After reading the telegram, Cixi had a feeling of collapse, and shouted anxiously: "Deliver the decree, immediately pass the decree, order people to expedite seven hundred miles, chase Li Hongzhang, and order Li Hongzhang to be the minister of the Military Aircraft Department, the governor of Zhili and the minister of Beiyang, and immediately return to Beijing, preside over all the defense affairs in the north of the imperial court and foreign 'relations', and return to Beijing immediately after receiving the holy decree!" ”

Xu Tong on the side asked: "Lafayette, now you have just issued an order to remove Li Hongzhang from his position, and before he arrives, you will immediately restore him to his position. --”

"Shut up!" Cixi said angrily: "You old 'bastard', if you don't recall Li Hongzhang, will you go to preside over the defense outside the Guanwai?" Are you going to negotiate with Tsarist Russia and Japan on foreign relations? Don't invite back Li Hongzhang, you can clean up this situation, you are all a bunch of waste, but if there is someone available in the mourning family, why bother to call Li Hongzhang alone! ”

The furious Cixi farted a burst of scolding, reprimanded Xu Tong on his knees, did not dare to move, to preside over the military affairs of the north, where does he have that ability, let him play tricks, it is okay to use the pen, when it comes to military affairs, foreign 'hand', foreign affairs, he is an out-and-out 'door' layman!

Li Hongzhang and the others had just passed Baoding, and the people who passed the decree behind them caught up with Li Hongzhang.

The officials who came to deliver the decree were also not polite, and said directly: "Lord Zhongtang, Lord Zhongtang, and take a step slowly, the Queen Mother Lafayette has a will!" “

Li Hongzhang arched his hand and said, "I don't know what Lafayette's will is?" “

The person said: "The Empress Dowager Lafayette has issued an edict to dismiss you from the errand of the Governor of Liangguang, and reappointed as the Governor of Zhili and the Minister of Beiyang, and the Minister of the Military Aircraft Department, who is responsible for all the defense of the northern part of the imperial court and foreign 'relations', and 'deals' with the invasion of Japan and Tsarist Russia." My lord, please return to Kyoto immediately. “

Li Hongzhang pondered for a moment and replied: "The old man thanks the Queen Mother Lafayette for her favor, but now Li Hongzhang is seriously ill, with this crippled body, it is really difficult to be qualified for such a heavy task, please Lafayette choose someone else, you can reply to my message and Lafayette, immediately recall Zhang Jianzhi, Zhang Jianzhi is in the prime of life, he will definitely be able to succeed in this matter, or appoint Lord Ronglu to take charge of this matter, presumably he can also be competent, the old man is not good, seriously ill, how can he take on such a heavy responsibility." ”

When the people who came saw that Li Hongzhang refused to obey the edict, they had no choice but to leave and return to the capital to resume their lives.

In the Qianqing Palace, when Cixi was in the early dynasty, he was rewarded, Li Hongzhang refused to accept the order, excused himself from being unwell, seriously ill, and difficult to see things, and recommended Zhang Jianzhi and Rong Lu to take the lead in presiding over the northern defense and foreign 'relations'.

Cixi's face darkened, but she sent a seven-hundred-mile rush to invite Li Hongzhang back to the capital.

"Li Hongzhang!" Cixi Tie blushed, and squeezed out three words from between his teeth, but he had no choice, the former Sheng Xuanhuai said in the palace, after Li Hongzhang received the battle report, he vomited blood, was unconscious, and was seriously ill, and there was nothing at fault.

What to do? Cixi has the intention to make a strict order, but now is the time to employ people, and if she wills, I am afraid that it will be even more difficult for Li Hongzhang to go out of the mountain.

