The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 278: Unable to Win

"Since your court has officially declared war on our eight nations, we are now in a state of war. Moreover, this war is the one with the greatest disparity in strength between the two sides in history, and it is also the one with the clearest outcome."

Dou Nale continued, "It is very unfortunate that this war with the greatest disparity in strength between the two sides is not only unfolding in your country, but there is no doubt that the losing side will definitely be the Qing Dynasty."

"The reason why this is the war with the greatest disparity in power between the two sides in history is not only because your court dared to declare war on the eight most powerful countries in the world at the same time, but also because the governors of the richest southern provinces in your country have collectively broken away from the control of your court. They all turned a blind eye to this stupid war."

"Not only did they not send troops to join the imperial court in the war against us great powers, they even refused to sell ammunition to your troops. It can be said that we great powers are not fighting against the Qing Dynasty, but only against your province of Zhili."

"General, may I ask, do you think your court will win this war?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! General, what I said was inaccurate. In fact, our eight countries are now only fighting against the army led by you, General."

"Because not only are the combat effectiveness of other troops extremely low, but the generals who command them also have almost no understanding of modern military combat concepts. In front of our powerful coalition forces, other troops are not worth mentioning at all. Only you, the general, can be called our opponent."

"Although you are the only general in the Qing Dynasty who understands the command of modern wars, and your vanguard army has won many victories under your command, do you think that you alone can defeat the combined forces of the eight most powerful countries in the world?"

After Dou Nale finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair with some complacency, looking at Teng Yuzao with a hint of sarcasm on his face.

The envoys from other powerful countries all had similar expressions.

After Teng Yuzhao put out the cigarette in his hand in the ashtray, he picked up the glass of red wine poured for him, took a sip, and said indifferently.

"Mr. Minister, I still want to correct your statement. The Vanguard Army is not fighting alone. With the support of the court, the Vanguard Army is fighting a war of aggression against the invasion of the Qing territory with you. In the righteous cause, we have the support of the people of the whole country."

Dou Nale still dug a small trap for Teng Yuzao here. Although what he said was true, blindly praising him would plant the seeds of vigilance against him in the hearts of Cixi and those Manchu nobles. Once things settled down, they would probably start to guard against him openly or secretly.

Therefore, Teng Yuzao must be alert and respond carefully.

"As for the outcome of the war, my personal view is very clear, that is, we cannot win this war."

As soon as Teng Yuzao finished speaking, the ministers all breathed a sigh of relief. If they could persuade Teng Yuzao to give up the confrontation with the Allied Forces and make the Allied Forces lose this powerful enemy, the Qing court would soon surrender.

"吆西."

The Japanese envoy, Komura Jutaro, could not help but exclaim, "Your Excellency the General is indeed a smart man."

Komura Jutaro went on to say, "During the Jiawu Year of yours, when the Beiyang forces were at their strongest and all the provinces had their full support, you still couldn't defeat our Imperial Japanese Army, let alone a general challenging a coalition of all the great powers in the world!"

Teng Yuzao looked at Komura Jutaro with contempt, "Mr. Komura, you probably don't know yet, but the Fifth Division that you praised to the skies during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 has now been wiped out by me with more than 30,000 men, and I even seized the regimental flag bestowed by your emperor. It should be said that the Fifth Division has been almost completely destroyed under the continuous attacks of our vanguard army."

"With such a record, if the imperial court had appointed me during the Jiawu period, what do you think would have been the result?"

"You are talking nonsense. The Fifth Division of the Imperial Japanese Army is the most elite force of the Japanese Empire. How could this be possible?"

As soon as Teng Yuzao finished speaking, Komura Jutaro jumped up from his seat with a red face, and almost no one among the other ministers believed what Teng Yuzao said.

Teng Yuzao waved his hand and said, "Mr. Komura, please be patient. Whether what I said is true or not, you will know it clearly when you return to your troops." Teng Yuzao no longer paid attention to Komura Jutaro, but looked at the ministers headed by Dou Nale.

"Gentlemen, I think you may have misunderstood what I said. What I meant was that although the court cannot win the war with your coalition forces, we will not lose either."

Teng Yuzhao's words immediately made all the ministers confused.

Dou Nale asked in confusion, "General, since you can't win, but you say you can't lose, what do you mean? Don't you think that your words are somewhat contradictory?"

Teng Yuzao shook his head and said, "NO, there is no contradiction at all."

Teng Yuzao smiled and said, "As the ambassador said, our court is fighting against you, the most powerful countries in the world. In terms of national strength, this is a war we cannot win. However, this does not mean that we will definitely lose."

"NE."

The Russian envoy, Resar, whose face was slightly red due to the alcohol, said in confusion.

"I can't understand the meaning of your words. Since you can't win this war, it means that you will definitely lose this war, isn't that right?"

"Unless your queen mother is the lonely woman who flew to the moon in the myth of your country."

Resar's words caused laughter among the ministers.

Although the laughter was not loud, these people soon realized that it was inappropriate to laugh at a Qing general in such an occasion. They stopped laughing in time, but it still aroused Wei Jinghai's anger.

With a "slap", Wei Jinghai slammed his palm heavily on the armrest of his chair and shouted angrily, "Someone come here."

Following Wei Jinghai's shout, more than a dozen guards outside the door quickly rushed in, each holding a pistol in their hands. Even several staff officers who were translating for the staff officers who were taking notes in the hall pulled out their pistols from their waists.

Wei Jinghai, who had already stood up from his seat, pointed at Resar, whose face had turned pale, and was about to give an order.

Teng Yuzao quickly reached out to stop Wei Jinghai, and said to Leisar with a sneer, "In our country, offending our queen mother is punishable by death. You have made an extremely stupid mistake."

Seeing that Teng Yuzao did not deal with him immediately, Resar saw a glimmer of hope. He quickly stood up tremblingly and bowed deeply to Teng Yuzao.

"Dear General, I just wanted to quote your country's mythology to illustrate the problem. I absolutely did not intend to offend your queen mother, let alone your Excellency the general. I apologize to you, your queen mother, and the general for my slip of the tongue."

Teng Yuzhao reached out and patted Wei Jinghai, motioning him to sit down, then waved to the guards who rushed in and several staff officers who stood up.

The guards quickly left the hall, and Wei Jinghai sat down unwillingly.

Teng Yuzao glanced at the ministers who were also pale, and said to Resar, "Mr. Resar, please sit down and talk too."

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(End of this chapter)