Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 393: Shuo Xue Hidden Murder Intent

"I assist the old ancestor in handling government affairs, work diligently and love the people, what crime have I committed?!"

Zaifeng, with a gloomy face, stood up straight, obviously demanding that Yuan Xiangcheng give a specific explanation immediately.

"For the past three years, the imperial family has been in power, ruling the country in a dictatorial way, violating the ancestral system. This is one."

Yuan Xiangcheng held up a finger and said slowly, "For the past three years, officials have extorted money from the people in every possible way and have not accomplished anything that benefits the people. This is the second."

"In the past three years, judicial decrees have been issued repeatedly, but from the imperial court to the local officials, not a single one of them abides by the law. This is the third."

"Yuan Xiangcheng! Are you declaring war on me?!"

Zaifeng took out a gilded revolver with a "click", placed it on the table, and pointed the muzzle straight at Yuan Xiangcheng.

"No, this is just Wei Ting reporting to the Regent to prevent His Royal Highness from being deceived by the one-sided words of the villain and not being able to see the current situation of our Qing Dynasty clearly."

Yuan Xiangcheng did not take Zaifeng seriously at all. He paused for a moment and continued to talk about the previous two requests: "The third is to pardon the civilians who were convicted in Wuchang in the name of the Boxer Rebellion."

"Yuan Xiangcheng! The emperor gave you the position of Governor of Huguang so that you can suppress those rebels. You should be tolerant. Old Ancestor, how can we use a person like him who is so indecisive?!"

Seeing Zaifeng turning his head to complain to him, Chuntai, who had been silent, did not move much, but just waved his hand to let Yuan Xiangcheng continue.

“Fourth, we must lift the ban on political parties and implement freedom of speech.”

"Fifth, reorganize the cabinet and let me be the prime minister."

"Yuan Xiangcheng! How dare you mock me!"

Seeing that Yuan Shikai's true intentions were revealed, Zaifeng reached out to grab the revolver on the table.

"You show off your sword in front of Guan Gong, but you are still not experienced enough to show off your sword in front of Weiting."

Yuan Xiangcheng glanced at the foreign rifle on the table, curled the corners of his mouth slightly, and the contempt in his expression was self-evident.

"you!"

Zaifeng grabbed the revolver and tried to cock the hammer, but before he could do so he was held down by Prince Qing beside him.

"In Tianjin, a tavern opened one day. A swindler came in and shouted, "Give me money!" Then he pulled out a knife from his pocket and said to the shopkeeper, "Cut me." The shopkeeper said, "I can't cut you." The swindler grabbed the knife and said, "You won't cut me." As he spoke, he chopped his own chest with the knife, saying, "I'll cut myself!" Blood immediately gushed out."

Yuan Xiangcheng sneered, saying, "People often say that if a stone is thrown into a pack of dogs, and a dog barks, it must be because it was hit. Wei Ting did not name the person who was hindering the administration. Your Highness is acting like this, are you feeling guilty?"

"This king, I am not a piece of meat, nor am I a dog!"

Zaifeng was so angry that he broke free from Prince Qing's hand, stood up and pointed his gun at Yuan Xiangcheng.

It happened in a flash. The moment Zaifeng stood up, Yuan Xiangcheng also stood up and grasped his gun-holding wrist with both hands.

Bang!
The revolver went off accidentally, and the whole room fell silent. Seeing Yuan Xiangcheng and Zaifeng fighting and struggling in front of him like women, Chuntai snorted coldly, waved his hand to separate the two, and pushed them back onto the table and chairs.

"That's enough! You two are both pillars of the country, but now you are bickering and fighting like shrews. How disgraceful!"

Chuntai glared at Zaifeng and was not polite to Yuan Xiangcheng: "Except for the edict of apology for these five points, the rest can be up to you. But within one year, I want you to completely resolve the Boxer Rebellion, otherwise I will hold you accountable!"

"Yes, Your Highness, the Regent, Wei Ting will receive your order."

Seeing that not only did Yuan Xiangcheng not suffer any loss but his purpose was mostly accomplished, he immediately knelt down to receive the order, suppressing his smile.

"Besides, everyone in the court knows that the Beiyang coach behind you is the best in the world in spear and stick skills. There is really no need to show him off whenever you get the chance."

"To know"

Chuntai turned around, staring at Li Shuwen with his dark and deep eyes, saying, "You know, on such a festive occasion, he must be looking forward to going home to reunite with his wife and children. Why would he want to scheme against you?"

After hearing this, Li Shuwen said nothing, but stood up silently and left the Baohe Hall filled with nobles with Yuan Xiangcheng.

Baohedian was the venue for festival banquets for the Manchu royal family. The two Han people could not stay there, nor did they want to.
-
Zhili, Beiyang Camp.

"Greetings to the Marshal!"

"Hey, Zhiquan, get up."

Looking at his trusted brother in front of him, Yuan Xiangcheng, who had just escaped from a dangerous situation, hurriedly helped him up and asked with concern, "Brothers, are you all right?"

"Thanks to the Marshal, everything is fine."

"Okay, okay, are Kikuto and the others here?"

