The port of Nosibe, where the world's third strongest fleet was docked, was already full of mourning, and the little confidence that had just been raised before the pursuit was completely killed, and a small pursuit battle drove the Russians into the Nine Abyss. The Chinese only used four cruisers to beat them to the head, then China wants to send the entire navy to destroy them completely, in short, the Russians spent the night in fear. The next day the Ashcritt made its way back to Nossibe, but the Ashcrit was escorted back by a Chinese cruiser. The Chinese cruiser did not open fire, but just made a turn and left. But it was this cruiser that caused panic throughout Nosibe, and countless Russian sailors abandoned their ships and fled to land.

The Ascrit docked, and the wails of the wounded added to the desolation of Nossibe. Roger Stevensky personally stepped forward to question, and he learned what had happened from the mouths of the two captains who had returned.

After the surrender of the two ships, the Chinese simply drove all the prisoners to the Ascrit and let them back, so in order to prevent the Ascrit from capsizing on the way, a cruiser was sent to escort them. And the surrendered Retvi Mountain, the Chinese want to pull it back as a trophy.

"His Majesty the Tsar will kill us—" Major General Faulkshan, who had always been the main battler, was already disheartened, and he could not see any hope of defeating the Chinese.

So what are we going to do, do we still want to go to the Far East, go to the Far East and fight that terrible yellow pig alone? Roger Stevensky was uneasy. Asked Petersburg for instructions, and to be honest, I wanted His Majesty the Emperor to say: "Forget it, you can come back."

However, the tsar's favored retainer did not know his master very well. Rogerst Winsky even knew Nicholas II as well as the Chinese. Nicholas II never thought to spare the yellow-skinned monkeys who dared to offend the Russian Empire, especially after knowing the exaggerated reports of the French.

Although Nosy Be was full of Russian warships, it must have been a French colony. When the pursuing Russians returned with the smoke of gunpowder in frustration. The French knew that the Russians had failed, but when they counted the number of warships, they were shocked that they had lost two battleships and two heavy cruisers. The Chinese actually took out four Russian main battleships with four light cruisers? The French could not believe this fact, so they inquired in many ways. Finally, when the Ascrit returned the next day, the French learned what was going on.

On January 18, four Chinese light cruisers were in pursuit from Russia. to sink one battleship and one heavy cruiser of the opposing side, and capture one battleship. At the same time, another captured heavy cruiser loaded with captured soldiers returned to Nosy Bay after their release. Don't we have to ask: Did the Russian fleet sail more than 10,000 nautical miles to die?

When the news came out, the world was in an uproar, is the Chinese Navy already as powerful? The British Parliament convened an emergency meeting to discuss Far East policy. Germany, France, the United States, and other countries have all reassessed their original Far East policies. Only Nicholas II tore up the newspaper and held the ministers accountable with a gloomy face.

None of the generals of the Admiralty in Petersburg wanted Roderstvinsky to return alive, and in order to prevent Nicholas II from remembering the Russian unspoken rule of "no attack without more than double the number of troops", he also published a paper in the newspaper under the name of "Lieutenant Colonel Korat", saying: "The Russians are not necessarily sure of victory", which counted the number of artillery of the expeditionary fleet and said that "the number of large-caliber artillery of the Chinese is 1.2 times that of the Russians", what should I do? "It is necessary to create another Third Pacific Fleet to compensate for this shortage".

It doesn't matter if it's a bastard or not. As long as His Majesty Tsar Nicholas II listened to it, it was science, and suddenly a holy decree was issued, and the six main warships of the Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet, which were originally used to install the door, were all put into battle, including all the things that were loaded like guns, and really formed a "Second Pacific Fleet" under the command of Rear Admiral Nebogatov through the Suez Canal to make an expeditionary fleet round. By this time,

Roger Stevensky really couldn't laugh or cry, what is the use of this second fleet? Now this expeditionary fleet, which claims to have four of the world's strongest battleships, has only sunk one small fishing boat that has concentrated its artillery fire on the British, and a few more will be able to defeat the Chinese Navy? Fortunately, in recent years, in order to save money, almost all the old warships have been dismantled. Otherwise, those old warships alone can't take care of it. But what can be done? Isn't this war fought for His Majesty the Tsar? If Your Majesty wants to fight like this, what else can you say, just wait slowly and take the Second Pacific Fleet with you.

