A.D. 1** 4th September 2nd.

Anju.

The battle has passed, and after the fierce battle, the city wall of Anzhou is a dilapidated scene, and the moat at the head of the city is full of purple and black blood. It was Xia Yue, and the smell of corpses lingered near Anzhou.

It was only at dawn that the officers and soldiers of the second town of the Praetorian Guard began to repair the fortifications and clean up the corpses.

In the Anzhou War, when the army was in the siege battle, the casualties on both sides were basically one to one, and there were about 1,000 losses each, but when Xu Yifan's Praetorian Guard Zuo Association arrived, the two wings of the Yue Army, which had been struggling to support, began to collapse, and the casualties were one-sided. Not only did he leave a thousand corpses, but he also captured four or five hundred prisoners. The army was not iron-clad, and it began to attack and advance all the way, and it was still easy, breaking one army after another, enduring hunger and hard work, huge casualties, and several generals led by example to advance, and they could bear it. But when the hope of victory was lost, these lone soldiers gambled and marched hundreds of miles into the army, and it was natural that they collapsed and destroyed. The third division, the backbone of the three wings, only Katsura Taro drilled the mountain with a few hundred people, and Dai Jun's cavalry was still staring at them, how many could return to the starting point of the attack on Wonsan was a matter of opinion. Anyway, the entire Third Division has absolutely no ability, and it is really doubtful that if it threatens Xu Yifan's eastern front again, in addition to getting a large number of reinforcements, how many forces will be squeezed out for reinforcements, and the combat effectiveness is comparable to the standing army built before the war.

In the open space far away in Anzhou, a huge pyre was erected, and the corpses of the person were set up horizontally, lit the pyre, crackling and burning, and after burning a batch, the ashes were buried, and then another batch was burned. The consequence was that he was as hungry and tired as the Janissary Left Association, and he was so nauseous that he couldn't eat much for the past two days.

The officers and men who were killed or wounded by the Praetorian Guards dug rows of shallow pits near Anzhou, collected the remains of the loyalists, wrapped them in white cloth regardless of whether they were Janissaries or Sheng Army, and placed them as well as possible, erected tombstones, marked their identities and places of origin, and buried them, so that it would be convenient for their families to come to Korea to pick up their bones in the future.

Looking out from the head of Anzhou City, the tombstones made of wood, as in the life of this army, were neatly arranged, until in the distance, a Canglong military flag fluttered alone in front of the cemetery. It was as if with a command, he would jump up from the ground and continue to follow the Canglong Army Banner and go straight to the end of the world.

There are too many troops rushing to Anzhou one after another, the Left Association after a long battle, the main force of the Right Association who came two days late, plus the recruits from the second town here, and the Sheng army of seven or eight thousand, the city has long been unable to settle. Tent camps were erected one by one, field kitchens were erected everywhere, and the officers and men of the Praetorian Guard, who had been fighting back and forth from the east and west of Korea, seized the time to carry out a short repair.

The soldiers can rest, but the officers can't, there are too many things to do. The number of personnel in the first town, the main force of the Praetorian Guard, must be replenished, and even the hard fighting, the Praetorian Guard, especially the Left Association, is close to the point of losing its vitality, and at least 2,000 people must be replenished before they can continue to fight. The first town has been restored to the size of 9,000 people, although it is supplemented by soldiers who have experienced the war, but it will take at least a week to ten days of training before it can recover to the strength it was before the war

The second town has been scattered, needless to mention the four battalions that have been transferred, and the eight battalions that remained, in addition to the three battalions of defenders that still remained in the Pyongyang area, the remaining five battalions, as many as three battalions were disbanded to supplement the Praetorian Guard, and the remaining two battalions guarding Anju were also dilapidated. Xu Yifan unceremoniously added most of the Sheng army to the second town, plus some remnants of Nie Shicheng, and blatantly swallowed all the Beiyang descendants that Li Hongzhang had worked so hard to send to North Korea. The second town has now set up a shelf of twelve infantry battalions, nearly 7,000 troops, with two battalions garrisoning Anju and three battalions of Pyongyang as the backbone, and some officers should have been transferred from the first town, but Xu Yifan now needs troops with combat effectiveness too much, and after the hard fighting in the first town, he still thinks that there are not enough officers, so he simply does not adjust, resulting in the second town can only play the role of garrison and field supplement, and has no ability to maneuver field warfare.

The president of the second town was promised to Nie Shicheng, Xu Yifan would not lose his words, at this point, Nie Shicheng is already dead set on this new master, in public and private, Xu Yifan can't do better, such a master, what do you want to do if you don't sell your life?

Yuan Shikai's position is more delicate, his contribution is impeccable, if he hadn't arrived in Anzhou and gathered the hearts of the army, Yang Shixiang and the chaos they made would really make Xu Yifan eroded. The Praetorian Guards, who is not in awe of Yuan Shikai, who was despised at the beginning, are now convinced. But Xu Yifan didn't pay much credit for a while, the Sheng army was less than 8,000 embers, and the first town made up 1,000, the second town made up nearly 4,000, and there were only 25,600 people left. Xu Yifan temporarily let Yuan Shikai take it, but these two thousand five or six hundred people are not enough for the establishment of a town, and the number has not been published, who knows what Xu Yifan wants to do. Yuan Shikai did this, everyone knows that giving a town president may not be rewarded, Nie Shicheng's foreign family has already led the town, not to mention Yuan Shikai, he was originally born in North Korea with troops! Xu Yifan has always been very generous, when Yuan Shikai came to come, it was nothing, Xu Yifan dared to give an important position as the head of the intelligence department directly under the General Staff, but now he is holding the name of not giving a third town, and there is no intention of supplementing, I really don't know what he is thinking.

