[I overslept before I got up, o(╯□╰)o]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wang Chenhao was thinking about how to sneak back to Tianjin, and it happened that Li Hongzhang summoned him, so he couldn't wait to return to Tianjin by boat.

As soon as he arrived at the Governor's Palace, Wang Chenhao met Baoqin, who had been guarding the door for a long time, and she obviously came to the door for her young lady to inquire about Wang Chenhao's arrival.

"Lord Zhongtang invites Lord Wang to come, and immediately go to the confidential place!" Wang Chenhao was about to go over to see Baoqin, but unexpectedly, the leader of the personal soldiers who guarded the door immediately conveyed Li Hongzhang's order.

It seemed that the situation was very urgent, Wang Chenhao didn't dare to delay, and threw a look at Baoqin that he would go to see her young lady after dealing with the business, and then hurried to the confidential room.

The second time they entered the confidential room, when they met Li Hongzhang's staff members again, everyone's faces were not only slightly surprised, but more respectful.

Undoubtedly, the success of the Incheon Port sneak attack plan made Wang Chenhao establish a position in their hearts in one fell swoop, and no one dared to underestimate him as a young man.

Wang Chenhao did not wear the baronial official uniform issued to him by the imperial court, he was still wearing a black dress, and it was difficult not to attract attention in the confidential room.

However, Li Hongzhang and others seem to be accustomed to seeing Wang Chenhao's dress, and they don't ask for him.

After politely saying hello to Li Hongzhang and everyone, Wang Chenhao still wanted to sit next to Yang Shixiang, but unexpectedly, Li Hongzhang had already reserved a place for him next to Zhou Fu.

Sitting next to Zhou Fu, the chief of staff of Li Hongzhang's staff group, this made Wang Chenhao suddenly feel that the "Ya Pear" was very big. After sneaking a glance at the surrounding crowd, seeing that everyone was not too surprised and reacting, Wang Chenhao was a little relieved.

Li Hongzhang continued to discuss the situation in Fengtian with everyone, while Zhou Fu told Wang Chenhao the details of the situation at Li Hongzhang's behest.

Although Wang Chenhao had already assessed the war situation before he came, after listening to Zhou Fu talk about the situation, he couldn't help but think of a classic sentence in later generations: "War is just a continuation of politics."

The power struggle within the Qing court had brought them to a terrible point of seeing the invaders as helpers against their political opponents. Li Hongzhang was driven to the shelves to clean up the chaos in Fengtian precisely because he was so showy that he was jealous of the Qing Empire's Later Party, the Imperial Party, and other factions.

The erosive command system of the Qing Imperial Army, coupled with the Eight Banners and Green Battalion soldiers of the era of the new-style armies of the great powers, were very helpless in the face of the 50,000 elites of the new-style army, which had already been assembled.

This is similar to the situation when the US military cleaned up Iraq in the Gulf War, when millions of Iraqi troops were wiped out by tens of thousands of US troops overnight, and the one-sided outcome can be explained by the word "generation difference".

Armies in the same "era" can use the number of troops to suppress the opponent to win, but if there is a "generation gap", it is no longer a problem of numbers that can be solved.

Obviously, at this time, the Qing Empire wanted to use the number of troops to crush the Yue army, but several successive battles failed, proving their futility.

Li Hongzhang and his staff discussed for a long time, but still no result was reached. No matter how much research is studied, I don't think I can hold on to Fengtian, and even if I barely hold it, I have to pay an unbearable price.

The confidential room was suddenly gloomy, and everyone's thinking was reserved as they got older, and they no longer looked at the problem with the same vigor as when they were fledgling, so they just sighed helplessly, and they couldn't come up with a good plan.

At this time, Li Hongzhang turned to Wang Chenhao, and asked with a pleading look in his eyes: "Does Chen Hao have a good plan?" ”

Wang Chenhao actually had a bold plan in his heart, but unfortunately he was not completely sure, so he didn't dare to say yes, just shook his head.

Everyone saw that Wang Chenhao had no countermeasures, and they all breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts for some reason.

However, how sophisticated Li Hongzhang was, Wang Chenhao's expression and eyes, as well as the slight hesitation when he answered, did not escape his eyes.

"There are still a few days left before the armistice deadline, you go back and think about it, it's really not okay for the old man to be taken captive again!"

Li Hongzhang's polite remarks made the members of the staff group embarrassed and confessed their guilt one after another.

