Chapter 61: Bustling

  "...often getting into danger is indeed a helpless move of a child, but the Beiyang (warlord) is still a regional power compared to Japan's national strength, and the difference in strength is obvious. If Changzhou (a city in Jiangsu province) were to take risks, the Qing dynasty would be in danger... The Beiyang army is weak and not a match for Japan. Japan is different from other Western powers, what they want is not just indemnities, but also territorial concessions... Now I am using all my strength to persuade Hefei (a city in Anhui province) to fight with all its might, I dare not imagine that Hefei will win by luck, I only hope that when negotiating with Japan, we can reduce their arrogance, whether it's ceding territory or paying indemnities, as long as it's within a range that the Qing dynasty can bear... If not, the Beiyang (warlord) will lose without fighting, and the Japanese will become even more aggressive, then China will be in danger..."

  This is a letter written by Tan Yanqing to his father, Tan Zhonglin. He thinks that now giving Li Hongzhang the opportunity to set up a trap for Weng Tonghe, no matter what the outcome is, Weng Tonghe will definitely be finished, it's just a matter of time. The old man is after all Weng Tonghe's closest friend, although he doesn't think much of Weng Tonghe in his heart, but he also needs to explain things to Tan Zhonglin.

  "...Looking at the current situation in Changshu, the main battle is just approaching Hefei. Father wrote a letter to persuade Hefei to surrender, and I secretly thought that it would lead to resentment in Changshu's heart. But unexpectedly, Chuxiu Palace sent a message to Hefei saying: 'War'...I have already sent a telegram to the Yangtze Weaving Factory, and 100,000 taels of silver are ready. Father should donate 50,000 taels to the Empress Dowager and 50,000 taels to the Beiyang Government to show loyalty to the emperor and love for the country...I am now involved in such a big matter for the first time, and I feel that I didn't listen enough to father's teachings in the past. However, with the urgency of the event, there is no room for retreat, and my heart is filled with thoughts of father's guidance every day, fearing that I will make mistakes and harm the country...Until now, I anxiously await your instructions, respectfully yours."

  As he entered the government, Tan Yankai realized that the First Sino-Japanese War was so complex and changeable. The war had just begun, but the domestic political situation was already chaotic. Various "heroes" were watching Beiyang with wide eyes. In his letter to Lao Daizi, he eagerly hoped to get guidance from him. This feeling is not fake. "The book arrives when it's needed", although Tan Yankai had previously taught Lao Daizi a lot of experience in political struggle, otherwise he wouldn't have come up with the plan to set up Weng Tonghe, but now he really hoped to get on-the-spot guidance from Lao Daizi.

  This was also the first time that Tan Yankai personally intervened in the top-level game of the country. Compared to the previous times when he sent messages to Zhang Zhidong, this time joining Li Hongzhang's government to plan the Sino-Japanese conflict was nothing. Only by being in the midst of it can one discover many secrets that were previously unknown to others. The old man spared no effort in collecting insider information on the political scene, but he only knew a little more than outsiders. What he relied on was using the data in his hands to make inferences, and at most, this ability to infer was not something that ordinary people could achieve. However, this time Tan Yankai personally participated in it, whether domestically or internationally, seeing how the Beiyang system responded was an opportunity for him in itself.

  Tan Yanqing had just joined Li Hongzhang's government and was not very clear about how the Beiyang system worked internally. However, from what he had come into contact with, the Beiyang system was undoubtedly quite efficient, which also reflected its strength from one side. In his past memories, people's understanding of the Beiyang system basically started from the end of the Qing government, created by Yuan Shikai and his subordinates. However, Tan Yanqing had to admit that Yuan Shikai and his subordinates only expanded the power of the Beiyang system nationwide. If they were training new-style land armies now, their strength would surpass that of Yuan Shikai's Beiyang system - at this time, the power of the Beiyang system was very introverted, although it was full of contradictions and crises both internally and externally, but it was extremely powerful.

