There was a sound of water, and I saw a human head coming out of the bottom of the water, wiping the water on his face with both hands, and leaning comfortably on the edge of the pool.

This pool is full of white air and clouds. There was also a faint smell of sulfur. It is a hot spring, the rockery around the small pool is scattered, and a few shades are shaded, which is very charming. On the edge of the pool, there was already a man leaning against him, with a white towel on his head, leaning his face back, and several naked young girls surrounded him, gently pinching his shoulders. On top of the pool floated two wooden trays with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, and a young girl with a bare ass was also watching.

Seeing the other man come out of the water, the two girls greeted him with a chuckle, causing a wave of water, and they all wanted to pinch his shoulders and rub his legs. The man just closed his eyes and took a towel and waved them away.

The other man glanced over there and said with a smile: "Kawakami-kun, what's the matter, can't you still see it?" ”

In this private [***] hot spring bath, the two men are Kawakami Yoroku, who returned from North Korea, and Toyamamitsu, the big leader of the Genyosha who has not appeared for a long time. Kawakami has been looking depressed, and the head mountain hand is still lingering on the young and sturdy ** of the lower woman, smiling and moaning as if he doesn't care about anything.

"Kawasami-kun, did His Excellency Shan County give you a punishment for reflection, and you are like this? Your Excellency Yama wants me to tell you, because Lord Ito wants to negotiate with Li Hongzhang of the Qing Kingdom, and you must have a posture, after all, you have commanded our imperial [***] team to shoot in Korea, although it is self-defense, although it is to protect Seoul from continuing to be chaotic...... But I shot anyway! A reflective punishment is just right. His Excellency Ito can confidently continue to negotiate with Li Hongzhang......"

Kawakami's black beard seems to have been trimmed, from a Prussian-style big mustache to an Oriental-style small lip hair. Looking a little younger, he heard Tou Shanman's words, opened his eyes, glanced at Tou Shan lightly, and looked cold: "Tou Shanjun, you don't know me too well!" For the great cause of the empire, even if it is dead, there is nothing. My soul can still be attached to the battle banner of the Empire, and Ito will take a step forward, I fully understand. And he also put the pressure on the Satsuma clan to hold me accountable for acting without permission, and I'm grateful! It's not this that keeps me in trouble......"

He stopped his words, stretched out his hand, and a subordinate girl hurriedly handed over the wine glass, and Kawakami paused slightly in his hand, and then poured it down with a fierce neck.

"You're still from the Satsuma Domain, Kawakami-kun......"

"In the face of the merits of the great cause of conquering Korea, it doesn't matter where you come from. The foundation of the Satsuma Domain is now the Navy, and I'm also a member of the Army...... Running for the army like this, and even sitting in Seoul myself, the Satsuma clan regarded me as a traitor! They also want to lead this great cause of conquering Korea! ”

Toushan smiled, the two feudal domains of Satsuma Choshu are now divided into the army and navy, and with the gradual expansion and modernization of the two armies, the struggle between these forces has become more and more intense. These let them, the feudal lords from the southwest, watch from the side, and they are really a little gloating. But after all, there is an Ito above, and the two sides don't dare to make too much trouble, besides, the center of gravity of the empire now is not on the battle between the two feudatories, is it?

He changed the topic with a smile: "Then Kawasami-kun, why is it difficult for you to open your heart?" Why did you come from Tokyo to the place where Gunma contemptible people cultivated their minds? ”

Kawakami opened his eyes violently, waved his hand, and the girl in the pool quickly nodded and saluted, climbed out of the pool, and a young ** with white flowers jumped and retreated.

Touyamaman just smiled and looked at the bodies of these youths, and didn't look at Kawakami.

"The army has no information about Xu Yifan at all now! His origin, his surname, the people close to him, what forces does he rely on, and what is his strength...... None of them! He has risen to the top of East Asian politics faster than a comet, and people have no time to react...... And he, right in North Korea! ”

Head Mountain is still just smiling.