"We're here. We're waiting for you and Master Li."

Duan Zhiquan was very happy to see that Yuan Xiangcheng had been successfully reinstated, and immediately pulled the two of them inside.

Crackling~
The charcoal in the copper basin was burning vigorously. Many confidants of the Beiyang Army listened to Yuan Xiangcheng's talk about what happened in Baohe Hall tonight. They couldn't help but feel frightened by the methods displayed by the Regent.

"Gong Bao, after listening to your thrilling banquet tonight, it reminded me of a poem."

Xu Juren, known as the Beiyang think tank, was warming himself by the fire and speaking slowly to Yuan Xiangcheng.

"Oh? What poem?"

Yuan Xiangcheng, who was constantly poking the charcoal fire with a poker, also became interested.

"It's a poem called 'Hongmen Meeting' by Taoist Tiexin."

The flames flickered, and Xu Juren's low voice rose from the sparks:

"The sky is confusing, the earth is confusing, the east dragon is in the daytime, the west dragon is in the rain. The bell is struck, the wine is drunk, the sea of ​​sorrow is overturned, the green fire blows the nest of the two Yali. There is no other crow shining in the sky for eternity, the broken star breaks the moon and opens the sky. There is a guest in the seat with the aura of the emperor, and the left thigh has 72 pearls. The sound of the army of 100,000 shakes the tiles, and the sword is drawn to face the people with red faces. The general drives the horse to move the mountain, the air rolls up the Yellow River and pours out the wine. The general calls the dragon to drive the guest away, and the stone breaks the blue sky and hits the jade bowl."

"Hearing what Kikuto said, it seems to be quite interesting."

Yuan Xiangcheng pondered for a long while and sighed, "I just don't know who is Liu Bang, who is Xiang Yu, and who is the second emperor of Qin who ruined the foundation of our ancestors!"

"Gong Bao, this Boxer Rebellion is far worse than the previous ones. I think the Qing Dynasty is really going to fall."

After Xu Juren finished reading the poem, he also agreed with Yuan Xiangcheng's point of view and started the conversation.

"Whether they survive or not depends on our army. Hua Fu sent a telegram saying that we can capture Hankou within three days, and then take Wuchang and strangle the Boxers in the cradle."

Duan Zhiquan was holding a telegram, rubbing his hands, and wishing he could fly to the front line immediately to make achievements. Yuan Xiangcheng looked solemn, as if he was considering something.

After a while, he asked a question: "Zhiquan, what do you think, should the Qing Dynasty perish?"

Duan Zhiquan was about to answer, but when the words came to his lips he felt something was wrong. He glanced at Xu Juren who was calm and composed, and did not speak rashly.

"Just now, Ju Ren mentioned the Hongmen Banquet, which reminded me of a passage by Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang: In terms of planning and winning battles thousands of miles away, I am not as good as Zhang Liang; in terms of winning battles and achieving success, I am not as good as Han Xin."

Yuan Xiangcheng looked up at Xu Juren with a sincere expression: "Brother Juren, you are my Zhang Liang, who is good at planning and winning battles thousands of miles away; Zhiquan, you are my Han Xin and Fan Kuai, just like Huafu, who will win every battle and take every achievement. If we brothers work together, why should we worry about not accomplishing great things?"

"The cabinet is going to be reorganized. It is still unknown who will be in charge of the throne in the future~"

Just as Yuan Xiangcheng was imagining the future, Li Shuwen, who had been silent in the corner of the military tent, frowned rarely.
-
Cangzhou Yanshan, Li family’s old house.

"Etang, Master told me that you want to learn martial arts?"

Qin Huai looked at Li Etang who was doing horse stance in the yard very well, squatted down and asked softly with a smile.

"Yes! I want to become a great master like my father and senior brother in the future!"

Faced with the murderous aura unconsciously emitted by the Taowu descendant, even an adult strong man would be terrified. But now this little kid, who is only six years old, is not panicked or afraid, and is quite courageous, which makes people look up to him. Looking at his extraordinary bones and the temperament inherited from his father, Qin Huai can't estimate how great his future achievements will be, but he must be a good material for practicing martial arts.

"Then you have to eat well and take good care of your body, so that you can become as tall and strong as your brother."

Qin Huai pointed to the banquet table set up in the main hall and pulled Li Etang to sit at the table.

"Huai'er, how long do you think it will take for your master to come back from his trip to the capital?"

Seeing Master's wife asking questions, Qin Huai thought for a moment and said, "With Master's speed, if everything goes well, he will be able to get home tomorrow."

"That's fine, that's fine."

The lady in rose-red clothes felt relieved. She looked at Qin Huai who was already able to stand on his own and whispered, "In our Wangnanliang Village, we haven't seen a single outsider for more than half a year. This morning, my aunt next door and I went to the county town to buy wine and food, but we saw a lot of unfamiliar faces. If it weren't for your filial piety, Huai'er, thinking of visiting Master's Wife, Master's Wife would not be able to sleep well tonight."

"A stranger? Madam, you guys eat first. I'll go take a look outside and be back soon."