  "No wonder so many people want to shout and kill Old Li, this guy's family background is too thick, the army is in Tianjin, just a stone's throw away from Beijing. Those Manchu people aren't just eyeing the silver, if Li Hongzhang were to rebel, at least taking down Beijing wouldn't be too difficult...". Tan Yankai worked in Li Hongzhang's office while also visiting other government departments, trying to get a deeper understanding of the situation within the Beiyang government. This kind of opportunity wasn't something that came along every day.

  Thinking of the coup in 1898, Tang Shangyun felt that the Reform Party would pin their hopes on the new army trained by his classmate, so he shook his head with a wry smile. If only he were Li Hongzhang, it would be great to directly overthrow the Manchu nobles in Beijing and avoid being called a traitor. Unfortunately, even if he used all his might, he wouldn't rebel like Li Hongzhang, and in this regard, he was similar to his teacher Zeng Guofan.

  During the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods, many high-ranking officials in the imperial court were muddled by external influences. People like Weng Tonghe, Pan Zuyin, and even Zhang Zhidong, who were considered to be of high moral character, were actually empty vessels with hot blood, just like Zhang Peilun, who made impractical remarks. Once they were sent to the battlefield, they would be the first to flee. The so-called "men of integrity" all regarded Zhang Peilun as a shame, and even more so after he married into the Li Hongzhang family. Little did they know that in essence, they were not much different from Zhang Peilun themselves.

  The current court is obviously dominated by the Weng Tonghe faction, which is loudly advocating for war. People like Weng Tonghe have a significant influence on the current political scene in Qing China, as many believe that after Empress Dowager Cixi's 60th birthday celebration, she will retire to the Yiheyuan Garden and no longer interfere with politics, leaving Emperor Guangxu to take over, at least on the surface. At this time, Weng Tonghe is still very prominent and dazzling, but only a few people, such as Zhang Zhidong, Li Hongzhang, and Tan Zhonglin, can see through the future political situation clearly because they are themselves important influencers of Qing China's political order. As for the decision-maker, it is still Empress Dowager Cixi, who holds all the power. The character "war" in the Shouxigong Palace immediately hardened Li Hongzhang's attitude, and he unequivocally expressed his intention to break with Japan to the Grand Council, revealing the depth of influence.

  You Tong led the way, and Huang Shaoji, Ding Lijun, Wang Renkan and other "new generation" Qing officials all signed up to advocate for war. For a time, the imperial court was filled with grand emotions, everyone spoke loudly and made high-sounding arguments, each one becoming an extraordinary genius... Meanwhile, Grand Minister Sun Yuwen and others were quietly observing the further development of the situation in the imperial court.

  In the Central Military Commission, it was nominally the highest military institution, but in reality, it had no actual power. The Minister of War had no real authority, and the Grand Councilors who were responsible for military affairs were mostly Confucian scholars who did not understand military matters, let alone modern warfare knowledge. At that time, the Grand Council was still composed of personnel formed during the Sino-French War 10 years ago, with Prince Gong Shaoyuan as the head, and Grand Councilors including E Leshan, Zhang Zhidong, Sun Yuwen, and later Xu Yongyi. Although Prince Gong had a high rank, he was mediocre in talent and had no achievements, only good at flattering and taking bribes, making him a nominal puppet. E Leshan was old and rarely went out, and Zhang Zhidong was also an old man who spent his time painting and writing for pleasure. The two were mediocre in talent. The actual power of the Grand Council was controlled by Sun Yuwen.

  It's also interesting to note that Sun Yuwen and Weng Tonghe had a very deep grudge - when Sun Yuwen's father, Minister Sun Ruizhen, wanted his son to become the top scorer in the imperial examination, he invited Weng Tonghe, who was from the same province, to their home and kept him talking until midnight, allowing his own son to go back to his room to sleep. However, this tactic ultimately failed, and Weng Tonghe still became the top scorer, but it ruined the friendship between the two families, and Weng Tonghe and Sun Yuwen became lifelong enemies.