Kawakami bit his lip, his eyes were fixed, and finally he exhaled a long breath and leaned against the edge of the pool: "Unwilling, really unwilling to be a mountain king...... Our plan used so many resources, the army, diplomatic resources, Your Excellency's Xuanyang Society, and we painstakingly cultivated the forces of the Kaihua Party for eight years, but in the end, they were still crushed by Xu Yifan, and I also evacuated North Korea in a hurry. I've been wondering, I can't figure out how he grasped the key and acted so decisively? He...... It's really not like a Qing countryman......"

Tou Shanman's expression gradually became serious, his eyes turned, looking at the hot spring in front of him, he seemed to remember the unpleasant experience when he invited Xu Yifan to take a bath with him to win him over. Since then, Xuanyang Society has been paying attention to Xu Yifan's actions and has been collecting intelligence information. But there is no need to reveal these to Kawakami Yorokusha, these intelligence on the East Asian continent are the resources of their Xuanyang Society, and they are the capital of their Xuanyang Society.

In the end, he just smiled faintly: "Kawasami-kun, I will pay attention to it for Your Excellency, if there is any information about Xu Yifan, I will inform you as soon as possible." ”

Kawakami didn't speak, but sank his head into the water again, and only came out after a while, and shouted fiercely at the sky, as if he wanted to shout out all the stuffiness in his heart.

Toushan smiled: "Kawasami-kun, there's no need to be so jealous of a Xu Yifan." In the political arena of the Qing State, he has not yet reached the point where he can participate in the decision-making of major plans, but he is just a minister of military training, with thousands of good soldiers...... It was never even a target for the Empire! The wheels of the conquest of Korea have been rolling, and they have been gathered for twenty years, and the Qing Dynasty is in decline. The great cause of Lord Guan Bai seizing the four hundred states of Shenzhou back then will be realized in the hands of your and my generation! Can Xu Yifan resist such a general trend? Don't look too highly at him...... Your Excellency's great promise is in the future......"

Kawakami also seemed to feel his gaffe just now, smiled bitterly, and put the white towel on his head again: "I know, I know it...... With the Huai system entering the court, Xu Yifan's good words are not long. Now His Excellency Ito is already fully arranging ......"

Toushan's ears suddenly pricked up, although he is a spy leader who can call for wind and rain in East Asia, he is inextricably linked with all aspects of the empire, and sometimes even the embodiment of their will. But after all, he is not a figure in the circle of confidants. Sometimes the most important disposition decision is not available to him in detail. In the final analysis, the planned operation in Seoul was something that he and the army did together, mainly because the army wanted to take the lead and seize the leading power of the empire's conquest of Korea and the Qing Dynasty, so as to enhance their position in the empire. Aritomo Yamagu, the head of the Choshu Domain of the Army, also secretly received him, and sent a general like Kawakami Ryroku.

But now on top of the army and navy, there is such an iron-fisted figure as Hirobumi Ito! He was almost the number one person in the empire in the twenty years since the Meiji era, and he controlled the direction of the entire empire. The expedition to Han and Zhengqing also had his steps and plans. For the army to go alone this time, to be honest, he was very angry. It is said that he also said a few cruel words about the Xuanyang Society who participated in the conspiracy behind his back. He was terrified for a few days. Toyama prides himself on not being afraid of anyone, and many big names are still his playthings, but this Ito, who led the process of modernization, can suppress the two feudatories of the army and navy, and this little man who can have the greatest influence in front of the emperor is the character he fears the most!

Today, Kawakami came over to soak in the hot spring with him, and he had to tell him about Ito's arrangement, what do you want in exchange?

The person was still soaking in the hot spring, and the brain on his head was already spinning at high speed, and he didn't dare to slack off at all.