However, Yuan Shikai was very modest, never mentioning his exploits, just temporarily managing more than 2,000 remnants, and repeatedly saying that he wanted to return to the intelligence, no one mentioned this stubble, and naturally he was silent on the surface.

Fortunately, this issue is not a priority for the Praetorian Guard. Now everyone thinks that the overall situation of the DPRK has been decided, and the army wants to revitalize and launch an offensive, and there is no new force that cannot be organized for a month. The Praetorian Guard is now in a position where it can be attacked, retreated, and defended, and this hard-won strategic position is unprecedentedly free, what should we do next?

Pyongyang also reported on the domestic situation, southern Liaoning was defeated, Lushun fell, Zhou Zhanjie was martyred, and nearly 2,000 children of the Praetorian Guard were defeated in the third battalion, and only a few hundred people were defeated. The two divisions of the Chinese army are entrenched in southern Liaoning, and they also have unprecedented strategic freedom. Whether to defend North Korea or return to the country has to be greatly considered. In the past two days, Xu Yifan only comforted and comforted the army, read books in his spare time, and did not convene a meeting to let everyone discuss and unify their understanding. While everyone is trimming and supplementing, they are anxiously waiting, where are we going next? As an army, there is no resolute goal, and it is tired from a long battle, and the whole army is a little lazy and uncertain, and the strings that have been stretched since the beginning of the First Sino-Japanese War seem to be a little loose, and after the passion of victory, the atmosphere is actually a little low and depressing.

The battlefield was tragic, the corpses were piled up, and most of the officers and soldiers of the Praetorian Guard wore this tiger skin after joining the Praetorian Guard. Every night, there were young officers sitting on the outskirts of the camp, staring into the field in a daze. These Nanyang children, since the First Sino-Japanese War, have been anointed all over the field, and I don't know how many people are not allowed to return to their hometowns. I didn't feel it when the war was fierce and tense, but now I can slowly look back, the mother country fought so humiliatingly, and the Praetorian Guards fought so hard, can it really save this crisis?

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"Stand upright!" An officer from the second town of the Praetorian Guard, who was repairing the damage at the head of the city, gave a loud order, and the soldiers of the Sheng army who joined the first and second towns all changed into the yellow uniforms of the Praetorian Guard, some of them had their heads bare, and some of them still had braids. These former Sheng army soldiers who are accustomed to wearing pants with lost crotch, buns, and cotton shoes. Wearing this kind of standing military uniform, wearing a large-brimmed hat, and putting on leather military boots, it looks a little awkward.

The first town of the Praetorian Guard was completely renovated, and the second town was burdened with miscellaneous labor. It was still early in the morning, and he was already sweating profusely, and now when he heard the voice of his new boss, he quickly straightened his waist one by one, and his eyes did not dare to squint.

I saw several very young soldiers walking in front of me, two of them half a step behind, and one of them half a step ahead. The two people who are backward are both neat and tidy in military uniforms, both are surprisingly young, one has a smile on his face that is always full of care, and he looks a little lazy, and the other has a straight waist, a handsome face, the corners of his mouth are tightly pursed, and his eyes are shining with cold light.

The officer who walked in front, as young as they were, smiled softly at the new Janissary soldiers. The smell on the battlefield, even the officers and soldiers of Sheng are used to smelling it, and the whole army has only seen someone wearing a mask until today, and it is the person in front.

Mom, it's Lord Xu Yifan Xu who is the minister of the Four Qin Missions! The supreme commander of these tens of thousands of tiger and wolf armies! That said that Xu Yifan entered Anzhou, Yuan Shikai and Lord Yuan lined up to greet him, and these former Sheng soldiers saw this long-legendary Qing Dynasty 205 Qincha. The latter two, needless to say, are the president of the first town of the Praetorian Guard, Li Yunzong, Lord Li, at the beginning, he also took the officers of the first town to inspect them one by one, and the majestic ones who guarded Anzhou were all selected into the first town. It's the kind of eyes that flash, and it makes people sweat coldly on their backs. There is also a great official who does not know him, but looks side by side with Lord Li and is half a step behind Lord Xu.

For the creeps, these are heavenly people. Not to mention that tens of thousands of fierce devils in North Korea have been beaten cleanly by this Lord Xu. These former Sheng Army soldiers stood there and didn't dare to breathe, they only felt that their legs and stomachs were turning straight.

Xu Yifan went to Li Yunzong and Chu Wanli's tent early this morning and called them out. Li Yunzong was dressed neatly and neatly, and he was doing soft body. Chu Wanli was still lying high in the bed, inside the tent, the map was thrown everywhere, the cigarette butts of British sailor brand cigarettes were piled up like a hill, and Xu Yifan, who entered the tent, almost smoked a heel.

Xu Yifan injured them, climbed to the head of the city, and began to walk around the city wall. Li Yunzong and Chu Wanli also know in their hearts, and adults should also make a decision! Maybe it's just to blow the wind on their cronies and two generals?

