Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Li Hongzhang wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his expression eased a little: "It's okay to say other things, that is, the supply of ammunition for the Beiyang Navy is not guaranteed, and the training of the navy lacks professional guidance."

"I have thought about the ammunition supply of the Beiyang Navy for a long time. You can build ammunition factories locally to guarantee the expenses of the Beiyang Navy. In terms of training, you can hire more foreign instructors, especially retired naval officers. Well, they have actual combat experience, and the guidance for training will be more professional."

"Zha. There is one more thing. The Beiyang Navy's warships and soldiers are quite complete, but there are still very few talented commanders and generals. I want to boldly recommend someone to the emperor and let him be enriched in the Beiyang Navy. In the future, there will be a lot of people." Helpful." Li Hongzhang secretly glanced at the emperor, wanting to observe the emperor's reaction.

"Tell me, who is this person?" Guan Xuqing also often felt that talents were rare, and the person Li Hongzhang wanted to recommend should not be wrong.

"This man's name is Yuan Shikai. When the Japanese envoy hijacked the king, this man advocated the current battle plan and personally led a team to rescue King Han into our Qing camp, which relieved the emperor from any worries." Li Hongzhang said with his eyes flickering. The excited voice at the key point trembled a little.

So he was the one who rescued King Han?However, Yuan Shikai in history was indeed courageous and resourceful. As long as he served the country wholeheartedly, such a person could be reused. "I heard that the person who rescued King Han was called Yuan Xiangcheng, and I commended him for this at the beginning."

"Yuan Xiangcheng is Yuan Shikai. His ancestral home is Xiangcheng, Henan. People are used to calling him by that."

"Since the person recommended by Shaoquan must have two talents, call him over, and I will give you a face-to-face lecture." Guan Xuqing was very interested in this person, and wanted to see this historical thief with his own eyes.

After a while, Li Hongzhang asked his personal guards to bring a young officer. He was not tall but very strong, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his brows were full of heroism. Long live Long live Long live!"

It seems that Yuan Shikai is still a passionate young man.Guan Xuqing asked: "You have made great contributions to the court, why are you now a criminal minister?" At the same time, he beckoned Yuan Shikai to stand up and speak.

After Yuan Shikai thanked En, he thanked Li Hongzhang: "Shi Kai met with Enxiang, and the emperor was here just now. Shikai saw the emperor first, and he was allowed by the emperor, so Shikai dared to thank him for mentioning something."

Li Hongzhang smiled lightly and said: "You can tell. It is your blessing that the emperor wants to see you. When the country is employing people, Li is also doing his duty as a minister."

"Yuan Shikai, the guilty minister, was recommended by Li Zhongtang of the Huai Army to go to North Korea as a tax assistant in North Korea in the eighth year of Guangxu. The army. Young and ignorant, unrestrained, with only a reputation for bravery, but not people's hearts. During the reign of the criminal minister, he also won the advice of Marshal Wu, so it caused people's jealousy. The Korean Immortality Incident, Concubine Min monopolized power, this woman's power was changed by chance No less than a man, so the criminal minister boldly used money to bribe the Korean people, and also took care of the Korean people. Because the criminal minister spent money on this matter and often embezzled military funds, his peers complained a lot, and the admiral Wu Zhaoyou impeached him Criminal ministers kept military prostitutes, sold tobacco, and embezzled military pay. In this matter, Li Zhongtang also scolded criminal ministers for buying people's hearts with money. In the Jiashen year, the Korean incident broke out, and the Japanese envoys colluded with rebellion and hijacked the king. Including the concubine's help, the criminal advocated the current battle and then asked for an order to save the King of Han to my camp. On this matter, Li Zhongtang also scolded the criminal for purely buying people's hearts with money..." At this point, Yuan Shikai stopped Stop and look at Li Hongzhang.

Li Hongzhang said: "Your Majesty, the Marshal Wu he said was Wu Changqing, who died of illness in the tenth year of Guangxu. Wu Changqing's old department was mostly at odds with Yuan Shikai, and he blamed him for failing Wu En and fell under my Li Hongzhang's command. All talk makes money, and veterans fall It's not good to protect him too much. Thinking that Wu Changqing is also my former Huai army, the old minister is really embarrassed."

Speaking of this, Li Hongzhang turned his head and reprimanded Yuan Shikai: "Is what the old man said wrong? You can buy money for a while, but you can't buy it for a lifetime. Besides, you can make money, but the Japanese can't? Could it be that I am a big country like Qing Dynasty, Do you want to fight for money with this tiny country like Japan!" The voice was extremely severe.

Yuan Shikai quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "Master Zhongtang punished him." He raised his eyes and glanced at Guan Xuqing.

Soaring Front: The First World War Chapter 2 Peng Yulin

Guan Xuqing thought it was interesting that Li Hongzhang and Yuan Shikai sang together, but Yuan Shikai talked a lot about it, and before he got to the point, Guan Xuqing couldn't help but look up at the sky.

