Summer Palace, Le Shou Tang, where the Empress Dowager Cixi, the de facto controller of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, now lives. It's just that after Yuan Datou launched a coup d'état, the Empress Dowager Cixi has been under house arrest here. The old witch who once ruled the whole country has completely lost power.

"Damn Yuan Datou, ungrateful villain! Someday, he'll pay the price! The Empress Dowager Cixi sat on a chair and began to curse Yuan Datou. After she was placed under house arrest, cursing Yuan Datou has become a daily necessity.

The Empress Dowager Cixi no longer looks like a Manchu ruler at all, but rather like an old woman who is about to die. It's no wonder, after all, she's 72 years old. The Empress Dowager Cixi in history only lived to 1908. In other words, she only has one year to live. The Empress Dowager Cixi ruled this ancient country for nearly half a century as a woman, which is also very remarkable.

Of course, from the perspective of future generations, the Empress Dowager Cixi is undoubtedly an existence that has brought disaster to the country and the people. It is because of her that China has entered the darkest and humiliating era.

Emperor Xianfeng was frail and sickly, and at that time, there were British and French troops in the north of the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom anti-Qing peasant movement in the south. Yi Guifei worked in calligraphy, so Emperor Xianfeng often dictated and asked him to write and approve the chapters, and allowed Yi Guifei to express her own opinions, so the ministers were mostly dissatisfied with the Yehenala clan. But this made the Empress Dowager Cixi begin to intervene in the handling of government affairs.

In August 1861, Emperor Xianfeng died in Rehe, and before his death, he appointed Prince Yi Zaiyuan, Prince Zheng Duanhua, Jing Shou, and co-organizers of the university, Shangshu Sushun, Mu Yin, Kuang Yuan, Du Han, and Jiao Youying as ministers of Zanxiang to assist Emperor Zaichun of Tongzhi in handling court affairs; He also gave the empress and the crown prince (managed by the emperor's biological mother, Concubine Yi) two seals representing imperial power, hoping that they would contain each other.

On December 2, 1861, the name of the year was changed to "Tongzhi", and the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces raised the heart of the palace. Listen to politics. In the early days of her reign, the Empress Dowager Cixi, with the assistance of Wang Yixun, rectified the rule of officials, reused Han ministers, and relied on Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang and other Han landlords to arm; With the support of the great powers, he successively suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Twist Army, the Miao people, and the Hui uprisings. It alleviated the ruling crisis of the Qing Dynasty and temporarily stabilized the Qing Dynasty. In order to maintain the feudal autocratic rule, the Empress Dowager Cixi reused the Westernization faction to develop some military and civilian industries and train the navy and army to strengthen the political power with the principle of "self-improvement" and "seeking prosperity". Objectively, it has played a certain positive role in China's modernization.

In January 1875, Emperor Tongzhi died of illness. Cixi set up her nephew (husband's nephew) and nephew 4-year-old Aisin Jueluo. Zai Xiang was the emperor, and the year name was changed to "Guangxu". The Queen Mother of the Two Palaces once again lowered the curtain to listen to the government. On April 8, 1881, the Empress Dowager Ci'an died at the age of 45, and the official theory was a cerebral hemorrhage, which is believed to be the victim of Cixi. From then on, the Empress Dowager Cixi began to monopolize power.

On April 8, 1884, Cixi launched the Jiashen Yishu Dynasty Change, and dismissed the entire class of ministers of the Military Aircraft Department headed by Prince Gong Yixun, and began the dictatorship of the Western Palace. In February 1889, Guangxu got married. Nominally by Emperor Guangxu, Cixi disciplined the government for several years. After the end of the discipline. All the employment and administration in the court are still out of his hands, "the Empress Dowager (Emperor Guangxu) is cautious, and the great government of the court will ask for orders." ”

In her later years, the Empress Dowager Cixi was greedy for pleasure. He even did not hesitate to divert the funds for the purchase of ships by the Beiyang Naval Division to repair the Summer Palace, which directly led to the disastrous defeat of the Beiyang Naval Division in the First Sino-Japanese War. The defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War broke China's backbone. It also made Japan rise rapidly and became China's great enemy.

In the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, the Empress Dowager Cixi arrogantly went to war with the whole world. This led to the entry of the Eight-Nation Coalition into Beijing. Once again, the country has suffered a huge loss. However, Gengzi's indemnity reached 450 million taels of silver, and if the interest is included, it is as much as 980 million taels of silver. It can be said that the Empress Dowager Cixi is simply a sinner in China. A huge country is tossed by her "measuring China's material resources and forming a friendship with the country".

After the Beiyang warlords represented by Yuan Datou staged a coup d'état and took over the power of the country, the Empress Dowager Cixi still did not give up her efforts. She still wants to get back in power. For this reason, the royal relatives of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the elites of the Manchu people are all taking action. With the rise of the Northern Army, the Empress Dowager Cixi and the Manchu nobles turned their minds to the Northern Army, hoping to rely on the Northern Army to defeat Yuan Datou and let the Manchu rule continue.

"Lafayette, Prince Su, they are here!" Li Lianying said to the Empress Dowager Cixi.

"Oh? Hurry up! A hint of joy flashed on the Empress Dowager Cixi's face. Although, Yuan Datou sent people to closely monitor the Summer Palace. However, most of the officers and men in Beiyang have the problem of greed for money. Money can make ghosts grind, as long as you are willing to spend money, it is not impossible to find an opportunity to sneak into the Summer Palace.

