If Guangxu is the nominal ruler of the Forbidden City and the Qing Dynasty, then the actual ruler is the 55-year-old Empress Dowager Cixi who lives in Chuxiu Palace. Since Guangxu ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Cixi listened to politics behind the curtain.
In controlling the government, especially after the sudden death of Empress Dowager Ci'an, no one could check and balance her. Even though she returned power to Guangxu last year, she still actually controlled the entire government.
"Little Lizi, I heard that the emperor lost his temper again at the court meeting today?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked, sitting on the Luan throne in Chuxiu Palace. The court meeting had just ended, but someone had already reported what happened at the court meeting.
Everything was reported to her.
"Going back to Lafayette, the emperor wanted to start a war in western Sichuan and wipe out the bandits in western Sichuan. But the ministers advocated a long-term plan, so the emperor lost his temper!" Li Lianying replied with a low eyebrow.
"Huh! This is the second year that the emperor has taken charge of the government. I didn't expect that he still hasn't grown up. Can Western Sichuan be fought? If we could win, wouldn't it have been destroyed long ago?" Empress Dowager Cixi was very dissatisfied.
Said. She is very clear about the power of Western Sichuan. Fortunately, these years, both sides have maintained restraint and have been at peace for more than ten years. But in the early years, when there was a war, it was not the Qing Dynasty that lost!
On the contrary, Western Sichuan became stronger as they fought. Therefore, Empress Dowager Cixi hoped that peace would remain between the Qing Dynasty and Western Sichuan, so that she could continue to enjoy the glory and wealth. Once a war broke out, not to mention spending a lot of money and food, if she lost the war, she would lose the war.
They had to cede land and pay compensation. That would be a huge loss!
"Yes! So the entire Qing Dynasty still needs you, Lafayette, to be at the helm! Your Majesty, after all, you are more youthful and energetic!" Li Lianying complimented the thief.
Although she knew that Li Lianying was flattering, the Empress Dowager Cixi was very helpful. She believed that the continuation of the Qing Dynasty to this day had a lot to do with her. In the previous critical moment, if she had not stepped forward to take an overview of the government
, if we make good friends while easing the relationship with Western Sichuan, I am afraid that the Qing Dynasty will have perished long ago!
At this time, a young eunuch hurriedly walked in.
"Old Buddha, Prince Li wants to see you!" the young eunuch reported.
"Xuan!" the Empress Dowager Cixi said calmly. She knew what Prince Li Shiduo was here for. Is it just for what happened in the court? Prince Li Shiduo, the current minister in charge of military aircraft, is the Empress Dowager Cixi's loyal supporter.
Since such a major event happened in the court, of course he did not dare to neglect and immediately came to see the Empress Dowager Cixi, hoping to get instructions from the Empress Dowager Cixi.
"Prince Xuan Li has an audience!" Soon, the eunuch's shrill voice sounded outside Chuxiu Palace.
Prince Li Shiduo is fifty-seven years old this year, but he still does not look old. Especially after gaining the support of Cixi and becoming the foreman of the military aircraft, he became more and more energetic. He knew very well that his
Everything was given by Cixi. Only by hugging Cixi's thigh tightly can he enjoy the glory and wealth.
"Slave, please see Lafayette!" Prince Li Shiduo knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Get up!" Empress Dowager Cixi said softly.
"Thank you, Lord Buddha!" Prince Li Shiduo then stood up and stood with his head bowed respectfully.
"Shi Duo, is there nothing to deal with at the Military Aircraft Department? Why do you have time to come to Ai's house?" Cixi asked.
"Going back to Lafayette, we are in trouble. Do we need you to make a decision?" Shiduo replied respectfully.
"You minions, haven't the Ai family returned power to the emperor? If you encounter trouble, you should go to the emperor!" Cixi said with some dissatisfaction.
"Old Buddha, let me say something disrespectful. Your Majesty is too young and energetic! We cannot live without you in the Qing Dynasty. Otherwise, the country will be destroyed right before our eyes!" Shi Duo said with a look of sorrow and indignation.
"Okay, what's the matter? Let's tell it to the Aijia!" Cixi was very satisfied with Shi Duo's reaction. If Shi Duo really didn't come to her, I'm afraid she would be really furious! For
How can someone who is used to enjoying power be able to let go?
"Going back to Lafayette, isn't this caused by the gang of bandits in Western Sichuan? Since last month, the Western Sichuan Army has begun to gather and transport ammunition and supplies, and is ready to launch an attack on the Qing Dynasty! Your Majesty hopes
With the millions of troops of the Qing Dynasty, they defeated Western Sichuan in one fell swoop and wiped out the bandits in Western Sichuan. But were the bandits in Western Sichuan so easy to wipe out? The ministers hoped that they could take a long-term approach and avoid war. Therefore, the emperor became furious.