Yuan Shikai seemed to have noticed the emperor's move, and as expected, he spoke much faster: "After rescuing Queen Han, I was commended by the emperor, and this time I became even more jealous. Afterwards, all the generals reprimanded me one after another, and even wrote a letter of impeachment, so I am still awaiting trial for the crime. I wanted to ask Master Zhongtang to make the decision, but fortunately I was able to see the sky, and the guilty minister is lucky! Your Majesty is wise!"

Guan Xuqing stared at Yuan Shikai for a while, nodded and said, "Get up and talk."

Yuan Shikai stood up excitedly, and actually shed tears. This man is very smart. He said a lot of meritorious words at the beginning, but when he saw the emperor showing some signs of impatience, he immediately cut a long story short. His performance today and I think he is an excellent talent.But Guan Xuqing is also very clear that the Qing Dynasty needs to use this kind of talent. Although he has ambitions, who doesn't have ambitions?It is enough to serve the emperor and the court faithfully.

"Li Zhongtang, Yuan Shikai is a good leader and should be well protected. What is his job now?" Guan Xuqing looked at Li Hongzhang and said.

Li Hongzhang said: "It's a Taoist stationed in the court, from the third grade."

"Okay, Yuan Shikai listened to the decree: Promote you to be the admiral of the Beiyang Navy, and assist Shaoquan and the others to build a world-class fleet for me." Guan Xuqing blurted out, as if without thinking, but in just 2 minutes, he had already made up his mind I don't know how many times.

"Thank you, minister!" Yuan Shikai, who was overjoyed, changed his tone of excitement, stood up tremblingly, and was about to leave.

"Slow! Yuan Shikai, you must be conscientious and upright when you work under me. Don't let money bribery happen again. As long as you work diligently, I will greatly promote you. Do you understand?" Guan Xuqing knew that people like Yuan Shikai had to be treated Beating all the time, otherwise he might do something unexpected sometime.

"Zha, I must do my best for the emperor." Yuan Shikai also heard the emperor's implication, and he had heard Li Zhongtang's warning a long time ago that this master does not rub the sand in his eyes and does not play tricks in front of the emperor. Fake.

While there was no one around, Luo Ming quietly said to Feng Xianghua: "Master Zhongtang, the situation in Beijing is so tense now, why does the emperor not seem anxious at all, and he still has the heart to meet with various ministers."

"The emperor's thoughts are deep. Think about the places we have traveled all the way, whether it is the shipbuilding bureau, the military port, or the local administrative shufu. If my guess is right, the emperor wants to touch the civil and military officials from all over the place. The second is to stabilize the local situation, once the emperor's Tianwei arrives, even those with dirty hearts have to put this thought away." Feng Xianghua said cautiously.

Beijing, Peng Yulin Mansion.Peng Yulin was playing chess with his housekeeper De'an, Peng Yulin played black and De'an played white.Peng Yulin picked up a sunspot, always hesitating, not knowing where to put it, and when he was about to drop it, De'an said: "My lord, you have to pay attention, the chess piece to the west of you has been besieged by slaves .”

The speaker has no intention, but the listener has the heart. With a "crash", Peng Yulin's face changed, and he threw the chessboard to the ground.Only then did De'an realize that he had said the wrong thing, and he knelt on the ground, confessing his sins endlessly.Peng Yulin stared at De'an with a livid face, speechless for a while.

"Military Minister Feng Sheng, please see me."

"Call him in."

Peng Yulin looked at the trembling De'an and sighed: "Get up." Then De'an got up, hurriedly packed up the chess pieces scattered on the ground, brewed two cups of fragrant tea, and left.

As soon as Feng Sheng entered the door, he said: "Master Peng, have you received the news of the emperor's return to Luan?"

Peng Yulin nodded, picked up the teacup and put it to his mouth, but couldn't drink it for a long time.

"It is said that the emperor returned to Luan secretly three days ago. After he returned to the capital, he did not go to court. He kept meeting with the ministers in Beijing every day, but he did not summon the people from the Ministry of War. If the emperor knows about some geomantic omens, we But what should I do?" Feng Sheng said anxiously.

"Wu Guang's men and horses have been wiped out by the rebellious army. Wu Guang is being escorted back to Beijing. The Russians have betrayed their faith. Seeing that the limelight is not right, not a single soldier has been sent. There are also Shunyi, Changping, and Weihai. The people from all walks of life have been silent until now. Alas, it seems that the general situation is over. If I guess correctly, the emperor will summon us soon, and it will be the last time we will meet with the emperor." Peng Yulin was in a slump, I don't know why Frustrated or regretted.

De'an hurried over, took a look at Feng Sheng, and said to Peng Yulin: "The emperor just sent Eunuch Li to pass down an oral order, telling Mr. Zhongtang to enter the palace immediately, and we have important matters to discuss."

