The night was already very deep, the street lamps at the front gate of the palace were shining softly, and several guards in front of the palace gate were standing there with loaded guns and ammunition, all of them holding their heads up, and their young faces were bright.

Today is the first day of His Majesty's accession to the throne, but the royal guards of the Imperial Guard Army in front of the palace still feel that after nightfall, the atmosphere of the palace becomes strange, and a grand banquet is held inside and outside the city tonight, which is traditionally given by His Majesty the Emperor, and everyone can go there to enjoy a sumptuous dinner and rice wine, which is perhaps the largest part of the cost of this enthronement ceremony, accounting for almost half of the total expenditure.

However, His Majesty the Emperor did not show up at the banquet unusually, while the guards saw Jiang Fangzhen, Chief of Staff, Liang Dunyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cai Yi, Minister of War, Ye Zugui, Minister of the Navy, and Yuan Shikai, Minister of the Interior, who were in a hurry to see His Majesty.

At this time, all officials, gentry, ministers, and observers in Nanjing, with their unique political sense, could have a premonition that something important must have happened in today's great day, otherwise, for any emperor who had just ascended the throne, he would never have refused to attend such a banquet.

"Any idea what's going on?"

On the east side of the palace there is a Western-style building, this baroque building is the government building, and in the banquet hall on the first floor, the band plays cheerful dance music, but there are not many people who go to dance, most of them are talking about the strangeness of the day, and guessing what caused the new emperor to give up the banquet.

A large pendant with a splendid golden wall hangs in the center of the banquet hall. Li Yiyan, who was dressed in a cyan Chinese-style full-breasted Confucian skirt, with indescribable eagerness, carefully observed the people with different expressions around him, and the explanation of the palace attendants was "Your Majesty is entangled in state affairs", so of course he can't attend the banquet, what kind of state affairs is it?

Is it the ones in Yule?

She turned her attention to Song Jiashu, who and his family had received an invitation from the emperor, and it was known in Shanghai that he was the patron of the Xingzhong Society.

No, the army and the vast majority of the people support him to become emperor, so what else will it be?

She turned her attention to the ministers of various countries, and only then did she notice that the ministers had quietly gathered in a small pile, and the Dutch minister to China, Krober, was humilly circling around the ministers like a "courtesan", and his face seemed to have some anxious color, why was this?

Could it be that it is a foreign affair?

"Boom! Boom! ”

The sound of the golden bell on the front wall interrupted Li Yiqing's thoughts and scrutiny. She couldn't help but lift her beautiful eyelashes and look up at the Admiralty.

"It's ten o'clock!"

Based on her guesses, she had a hunch that something big must have happened today, if it involved something foreign and related to China.

At this moment, a message slowly spread in the crowd.

"The Dutch military police opened fire on overseas Chinese in Surabaya, killing and wounding dozens of expatriates and arresting thousands!"

Hearing this news, Li Yiqing's pretty face instantly became bloodless, and the premonition in those eyes full of wild surnames was correct.

When the news spread in the banquet hall, in the conference room on the third floor of the Qinzheng Building, Foreign Minister Liang Dunyan, Minister of War Cai Yi, Minister of the Navy Ye Zugui, Minister of the Interior Yuan Shikai, Finance Minister Guan Mingtang, and Prime Minister Zhang Zhidong who had just received the notice were sitting on both sides of the long table, while Chen Moran, who was the emperor of the empire, was sitting in the first seat, and Chen Moran, who was dressed in a white navy uniform, was meditating there, his face was blue and white.

At the beginning, Foreign Minister Liang Dunyan was anxious to see the emperor, not because there was something big in the country, nor was there any diplomatic chaos, but because of the "Surabaya Incident", the Chinese in Surabaya City, Java Island, Dutch East Indies, took to the streets, held gatherings, raised the tricolor Chinese flag, and set off firecrackers to celebrate the establishment of the Chinese Empire and the emperor's accession to the throne. The Dutch colonial authorities even sent military and police forces to intervene, shooting and killing three overseas Chinese, wounding more than 10 others, and arresting more than 100 people.

Then the Minister of the Interior, Yuan Shikai, came to ask for a meeting, and the Minister of the Interior was in charge of overseas Chinese affairs, and he brought a report of the further deterioration of the situation, and the angry Chinese took a closed-door boycott to protest, and the Dutch colonial authorities then dispatched a large number of military and police to force the opening of the market, and arrested more than 1,000 people.

"At the beginning of the empire, how could it still endure like the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the political axe abandoned its responsibilities and ignored the expatriates, if it was not saved quickly, the lives and property of the Chinese people would be more threatened, and it would be ......"

Zhang Zhidong looked at His Majesty with a pale face, and understood what His Majesty was thinking, at the time of the enthronement ceremony, the Dutch did this, which was undoubtedly equivalent to a slap in the face.

"Your Majesty, when the Dutch people ascended the throne with His Majesty, they actually killed my expatriates and arrested my expatriates, which is really unbearable and unbearable!"

As he spoke, Zhang Zhidong straightened his chest, and at this time he was still wearing a black Han-style ceremony dress.

"This diplomatic incident is a matter of national system and people's lives, and Your Majesty should issue an order to ask Liu Jingren, the Chinese minister in the Netherlands, to negotiate head-on with the Dutch political axe, so as to preserve the national system and comfort the hopes of overseas Chinese. At the same time, the Ministry of the Interior should call the Chinese in Batavia to express their condolences and inform them that the expatriates have made every effort to make representations to the Dutch envoys......"

