The Legation is now the true heart of Seoul. Inside and outside the courtyard, there were all soldiers running around, their big leather boots squeaking and splashing mud and water after the rain. Everyone looked nervous and excited, and the young officers deliberately stiffened their faces, trying to hide their excitement with the majesty of the samurai. But when they looked at each other, they were all full of excitement.

The great cause of the empire's conquest of Korea begins at this moment!

Kawakami has returned from Gyeongbokgung Palace to the Legation. As the chief staff officer of the Imperial Army, he was very reserved and unwilling to take everything personally. Moreover, in Gyeongbokgung Palace, King Lee and Concubine Min immediately passed Park Yong-hyo's political axe and issued an invitation to send troops to the official axe. It also doesn't quite fit the samurai aesthetic of Lieutenant General Kawakami.

He sat in the Japanese room, had already taken off his military uniform and changed into a kimono, quietly stirring the tea soup in front of him, the fragrance of tea fluttering faintly, and changing in front of him. There was no expression on Kawakami's face, as if the fluctuations in the North Korean tide that he experienced and stirred up yesterday were not planned by him.

The empire has finally embarked on this path...... The situation here has been telegraphed to the Toushan Manchu and other seers in China. They also want to drive the entire empire completely towards this path of hegemony. But I don't know, how much time does it take?

Opportunities are fleeting, and the present opportunity is to break the embarrassing situation in Korea that China has said since the Tianjin Treaty that there is no war and no peace. The best chance to catch the entire empire in the chariot! To this end, he did not hesitate to make use of Jin Yujun, who was equally loyal to their nation...... Although it's a pity, it's a pity that I have to do it......

Kawakami raised his teacup heavily, watching the tea rise and fall. The mind flew back to China.

This time he came to Seoul to command all this, and the county minister did not give very clear instructions. Not even a hint. Kawakami read it with his talented mind. Prime Minister Ito and others are still weighing the pros and cons, whether to unite with the Qing State and start East Asia to strengthen itself, or to defeat the Qing State? The army is no longer patient, and the navy wants to expand. This time, it can be said that he resolutely took on the responsibility of promoting the national movement. Let the empire start a decisive battle for its national fortunes in Korea! Once the news from here reaches back to Japan, the founding ministers of the Emperor's side, the Choshu feudal lords of the army, and the large and small ronin groups, as well as the local chaebols who support them with financial resources and hope to get rid of the narrow market in the local area, will also be moved. Gather all kinds of forces contained in the government and the opposition and start the struggle for the national fortune in the next 20 years!

The future of the empire lies in the need to turn East Asia into a reliable hinterland of the empire. This is the inevitable way for the empire to get rid of the fate of the island tribe for three thousand years!

There is no doubt that the Qing State will react strongly, and their Beiyang training army, the Jingbian Army in the northeast, the Jingbian Army in Shandong, the Yi Army, and so on, with the cooperation of the Beiyang Naval Division, will do their best to maintain the security of the gateway to the Bohai Sea. And at that time, the empire must attract the small number of elite main forces that the Qing army can go on an expedition to Korea and crush it! As long as a small number of Qing troops trained in modernization are defeated in Seoul, the other 500 battalions and the Qing army, which is equipped with foreign guns and fast artillery, will be discouraged and will not be able to rise again.

This is also the root cause of the series of provocative measures he adopted in Korea, even imprisoning and persecuting the Qing vassal king in a coup d'état that humiliated his surname, and burning the Qing legation. It was necessary to force the Qing State to react quickly and gather the main force to send troops to Korea. This, in turn, led to a crisis in the country, and a resolute mobilization began......

This series of means is one link after another, and it is really Lieutenant General Kawakami's 20 years of research on the situation in East Asia, the synthesis of characters, intelligence gathering, and strategic subordinates, which is where all the painstaking efforts of this middle-aged man lie!

Looking at the entire boss Qing Kingdom, who can see through his intentions and be his opponent?

Li Hongzhang?

Kawakami dipped a little spilled tea on the coffee table, wrote a plum character in vain, smiled and shook his head.

He was behind the times, and was content with his superficial knowledge of the outside world. I am afraid that I am completely ignorant of the extent to which the world has evolved now, and what kind of height the country's political and strategic coordination needs to reach...... And Li Hongzhang is already the first person in the Qing Dynasty to understand.

Even if Li Hongzhang can understand his intentions, what then?

One step slow, one step at a time. As long as the situation in North Korea cannot be calmed down in a short time, the Qing government will inevitably be angry at the loss of face in North Korea, and it will be necessary to save face before the small country in their eyes is born. No matter how clear a person is, no matter how much he knows the essence of the weakness of the Great Qing State, he can't say that he will not fight in Korea and protect himself, right?