Seeing these recruits come out to do miscellaneous work so early, Xu Yifan stood still and patted a soldier next to him on the shoulder: "Where are they?" ”

The sweat on the soldier's face was dripping like rain, his throat rolling, and he couldn't speak for a long time. The officer from Nanyang next to him stepped forward: "If you go back to your lordship, you are from Anhui, the Sheng army came over, in the first battle of Anzhou, he lost dozens of shells alone, and the shrapnel was injured in seven or eight places, and he didn't go down to the city to bandage, he was a good soldier!" ”

Xu Yifan turned around and smiled at Li Yunzong: "Why didn't you get into the first town?" ”

Li Yunzong smiled faintly and picked troops to add, but he was just a fool. The second town still wants to keep some elites, this is also natural, Xu Yifan just asked casually, there is nothing to explain. The soldier was honest and muttered, "My lord...... Knocked unconscious, the devil went down, and when he touched the blood on his body, the villain also fainted...... Wake up, the devil has been defeated......"

Xu Yifan laughed: "Soldiers are all good soldiers, but you are too bad to be officials!" Do a good job in the Praetorian Guard, no shame! ”

Qing Ji these soldiers, how can Shangguan look at it squarely, Xu Yifan gently encouraged, the soldier's face turned red, and he stammered and promised: "Big ...... My lord, watching the devil flee is different from running for his life, we have escaped enough, and the brothers who died on the road did not even collect the corpses, let's ...... Let's fight to the end in the Praetorian Guard! ”

Xu Yifan patted him on the shoulder again, smiled and walked to the top of the city, Li Yunzong and Chu Wanli glanced at each other, and they both followed. The three of them stood on a high place with their hands in their hands, looking at the neatly arranged camp below, one tent after another, arranged neatly, as if they stretched to the end of the sky. On the battlefield after the fierce battle, there is naturally an air of slaughter. The sun is rising from the east, dispelling the thin morning mist, although the head of Anju is not high, but from here, the three thousand miles of rivers and mountains in North Korea, as if in full view, and then look west, it seems that you can see the turbulent Yellow Sea, on the other side of the sea, is the fallen Lushun, is the mountains and rivers of the mother country.

"Beiyang has been defeated in a hundred battles...... But only my army alone destroyed the enemy, and it was easy to get to this point, am I a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty, or Cao Ying of the Qing Dynasty? ”

Xu Yifan greeted the rising day, and muttered to himself with his hands behind his back. Chu Wanli and Li Yunzong heard clearly behind them, and couldn't help but glance at each other again.

When the two first met Xu Yifan, they had already taken the fold of asking the flag man to take the head. Qing Ji's fluctuating trend, who doesn't understand? It's just that there is no way out in the darkness. Everyone knows that the country can't go on like this, but they are powerless to change it. After the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, the last pair of underwear to cover the shame of the Qing Dynasty has been stripped off. The Beiyang Army and Navy that relied on the Great Wall were in an uproar, and if it weren't for the three battalions of the Praetorian Guard, Lushun would have fallen even earlier. 20,000 soldiers can't hold such a fortress, and by extension, where can they fight and defend at once?

The Qing Dynasty has declined to the extreme!

Only Xu Yifan started from scratch in North Korea, two years of operation, two years of rain and clouds, and only he was here to destroy the enemy. The Praetorian Guard is already the strongest soldier of the Qing Dynasty without exaggeration!

At this time, Xu Yifan was already a decisive force that could no longer be restricted by the Manchu court. If he sits in North Korea and can fully explain it, the sea route will be cut off, and he will know the land route from North Korea to southern Liaoning, even if he is ordered to return to the division, according to the road conditions at this time, no one will pick his eyes for a few months. According to the current strength of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, there will be only one crushing defeat after another, followed by humiliation and peace.

If Xu Yifan really had the ambition they guessed, he should watch the defeat of the Manchu Qing Dynasty as miserable as possible, and in the ruins, the heroes of the Storm and Storm will have a better chance to rise!

At that time, even if Xu Yifan has the strength to be tough, will he really return to the heart of the world? I'm afraid that when the pole is revealed, it will be the beginning of the collapse of the empire and endless turmoil-even if Xu Yifan already has prestige, his foundation within the empire is still too weak!

But when will you give up this opportunity? Not to mention returning to China, the battlefield has expanded so many times, can Xu Yifan's troops save the crisis. Help Manqing breathe a sigh of relief, and then let them continue to find ways to deal with the Praetorian Guards and deal with Xu Yifan. And then in the national war, the Qing Dynasty will have another fiasco as usual?

Li Yunzong and Chu Wanli have been old partners for many years, and both sides have similar considerations and judgments about the situation. Xu Yifan did not follow the old path from the beginning, so they swore to follow him. At this time, thinking about Xu Yifan is really in a dilemma!

Li Yunzong is pure, after he made up his mind to follow Xu Yifan, he just followed the order, no matter what decision Xu Yifan made, he just carried it out. At this time, he was also silent.

A wicked smile appeared at the corner of Chu Wanli's mouth: "My lord, my lord, do you still have to blow the wind for us and unify our will?" I'm afraid you've already made up your mind......"

Xu Yifan muttered to himself, suddenly turned around, the eyes exposed on the mask were dripping, and he looked at Chu Wanli, who was smiling evilly: "Wanli, the devil is only a standing soldier of six divisions and regiments, and if you put it together, at most one or two can fight." Let's knock out two, and two more are in southern Liaoning. The devils still have two or three divisions in reserve, do you think, will they throw this force into North Korea, or where will they throw it? ”

Chu Wanli took off his military hat and scratched his head: "It's not Shandong, it's going straight to Jinmen, just hit Yanjing, and you won't come to North Korea......"

