At five o'clock in the afternoon, the Beiyang Yamen, which had been lively for most of the day, was a little deserted.

Li Hongzhang returned to the back hall, asked the servant to take off his official uniform, slowly lay down on the chair, and sighed softly: "It's really old, it's useless." I can't support just such a little socializing. ”

"Daddy is not old! Your body is stronger than those young people! ”

A young woman came out of the room, holding a bowl of hot coffee in her hand, and gently placed it on the coffee table. Then, stand behind Li Hongzhang and beat him on the shoulder.

Li Hongzhang closed his eyes, his beard under his chin swayed slightly with the rhythm, and said slowly: "It's still a chicous root." Hey, it's not like your big brother, who is a few years old, and he still has no head or brain, which makes people feel like he can't finish it! ”

This young woman is married to Zhang Peilun's youngest daughter Li Jurong, and she is only twenty-eight years old this year. It's the flowers that are in their prime, but there is still a hint of playfulness on their faces.

Hearing Li Hongzhang belittle his eldest brother Li Jingfang, Li Jurong's strength in his hands increased slightly, and he complained: "The eldest brother is a little short-tempered, but he is proficient in foreign affairs, but he can find out the news of that little Japan clearly. Where is it as unbearable as you say? ”

However, with the spread of the "Kokuwen Bao", the word "little devil", "Oriental little nose", "Oriental radish head" and other words quickly spread throughout the country. No matter how the Japanese protest, they can't stand the sense of superiority in the bones of the Chinese people, and the streets and alleys of the market have long been on everyone's lips.

Li Hongzhang laughed, straightened up, and took a small sip of coffee. Tut sighed: "You said that this is a bitter thing. It's like drinking medicine. Those foreigners can't leave for a day. Well, is it really as the newspaper says, what is caffeine addiction? I didn't feel good, and it didn't taste as good as our tea. ”

Having said that, he still took one sip and drank it all.

Li Jurong immediately cleaned up, turned around and slapped Li Hongzhang's back again, and asked casually: "I heard that the sailor side has won a big victory." Sink several big ships of the little devils? This time, those who want to watch their father's excitement should be disappointed, and dinner will not be delicious. ”

Li Hongzhang shook it slowly twice, and suddenly sighed: "You Baba ran here for the sake of Youqiao (Zhang Peilun's character)?" Hehe, it's not a shame to worry about your husband's future, say it generously, can your father still scold you? ”

Li Jurong's face was slightly red. Quietly confessed.

Counting up, Zhang Peilun has been resigned from office for almost ten years. Since entering the Li Hongzhang shogunate. has become his son-in-law again, and he has been conscientious and conscientious over the years, which can be called a strong helper. In this Goryeo crisis, Zhang Peilun ran in all directions, raised funds in various ways, and worked diligently, but he made a lot of effort.

It's just that as an orthodox reader, he is also a clear stream, and his pursuit of being an official has never changed. Don't look at walking in front of Li Hongzhang, it seems to be quite glamorous, but there is no official and a half-job, and he can't raise his head after seeing people.

This time, the Beiyang Navy Division won a big victory, and the biggest crisis facing Li Hongzhang suddenly turned around. Li Jurong, who watched her husband borrow wine to kill her sorrows all day long, sighed for a long time, and immediately started thinking of taking the opportunity to find an official position for her.

I don't want to be a member of a few grades, but if I don't have a white body, I can let him be relieved and have a hope.

Li Hongzhang sighed: "Counting the days, the young Qiao has been in the field for a long time. What should have been in the past is almost in the past. Hehe, it's the chrysanthemum root who speaks in person, how can the old man not sell your face? Waiting for the excerpt of the merit reward tomorrow, Daddy will naturally add his credit. ”

That's the promise!

Li Jurong was overjoyed, quickly turned to kneel in front of her, and kowtowed: "Thank you, Daddy!" ”

"Alas, why do you bother." Li Hong hurriedly helped her up, "It's all a family, you can live in harmony and beauty, and your father is also comfortable, and you can eat two more bowls of rice." ”

"My daughter will sit on a table of good dishes for her father today!" Li Ju Lotus went out with a gust of wind. Obviously, he wanted to give Zhang Peilun good news.

Li Hongzhang looked at her back and sighed faintly.

married his 22-year-old daughter to Zhang Peilun, who was forty years old and had three dead wives, but Li Hongzhang was under the pressure of his wife's boss at the beginning. I had to give him unhappiness for several years in a row. Later, it was Zhang Peilun who coaxed his wife Zhao to turn a corner and really accepted it.

However, in the past few years, because Zhang Peilun's career has not been bright, he has been depressed all day long, and Li Jurong has also been uncomfortable. Although Li Hongzhang was willing to help, the political enemies of the Manchu Dynasty were staring at his every move, and he didn't make any moves at all.

This time, with the help of the great victory of the water master, he can calmly arrange one or two. Mixing a meritorious person with a Zhang Peilun is difficult to pick up. You must know that since ancient times, it has been important to pay attention to the planning of a civil servant in the middle, and the military generals will kill the enemy in front. In terms of meritorious deeds, it has always been the advantage of civil servants.

If you want to say that Zhang Peilun is meritorious, he can definitely pull out a long list of lists. Li Hongzhang didn't believe it, with the current limelight, who else would dare to have a hard top with him.

