Chapter 43 The Emperor and Athens

"Why not eradicate the root cause and keep the people around Zhu Tao and Wu Beinian?" Imperial Prime Minister Wen Yizheng asked in a gloomy tone in Liu Yun's study room in the Duke's Palace of Wuwei.

Liu Yun shrugged: "After checking, the people around them have little to do with Ding Jieyun's conspiracy. They can't randomly kill irrelevant people."

Wen Yi flipped his top hat in his hand: "Since you have decided to kill Zhu Tao and Wu Bainian, why not execute them in a legitimate and fair way? Didn't you find evidence?"

"Wu Bainian is a high-ranking official in charge of local military power. If he is formally executed, it will cause panic among other military officials and will be very detrimental to us."

Wen Yi stared at Liu Yun: "What about Zhu Tao?"

"Don't ask questions knowingly."

"Private emotions? Do you know what you are doing? Political struggles cannot be accompanied by personal emotions. If we were affected by emotional factors from the beginning, we would have died ten thousand times."

"I know."

"you do not know."

"I said I know, can Zhu Tao be considered a special case? The person is dead and the matter has passed. There is no need to pursue anything further."

Wen Yi shook his head and spread his hands: "Sooner or later, you will be killed by yourself."

Liu Yun sighed: "I know you are thinking about me, and I have my own sense of proportion. Do you know? Three generals have already asked to retire early, and two more want to be transferred to military academies."

"Are you frightened by the purge? Who are they?"

"Wu Dingguo, commander of the Northwest Military Region, Zhang Yiye, commander of the Fourth Imperial Guard Division, and Liang Tianhe, commander of the Fifth Imperial Guard Division, requested early retirement. Gu Yingyang, director of the General Staff Training Division, and Deng Jian, commander of the First Infantry Corps, proposed to go

Teach in a military academy.”

"you mean?"

"Of course not. Now is the time to win over people's hearts. How can we casually agree to their requests? Besides, during Ding Jieyun's rebellion, he lost eight generals at once. The loss was too great. The vacancy they left was exactly what they needed to find someone to fill.

To make up for it, I not only have to appease everyone, but also promote and appoint people one by one to calm the atmosphere of terror."

Wen Yi nodded: "I can't completely agree, but we should treat it differently. If you have no intention of continuing, it would be more reassuring to give them what they deserve as soon as possible and let them live the life they like.

, if you insist on staying, it will not be easy to eliminate the atmosphere of terror... In short, let them go and stay of their own free will."

Liu Yun glanced at the ceiling: "If these five people also withdraw from the front line, then there will be few people in my hands who can be used with confidence."

"Isn't there someone new who can be used?"

"Communication with the ancients is always difficult."

Wen Yi smiled coldly: "What you need are chess pieces, not potential opponents. You forgot about Ding Jieyun so quickly."

Liu Yun felt a little unhappy in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He twisted his neck habitually, and with the "click" sound of bones rubbing, he uttered three words: "We'll see."

Wen Yi drank half a glass of boiled water in one breath and said with a smile: "The little emperor is going to grant you the rank of marshal, and then give me the title of duke. We are at the height of our success."

Liu Yun said with a smile: "Yes, we have to thank the inventor of the time machine for bringing us to this point, but I don't know if we can see our dream fully realized in our lifetime."

"I don't know either," Wen Yi said honestly. "With my ability, I can only plan a development strategy for five to ten years at most, and I don't have complete confidence to ensure its completion. I can't predict the future.

All kinds of accidents. We have created a brand new branch of history, and everything that will happen after that will definitely be very different from the historical accounts we saw in that era. We not only have to ensure that our empire can not be defeated in an era when the law of the jungle determines everything.

To collapse, but also to let it move towards the glorious path of our dreams, a prosperous, strong, democratic and capable Chinese empire that can compete with the great powers, is our whole dream, right?"

"That's right, you create a democratic empire, and I create an iron-blooded army. Our division of labor has been decided long ago."

"However, we cannot make the military a danger to democracy."

"It depends on whether your empire can create a system for effective control of the army. That is your business. I don't understand government affairs, but I know military affairs. If I don't sit in your seat, you can't sit in mine. We each

To perform one's duties, this has been decided a long time ago."

"As long as we work together, there is nothing we can't do."

"nonsense."

Wen Yi smiled and said: "Okay, I won't talk nonsense anymore, I still have things to be busy with."

"Just leaving?"

"It is late."