Xu Yifan then asked: "Why?" ”

"Come to North Korea and gnaw us again? Devils aren't stupid...... At this time, North Korea will throw the last bit of the country's strength into it, and it will be difficult to eat us...... Besides, if they defeat us, the court will sue for peace with them? , isn't it...... I think most of the court is still looking forward to a defeat between us and the devils. After eating us, the devil has no food left at home......

Southern Liaoning, Shandong, and even Jinmen to Yanjing and Yanjing, at least now how the devil fights and how he has it, it depends on how bold the devil is...... Rushing straight to Jinmen Yanjing, and worrying about the interference of a foreign power or something, there is absolutely no doubt about sweeping Shandong. Instead of coming to fight with us, it is better to desperately expand the results in these places, beat those bigwigs in the capital to the heart, and hurry up to sue for peace, so that they can get the results...... If it drags on any longer, the devils will consume themselves to death, how much space do they have? ”

Li Yunzong also faintly echoed beside him: "This time I fought with the army, and I also felt that the army was desperate from top to bottom, from strategy to partial. Strategically, a small country overtakes a big country, relying on a small number of elite troops to fight a quick battle. Tactically, every war is also expected to be resolved quickly, leaving no way back, which shows that the people have not many military reserves, and they have exhausted their national strength by desperately building such a standing army...... If they continue to fight in North Korea, they will not be able to get enough results except for face! ”

Xu Yifan's eyes rolled wildly, and he smiled: "Oh? In this way, we can stay in North Korea, wait safely and see what the final fight looks like, and then return to China to pick peaches? That's fine, we're tired enough......"

Li Yunzong was silent, and Chu Wanli also smiled and did not answer.

Lord Xu, Lord Xu, now you have learned to play this kind of imperial mental technique, and you have grown so fast.

My lord...... How long do you want to act?

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Hiroshima, the base camp of the army.

The full audience sat solemnly, looking at a briefing sent by everyone in a daze. And Ito Hirobumi turned his back to them, looking at the huge map hanging on it, motionless.

Outside the window, you can see Hiroshima's Ujina Port. The sun was shining, the white sails on the blue sea were dotted, and the sunlight poured in, and in this conference room, it became cold and damp in this low atmosphere.

That briefing was a long telegram sent back to China in an urgent manner, outside the Daqing Times issue copied by the Consulate in Shanghai. When the defeated division of the 3rd Division had not yet climbed to Wonsan and called back to China to inform the news of the fiasco. Tan Si and Xiongwen have come out, and after the Praetorian Guard has destroyed the Fifth Division, it has once again broken the main force of the Third Division. It is said that one-third of the standing army has been wiped out by Xu Yifan. The situation in North Korea is completely under Xu Yifan's control. In the area of Wonsan, there is only one wing of the army, and there are still thousands of people in Seoul, which is still the logistics unit of the Fifth Division. There is no ability to contain Xu Yifan at all, and this Praetorian Guard can be transferred to China at any time!

After the destruction of the Fifth Division, the base camp was already shocked. The Third Division still launched an onshore attack as scheduled, but in the planning of the base camp led by Ito Hirobumi, it was only used to contain Xu Yifan's Praetorian Guards and prevent them from being freely transferred. But the army has lost an old general like Yama County Youpeng, how can he not take revenge with red eyes. This is also related to the growth and decline of the power of the army, navy, Choshu and Satsuma feudal domains within the empire after the war. With the tacit help of the army's top brass, Kawakami Yoroku, who was originally the representative of the base camp, supervised the operations of the Third Division with the army, and his mission was to supervise the Third Division not to go crazy and go alone and rashly expand the war, as long as it played a role in threatening and containing the safety of Xu Yifan's eastern front.

Who knows, it was this Kawakami Koroku who had a long talk with Ito Hirobumi before leaving, and swore in front of the worried Ito, but he personally led the main force of the Third Division, made such a big adventure, and suffered such a fiasco!

The new Minister of War of the Empire, Mutsu Somitsu (originally said that the Minister of War was Yama Prefecture Youtomo, and concurrently served as the commander of the First Army of the Qing Dynasty as the Minister of War, but Yama Prefecture died in battle, and Mutsu Munemitsu urgently served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Army), and his eyes were straight as he sat there. In the Qing Dynasty, the battle and the number of the army are all detailed, not like a fake. The 3rd Division has also not had a detailed report on the march -- this was originally the result of the tacit consent of the army to be seen, pretending to be deaf and dumb, and letting the 3rd Division advance alone and take the risk to win! Even if the 3rd Division encounters an unforeseen situation, it can force the base camp to transfer its strength and lose the 5th Division, does Ito still have the courage to continue to lose the 3rd Division? This will have to force the focus and dominance of the war from the navy to the army.

But no one expected that Kawakami gambled so much, and the third division was broken so neatly. It is said that this army has lost another lieutenant general!

Ito kept his hands behind his back and didn't speak, and in the conference room, the air pressure was getting lower and lower. Mutsu sat there, just feeling that the eyes of the navy were constantly cast, and the eyes of the head of the naval command department, Shiki Kayama, were even more full of contempt - bastard! This guy is still a rear admiral who was transferred from the post of rear admiral! Now relying on the results of the Navy, do you want to fall into the ground for the Army?

