Now we can turn our attention back to Cixi, who fled the capital in a hurry.

As soon as Cixi's "Luan Driver" entered the city gate cave of Desheng Gate, fierce gunfire rang out behind him, accompanied by the cries of the escort soldiers.

Cixi's first feeling was that the foreign soldiers were chasing and killing. Cixi, who was frightened, ordered to go quickly, and the mule cart rushed to the west, on both sides of the road, there were crowds of refugees, in order to narrow the target, Cixi did not dare to take the avenue, and ordered the mule cart to follow the path.

So the mule cart got off the road and drove onto a path to the northwest, flanked by endless fields of crops, which gave some comfort to the frightened Cixi.

At that time, Desheng Gate was the north gate of Beijing, and out of Desheng Gate was really outside the city.

Sitting in the bumpy mule cart, Cixi's face was dripping with sweat, half hot, half frightened, and kept asking if she had caught up. She decided that the coalition would definitely trouble her, the de facto ruler of the Qing Empire, after all, she had ordered the declaration of war on all nations.

At the end of the day, Cixi and her entourage fled into the gate of the Summer Palace. Looking back, the long departure time of the fleet has been cut by more than half.

The Summer Palace is Cixi's other "home" and her favorite "home". Her affection for this place definitely exceeds that of the palace.

The officials and eunuchs on duty hurriedly carried the Queen Mother and the Emperor into the Le Shou Hall. The refreshments came up immediately, and the hungry and thirsty Cixi didn't care about her image and devoured it. As soon as I was half-full, the unfortunate news came again: the horse team of foreign soldiers had arrived in Haidian.

Cixi threw down half of the snack in her hand and shouted to leave. Pull out your legs and go out.

The convoy left the Summer Palace and went north in a hurry.

Indeed, there were foreign soldiers rushing towards the Summer Palace, and they were Russian cavalry who came for the treasures of the Summer Palace, and they did not know that the main members of the Manchu imperial family were in the Summer Palace.

The mule cart that Cixi rode on was an authentic domestic product: the wheels were wooden, the position of the person riding was directly above the axle, and the ride had to be cross-legged like a certain ceremony, and the car had no shock absorbing device, and if you insisted on finding it, it could only be the plump buttocks of the passengers. Originally, the British minister had given the royal family a Western-style carriage, which not only had spacious carriages. Soft seats. Bright glass windows, rubber rings on the wheels, and spring-loaded shock absorbers. This carriage did not meet Cixi's wishes, not because it was not comfortable. but because of the location of the coachman. It was in front of the occupants and high up. How does this reflect the majesty of the occupants? Now, the bumps and heat reminded Cixi of the carriage, and she was almost unbearable. The twilight of that day, the physical pain and mental pressure, made this noble woman think of death!

That night, I don't know what time it was, Cixi and her entourage arrived at a small town called Guanshi, which was about 70 miles away from the capital. The convoy couldn't move, so the fleeing team rested here. Li Lianying took the broken silver and went to the people to buy food, as long as it was eaten, whether it was raw or cooked. The most exquisite is the nest head and wheat porridge, the back is sore and the legs cramps Cixi can't care about whether it is clean or not, let alone the taste, and Guangxu drank wheat porridge, ate the nest, and rested in a broken temple. I didn't even have a bed, and sat back to back all night on a large wooden plank. And the princes, gege, and ministers who followed her here did not even have enough to eat, and the soldiers and coachmen were even worse, and they complained, and the Mongol prince Nayantu, who was in charge of the guards, did not dare to scold the soldiers - he counted that the troops that came with him were less than two hundred, and many of them lost their weapons. More importantly, the Minister of War and Aircraft lost his fortitude and did not keep up.

There were many people who fled with Cixi, except for Zhao Shuqiao, as well as Wang Wenshao, the minister of military aircraft, who was over eighty years old and "intercepted" the convoy on the way to the Summer Palace, not only Wang Wenshao, but also Prince Li, Duanjun Wang, Prince Su and Zailan and other princes. I lost my fortitude, and I really didn't notice it just now.

The Khalkha prince Nayantu was completely disappointed with the military force of the Beijing camp: look at those soldiers, all of them wilted, disheveled, and yawning, like a big smoker who is short of material. Rely on them to defend the royal family? In case they encounter foreign soldiers or rebels, it would be nice if they could protect themselves! Nayantu, who felt a great responsibility, went to Cixi to report the situation of the guard troops, and Cixi stared at Nayantu silently, making Nayantu, who was not at all like a general, feel furious.