"I'll ask my servant to take you there."

"Okay... By the way, Liu Yun." Wen Yi suddenly looked back at Liu Yun worriedly.

"What?"

"I heard that your child is in the same school as Zhu Tao's child..."

"Any questions?"

"Do you want this to continue?"

"I don't know, I guess. My wife still often interacts with the wife of the Zhu family. I don't think there is anything wrong with this. Zhu Tao's crime does not actually lead to execution, but it is impossible not to give some punishment. Instead of letting it go

He lost his position and honor, went to prison, and brought long-term pain to his family. It would be better to deal with it in a secret way, and then frame it for Ding Jieyun's remaining gang members to preserve his reputation and make his family feel better from now on..."

Wen Yi smiled bitterly and said, "I think you are burying a time bomb."

"I'm worried that the drama of revenge for my father will be staged."

"almost."

"Don't worry, no one will know. The files of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion and the Eagle and Wolf Team will be destroyed regularly, and everything will become an eternal 'mystery'."

"I hope so..." Wen Yi sighed softly and stepped out of the low threshold of the study room.

Liu Yun escorted Wen Yi to the vestibule. After waving goodbye, Liu Yun felt a very strange feeling in his heart. It seemed that he and Wen Yi were strangers meeting for the first time. In fact, they had been classmates from elementary school to high school.

, and, even after getting married and starting a business, they have always maintained close contact... Liu Yun shook his head, trying to push this ominous feeling out of his brain.

"Think of something serious." Liu Yun said to himself and walked directly to the bedroom.

Madam Chun'er was reading a book under the lamp. When she heard the door open, she hurriedly greeted her: "Master, are you done?"

"Yes." Liu Yun reached out to unbutton the collar of his military uniform. Chun'er came over to help and took off his coat for him.

"Did you go to Zhu's house again today?" Liu Yun sat down on the chair, took a sip of the herbal tea handed over by Chun'er.

"Yes, Mrs. Zhu has recovered a little, but she is still a little weak. The children are confused and don't know what happened. They just assume that their father is busy with military affairs in other places, and they don't know how they have grown up.

What will happen? It’s really pitiful..."

Liu Yun nodded lightly: "Has the pension been paid? I asked the emperor to specially approve it. The children will receive the pension until they are eighteen years old, and the adults will receive the monthly pension, which will be paid throughout their lives..."

"The pensions were paid in full and on time, and with the help of colleagues, the Zhu family resigned a few servants to care for the home. It didn't have much impact. However, I heard from Mrs. Zhu that she wanted to move out of Military Street to a quieter place.

I guess I want to go to Xiangshan."

"I advise him not to go so far away. There are so many colleagues of Zhu Tao here in Military Street, so it's easy to take care of each other."

"I've also tried to persuade her, but she seems reluctant to stay. It might hurt someone..."

Liu Yun sighed with complicated emotions: "Let's do this. I will go with you to persuade her another day."

"Sir, you are truly a bodhisattva with a heart..."

Liu Yun smiled bitterly, not knowing how to answer.

On May 25, 1896, the second week after Ding Jieyun's rebellion was quelled, the imperial world experienced a large-scale personnel change. The wide range of personnel involved and the magnitude of the change were unprecedented. However,

But it is also speculated by many domestic and foreign media that after the suppression of the rebellion, there will inevitably be major personnel changes.

According to information published by the official newspaper "Imperial Daily News" on May 26, the Army General Headquarters and the General Staff jointly made changes to the positions of 13 generals, and the emperor and the imperial prime minister ordered the promotion of 15 generals, and

Six new generals have been promoted. The specific position changes and promotions are as follows:

General Liu Yun, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, was awarded the title of Marshal and added the Marshal's Scepter;

Lieutenant General Wang Zhijun, dean of the Imperial War College and president of the Imperial Army University, was awarded the rank of general;

Army Lieutenant General Zhong Xiahuo, former commander of the Northeast Military Region, was appointed commander of the Imperial Guards and awarded the rank of general;

Lieutenant General Yang Zhengjin, the former commander of the Reserve Army, was appointed commander of the Northeast Military Region and awarded the rank of general;

Army Lieutenant General Deng Jian, former commander of the First Infantry Army, was promoted to commander of the Reserve Army and awarded the rank of general;

Major General Zhang Yiye, former commander of the Fourth Imperial Guard Division, was promoted to commander of the First Infantry Corps and awarded the rank of lieutenant general;