Mutsu Zong slapped the table violently: "Shame! Shame on the Imperial Army! ”

He snapped to his feet, touched the table and bench with a chaotic sound, and bowed his head stiffly: "Your Excellency! Dare to transfer to the second and fourth divisions of the empire, and the formation is called the third army of the Qing Dynasty, and if the strength is not enough, the tuntian soldiers of Hokkaido can also be drawn out! You must have a showdown with Xu Yifan! The army is crying blood and begging Your Excellency, please! ”

There was silence in the room, and then all the army officers stood up and hung their heads fiercely, and the spurs collided with a loud sound.

And Ito Hirobumi didn't move, and the breathing of several army generals became heavier and heavier, and finally Mutsu Munemitsu raised his head again, and his tone was eager: "Your Excellency! ”

Ito Hirofumi turned around slowly, Qingqu's face was as hard as iron, the corners of his mouth were bent downward, and he just spit out a word contemptuously: "Bastard!" ”

Mutsu Ao's face turned red all of a sudden, and his chest rose and fell violently: "Your Excellency! Is it necessary to bring His Majesty the Emperor's army to such a disgrace? If you don't defeat Xu Yifan, how can you deter the Qing people? As long as Xu Yifan is defeated, the Qing people will inevitably seek peace! Now it's time to shift the focus of your attack! ”

Ito Hirofumi said coldly: "If it weren't for the army's reckless behavior, how could Xu Yifan have the status he is talking about today?" How did he become a hero in the eyes of the Qing people? ”

"The army has made a wrong judgment, but His Excellency Kawakami has washed away his mistake with his blood. In the future war, the army will make a hundredfold effort and a thousandfold sacrifice, and must completely smash the last warlike army of the Qing Kingdom! ”

By the end, Mutsu Munemitsu's words were almost all yelling.

Ito looked at him coldly for a while, and finally shook his head: "In this war, I will no longer discuss any issues with the army. ”

Kayama Shikiha laughed, full of mockery.

I don't know if it was Shikinori Kayama's sneer, or Ito Hirobumi's words that completely angered Mutsu Munemitsu, and he slammed his fists on the table: "The army general will play the curtain, and I respectfully ask His Majesty the Emperor to make a holy judgment!" No approval is required! ”

Before he could finish speaking, Ito had already kicked his chair down, making a louder noise.

"You're not just bastards, you're stupid! What are the goals of our war? It is to clear the country and seek peace, not to smash Xu Yifan! You have to remember that Qing Guo is Qing Guo, and Xu Yifan is Xu Yifan! Our people bear four times the tax revenue of the Qing people, and we are burdened with 64 million yuan of national debt, we need the Qing country to open the market to sell our products, and we need the Qing country to repay the national debt for us! We also need the Qing country to cede North Korea to us!

And all this, after defeating Xu Yifan, can we get it? At that time, the empire was also bankrupt!

You have to remember this, Qing Guo is Qing Guo, Xu Yifan is Xu Yifan!

We want to expand in Manchuria, occupy more territory before the armistice, and we can bargain and squeeze more profits. We will attack Shandong, completely annihilate the Beiyang Naval Division, and let Asia no longer have any maritime power that can threaten us. We need the navy to approach the coastline of Dagu in Tianjin, destroy their coastal defense fortresses with artillery, and burn the flames of war to the gates of the capital of the Qing people, so that they will lose all will to resist...... The Empire, we can't afford a war of attrition! And the Western powers, who do not want to see a war of attrition between the two countries in East Asia, lose the power to contain and resist Russia's expansion in the Far East, they will inevitably intervene in mediation at that time, so that the empire will not get anything, and our dream of becoming a strong country can only be lost in this way! Compared to the fate of the country, the status of the Army, even if Ito Hirobumi's personal power and life, what can not be lost?

Remember, it was not just Xu Yifan with a Praetorian Guard who could make the decision to surrender and sue for peace, but Cixi, Guangxu, and those ministers of the Qing State in the Qing court! We just need to destroy their will to resist!

At this time, you have done so many stupid things, and you have to annoy Your Majesty's Shengcong, what is the intention of the army? Your Majesty has sent a telegram from Tokyo, sternly reprimanding the army for its recklessness, and at this time, do you not reflect on it, and drag the empire into the abyss? I really want to drag you out, decapitate them all in front of the Ujina Port docks, and apologize to the Empire! ”

Ito Hirobumi's words exploded like a cannon, the green tendons on his neck exploded high, and tiny red dots slowly appeared on his forehead, and he was so angry that even the capillaries burst!

Under the fury of Ito Hirobumi, several army generals listened blankly, and after hearing that Emperor Meiji also called to reprimand, they finally sat back in their chairs and bowed their heads silently.

After Ito Hirofumi finished venting, he picked up the briefing and threw it on the ground without looking at it: "Kawakami...... Even if you don't die, you should cut your own stomach! The base camp has made a decision! The second army of the Qing Dynasty, expanding from southern Liaoning, and entering the western Liaoning corridor, our forwards must see the Shanhaiguan of the Qing State within 20 days! We must break all the resistance of the Qing army in front of you! The Third Army of the Qing Dynasty was immediately organized and, under the cover of the native fleet, made preparations for landing and attacking Weihai, the general base of the Beiyang Naval Division of the Qing State, and the Third Army was to fall into Weihai within this month, sweep Yantai, Dengzhou, and Laizhou, and cause great damage to the prosperous coastal areas of the Qing Dynasty! And the main force of the combined fleet, advancing into the Bohai Bay, shelling Tianjin, shelling Dagu, shelling everything that can be destroyed, and threatening the Yanjing situation! The two armies swept the two wings of Yanjing and the Qing Dynasty, and the fleet bombarded Tianjin Haikou deeply, so that the queen mother, emperor, and ministers in the Qing court lost all the courage to resist! Let Xu Yifan even if he can return to the teacher, he will not be able to exert any influence on the overall situation! ”

