After listening to Lou Chunfan's reminder, Li Shaoquan nodded.

"Your Majesty, I've already thought of an answer, and I'll have to fold it when the time comes." Li Shaoquan said: "The number of overseas Chinese in Japan is very large, and the civil strife in Japan will inevitably spread, and we must not ignore it. ”

"What your lord said is very true." Lou Chunfan replied.

"You have also read Ding Yisheng's letter, what do you think?" Li Shaoquan asked quietly.

"What Lord Ding did, although it is the old way of seeking the country, is too manipulative, if there is a rumor, I am afraid that it will provoke a lot of discussion." Lou Chun said, "I don't think that the adults need to give some cover for Lord Ding, so as not to hinder the plan to cut the day." ”

"Although Ding Yisheng is good, he is impatient." Li Shaoquan nodded, "Then Xiting, tell me, how can I help him fight this cover?" ”

"I don't think that when the emperor summons the right person, I can bluntly say that I should support the Japanese government and quell the civil strife as soon as possible, and suggest that arms be donated as a relief." Lou Chun Fan Fan thought for a moment and replied, "In this way, the eyes of the Qingliu faction will all be focused on the adults, and it will be convenient for the adults to act." ”

"If you want to act, it's better to act seriously." Li Shaoquan slowly straightened up from his chair, "Just give them a batch of arms, what's the matter?" ”

"What kind of arms do you want to give to the Japanese government?" Lou Chunfan understood that Li Shaoquan already had an idea in his heart, and asked with a smile, "What Lord Ding gave to Hanpeng is such a heavy item as cannons, muskets, and gunboats!" ”

"How can I have him Ding Yisheng is rich and wealthy, and he supports Chao Penglai. He spared no effort to drive the 'Kaiji' ship to Hanpeng. Li Shaoquan listened to Lou Chunfan's words, and couldn't help laughing, "It is said that the direct governor is above the governors of the provinces, but in fact, this Zhili governor's yamen is an out-and-out poor yamen, I don't have those good things to give to the Japanese, but just give them some guns and gunpowder." ”

"The money for this gunpowder should also be paid by the Ministry of Households, as a sign that the adults support the Japanese government. It was our great imperial court that supported Japan. Lou Chunfan said with a smile. I just don't know how many shots the adults are going to give to the Japanese? ”

"In order to show my national strength, I have to give 100,000 pieces." Li Shaoquan smiled and replied.

"It's just that Hanpeng knows the news, and I'm afraid I don't know how he will feel." Lou Chunfan thought for a moment. Again.

"With the cleverness of Hanpeng. You will understand the mystery of this. Li Shaoquan's gaze looked into the distance. I now hope that he will be able to realize his brother's plan to cut the day as soon as possible and return to the great work. Wait for us. ”

The next day, the Forbidden City, the Palace of Nourishing the Heart.

"I respectfully invite the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, and the Emperor Wanfu Jin'an!"

Before Li Shaoquan saluted, he noticed that above the main hall, the throne of Emperor Guangxu was empty. But when he saluted, he still brought the emperor in with him.

"Flat." Empress Dowager Renxi raised her hand and said with a pleasant face, "The emperor is slightly ill today, and he can't come if he is passing on the imperial doctor's attention." ”

"I don't know what disease the emperor is suffering from? Does it matter? Li Shaoquan was keenly aware of the extraordinary, and asked with a look of concern.

"The emperor has suffered from some wind and cold at night, it doesn't matter, and he will recover in a few days." Empress Dowager Renxi lightly revealed the matter of Emperor Guangxu's personal reception in the future, and then changed the topic and said, "How many days has Li Zhitai been in Beijing?" ”

"If you go back to the Queen Mother, it has been five days since the minister arrived in Beijing." Li Shaoquan replied.

"These days are just in time for the weather to get cold, and Li Zhengtai also needs to pay attention to his body." Empress Dowager Renxi said.

"Yes." Li Shaoquan said.

The Empress Dowager Renxi asked some more about the territory of Zhili, and Li Shaoquan answered them one by one. Then the two sides exchanged a few more gossips. Just when Li Shaoquan thought that the audience was over and was about to leave, the Empress Dowager Renxi asked something like this: "I heard that Lin Wenxiang had a good relationship with Li Zhitai before his death?" ”

"What the Queen Mother said is that the minister and Lin Wenxiang are friends who have forgotten the year." Li Shaoquan said.

