Yuqing and Yuan Weiting discussed with each other, and only shouted the fourth brother when they met, and Yuan Weiting called her an old ten, and she would never use this kind of message containing the tone and command attitude of the superiors and subordinates. Yuqing thought for a while, "It's not good, I'm afraid that this telegram was sent by the fourth brother, but it was actually Amma's meaning, he urged me to go back quickly, should it be ...... Do you really want to draft a girl? ”

Zhao Guanhou shook his head, "You are a very smart person, how can you be confused about this matter, don't talk about whether the rules and systems are appropriate, just talk about when it is now." Even if Pu Jun wants to, others will not accompany him to mess around, if it is a telegram sent by his father-in-law, I am afraid that there is something else, I am afraid that it really can't be delayed, and I have to go urgently. ”

When he said this, Shigege also realized, could it be that his mother suddenly fell ill, or did King Qing have an accident? I didn't dare to delay at the moment, went back to the house to explain my business, immediately asked for a special train, and went straight to Jinan.

When he arrived at the signing room of the governor's yamen, Yuqing first asked: "Fourth brother, what happened, why are you in such a hurry, isn't it my Ama ......?"

"Old ten, don't worry, the telegram is indeed sent by the prince, but it is not what Gege thinks. Wang Ye and Fu Jin are both in good health and have no pain. It's just that the prince asked you to enter Beijing once, probably because there is something important in the house, and you can't do it if you don't go back. Guanhou, as well as you, the prince and the handsome, have all named you, I'm afraid you won't be able to enter Beijing. ”

The handsome man naturally refers to Han Rong, Zhao Guanhou was stunned, he and the Flying Tiger Regiment are like a feud, and he also has a deep holiday with King Duan, and he will not go if he can not go to the capital. The Flying Tiger Regiment dared to kill the third-grade generals, but it did not necessarily dare not kill the standard commander of its own general rank. This is when he declares that he has entered Beijing, is this not the same as sending him to death? He asked himself that he had never offended Han Rong, he shouldn't have sent this kind of errand down, could it be that it was a deal between the bigwigs in the court, and he was a victim.

Seeing his hesitation, Yuan Weiting also knew that he was worried, and hurriedly comforted: "You don't have to think about it, the big handsome is there, and he thinks about things very thoroughly." He issued an order, ordering our Wuwei Right Army to mobilize four battalions of men and horses into Beijing to defend Gyeonggi and maintain law and order. You just go with the four battalions, I want to see how capable those boxers are, and they can move our four battalions of elite soldiers. ”

Zhao Guanhou was stunned, "Brother-in-law, do you really want to transfer the elite of the fourth battalion to Beijing?" There were only three of them in the room, and it was expected that there would be no hindrance, so he coughed and said: "Right now, in the capital, it is a bottomless pit, and the four battalions of soldiers may not be able to make a splash when they fill it." Mobilize our basic troops, isn't this filling a big hole in vain? ”

"That's why I'm going to transfer my troops." Yuan Weiting didn't treat Yuqing as an outsider, and said openly and honestly, "The situation may be worse than you think." The Flying Tigers occupied Zhuozhou and Yizhou, and began to dismantle the railways and pull out the poles. For the railway from Liulihe in western Beijing to Zhuozhou, the rails were dug up, the sleepers were burned, and the telephone poles along the road were sawed off. At present, the telegrams to the capital can only be passed around from Shanhaiguan and transmitted by sea line. ”

Yu Qing hurriedly asked, "What about the telegram on the land line?" Could it be that even the telegraph line of Jinmen was destroyed? ”