His tone was like iron, and his face was pale. After the words were spoken, all the staff members of the base camp who were already shaking their hearts stood up in a loud voice: "Obey Your Majesty's will and obey Your Excellency's orders!" ”

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The sound of crackling firecrackers sounded outside the Yulan Hall in the Summer Palace. A few little eunuchs wrapped strings of long whips around the trees, and they all hung down to the ground, and the little eunuchs were pouting their butts and making incense there.

The trees on that side were blown up, and the trees on this side rang again, and the line of fire was everywhere, and I saw firecrackers falling one after another, and then blowing up the sky full of colored paper. Outside the Yulan Hall, the smell of smoke and gunpowder was everywhere. In the famous 3,000-foot corridor of the Summer Palace, all the eunuchs and palace maids who stood were probing their brains, covering their ears and watching the excitement here. The eunuchs, who didn't know the situation, also asked each other in the voice of the male duck.

"How did this come about?"

"I just received the news that Lord Xu Yifan of North Korea defeated the devil, and cut off the head of a general, and the ears of thousands of devils were pierced, and they wanted to send the Beijing division to report the victory!"

"Ah, Emperor Tian, no wonder the emperor has come out! I heard that Lushun was lost, the teahouse was so quiet as if something, the storyteller said that Yongqing Shengping was listless, and the tears almost fell when he sat there, even we were depressed in my heart, tell me, what happened to us when Lushun was lost? I just want to be such a big Qing Dynasty, why did even the little Oriental nose bully the door? Now it's good to go! Let's be in the Qing Dynasty, there are still people! The queen mother is blessed, and the emperor is also a hundred spirits to help! ”

"Putting the whip on like this, aren't you afraid of arguing with the Queen Mother?"

"These fried whips were all sent by Mr. Li! The Queen Mother is also happy! ”

"No wonder the third master of the world went to Leshoutang early this morning, and they must have gotten a joy to Lafayette, you say, the little devil came to the door to find bad luck by himself, who can blame him?"

"Then Lord Xu, Zhun Bao is going to be of great use, right?"

"Not really!"

The sound of firecrackers and the voices of the eunuchs and palace maids were intertwined. Let Guangxu, who was wearing a hood and wearing a bright yellow face, couldn't hide the smile on his face.

He still looked thin, but his face looked like it was about to glow. It turned out that Rickets's back also looked straighter. He looked at the lively scene in front of him with a smile and a smile. Behind him, there is a woman in flag dress about twenty years old, the face of the group looks quite rich, compared to other concubines in the palace, the most outstanding place is the lively and agile place between the eyebrows, this woman is Guangxu's favorite concubine, in the first month of this year, only from the position of the concubine to the concubine.

Following Guangxu, who was living carefully, Concubine Zhen was also the first time to see such a lively scene, and she was so excited that she clapped her hands. It stands to reason that this is a loss of etiquette, but Guangxu likes to see her lively.

The firecrackers exploded for a long time, and Concubine Zhen folded her hands: "Guanyin Bodhisattva, Your Majesty, you finally have a smile......

Guangxu said with emotion: "Spit out the stuffiness in your chest!" I just thought, I sincerely influence the world, there must be a few famous generals, right? This Xu Yifan is angry! We are still only in the Qing Dynasty, but once we rise, we are still prosperous! ”

"Love Xinjueluo's family for thousands of years......" Concubine Zhen stuck out her tongue mischievously. Guangxu looked at her with a smile: "You are a ...... of the Tala clan."

"Your Majesty, do you want to continue to fight the little devils?"

Guangxu smiled excitedly, and saw that there was no one left and right, he was talking here, and in the sound of firecrackers, the eunuchs in the distance couldn't hear it, so he whispered: "Why don't you fight?" Inspired by North Korea's victories, can other heavy generals still work hard? The same guns, the same people, it's all those important ministers and generals who don't work hard, and they can't fight well if they want to see my jokes! Now I've decided not to be merciful! These guys, just counting on them to inspire the conscience of heaven can't be done! Then Li Hongzhang, I also have to beat it well! ”

The sound of firecrackers was too loud, and Concubine Zhen didn't hear his words clearly, but she talked about other topics: "This Xu Yifan, I heard that it is the two hundred and five of our Qing Dynasty, how can he fight like this?" Your Majesty, you want to reward him now, right? ”

Guangxu smiled proudly, and seemed to be very confident in his ability to recognize people and control his methods. has been suppressed for a long time with low self-esteem, and once he raised his eyebrows, this confidence is simply bursting, not to mention that he is originally an impatient emperor, and he can't wait to take advantage of this shareholder wind to take all the power in the hands of his own emperor: "Xu Yifan...... Greedy for spending, lustful, asking for money, and power. Just look at him looting the North Korean treasury, holding the power of the Praetorian Guard, and not hesitating to break his face with Li Hongzhang. I can reward him! In addition to these, he can do things after all! I'm afraid that the officials don't want things...... I naturally want to make great use of him, and I have already telegraphed to Pyongyang to let him return to southern Liaoning, and I have also telegraphed to all armies to gather in Liaoxi and Liaonan, and all armies will make meritorious contributions to their crimes! When Xu Yifan rushed to southern Liaoning, I used him to guide the whole army, counterattack Lushun, and drive the little devil into the sea! He Tara clan, you just look at it, the Qing Dynasty is going to be Zhongxing! In the future, Xu Yifan will be indispensable to the status of Li Hongzhang now! ”

