Chapter 26: The Actual Ruler of the Qing Dynasty (Seeking Subscription and Support)

  If Guangxu is the nominal ruler of the Forbidden City and the Qing Dynasty, then the actual ruler is the 55-year-old Empress Dowager Cixi who lives in the Zhongcui Palace. Since Guangxu's accession to the throne, Empress Dowager Cixi has been controlling the government from behind the scenes, especially after the sudden death of Empress Ci'an, no one can balance her power. Even though she returned the power to Guangxu last year, she still controls the entire court remotely.

  "Xiao Lizi, I heard that the Emperor had another outburst of anger at today's court meeting?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked, sitting on the throne in the Chuxiu Palace. The court meeting had just ended, but someone had already reported everything that happened to her.

  "His Majesty wants to wage war on Western Sichuan and eliminate the bandits, but the ministers advocate for a more cautious approach, so His Majesty is in a bad mood!" Li Lianying replied with downcast eyes.

  "Hmph! This is the second year of the Emperor's personal rule, and yet he still hasn't grown up. Can Sichuan be defeated? If it could be won, wouldn't it have been eliminated long ago?" Empress Dowager Cixi said with great dissatisfaction. She was very clear about the strength of Sichuan, and in recent years, both sides had exercised restraint, maintaining peace for over a decade. However, in previous battles, hadn't the Qing dynasty always lost? On the other hand, Sichuan had only grown stronger with each battle. Therefore, Empress Dowager Cixi hoped that the Qing dynasty and Sichuan would continue to maintain peace, allowing her to continue enjoying wealth and glory. Once war broke out, not to mention the massive expenditure of money and grain, if they were to lose, they would have to cede territory and pay indemnities - a loss of astronomical proportions!

  "Yes! So the whole Qing dynasty still needs Old Buddha to take the helm! Your Majesty, after all, is still a bit too young and vigorous!" Li Lianying flattered.

  Although she knew that Li Lianying was flattering her, Empress Dowager Cixi was very pleased. She thought to herself that the Qing dynasty could continue to this day largely because of her own efforts. In previous times of crisis, if she had not stepped forward to oversee state affairs, make friends with foreign countries and ease relations with Japan and Korea, perhaps the Qing dynasty would have perished long ago!

  At this time, a small eunuch hurriedly walked in.

  "The Old Buddha, Li Qingwang requests an audience!" The small eunuch reported.

  "Summon!" Cixi said calmly. She knew why Li Shengduo, the Minister of War, had come to see her - it was about what happened in court earlier. Li Shengduo, currently the leader of the Grand Council, was one of Cixi's most trusted officials. Given the gravity of the situation that had unfolded in court, he naturally didn't dare to tarry and immediately came to request an audience with Cixi, hoping to receive her instructions.

  "The Prince of Xian Li has arrived for an audience!" Soon after, a eunuch's shrill voice echoed outside the Chuxiu Palace.

  Rui Qingwang Shiduo, now fifty-seven years old, still does not show his age, especially after gaining the support of Cixi and becoming the leader of the military affairs, he is even more spirited. He deeply knows that everything he has is given by Cixi, and only by holding onto Cixi's thigh can he enjoy wealth and glory.

  "Your humble servant pays his respects to the Old Buddha!" Li Xiangjun said, kneeling down and kowtowing.

  "Get up!" said Empress Dowager Cixi in a soft voice.

  "Thank you, Your Old Master!" Li Qinwang Shidu finally stood up, respectfully bowing his head and standing upright.

  "Shi Zong, isn't there anything to attend to at the Military Affairs Department? How did you have time to come here?" Cixi asked.

  "Back to Master Buddha, isn't it trouble again? Do you need me to make a decision?" Shi Zheng replied respectfully.

  "You slaves, haven't I already returned the government to the Emperor? When you encounter trouble, you should look for the Emperor!" Cixi said with some dissatisfaction.

  "The Old Buddha, I dare say something irreverent, the Emperor is too young and vigorous! The Qing dynasty cannot do without you, otherwise, national subjugation is imminent!" Shi Zheng said with a sorrowful and indignant expression.

  "Alright, what is it? Tell me!" Cixi was very pleased with Shiduo's reaction. If Shiduo really didn't come to find her, she would probably be furious! For someone who has enjoyed power for a long time, how could they possibly let go?

