Talking happily, Long Qian volunteered to cook in person. This not only surprised Chen Chao, but also made Wang, Ye and Situ quite interested, "Commander, where do you still cook?" It can't fool us, right? Ye Yanbing wondered.

"Hey, I know a lot of craftsmanship, whether I'm fooling you or not, I'll know in a while."

It is the prevailing rule in this era that a gentleman cooks far away, and chefs are regarded as a cheap profession. Long Qian ran to the kitchen and surprised Chen Sanniang, who was preparing to stir-fry, "What are you doing here, Commander Long, this is not the place for you to stay." ”

"Aunt Chen, I bragged with them today, and I was going to show them a look, you rest, let me come." Long Qian took off his big padded jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

Chen Shu and Chen Xian took the deflated chicken into the kitchen, and happened to see this scene, "Huh? What are you doing here? Chen Shu asked.

Chen Sanniang covered her mouth and left with a smile. Chen Xian was also curious, did he want to cook?

"Xiaoxian, go get me a basin of water." Long Qian commanded.

"What for?"

"Wash your hands, I've got the dishes for today. If you two want to, give me a shot. ”

"Oh, you're really going to cook? Will you? ”

"Isn't it underestimated? Just go! ”

Chen Xian smiled and turned around.

"You're really not hurt?" Chen Shu asked in a low voice.

"Isn't that what I'm doing?"

Chen Xian brought water in and put it on the ground. Long Qian squatted down and carefully washed his hands. There is no soap, and the pancreas boiled in lard are used, which are slippery and uncomfortable.

"See what?" Long Qian saw Sister Chen Shu looking at him intently. "When cooking, you always have to wash your hands before you can do it." After speaking, Long Qian turned around and went to the desk to check the ingredients, and after reading it, he was not only disappointed.

"Ah, it's mainly meat, and there are too few dishes—it doesn't show my skills." Long Qian muttered to himself.

There was a lot of meat on the table, half cut pork and mutton, and half split game, and I couldn't tell what kind of animal it was, "What is this?" ”

"The roe deer __ was sent by Uncle Huang of Orion." Chen Shu said in a low voice. "Aren't all the dishes there?" She heard Long Qian's muttering.

"Only cabbage and potatoes__" Long Qian rummaged through a few washed potatoes.

"And tofu __ fat New Year. Thin February, bitter March and April, how can there be vegetables now? Chen Shu said in a low voice. She really wanted to see if Long Qian could really cook.

"Can't you have fresh vegetables in winter? Wrong! In a few years, I will definitely let you eat green vegetables and cucumbers in winter__"

"Bragging! How can greens grow in the field in winter? Chen Xian said with a smile.

Long Qian was surprised to look at Chen Xian, who was standing against the door. Originally, I felt that this little girl was very introverted. It seems to have changed a lot lately.

"Who says you can't grow greens in winter? The conditions are met. All vegetables can be eaten in winter__" Long Qian pondered the dishes. "There's chili, right? Find more. And green onions, garlic and ginger, peel some more__"

Chen Shu was not angry, and prepared condiments for him according to Long Qian's instructions. But Chen Xian chased after her, "Then, when do you say you can eat green vegetables in winter?" ”

"At most the year after." Long Qian began to busy himself with his dishes.

"What do you say? Really not bragging? Chen Xian still didn't believe it.

"Count. Lie to you is a puppy. Long Qian squatted down to poke the brick stove in the corner, Chen Shu couldn't help but step forward, "You leave__"

After holding the iron hammer, his hands were already stained with soot, and Long Qian had to wash his hands again. Backwardness is all-round, because Chen Chao is still rich, the stove burns charcoal, more farmers burn firewood, every meal season (two meals a day instead of three), the village is full of smoke, but there is no era of industrialization, even so, the sky is still clear.

"Wait for me to draw a drawing, let Lao Wu make a honeycomb coal stove for your house, it is better to keep than this__" After waiting for a while, the oil was hot, and Long Qian began to cook the first dish__

"What is honeycomb coal?" Chen Shu finally couldn't help it.

"Soon you'll find out__"

When You Shi and Chen Chao came to the kitchen, they saw Long Qian frying meat decently, and the smell of chili peppers wafted in the kitchen, You Shi didn't eat spicy food, and couldn't help but sneeze a few times, "Oh, you really know how to cook__This is not what you do." ”

"It smells so good! What dish? Chen Chao sniffed vigorously.

"Go back, and you'll see at once. If you can't get used to eating, don't criticize too fiercely, so as to save me some face. Long Qian didn't reply.

The meat had been put on the plate, and Chen Xian walked out, stuck out her tongue at Chen Shu, and made a grimace.

This meal made Chen Chao's family and Wang Mingyuan and others full of praise, especially the back pot meat and mapo tofu, which won unanimous praise, and the taste of the meat and sheep hot pot was also extremely delicious. ”

You Shi sneered, "Where does he have the time to cook, not to mention that this is not a man's business!" Shu'er should have learned his skills. I don't know when he learned, it's really hard for him, the dignified town guard, personally cooks for us. ”

"I don't want to learn. Just let him do it. Chen Shu was sweating all over her stomach and had a great appetite.

