Chapter 8 Three Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains (This chapter is free)

For three days, Zhu Tao looked for opportunities to strike up a conversation with Ronger every time he was on duty, but every time he could only watch her run away from him, he felt that he could not go on like this anymore.

On this day, Zhu Tao worked the midnight shift with Sergeant Sun He and Sergeant Feng Rou. He was stationed alone in the inner courtyard, which was opposite the main entrance of the Queen Mother's inner room. The moonlight was like water, the stars were sparse and the clouds were scattered, and the night was beautiful. Zhu Tao

He had no intention of admiring the scenery, but remained extremely vigilant at all times to fulfill his duty as a security guard.

With a sound of "Yeah", the door of the Queen Mother's inner room opened slightly. Zhu Tao clenched his gun and whispered: "Who?"

"It's me, Ronger."

Zhu Tao couldn't believe his ears. The little palace maid who blushed and avoided him during the day actually ran out late at night. Could it be that a tryst next month would suit her needs?

Under the moonlight, Rong'er stood quietly, wearing a plain shirt, with flowing hair, a clear face, and a light body. Zhu Tao was stunned and couldn't find anything to say for a moment.

"What's wrong with you?" After a while, Zhu Tao tried his best to squeeze out a sentence.

Ronger looked up at the sky and pointed at the disc-like bright moon: "Don't you think the moon is beautiful tonight?"

"Yes, she is very beautiful." Zhu Tao stared at her and said.

Ronger looked up at the bright moon and sighed: "It's a pity that it can't be so beautiful every day."

Zhu Tao didn't know what she wanted to say. He just thought that her expression of concentrating on admiring the moon was so beautiful that her heart felt soft.

"Aren't you afraid that the Queen Mother will know if you came out secretly?"

Ronger shook her head: "It's okay, I will sneak out when the moon is full. When I see the round moon, I think of my family, thinking that they should also be looking at the moon and missing me -"

When Zhu Tao heard her mention her family, she felt that she had left her parents forever at a young age and came to this past world to work hard for her future. It would be impossible to be filial to her parents in the future, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"Zhu Tao, your name is Zhu Tao, right?" Ronger suddenly asked.

"right."

"Why are you sighing?"

"It's nothing, I also miss my family a little bit."

"Oh? I heard that you are from the United States of America. I have never heard of such a country. Can you tell me about it?"

Zhu Tao was secretly happy that he had taken a crucial step from striking up a conversation to chatting. Next, with the little tactical knowledge he had acquired in the love struggle in the 21st century, it should not be difficult to get it done.

"Okay, where to start?"

Ronger sat on the armrest by the corridor and waved for Zhu Tao to come over: "Sit down and let's talk about where your family lives first. Are the houses and people there the same as here?"

Zhu Tao sat down next to her: "Of course it's different. There are dozens of buildings everywhere, and the roads are often jammed with cars -"

"What is a car?"

Zhu Tao thought for a moment and explained: "It's just a cart without a horse."

"Is that a cart pulled by oxen?"

"No, no." Zhu Tao didn't know how far his IQ had dropped. He had only heard on the Internet that "people in love have zero IQ."

"What is that? You can't pull it with a sheep, can you?"

Zhu Tao patted his head and said: "It's not pulled by animals anyway, it's a car - as long as you pour oil in, it will move by itself and run faster than all the horses in the world -"

"Really? If that's the case, I'd also like to take a ride - I just rode a bullock cart when I entered the palace."

Zhu Tao looked at her big eyes blinking in such a cute way. He wanted to get to the point immediately and get her hands on her as soon as possible. However, he put on a gentleman's face and said, "I have a Xiali car at home. It's red."

Damn it, I learned how to drive it before entering the military academy. If I brought it here, I can take you for a ride now."

"Going for a ride?"

"It's just driving on the road. The speed is more than 100 kilometers per hour. It feels like flying. It's so exciting -"

Ronger shook her head: "I can't understand what you said?"

"It doesn't matter. Soon there will be cars in Beijing. Then I will take you for a ride - just by car, okay?"

"Do you keep your word?" Ronger tilted her head and looked at him. That playful look was almost copied from Xiaolin. Zhu Tao had to strengthen the will control of his hands and feet to prevent them from involuntarily committing deviant behaviors.

.

"Of course it counts. If you don't believe me, I can swear to God——"

"No, it's not an important matter—"

Before Ronger finished speaking, a hard object brushed past her right arm and was inserted into the corridor pillar. It turned out to be an iron dart.

Zhu Tao immediately pulled Ronger, who was screaming in shock, and pushed her aside. He immediately opened the safety on the automatic rifle in his hand and fired a few rounds at the place where the darts came from. After a scream, a black figure emerged from the roof.

Falling down suddenly.

By the moonlight, Zhu Tao saw seven or eight black figures on the roof. They heard the gunfire and paused. Seeing that Zhu Tao was the only one below, they rushed over with swords in hand.

