Yanjing City, the most talked about now is probably the war between the Northern Army and Lao Maozi. When Russia and the northern government declared war on each other, it can be said that it stunned the old and young masters of the entire Yanjing City! Who is Lao Maozi? Who doesn't know the people in Yanjing City? The entire northern part of China has long been Lao Maozi's sphere of influence. The Great Qing Kingdom was under Lao Maozi, but it suffered a lot of losses.

Many people sighed, the Northern Army was too arrogant and arrogant this time, and they were actually looking for trouble with Lao Maozi, isn't that looking for death? Is Lao Maozi easy to mess with? Although, a few years ago, little Japan overturned the old Maozi, but little Japan is one of the great powers! They believed that once the Northern Army was defeated, it would be time for the whole of China to be unlucky.

Of course, there are also people who support the Northern Army, believing that the Northern Army can defeat even small Japan, and there is no reason why it can't defeat Lao Maozi. Lao Maozi is a defeated general under Little Japan, and Little Japan is a defeated general under the Northern Army. So, by extrapolating in this way, it is easy to be able to come to such a conclusion.

Some people even think that Yuan Datou, who is in charge of the central government at this time, should send troops to help the Northern Army! In any case, Lao Maozi is the enemy of the whole of China! It's a pity that Yuan Datou didn't seem to have heard this at all, and he was still frantically expanding his army, without the slightest intention of providing support to the Northern Army.

Yuan Datou still plans to wait for the Northern Army to be defeated by Lao Maozi and uproot the Northern Army! In this way, no one in his world will be able to shake it.

It's a pity that the news that came at the end made everyone stunned. The fierce old Maozi was easily defeated by the Northern Army without fighting. In the entire Far Eastern Governorate, only one Vladivostok is still lingering. Subsequently. The Northern Army even annihilated 400,000 enemies under the city of Kulun! This is a rare victory for China since the Opium War! This also caused the hearts of the people in the whole country to shift to the Northern Army.

The people are simple, and they were originally insensitive, but they were awakened by the victories of the Northern Army again and again. Since neither the Manchu government nor the current Beiyang government can lead the country to prosperity and strength. Why not change the government? Since the northern government was able to defeat the great powers and let the Chinese live with their heads held high, this undoubtedly showed that the northern government was more suitable to lead China than Yuan Datou's Beiyang government. However, everyone can only keep this expectation in their hearts, and no one dares to say it with great fanfare. Yuan Datou's nickname of Cao Cao is not in vain.

Yuan Datou's mansion and a high-ranking military and political officials in Beiyang all gathered together to discuss the current situation. Though. The Northern Army won the battle against Lao Maozi, which made the entire Chinese nation excited. However, this is not a good thing for the Beiyang government. The prestige of the Northern Government and the Northern Army among the people is much higher than that of their Beiyang Government and the Beiyang Army.

"I really didn't expect that the powerful old Maozi would be so vulnerable. After the Kulun War, Lao Maozi has lost nearly 700,000 people in this war, right? Yuan Datou said with emotion. The strength of the Northern Army made him almost lose confidence. Now him. But the Northern Army was regarded as a big problem for his henchmen. I thought that I could use the Russians to solve this big problem. Unfortunately, the Northern Army was once again victorious. If this continues. I am afraid that the Beiyang government will be completely suppressed.

"Gong Bao, don't say anything discouragement. Although the Northern Army now has the upper hand, is Lao Maozi easy to mess with? Will they easily throw in the towel? When Lao Maozi completed the preparations again, some of the northern troops were affected. Xu Shichang said.

Yuan Datou nodded, it is indeed like this. Although the Northern Army won, Lao Maozi did not admit defeat because of this!

"Ladies and gentlemen. I want to know, what are our chances of winning if we are thrown into war by the Northern Army? Yuan Datou's eyes fell on Wang Shizhen, Minister of War, Duan Qirui, chief of staff of the Beiyang Army, and Feng Guozhang, who served as deputy chief of staff.

Wang Shizhen, Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang looked at each other, and a trace of embarrassment flashed on their faces. Ultimately. It was Wang Shizhen who stubbornly said: "My lord, now our troops have expanded to 25 towns, and there are 12 mixed associations, with a total strength of 360,000 people. However, compared to the Northern Army, our strength is less than half of theirs. In terms of combat effectiveness, I am afraid that it is not their opponent. ”

The total strength of the Northern Army has now increased to 40 infantry divisions, 15 cavalry brigades, and 6 heavy artillery brigades, with a total strength of nearly 900,000 troops. Moreover, the Northern Army fought against the Japanese and the Russians successively, and both won victories. How can the combat effectiveness be compared with those rabble of the Beiyang Army? Although, the Beiyang Army is already working hard to train for war. However, there is still a big gap between it and the Northern Army, which has been trained in blood and fire.

Yuan Datou's face suddenly became very ugly. In the end, China's affairs must be spoken with the barrel of a gun. The Beiyang Army is not the opponent of the Northern Army, even if Yuan Datou is now in charge of the central government, I am afraid that he will not be able to sit still! Once the Northern Army waved its troops into the pass, they would not be able to resist at all. When the time comes, won't this world be taken away by the Northern Army?

