Chapter 32: I'll go with you to see Empress Dowager Cixi

  In early May 1898, the Qing government sent two envoys, Ma Xinyi and Luo Zongyou, to the British National Bank in London to pay the final installment of war reparations to Japan for the First Sino-Japanese War. The amount was 72.5 million taels of silver, equivalent to a large sum of pounds, which was received by Japanese embassy secretary Yamazaki Zenjirō. These historical events are still vividly remembered.

  Now it's mid-March, and time is pressing. Action must be taken immediately. Due to the painful lessons learned from the previous robbery incident, where the money was stolen from under their own noses, Japan cannot ask the Qing government for a single penny in compensation again. This time, the Japanese will definitely be on high alert, and security measures will be unprecedented.

  The previous heist succeeded mainly due to its unexpected nature, but attempting to repeat the same trick would be suicidal. Unlike last time, the intelligence personnel team of the Security Bureau has grown to a certain scale and can now assist Kang Fan. Due to the special nature of intelligence work, these individuals are all elites from the Jin Army, with top-notch cultural and military qualities, and high IQs.

  However, after careful consideration, Kang Fan chose 10 former members of the Blue Demon Team as his assistants. They were also veterans of the Qing Shengying Intelligence Unit, the predecessor to the Security Bureau, and had a deep understanding of Kang Fan's true abilities. They possessed exceptional individual qualities, were familiar with each other, and worked together seamlessly. Most importantly, they were absolutely trustworthy.

  Since the operation was taking place in London, it was best not to use guns to avoid triggering major diplomatic incidents. Therefore, the intelligence personnel would mainly use 96 military knives and hand-thrown poison gas bombs as their primary weapons, requiring high close combat skills from each individual. These intelligence personnel were all highly skilled in martial arts, with some having practiced since childhood, and could easily take down Kang Fan bare-handed.

  Due to the rapid development of Shanxi, the Beijing-Taiyuan railway was extremely busy, so Kang Fan chose a horse-drawn carriage for his trip to Beijing. The industrial system in Ningwu Prefecture had already enabled mass production of this new type of horse-drawn carriage, which had been improved with modern technology and had superior performance. The stud farms located within the jurisdiction of the Guiyang Military Supply Depot were also able to provide sufficient mules. As a result, these new carriages were widely used in various military and civilian departments in Ningwu Prefecture. Mei Xiang had also replaced her original carriage with the latest model, which showed great improvement in both driving performance and riding comfort. Kang Fan rode in Mei Xiang's carriage, but he was the one who drove it himself. The intelligence personnel drove six new carriages loaded with various supplies and gifts personally selected by Mei Xiang, a total of 12 people, and headed east.

  In addition to his own inseparable 92 pistol and 95 military knife, Kang Fan also brought a Mosin-Nagant rifle commonly used by the Jin army. This rifle performed well after being equipped with the Jin army, and the officers and soldiers' evaluation was not bad. The 10 intelligence personnel who came together were all carrying Mauser automatic pistols and 96 military knives.

  Principal, I heard that the Jin army will soon be using a new type of rifle designed by you personally. Is it true or false? An intelligence officer asked.

  Kang Fan nodded, yes, next year we can use this new rifle. As far as I know, this new rifle is at least 50 years ahead of the world's advanced level.

  Among the new-style weapons designed by Kangfan, only the 96 military knife and wooden handle grenade have been mass-produced so far. The others are either in development or trial production, still a distance from mass production. It is estimated that small batches of trial models can be issued to troops by the end of this year, and next year will definitely start the comprehensive replacement work.

  Go ahead and brag, Kang Fan. Mei Xiang poked her head out of the carriage and said, I'm not interested in guns, but this new-style horse-drawn carriage is indeed comfortable to sit in.

  Kang Fan laughed and said, "I originally planned to fly a plane, but thinking of landing in the imperial palace, I'm really worried that Guangxu and Cixi would be scared out of their wits and get sick, and it would be a crime of startling the emperor, which would not be worth it."