  Sun Yudang relied on his uncle, Prince Gong, and externally collaborated with Li Hongzhang, holding great power in his hands. He was a figure who seemed to be invincible. After the death of Prince Gong in 1889, the power of the Grand Council fell into his hands. Xu Yongyi was a student of Sun Yudang's uncle, Sun Ji, and usually relied on the Sun family without any achievements. However, at this point, it is undeniable that Sun Yudang took control of the Grand Council, and in this arena, Weng Tonghe's faction could not even get a foothold.

  The "war" character given by Cixi to Li Hongzhang was naturally clear to Sun Yudang, who had a good relationship with Li. Sun was the most trusted by Cixi, and more importantly, he had formed an alliance with Li Lianying, which made Li Hongzhang, as a territorial minister, willing to form an alliance with Sun at all costs in order to accurately grasp Cixi's true attitude.

  Li Hongzhang did not have any secrets from Sun Yuwen, and his intention to negotiate was very clear in Sun's mind. However, the "war" character of Empress Dowager Cixi made Li a bit uncertain, and he would never believe that she would want to fight wholeheartedly on her own birthday. In just two days, Sun gave Li an accurate answer - Empress Dowager Cixi was indeed pro-war, but what she wanted was to demonstrate national prestige, and it had to be ended within a short period of time, and ultimately could not delay the Wan Shou celebration!

  "The Empress Dowager wages war to save face, while Weng Shu-ping wages war to gain fame... However, the Empress Dowager and Weng Shu-ping are different. The Empress Dowager also has to consider the public opinion of the world. If she really delays the Wan Shou celebration... it will be time for the Empress Dowager to find a scapegoat to quickly negotiate a peace treaty. At that time, whether it's losing power and humiliating the country or ceding territory and paying indemnities, all these infamous names will be concentrated on that scapegoat..."

  This time, Li Hongzhang held a secret meeting in the secret room and did not exclude Tang Shaoyi. This was also his first time entering the core circle of Beiyang to participate in decision-making. When everyone outside was shouting for war, no one expected that Li Hongzhang, who had advocated for breaking with Japan yesterday, would discuss how to negotiate a peace treaty with Beiyang in this secret room today.

  No matter whether he was willing or not, Tang Shaoyi had to admit that making peace was the only way out - the Beiyang government was solid and strong, but its leader, old Li, did not want to fight in his heart. Even if old Li were willing to fight, it's not certain that they could defeat Japan; the equipment and morale of the Beiyang Navy were there for all to see. The Jiyuan could sink a ship twice its size, the Sei Island, but luck played too great a role, and Tang Shaoyi, who knew well the Japanese saying "good fortune is at hand", did not believe that miracles would always happen. However, his idea of making peace was different from Li Hongzhang's - the only way to avoid another humiliating treaty like the Treaty of Shimonoseki in history was to engage Japan in a real battle with real swords and guns, to fight this war with full force, and to severely damage Japan so as to reduce its extortion.

  "Perhaps the last scapegoat will still be me?!" Li Hongzhang said with a cold smile.

  "If Nakahara-sama relaxes his hand in the relationship between China and Japan, there is no doubt that Nakahara will become a target of criticism from all over the world. The Empress Dowager may not think so, but Weng Shuping has calculated it this way. At that time, it would be Weng Shuping's chance to make his move... Hehe, Qingliu? I used to be one, and I know its benefits better than anyone else..." Zhang Peilan said with a smile.

  Those who can participate in this secret meeting are all Li Hongzhang's confidants - his son-in-law Zhang Peilun, adopted son Li Jingfang, Zhili Provincial Governor Zhou Fu, document officer Yu Shimeng, and Tang Bowen, who is in charge of military industry. Except for Tang Bowen, the others have been following Li Hongzhang for a long time and are all his think tanks. During his stay in Beiyang, Tan Yankai had the most contact with Li Jingfang, Zhou Fu, and Yu Shimeng. As for Tang Bowen, he was busy with the Tianjin Machinery Bureau until two hours ago and only arrived at the Zhili Governor's Office, where he just exchanged greetings with Tan Yankai.

