As a great hero and planner in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, after dealing with important matters, Xu Jie naturally had to go to Beijing with Li Hongzhang and others. This was not only to report to the central government the battle situation of the Second Beiyang Marine Division this year.

It is also a matter related to re-division

The important matter of allocating rights and spoils is no less important than fighting on the battlefield. This is directly related to the division of the political territory of the Qing Dynasty after the war and his future plans. Therefore, Xu Jie must be extremely vigilant.

God deals with it!

At the same time, both the imperial party and the rear party within the Central Committee began to prepare to deal with the two masters and apprentices who came to Beijing to demand power. No matter how frustrated the ministers of the Central Committee were, the reason why the Qing Dynasty was able to achieve a great victory in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 was

, Beiyang has made great contributions, no matter what, do not give any rights and

The good thing is that Beiyang will never give up. In Cixi's eyes, if Beiyang was only powerful in the past, which made her a little uneasy, then Beiyang now has reached a level where the tail is too big to lose, and it is definitely not the central one or two.

It can be limited by one sentence.

But Cixi is Cixi after all. The ups and downs in the officialdom over the past few decades have caused her to face this situation of emphasizing externality and neglecting internal affairs many times. From the initial elimination of Sushun and others, to the later abolition of the Hunan Army and the Huai Army, Cixi won every victory.

This time, he is still full of confidence. The Huai clique and Beiyang, which are united by all forces, are indeed powerful. But in

In Cixi's view, this powerful alliance is just a pavilion built on the beach. The current Beiyang composition is too complex, and all parties have their own needs. As long as they can benefit from it. Driven by interests, this seemingly powerful alliance

It will fall apart. And Cixi's first move was to play Xu Jie, a new upstart from Beiyang!

On the third day after Li Hongzhang and Xu Jie arrived in Beijing, Li Hongzhang entered the palace to meet the saint. While Zhang Peilun and Xu Jie were discussing things in the post house, the arrival of Weng Tonghe and King Qing made the two at a loss.

"Ji Shi, I, a person who cannot be used for life, please step out of the way first." After Zhang Peilun finished speaking, he exited the main room. So after a while, only Xu Jie, Prince Qing and Weng Tonghe were left.

After both guests and hosts sat down, compliments were naturally indispensable. Xu Jie was not sure about the purpose of King Qing and Weng Tonghe's trip, but for these two figures, one belonging to the rear party and the other to the imperial party, coming here at the same time, Xu Jie still

Somewhat aware. "It seems that in the eyes of Guangxu and Cixi, the threat from Beiyang has risen to the top. In order to maintain the authority of the central government, they are likely to join forces to separate them first.

Transform and weaken Beiyang. Then comes the struggle for power." There was a hint of uneasiness in Xu Jie's heart. And in the subsequent conversation, what King Qing and Weng Tonghe said just confirmed this! Feng said. Looking at Weng Tonghe's

Smiling face. Xu Jie subconsciously had a feeling of disgust. He was more than disgusted with the unkindness of the Qing Dynasty in the late Qing Dynasty. He was more than disgusted with Weng Tonghe's behavior of disregarding national interests for personal gain.

"All this does not depend on the court's arrangements." Xu Jie said casually.

"The Queen Mother and the Emperor still value a young and promising talent like Mr. Xu very much. Logically speaking, Mr. Xu can completely control the province. But the Queen Mother and Lafayette said that Mr. Xu is well versed in maritime affairs and is still the general manager.

The navy is better." Prince Qing said tentatively.

"Master Xu's talents are not limited to managing a Beiyang Navy. In fact, Master Xu can completely take charge of the affairs of the Navy Yamen. What's more, now that Beiyang has gained enough momentum, it is for the national plan. The Nanyang, Guangdong, Guangxi and Penghu Navy should also be reorganized. "I don't know what Mr. Xu wants." Weng Tonghe continued.

"This is a good idea. Going to the Navy Yamen is equivalent to breaking away from direct contact with Beiyang. And when the time comes, the court will not allocate funds and Beiyang will expand its army. I am just suffering from this. As for the expansion of Nanyang and other naval forces, this is completely borrowed from myself. He used his hand to support Liu Kunyi, this seemingly glorious position is not something he can sit in." Xu Jie sneered in his heart.

"Wei Chen is still more suitable to serve in the local area. Although the Beiyang Fleet is no longer what it used to be. But compared with the Russians, it still wants to go far. To defend the Qing Dynasty from foreign enemies is Xu's most suitable position." Xu Jie said to He doesn't dare to risk these hats. What he cares more about is how much real power he can control.

"This son's ambition is really not small." King Qing said secretly in his heart, but King Qing was not afraid that Xu Jie's power would be too great. If Xu Jie had no ambition, then Empress Dowager Cixi's plan would not be able to be carried out. Now he can openly satisfy it Who did Xu Jie demand the rights from? There was only the Queen Mother, and even Li Hongzhang could only fight for it but could not guarantee that it would be achieved. And Weng Tonghe's first reaction was a kind of disgust. In his opinion, just a victory in the war would be enough. It is really too much to want to hold the two important positions of feudal official and naval admiral at the same time.