Kawakami's tone was light, there were no ups and downs, and he kept talking: "His Excellency Ito is presiding over the negotiations with the Qing State, and his attitude was very tough at the beginning, he wanted to reformulate the Tianjin Treaty, and he wanted the Qing State to withdraw its troops and apologize for compensation, and he wanted this and that. When the Huai army of the Qing Dynasty entered the court, His Excellency Ito's tone was softer, and Li Hongzhang would feel that it was the dispatch of troops that had played a role, and in order to obtain more benefits and make our tune softer, he would also make up more troops to enter the court, and he would deter us ......"

The word shock, in Kawakami's mouth, sounds like a mockery.

“…… The more troops, the softer we will be, until the main force of their Huai army enters the court. Your Excellency, you must know. The Qing State is not yet a modern nation-state, and North Korea and Beiyang are only the territory of Li Hongzhang alone. The opponent of the first step of our empire's continental policy is only Li Hongzhang! The main force of his Huai army was assembled in Korea, and it was all supplemented by sea forces, that is, the Beiyang Naval Division...... In the future, as long as there is a decisive battle at sea, the Beiyang Naval Division will be defeated. Then it is equivalent to the main force of the water and land armies of the Huai system that was defeated at the same time! When the main force of the Huai Army was trapped in Korea and lost the supply route by sea, there was only a long and thin land supply line from the northeast of the Qing Kingdom through the mountainous Korea to Seoul, and it was just food for our Korean army! At the same time the entire Beiyang ...... Tianjin, Weihai, Lushun, and Qinhuangdao will all open the door, and we can go straight to the heart of the Qing Dynasty! What we are doing now is only to tempt General Li Hongzhang to keep focusing on the dead place of North Korea, and what we are doing is just a little change of attitude at the negotiating table! ”

Although in the warm water, Toushan Man felt a chill down his spine. Their Genyosha has instigated so many conspiracies and plans in East Asia, but compared to Ito's measures, it is like the difference between a big Go player and a layman!

Such a character is really the first person in this book!

Li Hongzhang, who is known as the Bismarck of the East...... Forget it.

Kawakami didn't look at Toushanman's expression, but continued lightly: "So many Huai troops have entered the court, will Xu Yifan have a good time?" They will inevitably further oppress Xu Yifan's existence. For us, the more capable Xu Yifan is, the better, the more he can keep fighting with the Huai army, the better, when we send troops to conscript, the most hope is that the Qing people in North Korea are still fighting for power and profit! ”

Kawakami's voice paused for a long time before he heard Toyama's dry voice: "Lord Ito's measures, the contemptible people will throw themselves to the ground, and the great cause of the empire will definitely be successful...... I don't know what Kawakami-kun is telling the contemptible people for? ”

The depression in Kawakami's chest seemed to be fully vented, and he smiled and beckoned to the back, and the girls who had been waiting far away in the back watched his actions and rushed over in a hurry. Kawakami crawled out of the pool with a bang, asked the maid to dry him, and served him to put on his nightgown. He looked at the pile of women in front of him for a while, ordered two casually, and was carefully helped by them to walk towards the resting place. After taking two steps, Kawakami turned around and smiled: "Telling Your Excellency these is an exchange." The Xuanyang Society has done its best for the army and sacrificed so many heroes, so it can't let the Xuanyang Society bury its head into the turbulent future...... This is the meaning of Shan County-kun......"

"So, what does Kawakami-kun mean?"

"I just need a little, all Xu Yifan's information, his every move, all his actions, I want everything!"

"Isn't his fate doomed? Either it will be crushed by the Huai system, or it will be destroyed by our imperial army in the future......"

Listening to Toushan Nene's question, Kawakami looked solemn and muttered, "The fate of man ...... How can we see the fate of the country clearly? After all, we don't know what's going to happen in the future......"