Li Hongzhang just smiled faintly and said, "That's all for today!" Everyone is tired, go back and rest first, and then talk about it tomorrow! ”

Everyone retreated one after another, and Wang Chenhao was about to slip away, but was stopped by Li Hongzhang.

"Just now, old man Guan Chenhao, you seem to have some ideas? If there is anything inconvenient to say, you can tell the old man now! Li Hongzhang looked at Wang Chenhao's expression of wanting to speak and stopped, and suddenly laughed: "What? Where did you go to show your wargame deduction to the old man that day? ”

Wang Chenhao smiled bitterly, and saw that Li Hongzhang was asking the bottom line, so he had to answer truthfully: "I am sure of the war game deduction that day!" But now the situation is a little tricky, I don't have that certainty, naturally I don't dare to talk about it on paper, if it drags down Lord Zhongtang, it will be a sin! ”

What Wang Chenhao actually wanted to say in his heart was that the war game deduction that day was completely based on the historical facts of the First Sino-Japanese War and was blown to Li Hongzhang, but now that history has changed very much, the battle situation has become a little confusing, and Wang Chenhao naturally can't blindly copy the historical process to blow it to him.

Li Hongzhang smiled, glanced at Wang Chenhao meaningfully, and suddenly said, "You just talk about it!" It's not that the old man hasn't prepared for the worst! ”

Wang Chenhao thought for a while, so he said: "The main force of the imperial court on land is the Eight Banners and the Green Battalion, but they don't know that they are already more than a generation behind the great powers, and it is no longer difficult to defeat the Yue army by virtue of numerical superiority alone!" Therefore, if you continue to fight, you will definitely suffer more and more! It is said that Ben took the opportunity of the peace talks to supply the First Army and the Second Army, so once the war starts again, it will not be Fengtian and Earth, and it is possible that the war will burn to the Forbidden City! ”

Although Li Hongzhang was not happy to listen to such words, he had to admit that what Wang Chenhao said was the truth. With the current strength of the Qing army, it has already been frightened by the army, so it is not impossible for the army to hit Yanjing.

"Listen to what you mean, you don't approve of going on, and you are in favor of suing for peace?"

Wang Chenhao nodded, noncommittal.

Li Hongzhang frowned and said: "But I have a great appetite, I pay 20 million in compensation, and I have to occupy Taiwan, and the court will never agree!" ”

Wang Chenhao smiled bitterly in his heart, compared to the Treaty of Shimonoseki, this was already a big advantage for the Qing court.

"If the army is not sure of going on in the war, it will be too late to give in rather than wait for the army to expand the results of the war!"

Li Hongzhang understood what Wang Chenhao meant, the erosion of the Qing court army had been clearly seen by the army, and the more it dragged on, the more passive it became. If you wait until the army has a big appetite and the soldiers aim at the Yanjing Forbidden City, then it will not be the current condition.

Thinking of this, Li Hongzhang sighed and said, "Say it!" Your countermeasures! ”

Wang Chenhao then said: "Now it is clear that Russia and Britain are secretly competing in the Far East, and Britain sacrificed us to win over the capital against Russia, so my countermeasure is naturally to drag Russia into the water to deal with the capital!" ”

Li Hongzhang looked at Wang Chenhao in surprise, but he didn't expect that in addition to his military talents, he was also well versed in the contradictions between countries.

So he asked: "How can Russia be dragged into the water by us so easily?" ”

Wang Chenhao knew that it was difficult to drag the Russians into the water, but he knew that the three kingdoms in history interfered in the Liao return incident, when the Qing political axe had agreed to cede the Liaodong Peninsula to Yueben, but Russia jumped out to oppose it, and united Germany and France to intimidate Yueben by force, and finally forced Yueben to give up the occupation of Liaodong and only asked the Qing Empire for 30 million taels of silver as ransom.

Since he had learned from the past, Wang Chenhao thought of the only way to prevent the Yue army from launching a military offensive in Liaodong and prevent the deterioration of the war situation in Fengtian.

"Lord Zhongtang only needs to ask the imperial court for the privilege of full negotiation, and then release the news to Russia that he is willing to cede the Liaodong Peninsula to Yuben, in exchange for Yuben to give up the indemnity and occupy Taiwan!"

This Wang Chenhao was really speechless, and he actually came up with such a countermeasure, Li Hongzhang was stunned when he heard this.