Army Lieutenant General Hu Ke, the former commander of the Zhili Military Region, was appointed as the director of the General Staff Operations Division and was awarded the rank of general;

Army Lieutenant General Zuo Baobao, former commander of the Second Infantry Army, was promoted to commander of the Zhili Military Region and awarded the rank of general;

Army Lieutenant General Ma Chengwu, the former Director of the General Staff Logistics Department, was appointed Director of the General Staff Intelligence Department and was awarded the title of General;

Army Lieutenant General Wu Dingguo, former commander of the Northwest Military Region, was appointed director of the Logistics Division of the General Staff and was awarded the rank of general;

Former Army Major General Zhang Yao, former commander of the Mongolian Special Military Region, was appointed commander of the Northwest Military Region and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general;

Army Lieutenant General Liu Bailiang, former commander of the East China Military Region, was appointed commander of the South China Military Region and awarded the rank of general;

Army Lieutenant General Nie Shicheng, former commander of the Southwest Military Region, was appointed commander of the East China Military Region and awarded the rank of general;

Army Lieutenant General Gu Yingyang, former director of the General Staff Training Division, was appointed commander of the Southwest Military Region and awarded the rank of general;

Army Major General Liang Tianhe, former commander of the Fifth Imperial Guard Division, was promoted to director of the General Staff Training Division and awarded the rank of lieutenant general;

The former commander of the Imperial Guards Cavalry Brigade Xianglan Army Colonel was promoted to commander of the Mongolian Special Military Region and promoted to the rank of major general;

Army Colonel Zhao Minhe, former commander of the 5th Guards Brigade, was promoted to commander of the 1st Guards Division and promoted to the rank of major general;

Army Colonel Chen Xingyun, former commander of the 7th Guards Brigade, was promoted to commander of the 2nd Guards Division and promoted to the rank of major general;

Marine Colonel Shen Xingyi, former commander of the 1st Marine Brigade, was transferred to the Army, promoted to commander of the 3rd Guards Division, and promoted to the rank of major general;

Colonel Hu Jingfeng, former commander of the mixed artillery brigade of the Imperial Guard, was promoted to commander of the Fourth Imperial Guard Division and promoted to the rank of major general;

Colonel Xiao Lieri, former commander of the 1st Guards Brigade, was promoted to commander of the 5th Guards Division and promoted to the rank of major general.

Among this long list, the most noteworthy ones are the six young major generals in their thirties. Although they were all heroes of the Sino-Japanese War, if they were to be promoted so quickly in peacetime, they would naturally have to borrow

In the name of meritorious service in countering the rebellion, it can be said that the bones of Ding Jieyun and others made these six people's path to generalship possible.

In 1896, time could not care about the many disturbances in this world and still moved forward on its own. On June 1 of that year, Emperor Guangxing of the Chinese Empire received a letter from Athens, Greece, inviting the Chinese Empire to send a delegation to participate in the event that year.

The first Olympic Games of All Nations was held in September, and the emperor of the Chinese Empire was asked to condescend to attend.

"What's going on at the Olympics?" The emperor asked Wen Yi.

While Wen Yi was cursing the Olympic Committee in his heart for holding on after eating too much, he explained the whole story of the Olympic Games to the emperor in detail. Seeing the increasing interest on the emperor's face, Wen Yi felt that something was wrong.

"Since I took office, I have read many books about Europe and the West. I have also met many foreigners and seen many Western equipment and warships. However, I have never personally experienced the Western humanistic scene. I have met with the monarchs and prime ministers of contemporary countries. I feel that it is not enough. Now I use the Olympic Games

As a matter of fact, Zhen is planning to travel to Western Europe. What do you think of it?"

"This... the emperor's body of thousands of gold and the body of the country must not be touched lightly. Diplomatic matters can be handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs..."

"Peter the Great of country E traveled to several countries, went to shipyards to learn shipbuilding methods, and entered workshops to explore smelting techniques. Only then did he broaden his horizons, understand the strengths of others, overcome the shortcomings of his own country, and become a famous leader in Europe. Now I am about to

With the great reform and the prosperity of the country and the military, how can we stick to the ancient laws and create a cocoon for ourselves?"

Seeing that the emperor was resolute, Wen Yi could not stop him head-on, so he had to reply: "Your Majesty is wise, and I should plan carefully, but time is tight. It takes about two months to drive from Beijing to Athens by sea, and the journey is bumpy.

