Late at night on August 29, Beijing Railway Station.

The rumbling train slowly drove into the platform, and the people on the train let out a sigh of relief, and finally arrived. The train from Shanghai to Beijing takes three days and two nights, and it was supposed to arrive in the afternoon, but who knew that it would take more than four hours to wait in Xuzhou. No way, it happened to come across a column of military vehicles, and all vehicles needed to give way. As a result, by the time the railway dispatch was ready to leave, they had been at the train station for four hours.

The people on the train began to pack their luggage, and some people had already walked to the door, and the conductor was already standing at the door, waiting for the train to stop and open the door, and when the train was finished, they could also go home from work.

But today it's strange. After the train came to a standstill, the front of the locomotive never signaled to open the door. The fact that the train, which was already late, did not open, caused dissatisfaction among the passengers, and some people had already begun to shout, and some pushed the windows and prepared to climb the windows.

However, the shouting soon stopped, and the people who had just climbed out did not dare to move the carriage with their hands held high behind their backs. All because an army marched into the platform. This is not the police at the station, it is the royal gendarmerie in yellow jackets. They're not a reasonable army, and if they anger them, they'll kill you. But what are they here for? It reminded them of the guarded carriage at the back of the car, where there might have been a big man.

When the gendarmes blocked the entire platform, Yang Zaoer took her daughter's hand and walked out of the carriage.

"As a man, I can't let my women go on the road, but the ministers can't let me go because of security concerns or military strategic requirements. So I can only leave this temptation task to you and your daughter. In the end, it's useless for me, and I can only wronged you this time. ”

When getting off the train. Yang Zao'er remembered Li Ming's words. He was the emperor, and the emperor naturally could not test the enemy personally. And Yang Zao'er didn't think she would be in any danger. The goal of the Manchu Qing was always Li Ming, and if they attacked their mother and daughter in advance, they would inevitably be retaliated against, and no one would do such a thing. And what was really used to test the Manchu Qing reaction was a stand-in of Li Ming hidden among the guards.

Yang Zao'er had just gotten off the train, and she saw that the seven Hanchen Shangshu headed by Li Hongzhang were already waiting at the door of the car in civilian clothes. Yingtai manager Kou Liancai even cried and touched his tears. After greeting each other, everyone slowly walked out of the train station. At this time, the long-closed train opened the door, and the people on the train were talking about who was sitting in the back two carriages when they got off the train.

After getting in the car, Li Hongzhang was reporting to Yang Zaoer about the changes in the capital in the past few days. Li Hongzhang pointed to the soldiers standing next to him and said: "Don't look at the fact that they are still wearing Manchu uniforms, in fact, the Manchu court has been unable to mobilize them. Now he is waiting for the emperor to enter Beijing. ”

"The emperor has been absent from Beijing for a long time. It all depends on Li Xiang to support this situation. Now that there is such a situation, the emperor is grateful to Li Xiangcai. ”

"Haha--the mother lifted. Since his mentor Zeng Guofan, Lao Chen has understood that this Manchu Qing Dynasty will not last long. Over the years, I have also tried hard to promote my Han people, but the Manchu Qing Dynasty is powerful, and the old man thinks that he will not see the time to restore my Han clothes in his lifetime. But I never thought that God would have mercy and send down the Lord for my China. The old minister just followed the trend, and he should not be thanked. ”

Yang Zao'er still wanted to say some words of encouragement, but Li Tian, who didn't want to sit next to her, pulled her clothes and asked, "Mother, shall we go to see grandma now?" Li Tian really couldn't bear to listen to the adults say things she didn't understand.

Yang Zao'er smiled apologetically at Li Hongzhang. He said to his daughter, "It's too late today, let's go early tomorrow morning, okay?" ”

"What if my grandmother can't see me and can't sleep?" When speaking, Li Tian still supported his chin with one hand and worried about his grandmother.

Xiao Li Tian's appearance as an adult caused Yang Zaoer and Li Hongzhang to laugh. Yang Zao'er stroked Li Tian's hair and said, "Grandma can't stay up late when she's old, and she has gone to bed early." At this time, it is rude to disturb grandma's sleep! ”

"It seems to be." Li Tian thought about it for a while, and suddenly pointed at Li Hongzhang and said, "But Grandpa Li is also very old, hasn't he slept yet?" ”

Yang Zao'er didn't know what to say for a while. Li Hongzhang smiled and said, "Because Grandpa Li went to bed very late today, he can be lazy and sleep a little more tomorrow morning." But your grandmother is going to see her baby granddaughter early in the morning, so she has to go to bed early today. Xiao Tiantian slept at Grandpa Li's house tonight. Would you like to go to see grandma at dawn tomorrow? ”

"Alright then, I'll just say yes." Li Tian sat straight and nodded. The appearance of a little adult caused Li Hongzhang to laugh again.

