Within a few days, the entire Beijing division underwent earth-shaking changes, all the forbidden troops in the capital were purged, all the generals who were considered unreliable by Cixi were either removed from their posts or transferred, and the defense of the entire capital was firmly controlled by Cixi, and the situation became tense day by day. [Ran^Text^Library] []. [774] [buy]. [com]

At this time, Zhang Yi had already landed in the United States and arrived in Washington, and after Zhang Yi arrived in Washington, the first thing he did was to collect newspapers, contact Tribulus terrestris in North America, and gather intelligence.

After all, after drifting above the Pacific Ocean for more than a month, the news on the main road was basically interrupted, and only in the middle of the way was in Rì'běn to understand the current situation, and then for nearly a month, all the messages were interrupted.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yi was received by US President McKinley, who extended a warm welcome to General Zhang Jianzhi's arrival, and at the same time had a friendly conversation with Zhang Yi, and signed an agreement to encourage Chinese Fengtian students to study in the United States, and to invest in each other and prosper the market between Fengtian and the United States.

After the meeting with McKinley, Zhang Yi thought that there was nothing to do, and returned to the Chinese Legation in the United States, where he was temporarily resting, to meet with the American Minister Wu Tingfang.

Wu Tingfang saw Zhang Yi and said with a wry smile: "General Jianzhi, you will hide and be idle, now the Qing Dynasty has become a pot of porridge, but you have run to the United States in a good way, now the struggle between the Imperial Party and the Later Party, the Restoration Party and the old school has reached a white-hot level, and the country is in chaos, can you really put your mind at ease?" ”

Zhang Yi said with a smile: "Lord Wenjue, what can't I put my mind at ease, can I stabilize the domestic situation now that I am in the country, even a person of high moral character like Li Zhongtang is difficult to maintain the power of the two sides, not to mention that I, a small general of Shengjing, these people only care about their own interests, fighting to die and live, and don't want to think about it, what kind of dire environment does the people live in, those reform parties are a group of inflexible scholars, empty blood, they are really embroidered pillows, Pointing at them, the probability of the success of China's reform and reform is almost zero, and the group of old-fashioned parties is even more stubborn, stubbornly abiding by the ancestral regulations, and they don't want to think about it, once the great powers invade China again, they can't even keep the ancestral tablet, and they still care if those ancestral regulations are useless? I am now only in charge of this visit to the United States, try to bring as many benefits back as possible for the Chinese, the rest is nonsense, they are willing to make trouble, just make trouble. ”

Wu Tingfang went to the UK to study when he was a child, it can be said that he grew up eating Western bread, and he was full of European style and rain in his bones, and he didn't think he was angry about Zhang Yi's deviant and overly angry words, and said with a smile: "Lord Jianzhi, two days ago, Li Zhongtang had already sent me a telegram, let me inform you, Now that the former Prime Minister of Rì'běn, Ito Hirobumi, has come to China and is very active, and the emperor intends to appoint Ito Hirobumi as the general adviser of the reform and reform, and plan for the emperor to implement the new policy counselor, Li Zhongtang believes that there must be a deeper reason, let me remind you, be careful of the changes in the three eastern provinces, and in the opinion of the lower officials, if General Kenzhi does not have any special matters, it is better to go back as soon as possible. ”

Zhang Yi was shocked, Hirofumi Ito? This guy is a recognized boss in the military and political circles, almost all of the military and political leaders are inextricably linked with him, and many of Rì'běn's plans to invade China have his shadow, and even he personally formulated them, and now that he has infiltrated China, this matter really needs a lot of ideas.

Zhang Yi immediately smiled and said: "Lord Wenjue, this is nothing, although I also know that there must be a conspiracy in Ito Hirofumi's move, but we in Fengtian now have 100,000 soldiers. Even if there is a war, the generals under my command are enough to deal with it, and although a month is not a short time, it is not too long, the changes in the situation will not be so fast, now I go back, I can't say that I will also be involved in the dispute between the two parties of the emperor and queen, this is obviously a thankless thing, it is better to stay away, hehe......"

Wu Tingfang had met Zhang Yi in Li Hongzhang's shogunate, and the two were quite familiar with each other, and Zhang Yi was not polite to him.

Wu Tingfang said with a smile: "Since General Jianzhi has already prepared, then I can rest assured." ”

Zhang Yi continued: "Lord Wenjue, let me remind you, now that our Fengtian army is waiting day and night, the Japanese army may not invade easily, but the hinterland of China is dangerous, I think if the Japanese army wants to make a move, I am afraid it will not be aimed at our three eastern provinces at the first time, but it is more likely to target the Beiyang Department stationed in Zhili and Shandong, Lord Wenjue, you and I are both people who have received the favor of Li Zhongtang, you have to remind him." ”

Wu Tingfang said with a smile: "General Jianzhi, in this matter, why don't you just call Li Zhongtang directly, and you still have to pass through my layer?" You......"

Zhang Yi smiled and said: "We don't have to be so polite, I will give you a real truth, I have already ordered my intelligence agency in Fengtian to collect intelligence on Tsarist Russia and rì'běn with all my might, once there is any trouble, I will definitely get the news as soon as possible in the General's Mansion in Fengtian, if it involves Beiyang, our intelligence will also be directly handed to Li Zhongtang, and we will communicate with him, our Fengtian and Beiyang are still one, aren't they?" ”

Wu Tingfang smiled and nodded.

Wu Tingfang is the most famous diplomat of the late Qing Dynasty, and also one of Li Hongzhang's think tanks.

Zhang Yi also appreciated Wu Tingfang's ability, Zhang Yi smiled and said: "Lord Wenjue, I won't tell you, now the Qing Dynasty is already shaky, the national strength is difficult, the people's livelihood is tired, it won't take many years, the country will inevitably undergo great changes, once the world changes, Lord Wenjue has thought about the future?" ”

Wu Tingfang smiled bitterly: "General Jianzhi, what you said is really direct, in this way, this official has also heard Li Zhongtang tell us, most of the current Qing Dynasty is relying on Li Zhongtang alone to support, his old man said that he is a pastemaker, blocking this Qing Dynasty everywhere in this shaky house, once he dies, what should I do with this broken house?" Zhang Jian was stunned, he hadn't heard of Li Hongzhang and such a metaphor, but it was also very appropriate, the broken house, now in the Qing Dynasty, isn't it just a crumbling broken house, I'm afraid that in a few years, this broken house will also collapse. Wu Tingfang continued: "Back then, there were even generals under his command who had the audacity to persuade Lord Zhongtang, at that time, Beiyang was in power all over the world, and the force was overwhelming the whole country, if you really do it, with the ability of Lord Zhongtang, with the momentum of Beiyang, it may not be without a chance, but it was suppressed by Lord Zhongtang, he said that he only wanted to do a good job of this pastemaker, for Wang Mang and Cao Cāo, he didn't want to be. ”