, I’m afraid it will hinder the dragon’s body.”

"I have inspected the navy many times, and I have long been accustomed to life on board. Please hurry up and take care of it. When I am not in the capital, I rely on you to take care of everything. Don't slack off on government affairs."

"I obey the decree."

Wen Yi left the palace and immediately rushed to the General Staff to find Liu Yun - he still wanted to reach as much agreement as possible with Liu Yun on key issues.

As soon as Wen Yi entered the office of the Chief of General Staff, he shouted to Liu Yun: "The emperor wants to go to Europe, and the Olympic Committee invites him to go."

Liu Yun waved his hand and motioned for him to sit down: "Then let him go."

"It will expand his influence."

Liu Yun shook his head with a smile and patted his officer's hat: "As long as the military power is in our hands, there is nothing to worry about."

"However, if he is allowed to see the situation in which the European continental monarchs hold great power, it may make the emperor dissatisfied with our system."

Liu Yun threw a cigarette to Wen Yi: "Didn't you say that? If he is not willing to be restrained, let him withdraw from the stage of history."

"It is best to maintain the current situation, at least within ten years. We need time."

"Let him go. If you don't let him out, he will doubt you, then hate you, then plot against you, and one day he will find someone to kill you."

"So, you don't have to worry about the changes in the emperor's thoughts?"

Liu Yun handed over the lighter: "If he dares to challenge us, let him step down and replace him with someone more obedient as the emperor. There are too many members in the royal family, so just grab anyone who is incompetent."

Wen Yi lit up the cigarette and blew out a cloud of vague mist: "But even if he is allowed to go, he should find some suitable people to accompany him."

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Under-Secretary are indispensable. The Guards must also send some people. You can choose one of the several division commanders of the Guards. The Navy must send a escort formation to practice ocean navigation. You can choose from various

It would be no problem for Liu Buchan to choose one of the commanders of the fleet. In addition, he would bring a few industrial and commercial experts and representatives to discuss trade issues with various countries, and send several technical officers to inspect and accept the warships built by Germany and the United Kingdom.

Probably, that’s it.”

"The emperor is in a hurry and must make plans quickly."

"Then let's hold a cabinet meeting to discuss it as soon as possible. I will also make preparations at the same time."

"Well, I'll do it right away. By the way," Wen Yi suddenly remembered something, "Do you still remember in which month the Olympic Games were held in our time?"

"I don't remember. I've never been interested in boring competitions."

"Why do I think it makes no sense to hold the Olympics in September?"

"Don't worry about it, go and hold your cabinet meeting. It's more important to make the little emperor happy."

"I know." When Wen Yi walked out of the General Staff Office Building, he inadvertently looked up at the sky and found that in the clear blue sky, there was only a white and gray cloud floating above his head, which was blown into a large ball by the wind.

, floating lightly, a very refreshing feeling.

"My emperor, don't do boring things, otherwise I will make you unable to see the sky." Wen Yi lowered his head and said very relaxedly in his heart.

The next day, after the cabinet meeting, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhigao took Wen Yi's arm and pulled him aside, saying softly: "I'm asking you to do something."

"Boy, don't do this with the Prime Minister."

"I beg you."

"I think I want to take Ronaldinho to Europe too."

Zhang Zhigao immediately said with tears in his eyes: "Prime Minister, you are so great."

Wen Yi deliberately made a serious face: "I won't do it for personal gain. It's the emperor who wants to travel to Europe, not your honeymoon trip."

"It's also official business for Su Lan to inspect the education situation in Europe."

"Do you think we, the people, still need to examine the educational situation in Europe in the nineteenth century?"

"I think it is necessary to absorb the desirable parts of it. After all, we cannot copy the education system of our time into the 19th century world."

"That makes sense. Did Ronaldinho teach you this?"

Zhang Zhigao held Wen Yi's shoulders: "Don't tell her that I begged you. She still doesn't want to go to Europe with me."

"But I can't see how sincere you are."

"How many European famous antique paintings should I bring to you?"

"No, a few ancient books are enough."

"What about me?"

"I'll think about it, that's it."

"Thank you, Prime Minister..."

"By the way, if you go to Europe, remember to go to the Alps. It depends on your ability. If you can coax the emperor to go there, you and your wife can also go there for romance. The Alps are very suitable.

Newlyweds."

"How do you know?"