Yang Zao'er lived temporarily in the Li Mansion before she got married, and the courtyard where she lived after she got married still retains the same appearance when she got married. Although no one has lived in it again. But the cleaning never stopped. Before Yang Zao'er returned to Beijing, Li Ming specially notified Li Hongzhang first, so this small courtyard was redecorated again.

Yang Zao'er saw that the furnishings in the house were exactly the same as when she got married, so she saluted Li Hongzhang and said: "It has been more than six years and there has been no change here, Li Xiang has worked hard." ”

"It is already the supreme honor of the lower officials to be able to stay in the cold house, and I dare not say that I have to work."

After returning to the Li Mansion, the ministers who went to the train station to greet them did not go back to their respective homes, but sat down in the Li Mansion. After Yang Zao'er went back to the room to see that her daughter was asleep, she quietly closed the door and went to the lobby of the Li Mansion under the service of Kou Liancai.

After Yang Zao'er sat down on the main seat, her hand was raised in the air: "Ladies and gentlemen, please be exempt." This palace knows that you all want to know about the emperor's previous affairs, and you just want to confirm whether the emperor is Han or not. But in this regard, Hongu has nothing to say. ”

"Niangniang, forgive the old minister." Sun Jianai stood up and was the first to speak: "In the former Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin created the foundation of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the governance of the country was also based on the Han rites, and he was regarded as the holy lord of the country and the people. Just because he is a member of the Xianbei tribe, the Li Tang royal family has never been recognized as a Han by the Central Plains scholars. So much so that after the chaos in the world in the last years of Li Tang's reign, no one raised the banner of righteousness to revive Li Tang. In contrast, the killing of Hu after the Han and Jin Dynasties, the martyrdom of hundreds of thousands of people in Yashan after the Two Song Dynasty, and the martyrdom of the former Ming Dynasty were all unknown to Li Tang. Niangniang is also a Han Chinese, and the authenticity of the bloodline is a big deal. Don't be sloppy. ”

Looking at the ministers who nodded in unison, Yang Zao'er shook her head: "I also asked the emperor about this matter." But the emperor and Ben can't remember anything before. However, according to the palace, it is certain that the emperor is not a manchurian. This palace has also seen a lot of flag people. They did not bathe for many years to cover the smell with incense sachets, and the emperor had to bathe every day. Even if you are tired from discussing politics all night, you must take a bath before falling asleep. The emperor also said that you can't sleep without washing your stinky sweat first. As the queen, the palace is the closest to the emperor, and the emperor's habits are very clear. The emperor's diet alone is biased towards soup and the like, and every meal will be unhappy if there is no soup to accompany the meal. ”

"The subordinate can testify to this." Wang Shizhen stood up: "The emperor on the Grange is like this. Even if you only have potatoes, you need some soup to eat with water and salt. Moreover, the emperor especially loves to eat fish, and every time he eats at the staff headquarters, he must have fish. ”

Weng Tongyi nodded: "These can only prove that the emperor is not from the north." But there are other ethnic minorities in the South as well. Then everyone looked at the queen again.

Yang Zao'er smiled: "Although habits like this abound. But to confirm whether the emperor is Han or not, there is no way in this palace. ”

"Could it be that the emperor really can't remember it at all?"

Seeing that the queen shook her head and said that she didn't know, the ministers began to talk about it.

"It doesn't matter whether the emperor is Han or not, what matters is how we write him as Han." Li Hongzhang, who hadn't spoken for a long time, raised his head: "The old minister remembers well, this time the mother returned to Beijing with a stand-in for the emperor. In the opinion of the old minister, it is better to let this stand-in appear in public, and first sit on the fact that the emperor has a stand-in. And then slowly publicize, in short, to confirm that the emperor is a Han person, but the emperor will come forward to admit it. So what's the problem? ”

"The old minister understood. Let's go back and prepare. Sun Jianai got up and saluted to say goodbye, and the other ministers also stepped forward to salute the two of them.

"Poof", a laugh that seemed to have been held back for a long time suddenly came from the roof.

