On the wharf of Shanghai, Li Hongzhang watched with great interest as a cargo ship with two huge booms in front of him was hoisting huge standard boxes from the wharf to the cargo ship from the wharf across the wreck area of the wharf. Due to the wreck, all ships could not dock, and the cargo ship of Pacific Cargo became the only ship operating on the dock.

"Master Lin, no wonder you have to let us sink your ship. In this way, the entire dock can only be transported by you. I'm afraid the profit here is much higher than the wreck. Li Hongzhang stroked his beard and said with a smile.

The lord smiled. In fact, it was the emperor's meaning. Lin Yongxiang said in a low voice: "The emperor asked the grass people to order such a ship, presumably in order to implement this standard box transportation." It's not just a good idea to try it out when you have the chance. ”

Li Hongzhang watched intently as the crane hoisted the boxes onto the ship, and said for a long time: "The emperor is far-sighted, and the ministers can't wait." ”

After speaking, the two chatted to themselves.

In the Tianjin Zhili Governor's Palace, Li Hongzhang, who had just returned from Shanghai, looked at the two decrees sent by the imperial court with a solemn expression and did not say a word. After a long time, he picked up the fold brought by Tang Shaoyi, helped his reading glasses and continued to look at it.

The solemn atmosphere made Goshha on the side, holding the freshly brewed Longjing, standing at the door stupidly, and didn't dare to hand it over. I've been following Nakado-sama for so long, and it's the first time I've seen Nakado-sama's face so ugly.

Zhang Peilun, who was sitting on the side, took the tea from Goshha with a wry smile and silently handed it to Li Hongzhang. Zhang Peilun, who is usually shrewd and capable, also hesitated and didn't know how to speak.

It is said that the consulate comes to the door every day to explain, especially the words of Toshio Inoue, the military attache of the embassy in China: If there is no more reasonable explanation, the generals of the combined fleet will come to the Dagu fort and use cannonballs to speak. Between the words, it is already a naked threat.

Even the Oriental ronin in Tianjin shouted and screamed on the streets of Tianjin all day long, constantly causing trouble. Although the Governor's Mansion was suppressed in a timely manner, it could not withstand three or five incidents a day.

After being silent for a long time, Li Hongzhang gently pushed away the fold in front of him, raised his head with a blank look in his eyes, and let out a long sigh: "Youqiao, you can also come and take a look, help the old man to refer to the details......"

Zhang Peilun hurriedly stepped forward and took the telegram on the table and looked at it carefully.

"Mobilize the Beiyang Navy Division to go out of the Tsushima Strait? ......" Zhang Peilun's heart tightened suddenly, and the more he saw the back, the deeper his brows wrinkled: "The mobilization of the Beiyang Naval Division is not trivial, and it is even more necessary to mobilize all departments of the Huai Army to reorganize the army. If you are a little out of order, the war between the middle halls will be inevitable, Lord Zhongtang, think twice! At this time, Zhang Peilun didn't care about thinking about anything, closed the telegram in his hand, and said hurriedly.

"The old man is also worried about this. It is not a matter of time for the old man to negotiate with other countries, and things like this are far from the point where soldiers and soldiers meet. In the past, at most, the court came forward to fight, and then lost some money, but I have never seen such a big fight, and the court acted like this, isn't it afraid of intensifying the situation, and in the end it can really only use guns and bullets to speak? Li Hongzhang was worried.

"From the will of the imperial court, I think the imperial court means to bluff and force me to retreat. However, if I said that not only did I not retreat, but further provoked the incident, just like the Taiwan incident back then, after this as an excuse, I hit the idea of the Qing Dynasty, and Lord Zhongtang and Beiyang were all involved......" Zhang Peilun said in a deep voice: "The current situation, no matter how Lord Zhongtang handles this negotiation, he will definitely not be able to please him." He said that his side was not easy to deal with, and he couldn't cope with this pass with just a few words. De-escalate the situation. Lord Zhongtang can only take a soothing hand, maybe in the end, he will compensate himself with money. But if Lord Zhongtang does this, first of all, the emperor will not be able to get by......"