"Lin Wenxiang's wife Chen Wan is the righteous daughter of Zeng Wenzhenggong, a teacher of the minister, and the minister is a protégé of Zeng Wenzhenggong, who is an acquaintance. Zeng Wenzhenggong was quite able to read people, and he praised Lin Wenxiang very much, saying that he would become a great tool in the future, and his ministers also thought that what the teacher said was true. Li Shaoquan continued, "The minister and Lin Wenxiang don't see each other much, but in terms of foreign affairs, it is very reasonable to say that they often correspond on weekdays. ”

"Oh, in this way, Lin Wenxiang and you are also relatives. Naturally, the relationship is closer than the average person. Empress Dowager Renxi nodded.

"Although Lin Wenxiang is young, he has learned both Chinese and Western, has extraordinary knowledge, and his ministers correspond with him, and he often has experience." Li Shaoquan said, "It's really a rare member of my young and handsome people, but it's a pity that he died young......

When Li Shaoquan said this, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes! Such a talent, it is a pity that the sky is not long! Empress Dowager Renxi also sighed, and the monarch and ministers were relatively speechless for a while.

After a long time, the Empress Dowager Renxi said: "This time, I think you also know about the civil strife in Japan. The DPRK and China have been arguing about this for the past few days," Empress Dowager Renxi looked at Li Shaoquan, "You are familiar with the situation in Japan, why don't you see you on the fold?" ”

"The Empress Dowager, the situation in Japan is clear at a glance, why do you need to say more?" Li Shaoquan replied with a smile, "No matter what the outside world says, the Empress Dowager has her own holy judgment. ”

Listening to Li Shaoquan's words, Empress Renxi smiled and turned her head to look at the Empress Dowager Ci'an, who also nodded with a smile.

"In this matter, I still want to hear Li Zhengtai's advice." Empress Dowager Renxi said with a smile.

"The minister doesn't dare to speak up." Li Shaoquan replied respectfully, but he had already figured out the rhetoric in his mind.

"Li Zhengtai said it's okay, I want to see if you think the same idea as the emperor." Empress Dowager Renxi said.

"Back to the Empress Dowager's words, the minister thinks that Japan is close to the elbow, and it wants to swallow the Ryukyus, occupy Taiwan, and seize Korea, which can be described as a great disaster in Middle-earth, and this civil strife is a good opportunity for God to weaken its national strength." Li Shaoquan said, "However, if the Japanese government loses in this war, Saigo Takamori and his samurai will come to power, and they will definitely not change the front." It is because the ministers think that whether it is the current Japanese government or the samurai led by Saigo Takamori who rebelled against the party, neither side will win the victory, it will not be conducive to our great work. Therefore, both sides must weaken it. ”

"Since the restructuring of the Japanese government, it has secretly swallowed the Ryukyus and sent troops to Taiwan, but fortunately Lin Wenxiang was defeated, and now civil strife has broken out, and he is powerless to take care of it. It is indeed a blessing to my great cadres and the people. Li Zhengtai said in a suitable way. is very pertinent, this Japanese wolf's ambition, no matter which side is on the stage, will not change. Empress Dowager Renxi sighed. Road. "But just let them keep fighting like this?"

How smart Li Shaoquan is. Immediately, he judged the intention of the Empress Dowager Renxi from this sentence, and he hurriedly took out the words that had been prepared for a long time on the snake stick.

"The Queen Mother is very worried, and there is civil strife in Japan. There has to be a game, and it is impossible to play indefinitely. Li Shaoquan said, "If we allow civil strife to continue, not only will our overseas Chinese in Japan suffer greatly from it, but I am afraid that the story of the Min Dynasty and the Japanese will be repeated." Moreover, if Japan's internal strife is too long, it will be difficult to ensure that the other countries will not take the opportunity to interfere, because no matter what, our cadres must not stand idly by and watch this. Allowing the Qing Dynasty to dissipate itself is the words of a scholar and must not be heard. ”

"What Li Zhengtai said is. Those scholars only know empty talk on weekdays, and there is no plan to use when it comes to things! The Empress Dowager Renxi remembered the various "suggestions" on the Qingliu in these days against the civil strife in Japan, and she was angry.