"Jinmen is a garrison of the army, and it is said that no one dares to destroy the poles. But even the honor guard of the army was used by the teacher of the Flying Tiger Regiment, and when Zhang Decheng arrived at the yamen of the army, Feng Lu had to kneel down to greet him. It's such a miasma, don't count on the telegram. Cheng Gongting's front army wanted to suppress bandits and protect the road, but Dong Wuxing of the rear army advocated pacification, and the two imperial court officers and armies almost caught fire. As far as I know, Dong Wuxing has a Jin Lan sibling named Li Laizhong, who is an important player in the boxing bandits, and is on an equal footing with Zhao Laozhu. Now transfer Dong Wuxing's rear army to Jingli Gongwei Xiyuan, and let Cheng Gongting's soldiers protect the road, which is obviously different from inside and outside. Behind Dong Fuxiang, he must have found a new backer to support him. ”

As soon as I heard this, I understood that the new backer would not leave the powerful clan in the capital, and I was afraid that he was already in collusion with the dignified two kings, and Han Rong might not be able to control it. Yuan Weiting said again: "Duanwang's new Wusheng team has been renamed Tiger God Camp, saying that it means that the tiger can destroy the ocean, this hatred of the ocean has been revealed, and the rear army of Dong Wuxing, plus the boxers of the Flying Tiger Regiment, and the handsome Wuwei Chinese army, but it is difficult to speak alone, and the strength can not be supported." ”

As soon as he heard this, Shigege's face changed first, "Can the tiger destroy the sheep?" He really dares to say this, isn't he afraid that Lafayette will ask for his head? ”

Cixi Xiao sheep, even mutton in the palace can't be called mutton, it has to be called blessed meat, which means to avoid. He directly dared to say that the tiger can destroy the sheep, which is not taking mercy in his eyes. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, this proves that King Duan's domineering and arrogance have increasingly exceeded the bottom line, and it is not easy for Han Rong to maintain the situation and protect the authority of the Queen Mother.

The armed forces in the capital are probably the Wuwei Army and the Tiger God Battalion, and now the Wuwei Right Army is inclined to the Flying Tiger Regiment, coupled with the attitude of the Tiger God Battalion, Han Rong's Wuwei Central Army is a newly established unit, and its combat effectiveness is suspicious, let alone dealing with this situation, it is very powerful. The right army was mobilized to defend the capital, just to find reinforcements.

According to Han Rong's original intention, he wanted to transfer the entire Wuwei Right Army to Jingli and replace the rear army with the Right Army. But the problem is that this needs the queen mother's decree to be carried out, and this edict is not easy to invite.

First, there are foreigners in Shandong, and at present, the relationship between China and the West is tense, and the foreigners in Shandong also need a large army to defend; Second, in the imperial court, there were also Duan Wang, Zhuang Wang, and his relatives and nobles, and they united with Xu Tong, Ganglie and other foreign ministers to strongly resist the entry of the right army into Beijing. There are also people who make a fuss about the right army's handling of boxers in Shandong, which has the meaning of knocking Yuan Weiting down.

"The marshal asked me to enter Beijing, but he put me on the fire to roast, and the comfort pavilion was an official of the imperial court, and he should be worried about the country, and he would never give up. Even if you know it's a fire pit, you won't complain. But there is no will of the imperial court, and the military situation in Shandong is also very tense, and I have to guard against the flooding of the Yellow River, so I can't move. These four battalions of soldiers are my heart, and if you want to send them, you must send the best, otherwise you will be sorry for the grace of the commander. ”

Zhao Guanhou understood that this was Yuan's two-faced method, neither to wade into the muddy water, nor to offend Han Rong. As for the life and death of the soldiers of the fourth battalion, it is not within the scope of the big man's consideration.

Among the four battalions of infantry, two battalions of infantry were allocated in Jinan City, one battalion was transferred from Linqing, and one battalion was transferred from Zhao Guanhou, with a total of more than 2,000 people in four battalions. On the part of the foreign powers, because the situation in Zhili is deteriorating day by day, even in the eastern suburbs, there are boxers and people's activities, asking all countries to send troops into Beijing to defend the embassy. According to the notes put forward by various countries, there will be 1,000 troops entering Beijing, and Han Rong entered Beijing with 2,000 right troops, and the banner he played was to block the foreigners. Two enemies and one enemy, at least on paper, can be stopped, as for the actual situation, it is another matter.

