Master Yuan, start!

"Sir Liu, these are two of the Hunan Army's most formidable generals. Yet, you don't understand how to use these two."

"After Chen was arrested, no matter how we interrogated him, he refused to tell us where you had escaped to. He seemed to be refusing to cooperate." Yuan Xiangcheng looked at Chen with some regret.

"But Liu Guangjiu is different. After he settled you, he hurried to find the National Defense Army to surrender, and even claimed that he wanted to offer a big gift." Looking at Liu Guangjiu who was whimpering, Yuan Xiangcheng's eyes were full of disgust.

"It is clear at a glance who is loyal and who is treacherous."

Liu Kun's face was stiff, and it was obvious that he was irritated by Yuan Xiangcheng's words. He did not expect that Chen, whom he thought was disloyal, had now become a loyal general.

Liu Guangcai, the fellow countryman I had always relied on, turned out to be too weak.

"Kill him! The National Defense Force doesn't want such traitors!"

"Yes!"

When Liu Guangcai heard this, he kicked his legs and struggled hard, but it was useless. He was dragged into the night little by little.

8^-6 long.8+51

Soon, a bloody head was thrown into the house with a rag stuffed in its mouth.

After some treatment, Liu Kun lost his temper early on, but Chen on the other side had his chest heaving and his face flushed, and it was obvious that he felt that he had let out a sigh of relief.

Yuan Xiangcheng saw that the two of them had something in mind, and after pondering for a while, he said:

"Sir Liu, you and I are both Han Chinese. I am fighting with you not for the Qing court, but for the people of the world.

Now that Jiangning has fallen, the Hunan and Jiangxi areas to the west cannot be defended either. Do you want to watch war break out again in Hunan?

After all, this world belongs to the Han people, and the Manchus must never be allowed to rule it.

Hunan Army, should we be used as coolies after being captured, or should we surrender to the National Defense Army? You and Lord Chen Chen should consider this for a day and give me an answer tomorrow."

After saying that, Yuan Xiangcheng walked out of the room in the somewhat shocked eyes of Liu Kunyi and Chen.

Half of the country is in hand!

Chapter 278 Ming and Qing

In Nanjing Xiaoling Mausoleum, the sky is overcast in front of the mausoleum where Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma are buried together.

Although there was only one emperor buried in the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing during the entire Ming Dynasty, it has always been regarded as the ancestral home and is no less impressive than the "Thirteen Tombs" in Beijing, where 13 emperors are buried.

Whether it was the Ming Dynasty with its capital in Nanjing or the Ming Dynasty with its capital in Beijing, there were fixed sacrifices of varying sizes every year, and noble ministers were sent here to worship.

Even the Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the Xiaoling Mausoleum. After their southern tours, Kangxi and Qianlong, grandfather and grandson, would often go to pay homage in person and perform the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

Although it was a reluctant move to win over public opinion, it must be said that it was indeed done effectively. When the elders and folks in the south saw the emperor perform such a grand ceremony, "everyone was moved to tears", which eased the ethnic conflicts in the south of the Yangtze River to a certain extent.

However, after entering the Pass, for quite a long time, worshipping at the Xiaoling Mausoleum was the exclusive privilege of the Qing emperors and princes.

When to worship, how to worship, and who to send can only be decided by the higher authorities.

The right to define the previous dynasty was entirely in the hands of the Manchus headed by the emperor. Han ministers were only allowed to do things and not express their opinions.

After all, no one wants to be accused of "missing their homeland", so Han ministers are eager to avoid things like paying homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum for fear of getting into trouble.

Later, Han ministers were ordered to come and offer sacrifices, but the standards were greatly lowered.

By the end of its development, the worship of the Xiaoling Mausoleum had become a show and no longer had any practical significance. After the Qing emperors stabilized their rule, they never performed the worship ceremony again.

In the 100 years before Qianlong, Kangxi and Qianlong paid homage to the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum 11 times in total. In the 100 years after Qianlong, the emperors paid homage to it 0 times.

However, today, Xiaoling Mausoleum welcomed a rare group of Han people.

After the battle in Jiangning City had basically ceased, four Yuan Shikais, four Duan Qiruis, Xu Shichang, Zhang Jian, Sheng Liufei, Feng Guozhang, Yan Fu and others walked out of the city together and walked to the Xiaoling Mausoleum next to Zhongshan Mountain, intending to pay homage to Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Accompanying him were Liu Kunyi, who had just been captured, Chen, and a group of elders in Jiangning City.