"Li Zhengtai, as you said, how should the imperial court respond?" Empress Dowager Ren'an asked at this time.

"The minister thought that the imperial court should show its intention to support the Japanese government on the surface, and could allow the sale of arms, and then let one or two Xinjiang ministers secretly help the rebels under the guise of outsiders, so that they would attack and kill each other. In the end, no matter which side wins, its strength will be greatly damaged, and our great cadres can reap the benefits of the fishermen. Li Shaoquan replied.

"That's very good." Empress Dowager Ren'an turned her head to look at Empress Dowager Renxi, and said with a smile, "In this way, my great cadre can not only avoid interfering in the name of Japan, but also reap real profits." ”

"That's what my sister said." Empress Dowager Renxi nodded, "This disposition shows my intention to maintain peace in Japan, and it can also calm down foreign discussions." ”

Empress Dowager Ren'an's gaze turned to Li Shaoquan again, and she sighed: "Li Zhitai, this specific method, you can play it secretly, and you will handle it." Since Lin Wenxiang left, there are too few people who can be as brave as him, so you should work harder and share more worries for the court! ”

"Your Ministers Do Your Mercy! Definitely go all out! Li Shaoquan hurriedly responded.

Empress Dowager Renxi then asked about some other things, and just as the summoning was nearing the end, Empress Dowager Renxi seemed to remember something, and asked casually: "Li Zhitai and Lin Wenxiang have a deep friendship, do you know if Lin Wenxiang still has brothers?" ”

"Back to the Queen Mother, the minister only knows that Lin Wenxiang has the eldest brother Lin Weishu and the second brother Lin Yuanming, both of whom are Hanlin, and I have never heard of another brother." When Li Shaoquan heard Empress Dowager Renxi's question, his heart moved, but he replied quietly on the surface.

"Oh." Empress Dowager Renxi and Empress Dowager Ren'an glanced at each other and did not ask again.

After finishing today's audience, His Majesty Li Shaoquan resigned from the palace, and the Empress Dowager Renxi immediately turned around and said, "Liu Shengyin, go and invite the sixth and seventh masters to come over." ”

"Yes!"

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Tokyo, British Legation in Japan.

"You just went to see Minister Qianguo?" As soon as he skimmed the report on the latest Japanese civil war handed over by the embassy counselor Sa Daoyi, Willis, who was having breakfast, put down the knife and fork in his hand in surprise.

"Yes, sir." Sa Daoyi bowed slightly, and replied respectfully, "And according to the report of our legation in Beijing, the Qianguo government made this decision at the imperial meeting convened by the emperor five days ago. ”

"It is really surprising that the government of Qianguo would choose to support the Japanese government!" Willis lifted the napkin tied around his neck, and as he spoke, he was careful not to let the grease from the corners of his mouth run down his beard.

Willis put down the napkin and pondered for a moment before he said, "Ernest (Sadaoyi's real name is Ernest?) Masson? Sato) ......"

"Yes, Your Excellency." Sa Daoyi calmly responded.

"You should make an appointment today to meet our friend at the Qianguo Legation and ask him if there is any problem between Russia and Qianguo because of the war in Xinjiang?" Willis's gaze wandered, and he commanded thoughtfully.

According to the information obtained by Willis from the Qianguo Legation, due to the problem of the Russian army forcibly occupying Ili. From time to time, there will be twists and turns in the relations between Qianguo and Russia, and at the present juncture when a large-scale civil war is breaking out in Japan, the Qianguo government has chosen to support the Japanese government, which has not caused great trouble to Qianguo in Korea and Taiwan......

"Yes, I'll arrange it in a moment, around 4 p.m. I'll go and have afternoon tea with him. Sa Daoyi took out his pocket watch from his bosom and looked at it, and then took the initiative to ask, "Your Excellency, this has changed." Do you want to report London as soon as possible? ”

"There's no need to rush this matter." Willis picked up the rattle on the table and shook it. An Indian servant wrapped in a red bun then pushed open the door of the dining room and entered.

"Another pair of knives and forks." Willis pointed to the spot in front of Sadaoyi and commanded the servant.

He then turned to Sa Daoyi, "You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" Let's sit down and eat together. He pointed to the dazzling array of Chinese dishes on the table and said, "These dishes are all purely Japanese." Only the staples are British. I don't know if it's to your taste as a pure Englishman? ”

As an Englishman who has lived in Japan for many years. He has come to love the variety and delicious Japanese cuisine.