This Russian defeat was not entirely bad. At least the Chinese are gone. After Zhou Haicheng reported to China, he let the Ashcrit go with the prisoners of the two ships, and after carrying out simple repairs and drainage of the Retwei Mountain, he temporarily restored the navigation ability of the Retwei Mountain, and then was towed all the way by the cruiser towards the South China Sea. The choice of route was to go straight through the Strait of Malacca, with the captured battleships pulled by light cruisers more than a testament to the capabilities of the Chinese Navy. It is also a sharp weapon to stabilize the people in all parts of the South China Sea. Half a month ago, China transferred the Nanyang Fleet to the north, the Pacific Fleet took back all of Lushun, and even the main force of the Pontianak Fleet was transferred to the Taiwan Strait for cruise. Although both Pontianak and the Java Chinese Autonomous Region have repeatedly stated that the imperial court will not give up Nanyang easily. But the people just didn't believe it, and a large number of Nanyang Chinese began to return to China. However, the purpose of transferring the fleet to the north was to cover the launching of the four newly built battleships, which cannot be said, and the imperial court could only say that the fleet was transferred north for training, but this explanation was unconvincing.

Since the explanation is not listened, there is no need to explain again. On the night of 20 January, under the towing of high-horsepower tugboats, four warships in the Huludao Shipyard and Lushun Shipyard, which had been built for more than two years, were finally launched.

On January 21, Li Ming, who had been away from Beijing for half a year, finally returned to Beijing. At this moment, the Beijing railway station has been completely under martial law, and the royal gendarmes with three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry will surround the entire railway station. On the platform, the ministers who are above the third rank in Beijing and the ministers above the second rank in the outside are already in the ranks, and the two classes of Wenzuo and Wu have already been ranked, watching the emperor's special train slowly dock on the platform. When the train comes to a standstill, the doors open. When Li Ming, dressed in court clothes, appeared at the door of the car, the ministers of civil and military affairs bowed to the emperor under the order of Prime Minister Li Hongzhang.

"Your Majesty." This time, it is no longer the kneeling ceremony of the Manchurians, and the ministers wearing newly customized Han costumes and court clothes are performing the courtesy of monarchs and ministers according to the ancient rites of the former Han Dynasty.

"Zhongqing's flat body-" Li Ming held his hand in the air and slowly walked off the platform. Li Ming looked at the ministers in Hanfu and nodded: "This is the newly made court clothes?" My Han court clothes are really gorgeous and abnormal. ”

"It has been more than 200 years since the former Ming Dynasty lost the country. Today, the Han people can regain control of the country, thanks to the merits of His Majesty. Li Hongzhang said word by word: "Please move the emperor to the Forbidden City, and then spread the knowledge of the people of the world, and the world will return to the orthodoxy of my Han Dynasty." ”

Li Ming nodded: "I have been away from Beijing for more than half a year this time, and the government affairs of the DPRK and China are still smooth, there is no war in the country and the DPRK, and there is a strong enemy outside. All of you love to work together to protect the country from chaos, and you will be rewarded for these merits in the future. This time to go to Manxing Handang is a prosperous era of the country, and ceremonial celebrations are indispensable. ”

Weng, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, said with the prelude: "Your Majesty, all the ceremonial utensils have been prepared. The emperor can inspect it after returning to the palace. ”

"In this case, drive back to the palace." Li Ming explained that he would raise his leg and walk. just walked a diagonal line and walked in front of Yang Zao'er: "You are pregnant, why are you running out on such a cold day, wouldn't it be a big accident if it's cold." ”

Yang Zao'er replied with a faint smile: "As the minister of education, the concubine is also a member of the imperial court. The emperor went out to tour Beijing, how could there be a reason not to come to greet him. ”

"Okay, good, you have a point." Li Ming gently held Yang Zao'er's hand and said, "Look at this cold hand......"

