Next, Ferrymant accused Charlie of being aggressive and committing the crime of misunderstanding, resulting in his defeat. He used this as an excuse to carry out a major purge of the fleet, arrested all of Charlie's confidants, and at the same time promoted his confidants to important battleship positions.

It took only two days before the Far East Fleet was completely under the control of Ferrimante!

When the overall situation was settled, Ferrimant took out the telegram from Edward VII to urge the Far East Fleet to move north and told all the crew: The new king did not understand military affairs, but he insisted on laymen and commanded his experts. We must not repeat the mistakes of Charlie Lee. Yes, of course we must rescue the fleet stationed in China, but how to save it must have a strategy, not act recklessly, and have a plan.

Not to mention, under the command of Ferrymante, the Far East Fleet set sail and headed north, and never encountered any mysterious warships suspected to be Spain. Moreover, they were lucky enough to take in some British soldiers who escaped from the Battle of Ningbo.

Suddenly, Ferrimant's reputation rose sharply, and he completely settled in the position of the top leader of the Far East Fleet.

After talking about China and the United Kingdom, let me get in touch with it and talk about Japan, which is only separated from Shanghai by the East China Sea.

This narrow island country has been closely following the trends of China and Western powers. In fact, since the Meiji Restoration, it has been planning a sinister decade plan.

It captured North Korea in three years, occupied the entire northeastern territory of China in five years, destroyed Beijing within ten years, and expanded its military power to the entire territory of China, leading East Asia and radiating Southeast Asia!

This is an extremely crazy plan, and it is also a national ambition plan that has been carried out from top to bottom, from the Emperor to the civilian ronin, Japan has tightened its belt and carried out its best efforts.

At this moment, Japan is in the initial stage of this "Ten Years of Ambition Plan". It is like a calm, paranoid, and skilled in precision calculations. It has a cold light and reveals its fangs. It places both North Korea and China under its knife and fork phantom.

As for how sharp and strong this pair of "knife and fork" is, and whether it can penetrate China's behemoth, it is completely beyond its main consideration!

At the top Japanese leaders, two hundred and fifty years ago, the Later Jin Dynasty could enter the pass. With just tens of thousands of troops, they could wipe out the Ming Dynasty. So, today, if you were protected by the emperor, you would naturally be able to replicate this historical miracle.

The Japanese government and opposition, from the Emperor to the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Land and the Prime Minister of the Sea, and even the soldiers at the bottom, were full of confidence and ambitious.

The reason for this is that Japanese spies have indeed infiltrated the core area of ​​the Qing Dynasty's political arena. They are very aware of the weakness and decay of this huge country at this moment. Think about it, if a building with a taller height is broken, then what's there to be afraid of?

Long before the Sino-British crisis in Nanjing, through secret spies, the Japanese military was very concerned about the expansion of the Nanyang Navy.

You should know that the navy they prepared with the whole country. The imaginary enemy was the Beiyang Navy. As for the Nanyang Navy, this little loach trapped in the inland... was not taken seriously by them at all.

However, the sudden large-scale sponsorship of the Alchemy King Long Hao, and the continuous entry of high-level European "parallel goods" into Nanjing Port made the Japanese senior executives very uneasy.

This Long Hao is fine if he is in trouble in the United States. Now he actually ran back to China to invest heavily in the Nanyang Navy. What is he going to do!

I'm making a fortune overseas, and now I'm going to come back to help my motherland?

Or do you still have bad intentions and want to take the lead in the shaking Qing Dynasty?

It’s already hard to deal with a Beiyang navy, and a Nanyang navy who bought a new warship? I’m afraid that as soon as my Japanese fleet went out, I’ll have to be made into dumplings, and I lost even my loincloth!

Emperor Meiji expressed deep pessimism about this information. He arbitrarily believed that his plan to occupy China for ten years was about to be stillbirth. He even shed tears and suggested to Prime Minister Hirofumi Ito; "My dear, can I pay back some of the food expenses I saved? Anyway, we can no longer beat China at sea, so it is better..."

The emperor's retreat was naturally scolded by Hirofumi Ito, Murozo Mitsuki and others without mercy.

I have to say that these great men will not give much face to the supreme emperor in private.

