Chen Chao was startled again, "What kind of mess will happen?" ”

Long Qian smiled slightly, "I heard that not long ago, the emperor listened to a few ministers and wanted to change the law to become stronger. But it angered the Queen Mother's party, which held real power. The Hundred Days Restoration came to an abrupt end. Tan Si and the same six gentlemen sprinkled the blood of the vegetable market. It is said that the emperor once had a plan to surround the Summer Palace and imprison the Empress Dowager. It is no wonder that the Queen Mother hated Emperor Guangxu deeply and wanted to abolish the emperor and set up a new monarch. ”

Chen Chao was shocked, "You, where did you hear this?" ”

"Gossip, arrogant words, arrogant listening. The news may not be accurate, but it is true that the Queen Mother is dissatisfied with Jinshang. Lunan news is closed, but Beijing can shout upside down. It is said that Guangxu Ye was imprisoned in Yingtai, like a prisoner, and he couldn't even eat. ”

"Ah, is that true?" Chen Chao couldn't help but stand up, looking urgent, as if his father was imprisoned.

"It's just a rumor, and I haven't seen it in person." Long Qian spread his hands.

Chen Chao sympathized with the six gentlemen of Wuxu, and he also somewhat agreed with Kang Liang's idea of changing the law to become strong, and the country suffered great disasters, and changing the law to become strong became the consensus of a generation of intellectuals. The beginning and end of the Wuxu Incident, Chen Chao is roughly clear. hated Yuan Shikai for betraying the emperor, which led to the untimely death of the law. But he is a very cautious person, even for an old friend like Xiao Guanyu, he is reluctant to talk more about the affairs of the imperial court. Self-questioning, from the bottom of his bones, Chen Chao doesn't like Cixi's behavior of loving power, and he doesn't like Si Chen, the emperor has already become an adult, why does the queen mother hold on to power? It is said that it is returned to the emperor, but the appointment and dismissal of the senior officials above the third rank are still in the hands, what kind of return to government is this? Changing the law and not changing the law is the emperor's power__

"What do you say have to do with the Boxers?" Chen Chao pulled back the topic.

"Yes, it's a big deal." Long Qian smiled slightly, "Mr. Chen must have heard that foreigners support Jinshang, and it is said that the British minister once said to Li Hongzhang that the British Empire only recognizes the government of Jinshang__Mr. Chen, and foreigners do not support the Queen Mother to depose the emperor." ”

This Chen Chao has indeed heard of it. Xiao Guanyu has a cousin who works as an errand in the Yamen, the prime minister of Beijing, and his official position is not big, but he is well-informed, and Xiao Guanyu has been in correspondence, and this spring he sent a letter to talk about the dissatisfaction of the ministers of various countries with the seclusion in the future, but Long Qian said the story of Li Hongzhang, Chen Chao has not heard it.

"What did Li Zhongtang say?" Chen Chao almost forgot that Long Qian was just a ringing horse leader entrenched in Mengshan, how did he learn about the secrets of the highest level of the empire?

"Li Hongzhang said, this is my country's internal affairs, so you should leave it alone."

"Zhongtang said this well. The foreigner's hand also stretched out a little longer. "Chen Chao's head, Li Hongzhang has never entered the military aircraft, in fact, it can't be called Zhongtang, but the people call the thief, especially the Han intellectuals, a Li Hongzhang, a Zhang Zhidong, have become their spiritual idols. Although the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki greatly damaged Li Hongzhang's reputation, Chen Chao still respectfully called him "Zhongtang".

"If time is set back a hundred years, Lord Li's words are not bad. Britain, Japan, France, Russia, Germany, the United States, and other countries are entangled in their interests in China, and they are naturally concerned about personnel changes in the center, and they will support whoever has a favorable policy. And the opposition of foreigners, even the powerful Queen Mother of the West, cannot ignore the scruples__"

"You were bypassed again, what does this have to do with the Boxers?"

"Don't be in a hurry." Long Qian smiled slightly, "You know the Tao, the banner played by the Boxers is to help clear and destroy the ocean." The Queen Mother deeply hated the interference of foreigners in the change of throne, and inevitably gave birth to the idea of using the Boxers. And the Manchu nobles in the court, such as the Duanjun King whose son was elected as the prince, would prefer the Boxers? ”

Chen Chao was calm on the surface, but he was full of doubts in his heart, Long Qian's analysis could not be said to be unreasonable. The Boxer Rebellion did not form a climate near Sanzhuang, mainly because there were no churches built nearby, but the surrounding county towns and larger villages and towns were extremely noisy. This, he knew the truth, and was about to speak, but Long Qian spoke again, "The imperial court supports the Boxers, and it will be arrogant." As far as I know, most of the Boxers were poor and helpless peasants, venting their grievances on foreigners. Yuan Shikai ruled Shandong, changed the attitude of the previous governor towards the Boxers, and vigorously suppressed them. However, if the attitude of the top leaders of the Beijing division changes, it is inevitable that the Boxers, who could not be expanded in Shandong, will be lured to Zhili, and with their usual practice, they will indiscriminately kill foreigners and burn churches, which will anger the foreign powers. If it's just a small fight in the countryside, it's just a matter of letting the government pay to appease the foreigners. But if it gets to the Jingshi, the problem will be serious. Now that the Beiyang Naval Division is almost wiped out, the country has no defense against the sea, and the consequences are terrible."