Zhu Tao adjusted his automatic rifle and fired at the enemy group. In a few seconds, he shot all the guns, but there were three people left on the enemy side. It seemed that he knew that he was out of ammunition and jumped down without any scruples.

In the courtyard, the sword dazzled people's eyes in the moonlight.

Life and death were just a matter of thought. Facing the man in black who was so close, Zhu Tao reflexively pulled out his pistol and fired several rounds. At the same time, he took two steps back and pressed against the wall.

The three men in black fell down one after another with blood splattering on them.

With a "click", the pistol fell, and then a stream of red liquid fell to the ground along Zhu Tao's arm, and a large knife was inserted under his right shoulder blade.

In the haze, Zhu Tao saw Rong'er slowly stand up and then suddenly fall to the ground. Zhong Xiahuo led everyone over and shouted something -

In Zhongnanhai, Guangxuzheng, Liu Yun, and Wen Yi were walking along the waterside.

"Dr. Wen, you said that China and Japan must have a war. This war is related to the future and destiny of both countries, and preparations must be made as soon as possible. However, Japan is only a small island country, how dare it challenge the Qing Dynasty?"

Wen Yi replied to Guangxu: "Your Majesty, I remember that in the 14th year of Tongzhi, Japan sent more than 3,000 troops to invade Taiwan on the pretext of the murder of the Ryukyu boat people. They were later 'forced' to retreat by Shen Baozhen, then the Minister of Shipping, who led the army, but they were still unreasonable.

He asked for 500,000 taels of silver and returned. In the fifth year of Guangxu's reign, Japan formally annexed Ryukyu by force and changed its name to Okinawa Prefecture. At that time, Japan only had two or three overseas fast ships, so it dared to offend China and destroy our vassal country. Today, the Japanese Navy

There are 5 warships of more than 2,000 tons, totaling 17,000 tons. The Army has an elite standing army of 63,000 people and a reserve force of 230,000 people. Our Beiyang Navy has 7 warships of more than 2,000 tons, totaling more than 27,000 tons. The National Army Standing Defense Force,

There are more than 400,000 soldiers in training. However, Japan spends 60% of its national revenue every year to develop its navy. Its strength is growing day by day, and new fast ships and ironclad ships are constantly being added. On the other hand, the Beiyang Navy has not added a single ship since its formation in the 14th year of Guangxu's reign.

, the Hunan Army, the Huai Army and the various military training and defense forces inherited the bad habits of the Green Camp, which has become extremely rotten. If this continues, I am afraid that one day our Chinese Navy will be defeated by the Japanese Navy, and our Qing Dynasty Army will also be defeated at the hands of the Japanese. By then,

If you pay compensation for losing troops, cede territory and seek peace, people will be dejected, and the great powers will carve up the country, and the country will be ruined."

Guangxu thought for a moment and then asked: "Does Dr. Wen know where the war will start?"

"North Korea." Wen Yi said these two words without hesitation. In fact, any middle school student in the 21st century can answer Guangxu's question.

"North Korea?"

"Yes, it is North Korea. Japan is an island country, thousands of miles away from the hinterland of Gyeonggi Province, and the nearest mainland country is North Korea. It has always been Japan's long-cherished wish to use North Korea as a springboard to invade the Central Plains. As early as the pre-Tang Dynasty,

In the Battle of Bailong River Estuary, the Japanese were defeated, and they were forced to study abroad and imitate the methods of the Tang Dynasty. Later in the Ming Dynasty, Japan's Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent tens of thousands of troops to invade North Korea, occupying almost all the beautiful rivers and mountains of North Korea's three thousand miles. The Ming Dynasty sent troops

They rescued each other, defeated the Japanese army, and North Korea was saved from national subjugation. In the second year of Guangxu, the Japanese navy and army went to North Korea and forced North Korea to sign the "Treaty of Ganghwa" by force, obtaining privileges such as commercial leased land, consular jurisdiction, and freedom of navigation along the coast of North Korea.

From then on, we continued to compete with the Qing Dynasty for the suzerainty of Korea. In the eighth year of Guangxu, Japan took advantage of the Renwu Mutiny in Korea and invaded Korea on the pretext that embassy personnel were killed.

, they used the excuse of compensation for losses to force North Korea to sign the "Incheon Treaty" and obtain the right to station troops in Seoul. In the 10th year of Guangxu's reign, Japan took advantage of the Sino-French war and conspired to collude with North Korean rebels to launch the Kashen coup. With the help of our army, the North Korean king

Suppressed the coup. Japan threatened me in this regard. In the 11th year of Guangxu's reign, Japan signed the "Special Treaty of the Sino-Japanese Tianjin Conference" with me, which stipulated that if a major rebellion occurs in North Korea in the future, China and Japan or one country needs to send troops to North Korea.

In this way, Japan has obtained equal rights as us in Korea. If there is "chaos" in Korea in the future, Japan will send a large army into Korea, expel our army, annex Korea, and then wait for an opportunity to march into the Central Plains, forcing me to accept its unjust division.

requirements.”

