Before lunch, Liu Yun met with General Zhong Xiahuo, commander of the Western Front, one of the three giants of his old lineage.

“…… Here's the thing, we've reached an agreement with the other side, but just in case, we still have heavy troops at the contingent base...... You fly to Jinzhou at once and bring your troops back the way they came. After Liu Yun briefly recounted the incident, he instructed Zhong Xia Huodao.

"Won't you cure my sin?" Zhong Xiahuo lowered his head, looking unwilling—probably indignant at his failure to participate in the attack on the task force.

"I'll settle it with you after the end of the war against Russia...... In this way, after lunch, your family has already been sent to Tianjin, don't worry. Liu Yun smiled and said with concern, of course he wouldn't really settle accounts with Zhong Xiahuo for this kind of thing.

"The troops I brought are the most reliable and elite in the entire front army, and it is only fitting that they should surround the task force, please let me command the encirclement of the task force!" Zhong Xiahuo didn't want to give up the opportunity to face the most dangerous enemy easily.

Yang Zhengjin leaned into Liu Yun's ear: "Lao Zhong has a point, let him lead the temporary Praetorian Guard Division to be responsible for encircling the inner layer of the task force, after all, the task force still retains a certain combat effectiveness, and at this time, I can't fully trust them." ”

Liu Yun pondered for a few seconds, and then made a decision at the moment: "Okay, Commander Zhong, I order you, return to Jinzhou immediately after lunch, and command the Provisional Praetorian Guard Division to quickly assemble in Huairou, and then your department will be responsible for forming an inner encirclement of the task force, and eat now." ”

"Yes!" Zhong Xiahuo once again showed his bell-like deep voice, and at the same time glanced at Yang Zhengjin with a little gratitude.

Yang Zhengjin was as immobile as an old monk.

"It'......s time to eat," Luo Sulan shouted at the dinner table with an apron dangling a rice spoon like a housekeeper's wife, while Qianhua habitually served a plate of simple and fragrant home-cooked food to the dining table with a cold face.

"This young lady is ......" Seeing Qianhua at a glance, Zhong Xiahuo almost drooled.

"Don't recognize? This is Qianqian, you hugged her more than ten years ago. Liu Yun said with a smile.

"It's Qianqian, I really didn't expect it...... Hahaha, remember me? I'm your Uncle Zhong, hahaha......"

Inversely proportional to Zhong Xiahuo's enthusiasm, Qianhua just let out a faint "oh" and went into the kitchen to get busy again.

Liu Yun reluctantly explained: "She may be a little unaccustomed to coming with the task force...... Come, try the craftsmanship of Your Excellency the Minister of Culture and Education. ”

"The dishes here are all made by Qianhua, I'm just helping out." Russoland deliberately emphasized.

Liu Yun couldn't wait to knock over everyone present, and then swallow all the dishes made by his daughter alone.

The hand-cranked phone on the table rang untimely, and Yang Zhengjin, who was closest to the phone, picked it up.

"Hey...... Yes, well...... Knowing the road, continue to control the search and arrest, and report the situation at any time, over. ”

Yang Zhengjin put down the phone, leaned into Liu Yun's ear and whispered: "In the early hours of this morning, someone saw a four-star general walking alone near Zhihua Temple, I guess it should be Ma Chengwu." ”

Liu Yun twisted his eyebrows slightly: "The area around Zhihua Temple...... The headquarters of Camp Haw Par is located there, and the headquarters of Camp Haw Par was also destroyed in yesterday's attack on that area by a contingent of long-range rockets...... The question is where is he now? ”

"There are no clues yet, and I have ordered the Eagle Wolves to continue the search."

"We must catch them as soon as possible, I want to see where these bastards can escape......"

The next day, the ninth year of Guangxing, May 2, 1904, the sun was shining, and the public concession of Tianjin Zizhulin was very lively.

Since 1860, the Sino-British, Sino-French "Treaty of Beijing" stipulated that Tianjin was added as a commercial port, the great powers successively opened concessions in the area of Tianjin Zizhulin, and then gradually integrated into the public concessions of Britain, France, the United States, Russia, Germany and other countries, after the outbreak of the Sino-Russian War in 1903, the Russians were expelled from the concessions, but the other powers were not affected.

Three days ago, martial law began in Beijing, and the legations and civilians of Britain, France, the United States, Germany and other countries in the capital poured into Tianjin, and the Zizhulin Public Concession naturally became their first choice of stay.

British Minister Dou Nale at this time and all the personnel of the legation lived in a luxurious building in the public concession of Zizhulin, more than three o'clock in the afternoon, it was lying on the soft couch on the wide balcony while enjoying the warm sunshine while tasting the perfect time to taste strong tea and snacks, Dou Nale of course did not want to give up this beautiful activity of relaxing body and mind, originally Dou Nale also wanted to ask Mrs. Dou Nale to have afternoon tea together, but Mrs. Dou Nale decided to sleep a good afternoon because of the fatigue of the journey, Dou Nale had to invite the young embassy clerk Brand to accompany him, Rear Admiral Stinnow, a British military observer in China, and Army Lieutenant Crinthey, who were about to go to the front line of the Sino-Russian War, came to say goodbye, and the four of them got together and chatted.

