Several Russian brewers, after being promised a lot of benefits by Yang Xingguo, began to brew the first vodka in Mukden with all their hearts. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

At this time, the news that the Liaodong Army had a large number of weapons to sell had reached the imperial court and Yuan Shikai's ears.

The imperial court and Yuan Shikai, who were all rushing to expand the troops, immediately set their eyes on this batch of weapons and equipment.

Although the Beiyang Army earned more than 5 million taels of silver from the immigrants, the Beiyang Army needed to expand too many troops.

For the light rifle, if he buys a new one from abroad, Yuan Shikai will have to come up with at least 2.5 million taels of silver. But if you buy second-hand weapons that are still intact from the Liaodong Army at a reasonable price, it will only cost 1.5 million taels at the top of the sky, and you can save 1 million taels of silver to do other things.

For the imperial court, Yuan Shikai did not even write a copy of the book, and directly expanded the Beiyang Army. He also privately ordered the Beiyang Army of the two towns to suddenly occupy Anhui and Henan provinces.

Although he did not openly tell the imperial court that he was going to rebel, the fact that the Beiyang Army had seized Shandong, Henan, and Anhui provinces had already been formed.

Without the imperial decree and directly separating the land of the three provinces, Yuan Shikai exposed his ambitions with his actions.

Because the imperial court had just experienced a defeat, and it was under the attack of the Liaodong Army and the Beiyang Army.

Cixi, who got the news, was very angry and kept scolding Yuan Shikai for his wolf ambitions. But for the fact that Yuan Shikai had already divided the three provinces, Cixi had no other way but to acquiesce.

However, invisibly, Cixi had already promoted Yuan Shikai to a first-level enemy of Yang Xingguo.

In order to ensure that the Gyeonggi area is in the hands of the imperial court, so that the imperial court has the foundation to gain a foothold in the gap between the Liaodong Army and the Beiyang Army, by the way, deter those feudal officials in the south who are scattered in strength, and let them know that the imperial court is the orthodoxy of the Qing Dynasty.

Cixi understood very well that only the army could do this.

Therefore, Zaitao, who was ransomed, not only was not questioned by the imperial court, but took on the important task of expanding the forbidden army.

After learning that the Liaodong Army had a large number of rifles to sell, Zaitao immediately approached Cixi and asked the imperial court to buy these weapons.

In Zaitao's words, after the imperial court bought these weapons, the Beiyang Army would not be able to get them. To a certain extent, this also suppressed the expansion speed of the Beiyang Army in disguise.

Besides, it is definitely cheaper to buy weapons from the Liaodong Army than abroad, and the same amount of weapons and equipment can save the imperial court a lot of silver.

There have been too many major events surrounding the Liaodong Army in the past two years, and under these trivial troubles, the current Cixi is even older than the same period in history.

However, Cixi was not confused.

can not only suppress Yuan Shikai but also save himself money, such a good opportunity, Cixi will definitely not let go.

Immediately ordered Zaitao to personally go to Mukden, and buy the gun back no matter what the cost.

So, Zaitao and Xu Shichang, who was sent by Yuan Shikai, rushed to Fengtian City almost at the same time.

Yang Xingguo, who got the news, subconsciously thought of a way to reap the benefits of the fisherman: since they all wanted these weapons, he could raise the price through bidding and sell the weapons at a higher price.

Yang Xingguo, who had already thought of a specific method, deliberately arranged Xu Shichang and Zaitao together.

When the two met, Xu Shichang subconsciously wanted to salute Zaitao, the king of the county.

However, Zaitao ignored it directly, and then strode into the accommodation arranged for him by the Liaodong Army, leaving Xu Shichang aside. Although the imperial court did not issue an edict announcing the rebels of the Beiyang Army, in the eyes of Zaitao's relatives and relatives, the Beiyang Army was divided into three provinces behind the back of the imperial court, which was no different from rebellion.

In this way, Xu Shichang, who worked under Yuan Shikai, became a traitor in Zaitao's eyes.

As the king of the Great Qing Dynasty, Zaitao will not deal with traitors even if he is confused.

Although Xu Shichang has the identity of the Beiyang Army pasted on his body, Xu Shichang still has a little awe of the imperial court, and he doesn't want to see the Beiyang Army break with the imperial court.

But from Zaitao's hostile gaze at him just now, Xu Shichang understood that the imperial court had completely regarded the Beiyang Army as a traitor, but it just didn't make a clear order. Because, Zaitao's attitude represents the attitude of the imperial court in many cases.

Thinking of this, and then thinking of the purpose of himself and Zaitao appearing here at the same time, Xu Shichang understood that the Beiyang Army and the imperial court were completely opposed, and there was no possibility of reconciliation at all.

After the episode that happened here reached Yang Xingguo's ears, Yang Xingguo first smiled, and then said to himself with a look of anticipation: "The negotiation has not yet started to grind out such a strong smell of gunpowder, and now I am already looking forward to the next negotiations, to see what irreconcilable the relationship between the imperial court and the Beiyang Army has reached." ”

Zhou Zhongju, who knows the most about the intelligence in the Guannai, also rarely showed a smile: "Commander, Yuan Shikai quietly took two provinces in the hands of the Cong Imperial Court, but the Imperial Court, which is the orthodoxy of the Great Qing State, can only eat the Yellow Lotus dumbly, and he doesn't even dare to say a word." In this case, if the court does not have hatred for Yuan Shikai, then the court is really helpless. ”

"The court is hopeless!" Yang Xingguo suddenly put away the smile on his face and replied with a serious face.

"From the moment Yuan Shikai exposed his ambitions to secession, the imperial court was not saved."

"Don't look at the fact that the imperial court is now vigorously expanding the forbidden army, and it is a posture of making great efforts. But it was useless, and at most it could only allow the imperial court to survive for a few more years.

"How so?" Zhou Zhongju asked rhetorically with a look of disbelief.

"How can you say that the imperial court still has 20,000 forbidden troops in its hands. According to the current thinking of the imperial court, after the expansion of the forbidden army, there will be at least 50,000 people. With 50,000 forbidden troops, plus several governors in the south who still support the imperial court, as well as the Mongolian cavalry on the Mongolian steppe, the imperial court is not without the strength to fight with the Beiyang Army. ”

"Fight? How to fight, you are too high to look at the court. ”

"Those feudal officials in the south, which one is not as shocked as a monkey. The imperial court had to acquiesce in the news that the Beiyang Army had seized the three provinces, and those feudal officials must have known about it a long time ago. ”

"They are different from Yuan Shikai in that they started from the army and have a large number of military talents who support them. The new army in everyone's hands has three towns at most, and there is not even a town at all. With such strength, how can you fight with Yuan Shikai. ”

"Besides, the emperor is far away, and the Beiyang Army that is blocked between the imperial courts can be divided, why can't he be the emperor of the soil."

"I'm sure that as long as the day when the imperial court and the Beiyang Army really come to the day of confrontation, these governors will definitely run faster than anyone else, and immediately declare that they have nothing to do with the imperial court, so as to avoid being targeted by Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army, and like Henan and Anhui provinces, they will be swallowed to the point that there is no scum left." (To be continued.) )