In the post house, all the officials from the Japanese mission gathered.
Noda Yoo looked around at everyone and said with a serious expression: "Today I went to the Zhennan Palace to meet with Li Zhen and got the news that Taiwan was attacked by the United States Army. Li Zhen has summoned the army to prepare for a counterattack, so I don't have time to go to Japan for the time being. , what I am thinking about is how to leave a good impression on Li Zhen in this battle."
"He agreed to the marriage." An Ren asked.
Noda Yoo nodded and said: "Yes, Li Zhen agrees to marry the eldest princess."
An Ren laughed and said: "Very good, very good. As long as Li Zhen agrees to marry the eldest princess, things will be much easier. Li Zhen's army is strong, but the United States is not weak either. The outcome of both sides is unknown now. We remain neutral. We will not help the Manchus or the United States. We will watch them fight from the outside and try to learn as much as possible and see more of their methods."
Noda nodded and said: "Sir Anren, I would like to ask Li Zhen to go to Japan. This is the best time to provide help in a timely manner. There is a saying in China that it is better to provide help in a timely manner than to add icing on the cake. Once Li Zhen defeats the US military and establishes a victory, there will be nothing if we extend our help. It worked, now is the best time to take the initiative to help Li Zhen."
"idiot."
An Ren's eyes widened and he cursed without any scruple: "You are a pig, you don't consider the actual situation."
The corners of Noda Yoo's mouth twitched, and his face felt dull.
An Ren continued: "Japan, the United States and the Qing Dynasty are all three independent countries. They are not three friends. How can countries always maintain friendship? We need the help of the Qing Dynasty. Please ask Li Zhen to go to Japan. Although the United States has caused harm to Japan, after the Qing Dynasty becomes stronger, can you guarantee that he will not attack Japan? It is a good thing to allow Li Zhen to fight with American soldiers. The more intense their confrontation, I would be happy. If both sides can lose, I will wake up laughing even when I fall asleep. This is beneficial to the country."
The angles Anhi and Noda stand on are obviously different.
Noda was thinking about the current situation, while Anhi was thinking more about the overall situation.
An Ren no longer looked at Noda and continued: "I have no intention of gaining Li Zhen's trust. It is enough to get what we need from Li Zhen. As for marrying Li Zhen's eldest princess, it can bring a new life to the country." Useful value, enough."
Noda nodded and said no more.
Even if he didn't agree with Anren's idea, he could only bow his head and agree.
Anren glanced at Noda and continued: "Li Zhen is going to prepare to go south, and we are also taking a boat to Guangzhou to wait. Now that Li Zhen is going to counterattack the US military in Taiwan, he must dispatch a large number of warships, and Li Zhen's warships Most of them are in Guangzhou. I predict that Li Zhen will go to Guangzhou. Let’s go to Guangzhou and wait.”
"yes."
The people in the mission nodded in agreement.
…
Zhennan Palace, conference room.
Li Zhen said in a deep voice: "Taiwan has been attacked by the US military. This is a very serious matter. Killing my compatriots, taking away my money, and violating our territory is already a life-and-death hatred. I am ready to lead my troops south to go Taiwan's sweep of the US military will let the US military know that those who invade our territory will be punished no matter how far away they are. This war is our foreign war. It is not a small fight, not limited to local areas, and has far-reaching consequences. I ask those who participate in this war, You have to be fully prepared and do your homework.”
Huang Shihai said: "Please give the order, Your Majesty."
"Please give the order, Your Majesty."
"Please give the order, Your Majesty."
…
Zuo Zongtang, Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and others all asked for a fight, with strong fighting intentions on their faces.
If people who work in the army think about being safe and sound every day, it is difficult to make a big difference. If they stay in the military camp every day, it will definitely be difficult for them to stand out quickly. However, fighting on the battlefield is the real blood. Fighting is a place where the strongest survive and can best demonstrate their excellent survival ability in the shortest time.
Li Zhen's eyes fell on Huang Shihai and said in a deep voice: "Huang Shihai led the First Army to stay in Nanjing. Watch the situation in Nanjing for me. We must ensure the unity and stability of the rear. You will kill anyone who sabotages it. Even if it is the king of heaven, please do it." If you or your people affect the unity in the rear, come to me with your head raised. I want a united and stable rear, not me charging in the front and someone stabbing me in the back. This kind of thing , resolutely put an end to it.”
His words were full of murderous intent.
Both Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang heard the implication, which was more aimed at the harem.
Huang Shihai raised his hand in salute and said loudly: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, there will be no problems in Nanjing."
Li Zhen said: "The opportunity for this battle is given to the Second Army and the Third Army. The two armies have not yet truly demonstrated their combat effectiveness on the battlefield. This time we go to Taiwan to train troops and to defeat the US military. We will first Go to Guangzhou and use the new warships that Guangzhou has built to carry everyone to Taiwan."
"yes."
Huang Shihai, Zeng Guofan, and Zuo Zongtang nodded in agreement and began to think about the next arrangements.
"Go down and get ready."
Li Zhen waved his hand and asked everyone to prepare immediately.
…
On the sixth day of December, Li Zhen led the Second Army and the Third Army southward. When the news of Li Zhen's departure from Nanjing came out, the people in the streets and alleys had no reaction and no one paid attention. After all, there were too many wars these days. , the people have become numb to war, and the people still have an instinctive fear of war, and few people pay attention to it.
However, the women in the palace were extremely concerned about Li Zhen's affairs.
Li Zhen's every move touched the hearts of Cixi and Ci'an. After Cixi got the news, she immediately came to Ci'an Palace, saluted and drove out all the maids and eunuchs in the palace, and said: "Sister, Li Zhen is leading the troops. After leaving Nanjing, they took away two armies in total, leaving Huang Shihai's First Army still in Nanjing."
Ci'an sighed and said with emotion: "Li Zhen is too strong, and we are too weak to fight back. Now Li Zhen's hand has reached into the harem, and with the help of Han Laiyu, the dead eunuch who killed a thousand swords, our every move They are all controlled by Li Zhen, sister, please be calm now to avoid problems."
Cixi gritted her teeth and said: "I am unwilling to let Li Zhen, a rebellious man, live freely." After a pause, Cixi said: "Li Zhen left Huang Shihai to guard Nanjing, can we start with Huang Shihai?"
"Huang Shihai."
After hearing this, Ci'an shook his head and said, "I heard the palace maid say something about Huang Shihai. He is the earliest person to follow Li Zhen, and he is definitely the person Li Zhen feels most at ease with. If you look for Huang Shihai as a breakthrough, I'm afraid you are looking for the wrong person."
Cixi said: "We all have nothing to do anyway, why not give it a try."
Ci'an said: "If you want to give it a try, you can do it."
When Cixi heard this, a bright smile suddenly appeared on her face. She was determined not to give up until she reached the Yellow River. She had to give it a try. At this moment, Cixi was already eager to try and could not wait to implement the plan immediately, even if there was only one ten thousandth chance.
, Cixi was ready to give it a try. If she captured Huang Shihai, she could use Huang Shihai to do many things.
Cixi was very high-spirited, but she didn't know that Huang Shihai was a soldier and had a good temper in the army. He was the most loyal and had a life-long friendship with Li Zhen.
ps: Second update, call it a day. Regarding the update, Xiaodong feels ashamed. He is very busy at work and has to stay up late at night to plan and write press releases.