As long as Seoul is still in his hands at this time, then he can let the situation slide sharply towards where he wants! Until the Qing State fell into a trap, until the empire began to mobilize!

Who will be able to stop him in Seoul?

His fingers unconsciously drew on the coffee table, and when his thoughts were concentrated, he realized that he had drawn a neat Xu character.

Kawakami stood up violently and stared at the Xu character fiercely. I don't understand why I wrote this. He suddenly became impetuous, and slammed the teacup in his hand, the tea splashed, the aroma wafted, and a few blisters burned on his hands.

"Bastard! Why is the heart so untenable? ”

When he was hating his impetuousness, an extremely distant gunshot suddenly floated from a distance. It was as if it had cut through the silent air of Seoul. The gunfire went on and out, as if it had never happened. Lieutenant General Kawakami pricked up his ears and listened carefully, suddenly rushed out of the Japanese room, and called his followers loudly: "How is Gyeongbokgung Palace?" How is Seoul? Is Minister Sugimura still in Gyeongbokgung Palace? Prepare the horses! Go to Gyeongbokgung Palace! ”

With his words, from the direction of Gyeongbokgung Palace, suddenly began, and the gunfire rang out!

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Chu Wanli's military boots trampled on the ruins all over the ground, and the spurs creaked. Behind him, the fierce soldiers passed by him like the wind. Holding a Type 88 rifle and his face tightened, he rushed into the only telegraph room in Seoul. Gunfire rang out around them, bullets occasionally whizzing through the air in a sharp whistling sound.

Several corpses of the soldiers in black uniforms were lying crookedly on the ruins. This is not the focus of the army's garrison, but the size of half a detachment, more than 100 soldiers from the second battalion and five teams attacked strongly, and the soldiers who went into battle for the first time were excited and impulsive, plus three points of recklessness, and swarmed over. The soldiers of the army did not shoot a few shots before they saw a bunch of bright bayonets rushing in front of them, and the soldiers stabbed them down with knives almost without firing.

The morale of the soldiers who had gone through five days of legendary forced march was in the most delicate state, thinking that there was little in the world to stop them. This kind of morale is definitely not the norm, and it may quickly fall after a break. But at this time, fearlessness is extreme!

The courage of the army is sometimes unattainable and unrepeatable.

Chu Wanli was surrounded by a group of officers and sentinels, each of whom limped when they entered the city when they were gone. Running in the same wind, Chu Wanli still wanted to be a little reserved and appreciate the scene of the first battle he encountered, but he didn't expect to rush in like this!

"Fuck, bunnies, don't you feel tired?" Chu Wanli muttered. strode into the telegraph room.

The machines in the room were all Hessesen, long rolls of telegraph punched paper tapes were thrown everywhere, a unilateral machine had been destroyed, and most of the machines were still intact. Most of the soldiers were recruited from the countryside, and when they were suddenly attacked, they still didn't have time to destroy these modern machines. Several North Korean staff members gathered around, pulling a staff member who had been knocked down by a stray bullet, and the soldiers with braids in their neat uniforms and serious eyes poured in. There was a light of surprise and joy in his eyes.

The soldiers of the Great Qing Kingdom are coming! It's time for the chaos in Seoul to pass, right?

But where did they come from?

Several Nanyang scholars who hurriedly checked the machine made a surprised and happy voice: "Chu Junmen, the water and electricity telegraph room is basically intact!" Chu Wanli nodded and let out a long sigh. If Xu Yifan said that the only thing he had to explain to him was to take control of the means of communication between North Korea and the headquarters of the Qing Dynasty! Let the Manchu court know that it was the Praetorian Guards led by Xu Yifan who quelled the chaos in Korea!

As for Rong Lu and them, according to Xu Yifan and Chu Wanli's tacit speculation, if they rush to Seoul and the situation really reaches the point of collapse, then this minister of the Qin Mission is probably not there.

Before he could speak, the gunfire suddenly erupted violently in all directions, from far to near. The scale is not large, but it is extremely violent, obviously entering Seoul and rushing to their respective targets separately, especially the first battalion of the Praetorian Guards pointing to Gyeongbokgung Palace has begun! What was the result, Chu Wanli didn't bother to think about it, anyway, after five days of high-intensity marching, he didn't stop and immediately launched a strong attack, he already had a clear conscience.

Seoul has become a chaotic situation, the rule of the Korean political axe over Seoul has collapsed, and the whole city has become a hornet's nest without a political axe. More than 1,000 of them have been scattered into such a big city, and they have to fight with the soldiers, whether they can return to the sky and break the situation is really unpredictable.