Reprimanding the ministers. What should we do about this matter? It is up to you, Lafayette, to make the decision!" Shi Duo briefly recounted the proceedings of the court meeting.
"Hmph! The Emperor is still young, so you ministers must help him a little. The ancestors of the Aixinjueluo family conquered the Qing Dynasty with great difficulty, so they cannot be destroyed like this.
You have done a good job, and Xu Gengshen, the Minister of War, has also done a good job. If there is a vacancy in the Military Aircraft Department next time, let him fill it!" Cixi said.
"Yes, Lafayette!" Shiduo said quickly. He knew that Xu Gengshen was lucky. He deceived Guangxu at the court meeting and let him fall into Cixi's eyes. His brilliant career was just around the corner! You know, the Military Aircraft Department is a big place.
An important institution of the Qing Dynasty. All the military and military ministers were extremely important ministers!
"What is the purpose of the unusual movement in Western Sichuan? Wang Xiao's family of rebels in Western Sichuan is still aware of it. He will not want to start a war with the Qing Dynasty for no reason, right?" Cixi asked. In the decades since the rise of Western Sichuan,
It was also the decades when Western Sichuan and the Qing Dynasty had been fighting. Naturally, Cixi knew this old rival very well. Wang Xiao also did not want to fight, otherwise Western Sichuan would not still respect the Qing Dynasty in name, and there would not be such a thing.
Ten years of peace.
"Back to Lafayette, we have a clear understanding of the cause of the matter. Western Sichuan is heavy on business, but the road out of Sichuan is extremely difficult and dangerous. Therefore, Western Sichuan hopes to build a railway out of Sichuan. After the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Wang Wenshao, requested the decree, he has already agreed to Western Sichuan's request.
The railways from Chengdu to Guiyang and Chengdu to Kunming are almost completed. However, the railway from Chengdu to Wuhan was sternly rejected by the Governor of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong. Not only that, he also boycotted and banned caravans from western Sichuan.
Entering Hubei, even many merchant ships from western Sichuan were seized. This made the merchants in western Sichuan furious and demanded war against the Qing Dynasty. In western Sichuan, the status of merchants was very high, and Wang Xiao himself was also a big businessman. Zhang Zhidong's approach,
It has caused great losses to western Sichuan. Therefore, after the negotiations were fruitless, they are ready to use force to solve the problem!" Shiduo replied. It has been a month since the incident happened, and of course he knows the specific causes and consequences very clearly. And
Like Cixi, he doesn't want to fight. It would be nice to be so peaceful and peaceful!
"If we go to war with Western Sichuan, can the Qing Dynasty win?" Cixi asked. Of course, Western Sichuan has become a close enemy of the Qing Dynasty. If we can win the battle, it will naturally be the best. If we can't defeat it, it will be the best.
If so, maintaining the status quo is undoubtedly the best option.
"Lord Buddha, although there are few soldiers in Western Sichuan, they are well-trained and have very powerful weapons and equipment. They are enough to compete with the foreign armies. If a war really breaks out, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to defeat them!" Shi Duo told the truth.
Tell the truth.
"Isn't it okay to have 200,000 new troops?" Cixi asked, staring at Shi Duo with burning eyes.
"Old Buddha, I'm afraid it won't work!" Shi Duo answered the thief bravely.
"Hmph! Zhang Zhidong is so bold. He dared to provoke Western Sichuan without an order from the imperial court. Someone came and issued an order to reprimand Zhang Zhidong and ask him to meet the requirements of Western Sichuan. Isn't it just to build a railway? What is there to make such a fuss about?
"?" Empress Dowager Cixi immediately made a decision. Since she couldn't defeat them, she naturally had to make friends with Western Sichuan.
"Yes, Lafayette, I will go and convey the order immediately!" Shi Duo immediately received the order.
With the decree of the Empress Dowager Cixi, everything would be much easier to handle. After Zhang Zhidong received the decree, although he was very helpless, he had to send someone to contact Western Sichuan and agree to build the railway from Chengdu to Wuhan, saying that he would not embarrass Western Sichuan.
businessman. This move made Western Sichuan very satisfied. After getting what they wanted, the Western Sichuan Army stopped mobilizing. Since the desired benefits could be obtained in other ways, there was no need to use force. The clouds of war suddenly appeared.
A lot of it has dissipated. However, the people in the Western Sichuan military are very sorry.
PS: The second update is here, please collect it!
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