Li Lianying frowned slightly when she heard this, the loot captured on the battlefield? I don't know if Lafayette likes it or not, forget it, so be it, Zhang Yi has just returned from North Korea, and he doesn't have much oil and water, so it's probably not realistic to ask him to come up with rare treasures.

Li Lianying said: "In this case, Jianzhi, you take this saber, and when you go outside the palace gate, hand him over to the court guard for safekeeping, and after the Empress Dowager is revealed, see what Lafayette means, and then make a decision." ”

Zhang Yi nodded hurriedly and said with a smile: "Then Zhang Yi will thank my father-in-law." ”

Zhang Yi cleaned up, and under the leadership of Li Lianying, he came to the palace gate, and the guards on the side hurriedly saluted: "Gonggong Li, are you back old?" ”

Li Lianying nodded and said, "Xiao Guozi, put away Master Zhang's knife, this is a gift for the Queen Mother Lafayette, don't make a mistake." ”

Xiao Guozi nodded suddenly, and even claimed yes.

Li Lianying took Zhang Yi all the way to Cining Palace and ordered: "Jianzhi, you wait, I'll go in and report." ”

Zhang Yi nodded and said, "There is Lao Li's father-in-law." ”

Li Lianying entered the palace, came to Cixi, bowed down and said, "Lafayette, Zhang Yi should be invited to see you, you see?" ”

Cixi nodded and said: "It's here, then come in, this is the inner palace, not the court, and you don't need so much etiquette." ”

Li Lianying agreed, came out and said, "Jianzhi, hurry up and go in, Lafayette will announce your entry." ”

Zhang Yi tidied up his clothes and came to the house, only to see that the banquet had been set down, and Cixi was sitting in the middle. Be there for you. Zhang Yi hurriedly knelt down and said, "Weichen Zhang Yi asked the Queen Mother Lafayette Jin An." ”

Cixi waved her hand and said: "That's it, Jianzhi, this is not a court, today the mourning family has set up a private banquet, you don't have to be bound by etiquette." Come, give a seat. ”

Zhang Yi hurriedly thanked him, greeted Prince Gong again, and sat down on one side.

Cixi asked: "Jianzhi, these two days in the capital are a habit, is there anything unsatisfactory?" ”

Zhang Yi hurriedly replied: "Back to Lafayette, in the past two days, everything has been fine for Wechen, that is, he is going around the capital at will, Beijing City is magnificent and full of talents, which has opened a lot of eyes for Wechen." ”

Cixi said with a smile: "Well, Jianzhi, if you have any needs in the past two days, just ask, you are the future of our Qing Dynasty, and your hard work is high, so we can't treat it badly." Today, I also invited Prince Gong over, and the mourning family just wants to ask you for the truth, how sure are you that you can defeat Japan in this Sino-Japanese war? ”

Zhang Yi asked and pondered, and replied: "Back to Lafayette, the Weichen people are soft-spoken, and they dare not jump to conclusions, but according to the minister's intentions, in the Korean war, our army has a chance of winning more than eighty percent, and in the naval battle, our army only has a fifty percent chance of winning, but as long as our Qing navy can continue to confront Japan and do not produce a rout, Japan will lose this war nine times out of ten." ”

Prince Gong was shocked and asked, "Jianzhi, in front of me and the Queen Mother, don't you talk about it, do you really have such a certainty?" ”

Zhang Yi replied: "Old prince, you have dealt with foreign affairs for many years, but you are really a person with great wisdom, you should be able to understand that there are too many uncertain factors in this Sino-Japanese war, but as long as you grasp a few points, we will not lose this war, and Japan is definitely a loss-making transaction this time!" ”

Cixi smiled and asked, "Oh, Jianzhi, then tell me, what are these points?" ”

Zhang Yi replied: "Lafayette, when Wechen arrived in Tianjin, Li Zhongtang met with Wechen in Beiyang Yamen, and he also asked about such topics, and the minister had discussed with Li Zhongtang for a long time. First, we have a vast land and a large number of talents, which can support us to fight a protracted war, but Japan, on the other hand, is a small land, with limited taxes and tight finances, and cannot support the war for a long time. Therefore, once we support the war beyond next summer, and there is no progress in the war in Japan, they will absolutely not be able to support it; Second, the factor of the great powers, although our Qing Dynasty has a certain advantage over Japan, if the great powers intervene and suppress the Qing Dynasty with their power and favor Japan, it will be even more difficult for the Qing Dynasty to win a complete victory; Third, China has a long coastline and numerous ports, so we must guard against a sneak attack by the Japanese Navy and take the opportunity to launch a landing operation; once a landing operation is launched, and the Japanese Army enters the territory of Zhili Shandong, it will always threaten the city of Beijing and become a serious danger to our henchmen. ”

Zhang Yi paused, and then said: "Therefore, what we have to do is to smash the Japanese army fiercely in Korea, completely defeat its arrogance, and also use it to deter the great powers from intervening easily." Maintain a stalemate with Japan at sea and maintain the current situation, so that the Chinese naval division is always ready for war, and the speed of the Japanese navy's transportation of land forces to Korea will be contained. There is also the division of the great powers, because the attitude of the great powers towards China cannot be unified and hostile, so that our side is sure enough to force Japan to cease the war. ”

"Good!" Cixi nodded with satisfaction and said, "Jianzhi, Li Hongzhang is fully responsible for the Qing Navy, and as for the Korean battlefield, the mourning family will completely entrust it to Gongting and you." The mourning family has worked hard for the Qing Dynasty in this life, and they are really tired, and in the past few years, they have watched the emperor mature and handed over all the power to him, and the mourning family should also take care of their lives, right? ”

When Zhang Yi and Prince Gong heard this, they hurriedly bowed their hands and said: "Lafayette is prosperous in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it is still early to talk about the old age, and the state affairs of the Qing Dynasty are still inseparable from Lafayette's allocation." ”

Zhang Yi continued: "Back to Lafayette, Lafayette has always worked hard for the Qing Dynasty, working day and night. Wechen heard that Lafayette was 60th birthday this year, and when he returned to China, Admiral Nie had discussed with Wechen what kind of birthday gift should be offered, but in the remote places of North Korea, there were wars and chaos, and Wechen and others really couldn't get decent gifts. Finally, in the Battle of Kaesong, we captured a saber of the commander of the 10th Division, Nozu Michikan, and presented it to Lafayette, this sword was a saber given to Nozu Michiguan by the Emperor of Japan, and it is of great significance. ”

Cixi's eyes lit up, "Offering a saber?" It's a unique gift. ”

Cixi looked at Li Lianying, and Li Lianying hurriedly said: "Lafayette, the saber has arrived outside the palace gate and is kept for Xiao Guozi and other guards." ”

Cixi smiled: "In that case, let them come in, and the mourning family will also take a look at the difference between the Japanese saber." ”

After a while, Xiao Guozi and two other guards brought the saber to Cixi and presented it to Cixi.

Zhang Yi said: "Lafayette, this knife is carefully made by the Japanese emperor to collect Western fine gold, it is extremely sharp, sharpened like clay, and it can be called a treasure!" ”

Cixi looked at this knife, the binding was exquisite, the accessories were gorgeous, it was indeed beautiful, and she couldn't put it down, and applauded.

Cixi said: "It is rare to have a heart with Jianzhi and Gongting, and pass on the oral message of the mourning family, reward Gongting and Jianzhi Yellow Jacket each, and then reward Jianzhi with 3,000 taels of silver." ”