Several men were dining in the hall and drinking warm rice wine, and when they were happy, Ding Xiaofu ran over, "Commander, the chief of staff is back." ”

"Oh, Shi Jun is back? When? Long Qian put down his wine glass and stood up.

"Just now."

"Invite him. Come on horseback. That's a lot of good thing. Situ just came back, and Shi Jun also came back. This can be regarded as a pick-up for him. Ha Lu Ha, borrow flowers to offer Buddha. ”

"Hey, I'll let them scramble an egg again." Chen Chao got up and went out.

When Ning Shijun came over, Long Qian and the others were already waiting outside the gate, "Fortunately, I've been thinking about you." Long Qian stepped forward and hugged his chief of staff fiercely.

"Commander__"

"Don't be in a hurry to talk about official business, first have a glass of wine to warm up." Long Qian took Ning Shijun's hand and returned to the house. He pressed it on the chair and poured half a bowl of rice wine, "Borrow Mr. Chen's flowers and offer you this god." ”

"It's finally up to the task." Ning Shijun took the wine bowl, "Commander, I'm going to Beijing." ”

"Eat first, and then talk after eating. I prepared today's dish myself, how about you taste it? ”

"You're a good mouth. Come back later, and a few of us will be rounded__" Situ Jun said with a smile.

"Situ, when did you come back? Oh, the commander still has the ability. Well. This is all Sichuan flavor__" Ning Shijun took the chopsticks handed by Wang Mingyuan. Sandwiched a chopstick back to the pot meat, "Ah, it's so fragrant__"

Everyone coincidentally sped up and waited for Ning Shijun to eat. Chen Chao called You Shi to come over and remove the cup and plate that had eaten Jingguang. Chen Chao personally made tea. Ning Shijun saw that Long Qian did not avoid everyone present, and began to report the results of the trip one by one.

He started from the cold reception in Jinan and went all the way to Taiyuan. He met with Rong Lu and Li Lianying, and told about his anxious waiting and the result of the imperial court's decision to let Yuan Shikai's troops withdraw from Yi, Yanzhou, and Shandong Province to pay 500,000 taels of silver to the right wing of the Weisheng Army every year. But he skipped the details of how to bribe Rong Lu and Li Lianying.

There were twists and turns, and everyone listening was fascinated.

"So, the imperial court has ordered Yuan Shikai to withdraw from the two states?" Chen Chao rubbed his hands excitedly. He had a very weak concept of the silver liang, and he didn't know how much it cost to raise a new army, but he only knew that if Yuan Futai's troops withdrew from the two states, this Lunan would really become Long Qian's territory.

"Yes, the will has been made."

"That's great." Wang Mingyuan and Ye Yanbing were both excited.

"Don't worry, Yuan Shikai won't be so obedient." Long Qian said calmly, "Shi Jun, why did you go to Beijing?" ”

"That's right. When I was about to leave Taiyuan, I went to the Ronglu Mansion to say goodbye, and I heard that something had happened in Beijing, and Li Hongzhang fell ill, but the peace talks had a result. The Empress Dowager had already approved all the terms of the peace agreement and sent Rong Lu to Beijing to replace Li Hongzhang. I offered to go with him, and Rong Lu agreed. So I took a trip to Beijing. ”

"What do you say? Has the peace agreement been signed? What is the result? Long Qian was taken aback, now that the lunar calendar has just entered March, why did he sign the Xinchou Treaty? That's not right!

"The situation regarding the punishment of the main war officials is more complicated, and a large number of court officials have lost their heads. Even the dead Prince Zhuang and the Minister of Military Aircraft Gangyi did not let go. The king of Duanjun was sent to Xinjiang__"

"I know all of this. What about reparations? Is there also a clause that promises the foreign powers to garrison important places? ”

"The indemnity amounted to 300 million taels of silver. It is paid in thirty-nine instalments. That's about 600 million taels! Collateralized with customs duties and salt taxes. In addition, the embassy is defended by the countries themselves, Tianjin does not allow our troops to be stationed, from Shanhaiguan to Tianjin, Huangcun, Langfang, Yangcun, Junliangcheng, Tanggu, Lutai, Tangshan, Luanzhou, Changli, Qinwangdao, Shanhaiguan and other places, allowing the foreign powers to garrison! ”

"Traitor! Li Hongzhang betrayed the country! Chen Chao slapped his palm on the table fiercely, "How can such a clause that humiliates the country be signed?" Li Hongzhang will surely become a traitor who everyone scolds! ”

"Almost all the important places leading from the mainland to the outside of the customs have been occupied! The Northeast is in danger! Japan and Russia must have a backhand, my God! Mr. Chen is right, the reparations are still secondary, how can the foreign powers be allowed to station troops in Gyeonggi? Situ Jun was shocked. Although I thought that the country would inevitably suffer losses due to the defeat of the war last year, I did not expect such a result: "The power of Britain, France, the United States and Germany is not in the north, and the northeast will either fall to Japan or Russia!" The blood of my Mengshan soldiers is in vain. ”

Wang Mingyuan and Ye Yanbing are much worse than Situ Junlai's geographical cognition, and they don't have a clear idea of the place names that Ning Shijun said in one breath, but the huge compensation of up to 600 million taels of silver in total really scared them.