The mountain breeze blew, and the dark clouds in the sky seemed to be getting closer and closer to the ground, as if a heavy rain was about to come.

The sun was blocked by clouds, and Xiaoling Mountain was cold and desolate.

"What a pity, Weiting." Zhang Jian looked at the bare hill in front of him and sighed, "The Xiaoling Mausoleum was not supposed to look like this."

"Shouldn't it look like this?" Yuan Xiangcheng asked doubtfully.

"During the Xianfeng period, the Taiping Army and the Hunan Army fought back and forth near Nanjing, destroying the landmark buildings of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum." Zhang Jian looked up and talked about the disaster that the Xiaoling Mausoleum had suffered.

"Many stone carvings of people and animals were destroyed, temples and palaces were burned down, and even the surrounding pines and cypresses were cut down and used as siege weapons."

"Hong Xiuquan has been dead for almost 30 years. Why hasn't anyone repaired the Xiaoling Mausoleum?"

"Repair? Humph, it's good enough that they didn't steal." Yan Fu, who was standing beside him, sneered, "After the fall of Tianjing, Zeng Guofan, who was appointed Governor-General of Liangjiang, requested an imperial decree to repair the Xiaoling Mausoleum in order to appease the people of Jiangnan.

But when he learned that a full restoration would cost 20 taels of silver, he simply gave up and used only 740 taels of silver to order people to glue the inscription "治隆唐宋" (Governance Long Tang Song) back on the stele.

Yan Fu has always advocated Western learning and is an upright person. He can't stand Zeng Guofan's clinging to the old Taoism. Today, he seized the opportunity to mock this great master of Confucianism with facts.

Is there such a history? Yuan Xiangcheng looked carefully at the huge stone tablet in front of him and found that there were indeed traces of splicing.

As expected of the diary writer Zeng the Barber, reputation is important, but money is more important, Yuan Xiangcheng thought to himself.

天京城里几百9万两银子都4抢了，却舍不8得重新修缮一2番孝陵4，最后只3是糊弄一番了3事。05

As they talked and walked, they arrived in front of the sacred road of the Xiaoling Mausoleum. Looking at the stairs that rose straight up, Yuan Xiangcheng couldn't help but feel dazzled.

"Master Hongwu, I'm here to see you!"

Under the gaze of everyone around him, Yuan Xiangcheng climbed the stairs, feeling the heaviness of more than 500 years of experience.

"Yuan, Yuan Zhongtang, should we ask for the imperial edict before we can perform the sacrifice?" asked an old man with a white beard behind Yuan Xiangcheng.

This old man was the sacrificial officer of the Xiaoling Mausoleum. Whenever officials were ordered to offer sacrifices, he would always be there to help with some ceremonial matters.

However, after the Hunan Army declared independence in disguise, he was left idle until the National Defense Army marched south and entered the city of Jiangning, where he was found again.

But it was obvious that the old man did not understand the situation clearly. He thought that Yuan Shikai and the Qing Dynasty were still of the same mind.

He thought that after the imperial army captured Jiangning City, he would regain his original status and be able to teach the imperial officials a lesson with the title of "sacrificial official".

Exchange 97 Wu ba74 [two 4

"Imperial edict?" Yuan Xiangcheng turned around and asked with a smile, "What imperial edict?"

"Historically, ministers who paid homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum would hold the imperial edict above their heads and ascend the steps of the sacred path step by step." The old man twirled his beard and explained:

"Yuan Zhongtang, this has been the custom of our dynasty for hundreds of years. It was also the same when Zeng Wenzheng paid homage to him."

The priest in front of him shook his head, not realizing that the expressions of the people around him had changed, and he didn't even notice that they were obviously taking half a step back.

Upon hearing these words, Yuan Xiangcheng felt his blood rushing up to his head, and he slowly retracted his steps that had already stepped onto the steps of the sacred road.

"Boom!"

There was a sudden clap of thunder, and in an instant, heavy rain fell from the sky, drenching everyone present.

Yuan Xiangcheng turned around and looked at the old priest, ignoring the rain that blocked his eyes. He asked in a deep but powerful voice, with sharp eyes:

"rule?"

