In the end of the Qing Dynasty, no matter what to do with foreign affairs, buy ships, learn sailors, and fort forts, its purpose is nothing more than the word "defense". It is extremely difficult to develop from land defense to realize the importance of coastal defense, and as for cross-sea conquest, there is no such consciousness at all, which is really something that I dare not think of.

But Liu Changyou dared to think about it, and officially put it on the show, and mentioned it to the court in a grand manner.

His analysis is very unique, and he believes that it can be seen from the example of the former Ming Dynasty that Japan, an island country, has wolf ambitions and aggressive nature, and sooner or later it will take action against China. In this case, instead of waiting for the Japanese to make a move, it is better to take advantage of its fledgling wings, strike first, and do all the best of the country to get rid of it, and divide it into three, then Japan will no longer be able to do harm, and it will be able to ensure the peace of China for decades.

The three strategies he put forward are also very interesting: first, "Minister Jian will have prestige and raise troops from the three eastern provinces and leave the Songhua River to face Sakhalin Island"; second, "do not order an army to go out of Korea to strangle its west"; and third, "select generals who are familiar with Xi Tao's strategy and are familiar with sailors, and lead the boat division to Nagasaki to attack its south."

According to his view, once the heavenly army is pressing, there will be civil strife in Japan -- "the subjects of the sulfur ball are happy to restore their territory, and they will certainly help the army of Shun."

That's a great strategy! Guan Zhuofan thought to himself, whether this tactic can succeed or not, can be said separately. In terms of this foresight alone, who dares to say that there is no one in China?

I had this thought in my heart, so when I went to the governor's yamen to meet Liu Changyou, I was very respectful. For Liu Changyou, although the direct governor is known as "the head of the world's frontier ministers", Guan Zhuofan who came here is not only a governor, but also a marquis. is also a "twenty-four-year-old Hou Ye". The peculiarity of the identity can be imagined. Therefore, it naturally cannot be regarded as an ordinary lower-level official, so he is also very polite and demoted to welcome.

Both of them are senior commanders of the army, and the topics they talk about are naturally inseparable from the areas where the two sides are fighting.

"Yixuan, this army of yours is now famous, I heard that there are more than 30,000 people, all equipped with breech guns from the British?"

"Where? Mo Gong misheard people's words. Guan Zhuofan smiled and shook his head. The breech guns were British goods, but there were only 6,000 of them. The artillery was still dominated by eight-pounder field guns, with only twenty breech guns, which were purchased from the Minnesota Arms Factory in the United States. ”

"That's also very good, I heard that the firepower is invincible." After saying this, Liu Changyou suddenly lowered his voice and asked in a low voice: "Yixuan, I know that you fought with foreign devils at Bali Bridge. You say, with the current equipment of the Xuan army, can you fight with foreign soldiers? ”

"This ......" Guan Zhuofan was slightly taken aback. He hesitated and looked at the look on his face again. It was unexpectedly serious, not like a polite gossip at all.

Guan Zhuofan's heart moved, and he said that this prince is really as sexual as Jiang Gui, old and spicy, and it is actually such a thought in his heart.

In fact, Liu Changyou's vision is really not bad. In this era, as long as you are willing to spend money, it is not difficult to simply make up for the difference in army equipment. In terms of the equipment of the main regiments of the Xuan Army, not only is it by no means inferior to the British and French defenders of the concession, but it is already surpassed. It is a pity that the victory or defeat of the war cannot be achieved by equipment alone.

"If you want to talk about fighting with the British and French armies, I'm afraid it won't work." Guan Zhuofan smiled apologetically and shook his head.

"Oh-"

Liu Changyou nodded slightly disappointed, and then remembered another topic, but became excited again.

"Yixuan, I heard that you took the two remaining gunboats of Aspen's fleet and drove them into Taihu Lake and destroyed Tang Hu's thousands of warships?"

"This ...... Yes, but it is also because of the strong assistance of Li Chaobin's sailors of the Hunan army. ”

"Alas, it would be nice if our ship could cross the ocean and hit their house like a foreign devil."