I didn't want Yang Zao'er to shake off Li Ming's hand, and said with a red face: "So many people are watching-"

"Yo, I'm sorry! Soon she will be a mother of three. Besides, you are my daughter-in-law, so what's so embarrassing. Come. Kiss one, let them envy and hate it. Li Ming laughed, opened his hand and hugged it.

Yang Zao'er pushed Li Ming away, and stood there with a red face and a bowed head without saying a word. Li Ming looked embarrassed, and all the ministers laughed one after another.

Li Hongzhang stepped forward and arched his hand and said, "It is said that husband and wife work together to break gold. The love of the emperor and queen is a sign of the prosperity of the country. But it's cold. Please also ask the emperor to board the car and return to the palace to say goodbye to the queen for a long time. ”

"That's it, that's it, it's a long time since I've been married." Yan Fu also joked on the side.

"It's what, it's inconvenient to have a big belly."

It's all from the past. I don't know what it means. Li Ming's thick skin didn't matter, Yang Zao'er's face was red and almost oozing blood. She was embarrassed to speak, so she could only quietly put her hand on Li Ming's waist and turn it slightly.

"Ouch - it's not your flesh, you don't hurt." Li Ming exclaimed exaggeratedly.

Originally, it was a very serious matter, but it became easier under Li Ming's deliberate teasing. The ministers joked about the affection between the emperor and the queen, and Li Ming also responded cheekily, only Yang Zao'er glared at everyone to shut up, but because Li Ming's relationship didn't seem to work. The train platform in the sun is full of smiles, and the cold wind of winter seems to be getting warmer. At this moment, no one thinks about the confrontation between the Chinese and Russian armies in the far and cold north, and at this moment they also forget the imminent threat on the sea, this moment is all relaxed and happy talk and laughter, and this moment is full of vigorous vitality.

At the beginning of the establishment of each dynasty, the kings and ministers worked hard for the country, and they were all careful to maintain the hard-won prosperity. The emperor and queen, the monarch and the minister, will be harmonious. This is the most basic premise for the prosperity of any dynasty. First there is a strong Han and then there is the Tang Dynasty, they have the confidence to create a more brilliant generation, the Han people, a race that has created a civilization of 5,000 years, a civilization that has been flourishing for a long time, will once again burst out of his brilliant brilliance.

When Li Ming led his ministers out of the train station, the flashing lights in the hands of countless Chinese and foreign reporters outside the station flashed frequently. Li Ming did not accept the interview, but waved his hand to the crowd in the passage opened by the gendarmerie, and the ministers were all full of smiles. All understand that these people are the masters of the land, their factories are building more and more chimneys, their powerful armies are fighting from afar, and they are trying to build a strong nation.

No one doubts their strength, let alone their abilities. Ten years ago they needed the emperor himself as bait, and ten years later they were already on an expedition to the wilderness, and I believe that in another ten years the European powers will have to look down on this once poor and weak country.

Yes, there are still a lot of problems in this country. Because the replacement of the old and new dynasties has not been screened by war, the old aristocratic system has not been purged by the army on a large scale. The problems left over from the previous dynasty have also been preserved intact, but the dynasty has been truly replaced. The king was replaced, and from the moment he was born, he had no intention of safeguarding the interests of the old Manchu nobles, and in his heart, the country came first. There were many old ministers under his command who had come from the previous dynasty, but this old minister had the same will as the king, so they threw themselves under the banner of the new king without hesitation. Dedicate your last talents to the ideals or hopes in your heart. More often than not, the young courtiers who started with the king, who went through the difficult struggles of the First Sino-Japanese Year together, and who went through the ups and downs of power together, and today they are finally standing at the pinnacle of power, and they will work together to create a better future under the wise king.

In the East, this ancient and mysterious country has welcomed such a group of people who aspire to be rich and powerful in the world, and they have brought a fresh breath to the decaying country. The enterprising young courtiers burst out with a strong impetus to push the country forward by leaps and bounds. The old ministers used their rich experience to stabilize the rudder of the country, so that there would be no accidents when they were racing on the road ahead. And the king, who stood on the highest, saw the way clearly with his wise eyes. It has shown the country the right way forward. They all believe that the 5,000-year-old Han civilization will burst out with more brilliant light in his hands.