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

"The minion really doesn't know that Xiao Yue is so ambitious! It's all to blame for the minions, and they want to put the Praetorian Guards in the hands of the minions, so as to serve Lafayette, who knows that Xiao Yueben kicked the minions in the back! ”

In the quiet Le Shou Palace, I heard an old man crying and sobbing. Cixi sat on the bed, leaning over, not knowing what she was thinking, and the old lady had a helpless look on her face.

The one kneeling in front of her was Rong Lu. The hat he was wearing had lost its top. He talked and cried with a dejected face, and when he talked about his emotions, he couldn't stop meeting on the ground. Li Lianying stood behind Cixi, Shi Duo, Erle and Bu, the three military planes of Gangyi, and the two ministers of the king sat on the stools on both sides, all looking at Cixi's face with a biased face.

It was easy to wait for Rong Lu's crying to come to an end, and Cixi said slowly: "What does the emperor think?" What do you think? ”

Several people's eyes were focused on Shi Duo's face, Shi Duo couldn't put it off, he pondered for a while, and said carefully: "The emperor is angry, and on the one hand, let the military aircraft and the six ministries and nine secretaries discuss the office, and on the other hand, let Rong Lu and Lafayette personally reply." The emperor is benevolent and filial, saying that Rong Lu, the guilty minister, was personally chosen by Lafayette, he is not worth anything, and it is important to take care of Lafayette's dignity. ”

Unexpectedly, this sentence angered Cixi: "Decent? I don't want this decency! On the one hand, let Rong Lu talk back to me, and on the other hand, let the Sixth Department of the Military Aircraft and the Jiuqing Consultation Office, discuss the weight, I am light, and I am an indulgent minion. It's me mean, in turn. It must be the idea of the old man Weng! ”

As soon as a word was spoken, several military planes knelt down with a pounce. The two princes who sat with him were originally full, but they turned their faces away and didn't see them.

Cixi calmed down again in a blink of an eye: "Anyway, I am also returned to the government and raised by Rongrong, the emperor and the old man can love each other, anyway, I have two eyes closed, and I can still eat and drink?" Let them go...... This minion is not angry, for the sake of the Praetorian Guard is a matter of the banner man, I made an exception to pick him up from Tianjin, who knew that he would not give me a long face like this! You're talking hard! What is the outcome of the negotiation now? ”

Several military planes glanced at each other, their eyes intertwined.

After Rong Lu returned to Beijing, Li Lianying asked them to blow the wind. The emperor sold Xu Yifan well, and punished Ronglu heavily, so that he could hold the Praetorian Guard in his hands, you can't be so confused! Galeries Lafayette's decency is something to be taken care of......

As a result, Rong Lu ate and drank well in Beijing, and a prisoner could still pay a visit. How can there be anything that the military plane doesn't understand, this mother and son are fighting secretly, and the people under them can only pretend to be confused.

Speaking of which, Xu Yifan hates it. What do you do with such a big credit?

The hall was quiet for a long time, and in the end, when he couldn't force it, Shi Duo stammered: "The ministers discussed, in the final analysis, it is still said that I am not good......

"That's right, Xiao said that the wolf is ambitious!"

"It's like this to my Heavenly Empire!"

"Master Li presides over the negotiations, and he must not spare them!"

Cixi smiled, of course she understood the thoughts of the people below. Li Hongzhang's recent negotiations have been quite smooth, and the two countries have held talks in Baoding, and at the beginning he said that the tone of the minister in the negotiations was extremely tough, and there was even a threat of going to war. As soon as Li Hongzhang's 10,000 soldiers were sent out, their tune softened, and Li Hongzhang had already played a secret game, saying that if he was considering adding troops to Korea, the Beiyang Naval Division should also step up its efforts to show off its might. It is estimated that this matter will be settled within the year, but it is just a matter of reiterating the Tianjin Treaty, and maybe there will be some compensation or something. The most important thing is that he didn't spend the silver of the imperial court and Lafayette's longevity, and Li Hongzhang paid for all the expenses out of his own pocket.