He looked in the direction of Le Shou Tang and hid a sentence in his heart: "Lafayette has been in charge of everything for so long, and the result is just like this, I personally took the power to command the war, what is the result?" The world is in the heart! Celebrities rise up! Lafayette, this career of loving the Xinjueluo family is still in charge of me! As long as this battle is successfully fought! I will definitely be the master of the Qing Dynasty! ”

Concubine Zhen beside her smiled like a flower, Guangxu didn't know why, but felt full of pride.

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In the Rakujudo, several windows are blocked. The Empress Dowager Cixi Lafayette claimed that for this war, she had eaten fasting, her body was weak, she felt a little cold, and she was recuperating.

The sound of firecrackers in the distance came sporadically, and several ministers kneeling in the Le Shou Hall heard it and looked at each other.

Cixi was half-lying on the couch, facing inside, and Li Lianying stood beside her with her head down, her face was very ugly.

Shi Duo, who was kneeling in front of him, exchanged glances with the ministers behind him, and bowed down again: "Lafayette...... If this battle continues like this, it really won't work! Xu Yifan's victory is insignificant, it is far away in North Korea! Lushun is really lost, and there are also Praetorian Guards guarding it, isn't it also blocking the devils? Xu Yifan is thousands of miles away from Yanjing, but the devil can land in Tianjin overnight with a military ship!

The emperor didn't understand, so he listened to the old man's pout. What are we going to fight now? How much is paid? The current soldiers are all gone. Li Hongzhang gritted his teeth and held on, I heard that he didn't sleep all night. Once the devil is coming to the door, it will be an unforeseen disaster! Those who are frivolous and fortunate to make progress still think that the world is peaceful. One by one, they were triumphant, thinking about how to deal with the aftermath, which one to reward and which one to punish...... A bunch of old adults, now they are all silent, this is the foundation of the Qing Dynasty! How many people want to be lucky, the old man said on the military plane that he would give Xu Yifan the title of governor and be transferred to King Qin! Lafayette, Xu Yifan has 20,000 soldiers, and he is not my master of the Qing Dynasty, nor is he a soldier who is old from his loyal ministers.

Lafayette, you are the Dinghai Divine Needle of the Qing Dynasty, the foundation of our banner people. Now ask Lafayette to send a word, we have a backbone! ”

Shi Duo was in tears when he spoke, and several old ministers of the banner man and military aircraft behind him also kowtowed. Erle and Buyi are old, and they usually doze off in the military plane, but at this time, their eyes are wide open and their heads are pounding.

There is no way, the imperial party is forced to the door, and if it goes on like this, the big guys have been stable with Lafayette for so many years, and they will not be able to protect their positions! Winning or losing with devils is a trivial matter, but this is a big deal!

I don't know if it was Shi Duo's words that moved Cixi, and the old lady turned over. His face was flushed, and his complexion was very good. It's just that his eyes are vicious, and his mouth is in the direction of Yulan Hall: "Everyone is happy to be like this, what can my old woman do?" His surname is Aixin Jueluo, but my surname is only Yehenara! This world is theirs! ”

Several ministers did not speak, but met desperately.

After knocking for a while, Cixi kept a straight face and remained silent. Or Li Lianying explained softly: "Lafayette, the emperor is young and ignorant, in this world, who doesn't know that Lafayette is the foundation of the Qing Dynasty?" The people of the world are also worried about our banner people's country, so they ask Lafayette to the head, this matter, Lafayette does not make decisions for them, who else can support this waist? ”

Cixi even had to call Li Lianying's affection when she was walking in the courtyard, and her face finally softened a little. In front of Cixi, except for Li Lianying, no one has this affection. Sometimes after a nap, Cixi would personally go to Li Lianying's door and greet outside: "Lianying, go out for a walk!" Li Lianying can pretend to be asleep and tell the little eunuch not to pay attention to Cixi.

Now that he is turning around from the middle, Cixi also feels that she has been angry enough, and said coldly: "You guys, you are not successful!" Let you help the emperor, look at what it looks like! …… This battle, too, is hanging, and it is not possible to win it by issuing a few wills...... If it hadn't been for the foreign devil warships, we would have won the war! If you lose, you should admit it, anyway, whether it's a big nose or a small nose, it's not to take away our world, right? Isn't it time to ask for a few taels of silver...... We don't lack this in the Qing Dynasty...... Anyway, you men can't beat foreign devils, and it's not us women! Let the little devil fight, hit to a certain extent, and I'll talk again...... It's really not a good place to live! Give Li Hongzhang a word, soldiers, salary, watch it closely, whatever other people say, they will take it out, if you really lose, my wife will support him! I want to see if Xu Yifan's guy can have the power to return to heaven! If that's the case, we should let the foreign devils drop the table early in the morning, joke! ”

Several ministers looked at each other, and they were all happy colors. The salaries of the soldiers in North China are all in Li Hongzhang's hands, and Lafayette's words are for Li Hongzhang to admit it, don't think about how to fight, how to dispatch troops, how to resist, lie down and be beaten. If the battle is lost, Guangxu should be the first to blame, and it is natural for Lafayette to take the power back.