"Oh my God, 600 million taels! How could the imperial court agree to such conditions? Traitor, fucking infuriating! ”

"Situ is right, so many brothers' blood is in vain!"

"Don't get excited. Do you know that it was not because of the bloody battle of the Mengshan Army that the originally high indemnity was reduced to this number? Long Qian was much calmer, "As for Li Hongzhang, I don't think I can blame him, even if he doesn't sign this traitorous treaty, someone else will sign it." The Manchu court only wanted to smoothly let the foreigners withdraw from the capital, and return to the palace a day earlier to continue to be their emperor and empress dowager, anyway, Yinliang didn't want them to come out. It is always the people who are unlucky. ”

The atmosphere suddenly cooled down, and the joy of the imperial court's order to hand over Yizhou and Yanzhou to the Mengshan Army, including Chen Chao, was diluted by the extremely harsh terms of the Xinchou Treaty.

"That's what the commander said. I met Li Hongzhang in Beijing, and it was Lord Rong Lu who took me there. Li Hongzhang Master Li was so sick that he couldn't get out of bed, but there were still Russians who came to the door that day to force him to sign something! When Master Li heard that I was a subordinate of the commander, he also said a few words to me, saying that thanks to the great victory of King Qin's army in Xigu and the capture of Seymour, he had some capital for negotiation. He also asked me to give a message to the commander, he can't do it, he wants us to work hard and fight for the court__" Ning Shijun's face sank like water, "That day he gave Lord Ronglu his suicide note, and a poem, Ronglu showed me __"

"Remember?"

"The labor cart and horse have not left the saddle, and the party knows that he will die. In the past 300 years, the country has been injured, and the people have been disabled 8,000 miles away. The autumn wind sword lonely minister tears, the sunset flag general altar. The dust atmosphere overseas is still there, please don't wait and see. After a little thought, Ning Shijun read out Li Hongzhang's desperate poem.

"The dust of overseas is still there__" Long Qian whispered, "It's still unfinished, it's just the beginning." Brothers, do you see? If you fall behind, you will be beaten. The real enemy of our Mengshan Army is not Yuan Shikai, nor the imperial court, but the great powers that will slaughter our China at will! ”

"Commander, I__" Ning Shijun was about to report, Long Qian interrupted him, "The matter of the ticket number is not in a hurry, Li Hongzhang is about to die, can you find out who will take over as the governor of Zhili?" ”

"It is said to be Ronglu. He was the officer. Ning Shijun said.

"Did Rong Lu tell you?"

"It's not. It was Ronglu's butler who said it. Rong Lu was very busy, and sent me back to tell the commander that I must not live up to the high expectations of the Queen Mother. ”

"I will not live up to the high hopes of the Queen Mother." There was no trace of respect in Long Qian's tone, "When you left Beijing, Li Hongzhang didn't breathe yet, right?" ”

"Nope. Since Rong Lu has spoken, it is not good for me to stay. After seeing the Jinyuan ticket number, he set off and returned. When passing through Jinan, I went to the governor's yamen again, and this time I saw Yuan Shikai. ”

"Very well done! What did Yuan Shikai say? ”

"He asked us in detail, especially yours. There is a lot of praise for the extermination of the calves. But blame you for not going to Jinan to see him. At that time, Xu Shichang and Wang Shizhen were there. ”

"Go on."

Xu Shichang said that the matter of Yizhou Road was by no means Li Chun's doing, but it was just the self-proclaimed initiative of individual scum of the Yizhou Patrol Battalion. Commander, what happened in Yizhou? ”

"Didn't he tell you?"

I asked, but he didn't say. However, he said that Li Chun and Cao Kun's subordinates would withdraw from the two states, and asked us to contact Li and Cao so as not to have a misunderstanding. ”

"Then, what about the military expenses in the imperial court's will?"

"Yuan Shikai said, there will be no this year. Shandong's finances were extremely tight, and the imperial court ordered Shandong to pay for the military expenses of the Weisheng Army, which would have to wait until next year at the earliest. ”

"This slippery guy. He had long known that he would not stay in Shandong anymore. Whether to give or not is a matter for the successor. But it doesn't matter. ”

"Yuan Shikai is no longer in Shandong? Where does he go? Everyone asked in surprise, including Ning Shijun.

"Naoli! Rong Lu is not in good health and will not take over this hot potato. The throne of the governor of Zhili is eighty percent for Yuan Shikai to sit. Long Qian then ordered, "Shi Jun, you still have to work hard, take my handwritten letter to Yizhou tomorrow, and Mingyuan will accompany you." I went to Yanzhou in person. Let's take over the two states first! (To be continued......)