell the rebellion in person."

"I am ashamed, ashamed of the great general's divine power. With the emperor's decree and the regent's order, how could the army not obey orders?"

Yuan Xiangcheng waved his hand, held Li Chang's wrist, and said earnestly: "The opportunity for the general to make achievements has come."

Li Chang wanted to say something else, but seeing that Yuan Xiangcheng was clearly unmoved, he had to shake his head, took the imperial edict, left Baohe Hall and went to the palace.

"Mung Pao's foot has not healed yet."

The old man in the black dragon robe looked at the handwritten reply letter from Li Chang, shook his head, and sat up from the warm couch.

"Old Ancestor, this Yuan Xiangcheng is a man who won't cry until he sees the coffin. He dares to use this excuse to evade you, it's simply nonsense!"

Seeing that Chuntai seemed unhappy, Zaifeng took the opportunity to criticize Yuan Xiangcheng.

"Whether it's true or not, I have to see it with my own eyes to know whether he is talking nonsense or not."

Chuntai waved his hand and instructed the eunuch beside him: "Prepare the banquet and let the royal family members enter the palace."

The delicacies are delicious and the wine is fragrant.

When Chuntai entered the hall, dozens of princes and nobles in court robes were already sitting there. They were all sitting upright, their eyes focused on Yuan Xiangcheng, with different expressions on their faces.

"The lowly Yuan Xiangcheng greets His Royal Highness the Regent."

Yuan Xiangcheng, who was always mature and steady, and seemed to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, did not dare to act cunningly like he did in front of Lin Chang, when he saw Chuntai with white hair and a solemn expression. Instead, he bowed respectfully.

"Get up, everyone sit down, you too."

Chuntai glanced at Li Shuwen, who was standing behind Yuan Xiangcheng with a tall and straight figure like a spear, and asked the eunuch to bring him a round stool.

"I have been standing for decades, but I still feel that standing is more comfortable than sitting."

Li Shuwen shook his head slightly but did not move.

"Then you just stand there."

Chuntai smiled and ignored Li Shuwen who insisted on his own opinion. He turned to face Yuan Xiangcheng who was feeling very uneasy.

"Take off your trouser legs and show me your sick feet."

"Yes."

Yuan Xiangcheng knew that the regent in front of him was a man of his word and not as easy to fool as Li Chang, so he immediately rolled up his trouser legs, revealing his right leg whose ankle was bruised purple by Li Shuwen's strong force.

"It's just a minor injury, how can it be a chronic illness?"

Chuntai looked at Yuan Xiangcheng with a smile, and a ball of light golden Qi emerged from his fingertips. It suddenly penetrated into his right leg, straightening out the tendons, activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis, making it as good as new.

"Now that your foot disease has healed, you have no reason to refuse the emperor's order, right?"

Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Chuntai's magical skills, and although he pretended to be calm on the surface, his heart was filled with turmoil.

"Please understand, Regent. The official system of the court has long been a chronic disease. Today, Wei Ting has received your kindness, and I must repay it. I should serve you. But if some villain spreads slander again in the future, saying that my foot disease has relapsed, there is no guarantee that Your Majesty will not abandon Wei Ting like a worn-out shoe."

After calming himself down, Yuan Xiangcheng pulled himself together and, ignoring Zaifeng's ugly face, said earnestly, "Come when called, go when dismissed. Even if Wei Ting is full of passion, he can't guarantee that he won't freeze to death in the cold world. I can take on this great responsibility, but I am terrified, terrified!"

"Oh, you want to clear out the emperor's side?"

As soon as Chuntai said this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

"I have absolutely no such intention. But Your Highness, the Regent, you must tell Wei Ting the truth."

Feeling the tingling pain all over his body like needles pricking his skin, Yuan Xiangcheng was indeed worthy of being a Beiyang hero, and he still gritted his teeth and told the purpose of his trip.

"Speak now. I will listen to His Majesty to see what outrageous demands you have."

Chuntai glanced at Li Shuwen twice, frowned and lowered his eyes, with a hint of displeasure, but still gave Yuan Xiangcheng the opportunity to speak.

Hearing Chuntai's agreement, Yuan Xiangcheng breathed a sigh of relief and told him all the beautiful things in his mind.

"First, the court immediately announced the establishment of a constitution and convened the National Assembly."

"can."

"Second, please ask the emperor to issue an edict of repentance."

"Hmm? Your Majesty is young, what crime has he committed?!"

Before he finished speaking, Chuntai's aura suddenly changed, and the air affected by the inner scene turned into a strong wind that radiated out, like a knife cutting, stabbing Yuan Xiangcheng's face and causing him to feel pain and his face turned red.

"Humph~"

A light voice came from behind Yuan Xiangcheng, instantly smoothing out the turbulent air and leaving room between him and Chuntai.

"Please understand, Prince Regent, although the Emperor is young, he is indeed innocent."

Yuan Xiangcheng, with the help of Li Shuwen, also recovered his breath. He stared at Zaifeng and said mercilessly: "But those who assist the emperor in governing are guilty of unforgivable crimes."

"nonsense!"

(End of this chapter)