Master Yuan, start!

"No, no, wouldn't that be too unfair to the Emperor?" Cixi quickly declined.

From Li Hongzhang to Sun Yuwen, and then from Sun Yuwen to Yili and Cixi, they all said it was inappropriate and asked us to think of other ways, but what good ways are there now?

After much refusals, Cixi finally "reluctantly" accepted the proposal to establish a new emperor.

Since the decision had been made, Cixi asked someone to bring out a blank imperial edict and orally stated the relevant matters regarding the enthronement, as if she had been prepared for it.

However, just after the imperial edict was written, Cixi suddenly called all the ministers and asked them to add their names.

Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guoquan looked at each other, knowing that they had to sign a pledge of allegiance. If they did not sign their names to stand on the side of the new emperor, they would probably not be able to leave the capital today.

There is no other way, just sign it, the situation is stronger than people.

Cixi followed suit and sent a telegram to the nation, announcing that a new emperor would be enthroned on the first day of the Lunar New Year five days later, with the reign title "Baoqing".

"The Yuan family hijacked the emperor's carriage and fled, threatening him. The emperor had no choice but to comply. But how could the court tolerate Cao Cao in this era? Therefore, a new emperor was established to show that they would never compromise!"

For a time, the people of the world, who had not yet reacted to Yuan Xiangcheng's "Fengtian to fight Cixi" telegram, received a more important "New Emperor ascended the throne"

This New Year is so lively!

...

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, in a Western-style school in Shanghai.

"Brother Kang, what exactly happened in the capital? Why did Yuan Shikai first send a telegram to the whole country to fight against the rebellion, and then the empress dowager sent a telegram to the whole country saying that Yuan Shikai was the rebel, and also changed the reign title and replaced the new emperor?" The person asking was Kang Youwei's good friend and colleague in Wanmu Thatched Cottage.

"How should I know the inside story? First, there was news in the capital that the emperor was seriously ill and in a coma, then there was news of an early wedding, and then there was Yuan Shikai's request: "Drunkenness, Eight Thoughts, and Wu Jieqiong". It was so dazzling, who could tell the difference?" Kang Youwei replied dejectedly.

He originally thought that he could use Yuan Shikai to establish contact with Guangxu, but he didn't expect such a mess to happen.

Being outsiders, they don’t know who to trust or listen to, and can only accept it blindly.

This is also a true reflection of the thoughts of most local scholars. Scholars who came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations knew more information, so they roughly knew what was going on, but news from other places was not transmitted so promptly.

In addition to the telegram announcing the new emperor's enthronement, Cixi also sent several telegrams refuting Yuan Shikai's manifesto.

Yuan Shikai was not to be outdone and sent several telegrams in the name of Guangxu to accuse Cixi.

But Cixi had already prepared for how to respond. She directly said that Guangxu was forced and that it was Yuan Shikai himself who sent these telegrams. Guangxu did not agree at all.

So the relationship between Cixi and Yuan Shikai naturally became one where each had their own reasons.

Apart from the capital, the balance of public opinion seemed to gradually tilt towards Cixi. The governors and governors-general in various places, who were originally confused after receiving Yuan Shikai's telegram, gradually sided with the empress dowager.

In particular, the generals of the three northeastern provinces transferred the garrisoned Eight Banners to the Sino-Korean border to guard against the invasion of the Jiashen Right Army.

Just as Kang Youwei was sighing, Kang Guangren hurried in with a newspaper in his hand.

"What a happy event, what a happy event!"

"What's wrong?" Kang Youwei was also very surprised to see his brother's happy expression.

Because he had received help from Yuan Xiangcheng in the capital, his younger brother Kang Guangren always regarded Yuan Xiangcheng as a great hero.

After Yuan Shikai issued the telegram to criticize Empress Dowager Cixi, he was so indignant that he wanted to take a boat to Korea to join the army.

But before he could finish cleaning up, Cixi sent out a telegram accusing Yuan Shikai of being the Cao Cao of the present time.

Kang Guangren naturally didn't want to believe it, but the governors-general who sent the telegram also had their names attached to them, so he had no choice but to believe it.

"Could it be that Lord Yuan is really a traitor who brings disaster to the country?"

Not only Kang Guangren, but also a considerable number of young scholars were deceived by Cixi's public opinion offensive. Even some scholars in the capital city doubted Yuan Shikai's intention in kidnapping the emperor on the way.

However, Kang Guangren has been so happy recently, so there must be some great news.

"Brother, Lord Yuan has sent another telegram to the whole country, saying that he is not the contemporary Cao Cao, and he also said that the front page of Shenbao today will clear his name!" Kang Guangren replied.