Nayantu is not very old, that is, thirty-three or four-year-old, without a little Mongolian martial arts, compared with the monks and kings under the former emperor. After half a day's running, Nayantu was already sore all over his body, especially between the two strands, and he was so hot that he was not uncomfortable. The ancients said that after a long time away from the saddle horse, the spleen and flesh were reborn, and although Nayantu, who was pampered and pampered in Beijing, was a Mongolian, he had already lost all the skills of his ancestors.

Cixi sighed secretly, of course, the purpose of encircling Nayantu was to restrain Outer Mongolia, which was becoming more and more alienated from Germany, and the country had declined to such a situation, and there was still Outer Mongolia in charge.

"The king, thank you for your hard work." For a long time, Cixi said this.

"Where the minister's position is, I dare not hide it from the Queen Mother."

"I know that I don't want to say that those soldiers, they are the officials of the world, I am afraid that they all think that the court is finished__"

"The minister swears to protect the Queen Mother__"

Cixi nodded, "The accompanying soldiers are brave, don't owe money." She waved her hand and waved Nayantu away, thinking to herself, relying on Nayantu's appearance, it would be good to be able to protect himself.

At dawn the next day, Cixi's convoy set off and continued towards Juyong Pass. The departure was too hasty and inexperienced, and the food brought with them was scarce, and the next day the team ran out of food. The princes, ministers, eunuchs, and attendants who fled with Cixi Guangxu did not run, and they had no place to run, but the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp who were guarding them did not do it, where could these old soldiers endure this suffering? Carrying knives and guns, facing the scorching sun, hungry, and walking, there is no destination to look forward to. There were constantly people who deserted under the pretext of getting into the crops, so Nayantu's ranks became shorter and shorter, and at first he could have made up a battalion, and later he was a team of the new army.

That night, Cixi still stayed overnight in a ruined temple, the temperature difference in the north was large, and it was very chilly at night. Cixi had no bedding, so she had to lie on the ground in her clothes and suffer. I barely slept for a while last night, and I really can't sleep tonight. A few steps away, Cixi heard that Guangxu was also turning over, and the emperor couldn't sleep.

During the day, Guangxu faced Li Lianying's report on food shortages, and said indignantly, "I have fallen to this point, all thanks to the boxers!" This is a public criticism of Cixi. If it was a normal day, Cixi would have had a seizure a long time ago. But at this moment, I can only be silent.

Are you really finished? Will you be able to get through this? In the dark, Cixi kept her eyes open and thought about her thoughts. Until the dawn of dawn. She distinctly heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from far and near, towards where she was.

Cixi sat up suddenly, "Come on, go and see!" ”

Li Lianying, who was sleeping at the door, hurriedly ran out.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves approached. Guangxu has already gotten up. looked at Cixi nervously. "It can't be a foreigner, right?"

Cixi did not say anything. After a long time, Li Lianying ran in, "Lafayette." Lafayette, it's his own people, and the Shandong soldiers are here to rescue him. There was a tremor in his voice.

"Quick, help me up."

Guangxu and Li Lianying hugged Cixi, helped the old woman up, and by the dawn, a big man wearing a new army uniform appeared at the door of the temple, "Chen Longqian is late to save the driver, I hope the Empress Dowager will forgive the sins!" As he spoke, the big man knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Long Qian?" Cixi stared at the military man kneeling in front of her, as if she had heard the name somewhere, but couldn't remember it.

"Lafayette, he is the leader of the Qinwang soldiers sent by Yuan Shikai, and you gave him the position of deputy general."

"It turned out to be you. Hurry up, please. How did you find Hongu? ”

"Weichen was ordered to rush from Tianjin to aid the Beijing Division, to the capital, the city defense has been broken, and the foreigners fought in the middle of the night, desperately rescued Lord Ronglu, protect him out of the capital, Lord Ronglu told the Empress Dowager and the emperor to hunt in the north, dusty outside, Weichen was anxious, first brought dozens of cavalry to come, captured the rout along the way, only to learn where the Queen Mother was__" Long Qian couldn't help but look up at this woman who could be juxtaposed with Lu Pheasant and Wu Cao, the light was dim, and she couldn't see clearly, to Long Qian's surprise, it was clearly a dirty peasant woman in front of her, Where can it be equated with the Empress Dowager Cixi? But reason told him that she was Cixi.

"Wechen is late, let the queen mother suffer, and the minister's sin is also." As he spoke, he bowed his head again.

Cixi suddenly burst into tears, her voice full of pathos and grievances.