"Guanhou, now you have to work harder. You are the best at doing foreign affairs, and foreigners must try to turn around, and never cause military disasters. If you can see the Queen Mother, try to tell her old man, witchcraft is not to be trusted, the people's will is not enough, our Dajin country is poor and weak, the soldiers are scarce, and the weapons are not self-sufficient, how to compete with the strong country. If you start a war with foreigners, there will be unspeakable misery. In the defeat of Goryeo, the reparations have not been paid, and there can be no more twists and turns. The foreigner's legation should also be properly protected, the two countries are at war, and they don't kill pedestrians, how can I condone bandits and harass the embassy, which is not consistent with the public law of all countries. Moreover, the local boxers and bandits are extremely unspeakable, whether the people of the church are guilty or not, should be determined by the division, because if they believe in foreign religions, they will kill, which is a big mistake, and even if they use foreign goods, they will be killed, which is no different from robbers. I've already done this chapter, but I don't know about these situations...... Is this chapter useful? ”

"I understand that I will go down to order troops, and after entering Beijing, I must try to be thorough."

"You do things, I don't worry, I believe you. You don't have too many worries, always do your best, whether you can do it or not, you can only look at the will of God, in the end, it is a blessing or a curse, and you can't avoid it, but do your best, everyone must obey orders. ”

After leaving the signing room, Shigege and Zhao Guanhou went to the inner house to chat with Shen Jinying for a while, and when they talked about the situation, they were also worried. is different from Yuan Weiting, Zhao Guanhou and Shen Jinying have the status of sister and brother, and what the two of them say is private, and some things that are inconvenient to say in official affairs can be said to Shen Jinying, and then she will tell Yuan Weiting. This is also a tacit understanding between the two, if you can't put it on the table in official affairs, you can only negotiate in private matters, and it doesn't matter how serious you say. If there is another Yuqing to bridge the cracks, there is nothing to worry about.

Shen Jinying asked: "Little brother, sister knows that you can do foreign affairs, but this time the situation is not trivial, these days in Jinan Mansion, there are a lot of foreigners." In addition to foreigners, many businessmen from outside also came to Shandong, and I heard that the big hotels were already full. Even those who rented houses made a fortune, this is a scene that only happens when there is a big war or a big disaster, and this time, isn't it very serious? ”

"It's more serious than this, sister, I'll tell you a heart-to-heart word, I will never be able to handle this negotiation." Zhao Guanhou went straight to the point and did not hide it.

"Actually, it's not just that I can't do it, even if I use Zhang Hefei, it's useless. Killing foreigners and burning churches outside, and then going to the embassy to make trouble and then saying that they want to negotiate peace with others, this is something that the common people will never do, let alone between the two countries. If you want to say that it is a fight, the soldier takes obedience to orders as his duty, and there is nothing to say, but who to fight? Until now, I haven't understood who the imperial court wants to fight. ”

Shigege said: "To be honest, I don't understand this either. When I was in Goryeo, I knew that I was fighting Fuso, but now, I don't even know who I want to fight, so I can't fight them all, right? ”

When Shen Jinying heard this, she hurriedly shook her head, "This is absolutely impossible, Lafayette is not crazy, how can he fight it." Two fists are hard to beat with four hands, and heroes are afraid of many people, how can there be a country that fights with all countries, this is absolutely impossible. I think it's just that I don't know who to beat, so the court won't really fight, that is, to make a show, let the foreigners know that we are not easy to bully, and if we converge and converge, we will fight each other. ”

"But the problem is that it's been done. Now it's not about showing off, but forcing people to train with us, so don't report too much hope for this negotiation, send soldiers, and don't bring too good equipment. Zhao Guanhou sighed

"No matter how good the guns are, they are always better than foreigners. It would be nice if someone could come back in the end, so let's save it. Our arsenal made its own rifled guns, this is already very good, my sister asked my brother-in-law for a warrant for me, bring out a batch of our self-made rifled guns and medicines, and the soldiers who entered Beijing, one rifled gun per person, plus four hand bullets, whether it can be done or not, it is all him. In addition, sister, how many silver tickets do you have in your hand? ”

"What for?"