"If you don't compromise, you'll have to go on the hard side." Li Hongzhang was worried: "Compromise, the emperor will definitely not be able to spare me." It's really going to be the end of the war. The queen mother will accuse the old man of ineffective negotiation and stirring up trouble, in short, he can't advance, and he can't retreat. How is it good? "I think that my teacher Zeng Guofan took a compromise approach because of the handling of the Jinmen teaching case, and in the end he was ashamed of the outside and guilty gods, and he was haunted until he died.

Li Hongzhang also felt an inexplicable bitterness in his heart. Since the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty has been at war with foreign countries, and every battle is bound to be defeated, followed by reparations and loss of power, but even so, there are still so many people inside and outside the government and the opposition, shouting for war at every turn, full of patriotic and loyal arguments. This is the country of love! After all, fighting a war depends on strength, and the Qing Dynasty in front of him is like a weak and sick man, who has suffered so many defeats, and those people can't be a little vigilant and understand that governing the country is not something that can be done by relying on blood and will.

Zhang Peilun nodded with a heavy face, and his heart was full of waves. Seeing another fold on the table, he suddenly said: "The emperor is also strange, now that his affairs have not yet been resolved, he has indeed asked people to ask about politics in the middle hall." Why don't you summon this Tang Shaoyi to ask? ”

"I've seen Nakado-sama." Tang Shaoyi received Li Hongzhang's call and immediately rushed over.

"In the inner hall here, Lord Tang doesn't need to be polite." Li Hongzhang still had only worry on his face.

After the guests and hosts sat down, Zhang Peilun did not hide his selfishness, and told Li Hongzhang and his worries: "Lord Tang is really asking you for advice or two. ”

"Don't you dare to ask the lower officials. This time, I only came to ask the emperor about politics and Lord Zhongtang. The emperor really did not have any will on this matter. Xia Guan is afraid that he is going to disappoint Lord Zhongtang. ”

"I heard that the emperor threw Weng Zhongtang angrily above the court?" Li Hongzhang asked tentatively.

"It does. Afterwards, the emperor said: If this is not the case, Lord Zhongtang will be impeached afterwards. ”

Li Hongzhang suddenly smiled to himself, "The old man has been rolling on the cusp all his life, and the old man has never taken those impeachments to heart, and he will never be trapped by other people's mouths." What the old man is really worried about is the complicated crisis in front of him, saying that he has coveted my heart for a long time, and his strength in the war has far exceeded that of the Taiwan Incident in recent years. The imperial court asked me to make such a tough posture in Beiyang, if I had ulterior motives and seized this excuse to fight, would I fight or not? ”

Tang Shaoyi stood up and saluted, and asked, "Your Majesty dares to ask." If there is a war in the middle of the war, will the Lord of the Middle Hall be able to win? ”

"On the battlefield, there is no such thing as victory. Five-five. Li Hongzhang said a little bitterly: "I think that my Qing Dynasty's national strength and wealth are several times that of the book, as long as the court dares to fight, it can be dragged to death." ”

"My lord, what does the lower official mean, can Beiyang win the book?"

"With the power of Beiyang alone?" Li Hongzhang didn't understand what Tang Shaoyi meant, but still said: "My Beiyang Naval Division is the first fleet in Asia, and as long as we rely on the Beiyang Naval Division to cut off the waterway, our Beiyang can be invincible." ”

Hearing Li Hongzhang say this, Tang Shaoyi frowned: "After the emperor issued an inch-proof decree in the court, he ordered the new army to draw up a war plan. At that time, when the lower officials admonished the emperor, they were also right, but the emperor did assert: The battle of the Middle and the Middle East was defeated by sea and land, and it could not be relied on. The lower officials don't know why the emperor is so sure, so he asks. ”

"The emperor also underestimates me Beiyang too much." Speaking of this, Li Hongzhang said proudly: "The naval division has a giant ship in Dingzhen, and the land division has a fierce general." It may fail for a while in the early stage, but Beiyang is not comparable. ”

"There is Lord Zhongtang sitting in Beiyang, and the lower officials are afraid that the emperor is too worried. However, the emperor did not have a will. However, when he came to admonish the emperor, the emperor once said to himself: If the First Sino-Japanese War is advanced by one year, will both sides be unprepared, will the chances of victory be higher in the Qing Dynasty? I asked the emperor what he meant, but the emperor did not say it explicitly. ”