  Perhaps due to his background, Tang Yanqi was most interested in Zhou Fu and Yu Shimian, but they had only just met, and for the past two days, he had been busy dealing with Li Jingfang. Except when Li Hongzhang occasionally called someone over to ask him questions, all his energy was focused on international relations, which was crucial for war and also related to Li Hongzhang's confidence in making a decisive battle with Japan - only by thoroughly dispelling Li Hongzhang's illusions about the major powers could he really fight Japan to the death; the sooner this matter was handled, the better.

  Boasting, there will always be a time to finish the fight. If one day China and Japan are both exhausted in this war, there must be a bridge between the two countries. Whether you like it or not, the Western powers are the real ones who clean up the mess. In this era, national strength will determine the country's position. At this time, no country in the Far East can withstand the attack of the Western powers. The seemingly powerful Qing Empire is just a paper tiger. Even if there is the ability to fight a protracted war, the rulers led by the Manchu nobles will be the first to surrender.

  "Although the powers have the strength to mediate this dispute, the powers are composed of many countries, each with different interests, which means that the powers are not united and there are also contradictions among them. The focus of this dispute is on Korea, and the Japanese idea is simple - at least occupy Korea and completely drive out the Qing Dynasty from Korea. If the war becomes very favorable to Japan, it will not rule out a direct attack on our great Qing Dynasty, such as Shengjing and other places may be attacked by the Japanese, so the most important battlefield is Korea, and some important military regions in the north may also become battlefields..." Tan Yankai said.

  Tan Yankai was not interested in the internal struggle, so he framed Weng Tonghe because Weng's actions had already threatened Li Hongzhang's core interests to the extent that it affected the outcome of the Sino-Japanese War. As the "king of troublemakers", Tan Yankai would not allow Weng to disrupt his plans. In the words of the old master, the "clear stream" was just a pawn in Empress Dowager Cixi's hands, used to balance the foreign affairs faction and the conservative faction. When useful, it was used; when useless, it was beheaded or dismissed as a scapegoat.

  Weng Tonghe is a clean stream, and he may not have done anything bad in his life, and even did some good things - Yang Naiwu and Xiao Baicai were able to turn the case around only because Weng Tonghe was behind them as a backing. However, this is just an appearance. The result of the case is actually the competition between the Jiangsu-Zhejiang faction led by Weng Tonghe and the increasingly arrogant Li Hongzhang-led Hunan-Hubei faction. Empress Dowager Cixi poured cold water on Li Hongzhang, directly leading to a turning point in the case. When the beautiful outer packaging is opened, the ugly essence will be exposed under people's eyelids. Sacrificing Weng Tonghe for the final outcome of the First Sino-Japanese War was a very cost-effective move!

  "I and Zong'an have analyzed it in detail, among the major powers, only Britain and Russia can really play a role. These two powers have deep contradictions in their interests in the Far East, especially north of the Yangtze River, and with the grudges on the European side, they will inevitably form two opposing factions led by Britain and Russia on the Korean issue. From the perspective of the balance of power among the major powers, Britain's interests are paramount in our Qing dynasty, and the entire Yangtze River basin is within Britain's sphere of influence, making it difficult for other powers to intervene. Zhang Nanpi's foreign industries in Hubei are almost all British machinery, not because he doesn't want to buy machines from other powers, but because the British have restricted other countries. From this perspective, the British will inevitably offend other powers and stand more on the side of Russia..." Li Jingfang said with a smile.

  After Li Jingfang and Tang Shaoyi spent a few days together, at least in his own opinion, Tang Shaoyi was a very pleasant person to get along with, with a broad vision. Perhaps due to his own bias, he felt that his brother-in-law Zhang Peilun was too different from Tang Shaoyi. Tang Shaoyi also made a conscious effort to flatter Li Jingfang, thinking that Li was a good pawn. As a newcomer to the Beiyang clique, it was more appropriate for Li to speak on some matters. Therefore, after reaching an agreement with Li on the main points of the international situation, he let Li take center stage. Who was the protagonist and who was the supporting actor did not matter to Tang at this time. Coming to Beiyang was just to get familiar with the place, observe carefully the interest group that had a significant impact on modern Chinese history, and the rest was unimportant. If he could create more trouble for Japan through this, it would be an unexpected gain.