  It's really exciting! Mei Xiang also laughed.

  Kang Fan touched her icy face and said: Go back to the carriage, cover yourself with a quilted coat and take a nap. The spring chill has not dissipated yet, and the journey is still long, be careful not to catch a cold.

  Mei Xiang was obedient and withdrew her head. The canopy of the carriage compartment is made of high-strength synthetic fiber, which can block wind and rain, so Mei Xiang should be able to sleep very comfortably. Kang Fan pulled up the collar of his windbreaker and zipped it up to resist the sharp spring breeze.

  A wild boar was standing on the mountain ridge beside the official road, gazing far away in this direction, about 300 meters away, just within the effective range of Mosin-Nagant rifle. Kang Fan jumped off the horse cart, knelt down to shoot, and after the gunshot, the wild boar fell down with a thud. The intelligence personnel all applauded and cheered, one of them rode over to pick up the wild boar and bring it back. Dinner was settled.

  Mei Xiang hastily poked her head out, thinking she had encountered a bandit. Kang Fan hurriedly explained: It's nothing, just a wild boar.

  What's wrong with you, shooting a gun for no reason?! Did that wild boar provoke you?! Mei Xiang furrowed her brow.

  Kang Fan quickly put away his gun and stopped fighting.

  Mei Xiang glanced at him and then withdrew her head again.

  After dark, they stopped in a sheltered mountain valley, set up their tents, lit a bonfire and prepared to camp. Mei Xiang found the wild boar meat too gamey and refused to eat it. Kang Fan then picked out a can of tomato beef from the variety pack of military rations produced by Ningwu Fu Food Enterprise, heated it over the fire, cooked some millet porridge in an aluminum lunchbox, grabbed a few pieces of military biscuits and slipped into Mei Xiang's car.

  Plum fragrance, try our Jin army's field rations and see how they taste. Kang Fan said.

  Mei Xiang had just woken up and hadn't even had time to comb her hair, yet she possessed a natural and intimate beauty that left Kang Fan mesmerized.

  "What's wrong? What happened?" Mei Xiang asked.

  Kang Fan smiled and said nothing, just looking at his wife.

  Mei Xiang heard the term "wife" from his mouth for the first time, somewhat unexpectedly. Kang Fan, you finally admit that I am your wife?

  Kang Fan scratched his head in embarrassment, "Is it unpleasant to hear? If so, I won't call you that."

  It's a bit hard to hear, not as good as your wife. Mei Xiang smiled and said.

  Kang Fan didn't continue the conversation, carefully putting away the dishes and saying "Let's eat while it's hot, I'm going to hunt wild boar with my brothers."

  Mei Xiang held him tight, Kang Fan: I want to hear you call me 'wife' once.

  Kang Fan smiled, after I marry you, I will call you like this every day.

  But we can't go back to that era, Kang Fan. Are you going to spend your whole life not acknowledging me like this? Mei Xiang asked.

  Kang Fan's gaze became firm, and he said word by word: We must go back, we have to go back. If not, I will not be able to explain it to your parents... In that case, I would be a sinner for eternity.

  Mei Xiang no longer argued with him, lowered her head and ate silently. Kang Fan had wild boar meat with the intelligence personnel, then ordered them to return to their tent to rest, and he stood guard alone in the dark night. Several intelligence personnel came to change shifts after waking up in the middle of the night, and he crawled into Mei Xiang's car to sleep. Mei Xiang had slept all the way, so she wasn't sleepy at this moment, and was knitting a sweater for Kang Fan with a flashlight. Seeing him come in, she moved aside to let him sleep as comfortably as possible. Kang Fan lay down next to Mei Xiang, and they covered themselves with the same quilted coat. The quilted coat was warm and fragrant, and Kang Fan soon fell asleep.