It's Jiawu again? Li Hongzhang was also confused. The emperor has also mentioned the word Jiawu to him many times, and when he thinks of the current matter, does it mean ...... Thinking of this, Li Hongzhang asked anxiously: "When did the emperor mention Jiawu?" ”

Xia Guan recalled that for more than a year, the emperor mentioned the word Jiawu many times. In addition, the new army has repeatedly stressed the need to build combat effectiveness before the First Sino-Japanese War. Not only that, the emperor has repeatedly asked for all preparations to be completed before the First Wu Dynasty. Thinking about the incident now, it seems that the emperor decided that the emperor would start a war against our Qing Dynasty in the first year of the First Sino-Japanese War. Hence the saying. In this way, Lord Zhongtang, the lower officials see that the emperor means that he would rather provoke a war than back down. ”

"The old man understands." Li Hongzhang sighed deeply: "Please return to the emperor Lord Tang, please rest assured." As for this investment promotion, when it is over, the old man will give it to the emperor. ”

Sending Tang Shaoyi away, Zhang Peilun quietly paced to Li Hongzhang's side, and said in a low voice: "In my opinion, the war must not be opened, Beiyang's family foundation Zhongtang knows best, not to mention anything else, just the silver, I'm afraid my Beiyang is powerless to fight, not to mention that once the battle starts, the outcome is unpredictable, if it wins, it's easy to say, but if there is a mistake, Beiyang's family will be all in it, this is Zhongtang's life's hard work!" ”

After being silent for a while, Li Hongzhang said leisurely: "Help the old man contact the ministers of various countries." ”

"Don't worry, Lord Nakado, I will contact the ministers of various countries immediately, but I am afraid that I will have to deal with it, and that Kawakami Yoroku has been waiting for Lord Nakado in the consulate."

Li Hongzhang nodded, "You go back and take my piece to the Imperial Pavilion." He said that he would invite that Kawakami Yoroku to the Governor's Mansion for a banquet. ”

While holding up with Yu himself, he asked the ministers of various countries to mediate, especially the Russian minister, who had a conflict of interest with him. Use them to subdue him, and things may not turn around. At that time, depending on the situation, there will be a room for advance and retreat. Since the imperial court has made a clear decree to let him mobilize the Beiyang Navy Division and the Huai Army to put on a posture of arming and fighting, he is reluctant in his heart, and he does not dare to resist and disobey the order. Besides, this time this matter is inseparable from Beiyang, and Li Jingfang's matter must be explained to the imperial court no matter what.

Thinking of this, Li Hongzhang asked again: "What about this rebel of Jingfang?" ”

"I'm staying at home at the moment, ...... Zhang Peilun, who wanted to persuade him, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "This matter is really hasty in the Jing Fang's actions, but the matter has nothing to do with the Jing Fang. ”

"Jing Fang is confused! Zhou Qin came over with the emperor's will, and asked the old man to avoid Shanghai. On the one hand, let you drag yourself in. The intention is not to let Yue himself get close to listen to the reality of Beiyang. The scripture party acted against the emperor's will in such a way, but the emperor did not have any will for the scripture. How does this make the old man explain. Let him reflect at home and not go out for a month. Whether he can keep him depends on how this matter ends......" Li Hongzhang sighed silently, waved his hand, and motioned for Zhang Peilun to step back.

In this matter, he has a deeper layer of consideration in his heart, that is, the Queen Mother. These two wills of the imperial court, he saw at a glance that it was by no means the intention of the queen mother, with his usual speculation about the queen mother, for the affairs of foreign negotiations, it has always been the main purpose of calming things, and until the last resort, he will not take such tough measures, not the queen mother's intention, then it can only be the emperor's will.

With the emperor's vigilance against himself, it can be seen from the two words of the first day mentioned by the emperor many times, and now the emperor has clearly said that there is a war of the first day, so how can he believe that my Beiyang land and water are defeated. Even so, when everything is not ready, it is even more important not to rashly start a war with Yuben. But the emperor put on such a tough posture, is the emperor really not afraid that he will go to war, or is the emperor determined that he will not go to war?

Li Hongzhang shook his head, and the brows that had just stretched out furrowed tightly again.

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