"Who? Come out. dared to break into the Prime Minister's Mansion at night, so bold. Li Hongzhang said angrily. At the same time, he walked in front of the queen. The ministers were also shocked, and before the queen moved into the prime minister's mansion, the inner guards had already imposed martial law on the prime minister's mansion, and the civil and military ministers gathered to discuss the matter. No matter what is discussed, it is necessary to strictly prevent news leakage. Just when it was heavily defended, someone suddenly appeared on the beams of the house, how not to panic. Wang Shizhen and Ouyang Zhenhua's guns have already opened the safety and pointed to the roof.

Two young faces rolled out of the beams. After a loud laugh, one rolled over and jumped off the beam. Two young men and girls in strong costumes stood in the hall. They didn't care about the guns pointed at them, and saluted respectfully to the adults: "The late Wesley (Cheng Xin) has seen the queen mother, Li Xiang, and all the adults. ”

"I've seen you in this palace, and you're from the custom investigation office next to the south gate." Yang Zao bypassed Li Hongzhang and walked to the front: "Today is a discussion of the government situation, and it has nothing to do with you." What are you doing here? ”

"Back to my mother's words, yes." Wesley arched his hand and said, "There will be an operation in the Customs Office in the near future, and it was originally agreed with the emperor that troops below the regiment could be transferred at will. But now the situation is unpredictable, the emperor is far away in Nanjiang, and he doesn't know if the Manchu token given by the emperor can still draw troops at will, and this time it is not an ordinary army. I had no choice but to take advantage of the time when the adults gathered, and I came to ask you for help. ”

All the civilian officials looked at Ouyang Zhenhua and Wang Shizhen with a shocked expression, the custom office has the right to transfer troops below the regiment level at will? The only military police units to which they belong can be directly mobilized by the military headquarters and the general staff headquarters are concerned, and even the prime minister can only mobilize one battalion of the Central Guard Brigade at most. You must know that any illegal transfer of combat troops without the emperor's will be regarded as rebellion, and even the transfer of armed police forces has a complete set of procedures. Originally, I thought that it was just a small unit formed by the emperor because of his personal preferences, but he didn't want to have a greater power to transfer troops than the prime minister and the direct military commander, is this an arrangement of the emperor? If so, then the custom office must be taken seriously in the government.

Wang Shizhen was embarrassed and didn't speak. At the beginning, the emperor directly issued the will at the General Staff Headquarters, and also asked for secrecy, so the other civilian officials who know this will really don't know it, except for the military department that was later conveyed to the military department. Wang Shizhen didn't know how to explain it for a while.

Ouyang Zhenhua is a standard soldier, so he doesn't have so many concerns: "It is true that the emperor made an order on the spot at the General Staff Headquarters, and later conveyed it to the Military Department to ask for cooperation." ”

"Yes. Although the emperor did not give any explanation when he issued the decree, the General Staff Headquarters acted in accordance with the decree. With Ouyang Zhenhua's words, he was in front. Wang Shizhen was not so embarrassed, turned his head and asked, "Wesley." As long as it is a token issued by the emperor, it is valid, you only have to act with the token, and I believe that you will not have an opinion. ”

Although the civilian officials were shocked by the right to transfer troops from the Customs Office, since both the General Staff Headquarters and the Military Department approved it, it was feasible. Li Hongzhang stood up and spoke: "Since the emperor has made a will, then you just have to do it." ”

"It's not simple." Wesley shook his head: "We need a battalion of special forces this time, and there are less than two companies of special forces stationed in the Xishan camp. Therefore, I hereby ask the chief of staff and the two lords of the military department to transfer back at least two special companies from the front line. ”

"No way. Even if the emperor is here, the official will flatly refuse. Ouyang Zhenhua said with an angry face: "The soldiers who have been dispatched all have tasks on their bodies, and they must not be adjusted for your use." It is related to the safety of millions of soldiers in the DPRK. Even if the emperor personally decrees, the old man will present his interests and ask the emperor to take back his order. ”

Ouyang Zhenhua's words blocked Wesley's request, and they did not understand the compromise and exchange in politics after receiving elite education since childhood. For a while, he was speechless with the token in his hand.

Li Hongzhang smiled and said: "If the soldiers who have been sent out are suddenly transferred back, the whole plan will have to be strategically adjusted. Now the arrow is off the string and can't be recovered. If you can, please let us know where you are going, and then ask the Ministry of War to deploy the right personnel. What do you think? ”

Wesley and Cheng Xin lowered their heads and discussed something in a whisper, but their tone of voice was as low as singing. Everyone can hear the Chinese they speak, but everyone can't.