At the beginning, it was the devil who suddenly bullied the door and disturbed Cixi's longevity. Cixi was also angry, and simply let the emperor transfer troops to make trouble. It was Li Hongzhang who fought the war, and if he won him, he was also the queen mother's person, and he would not let the imperial party come out. Defeat is the emperor's business, nothing is a big deal. Who would have thought that Li Hongzhang would be defeated and be so embarrassed. There is also a Xu Yifan who does not belong to the Hou Party, who won such a big battle, and the Imperial Party wanted to take the top position through him!

As soon as Lafayette's trick comes out, this war should be almost over...... Xu Yifan, I can't hold it down if I expect Li Hongzhang to deal with it slowly. In short, this Qing Dynasty is still the world of Lafayette!

Several people were dressed up, and they bowed down again: "Lafayette Shengming!" ”

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Anju.

In the morning breeze, the three of them looked at each other silently. The wake-up call ticked out, long and clear, echoing in the city of Anzhou.

The rising sun shone brightly, shining on Xu Yifan's body, as if a layer of gold was enlaid around his body.

He suddenly smiled bitterly at himself: "I really want those powerful people and those Manchurian relatives and nobles to lose more miserably and more embarrassingly...... I wish they could get them all down so soon! ”

He shook his head as he spoke.

"I have the Praetorian Guard, and I only obey my orders, and North Korea is my territory, and no one can deprive me of my position. Through this war, I can still expand a part of the northeast, slowly accumulate strength, and watch the provocation until I take the world! ”

This is the first time Xu Yifan has confided his ambitions in front of his two closest cronies. And both of them listened quietly, as if Xu Yifan's ambition was the most normal thing.

"Not at those who love Xinjueluo, those powerful and bigwigs...... I still want to worry about the luck of this country and this nation...... I just want us to lose a little less, lose a little less, and lose a little bit of vitality...... Recovery is also quicker...... Thinking of these countless good men who have to shed blood and die for their status, I ...... Damn it! ”

In front of Xu Yifan, there was a neat military camp, and the tiger ben he raised was displayed in front of him. The officers had already taken the lead out of the camp, standing on the separated fields and waiting for the assembly. The soldiers of each team have come out in a row, and even in the process of repairing, their movements are agile and fast. The team quickly assembled on the leveled fields. The sound of the report came and went, one of the fields, a row of trumpeters raised their trumpets, ticked and blew a short flag-raising song, the Canglong military flag was unfurled, slowly rising to the sky, dancing in the morning sun of the new day. Looking at this Canglong Flag, Xu Yifan's eyes were a little stupid.

“…… I once had a nightmare, we lost the first Sino-Japanese war, ceded Korea, ceded Jinzhou Lushun, ceded Taiwan, lost 20,000 taels of silver, plus more than 30 million ransom silver...... This money, fattening which island nation to the east, for fifty years, rode on our heads, until we sacrificed tens of millions of people to drive them away...... Why should such a great country and such a long-standing nation suffer such a fate? Since you are in it, you still have to be worthy of your ancestors...... Even if it's to take you to death! I don't know where I can go, but I can't help it......"

Li Yunzong took a step forward and said in a calm tone: "I am willing to die for the adult!" ”

Chu Wanli also said lightly: "My lord, this Daqing is walking towards a dead end, and he can't pull it back." They will always go all the way, and when the time comes, it will be the destiny of adults! We...... It will inevitably follow. ”

Xu Yifan looked back and smiled: "Okay, follow me to be a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty again, after being a loyal minister, we should be a minister...... I have already sent a flying horse to Pyongyang, and yesterday the telegram should have been sent back, and I, Xu Yifan, have telegraphed the world, and I will bring the Praetorian Guards back to the country! Follow me and fight the world! When the troops were dispatched, cut Ye Zhichao to defend the Rugui sacrifice flag! When I went to call the country, I not only had to explain their crimes to the imperial court, but also Tan Sitong to advocate it, so that everyone in the world would know that I, Xu Yifan, were back, and the guy who didn't resist hit me in my hands, what would happen! ”

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Tianjin, Beiyang Minister Yamen.

Li Hongzhang quietly looked at a telegram, and in the signing room, the officials who were all about it looked at Li Hongzhang's face. This telegram was sent by the military plane himself, and Li Hongzhang was designated to take the code and personally translate it, and no one knew what was important. Beiyang is already in a hurry, and he can't stand anything else.

Li Hongzhang finished reading the telegram with a cold expression. He didn't say anything, but slowly stood up, and with a shake of his hand, the copy of the newspaper had fallen to the ground. Everyone watched Li Hongzhang walk out of the signing room in a daze, Lao Zhongtang's always straight waist was stiff, even if the Beiyang Naval Division was defeated and Lushun fell, it didn't make him have such a sad demeanor.

Li Hongzhang's figure staggered at the door, and everyone was busy trying to help, but he pushed him away. Then there was a long sigh that squeezed out of the breastwork, and I don't know whether it was crying or laughing, and the grief was extreme. In the end, I coughed up a mouthful of blood!

“…… Three thousand miles away to find the marquis...... This is to make me Li Hongzhang bear the infamy of future generations! What did you want to do in the first place, what kind of official did you want to be, and what did you do? Li Hongzhang, Li Hongzhang! You, a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty, love the dog of the Xinjueluo family! ”

(To be continued)