  "Back to the Old Buddha, isn't this still the doing of those bandits from Western Sichuan? Since last month, the Western Sichuan army has already begun to assemble and transport ammunition and supplies, with a tendency to attack our great Qing! The Emperor hopes to use the million-strong elite troops of the Qing to defeat Western Sichuan in one fell swoop and eliminate the bandits. But can the bandits of Western Sichuan be eliminated so easily? The ministers hope to deliberate carefully and avoid war at all costs. Therefore, the Emperor flew into a rage, scolding the ministers. What should be done about this matter? It's still up to you, Old Buddha, to make the decision!" Shi Zheng roughly recounted the events of the imperial court meeting.

  "Hum! The Emperor is still young, you big ministers should help him out. This Qing dynasty was founded by the ancestors of the Aixinjueluo family with great difficulty, it can't be destroyed like this. You've done a good job, and Minister of War Xu Gengshen has also done well. Next time there's a vacancy in the Grand Council, let him fill it!" said Empress Dowager Cixi.

  "Yes, Old Buddha!" Shideng hastily replied. He knew that Xu Geng's move was a stroke of luck, and that by suddenly flattering Guangxu at the imperial court meeting, he had entered Cixi's good graces, and his brilliant career was now within sight! It should be known that the Grand Council is an important institution in the Qing dynasty. The Grand Ministers are all high-ranking officials with great power!

  "What is the purpose of this sudden movement in Sichuan?" Empress Cixi asked. "Does Wang Xiao, that bandit from Sichuan, really think he can just start a war with our great Qing dynasty for no reason?" The rise of Sichuan over the past few decades has also been marked by decades of fighting between Sichuan and the Qing court. As an old adversary, Empress Cixi was naturally very familiar with them. Wang Xiao did not want to fight either, otherwise Sichuan would not still be nominally subordinate to the Qing, and there would not have been this decade or so of peace.

  "Reporting to the Old Buddha, we have already understood the cause of the matter. The Sichuan merchants are wealthy, but the road out of Sichuan is extremely treacherous. Therefore, they hope to build a railway to exit Sichuan. After Governor-General Wang Wenshao petitioned for approval, he agreed to their request. The railways from Chengdu to Guiyang and from Chengdu to Kunming are almost complete. However, the railway from Chengdu to Wuhan was strongly rejected by Governor-General Zhang Zhidong of Hubei, who not only refused but also obstructed Sichuan's merchant teams, prohibiting them from entering Hubei, and even detained many of their ships. This made the Sichuan merchants furious, demanding that they declare war on our great Qing dynasty. As a major merchant himself, Wang Xiao's position is very high. Zhang Zhidong's actions have caused significant losses for Sichuan. Therefore, after negotiations were unsuccessful, they are prepared to use military force to resolve the issue!" Shi Zheng replied. The incident has already occurred for a month, and he understands the specific causes and consequences extremely clearly. Like Empress Dowager Cixi, he also does not want war; isn't it better to have peace and stability?

  "If we go to war with Sichuan, can the Qing win?" Cixi asked. Of course, Sichuan had already become a thorn in the side of the Qing. If they could emerge victorious, that would be best. If not, maintaining the status quo was undoubtedly the best option.

  "Old Master, although the troops in Western Sichuan are few in number, they are well-trained and their equipment is very formidable. They can definitely hold their own against the foreign armies. If we really go to war, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to win!" Shi Dang said frankly.

  "Wouldn't 200,000 new troops be enough?" Cixi asked Xianfeng with piercing eyes.

  "Old Buddha, I'm afraid it's not possible!" Shi E replied stiffly to Dao.

  "Hum! Zhang Zhidong is too bold, without the imperial court's order, he dares to provoke Sichuan on his own. Summon someone, issue an edict to reprimand Zhang Zhidong and let him satisfy Sichuan's demands. Is it just a matter of building a railway? What's all the fuss about?" The Empress Dowager Cixi immediately made a decision. Since they can't defeat them, they might as well make friends with Sichuan.

  "Yes, Old Master, I'll go and pass on the edict immediately!" Shi Duo immediately took orders.

  With the decree of Empress Dowager Cixi, everything became much easier to handle. After Zhang Zhidong received the decree, although he was extremely reluctant, he had no choice but to send someone to contact the Sichuan faction and agree to repair the railway from Chengdu to Wuhan, indicating that they would not make things difficult for Sichuan merchants again. This move made Sichuan very satisfied. After getting what they wanted, the Sichuan army stopped mobilizing, since they could obtain the desired benefits through other means, there was no need to use force. The dark clouds of war dissipated a lot. However, the people on the Sichuan military side were extremely regretful.

  Update 2 is here, please collect!