Guangxu nodded: "What Dr. Wen said makes sense. Although the foundation of a country lies in the people, the foundation is actually the military. However, the Queen Mother has been in power for many years. After returning to the Lian Dynasty last year, the important officials of the court still obey the Queen Mother. Lian

It is difficult to move forward. Moreover, the alliance does not have any reliable troops. The Huai army is in the north, the Hunan army is in the south, and the rest of the training and defense troops are scattered between the two armies and the Queen Mother. No one is really willing to obey the alliance's orders."

Liu Yundao said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will definitely be able to train a strong brigade of elite soldiers for you before the war between China and Japan. They can go down to suppress the various princes and defend the Westerners from the East and West."

Guangxu looked closely at the rippling water and the moon, with a look of relief on his face: "With loyal men like you serving for the alliance, there is hope for the Qing Dynasty."

"Report——"

A guard ran over, knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, the Tiger Guard has sent someone to report that there is something going on in the Queen Mother's palace. Please go and discuss it immediately, Commander Liu."

"Senior Sergeant Sun He and Sergeant Feng Rou were hit by a dart and died. Second Lieutenant Zhu Tao was stabbed below the right shoulder blade. The knife was poisonous. Zhu Tao is still in a coma. In addition, a palace maid named Ronger was hit by a poisonous dart.

He suffered bruises and also fainted. There were nine intruders in total. They were all dressed in black and masked, using machetes and darts. They all died after being shot. This is the situation." Zhong Xiahuo reported while holding his breath.

Liu Yun was surprised, but he didn't show it. He calmly ordered: "Call the base immediately and send a helicopter to transport Zhu Tao and Ronger back to the base for treatment. He also ordered the base personnel left behind to speed up road construction.

, to open up the ground connection between the base and the capital. I will ask the emperor to send more close guards to assist the Tiger Guards in protecting the Queen Mother. Everyone must be more vigilant to prevent the tragedy from happening again!"

After listening to the order, everyone returned to their posts. Liu Yun called Wen Yi and hurried back to Zhongnanhai.

On the way, Liu Yun's face was gloomy, and he said bitterly: "It's all my fault. If only I had made a more detailed plan and brought more advanced equipment with me when I came here, it would be better if there was an automatic surveillance and defense system tonight.

That won't happen at all!"

Wen Yi knew that he was angry, but he responded unceremoniously: "So what if we have advanced equipment? The automatic surveillance system requires power. The battery we brought is just enough for communication equipment. The solar panels at the base can only maintain communication."

The need for repeated charging of equipment batteries. The key now is to build an army, an elite force that is nominally loyal to the emperor but is actually 'controlled' in our hands. Without this, we will all die sooner or later."

Liu Yun breathed out, forced himself to calm down a little, turned to Wen Yi and said: "I have an unknown premonition that what happened tonight must be related to a certain court official. The purpose is probably to find out what happened in the palace three days ago.

'The truth. If this is the case, our situation will not be good. If people in the court know our true identity, or even just find out that the Queen Mother has been detained by us, the world will inevitably be in chaos, and the situation will not be able to

Take control, the emperor and we may be finished together."

"We need time," Wen Yi also lowered his head. "The Guards Company has only been established for a few days. Although there are enough modern weapons to equip them, if they are not trained enough, they will not be able to fight at all."

"To control the situation in the capital, at least one brigade of new troops is needed. The emperor has promised to allocate 100,000 taels of silver to us to prepare a new army. However, within two or three months, the troops will not be able to form basic combat effectiveness. At this time, neither the Houdang Group nor the

The Hunan Army and Huai Army can crush us like egg shells. We don't have enough ammunition to stop thousands of enemies. Besides, they also have guns and cannons - I really don't know.

How much the other party already knows!"

Wen Yi sighed: "There is no other way. Let's just leave it to fate. If it doesn't work, we can also ask the Guard Company to block it first, and the others will return to the base by helicopter. It will be better to be a robber then than to be beaten to death in vain."

Liu Yun gritted his teeth: "We can't do it step by step, we must speed up the progress. No matter how big the risk is, we have to keep going. Once the bullet is out of the chamber, we can only move forward. Either we will hit the target and complete the mission, or we will be worthless."

They will crawl into the soil and become garbage. We must get rid of the Houdang clique as soon as possible and let the Imperial Party clique control the Military Aircraft Department and obtain the power to mobilize the army. To this end, I plan to step up the training of the Guards Company and launch a coup in the capital in a few days depending on the situation.

All the back-party elements in the Military Aircraft Department will be wiped out."

"Using a company to carry out a coup? It's very difficult, but there is no other choice. Do you want to explain it to the emperor?"

"We need the emperor's help, but we can't let him know everything about us. I know what to say to him."

"Since we have successfully come here, we will not die easily. Liu Yun, what you want to do will definitely succeed. I trust you with my life!"

Liu Yun grabbed Wen Yi's shoulders and shook him: "Good brother, we live and die together. This era will either be dominated by us, or we will be killed. We are here to do great things, and anyone who hinders us must pay the price.
Chapter completed!