They are all heroes who use any means to achieve their goals. Anyone who dares to block their way forward will be kicked away without hesitation, including Emperor Meiji!

Of course, the reprimand is followed by comfort and persuasion. After all, the Emperor is still the supreme leader of the Japanese people, and the spiritual pillar of worship like a god. If you want to dispel Emperor Meiji's idea of ​​retreating, you must come up with a reasonable statement.

Reprimanding alone can make you a temporary addiction, but in the long run, it is useless.

In terms of eloquence, the Foreign Minister Mu Ao Zongmi was good at it, so he blinked his eyes and said to Emperor Meiji: "Your Majesty, don't just look at the surface. Everything has two sides, good and bad. This is Tai Chi, and it is also a dichotomy in Western theory. According to the Chinese people, Tai Chi is the basic principle that constitutes all things in the world... Well, sorry, Ignore Your Majesty's brain capacity. Simply put, the growth of the Nanyang Navy is indeed not good for our navy, but on the other hand, the Nanyang Navy is strong, and the first person who is restless is Li Hongzhang and his Beiyang Navy?"

As Mu Ao Zongguang said, the Nanyang Navy was powerful, and the first person who felt threatened was not someone else, but the big leader of the Beiyang Navy: Li Hongzhang.

Two tigers cannot withstand one mountain, unless one male and one female, in China, two powerful fleets with different voices are absolutely not allowed.

Originally, Li Hongzhang allowed the Nanyang Navy to retain its organization and station in the Yangtze River because the Nanyang Navy was too weak and could even use a sampan as a treasure. But now, it even has the latest European battleship, and Li Hongzhang would never allow it to continue to expand, so as not to threaten his Beiyang location!

"This is the Chinese. I'm not afraid of their strength. As long as there are more than two powerful forces, they will fight in the internal struggle first. As for us, haha, just sit in the mountains and watch the tiger fight!" Lu Ao Zong smiled and made the final summary.

Hearing this, Emperor Meiji finally wiped his tears and Zhan Yan smiled: "So that's it, I'm short-sighted! OK. I'm passing on my decree to reduce the cost of the palace by one half next month, save money and subsidize military expenses!"

"Your Majesty, the cost is very small." The closest servant reminded.

"Don't you think of a solution? I order that next month, each person in the palace can only give out three Da Gongs, and the number of times exceeds the number, and the toilet paper will not be given!"

"...It will smell bad after it is air-dried!"

"Baga Yaluo! Don't we have tongues?"

I don’t know if it is a kind of sadness, but Li Hongzhang’s psychology was really guessed correctly by these Japanese ambitious people.

On December 10th, Li Hongzhang entered Beijing. The first complaint was to ask Guangxu to convict Liu Kun, the governor of Liangjiang. In addition, he begged to allocate one million taels of emergency funds during the war. The Beiyang Navy sent eight iron-clad ships headed by the Zhenyuan to go south to take directly to Shanghai, and negotiate with the Alchemy King Long Hao to see if Shanghai's jurisdiction could be regained.

Li Hongzhang's move was to kill two birds with one stone. He wanted to completely defeat Liu Kunyi and the Nanyang Navy faction led by him, and to take advantage of the empty opportunity of the British Navy to bring his long-coveted Shanghai port under the Beiyang army.

At that time, the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East Sea and the South China Sea will be connected together, and the marine territory of the Qing Empire will be completed.

Of course, we must oppose the political enemy's approval! Emperor Guangxu and Weng Tonghe would naturally not "released" him so easily for Li Hongzhang's request for battle.

Let’s not talk about anything else. Just take the one million taels of military pay. The treasury that was originally built was too short of money to build the garden, but now I’m using the money to give Li Hongzhang a lot of flowers. This is a big deal, and no one in the court can make the decision.

Just think about it, if one million taels of snowflakes were transferred out and the person from the West Palace woke up and asked, who could bear this responsibility?

Li Hongzhang?

Bah. He must have been to Jiangnan at that time to show off his power and show off his power, and he was so rich and rich that he would stay in the capital to take the blame?