"For the Manchu widows, as long as they don't mess up, let them be a rich man with peace of mind. The state is using troops abroad, and there must be no chaos at home. Appropriate compromises can be made if necessary. Internal stability should be the top priority. ”

In the emperor's royal car, Li Hongzhang, who was in the front passenger seat, was briefly describing to the emperor what had happened during Li Ming's absence in the capital for half a year. When talking about the Manchu aristocracy, Li Ming spoke out about the worries in his heart. In short, the immediate need is stability, and even compromise can be exchanged for temporary stability. If a country wants to develop its internal affairs and economy steadily, a stable external environment is indispensable. Now the army is on a foreign expedition. It is to create a stable external environment for the country, as long as this war is over. The country can obtain at least a stable external environment for at least 10 years, and then the best time to clean up the domestic opposition is to clean up.

"Lao Chen understands, it's just how to deal with Shanqi?"

"Shanqi?! Go see him. The emperor gave an order, and the convoy turned towards Fuxingmen.

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, let alone an emperor. The emperor was to personally persuade the good to surrender, and the ministers all considered it to be an extremely dangerous and unnecessary act. So they stepped forward to try their best to dissuade them, but the ministers couldn't resist the emperor, and Li Ming still stood in front of the gate of the small courtyard besieging Shanqi.

The guards lined up tightly on the left and right to prevent the black guns on both sides, and were ready to charge the front at any time. Li Ming stepped over the blockade cordon and asked people to shout into the courtyard.

Shouting outside the yard. Shanqi heard it clearly, but he didn't plan to go out. He has been trapped in this small courtyard for almost four months since the failed attempt on a military coup before it even began. Although as Minister of Public Security, he did not have the right to command the Central Guard Brigade, he was well aware of the capabilities of a well-equipped Central Guard Brigade. In the past four months, the Central Guard Brigade outside with guns has countless ways to break through this small courtyard, and even mobilize artillery from the 1st Division stationed in the Fengtai Battalion to directly blow it to the ground. However, the Central Guard Brigade was only besieged and not attacked. Even so, they would not have been able to survive four months without enough food. Shanqi planned to fight to the death to defend the last glory of the Manchu Dynasty, but he did not expect that the army outside would start to provide them with the minimum amount of food after they ran out of food. Because of this food, they did not collapse.

There will inevitably be things to persuade to surrender, and every persuasion is nothing more than moving with affection, knowing with reason, and seducing with benefit, and Shanqi has never wavered. Because he knew that Shidor had surrendered, and that he was the last of the Manchu dynasty. The fact that the good elderly can strengthen their beliefs does not mean that all people can have firm beliefs. Many people have other thoughts after being persuaded to surrender. Instead of killing them, Shanqi simply let them leave free, and after four months of being trapped, there were less than 50 people left around him. After hearing too much about persuasion, I will get used to it. It's just that today there is one more sentence after the regular persuasion: My emperor himself can forgive his sins.

Li Ming's spy actually came in person? Shanqi didn't react for a while.

"Aren't you going to see me again when you are dying?" Li Ming's voice came from outside.

Shanqi jumped down from the couch, he washed his face and combed his hair, he tidied up his official robe, and meticulously paced the official steps, allowing people to open the door. He wants to use the fullest pure spirit to meet this biggest spy of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

"Since the imitation of the Western system, the green battalion has been changed to train the army into a policeman. You are a good old man, and you can be said to have done your best to plan for the country. Millions of green battalions across the country have been able to smoothly reorganize into police, and you Shanqi can be said to be the founder of China's police system, and his contribution is indispensable. Now that the dynasty is thriving, don't you plan to devote yourself to it? There's your sweat and hard work in it, and you don't want to see with your own eyes how much it can achieve in the future? ”

"Shut up, you shit." Shanqi directly scolded Li Ming: "If it weren't for you pretending to be the emperor." This world is still my Qing Dynasty. ”

