The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 230: National disaster calls for good generals

Cixi stroked the demon-subduing pestle in her hand and said, "Zhonghua, you can also tell me something."

Ronglu stood up with a pale face, "Empress Dowager, I second the proposal."

"Moreover, I also support Teng Xingfu's proposal to release the foreign embassy officials in Dongjiaominxiang and to hunt in the west. I, your Majesty, respectfully request that you hunt in the west as soon as possible."

These two things were exactly what Cixi was going to talk about next. Cixi did not comment and turned her attention to Zai Yi and Gang Yi.

Zai Yi sighed and said, "I have no objection to releasing the foreign embassy officials, but there are still tens of thousands of Boxers in the city. Once they get wind of the news, they will surely riot, which will be difficult to deal with."

"As for the Western Hunt, it is too early to talk about it now. We still have tens of thousands of troops blocking Tongzhou. It will take time for the foreigners to attack us. Moreover, once the Queen Mother leaves the capital, it will definitely shake the government and the public, which may cause instability in the military."

Seeing that Gangyi was also in a dilemma, Cixi pondered for a moment and said, "I saw that the small group of people Wu Ziyu brought into the palace just now only had more than ten people, but they were well-disciplined and well-organized. It must have taken Wu Ziyu an hour to reply in the flower hall."

"But that small group of people has been standing under the scorching sun. Although everyone is sweating profusely, no one has made the slightest move, and no one even wiped the sweat rolling down their heads. Although I am a woman, I also know that an army with strict military discipline and strict compliance with orders is not comparable to ordinary soldiers. Such an army should be the strongest army in the Qing Dynasty. I want to ask, what will happen if Teng Xingfu is ordered to station in Tongzhou?"

"No!"

As soon as Cixi finished speaking, Ronglu hurriedly said, "Empress Dowager, this is absolutely impossible! Teng Yuzao defended Tianjin and was besieged for many days. It has been proved that as long as the foreign troops are large enough, he cannot hold out for long. If he leads his troops to defend Tongzhou, the same will happen."

"Besides, Tongzhou is much smaller than Tianjin. If the foreigners surround us from all sides, Teng Xingfu will sooner or later run out of ammunition and food. At that time, the only strong army of the Qing Dynasty that can still compete with the foreigners will be destroyed. The court will no longer have anything to rely on. How can we just let the foreigners run rampant?"

"Now, with Teng Xingfu here, the imperial court still has the strength to hold out against the foreigners for a long time. Once the vanguard army is defeated, the Qing Dynasty's last hope will be gone, and the only option is to negotiate with the foreigners."

Zai Yi also said, "Empress Dowager, I agree with what Lord Rong said. Teng Xingfu's vanguard is indeed a strong army. Such a strong army should not be trapped in an isolated city, but should be free to attack the capital. It will be like a thorn in the side of the foreigners and they dare not attack the capital."

"I second this proposal," Gangyi also said.

Cixi let out a long sigh and said, "Well, go down and discuss the specific matters and come up with a set of rules."

Seeing that Cixi was about to drive them away, Zai Yi hurriedly said, "Empress Dowager, do you want to reward Teng Xingfu and the vanguard army? And what about the Zhili military affairs?"

The armies of Zhili suffered successive defeats, but Teng Yuzhao's vanguard army was the only one that managed to inflict heavy damage on the enemy despite being surrounded by heavy troops. How could he not be rewarded!

All of this is inseparable from Teng Yuzao, the president of the Vanguard Army. Under the current circumstances, such a person must be reused, but how to place him?

Zai Yi is now filled with deep regret. If it weren't for the incident with Song Qing, things would be much easier now.

Gangyi's thoughts were similar to Zai Yi's, except that the promotion of Song Qing to the position of assistant military affairs director of the Beiyang Zhili Military was the work of their Grand Council, and he was also a strong promoter of it. Overturning this matter at this time would be somewhat embarrassing.

Gangyi gritted his teeth secretly. Since Zai Yi didn't want to say it out loud, he had to say it himself.

"Empress Dowager, in the current situation, since only Teng Xingfu has the power to compete with the foreigners, why not let Teng Xingfu serve as the assistant military officer of the Beiyang Zhili Army and oversee military affairs?"

Knowing that Zai Yi and Gang Yi, a group of military ministers, were now in a state of confusion, Ronglu could not help but smile bitterly and said.

"This is not right. It goes without saying that Teng Xingfu is a talented and brave general of our Qing Dynasty, but now he has very little experience. It would be fine if Song Qing was not appointed, but now if we rashly give Song Qing the position of assistant, we may be criticized by the army. At this time, we need to be united and sincere, and we must not create trouble."

Ronglu's meaning was very clear. Teng Yuzhao was naturally the most qualified person to replace Song Qing. However, not to mention that Song Qing, who had extensive connections in the military, would have some resentment in his heart, many of his subordinates would also be dissatisfied.