"What Mo Gong said is very true, but it's a pity that there are only two boats." Guan Zhuofan admired Liu Changyou's persistence, and it seemed that he could take advantage of this public power to do foreign affairs in the future, "The Asben fleet should have been placed in Tianjin, so it happened to be under the jurisdiction of Mo Gong, who knew that it could not be negotiated in the end, it was a pity." ”

"Even if it is placed in Tianjin, the president of the fleet is also Chongda." Liu Changyou said lightly, "Chongdi Mountain, this person, hum." ”

Although he didn't say anything, he hummed lightly, and the disdain for sublime in his expression was already fully revealed.

Guan Zhuofan was interested and did not continue to talk about this topic. We chatted for a while, because we were just passing by and visiting, and it was time to say goodbye.

"Yixuan, I won't keep you, Chongdi Mountain, you are going to see it too. At night, I am the east, and I will give you the wind together with Chongdi Mountain, which is considered to be the friendship of the landlord. There's just one - coarse tea and light rice, don't laugh! ”

After speaking, he took a small envelope and handed it over, saying that it was "Cheng Yi".

"This is all Mo Gong's love!" Guan Zhuofan said solemnly, took the package, and got up to say goodbye.

Liu Changyou has a reputation for being incorruptible, and he said that coarse tea and light rice are probably not fake. Looking at the furnishings in his governor's yamen, it is very simple, which is quite inferior to his governor's yamen in Shanghai.

When I got on the sedan chair, I took out the letter "Cheng Yi" and looked at it, and sure enough, it was two small tickets of one hundred taels. Thinking about the huge sum of 600,000 yuan he brought this time, he was a little ashamed for a while.

*

*

The next day, I got up and went on the road, which was nothing more than a night sleep, until I finally saw the silhouette of the majestic city under the sunset.

It's been two years and it's finally back!

Like the first time I entered Beijing after the crossing, I still entered the city from Guangqu Gate, and I didn't go anywhere else, and went straight to the Jiangsu Hall in the south of the city. Before arriving at the entrance of the hall, the deacon and a group of subordinates were already waiting here, unloading their luggage and assigning rooms according to Túrin's instructions. Guan Zhuofan sent someone to report before the key was lowered at the palace gate, and then sent someone to the palace of Prince Gong and the Guan family mansion to report, and then sat down in the hall to drink tea, watching the noise outside.

For example, all officials who return to Beijing to see His Majesty are not allowed to go home first without being given an appointment, and of course they are not allowed to socialize with other officials, so they can only wait for the summons at the place where they stay. So obviously not far from the Guan family's mansion, the two sisters-in-law were close to the end of the world, and they couldn't make up their minds anymore. This night I had to live alone in the Jiangsu Guild Hall. Sleep alone.

Sleep until three in the morning. He was awakened by Túrin's knock.

"Master, it's time."

In fact, I haven't slept enough, but when I called, I immediately fell asleep. got up and poured two sips of cold tea on the table, and Tulin waited for him, putting on a full set of first-class official clothes. Túrin took his plate of pearls from the box and hung them neatly on his chest before getting them from the hat rack next to him. He picked up the big hat with dazzling eyes.

The work on the hat should be done by yourself. Guan Zhuofan looked at the shiny ruby top on his hat and smiled in his heart - wearing a hat, Lao Tzu is the so-called "red-topped master", but he didn't know that the Manchurians didn't use emeralds as tops? When did the term "green hat" first come about......

Thinking wildly, after dressing, I came to the lobby to see that it was already lit by candles. The deacons of the Jiangsu Association are extremely diligent. Tea and snacks are all ready. Guan Zhuofan took the hot tea and used two pieces of dim sum. He wiped his face with the hot hand towel he was given, then put his hands on his knees and sat quietly and waited.