Li Lianying did not persuade Cixi, who couldn't stop crying, but pulled up Long Qian, "General Long doesn't know, the Queen Mother has been praising you, saying that you went thousands of miles to help, which shows your loyalty to the imperial court." And brave and resolute, it is a model of military generals. The Queen Mother has long wanted to summon you. ”

Guangxu, who was hiding behind Cixi, didn't cry, "Where is Ronglu?" ”

"Yes," Cixi finally stopped her grief, "what about Ronglu?" Where is he? ”

"Back to the Empress Dowager, Lord Ronglu was worried about the safety of the two palaces, and asked the ministers to rush over in advance, and he was still on the way. It is estimated that it will be two or three hours away. ”

"Good, good." Cixi took a step closer and looked carefully at the big man standing in front of her, no wonder the foreigner was defeated at the hands of this person: tall and broad-shouldered, with a beard on his face, wearing a military hat and a military uniform, and a circle of gauze was exposed under the brim of the hat, as if he was injured. Because it was backlight, Cixi couldn't see her facial features clearly, "You are Long Qian?" Your troops defeated foreign soldiers in Tianjin, but is it true? ”

"Back to the Empress Dowager's words, Weichen led the army to King Qin, and fought a series of bloody battles with the coalition forces in Tianjin, entrusted the Empress Dowager and the emperor Hongfu, and captured British Vice Admiral Seymour and more than 400 officers and soldiers under his command, which are still in the hands of Weichen."

"Let's talk about it." Guangxu became excited.

"Your Majesty, did you wash up and eat with the Queen Mother first? Regarding the war in Tianjin and Beijing, Lord Rong Lu is very clear__"

As soon as she said to eat, Cixi immediately felt hungry. Li Lianying asked, "Did you bring food?" Bring the food to you. ”

Long Qian took the dry noodle cake he brought with him, this kind of thing that Cixi usually doesn't look at, but at the moment it is the world's first-class deliciousness. Regardless of the image, he grabbed the cake and chewed it.

"You're Manager Li, aren't you? I will now collect the dry rations that the officers and men of the station have with me and give them a cushion for their stomachs. When my troops arrived, food would be available for the time being. I'll send a sentry to pick up Lord Ronglu. In addition, I feel that I should give the old lady to drink boiled water, don't get sick. The lowly duty has a water bag, and the water quality is cleaner, and you must not use raw water from the field trenches. Long Qian took advantage of Cixi and Guangxu to gobble up and pulled Li Lianying out of the door.

"Well, why not." Li Lianying sighed, "Thanks to you for coming, I wouldn't know how to spend today." He saw the gauze under Long Qianjun's hat, "What, General Long is injured?" ”

"I got a stray bullet in the capital, here." Long Qian touched the back of his head, "I almost lost my life, but I also had a great life, and I should serve the Queen Mother and his old man__"

"It's all fate. General Long, see loyal ministers in danger. You've done a great job. ”

"I don't dare to take credit for my humble position. This is all the duty of a humble duty. If there is no national disaster. Where is the blessing to see the world-famous Mr. Li? ”

"I don't dare to be famous all over the world." Everyone likes to compliment, Li Lianying usually receives enough compliments, but this sentence from Long Qian's mouth makes Li Lianying feel very good.

"Well deserved. When I was overseas, I heard the name of the governor. Long Qian smiled and looked at the chief of the inner court in front of him. Cixi is a first-class trusted person in front of her. "I have been living abroad for a long time. If you don't know the etiquette of the court, if there is something inappropriate in your speech and behavior, please ask the chief manager to give me advice. ”

"It's easy to say, it's easy to say. That's right. General Dragon, how many people did you bring? ”

"Including the coalition prisoners, about two thousand people. Please rest assured that there is a lowly position, and no one will be allowed to disturb the two palaces. ”

"Okay, okay." Li Lianying remembered something, turned around and went into the temple.

After a while, Li Lianying came out again, "General Long, the Queen Mother summons you." ”

This time, it was a family chat, Cixi didn't even let her kneel, let Long Qian sit in front of her, and asked Long Qian about the situation, including how he returned to China and how he fell into the grass and mountains. and how to be recruited by Yuan Shikai, as well as the actions of Mengshan's army in Tianjin and Beijing. It was said that Long Qian's troops were outnumbered and captured Lieutenant General Seymour, Cixi and Guangxu sighed for a long time.

