The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 504 Are We Loyal or Treacherous?

After a long time, Li Hongzhang put down the manuscript in his hand and said with a warm smile.

"The Lian family has been traveling for days, and it is really exhausting. Go back and rest quickly. It won't be too late to discuss the peace talks tomorrow."

During these two days, Yang Shixiang had been running almost non-stop between Baoding and Langfang. He felt as if he was falling apart. When he saw Li Hongzhang talking, he hurriedly stood up and said goodbye to Li Hongzhang.

Li Hongzhang turned to Zhang Peilun and said, "Youqiao, please send Lianfu off for me."

Yang Shixiang said that Teng Yuzao was going to annihilate the more than 100,000 coalition forces in Langfang in one fell swoop. This made Zhang Peilun, who had been sitting nearby, so excited that his blood boiled. He was already very excited, but he did not take any action because Li Hongzhang was asking Yang Shixiang about Teng Yuzao's situation.

Hearing Li Hongzhang speak, Zhang Peilun hurriedly stood up and stepped forward, holding Yang Shixiang's hand, and while asking about the detailed battle situation of the vanguard army, he accompanied Yang Shixiang out of the study.

Zhang Peilun has been somewhat depressed since his defeat at the hands of the French in the Battle of Mawei.

This time, the vanguard army led by Teng Yuzhao won victory after victory, and was even able to defeat the coalition forces of hundreds of thousands of foreign powers, including the French, and make them flee in disarray. This really made Zhang Peilun feel relieved, and his spirits were much higher than before.

Now, he not only admired Teng Yuzao very much, he even no longer had any resentment towards Yang Shixiang who abandoned his father-in-law and turned to Teng Yuzao.

Watching Zhang Peilun accompanying Yang Shixiang out of the study, the smile on Li Hongzhang's face gradually disappeared. He solemnly picked up the manuscript on the desk again and read it carefully.

Li Hongzhang read it very seriously, but the more he read, the more solemn his expression became. He looked over many places again and again, and even used his fingernails to make marks on important places.

Li Hongzhang seemed to be carefully pondering the true meaning hidden behind the words in the article. Even when Zhang Peilun, who had just returned from seeing off the guests, came to the desk, Li Hongzhang's eyes did not leave the manuscript in his hand.

Li Hongzhang read the manuscript in his hand several times, until he was sure that he had fully understood the content of the manuscript. Then he handed the manuscript to Zhang Peilun, who had been waiting by the side, scratching his head anxiously and eager to see the manuscript.

"Youqiao, you can take a look too."

After Li Hongzhang finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair, tilted his head back slightly, and his old face showed fatigue.

Zhang Peilun, who had just taken the manuscript, was stunned when he heard Li Hongzhang let out a soft sigh, and hurriedly looked at Li Hongzhang.

He didn't understand why Li Hongzhang still sighed softly when Teng Yuzhao, regardless of his personal gains and losses, generously agreed to let him publicly publish those peace terms that the court was worried about angering the foreigners. This not only solved the problem for Li Hongzhang, but also disregarded his personal gains and losses and, to a certain extent, took responsibility for the court.

But Li Hongzhang just closed his eyes, as if he was thinking about something, or pondering about something. Zhang Peilun did not disturb Li Hongzhang, but took the manuscript to a seat nearby and read it carefully.

The entire manuscript is not only ornate in rhetoric and smooth in structure, but also filled with high morale, which makes one's blood boil when reading it.

When he saw the text indicating that it was a quote from Teng Yuzhao's original words "Where the Tao is, I will go even if there are tens of thousands of people against me", Zhang Peilun's face turned red, his eyes lit up, and he secretly admired Teng Yuzhao in his heart, saying that he was truly a hero of the time!

Zhang Peilun only felt a little doubtful when he saw Teng Yuzao say, "In the next ten years, a total investment of no less than 1 billion taels of silver will be made in Zhili to vigorously promote the Westernization Movement." At the same time, he also felt sorry for Teng Yuzao's big talk.

But when you look at the back of the manuscript, it is clearly stated that Teng Yuzao was well aware that this move involved great risks, and that the risks did not only come from outside.

Although the article did not explicitly state what the internal risks would be, Zhang Peilun had already heard his father-in-law’s explanation, and he knew very well what Teng Yuzhao’s so-called internal risks were!
He even felt deeply unfair and aggrieved for Teng Yuzhao.

But the article said that despite this, Teng Yuzao still insisted on publicly expressing his views on peace talks without regrets. The article also said that Teng Yuzao said that as long as it was beneficial to the country and the people, he was willing to give everything for it, even if it cost him his life.

At the end of the manuscript, a couplet by Teng Yuzhao, which is full of tragic and heroic meaning, is quoted again.

"I have no regrets about joining China in this life, and I will be a Chinese in the next life!"

This couplet deeply shocked Zhang Peilun's heart, and he couldn't help but shout out "good!"

Zhang Peilun's excited and irrepressible exclamation made Li Hongzhang open his slightly cloudy eyes. He glanced at Zhang Peilun, then slowly stood up from the chair, as if to stretch his legs, walked around the desk, and slowly paced around the study.

After walking a few steps, he looked at Zhang Peilun and asked.

"Youqiao, have you read this manuscript? What do you think?"

There were only the father-in-law and the son-in-law in the room, so there was no need to be secretive when speaking, Zhang Peilun said without thinking.

"After reading this magnificent article, I deeply feel that Teng Xingfu is a true hero and a great man! One cannot help but applaud him."

"It even makes people feel like there is a Qin Hui in the imperial court!"

Li Hongzhang nodded and said, "This article should be written by Xu Juren. It is said that the pen of historians is as sharp as a knife. I am afraid that this article will be passed down to future generations."

Li Hongzhang then changed the subject and spoke to himself again.

"A traitor may look loyal, a loyal person may look treacherous. Loyalty and treachery are not clearly distinguished. It is hard to find a person as loyal as Yue Wumu in the world."

Zhang Peilun was stunned by Li Hongzhang's words. He did not rush to ask, and Li Hongzhang continued to talk to himself.

"For example, Zhang Xiangtao, Liu Xianzhuang, and Yuan Weiting, are the four of us loyal or treacherous officials?"

Zhang Peilun thought about all the things that had happened since the signing of the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement. It was hard to say whether the four of them were loyal or treacherous. Even from the best perspective, it could only be said that they were unwilling to sit idly by and watch the country fall into war, and they were thinking about the people and the country.

Thinking of this, Zhang Peilun swallowed back the question he was about to ask.

"Youqiao, do you know what makes me most excited and moved about this article?"

Zhang Peilun couldn't help but sighed and said with a wry smile, "Need I say this? For a long time, the only thing that Zhongtang deeply regretted was that the Westernization Movement that he had promoted for many years progressed too slowly. As a result, until the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, there was no obvious effect of the Westernization Movement, and the Beiyang armies were defeated."

"So, Your Excellency, you must have been deeply moved by Teng Xingfu's words that he would invest 1 billion taels of silver to promote Zhili's foreign affairs."

Li Hongzhang nodded and said, "Teng Xingfu is a great writer! I can't compare to him."

(End of this chapter)