After four o'clock, the eunuch who came to the palace to deliver the decree really arrived: "By order, Jiangsu Governor Guan Zhuofan will wait for him at noon!" ”

After passing the decree, Guan Zhuofan released a reward, but the two eunuchs were not in a hurry to leave.

"Master Guan, Mr. An has confessed and asked us to wait for you to enter the palace." The one who took the lead said with a respectful expression.

"Oh? That's the birth of two. ”

Guan Zhuofan smiled and nodded, and went to the sedan chair that had been waiting outside the gate of the hall, led by the two eunuchs on horseback, followed by Thurin and two personal soldiers, and walked forward on the dark streets of the capital at night, all the way to the noon gate of the Forbidden City.

At this moment, the palace door has not been opened, but even if it is opened, it will not open the main gate of the noon gate - only when the emperor travels, the emperor marries the queen when he gets married, and the champion of the palace test, the list eye, and the three situations of Tanhua entering the palace to thank him, will open the noon door. At other times, the officials who were to be seen had to go through the side gate at the east end of the noon gate.

Because of the generous reward, the two eunuchs accompanied each other very attentively, until the side door opened, only by a deaconist eunuch who came out of the inside took him in, crossed the Jinshui Bridge, entered the Taihe Gate, and then walked along the west head.

This time, it was very different from the mood he had when he first entered the palace. It turned out that as a royal guard, he walked in the inner court and took turns according to the routine, and this set in the palace was already very familiar. However, when Zaijian arrived at the solemn atmosphere in the palace, the guards and eunuchs along the way all walked close to the wall, and that look of respect and fear still made him feel emotional.

When he entered the Longzong Gate and walked past the military aircraft, he suddenly took a look at Wen Xiang who was standing at the door. Although Guan Zhuofan has also become a member of the first rank, the Minister of Military Aircraft is the actual "Prime Minister of the Dynasty", especially Wen Xiang, who is not only the most capable of the ministers of the Military Aircraft, but also the old boss of the Yamen of the Bujun Army, and the "own person" of King Gong's lineage. After a year or two, I should have greeted him, but I couldn't say hello because of the etiquette of His Majesty's meeting, so both of them looked at each other with a slight bow, and they said hello.

When I arrived at the court room to be seen, the former minister who led the class was not the king of alcohol.

"Birbel!" Guan Zhuofan's eyes lit up, and he smiled and saluted, "I haven't seen you for two years, but I'm lucky to see you today." ”

The person in front of him, with small eyes and high cheeks, and a strong figure, was none other than the eldest son of Seng Lingqin, Boyan Nemo. He is the identity of Baylor, and he recently ordered the former minister, and this day Guan Zhuofan saw that it was his turn to lead the class.

He and Guan Zhuofan met on the night of the Miyun coup d'état, and witnessed the majesty of the infantry horse team, but Guan Zhuofan was still a five-grade leader at that time. When Guan Zhuofan went south of Beijing to Shanghai, the Xuan army was in the southeast, and under the successive victories, the Beijing division was jubilant, and Boyan Namo was even more happy as the banner man of the Mongolian Eight Banners.

When Jiangning broke the city, just as Xu Gengshen told Guan Zhuofan, these Mongolian relatives and nobles in Beijing, because of Monk Greenqin, gradually formed an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the Hunan army, so they greatly appreciated the rise of the Xuan army and Guan Zhuofan's feudal marquis.

"Yixuan, congratulations!" Bo Yan Nemo was still that bold energy, grinning, "Don't say anything today, come back, I invite you to drink!" ”

Hearing that he was going to invite him to drink, even Guan Zhuofan, who drank a lot of alcohol, couldn't help but feel slightly worried - no matter how good the amount of alcohol was, it would depend on who he drank with, as long as he entered the Baylor Mansion where Boyan Namo was drunk, he must have to get drunk before coming out.

The good thing it won't be today. Guan Zhuofan smiled and was about to answer, when the eunuch who came from the Heart Cultivation Palace to deliver the decree had already arrived.

"Guan Zhuofan is coming, led by Boyan Namo!"

*(To be continued......)