Willis was heard joking about his own bloodlines. Sa Daoyi didn't think it was wrong, just smiled slightly.

Sa Daoyi is of mixed German and British descent. Father Hans? David? Christopher? Born in Wismar, Germany, Sato became an Englishman when he was three years old; Saddour's mother, Margaret, was English. Sadaoyi himself didn't feel anything wrong with his half-blooded blood. In his opinion, cultural belonging is the most important thing.

Probably because of the family "tradition" relationship, Sa Daoyi, who has lived in Japan for many years, also followed the same path as his father, his wife is a Japanese woman, named Takeda Kane, the two have a son after marriage, Sa Daoyi gave himself a Japanese name Sato Ainosuke, but his son took his mother's surname, he named his son Takeda Hisayoshi.

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Sa Daoyi didn't shirk much, so he pulled his head and sat down, and said with a smile: "Diplomats are destined to deal with all kinds of people. So like it or not, having a stomach that can accommodate all kinds of food is a must. ”

"That's a good statement." Willis was slightly stunned, and even showed a sympathetic smile.

"Your Excellency......" After taking the cutlery from the Indian servant who had gone and returned, Sa Daoyi thought for a moment. Finally, I couldn't help but open my mouth to Willis, who was spreading jam on the slices of bread in his hand.

"Huh?" Willis looked up in surprise. "What? Still don't feel like the food is palatable? ”

"No......" Sa Daoyi hesitated for a moment and continued: "Your Excellency, should we report this important news to London as soon as possible?" ”

"Oh? Why? Willis smiled and asked.

"The purpose of the Qianguo declaration of support for the Japanese Government at this time is probably to send troops to Japan and occupy Japanese land." Sa Daoyi carefully said what he thought.

"Sa Daoyi, are you worried that the Qianguo will occupy the whole of Japan?" Willis swallowed a mouthful of bread and said with a smile, "So you don't even have the appetite for breakfast?" ”

"Yes, Your Excellency." Sa Daoyi replied worriedly.

"Then I might be able to let you relax and enjoy a hearty breakfast." Willis put down his bread and knives and forks again, and said to Sadao: "Don't worry, the Qianguo cannot occupy Japan." ”

"Don't ask me why." He waved his hand at Sa Daoyi, who was surprised and wanted to speak, and said, "I can only guarantee you this!" ”

"You mean that the Imperial Government will stop the actions of the Qianguo?" Sa Daoyi still asked uneasily.

"The Imperial Government has a lot of interests in Japan, and of course it will not ignore the war in Japan." Willis said calmly.

"Then how can the imperial government stop the intervention of the Qianguo in Japan?" Sa Daoyi listened to Willis's answer, and became a little worried.

"Has Qianguo taken action?" Willis smiled.

"The country is politically corrupt and lacks capable officials. If that Mr. Lin Yizhe was still around, he should have been able to take action immediately, but unfortunately he is dead. "But that doesn't mean that the government won't take action." ”

"I think it will be difficult for Qianguo to take any action against Japan, at most it will give some funding to the rebels, I heard that one of the main generals in the rebels is a Qianguo man named Lin Yiqing. In addition, the Qianguo government did not have much power to use against Japan, and they needed to use their main forces to defend against the Russians. "So, Sadaoyi, we don't have to worry too much about this, but the Russians need our close attention." Willis took a plate of sausages in front of him and began to cut the sausage.

"By the way," he asked, as if suddenly remembering something, "is there any news of the German Philix, and the Major Hellitz?" ”

"I just know that they are all in Japan now." Relieved, Sadaoyi rubbed cream on it with a tableknife and replied, "It is said that they have retired from the German army and are employed by the Japanese army. ”

"That is to say, the Germans are definitely going to be involved in this war...... "Willis frowned, "by the way, you need to follow up on this matter in addition to meeting our friend this afternoon...... In addition to inquiring about the situation of the Qianguo and the Russians, this matter is also a major matter. ”

Sa Daoyi on the side was already awe-inspiring at this time. When Willis had finished speaking, he sat upright and bowed to the latter, and replied very formally: "We will find their whereabouts, please rest assured." (To be continued......)

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