  In the second half of the night, the sentry personnel and a pack of wolves had a fight, repelling the wolf pack's harassment of the war horses. This battle was not worth mentioning, but it made everyone lose their sleep, so they packed up and advanced in the dark. Mei Xiang didn't know when she fell asleep again, her woolen jacket thrown aside. Kang Fan pulled out an arm that had been tightly hugged by her, got up and drove the car.

  The sky brightened, the sun shone brightly, and the morning mist on the vast wilderness slowly dissipated. As they hastened along the way, they drew closer and closer to the capital city, and the number of travelers on the official road gradually increased. Villages and towns appeared in the distance, near and far, and the lively atmosphere attracted Meixiang. She poked her head out of the carriage, sat beside Kangfan, and gazed at the surrounding scenery with a pleasant mood. The cool spring breeze blew up her hair, and a few strands brushed against Kangfan's face, tickling him.

  Adolf and Red Hare have arrived, that's all. Mei Xiang said, "You and I are not at home, they run around by themselves, classmates will definitely feed them to be fat and old."

  Kang Fan said: That's fine, I'll approve their retirement from the army and let them focus on taking care of the family.

  It's best if you retire too and stay home with me. I'll fatten you up, said Mei Xiang.

  Kang Fan fell silent. Mei Xiang felt his heart trembling: for this young man with great ambitions, in such an era, it would be better to kill him than to let him live as a mediocre citizen. Although Mei Xiang was well aware of this, she couldn't help but want to express her inner wishes. She knew Kang Fan also wanted to live the way she hoped, but he was after all a man, and a soldier, driven by a sense of responsibility and mission that made him do things for his country, family, others, or himself.

  The motorcade entered the capital, and immediately there were palace guards coming to greet them. The intelligence personnel were arranged to rest at the post station, while Kang Fan and Mei Xiang went directly to the palace to meet Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi.

  Cixi actually liked Mei Xiang very much, first because of her elegant demeanor and beautiful features; secondly, she was highly skilled in medicine and proficient in English, a true combination of talent and beauty. Therefore, she intentionally kept her in the palace to serve, which had nothing to do with Ronglu's emotions, and Kang Fan was overthinking. However, unexpectedly Mei Xiang disregarded the privileged life in the palace, risking her life to insist on following Kang Fan back to Ningwu, which was not what Cixi had expected, leaving her feeling somewhat stifled. This time entering the palace, through Guangxu's mediation, Kang Fan and Mei Xiang finally had the opportunity to meet with Cixi together, only then did they understand the true circumstances, also dispelling their concerns.

  After Cixi carefully examined and treated Mei Xiang, she felt good and received Mei Xiang and Kang Fan in her bedroom. She spoke very kindly to them, without any of the majesty of an empress dowager. After listening to Guangxu's introduction, she became interested in Kang Fan.

  You are such an extraordinary person, what opinions do you have on the recent discussions of reform in the imperial court? Cixi asked.

  Kang Fan saw Empress Dowager Cixi for the first time and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe: this woman, who had been through two Qing dynasties, Tongzhi and Guangxu, was a strong and capable leader. Regardless of her merits or demerits, her achievement in rising to the highest decision-making position in China and maintaining stability for nearly half a century was already a great feat in history. If he wasn't mistaken, Empress Dowager Cixi should be a 63-year-old old woman by now. Apart from her luxurious attire, Kang Fan couldn't see anything unusual about her.

  Mei Xiang saw that he hadn't spoken for a long time, so she secretly pulled on his sleeve. Kang Fan understood and hurriedly said: "In my humble opinion, the idea of reform is very good, aiming to make our country rich and strong, stabilize the society, and bring happiness to the people. However, our Qing dynasty has inherited thousands of years of Chinese culture, and suddenly adopting Western policies may be difficult for everyone from top to bottom to adapt to. If the implementation of reforms is hindered, it may lead to political turmoil and instability among the people. We need to take some time, use Western strategies as a reference, take their essence, remove their dross, and combine them with the essence of Chinese culture to come up with suitable policies. We should not simply copy and paste, taking both the good and the bad. Each country has its own national conditions, each family has its own rules, and they are all different. It's absolutely impermissible to take someone else's skin and graft it onto our flesh. Therefore, reform cannot be rushed, and we must not try to achieve everything at once. We should proceed gradually, think deeply, and act with caution."

