Chapter Thirty-Five: The Siege of Zhong Ji

  I smiled and said: "A very backward and corrupt social system, relying solely on one person's power, with minor repairs and minor patches"

  It's useless, a major surgery is needed! Think about it, which system from top to bottom is still reasonable? Since there's nothing reasonable, why keep it? Don't consider me, I'm first and foremost a Chinese person, and secondly the current emperor. So, I have to think about the issue as a Chinese person! You can rest assured that I will work with you to smash it and rebuild a bright new China together! There's too much to say, not just one or two sentences can clarify it. If you're willing to stay, don't leave, follow me in the fight to overthrow the corrupt Qing dynasty! Also, let me tell you that Beijing is already under our control, and Cixi has also been controlled by me. I think controlling the situation is no longer a big problem, but how to implement new policies, how to build our country, make it strong and prosperous, this is our major task! I hope you can contribute more to the construction of New China!"

  Tan Sitong immediately knelt down and said: "Your humble subject—"

  I pulled him up with one hand: "Since it's a revolution, we must start from now on. From now on, except for temporarily pretending in the imperial court, we can't implement this kneeling and bowing ceremony! Come, get up and talk!"

  Tan Sitong stood up and said: "Tan Sitong awaits your orders, Your Majesty!"

  I said to Zhang Dezhai: "I will write a letter, you immediately send someone with Mr. Tan to the military school, and hand over the letter to Governor Zhang Zhidong! At the same time, ask the brothers in Tianjin to investigate Li Hongzhang's every move, and quickly send me the news by carrier pigeon. I'll take the car to Tianjin at dawn, and let them secretly meet me!"

  "Yes, I'll go and take care of it right away!"

  Back in the house, three people were already lying on their beds and had fallen asleep. I remembered that tomorrow I still need to go pay respects to that old thing and see how she's doing after yesterday's scare. Then I'll have to take her to see Li Hongzhang too!

  Didn't disturb them, brought Yan'er back to the bedroom, **was crazy for a while**, and the two of them slept together in each other's arms.

  As soon as the sky brightened, I saw that the swallow was gone. I knew she had gone to carry out our coup plan. I put on my clothes, took up my gun and walked into the room where Cixi was being held.

  The old lady was still lying in bed. When she saw me coming, she patted the bedside and said: "Come over here, your aunt is now under your control, can't eat you anymore!"

  I sat down beside her and said: "How's Empress Dowager doing? Did she sleep well?"

  She indignantly said: "What else can I do, let you toss and turn until now my waist is sore and legs are aching! Are you not satisfied with the Empress Dowager being alive and blocking your way? Do you want the Empress Dowager to die early?"

  I immediately said: "The child does not dare, the child hopes that the queen mother will be healthy and live long, help the child to take control of the helm, make a decision! Also let the prince can inherit in front of his mother, let his mother enjoy the joy of family!"

  She stared at me blankly and said: "You really think so?"

  I nodded and said, "Really, but I don't want the Empress Dowager to intervene in politics again. The good rivers and mountains of China will be squandered by those treacherous officials you trust! Now almost all the powers of the world have come to China, surrounding China and wanting to divide it up. If the Empress Dowager continues to believe in those treacherous officials who deceive the country and its people, not only will the Qing dynasty be finished, but this land of China will also be divided into seven or eight pieces by foreign powers! We'll all become slaves to foreigners! I just hope you can be a good mother, a good Empress Dowager, and take care of your grandchildren for me!"

  Cixi asked again: "Did you really kill Li Lianying?"

  I nodded: "He's a scourge, if we don't kill him, it'll be hard to calm down the people's anger!"

  Cixi squeezed out two tears and said, "Bury him well, after all, he brought a lot of joy to Mother! Mother became a widow at the age of 26 and lived alone in an empty house. Those lonely days were really hard to bear!"

  I said: "In a few days I'll find you an old partner, and accompany you through your later years!"

  She sighed and said in a low voice: "It's up to you now, anyway I'm your prisoner, I have to listen to you! You've been ill for so many years, the Empress Dowager has always said that you are obedient to her, but it turns out that you were just biding your time. Now that you think your wings are strong enough, you can fight against those people, and you kick me aside? But do you know who really holds the power in the Qing court?"

  I smiled and said, "Of course it's in the hands of Empress Dowager Cixi, but I also understand what she means. I'll go to the Tianjin Zhili Governor's Office right away and discuss some important military and national affairs with him!"

  Cixi sighed: "You're still too tender, you can't outdo him. If you must go, I'll accompany you, relying on my old face, we can still intimidate him!"

  I immediately exclaimed with joy: "Great, now that the Empress Dowager has taken action, I guarantee that the Beiyang Fleet will be in our hands! Now all the other fleets are looking at Li Hongzhang, if he doesn't hand it over, the other fleets won't be able to get their hands on it either! If the three major fleets don't intensify their training, when the Japanese come, we'll be in big trouble!"

  Cixi smiled and said, "Don't try to scare me with that little Japanese thing anymore. That's something you made up to seize power from Empress Dowager. Does it have several heads? How dare it challenge the great Qing dynasty? If my fleet advances a bit, they'll be scared out of their wits!"