After hearing this, Qin Huai frowned slightly, apologized to his master's wife, and quickly left the table.

"Keep an eye on them. I'll be back soon."

Qin Huai released [Ye Kui], and after giving him a few instructions, he opened [Jinghong Yitiao] to check for possible unfamiliar faces.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the village, with people shouting and horses neighing. Qin Huai climbed onto the roof and looked out. He saw a group of foreign monks wearing reddish-brown monk robes. They were breathing heavily, with bulging temples. It was obvious at a glance that they were very skilled.

The leader was wearing a conical hat, holding a staff in one hand and a bowl in the other. He seemed to notice Qin Huai's gaze and suddenly turned his head. Two flames of light pierced over like real entities.

"Ok?"

Qin Huai snorted lightly, and the flame was instantly frozen into a lump of ice and fell down, sinking into the thick snow.

【Fire Lord】

Name: Viyaya

Status: Qi exists, Heavenly Principle (incomplete), Zen Demon (using Zen principles to build a demon heart, with a strange personality and eccentric behavior)

Threat Level: Red (Eight Pole)

Note: One of the Vajra Zen followers, originally a monk from Bian Meng. In his early years, he received the teachings of Kumarajiva in a dream and studied Vajra Zen. Later, he fell into the devil's way. Because he was determined to become the founding master of China and to wipe out all the Buddhist and Taoist sects and leave only his own Zen and devil sect, he was taken in by Aisin-Gioro Chuntai. Now he is in charge of the Blood Blade Envoy, one of the six envoys of the Sticky Pole.

[Vajra Monk]: There is a Fire Head on his back, which is a Qi diagram tattooed on the monk's body by Viyaya using the secret method of Zen Demon School as a pen and medicinal blood full of spiritual Qi as ink. It can summon the tremendous power of the angry Vajra.

"The person who came here is not good."

Qin Huai twisted his neck. He hadn't met an opponent that caught his eye in the past two days, and his palms were itching.

This group of Vajra monks all have the level of the tenth city, comparable to the top fighters in the army. The leader, the [Fire Lord], has the strength of the eight extremes. He can be seen as a flame, as if it is real. It is clear that he is a worldly wonder who has mastered the Yuan Qi and is comparable to a grandmaster.

People who bear this fruit are generally weak, but there is spiritual energy between heaven and earth. If they know how to utilize it, they can transform the spiritual energy into Yuan Qi to survive, and can often display considerable strength.

And worldly extraordinary people like Wu Shan are favored by God and are born with the ability to utilize spiritual energy. As they grow older and their bodies mature, these methods will naturally emerge in their minds. Once they have mastered them, the Yuan Qi in their bodies will be able to be used as easily as with one's own arms, which is very convenient.

These Vajra monks at the village head may not look impressive, but they are the best among the people. Qin Huai had seen Baoyao and Cha Ni, the two envoys from the sticky pole before. They were the elites that the Qing court had gathered from the military towns all over China, but they were still inferior to these Vajra monks in front of him.

In addition to this group of foreign monks wearing monk robes, there was also an officer with a command knife and several new soldiers carrying long spears standing next to the [Fire Head Zun].

"Why did you come at this time, not earlier or later? I don't believe there is something fishy going on."

Qin Huai stretched out his sleeves, leaped up lightly, and in a few breaths he stood in front of the group of people.

"Everyone, stop."

Qin Huai stood lazily in the middle of the road and stretched out his hand to stop the foreign monks from entering the village.

"This is the hometown of Li, the instructor of the Beiyang 80,000 New Army. He doesn't like to be disturbed by outsiders, so there are no inns or post houses here. If you are in a hurry, please take a detour. If you want to rest, my master has a two-entry courtyard outside the village, which is more than enough to accommodate you for a night."

"Oh, oh, this little brother has misunderstood. We are invited by the county officials to perform rituals. The Boxer Rebellion has been rampant recently, and there are often witches and sorcerers using various names to deceive people. The magistrate of Yanshan County was afraid that the villagers would listen to those people's lies and accidentally eat the magic water and get seriously ill, so he invited the Zen master to bring the monks to open the door for the people during the Lantern Festival, diagnose diseases, write prescriptions, and clear away the bad luck."

The officer saw that Qin Huai was standing in a loose posture, but he did not underestimate him and explained patiently.

"Oh? When did the county magistrate become so kind as to pay a Zen master to perform a ritual for ordinary people like us? This is truly unheard of~"

Qin Huai said this, but his feet did not move.

The leading officer looked at Qin Huai, who seemed to be a roadblock, and blinked: "Um, could you please make way, little brother?"

"As the saying goes, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. It's getting late, and you Zen masters must be tired after working day and night. Why don't you follow me to the wild garden in the suburbs to rest and recuperate? It won't be too late to perform the ritual tomorrow."

Qin Huai knew that the officer in front of him was a dog's mouth and could not spit out ivory. He did not believe what he said at all. He was even more relentless and still planned to send this group of people away first.

"We appreciate the young layman's kindness, but we have something important to discuss with the head of the police station. Please give us some convenience."

[Fire Head] took a step forward, his face very kind.

(End of this chapter)