"Think back, you have made such a great contribution to the court, and you have come to escort you, and the court will not live up to you. The safety of our mother and son is entrusted to you. ”

Long Qian was waiting for this sentence, and immediately knelt down, "Please rest assured, the Queen Mother, with Long Qian here, the two palaces are safe!" ”

Cixi was a little excited, "The wind knows the grass, and the board knows the loyal ministers." You can do it. ”

Guangxu was also very excited, "General Long, tell me, where are we going?" ”

"Weichen once saw that Dong Fuxiang's ministry withdrew from Wanping to the west, and only later did he hear Lord Ronglu say that the Dong department had antipathy. Therefore, Xi'an is afraid that it will be impossible to go. Weichen's meaning, it is better to settle in Taiyuan. After all, it is a provincial capital, and the conditions are better in all aspects. When Weichen escorted the holy car to the provincial capital, he led the troops to lock the Niangzi Pass, relying on natural danger to block the road of the coalition army westward to Taiyuan, and never let a foreign devil step into Shanxi. ”

"Well, think about it, do you think the foreigners will chase after you?" Cixi was still worried about foreigners.

"Wechen is not easy to assert. I had heard the two people who escaped from the capital say that foreigners were burning, killing and looting in the capital, and according to Weichen's opinion, they would not raise troops to chase after them for a while. Please rest assured that the queen mother is not a foreigner with three heads and six arms, and when he shoots him, his head will still bloom. There are micro-ministers, and foreign soldiers are not enough to worry about. ”

"Good, good. The safety of my mother and my son will be entrusted to you. ”

The Queen Mother was relieved. Weichen sent a sentinel to answer Lord Ronglu, and soon there was news. When the brigade arrived, the food and utensils were all there. The Queen Mother might as well rest for a while. ”

"Well, do it well, if you get back to the country, you won't dare to forget your virtue!"

These are very heavy words, especially from the mouth of a woman of such character and status as Cixi!

Long Qian hesitated slightly, and said loudly, "Weichen is duty-bound, and he doesn't dare to ask for the queen mother's reward." I hope that this trouble will be relieved as soon as possible, and the minister will escort the holy driver back to Beijing. ”

Cixi didn't speak again, just let out a long sigh.

The biggest feature of Cixi's character is that there are clear grievances. Of course, the standard of grievances is in her hands, and the core of it is to maintain her rule. But the exercise of power lies in the safety of life. Life is gone, what's the use of asking for power? Therefore, the appearance of Long Qian at a critical moment made Cixi firmly remember this originally insignificant youth. What fell into the grass and what had raised troops against Yuan Shikai is now insignificant. There is nothing higher than saving the driver.

I waited here for nearly three hours. At noon, Rong Lu and the Mengshan Army Brigade finally arrived. Rong Lu went to see Cixi and Guangxu as soon as possible, and the monarch cried again. Cixi listened to the situation of Rong Lu in the past two days, sighed for a long time, heard that Rong Lu took in Enming and Wang Chonglie, who escaped from the capital, and summoned the two of them, and the tragic incident that their family could not hear about made Cixi and Guangxu both shocked and happy, "Zhonghua, if it wasn't for Long Qian to rescue you from the city, I am afraid you and I will be difficult to see." I can't think of a person who has returned to the country to be so loyal. ”

"What's even more rare is that this person is brave and invincible in battle, if there are a few more Long Qian in the imperial court, the external troubles will not be peaceful." Rong Lu added.

"What should those foreign prisoners do?" Guangxu interjected.

"The Queen Mother, Your Majesty, these foreigners in our hands are the biggest capital. It would be better to inform Li Hongzhang earlier. ”

"It's all for later. Let's discuss where to go. ”

"Queen Mother, Weichen thought that she couldn't go to Xi'an. Dong Fuxiang's department has returned to the northwest, and Xi'an is not safe. Why don't we go to Xuanhua first and then make plans. ”

"Well, you can discuss this matter with Long Qian. Nayantu is loyal, but he can't lead troops, so the responsibility of escorting him will be handed over to Long Qian. Cixi, who had been frightened for two days, finally put her heart in her stomach.

The brigade stopped until the afternoon before departing, and Cixi finally ate a decent hot meal, and although the dishes were scarce, she finally did not need to go hungry. Moreover, she has a sedan chair to sit on, and she no longer has to endure the bumps of the mule cart.

In the evening of the same day, the "army" arrived at Juyong Pass, did not rest, crossed the pass, continued to advance towards Huailai, when it was dark, the team arrived at Yulin Fort, and the cavalry in front of the sudden brought back a civilian official wearing an official robe, this person was dusty, claiming to be the county commander of Huailai, named Wu Yong. (To be continued......)