"Wow!" Li Lianying immediately retreated. And the Empress Dowager Cixi sorted out her demeanor with the help of the palace maids, and in front of those minions, he, the Lafayette, naturally wanted to show his prestige.

"Slave Shanqi (Tie Liang, Liang Bi) see Lafayette!" Prince Su Shanqi and others bowed to the Empress Dowager Cixi.

"Let's get flat!" Empress Cixi said expressionlessly.

"Thank you, Lafayette!" Shanqi and the others hurriedly thanked him.

"Shanqi, how are things going?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked.

Shanqi didn't answer immediately, but looked around.

The Empress Dowager Cixi nodded and gave Li Lianying a color.

"All of you stand down, I'm here to serve!" Li Lianying immediately drove out the room full of eunuchs and palace maids.

"Back to Lafayette, after our understanding, the strength of Wu Xingquan and Wu Haoxuan father and son of the Northern Army is amazing, and the total strength of the Northern Army under their control has exceeded 200,000 people. Its combat effectiveness is very strong, far stronger than that of the Beiyang Army. If we can get the help of the Northern Army and restore our Qing Dynasty, it will be just around the corner! Shanqi said excitedly.

"Oh? Is the Northern Army that strong? Wu Xingquan knew that he was just an alternate general soldier in Mukden. Empress Dowager Cixi frowned. For the past two years, she has been under house arrest and has no idea what is happening in the outside world.

"Lafayette, whether the combat effectiveness of the Northern Army is strong or not, Lord Tieliang and Lord Liangbi must know this better than me." Shanqi said.

Tie Liang was known as a "soldier intellectual", and once served as the minister of military training, assisting Yuan Datou in the creation of the Beiyang New Army. And Liangbi graduated from the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School. The two of them are rare military talents among the Manchurians.

"Back to Lafayette, according to the information held by the minions, the Northern Army is indeed very powerful. In last year's war, they had nine infantry divisions and 160,000 troops. Ten divisions of the Japanese Army, 230,000 men, were defeated. This battle fully proved their combat strength. Tie Liang said.

"What? How is this possible? Even the Japanese were no match for the Northern Army? The Empress Dowager Cixi was stunned, in her impression, the Japanese were too powerful, more than ten years ago, they beat the Qing Dynasty, and bowed down to the vassals! The Northern Army was able to win more with less, and it was obviously a first-class strong army in the world.

"Yes, Galeries Lafayette. When the Northern Army and the Japanese were at war, Yuan Datou sent two towns to attack the Northern Army, but was easily defeated by the Northern Army. In the first battle of Jinzhou, the Northern Army almost completely annihilated the two towns of the Beiyang Army with the strength of an infantry division, and also captured Shanhaiguan. Yuan Datou finally had to beg for mercy and paid a large amount of compensation to the Northern Army, which kept Yanjing City. Liangbi also said.

After hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi's eyes already showed great hope. She seems to have seen the hope of getting rid of Yuan Datou and restoring the Manchu Dynasty.

"Prince Su, is it possible for us to let Wu Xingquan's father and son serve my Qing Dynasty?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked. She knew that if she wanted to restore the Manchu Dynasty, it was estimated that she could only rely on the Northern Army.

"Lafayette, if the Northern Army is willing to send troops, Yuan Datou is not an opponent at all. However, it may be very difficult to win them over. Shanqi said with some embarrassment. As far as he knew, Wu Xingquan's father and son were also not very kind to the Manchu government.

"Find a way to contact Wu Xingquan's father and son, whether it is power or money, as long as they are willing to restore my Daqing country, you can give it to them!" The Empress Dowager Cixi was resolute. She has had enough of these two years of house arrest.

"This, Lafayette, now that the treasury is under the control of Yuan Datou, we don't have the money to buy Wu Xingquan's father and son!" Shanqi was very embarrassed. Wu Xingquan has become a veritable king of the north, and it is impossible for the Manchus to win over each other without paying a huge price.

"Rats' eyes! The treasury is under the control of Yuan Datou, but among my royal clansmen, which one is not worth a huge fortune? For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, can't everyone donate a little money? As long as Yuan Datou is defeated and my Qing Dynasty is restored, isn't this world full of people? When the time comes, all the riches of the world will be ours. The Empress Dowager Cixi said angrily.

"Oh, the slave obeys, so I'll find a way to raise money from the clan." Shanqi hurriedly said.

Although the Empress Dowager Cixi has been placed under house arrest and has lost her power. But the prestige formed over the years is still not something they can resist.

Seeing Shanqi's appearance, the Empress Dowager Cixi nodded with satisfaction: "Send someone to contact Wu Xingquan's father and son, if they are willing to send troops to fight the thief, after the matter is completed, Wu Xingquan will be named the prince, and Wu Haoxuan can also be named the king of the county." In addition, you can choose a Gege in the clan and marry Wu Haoxuan to bring us closer. ”

"Hello, Galeries Lafayette!" Shanqi nodded repeatedly. (To be continued......)

PS: The second update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thanks to book friends maoxunjun, Xiaodao 001, California veal, Gao Shu, and Liu Lijin of Dongshan Village, Ningxiang County! Thank you for the book friends who are dizzy and ashamed, I have a premonition of urgency 1, 594300, sw3805, big guoguo, maoxunjun, immeasurable idler, dot 2001, my beloved, dark wings, and the monthly pass of the party command gun!