Master Yuan, start!

The old eunuch serving the meal sounded flattering, greeting the solemn-looking Regent Yi X and the "Prime Minister of the Cabinet" Yi D.

Hearing this, the young eunuch suddenly came to his senses. He had arrived there unknowingly.

"I understand. Put down your breakfast and go downstairs." Yi D waved his hand.

"!"

Upon hearing this, the eunuchs brought the porridge in their hands to the table in front of each person, then bowed their heads and retreated.

"How could Yuan Xiangcheng be so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter and so arrogant because of his favor?" Yi X looked at the seafood porridge in front of him, but he had no intention of eating it.

"Taking Jiangning was a great achievement, and the court would certainly reward him. Why...why...why didn't he ask for permission before going to pay homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum?"

After autumn, the north always gets colder than the south. As the weather changes, YiX's cough symptoms become more and more severe.

Although the news of Yuan Shikai paying homage to the Mausoleum of Emperor Xiaoling had reached Beijing, it was all folk rumors. Officially, Yuan Shikai never reported it and pretended that it had never happened.

Therefore, in the absence of definite news, Yi X still had some face for Yuan Xiangcheng in his heart.

"I think he has ulterior motives and doesn't take the court seriously at all!" Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yi D was not polite and fired directly.

"He didn't ask for permission, didn't receive any calls, and was extremely domineering. He treated the Central Government, the Regent, and the responsible cabinet as nothing!

The King of Jinling is full of energy and the Han people have not yet lost.

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

Listen, everyone, listen, what does this poem mean?

I think Yuan Shikai is envious of those vassal states in the south and wants to be a local emperor and have a taste of what it's like!

Yi D had been implicated in the assassination of Prince Zhuang, but because he was clever, he knew that Prince Zhuang would not be able to accomplish anything great, so he did not get involved.

However, he is a person who puts the interests of the Eight Banners above all else.

At the beginning of the Westernization Movement, when the capital was preparing to establish the Tongwenguan, he proposed to "recruit all the children of bannermen to the academy to take charge of all matters related to Westernization."

If the Bannermen were not so useless that there were only a few who could read, and if they had not finally been forced to allow Han Chinese to attend school, I'm afraid the Westernization Movement would not have been possible.

After returning to the center in this time and space, he saw the heavy casualties suffered by the Eight Banners in and outside the capital, and his desire to protect the Eight Banners became even stronger.

"No, Sixth Brother Yi D, that's wrong!"

As soon as Yi D finished speaking, Prince Li, who was also a prince of the imperial clan, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Shi Duo shook their heads in disapproval.

"Sixth brother, now that the rebellion in Jiangnan has been quelled and the people of the world are at peace, how do you know this doggerel wasn't spread by a traitor to sow discord between the ruler and his subjects?

If we label the National Defense Army as a rebel army, wouldn't that just fulfill the wishes of the governors-general in Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and the Northwest?

"Besides, didn't Zeng Guofan also pay homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum back then? Even more disrespectful things were said about him. You didn't react like this back then."

Shi Duo's words were undoubtedly heartbreaking, implicitly pointing out that Yuan Xiangcheng was not Yi D's man, which was why Yi D targeted him so.

At that time, there was a rumor in the capital that after the capture of Tianjing, the Hunan Army found Hong Xiuquan's crown and asked Zeng Guofan to put it on and sit on the dragon throne in the Heavenly King's Palace.

There are even rumors that Zeng Guoquan shouted the slogan "Big brother, please ascend the throne."

But in the end, didn’t the Zeng brothers still get titles and official positions and rule over the Liangjiang region?

The Empress Dowager Cixi at that time was quite disgusted with Zeng Guoquan's arrogance. Wasn't it you, the "leading military minister and Prince Gong YiD" at that time who saved him?

Shi Duo had been tied to Yuan Shikai's boat by the interests of the people, and had no choice but to speak for him.

Although the rumors about Yuan Xiangcheng in Jiangning City were credible, Shi Duo couldn't believe them. Otherwise, the one million taels of silver in his family would be lost!

"Shiduo, are you blaming me for making a fuss out of nothing?" Yi D's face changed, and he immediately questioned: "The National Defense Army is said to have 20 troops, but the actual number of elite soldiers is over 10.