"Tell me, as a Han Chinese, whose imperial edict do I need to offer sacrifices to the Han emperor?"

"This Yuan Zhongtang this"

At this time, the white-haired sacrificial official realized that Yuan Shikai seemed to be different from Zeng Guofan.

They were all generals who had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Zeng Guofan still had some respect for the imperial court. How could Yuan Zhongtang, who was appointed as the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs by the imperial court, have such a character?

Yuan Xiangcheng's momentum not only shocked the old man, but also the Hunan Army generals such as Liu Kunyi and Chen who followed him, as well as the elders in Jiangning City, were all stunned.

?9?6?67?9一025收?

Apart from the members of the Red Confucian Society, not many people knew what Yuan Shikai was really thinking about the Qing Dynasty, and no one thought that Yuan Shikai would say such "treasonous" words.

Among all the officials and civilians present, there are not many who are truly loyal to the Qing Dynasty, but you, Yuan Xiangcheng, are a popular figure in the court.

Yes, the Qing Dynasty does not have much majesty at the moment, but as the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, after all, it is still the imperial court.

Liu Kunyi and Chen looked sideways, wanting to see what was wrong with Yuan Xiangcheng that made him say that.

Who knew, seeing that the old sacrificial official did not respond, Yuan Xiangcheng did not ask any more questions. He walked up the stairs in the heavy rain and went to the Wenwu Gate above.

...

"The King of Jinling is full of energy, and Han'er has not yet lost.

On the day when the flowers of Xiaoling Mausoleum bloom, all the barbarians will be driven out of the world."

The next morning, this doggerel, which was said to have been chanted by Yuan Shikai when he paid homage to the Emperor Xiaoling, swept through Jiangning City at the speed of the wind and quickly spread to the north and south of the Yangtze River.

Chapter 279: Qing Cabinet Resolution

　In the Wenyuan Pavilion of the Forbidden City, the crowing of cocks pierced the silence of the night, coming from the imperial kitchen in the north.

The young eunuch yawned, looked up at the sky which was about to brighten, then lowered his head again and concentrated on the breakfast in his hand.

"Hold on tight, walk fast, and keep your arms steady!" The shrill, hoarse voice of the old eunuch who led the way sounded.

"The officials in the Grand Council are all waiting for their meal. If you are late, you will get into trouble!"

Military aircraft department?

The young eunuch looked up in confusion. Wasn't the name changed to "Responsibility Cabinet" a long time ago? Why was it still called the Grand Council? Was it wrong?

Of course, the little eunuch, who had little influence, did not dare to speak out to correct him. He could only lower his head again and walk towards Wenyuan Pavilion in the dim light of early morning.

The young eunuch was smart and knew how to ask questions. He knew that after the establishment of the responsible cabinet, Wenyuan Pavilion became the office address of the responsible cabinet of the Qing Dynasty.

Originally, there was a cabinet office in the Forbidden City, which was called the "Cabinet Lobby". After entering from the Meridian Gate in the south, turn right and walk a few hundred steps to reach it.

However, after the establishment of the responsible cabinet, the regent Yixun felt that the original cabinet address was far away from the Imperial Hospital, making it inconvenient for cabinet ministers to travel back and forth.

As for why the cabinet ministers wanted to go to the Imperial Medical Service, we have to talk about Yi X's thoughts.

In order to highlight Guangxu's uniqueness and orthodoxy, Yixuan required the ministers of the cabinet to go to see Guangxu after finishing their daily meetings.

Therefore, the office address of the "Responsible Cabinet" was moved several hundred meters north, from a location near the south wall of the Forbidden City to the Wenyuan Pavilion in the middle.

After the cabinet ministers finished their meeting, they walked two steps north to the Imperial Medical Service. After paying their respects to Emperor Guangxu, they could leave the palace through the Donghua Gate without having to go back and forth and waste time.

But the situation today is slightly different.

All the cabinet ministers have not come out since they entered Wenyuan Pavilion last night. Not only did they all stay overnight in the palace, which was a rare move, they even planned to have breakfast in the palace.

This is really strange, the young eunuch muttered to himself as he walked.

"Your Highness, today's breakfast is here. It includes your favorite snacks: seafood porridge and tea eggs."