Master Yuan, start!

It was not until the news of the assassination of Yuan Shikai and Emperor Guangxu came out that he suddenly recalled this memory.

Liangbi remembered that the people who walked out of that room later were all famous figures, including Bayan Nemuhu, the son of the Sangha King, Fu Yu, the son of Woren, and several Manchu nobles.

It was precisely because of the presence of so many Manchu and Mongolian nobles that Liangbi felt that what he heard was an illusion.

Could it be that the Manchus really took action?

Just when Liangbi was hesitating, a young student ran in hurriedly from outside with a newspaper in his hand.

"My fellow students, this is a big deal, a big deal!"

"What's the matter?" Liangbi asked loudly.

"Prince Zhuang, Prince Zhuang ran away!"

"What?" Liang Bi sat up suddenly in shock, swallowed hard and asked, "Why did he run away?"

"It's said that the assassin was connected to Prince Zhuang's mansion. When the National Defense Force went to investigate, they found only one person left in the mansion. Prince Zhuang had long since disappeared!"

"The emperor was assassinated and is unconscious, and the prince has fled for fear of punishment." Yan Huiqing murmured, "The Qing Dynasty is really about to change."

...

Not only the Chinese in the capital, but also the foreigners in the concessions were paying attention to the situation in the capital.

After the control was relaxed, the British quickly sent the news of Guangxu's assassination to London via telegram across the ocean.

The next day, The Times published a rare full page of news about China.

"In the summer of 1895, when the offensive in the south was raging and China was about to be unified, a notorious assassination occurred in Beijing.

This despicable assassination has brought the situation in China into a state of uncertainty. ” The Times, East Asia Special Edition

Chapter 258: Flags and bandits cannot coexist!

Prince Qing escaped at the wrong time, but he had to escape.

After Yuan Shikai received Yi Xin's order to "find out the enemy's situation", he began to arrest people in the capital.

Every day, every hour, there were bannermen who were labeled as "collaborators" and thrown into cells by people from the National Defense Army and the Infantry Commander's Office.

After investigating the lower-level bannermen, they began to investigate the bannermen’s captains, secretaries, and generals.

At one point, they even found the residences of Beizi, Beile and Iron-hatted Kings, causing panic among the people in the city.

Of the 100 million people in the capital, about 40 were bannermen.

In order not to attract attention, Yuan Shikai did not target Prince Qing's mansion right away. He used the excuse of searching for thieves to check every prince's mansion.

Prince Qing's Mansion was the last one left.

However, Yuan Xiangcheng did not expect that Prince Qing Zaixun was so guilty. After the national defense troops searched the second-to-last Shuncheng Prince's Mansion, he actually fled.

This actually saved Yuan Xiangcheng a lot of effort.

The news of Prince Zhuang's escape was soon delivered to the desk of Prince Chun Yixun in the Imperial Hospital.

Yuan Shikai used the excuse of investigating the Manchurian rebellion to send all the iron-hat princes into the palace and put them under the nose of Yi Xin, allowing the regent to question them personally.

Although they are called iron-hat kings, in fact most of them are already idle princes and do not hold real power. They often hold marginal positions such as Minister of Banquets, Minister of Archery Management, and Minister of Celebrations.

These people may have some prestige among the bannermen, but they generally have no chance to participate in important court affairs.

There were a total of 12 iron-hat princes in the Qing Dynasty. After Empress Dowager Cixi took power, there were only 5 princes who could truly hold power.

They are Prince Gong YiD, Prince Qing Yili, Prince Chun YiX, Prince Li Shiduo and Prince Zhuang Zaixun.

Three of them were conferred titles after Emperor Xianfeng's death.

Yi D was given the title of Prince Gong because he helped Cixi to kill the ministers of state.

Yi X, because his son was chosen as emperor, was given the title of Prince Chun;

There was also a man named Prince Qing Yili who was very pleasing to Empress Dowager Cixi and was granted the title of Prince.

After Cixi fled south, Prince Qing Yilie followed her south and was stripped of his title by Emperor Guangxu; now Prince Zhuang has fled again for fear of punishment.

In other words, of the 12 iron-hat kings, only 10 are left, and they are all hat kings with little real power.

Now they are all trembling in fear in the palace, relying on YiX's breath.

When the news of Guangxu's assassination spread, it caused an uproar among these princes. As the fact that Prince Zhuang had fled for fear of punishment was exposed, these people desperately confessed their true feelings to Yixuan, trying to distance themselves from the assassin.

Yi X was naturally extremely conflicted. He never expected that the mastermind behind the assassination was actually Prince Zhuang.

Is it just Prince Zhuang, or are there other iron-hat princes involved?

The kinship relationship passed down for hundreds of years made him unable to help but believe these people's self-proclaimed words; but the glaring truth told him that the princes of the Eight Banners also had second thoughts.

"Weiting, what do you think we should do?"

Yi X had a worried look on his face. He really didn't know what to do with the Eight Banners.

This is like the poor relatives who grew up together. Some of them had good relationships with each other and some had bad relationships with each other during their youth, but they were still relatives after all, and it wouldn't be that bad if they got too close.

After I became successful and had some money, all my relatives came to me and wanted to help find me a job. It would have been fine if they just came to help me, as I had a big family and a big business and could afford it. I could always arrange for cleaning, security, and logistical management.

But who would have thought that these relatives were not satisfied with just a job and also coveted the position of chairman.

"Your Highness, how many of the princes in the capital do you trust?" Yuan Xiangcheng asked in return, "How many of the Eight Banners in the capital can you trust?"