"They were going to let me go to the Eastern Front and show me how a fortress that was supposedly impossible to attack had fallen at their hands...... Actually, I would rather go to the west, and I am much more interested in the Siberian wilderness than in the already crumbling fortress. The stocky Clinthian said, holding the teacup.

"The Russians say they can top Vladivostok for three years." Brand said.

The handsome and dashing Stineau shrugged his shoulders and smiled: "I think this war will end in three months at most, as long as the East Asian Combined Fleet destroys the Russian Second Pacific Fleet, the Tsar will no longer have any bets to make, and our Mr. Nikolai will not be crazy enough to want to abandon Europe and the Near East, I think he should not have any plans to move the capital to Siberia." ”

"Major, have you already decided that Russia will be defeated?" Dou Nale asked Stineau, rubbing his gray beard.

"My gut tells me that the Russian bears are out of luck this time, that they will lose even worse than they did in the Crimean War, and they have angered a terrible lion that can bite the entire bear paw in one bite." Stineau spread his hands and said, "If Russia falls, Mr. Minister, imagine what will become of Europe?" ”

"You mean Germany will benefit from this?" Dou Nale in a word.

"Yes, Germany, our Monsieur Wilhelm will take the opportunity to devour the assets of his cousin Nikolai, either join forces with Austria-Hungary in the Balkans, or march alone to Kyiv, and His Majesty Wilhelm II will gladly enjoy Ukrainian grain, coal and iron." Major Stineau looked forward-looking.

"In any case, Russia must not fall, otherwise the balance in Europe will be disrupted, and we in Britain must also work on this." Klinthi said.

"Gentlemen, it seems that you are still opposed to my policy of the United Nations." Dou Nale said unhappily.

"Mr. Minister, of course there are aspects of the United China policy that can be exploited, and it is precisely because of the treaty of alliance that we can send military observers or some other investigators to the Chinese army, so as to get to know them better, to discover their strengths and introduce them, and to find out their weaknesses and make use of them. But I insist on one thing, that the rising China and the East Asian Alliance are a great threat to the world order of the British Empire, and if we do not recognize this threat, sooner or later we will lose Asia, and even the whole world! Stineau said with an accentuated breath.

"What I want to know is, who is our biggest enemy at the moment?" Brand was a little confused.

"The whole world is our enemy, because the British Empire is the empire that controls the entire earth, and our alliance with any country is only for temporary use, and the British Empire does not need permanent friends." Dou Nale said.

"Mr. Minister, do you think that China will not be a threat to us in ten years?" Brand asked again.

"Maybe ten years, maybe three or five years, remember that this is a secret treaty that is not public, and once one of the two sides no longer needs the other, then the so-called treaty is automatically nullified." Dou Nale said.

The butler interjected and interrupted the conversation: "Excuse me, Mr. Minister, there is a Mr. Slan-Bernard who has asked to see him, and he has brought three Chinese with him." ”

"Ask him to come in." Dou Nale nodded, he still trusted Bernard, a secret intelligence agent stationed in China under the cover of the identity of the boss of Yuansheng Foreign Bank.

"Chinese? Mr. Bernard's servant? Even if it's a preacher, there's no need to take three servants out at once. Brand was puzzled.

Two minutes later, Bernard, dressed as a wealthy businessman, appeared on the balcony and took off his hat to greet everyone: "Gentlemen, it is a pleasure that we have met again, and this time I have brought a great gift to Mr. Minister." ”

"What gift?" Dounar didn't see anything in Bernard's hand.

Bernard smiled mysteriously, tilted his body slightly, and three Chinese in their thirties and forties appeared behind him.

"Who are they?" Dou Nale wondered.

"Three Chinese generals, this is Army General Ma Chengwu, Director of the Training Division of the Imperial General Staff, this is General Wu Dingguo, former Director of the Logistics Division of the Imperial General Staff, and this is Lieutenant General Chen Xingyun, former commander of the Third Field Army." Bernard introduced.

"Why are they here?" Dou Nale was even more puzzled.

"They ask for political asylum, and in exchange they will reveal to us many of the secrets of this empire." Bernard said.

"What kind of secret?" Dou Nale became interested.

"Many, many, from politics to economics, from military to technological...... Do you want to know how the real power center of the empire is formed and functioned? Do you want to know how this empire, which was originally thought to be decay and decay, came to life? Do you want to know the future military strategy of this empire? "Bernard is clearly hanging people's appetites.

"Will they tell the truth?" Dou Nale is an old traitor.

"Just ask, don't you want to try it?" Bernard winked at the crowd.

No one objected.