The gunfire grew tighter and fiercer, and when it came to the end, it was like a strong wind. Several North Korean employees were already lying on the ground again. The officers, who were tired, nervous and a little numb from excitement, seemed to react a little at this time, and looked at each other a little uneasily. It seems that only then did they realize what a big city they needed to control!

Chu Wanli snorted, found a chair that was still in good condition, sat down with a golden knife, and greeted loudly: "The fifth team plus the eighth team and two sentinels, reinforce the direction of Gyeongbokgung Palace!" Grandma's, a Joseon royal palace, what can't be beaten? Xiao said that Ben would die if he was hit by a bayonet, and no one had two heads! ”

Su Tong, a member of the fifth team and a native of Beiyang Xuebing, glanced at Chu Wanli, pursed his lips and didn't dare to speak. Chu Wanli smiled and waved his hand: "Go quickly!" I'm here, two sentinels are enough to protect me, to lay down a country's palace, you don't want this kind of credit? ”

Su Tong was excited at this time, and he was about to run out like a rabbit who had been shot. Before he went out, he opened his voice and shouted: "Assemble!" Gather! Let's go to the palace! ”

Hearing the sound of footsteps outside, Chu Wanli smiled and asked the adjutant of the specimen department beside him in a low voice: "Do you have paper and pen, I have to write a telegram to Beiyang, they are still in the dark!" ”

Before the adjutant of the taxidium department could answer, a clerk of the telegraph office wearing a Western-style uniform but wearing a North Korean clog hurriedly greeted him, this person was in his forties, and it seemed that he was also a figure of considerable status, but now his body was splashed with blood, and he looked haggard and embarrassed. He quietly collected the best paper and pen from the desk, presented them respectfully with both hands, and bowed his head deeply to salute.

Chu Wanli took it with a smile, and heard the clerk ask: "Lord Shangguo, dare to ask if it was the Qingjun who suppressed the small country in the first place?" You...... Flying all the way from Pyongyang? ”

Chu Wanli squinted at him and said with a smile: "We are the Huaxia Praetorian Guard!" The flying soldiers are 800 miles away, and they are here to wipe your ass. When did you see this soldier here? ”

Before the North Korean clerk could answer, he heard footsteps at the door. Several guards around Chu Wanli had already pulled out their six-wheeled pistols, and before they turned their eyes, they saw the officers of the sixth team rushing in in a panic, holding a handful of things in their hands, and saw Chu Wanli looking at him, and he hit down with a thousand.

"My lord! The Bong'en Minister's Command has been burned to the ground by the fire! We're all done! I can't find the figure of Lord Rong Qincha! He stretched out his hands, and his hands were full of burnt colors, distorted shapes, and all kinds of colors, representing the rank and majesty of the Qing officials!

Everyone was tickling, and everyone was full of anger. It is said that this small country is so violent that it kills the big country without authorization! No matter what Rong Lu thinks of these Praetorian New Army, this is a slap in the face of the Great Qing Kingdom!

Chu Wanli slapped the chair and stood up, his face was gloomy as if he was about to drip water, and the sound of gunshots came in from outside in a burst, making the room even quieter, leaving only heavy gasps. There was a plop, but it was the North Korean telegraph room clerk who had just answered with Chu Wanli, and his legs were weak and he knelt down.

Chu Wanli slowly picked up a top from the hands of the team officer, and after a careful look, the fire had completely burned the top out of shape, and it was impossible to distinguish the grade it originally represented.

The current Seoul is just my Praetorian Guard representing the entire Qing Dynasty...... Lord Xu, Lord Xu, you expected all this, but can you save the situation?

Everyone stared at Chu Wanli, especially the officers who had rushed back from the fire site of the Feng'en Bureau. The whole situation has always been a blur for them. The city is full of mourning, and the traces of Qing Dynasty rule in Seoul are gone. Now there are gunshots everywhere, and they are tired and nervous. Now that it is going on everywhere, this Lord Chu is the only one who has the idea, and the direction in which they are moving needs to be decided by this Lord Chu!

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At the entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace, barricades have been piled up. Various pieces of furniture from the centuries-old Joseon royal palace have been piled up at the door. Wearing a high military hat, a black uniform, and white leggings, the carefully selected team of Kumamoto Towntai showed only their heads behind the barricades.

Gunshots have been heard throughout the city, like a stirring tide, converging towards the gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Now in Gyeongbokgung Palace are Minister Sugimura and a young man from Kumamoto Town, plus Park Yong-hyo and other lackey puppets. When the gunshots rang out, some of the stragglers had fled back one after another, and in return to their panic, the Qing army had already entered Seoul from all directions and engaged in gun battles with them in all directions.