However, the reason why he was not happy was that the root was that he won this naval battle was too strange, and there were too many ulterior details in it. One is that Fang Boqian hung the white flag, and he had to make it clear, until all the people on the "Jiyuan Ship" came back from Lushun.

The other is the Yang's cargo ship mentioned by Liu Buchan in the telegram that was not mentioned in the newspaper, but in the telegram sent from Ashan. Although limited to the number of words and the time is pressing, Liu Buyun did not elaborate. You can contact the report of the "Yangwei", which also arrived in Lushun, there are too many interesting things in it.

Li Hongzhang vaguely felt that this matter might have to make waves again, and he had to figure it out thoroughly before making a final decision.

At dinner that day, Li Hongzhang refused to accept foreign guests, so he asked Zhang Peilun and Li Jurong to accompany him, and Weng's son-in-law and daughter were happy.

However, people involved in other areas are not so comfortable.

British Consul Ogne immediately transmitted the shocking news published in the "National News" back to China, and he had to slap himself after he had just slapped Li Hongzhang. Regardless of his intentions, he repeatedly assured that Japan would not send troops to war, and now he made a fleet attack on troop carriers, which proved that they had made a mistake in judgment.

Or, he is deliberately misleading the Qing Dynasty.

If such intentions were to be seen, the relationship between Britain and the Qing would have taken a sharp turn for the worse. When the time comes, the Qing State will turn around and hook up with the Russians, and there will be a fatal omission in Britain's layout in the Far East.

With Ogne's understanding of Li Hongzhang, the probability of this kind of thing happening is almost certain.

In the morning, after receiving the news that Qing reinforcements had landed on Shunlì, combined with information from Goryeo and Japan, Eugene concluded that there would be nothing wrong with Japan's defeat. The point is that two capital ships were sunk, which will lead to a great imbalance in the military power of the two countries!

The UK has already decided to tilt towards Japan, and now I am afraid that the risks will need to be reassessed.

On the other hand, the Russians are also nervous. Before, Li Hongzhang expressed the intention of pulling them down, and now that the Beiyang Naval Division has won, although it is a temporary victory, it is enough to cause changes in the political situation in East Asia. If Russia wants to profit from the chaos, I am afraid that it will have to think of a better way.

And Fang Boqian, who cleaned up his wounds in Lushun and was thinking hard about how to write a flowery official article and fooled his bad performance in the battle, almost collapsed on the spot after seeing the "Guowen Daily"!

"How can it get out? Now it's full of mouth, and I can't tell clearly. ”

His dejected appearance fell in the eyes of the rest of the officers and soldiers who were still nervous, which was called a relief of hatred! Shen Shouchang, who woke up and replied, clapped his hands with several second mates and pipe wheels. At this moment, they don't have to worry about the superiors listening to and believing, and they will settle accounts for Fang Boqian.

In the midst of the changes in all parties, it was the morning of July 18 in a blink of an eye. Yang Hao was dressed in bright summer clothes, with a few entourages, riding the first steam car made in the world, suddenly emitting black smoke, and looking at the strange eyes like monsters on the street to the Beiyang Yamen.

The guards at the door were almost stupefied!

The steam car, which was similar to the armored car, was still thick and choking in black smoke from the thigh-thick chimney, even though it was burning heavy oil. The sound of cooing and cooing was like the roar of an old cow, and the two-ton body weighed down the road surface. The chrome front and wheels that can blind people's eyes are like a pile of silver running away!

When he saw the famous Huo Yuanjia, he jumped down first, and was shocked by a fierce aura; Two heavily armed guards stood guard with unknown guns in their hands; Yang Hao came down from above with a relaxed smile. The guard involuntarily "purred" and swallowed.

This master, I know, is the number one fake foreign devil that everyone knows and knows in Tianjin Wei - Yang Hao, Boss Yang!

A US concession that dared to throw out the No. 100 German foreigner like a dog and monopolize more than 100 acres of land. Dozens of buildings were erected at one time, and there was a large cargo ship of three or four thousand tons ....... Yang Hao's reputation has long been known to everyone.

He borrowed two million taels of silver for Li Hongzhang to fight, and he didn't know who he had stabbed out. Nowadays, at least up and down Beiyang, everyone has to sell a face.

It's not that Li Hongzhang took his money and took it to the loss, on the contrary, he could let Li Zhongtang accept the money, that was the ability!

This master must not be able to be provoked. The head of the duty came forward to greet him. As soon as Yang Hao raised his hand, Zhou Jianhao, who was his secretary, stepped forward and said proudly: "Mr. Yang came as promised to meet Li Zhongtang!" ”

After speaking, he took a silver ticket of Rishengchang in his hand.

The smiling face of the head of the squad was like a chrysanthemum, and he hurriedly invited his party to wait in the entrance room, and the celebrity rushed to the back hall to report to the lord of the middle hall.

Twenty minutes later, Yang Hao finally saw Li Hongzhang himself in the back hall and lived.

The two of them sat and stood at a distance of three meters, and looked at each other for a full minute. Li Hongzhang split his head and asked: "Do you think that you kid now have the capital to negotiate with the old man?!" (To be continued......)

PS: ps: Silent mourning for the book friend Feifei Angel who subscribed to this book but was discovered by his wife.