Faced with the scammers of doubts and many questions, Li Hongzhang was tough. He firmly believed that this was the best time to regain tariff autonomy in Jiangnan. As long as he took back the tariff autonomy (also known as pricing power) lost from the two tablet-suppression wars, a mere million tael of silver would be considered a root cause!

It is rare to see Li Zhongtang get angry. Except for the emperor, the ministers of other factions all silenced. They suddenly realized that this would be a direct game between Lord Zhongtang and the Emperor's Army Group. These little minions could no longer get into the mouth, so just look around and rub yourself.

As expected, Emperor Guangxu issued an order to retreat to the court and summoned Li Hongzhang and several of his confidants to go to the Yangxin Palace to report secretly.

In the Yangxin Hall, there is incense lingering, yellow silk and red chairs, and official robes, but the atmosphere is unusual.

Weng Tonghe said, "Master Zhongtang, such a pioneering spirit is not like you!"

Li Hongzhang raised his face and said, "Hmph, there are priorities in matters. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the Qing Dynasty. If you don't hurry up and become a minister, will you still be in charge of your salary and stay in the capital and wait for death?"

With one sentence, Li Hongzhang scolded Weng Tong and his gang all over.

Yes, the Imperial Master Group has been making noise in Beijing for almost ten days, but it can’t even take out a charter to deal with it. No wonder Li Hongzhang, who came from afar, laughed at him.

Weng Tonghe turned red with an old face, and his official hat was shaking: "I, I am a steady country. Such a big thing happened. If you deal with it improperly, you may drag my Qing Dynasty into a place that will never be restored!"

Li Hongzhang said: "Tell me, to put it bluntly, you are not timid? Your Majesty, the old minister is willing to issue a military order. This time, I, Beiyang, will definitely win a great victory, take back Shanghai, and capture Liu Kunyi, a foul minister, back to the court! Moreover, if you are lucky, not to get back all the tariff rights, but to get back a part of it, it is still expected to take back!"

If you want to talk about why Li Hongzhang is so confident, it is naturally inseparable from the information he has obtained.

The Beiyang Navy is very close to Shanghai, and its grasp of the progress of the war is far better than that of the capital.

Li Hongzhang had learned that after fierce battles, only six warships were left in the Nanyang Navy, and the British warships stationed in China were even worse and had been wiped out.

The only obstacle is probably the fleet of the Earl of Beihai who had some ideas. However, there was a Thunder Dragon under Li Hongzhang's tent, saying that Long Hao's warship was just good at ambushing, and was best at picking up bargains and knocking sticks. If we talk about the upright gunboats lined up against each other, it would definitely be incomparable to the Beiyang Navy.

Moreover, Li Hongzhang also contacted envoys from many countries other than Britain. He had reason to believe that under the diplomatic pressure of the navy and foreigners who were rushing to the ground, the king of the alchemy king... would give in!

Li Hongzhang thought to himself: He was just going to capture Liu Kunyi during this trip. As for Long Hao, he had no idea of ​​offending him. He could negotiate peace with this alchemy king with a strong upward momentum. Both sides would take their own needs, which would be a happy situation!

In the Yangxin Palace, Li Hongzhang prepared the memorials very well and were well-founded. Weng Tonghe and his side retreated step by step and were speechless. In the end, the little emperor Guangxu had to stumble and blew a pause: "Hehe, everyone, the discussion today ends here. The military expenditure matter is very important, so let me think about it very much! Let's discuss it again..."

Li Hongzhang knew that this matter was too urgent. With the usual efficiency of the Qing court, the money could not be allocated within ten days and half a month.

But he was not in a hurry. In fact, he came to the capital to ask for money in just a gesture. In secret, his Beiyang Navy has set sail. The source of the funding is naturally the successor candidate behind the Thunder Dragon.

With the support of this candidate who is rooted in Shanghai, Li Hongzhang's confidence in peace talks with Long Hao has increased greatly.

This time he came to the capital, he actually wanted a great righteousness!

A legitimate take over the Nanyang Navy and defeated Liu Kunyi, the governor of Liangjiang, just a imperial edict of the Tian family!

...Since Li Hongzhang entered Beijing, Emperor Guangxu's "fortune" that had been popular for more than ten days seems to have begun to turn.