Since entering this conference room where the imperial meeting is held, Yuan Shikai has been observing His Majesty's expression, no talent, is the evaluation of Yuan Shikai by others, he is by no means from a professional background, but he is proficient in the art of officialdom, naturally good at observing faces, looking at His Majesty who was slapped hard, he naturally understands what His Majesty is thinking in his heart, and what he wants to do.

"Your Majesty!"

Yuan Shikai stood up and bowed first.

"Negotiations without the backing of force will never be valued by the Netherlands, the Netherlands is a weak country, and its military strength and national strength are inferior to ours, if we do not respond strongly to the provocations of such small countries, I am afraid that the empire and Your Majesty's statement will be damaged, not to mention that this is the first case of negotiations since the establishment of the empire, and your Majesty is requested to send a fleet to Surabaya to protect overseas Chinese!"

"Fleet Protector!"

It is undeniable that Yuan Shikai's suggestion just spoke to Chen Moran's heart, and the Dutch gave him a resounding slap in the face, and he had to be beaten back no matter what...... Thinking that he turned his gaze to Cai Yi, Ye Zugui and Guan Mingtang, if it was in normal times, this matter would be easy to do, but when he saw that another matter had entered the final countdown, now public opinion has turned, compared to that incident, the Surabaya overseas Chinese case is almost not worth mentioning, if that battle is completed, the prestige of the country and his own prestige will definitely rise to the top, and at that time, with the great victory Yu Wei and the Netherlands to negotiate the Surabaya overseas Chinese case, since the surrender without a fight.

"At a time like this, if we do not make decisive and strong negotiations, I am afraid that the people's morale will be severely damaged."

"The things of the North should be considered first!"

"If we don't do it, then the people's will that has been mustered up with great difficulty will be ruined, which is also not in line with the people's will."

"Do we want to go to war with several countries at the same time?".

"You only need one division, two divisions at most!"

"But we still need a fleet!"

"Anyway, I wasn't ready to fight at sea!"

"What's more, if the fleet goes to the South Seas, everything will be easy to explain, and then we can completely ignore the fleet!"

…… Thinking about the debate in the afternoon, Chen Moran dropped out the following sentences:

"We must prove China's determination to protect overseas Chinese with our own actions, and at the same time tell overseas Chinese that the Chinese Empire and the Manchu Qing Dynasty are fundamentally different!"

Hearing His Majesty's words, Zhang Zhidong, the newly canonized imperial prime minister, hurriedly stood up.

"Your Majesty, this ...... In the event of a stirring up by the great powers, I am afraid that the consequences will be unpredictable......"

Raising his eyes to look at Zhang Zhidong, the "transitional prime minister", Chen Moran turned his gaze to Jiang Fangzhen again.

"Baili, you tell me, if we don't have a navy, will we be able to complete the Yuanjia plan!".

Moto-Hunting Plan? Zhang Zhidong, Yuan Shikai, and Liang Shuyan all looked surprised when they heard this term, which ...... What's going on!

"Inform Your Majesty that in the battle plan formulated by the General Staff, and ......"

Jiang Fangzhen threw a humble look at Ye Zugui as he answered, and Ye Zugui just smiled bitterly.

"Coastal defense will rely mainly on coastal defense fortresses, at present, from Guangdong to Shandong fifteen coastal defense fortresses have been built, although it cannot protect the rights and interests of the open sea, but any attempt to attack our coast is bound to attach a heavy price, in addition, for the northern region, non-permanent coastal batteries have also been built, if necessary, artillery can be placed in place within three days! Therefore, when the General Staff draws up the battle plan, it mainly focuses on the army! However, the Navy's disruptive engagement in the open ocean is also one of the plans of the General Staff! ”

After a pause, he continued.

"Your Majesty, in the opinion of the minister, the timing of the Surabaya incident is very appropriate, and if it is done properly, it can provide the best cover for the Yuanjia plan, and at the same time make the country have a false impression of the situation, which is conducive to the implementation of the Yuanjia plan."

"What do you mean!"

"Order the fleet to go! Taking advantage of the Surabaya incident, he created a false appearance of tension between China and the Netherlands, and negotiated with the Dutch on the one hand, and ,...... on the other."

"Secretly crossing Chen Cang!"

Before he finished speaking, Chen Moran understood what he meant, the biggest shortcoming of the Yuan Hunt plan now is how to hide China's strategic purpose, such as using Surabaya as an excuse to create tension in the south, then ...... Thinking about this, Chen Moran no longer had a trace of hesitation.

"Tonghou, order the fleet to go! Go to Surabaya to protect overseas Chinese! ”

"Yes!"

When he stood up, Ye Zugui's breathing seemed a little short, the Yuan Hunt plan had nothing to do with the navy, perhaps sailing to the South Seas was the only option for the navy to cover up this embarrassment.

"Songsheng, immediately protest to the Netherlands and show our attitude, huh...... Let's discuss the specific conditions! This time, we must export evil anger for overseas Chinese! ”

"Your Majesty!"

His Majesty's insistence made Zhang Zhidong stand up, he looked at His Majesty who was sitting at the head, and raised the question in his heart, which was also the question of Liang Dunyan and Yuan Shikai.

"I don't know what His Majesty's Yuanjia plan is, what is the plan, and who is the goal? When it was made, and why didn't we know about it before! Please ask Your Majesty to solve the confusion in the hearts of the ministers! ”

(To be continued)