  I said solemnly, "Was the Empress Dowager deceived by their lies? Although Japan is small, its ambition is not! Now our Qing dynasty is in a precarious situation both domestically and internationally, with weak national power, scattered troops, and it would be difficult to resist the Japanese army like tigers and wolves if we really fought!"

  Cixi waved her hand and said: "Alright, I won't argue with you anymore! Son, please step aside for a moment, Mother needs to get dressed!"

  I said: "Mother, just put it on, anyway, you that little secret thing, the child has already appreciated it yesterday! How? Do you need the child to help you wear it?"

  Cixi smiled and said: "Alright then, you can give it to your mother to wear."

  I didn't have the habit of eating your tofu, I called over the palace maidens and stood beside them as they helped Empress Dowager Cixi get dressed. I turned around to ask Xiao Caizi: "Have you seen if the carriage has arrived?"

  The little fellow ran out and in a moment he came running back: "He's here, it's Master Fei who has come!" I went forward and hugged the old thing saying: "Empress Dowager, let's go!"

  I carried her into the car and had her sit in the front, sandwiched between me and Fei. The oil tanker, after Yan's modifications, had become a standard armored vehicle, with my ten guards and Zhen fully armed inside, manning a heavy machine gun and nine assault rifles through various shooting ports, aiming at the outside.

  Weng Tonghe has also arrived. I told him to bring three thousand men and work with Sheng Yu to control the situation in Beijing, make good preparations for my assumption of power, and I will be away for two days.

  "Wong Tong said, 'Don't worry, the three big camps' horses have also been pushed to the edge of the city, and the defenses within the city are impenetrable! There are several iron-hat kings who will take care of things. Don't forget, Prince Chun is the father of the Emperor himself!'"

  I said: "Don't just point at them, you also lend a hand, mainly don't make trouble!"

  Weng Tonghe repeatedly agreed.

  As we got on the car, Fei told me while driving: "Yan'er and others have already set off, everything is going according to the original plan!"

  The carriage left the city of Beijing and ran on the bumpy gravel road, Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly burst out laughing: "You said to change the car for me, this is great, it's changed into a prison cart that confines me!"

  I said: "No way, China has let you guys be bullied too much, if I don't take action now everything will be finished!"

  "Mother has already said that she will hand over the power to you, and Auntie will take care of the children for you from now on. Why don't you still believe Mother?"

  I laughed: "You're an old hand in official circles, will you easily hand over power to me? Who would believe that, and the kid is also not to be underestimated!"

  Tianjin, in ancient times was an ocean, during the Warring States period there were scattered people living here. The Han and Sui dynasties excavated canals here, gradually becoming a strategic location. During the Song and Liao periods this place was on the front line, Jin and Yuan called it Jingu. In the Ming dynasty, Haijin Town was established, later taking the meaning of Tianzi Crossing to commemorate the Ming Chengzu Zhu Di's seizure of power, renamed Tianjin, and built a city wall and established the Tianjin Garrison. During the Qing dynasty, it was a directly controlled state. Tianjin is an important gateway to the capital Beijing. After more than two hours, our car arrived at the edge of Tianjin City, a pigeon flew in from the open window and landed on my leg. Cixi looked at me and said: "Do you have any other plans? Don't you trust your mother? Don't you trust Li Hongzhang?"

  I laughed: "This is what you old man taught, what's it called, being on guard against others is indispensable!"

  I took the paper strip brought by the pigeon and saw that it was Zhang Zhidong's handwriting, which read: "Everything is ready!" I handed the paper strip to Fei'er, she looked at it and said: "This is our first battle!"

  The car arrived at the gate of the Zhili Governor's Mansion in Tianjin, and a military officer-like person led more than a dozen fully armed soldiers to surround the car. I stuck my head out of the car door and said: "Tell Governor Li that the Empress Dowager has come to inspect your place!"

  The officer, upon hearing this, hastily ran into the house. A moment later, the large gate opened and a group of armed men rushed out, standing at attention on either side with their guns at the ready. Then, a man with a red nose and wearing a round sable fur hat with a ruby-red top, which stood out starkly against the snowy backdrop, emerged from the house. He was dressed in a winter uniform and had a flecked white goat beard that reached down to his chest. I knew at once that this was Li Hongzhang, the Governor-General of Zhili.

  Li Hongzhang, a Chinese politician and general of the late Qing dynasty, founder and commander-in-chief of the Huai Army, and a key figure in the Self-Strengthening Movement. His courtesy names were Zihong and Jifang, and his pseudonyms were Shaohuan and Yishou. He was from Hefei, Anhui Province, and was one of the main forces behind the Empress Dowager Cixi's rule.

  I had just opened the car door and was about to get out when Cixi suddenly shouted: "Li Aiqing, immediately eliminate Guangxu, he is a remnant of the Boxer Rebellion disguised as him! He is kidnapping me!"

  Li Xianglin grabbed the old man's neck, and I flew down to lift Li Hongzhang onto the car. Then, with a press of a button, the front windshield and doors were covered by thick steel plates, turning the car into an iron fortress.

  The officers and soldiers who were stunned outside immediately reacted and wanted to retreat, but they did not escape the bullets fired by Fei's command, and the ground was piled with the bodies of Li Hongzhang's personal soldiers.

  But the Beiyang Army was like flies smelling blood, gathering more and more, surrounding us.

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