"You're right, if it weren't for the Guangxu Dynasty of the Eternal Dynasty, this world would still be your Manchu world, but this world would not be what it is today. In fact, it is not a question of who will rule the country, it is a question of who puts the interests of the country first. But the Manchus, as the rulers, only knew how to protect the interests of their own Manchu circle, but they handed over the great interests of the world to others. Your holy lord Emperor Kangxi, said that the king of the soil will not enter the ancestral temple, but what is he doing? In Nebuchu, it was clear that the battle was won against Tsarist Russia. But in the end, he ceded Nebuchu to Tsarist Russia, I really don't know what he thinks? Aren't you still called the Holy Emperor? It's not like you've been worshiped for so many years? I really want to know, where is he benevolent and holy? Closer to life, twenty years ago, the Sino-French war, obviously the Qing Dynasty won, and the French government fell, but the result was still reparations. Cession of Annan. I really don't know what to say about you. It's useless to be self-righteous. It is only a matter of time before he is spurned by the world. But in your opinion, it was unexpected to get this day anyway, and it's not a pity to lose it, right? But you forget, after 200 years, the Manchu Qing Dynasty has been integrated into the circle of China, in fact, there is no way back to become one. Some Manchurians still want to go back to the Northeast. Rebuilding their own Houjin Kingdom, some people still want to use the power of Russia to fight against the imperial court. Do you think this is possible? I tell you the facts that now that the whole of Siberia is about to become a place in China, where else can you go back? Anyone who wants to rely on foreign forces to maintain his rule will end up in vain. Ultimately. You have made a big mistake. You have never been conscious of becoming the masters of this world, so you regard your own people as your greatest enemy, and do everything you can to prevent suspicion, which is not the mentality of a ruling group. If any ruling group wants to enjoy the glory and wealth all the time, it needs to be kind to their own people, so that they have meat to eat and clothes to wear, so that they will always support our shameless wealth, even if I marry 800 wives, at most I will say that I am a whore, and I will not pick up a knife and gun and want to kill me. Now I intend to carve out a larger territory for my people, and as a result, countless people join the army to help me fight. The Chinese people are the best people in the world, and if they are not treated well, they will be kicked in the head by a donkey. Of course, I won't talk about it. Shanqi, it is true that you are a Manchurian prince, but you are also one of the few capable princes. I am a Han Chinese, and most of my ministers are Han Chinese, but this world is not only Han Chinese, but also belongs to the 56 ethnic groups living together in this land, including the Manchus. If China wants to be rich and strong today, it needs to unite all its strength and wisdom. Shanqi join us and create a more brilliant China together. ”

Shanqi shook his head: "I know that the Great Qing Dynasty has gone, but the Great Qing Dynasty must always have a few dead ministers." Shiduo has descended, and most of the banner people have also descended, but I am not reconciled, there will always be a few loyal ministers in the Qing Dynasty for more than 200 years, and the ministers just want to set an example for them......" Shanqi suddenly shouted: "The minister Shanqi would rather die than surrender-"

"Why bother?" Li Ming was unmoved: "In the past, all dynasties and generations always talked about the family and the country. The family is in the front country and the back, in the final analysis, they regard this world as a family and a surname. But I am different, I am talking about the country in the world, and only with a country can there be a home. Therefore, you are not descending to the dynasty surnamed Li, you are descending to China, which will not damage your reputation. ”

Li Ming and Shanqi talked intermittently for half an hour, and Shanqi did not descend no matter what. It doesn't matter, Li Mingzao has already arrived. In fact, these words he said were not for Shanqi, but for these ministers behind him in the name of persuading Shanqi to surrender. Needless to say, Li Hongzhang and these old ministers, Yan Tang, who started with Li Ming, don't need to say it, what they want to say is what those local officials who entered Beijing to participate in the enthronement ceremony listened to.

In recent years, in order to stabilize the domestic situation, local officials have basically not moved as long as there are no major mistakes. But these big men must have been picked up by Cixi, and no one knew what they really thought. That's why Li Ming said this, just to let everyone understand what is the general trend of the world.

In the car, Li Hongzhang stepped forward and asked, "How should Shanqi deal with it?" ”

"I'll talk about it after seeing Cixi." (To be continued......)