"I know this from geographical magazines. I won't talk nonsense to you. You can decide what to do when the time comes. The emperor likes new things, so let him try more. And don't let him have too much contact with the monarchs of various countries. Do you understand?

"

"No problem, I will definitely follow the Prime Minister's instructions."

"I didn't tell you anything, just be smart, that's all." Wen Yi said this and walked away without looking back. Behind him, Zhang Zhigao was already grinning from ear to ear.

On June 10, Emperor Guangxing of the Great Chinese Empire drove from the capital to Tianjin. He was escorted by the First Brigade of the Imperial Guard and the Cavalry Brigade of the Imperial Guard. The accompanying civilian officials included the Foreign Minister, Earl Zeng Jize, and the Under-Secretary of the Foreign Minister, Baron Zhang Zhigao.

, Undersecretary of the Minister of Culture and Education, Baroness Russell Lan, etc., and the accompanying military attachés include Major General Zhao Minhe, Commander of the First Guards Division, Major General Wang Meng, Deputy Director of the Intelligence Department of the General Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Fuwu, Imperial Guardsman, etc., as well as Imperial Prime Minister Wen Yi, Internal Affairs

Minister Weng Tonghe, Minister of National Defense Zhang Zhidong, Minister of Transport Chen Baoyan and Chief of the General Staff of the Imperial Armed Forces Marshal Liu Yun accompanied him to the port.

At Dagukou, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Liu Buchan, personally led the main force of the Zhenyang Fleet to greet him. There were a total of four battleships, sixteen cruisers, and eight fleet destroyers. The dragon flag was flying on the top of the mast, and colorful flags were flying from the bow to the stern.

In response, all the soldiers shouted the slogans "Long Live the Emperor" and "Long Live the Empire" as they welcomed the Emperor's ship out of the harbor.

For the sake of the emperor's health, the emperor's ship for this trip to Europe is arranged to be the "Fubo" luxury cruise ship. This ship was completed in 1894 by Jiangnan Heavy Industry's shipyard in Shanghai. It has a standard displacement of 5,800 tons and a maximum speed of 5,800 tons.

Fifteen knots, an economic speed of 12 knots, and a coaling range of 4,800 nautical miles at 12 knots. It was once used as a liner from Tianjin to Tokyo. Due to the high fares, it usually only carried government officials and wealthy businessmen and gentlemen. This ship

The luxuriously decorated cruise ship with complete service facilities was naturally much more comfortable than any warship. Therefore, in addition to the emperor himself and his servants and guards, almost all the accompanying civil and military officials were crowded onto the ship, resulting in a serious shortage of cabin space.

Some lower-ranking officials had to squeeze two or three people into a single room. Among them, Zhang Zhigao and Russell Lan carried forward their noble spirit-they gave up the luxury suites they were assigned to six lower-ranking officials, and the two moved into a lower-level apartment.

(According to the servants of the Zhang family, the Imperial Minister of Culture and Education was actually afraid of the open space on the ship and asked to squeeze into a narrow room every time he took the ship).

There are a total of three warships that will escort the emperor's ship throughout the journey. The flagship is the new cruiser "Heavy Rain" with a standard displacement of 3,620 tons, and the other is the 3,150-ton wind-class cruiser "Light Wind".

and the 4,580-ton armored coastal defense ship "Jiannan", the 4,000-ton cargo ship "Chengbo" is responsible for carrying royal support and heavier luggage, and the 3,000-ton coal ship "Guangzhou"

The "Shanyi" is responsible for the emergency supply of fuel to the formation. In addition, the battleship "Longwei" will lead four Feng-class cruisers to escort the Yujia formation to Singapore, and then the British Royal Navy will provide further escort support.

At the dock of Dagu Port, Wen Yi whispered in Liu Yun's ear: "It would be interesting if the emperor's fleet was robbed by pirates."

Liu Yun smiled slightly: "If you are creative, go and grab it."

"The first emperor in China's history of thousands of years to visit Europe. Very good plan. I also want to go to Europe and see Paris. Paris is very nice."

"She must be a beauty from Paris."

"There is also champagne, cheese, the ancient bridge on the Seine River, and the gardens of Versailles. You can go and enjoy it sometime."

"Would you like me to call a speedboat to take you to the Fubo?"

"Don't worry. I think back in college, we were very satisfied with two yuan of fast food. Cheese and other things were just like a dream."

Liu Yun grabbed Wen Yi's shoulders: "Now if you want to eat that kind of fast food, there is no way."

"Woo——"
Chapter completed!