The atmosphere in the conference room was very lively.
After Shi Dakai raised his troops and surrendered to Li Zhen, the territory of Sichuan was brought under Li Zhen's command. Except for Xinjiang, Tibet and other remote places, most of the country had been pacified.
Nowadays, Li Zhen can be regarded as ruling the world.
With this news, the generals in the army were very happy.
From the minister of the dragon.
They are the heroes who followed Li Zhen.
Li Zhen's expression was calm, his peaceful eyes swept over everyone, and he said unhurriedly: "The problems in Sichuan have been dealt with, and the next thing is the national affairs. The focus is slightly tilted towards restoring people's livelihood. However, since Sichuan borders Tibet, Yunnan The region is the heart of the southwest of the entire country, and its geographical location is very important. It is necessary to leave an army. I decided that Zeng Guofan's Third Army will be stationed in Chengdu and responsible for the stability of the Sichuan region."
Zeng Guoquan didn't know about Zeng Guofan's transfer, so he was quite excited.
Zeng Guofan was in charge, so he had more face.
Li Zhen said: "Zhang Zhidong listens to the order."
"exist."
Zhang Zhidong stood up and spoke.
Li Zhen looked serious and ordered without any doubt: "From today on, you will serve as the commander of the Third Army, stationed in Chengdu, and responsible for Sichuan's military affairs. Zeng Guoquan will be the deputy commander, assisting Zhang Zhidong in handling military matters. Zeng Guofan, Commander-in-Chief of the Third Army, was transferred to another position and returned to Beijing with me. He has another appointment."
"yes."
Zhang Zhidong sat down and was very excited.
At such a young age, he actually has the opportunity to take charge of a political party.
Zeng Guoquan did not expect that a foreigner would take power, and he was dissatisfied. He stood up and asked loudly: "Your Majesty, what official position did Commander Zeng hold in Beijing after he resigned as the commander of the Third Army?" He was worried about Zeng Guofan's situation, and preconceived that Li Zhen He thought that after Li Zhen defeated Shi Dakai, he was ready to reduce Zeng Guofan's military power.
Therefore, Zeng Guoquan risked the following mistakes and asked.
Li Zhen was well prepared and said: "Zeng Guofan will be responsible for the country's political affairs and rule the country after he leaves office."
After hearing this, Zeng Guofan trembled.
political affairs.
He was responsible for the political affairs of the country. Although he did not hold military power, he became a civilian official and had considerable power. Zeng Guoquan saw Zeng Guofan's excited expression and knew that he had misunderstood Li Zhen.
Zeng Guoquan apologized to Li Zhen and expressed his willingness to serve as Zhang Zhidong's deputy.
Li Zhen's eyes stayed on Zhang Zhidong and Zeng Guoquan, and said: "Commander Zhang, Deputy Commander Zeng, Sichuan has just stabilized, and there are still many things to do, not only to reassure the people, but also to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army. Although the war is Victory does not mean there will be no war. After I return to Beijing, there will be a series of changes, a series of things may happen, and a battle of a certain scale may break out. Therefore, we must continue to train troops and not slack off. You are in charge of Sichuan. I hope you will cooperate sincerely, guard against arrogance and impetuosity, protect the stability of Sichuan, and keep the fruits we have won."
"As commanded."
Zhang Zhidong and Zeng Guoquan agreed, feeling quite excited.
Li Zhen said: "Have a day's rest and return to Chengdu tomorrow."
After everyone got the order, they all said goodbye and left.
The soldiers in the army rested for a day, and withdrew and returned the next day. After returning to Chengdu, Li Zhen talked with Zhang Zhidong all night, and then gave Zhang Zhidong and Zeng Guoquan some words, leaving the troops of the Third Army behind and leading them. With Zeng Guofan, Dong Haichuan, Yang Luchan, Shi Dakai, Chen Yucheng and others heading towards Beijing.
The army hurried all the way, and it was already August when they returned to Beijing. Before Li Zhen arrived, the Little Emperor, Cixi, the Empress Dowager Ci'an and others had also arrived in Beijing, including Huang Shihai, commander of the First Army, Huang Qiang of the Jiandaoying Camp, and Guoan Bureau chief Zhao Liewen, Han Laiyu and others all moved from Nanjing to Beijing.
Since Li Zhen had already made arrangements, Zuo Zongtang directly arranged the young emperor and others in the Summer Palace without letting the young emperor enter the palace.
This change made Cixi and Ci'an quite dissatisfied, but they were even more uneasy because Li Zhen no longer took them seriously. When Cixi and Ci'an heard the news that Li Zhen had returned with his army, they were even more worried. It feels like danger is coming.
The Summer Palace, the residence of the little emperor.
The little emperor is nearly four years old and has a strong head and a strong brain, but he is too young to be sensible.
However, Cixi and Ci'an were sensible people.
Once Li Zhen comes back with his soldiers, I'm afraid there will be a showdown between them and Li Zhen. When Cixi and Ci'an were in Nanjing, they tried every means to get rid of Li Zhen. After being taken to the north, everything they planned failed, and Li Zhen's plan to unify the country failed. The speed was too fast. Cixi and Ci'an were not ready yet, and they did not even recruit the generals in the army. Li Zhen had already led his army back.
Cixi looked at the little emperor playing happily, her face full of worry.
Cixi said with a serious expression: "Sister, Li Zhen has great power, and things are getting more and more difficult. Now, we have become fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of Li Zhen." Even though Cixi usually has a lot of clever ideas, now she is at a loss. No solution.
Ci'an said: "According to the current situation, it would be best if you can survive."
Cixi rolled her eyes and said, "Sister, what if I become a minister?"
When Ci'an heard this, his expression kept changing.
Once it became a vassal, it would mean the complete destruction of the Qing Dynasty.
Ci'an was silent for a long time and said helplessly: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, we have to do this, otherwise it will be difficult to keep us safe." After a pause, Ci'an said reluctantly: "Sister, if you deceive Li Zhen here, take this opportunity. Do you think it’s possible to get rid of Li Zhen?”
Cixi sighed softly and said: "No matter what this strategy is, it will not work in the end."
"Why." Ci'an asked.
Cixi said: "If we want to assassinate Li Zhen, someone must control the army under Li Zhen's command to suppress the situation after Li Zhen's death. Otherwise, if Li Zhen dies and the army is in chaos, we will definitely bear the brunt of being killed. People without an army, We can't attack Li Zhen, otherwise we will push ourselves to death. Moreover, with Li Zhen's strength, it will be difficult to assassinate him."
Ci'an said: "In that case, please invite Li Zhen to come."
Cixi shook her head and said: "It is not sincere to ask Li Zhen to come. I will go there myself. I will first lobby Li Zhen and try to prevent Li Zhen from deposing the emperor. Once Li Zhen softens, we will have the opportunity to make long-term plans. If Li Zhen does not Promise, I will take the initiative to surrender and ask the emperor to abdicate. What I have to do now is to show my kindness to Li Zhen and let Li Zhen know that we are obedient."
Ci'an's expression changed, Cixi was like a sheep entering the tiger's mouth.
Cixi said: "Sister, the emperor has left it to you. I'm going to visit Li Zhen."
Ci'an nodded and said, "Okay."
Immediately, Cixi asked the servants in the mansion to prepare a carriage, and then took the carriage and rushed towards the place where Li Zhen lived. When she came to the outside of the mansion, Cixi asked the soldiers guarding the gate to report that soon someone came to greet Cixi, and Cixi entered the mansion. , when she came to Li Zhen's study, she turned around and closed the door, knelt down with a plop, and said: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