Looking at the people with inquiring expressions on their faces, Cheng Xin smiled: "We are talking about Chinese, yes, but this is ancient Chinese. Many words are pronounced differently or in opposite ways than they are now, so it's normal for adults to not understand them. We are planning to go to Tibet, which will take about two months. That's why we need the most elite soldiers and equipment, as well as some special artifacts. Here's the list. After speaking, Cheng Xin took out a thick envelope from his sleeve and presented it to Ouyang Zhenhua.

Ouyang Zhenhua didn't open it immediately. Just looking at Wang Shizhen, where must he draw troops from, and the chief of staff has to speak first.

Wang Shizhen thought for a while and said: "The special forces are indeed fine taxes in the army. Both the skill and the weapon are first-class. However, if you want to go to Tibet, they are really not suitable. Tibet is located on a plateau with thin air. We who grew up on the plains went there and were prone to dizziness as long as we were active in the first place. At present, the special forces have not yet started training in this area, but the First Mountain Division to which Zhao Erfeng belongs belongs to the Southeast Military Region has had training in this area. That's why they're the best troops you need for this trip to Tibet. ”

Wei Si thought for a moment and said, "General Wang is familiar with the situation of various armies, maybe your suggestion is right. However, General Commander Wang also forgot that most of the officers and men of the 1st Mountain Division were big soldiers who could not read a few words, and there was naturally no problem in carrying out military orders and fighting on the battlefield, but what we needed more was a change of opportunity in this trip, not a war. The officers and men of the special forces have enough insight to deal with all kinds of unexpected situations, and the big head soldiers cannot. After speaking, the gold medal in his hand shook slightly.

"The special forces are elite troops, and the number is not large, and now there is only one company left in the capital. Of course, the emperor's will will naturally be carried out. This is a matter of national destiny, and you will not ignore the interests of the country just to complete your own investigation. Wang Shizhen smiled faintly.

"Well, a battalion of the Mountain Division can be seconded, but at least we have a platoon of special forces as commanders, which is not negotiable." Wesley held up the gold medal in his hand to indicate that his words represented the Emperor's holy decree. After saying that, Wesley and Cheng Xinyingying bowed, then turned around and walked out. But he didn't take two steps and fell back.

"I forgot to say that the emperor Li Ming is a Han Chinese, so you don't have to worry about this. We have already tested the emperor's bloodline and confirmed that it is a Han Chinese. This is a method that has been passed down since ancient times, and it also borrows the testing methods of modern Western medicine. In addition, due to changes, we need to revise the plan, so we ask for your cooperation in preparing the relevant utensils during this period. The estimated departure time is in a month. ”

It wasn't until the porter reported that Wesley had gone away, and Ouyang Zhenhua opened the envelope but was surprised, this list of utensils required by the Customs Office was all-encompassing. Heavy winter clothes, abundant food, all kinds of guns and ammunition are full, and even mention the armored artillery vehicles that the military department has just put into development.

"How would they know there was such a thing?" Ouyang Zhenhua pointed to the list in black and white and asked Wang Shizhen. This is still the Lu General Staff Duan Qirui saw that the twin 75mm rapid-fire guns dismantled from the old warship were about to be recycled, so he asked for two and planned to load them on the truck. If this is successfully developed, this will definitely be a big killer weapon for the army. Therefore, except for Li Hongzhang and Yan Fu, who knew that there was such a thing for the armament items classified as Class B secrets, the specific names were only known to the General Staff Headquarters and the Equipment Department of the Military Department. Yet it is not surprising that such a highly classified name appeared on the list of supplies in an investigative office.

The other civilian officials saw that the two military commanders were going to avoid talking about the prime minister, and knew that military secrets were at stake, so they planned to get up and take their leave. But he didn't want Wang Shizhen to react extremely excitedly: "There are very different and extremely high spies in the army, and you adults are one step ahead." After speaking, Ouyang Zhenhua also left.

This is a big event, since the emperor came to power, I have never heard of a traitor among the court officials, and this sudden incident is enough to make the ministers pay attention. So the important ministers also left the prime minister's mansion one after another.

Yang Zao'er left as early as when the ministers began to discuss military affairs, although the emperor let the good in charge of education, but it was limited to the affairs of the Ministry of Education, and it was still the consensus in the current court that the officials were not allowed to participate in the court politics. Yang Zao'er, who stayed in the back hall, did not go back to the room to rest until Li Hongzhang came back to ask for peace, the time was not early, and she would go to see the queen mother of the two palaces with a daughter-in-law ceremony tomorrow, and I don't know how the queen mother would react. (To be continued......)