Especially the veteran generals headed by Ma Yukun would be even more dissatisfied, which would make Teng Yuzhao's command quite difficult. At this moment, they would definitely not support Teng Yuzhao in killing a general like Ma Yukun.

Cixi looked around at the three of them, thought for a moment, and then said.

"Teng Xingfu's contribution is invaluable, so he should be rewarded. I wanted to wait for you to come up with a plan before discussing this matter, but since you mentioned it, Teng Xingfu's reward cannot be delayed, so I will come up with a plan. After you discuss it, if it is feasible, you can draft an edict."

Cixi put down the bronze demon-subduing pestle in her hand, raised her hand to tidy up the few strands of hair on her forehead, and spoke slowly.

"Teng Xingfu made great contributions in resisting the foreigners, so he was conferred the title of first-class baron, given the title of Prince's Guardian, awarded the three-eyed peacock feather, and appointed as the general manager of the Beiyang Zhili military affairs, in charge of all military affairs in Zhili, and led his troops to garrison the line from Tianjin to Tongzhou, harassing and blocking the foreigners from going north to the capital."

"Song Qing fought against the foreigners and made great contributions. He was awarded the title of third-class baron and was relieved of his post as assistant military affairs officer of Beiyang Zhili. He was transferred to be the ambassador for the defense of the capital, in charge of all defense matters of Tongzhou and the capital."

This arrangement of Cixi made Ronglu, Zai Yi and Gangyi feel relieved. Cixi divided the war against foreigners into two parts. Although she did not let Teng Yuzhao take charge of the whole war against foreigners, at least Teng Yuzhao was in charge of all affairs outside the capital.

Moreover, it now seems that the battle outside the capital should be the most important.

Because once the foreign troops arrived at the city, even though the capital's walls were high and wide, they would be unable to withstand the foreigners' guns and cannons, and its fall would be a matter of time.

Moreover, Teng Yuzhao, the general manager, was different from Song Qing, the assistant director of the Beiyang Zhili Military Affairs. Cixi replaced the word "assistant" with "general". Although there is only one word difference, the meaning is very different.

The assistant general assists the Beiyang Minister and the Governor-General of Zhili in managing military affairs, while the general general is completely different. He is only responsible to the emperor in name, and is not accountable to the Beiyang Minister or the Governor-General of Zhili in military affairs. He can even make his own decisions on military affairs as long as they are within the territory of Zhili.

As for the first-class baron, he is the fifth rank of the dukes of different surnames in the Qing Dynasty, equivalent to the second rank. The Prince's Tutor is an official position, also of the second rank.

The most prominent one is the "award of three-eyed peacock feather".

According to the Qing system, except for those who were awarded for military merit, the peacock feather would be removed upon leaving office. There were different types of peacock feathers: single-eyed, double-eyed, and triple-eyed. Except for Beizi and Gulun Efu who wore three-eyed peacock feathers due to their titles, even Zhenguogong, Fuguogong, and Heshuo Efu could only wear double-eyed peacock feathers.

Officials of higher rank must receive special awards before they can wear it, and generally they have a single-eyed feather, and double-eyed ones are rare.

The three-eyed peacock feather is extremely rare. Throughout the Qing Dynasty, there were only seven people who were not members of the royal family who were awarded the three-eyed peacock feather, which shows how difficult it is to obtain and how precious it is.

In this dynasty, before this, there were only two old ministers, Li Hongzhang, who is now the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Xu Tong, the imperial tutor of Emperor Tongzhi and now the Minister of Military Affairs.

Respecting a person like Ronglu would only give him a pair of peacock feathers.

As for Song Qing, he could also be satisfied, at least he would not harbor resentment.

More than 20 years ago, when Song Qing was the governor of Sichuan, he was a second-class light cavalry commander, a sixth-class rank. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, he was also promoted to the title of Prince's Guardian. However, he made no achievements in recent years, and his title did not advance any further.

This time, Song Qing's title was raised to the fifth rank, which was enough to make him very happy.

Moreover, what should make Song Qing most satisfied is that from now on, the Wuwei Left Army and the various troops brought from Tianjin City will most likely become an independent army, and he will become the first president of the army.

Not only will this army no longer belong to Zhili, it is even hard to say whether it can be under the jurisdiction of Beiyang.

Cixi continued to speak calmly, "All the requests made by Teng Xingfu in his memorial will be approved. Ning Xingpu will be appointed as a deputy prefect. As for Zhou Xuexi, is he Zhou Fu's son?"

Zhou Fu could be considered a veteran of the Huai Army. He came from a family of scholars and failed in examinations many times.

When Li Hongzhang formed the Huai Army in the first year of the Tongzhi reign, Zhou Fu volunteered to join his staff and has followed Li Hongzhang ever since.