  Cixi nodded in approval after listening and asked: What's your view on this?

  Kang Youwei said: The Qing Empire has vast territory and rich resources, with superior conditions for developing a strong economy. However, its modern technology lags far behind that of Western powers, resulting in the slow development of agriculture, industry, and commerce. The standard of living of its people is incomparable to that of Western powers. Malnutrition is widespread among the population. The problem of food and clothing has not been solved, let alone other issues.

  Agriculture is the foundation of a nation, and industry is the foundation of a strong nation. For thousands of years, we have relied on agriculture to establish our country, but we have not changed the old practice of relying on heaven for food. When natural disasters occur, refugees gather, and this becomes the main cause of internal chaos. The current plan should first focus on vigorously developing agriculture, forcibly promoting policies that encourage farming, advocating for the adoption of new agricultural technologies such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and machinery, popularizing advanced cultivation and planting techniques, building drought-resistant and flood-resistant agricultural water conservancy facilities, establishing industrial enterprises and transportation facilities that serve agriculture. If grain and cotton are abundant, animal husbandry, agricultural product processing industries will naturally flourish. When agriculture flourishes, the development of industry has a reliable foundation, and prosperity is reasonable. When industry prospers, the manufacture of modern military equipment becomes easy, and finance, medicine, education, commerce, and other industries that serve industry will also prosper, this is a logical sequence of events.

  I estimate that if we do it this way, within twenty years our country will surely become rich. When the country is rich, the people will also be rich and the military will also be strong. For now, let's not make major changes to the political system; minor adjustments can be made, but making major changes may lead to chaos. It's absolutely impermissible to rush forward recklessly. After the country becomes rich and the people become strong, it won't be too late to make major changes in accordance with the circumstances.

  Cixi turned her head and looked at Guangxu, asking: Does Gongzhifu's view agree with you?

  Guangxu smiled and said: "What Governor Kang said is quite right, but it's been twenty years already!"

  Cixi looked at Kang Fan and then at Mei Xiang, smiled and nodded. The two heroes and beauties, talented men and women, were indeed made in heaven. It was a delightful sight to behold.

  Kang Fan and Mei Xiang exchanged a smile, bowed their heads in courtesy. Mei Xiang said: Thank you for the compliment, Empress Dowager.

  Cixi suddenly smiled mysteriously and asked Kang Fang, what happened to the money and goods that were looted from the Japanese pirates by Governor Kang?

  Kang Fan also smiled knowingly, and nowadays, the construction funds for Shanxi and Tianjin are all allocated from here.

  "Is the money for the Jingtao Railway also coming from here?" Cixi asked again.

  Kang Fan replied: Exactly.

  Cixi smiled with satisfaction. Last year, Shanxi submitted more taxes to the imperial court than in previous years, which was just what they needed when the national treasury was empty and silver was flowing out of the country in large quantities. This money was like a timely snowfall that helped to alleviate the imperial court's urgent needs. Governor Kang must have done a great job.

  Kong Fan replied: This is within my official duties. The Empress Dowager's words are heavy.

  Cixi took out a pair of jade-carved mandarin ducks and said: The money plundered by the Japanese pirates in Kangzhifu was obtained through personal efforts, so it could be kept for personal use without interference from the imperial court. I have heard that Hu Ping and others reported to the throne: You are selfless and uncorrupted, using all the money you got for local construction, enriching our land and water. Such great righteousness is truly admirable! This pair of white jade mandarin ducks is bestowed upon you two as a token of my appreciation.