"Gong Bao, I don't think the matter is so serious, and Ping Qing is a little serious. Although the Northern Army was strong, it was only twenty-five infantry divisions, but each of their infantry divisions had half more people than us (the fifteen infantry divisions mobilized by the Northern Army were not known to the Beiyang Army). Now, their main force is still being dragged down by Lao Maozi. At the same time, it was also necessary to deploy heavy troops on the front line of the Yalu River to guard against the Japanese. Even if they win the battle against Lao Maozi, their own strength will definitely be greatly damaged. Under such circumstances, the Northern Army, which is surrounded by enemies on all sides, will not dare to attack us at all. Xu Shichang said.

Yuan Datou nodded, and at the same time, his face looked a little better: "No matter what, the gap between us and the Northern Army must be bridged." If the number of troops is not enough, they should be recruited, and soldiers should also be trained. In half a year, the Beiyang Army will definitely not be able to be worse than the Northern Army! ”

"Yes, sir." Wang Shizhen and the others nodded hurriedly.

"My lord, it costs money to expand the army." Chancellor of the Exchequer Sheng Xuanhuai reminded.

"I'll figure out how to solve the problem of money, and if it really doesn't work, I'll borrow it from the British." Yuan Datou has made up his mind to frantically expand his military strength.

Sheng Xuanhuai nodded, so he had to say nothing more.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi's eyes, and there seemed to be no difference between the current Beiyang government and the previous Manchu government. Compared with the increasingly powerful northern government, the gap is even wider. Perhaps, as the people say, the government in the north is the hope of China's rejuvenation.

Tang Shaoyi already has some envy of Yang Du in his heart, after Yang Du resigned, he has now become the secretary general of the political affairs committee of the northern government, in fact, the first person in the government affairs system of the northern government!

As the foreign minister, Tang Shaoyi undoubtedly hopes to be able to straighten his waist and negotiate with foreigners. However, now it seems that the Beiyang government will not be able to realize his expectations at all, and only the northern government can have this hope. This made Tang Shaoyi even have a little hope that the northern government could replace the Beiyang government sooner.

Time passed little by little, autumn went to winter, and the temperature in Yanjing City also dropped sharply, becoming colder and colder. In Eastern Siberia, large-scale battles between the Northern Army and the Russian army have long ended, and only small exchanges of fire between elite units of both sides have occurred. The Northern Army continued to send elite reconnaissance troops to blow up the railroad that Lao Maozi had managed to repair. And Lao Maozi is also desperately trying to protect these railways, they know that the railways are related to their counteroffensive in the future.

Summer Palace, where the Empress Dowager Cixi lived. Perhaps because of exhaustion, after the weather cooled down, the Empress Dowager Cixi was bedridden. Now seventy-three years old, after losing power, she is no different from those old women who are in their last years.

The Empress Dowager Cixi is seriously ill and seems to have reached the point where she has run out of oil and dried up.

The guards responsible for guarding the Summer Palace, after reporting to Yuan Datou, blocked the news, and the outside world did not know about it at all.

After Yuan Datou learned about it, he immediately brought Xu Shichang to discuss. Xu Shichang is Yuan Datou's most iron-clad confidant, and in such a major matter, he hopes to get Xu Shichang's advice.

"After all, the old witch is seventy-three, and she should die. It's just that after her death, the political situation may be turbulent. Xu Shichang frowned.

"The old witch is dead, what should I do with the little emperor?" Yuan Datou asked.

As the person who ruled China for half a century, the Empress Dowager Cixi undoubtedly had great influence. This is also the reason why Yuan Datou only dared to put her under house arrest and did not dare to kill her after launching the coup. As for Emperor Guangxu, he was already a puppet for a long time.

Xu Shichang knew that Yuan Datou had always coveted that throne. And now, for Yuan Datou, it must be an excellent opportunity. However, the risks are also significant.

"Gong Bao, otherwise, we will not do anything and get rid of the little emperor. The old witch and the little emperor have always been at odds, and we can completely blame everything that the old witch did. She will also pull the little emperor to his back when she dies. When the time comes, you will announce the overthrow of the Manchu Qing and take the throne yourself. Xu Shichang suggested.

Yuan Datou's eyes suddenly lit up: "Bu Wu, is this really feasible?" It's going to be risky, right? ”

Xu Shichang knew that Yuan Datou was already moved.

"Kung Pao, of course, there are risks, but it is not impossible to succeed. Only when you ascend to the throne can you rule the whole world in the name of righteousness. Xu Shichang continued. (To be continued......)

PS: The first update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! The coach arranged for Xiao Yu to get on the bus today to practice subject three, and after being busy with this matter, Xiao Yu was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Thank you for the tip! Thank you to book friends haorenyige, Chubby Xu, Blank.Angel, Epee Mu1, Rinchen Dorje 2, Rabilot, Book Lovers, and Little Tiger's Dog Daddy for the monthly passes!