The Eight Banners Imperial Army, the New Army, and the Anti-Rebel Army that were supposed to protect the capital had become hollow shells due to the three rebellions within and outside the country, and were completely unable to defend the capital.

"The National Defense Army has been invincible since its founding. If Yuan Shikai has second thoughts, tell me, will the Qing Dynasty be named after the Aisin-Gioro clan or the Yuan dynasty in the future?!"

It was a rare thing that two princes of the Aisin-Gioro family quarreled in the cabinet.

In other words, the current regent is soft-hearted. If it were the previous emperors, they would probably be punished for roaring in front of the emperor, and would start with a salary deduction, and it would not be uncommon for them to be imprisoned for a few years.

"My two princes, how about this?" Minister of Finance Weng Tong bowed and said, "The court should not judge people based on hearsay or personal thoughts, but should rely on solid evidence.

But Yuan Xiangcheng's status and national defense army are really important. In my opinion, it is better to divide and conquer them."

"Divide and rule, cough cough," the Regent Prince Yi X, who had been frowning and silent, suddenly spoke.

"How do you divide and conquer?"

"Follow the old rules of Xiang and Huai!" Weng Tong twirled his beard and said calmly, "Since we have conquered Liangjiang, let Duan Qirui, the hero who conquered Liangjiang, stay here. Duan Qirui is also from Hefei, Anhui.

Then put all the people like Niu, Lang and others in the National Defense Army in the newly returned area of ​​Jiangnan.

As for Yuan Xiangcheng, didn't Yiktang'a say that the Russian army was gathering north of Heilongjiang? It would be better to let him return to his position as Governor of the Three Northeastern Provinces.

"Mobilizing troops isn't a problem, and neither is rewarding Duan Qirui and the others." Yi X glanced at the crowd and said worriedly, "But what about Yuan Shikai? What if he starts making a scene?"

"Your Highness, the entire nation's power is in the hands of one man. This is an ironclad fact." Weng Tong sighed, "Now, no matter what the court does, it's a gamble. What they're gambling on is Yuan Xiangcheng's loyalty."

"To let the world know that the imperial court does not mistreat its meritorious officials, I propose that the Governor-General of the Three Eastern Provinces be changed to the Governor-General of the Four Eastern Provinces, with East Korea as the fourth province."

"In this way, can it really be 9..ba" YiX2 started coughing violently again. He wanted to say a few more words, but looking at the yellow silk handkerchief with blood in his hand, he stood up calmly.

"That's it. I'm going to see the Emperor. According to the plan just now, you can come up with a set of rules and submit them to me."

"According to the order."

All the cabinet ministers knelt down and kowtowed to see the Regent off.

Faced with Yuan Shikai's sudden "fangs", some people within the Qing Dynasty felt betrayed, some chose to confront head-on, some were bribed by money, and some stood up to act as paperhangers.

When the sky cleared up, Yi X got off the imperial rickshaw and walked into the Imperial Hospital with a slight stumble.

Emperor Guangxu, who should have been the highest decision-maker in this country, was lying quietly on his sickbed at this moment, unaware that the Qing Dynasty had fallen into earth-shaking changes.

Where will history go next?

Chapter 280: Building Momentum for Rebellion

After paying homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum, Yuan Shikai rushed to Shanghai without stopping, intending to set foot on this most talked-about land in modern Chinese history again to learn about an old story.

After the National Defense Army captured Jiangning, the areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang basically surrendered.

The defenders in the plain areas such as Zhenjiang, Suzhou, Jiaxing, and Hangzhou had no fighting spirit. When they saw the flag of the National Defense Army from afar on the city wall, they took the initiative to leave the city and surrender.

It can be said that the National Defense Army took over the fertile land of Jiangnan without any effort.

Looking around, only Jiangxi, southern Zhejiang and other places were left. Due to the long distance, high mountains and bad water, the army's supply was delayed and the logistical pressure increased. It was impossible to reach them for a while, so there were still remaining troops resisting stubbornly.

The situation in Jiangnan changed suddenly.

Therefore, in this battle, the National Defense Army can be said to have won a great victory, which made the people in the south of the Yangtze River look at it with surprise.