  She happily accepted it and couldn't help but admire it: This is a pair of mandarin ducks carved from white jade, each about the size of a palm, round and bright, perfect and flawless, exquisite and unparalleled.

  Cixi said: This is sheep fat white jade, produced in Kunlun Mountain. The two jades were born together, which is very magical. Now that the two of you have obtained this beautiful jade, you should cherish it together and keep it well, don't disappoint me.

  Kang Fan and Mei Xiang thanked them repeatedly, overjoyed.

  Cixi asked: I heard that Kang Zhi Fu can come and go freely in the world, summoning wind and rain. Is this true?

  Kong Fan couldn't help but be surprised: How did you find out about this so quickly? The imperial court's information is indeed very efficient! He then said: Your humble servant and his fellow clansmen have jointly created a machine called an airplane, which can ascend to the sky and fly. If Her Majesty is willing, she may accompany your humble servant on a ride in the airplane to play among the clouds.

  Cixi hastily said: Spare him. Let Governor Kang handle it himself.

  Guangxu said on the side: "Governor Kang can indeed be called a divine man."

  Kang Fan smiled and said, "With the help of machines, anyone can go to heaven and enter the sea, it's not that mysterious. The emperor's praise is enough to intimidate the lower officials."

  Guangxu said: The Qing Dynasty has 40 million people, and the one who goes against heaven is only you! What's wrong with my words this time?

  Cixi smiled and said: I heard that the sedan chair of Kang Zhi Prefecture has eight feet walking, with a sound like thunder, spitting clouds and mist, rushing wind and lightning, and mountains and rivers are not afraid, as if treading on flat ground. Is it true?

  Kang Fan said: This is also a car. Nowadays, powerful countries already have it, and domestically, you can see some foreigners using it. However, the foreign cars are far inferior to the official sedan!

  Cixi smiled and said: Wei Yuan advocated 'learning the strengths of the barbarians to control them'. Now, Gong's skills are far superior to those of the barbarians. How can we still advocate for it? It should be you foreigners who worship him as a teacher.

  Mr. Wei Yuan devoted his life to worrying about the country and its people, and was indeed a pioneer of our nation's ideas of changing the law and becoming strong. I, as a junior official, have always admired Mr. Wei's thoughts and therefore traveled far to America, where I studied hard and made a vow to become strong. I, along with my fellow clansmen who followed our ancestors to grow up in America from childhood, received their teachings, and diligently studied the advanced Western technology, facing the wall for over twenty years before achieving today's knowledge, which is exactly what is meant by "learning from the barbarians' strengths to control them".

  Guangxu said: Reform must be carried out, and there is no time to wait.

  Cixi looked at Meixiang and smiled: "I don't know whether it's Meixiang's cleverness or the Western doctor's unique skills, but now that my illness has been treated by Meixiang, I feel much more comfortable."

  Mei Xiang said: Traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine have their own strengths, and there is no distinction between the two. The key is to treat symptoms first.

  Cixi took Meixiang's hand and hoped she could stay in the palace for a few more days to accompany her in eating and sleeping.

  Mei Xiang turned her head to look at Kang Fan. Kang Fan hastily said: The Empress Dowager's kindness is already great, I will follow your instructions.

  Later, Kang Fan heard from Mei Xiang that Cixi didn't have any serious illness. The imperial doctors in the palace had been taking good care of her body every day, but no matter how advanced their medical skills were, they couldn't compare to Mei Xiang's modern beauty techniques and health preservation methods. Cixi was amazed by Mei Xiang's skills and loved the new and unusual beauty products that Mei Xiang used on her. Therefore, if Mei Xiang couldn't teach Cixi her skills thoroughly, she definitely wouldn't be able to leave. As for those beauty products and various daily chemical products, Ningwu Fu had plenty of them, and they could be sent to the palace whenever needed. Kang Fan listened and smiled wryly.