Now that things are going well, Rong Lu's affairs can no longer be confused. Dealing with him is to sweep Lafayette's own face, and the emperor's arrogance will rise again.

She asked, "What kind of crime are you talking about?" ”

Shi Duo secretly glanced at Cixi's face: "The army lost the plane, but after Seoul is finished, there is no fault for losing the land, the Praetorian Guard is still there, and there is no charge of overthrowing the army...... It's just that the machine is lost, and the military aircraft and the six ministries and nine secretaries are ready to be downgraded by three levels, and the punishment is not allowed to be offset......"

Cixi wrenched her fingers: "The Manchurian general is from the first, and the third level will be demoted to the third, good guy, from the general to the leader!" Ronglu, it's enough for you! ”

As soon as they heard Cixi's words, several military planes still had to speak, thinking that Cixi was too heavy. Cixi waved her hand first: "That's it!" If a slave commits a crime, he will be beaten when he should be beaten, and he will be scolded when he should be scolded, which is justified! Rong Lu, do you know your sin? It's time to learn a lesson. If you withdraw the mission, you can't finish it, it's your business. The Praetorian Guards have merit this time, but they are also damaged, aren't they? You go to Nanyuan and practice some Praetorian Guards to renew the army. If you want to pay the military machine, the Praetorian Guard has made meritorious contributions, and you should also pay some money and train some reserve soldiers for them......"

Several military planes glanced at each other, and they all applauded in their hearts. Although Rong Lu was demoted this time, he personally led the troops! Lafayette didn't know what camp to point to him. According to the current situation of the Qing Dynasty, with soldiers in hand, are you afraid that you will not be closed in the future? Rong Lu is a blessing in disguise!

Lafayette gritted his teeth to protect Ronglu, isn't he fighting with the emperor?

But since Cixi spoke, several military planes didn't dare to say anything more, and they met one after another. The two ministers who accompanied the food also retired as a ritual.

When the talent went down, Cixi's face changed: "Ronglu, hello wow!" This time I really swept my face well! ”

Rong Lu didn't understand anything, and he stuffed a lot of silver for Li Lianying when he entered the door today, and at this time, he immediately cried loudly, and his body was soft: "Slave...... Slaves don't fight...... Annoyed Galeries Lafayette...... The emperor wants to punish the minions to collect Xu Yifan's heart and let him serve the emperor...... The minions were in North Korea, and what they wanted was to get the Praetorian Guards back, but they didn't expect the little ones to ......."

This was right, Cixi nodded with a straight face: "If it weren't for your dedication to service, I wouldn't have spared you by saying anything!" Xiao said that it was a problem of ringworm, and the emperor wanted to take charge of the army, which was a big problem! I can't let him mess around! Now that I think about it, it is much more convenient to have a useful personal soldier in hand. North Korea has not changed, but it still relies on soldiers to level down. We can't have a palace change in North Korea! If you practice this reserve army, if you don't give me a face, you will go to Xinjiang Province for the rest of your life and don't come back! ”

Rong Lu met again: "Lafayette, the slave will definitely train a strong army!" ”

Cixi relaxed her tone and smiled: "If it weren't for the Manchurian children, you would still be able to do anything, looking at the Praetorian Guard, and also having some experience in army training, I don't expect you to say anything...... This Xu Yifan, how did he train a strong army in a few months? Now he still doesn't care about the heavens and the earth, and no one can control him, but he has made great contributions, and it is difficult for him to ...... whatever he wants."

Cixi groaned and did not speak, and her face changed back and forth. The people around them held their breath, and the room in Le Shou Hall was as quiet as a mourning hall for a while, and the air was tense.

"What common sense can't understand is trouble...... What exactly does he want? Rong Lu, you can say something, do you want this Praetorian Guard? If I can't ask for it, or who will catch it, even if I am scolded for hiding the bow, I can't say it, how can I withdraw this Praetorian Guard! ”

(To be continued)