Ah Feng Sheng grabbed Peng Yulin's sleeve and knelt on the ground with trembling lips, but he was speechless.Peng Yulin smiled wryly, and said: "I know that such a day will come sooner or later. Before I leave, I would like to give you a word. Fight with anyone and don't fight with the emperor. The end is doomed to failure."

In the Zhengda Guangming Hall, Guan Xuqing sat upright, looking at the gray-bearded Peng Yulin, his heart ached, but on the surface he still looked majestic. "You must have known about Wu Guang's rebellion in the northwest, right?"

"Your servant knows, Wu Guang was beyond his control and dared to openly rebel against the emperor. After all, as soon as the heavenly soldiers arrived, let him be captured without a fight. He deserved it." At this time, Peng Yulin was not panicked at all.In fact, until now, there is a tacit understanding between the monarch and his ministers, and there is nothing to hide.

"This matter is far from over. According to Wu Guang's confession, there is another biggest messenger behind him. Guess who this person is?" Guan Xuqing wanted Peng Yulin to tell the truth.

"It must be the emperor's close minister."

"That's right. This man is a very accomplished member of my side. I think he, Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Hu Linyi were called the four famous ministers of ZTE. He served successively as governor of Anhui, acting governor of water transportation, and governor of water transportation. , Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Hubei provinces are all provincial-level officials with great power. As long as they let go a little, the gray income of tens of thousands of silver will disappear It is a first-class fat position in the world that everyone covets. But he declined twice because of his lack of understanding of water affairs, his impatience and ignorance. Later, he was appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of War, and even The post of Minister. In the Qing Dynasty, he was actually a loyal minister. Throughout the ages, how many people have sought, run, obtained, and bought official positions, and how many people have done anything despicable and shameless in order to get promoted. How many people are incompetent, or old and sick, but still occupy a position. Like him, he resigned from six important positions in his life, was willing to do hard labor and practical work, and was willing to be an ordinary person. They are very rare, hard to find and hard to find." Guan Xuqing paused for a moment when he said this, his eyes suddenly slashed across Peng Yulin's face like a knife's edge, Peng Yulin's whole body trembled, his face was as pale as paper.

"But it is such a minister who is loyal to me, when the great Qing Dynasty is expected to rejuvenate, he colludes with the Russians and the princes and ministers in Beijing again and again, and gathers all kinds of soldiers to push me from the throne. What do you say? Should people be killed?"

"This kind of person deserves to be killed!" Peng Yulin burst into tears, and struggled out these words from between his teeth.

Soaring Front: The First World War Chapter 2 The Chinese Empire

"Yulin, how many years have you been with me?" Guan Xuqing stepped down from the throne and came in front of Peng Yulin.

"Back to the emperor, counting on your fingers, it has been 13 years."

"How have I treated you during these 13 years?"

"Your Majesty's kindness to my ministers is so great that I can't repay my ministers forever." Peng Yulin couldn't bear it anymore, hugged the emperor's legs and said: "Your Majesty, it's all because the ministers are confused for a while. Ask for nothing but quick death!"

Guan Xuqing pointed at Peng Yulin, and said in a trembling voice: "You have worked hard all your life, and you have been an official. Why do you do such ridiculous things now that you are old? Aren't you afraid of leaving a bad name for your descendants!"

"The minister is guilty." Peng Yulin broke down in tears.

Guan Xuqing restrained his emotions, regained his seriousness, walked back to the throne step by step, and said to Peng Yulin: "Peng Yulin, you have done such a rebellious thing, I can't let you live, but I miss you in the past. You have made great contributions, I will give you poison to kill yourself, and your family will send someone to settle it properly, so you can rest assured." After finishing speaking, Guan Xuqing turned his head away and never looked at Peng Yulin again.

"Thank you for your grace, my emperor, long live, long live, long live!" Peng Yulin took off his hat, turned and left the hall.

After a cup of tea, the commander of the guards, Wang Wu, the swordsman, kneeled under the red rhinoceros with Peng Yulin's court clothes on his hands: "Peng Yulin, the traitor, committed suicide by taking poison, and this servant is here to give an order."

Guan Xuqing waved his hand, telling everyone to step back, and sat quietly on the throne, looking at a towering old tree outside the hall, his eyes gradually became moist...

The news of Peng Yulin's death quickly spread in the capital. The officers and soldiers of the Jiumen Admiral's Mansion and Shuntian Mansion strengthened the vigilance of the capital, and strictly checked the people who entered and exited the city gate. Nuoda, a city of Beijing, was shrouded in the chill atmosphere of autumn. .The minister with ghosts in his heart hid at home all day long, not even daring to go out, not knowing what the emperor would do with him next.

Veteran Nie Shicheng personally escorted the rebel Wu Guang to Beijing, and only after Wu Guang was escorted to Dali Temple did he come to see the emperor. "Wu Guang and more than 30 traitors have been escorted to Beijing, please the emperor's order."