In the early years of the Guangxu period, he served successively as the Yongding River Commissioner, Tianjin Customs Commissioner and Tianjin Military Preparations Commissioner.

In the 14th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, he was promoted to the post of Censor of Zhili. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, he served as the Director of the Front Camp Office. After the Treaty of Shimonoseki, he asked to resign due to poor health.

Ronglu quickly replied, "Zhou Xuexi is Zhou Fu's fourth son. He once served as an official in Zhejiang and is now the deputy governor of Shandong."

Cixi pondered for a moment and said, "Zhou Xuexi has been transferred to be the rear governor of Zhili and will be serving in the vanguard army for the time being."

"Also, Wu Ziyu was granted the same status as a Jinshi, and given the title of Dusi, and was allowed to be a candidate for the Ministry, and he is still serving in the Vanguard Army."

"As for the rest of the meritorious officers and soldiers of the vanguard army, Teng Xingfu will draw up a list and all of them will be rewarded with honors!"

After a brief pause, Cixi added calmly, "People like Liu Shijiu, Cao Futian, and Wang Decheng, who were born in the Boxer Rebellion, have only been in office for a short time, so their ranks should not be too high."

The three of them could tell that Cixi was still not at ease with people who came from the Boxers, which made Ronglu feel a little relieved.

However, Zai Yi and Gang Yi had different ideas. They both strongly advocated the appointment of the Boxers. Cixi was not confident in the Boxers, which meant that she now had doubts about their original recommendation.

Despite this, the two men had no choice but to blame the Boxers for their rare victories in battles with the regular foreign armies. They could not find an excuse to promote the Boxers.

"Empress Dowager, will the post of Governor-General of Zhili, which was left by Yu Lu, be assumed by Ting Yong, the Zhili Provincial Governor in Baoding?"

Zai Yi spoke hesitantly and glanced at Ronglu beside him.

Zai Yi really wanted to drive Ronglu, who was close to Cixi, out of Beijing. However, on the one hand, Ronglu was in poor health, and on the other hand, Ronglu's official rank was only higher than that of the Governor-General of Zhili, not lower. Now Zai Yi was worried that Ronglu would not refuse to take over this thankless job of the Governor-General of Zhili.

Unless Cixi speaks up, the air crash will fail to achieve his goal.

Therefore, Zai Yi's idea only flashed through his mind, and he changed his mind. He openly promoted Ting Yong, but in fact he was hinting to Cixi that Ronglu was the most suitable candidate for this position.

Cixi naturally saw through Zai Yi's little trick, but under the current circumstances, she did believe that Ronglu was the most suitable candidate for the Governor-General of Zhili, and there was no second choice.

Cixi smiled bitterly and said to Zai Yi, "If it were normal times, Tingyong would be able to do it, but now that the country is in crisis, it is inappropriate for Tingyong to be the governor of Zhili."

Cixi sighed heavily and continued.

"In times of crisis, a country needs a good general. In times of turmoil, loyal ministers are revealed. At present, Teng Xingfu is the best general of the Qing Dynasty. In order to allow such a good general to defend the country with peace of mind, the selection of the Governor-General of Zhili must be done carefully."

"Although Teng Xingfu is in charge of the military affairs of Beiyang Zhili, he still needs the support of the local areas. Ting Yong is not familiar with military affairs and may be disrespectful to Teng Xingfu."

Cixi turned to look at Ronglu and said, "Zhonghua, I know you are not feeling well, but now is the time of national crisis, and we need you old ministers to help the court. You have a long history with Teng Xingfu, and I promoted him from the position of instructor of Beiyang Wubei Academy to the position of captain, which can be regarded as a favor. You should bear more of the burden, but you should take on the positions of Beiyang Minister and Zhili Governor-General. Fortunately, you don't have to leave Beijing for the time being. What do you think?"

Ronglu bowed and said, "The Empress Dowager has shown me such kindness that I dare not decline. I will follow the Empress Dowager's orders."

It should be said that Cixi arranged everything very properly. In particular, not only did she approve all of Teng Yuzhao's requests, she also found a way to transfer Song Qing away and gave him the post of General Manager of Beiyang Zhili Military Affairs. In order to free him from any constraints, she even allowed Ronglu to come out of retirement and temporarily serve as the Minister of Beiyang and Governor-General of Zhili. It can be said that she did her utmost to be kind and righteous.

All these arrangements and explanations of various things seemed to open up Cixi's mind. Cixi thought for a while and spoke again.

"Since we have said so much today, let's just discuss everything. We should also make it clear about the farewell to the foreign embassy staff and the western hunting trip, so that we can make arrangements for some things early."

Then Cixi said to Li Lianying behind her, "Lianying, have someone bring a bowl of ginseng soup to each of the three adults. They are all old and not in good health."

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(End of this chapter)