"I understand what Mr. Xu means. I believe in Mr. Xu's talent, but whether we can achieve our wish in the end depends on what Mr. Xu does and whether the Queen Mother is satisfied. To be honest, this Northeast is the land of Longxing in our Qing Dynasty. It's a big deal." Prince Qing understood that the person behind Li Hongzhang's suggestion of intervening in the Northeast might be this Xu Jie. Here he hinted to Xu Jie that if he wanted to achieve his goal, the only person he could rely on was the Queen Mother, not even Li Hongzhang.

"Precisely because it is the land of Longxing, it must be constructed and strictly guarded. The Russians have been coveting the Northeast for more than a day or two. If the central government is not prepared and relies solely on Beiyang, once a war breaks out, the Northeast may be in danger." Xu Jie could not say anything at all, and could only remind the central committee secretly that this Russian was not someone Japan could compare to.

Prince Qing couldn't help but shudder after hearing this. The viciousness of the Russians in this war frightened the big shots in the court, such as Cixi and Guangxu. They were allies the day before. If they said they fell out, they would turn against them and seize the land by force. The extreme thirst for food made the central government very scared. In their view, Japan was over, so once the Russians freed up their hands, the first target would probably be the northeastern part of the Qing Dynasty? More than 1.5 million square kilometers had been lost during the Xianfeng period. Well, if Shengjing and other places are lost again, the foundation of the Manchu people will be completely gone!

"In this case, I will retire for the time being. I hope that Mr. Xu can think about what I said today and what to do in the future." Since both parties have explained what they said, there is no point in keeping Prince Qing and others around. It would be better to go back to discuss countermeasures first. Xu Jie must also consider how to deal with the doubts of Li Hongzhang and others. After all, Xu Jie's actions can be regarded as betrayal in the eyes of Li Hongzhang and others.

"Is Jishi looking for another job?" Zhang Peilun asked with a sullen face after Prince Qing and Weng Tonghe left.

"Of course not. Neither the Queen Mother nor the Emperor are people who can do great things. How could I take refuge in them?" Xu Jie said with a slight smile.

"What is a big deal? Jishi played a vital role in this war. It is already a big deal. Is there someone other than Jishi who wants to take it one step further?" Zhang Peilun's hostility towards Xu Jie remains unabated.

"What does victory in a war mean? What I want is the rise of a country and a nation so that everyone living on this land can live a happy life." Xu Jie said calmly.

"Does governing the country bring peace to the world? Yes, Zhang thought the same way back then. But I don't know whether Jishi, who is governing the country, is governing the country or rebuilding the country?" Zhang Peilun changed the subject and asked sharply. What is Xu Jie's attitude towards the central government? Zhang Peilun At first I thought it was just boring at best. But along the way, under Xu Jie’s planning, more and more newcomers entered the Beiyang system. They were patriotic but not loyal to the emperor. They could die generously for the country and their comrades, but in the There was no respect for the monarch in his words and deeds. And Beiyang gradually moved further and further away from the central government. To a certain extent, Xu Jie was even more hostile to the central government, but he did not draw his sword against him.

"I have no loyalty to the Center. I am only loyal to this country with a history of 5,000 years of civilization, the people living on this land, and my heart." Xu Jie tried his best to explain.

"Isn't it better to be in Beiyang? Lord Zhongtang, after a hundred years, Beiyang will be your Beiyang." Zhang Peilun said with some confusion.

"It's too late. Russia has obtained an ice-free port, and warships have begun to station in Hokkaido. At the same time, in the north of the Qing Dynasty, with the construction of the Far East Railway, once this transportation artery connecting Europe and Asia is connected, the Russians will Troops and arms can be continuously transferred from Europe to the Far East. But what can the impoverished Northeast do to resist the Russian invasion? The Queen Mother regards the country as her own private property, but I cannot let my great China lose another inch of land!" Xu Jie said loudly.

"You are plotting rebellion. You are so cruel!" Zhang Peilun said expressionlessly.

"Nurhachi was just a minor official in the Ming Dynasty at the beginning. From ancient times to the present, there have been many rebellions in the past dynasties. It's just one emperor replaced by another." Xu Jie and Zhang Peilun's words are not cold. Let's not talk about Xu Jie and Beiyang. He is a grasshopper on a rope. As far as Zhang Peilun himself is concerned, he also hates the central government of the Qing Dynasty.

"Is it possible that we, the Beiyang Alliance, have fought tooth and nail for more than a year just to protect this bastard imperial court?" Xu Jie said with some excitement. "No, absolutely not. The so-called loyalty to the emperor is just a fabrication made by later generations of Confucians to cater to those emperors. The hundreds of millions of Chinese people should never live for a certain emperor and queen mother."

"Then what does Jishi plan to do? Rebellion? Or even replace him?" Zhang Peilun asked.

"I will not be an emperor, and China does not need an emperor. I am just for this country, for the people living on this land. I have never thought about over-centralization, because over-centralization means this. I need a kind of A political system with multiple checks, balances and supervision." Xu Jie said.

"I believe you on this. You have never pursued centralization of power. Even in the face of Liu Buchan, who once felt sorry for you, you still let him hold an important position in the Beiyang Fleet." Zhang Peilun suddenly understood, whether Xu Jie wanted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, he had no idea about this experience.

The ups and downs of officialdom are no longer important to people. What is more important is how Xu Jie will govern the country in the future.

"Ji Shi. I agree with your goal, but now without Beiyang's help, you can't realize your plan. You should think about how to face Master Zhongtang." Zhang Peilun chose to believe Xu Jie, because Xu Jie has never let him down.

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Chapter completed!