No. After a day after the correct report, his "midfield suspension" lost its effect. The reason is very simple: Lord Lafayette summoned Li Zhongtang!

Summer Palace, Leshou Hall.

The old Buddha was dressed neatly, with Buddhist beads hanging on his chest, and his long nails that looked like monsters were raised. Anyone who knew her knew that this sign meant that she was in a good mood.

It's true. Cixi had come out of the initial panic and summoned Li Hongzhang in the garden. Naturally, she wanted to ask the loyal minister's views on the great changes in Jiangnan and his response strategies.

"Li Aiqing, do you think this British man can't get in?" Cixi didn't go around the corner, and asked the first thing she was right in the way.

"It's definitely not possible to call in!"

Li Hongzhang was given a seat with his butt half sticking out, which was actually even more uncomfortable than standing: "As far as the old minister knows, the British and the warships of the Nanyang Navy died together, and it will not be a climate for a short time. Besides, the old minister was ordered to run Beiyang for many years and dare not say that he is pioneering and enterprising, but it is still enough to defend his country!"

"Wow, that's good!"

Cixi received the accurate letter and smiled, and the pink on her face kept falling: "Li Aiqing, sit down very well. The Ai family is not a tiger den. If you are so reserved, the Ai family will be embarrassed to continue asking you."

"Thank you for the reward of the Queen Mother, I'll follow the order." Li Hongzhang wiped away the sweat beads from his forehead, twisted his butt, and finally sat down to a stable place.

But even so, he only dared to put half of his butt on, and did not dare to sit in the whole body carelessly.

"My dear, the Ai family is here to ask you a few questions. The answer is good. The Ai family will give you this million taels of silver!

Cixi was very generous, "Hey, the Ai family is not a person who does not understand national affairs. Seeing such a huge change in Jiangnan, will the Ai family not know the general and keep money to build a garden? Alas, some time ago, the Ai family wanted to build a garden, so that the country was peaceful and the whole country was peaceful, and the barbarians were afraid of our Beiyang Navy? So, taking advantage of the good years, the Ai family wanted to hold a birthday party in a small way! Alas, life is rare in the past sixty years. The Ai family spent so much youth and sacrificed much effort to make a 60th birthday, making it more lively, and everyone was more festive. Was it wrong?"

Listening to the old woman shamelessly sticking gold on her face, the old Taoist Li Hongzhang kept silent, just lowered his head, and the petal tail on his head swayed up and down, as if saying: The Queen Mother is right!

With the support of the heir behind the Thunder Dragon, Li Hongzhang actually doesn't value the "just" one million taels of silver. He can take it as long as he can, and it doesn't matter if he can't.

But since Cixi took the initiative to speak, he could only cheer up and respond: "Even if the Empress Dowager asks, the old minister knows something, and he dare not answer everything!"

"Okay, the first question is, Li Aiqing, are you sure you can beat the alchemy king when you go to Shanghai?"

"When I returned to the Empress Dowager, the old minister was not sure, but the purpose of going to Shanghai was to capture the chief culprit Liu Kunyi. For the alchemy king, the old minister would mainly use gunboat pressure and peace talks as a supplement. He would not go to war with him unless he had no choice."

What Li Hongzhang told Cixi was the truth. His Beiyang went forward in a mighty way, but in fact he was just a big fight. It would be basically impossible for him to fight to the death with Long Hao at the sea.

"Oh, why? Can Li Aiqing's Beiyang not defeat Long Hao, the king of barbarians?"

When Long Hao refused the reward from the Iron Hat King, he instead claimed to be the lord of the country and was on an equal footing with him. Empress Dowager Cixi actually held a grudge. When she had the opportunity, she naturally had to ask her first important minister and her chances of defeating Long Hao.

"It's not that I can't beat it, but that's a shame."

Li Hongzhang had already been accustomed to the question of Cixi, and he replied calmly: "From the eyes of an old minister, he is just a merchant, and he only cares about small profits. However, his fortune in recent years is amazing. Only when he meets the Queen of England, the destined nobleman, will he be lucky to be the king of the Commonwealth... But in fact, his background is extremely unreal, like a sand city in the wind, and he cannot withstand great storms!"
Chapter completed!