When Cixi was entangled, the guards outside the palace reported: "Queen Mother, the head of the military department has an urgent matter to meet, and the urgent military situation is sent from Fengtian." ”

Cixi was shocked when she heard this, and shouted, "Let him come in quickly." ”

After a while, Tie Liang, the head of the Kung Fu Military Department, hurriedly walked in, knelt on the ground, and said, "Lafayette, it's not good." ”

Cixi shouted: "What are you panicking about, what's wrong?" ”

Tie Liang hurriedly said: "Lafayette, Fengtian General's Mansion sent an urgent telegram, and the chief soldier Xu Huaijin said that today, the Korean Japanese army was urgently mobilized, and 60,000 people were gathered along the Yalu River, and there were frequent provocations, and war could break out at any time, and the Japanese army's front was less than 50 miles away from the border of Jilin and Mukden. The Fengtian General's Mansion asked the court whether it was war or peace, and I urgently asked to call back! ”

Cixi couldn't sit still any longer, so she got up from the dragon chair and shouted, "Present the telegram!" ”

The eunuch on the side hurriedly handed the telegram to Cixi, Cixi looked at it, and sat down on the dragon chair, how is this good, swords and soldiers everywhere, this Japan is clear that it wants to fight another battle with the Qing Dynasty, dodge? There is nowhere to dodge at all, now that Japan has raided and annihilated the Beiyang Naval Division, the army is 'pressing' close to the Yalu River, and it will never stop if it does not complete its efforts, and the Tsarist Russia in Heilongjiang is the same insatiable, every time it makes trouble, Tsarist Russia has to reap enough benefits before it is willing to withdraw its troops, these two are like wolves and tigers, and they are embarrassed as 'traitors', which is really unreasonable.

Just, hit? How to fight? The Beiyang Naval Division was destroyed, the three major naval divisions of Nanyang, Fujian, and Guangdong existed in name only, and the four major naval divisions now have three warships in addition to Liu Buyun in Lushun, and they can't even find a decent warship!

Looking at the army, although Zhang Jianzhi's army in Fengtian can fight well, Zhang Jianzhi has not returned from staying in the United States, and his subordinates are all unruly, except for Zhang Jianzhi, even if Li Hongzhang comes forward, it is difficult to mobilize.

Rong Lu's Armed Guards? Let's not talk about the combat strength, what about the defense of Gyeonggi if the Wuwei Army is transferred? What's more, with the ability of Ronglu, it can deal with Tsarist Russia and Japan, obviously not, it is difficult to deal with one, not to mention that Tsarist Russia and Japan have made an appointment to send troops, and together, the number of troops has exceeded 100,000!

Cixi raised her head and asked, "Fellow ministers, now that Japan and Tsarist Russia have bullied too much, what do you have opinions, speak them out and listen to them." ”

Xu Yongyi, the secretary of the Ministry of War, replied: "Back to Lafayette, now Tsarist Russia and Japan are tightly 'pressing', I am afraid that if we do not get enough benefits, we will not strike the army, and we will pay compensation at the lightest, and cut the land at the worst, which is not something I can afford. ”

Yang Chongyi, the imperial historian of the left capital on the side, replied: "Declare war? Lord Xu, you are not mistaken, how can we declare war, one to fight two? Now our national strength is struggling, and it has only been less than three years since the First Sino-Japanese War was fought, and there are deficits everywhere! Where do we get the money war? The minister thought that it was better to negotiate peace. Gangyi also walked out and said: "Lafayette, Zhang Jianzhi, who is now in Fengtian, has trained 50,000 'elite' soldiers over the past few years, plus 30,000 Huai troops and 30,000 Wuwei troops, we also have no less than 100,000 'elite' soldiers, and we will definitely not fall behind in terms of troops?" We don't have the money to fight, do we have the money to pay the reparations? We can't help fighting, once peace is negotiated, it won't be two years later, and then there will be other powers bullying us, when will we come out? This battle must be fought! Xu Tong also took it and echoed: "Lafayette, this war is also a must-fight, we can't let the world powers always look down on us, some time ago, we fought with Japan, didn't we win?" We may not lose this battle! ”