"I don't know. I don't dare gamble." Yi X hadn't gotten enough rest in the past few days. He forced himself to speak, "Tie Liang disobeyed the emperor's orders and is stalking the capital from the west. How dare I use the Eight Banners in the capital to defend it? If they attack from within, wouldn't that mean everything is lost?"

A strange situation has emerged inside and outside the capital.

This was supposed to be the Manchurian headquarters, but the defenders were all Han Chinese.

Even though the iron-hat princes tried their best to express their loyalty to Yi Xin, he still didn't dare to believe it. Tie Liang, who controlled a large army, was slow to respond to his loyalty, so Yi Xin ordered all the bannermen in the capital to stay indoors.

The security of the capital now depends entirely on the Han people in the National Defense Base and the Infantry Commander's Office.

"I have a plan." Yuan Xiangcheng said bluntly: "The capital is full of mixed people, and it is difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, but we cannot abandon all the Eight Banners. It is better to let them show their loyalty."

"Hit out a loyal one?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Yuan Xiangcheng said, "Anyone can express loyalty with words, but only those who fight the enemy with real swords and guns are the true Eight Banners!"

"Weiting, aren't you afraid of forcing them to rebel?" Yi X was filled with worry. He still felt that there were remnants of assassins among the Eight Banners in the capital. "If the Eight Banners in the capital start to rebel, how will it end?"

"end?"

Yuan Xiangcheng exhaled hot air from his nose: "Your Highness, the emperor has been unconscious, who will clean up the mess? Tie Liang's army is at his side, who will clean up the mess?

Those Eight Bannermen who dare not take up swords and spears to fight Tie Liang's army are accomplices of the traitors. There is no need to end it, just kill them all!"

Rumble!

The sky in the distance suddenly changed color, and then bursts of thunder were heard, followed by the sound of heavy rain.

The heavy rain is coming again.

"Hey..."

Yi X took a breath and finally agreed to Yuan Xiangcheng's request.

Compared with the Eight Banners whose identities are unknown, Yuan Xiangcheng is more trustworthy at this time, so just do as he says.

Eight Banners, it's time to show your loyalty.

...

The rain gradually stopped, but the ground was already covered with mud. Yuan Shikai stood on the high platform of the parade ground in the south garden of Beijing. He was rarely seen wearing the traditional cotton armor of the Eight Banners of the Zhenghuang Banner, and a pointed helmet on his head.

Looking at the group of bannermen from the capital who were called in, Yuan Xiangcheng roared:

"Everyone in the audience is a bannerman, a descendant of civil and military men who have made great contributions to the country. You should be loyal to the emperor and fight against rebellion.

However, just when I, Yuan Shikai, led the national defense army to fight for life and death with the Hunan rebels in Xuzhou, Huai'an and Anhui.

However, some people among the bannermen wanted to ruin the good situation and even dared to send people to assassinate the emperor and the minister who led the southern expedition in the street!

The Qing Dynasty's chance to unify the world was about to be realized, but now it was forced to stop and find the assassin's accomplices.

My fellow Bannermen, tell me, do you hate the assassins?"

"Hate! Hate! Hate!"

There was a roar that shook the sky in the parade ground. It was impossible not to hate him, otherwise he would become an accomplice of the assassin.

"Then tell me, are you an accomplice of the assassin?"

"No! No! No!"

"Good!" Yuan Xiangcheng shouted loudly:

"But whether you are an accomplice of the assassin is not up to me or you. It's the swords and guns in your hands that count!"

As soon as Yuan Xiangcheng finished speaking, hundreds of people carried baskets of weapons into the parade ground.

"Those who wish to save the Qing Empire, take up your weapons and follow me. Those who do not, are unworthy of the title of Bannerman!"

Yuan Xiangcheng ordered people to bring out several small cannons, and after lighting the fuses, they fired three consecutive shots.

"I declare that the Eight Banners Anti-Rebellion Army is hereby established! The warriors of the Eight Banners immediately take up their swords and spears and rush to Guangning Gate for reorganization!

Only through blood and fire can we be called the true Eight Banners!"

Kill each other!

The Eight Banners is an ancient organization that has existed for hundreds of years and has become extremely corrupt.

Among them are those who spend the whole day carrying bird cages, and those who are devoted to studying and want to serve the country. But no matter what their personal character is, they still have a sense of pride in the Qing Dynasty.

After all, this is the foundation established by their ancestors.

Now, in order to maintain the national pride inspired by Yuan Shikai, the Eight Banners chose to take up swords and guns, whether forced or voluntarily.

"Damn it, I am a real Eight Banners, not an accomplice of the assassin who wanted to assassinate the emperor!" Some people with bad tempers drew their weapons and rushed to Guangning Gate in the rain.

"I am also a real Eight Banners. I am not an accomplice of the assassins, but I have such small arms and legs. Can I ask Dai Beile for mercy and not go?" Some people were still afraid and did not dare to go to the battlefield.

"The Dai Beile is nothing. The Iron-hat Prince has been invited into the palace. What can he say?"

: He glanced at Yuan Xiangcheng on the stage, spat, and said angrily: "That's right, Xiao Chengzi, don't be a coward without balls, just do it, damn it, can you let a Han Chinese outdo you?"

As soon as Zaixun fled to Tieliang's army, he sent people to spread the news in the name of Prince Zhuang, saying that he was framed by thieves and did not assassinate Guangxu.

He also claimed that Guangxu was deceived, that the murderer was someone else, and that he was a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.