Chen Chao was silent. Eight years ago, he accompanied a friend on a tour of Beijing, which was his only long trip, and he was deeply impressed by the majesty of the imperial city, in a sense, the trip to Beijing became his spiritual pillar, and how proud he was to be born in a great empire. However, the First Sino-Japanese War five years ago completely shattered his dream__

"What happens if what you say is true? Will Yingyi send troops again? Even if the Jingshi changes, what does it have to do with your little Mengshan Army? Lord Yuan has tens of thousands of male soldiers, and you don't have to fight, and you will be trampled to death if you step on it. ”

"Ha Luha, does Mr. Chen really not understand, or is he pretending to be confused? Since the Hongyang Rebellion, the prestige of the Manchu Qing Central Committee has been greatly reduced, and the authority of the governors in various places has become increasingly heavy. Li Hongzhang of Liangguang, Liu Kunyi of Liangjiang, and Zhang Zhidong of Lianghu are all important ministers of the Han nationality that the imperial court cannot use but is difficult to control. For the major policies of the imperial court, obey them and disobey them. And Yuan Shikai is the best at observing words and feelings, and he sees the wind and rudder. The Beijing division was in turmoil, Yuan Shikai was too busy to take care of himself, where could he still take care of the little Mengshan army? Besides, for the general trend of the world, how many people are like dragons watching the fire? Why don't we make a bet __"

"Bet on what?"

"If the situation is as Long Qian expected, how about Mr. Chen join my Mengshan army?"

"Don't even think about that."

"Ha Luha, Mr. Chen, do you believe that the Mengshan Army will create a foundation in this great change that has not been encountered in a thousand years?"

"What kind of inheritance?"

"Wash away the humiliation of the past 50 years, revive the civilization of China for thousands of years, and let me rejuvenate the majesty of the Han and Tang Dynasties! For thousands of generations, our names will be engraved in history, so that our children and grandchildren will be proud of their ancestors! Isn't that enough? ”

"Don't be ashamed." However, it still made Chen Chao's heart pound, "Now you don't have hundreds of soldiers, don't you think it's ridiculous to talk about this?" ”

Long Qian's expression became serious, "Mr. Chen, in the world of family and country, there is always a country first, and then there is a home. Therefore, Gu Yanwu said that 'the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband', and he also said that the death of the country and the death of the world are not the same thing. Now facing the danger of dying the world, the country is dead, under the nest, how can you have the existence of a paradise? If we all hide in the mountains and pretend to be confused, and when the great powers have carved up the country, our children and grandchildren will become pitiful and pathetic slaves who are bullied by others, and our 5,000-year-old splendid civilization will no longer be there! Mr. Chen, are you really at ease? ”

"Long Qian, I admire your ambition. But __ is too much to overpower. ”

"Eat bite by bite, and walk step by step. There will be no seeds, and men should be self-reliant. I never dared to place my hopes on the imperial court, and if the imperial court could be trusted, such a situation would not have formed. I think that China has a vast territory, abundant products, and a large population, if I work hard, how can I be bullied like this by a few small countries? I can guarantee that in the event of a new foreign war, it will only be an even more tragic land reparation.

"I am reorganizing the army in Mengshan, in addition to strict military discipline and hard training of combat skills, the most important thing is to let the officers and men of Mengshan understand that they are no longer ringing horse bandits who rob homes and houses, but the armed forces to defend the country and the nation! Once the country is in trouble, the Mengshan army will go to the battlefield of the national war without hesitation, why should Mr. Chen underestimate me? ”

Chen Chao remembered the passionate military song just now__ That song was so agitated and generous, maybe this person in front of him was really a responsible warrior, "Mr. Long, I believe that you have been out of the sea, and you have an unparalleled understanding of the changes in the world. Can you hold back the Great Powers? ”

"If Long is rich for himself, it is not difficult. With Long's vision, if you go to Shanghai and Guangzhou, whether you are doing business or joining the army, you will become a huge rich man in China within three years. However, since ancient times, there have been people in Chinese who sacrificed their lives for righteousness, and there were those who worked hard, and this is the reason why our Chinese civilization has survived many disasters but has survived. Even if I, Long Qian, will not succeed, I must let the great powers know that China is not without true men and true warriors. To think of China as India is delusional! ”

"Chen has deep admiration for your ambition. However, the current situation still needs you to talk about it. What are you going to do? ”

"It's actually simple. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and the Mengshan army will take Zhengjiazhuang and other three villages as a base, and fight hard to wait for the situation to change. For today's plan, we need the help of a villager like Mr. to reassure the people. Long planned to set up a Sanzhuang Villager Autonomous Committee, headed by you, with Xiao Guanyu and Luo Tongxiu as deputies, to come forward to appease the villagers, so that the villagers would not panic, let alone make senseless resistance. Long will gradually sweep away the surrounding bandits and return the people to live and work in peace and contentment. This matter has been summed up repeatedly, and it will never affect Mr. Ming's name. ”

"Villagers' self-government committee?"

"Yes, I am going to focus on the military, and I will not easily intervene in civil affairs."

Chen Chao pondered the meaning of "autonomy" and "committee", the latter he basically understood, it is estimated that this comes from Long Qian's experience, until now, Chen Chao still believes that Long Qian has traveled abroad, but what is the truth of the later experience, it is useless to ask. It is a cruel fact that this man is in command of a powerful horse. Chen Chao actually likes autonomy, he is willing to do something for his village, he was willing to do it, and he will be willing in the future. Literally, autonomy is self-governance, and to be honest, this is more in line with his heart.

The ensuing silence followed. Chen Chao didn't speak, and Long Qian was also silent. After a full quarter of an hour, Chen Chao had an idea, rather than letting these bandits toss, it was better to come forward by himself. It's best for them to ignore the civil affairs, even if Zheng Jing comes back in the future, it's no wonder that we waited__

"Well, Chen will be the autonomous committee." Chen Chao made the decision that Long Qian hoped for.