"Where is the newspaper?" Kang Youwei became excited. If Yuan Shikai was not a traitor, then he would have hope for the future.

Kang Guangren carefully took out the folded newspaper from his arms and unfolded it bit by bit along the fold.

Kang Youwei looked at it carefully and was suddenly overjoyed. He excitedly threw the newspaper into the air and waved his hands wildly.

"Master Yuan is not a traitor, Master Yuan is not a traitor!"

A friend who was confused by the situation walked over to take a look, picked up the newspaper and smoothed out the creases. He was also stunned to see a photo prominently printed on the front page of Shenbao Today.

A young boy sat in the middle, with an adult man on each of his shoulders.

On the left side of the photo is written Governor Yuan Xiangcheng, on the right side is written Prince Chun Yix, and in the upper middle is printed the big characters "Emperor Guangxu".

The three people above looked calm, especially the young man in the middle, who had a smile on his face and didn't look threatened at all.

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In just half a day, the newspapers, which had originally sold over 10,000 copies a day, were all sold out, and they had to be reprinted temporarily. Many people bought the newspapers just to see the emperor's face.

And Yuan Xiangcheng also reversed public opinion in an instant with the photo!

Please make up for the leave tomorrow

It was hailing and I fell on my way home on my electric scooter.

My laptop fell to the ground and the screen went black. I just sent it to the store to be repaired. I will pick it up tomorrow.

I still have over 3 words I wrote while slacking off at work on my computer, but I can’t post them (?)

I'm going to work tomorrow and typing on the company computer. Emojis????

Including the 6000 yuan I owe today, I will update 1.2 words tomorrow.

Sorry, sorry, something unexpected happened.

Chapter 126: Comparison of Enemy and Our Strength

"Weiting, your trick is really brilliant. Not only did you use the photo to dispel the rumors about that temptress.

He also announced in the newspaper that the signature of the local governor's attached edict was a "capitulation" forced by the witch and could not be taken seriously.

She must be regretting agreeing to let Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guoquan leave Beijing so early. She must be itching to run to the sea and bring them back."

Xu Shichang applauded in Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace: "Once the photo was released, the seductress lost her credibility in the eyes of the world, and it also put Zeng and Li in a difficult position."

Ming Ye said with some disdain: "So what if they are in a difficult situation? Do they really dare to gather their troops and march north to Korea?

Everyone in Seoul knows that Guangxu has entered the city. In two days, the whole world will know about it. If they really come, it will be a crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Xu Shichang looked at Ming Ye and deliberately teased him, "That's hard to say. They don't have the courage to go north to Korea, but they have already mobilized troops north and are pretending to protect the capital.

After all, this is the first year of the Baoqing reign, not the sixteenth year of the Guangxu reign. They are loyal to the new emperor in the capital, not the old emperor in Seoul."

"So what if he's the new emperor? They may be truly loyal in the capital, but that may not be the case outside the capital." Ming Ye replied, holding the Beihua Herald edited by a foreigner.

The headline on the first page of the newspaper was "Bao Qing, the New Emperor of the Qing Dynasty", and the second page was the news that the major governors such as Zeng, Li, and Zhang had left Beijing.

Jin Bingshi, who was standing next to him, also had a copy of the same newspaper in his hand. He twirled his beard and looked at Yuan Xiangcheng in front of the table with admiration.

During the more than one month that Yuan Shikai left Korea, Feng Guozhang was in charge of Korea's defense affairs, while internal affairs were handed over to Jin Bingshi.

However, Jin Bingshi was able to stabilize the situation in Seoul and prevent major unrest when chaos broke out in the capital and Yuan Shikai's return date was unknown.

Although the local branch of the Red Confucian Society contributed to this, Jin Bingshi's contribution was also indispensable. Therefore, after returning to Korea, Yuan Shikai absorbed him into the Red Confucian Society and temporarily took charge of the affairs of the society in Seoul.

This was the first time that Jin Bingshi attended a high-level meeting of the Red Confucian Society. He was surprised that Yuan Shikai had secretly cultivated so many "followers".

But what surprised him even more was Yuan Shikai's response to Cixi's decision to establish a new emperor.

Cixi had already labeled Yuan Shikai a traitor. If he led an army into Beijing, he would have to face open opposition from the whole world.

Of course, with Guangxu's name, the resistance encountered on the battlefield would not necessarily be fierce, but righteousness does not represent everything.