"When I went to Beijing, I transferred all the silver bills to the foreigner's bank for my sister, Citigroup, HSBC, and if necessary, I exchanged some pounds and some gold bars, in short, I can't exist in Siheng. The four great constants are in the capital, once there is any movement, eat the debt, it will be a loss. ”

"It doesn't seem like much of the money of the court officials to be deposited in the foreigner's bank, right? In case it is known by the old man, playing a copy can make you uncomfortable for a few months. ”

"Don't worry, in the foreigner bank, there are people who can do this, besides, now that the boxers are in trouble, the life of the old man is not much better, everyone cares about their lives, and how many people take care of these, the younger brother guarantees that it will be done safely, and no one will find out the roots."

Shen Jinying's face became extremely serious, "I don't have many silver tickets in my hand, but I have to ask the others, this is a big deal, don't be in a hurry to leave, I'll ask you in a few days." Also, you killed a large group of boxer leaders, and you have a death with them, so be careful of their plots. I'll tell your brother-in-law and I'll send you a separate guard. ”

When he got out of the governor's office, Yuqing said, "Don't you have a lot of foreign guns in your hands?" Why do we have to use our own guns? ”

"If it weren't for the fear that Han Rong wouldn't be able to get by, I would have them all equipped with Luzao smoothbore guns. Now the foreigners are already restricting the export of Mini rifles to China, and the 12-pounder gun and howitzer shotgun are also strictly restricted, and I think it won't be long before even rifled guns will be restricted. Although Jenson can help us transport some of them, it is a drop in the bucket after all, and we have to be prepared and calculated. For example, this batch is destined to be thrown into the capital, and it must be used with some inferior goods. Of course, I will bring a Minnie rifle sentry into Beijing, so that we can be safe, lest we really be plotted by the bandits. ”

"It's really come to this point, and there's no going back?"

"If it can be recovered, of course I will do my best, but now many things have gotten out of control, and it is not for me, a second-grade general soldier, who can pull it back. If you want to brake, you can't stop it, Yuqing, how many silver tickets do you still have in your hand, and I will transfer them this time. ”

"It's nothing, the last time you finished speaking, I listened to you, and they were all deposited in the Foreigner's Bank, and then they fell to the Warby Bank. I just feel like it's really getting to that point, it's really ...... It's hard to imagine what a miracle that would be. In the war with Albion and Capet, the foreigners burned the garden, and now there are so many people living in the eastern suburbs, how can they fight. ”

"But the problem is, some people just don't think so, and we can't help it. Let's go, I'll take you to see the spring, eat some more food, and then go around, I think, after Sister Ying and her brother-in-law finish speaking, we can leave a few days later. ”

Sure enough, Yuan Weiting sent a letter that night, because it takes time to prepare for military supplies, and there are also procedures for the delivery of guns and ammunition in the arsenal, so that Zhao Guanhou can rest for three days and personally select troops to accompany him. In addition, on the basis of the original four battalions, a single infantry post was assigned as its guard force to protect his safety.

Three days later, the guns and ammunition were ready, and Shen Jinying took nearly 400,000 silver tickets and more than a dozen private seals to Zhao Guanhou, instructing him to properly transfer them to the foreigner's bank and be careful. Looking at those seals, they probably belong to six or seven Shandong officials, from the supervisor to the governor, all of them. Before the war started, the number of victories and defeats was already three points at this time. (To be continued.) )