These Qing troops are no longer the Qing troops who were once familiar to Minister Sugimura and wore gowns and wrapped in Baotou. Instead, it is a brand-new army wearing a new military uniform, carrying a complete set of equipment, using a new foreign gun, and acting lightly and fiercely!

Where did this army come from? Why don't you even leave them such a short time to break in the joke? Lieutenant General Kawakami's painstaking efforts to set off a series of beacons in the north and south of Korea are in the hope that absolute control can be formed in Seoul, and it will not take too long!

Minister Sugimura was guarding the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, surrounded by four or five soldiers of the Japanese army who were protecting him. But he always waved them away irritably, and King Li and Concubine Min were still in the Jiaotai Palace. Sugimura was running at the gates of Jiaotai Hall and Gyeongbokgung Palace, anxious like ants on top of a hot pot. After King Lee and Concubine Min heard the gunshots, they were even more silent, no matter what means Park Yonghyo used, they just refused to nod. There was no result over there, so he ran to the main gate to check the garrison, and waited for the reinforcements of Lieutenant General Kawakami, but a quarter of an hour passed, and he didn't wait for the results there, just listened to the gunfire getting closer and closer.

Smoke rose again and again, and I don't know where the fire was burning again. In the past two days, Seoul has been trembling in the raging torrents. Sugimura climbed the palace wall, ignoring the fact that his dress was already gray and dirty. I don't know where to look, but I feel like my heart is on fire.

Suddenly, there was a short but intense sound in the crooked alley outside, as well as a large number of footsteps and the sound of bodies crashing. The shouts of the Qing people mingled with the screams of the Qing people, and the forward posts arranged in the surrounding streets and alleys seemed to be overwhelmed by the torrent in a blink of an eye!

Sugimura just stared blankly at everything in front of him, as if he had temporarily lost the ability to judge and make decisions. The officers and soldiers of Kumamoto Town, the most elite of the Chinese army, who were guarding the barricades under the courtyard wall, held their breath one by one. Only Ota Shaosa, who was in charge of commanding the guards of Gyeongbokgung Palace, slowly pulled out his sword.

The noise and frenzy and the chaotic gunfire just now stopped for a moment, and before people could react, they saw two or three soldiers covered in blood turn out of the alley, stumbling towards their barricades.

The soldiers behind a few barricades subconsciously straightened up, trying to pick them in. But as soon as his body moved, he froze completely. Behind them, a yellow surging tide is roaring out!

Wearing a large-brimmed military hat, neatly dressed behind their backs, armed belts and waists, and wearing high-waisted military boots, Qing soldiers are rushing out of the streets and alleys as if endlessly!

At the front of the line, there were several excessively young officers, all wearing red identification bands on their arms, the ropes of six-wheeled pistols hanging from their chests, everyone wielding their pistols like hungry tigers, their bloodshot eyes staring at the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall opposite, and their mouths wide open as if they were shouting!

Behind them, bayonets shining like a jungle.

It seems that it is because in Sugimura's memory, at that time, there should have been no sound, and everything was quiet and slowed down. When those Qing troops appeared in front of him, a voice deep in Sugimura's heart overwhelmed all the voices from the outside world......

This is a new-style army, this is the newly established Qing [***] regiment, this is a sign that the Qing people are not resting on their laurels! Empires have always been proud of their pre-civilization in East Asia! But all this in front of him told him, this neat and sleek legion, these young officers, told him about this elite diplomat. In the Qing Kingdom, in that eastern land, there are still people who always open their eyes!

Ota Shaoza's face was distorted, and the command knife in his hand pointed straight forward: "Shoot!" ”

Gunfire erupted, and white smoke filled the streets. Blood rained down, and the sound of screams and screams rang out. The officers and soldiers in yellow uniforms who rushed out of the streets and alleys fell neatly, and even if they fell, their heads were facing the direction of Gyeongbokgung Palace. After a slight pause, the yellow crowd on the opposite side also began to return fire, and bullets rained down like a torrent of bullets, and several soldiers in the barricade rushed backwards as if they had been struck by lightning. But the soldiers who had the fortifications to rely on took advantage after all, the corpses of the officers and soldiers at the entrance of the alley had been piled up, even if they had a stubborn will, they could not resist the bullets, several remaining officers who took the lead waved their hands and beckoned the soldiers to step back, and the soldiers in the back row fired back more bullets, and the battle was the most fierce scene from the beginning.

A bullet passed past Sugimura, but he still stood motionless. Then he was dragged down by several soldiers.

Lieutenant General Kawakami, where the hell is it now? How will he cope with such a situation?

(To be continued)