When they heard that Yuan Shikai would go to Shanghai immediately after paying homage to the Mausoleum of Emperor Xiaoling, people from all walks of life in Shanghai hoped that Mr. Yuan would bring new developments.

Those who are loyal to the Qing Dynasty hope that Mr. Yuan can wipe out the remnants and clear up Shanghai.

Those who devoted themselves to the Westernization Movement hoped that Mr. Yuan would implement new policies outside the Great Wall in Shanghai as well.

Those who intended to raise the banner of anti-Manchuism praised Mr. Yuan for paying homage to the Mausoleum of Emperor Xiaoling, and openly declared that Mr. Yuan was the only one who could oppose the Manchus and uphold the Han people!

Amid the undercurrents surging in all walks of life in Shanghai, Yuan Shikai set off.

He took a train on this trip. The Ning-Shanghai Railway had already begun construction when Zeng Guoquan was the Governor-General of Liangjiang. After Liu Kunyi proclaimed himself the Governor-General of Jiangnan, the railway was officially opened to traffic.

The railway was built from Jiangning, and went east through Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, and Taicang to Shanghai Nanxiang Station. It is basically the same as the later Ning-Shanghai Railway, but it was launched more than 10 years earlier.

Feilu Extraction County 9667*9023

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The train arrived at the station with a beep, and the steam dragon stopped next to the platform of Nanxiang Station, spewing thick smoke.

Yuan Xiangcheng took the lead in walking out of the carriage, followed closely by Zhang Jian, Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, Yan Fu and others with solemn expressions.

After several leaders came out, more entourage members came out of the train carriage. They were still wearing blue military uniforms, but they all had white cuffs tied on their shoulders.

The soldiers filed out, and the last few dozen people each held a tablet in their hands.

Yuan Shikai intended to give an explanation to the people who died in the French Concession Park Massacre, and to fight for the 400 million Chinese people!

However, the crowd that welcomed Yuan Shikai did not know this. They raised various flags to express their warm welcome to the National Defense Army and Mr. Yuan.

There are traditional Chinese styles of holding umbrellas, waving flags, and putting up signs; there are also Western styles of posting slogans and hanging banners.

"Hundreds of millions of people in Jiangnan are eagerly awaiting the royal army!"

"Welcome Yuan Zhongtang to Shanghai!"

The station was bustling with activity.

Regardless of whether these people had assisted Liu Kunyi before, at this moment, they all vied to express their admiration for the National Defense Army and Lord Yuan.

In order to welcome Mr. Yuan and the National Defense Army, Shanghai local officials, gentry, wealthy businessmen, scholars and common people, and foreign envoys all crowded into the small Nanxiang Station, wanting to catch a glimpse of this person who is now the most famous person in the world.

However, after Yuan Xiangcheng walked out of the carriage, he did not talk much with these people. He just exchanged greetings for a moment and then led a group of national defense troops out of the station one after another.

The gentry and common people who came to greet them were confused and could only follow Yuan Xiangcheng and his entourage as they walked out step by step.

Dozens of wooden plaques symbolizing the spirit tablets were held tightly in the hands of the National Defense Army soldiers. Under the gaze of people from all walks of life in Shanghai, Yuan Shikai led the funeral procession and marched towards the French Concession.

Although Yuan Shikai headed straight for the French Concession as soon as he got off the car, he was very conspicuous with his large group of people, and he had to walk, which really took him a lot of time.

The new French Consul in Shanghai, Jasna, received intelligence early in the morning and took his men to guard the entrance to the French Concession.

At the signal of Consul Jasna, the French Concession soldiers still gritted their teeth and stretched out their right hands to step forward to stop them.

"Stop!"

After the soldier finished speaking, the French Consul Jasna added another sentence.

"This is French government territory. Unauthorized armed forces are not allowed to enter!"

Before Yuan Xiangcheng could reply, the representatives from all walks of life in Shanghai and the gentry and common people who followed him were all stunned when they saw this scene.

Huh? What is Master Yuan going to do?

Although the French were watched by the British and did not directly participate in the Battle of Jiangning, this does not mean that the French have no temper.

Now you are leading your troops into the French Concession. Isn't this a naked provocation?

Do we really have to fight another war with the foreigners?

"French territory?" Yuan Xiangcheng asked in a low voice, "Who told you that?"