If Guangxu's title was really that useful, then he would have been the real emperor for ten years after his wedding in the original time and space. But after being imprisoned in Yingtai by Cixi, why didn't the troops from all over the country come to rescue him?

In the final analysis, righteousness is important, but it does not mean that whoever possesses righteousness will be able to conquer the world.

If justice could conquer the world, the Song Dynasty would not have perished at the hands of the Mongols, and the Ming Dynasty would not have been hunted down by the Jurchens all the way to Burma.

Just when Jin Bingshi was worried that Yuan Shikai would be put in a passive position, who would have thought that after Yuan Shikai received the imperial edict signed by the governors of all places, he neither sent a telegram of opposition nor published an article to refute it.

Instead, after the news had spread across the country for several days, he easily cracked Cixi's killer move with a thin photo.

Now the governors of various places were in trouble, because the imperial edict was originally signed by Cixi under great pressure.

The logic of the imperial edict is: all officials are loyal to Guangxu. Guangxu is the emperor. The emperor was abducted. Yuan Shikai held the emperor hostage to force the princes to establish a new emperor. In order to avoid being forced, everyone is loyal to the new emperor.

But now Guangxu has clearly stood with Yuan Shikai. After a while, the photo will surely become known to the whole country. At this time, if the governors and governors-general in various places want to rise up against Yuan, they will have to consider the consequences of "regicide".

With Yuan Shikai's current strength, he could easily crush the Green Camp or the Qinwang Militia of the Qing army of the same number, and even a clash with the other four armies of Jiashen would not be a problem.

But the problem was that he had no navy, and Zeng and Li had unclear opinions. The new army under their command was also difficult to deal with, and it was impossible for Yuan Shikai to fight against many enemies alone.

At present, the first, second, third and third regiments of the Jiashen Right Army have been transported to the Sino-North Korean border, and they only need to wait for the arrival of logistics and weapons before they can cross the Yalu River.

"Send Tang Shaoyi to contact Li Hongzhang." Yuan Xiangcheng looked at the bickering in the meeting room and outlined his next plan. "Have him emphasize again that the purpose of this military expedition is to punish Empress Dowager Cixi. She is a disaster for the country and the people. If we let her go this time, will we have to wait until next time to pay compensation?"

Jin Bingshi was unaware of Yuan Xiangcheng's plans and asked with some concern, "Master Yuan... Chief Instructor, would Li Hongzhang agree so easily? For him to be able to leave the capital, he must have made many deals with Cixi."

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Yuan Xiangcheng pondered for a moment and said seriously, "That's why I said let Tang Shaoyi give it a try. After all, he is an old subordinate of Li Hongzhang. If we can send warships, it would be best if we don't send the army."

Yuan Shikai had previously received intelligence from the Red Search Department in Tianjin that Li Hongzhang had returned to Guangdong on the Zhiyuan, while the Dingyuan remained in Dagukou and was even on a sea patrol.

After Li Hongzhang arrived in Guangdong, he sent a fleet consisting of several cruisers and gunboats north.

There is no doubt that this was aimed at Yuan Shikai.

Cixi was afraid that Yuan Shikai's seaborne army would arrive in Tianjin and attack the capital directly, replicating the French tactics, so she ordered the Dingyuan to cruise in the Bohai Sea.

In addition to Li Hongzhang, Zeng Guoquan's newly formed Hunan Army had also transferred part of its troops to Shandong in the north and stationed them in the border area between Zhili and Shandong.

Yuan Xiangcheng was also very puzzled. What conditions did Cixi put forward to make her willing to let Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guoquan send troops to help?

After a moment of silence, Yuan Xiangcheng asked, "Huafu, Feng Guozhang's name, in the past two years, you first took charge of the Mixed Brigade and then were promoted to the Third Regiment. You are most familiar with the organization of the Jiashen Right Army.

Let me ask you, if we were to face the New Huai Army, the New Xiang Army, the Jiashen Army, and the four armies, plus the navy of the South China Sea Fleet, how confident would we be of victory?"

"The Huai and Xiang armies plus the Jiashen Fourth Army, and the navy?!" Feng Guozhang took a breath.

"Chief Instructor, I'm not trying to boost others' morale or diminish my own prestige. It's simply that our strengths are disproportionate. Regardless of the Xiang and Huai armies' advantage at sea, even against the infantry, we wouldn't have much of an advantage in terms of weapons."

Is that right?

Yuan Xiangcheng looked up at Feng Guojiuzhang. It seemed that he had not yet grasped the essence of modern warfare and was blindly using weapons and equipment as a benchmark to measure combat effectiveness.

But he still nodded, indicating that he understood.